food / drink
RECIPE
Smoked Haddock With A Welsh Rarebit Crust And Samphire
words HARRY SMITH www. scenecuisine. co. uk
CAERPHILLY GOES CRACKERS FOR CHEESE
Jon Doyle checks out what cheesy treats are in store at this year’ s Big Cheese Festival
The town of Caerphilly has a long and rich history. From occupation by the Romans in the first century and Anglo-Welsh fighting throughout the Middle Ages, to the bustling market town of the 1700s, life in the town has never been dull. That said, it has never been quite as action-packed as when the annual Big Cheese festival is in town. The festival, now in its 16th year, throws
DRAGON COURT
A short walk from Cardiff City Stadium, the recently opened Dragon Court Chinese restaurant plays host to classic Chinese cuisine in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere. Whether you like your food steamed, grilled or deep fried, the dim sum lunch menu has something to suit everybody’ s taste. With a whopping 50 dishes to choose from, you can play it safe with chow mein or try their speciality, fresh radish paste. There’ s even a rotisserie chef preparing mouth-watering roast duck, crackling pork and suckling pig. If you fancy something a little more posh, treat yourself to the finest ingredients and flavours on the a la carte menu. You can tickle those tastebuds for less as Dragon Court are currently offering a special promotion of £ 20 on their speciality dishes, Peking steak and wok-fried lobster. Plus, ever heard of a Chinese restaurant with karaoke? You have now. Dragon Court are putting the party into Chinese cuisine with two rentable VIP rooms boasting karaoke systems. And if you’ re itching to try Dragon Court’ s food but aren’ t up for going out, then you’ ll be pleased to know that they have a takeaway menu, too.
Info: 029 2022 8866 / www. dragoncourtcardiff. co. uk
history together to form an extravaganza of entertainment. Battle re-enactments and medieval street performers meet the fine food and drink of the market sellers, and modern funfairs and fireworks take place alongside the traditional cheese race, providing fun for all the family in a festival which attracted 80,000 visitors in 2012. Welcoming over 50 food and drink providers over the weekend, the festive fireworks on the Friday night will be perfectly matched by a huge variety of tasty treats over the weekend. Enjoy the best of Welsh producers’ sweets, cakes, wine, liquers, chocolates, cheeses, pickles and more whilst street entertainers and the regular funfair will keep the kids entertained. Just make sure you don’ t forget the crackers!
The Big Cheese Festival, Fri 26-Sun 28 July, Caerphilly Town Centre, Admission: free. Info: 029 2088 0011 / www. caerphilly. gov. uk / bigcheese
THIS dish is always extremely popular with customers and it is simple to make, easily prepared in advance and very affordable. Haddock is a tasty fish caught in good supply in British waters and there’ s a healthy industry in the UK smoking the fish. I would buy good quality undyed smoked haddock from a fishmonger and allow about 250g per person. The fillets often yield a little less than they might appear to as the belly area is very thin and largely unusable in this recipe. Samphire is harvested wild from many parts of Wales, especially the Gower peninsula, and goes beautifully with the smoked fish in this dish. If unavailable, British asparagus would work well here.
SERVES FOUR
INGREDIENTS 2 large smoked haddock fillets / 200g fresh samphire / 2 cloves garlic / 100g butter / 50g flour / 100ml Guinness / 200g Welsh cheese( Snowdonia Black Bomber is excellent for this) / 2tsp mustard / 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
PREPARATION
• Firstly prepare the fish portions. Lay the fish skin side down on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to skin the fillets, running the blade from tail end up the fillet as close to the board as possible.
• Remove the belly area up to and including the line of pinbones which runs halfway down the centre of the fillet. Remove the very end of the fillet and cut each into two generous portions.
• To make the rarebit, mix the flour and half the butter in a hot pan to form a roux, add the Guinness, Worcester sauce and mustard, mixing well to form a smooth, thick simmering paste.
• Grate the cheese into the pan and turn off the heat, mixing well to achieve a glossy thick puree as the cheese melts.
• Put the fillets of fish onto a metal tray and add a splash of white wine to prevent sticking. Smooth the rarebit evenly over the fish and bake in a hot oven( approx 180 degrees) for about eight minutes.
• Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a thickbottomed frying pan, add the crushed garlic cloves and when the butter is starting to brown, throw in the samphire and toss well. Saute for a few minutes then arrange onto a warmed plate. Add the fish fillet in the middle.
• Serve with a dressed tomato salad and crusty bread.
BUZZ 22