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Butter Roasted Monkfish Tail with Sweet Pepper Risotto

Butter Roasted Monkfish Tail with Sweet Pepper Risotto

Serves: to serve 4

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 50 Minutes

Ready In: 1 hr

ingredients
FOR THE RISOTTO:

2 - red bell peppers (sweet peppers)

  - salt and pepper

1 teaspoon - sugar

2 small - onions

2 cloves - garlic

2 tablespoons - olive oil

2 tablespoons - butter

12 oz - Arborio risotto rice

¼ pint - white wine

5 cups - vegetable or chicken stock

FOR THE MONKFISH:

2 pieces - thick monkfish fillet, each 350g (12oz)

1 tablespoon - olive oil

8 oz - butter

  - fresh basil leaves (to garnish)

directions
  1. In preparation, take an ovenproof dish, drizzle the pepper and tomatoes with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, sprinkle the sugar over and roast for approximately 8 minutes in a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 5 - 375ºF - 190ºC). Allow to cool then quarter the peppers, remove the seeds and outer skin, then chop into thin slices.
  2. For the risotto, peel and finely dice the onions and garlic. Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over a medium heat. When the butter has melted add the onions and garlic and gently fry for about 3-4 minutes over a low heat until they are slightly translucent.
  3. Add the risotto rice to the pot and stir it briskly with a wooden spoon so that the grains are coated with the oil and melted butter. Sauté for another minute or so, but don't let the rice turn brown. Add the wine and cook while stirring, until the liquid is fully absorbed.
  4. Add a ladle of hot vegetable or chicken stock to the rice and stir until the liquid is fully absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and repeat the process.
  5. Continue adding ladles of hot stock and stirring the rice while the liquid is absorbed. As it cooks, you'll see that the rice will take on a creamy consistency as it begins to release its natural starches. Continue adding stock, a ladle at a time, for 20-30 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy. If you run out of stock and the risotto still isn't done, you can finish the cooking using hot water. Just add the water as you did with the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring while it's absorbed.
  6. Fold the cooked peppers, cherry tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of butter into the rice. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
  7. For the monkfish, heat a non-stick frying pan and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the pan is nice and hot, carefully add the monkfish tails. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and fry for about 1 minute on each side. When the flesh becomes golden brown, turn down the heat a little and add the butter to the pan. Allow to melt and baste the fish in the liquid butter (do not overheat and cause the butter to burn). Transfer the pan into a preheated moderate oven (Mk 4 - 350ºF - 180ºC) for 3-4 minutes to complete cooking. (If your pan has a non-ovenproof handle, transfer the contents to a warmed ovenproof dish and place this into the oven).
  8. Return the finished risotto to a low heat and bring up to temperature. When hot, spoon into circular kitchen moulds to create a nice shape on the plates. Remove the moulds and place the roasted monkfish on top. (You can slice the monkfish tails into medallions should you wish.)