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CUCCIATA E BRODETTO DI PESCE

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ROSSA DI SICILIA

ROSSA DI SICILIA

Couscous And Fish Broth

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COUSCOUS isn’t a food one normally associates with Italy, but this firmly Sicilian dish proves that southern Italy has a very strong Moorish heritage and that food still intimately ties the two sides of the Mediterranean. If you go to Tunisia, you’re very likely to encounter a north African version of a spaghetti with tomato and basil, while in Sicily, the fine corn-yellow wheat grain is very much a staple ingredient. It’s a happy melding of cultures and makes for some interesting gastronomic experiences. This fish broth lacks the spices you’d undoubtedly find in a north African couscous dish, but instead there are fresh herbs, wine and tomato, which is where the Sicilians come in.

SERVES 4

500g prepared cuttlefish (body and tentacles; ask your fishmonger to prepare it for you)

20g shallots, chopped

1 garlic clove, sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

1 thyme sprig

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

50ml white wine

1 tbsp tomato purée about 1.5 litres prawn or fish stock

200g couscous

300g clams, cleaned

300g mussels, cleaned

15g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

10g basil, roughly chopped

5g dill, roughly chopped

5g chives, roughly chopped 1 tarragon sprig, roughly chopped sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash the cuttlefish and cut it into cubes of about 1cm and set aside. In the meantime, put the shallot, garlic, chilli and thyme into a saucepan with the olive oil and fry until the shallot and garlic are golden brown. Add the cuttlefish and let it cook on a high heat for a couple of minutes. Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate. Season with salt, then add the tomato purée and enough stock to cover. Simmer until the cuttlefish are tender, adding more stock if needed so that it stays submerged.

Meanwhile, cover the couscous with 150ml of salted boiling water, stir, add a few drops of olive oil, cover with cling film and leave for 5 minutes. When ready to serve, use a fork to separate the grains hen place in a steamer for a few minutes or microwave to reheat.

Add the clams and mussels to the cuttlefish, cover with a lid and cook on a high heat for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, muntil the clams and mussels all open (discard any that don’t), then remove from the heat.

Finish by stirring through the chopped herbs and check the seasoning. Serve with the warm couscous on the side.

La Cucina Siciliana

di Enzo Oliveri info@thesicilianchef.co.uk

Zuppa di Pesce (Fish soup)

Ingredients

kg. 1,500 fish (scorpion fish, eels, sea bream, cuttlefish etc.)

g. 250 ripe tomatoes garlic, onion, parsley, celery olive oil salt and pepper

Crouton

METHOD:

Wash the fish, clean it and cut it into pieces. With scraps (heads and bones) prepared a soup with two liters of water flavoured with an onion and a stalk of celery.

In an earthenware casserole fry in oil two cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of chopped parsley, then put the fish. Let it cook for few minutes in pan then add the ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded, salt and a pinch of pepper. Cover with strained fish stock and cook for about half an hour. Serve the fish soup with toasted crostini.

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