Sicilian Stuffed Sardines over Vegetable Ragu

If you like fish, you will love this recipe. I had a version of this many years ago at the Rosebud on Taylor Street, and about a week later came up with this version. It was a favorite of my Dad’s. The presentation is vivid and colorful, and goes great with some orzo, an arugala salad and a crisp Italian white wine. Hope you enjoy. This recipe is for 4 people. Please always remember, buy your fish from a fish store never a supermarket.

Ingredients

16 large sardines cleaned and butterflied( a good fish shop will do this for you)

for the stuffing

3 cups of panko breadcrumbs or fresh breadcrumbs

3 cloves of garlic

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 minced shallots

1/4 cup white wine

juice of 1 lemon

1 diced red bell pepper

dash of tabasco

In a saute pan heat up about 3 to 4 tbl of olive oil and add shallots and pepper and cook till just soft. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute and add white wine and reduce by half. Add breadcrumbs, lemon juice, and tabasco. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper and set to side.

For the Ragu

1 each of yellow, red and green bell pepper

1 large red onion slice thinly

3 cloves crushed garlic

4  fresh Italian plum tomatoes diced

1 eggplant diced

1 zucchini diced

1/2 cup red wine

2tbl tomato paste

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

red pepper flakes

In a large pan heat up olive oil and add peppers, onion, zucchini, eggplant and saute on high until just soft. Add garlic, tomato paste, and pepper flakes cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and wine and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook about 5 to 6 minutes adjust to taste and pour into a large casserole dish.

Take the sardines and open them up and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and drizzle with some olive oil. Divide stuffing among the fish and and fold over to close. Lay the sardines side by side over the hot vegetable ragu and again sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the fish are fully cooked. Serve immediately.

Scampi ala Pesto

My friend Pilar requested some Italian dishes so I thought I would start here. It is a twist on 2 great Italian Classics,  Shrimp Scampi and Pesto. I figured what could be better than to combine the two.  If you like garlic, shrimp, and basil you will love this. I’ll start with my Pesto recipe first. This dinner is for 4 people or 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh cleaned basil leaves

1 pint olive oil

½ cup pine nuts

8 cloves garlic

4 tsp salt

2 cups of parmesan

½ cup of romano

6 ounces of butter cut into small pieces and partially frozen

In a food processor grind basil, nuts, garlic, and salt. When ground add oil in a thin stream while running to create an emulsion. Add cheeses and grind in. Add partially frozen butter cube by cube while grinding to make a paste.

Besides being used to dress the scampi, pesto goes great tossed with pasta and some fried pancetta. Spooned over a chicken breast or pork chop or some veal at the end of the cooking process or on a steak sandwich. It is a truly versatile ingredient.

　

Scampi with pesto

32 large shrimp thawed, peeled and de-veined

4 ounces olive oil

1 stick butter

8 cloves minced garlic

3 minced shallots

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbl chopped parsley

2 tbl chopped chervil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of pesto warmed gently over low heat so the butter doesn’t break

Melt butter in saute pan and add oil. When hot add shallots and garlic. When soft add shrimp and salt and pepper to taste. When shrimp are done add fresh herbs and red pepper flakes. Serve on individual plates or in a large dish and drizzle  pesto over the top. The blended taste combination is heavenly. You can serve it with some pasta or rice or over slices of garlic toasts. I love a really good Pinot Grigio to go with it along with a big fresh salad.

Cioppino

Today would have been my Dad’s 77th birthday so I want to dedicate this blog to him. I am going to share with you his most  favorite thing that I ever created, I think that is why it is so special to me. I came up with this recipe when I was the Chef for Jim’s Steakhouse in Frankfort, but made it almost every birthday for my Dad . It is a rich Italian fish stew. The recipe itself is for 6 people but scales up real easy. It is not the cheapest dish to make, but fantastic for a special occasion or holiday. If you want feel free to elimate the Lobster and Halibut just use more of the other items. It is best when served with a real rustic Italian bread like a Pugliesse and a big bold red Italian wine like Borollo. The ingredient list is long and there is a bit of labor involved but you will be rewarded with a 4 star dish. Several items like the seafood stock and marinara sauce can be made a day ahead of time so all you have to do is assemble on the day you serve.

