how to cook fish

Tomatoes swordfish

Swordfish is a common fish dish in Italy. It can be cooked in many different ways. Most of the dishes are “white”, and some are with tomatoes (in some cases called “pizzaiola”). Today`s recipe is an alternative of the usual Sicilian tomatoes swordfish.

Ingredients (for 2) : 2 fresh swordfish stakes,  garlic, extra virgin olive oil, 2 tomatoes, parsley, ½ cup of dry white wine, cappers, black olives, salt & pepper.

Boil the tomatoes in water for a couple of minutes. Take out, peel, deseed and chop. Heat in a flat pan 3 teaspoons of olive oil (at medium heat).Add a chopped clove of garlic and let it brown. Then add and sauté the tomatoes. Let them dry a little, than add the swordfish. After a few minutes (when starts to dry) pour the white wine. Lower the heat, season with salt and pepper. Add the cappers and olives, cover and let cook for 30 minutes (add water if necessary). Remove from heat and add fresh chopped parsley. Serve with an “Orvieto classic”, “Ciro` bianco”, or a white wine of your choice. 

how to recognize and cook fresh fish

How to recognize and cook fresh fish

I have to start saying that the fish is only supposed to be eaten when fresh (and at least restaurants should only serve fresh fish). It is easy to learn how to recognize fresh fish. It is even easier if we are looking at the whole fish. The first clue is the smell. Unfortunately what people call “the typical fishy smell” is instead a sign of a fish that is NOT fresh, and shouldn`t be eaten. Every fisherman can tell you that fresh fish has a light “marine” smell, particular, but never unpleasant. The look is shining, metallic. The body is firm. The scales are close to the body. The color is bright. The eyes (very important) are clear, transparent and protruding, with a black pupil. If instead we are looking at a fillet, the only clues we have, are: smell, color of the flesh, and firmness. If it smells, if it has a “yellowish color”, or it is soft and fall apart ….it is NOT fresh.

For me, as a chef, the best way to cook a fresh fish is by cooking the whole thing in the oven or on the grill. If it is on the grill, you have to remember not to take off the scales, because they will protect the fish to burn from the high heat.  If you cook it in the oven have the scales removed. The process is easy: stuff the “empty belly” with herbs like parsley, oregano and some slices of lemon or lime. Using a brush spread some olive oil all around the fish. In a flat oven pot, spread a layer of thick sea salt. Then place the fish on it. Sprinkle some salt on the top of the fish. Put the pot in the oven at 370F for 45 minutes. Remove it from oven, and your fish is done. Serve on plates removing the skin and the bones. Add some olive oil, some shredded parsley (a bit of lemon if you like), and enjoy… 

italian sausage lasagna

Italian sausage lasagna (northern style)

In the northern regions of Italy, like Veneto or Friuli, the lasagna takes the name of “pasticcio”. Pasticcio is different from the typical lasagna in many ways, but the main difference is that pasticcio is always made with béchamel sauce, and does not require a lot of tomato sauce (some recipes don`t have tomato sauce at all).

Ingredients: pre-made lasagna (or you can make your own), 10 sausages, 1big onion, 2-3 carrots, 3 tomatoes, 1 cup of dry white wine, béchamel sauce, grated parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, butter, salt & pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons of olive oil in a large flat pan (or in a large sauce pan). Add carrots and onion (finely chopped) and sauté at medium heat for a few minutes. Take the meat out of the sausages, add it in the pan with the tomatoes (finely chopped), and let it brown. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat, add a cup of wine, and cook until dry (if it dries too quickly add water and lower the heat). Stir often. Prepare the lasagna noodles (boil them), and place the first layer in a buttered lasagna pan. Spread a few spoons of the sausage sauce and a few spoons of béchamel on the first layer of noodles. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and very few shavings of butter. You will have your first layer completed. Repeat the process for the other layers. End with a layer of sausage sauce, béchamel, and parmesan. Put everything in the oven at 400F for at least half an hour covered with tin foil. Then remove tin foil and leave 10 minutes for browning. When cooked remove and let stand for 15 minutes before cutting, otherwise it will fall apart. Serve with full body red wine.

free italian recipes

bechamel sauce

How to make a béchamel sauce

The béchamel sauce (or besciamella in Italian) is a creamy white flower sauce. It is often used in the northern Italian and French cosine for its simplicity to prepare, and for the amazing creamy flavor. Bechamel is a key ingredient in the northern Italian style lasagna, also called “pasticcio” in the north-east regions (Veneto and Friuli). There is a big dispute about the paternity of the sauce, but it is still not known who it belongs to: France or Italy.

Melt 50g (1.8 oz) of butter in a large sauce pan at low heat. Then take it off the stove and add 50g (1.8 oz) of flower (using a sifter). Stir using a wooden spoon until creamy. Put the pan back on the stove at low heat and keep stirring to avoid the sauce to assume a brownish color. Add then 500g (2 cups and ¼) of HOT whole milk, but very slowly. Never stop stirring. Cook until obtain a dense creamy sauce,  then add salt and pepper. For a more dense sauce add more flower, if instead you prefer a less dense one, add more milk. Add a bit of nutmeg powder (optional).

Lasagna with meat sauce (Bolognese)

In Italy we have hundreds of different ways to make lasagna, and every region and every city claim to have the “right” recipe for the perfect lasagna. This particular lasagna is from the northern region of Italy called Emilia-romagna. It  is made with a particular meat sauce that is typical around the city of Bologna (that is why it is called Bolognese). 

Ingredients: pre-made lasagna (or you can make your own), ground beef ( 1lb ), béchamel  50cl (18 oz), grated parmesan cheese 70g (2.5 oz), white wine ½ cup, tomatoes sauce 250g (9 oz), 1 onion, 1 carrot, butter, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Heat three teaspoons of olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the carrot and  onion (both chopped) and sauté at medium heat for a few minutes. Add the meat and let it brown. Pour the wine in the pan, lower the heat, and let it dry. Add the tomato sauce and cook at low heat for 30-35 minutes stir often.  Season  with  salt and pepper. While the sauce is cooking, prepare the lasagna  noodles  and  place the first layer in a buttered lasagna pan. Spread  a few spoons of the meat sauce and a few  spoons  of  béchamel  on the first layer of noodles . Sprinkle some parmesan cheese with  shavings of butter.  You will have your first layer completed. Repeat the process for the other layers.  End with a layer of sauce,   béchamel   and parmesan cheese. Put everything in the oven at 400F for forty five minutes covered with tin foil for the first 30 minutes. Remove tin foil for last ten to fifteen minutes for browning. When cooked remove and let stand for fifteen minutes before cutting, otherwise it will fall apart. Serve with red wine, perhaps Lambrusco or Sangiovese, which are typical wines of the region.