Trout Valma

1 trout (about 1.5kg)
1 head of silver beet (Swiss chard)
1 medium onion
sprig rosemary

Clean and fillet the trout, reserving the bones. Skin the fillets. This is easily accomplished if you slide a sharp knife between the skin and fillet at the tail end of the fish and grab onto the loosened piece of skin with your left hand then, holding the knife almost parallel to the cutting board, pull on the skin. Trout skin can be slimy so hold it with a paper towel for better grip.

Place the fish bones, skin, head and fins in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile finely dice the onion and wash the silver beet. Remove the stalks and white parts and reserve a few pieces. Roughly chop the leaves. Melt some butter in a saucepan and gently saute the onions until tender then add the silverbeet leaves, turn up the heat a little and allow it to sweat in the pot until it has softened. Add the finely chopped rosemary with the silverbeet. Tip into a sieve to drain if necessary, then chop again. A straight ended fish slice is good for performing this operation in a pot - just jab at the silverbeet with the end. Don't use a food processor. You don't want a puree.

Choose the whitest silverbeet stalks and cut them into matchsticks and cook them gently in boiling salted water until they are just losing their crispness. You can do this just before you're ready to serve the trout. Easier still, cover and microwave for 90 seconds.

Check that you have removed all the bones from the trout. Run your fingers carefully over the fillets along the bone line. A pair of tweezers will make bone removal easy. Cut the fillets lengthwise into three. Roll into a loose coil and secure with a toothpick. Make sure there is a hole in the centre of each coil for the stuffing. Spoon some of the silverbeet mix into the centre of each fillet. Place in a shallow dish and set aside in the refrigerator until required.

Now prepare to make the sauce. You will need:

1 cup drained fish stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
fresh marjoram, thyme, parsley
small stick celery
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons snipped chives or finely chopped spring onions

Place the stock and wine in a saucepan with the herbs and boil until reduced by half. Strain into a clean pot. You can set this aside until required. Don't finish making the sauce until you are just about to serve the fish then bring the stock mixture to the boil, turn back the heat and add the cream. Blend well and allow to cook gently for three or four minutes. Gradually beat in the butter, check the seasoning then, finally, add the chives.

To cook the fish, cover with plastic film and microwave on high for approximately 5 minutes, depending on the size of the fish - check your microwave book. Allow to stand for two minutes. Or you can cook it in a conventional oven for 20-30 minutes at 180C, depending again on size. Do not overcook.

Have heated serving places ready. Spoon on a little of the sauce, top with the fish and garnish with a few pieces of the julienned silverbeet stalks. Serve with buttered carrots and roasted potato chunks or boiled new potatoes.