Ingredients

1 qt. of seafood stock(recipe is included)

1 qt spicy marinara(recipe is included)

18 jumbo shrimp or prawns

18 jumbo sea scallops or 36 bay scallops

18 littleneck clams

18 mussels, preferably Prince Edward Isle

3   6-to-8 ounce lobster tails

3   6 ounce halibut fillets, cut into 3 slices each(you can substitute red snapper or grouper )

1 lb of cleaned jumbo lump crab meat

12 to 15 basil leaves cut into a chiffonade

1 small bunch chives chopped

juice of 2 lemons

2 tbl of butter

For the broth

Shells from the shrimp and lobster tails

bones from the fish if you can get

2-4cups water

1 shallot diced

1/2 carrot diced

1 rib of celery diced

2 12 ounce bottles of clam juice

1 cup of dry vermouth

Remove the lobster tails and shrimp from the shells and place the shells in a pot with fish bones, onion, celery, and carrot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook  20 minutes. Strain and reduce to 2 cups. Add vermouth and clam juice and simmer for 20 minutes more.

For the Spicy Marinara

1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

2 shallots minced

3 cloves of crushed garlic

2 tbl of tomato paste

1 tbl of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp each of dried oregano, basil

1 tsp each of dried thyme and marjoram

1/2 cup of good dry burgundy

olive oil

Heat 2 to 3 ounce of olive oil in heavy bottom pan, add shallot and pinch of salt and saute until shallots are tender. Add garlic and cook on high for a minute.  Add dry spices and pepper flakes and cook until they become very aromatic. Add tomato paste and cook on high for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the tomato paste. Add the wine and crushed tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes. Adust taste with salt and pepper. If too tart add a pinch of sugar, if too sweet add a tbl or two of  red wine vinegar.

For the Cioppino

Combine both the stock and marinara together in a pot and bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Take the raw shelled lobster tail and slice each into 4 to 5 slices.  Wash the shell of the clams and debeard and wash the shell of the mussels. Season all the seafood with salt and pepper lightly. In a small saute pan saute the crab in the 2 tbl of butter until just warm.  In a large pot, like a big dutch oven, rissoto pot, or caldera, heat 1/2 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Brown each seafood individually(except mussels, clams, and crab) but do not cook all the way through and remove to a side plate. Raise heat on pan and add  the clams and mussels and the marinara/stock mix. Cook on high until the clams and mussels just start to open and add all the other seafood but the crab. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the fish and lobster are just done. Serve in large pre-warmed bowls. Discard any unopen mussels or clams because they were dead and are no good. Top each bowl with a big serving of the warmed crab in butter. Sprinkle the chives and basil over the top and drizzle a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil  and lemon juice on top.

Please don’t be scared of the recipe. It is not as hard as it seems. Remember the first time you make anything is always the hardest.  One other hint make this only for people you truly love and care about, it lets them know what they mean to you. I would give almost anything to do it for my Dad again.

Love and Good Eating

Chef Tim

White Gazpacho

White Gazpacho is a very interesting dish with a flavor based on almonds, grape, and cucumber. I have put my own twist on it with an optional ingredient to give it a tomato flavor. I use a pint of yellow grape or cherry tomatoes. I like the unique taste it adds, however if you are a traditionalist stay with the original recipe.

Ingredients

1  1 1/2 lb loaf of rustic bread(crust trimmed and cut into large cubes)

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of slivered blanched almonds

4 cloves of garlic

2 large cucumbers peeled,seeded, and diced

2 cups of seedless grapes cut in half

1/4 cup of sherry vinegar

2/3 cup of olive oil

1tsp of tabasco

2 tbl of salt

1 pint of yellow grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half( totally optional)

Soak bread in chicken stock. In a food processor blend almonds, salt, and garlic to a fine paste. Add bread with stock, grapes, cucumbers and tomatoes if using to processor and puree with the almond mix. Add the sherry vinegar, olive oil and tabasco into the food processor in stream while it is running and then check the taste. Adjust salt and pepper and sherry flavor to taste and serve chilled with chopped chives over the top, croutons, and a drizze of  olive oil.

