Elder’s Solidarity in Local Communities
GRU-11-GIVE 12-DJ-IT
Romanians and Italians seniors ‘experience
Fish and sea
-food main courses-
This booklet has been published in the context of LLP program, Elder’s Solidarity in Local Communities-GRU-11-GIVE-12-DJ-IT, with funds from European commission. This publication reflects only view of the author and the European commission cannot be held responsible for any used which may be made on information contained there in.
Calamari fritti
(Fried squid rings)
Ingredients (serves 4)
600gfresh squid, cleaned and chopped by your fishmonger
8 tbsp durum wheat flour
1 tsp salt
Vegetable oil for frying
2 lemons
Procedure
There's no need to make a batter in this light Sicilian version of calamari fritti! Simply sieve the flour, add some salt and mix. Then toss the squid rings and tentacles in the flour. Heat up the oil in a deep saucepan (fill about a third of the pan) and when really hot, addyour squid a little at a time, shaking off any excess flour first. When golden brown, take out the squid with a spoon with holes in (draining any excess oil) and place on some kitchen towel. Sprinkle immediately with sea salt and serve while hot with a good squeeze of lemon.
Ruota di Pesce Spada
(Wheel of swordfish)
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 wheel of swordfish about 5-6cm high (about 600-700gr)
2 tbsp capers
10 cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh mint
½ an onion finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Procedure
Take a large piece of aluminium foil (at least twice as big as the wheel of swordfish) and place half of it in the bottom of a large baking tray. Dribble with a little olive oil, and add a little salt and pepper. Put the wheel of swordfish on top and then oil and season the upper side. Sprinkle with capers, the cherry tomatoes halved, the finely chopped onion and add a squeeze of lemon. Cover the top with the remaining part of the sheet of foil and close the sides, crimping so that the swordfish is sealed inside. Then place in a medium-hot oven for about 40-45 minutes. After that time, take out and gently check that it is cooked all the way through. If it isn’t, reseal the foil package and put back in the oven for 5 minutes.
Pesce Spada alla Messinese
(Swordfish Messina style)
Ingredients (serves 4)
600gr swordfish cut into palm-sized pieces slices
2 clove of garlic, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
20 capers (if salted, rinse well first)
10 black olives, chopped
4 anchovy fillets
1 glass of white wine
½ bottle of tomato passata
1 can of chopped tomato
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
A pinch of crushed dried chili pepper
Parsley, chopped
Procedure
Gently seal the swordfish slices in some olive oil and then remove and set aside. Add the spring onions, garlic, capers, olives, chili pepper and anchovy fillets and gently fry until the anchovies melt into the oil and the onion is translucent. Put the slices of swordfish back and then add the white wine. Burn off the alcohol and then add the tomatoes. Mix well, cover and leave to cook for 30 minutes on a very low flame. When ready to serve, sprinkle with parsley. It is excellent with a piece of crusty white bread and a glass of a characterful white wine.
Sarde a Beccafico allaGiorgio Locatelli
Giorgio Locatelli'sversion of a classic Sicilian sardine dish
Ingredients (serves4)
8-12sardines depending on their size
100g toasted breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 orange
1 lemon
4 salted anchovies
10g sugar
50g capers (preferably from Pantelleria)
50g black olives
40g sultanas
40g pine kernels
20 toasted almonds
5g parsley
Procedure
Scale, gut, and chop the heads of the sardines. Wash them well and open like a book.
For the filling
Toast the breadcrumbs, adding the peel and juice of the lemon and the orange. Melt the anchovies in a little olive oil, finely chop the olives, capers, pine kernels and the sultanas, toast and chop the almonds and blend all together in a mixer. Then add the parsley. When the mixture is homogeneous, spread it on to the sardines using your finger. Roll up the sardine so that the tail remains on the top.
Place the rolled sardines next to each other in a baking tray with bay leaves between them. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs (not toasted) on top and put in the oven for around 10 minutes, depending on the size of the sardines.
Text © Giorgio Locatelli
Giorgio Locatelli on Sicilian food >
This recipe is reproduced with the kind permission ofGiorgio Locatelli, one of the best Italian chefs working in the UK. At Locanda Locatelli, Giorgio serves traditional Italian dishes, emphasising the quality and freshness of the produce, as well as adding his own personal creative touch. That, together with a friendly service and a relaxed atmosphere, has made Locanda Locatelli one of the most sought-after restaurants in London. It won a Michelin star in 2003 (Giorgio’s second), which was been retained ever since. His frequent television appearances, including two popular series, ‘Pure Italian’ and BBC2’s ‘Tony and Giorgio’, have made him a household name. His ode to Italian food, 'Made in Italy', is an encyclopaedic guide to his country's cuisine in all itsrich diversity.He has frequently holidayed in Sicily and has stayed in a number of Think Sicily villas.
