Roasted Halibut Pugliese-Style

Worth the trouble! Cook this for someone you love.

This is a complete meal with the layers of artichokes, potatoes and halibut all melding together to create a sum greater than the parts. I bake these in individual dishes for dinner parties. It’s beautiful to have this complete entree contained in a single container. You could also bake it all together in a single dish if you prefer, then serve it onto plates. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 lemon

• 4 large artichokes

• 2 quarts water

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, stems reserved

• 1/4 cup sliced fresh basil leaves, stems reserved

• 1 bay leaf

• salt and pepper

• 2 pounds small Yukon Gold or Red Bliss potatoes,

  unpeeled, washed

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling the casserole dishes

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic

• 2 cups sliced Vidalia or white onions

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

• 1 cup white wine

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless halibut fillets

Instructions

Squeeze the lemon into a bowl of cold water large enough to hold the artichokes; reserve the lemon halves. Snap off the outer, dark green leaves of the artichokes to expose the innermost core of light yellow leaves. Slice off and discard the cores, revealing the chokes. Trim off all of the dark green from the hearts of the artichokes. Scrape out the furry chokes with a small spoon. Rub each of the artichoke hearts with the remaining lemon half, split each heart in half, and cut each half into 8 to 10 thin slices. Place the slices in the bowl and reserve.

Pour the water into a large saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and add the reserved parsley and basil stems, the bay leaf, and 1 tablespoon of salt.

Slice the potatoes into 1/8 inch-thick rounds and add them into the saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes. Carefully drain the potatoes, discard the herbs, and set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, combine 3 tablespoons of the oil with the garlic in an 8-inch (3-quart) saucepan. Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook until the garlic is softened but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not colored, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the sliced artichokes well and add to the saucepan. Stir in the chopped basil and parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, the black pepper and pepper flakes. Increase the heat to medium-high, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the wine and boil to reduce by half. Add the stock, return to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, until the artichokes are tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spread half of the potatoes over the bottom of the casserole dishes. With a slotted spoon, lift half of the artichokes out of their liquid and spread evenly over the potatoes. Sprinkle with half of the pecorino. Season the fish on both sides with salt and black pepper. Place the fillets atop the sliced artichokes and potatoes. Cover the fish with the remaining artichokes. Spread the remaining potatoes over the artichokes in as flat a layer as possible, and pour the artichoke cooking liquid over the potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with the remaining pecorino and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Place the casseroles in the oven and bake uncovered until the fish is just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the casseroles from the oven.

Turn the oven to its broiler setting. Place the casseroles under the broiler and brown the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.