Recipe of the Week! 

Bouillabaisse   from The Country Cooking of France, by Anne Willan

The Wine Experience Wine Recommendation:  Rose`

Serves 8-10
There's some prep here but, wow, it's worth it. Just ask your guests after the meal!

Bouillabaisse, once a simple fish stew enjoyed along the coast of Provence has expanded to become a cult.  A  serious Bouillabaisse calls for up to a dozen fish that must be deboned at the table.  To be enjoyed with a heady broth laden, with fennel and saffron, with crisp croutes and nippy Sauce Rouille on the side.

The name Bouillabaise is probably a compound of bouillon abaisse  or "broth reduced," a reminder that rapid boiling is needed to emulsify the large amounts of olive  oil in the cooking broth so it does not float on top of the stew. In theory, only Mediterranean fish qualify for bouillabaisse: rascasse  (an unpleasantly bony, though tasty white-fleshed fish), John Dory,  red mullet, and  monkfish take the lead, with obscure types such as sea cicada (also known as slipper lobster), and the vive (weever} with its poisonous spines, rounding out the flavor and complexity of the stew. Firm-fleshed fish may include conger eel, moray eel, and mackerel.

These days, a wide variety of non-native fish are often substituted in bouillabaisse including whiting, flounder, bass, red snapper, perch, cod, and striped bass— whatever is plentiful is good for the pot

Ingredients
3 pounds whitefish with heads
2 pounds rich fish with heads
8 to 10 small crabs (optional)
8 to 10 scampi (langoustines), with heads (optional)

Marinade
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 1 to 2 tablespoons boiling water

1 large bouquet garni
4 or 5 garlic cloves, crushed
zest of 1 orange, pared in strips
1 small bunch fresh fennel fronds, or 2 teaspoons dried fennel seeds
3/4 cup olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 leeks, white part with some green part, sliced (see page 371)
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (see pace 372)
large pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 1 to 2 tablespoons boiling water
salt and pepper
baked croutes made with 2 baguettes
1 ½ cups sauce rouille
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon pernot or other anice liquor (or add to taste)
3 or 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Sauce Rouille
Red Chili Pepper Mayonnaise  -  makes about 1 cup
(Rouille means “rust”, the color of this sauce.  It’s powered with garlic and red chili and traditionally made in a mortar. )

1 fresh red chili, more to taste
4 to 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 egg yolks
1 squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste, more if needed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Small mortar and pestle (if desired – for mixing)

Directions:
Cut away the green stem end from the chili, split it lengthwise, discard the seeds and chop finely with a knife.  If you have the mortar and pestle, put the garlic, egg yolks, chili, lemon juice, salt and pepper in the mortar and pound with the pestle until the mixture thickens lightly, about 1 minute.  Pounding develops the flavor of the chili and garlic.  Gradually beat in the oil a few drops at a time until the sauce starts to thicken and emulsify.  After adding about 2 tablespoons of the oil, the mixture should be quite thick.  Transfer it to a small bowl and continue adding the remaining oil more quickly, pouring it in a very slow, thin stream while stirring constantly with a whisk or an immersion blender.  NOTE:  if added too quickly, the sauce may separate.  If you are not using a mortar and pestle, whisk the sauce in a bowl from the start.  Work in the tomato paste and vinegar, taste and adjust the seasoning.  The sauce may be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to – but no more than – 12 hours.  At serving time, let it come to room temperature before you stir it or it may separate.

Baked Croutes:
Cut 2 baguettes, country loaves or a number of crusty rolls into uniforn slices, 1/8 to 1/2 inch thick.  If you like, brush them lightly on both sides with olive oil or melted butter.  Put on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated oven (350 degrees) turning once, until dry and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.  Croutes tend to cook unevenly near the edge of the baking sheet so move them during baking.

Directions:
If not already done, clean and scale the fish, cutting off the fins with scissors.  Wash and dry the fish. Remove the heads and tails and set aside. Cut the bodies into two inch chunks.  Cut the gills out of the fish heads (so that they don’t make the broth bitter).  Put the heads and tails in a saucepan, adding water to barely cover.  Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.  Strain and set aside the broth, setting aside the heads and tails.  There should be two to three quarts of broth but the exact amount is not important. 

Meanwhile, wash and dry the crabs and scampi, if using.  For the marinade, mix the oil, garlic, and saffron and its liquid in a large bowl.  Add the fish and turn the pieces so they are coated.

Tie the bouquet garni, crushed garlic, orange zest, and fennel into a piece of cheesecloth.  Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, leeks, and celery and sauté until soft but not brown, about 8 to 12 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and the cheesecloth bag of flavorings and pour in the fish broth with the saffron and its liquid.  Season with salt and pepper, cover and bring to a boil.  Simmer over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes to create a flavorful broth.  Meanwhile, make the croutes and the sauce rouille.

Add the rich fish and the crabs and scampi, if usint, to the pot, pushing them well down into the liquid.  Increase the heat to high, bring the liquid to a rolling boil and cook the fish, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes.  Don’t stir but shake the pan from time to time to prevent sticking.  Put the white fish on top and boil until they just flake easily, 5 to 8 minutes longer.  Add more water if needed during cooking to keep all the fish pieces bathed in broth.  It is important to keep the liqid boiling fast so that the oil emulsifies with the broth.

Take the pot from the heat.  Using a draining spoon, transfer the fish and shellfish to a warmed deep platter, arranging them so the different types are separated.  Cover the platter with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Discard the bag of flavorings.  Whisk the tomato paste and pernod into the hot broth, tast, and adjust the seasoning.  Pour it into a warmed soup tureen. 

Sprinkle the broth and seafood with parsley and serve both at the same time, leaving guests to spoon a selection of seafood into large soup bowls and ladle the broth on top.  Serve with the croutes and rouille in separate dishes.