Stuffed calamari Sicilian style
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 large squid (about 400-500g)
100g of breadcrumbs
1 heaped tablespoon of raisins
I heaped tablespoon of pine kernels
1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese
6 anchovy fillets
1 small chilli pepper (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 splash of white wine
Parsley
Salt and pepper ?
Procedure
First thing is to ask your fishmonger to prepare and clean the squid for you. After his knife has done its work, you should have four squid bodies and nice collection of tentacles. Once at home, chop the tentacles, and quickly sauté in hot oil until the curl up. Do not cook too long as squid tends to get very chewy if overcooked. When ready, place in a bowl with your filling ingredients: the breadcrumbs,, the raisins, the pine kernels, the grated Parmesan cheese, the chopped anchovy fillets, chilli pepper (optional) and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste and mix really well. Then spoon the mixture into your four squid bodies, leaving a little room at the entrance. Seal the openings with a toothpick and place on a lightly oiled baking tray. Pour over a little more olive oil and a splash of white wine and place in a pre-heated oven (350). Cook for about 10-12 minutes and serve.
Tonno e piselli con mentuccia
(Chunks of fresh tuna with peas and mint)
Ingredients (serves 4)
300g fresh tuna steaks
300g fresh peas (or frozen)
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1glass white wine
A sprig of mint
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
A couple of glasses of water
Procedure
Thinly slice the shallot and the garlic and place in a large frying pan with a little slightly salted olive oil. Fry gently until soft and add the vinegar and sugar. Cook down the vinegar until you have and add the tuna, cut into cubes. Brown on all sides, add the white wine and burn off the alcohol. Add a couple of glasses of boiling water (it shouldn't be too liquidy but just cover the bottom of the pan) and add the peas. Adjust the seasoning, add the freshly chopped mint and cover tosimmer on a low hear. After about 5 minutes check that the liquid has reduced and thickened and serve! Buon appetito!
Fish soup, Aeolian style
Ingredients
For the fish stock
Fish bones and head of 4 red mullet
1/2 stick of celery
1 carrot
1.5/2 litres of water
3 glasses white wine
A sprig of parsley
1 bay leaf
a few black peppercorns
1 clove of garlic
salt
For the soup
200g of swordfish in small cubes (about 2cm wide)
200g of grouper or other firm-fleshed fish in cubes (2cm wide)
4 red mullet (depending on size about 300g in all)
1 small squid chopped into rings
100gr shelled prawns
200gr clams
200g mussels
8skinned tomatoes
1 red onion
3/4 cloves of garlic
1 glass of white wine
1 bay leaf
1 finely chopped green chilli
Preparation
Ask your fishmonger to fillet your red mullet and slice your squid into rings. He will probably be happy to cube your swordfish and grouper too! Remember to keep the bones and heads of the red mullet though, as you will need this for your fish stock. Make sure all the pieces of fish are the same size so that they will cook equally.
The fish stock
Nothing is easier than preparing a good fish stock. Simply put your fish bones and heads in a pan with about 1.5-2 litres of water and add the other ingredients. Bring to a light boil and leave, letting the mixture concentrate a little through evaporation. Leave for around 45 minutes in all. Scrape off any floating scum and strain.
The soup
First, add the well-washed clams and mussels to a large frying pan. Add a little white wine and cover. When they have opened, pour the liquor into the fish stock, shell the mussels and clams and set them aside. Throw the shells away.
Meanwhile, in a large pan, gently saute' a finely chopped red onion, the cloves of garlic (whole) and the finely chopped green chilli pepperuntil the onion is translucent. Add a glass ofwhite wine, boil off the alcholol and add the fish stock. Stir in your tomatoes, skinned and chopped and leave to cook until they are nicely mashed. The sauce should be fairly liquidy, the consistency of a good broth. Taste and season at this point, then add the cubed fish, the red mullet and the rings of squid squid and leave to cook for about 5 mins in the gently bubbling tomato sauce. Then add the shelled prawns, leave for another couple of minutes, add the mussels and clams. Stir well, season to taste, adding a little chopped parsley and leave for another couple of minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a chilled glass of white wine.
Merluzzo Mediterranea alla Siciliana
(Mediterranean cod Sicilian style)
Ingredients (serves 4)4 cod fillets
2-3 anchovy fillets
a teaspoon of salted capers
the juice of 1 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper
parsley
Procedure
Rub the cod fillets with olive oil, a little lemon juice, freshly crushed sea salt and black pepper. Leave them to marinate for half an hour. In the meantime, melt 2 or 3 anchovy fillets in a little olive oil at a low heat. Place the cod fillets in a baking tray with a little olive oil and add the anchovies and oil along with a few finely chopped capers (cleansed of salt), a sprinkling ofparsley and a little more lemon juice. Cover and place in the oven at a medium heat. Leave for half an hour and then check progress. If not ready, leave for another 15 minutes and check again.
