FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES COOKING SCHOOL MENU
We wanted to include the menu and recipies for the 2012 FOSF cooking school. For those of you unable to attend, here's what was on the agenda for last Staurday's event.
Garlic Whisky Shrimp
36-38 large shrimp
4 cloves garlic
1 orange
3 lemons
Pure olive oil (not evoo)
Sea salt
Whiskey
Heat oil over medium heat, add garlic, the rinds of one orange & three lemons - sauté until garlic browns (do my burn).
Slot out the garlic and rinds, add shrimp (rinsed and deveined), sprinkle salt, turn shrimp over and make three passes of the whiskey.
When pink and firm remove from heat, garnish with orange & lemon slices.
Serve warm.
Baccala (Salted Cod) Salad
(Based on the recipe prepared by our Grandma Clara Fraternali Colantino (1901). Grandma was from the Village of Guidonia Montecelio in the region of Roma. She married Grandpa Domenico Colantonio/Dominick Colantino (1893) who was from the Village of Cerchio in the region of Abruzzi. We learned from family members that Grandma did not serve this dish at the large Christmas Eve dinner. Instead, she made it for our dad, Frank Bitonti Jr., who liked it during the post Midnight Mass visits. Karen Bitonti Larry, Veronica Bitonti Shultz)
Ingredients:
1 ½ # Baccala (cooked and shredded)
1 C Oliverio (or your own home canned) hot peppers in vinegar
1 C celery
1 C celery leaves
1 C black olives
1 C green olives
1 C onion
3 cloves garlic
Coarse black pepper to taste
Few shakes of dried basil
¾ C olive oil
Directions:
Cook Baccala. Different sources give different directions for this cooking. Robert Germano’s The Eve of Seven Fishes book says cook for four minutes in boiling water, cool, and shred. Rao’s Cookbook says to soak salt cod in cold water to cover in a cool spot for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days, changing the water frequently. After 24 hours, break off a small piece and taste for saltiness. If fish still quite salty, continue soaking until water is very clear and fish is almost sweet in taste. In large, heavy saucepan, bring approximately 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add cod and boil for 10 minutes or until fish easily flakes with a fork. Drain in colander, place on platter, remove any skin/bones, and break into bite size pieces. Finely chop peppers, celery, celery leaves, black olives, green olives, onion, garlic and combine with the cod. Sprinkle with coarse black pepper, sprinkle with dried basil, drizzle with olive oil. Then refrigerate on a platter or in a pretty bowl, covered until cold.
Guanciale
This recipe was taken from the Babbo Ristorante website at http://www.babbonyc.com/in-guanciale.html
It's
cured similarly to bacon, but it's not smoked. It has an Italian flair: a bit
of rosemary is included. Guanicale has a higher fat content than pancetta and a
more intense taste. While most pork bacon products are taken from the belly
of a pig, Guanciale is made by drying the meat from a hog's jowls. Though the
resulting meat is leaner than traditional pork pieces, it has a noticeably
richer flavor. It is this richness, combined with a delicate porkiness that
more than merits the meat's three-week drying period. Making Guanciale may
require a little more planning than simply buying good-quality bacon or
pancetta, but its abundance of flavor distinguishes Guanciale from the rest,
making every dish that much more succulent. At Babbo, we use our homemade Guanciale
all over the place, but nowhere is its fullness of flavor and porky richness
more celebrated than in our bucatini all'amatriciana.
Makes 2 pounds
½ cup sugar
½ cup kosher salt
10 to 15 whole black peppercorns
4 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
2 pounds hog jowls
1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, salt,
peppercorns and thyme. Coat the hog jowls with the mixture, rubbing gently.
Place the jowls in a nonreactive casserole, cover, and refrigerate for 5 to 7
days.
2. Remove the jowls from the casserole and tie a
piece of butcher's twine around the middle of each. Hang the jowls in a dry
cool place (it should not be warmer than 60ºF.) for a t least 3 weeks. They
should be firm and dry, with a slight give. Slice and use like bacon or
pancetta.
Tuna and Olive Pasta
2 (5-6 oz) cans or jars of Italian tuna packed
in olive oil
1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives
1 can cannelini
beans, rinsed
1 clove minced garlic
2 Tablespoons or juice of 1 lemon (depends on
how lemony you want it)
Zest of a lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound spaghetti
salt, to taste
In a large bowl combine tuna with its oil,
sliced olives, beans, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, and red pepper
flakes. Then stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until well
combined.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted
water, uncovered, until al
dente. Drain in a colander and return to pot. Add the tuna mixture to the
pot and toss well. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil until pasta
is well coated. Warm until just heated through. Season to taste with salt/pepper.
Serve immediately.
Orecchiette
with Roasted Tomatoes and Basil
5-6 very large tomatoes or about a dozen Roma tomatoes
1 head of garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup water
Directions for the sauce:
Preheat oven to 325º.
Cut a little “x” in each tomato and submerge them in boiling water for about
one minute. Remove and place immediately in a bowl of ice-cold water and peel
the skins off. Cut the tomatoes into chunks and spread out on a half-sheet
baking pan. Sprinkle chopped garlic and basil all over the tomatoes. Pour oil
over the tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt and pepper over everything. Place
baking sheet in oven and cook for about 2 hours. They can be cooked for up to 4
hours. Remove from oven and blend in a food processor or blender. Pour into a
large pot and add wine and water. Bring this to a boil, reduce to simmer, and
cook for an hour.
Orecchiette Directions:
2 cups of flour
2 cups of Semolina flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 cup to 1 1/4 cups of warm water
Directions: Mix
together the flour, semolina flour and the salt. Heap into a mound on the
working surface. Make a well in the centre, add a little warm water and mix to
a firm, elastic dough. Slowly add the water using your hand to mix the dough.
Knead well. Shape into long rolls (1 inch) in diameter. Cut into sections. Drag
each of them, one at a time, slowly over the work surface using your thumb to
form small shells. Repeat with all of the remaining dough, placing the
orecchiette on a lightly floured cloth as they are made. Heat up some water in a large pan.
When it's boiling add a pinch of salt and the orecchiette. Cook for about 10
minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta. Toss in some olive oil or sauce
Cucidati: Italian Fig Cookies
Filling:
1 pound pitted dates
1 pound dried figs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Juice and rind of one small orange
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Dough:
4 cups all purpose flour sifted
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
Colored sprinkles, for decorating
Directions:
For the filling, using a food processer, grind dates and figs together. Grind walnuts then a whole orange with its peel and juice. Put the ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add sugar and water, stir over low heat so that sugar completely dissolves and mixture is smooth and spreadable, about 15 minutes. Cool.
To make the dough, in a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the butter and blend with your fingertips until most of mixture resembles coarse meal.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg, milk and vanilla together. Add to the dry mixture and stir to make rough dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 4 pieces, cover, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets or use parchment paper lined baking sheets.
On a lightly floured surface, one at a time, roll out each piece of dough into a 12-inch square. Cut the dough into 4 by 3-inch rectangles. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling down the center of each rectangle. Fold the long sides of each rectangle inward to the center to enclose the filling; pinch the edges to seal. Turn the cookies seam-sides down and press gently to flatten the seams. With a floured knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and arrange 1/2-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush with egg wash and decorate with colored sprinkles. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes
