February 4, 2010

SARDE A BECCAFICU

Ingredients

1 kilo Sardines

4 tbsp Olive Oil

100g/4oz Fresh Breadcrumbs

50g/2oz Sultanas

50g/2oz Pine nuts

1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

Clean the sardines removing the heads, fins, and back-bones. Wash well under running cold water.

Preheat the oven to 350F, 180C, Gas mark 4.

Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan. Fry until golden.

Transfer the fried breadcrumbs to a bowl and add the sultanas, pine nuts and parsley. Season with pepper and salt. Mix well.

Lay half of sardines on prepared pan, flesh-side up; spoon breadcrumb mixture over the top. Lay remaining sardines, flesh-side down, over breadcrumb mixture.

Lightly drizzle with oil. Bake until sardines are cooked through and hot, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with more parsley and serve immediately.

Stuffing the sardines:


Ingredients for the sardines:

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PINOLI & CRISP CRUMBS

¼ c. plus 1 T. olive oil

2 T. Dijon mustard

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 lbs. (about 1 kg.) Brussels sprouts-ends trimmed, cut in half

1 T. butter

1 c. breadcrumbs

½ c. toasted pine nuts

This recipe is from a magazine called The Best of Fine Cooking, and this particular issue featured all things roasted. I misread the recipe and actually used 1T. of Worcestershire sauce rather than a tsp. Also, I was quite generous with my tablespoons of mustard. The original recipe called for a ½ tsp. of crushed, toasted caraway seeds which I skipped simply because I don’t like them. It also called for walnuts originally, but I substituted pine nuts since we’re all living in Italy at the moment! Last, but not least, I think the amount of breadcrumbs was a bit too generous. Next time, I would use them more sparingly. I’d make the same amount, but save some leftover to use on something else.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (200C). Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the ¼ c. olive oil, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp salt and about 10 grinds of the pepper mill.

Add the Brussels sprouts, and toss to coat.

Spread in an even and single layer in the prepared pan. Pop in the oven.

Roast until cores are barely tender, leaves are browning a bit, about 20-25 min.

While the sprouts are cooking, heat the remaining 1 T. olive oil and the 1 T. butter in a skillet on medium-high.

When the butter stops foaming, add the pine nuts, bread crumbs and ¼ tsp. salt. Toss to coat, and stir constantly until crumbs are brown and pine nuts are getting golden.

When sprouts are done baking, transfer to a serving bowl, season to taste with more salt and pepper as necessary. Sprinkle the crumbs over just before serving.

Brussel sprouts just out of the oven:

WHITE BEAN TABBOULEH SALAD

Serves about six.

1 cup of bulgur wheat, uncooked
2 cups of boiling water
2 cups of chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped baby spinach
1 tomato, diced
½ yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small onion (spring onion), finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can (15 ounce) can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup of olive oil
1 lemon juiced
1.5 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the bulgur wheat in a large bowl.
Stir in the boiling water, cover and let it stand until the water is absorbed and the wheat is fluffy (about 30 min).

In a large bowl, lightly stir together: parsley, spinach, tomato, yellow pepper, onion, garlic, cannellini beans, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Add the bulgur, lightly stir to thoroughly combine the salad and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Notes: For our February cooking club, I doubled the recipe. I added two handfuls of dry mint. Fresh mint would be better still. We didn’t chill the salad.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com, 12 January 2010.

Estelle with her Tabbouleh Salad:

BREADSTICKS WITH SEA SALT & ASSORTED TOPPINGS

Yield: Makes 12 Breadsticks

Ingredients:

¼ -ounce package (2 ½ teaspoons) active dry yeast

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

2 ½ to 3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon table salt

¼ cup olive oil

cornmeal for sprinkling the baking sheets

an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg with 1 tablespoon water

fennel seeds, coarse salt, sesame seeds, grated parmesan cheese,

finely chopped rosemary for sprinkling the breadsticks

In the large bowl of a food processor proof the yeast with ½ teaspoon of the sugar in ¾ cup lukewarm water for 5 minutes, or until it is foamy. Add the remaining teaspoon sugar, 2 cups of the flout, the table salt, and the oil and process the mixture until it is combined. Process the dough, adding in enough of the remaining 1 cup flout to make the dough form a ball, and process the dough until it is soft but not sticky. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough briefly, form into a ball and let the dough rest, covered with a kitchen towel, for 15 minutes. Divide the dough in 12 pieces, working with 1 piece at a time and keeping the remaining pieces covered roll the dough between the palms of the hands to form 14-inch ropes, and arrange the ropes as they are formed 2 inches apart on baking sheets sprinkled lightly with the cornmeal. Let the breadsticks rise, covered loosely, in warm place for 40 minutes, brush them lightly with the egg wash, and sprinkle them with the coarse salt and any one of the choices. If using parmesan cheese you may consider not using the coarse salt as it may be too salty. Bake the bread sticks in the middle of a preheated 450°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are pale golden, and let them cool on rack for 10 minutes. The breadsticks may be made 1 day in advance and kept in an airtight container.

Thelma with our breadsticks just out of the oven:


Our dessert recipe for Millefoglie is not included as the recipe did not turn out as it should have in the recipe. BUT!....It was delicious, we ate every bite, and it was a success all the same. The picture says it all: