Italian Cuisine - Merluzzo Pasta Puttanesca - Pimp My Cod!

Baccal? is Codfish in Italian language, and I just thought it will look cooler in it. In case you have never been aware of a "Puttanesca" sauce before, it's German for "in the style of the whore. inch I know, it seems appetizing doesn't it? Although, it really is a wonderful and fast pasta spices that may be prepared and threw on plain pasta, or used as a foundation for a far more complex menu as I did here. I've taken the fundamental Puttanesca sauce and added fresh codfish and Arugula to create a very nice, and quite healthy sea food pasta. Moreover, it flavor much better than it appears to be! The black olive tapenade I added makes for sort of grey and colorless looking sauce, but when you dress up with a little parmesan on top and even more red tear gas flakes, it suddenly becomes much more attractive (insert your own prostitute laugh here).
Now, as considerably as the storyline behind the Puttanesca sauce's origins, there are many stories, some more "colorful" than others. It is pretty much agreed after that Southwest florida was the birthplace, but that's about all that folks don't argue about. What follows are the most frequent answers of this delightful marinade; the females of the night do this nudeln sauce because the alluring aroma would help entice customers. It was created as a quick and cheap meal the females could eat in between customers. It is hot, spicy, and fast, similar to the woman for whom it's named.

Irrespective of the true source, it's a great marinade, and the one that should be part of your regular pasta rotation, whatever your own personal level of virtue is actually. I've made this version reduced caloric by reducing the standard amount of olive oil and replaced it with stock and wine. Enjoy!




Ingredients:
1 pound fresh cod
2 cups chicken or fish stock (or water)
1 pound pasta
1 cup white wine
2 tbl anchovy paste
2 tbl red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic
2 tbl olive tapenade or chopped olives
1/4 cup capers
1 bunch Arugula (about 2-3 cups)
2 tbl olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan

Broiled Salmon Glazed with Dijon and Rice Vinegar, circa 1988 - Do two ingredients count as a "recipe?"

I was just starting my first day at the Carnelian Room; a huge, busy kitchen at the top of the Bank of America Building in San Francisco. I was very young, and very nervous, and wanted my debut to go as smoothly as possible. Luckily I was assigned to the Fish Station, which was run by a very nice fellow named Phil. He told me that all he needed me to do was make the salmon for a banquet that night.

He said it was a French/Asian style salmon dish made with Dijon and rice vinegar. I was told to "grill off" (mark on the grill, but not cook all the way) the salmon filets and get them set up on sheet pans. No problem. It took about an hour or so, but I did a nice job and they looked great with their perfect diamond shaped grill marks (10 and 2’oclock, for you Culinary students out there).
Then he told me to make the glaze for the salmon. I asked him where the recipe was. He laughed and said there wasn't one. He was going to tell me, and I was going to remember it, or it would be my last night there. I was starting to sweat and pulled out my little note pad I always kept in my pocket (another tip for you cul students, always have a pen and paper) so I could write the recipe down. He said something to the effect of “put that f**king thing away!” He said if I couldn't remember this recipe then I had no place being in a kitchen. Then he said, take a quart of Dijon and mix it with a quart of rice vinegar, and brush it on the salmon. That was it; half Dijon, half vinegar. We both had a laugh and I realized this was a very mild rookie hazing I had just endured.

Anyway, this simple two-ingredient combo is a really great salmon glaze. The sugar in the seasoned rice vinegar caramelizes under the broiler, and the sweet, salty vinegar works perfectly with the tangy mustard. While the original, circa 1988, only had two ingredients I've added a couple of optional things, some Sriracha hot sauce and a pinch of salt. Nowadays they call this fusion cuisine. Back then they called it a great way to make a young cook sweat! Enjoy.