You can also serve it for a cocktail party in shot glasses or in maritni glasses. You can even use them that way for a brunch buffet.

Related Articles

• Meatless Mondays: White Gazpacho with Cucumber, Grapes, and Almonds (food.change.org)

Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a wonderful summer soup and a tradional Spanish Classic, however I like to use it for a dinner party anytime of the year and substitute it for a salad course.  You can even use it as  an item at a cocktail party by filling it into shot glasses or sherry glasses. It also works well in the shot glasses on a brunch buffet.  Traditionally it is made with vegetables only but it you want to twist it up it is a great vehicle for shrimp or crab. I hope you enjoy mine.  I prefer my Gazpacho smooth, however if you, like yours chunky do not puree the 2nd half of the vegetables. As I have written before make it to your taste or why bother.

2 lbs of ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

4 to 5 large cloves of garlic

2 large spanish onions diced

3 large red bell peppers seeded and diced

2 cucumbers peeled, seeded and diced

1 /4 cup of minced parsley

1 tbl of salt

1 tbl of black pepper

1 tbl of hot paprika

2 cup of tomato juice( use a very high quality one such as campbells or for a twist try 2 cups of a good Bloody Mary mix)

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup of sherry vinegar

1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

a 1 to 1 1/2 lb loaf  of a rustic artisan type bread with the crust trimmed off and cut into large cubes and air dried for a few hours

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl mix all the vegetables together along with the salt and pepper and let sit for an hour or so. Soak the bread with the tomato juice and let set for about an hour. Puree 1/2 the vegetables and the bread in a food processor until smooth. Pour into a bowl and puree the remaining vegetables and add to the previous puree(if you like it chunky omit this step and just add the diced vegetables and their juices to the puree).

Add the parsley, oil, vinegar, lem0n juice, paprika and stir together. Chill for 1/2 an hour, taste and adjust with salt and pepper. If you want it hotter add some tabasco sauce to punch it up.

For a little something different serve the Gazpacho  in a large flat soup bowl with a 1/4 cup of crabmeat, or large diced shrimp mounded in the center. Make sure however you serve it your serving dishes are kept chilled until service and the Gazpacho is very cold.

 Eat Well

Chef Tim

Caldo Gallego/ Spanish White Bean Stew

Of all the cultural food in America I believe the most under represented is Spanish cuisine. Too many people think that because we have a plethora of Mexican food in this country that we are eating Spanish Food as well. We as a country are so sadly mistaken. The cultural food of Spain has so many influences from the Roman Empire to the Moors who invaded and occupied Spain until the inquisition to all the products retrieved from the new world territories of the Great Spanish Empire.  If I have a chance to go to Europe my first choice will probably be Spain to not only understand the food, but also how they eat and enjoy and celebrate their food. In the Brunch Menu Blogs I did recently I did one Spanish dish the potato and egg tortilla.  It is a famous Tapas dish and one of the things I will be focusing on is Tapas. This way you can make several smaller items and sample many different styles and tastes. Thanks to my friend Pilar who is Spanish and thought  my Tortilla was good, I will be starting with  a traditional white bean stew called Caldo Gallego which she challenged me to make. I hope you and she enjoy this dish I found it to be incredible.

CALDO GALLEGO

Ingredients

 3 to 4 slices of thick bacon cut into 1/2 inch strips

2 ham hocks( if you can get the hocks off of a serrano ham all the better if not check to see if you can buy the hocks off of a Italian proscuitto instead. if not regular hocks will work) make sure to cut deep score marks in the fat to release the flavor

2 medium spanish onions diced

4 to 5 cloves of garlic minced

1 red pepper diced

1 green pepper diced

3 tbl of flour

1 tbl of sugar

1 1/2 lb of turnip greens, kale, escarole, savoy cabbage, or another type of strong flavored green, washed, rinsed, and chopped into large pieces or a mix of several

1 1/2 lbs of new potatoes peeled and cut into quarters and soaking in water

1 lb of great northern beans rinsed in a colander and soaked overnight in a bowl of cold water

3 bay leaf

1 lb of Spanish Chorizo Sausage cut in half lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch slices( Spanish Chorizo is a smoked sausage with a great depth of flavor, not the fresh overly greasy mexican style)

3 quarts of homemade or good quality chicken stock

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Paprika( most paprika sold as Spanish in the US is a smoked paprika. I use  hot Hungarian and Sweet Hungarian paprika in this dish. If you can find Spanish in the sweet and hot forms use it if not use the Hungarian or you can use the smoked with a pince of cayenne for heat, I will give the proportions needed to substitute in the recipe.)

