November 6, 2009 6:23 AM
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Italian Christmas Eve Feast, On A Budget
(CBS)
It will be the night before Christmas in a few days, so The Early Show Saturday Edition decided to ask its "Chef on a Shoestring" to prepare the traditional Italian Christmas Eve feast with the traditional seven fish.
Indeed, the feast is known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
And the chef who took us up on our challenge to do that on a special, but still slim holiday budget of $80 was Dave Pasternack.
As executive chef and owner of the New York restaurant Esca and co-author of "The Young Man and the Sea: Recipes and Crispy Fish Tales from Esca" (Workman), Dan certainly knows his seafood. He also happens to be an avid fisherman!
"Esca" translates to "bait" in Italian, and is devoted to celebrating the fruits of the sea.
His feast was the next best thing to being in Rome!
MENU:
Baccala Salad
Baked Clams
Sicilian-Style Swordfish
Collard Greens and Cannellini Beans
Seafood Linguine
Affogato
FOOD FACTS
Baccala: Baccala is Italian for salted cod. Usually, the salted fish is soaked in water for several days prior to use, changing the water every four-to-five hours to reduce the amount of salt.
Collard Greens: Long a staple of soul food, collard greens taste like a cross between cabbage and kale, and can be prepared in any manner that's suitable for spinach or cabbage.
Affogato: An affogato (Italian, "drowned") is a coffee-based beverage or dessert. "Affogato style," which refers to the act of topping a drink or dessert with espresso, may also incorporate caramel sauce or chocolate sauce.
RECIPES:
Baccala Salad
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound boneless Salt Cod, cut into 3-inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, cut into a large dice
1 leek, cut into 3-inch pieces, rinsed thoroughly
1 stalk celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 crispy tart apple
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 pound fingerling potatoes
Salt
4 scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley
METHOD:
Place the cod in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Refrigerate for 3 days, rinsing and changing the water twice per day. On day 3, give the cod a final rinse and set aside.
Place the onion, leek, celery, bay leaf and wine in a large pot. Add 3 quarts water and bring to a boil over a high flame. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and discard the vegetables, then return the broth to the pot.
Set the heat so the aromatic broth is barely simmering. Add the salt cod and slowly poach for 1 to 1½ hours, until the fish is tender and beginning to flake. Remove the pot from the flame, and refrigerate the salt cod in the poaching liquid overnight.
The next day, remove the salt cod with a slotted spoon and pat the pieces dry with paper towels. Pull off the skin, and then pull out any pinbones that you find. Set aside.
Peel and dice the apple, giving the diced pieces a squirt of fresh lemon juice so they don't turn brown.
Place the potatoes in a 2-quart pot and add enough water to cover by at least 3 inches. Bring to a boil over a high flame, salt the water, and cook the potatoes until they are easily pierced with a paring knife, about 10 minutes. Drain.
When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and cut in to 1/3-inch rounds. Place in a mixing bowl along with the apples and scallions.
Break the salt cod into large flakes into the bowl. Drizzle in the vinegar, olive oil, and pepper to taste, and toss gently to combine. Season to taste with salt (the saltiness of the Baccala will vary, so taste the mixture before seasoning it.)
Serve the Baccala at room temperature, garnished with the parsley.
Baked Clams
INGREDIENTS:
12 little neck clams, shucked, juice reserved
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated horseradish
1 cup bread crumbs
1 lemon, halved
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD:
Preheat the broiler.
Spread the clams in their half shells on a baking sheet. Drizzle each with a drop or two of extra-virgin olive oil.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the horseradish and the bread crumbs. Cover each clam with a hefty pinch of the bread-crumb-horseradish mixture. Lightly pat it down. Cut one of the lemon halves into four wedges. Then use the other half-lemon to put a drop or two of juice on each clam.
Drizzle the clams lightly with the extra-virgin olive oil and put them under the broiler. Cook for about 6 minutes, drizzling each with the reserved clam juice halfway through, until the bread crumbs are lightly golden and bubbly.
Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground pepper, and serve immediately with the lemon wedges alongside.
For more recipes, please go to Page 2.
Indeed, the feast is known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
And the chef who took us up on our challenge to do that on a special, but still slim holiday budget of $80 was Dave Pasternack.
As executive chef and owner of the New York restaurant Esca and co-author of "The Young Man and the Sea: Recipes and Crispy Fish Tales from Esca" (Workman), Dan certainly knows his seafood. He also happens to be an avid fisherman!
"Esca" translates to "bait" in Italian, and is devoted to celebrating the fruits of the sea.
His feast was the next best thing to being in Rome!
MENU:
FOOD FACTS
Baccala: Baccala is Italian for salted cod. Usually, the salted fish is soaked in water for several days prior to use, changing the water every four-to-five hours to reduce the amount of salt.
Collard Greens: Long a staple of soul food, collard greens taste like a cross between cabbage and kale, and can be prepared in any manner that's suitable for spinach or cabbage.
Affogato: An affogato (Italian, "drowned") is a coffee-based beverage or dessert. "Affogato style," which refers to the act of topping a drink or dessert with espresso, may also incorporate caramel sauce or chocolate sauce.
RECIPES:
Baccala Salad
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound boneless Salt Cod, cut into 3-inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, cut into a large dice
1 leek, cut into 3-inch pieces, rinsed thoroughly
1 stalk celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 crispy tart apple
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 pound fingerling potatoes
Salt
4 scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley
METHOD:
Place the cod in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Refrigerate for 3 days, rinsing and changing the water twice per day. On day 3, give the cod a final rinse and set aside.
Place the onion, leek, celery, bay leaf and wine in a large pot. Add 3 quarts water and bring to a boil over a high flame. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and discard the vegetables, then return the broth to the pot.
Set the heat so the aromatic broth is barely simmering. Add the salt cod and slowly poach for 1 to 1½ hours, until the fish is tender and beginning to flake. Remove the pot from the flame, and refrigerate the salt cod in the poaching liquid overnight.
The next day, remove the salt cod with a slotted spoon and pat the pieces dry with paper towels. Pull off the skin, and then pull out any pinbones that you find. Set aside.
Peel and dice the apple, giving the diced pieces a squirt of fresh lemon juice so they don't turn brown.
Place the potatoes in a 2-quart pot and add enough water to cover by at least 3 inches. Bring to a boil over a high flame, salt the water, and cook the potatoes until they are easily pierced with a paring knife, about 10 minutes. Drain.
When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and cut in to 1/3-inch rounds. Place in a mixing bowl along with the apples and scallions.
Break the salt cod into large flakes into the bowl. Drizzle in the vinegar, olive oil, and pepper to taste, and toss gently to combine. Season to taste with salt (the saltiness of the Baccala will vary, so taste the mixture before seasoning it.)
Serve the Baccala at room temperature, garnished with the parsley.
Baked Clams
INGREDIENTS:
12 little neck clams, shucked, juice reserved
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated horseradish
1 cup bread crumbs
1 lemon, halved
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD:
Preheat the broiler.
Spread the clams in their half shells on a baking sheet. Drizzle each with a drop or two of extra-virgin olive oil.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the horseradish and the bread crumbs. Cover each clam with a hefty pinch of the bread-crumb-horseradish mixture. Lightly pat it down. Cut one of the lemon halves into four wedges. Then use the other half-lemon to put a drop or two of juice on each clam.
Drizzle the clams lightly with the extra-virgin olive oil and put them under the broiler. Cook for about 6 minutes, drizzling each with the reserved clam juice halfway through, until the bread crumbs are lightly golden and bubbly.
Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground pepper, and serve immediately with the lemon wedges alongside.
For more recipes, please go to Page 2.
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