Tomatoes and Oysters

Back before Mario Batali became a big star on The Food Network, he owned a restaurant named Po, located on Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village. One of Chef Batali’s signature offerings was white bean bruschetta — cannellini beans kissed with a touch of garlic, balsamic vinegar and herbs and spooned atop hunks of toasted Italian bread. I remember having dinner there shortly after my 25th birthday. It was the first time I had had bruschetta, and it was a taste revelation.

According to Wikipedia, bruschetta is a food the origin of which dates to at least the 15th century from central Italy. It consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, and/or cheese. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer.

One of the more familiar and popular recipes involves tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil. For myself, I prefer tomatoes, salt, pepper, some kind of herb (mint, tarragon, basil or even celery leaves), some acid (a teaspoon or two of white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or lemon juice), shallots or Vidalia onion and good quality extra-virgin olive oil. No cheese — I feel it throws off the balance of the dish. Ditto for garlic.

One other thing — when you make bruschetta, you should strive to use the best and freshest ingredients possible. You’ll definitely taste the difference in the end.

Heirloom tomato bruschetta

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3 small to medium ripe heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
pinch of kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mint, cut into a chiffonade (1)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Italian bread or sourdough bread, sliced

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the bread. Mix well.

Toast the bread until lightly golden. Spoon the tomato mixture atop the toast and serve immediately.

(1) — Chiffonade is a cooking technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables are cut into long, thin strips. This is generally accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then cutting across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine ribbons.

Recipe and demo for the oyster stew after the jump.

Memorial Dinner

Caption titles are hard.

No complicated cooking after this weekend’s “adventure”. I had planned on writing something about the evolution of this blog, in conjunction with making polpetti for dinner, but that can wait for a little while longer.

Gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic), toast points, roasted wild asparagus

This dish is an exercise in minimalism. Be sure to serve with plenty of bread so you can mop up the tasty sauce.

3/4 lb. large shrimp
kosher salt
extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
chopped parsley

Sprinkle the shrimp with salt. Toss and let sit for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to color, about one minute. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the shrimp. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, two to three minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Seafood 4

Brodetto di pesce, topped with homemade anchovy-garlic croutons

This dish is known by a variety of names, for example “Italian-style fish stew” or “cioppino”. The ingredients are some variation of onions, garlic, tomatoes, wine, fish and shellfish. For this version, I used 2 cups Ommegang Witte in place of the white wine, cod from Blue Moon Fish at Union Square Greenmarket, squid and shrimp from Citarella and dried porcini mushrooms [soaked first in the beer and then added halfway through the cooking process, along with the mushroom-infused beer].

Perfect for a chilly spring evening like tonight.

Seafood 3

Thanks to Eddie. I went with a variation on his earlier suggestion.

Mussels steamed in Belgian beer and aromatics, served with sourdough bread and lemon

In this case, the aromatics consisted of 1 shallot, finely chopped; a handful of chopped parsley and a small handful of chopped celery leaves. People usually think of celery leaves as fit for the compost bin. That’s such a waste. They’re great used in a soffritto or in a mirepoix, or when you want a gentle herbaceous flavor in a sauce. Celery leaves have a light, clean, fresh taste that makes them a perfect garnish in pureed soups, in green salads, or with fish. Best of all, if you hate cilantro, they’re a pretty good substitute.

Place cleaned/debearded mussels in a pot. Add aromatics and 1 cup beer. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat a notch or two. Let mussels steam in their own juices until cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes. When done, discard any that do not open. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread and a slice of lemon.

Seafood 2

Not everything turns out to be a success at Chez Spamwise.

A case in point was last night’s dinner….

Pan-roasted squid, served with fennel, orange and wild arugula salad

I think I could have done more with the squid….like maybe stuff it with something. Chorizo perhaps? Anyway, it could have used a little more zip. Live and learn.

Seafood 1

Dinner Saturday night –

Fettucine with fresh clams, wild arugula, green garlic and herbs

I should add that the clams were likely caught either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, courtesy of Blue Moon Fish in eastern Long Island.

I picked up some mussels as well during my sojourn at USGM. I’m not sure yet what to do with them. I’d like to use them in something other than pasta or paella. Any suggestions? I know this blog has readers so if you’re lurking, now’s your chance to contribute something to the Fellowship.

Squid Stuff

Linguine with squid and anchovies

linguine
2 anchovies
1/2 lb. squid, thinly sliced crosswise
2 garlic cloves, crushed
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
handful of Italian parsley, chopped

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain. Reserve 1 ladleful pasta cooking water.

Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown garlic in oil until lightly colored. Add anchovies and red pepper flakes; mash until anchovies disintegrate, about 30 seconds. Add calamari and toss just until opaque, about 1 minute. Add white wine; boil until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Mix in parsley.

Add linguine to mixture in skillet. Toss until heated through and sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if pasta seems dry, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.