Friday, April 19, 2013

FFwD: Cod and Spinach Roulade with wild garlic pesto and tomato sauce


Today we are preparing an elegant Cod and Spinach Roulade for the French Friday with Dorie group.




It is nice to be cooking fish again…




…it is springtime and the first fresh vegetables of the season have appeared in the markets, lending themselves to the preparation of a fresh tomato sauce and wild garlic pesto to accompany the fish roulades.

The tomato-lemon sauce in Dorie´s recipe calls for butter, garlic, tomatoes and the peel from one half preserved lemon. A nice and fruity fresh sauce.




Then onto the preparation of the wild garlic pesto. My very favorite spring pesto of all times. Unlike common cultivated garlic, it is the leaves that are eaten rather than the bulbs and the taste is more delicate too, similar to the flavor of chives. The leaves can be eaten raw or lightly cooked.




Be sure to wash them well - some recipes also call for blanching the leaves for a few minutes in boiling water. The leaves add a subtle, tangy flavor to salads, stir-fries and soups. On the weekend I will be preparing a wild garlic tart with the remaining leaves.




Towards the end of the season they bloom and the white flowers are also edible.




Once the tomato sauce and the pesto were done, it was time to prepare the cod roulades. The filling of the roulades consists of fresh spinach, onion, garlic and the other half of the peel of the preserved lemon. The roulades itself contains cod, egg whites and very cold cream that get processed in the food processor until the ingredients turn into a thick mousse. Then the fish mousse gets spread on some plastic wrap, the spinach filling gets placed on the fish mousse and then all rolled up and steamed for a good ten minutes. After a little rest, I sliced the roulades carefully and served them with the gently heated tomato sauce and a bit of the wild garlic pesto.




In France, roulades are a very common way to prepare fish or thinly cut meat and it is also common to place a filling inside the rolled shape. And I must say that it makes for a very pretty and elegant presentation.


Recipe for the Wild Garlic Pesto (Bärlauch Pesto)


Ingredients
  • 80 grams wild garlic leaves
  • 50 grams Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano (or other hard cheese)
  • 50 grams ground almonds (or other nuts such as pine nuts)
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 100 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus some more for topping up the jar (I used lemon infused olive oil)

Preparation
  1. Wash the wild garlic leaves and dry them carefully
  2. Finely grate the cheese. 
  3. Grind the almonds in a food processor and add the cheese, salt and pepper.
  4. Add about 1/2 of the wild garlic leaves and blend.
  5. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
  6. Add the olive oil and blend.
  7. Put in jar and top up with oil so that the pesto is covered and close lid.



To see how well the Cod and Spinach Roulades of all the other Doristas turned out, please click here.

Bon weekend!




36 comments:

  1. I am so jealous of your wild garlic. I don't think I've ever seen it around here - I'm going to look. The pesto sounds excellent. I enjoyed this one too. Beautiful presentation, as always.

    Have a good weekend!

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    1. Jora, thanks for the nice comment - wild garlic looks a lot like the leaves of the lily-of-the-valley - but those are poisonous and that´s where peolple have to be careful. But I actually have some growing in my garden and if I need more, I buy it at my favorite fruit and vegetable store. So, no risk there. If you can find it in the US , you should buy it, it is delicious and healthy and so very versatile.

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  2. I love how your roulades look like sushi! lol A very elegant presentation - nicely done!

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  3. I think you win the prize this week! You did all components and your photo of the dish is beautiful!

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    1. Thanks, Amy, the different components seemed to be necessary in order to enjoy this recipe and they were all nice on their own but even more delicious when combined.

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  4. I am impressed with your homemade pesto. Glad you enjoyed this dish. It wasn't a repeat for me, but was OK.

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    1. Thanks, the pesto is one of the easiest things that you can prepare and Dorie mentioned a pesto in one of her notes and since the season for wild garlic is so very short, I went ahead and made one of my very favorite pestos of all times. Simple yet delicious and so seasonal!

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  5. I don't think I have ever tried uncultivated garlic. Your pesto looks so delicious and such a lovely presentation. Hope you have a great weekend!

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    1. Thank you, Elaine, actually I do nor know where you could find the wild garlic but ramp seems to be similar.

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  6. Wild garlic pesto sounds delicious! Your roulades look divine!

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    1. Thank you, Guyla! This pest is lovely in springtime, a real treat also on bruschetta or with pasta!

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  7. Your fish roulades look wonderful, Andrea. I love how your source your ingredients not only locally, but with some foraging when it's there. I'm wondering about wild garlic. I have garlic chives growing in my herb garden with long strappy leaves like fat chives, but we also have an invasive weed called garlic mustard with more leafy foliage. Is it like either of those? Have a great weekend.

