Bracioline Di Pesce Spada Alla Messinese Recipes

BRACIOLINE DI PESCE SPADA ALLA MESSINESE

Steps:

• With a mezzaluna or a very sharp knife, finely mince 1 cup of the mint and parsley together with the garlic to a fine paste and transfer it to a large bowl. Lightly pan-roast the pine nuts. Add the olives, raisins, and any residual liquid and the pine nuts to the bowl along with the capers, pecorino, bread crumbs, and the egg. Generously grind on the pepper. Work the elements to a well-amalgamated paste. The pecorino and capers should be salty enough to flavor the paste, but after tasting it, add a bit more if you wish.
• Lay the bracioline on a work surface and pound them lightly but firmly with a mallet, thinning the flesh a bit. Spread each steak with a good tablespoon of the paste, roll it into a fat little sausage shape, and secure the braciolina with a toothpick. Over a lively flame, heat the oil in a large sauté pan and very quickly cook the bracioline, sautéing them well but taking only a minute or so to do it so as not to overcook the fish. Remove the bracioline to a holding plate.
• When all are cooked, discard any remaining oil and rinse the pan with the 2/3 cup of Malvasia, scraping and stirring and permitting the wine to reduce for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the sauce over the bracioline and present them, strewn with 1/2 cup mint leaves, warm or at room temperature.
• Sacrificing the beauty of the sauce, one could skewer the bracioline onto well-soaked grapevine twigs, olive wood twigs, thick branches of rosemary, or metal skewers, alternating them with bay leaves and roasting them over a very hot wood fire for a minute or two on each side, basting them with olive oil. They'll need some accessory-a spoonful of warm tomato vinaigrette would do nicely.

PESCE SPADA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a bowl whisk together the oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic and salt and pepper. In a shallow dish coat the fish steaks with the mixture and let marinate, covered and chilled, for 15 minutes. Arrange the fish in a foil lined baking pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until fish is just cooked. In a bowl toss the tomatoes with the basil and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the fish to serving plates and top each with some of the tomato/basil salad. Sprinkle with lemon juice and garnish with lemon wedges.