Mark Bittmans Bouillabaisse Recipes

FISH STOCK FOR BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• Place a large heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium heat, and heat olive oil. Add onions and leeks. Sauté gently until softened but not colored, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, and continue to cook until onions and leeks are very soft and breaking apart, another 5 to 10 minutes. Put 4 quarts water in a large pot, and bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, add fish to onion mixture, raise heat to high, and stir vigorously until pieces begin to fall apart, 7 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, orange peel, celery, thyme, bay leaves, cayenne and pastis. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium, and sauté for 10 minutes.
• Add boiling water; simmer 25 minutes.
• Working in small batches, pass mixture through a food mill or strainer. Press fish scraps and vegetables through with the aid of the fish broth to ease flow. Allow to cool. Store refrigerated or frozen.

BOUILLABAISSE WITH ORANGE ZEST, FENNEL AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Put olive oil in a casserole or large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add zest, fennel, saffron and chili, and cook for about a minute. Add tomatoes, and turn heat to medium-high. When mixture boils, reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes sauce-like.
• Add monkfish and raise heat to medium-high. When mixture boils, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the monkfish begins to lose its rubbery quality, 10 minutes or so.
• Add clams, raise heat to high, and stir; when mixture boils, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until clams begin to open, 5 to 10 minutes. Add shrimp and white fish, stir, and cover. Cook, stirring gently once or twice, until white fish is just about done (a thin-bladed knife will pierce it with little resistance), about 5 minutes. (If mixture is very thick, add a cup or so of hot water.) Stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in parsley and serve, with crusty bread.

POPOVERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle a teaspoon or so of melted butter in each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan or a popover tin and put it in oven while you make batter.
• Beat together the eggs, milk, 1 tablespoon butter, sugar and salt. Beat in the flour a little bit at a time and add thyme if using; mixture should be smooth.
• Carefully remove muffin tin from oven and fill each cup about halfway. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 15 minutes more, or until popovers are puffed and browned. Do not check popovers until they have baked for a total of 30 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and serve hot.