After the rigors of a particularly heavy winter and in any case amidst a thousand uncertainties, the first sunny days are beginning to peep out timidly, giving us a preview of spring with its crisp air, its colours, its scents and its flavours. Why not announce at the table those flavors of the sea that will then accompany us throughout the summer with one of the recurring dishes of Sicilian cuisine obviously with all the distinctions that the proud Sicilian gastronomy observes from east to west and from north to south when it comes to decline the historical cornerstones of its cuisine. with swordfish rolls? A recurring dish on the tables of all the families of the coastal areas that has Arab origins as well as many other dishes of the Sicilian regional cuisine. Dish that was born poor as evidenced by the use of stale bread for the filling which refers to the cooking of the leftovers of the poor people to the need to recover the uneaten bread and set aside during the week
A poor but tasty dish since the good housewives in the kitchen knew how to give it flavor using raisins, once again suggested by Arab cuisine, pine nuts, capers and, lastly, the poor peasant element that could not be missing in any home: the pecorino.
A poor dish that today instead becomes refined in its various variations from area to area, rising to the rank of protagonist in the menus of gourmet restaurants whose main actor is swordfish, a fish that smells of ancient history since its fishing was already times of the Phoenicians, then by Greeks and that Sicilian fishermen have found themselves in their DNA ennobling its hunting with a spectacular ritual, from the technique to the propitiatory songs in the fishing phases, which outlines all its cultural caliber.
The recipe that mondo food offers its readers for this weekend is signed by Fabio Potenziano Sicilian chef from Bagheria, a recurring presence in television networks, for three years now the protagonist of "It's always noon" the popular gastronomic show on Rai Uno conducted by Antonella Clerici. Professor of food and wine at the Pietro Piazza institute in Palermo, professor at Cast Alimenti Center for Art, Science and Technology of Food since 1997, founded by Vittorio Santoro and Iginio Massari, chefs of the Italian National Cooks. Potenzano in Bagheria has been directing the kitchens of "Tutti a tavola" for 5 years where he dispenses the typical dishes of the Sicilian tradition, elaborating them in a personal vision. His swordfish rolls deviate from the rigor of history but gain from it in his personal interpretation in taste, flavor, colors, a real invitation to spring and a convincing tribute to the Sicilian Mediterranean of sea and land.
The recipe for swordfish rolls
Ingredients for 4 people
For the rolls
150 g of swordfish
1 clove of garlic
½ glass of white wine
150 g breadcrumbs
100 g of pistachio primosale
20 g raisins
20 g pine nuts
2 orange peels
juice of 2 oranges
1 sprig of mint
12 slices of swordfish
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
For breading and finishing
200 g breadcrumbs
100 g pistachios
1 onion
12 bay leaves
1 orange
Extra virgin olive oil
For the Villanella style artichokes
4 spiny artichokes
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
6 anchovy fillets
1 bunch of parsley
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Method
Cut the swordfish into cubes, brown the minced garlic in the oil in a pan, then add the swordfish cubes, brown them then pour over them with white wine and leave to evaporate.
In a bowl, combine the diced bread with the primosale cheese, the raisins, the pine nuts, the mint, the orange peel and juice and the swordfish, season with salt and pepper and mix all the ingredients well.
Arrange the slices of swordfish on a surface, place a knob of stuffing on each one and wrap it like a roll.
Pass the rolls in the oil and then in the breadcrumbs mixed with the chopped pistachio. Arrange the rolls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, interspersed with a bay leaf, a slice of onion and a slice of orange.
Bake in the oven at 180°C for 12 minutes. For the artichokes alla villanella, peel the artichokes leaving the long stem, cut them in half and boil them in salted water.
Brown the minced garlic and the anchovy fillets in the oil. Dilute with a little water and add plenty of chopped parsley. Pour this sauce over the artichokes.
All-at-the-table restaurant
SS 113 Km 246, SS113, 3,
90011 Bagheria PA
