World Gourmet Summit 2004 - Culinary Masterclass

Grilled Wild Bass with Farro, Italian Greens,
Currants and Pinenut Breadcrumbs

	Serves 6
	INGREDIENTS
	Grilled Wild Bass
6 x 140g (5 oz) 1 1 tbsp ¼ cup 2 tbsp 6 1 tsp	wild bass fillets lemon; for zest chopped thyme roughly chopped parsley Salt and pepper Dandaragan Estate Olive Oil unsalted butter shallots, peeled and cut into 0.5-cm wedges chopped thyme leaves A pinch of salt
	Farro
¼ bunch 1 1 ½ 1 1 ¼ cups 2 tsp ½ cup	Dandaragan Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil fresh thyme tied with string dried red chilli d'arbol bay leaf yellow onion; peeled, cut into 3 wedges small carrot; cut in half farro salt sherry Water
	Italian Greens
2 bunches ½ 1 1 2	cavolo nero, stemmed and cleaned rosemary sprig dried red chilli d'arbol yellow onion; peeled, thinly sliced garlic cloves; peeled, thinly sliced Salt; to taste
	Garnish
¾ cup	California Raisin-pinenut relish toasted breadcrumbs

Method:
1.	For the Grilled Wild Bass: Marinate the bass fillets with lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme and parsley. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until it foams, then add the shallots, 1 teaspoon of chopped thyme and a pinch of salt. Gently sauté the mixture over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 25 to 30 minutes. Once they are evenly caramelised, remove the pan from heat and set aside.
2.	For the Farro: Heat a clean, medium saucepot over medium heat, and add ¼ cup Dandaragan Estate Olive Oil, the thyme sprigs, one chilli and the bay leaf to the pot. Let the herbs sizzle for about 2 minutes in the oil and then add the onion wedges, celery and carrot. Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes until golden brown and softened. Add the farro to the pot with salt and stir with a wooden spoon to coat the farro with the oil. Add the sherry and 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until tender. Drain the faro, set aside and allow it to cool.
3.	For the Italian Greens: Blanch the cavolo nero in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, allow to cool, then squeeze out the excess water with your hands.
4.	Heat a medium saucepot over medium heat and pour in 1/3 cup Dandaragan Estate Olive Oil. Add the rosemary sprig and one chilli and let them sizzle in the oil for about one minute. Add the thinly sliced onion and garlic. Season with salt to taste and cook gently over medium to low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and starting to colour slightly. Then add the cavolo nero to the pot and stir to mix well. Season with more salt and cook the greens slowly over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often until they turn a dark, almost black colour and become slightly crispy on the edges. Adjust seasoning and set aside.
5.	Heat 2 tablespoons of Dandaragan Estate Olive Oil in a large pan and sauté the cooked farro for 5 to 6 minutes, tossing, until it is slightly crispy. Then add the cooked shallots and cooked cavolo nero and toss well. Adjust seasoning. Spoon the mixture onto large dinner plates.
6.	Forty minutes before you are ready to serve, light the grill. When the fire is ready (it will glow deep red embers), season the marinated bass fillets on both sides with salt and pepper and brush them with Dandaragan Estate Olive Oil. Grill the fishes, skin side down, for 3 to 4 minutes, and then turn them over and grill for a few more minutes until the flesh is just cooked through.

To Serve:
Top the farro and Italian greens with the grilled wild bass and squeeze some lemon juice over. In a small bowl, toss the California Raisin-pine nut relish with the breadcrumbs, adjust seasoning and scatter
over the tops of the fish and around the serving plates.