Slutty Spaghetti

This was the first dish I ever cooked for my partner. Yes, as the title suggests I thought I was being very clever. Little did I know, my partner hates anchovy and I was to find this out several months after the fact.
This particular pasta sauce is known in Italian as “puttanesca”, and translates as “in the style of the whore”. These Italian whores must be pretty classy. All the Aussie whores I know (and I know plenty) wouldn’t know what their kitchen looked like, let alone the inside of a food store. Lets just say, cooking food is not a priority in their lives…..
Anyway, I must have done something right the night I cooked this for my beloved, because he is still here, by my side. And I would also like to mention that he doesn’t mind anchovies every now and then. Well actually, I just disguise them. Out of sight, out of mind.

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
16 marinated anchovy fillets
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (from the marinated anchovy)
1 dried red chili
400g tin Italian tomatoes, chopped and mashed with a fork
1 tsp dried greek oregano
1 tbsp herb infused red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
12 black olives, cut into slithers
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed of their preserving salt
Freshly chopped parsley

Method
Place the garlic, oil, and anchovy into a saucepan.and, over a low heat, cook for about 10 minutes until the anchovy has melted into a paste and emulsified into the oil. Do not allow the garlic to brown.
Add the chili and oregano and fry for a few seconds.
Add the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, and sugar. Cook over a low heat, until well reduced (about 15 minutes).
Finish with the olives and capers.
The flavours of this sauce are strong, almost aggressive (like a street whore, I guess).
Toss through 200g of freshly boiled al dente spaghetti. You may need to add a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, to help lubricate the pasta.
Lots of fresh parsley added at the last minute will lift the flavour. And please, no cheese with this dish-it doesn’t work.
Serves 2 (food) sluts.

Note- I have stipulated my marinated anchovy in the list of ingredients. However plain anchovy in oil are fine to use in this sauce.

Marinated Fishy Things

I love anchovy fillets but sometimes I find the flavour can be a bit flat. My trick to overcome this problem is to marinate them with aromatic herbs and spices. To me, these salty fish morsels are best served on a piece of fresh bread, as a snack. Or before dinner, as an antipasto or hors d'oeuvre.

Marinated Anchovies

Ingredients
150g jar anchovy fillets in oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 dried red chili
1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled
Zest of 1 lemon, julienned
Freshly chopped parsley
Extra virgin olive oil (peppery)

Method
Drain the anchovy fillets of their cheap and nasty oil. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the coriander seeds to release their flavour. You should get a waft of a warm and spicy orange scent as you do this. Snip the chili into tiny pieces (I use a pair of scissors). Place your drained anchovy fillets into a container. Sprinkle over the coriander, chili, the whole garlic clove, lemon zest and parsley. Pour over the extra virgin olive oil, to completely submerge. Leave for the flavours to infuse (at least 24 hours). I also remove the garlic, to avoid a strong odour. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the last moment would make a welcome addition. Store in the fridge, in a covered container.

Grilled Seafood Skewers

This one is easy (like me) and takes minutes to cook. So it is good for hot days when you do not wish to be slaving over a stove. Make sure you use a firm fish. Delicate fish will cook too quickly, dry out and fall off the skewer
I like to serve this with a rocket salad and lemon wedges.

Ingredients
200g scallops
200g firm fish fillet (boneless)
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh black pepper

Method
Cut the fish fillets into as many pieces as you have scallops. Make sure they are of an even size, so everything cooks evenly.
Put the scallops and fish into a bowl and combine with all the other ingredients. You won’t need salt, because the anchovy will provide this. Cover, refrigerate and allow to marinate for as long as you like.
When you are ready to cook, make sure your grill is beyond hot.
Thread your scallop and fish cubes onto metal skewers (forget about bamboo skewers, they look ugly, are too small and can burn).
Grill on each side for about 3 minutes or until just cooked.
Makes 4 skewers or enough for 2 people.

Anchovy, Caper and Sage Marinated Scallops

I am only going to write this once (or I will try). I HATE SUMMER. It is almost 40c as I write this, and there is nothing glamorous about it (shorts, sweat, body ordour, greasy skin, bad hair) People who enjoy these suffocating weather conditions are freaks. (I am sorry if I have offended, but the heat makes me bitchy)
On a positive note, summery food is the only thing that will keep me from slashing my wrists and these scallops are delicious. They only require a couple of minutes of cooking, so if you are precious like moi, you wont get too hot in the kitchen…

Ingredients
300g scallops, cleaned weight (with the coral still attached)
4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 tsp of salt preserved capers, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped sage (fresh is best)
Lots of fresh black pepper
1 tbsp of olive oil
30g butter
Lemon wedges, to serve

Method
Combine the anchovy, capers and sage with the olive oil.
Toss with scallops.
Grind over a generous amount of black pepper and toss again.
Cover and refrigerate.
When you are ready to cook, heat the butter in a wide pan over a high heat.
Add the scallops and sear for about 1 minute, or until lightly golden. Turn them over.
Another minute (or less) and they will be ready.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
This goes well with borlotti beans, artichokes and rocket leaves tossed with tarragon vinegar and olive oil.

Enough for 2.

2 for the price of 1

I am not a fan of leftover food (I do not understand how people can eat reheated pasta.Yuk!) But I certainly do not waste food when it is fresh and perfectly edible. And that includes silverbeet stalks. I used the leaves for my previous recipe and I did promise to post a recipe for the stalks. So here it is! We had this side dish last night with kangaroo fillets. But I think it would make a lovely accompaniment to fried eggs and a plate of jamon or prosciutto.

Silverbeet stalks with Red peppers and Pinenuts

Ingredients
Stalks from 1 bunch of silverbeet
1 red pepper, sliced 1cm thick
1 garlic clove, crushed but whole
20g cultured butter
4 anchovy fillets
1 tbsp of toasted pinenuts
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Discard any stalks that are unhealthy looking.
Soak the stalks in water to dislodge any dirt.
Trim them into similar lengths, about 15cm or so. Cut them also into similar widths, about 1cm.
Steam them over water for 5 minutes.
In a wide pan, slowly melt the butter, with the anchovy and garlic. After a few minutes the anchovy will completely disappear into the butter.
Add the silverbeet stalks and red pepper slices.
Toss lightly and sauté for about 5 to10 minutes. Remove the garlic clove and discard.
Add a pinch of salt and some pepper and sprinkle with the pinenuts.
Quick, easy and cheap (just how I like it). Serves 2.

Silverbeet, Ricotta & Currant Ravioli

I know Silverbeet is an old fashioned vegetable and probably considered boring by some, but I really like it and I cook it often.
It is cheap and plentiful, and is available from both greengrocers and supermarkets I like it better than spinach and I cook with it all year round. The natural season for silverbeet in Australia, is April through to November. But I do not really care for this because I use it all year round! Another reason I use this vegetable often, is the fact you get “two” vegetables- the leaves and the stalks (I will provide a recipe for the stalks soon).
There are many recipes from the Mediterranean repertoire which combine silverbeet and currants (or raisins) and so I thought this combination would work well as a filling for Ravioli. And it was very successful. The sweetness from the currants are not immediately apparent to the palate, but offer a slight fruitiness which works well with the silverbeet and ricotta.
Unlike most vegetables, which benefit from quick cooking, I think silverbeet tastes best from a longer cooking method.
I am only offering the recipe for the filling and the dressing for this dish, because I have written about ravioli in the past. For more instructions on how to assemble and cook the ravioli, refer to the Potato and Basil Ravioli recipe in my archives.

