This is a take on coulibiac, a Russian salmon pie of yeasted buttery dough. Be sure to chill the pastry well before assembling the pie because it makes it so much easier to handle.
Ingredients
Method
Main
1.Fit trout snugly in a non-reactive dish. Add vermouth, refrigerate to marinate (1 hour).
2.Meanwhile, blanch spinach (1 minute) and refresh. Drain, then squeeze excess water from spinach and process in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Refrigerate until required.
3.Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and onion and stir occasionally until soft (8-10 minutes). Add garlic and anchovies, stir occasionally until anchovies break down (1-2 minutes). Drain excess fat and transfer mixture to a bowl. Cool slightly, add spinach, season to taste and refrigerate until required.
4.Meanwhile, cook risoni in boiling salted water until al dente (8-10 minutes). Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
5.Preheat oven to 240C. Roll pastry to a 5mm-thick rectangle the same length as trout, place onto a baking-paper-lined oven tray and refrigerate until chilled (30 minutes).
6.Arrange spinach mixture lengthways in an even layer along centre of pastry sheet. Drain trout, pat dry with absorbent paper and place on top of spinach (trim ends, if necessary, to fit). Combine risoni and parsley in a bowl, place in an even layer over trout, refrigerate briefly to chill (20 minutes). Brush one long edge of pastry with eggwash. With longest side facing you, roll pastry over to form a cylinder, joining longest sides together and rolling so seam lies underneath. Refrigerate until chilled (30 minutes). Score top of pastry into portions, brush with remaining eggwash, season with sea salt flakes, bake until golden and just cooked through (20-30 minutes). Serve immediately with a salad, if desired.
Note We prefer to use Carême butter puff pastry. Alternatively, buy a 375gm block of butter puff pastry from your local pâtisserie and roll into a 5mm-thick rectangle.
Notes