MORE CHRISTMAS EVE FISHES!

Today I am going to share 3 more fishes dishes and leave the 2 guest dishes and dessert for last! For those who missed the last blog, I began talking about our NOUVEAU NON-TRADITIONAL FIESTA OF THE SETTE PESCI, or the classic Italian Christmas Eve dinner called, Feast of the Seven Fishes. We had a lot of Italian influence, but also traveled over into France, and included some American favorites in both the food and wine categories. First, I'd like to share our third dish which is so simple it really doesn't need a recipe.

NEW ENGLAND PAN-SEARED COD FISH SERVED ON A BED OF WILTED SPINACH, GARLIC, AND TOMATOES

We live in Southern Arizona near a wonderful little gourmet market that offers really fresh and delicious fish, including cod fish shipped in twice a week from Boston. If you're in the area check out the Tubac Market (http://www.tubacmarketaz.com/) . That is where I also got the swordfish we're going to talk about later.

I cut about a 2" square piece of cod fish for each serving. Remember we did have seven+ courses! It's important to thoroughly dry the fish before beginning to sear and I keep it at room temp for about a half hour before cooking.
To cook vegetable base: I cooked the vegetables ahead of time by getting a big frying pan to high heat with about 2 Tbsp. olive oil and 2 Tbsp. butter. Add a pint of cherry tomatoes, rinsed, but not cut and 4 cloves minced garlic, salt/pepper to taste. Let this cook down until the tomatoes start to split. Next add the spinach. In this case because I had 6 guests I added 6 big handfuls of spinach to the pan. Cook until just wilted, for about 2 minutes, and remove from heat. Set aside and reheat while you're cooking the cod fish. To cook fish: Salt both sides liberally and sprinkle lightly with white pepper. Place a large frying pan over high heat also using 2 Tbps. olive oil and 2 Tbsp. butter. Let it get bubbling, but not browned. Keep heat high and sear each side for about 3-4 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish. It will 'give' when you touch with your finger, but not be either too soft (underdone) or too hard (overdone). Serve at once on the bed of veg.

With this course we had a very fun sparkling rose from Veneto Italy. Foss Marai, Roos is a dry sparkling rose with light strawberry and pear flavors.

CALAMARI IN HOUSE MADE RED SAUCE

OVER BUCATINI PASTA WITH

FRESHLY BAKED FRENCH BREAD

As I said last time, I had LOTS of help putting this meal together and here are
Diana, Debbie and me getting ready to serve!



Make the red sauce ahead of time or use bottled. Make the bread ahead of time and freeze. Take bread out morning of your party and heat for about 15 minutes while assembling the dish. I found this recipe online, but have forgotten what site.

CALAMARI OVER PASTA
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds squid (known as calamari in Italy), cleaned (I used 1 bag of frozen squid which was more than we needed for 6 tiny portions, but I am always concerned about having too little food! If you use frozen, you can skip the whole first portion of the recipe. My sauce was garlicky enough without adding more.)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. butter

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 28 ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup parsley

Salt

1 lb. pasta (I used Bucatini because I like the thickness of it.)

Freshly ground black pepper

Calamari heading to the dining room!

 

Preparation:

Here's the full recipe in the event you're using fresh calamari and this particular red sauce. I have blogged my red sauce in the past if you want to refer to it. http://cookwithcindy.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-little-this-and-that.html 

Cut squid bodies into 1/2 inch rings. If tentacles are large, cut them in half vertically. Set aside. Heat olive oil and butter together in a large saute pan. Add garlic and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, 1/4 cup water, and white wine. Cook sauce over high heat for another 5 minutes, until it reduces and thickens.

Add all, but 1 Tbsp. parsley to the tomato sauce, lower heat, and simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to boil, then add pasta and cook until tender;7-9 minutes; Bucatini takes a little longer because it's thicker.

Drain well, shaking colander gently to remove excess moisture.

Add calamari to tomato sauce, then remove from heat and allow to stand, covered for 3-4 minutes. Add salt/pepper to taste. Add drained pasta and toss well. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve.

 

If you're using bottled sauce or sauce you made ahead of time all you have to do is thaw the calamari in a colander. Once completely thawed pour the calamari on paper towels to get out additional excess moisture. Drop them in the sauce for 3-4 minutes, as above. So easy!