Ingredients:

For the filling
10 silverbeet leaves (some large, some small, that’s just the way it goes)
20g cultured butter
1 tbsp of cream (35% milk fat)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp of currants
Sea salt
Fresh black and white pepper
200g ricotta

For the Sage and Anchovy butter
50g cultured butter
4 fresh sage leaves
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (or more if you like anchovy. I live with someone who despises them, so I keep these to a minimum)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

For the filling:
Soak the leaves in plenty of water, to loosen any dirt.
Cut away all traces of the stalk, all the way up through the leaf. Reserve the stalks for another meal. Roughly chop the leaves.
Place them into a saucepan (with any water still clinging to the leaves).
Cook over a high heat, stirring often until the leaves have just wilted. This will only take a couple of minutes.
Remove the leaves and place in a strainer. Leave to drain and cool. A considerable amount of liquid should drain away.
When the leaves are cool, chop them as fine as you can by hand.
Melt the butter in the saucepan used previously, over a low heat.
Add the silverbeet, cream and currants. Cook gently like this for about 15- 20 minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated. The silverbeet will lose the bright green shade and turn a darker, deeper green.
Add the garlic towards the end, along with salt and pepper. Transfer to a glass bowl.
When cool, crumble in the ricotta and combine well.
If the filling seems a bit dry, add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Check the seasoning again. Pasta is bland, so make sure the filling is well salted.
Cover until ready to assemble your ravioli.

For the dressing:
Prepare this while you are poaching the ravioli.
Over a low heat, in a small saucepan melt together the butter, anchovy fillets and the sage. Do this until the butter is a very light golden brown and the anchovy has completely disappeared. The sage will add a subtle fragrance and the anchovy a mysterious background saltiness (in fact most palates will not pick up on the anchovy note)
Pour over the ravioli and serve with Parmesan cheese
Note- I have not mentioned my thoughts on butter before- I always use unsalted, cultured butter. Sometimes French, sometimes Australian. The French butter is white and creamy, the Australian not as creamy but still has a very good flavour. I honestly find the flavour of ordinary salted butter simply revolting. This nasty tasting butter will ruin any dish you use it in...

Squab Pigeon

I cooked these little birds yesterday and they were really tasty. I think they are nicer than quail and superior to chicken (which I have grown really tired of lately), and I am going to cook these pigeons on Christmas day instead of turkey. These birds are best served with the breast meat still pink and juicy, they are not very nice when well done. I think a lot of people are nervous when it comes to eating underdone fowl. I think that is because they are so used to eating chicken well done. Squab Pigeons (not to be confused with street pigeons, these are another species) have nothing to do with chicken and need to be prepared differently. They have a rich flavoured flesh that is more like red meat than white, and one bird per person is plenty.
They are usually sold with the head still attached- just chop it off and use it to make stock with the usual aromatics. Squab pigeon is available from game suppliers.

Grilled Squab Pigeons with Garlic and Anchovy Marinade

Ingredients per person
1 squab pigeon
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Lots of fresh black pepper

Method
You need to “spatchcock” the bird first.

Chop off the head. Using kitchen scissors, cut down both sides of the back bone (reserve the head and back bone for stock).

Lay the bird out flat, skin side upwards. Using the palm of your hands, apply pressure to bird and flatten it out a bit. You will here the bones cracking. I know this sounds barbaric but it has to be done for it to cook evenly.

Rinse the bird under water and dry with a paper towel or a tea towel.

To marinate:

Mix together the garlic, anchovy, oil and pepper. No salt is needed (the anchovy will provide this).

Rub this mix all over the bird. Store in the fridge, covered for 24 hours.

To grill:

Remove the bird from the fridge 1 hour before you are ready to cook.

Preheat your grill to high. I do this a good ½ hour before I am ready to cook, to allow the grill to become really hot. The trick to cooking these birds is to apply a really hot temperature and cook quickly. This way they will brown well and seal in all the juiciness. So, grill them skin side up for 8 minutes and then turn them over to complete the cooking for another 2 minutes. You can give them another 2 minutes if you want but no more.

Allow them to rest for about 5 minutes on a plate, covered with foil before eating. Do not be afraid to use your hands to eat (that is the whole point really).