Poached Fish with Russian Mushroom Stew

This is a great recipe for fall or winter: earthy with the taste of the mushrooms, warm with the stew, and really delicious. I'd never forayed much into Russian cuisine, but with this success under my belt I may have to revisit these flavor profiles soon.

Poached Fish with Russian Mushroom Stew
Adapted loosely from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized sweet onion, finely diced
4 stalks celery, washed and finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 cup dry white wine (think chardonney)
3 cubes chicken bouillon
3 oz dried shiitake mushrooms (This was the equivalent of one package, in the store I was in. Don't be too stressed out about exact amounts with these, just grab the closest approximation that your store carries.)
1 lb white mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp dried marjoram
2 tsp dried tarragon
Salt
Pepper
4 tilapia fillets (You can use a variety of fishes, so just investigate what looks freshest at your fish counter when you go to buy fish. Go for something white fleshed [avoid salmon, tuna, or mahi], so think tilapia, cod, swordfish, or even catfish if there's nothing else that looks fresh)

Rinse off your tilapia fillets and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside or in the refrigerator until later.

Start by re-hydrating the shiitake mushrooms. Bring 3 cups of the chicken or vegetable stock to a boil, and while it's heating, rinse the dried mushrooms thoroughly. Add the mushrooms to the boiling stock, cover, and simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes while you go about fixing the rest of the recipe. This will create a broth flavored by both the stock and the mushrooms.

Melt the butter in a non-stick dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onions, celery, and garlic to the dutch oven and saute until the onions and celery are soft and melting, and the onions are barely beginning to brown. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the remaining cup of chicken stock, wine, bouillon cubes, red bell peppers, sliced white mushrooms, marjoram, and tarragon to the dutch oven. Drain the broth that the shiitake mushrooms have been softening in into the dutch oven, reserving the shiitakes themselves onto a cutting board. Slice these and add them to the stew, then simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the flavors get a chance to meld and mellow out.

Retrieve your tilapia fillets, and place two of them into the simmering sauce. Cover and poach on medium-high heat for five minutes, then turn the fish fillets and poach for a further three minutes. Remove the fish from the stew and set aside. Poach the remaining two fillets in the same way: five minutes on one side, three on the other. Return the first two fillets to the dutch oven for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time to bring them up to temp.

Serve immediately, preferably with crusty bread to dip in the stew.

Serves 4.