Around the Passover Table (9 page)

Forget the fish jelly though: no bones, no gelatin. I don't miss it—it always seemed kind of a food oxymoron anyway. But the broth is delicious, and if enough is leftover, use it to slow-braise potatoes for an intriguing accompaniment to simple grilled or poached fish. Oded Schwartz calls the recipe “fish potatoes” in his book, In Search of Plenty: cover quartered peeled potatoes with the broth, add knobs of butter, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer slowly until most of the liquid is evaporated and the potatoes are brown and fragrant. Serve hot with sour cream.

FOR THE FENNEL-WINE BROTH

3 cups coarsely chopped onion

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups scraped and coarsely chopped carrots

2 tablespoons mild olive or avocado oil

1 small fennel bulb, coarsely chopped (include stalks and some of the fennel fronds)

1 parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped (optional)

3 garlic cloves, peeled

Salt

3 cups dry white wine

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (optional)

1 Turkish bay leaf

¹
⁄
₂
cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves and stems

FOR THE FISH

1
¹
⁄
₂
pounds salmon fillets, skin and any bones removed and discarded, fish cut into 1-inch pieces

¹
⁄
₂
pound sole, flounder or any other soft white fish fillets, skin and any bones removed and discarded, fish cut into 1-inch pieces,

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

Sautéed onion and carrot reserved from preparing the broth

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons salt

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons finely ground blanched almonds

FOR THE GINGER-BEET HORSERADISH

About 1 tablespoon peeled and finely grated fresh ginger

1 cup prepared beet horseradish

Soft lettuce, endive, or radicchio leaves, for lining the plates

PREPARE
the broth: in a large, wide, heavy saucepan or 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, sauté the onions and carrots in the oil over medium heat until the onions are softened and the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half the mixture to a food processor and let cool (you'll be using it later for the fish balls). To the saucepan, add the fennel, parsnips, if using, and the garlic. Mix well and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables begin to wilt and soften. Add salt to taste and 1 cup of the wine, cover the pan, and let sweat gently for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the remaining 2 cups wine, 5 cups water, the peppercorns, fennel seeds, if using, bay leaf, and parsley. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the broth seems weak, raise the heat to high and boil briefly to concentrate the flavors. Cool slightly, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, pushing down on the solids to extract all the flavorful juices. Discard the solids. Rinse out the pan and return the strained broth to it.

MAKE
the fish balls: add the salmon, sole, and garlic cloves to the onions and carrots in the food processor. Chop fine, using the pulse motion, but don't puree. Put the mixture in a chopping bowl or on a chopping board. Using a hand-chopper or cleaver, work in the eggs, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. (Hand-chopping at this point incorporates air into the mixture, making it lighter and fluffier than pulsing in the food processor.) Stir in the ground almonds.

IT'S
a good idea to do a test for seasoning. Poach a teaspoon of the fish mixture in lightly salted boiling water for a few minutes. Taste, and if needed, add additional salt and pepper. Refrigerate the fish, covered, for at least 1 and up to 4 hours. (This step makes it easier to mold and results in fluffier fish balls.)

PREPARE
the ginger-beet horseradish: stir the ginger into the horseradish, adding more or less according to preference. Cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

BRING
the strained broth to a gentle boil. Wetting your hands with cold water, if necessary, form the fish mixture into 16 ovals, using about
¹
⁄
₄
cup for each. As you form them, place the ovals on a platter lined with wax paper. Carefully slip the fish ovals into the broth and reduce the heat to a simmer. If the fish is not completely covered by the broth, baste with several spoonfuls of the broth. Cover the pot, and poach the fish ovals for about 20 minutes, until an inserted toothpick tests clean and the ovals are completely cooked through at the center. Remove the pot from the heat and let the fish cool in the broth. For maximum flavor, cover and chill in the broth overnight or preferably for 24 hours.

TO
serve, line platters or individual plates with lettuce, endive, or radicchio. Arrange two ovals of the chilled, drained fish attractively on top and accompany with the ginger-beet horseradish.