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    1. Betsy, thank so much for the nice comment - I know garlic chives, they are similar to wild garlic but not as leafy but this is the first time I have heard of garlic mustard and I looked it up, it is definitely different from wild garlic - I think the closest equivalent is ramp. I also added a picture today of the leaves and flowers of wild garlic - I just plain forgot it yesterday, maybe that helps.In the UK, wild garlic goes by many lovely and different names - "bear's garlic", "devil's garlic", "gypsy's onions" and "stinking Jenny" are just some of them. And around here we call it "Bärlauch", in Latin it is "Allium ursinum". Hope that helps a bit!

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    2. Thanks for looking into this, Andrea. I don't think we have this plant. We do have ramps here in the US, but I have never been lucky enough to find a source for them. I love any kind of allium, so this still looks delicious!

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  8. Wow, what a fun Spring dish. This sounds delightful and so pretty! I've never done a fish roulade, looks so interesting!

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    1. Thank you, Chris, this was my first fish roulade, ever - I learned a new technique and it was indeed a fun dish to prepare.

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  9. I’ve heard of wild garlic, but have never been lucky enough to find any. Your photos are just gorgeous, Andrea, and your roulades are plated so beautifully!!
    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Kathy, thank you for the lovely comment - wild garlic is one of my favorite ingredients, just like rhubarb - I adore using them in my baking and cooking and look foward to their first appearance in stores every springtime.

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  10. Such a gorgeous roulade Andrea! I don´t like fish, so I didn´t even bother making this, considering I didn´t have time or energy, but I have a similar recipe from a very old classic cookbook here, where it´s filled with only spinach. This is a wonderful technique. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Paula, you are absolutely right, making this roulade is a wonderful technique and quite worthwhile trying at least once, at least it was the first time that I made a fish roulade this way.

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  11. I've never seen wild garlic. It looks so pretty, you almost wouldn't want to eat it!. Lovely roulade!

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    1. Kristin, thank you very much, I am glad that I am not the only one who thinks that wild garlic is pretty, if it did not have the distict smell of garlic, I would place it in small vases on the table.

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  12. Once again you taught me something I did not know - wild garlic. I am not sure I've ever heard of it. Andrea, is wild garlic along the same line as garlic scrapes? We have them here early in the Spring and then they are gone. Perhaps it's the same thing. I think this may be a question for Google. From your Post I believe you and your family are very fond of roulades. Maybe I will try again but I seem to have better luck with roulade desserts. Lovely pictures and informative Post.

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    1. Mary, I tried not to make this an informative post...but I thought that I should post the recipe for wild garlic pesto since Dorie mentioned in her notes that pesto would be nice with these fish roulades.

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  13. I must try your wild garlic pesto...now just to find some wild garlic! LOVE the chive bud garnish...adds to such a beautiful presentation! Happy Sunday, my friend!

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    1. Thank you, Liz - the wild garlic pesto is indeed a nice recipe and seasonal too, I always make it as soon as I see wild garlic in the stores.

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  14. When I first saw this, I thought you were talking about scapes - but the wild garlic is a new-to-me ingredient. It sounds like the pesto you made from this was a lovely addition to this dish.

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    1. No, Cher, no scapes - wild garlic is similar to ramp, without the small bulbs though.

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  15. Fish is such an ideal spring ingredient. The presentation of this dish is just stunning! I'm still trying to wake up on Sunday morning, but your blog and this recipe is making me feel more alive :-) Thank you for sharing, my friend!

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    1. Thank you, Monet - it was indeed nic eto be cooking a dish with fish this week and I did learn a new technique there too, which can never hurt.

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  16. Beautiful job. Thanks for sharing your recipe for wild garlic pesto.

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    1. Thank you, Geraldine, I am sure that you would enjoy the wild garlic pesto - not only is it kind of special because the season for preparing it does not last all tha long - it is also quite delicious too.

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  17. You always have really unique and cute props (well, maybe not just props, if you are using them). I love the fish napkin rings! We love cod and this is such a beautiful dish to prepare. We enjoy with our eyes before tasting it. I also love your garlic pesto. Sounds fantastic and goes well with many dishes - but I like how you accompany with fish today. :)

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    1. Nami, thank you, to have pesto at hand is always a good thing, especially with a family, you can use it for so many different purposes and it is healthy and it tastes great too. What more could you want from such a simple recipe.

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  18. Your pesto sounds lovely. There's nothing better than spring vegetables.

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