 

PESCE SPADA

SICILLIAN STYLE SWORDFISH

WITH RUSTIC OLIVES, ONIONS AND HERBS

 

 This is from the famous Sicilian chef, Lydia Bastianich. Any recipe of hers you find I think you will love! I made the delicious base for the swordfish a day ahead.

This doesn't look that pretty, but it sure was good!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch Parsley, chopped

4 spears fresh chopped Rosemary

4 spears fresh chopped Thyme

2 cups bread crumbs

1 whole medium lemon, zested and juiced, plus 2 wedges for garnish. (I did not garnish, but wish I had as I think the plates would've benefited from the color even though the dish was quite lemony.)

Salt/Pepper to taste

4 pieces swordfish (Just as with the cod, I used 6 very small pieces.)

1 large Vidalia onion or 2 medium onions chopped into 1 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup Kalamata olives

 

Preparation:

Heat 1/2 cup olive oil and saute garlic on medium heat. Remove from stove and add parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Mix the herbs and add bread crumbs, lemon zest, lemon juice salt and pepper. Let cool.

Season the fish with salt/pepper, dust with the breadcrumb mixture, and grill (I pan seared.) evenly about 4 minutes each side until firm, but not hard.

Saute the onions in olive oil on medium heat until translucent. Pit the olives (or use pitted, much easier!) and cut them in half. Toss the olives in right before finishing the onions.

Place swordfish steaks on a platter and cover with the onion/olive mixture. Serve with lemon wedges.

 

The wine that accompanied our Pesce Spada was from Tuscany. 2012 Castello della Paneretta Chianti Classico. Dry, medium-bodied with fruit and earth balanced flavors of dried dark fruit; cranberry; leather, and hints of cinnamon.

 

When I do a big fancy dinner party with multiple courses I like to serve a palate cleanser in little tiny cordial glasses about half way through. So elegant and very easy. Another "do-ahead"! Tonight, after the third fish course, I served...

SICILIAN LEMON GRANITA-WESTERN STYLE

I've been told that in the Western part of Sicily they freeze their granita as I did in a pan in the freezer, stirring until iced. On the Eastern side they churn like a regular ice cream.

 

Ingredients:

2-3 large lemons

1 cup water

1/3 cup superfine sugar (If you don't have superfine, which I did not, just blend regular sugar in a food processor or mini-max until fine.)

With vegetable peeler, remove zest in long pieces from 2 lemons. Squeeze 1/2 cup juice from lemons. You may need an additional lemon for the fine zest garnish (Use a micro-plane.).

 

Preparation:

In a small heavy saucepan heat water and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in large pieces of zest and transfer syrup to a bowl to cool. Chill syrup, covered until cold. Discard zest and stir in lemon juice.

For Western style Granita, freeze lemon mixture in a metal bowl (I prefer a flat, 2" thick metal cake pan. It freezes better and is easier to stir.) Stir with a fork every 30 minutes to remove ice crystal from side of the bowl or pan, until liquid has become granular, but is still slightly slushy, about 3-4 hours. Serve immediately.

 

Can you believe we still have 2 more fishes dishes to go,

...plus dessert!

 

After that dinner I am working hard to maintain my

New Year's resolution of MODERATION!

 

Here are few more party pix to close today's blog. Thanks for sharing this wonderful evening with me!

 

Diana and Dennis getting ready to Feast (is that a verb??)

 

Tres Amigos-Steve, my husband-Jerry, and Dennis

 

The table awaiting guests!

Please tune in again soon for the final episode

of our Christmas Eve extravaganza!

 

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

 

 

 

 

 

 



I Love Lamb!

It seems like ages since I have talked about food...doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about food or cooking up a storm! I had my first-ever catering job last week cooking for 40 at my monthly woman's club meeting. I made an Abbundanza Italiano! which was yummy, but a bit more work than I anticipated since my kitchen is not set up for big scale cooking, but it was fun, challenging, and extremely satisfying. OK, it was a pro-bono job, but I think it may create some real paying jobs in the future. I will share the complete menu and recipes with you in an upcoming blog.

