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Cinnamon Mornings and Chocolate Dreams

Whether you're hosting a formal get-together or need a quick brunch idea, this book will spark your imagination and your appetite.

Nettle & Almond Stuffed Skate Wing Recipe

Brought to you by Oceanwood Country Inn

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 pounds skate wing, skinned, off the bone
3 cups freshly picked nettle leaves
1 cup toasted, slivered almonds
Salt and pepper to taste

For the poaching liquid:
1 cup white wine
3 cups fish stock, chicken stock or water
2 large bay leaves
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 sprigs fresh thyme

For the sauce:
2 cups freshly picked nettle leaves
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
1 cup fish stock or chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil

Instructions:
Preparing the skate wing:
Blanch 3 cups nettle leaves for 30 seconds in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Plunge into cold water and then drain. Spread the skate wings out and cut into four equal pieces following the natural lines of the fish. Put each piece flat on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper. Spread the nettles out evenly over each. Sprinkle with almonds and then roll each piece pinwheel fashion. Secure each roll with butcher's twine. Leave a little extra string because this will help you remove it from the poaching liquid.

Making the nettle cream:
Blanch 2 cups nettles in the same manner as for the skate preparation. Put the oil in a saucepan and heat, then saute the shallot briefly. Add the nettles, the stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for five minutes over medium heat.

Whisk the cream slowly into the nettle mixture, then pour into a blender and blend well for at least 2 to 3 minutes. Return to the saucepan. Check the seasoning. You can let this stand while you cook the skate and re-heat when needed.

Cooking the skate:
Combine all the ingredients for the poaching liquid in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the skate. Return the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and gently poach the skate for five minutes. Remove from the pot. Cut and remove the string. Place each roll on a dinner plate. Add rice or cous cous and your favorite vegetable-maybe green beans or asparagus in season.

Skate is a member of the ray family and the meat comes from its pectoral fins or "wings" that make this fish look like it is flying through the water. The flesh is white and firm with a sweet taste a little like scallops.

Nettles can be found in abundance in British Columbia and throughout the temperate world. They have heart shaped, serrated leaves covered with stiff hairs which release a dose of formic acid when touched. For relief rub the sting with vinegar. Better yet, wear long sleeves and gloves when you pick them. Quick cooking completely destroys the stinging properties of the plant; then it becomes a most delicious green vegetable. Rich in vitamins and minerals, they have been used for centuries as a food plant by Northwest natives. They are best in springtime and early summer when they are fresh and green.

This dish goes well with rice or cous cous and is light and healthy.

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