Petrale Sole Rolls with Cauliflower Pureé

from the San Francisco Chronicle via Anne Halsted

serves 4

1/2 head cauliflower (about 1 pound) leaves and core removed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon heavy cream, or as needed
4 medium to large Swiss chard leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons snipped chives
4 double Petrale sole fillets, about 4 ounces each
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon minced shallots
4 teaspoons capers, rinsed
3 tablespoons lemon juice
chopped parsley for garnish

Trim the cauliflower, then cook in heavily salted boiling water until soft —when a knife can be easily inserted. Drain and puree in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper. If needed, add a little cream to make a smooth puree. But don't add too much; it should still remain firm. Cover and set aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tough rib out of each chard leaf, leaving as much leaf intact as possible. Rinse the leaves and blanch in the pot of boiling water until soft and pliable, about 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Stir the chives into the cauliflower puree. Spoon some purée onto the back of each chard leaf. Roll up the purée in each leaf, tucking in the sides to make packets small enough to fit into a rolled-up fish fillet (the packet should be no longer than the fish fillet is wide).

Liberally season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. Place a purée bundle toward the tail end ofthe fillet. Roll entire package up - the thin tail end and thicker end should meet or slightly overlap.*

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place the stuffed fillets seam-side down in the skillet and sear for 5 to 10 seconds.

Place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking —about 7 to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and the cauliflower is hot. Allow additional time if the cauliflower puree is cold.

Transfer the rolls to warmed plates or a platter and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.

To make the pan sauce, return the skillet to the stove. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and the shallots. Cook over medium heat, occasionally swirling or stirring, until the butter starts to brown and smells nutty, and the shallots are cooked. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the capers and lemon juice and pour over the fish. Garnish with parsley.
This recipe sounds more difficult than it is. You can actually prepare the chard and cauliflower a day ahead; you can also prepare the sole rolls up to the point(*) above of cooking them several hours ahead and refrigerate them all rolled up so that only the cooking (which only takes a total of 15 minutes at the most) remains to be done at the last minute.

Serve with Sauvignon Blanc or Fume Blanc.