Name: Snapper, slow-braised beans, fennel and kataifi pies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 220 min
Total time: 250 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 75 gm unsalted butter, coarsely chopped; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 1½ garlic cloves, crushed; 500 gm green beans, trimmed, sliced diagonally into 3-4cm lengths; ½ large fennel bulb, thinly sliced; 25 ml verjuice; ¼ tsp caster sugar; ½ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves (firmly packed); 4 skinless snapper fillets (about 180gm each); 3 vine-ripened tomatoes, scored; 50 gm salted capers, rinsed; 8 anchovy fillets; 200 gm kataifi pastry (see note); 50 gm sesame seeds

Snapper, slow-braised beans, fennel and kataifi pies

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for snapper, slow-braised beans, fennel and kataifi pies recipe by Alpha restaurant in Sydney.

Serves 4

Prep

30M

Cook

3H 40M

Total

4H 10M

“This is a great show-off dinner-party dish that also looks sensational in a big baking dish or as individual kataifi-wrapped parcels,” says Conistis.

Ingredients

75 gm unsalted butter, coarsely chopped

1 onion, thinly sliced

1½ garlic cloves, crushed

500 gm green beans, trimmed, sliced diagonally into 3-4cm lengths

½ large fennel bulb, thinly sliced

25 ml verjuice

¼ tsp caster sugar

½ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves (firmly packed)

4 skinless snapper fillets (about 180gm each)

3 vine-ripened tomatoes, scored

50 gm salted capers, rinsed

8 anchovy fillets

200 gm kataifi pastry (see note)

50 gm sesame seeds

Method

Main

1.Melt 50gm butter in a casserole over low heat, add onion and garlic and stir occasionally until tender and light golden (25-30 minutes). Add beans, fennel, verjuice, sugar and 125ml water. Season to taste, cover with a lid and braise, stirring occasionally, until very tender (2½ hours). Add parsley, cook for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.

2.Meanwhile, blanch tomatoes (20-30 seconds), refresh, peel, quarter, remove seeds and set aside.

3.Preheat oven to 160C. Divide bean mixture among four 14cm-diameter, 6cm-deep baking dishes. Top each with a snapper fillet, then tomato, capers and anchovies, and season to taste.

4.Pull apart kataifi and place in a bowl. Melt remaining butter and toss with kataifi and sesame seeds. Place a quarter of kataifi over each dish, pat down lightly to cover and bake until golden and cooked through (40 minutes). Serve hot.

Note Kataifi is available from Greek delicatessens
Drink Suggestion: 2010 Estate Argyros Oak-fermented Assyrtiko, Mantinia, Greece. Drink suggestion by Vanessa Chant
Notes