#fishflorentine

[clarkchiro92]

Rhonda's latest recipe for #FishFlorentine is ready for you to enjoy making and serving to your family! https://clarkchiropractic.net/fish-florentine/ #realfoodsmatter #rhondasrecipes #realfoodmatters #DairyFreeFishFlorentine https://www.instagram.com/p/B1YqNlLDtC1/?igshid=1x041ew5fe2be

[samjd13-blog]

FISH FLORENTINE & TOMATO AND GARLIC TOASTED BREAD  

So apparently starting my food blog (which I had been planning to do for ages, but only got down to doing in the last two months!) Lots of motivation from my sister and inspiration from a few friends who happen to be bloggers too..you know exactly who you are!.... has lead to a lot of good things for me ! (FAME!! Haha, not really..but it's a start, innit!) 

So my first claim to fame, was through a friend who asked me to write for a recently launched food column, in the sakal times..read on for the recipe ! Its very simple & quick too..! 

The reason I decided to share this recipe is that it was one of my grandmum’s signature dishes. In my recipe, I have used frozen basa, simply because I find it’s much faster and easier to cook. As opposed to what most people think, I find that its blandness actually helps accentuate the flavour of the dish, after you cook it with herbs and other seasoning. 

This dish is a great way to get your kids to eat their greens too, mainly because they are hidden right underneath all the flavoured fish and cheesy sauce! It also makes for a great party dish.  Tomato and Garlic Toasted Bread can be served on the side. 

Here’s a little info about the dish......

Florentine comes from “Florence in Italy” where the dish is associated with spinach, or is prepared on a ‘bed of spinach’. Sometimes, food items from other regions of the world may have the word florentine associated with them, but they do not necessarily have spinach in  them.

TOMATO AND GARLIC TOASTED BREAD  

INGREDIENTS:  

Oil...4 tbsp  

Butter... 4 tbsp  

Garlic powder.....2 tsp 

Dried & crushed oregano......1 tsp 

Salt....... ½ tsp 

Chilli powder....... ½ tsp 

Tomato, chopped finely........1 

Baguette, plain......1   

METHOD: 

In a pan, add the oil and butter and melt the butter on a low flame. 

Then add the garlic powder, oregano, salt, chilli powder and tomato, mix and fry well.  

Cut the baguette into thick diagonal pieces, toast till brown on a flat pan. Apply the garlic and tomato sauce on the bread slices and serve hot. 

FISH FLORENTINE 

INGREDIENTS: 

For the spinach- 

Onion....1 big  

Fresh spinach.......1½ bunch  

Oil.......2 tbsp 

Sugar...... 1¾ tsp   

Salt...1 tsp

For the fish- 

Frozen basa, cleaned & skinned......350 gm 

Lime juice......1½ tsp 

Water.......4 tsp 

Salt & Pepper.......1½ tsp (each)

For the white sauce- 

Butter......... 3 tsp  

Oil......2 tsp 

Flour (maida)...... 3½ tbsp  

Milk........ 1 cup 

Water...... ¼ cup 

Salt........ ¾ tsp 

Pepper....... ½ tsp 

Sugar........ ½ tsp 

Parmesan, grated......2 tbsp 

Cheese, grated  (for garnishing)...... 4 cubes 

METHOD: 

For the spinach- 

Wash the spinach well and cut it into long strips. Keep aside. 

Dice the onion very finely. 

In a pan, add the oil and fry the diced onion lightly for 2-3 min. Do not brown them. 

Then add in all the chopped spinach, salt and sugar and fry till the spinach wilts a bit. Keep aside in a separate bowl to cool.   

For the fish- 

If you are using frozen fish, make sure you thaw it well in advance. 

Place the fish in a flat pan, add the water, salt, pepper and lime juice. Mix well using your fingers, so that it coats the fish evenly. 

Then cook the fish till it’s opaque. Take the fish out from the water (basa tends to give out some water while cooking) and keep it in a separate dish. 

Do not throw this water out. Keep it aside.   

For the white sauce- 

In a non-stick dish, add the butter and oil. Then on a low flame, melt the butter. 

Then add in the flour and quickly mix well with the melted butter and oil, to make the ‘roux’. 

To this, add in the salt, pepper, sugar, milk and fish water and keep whisking constantly, so that there are no lumps in the sauce. 

Lastly, add in the extra water and grated parmesan. 

Then on a medium flame, keep whisking the mixture, till it starts to thicken. Take it off the gas once the sauce is thick enough.   

Plating- 

In a baking casserole, arrange the spinach as the base layer. 

Next, shred the fish into large chunks and form another layer on top of the spinach. 

Then pour the white sauce evenly over the fish. 

Lastly, grate the cheese cubes over the sauce, covering the whole dish. 

Set the oven temperature to 150°C and bake for about 15 min. Serve hot.