Tuesday 24 February 2009

The Noble Whitby Kipper

This dish came into being much in the same way as the Jasmine Rice,
by a slip of the hand or was it foot? It has now become part of
the rich Folk Lore on Yorkshire’s East Coast.

1lb of fish, well smoked.
About the same of potatoes, depending on size.
A large red pepper.
Some garlic.
One and a half pounds of spinach.
Five pints of GOOD ALE.
One and a half for the fish, the rest for the cook.
Where poss, fresh chives, oregano, mint and salad burnet.
If not, dried will do, but be careful.
Half a lemon and a comfortable chair.

Take one pound of this Noble Fish, smoked well at the shed top.
Split fillets carefully and wrap each in spinach leaves.
Have your oven turned upto about 250/300F or whatever
is nearest for your machine.
Take a large casserole or Dutch Oven and warm it well.
Then place within potatoes, red peppers and garlic, all scalloped,
sliced and diced in that order.
These should be alternated with layers of spinach until about half full.
Now lay in your fish with a layer of spinach leaves in between if there
is more than four across. Continue layering as before.
Now, the secret ingredient!
Obtain five pints of fresh GOOD STRONG ENGLISH ALE or the local brew.
Pour one and a half quietly into the cook pot.
Now top off with fresh chives, oregano (dried stuff will do), mint and salad burnet.
Again the dried is better than nowt, but be careful as these can be stronger than fresh.
Lastly to add a little nooo-voe quiz what ever, sliced lemon on top.
Cook slowly in a medium oven for upto two hours.
You may wish to par boil the potatoes before hand.
Serve straight from the pot to table.

In the words of a Whitby fisherman,
"It's like eating Ambrosia."