From EnglesL@aol.com Wed Jan 2 12:57:02 2002 Date: 27 Dec 2001 03:35:53 GMT From: Laura Engles Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes Subject: Italian Seafood Dishes (8) Collection Followup-To: rec.food.cooking, rec.food.recipes TUNA FISH WITH DRIED PORCINI AND ANCHOVIES (Tonno in Padella) SOLE AND ALMOND VELOUTE' (Vellutata di Sogliole e Mandorle) BAKED SALT COD with potatoes and tomatoes (Baccala' al Forno) SMALL FRY (Bianchi Fritti) LOBSTER (Astaco alla Diavola) OCTOPUS (Polpo alla Napoletana) SHELLFISH WIth LINGUINE (Linguine Fini con le Vongole) SNAILS (Lumache alla Romana) I located this list of authentic Italian recipes on a mailing list in 1999. Enjoy, Laura TUNA FISH WITH DRIED PORCINI AND ANCHOVIES (Tonno in Padella) The cooking of fresh tuna steak is critical as to the timing; undercook and it is unpleasant and cold, overcook and it becomes dry and stringy. It is difficult to say how long the cooking time should be, since it depends on the thickness of the steak and the heat under the pan. Tuna steaks should be no thicker than 5/8 in, and need to be cooked for about 2 minutes on each side over medium to slightly high heat. Serves 4 people: 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms 2 garlic cloves One bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley a few fresh marjoram sprigs 3 salted anchovies, rinsed and cleaned or 6 canned anchovy fillets, drained 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon flour 5 ounces dry white wine Salt - Freshly ground black pepper 4 fresh tuna steaks, about 1-1/4 pounds in total Juice of 1/2 lemon. Soak the porcini in hot water for about an hour. If gritty, rinse them under cold water. Dry them with kitchen paper towel and put them on a board. Add the garlic, parsley, marjoram, anchovies and capers and chop the whole lot together. (To save time this can be done in the food processor, but be careful not to grind the mixture too fine). Heat the oil and the parsley mixture in a large saute pan and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Blend in the flour, cook for about 1 minute and then pour in the wine. Boil for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring the whole time. If the sauce seems to thick, pour in 4 or 5 tablespoon of boiling water. Add salt and lots of pepper. If still on remove the skin from the tuna steaks. Rinse and dry them with kitchen paper towel and lay them in the pan in a single layer. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, depending on their thickness, then turn the steaks over and continue to cook until no blood comes to the surface. Push a small pointed knife into the center of one of the steaks to see if it is cooked, if there is still some blood, cook a little longer. Taste the steaks and adjust the seasoning. Transfer the steaks to a heated serving dish or individual plates and spoon the sauce around them. Drizzle with the lemon juice and serve at once. SOLE AND ALMOND VELOUTE' (Vellutata di Sogliole e Mandorle) Serves 4 people: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 7 small fillets of sole, about 3-1/2 ounces 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons almond flour (Almond "flour" can be purchased from a baking supply store or made at home by pulsing whole almonds in a food processor 3 or 4 times on high speed. Do not grind to a paste). 4 cups fish stock 1/3 cup unbleached white flour 1/2 cup half-and-half Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cups unblanched almonds, finely chopped. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute' the sole fillets until they are lightly browned on both sides. Add the wine and cook for 5 minutes, turning the fillets 4 or 5 times. Puree 3 of the fillets in a food processor along with the almond flour and 2 ladlesful of fish broth. Reserve the remaining fillets, keeping them warm. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet over low heat. Whisk the unbleached flour into butter to form thick paste. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, then add remaining fish broth, whisking constantly until it is smooth and the vellutata comes almost to a boil. Stir the sole puree and half-and-half into the vellutata and return to near the boiling point. Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper. Pour the soup into the 4 bowls and top each serving with a whole fillet. Serve hot, sprinkled with the chopped almonds and parsley. BAKED SALT COD with potatoes and tomatoes (Baccala' al Forno) Serves 6 people: 1-1/2 pounds baccala', skinned and boned 2-1/2 cups fresh or canned drained tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped 4 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into sixths lengthwise 2 garlic cloves, halved 1/2 cup oil-packed black olives, drained 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Reconstitute the salt cod by soaking it in a cold water in the refrigerator for 24 hours, changing the water 5 or 6 times. Drain, rinse, and cut the flesh into 2 inch chunks. