SeafoodorzoriSotto
Attheheartofthisdishlieskritharaki,a sidedishof
orzosimmeredwithtomatoesthat’sa stapleonour
cypriottable.i hadit asa kidandnow,a generation
later,i frequentlymakethesametosatisfythe
growingappetites of my own gorgeous sprogs.
serves 41 onion,diced
4 garliccloves,sliced
360gorzopasta
½tspsmokedpaprika
160gdicedtomatoes
125mlwhitewine
A pinchofsaffronthreads
About2lchickenstock
A smallhandfulof
finelychoppedfresh
flat-leafparsley
A pinchofdriedchilli
A pinchoffennelseeds
A coupleofhandfulsoflive
mussels or clams, cleanedA coupleofhandfuls
ofprawns
200gslicedsquid
400gfirmwhitefish
fillets,suchascodor
monkfish,cubed
75gpetitpois
A splashofouzo
saltandfreshlyground
blackpepper
oliveoil,forcooking
anddrizzling
Freshlysqueezed juice
of 1 lemon1 Ina large,deep-sidedfryingpan,frytheonion
ina littleoliveoilfor5-10min,untilsoftbutnot
coloured.Addhalfthegarlic,theorzoandsmoked
paprika.Frytheorzofora coupleofminutesbefore
addingthetomatoes,wineandsaffrontothepan.
2 Reducethewineuntilalmostgone,season,then
addhalfthestock.Simmergently,givingit an
occasionalstir,untilthestockis absorbed.Addthe
restofthestockinbatches,untiltheorzois cooked
throughbuthasa tinybitofchewiness;thiswill
takearound20-30min.Youmayneeda littlelessor
morestockdependingonthesizeofyourorzo.It
willthickenasit cools,sokeepsome stock by in
caseyouneedtoloosenit later.
3 Oncetheorzois donetoyourliking,removefrom
theheat.Addmostoftheparsleyandthechilli
flakesandletit rest.(Atthisstage,youalreadyhave
asimplekritharakithatmakesa perfectsidedish.)
4 Next,adda littleoliveoiltoa cleanpan,addthe
fennelseedsandremaininggarlictowarmthrough.
Introducetheshellfishandfishtothepanandfry
for1min.Addthepetitpoisanda tablespoonor
twoofwaterandcovertocooktheseafoodforjust
afewminutes.Removethelidandletanyresidual
waterevaporate,discardinganymusselsthatdo
notopen.Adda splashofouzoandreduceuntil
almostgone.Removefromtheheatandpourthe
contentsintothecookedorzoandfoldthrough.
5 Adda littlemorestockif it’stoothick.Tastefor
seasoning,pourontoa platter,sprinklewithparsley,
a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.SeaBreamand
WatermelonCeviChe
Mycevicheisinspiredbythememoryofbuying
watermelonfroma farmer’sopen-toptrailerincyprus,
theneatingthesweetfruitwiththejuicesrunning
downmychinandthesaltybreathofthesea.
serves 2 As A stArter, or 4 As A Meze1 seabreamfillet,
approx120g
1 garlicclove
Freshlysqueezed juice
of2 lemons
70gwatermelon,flesh
dicedinto½-inchcubes
20g red onion, finely diced1tspfinelydiced fresh
redchilli
A generouspinchoffreshly
choppedcoriander leaves
1tbspolive oil
salt
crisplytoasted pitta bread,
to serve1 If it isn’talreadyprepared,preparethefish
filletbyskinninganddeboningit,andcuttingaway
thedarkermeatthatrunslengthwaysalongthe
fishwheretheskinwas.Theeasiestwaytodo
thisis,oncethefilletis skinnedanddeboned,
simplyturnit over(skinned-sideup)andcuta
‘V’lengthwaysalongthemiddle.Once done,
cutthefleshinto½-inchcubes.
2 Gentlycrushthegarlicclovetojustbreakthe
shellbutkeeptheclovewhole,moreorless.
3 Addthegarlic,cubedfishandlemonjuiceto
a bowl,ensuringthefishis completelycovered
bythelemonjuice.Letit ‘cook’for15min, by
whichtimeit willhaveturnedopaque.
4 Removethefishfromthelemonjuice,shakingoff
anyexcessliquid,andplacethefishina cleanbowl
(reservingtheliquid).Addthewatermelon,red
onion,chilliandcoriandera littleata time,tasting
toensuretheflavouris evenlybalanced.Once
done,addtheoliveoil,a pinchofsaltand a
teaspoonofthereservedlemonliquid.
5 Serveimmediately.It goeswell with some
crisply toasted pitta bread.>good tiMes, good Food