Does anyone have a reasonably straight-forward recipe for the above --
one the a very amateur chef could follow?

Al Lesure

alan lesure wrote:
> Does anyone have a reasonably straight-forward recipe for the above --
> one the a very amateur chef could follow?
>
Amateur cooks sometimes take a while before tackling something "from
scratch." This is actually a good candidate for trying to make "the
real thing" because few cooks will do it, it's much easier than it
looks, and it tastes great. I apologize for the lengthiness of the
description, but I don't have time to edit. You will note that there
are few ingredients and that you can do some in advance if you want to.
Making the stock takes less than an hour. The soup itself, given the
stock, takes about half an hour.

First the mayo. With the use of a wand blender (aka stick blender) and
a tall thin container making flavored mayo has become a snap. Put
these ingredients into the container:

4 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped fine
2 egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or less)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (or more)

Then put the blender to the bottom of the container, turn it on, and
rock it from side to side as you slowly draw it upwards. In about ten
seconds you have mayonnaise. Fantastic. The Dijon mustard can actually
be omitted if you don't want that flavor. A bit of mustard is used
when you make mayonnaise by hand to aid in getting the emulsion
started. It's not needed with the stick blender. This will keep for a
week in the 'fridge. All by itself it justifies buying a stick
blender.

Even an amateur cook can make fish stock, even though very few do.
It's much simpler and faster than chicken stock, which is simpler and
faster than beef/veal stock. But you have to find a fishmonger who
will give you fish heads and bones.

Let's assume you find one--maybe even the butcher attendant at the
supermarket. Get 3 pounds of fresh red snapper or sea bass or some
kind of flounder-type and have them fillet it for you and give you the
heads and bones.

To make the stock, cook a chopped onion until tender (and one rib of
celery, chopped, optional) in a large saucepan or stockpot, using 2 TB
oil, about 5 minutes over medium heat. Then raise the heat and add the
fish heads/bones. Stir them around with the onion and oil for about 5
more minutes. Then add 6 cups water, a couple of pinches of salt and
simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, skimming any foam that arises. Strain all
the solids out and reserve the stock. That's all there is to it.

You can do this hours or days in advance of making the soup, just as
you can the mayo.

For the soup itself, you will need the fish fillets, 2 leeks and a
pound of fresh spinach, cleaned and chopped, along with some fresh
chopped parsley. May substitute a 10 oz. package of frozen spinach,
thawed and drained.

Slice the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse them thoroughly with a lot
of water. Then chop the white and lightest green parts and rinse them
again in a strainer or colander. You don't want any of that sand or
grit.

Cut the fish into appropriate size for the soup you envision.

Heat about 3 TB olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the
chopped leeks and cook for about 5 minutes until softened and lightly
beginning to brown. Stir in the spinach and add about 1 cup of the
fish stock. Cover and cook another 5 minutes. Add another 2 to 3 cups
of fish stock and bring it just to the boil. Add the fish and adjust
heat so it barely simmers. Cook until the fish is just poached
through, likely not more than ten minutes. Test with a thin, sharp
knife: it should pierce the fish easily.

While the fish is cooking, whisk 1/2 cup of your aioli into the
remaining fish stock. When the fish is done, stir this mixture into
the soup and turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper, tasting
carefully. Serve garnished with fresh parsley and pass more aioli at
the table. -aem