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| Tuesday, December 22, 2009 |
| Mediterranean Christmas Menu – Part II |
To continue the Mediterranean inspired Christmas Menu I was thinking of an Italian style Christmas Eve dinner where there is typically no meat. Depending on the region (or Christian belief) the menu is comprised of 7, 10 or 13 different fish and seafood dishes. Most tables have a baccala (salt cod) dish of some sort and definitely some pasta with shrimp and/or clams. For this menu I looked for simple dishes, which I suggest you serve with a plate of pasta with broccoli or preferably broccoli rabe. I also recommend serving some healthy greens like arugula, dandelion, beet greens, escarole, kale, curly endives, spinach or collard greens. Simply wash, trim and dip in salted boiling water for a couple of minutes, drain and serve with a generous drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. Drink the cooking liquids or freeze it for the next time you make soup.
As with any regional dish, ingredient selection depends on what is the freshest available “that day”. That’s why food might not taste as good when we try it for the second time. Maybe the fish or the greens we had the first time were not as fresh the second time around, but we wanted to stay true to the initial dish. So again, play with your food and let the freshest ingredients be your muse.
La Cassola from Sardinia
Fish soup
Serves 4-6
2 lbs variety small whole fish or fillets like mullet, skate, monk and/or sea bass
4 cups water or fish stock
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2-4 garlic cloves, crushed
6-8 fresh basil leaves
Whole chili or chili flakes to taste
1 lb tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 lbs shellfish like clams, lobster or shrimp
12 slices of baguette, toasted and drizzled with olive oil
The original recipe calls for making your own fish broth out of fish heads and bones, but if you’re not inclined to doing so you can find some at the fish market or use a couple bottles of clam juice with water and white wine instead. As recommended when I shared the Saffron seafood stoup recipe, once you steam/boil shellfish, strain and freeze the broth.
In a large sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic, basil and chili in the olive oil until translucent or for about 8-10 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Start adding larger pieces of fish first and cook uncovered for 5 minutes and then add shellfish and cover until they are all cooked through and clams have opened. If you like squid add them at the last minute, as it takes less than a minute to cook and avoid being too chewy. Serve in soup bowls with toasted baguette slices.
Fish Spetsiota from Greece
Baked Fish with Bread Crumbs and Tomatoes
Serves 4
4 fish fillets red snapper, cod, turbot or haddock
4-6 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp water or white wine
4-5 medium tomatoes
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup bread crumbs
Heat oven to 400°F with a rack positioned in the middle.
Rinse fish fillets and pat dry with paper towel. Arrange fillets side by side in an oven safe dish. Drizzle 2-3 Tbsp of oil and the lemon juice, making sure to remove any seeds. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside. In a medium size bowl, dilute tomato paste with 2 Tbsp of white wine or water. Finely chop 2 tomatoes, garlic and parsley and add to the bowl. Mix in 2-3 Tbsp of oil, season to taste with salt, pepper and oregano if desired. Pour mixture over the fish fillets. Slice the other tomatoes and evenly cover the fish with them. You can prepare the dish ahead of time up to this point.
Just before baking, top the dish with bread crumbs and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden brown.
I included a second fish dish for those who don’t like tomatoes.
Pescespada alla Stemperata from Sicily
Swordfish in Melted Sauce
Serves 4
4 swordfish fillets/steaks
2-4 Tbsp olive oil
2-4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 celery stalks, chopped
½- ¾ cup green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
½ cup raisins
3 Tbsp capers
¼ cup white wine vinegar
Pour 2 cups of boiling water oven raisins and set aside. Rinse and pat dry the fish fillets and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1-2 Tbsp of oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and cook fish 2 minutes on each side. Remove fish and place on a serving platter. Add another 1 Tbsp of oil to the skillet and sauté garlic and celery until golden. Drain raisins and add to skillet with the olives and capers. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 2-3 minutes. Push the sauce over one side of the skillet and return fish to the skillet. Spoon sauce over the fish and drizzle with the vinegar. Continue cooking for another minute or so or until the fish is cooked to your favorite degree of doneness and serve.
Baked figs from Greece, Turkey, France, Spain and Italy
Serves 4-6
12 ripe fresh figs
¼ cup honey (orange, clover, lavender or other fragrance)
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup orange liqueur, brandy or anisette
4 bay leaves
Zest of an orange or a lemon – to taste
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Gently rinse figs and prick them with a fork to allow liquid in. Place them upright in an oven proof serving dish.
Combine liquid ingredients and the zest in a small bowl and pour over the figs. Tuck the bay leaves between the figs, cover and bake for 30 minutes, basting several times. Serve warm or at room temperature. May serve with a dollop of sweetened Greek yogurt.
Enjoy!
- Joseé
Labels: Holiday Eating, holiday ideas, Josee
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posted by My Sensei @ Tuesday, December 22, 2009   |
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| 2 Comments: |
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These all look great, but I think my favorite would be the fig one. I love figs and my grandpa had a fig tree when I was growing up. Yum!!
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I know exactly what you mean; sometimes the memories are stronger than the actual taste of the food. The memories bring us to a beautiful time and experience. I have an overload of food memories in my brain. All good; even about the stuff I wouldn't eat again.
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These all look great, but I think my favorite would be the fig one. I love figs and my grandpa had a fig tree when I was growing up. Yum!!