Page 132 - Country Homes & Interiors (August 2019)

good ti M e s, goo d Food

Seafood orzo riSotto Sea Bream and

At the heart of this dish lies kritharaki, a side dish of Watermelon CeviChe
orzo simmered with tomatoes that’s a staple on our My ceviche is inspired by the memory of buying
cypriot table. i had it as a kid and now, a generation watermelon from a farmer’s open-top trailer in cyprus,
later, i frequently make the same to satisfy the then eating the sweet fruit with the juices running
growing appetites of my own gorgeous sprogs. down my chin and the salty breath of the sea.
serves 4 serves 2 As A stArter, or 4 As A Meze

1 onion, diced A couple of handfuls 1 sea bream fillet, 1tsp finely diced fresh
4 garlic cloves, sliced of prawns approx 120g red chilli
360g orzo pasta 200g sliced squid 1 garlic clove A generous pinch of freshly
½tsp smoked paprika 400g firm white fish Freshly squeezed juice chopped coriander leaves
160g diced tomatoes fillets, such as cod or of 2 lemons 1tbsp olive oil
125ml white wine monkfish, cubed 70g watermelon, flesh salt
A pinch of saffron threads 75g petit pois diced into ½-inch cubes crisply toasted pitta bread,
About 2l chicken stock A splash of ouzo 20g red onion, finely diced to serve

A small handful of salt and freshly ground
finely chopped fresh black pepper 1 If it isn’t already prepared, prepare the fish
flat-leaf parsley olive oil, for cooking fillet by skinning and deboning it, and cutting away
A pinch of dried chilli and drizzling the darker meat that runs lengthways along the
A pinch of fennel seeds Freshly squeezed juice fish where the skin was. The easiest way to do
A couple of handfuls of live of 1 lemon this is, once the fillet is skinned and deboned,
mussels or clams, cleaned simply turn it over (skinned-side up) and cut a
‘V’ lengthways along the middle. Once done,
1 In a large, deep-sided frying pan, fry the onion cut the flesh into ½-inch cubes.
in a little olive oil for 5-10min, until soft but not 2 Gently crush the garlic clove to just break the
coloured. Add half the garlic, the orzo and smoked shell but keep the clove whole, more or less.
paprika. Fry the orzo for a couple of minutes before 3 Add the garlic, cubed fish and lemon juice to
adding the tomatoes, wine and saffron to the pan. a bowl, ensuring the fish is completely covered
2 Reduce the wine until almost gone, season, then by the lemon juice. Let it ‘cook’ for 15min, by
add half the stock. Simmer gently, giving it an which time it will have turned opaque.
occasional stir, until the stock is absorbed. Add the 4 Remove the fish from the lemon juice, shaking off
rest of the stock in batches, until the orzo is cooked any excess liquid, and place the fish in a clean bowl
through but has a tiny bit of chewiness; this will (reserving the liquid). Add the watermelon, red
take around 20-30min. You may need a little less or onion, chilli and coriander a little at a time, tasting
more stock depending on the size of your orzo. It to ensure the flavour is evenly balanced. Once
will thicken as it cools, so keep some stock by in done, add the olive oil, a pinch of salt and a
case you need to loosen it later. teaspoon of the reserved lemon liquid.
3 Once the orzo is done to your liking, remove from 5 Serve immediately. It goes well with some

the heat. Add most of the parsley and the chilli crisply toasted pitta bread. >
flakes and let it rest. (At this stage, you already have
a simple kritharaki that makes a perfect side dish.)
4 Next, add a little olive oil to a clean pan, add the
fennel seeds and remaining garlic to warm through.
Introduce the shellfish and fish to the pan and fry
for 1min. Add the petit pois and a tablespoon or
two of water and cover to cook the seafood for just
a few minutes. Remove the lid and let any residual
water evaporate, discarding any mussels that do
not open. Add a splash of ouzo and reduce until
almost gone. Remove from the heat and pour the
contents into the cooked orzo and fold through.
5 Add a little more stock if it’s too thick. Taste for
seasoning, pour onto a platter, sprinkle with parsley,
a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

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