Fish & Chips & Wine
First of all – Happy Lockdown! This comes with genuine hopes that you are escaping as many of the threats to your physical and mental health which are buzzing around at present (for all you archeologists, anthropologists and future trawlers of digital footprints it’s March 2020 and covid-19 is in full spate).
Time for distraction of the positive kind. Someone recently stated that they were missing ‘Fish and Chips’. They were bemoaning the closure of their local ‘chippy’. No such problems for us as we have cooked ours at home for a long while now. We will only start to feel the pinch when our supplies of frozen bought-fresh fish dwindle.
Last night’s meal threatened those supplies but was an irresistible choice to comfort the heart and mind - and stomach - in the face of all that is going on (and not going on) in the out-of-bounds outside world.
Baked haddock with roasted tomatoes could have made an appearance but I went for the crunchier style of fried goujons.
Pieces of haddock are tossed in plain flour, dipped in egg and then coated with panko breadcrumbs. Fine to do this a couple of hours ahead. Even a tinge of sogginess will be deleted quickly in hot oil. Not too hot – I use a half-filled wok and fry in batches.
‘Chips’ vary according to whim but are always oven baked in a tray with a bare minimum of oil to coat. This batch were skin-on and roughly chopped. Peel and cut into chunky straights or thinner as you please.
Oil used here is always vegetable (rapeseed) by the way.
Shop-bought mushy peas make an appearance but the tartare sauce is my go-to, irresistible David Everitt-Matthias recipe. Tarragon is showing tiny leaves in our herb pots but not enough yet to add the final flourish to this rich, tangy mix. Missed – but plenty on the plate to make lamentation short.
‘& Wine’? Yes, here’s that part. Mrs Cheoff suggested a ‘decent’ wine as it was the weekend. The same thought had already occurred to me. And another recent post from my purple-toothed Facebook friend, Heather, got me checking for a particular bottle. Our trip to the Loire around Amboise in 2017 included purchase of Roussanne in the hands of a name recognised by even my limited knowledge. This is not particularly expensive but seems to be made with enough care to offer much for enjoyment. Definitely a fruity, peachy element but a smokiness from gentle oak and enough crisp acidity to balance out any mild suggestion of grease from the food.
Terrific body, good legs and a long finish. Hmmm. Must stop - I’ve carelessly drifted into a review of Mrs Cheoff and our post-prandial activity!
Bit awkward.
Sorry.
Bye!