Blame St Swithun
I made a very good fish mayonnaise with that unfashionable fish the coley. It is a marvellous fish, otherwise known as saithe or coal fish, but people in our dear and pleasant land disdain it as cat food because of its rather unattractive greyish colour when raw; do not let this depress you in the least, the flesh will become white when cooked and is firm in texture, falling into good-size flakes. It is also far cheaper than the once humble cod which now has risen to wild pretensions. At last sighting, coley was about £1.50 a pound.
Coley mayonnaise
2 lbs of fresh coley 1/2 pint mayonnaise Pernod lemon juice salt, peppercorns, fennel seeds, bay leaf
Get the thick end of the coley, as it makes better flakes. Fill a frying- or saucepan with enough water to cover the fish. Add sea salt, peppercorns, bayleaf and about a teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds; also squeeze half a lemon into the pan. Lay the fish in the water, bring to simmering point and poach gently for about 15-20 minutes, depending on its thickness. It is ready when you can prise the flesh from the skin and it has become white right through. When cool enough to handle, remove skin, bones and any tough membrane from the flank. Arrange the fish in a flat dish in one layer of good-size flakes. Make a mayonnaise with two egg yolks, half a teaspoon of dry mustard, a pinch of salt, lemon juice and half a pint of not too strong-tasting olive oil. When accomplished add a dessertspoon of Per- nod and stir well in. Coat the fish with the mayonnaise, sprinkle with chopped dill and serve with lovely little new potatoes (hot or cold) and a green bean salad. If you hate Pernod don't use it, the lemon will suffice, but the Pernod does go very well with the fish.
Another good thing to make early and leave until wanted is the big Italian omelette called frittata. Very different to the French omelette, which is cooked rapidly over a high heat, the frittata is cooked slowly over a low heat. It is excellent for using up any left-over veget- ables, pasta, ham and cheeses.
Frittata with tomatoes, onions and basil
6 medium onions finely sliced 6 tablespoons of olive oil 1/2 lb tomatoes (plum if possible) 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese handful of fresh basil 2 oz butter 6 large eggs
salt and pepper
Sweat the onions in the oil until quite soft and just browning. Skin and chop the tomatoes (you can use tinned ones drained), add to the onions with a little salt to taste, cook together for ten minutes, stirring now and then. Press the vegetables to the side of the pan, and remove with a perforated spoon into a bowl, draining off as much oil as you can in the process. Leave to cool. Beat the eggs until well mixed but not frothy, add the vegetables, cheese, a good quantity of freshly ground pepper and more salt to your liking. Tear up the basil leaves and mix the whole lot into the eggs. Melt the butter in a large (12-inch) frying pan until just foaming, pour in the eggs and lower the heat to minimum and cook for about 15 minutes until the eggs are set but the top is still a bit runny, then you can put the pan under the grill for half a minute. Loosen the frittata with a lithesome spatula and slide onto a suitable plate. Cut in wedges and serve with a salad. This can be eaten warm or cold and is very good taken to school or work as they do in Italy. Courgettes, pimentoes, beans, etc are all welcome additions to this fry-up.
Grouse next week, my favourite treat of all, but I must stop now to take poor Jeff Bernard some ice for his vodka as he lies broken-ribbed in Westminster Hospital.
Jennifer Paterson
Previous page