In a large stew or soup pot render the bacon under low heat until crisp, remove from pot and drain on paper towels. Brown the ham hocks in bacon fat until the score marks start to open and release their fat. Remove hocks and do the same with the Chorizo. When the Chorizo is cooked remove and add onions and peppers and cook until they start to soften. Add garlic 2 tsp of black pepper, sugar and 2 tbl of hot paprika. If you do not have hot paprika use 2 tbl of smoked paprika and 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper.  Stir and cook for about 5 minutes and add flour. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes to remove pasty taste and add hamhocks back to pot. Add the bay leaves and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Drain the beans and add to the pot and cook for an hour more.  Remove the bay leaves and hocks from the pot and add the greens and stir in. Add the potatoes and cook  for another half hour until the beans are done and the potatoes are just tender. Clean the meat off the hocks and chop into cubes and add to the pot with the bacon and chorizo slices when the beans are cooked. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt, pepper and paprika.  Serve in a large bowl with 2 to 3 tbl of good olive oil drizzled over it and a good crusty bread.

Italian Frittata Casserole

So here we are the last of our Sunday Brunch Blogs. Today is an Italian Frittata in a casserole dish made with orzo. It is pretty simple and you can get everything ready but the egg mixture  a day or two before hand.

Ingredients

1 cup of dry orzo

10 eggs

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 lb of  Italian sausage in bulk or 4- 4ounce links skin removed

1 medium onion diced

1 red pepper seeded and diced

1 green pepper seeded and diced

1 cup of parmesan cheese

2 tbl chopped chives

3 tbl of minced basil

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

1 cup shredded fontina cheese

Cook Orzo according to directions on box, cool and set aside.  Crumble sausage in a saute pan and cook till browned and add onions. Saute until soft and add peppers, basil and chives. Cook until peppers are soft. You can cool the mixture or continue on. You need to have the mixture hot before you can finish if you prepared it ahead.

Beat eggs until foamy and add the two cheeses and mix in well. Oil a large casserole dish with olive oil and heat oven to 375. Toss cooled orzo into sausage and pepper mixture and cook under high heat until orzo just starts to crisp up and brown a bit. Season mix with salt and pepper to taste and take off heat. Let cool a few minutes and quickly stir in egg mix and pour into casserole. Bake for approx 20 minutes until set up. Sprinkle top with shredded fontina and brown under a broiler. Serve hot.

I hope you have enjoyed the brunch items I have layed out. One of the best parts of brunch is that you can put out practically anything you want  for your guests. If there is a favorite breakfast dish or other item you really like make sure to serve it. I am only try to give ideas here and not trying to stick you with a menu. Make sure to have lots of fruits and breads and cheeses for people to sample as well as lots of coffee and plenty of cocktails. You may even want to try some cold seafood trays or some hot seafood dishes. A baked ham or piece of roasted turkey breast or beef is also popular.  Hope you and your friends have a successful brunch. When you have one let me know and I will post your comments. You can even send pictures and I will put them up for  all to see.

Thanks for Reading

Eat Well and Enjoy Each Other

Chef Tim

Breakfast Sausage & Panzanella

Today we continue with our Big Sunday Brunch with homemade breakfast sausage and a big panzanella salad. If you made the sausage in the blog on pizza this will feel pretty much the same. If you have never made sausage before have no fear I have made it as simple as  1,2,3 for the home cook.  The recipe I have can easily be cut in half, but  if you make the whole recipe you get twice the sausage and only make a mess once.

