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ITALIAN RECIPES

Heading for the beach?

Reef Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds (500 g) fresh live clams
1 1/4 pounds (500 g) fresh mussels
12 ounces (300 g) shelled shrimp tails (you can also use other crustaceans, or a mixture of crustaceans)
2-3 ripe plum tomatoes
A bunch parsley
Basil
1 clove garlic
Olive Oil
A shredded hot pepper (optional)
Salt & pepper
3/4 pound (350 g) spaghetti

Preparation:

Scrub the shells of the clams and mussels. Shell the shrimp tails. Salt a pot of water for the spaghetti and set it to boil. In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a broad skillet, with a crushed clove of garlic.
When the garlic has browned, remove it and discard it, then add the clams and mussels.

Cover and cook over a brisk flame, shaking the pan every now and then, until the shellfish have opened.
Turn off the flame and let them cool slightly, then remove and discard the shells of some of them (but not all -- NOTE: do not try to open any that failed to open when heated. Discard them; them could make you quite sick.).

While doing this make sure the clam broth remains in the skillet. Next, finely mince a second clove of garlic and sauté it in 3 tablespoons of oil, in a broad skillet. When it has turned light gold, slice the tomatoes directly into the pan. Shred six basil leaves into the pan too, a touch of salt, the hot pepper if you're using it, and simmer the sauce for ten minutes.

In the meantime strain the clam juices through a fine cloth. Once ten minutes is up, stir in all the shellfish and a half cup of the strained clam juice, and simmer for five minutes more.
While the sauce is simmering, add the remaining clam juice to the pasta water, which should be boiling by now, and cook the spaghetti.
Transfer the cooked spaghetti to a bowl, dribble a couple of tablespoons of oil over them, add a turn of freshly ground pepper, about 20 parsley leaves (either whole or shredded) and toss. Stir in the sauce and serve at once, with a crisp white wine.

Calabrian Octopus Salad

Ingredients:

2 1/4 pounds (1 k) octopus -- ideally small octopus
2 cups (1/2 l) strong red wine vinegar
2 cups (1/2 l) water
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons parsley, minced
Salt & freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Clean the octopus, and put them in a pot with the vinegar and the water. Salt the pot, bring it to a boil, cover it, and simmer the octopus until it's fork tender.
Drain the octopus, trim the suckers (which are unpleasantly rubbery) from the tentacles, and dice the octopus, putting the pieces in a bowl (terracotta will look nice here).
Season them with the minced herbs, salt and pepper to taste, abundant olive oil, and serve.

Italian Grilled Fish

Ingredients:

1 or more fish weighing a total between 2 and three pounds, cleaned, scaled, and lightly scored, or slices of a large fish, for example swordfish.
1/2 cup of marinade made with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and a few leaves of minced rosemary, bay leaf, or the herb you prefer (optional).
A folding grate to put the fish in, if you have it.

Preparation:

Marinate the fish, slipping some of the herbs and lemon slices into the cavity as well.
Preheat the grill or start the fire long enough ahead to let the coals burn down.
Set the fish over the coals, basting it with the marinade as it cooks; the use of one of those folding grates with a hinge opposite the handle makes the fish easier to flip, and allows you to prepare several small fish at once.

Continue cooking till the flesh parts easily and the skin is crispy; in terms of a cooking time, figure 10 minutes per inch (2.5 cm) of thickness of the fish, measured at its thickest point.
"Grilled" fish can also be done in the oven. Marinate it as above, and set it in a pan with just a drop of oil. Roast in a very hot (450 F, 220 C) oven, flipping carefully when it is half-cooked.

Grilled Eggplant

Ingredients:

6 small tender eggplants, about a pound (450 g) in all
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
A medium bunch parsley, minced
1/4 cup olive oil or more, to taste
A fresh hot pepper (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Wash and dry the eggplant and cut it into 1/4-inch thick slices. Sprinkle the slices with salt and put them in a colander for an hour, then rinse them well and pat them dry. While they’re sitting combine the remaining ingredients to form the marinade and put it in a broad serving dish.

Lightly score the slices of eggplant in a crosshatch pattern and marinade them for about 20 minutes. Then grill them for about 10 minutes or until done, turning them a couple of times, and return them to the serving dish.
Spoon the marinade in the dish over them and they're ready for use, though they will improve if they sit for a couple of hours.

Buon appetito!

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