Anchovies fillets "al Gratin"

This is a very summer dish here in Italy: with the heat and sultriness people prefer having fish instead of meat. Fish is much easier to digest and recalls to light sea breeze and refreshing swimming...  
Anchovies are the most poor fish among many, but this fish is absolutely not poor in taste and nutritious value. It is true that anchovies are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that so important for preventing heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases, our brain also benefits a lot from Omega-3. So much benefit with a really modest price (I paid about 3 € )...
Anchovies are mostly used in Mediterranean region, but this doen't mean that they don't have anchovies in the Northern countries, they just have other recipes... For example, in Russia anchovies are usually prepared marinated in brine or canned with oil or tomato sauce. 
  

INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 2-3


650-700g raw anchovies
4tbs bread crumbs
3tbs grated Parmigiano
1tbs capers
1 garlic clove
parsley 
salt
1/2 lemon
EVO oil

Always rely on your trusted fishmonger for the freshness of the fish and if it is possible ask him to clean anchovies for you. 
Not every person is willing to clean the fish... for me it has never been a problem (just maybe when I was a child, to tell you the truth)... 

1. To clean anchovies, tear out the fish head starting from the fish's back, then pull the intestines together with the head.

2. Keep anchovies aside and when you have finished with all of them, wash them under the cold running water.
3. Next you need to remove the fish spine, just tear it off ad keep the fillets on a clean plate.

4. Cover an oven tray with the baking paper and pour some oil over it.
5. Place all the anchovies fillets one next to the other over the paper.
6. Season with some salt, lemon juice and oil.

7. Finely chop parsley and capers.


 

8. In a medium bowl mix together bread crumbs, grated Parmigiano cheese, capers, parsley and squeezed garlic clove.

9. Cover the anchovies fillets with the mix and cook in a preheated oven at 220C for 5-7 minutes, or till the surface becomes gold in colour.

10. Serve as a main dish for 2-3 people or as a starter for 4-6.            

 

Buon Appetito!!!

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

The name of this dish is really bizarre !!! Translated it literally means "Spaghetti in a whore style" Yeah!!! That's right... hmm... exactly! 
The origin of this name is not sure but they say that it comes either from the whorehouses in Naples where this dish was frequently served to the clients or to the prostitutes after their "hard work"... Or, as a nice story tells, it was invented by an owner of a restaurant in Ischia, and island near Naples shore. Now I'll tell you the story.
One night at the restaurant called Rancio Fellone, when the chef was already gone home, a group of friends appeared. The owner, who was not a chef but an architect, advised that the kitchen was already closed. So the fellows, who were really hungry, asked him to bring any possible "puttanata", that in Italian means kind of "piece of nonsence", but comes from a word "puttana", that, I bet, doesn't need to be translated... In short, they asked for any kind of simple dish, just to have something to soothe their hunger. So the owner checked in the kitchen and found these simple ingredients that are always stored in any restaurant, out of which he invented this dish, that was called Spaghetti alla Puttanesca.
This dish is not famouse only in Italy, it became a classical Italian recipe known worldwide.

INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 2

160g spaghetti
handful of black olives 
2-3 pinches of capers 
3-4 anchovies
2 garlic cloves
10-12 cherry tomatoes
chilli
oregano
salt
EVO oil

 
1. Pour some oil into a frying pan and add garlic cloves a bit smashed and anchovies and adding by a wooden spoon let the anchovies melt 

 
2. Add chilli, olives, capers and oregano, splash everything up with some wine.
3. At the end add cherry tomatoes cut in halves and heat everything up.

4. Cook spaghetti "al dente", drain and add to the sauce.
5. Mix gently and serve.

Note: Please remember: Pasta = Fish - Yes => Cheese - NO   
    

Anchovy and shrimp spaghetti

A new page is still producing a strange effect on writing, I think it's impermanent though.... 
Before starting with the recipe I want to let my followers know that I'm trying not only to show my recipes but to transmit some little secrets so that you can cook better and easily...

Anchovy and shrimp spaghetti

  
This recipe is really easy to prepare and it will take you same time as for the pasta to be cooked.


Your family and friends will always appreciate it.






INGREDIENTS:
 (recipe for 2)

160g spaghetti
extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
3 anchovies (salted)
chilly
1 big pinch of capers
100g shrimps
10 cherry tomatoes
salt
parsley/ oregano/ basil  

1. Put spaghetti in the salted boiling water. 
Note: Let me say some words about the good pasta. When you buy pasta check in the Nutritious facts about the Proteins, the good pasta will have at least 13g of proteins. I don't mean the egg pasta, but the plain one. This number will result in the "al dente" consistency. 
As for the size of spaghetti I prefer buying the one that is marked with 14 minutes cooking time. 

 2.  While you cook your spaghetti take a large pan in which you will put some olive oil, garlic clove cut into halves, anchovies and some chilly to taste. Heat the oil till anchovies melt, you can help with a wooden spoon in order not to burn the mix.

 3.Cut cherry tomatoes into halves and if they are too big into four parts. 

4. If the shrimps you have are frozen, unfreeze them keeping some of the water. If the shrimps are fresh, then just peel them.

5. Add tomatoes, shrimps and capers to the oil and just heat a bit. 
Add some water from the shrimps and if you don't have it just some water from spaghetti, just a little bit, kind of 3-4 tbs.
If you cook cherry tomatoes too much, the peel will tear away. The tomatoes should be almost raw in this pasta.

6. Add some chopped herbs without cooking and here we go: that's your sauce!

7.  Drain your spaghetti and add them to the sauce, heat everything for 3-4 minutes stirring a bit and serve

 
Note: if you don't have shrimps at home you can avoid adding them without ruining the dish. Shrimps only enrich the taste but the dish is really nice even without :-)