There is a new book out called The Magic of Broths. You can see my review here of this interesting volume. Magic has 60 recipes both for making rich broths themselves [beef, pork, chicken, duck, fish and veggie] but also some very beautiful and surely satisfying recipes using those broths.
For example, this Waterzooi is Flemish and originally used a cod-like fish called burbot. Burbot is almost extinct, so author Nick Sandler has adapted the recipe using salmon. A chicken or chicken & pork broth is the base to which you add the salmon, mussels, a herd of veggies, egg yolks, Dijon mustard, and even crème fraiche.
As you can see, this dish is visually stunning. With all those ingredients, it will offer you culinary complexity.
Nick advocates broths because they are a very healthy dish. Low in salt, fats, and calories, they are an ideal food. Yes, in this recipe we do add that crème fraiche but it is just a little and I don’t a little sin is really all that bad. Do you?
Waterzooi
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup dry white wine, ideally Riesling
- 1 ½ cups new potatoes, scrubbed and diced
- 1 small rutabaga, peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 medium leek, washed and diced
- 24 mussels, scrubbed clean with no knobby bits or beards (discard any that do not close or have broken shells)
- 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup creme fraiche
- 4 skinless salmon fillets (each approximately 3 ½ ounces)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Caraway seeds
- Olive oil, for frying
- 10 ½ ounces French green beans
- Pat of butter
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- Few sprigs of dill, to serve
Preparation:
Put the stock and white wine into a large saucepan with the new potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, and leek and simmer for 15 minutes until cooked.
Add the mussels, cover the pan with the lid, and simmer for another 5 minutes until the mussels have opened.
Remove from the heat and swirl in the egg yolks, mustard, and creme fraiche.
Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and a scattering of caraway seeds. Pour a thin layer of olive oil into a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the salmon for about 3 minutes on each side until just cooked.
Meanwhile, drop the green beans into a pan of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes until al dente. Drain, then toss them with a pat of butter and the garlic.
Serve the Waterzooi in bowls topped with the beans, salmon, and sprigs of dill.
Source: The Magic of Broths by Nick Sandler [Kyle Books, 2016]