Breakfast Sausage

Ingredients

5 lbs of course ground Pork shoulder( a good local butcher will do it for you tell them you want it about 75% lean)

1  1/2 ounces by weight of kosher salt

2 tbl of sugar

2 tbl of hot hungarian paprika

1 tsp black pepper

3 tbl of poultry seasoning

1 tbl of red pepper flakes(optional for spicy sausage)

3/4 cup of apple juice

Make sure all to keep all utensils cold so the fat in the meat does not break down. Mix the dry spices together. In a large cold stainless steel bowl mix the pork with the         spices. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit over night. The next day add the apple juice to the mix and mix in gently. Remove a small amount and make a patty and fry up to test the taste. Adjust salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to your taste. Chill for about 1 hour and using a  1 ounce or 2 ounce ice cream scoup portion out the meat and form little patties. Lay out on cookie sheets lined with plastic wrap and freeze. After the patties harden place into Zip Loc bags and keep in your deep freezer until needed.

Panzanella

This recipe is for a big crowd so feel free to cut it in half for a smaller group.

Ingredients

1 lb of thin asparagus

day old french bread cut into large cubes( approx 12 to 14 cups)

2 hearts of romaine washed and dried torn into large pieces

3 cups of arugala or assorted mixed baby greens

2 red peppers cut into strips

2 yellow peppers cut into strips

2 cups of crumbled gorgonzola cheese

2 cucumbers peeled and seeded diced into small cubes

olive oil

salt and pepper

2 cloves of minced garlic

For the dressing

2 tbl of stone ground mustard

2 shallots minced

1/2 cup of  a good Italian vinegar other than balsamic.

1 tsp of  brown sugar

1  1/2 cups of olive oil

2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of black pepper

In a bowl mix all the ingredients for the dressing but the oil and then whisk in oil slowly, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss bread cubes with olive oil until lightly coated. Lay out on a couple of cookie sheets and sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for approx 20 minutes at 400 until nicely toasted. Cut bottom 1/4 off of  asparagus peel the bottom 1/4 that is left. Cut  asparagus on an angle into 4 pieces, toss with garlic, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil and roast in oven at 400 for approx 10 to 15 minutes. When bread and asparagus are cooled toss with other salad fixings in a big bowl and pour the dressing over it and toss. Make sure you toss about an hour before serving so flavors can meld.

Eat Well

Chef TIm

I prefer 2 ounce patties.  If you use that size you will have approx 40  sausage patties.

To cook: Lay patties out on a plate let thaw in fridge overnight and fry up the next morning.

Spanish Tortilla

Spanish Tortilla  

This is a classic Spanish dish and is typically served as a item for a Tapas menu. I have chosen it for brunch because it can be made ahead of time and is served at room temp. This dish may also be referred to as a Spanish Torte, but thanks to my friend Pilar who is Spanish I now have the correct title of the dish.  The Tortilla is a flavorful large baked omelet filled with potatoes, chorizo, onions, and garlic. It is a kin to the Italian Frittata but I prefer the Spanish version.

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs of large baking  Idaho baking potatoes peeled and sliced about 1/8 of an inch thick and soaking in cold water

2 medium onions in a large dice

4 cloves of thinly sliced garlic

10 eggs

1/3 cup of heavy cream

12 ounces of crumbled goat cheese

8 ounces of shredded Manchego Cheese

12 ounces of  dried Spanish Chorizo quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot of cold water place the potatoes and 3 to 4 tbl of salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes so the potatoes are almost done. Drain and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and spread on a sheet pan and let cool. In a large non-stick  oven-proof  saute pan heat up approx 1/2 cup of  olive oil and saute the onions until soft with a little salt and pepper. When soft add the garlic and Chorizo and saute until it becomes very aromatic. Add the potatoes to the  mix and cook until potatoes are warmed. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and let cool down a little bit. Beat the eggs with the cream until foamy and add about 2 tsp of salt and pepper. Heat the saute pan back up on the stove and heat your oven to 425 degrees. Mix the eggs into the potato mixture, then add the cheese and pour into the hot pan. Stir quickly for 3 ot 4 minutes until the eggs start to set up. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the egg mixture becomes solid and starts to brown.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes and then place a large platter or cookie sheet over the Tortilla and turn over to remove from pan. Let cool an hour or so and slice into large squares or wedges. Arrange on a large tray and garnish with fresh sprigs of assorted baby greens tossed with a simple vinegarette.

Please enjoy my Spanish Tortilla with your brunch or just for a nice lunch with some friends.

Eat Well

Chef Tim