ROASTED MONKFISH WITH MORELS, DANDELION AND ARTICHOKE SAUCE

Roasted Monkfish With Morels, Dandelion And Artichoke Sauce image

Provided by Molly O'Neill

Time 3h

Yield Six servings

Number Of Ingredients 20

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Ingredients

1 head garlic, unpeeled, plus
1 large clove, peeled and chopped
1 1/4 cups plus 5 tablespoons olive oil
2 sprigs fresh tarragon
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 cup white wine
1/3 cup Champagne vinegar
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
3 lemons, halved, plus
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
8 black peppercorns, tied in cheesecloth
12 baby artichokes, tough outer leaves discarded
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 8-ounce pieces of monkfish, bone intact, halved crosswise
1/4 cup superfine flour, like Wondra
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound fresh morels (or 2 ounces dried, rehydrated in hot water and drained), stemmed, and halved if large
1/2 pound dandelion greens

Steps:

To make the sauces, cut the head of garlic in half crosswise. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic head, tarragon and thyme and sweat for 5 minutes. Raise the heat and stir in the wine and vinegar. Stir in the broth and 3/4 cup of oil. Squeeze the juice from 1 halved lemon into the saucepan, then add rind, along with the peppercorns. Simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, squeeze the juice from the remaining 2 halved lemons into a wide pot and add the rinds. Stem the artichokes. Place the artichokes in the pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Place damp paper towels over the artichokes to keep them immersed. Lower the heat and simmer until very tender when pierced with a knife, about 35 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl. Strain the reserved garlic-herb mixture over the artichokes, stir to coat them well and set aside for 1 hour.
Remove artichokes from the liquid and simmer it in a saucepan until reduced to 2 cups. Let cool. Place in a blender and, with the machine running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add the chopped clove of garlic and sweat just until softened. Pull off and discard all but the innermost leaves of the artichokes and place the artichoke hearts in a food processor with the garlic, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a medium saucepan and whisk in half of the vinaigrette. Set aside.
To make the monkfish, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the fish very lightly on both sides with flour and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place the fish in the skillet top side down and sear on both sides until golden brown (in 2 batches if necessary). Place in the oven and roast until fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm the artichoke sauce over very low heat. (The sauce will separate if too hot.) Remove the fish from the skillet and keep warm. Deglaze the skillet over medium heat with the remaining vinaigrette. Strain the vinaigrette into another skillet and place over medium heat. Add the butter and the morels and cook for 2 minutes. Add the dandelion greens, stir just until wilted, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, spoon the vegetables with their sauce onto the center of 6 plates. Place 1 piece of monkfish on either side of the vegetables. Spoon the artichoke sauce around the vegetables and serve immediately.