#allanson

Story

I’ve chosen this recipe as it was an autumnal family favourite as the kids were growing up, a warming and hearty dinner for a Saturday evening as the weather became cooler in the UK. Part of the choice is also that my daughter was a very fussy eater, much to our surprise one summer in Spain we discovered that she loved fish, so fish pie was something I could make that I knew she would like and I could smuggle lots of vegetables into it.

I should also add that when I cook this I don’t actually weigh anything or time anything, I’ve done it that often I don’t really need to, everything is done by look and feel – how many potatoes look right for 4 people, when the onions are translucent, when the carrots are slightly tender, when the milk just starts to simmer with the first tiny bubbles etc etc. So its going to be quite a challenge to write this down as a recipe so please forgive the non-standard measurements: knobs, dollops, dashes, slithers etc .

People might say that this is the opposite of the food technology we do in the lab where everything is carefully weighed and timed and temperatures controlled, but I would entirely disagree, good food science is about understanding of the physical and chemical changes in food during cooking and that requires the same sort of observation.

I’m also going to add that this recipe is fairly flexible and may depend on my mood and what’s in the fridge and freezer – so I might put a bit of sweet potato in the mash or fry up some finely sliced celery with the carrots and onions, these recipes are there to be adapted.

Even though both kids have now effectively moved out to pursue their own lives this is a recipe that celebrates family and homecoming, when I’m back in the UK and Niamh comes back from college I’ll cook this and for a short time it’s like I’ve got her back again in the kitchen and she’s 12 years old again (and I wish we could stay that way forever).

Ingredients

4-5 large potatoes

1 medium onion

2 carrots

A handful of sweetcorn (I use frozen)

Olive oil for frying

about 400g of fish (I normally choose 2 parts white fish like cod or haddock and 1 part smoked cod or haddock)

Milk and water for poaching the fish

A handful of fresh parsley chopped

Half a teaspoon of mustard (English or French – optional adds a little zing but is an allergen for some people)

2-3 teaspoons of cornflour (that’s what we English call corn starch)

A knob of butter 

salt & pepper

Method

Peel and quarter the potatoes, boil in water gently for about 15 mins until cooked. (I don’t add salt – it's part of reducing sodium intake) Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the onion and carrots, fry gently in a little olive oil for about 5 mins then add the sweetcorn and continue to very gently fry so the onion is translucent and the carrots start to soften.

Put the fish in a pan and add 50:50 milk and water until the fish is nearly covered, heat until just starting to boil (small bubbles) and hold on the gentlest simmer on very low heat for about 8 mins. By now the potatoes will be done, drain, add a knob of butter and a dash of milk and mash. Keep working the mash until it is nice and smooth.

Meanwhile, get the oven warming up 200c (fan) and mix a few teaspoons of cornflour into half a cup of cold milk (it’s a cheat for thickening the sauce and saves making a roux) Once the fish is done remove from the poaching liquor and arrange in the bottom of an earthenware dish.

At this point if it’s the weekend get your partner to make you a gin & tonic to help things along (optional) Let the poaching liquor cool a little bit and add the mustard and some of the cornflour mix, whisk while heating until it thickens, continue adding cornflour mix until the desired consistency is achieved (I tend to target a little thicker as moisture from the fish and vegetables will thin the sauce during the last stage of cooking). 

Add the chopped parsley and season to taste. Add the fried vegetables on top of the fish, add the sauce and work with a fork a little to ensure it gets right down to the bottom of the dish. Spread a thick layer (about 1 ½ inches) of mash potato over the top and smooth out with the tines of a fork to make ridges, add a couple of slithers of butter on top.

Put the dish on a baking tray (to catch anything if it boils over) and place in the oven for about 25 mins until the potatoes are golden and the sauce bubbling.

Grant’s Tasting session with Rob Allanson JUNE 26, 2015: WAREHOUSE CAFÉ, DELHI Grant is a premium brand of blended whisky and scotch established in 1887 by William Grant in Scotland. The brand had organized a tasting session in Delhi with their world brand ambassador Rob Allanson. Rob, has an experience of tasting over 100 different blended whiskys and has been associated with Grant for a long…