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place half the tomatoes in a 10 x 14 inch baking dish. Place the salt cod, potatoes, and onion in a single layer over the tomatoes. Arrange the remaining tomatoes, garlic, and olives on top. Sprinkle over the parsley, salt, and pepper,then cover with bread crumbs. Drizzle the top with the olive oil, distributing it evenly over the dish. Pour in 1 cup of water, being careful not to disturb bread crumbs. Bake the dish in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender and bead crumbs golden brown, about 1-1/2 hours. SMALL FRY (Bianchi Fritti) The preferred fish for this quick and easy dish is the tiny whitebait because it can be eaten whole without any fuss over cleaning. You can also use very small anchovies if available, or even sardines, but they will probably need some gutting and cutting off of the heads. Serves 4 people 2 pound small-fry fish as described above All-purpose flour for dredging Vegetable oil for deep frying Very finely minced parsley Juice of 4 lemons, plus another lemon cut in eighths Salt Freshly ground black pepper. Rinse and pick over the fish for any debris. Lay out some wax paper or a plate and pour out a half cup of all purpose flour on it. Lightly dredge 1/4 of the fish in the flour. Heat about 2 inches of the oil in a heavy skillet. Fry the first batch and set in a warm oven on a plate. Dredge and cook each remaining batch the same way. Transfer fish to a plate as you progress, sprinkle with lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper over all, tossing then as you do. LOBSTER (Astaco alla Diavola) Serves 4 people: Not for the faint of heart-the lobster have to be dealt with live. Two of 2-1/2 pound live lobsters 4 tablespoons butter, softened 1/2 cup grappa or brandy 3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard 1 cup fine, homemade bread crumbs Parsley as garnish 2 lemons, quartered Salt Freshly ground black pepper Optional; Tabasco sauce Preheat oven to 375 to 400 F. Split the lobsters in half lengthwise and remove the intestines and sac beneath the head. Discard. Mash the liver and the coral from the abdomen with the butter and turn out mixture into a saute pan. Place over medium heat, carefully add the grappa, and heat for 20 second. Carefully ignite the grappa. When the flame dies, add mustard and season lightly with salt and quite liberally with black pepper. (Add a few drops of Tabasco at this time, if you wish.) Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and remove from burner. Arrange lobster halves in an oil-greased baking dish, cut-side up and coat the exposed parts with a bit of the sauce. Place in oven on middle rack. Baste with more sauce during the first 15 minutes of cooking. Baste a third time at about 20 minutes and sprinkle bread crumbs on top and bake for another 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley, serve with lemon slices. OCTOPUS (Polpo alla Napoletana) Serves 6 people: 3 - 4 pounds small-sized octopus, cleaned and skinned Extra-virgin olive oil 4 tablespoons lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 12 peppercorns, cracked 1 tablespoon finely-minced parsley 1 bay leaf Sprig of fresh rosemary. If the octopus is longer than twelve inches, you must tenderize it. Pound it all over with a small mallet, especially the tentacles. Place it in a pot with enough well-salted water to cover along with the rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Drain and cut into bite-size pieces. Dress with oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, and cracked pepper. At this point, the octopus may be served or marinated for a few hours in the refrigerator. SHELLFISH WIth LINGUINE (Linguine Fini con le Vongole) Serves 6 people: 1 pound high quality dried Linguine or macaroni About 50 Mediterranean clams or tiny hard shell clams. (Optional you can create it using mussels) 4-6 cloves garlic 1 1/2 tablespoons minced parsley 4 tablespoons minced pimento 1/4 cup dry white wine Extra-virgin olive oil Fresh ground black pepper Salt 2 tablespoons butter Hot red pepper flakes. Place all the clams in a bowl or pot and cover with cold water that has 2 tablespoons of salt stirred into it. After 1 hour, drain clams and scrub lightly, removing all sand, grit and foreign material. In large, heavy-bottomed skillets that have tight-fitting lids, place clams in one layer in order to open them up. Pour 1/4 cup white wine over each batch of clams as well as 1/4 cup water. Cover and turn up to high, then reduce. Shake the pans occasionally. After 7 minutes, uncover and discard all the clams that have remained shut tight. Remove the open clams with tongs or a large slotted spoon and set on a platter away from drafts, emptying the liquor back into one of the pans. Bring the water for pasta to a roiling boil. Finely mince the garlic. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and lightly saute garlic for a few minutes. Do not brown. Turn off heat and stir in parsley, pimento, black pepper and hot red pepper flakes. Strain the cooking liquid from the clams through cheese cloth if there is any sand in it whatsoever. Pour over the garlic-parsley mixture and put on a fast simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. During this time, cook the pasta. When it is al dente, drain and pour clam sauce over all, tossing. If you want a richer dish, add a bit more olive oil or the butter. Cheese is "not" generally served on this dish. Serves 6 people: 50 - 60 large snails 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 6 garlic cloves very finely minced 4 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 teaspoons chopped mint 12 tinned whole anchovies washed of salt 1 28 oz can whole Italian tomatoes 3 yellow peppers roasted, peeled and cut into strips Salt Freshly ground black pepper Optional: 1/2 cup chopped black olives Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof ceramic dish over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook gently for 5 minutes. Do not brown. Add the tomatoes, parsley, yellow pepper, anchovies, mint salt, and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes. Add the optional olives. Add the snails and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. -- Rec.food.recipes is moderated; only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting. Please send recipes, requests, questions or comments to Moderator Patricia Hill at recipes@rt66.com Please allow several days for your submission to appear.