Snapper Pie, Slow Braised Green Beans, Fennel, Kataifi. Baking is a staple of Greek cuisine, and these hearty and flavoursome snapper pies will shine at any gathering.
Serves 4
150g unsalted butter
2 brown onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1kg green beans, sliced
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
125ml water
50ml verjuice
sea salt and white pepper to taste
1 bunch flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1tsp sugar
4 x 180gm snapper fillets, skin off
8 anchovy fillets
50g capers, rinsed well
3 tomatoes, peeled, quartered and seeded
200g kataifi pastry
50g sesame seeds
In a large heavy pan, sauté the onions and garlic in 100g butter over a low heat for half an hour until soft and lightly golden. Add the sliced beans, fennel, water, verjuice, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and braise for 2½ hours, stirring occasionally. Add the parsley and cook for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool well.
Divide the beans between 4 baking dish. Nestle a snapper fillet onto of each dish, then the tomatoes, capers and anchovies. Season to taste. Pull apart the kataifi. Melt the remaining butter and toss though the katafi and sesame seeds. Divide into 4 and Cover each dish with the prepared kataif. Pat down lightly. Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 20 minutes.
