Four Sisters Food

For the Tartare Sauce

125 ml mayonnaise

1 rounded T capers, roughly chopped, rinsed and drained if salted

1 rounded t creamed horseradish

1 rounded t Dijon mustard

1 small shallot, very finely chopped

1 T flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

For the Fish Cakes

200g white fish

200g smoked fish

1 bay leaf

100 ml milk

350 g mashing potatoes

1 t finely grated lemon zest

2 T fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 T snipped fresh chives

1 egg

Flour, for shaping

100 g fresh white or Panko breadcrumbs

Vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Lemon wedges, to serve

Serves 4

Tartare Sauce:

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Fish Cakes:

Lay the fish and bay leaf in a shallow frying pan and pour over the milk.  Add about a cup of water.  Cover and bring to the boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 4 minutes.  Take off the heat and let stand, covered for 10 minutes, to finish cooking the fish.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into even sized chunks.  Place them in a saucepan and just cover with boiling water.  Bring back to the boil and simmer for around 10 minutes or until just tender.

Remove the fish from the milk using a slotted spoon and place on a plate to cool.  Drain the potatoes in a colander then tip them back into the hot pan on the lowest heat and let them dry out for about a minute, mashing them with a fork or potato masher and stirring so they don’t stick.  You should have a light, dry mash.  Take off the heat and stir in 2 T of the sauce until completely mixed in.  Add the lemonm zest, parsley and chives and mix well.  Season well with salt and pepper.  The potato should have a good flavour, so taste and adjust to suit.

Drain off the liquid from the fish, grind some pepper over it then flake into big chunks into the pan of potatoes.  Flake the smoked fish into the potato pan.  Using your hands, gently mix the fish and potato together so they are just mixed.  Put aside to cool.

Beat the egg on a plate and lightly flour a board.  Spread the crumbs on another plate.  Divide the mixture into four.  I weigh the whole mixture, divide the weight by four then weigh out each fish cake to ensure they are the same size.  On the floured board shape into four cakes about 2.5 cm thick.  One by one, sit in the egg and brush over the top and sides so it is completely coated.  Transfer to the crumbs, patting the crumbs onto the side and tops until they are lightly covered.  Transfer to a plate and cover.  Chill for 30 minutes (or up to a day ahead)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan.  It is ready when a piece of the dry breadcrumb sizzles when dropped into it.  Fry the fish cakes over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side and crisp and golden.  Serve with the rest of the sauce (add some lemon zest to taste if desired),  and the lemon wedges.

Although I have not been a practicing catholic for many years, I still feel guilty if I eat meat on Good Friday so this is what we had this year.

Ingredients

5 large mashing potatoes, peeled and diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 eggs

1 bag baby spinach

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot chopped

2 T butter

1/3 C  flour

2 C milk

1 C grated mature cheddar cheese

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 t English mustard

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

200g (½lb) skinless white fish such as gurnard or terakihi

300g (2/3 lb) smoked fish, like trevally, flaked

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F)

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for about 15 minutes until cooked.  Drain.  Hard boil the eggs, when cool peel and quarter them.  Wilt the spinach in a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes, then drain in a colundar and squeeze out any excess water.

In a large pot, melt the butter then add the onion and carrot and gently fry for about 5 minutes until soft.  Add the lemon zest then mix in the flour and cook for a further minute.  Add the milk slowly and stir continuously until thickened and boiling.  Remove from the heat and add the cheese, lemon juice, mustard and parsley.   Check the seasoning and add salt if necessary.

Put the spinach, fish and eggs into a casserole dish and mix together.  Pour over the sauce and poke with the handle of a wooden spoon to get the sauce to penetrate to the bottom of the dish.  Mash the potatoes with some olive oil, salt and pepper.  If too thick, mix in some milk.  Spread over the fish and sauce.  Rough up with a fork then bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until browned and bubbling.

Serves 6

Ingredients

 4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons white wine

600 g (1 ¼ lb) whole fish like snapper, tarakihi, or fish steaks like hapuku

2 spring onions, cut into julienne strips

Method

Mix together the garlic, fish sauce, lemon juice, ginger, chilli sauce, coriander, rice wine vinegar and wine.

Place the fish on a large piece of double thickness heavy foil.  Pour the marinade over the fish and sprinkle with the spring onion

Wrap the fish in the foil to make a parcel.  Cook over medium heat on a barbecue plate for about 30 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Alternatively, bake in a medium oven (180°C/360°F)

Serves 4