Acciughe Farcite al Forno
An Antonio Carluccio recipe
from "Complete Italian Food" by Antonio Carluccio Reproduced with kind permission of the author and his publisher, Quadrille.
(Stuffed baked anchovies)
Nothing can surpass freshly caught anchovies, which are good eaten raw with just a few drops of lemon juice. This typical Sicilian recipe, with its raisins and pine nuts, has echoes of its Arabic origin.
Ingredients (serves 4)
24 very fresh anchovies, boned and opened butterfly fashion
6 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
4 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves
5 sage leaves, finely chopped
1 small chilli, very finely chopped
25g (3/4 oz) pine nuts
30g (1 oz) raisins
Juice of 1 lemon
30g (1 oz) dry breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7 and grease a baking sheet with some of the olive oil.
In a bowl, mix the garlic, herbs, chilli, pine nuts and raisins with salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice and mix well.
Lay 12 of the anchovies skin side down next to each other on the prepared baking sheet. Distribute the mixture on top of them, sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice and sandwich with the remaining anchovies skin side up. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and drizzle over the remaining olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until just starting to brown. Serve hot, sprinkled with the remaining lemon juice, or cold arranged on lemon slices.
From "Complete Italian Food" by Antonio Carluccio
Reproduced with kind permission of the author and his publisher, Quadrille.
Polpette di Tonno al Cartoccio
(Aromatic, juicy tuna balls)
Ingredients (serves 4)
500gr fresh tuna
fresh mint
50gr breadcrumbs
1 egg
a dash of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Procedure
Wash the tuna under running water to eliminate some of the excess juice. Dry thoroughly and then chop into as small pieces as possible. Put into a bowl and add generous amount of fresh chopped mint, the breadcrumbs, about half a beaten egg, a dash of balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and then, when you have a firm slightly sticky consistency (add more breadcrumbs if it is too liquid) roll the mixture into balls (a little larger than golfballs). Put the polpette on a sheet of tin foil, dribble with olive oil and then wrap up. Place on a baking tray and cook in a pre-heated oven at about 400°F (200°C) for about 20-30 minutes. Serve with fresh minted peas and roast potatoes.
Stuffato di pesce spada
(Tasty swordfish stew)
Ingredients (serves 4)
800 g swordfish in cubes
1/2 an onion
1 carrot
60g of green, pitted olives
30 g of salted capers
½ a stick of celery
3 or 4 cloves of garlic whole
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large glass of white wine
150gr cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Procedure
Slice the onion into thin strips, chop the celery finely and cube the carrots. Place in a flame-proof casserole dish along with the garlic cloves and gently sauté. Add the swordfish, lightly brown and then add the olives and capers and the cherry tomatoes halved. Add the wine, burning off the alcohol and then season. Add a little water, cover and place in the oven at a low temperature. Leave for around an hour stirring once or twice and checking on the juices (it shouldn't go dry).
Serve adding a little finely chopped fresh mint, a dribble of seriously good olive oil and a slice of crusty white bread.
Polpette di Sarde
(Sardine balls in fresh tomato sauce)
Ingredients (serves 4)
600g fresh sardines
Breadcrumbs
2 eggs
A handful of pine kernels
A handful of sultanas
A little grated strong cheese
Parsley
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 litre freshly-made tomato sauce
Procedure
Wash and descale the sardines and then chop as small as possible. Add the breadcrumbs, sultanas, pine kernels, a drop of olive oil and parsley and then season. Mix together thoroughly and add the two beaten eggs. Mix again until all the egg has been absorbed and then divide the mixture into snooker-ball sized polpette of good firm consistency.
Add the sardine balls to a hot tomato sauce and cook on a low flame for about 30 minutes
Marinated tuna
Ingredients (serves 4)
600-700g of tuna fish cut into small cubes
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
1 clove of garlic
1 glass of white wine
1 tablespoon of vinegar
fresh mint
salt and pepper
Procedure
Cut the tuna into small cubes and place in a closeable container. Add the juice of one lemon, a thinly cut clove of garlic, 1 glass of white wine, a tablespoon of vinegar, finely chopped fresh mint and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix together well, cover, and place in the fridge for a few hours.
Heat a large frying pan with a little salt on a high flame and then add the tuna along with its marinade. Stir round constantly for a few minutes until brown and then serve with minted new potatoes. Chilled white wine obligatory!
Involtini di Pesce Spada
(Swordfish rolls)
Ingredients (serves 4)
12 slices of swordfish (600-700g)
Extra virgin olive oil
Breadcrumbs
100g grated mature cheese (pecorino if possible)
20g pine kernels
20g raisins
Lemon juice
Parsley
1/2 a small chilli pepper chopped
Salt and pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 small onion
12 bay leaves
4 skewer sticks