Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Creamy Oysters on Garlic Toast
Monday was supposed to be a day of rest and relaxation. I was off work and our visitor was leaving for Cork, so Lofty and I had the whole day to ourselves and I had a fridge full of food to waste the day on. But then I fell ill and the day of cooking turned into a day of watching Star Trek movies on the Sci Fi Channel. Not exactly what I had planned, but definitely not a bad day either.By Tuesday morning I was well enough to go to work and by the time I got back home (and hadn't eaten in nearly 48 hours) I was hungry enough to eat a scabby horse. Luckily, I didn't have to. On the contrary, the choice of food that was best eaten fresh was overwhelming: spinach, oysters, strawberries, broccoli, mushrooms, spring onions... I decided on a slightly unusual combination of oysters, lightly poached in a creamy garlic sauce served on top of toasted rye bread with garlic butter (a specialty of my mum's native Czech Republic which also tastes excellent with steak tartare or just as a snack with a pint of beer) and some spinach.
For the oysters:
½ tbsp butter
1 shallot or ½ onion, finely chopped
2 thin slices of black forest ham or speck Alto Adige (alternatively streaky bacon or pancetta)
2 big handfuls of mushrooms, sliced
½ lemon, grated zest only
a pinch of chilli powder
2 tbsp dry white wine
4 tbsp milk
75 ml thick cream
salt and pepper to taste
12 shucked oysters, juice reserved
For the spinach:
4 handfuls of baby spinach, washed
1 handful of watercress (you don't have to use it, but the peppery flavour complements the creamy sauce and gives the dish a bit of springtime feel)
salt and pepper to taste
For the toast:
4 medium slices rye bread (alternatively, white bread or ciabatta will do)
enough butter to thinly cover the surface of the bread
2 to 3 cloves of garlic (depending on you love/tolerance for it), finely chopped
To serve:
Spring onion rings
freshly grated Parmesan
Melt the butter in a high-walled frying pan over medium heat. Fry the shallot until translucent, then add the mushrooms, lemon zest and chillies and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated and they are golden. Add wine and bring to a boil. Then add the milk and oyster juice. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it is creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Finally, add the oysters and cream and allow to heat through. Leave on the stove long enough to just cook the oysters, but make sure not to overdo it, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the spinach, heat a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add the spinach while it is still wet, cover and heat through. When the spinach is beginning to collapse, add the watercress, cover again and leave to steam in its own juice for about 4 minutes. Add a few drops of water if the pan appears dry.
For the toast, spread the butter on the bread followed by the garlic. Toast under a preheated grill until golden brown and crispy.
Arrange toast on 2 plates, cover with spinach and spoon creamed oysters on top. Sprinkle with spring onions and Parmesan and serve immediately.
Christine at 8:59 pm
