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Long before Oz Clarke
made his name as one of
the world's fi nest wine
experts... he was perfecting
his palate with milk.
By the age of eight, the BBC's No 1 booze
buff could differentiate between the three
types of white stuff produced by a trio of
herds near his home in rural Kent.
Says Oz: "We had three farms each rearing
Guernsey, Jersey and Hereford cows.
"One farm put the cows out to graze on
the marshes, another out on the fi elds,
and one at the bottom of the hill.
"I used to revel in being able to tell which
cows had provided the cream used in
mum's bechamel sauce, or which milk
was used to cream the mashed potatoes."
Oz is best known for his TV wine and beer
romps around the British Isles with fellow
guzzlers James May and Hugh Dennis.
His latest DVD, Oz and Hugh Raise the Bar
(£19.99 Acorn Media), sees the television
tipplers travelling Britain in a campervan,
sampling the isles' home-grown beers,
wines and ciders.
And while the booze was always fl owing
at home for Oz, it is mum's hearty
home-made pies that he remembers
most fondly.
He says: "My mum was a colourful and
boisterous woman, who, growing up in
Ireland before the Second World War, lived
through some very hard times. She came
from a family who grew all of their own
produce and knew how to make much
with very little."
Oz has chosen his mother's fish pie as
his signature dish. He adds: "When I cook
this for my wife and family, it brings back
such wonderful memories."
Oz's Fish Pie
Ingredients
400g skinless cod
400g skinless coley
400g smoked haddock fillet
600ml full-fat milk
1 small onion, quartered
4 cloves
4 eggs
2 bay leaves
1 stick of celery
Small bunch of parsley
100g butter
50g plain flower
1kg floury potato, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
50g mature cheddar cheese
4 tomatoes, sliced
Method
- Poach the fish. Put the fish in the
frying pan and pour over 500ml of
the milk. Stud each onion quarter
with a clove, then add to the milk,
with the bay leaves. Bring the milk
just to the boil. Reduce the heat and
simmer for eight minutes. Lift the
fish onto a plate and strain the milk
into a jug to cool. Flake the fish into
large pieces in the baking dish.
- Hard-boil the eggs then peel, slice into
quarters and arrange on top of the fish
and scatter over the chopped parsley.
- Make the sauce. Melt half the butter
in a pan, stir in the fl our and cook for
one minute over moderate heat.
Take off the heat, pour in a little of
the cold poaching milk, then stir until
blended. Continue to add the milk
gradually, mixing well until you have
a smooth sauce. Return to the heat,
bring to the boil and cook for five
minutes, stirring continually, until it
coats the back of a spoon. Remove
from the heat, season with salt and
pepper then pour over the fish.
- Assemble and bake. Heat oven to
200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6. Boil
the potatoes for 20 minutes. Drain,
season and mash with the remaining
butter and milk. Use to top the pie,
starting at the edge of the dish and
working your way in – push the mash
right to the edges to seal. Fluff the
top with a fork, sprinkle with cheese
and garnish with the tomatoes,
then bake for 30 minutes.
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