Baked Rockfish with Tomato and Basil Sauce 

Baked Rockfish with Tomato and Basil Sauce 

by | Sep 28, 2015 | Entrées

I think that good food should be simple :: semplice. You don’t need to complicate your life to eat well. Just follow this one basic rule: buy fresh wholesome ingredients based on the season.

Rockfish-with-Tomato-and-Basil-Sauce-2Here in Italy, I’m picking the last tomatoes off the vine and clearing out the basil pots to make homemade pesto to freeze. This is my farewell recipe to summer before making way for Continue Reading

Bruschetta with Taggiasche Olive Pesto and Feta 

Bruschetta with Taggiasche Olive Pesto and Feta 

by | Jun 15, 2015 | Appetizers

Bruschetta-with-Taggiasche-Olive-Pesto-and-FetaYou might be wondering what that weird foreign word is in the title. It’s the variety of one of my favorite Italian olives and is pronounced taj-jas-kay. These small greenish-purplish-brownish olives are cultivated on the rocky mountain slopes :: pendenze of the Italian Riviera in Liguria.

Bruschetta-with-Taggiasche-Olive-Pesto-and-FetaTaggiasche olives have a meaty texture and a slightly tart salty flavor. They are perfect ground up in this pesto or just plopped into various salads or entrees, especially with white fish like rockfish :: lo scorfano.

Bruschetta-with-Taggiasche-Olive-Pesto-and-FetaIf there is one thing I beg of you, it’s to use a good rustic bread, not the store bought sliced kind.  Mr. Italicano and I shot a video this weekend at our favorite bakery :: forno, Forno di Mario, located in Correggio. The video will be coming soon but in the meantime we took home a loaf of miracle bread made with natural yeast and antique grains. This bread was perfect for a light and crunchy bruschetta.

Bruschetta-with-Taggiasche-Olive-Pesto-and-Feta

Bruschetta-with-Taggiasche-Olive-Pesto-and-FetaThis appetizer :: antipasto is perfect for last minute guests as you can whip it together in just 5 minutes. It helps to have a jar of good quality taggiasche olives in the cupboard for occasions like this.

Bruschetta with Taggiasche Olive Pesto and Feta
 
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This appetizer is perfect for last minute guests as you can whip it together in just 5 minutes.
Serves: 10-12 bruschette
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 12 ounces (340g) taggiasche olives, drained
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about half a lemon)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup (10g) loosely packed Italian flat leaf parsley
  • 1 loaf of rustic bread, sliced
  • Crumbled feta, as needed
Instructions
  1. Put the oil, olives, lemon juice, garlic, capers and parsley in a food processor or blender and mix until slightly chunky. Add more extra virgin olive oil if needed to arrive at the desired consistency.
  2. Serve with toasted bread, some crumbled feta and parsley.

Here’s some other great recipe to try with taggiasche olives:

Rosemary and Taggiasche Olive Dinner Rolls

 Rosemary and taggiasche olive dinner rolls 

Marinated Feta, Basil, Taggiasche Olives and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Marinated Feta, Basil, Taggiasche Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Baked Goat Cheese with Tomatoes and Olives

Baked Goat Cheese with Tomatoes and Olives

Italian chickpea, sun-dried tomato, pesto and olive flatbread

Italian chickpea, sun-dried tomato, pesto and olive flatbread

Scafata 

Scafata 

by | Jun 8, 2015 | Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

ScafataLast weekend I was invited to Umbria (a region in central Italy) along with six other wine, food, and travel bloggers, to participate in a three day educational tour. You can read about this incredible experience and get some travel tips :: consigli di viaggio from my previous post about Umbria. Now, let’s talk about a delicious traditional dish I tried called Scafata.  Oh my, if you haven’t tried this Italian stew with fava beans :: fave you are in for a treat!

ScafataFava beans, or broad beans as they are often called, are the oldest known beans. Like lentils, they are used in various European and Mediterranean dishes. Fava beans grow in a soft fuzzy pod :: baccello, but are much larger than peas. In France and America it is custom to peel the transparent skin off the bean, but here in Italy, we just shuck them from the pod and eat them raw, or cook them in various dishes.

ScafataFava beans are the main players in this dish. From here you can toss in a variety of seasonal vegetables. I’ve used a sweet Tropea onion, freshly shelled peas and a large bunch of Swiss chard :: bietole. Asparagus would work well, which I unfortunately didn’t have on hand.

ScafataScafata is good when eaten warm right after being cooked, but like many great Italian dishes, it becomes absolutely darn right mouthwatering when made a day or two ahead and eaten cold or heated up. The traditional recipe doesn’t call for cheese :: formaggio, but Mr. Italicano tried it with grated Parmesan as well as a spoonful of Burrata, which were also great variations.

