EATING WELL ON THE CHEAP - Think Canned fish

We try to eat fish once or twice a week, but....Did you see the price of fish lately?  OUTRAGEOUS!

I don't know about you, but I refuse to buy Salmon, Tuna or Swordfish steaks at $13.99 a pound.  Besides, how often do you see real "fresh ocean fish" available, hardly ever.  Almost every fish displayed for purchase at the sea-food counter in the markets is farm-raised.

Frankly, I buy fish that Americans consider trash but are highly prized for their flavor in other parts of the world : whiting, sardines, bluefish, mackerel, skate.  When these are not available at my local fish store, I consider canned fish as an easy and economical alternative.  It offers the same health benefits and the culinary possibilities go well beyond sandwiches. We love it in pasta and salads.

Spaghetti con tonno e Profumo di limone

Spaghetti with Tuna and Scent of Lemon

1 lb. spaghetti
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1⁄2 tsp. crushed red chili flakes
2- 6-oz. cans olive oil–packed tuna (undrained)
1 tbsp. lemon zest
Juice of ½ lemon
3 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
salt and black pepper

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until it is just al dente, about 10 minutes.  Reserve 1⁄2 cup of pasta water. Drain and reserve pasta.

2. Heat 4tbsp. of the extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red chili flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic softens.  Add tuna, lemon juice and cook, stirring and breaking up tuna into small chunks for 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Add reserved pasta and water and toss with tuna sauce.  Cook, stirring with tongs, until sauce clings to pasta. Stir in parsley and lemon zest, season with salt to taste, and drizzle with more oil.  Serve immediately.



Spaghetti con tonno

Canned salmon allows me to serve wild salmon year-round, especially when fresh is expensive and hard to find.

 Tuna salad on a bed of arugula

Tuna and cannellini beans

 Canned mackerel salad with spring onions and garlic

Lately, there have been safety worries regarding salmon and tuna. Salmon has been linked with cancer and there have been concerns about tuna's levels of mercury.

Despite these issues, many experts believe that the health benefits of eating fish outweigh the risks.

What seafood restaurants will not tell you

http://online.wsj.com/video/what-seafood-restaurants-wont-tell-you/E6B17C23-CE41-49AA-8790-87D99ECDE426.html


High-quality canned seafood can be a cool, healthy feast
http://articles.philly.com/2012-08-23/news/33343385_1_canned-salmon-salmon-cakes-canned-seafood

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Snapper Fishing with family

Ravioli for Mother's Day

Mom's ravioli stamp and dough wheel

Mother’s Day inspired me to do something special to honor the memory of the woman who’s always in my heart.

Mom died seven years ago and, this year, rather than focusing on her absence, I decided to make Mom’s favorite meal - home-made ravioli. Not only I used her recipe, but I also used her ravioli stamp and cutter.

Ingredients:

Dough: (makes 60 ravioli)

8 eggs

2 lb. unbleached flour

1 tsp. salt

Place the flour mixture on a pastry board and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs, salt and a small amount of water (if needed). Begin to stir the flour from the outside of the well into the wet ingredients. Continue this process until the dough holds together in a ball. Let it rest for 45 minutes. Using a pasta machine, stretch the dough and roll out into thin rectangular sheets. Dust the sheets of dough with flour as needed.

Filling:

1 ½ lb. ricotta

3 eggs

½ lb. grated Parmigiano or pecorino

1 small mozzarella (shredded)

2 tb. minced parsley

Black pepper

Mix all ingredients.

Lay out the long sheet of pasta.  Drop tablespoons of ricotta filling on 1/2 of the pasta sheet, about 2-inches apart.

Fold the other 1/2 over the filling like a blanket. With fingers gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling.



Use the stamp to cut each pillow into rounds and crimp the edges with the tins of a fork to make a tight seal. Dust the ravioli and a sheet pan with flour to prevent the pasta from sticking and lay them out to dry slightly while assembling the rest.

Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water for 10 minutes.  They will float to the top when ready.  Lift the ravioli from water with a large strainer.  Bath the ravioli in your favorite sauce to lightly coat and serve.

Under the Shade of the Mulberry Tree among Songs and Tobacco

Under the Shade of the Mulberry Tree among Songs and Tobacco

Sotto l'Ombra del Gelso tra Canti e Tabacco

Mulberry tree

In late March, as I pruned our small mulberry tree, my taste buds took off remembering things from childhood my mind had almost forgotten.

My childhood was spent in Abruzzo, post World War II.  We lived in the city but we also owned a small farmhouse (masseria).  The farmhouse was open from early spring through late fall and mainly used to provide shelter during the harvesting of wheat, tobacco and grapes.  In front of the farmhouse, there was an impressive and ancient mulberry tree. 

It was beautiful but it was also functional.  Its fruit-laden green branches shaded our family and others from the hot summer sun, especially during the tobacco harvest. 

Tobacco field

Harvesting tobacco took place from late June through September.  It was grueling work because the green tobacco leaves had to be gathered at dawn and stringed, all within the same day.  My father, together with other family members, would do the “cropping”, (pulled leaves from the base of the plants).  The large leaves slapped their faces and dark tobacco sap, which dried into a dark gum, covered their bodies. 

Woman "cropper"

The “stringing” was done by my mother, female relatives and myself. We sat on the ground in a circle under the mulberry tree and at the center laid a mountain of delicately assembled green tobacco leaves.

Women and children "stringing"

The “stringing” was accomplished by using a long, flat, steel needle with string.  A strong string was inserted into the eye of the needle.  The leaves were strung one by one at the base of the rib, all in the same direction.  As the left hand held the big tobacco leaves from the stalk, the right hand pushed the needle through each leaf. 

Stringing needle (Ago)

After filling the needle, one hand held the tip of the needle and the other pushed the row of leaves to the bottom of the string creating bundles or necklaces (crolli). The women’s movements were quick, methodical and mechanical. 

Bundles (Crolli)

Once bundled, the necklaces were hung on wooden structures (telai) in such a way as not to touch the ground.  Now, the tobacco was ready for sun-curing.

Telai

In the sweltering afternoons, not to fall asleep, the women sang in chorus.  Once in a while, with bitter-tasting hands from the tobacco sap, we managed to reach for some plump and sugary mulberries.

Mulberries (gelsi)

Every summer, I seek to recapture those childhood memories by reaching for a few mulberries and singing few verses that remain engraved in my heart.

 

http://youtu.be/WJyHLVxpk7k - Amor dammi quel fazzolettino

http://youtu.be/CQhnBBVuGk0 - Reginella Campagnola

https://youtu.be/T0VFLONPr3U - Calabrisella