Mediterranean Fish Stew with Fennel

Fennel grows wild all along the shores of the Mediterranean, and on the banks of rivers.  Wherever the Romans traveled, you will find fennel growing there. It is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb, and one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Greek legends say Prometheus used the stalk of a fennel plant to steal fire from the gods. Also it was the stalks of the giant fennel plant that the gods Bacchus or Dionysus and their followers used for wands in the wild and mystic bacchanalia festivals. It is fennel that gives this delicious Mediterranean Fish Stew its exceptional flavor.

You can use any firm white fish such as pickerel, cod, or sea bass for the stew. All work equally well. If you add some shrimp or prawns it will make it all the more interesting. Add the shrimp or prawns only for the last 2 to 3 minutes so they do not overcook. To finish the fish stew add a little more olive oil, fresh parsley and a bit of the feathery tops of the fresh fennel finely chopped.

Ingredients:

2 to 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
4 sticks of celery, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 head of fresh fennel, very thinly sliced and then chopped.
5 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled and roughly chopped
3 large fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
3-4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 fresh bay leaves
1 quart vegetable or fish stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 pounds of fresh fish fillets (no bones)
8 -10 fresh shrimp or prawns with shells on and back vein removed (optional)
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Directions:

Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of good olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fennel and sweat for another few minutes. The onions, garlic, celery and fennel should be transparent, not browned.

Add the tomatoes, potatoes and bay leaves and pour in the stock. The quality of the stock is absolutely essential. A good fish stock can be made by adding some bottled clam broth to any good vegetable stock.

Season the stock with sea salt and pepper and bring it all to low boil. Add the potatoes, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the fish fillets and cook for 15 minutes more. When the potatoes are tender and the fish flakes apart, add the lemon juice and herbs and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. If you are using shrimp, this is the time to add them. Finish with a little more extra virgin olive oil, fresh chopped parsley and a bit of the feathery fennel tops chopped fine in each soup bowl . A good crusty artisan bread goes well with this amazing stew.

Stromboli Eggplant Caponata

This is a sweet and sour Caponata that is delicious on a toasted bruschetta. Italy is famous for this type of rustic cooking called cucina povera (cuisine of the poor) that has a history that goes back for thousands of years to the Romans, Greeks, Normans, Spaniards and Arabs. The basis of of this traditional cuisine is the abundance of fragrant herbs like oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic, basil, mint, olives and the ubiquitious capers that Italians love so much.

Caper bushes grow wild on the rugged Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily where they cling to the rocks and cliffs along the coast in the porous volcanic soil. The intensely flavoured flower buds of the caper bush are about the only food product that grows on this string of volcanic islands. Stromboli is the largest of the Aeolian islands, but largely uninhabited due to the near daily volcanic eruptions. The hot chili flakes give this Stromboli Caponato a bit of fire too, but you can reduce the amount, or eliminate it entirely if you don't like the heat. The capers are an essential component that add a wonderful dimension to this delicious caponata found on so many Italian tables. Some Aeolian capers are salt cured and need to be soaked in water for several minutes and rinsed. Others are packaged in a brine which is best rinsed off before incorporating.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed and put through a press
1 medium eggplant, diced in 1/2 inch cubes (to yield 4 cups)
1/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon of hot chili flakes
1 tablespoon of currants
1/4 cup black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 sprig of finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 large tomatos, seeded, diced and crushed with your hands
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon of capers, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

Slice the eggplant into cubes or rectangular pieces about 1/2 inch thick, place in heavily salted water for thirty minutes, then strain and pat dry.

Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Wipe off the eggplant to remove as much of the salt and clinging juices as you can. Toss eggplant with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet covered with non-stick aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes until nicely browned, stirring occasionally.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the browned eggplant, the fresh rosemary, cinnamon, cocoa powder, tomatos, chili flakes, currants, vinegar and sugar. (Note: 1 cup of homemade chunky tomato sauce can be substituted for the fresh tomatos.) Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the drained capers and pine nuts. Set aside to cool slightly and serve with crusty fresh bread.

This can be made a day or two ahead of time which gives the flavors time to meld together.

