September 2003

Grilled Brill on A Bed Of Vegetable Tagliatelle.

This is a recipe that shows we are getting into the autumn. Gone are the salads and back are hot vegetables. As usual this is not an exact recipe but more a suggestion that can be adapted to your own personal tastes.

The fish I have used is the fillet of brill. It has been folded over, lightly brushed with a little olive oil and then seasoned with salt and pepper. It was cooked in a moderately hot oven for about eight minutes but might take a little longer if the fillets are larger.

I cut some ribbons of both carrot and caugette. This I did by using a peeler, being careful not to cut my hands. This is to mix with the tagliatelle at a later stage. I boiled a large pan of water. Added a small splash of oil and then cooked the pasta for about six minutes. If you prefer your pasta really soft then you can cook it for a couple of extra minutes. The oil in the water is to prevent the pasta sticking all together in a big lump. For the last minute of the cooking I added the ribbon veg into the pasta. When it is cooked drain well to remove the excess water and lightly season with salt and pepper. To add a little something to the finished dish you can add a fish stock cube into the water before cooking the pasta. The last part of the dish is the dressing. This is optional as a light dribble of olive oil would be sufficient but does add flavour and of course colour to the finished dish.

I finely chopped some green and yellow pepper and gently cooked this over a light heat until the peppers were beginning to soften. Then I added some chopped chives and a little bit of finely chopped garlic. This was cooked for two minutes. Then some lemon oil was added and warmed through. This is not expensive and is easily sourced from your local supermarket. When warm it was removed from the heat and some fish roe was added. This is both the red and black roe that again can be found in your local shop. Finally salt and pepper to taste.

The dish is finished by first putting a small mound of the pasta and vegetables in the middle of the plate. Then putting the fish on top and finishing with the dressing around or over the top. That is it, very simple. I think it makes a great step between summer food and winter food.

Enjoy.

Paul Vincent: Head Chef