The famous Hotel Le Bristol, located in the heart of Paris, is the only hotel I know that has two different dining rooms for winter and summer. Both of them are under the direction of Emile Tabourdiau, a Michelin-rated chef. My favorite of his simple but exciting dishes is a combination of shrimp and sole with mushrooms, zucchini and tomato, served with a light fresh basil sauce. Franck Leroy, the executive sous chef, showed me how to make this dish. When I returned home, rather than serving it as an appetizer, I served it over pasta as a one-dish meal. It can also be served on rice or couscous, and it is equally good hot or cold.
LE BRISTOL SAUTEED SOLE AND SHRIMP WITH MUSHROOMS
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 pound fresh mushrooms, trimmed, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1/2 pound sole fillets, cubed
1/2 pound pasta, such as linguine, cooked, drained
4 large plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, sliced
4 small zucchini squash, thinly sliced
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4 sprigs fresh chervil or basil, optional
1. For basil sauce, heat chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook, uncovered, until reduced by half. Cool. Put reduced stock, basil and lemon juice into a blender and puree. Strain the puree, pressing it through the strainer with the back of a spoon into a small bowl to remove all of the liquid. Discard the solids. Whisk 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper and 1 tablespoon of the oil into the strained liquid and set aside.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring constantly, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a bowl but do not wash the pan. Cover and set aside.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook 1 minute. Add sole to pan; cook, stirring frequently, until opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, but do not wash the pan. Cover and set aside.
4. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high. Add zucchini; cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and tender, about 3 minutes.
5. To serve, toss pasta with half of the basil sauce in a large bowl. Place 1/4 of the cooked pasta on each of four plates. Top each serving of pasta with 1/4 of the mushroom mixture, fish mixture and then the zucchini. Garnish each with 1/4 of the sliced tomatoes and sprig of chervil or basil. Drizzle with remaining sauce and serve immediately.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories………450 Fat……..13 g
Cholesterol…. .75 mg Sodium….580 mg
Carbohydrates…….58 g Protein…..27 g