Scafata
 
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"Scafata" is a traditional dish from Umbria, Italy that is loaded with vegetables and perfect for summertime.
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1 red or Tropea onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cups (400g) shelled fava beans (or frozen)
  • 2 cups (285g) shelled peas (or frozen)
  • 13.5 oz (400g) cherry or datterini tomatoes, without the skins*
  • 12.5 oz (350g) Swiss chard, chopped
  • 1 handful basil or mint, chopped
  • Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
  • Grated parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), as needed (optional)
Instructions
  1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Don't add salt to the boiling water as the peas and fava beans will toughen up. Salt the dish at the end of the recipe.
  2. Put the extra virgin olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and onion and cook for a few minutes over medium heat.
  3. When the water is boiling, cook the fava beans for 2-3 minutes then drain them (reserving the hot water) and put them in the skillet with the garlic and onions. Add the tomatoes, swiss chard and half of a ladle of the hot water. Cover the skillet and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan.
  4. Now that the stew is ready, bring the water reserved back to boil and cook the peas for 1-2 minutes; drain and add to the fava mixture. Add the basil or mint, salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add the parmesan cheese. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve warm o cold. This dish is best made a day or two in advance and eaten cold or reheated.
  5. *To easily remove the tomato skins, stick the tomatoes in the freezer over night and run them under lukewarm water to remove the skins; or, boil them for 1 minute and then run them under cold water and the skins will easily come off.

Here is another great recipe to try with fava beans: Avocado and Fava Bean Dip

Avocado-and-Fava-Bean-Dip

 

Monkfish with Shaved Asparagus and Leeks

Monkfish with Shaved Asparagus and Leeks

by | Apr 25, 2015 | Entrées

Monkfish-with-Shaved-Asparagus-and-LeeksEver heard of monkfish, frog-fish or sea-devil? Although the same fish, you’ll find it listed in menus under different names. Here in Italy it is called “coda di rospo” or “rana pescatrice”. Inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, this delicious anglerfish is quite popular in dishes throughout Italy.

Monkfish-with-Shaved-Asparagus-and-LeeksIn the past monkfish was considered the “poor man’s lobster” for its similar taste and texture. Unfortunately, it has gained popularity in the food scene and prices are now much more elevated, although still less expensive than lobster. I love monkfish for its meaty texture and how easy it is to cook. Have your fishmonger skin the fish :: pesce and you’ll have it in the pan and on your plate in less than 4 minutes.  If you can’t find monkfish, and your budgets permits it, substitute with lobster, scallops or another firm fish with similar characteristics.

Monkfish-with-Shaved-Asparagus-and-LeeksAlthough tested and eaten in my kitchen at 9:00p.m. on a weeknight :: serata feriale, this monkfish with shaved asparagus and leeks is a recipe destined for special occasions. It begs to be served on a beautifully decorated outdoor table on a warm spring day. It’s the perfect main course to be shared with friends that you love or for a romantic meal for two.

DalaniI adore this decorated table by Dalani.  It would be perfect for this fish recipe! (Photo by Dalani.)

These gorgeous spring days :: giornate primaverili make me yearn to eat outside. I love being kissed on the face by rays of sun, listening to the birds singing a melody and feeling completely relaxed when a warm breeze brushes over my nude arms. Finally the new season has arrived…happy spring everyone!

Monkfish with Shaved Asparagus and Leeks
 
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Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • For the asparagus and leeks:
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic gloves, skin peeled but left whole
  • 1 leek, white part only, thinly cut into julienne strips
  • 1 bunch asparagus (about 12 stocks), the bottoms snapped off then shaved with a vegetable peeler or thinly cut into julienne strips
  • For the parsley pesto: 
  • 2 handfuls Italian flat leaf parsley
  • ½ small lemon, juiced
  • 3+ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon pine nuts
  • ¼ teaspoon grated ginger
  • *2 cooked garlic cloves (those used for the vegetables above)
  • ⅛ sweet paprika
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • For the monkfish:
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 13 oz (790g) Monkfish (lobster, scallops or other firm fish), skinned, deboned and cut into cubes.
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet add the extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves and leeks; cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Add the shaved asparagus and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. In a food processor or using a immersion mixer blend together the parsley, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, ginger, garlic cloves from the vegetables, sweet paprika, salt and black pepper. Adjust the paprika, salt and pepper to your tastes and adjust the amount of extra virgin olive oil to arrive at a runny pesto.
  3. Put the extra virgin olive oil in another skillet and cook the monkfish on medium-high heat for 2-4 minutes or until the fish has changed from transparent to white. The fish will leave a white milky liquid that can be drained and discarded.
  4. To plate, use a pastry ring and divide the vegetables, top with the monkfish and garnish with the parsley pesto. This recipe is also perfect if you want to toss the fish and vegetables into a bowlful of whole wheat pasta.

*Post created in collaboration with Dalani