Pan-Roasted Fish on Mushroom-Leek Ragout

Ingredients

• 2 oz bacon chopped
• 0.3 cup carrots diced finely
• 0.3 cup celery diced finely
• 0.5 ounce mushroom caps dried
• 0.5 cup cooking wine dry white
• 1.5 teaspoons thyme leaves or dried fresh minced
• 4 servings salt and fresh-ground pepper 
• 2  leeks white rinsed thinly sliced (1 lb. total)
• 0.5 cup chicken broth low-sodium
• 1.5 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 pound portabella mushroom caps rinsed trimmed sliced
• 4 pieces boned dried black such as sturgeon or cod, rinsed and thick (1 in. ; 5 oz. each)

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven

Directions

1. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, stir bacon often until browned and crisp, 6 to 7 minutes.
2. Add portabellas and stir often until golden brown, about 5 minutes; pour into a bowl.
3. Add leeks, carrot, and celery to pan; reduce heat to medium and stir often until vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Return portabellas to pan and add chicken broth, wine, and thyme; simmer, stirring often, until liquid is almost evaporated, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 45
6. In a spice or coffee grinder, grind dried mushrooms to a fine powder; pour into a wide, shallow bowl.
7. Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper, then coat with the ground mushrooms.
8. Pour olive oil into another large, ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat.
9. Add fish and cook until browned on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn pieces and transfer pan to oven.
10. Bake just until fish is opaque in center of thickest part, about 8 minutes.
11. Divide mushroom-leek ragout among four plates. Top with fish.
12. Wine pairing: Earthy, smoky Pinot Noir with mushroom notes under dark berry flavors. Best in our pairing: Tandem Sangiacomo Vineyard 2002 (Sonoma Coast; $38), Foxen 2004 (Santa Maria Valley, CA; $28), Willa
13. Kenzie Pierre Lon Vineyard 2003 (Willamette Valley, Yamhill/Carlton, OR; $36), and Estancia Stonewall Vineyard 2003 (Santa Lucia Highlands, CA; $30).
14. Flavor bridges: Pinot Noir can be meaty without being heavy and tannic; tender, white-fleshed fish like sturgeon is also meaty but lean (as are portabella mushrooms). Smokiness in the wine plays off the bacon in the ragout, and mushroom flavors--well, Pinot is about the only wine that offers them flat out.