I have also been very busy with my grant writing business, www.globalgrants.com. I thoroughly enjoy writing grants for wonderful and worthy causes, but it is time consuming and when on deadline that is my primary focus. So, now on to some cooking...

BONELESS STUFFED LEG OF LAMB
It's important to start by cleaning your leg. If the lamb is wrapped in netting, remove the netting. Then spread the leg out flat on a cutting board with the inside of the leg up. With your sharpest knife remove all silver skin (that's the filmy white/silvery layer that runs along the inside of the leg). Slip the point of your knife under the edge of the silver skin to get it started and then peel it off, using your knife to encourage it along. Sometimes once you get it started you can almost pull it off. This skin is very tough and although it takes patience to remove, it is well worth it. Also remove any cords and other ugly stuff and trim the fat if it is very thick, but don't take it all off. The fat gives it beautiful flavor and helps keep it moist.

I'm going to give you two different boneless recipes. The first recipe is roasted without marinating the lamb and the second calls for a marinade. I'm also offering two different roasting methods. With the first, you brown the lamb before going into the oven and keep the oven heat high during the entire cooking process. The second method calls for starting at a high heat and then reducing for the rest of the cooking time. There is no one correct answer. Try both ways to see which you like better. And the third recipe I will share is one I do when we're in Ireland with a full bone-in leg of lamb.

Once you've cooked a few lamb legs, you don't really need to follow a recipe at all. Just keep in mind the types of flavors that go well with lamb: garlic, rosemary, red wine, sweet onion, mint (the real thing, not the jelly), a small amount of sage, thyme, orange or lemon juice and/or zest; prosciutto, dried fruit, such as prunes or raisins may sound unlikely, but paired with the right herbs and spices are delicious; Parmesan, feta-especially feta made from sheep's milk--my favorite. When using veggies in the stuffing, I have used spinach and also swiss chard and like them both. Adding mushroom to either, especially the wild kind also works well. Be creative. Try new things. Have fun with it!

BONELESS LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH SPINACH, FETA CHEESE, PINE NUTS

Ingredients:

• 6 lb. boneless leg of lamb
• Salt/Pepper for rubbing on the meat
• 1 (10oz.) bag fresh spinach leaves
• 8 oz. feta cheese (or more); made either with sheep or goats milk
• 2 Tbsp. pine nuts
• 3 Tbsp. garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• Kitchen string
• 1 cup all-purpose White Flour
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme or1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. fennel seed
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• Several long springs of rosemary

Preparation:
Silver skin and other undesirables are now removed from your leg of lamb. Cut shallow slits (about 1/2") into the meat to help it lie flat. Cover the meat with a layer of plastic wrap and pound the meat until the thickness is a bit more uniform and the lamb is about 1" to 1 1/2" thickness everywhere. Don't worry about being precise; just try to get it as even as possible so when stuffed and rolled it will cook more evenly. Use a meat mallet, rolling pin (marble rolling pins work great as they weigh a ton!), heavy skillet or any heavy object will do the job. The goal is to make the shape of the meat into an even rectangle so it is easier to roll. Beat your meat firmly, but not brutally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Rub the inside of the leg with 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
2. Sprinkle leg of lamb liberally on both sides with salt (I use freshly ground kosher sea salt) and freshly ground pepper.
3. Spread the finely chopped garlic on the inside of the leg.
4. Lay the spinach leaves over the garlic on the inside of the leg.
5. Then crumble the feta cheese over the spinach.
6. Add the pine nuts.
7. Roll the roast from the long side into a firm cylinder, and tie the roast together with kitchen string at 2 inch interval's. Some stuffing may pop out at ends, but just push it back in with your finger.
8. In a flat dish, mix together well the flour, 1 tbsp. salt, 1 Tbsp. pepper, the thyme, and the fennel seed, and press the tied roast firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides.
9. Heat the sesame oil in a heavy oven-proof or cast iron skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and sear all sides of the leg including the ends to a deep golden brown color. Lay the leg of lamb into the skillet (don't overcrowd the meat) or roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer at the thickest part. Place the springs of rosemary around and on top of the leg. These may need to be changed out before your leg is done as they burn easily and you don't want to infuse your lamb with burned rosemary flavor.  Roast to your desired degree of doneness. I like it rare which is about 10-12 minutes a pound (for boneless lamb) or 1 hour for a 6 lb. leg. Rare is an inside temp of 130 degrees. Medium rare is 140. There is also lots of controversy around what constitutes the correct temp for rare vs. medium. Your meat thermometer will be a big factor, so once again, experiment until you get it done the way you like it. You can always put the roast back in if too rare, but if overdone you have no options. The meat will continue to cook after taking out of the oven so the most important thing is NOT to overcook your lamb.
10. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest 15 minutes before cutting. This step is a must, otherwise you will lose the good juices from the meat if cut right away; they will just bleed out all over the cutting board, and once out you cannot return them. Cut off the string.
11. I like to cut in fairly thick slices (1/2 to 3/8"); arrange on a platter on a bed of chopped kale or if you are roasting with veggies, place them around your thick slices of lamb.