Wild Striped Sea Bass Provencal

In the sunny south of France and throughout the Mediterranean, fresh fish is prepared Provencal style. Fresh tomatoes, sweet onions, black nicoise olives, lemons ,wine and fresh herbs are lavished on fresh wild striped sea bass. The dried Herbes de Provence, fragrant with lavender from the hills around Cannes, can be used if you do not have fresh herbs available, but the fresh herbs are far superior in taste, and they are much better for your health. The Wild Striped Sea Bass also has a much better flavor than the farm-raised fish, which tends to taste very bland.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of wild striped sea bass (1/2 pound per person)
3 or 4 fresh tomatoes roughly chopped
2 small onions very thinly sliced
5 or 6 green onions roughly chopped including green tops
1/4 cup pitted and sliced ot roughly chopped black nicoise olives
Juice of 2 lemons
1 large lemon very thinly sliced
1 cup of dry white wine
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, roughly chopped
3 or 5 sprigs of fresh oregano, roughly chopped
2 or 3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried Herbes de Provence (optional)
4 or 5 sprigs of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash and dry the fish and place it in a heavy baking pan that has a thin coat of olive oil on the bottom or lined with non-stick aluminum foil. Make a bed of sliced thinly sliced onions and place the fish on it. Cover the fish with chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced lemons, the green onions, chopped olives and the fresh herbs. Sprinkle olive oil over the fish and pour white wine over all. Add freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes, more or less, depending on the thickness of the fish fillets.  It is done when it flakes easily.

The Best Roast Chicken Ever

A well roasted chicken is sheer heaven. Fragrant with garlic, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, and lemon and served with crisp potatoes and crumbled bacon, it is a feast indeed.

You can add other root vegetables to the roasting pan if you like, but the combination of the crisp potatoes and the bacon is enough for me.

Ingredients:

One 4 to 5 pound chicken
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
6 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch segments
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into quarters
4 to 5 pounds of potatoes peeled, cut into pieces and parboiled for 10 minutes
1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
6 strips of good streaky smoked bacon

Directions:

Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Put three of the garlic cloves and 5 sprigs of the thyme in the cavity, and rub the thyme and garlic all around the inside. Put a lemon cut in quarters, some garlic cloves and a sprig of fresh rosemary into the cavity. Refrigerate it uncovered for 24 hours to help to make the skin extra crispy. Take the chicken out of the refirgerator a few hours before roasting in so it will come to room temperature before you put it in the oven. This will help it cook evenly.

Preheat oven to 475°F. Truss the chicken with kitchen string. Place the vegetables, onions, garlic, and remaining thyme sprig into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and toss with your hands until well coated. Season generously with salt and pepper. Rub the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Create a bed of the vegetables and potatoes in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the chicken on the bed of vegetables. Next rub the top of the chicken breasts with some soft butter.

Place the pan in the oven and roast the chicken for 25 minutes at 475°F. Then lay the strips of bacon across the breast, reduce the heat to 400°F and roast for an additional 45 minutes, or until the thickest part of the thigh registers 160°F on a meat thermometer and the juices run clear.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, keep it warm and let rest for 20 minutes before carving to serve. Remove the bacon from the chicken and crumble over the potatoes.  Cut the chicken into serving pieces. Serves 4.

Haricots Vert with Butter and Herbs

The thin little green beans that the French call Haricot Vert (Green Beans) need only a touch of red onion, (or garlic) and some fresh herbs to shine. Blanch in a pot of boiling water followed by a quick bath in ice water to set the beautiful color. Then saute with olive oil, a little clarified butter and onions for just a few minutes.  Finish with a bit of fresh lemon juice. Delicious.

Ingredients:

1 pound thin green beans (haricot vert), trimmed
1/4 cup red onion, chopped very fine (or substitute 3 cloves of garlic crushed through a press)
2 tablespoons of good olive oil
1 tablespoons butter (I use Ghee which is clairified butter)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped fine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Juice of one lemon wedge

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Boil the beans for no more than 2 minutes. Plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain the beans and pat dry on a tea towel or paper towel.

Heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. I like to use Ghee, or clarified butter which does not burn. Cook the onions until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the green beans and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

Add all the herbs and some salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute more. Add the juice of a lemon.

Greek Cucumber Salad

This is a traditional Mediterranean Cucumber Salad.  In Greece it is called Tzatsiki made with garlic and a thick natural Greek yogurt that you can find in some supermarkets. Any regular yogurt can be substituted if you drain it overnight in a colander lined with cheesecloth to obtain the right consistency. In Lebanon, they use Laban, a thick cultured Lebanese yogurt that is very good. Lebanese cooks often add a little lemon juice just before serving and a bit of fresh chopped parsley.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 cups Greek yogurt or Laban
1 large cucumber, peeled and coarsely grated
1 tablespoon fresh mint finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon
1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black Malabar pepper to taste

Directions:

Greek yogurt is thick and delicious. If you cannot find Greek yogurt, any yogurt from the supermarket can be drained overnight using a colander lined with cheesecloth.  A coffee filter in a sieve works just as well.  This will result in yogurt of the proper consistency.  Mix the olive oil, apple cider vinegar and garlic in a small bowl. Add the yogurt and mix thoroughly. Drain the cucumbers and add to the yogurt with the mint, sea salt and pepper and mix again. Leave the mixture chill for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. Serve lightly chilled and sprinkle with lemon juice and freshly chopped parsley just before serving as an accompaniment to any roast meat or roast chicken.

