So, I didn't blog last night but I have a great excuse as we went out for dinner to celebrate my bond approval. Rory took me to this place in Illovo called Assagi, which was fantastic. It is probably the first truly authentic Italian restaurant I have been to in South Africa. We shared a salad of marinated chili tomatoes, wild rocket and rabiola for starters and I ended off with tuna capaccio and Rory had a baby chicken marinated in Rosemary and lemon. We finished a bottle of Sangiovese wine and got served by the most beautiful, regal Senegalese looking man. He came to the table and we were both like "holy cow", so I gave him my friend's number as she owns a modeling agency. Star models if anyone needs one. So in my drunk state I texted her going 'I just gave a beautiful black man your number'. She is very happily living with her boyfriend. I had to clear that one up this morning - we chuckled!
We then went to The Attic for a nightcap and the last glass of wine tipped me over the edge and I feel rotten today, rotten. Not the best day for a TV interview and a huge press release dissemination drive. I simply can't have more than a glass of wine without feeling like death. So tonight, I need to make an easy meal. I am going to show you how to make the most divine easy fish dish that I serve with a french bean ratatouille which sounds complicated, but it ain't. So here's how you do it:
START PREPARING YOUR BEAN DISH FIRST
For the fish (serves 2)
2 hake / kingklip fillets
a jar of basil pesto (I will post a fab homemade pesto recipe soon, but I am hungover so a jar it is)
garlic
white wine (use decent wine, do not cook with any wine you wouldn't drink)
fresh basil
10 cherry tomatoes
Method
Halve your cherry tomatoes and add a sprinkle of salt
Tear your basil and add to tomatoes and mix in a pull - put this to one side
Fry 2 cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil on a low heat (watch the garlic as it burns easily and contaminates EVERYTHING)
Pour a generous splash of wine in the pan
Add 2 tablespoons of the pesto and mix the wine, the garlic and the pesto together in the pan
Make sure your stove plate is on a low to medium heat as you will be poaching the fish - you want a gentle simmer)
Add your fish into the pesto and wine mix and cover with a lid
Poach for 5 minutes and then carefully turn the fish over, cover and poach again for another 5 minutes)
Remove from pan carefully as the fish will be moist and will break easily
Garnish with cherry tomato and basil mixture
Wickedly simple and truly delicious
French bean ratatouille
1 onion
packet of french beans (topped and tailed - your stringy bits on either end are removed)
tomato paste
tinned tomatoes
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
2 generous pinches of salt
a generous splash of balsamic vinegar
Method
Chop your onion and fry gently on a medium heat till soft in a little olive oil
add your washed top and tailed beans
mix in with onions
add tomato paste and tinned tomatoes and mix well
add sugar, vinegar and salt
mix well
taste the sauce and make sure the salt, sweet and sour balance, if they don't try and identify which needs more added and be sparing when you add the missing ingredient. You can put in but you can't take out.
Once mixed, cover and simmer on a low heat for 15-20 minutes.
Remove and eat!
Enjoy!
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