MARINATED BONELESS LEG OF LAMB ROAST
Ingredients:
MARINADE:
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary or 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Blend marinade ingredients in a blender, just a few pulses until well mixed.
LAMB:
6 lb. boneless leg of lamb, cleaned as above and rolled and tied
Marinade

Preparation:

1. Place lamb and marinade into a plastic bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible from the bag and seal. Wrap again with another bag to prevent leakage and place in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours or overnight. Turn the bag every so often to make sure lamb gets coated evenly with marinade. When ready to roast, take the lamb out of the fridge and let set out for about an hour to come to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Remove the lamb from its marinade bag. Pat dry the marinade off the lamb with paper towels. Generously salt and pepper. Place rolled lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. Add about 1/2 cup water in bottom of pan.
4. Roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast for an additional 40-50 minutes, which should give you a rare roast. The shape of the lamb can also impact cooking time. The fatter or thicker the chunk, the longer it will take to cook.
5. Cut away the kitchen twine. Let meat rest 15 minutes. Carve into 1/2-3/8" slices. Drizzle pan drippings over the carved meat.

IRISH LAMB
My husband and I own a guest house in Ireland so we spend time there each year doing the annual "fix-up", painting, cleaning, gardening, etc., in addition to touring and having fun. I do a lot of cooking in Ireland and Irish lamb is wonderful. There really is nothing like a young, grass-fed all natural Irish lamb. I love going to the butcher shop, selecting our lamb and having the butcher cut it on the spot.

Obviously, this is a happy butcher!  When I get my lamb home, I simply rub it all over with olive oil, add generous freshly ground salt and pepper, drizzle a little red wine (about 1/2 cup), add 4-5 cloves chopped garlic, and lay on sprigs of rosemary, top with more rosemary and put into a hot oven (425 degrees) uncovered for 15 minutes. Then, cover the leg loosely with foil and return to a 350 degree oven and continue roasting for another hour, depending on the size of the leg. Take the foil off and return to the oven for the last 15 minutes of roasting to make sure it is nicely browned. I don't have a meat thermometer in Ireland, so use the 15 minutes per pound rule. This was a BIG leg so it cooked a bit longer. If some of the lamb near the bone is very rare, I cut it off next day and make lamb balls for spaghetti.

To make lamb balls, finely chop the rare lamb, add bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, 1 minced garlic clove,  2 Tbsp. finely diced onion,1 tsp. of Italian seasoning, salt/pepper, 1 egg until you get a good meatball consistency. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of red wine. If too moist, add more bread crumbs. Roll into balls and fry. Drop the balls into red sauce and let simmer for about an hour. This gives the red sauce a rich beautifully meaty flavor.


And this is a happy cook!   
When in Ireland we try to go to the Farmer's Market on Sunday in Galway. This market is filled with fruits, veggies, home-made pates, cheeses, fresh flowers, meats, fish off the boat, fabulous spices from all over, coffees, as well as crafty things, clothing and even incense!                                  

When I am roasting a bone-in leg I like to add root veg to the roasting pan: potatoes, carrots, onion, whole cloves of garlic.

This is my husband on the right admiring the beauty of fresh carrots!







NEXT TIME 
WE'LL TALK RISOTTO!