Greek white bean salad with feta and tomatoes

In Greece they made this wonderful salad with black olives, feta cheese, garlic and red onions with a lemon dressing that is very good with fish or chicken. In Portugal they make the salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, a little balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon of cumin. Both versions are delicious.

The Greek diet based on fresh vegetables, olive oil, lemons, garlic, herbs, wine and fish has created the worlds most healthy and long-lived people. Following this traditional diet they suffer less from heart disease compared to other Mediterranean countries. Of course good genes may have something to do with it too, that and a suuny climate and time to sit around in a cafe with friends enjoying the good life.
Ingredients:

1-15 ounce can cannelloni beans drained and rinsed
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
2 small yellow heirloom tomatoes roughly chopped
3 small cucumbers peeled and roughly chopped
1 small red onion halved and thinly sliced
2/3 cup black kalamata olives pitted & halved
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon sea salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black Malabar pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped

Dressing:

2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh oregano finely chopped

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the dressing with the beans and mix well. Cover and marinate at room temperature at least one hour, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the dressing ingredients until blended. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives and cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Cucumber Salad

Served chilled with fresh mint, or fresh dill, cucumber salad is a staple on Mediterranean tables in many countries. Hungarians make their traditional cucumber salad with a pinch of Paprika that they serve with almost every meal. In Spain they make Ensalada de Pepino using red onions and some sliced tomatoes and those amazing black olives. Another Spanish version includes lemon juice, orange juice and a dusting of cinnamon.

Ingredients:

2 large cucumbers, sliced very thin on a mandoline or a slicer.
1 small onion or shallot shaved very thin
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 or 3 fresh mint leaves very finely chopped

Directions:

Combine the cucumbers and onions or shallots in a glass bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the top. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. If you are dieting, or a diabetic, you can substitute Splenda for the sugar for a very healthy dish.

Lentil Soup

Lentil soup is a staple throughout the Mediterranean area. The Portugese make it with smoked paprika and their wonderful Chorizo sausage. The Spanish add cumin and fennel seeds. The Turks use red lentils, bulgar wheat, red pepper flakes, and a little fresh mint. Small meatballs made with bulgar, onion and ground beef are sometimes added.  In Morocco they add ground cumin, ginger, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, ground cardamom, cayenne pepper and even a bit of Garam Masala, a basic spice from India.  A teaspoon of Ajwain, a spice from India that is actually a small seed gives surprising dimension to any Lentil soup.  It tastes a bit like thyme and a little is more than enough to flavor a whole pot of soup.  If you don't have any Ajwain, a little fresh oregano is a good substitute Some cooks like to add a bit of balsamic vinegar just before serving. You can vary this basic soup recipe in some interesting ways, all of them full of flavor and good nutrition.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
2 medium shallots finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery stalks
4 celery stalk tops including the leaves roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground Malabar black pepper
1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes or 1 8 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
2 quarts good homemade chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons of fresh basil finely chopped
1 teaspoon of Ajwain (optional)

Directions

Place the olive oil into a large pot and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic, shallots, carrots, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and let it cook for 2 minutes more. Next add the broth, the salt and pepper and the lentils, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer at a low heat until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Add the chopped fresh tomatoes and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Add the fresh basil finely chopped and serve immediately.

Note:  For a hearty lentil soup, add 1/2 cup of barley after the lentils have cooked for at least 20 minutes and continue to simmer.

Balsamic Salad Dressing

With balsamic vinegar, you get what you pay for.  Most of the bottled balsamic vinegar dressings are way too acidic for my taste.  Good quality balsamic vinegar has been aged longer and I think it is worth paying a bit more for it.  I remember overhearing a young man complaining to the manager of a Chicago store about the balsamic vinegar he had purchased which he claimed, "tasted like swill."  A good moderately priced balsamic vinegar is a treasure indeed, and a little of it goes a long way.  This dressing on some fresh baby spinach with thinly sliced red onions and mushrooms is very good. If you want to add some sweetness to the salad, add some fresh strawberries or raspberries, not sugar.  It will taste better and be so much better for you.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of good extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and freshly ground black Malabar pepper

Put the lid on the jar and shake well.