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Green Herb Oil and Beet-Horseradish Relish

yield:
About 8 appetizer servings

This deconstructed, quick and simple stand-in for traditional gefilte fish with horseradish has all the familiar flavors but none of the heavy lifting of the original. It's a fabulous splurge with wild salmon, but high-quality farm-raised salmon substitutes nicely.

Fresh salmon is cut into serving slices and very slowly roasted, emerging melt-in-the-mouth silky and perfectly cooked throughout. Keep this in your recipe files for an effortless first course or main dish throughout the year, excellent warm or at room temperature, paired with sauces from aioli to green olive or spicy fresh tomato.

The easy herb oil brings the sweet, buttery fish to life without overwhelming it. More an accompaniment than a sauce, the flavorful relish is meant to be served in copious portions. And unlike the classic jarred beet horseradish, even children can enjoy it.

FOR THE RELISH

6 medium beets (about 1
¹
⁄
₂
pounds, trimmed)

2 cups coarsely chopped red onions

About
¹
⁄
₄
cup capers, rinsed and drained

About 3 tablespoons jarred white horseradish

3 tablespoons packed fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons packed fresh dill

¹
⁄
₄
cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil

About 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE HERB OIL

³
⁄
₄
cup packed snipped fresh chives

¹
⁄
₄
cup packed snipped fresh dill

¹
⁄
₂
cup grapeseed, avocado, or other flavorless oil

Salt

1 teaspoon jarred white horseradish

FOR THE SALMON

2 pounds fresh salmon fillet, skin on, any pinbones removed with a tweezer

About
¹
⁄
₄
cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

¹
⁄
₂
cup dill leaves or a mixture of dill and chives, plus additional dill leaves for garnish

START
the relish: preheat the oven to 350°F. Trim any greens (save and cook like spinach or chard) and the root ends from the beets. Scrub the beets well, but don't peel or dry them off. Tightly wrap each beet in foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake until tender, 1
¹
⁄
₂
to 2 hours (if they are very large). Carefully remove the foil and set aside until cool enough to handle. Slip the peels off and cut the beets into large chunks.

COMBINE
the beets in a food processor with the red onion, capers, horseradish, parsley, and dill, and pulse until chopped fine, but not pureed. Transfer the relish to a bowl and toss with the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Taste and add more capers, horseradish, vinegar, or seasoning, if you like. The onion may taste somewhat sharp at first but will mellow nicely as all the flavors unfold and mingle. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

MAKE
the herb oil. Combine the chives, dill, about
³
⁄
₄
of the oil, and a generous pinch of salt in a blender. Blend on high, stopping to stir down as needed, until roughly pureed. Remove the blender cap and with the machine on, drizzle in the remaining oil. Continue processing until you have a smooth puree. Scrape the puree into a bowl, stir in the horseradish and salt to taste. Cover and set aside to let the flavors mingle.

PREPARE
the fish: preheat the oven to 250°F. Cut the salmon crosswise into 8 equal slices and bring the fish to room temperature. Choose a shallow roasting pan large enough to accommodate the salmon slices in a single layer, and smear it with some of the oil.

COAT
the fish on both sides with the oil. Stir together the paprika, salt and pepper to taste and massage into the flesh. Place the fish skin side down in the pan and scatter the herbs on top.

SLOW-ROAST
the salmon. The exact cooking time will vary according to your taste and the thickness of the fish. For a seder, I prefer to serve it medium, cooked about 25 minutes: just cooked through, showing the slightest bit of translucence at the thickest part, the skin easily peeled off. Even when completely cooked through, the salmon will look rare, since it will still be brightly colored throughout. The buttery flesh will not flake as you are used to, but instead will gently separate into layers when you poke it.

TO
serve, pull off and discard the salmon skin and brush away the herbs. Use a spatula to slide each salmon slice onto a plate, sprinkle with a little coarse salt, and drizzle with the herb oil. Scoop a large dollop of the relish alongside and garnish with dill leaves. Pass the remaining herb oil separately.

COOK'S NOTE
: You can prepare the relish about 2 days ahead, without loss of flavor.

Leftover herb oil is wonderful stirred into mashed potatoes, soups, mayonnaise, and vinaigrettes, or stippled on fish, chicken, or vegetables.