Ingredients:
2 salmon filet
1 1/2 tbl Dijon
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp hot sauce (optional)
salt, if needed (rice vinegars can vary in sugar and salt content)

 

Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce - One of my "Go To" Favorites

There are certain recipes all cooks have that form the base of their culinary repertoire. These are recipes that are fast and easy, that they can create from memory, with no notes, in any kitchen, for any group, any time of the year. Some Chefs refer to these as their "go to" dishes. This red clam sauce is one of my "go to" recipes.
It's incredible simple to make (much easier than saying "canned clams" as you'll hear in this clips running gag). It takes about 15 minutes start to finish. It's bursting with flavor, yet only uses a few ingredients and except for crushing a couple cloves of garlic, requires no prep. This sauce is great on any pasta, but I enjoy it best on angle hair or spaghetti. And, yes, I DO put some Parmesan on my clam pasta, thank you very much. Never say never when it comes to food. Some Chefs (fascists) say you can never put cheese on seafood pasta, never, ever, never. Well, while I agree that Parmesan would not be a great choice on some seafood pastas using very light, delicate varieties of fish and sauce. On this red clam sauce and its strong, bold flavors and meaty clams, the Parmesan tastes wonderful, and no one can prove me otherwise.

Please note while watching the video recipe the secret to what I think makes a great pasta dish. Under-cook the pasta by a minute, drain it, add it back to the pot (off the heat of course) and pour over the hot sauce, cover and let everything meld together for a few minutes. The hot sauce and steaming pasta will finish cooking and the pasta will absorb all those amazing flavors. I can't believe it when I see a plate of plain pasta with the sauce just ladled over! Anyway, give this a try and maybe it will become one of your "go to" recipes. Enjoy!



1 pound pasta
2 cans (6.5 oz) chopped clams in juice
3 cups tomato sauce (plus 1/4 cup water to rinse jar)
1 cup good white wine
1 tbl anchovy paste or 2 fillets
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbl capers
2 tbl olive oil
Parmesan to taste
salt and pepper to taste
fresh herb to taste, basil or Italian parsley

Wild Halibut Steaks with Warm Bacon Dressing – Mmmmm….Bacon

Yes, it’s true what they say, bacon makes everything tastes better. Even bacon tastes better with bacon. Recently I saw an online lecture by a woman who makes specialty chocolates and she had actually done chocolate with bacon. So, now it’s really official, bacon goes with everything! By the way, I plan on posting her lecture, which I found equally inspiring and perplexing, but that’s for another day.

Today we’re making a very simple warm bacon dressing to go over some pan cooked halibut. With just a few ingredients, and a very simple procedure, we’re going to produce some amazingly delicious results. The smokiness of the bacon is such a great match with the meaty halibut, and the slightly sweet/sour profile of the fresh lemon and rice vinegar brings this all together. Usually at this point I tell you a few ways you can alter the recipe to match your personal tastes…forget that. Make this exactly like I show you. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 halibut steaks (about 3/4 to 1 inch thick)
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
4 strips of bacon
fresh parsley to taste (about 1/2 bunch for me)
salt and pepper to taste
* I served this on baby romaine, but any greens would be nice

Broiled Salmon glazed with Romesco Sauce – aka Salmon glazed with “whatever”

Today’s video recipe will expose one of the great faux-gourmet tricks of all time. In the back of everyone’s refrigerator there is usually a collection of dressings, sauces and condiments. Many are almost gone, containing just a few tablespoons, yet you just couldn’t bring yourself to throw it away the last time you cleaned out the fridge. Thank goodness you didn’t! These last few spoons of “whatever” spread on some fresh wild salmon filets and then glazed under a hot broiler can produce some amazing “gourmet” results.

In this video recipe I used one of my favorite condiments, Romesco sauce, which is a spicy Spanish roasted red pepper and almond pesto type mixture. You may have seen me use this in a delicious stuffed summer squash recipe a while back. But, as you’ll hear me say in the clip, this can be done with almost anything; salad dressings like balsamic or lemon pepper, almost any aioli or mayo based sauce, any style bbq sauce, even pesto or olive tapenade will work. Since salmon goes so well with so many flavor profiles you have lots of options. The only thing to be careful with would be something that has a very high sugar content, which may burn before the salmon is cooked, since we are broiling the fish. If you do use something like a honey mustard dressing, you may want to cook it a little further away from the heat.

After watching this recipe, please, go out and buy some wild salmon (frozen is fine!) and go hunting in the back of your fridge. I would love to read your comments on what you found and used and how it came out. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 six ounce salmon filets
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbl of romesco sauce, or “whatever”
*broil under high heat for 6-10 minutes until sauce is glazed on and salmon is cooked

Prosciutto Wrapped Prawns – Sorry Pancetta, we’ve met someone else

Yes, another "I'm still in New York" re-run, but as soon as I'm done with this post I'm going to finish editing a very nice Key Lime Pie recipe that my Mom made today. It's an old family tradition, 2 days before any major shoulder surgery the patient makes pie for good luck. This pie will go perfectly with the Prawn recipe below. This was originally posted here way back in February, so keep in mind none of the new A/V equipment was around then. It's really easy, and can be done on the stove top or on a grill. Enjoy!

One of my favorite summer time food moments is that first perfectly sweet, ripe and juicy melon, wrapped with a thin slice of Prosciutto. This recipe is inspired by that same combination, only this time the cold sweet melon is being replaced by hot sweet prawns.

I’ve seen this dish on many menus, but the prawns are usually wrapped with Pancetta (Italian bacon). I find that Prosciutto works so much better since it cooks, and crisps up faster, and allows for us to not over cook the prawn. The Pancetta is usually thicker and fattier and by the time it’s cooked through the prawns are overcooked, and have suffered severe “shrinkage.”

Please note in the clip I don’t salt the prawns before wrapping. When we pan sear the skewered prawns, the salty Prosciutto is all the seasoning we need. Also, watch for a trick I’ve used several times before, using a smoked paprika to give the final product a “char-grilled” character.

As far as seasoning, I went very minimalist this time. Other additions to this recipe can include garlic, hot peppers, and fresh herbs like basil or tarragon. I love serving this on “beans and greens” (pictured in photo above) which is a side dish I learned from my Uncle Bill and can be seen here!


Ingredients:
1 pound prawns, peeled and de-veined
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbl orange or tangerine zest
2 tbl olive oil
8 thin slices of Prosciutto

“Hot Smoked” Salmon – Fresh Fish, Old Coals, and a Squeeze of Lemon

This video recipe was actually thrown together after some testing I did filming in outdoor light, and also some more tests using the new digital camera. I had just grilled some chicken and vegetables, and wanted to try to “hot smoke” a couple of salmon filets with the left-over and quickly fading coals. I had already soaked some wood chips that I never ended up using for the chicken, so I was ready to go. I figured I would bring the camera outside and experiment while I smoked the salmon. Well, when I was done, the clips turned out better than I expected, so I edited it together. While not my best work, it still turned out pretty good.

One thing I didn’t film was how to fold up an aluminum foil “pan” hold the filets, but I’m sure you can manage that once you watch the clip. Just be sure to use 5 or 6 layers so it’s nice and sturdy. The rest of the clip is pretty easy to follow, and really is a nice trick to use those dying coals for one more gourmet application.

The term “hot-smoking” refers to a higher heat method, using wood chips to smoke and cook fresh fish in a relatively short time. “Cold-smoked” salmon (the softer, buttery textured kind you get at the deli) is cured first and then smoked at much lower temperatures. It is almost impossible to do at home since the low and even temperature is extremely hard to control. Of course, we solved this problem with the now famous “Smoked Salmon “Gravlox” video recipe clip I did a few months ago. If you want to create a “cold-smoked” style cured salmon check out that clip. It works great! But this time it’s all about the hot-smoked method. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 six-ounce salmon filets
salt and pepper to taste
fresh lemon
wood chips soaked for at least 1 hour
heavy duty foil