Pasta con Spada e
Menta
This is a traditional dish in Sicily, and so, of course, I
wouldn't dream of making any significant changes. It occurred to me that since I
almost always grill swordfish, as one would a beefsteak, could this entire dish
be made on the grill? Now it is not a very complex recipe. Mostly we have
simple ingredients which are not overly fussed with, which puts a premium on
quality. So buy good stuff.
The dish is usually prepared in a fry pan, which allows the simple
sauce to flavor the swordfish. Cooking it on the grill loses this aspect, so I
made up for it by adding zucchini to the recipe (which is a normal option,
anyway), letting it cook down in some wine and then tossing everything
together. You'll need a fresh cheese which gets hit with the heated sauce and
softens. I used fresh mozzarella. Of course you have lots of choices here. Get
what you like, but get something good because its flavor isn't going to be
masked by much. If your fresh mint leaves are large, just tear them up.
I chose a great wine from Friuli,
which is just beginning to mature. The 2009 Chardonnay
Selezione from Borgo del Tiglio. The proprietor, Nicola Manferrari has
produced a selection of outstanding white wines. There is so little of this in
the States that you might not be able to find anything from this wonderful
property. If you live in Italy, your chances will probably be better. It is a
rich and voluptuous, but mineral wine that pairs well with the swordfish.
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| Ingredients |
Ingredients:
(for 2)
Swordfish Steak (½ to ¾ pounds)
Pasta (I used Penne Lisce) less than ½ pound
Small Zucchini (about ¼ pound) (Mine was ½ pound so I only used
half)
* half sliced very thinly
* half into ¼ inch slices
White Wine (about ½ cup)
Olive Oil
Clove Garlic, chopped
Fresh Mint (about ¼ oz.)
Fresh Mozzarella (8 oz.)
Salt and Pepper
Method:
After you do the initial
preparation below, everything else is done on the grill at the same time. This isn't as daunting as it might seem, because
everything sort of cooks with little intervention on your part. Also, everything
is right in front of you, so you can keep an eye on it all. As each component
finishes, you toss it in the bowl with the cheese and mint.
1 Cut
or break the Cheese into small pieces and place in a large bowl with half the
Mint. Slice zucchini as described above, chop garlic.
2 Bring a pan of water to the boil on your grill (or on inside
range, if you prefer).
3a In a small cast iron fry pan heat a few tablespoons of Olive Oil
and when hot, add the thinly sliced zucchini, garlic and mint. Let this sauté a
little and then add the Wine, move to a less hot part of the grill and let
simmer until the liquid is syrupy. You can then add it to the bowl and toss
with the cheese and mint.
3b At the same time, place the thicker zucchini slices on a vegetable
grate on your grill and cook, turning so both sides have color, but still have a
little bite. When they are done, add them to the bowl and toss.
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| just beginning to grill |
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| everything near done |
3c At the same time, sear the Swordfish on both sides and cook until just done. Remove from grill and let
rest a few minutes and with two forks, tear into bite sized pieces and toss
with salt and pepper. Add this to the bowl and toss.
3d Meanwhile you should add the pasta to the boiling water at about
the same time the Swordfish goes on. Be sure you stir regularly at first and
until it starts to soften.
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| adding pasta |
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| tossing everything |
4 The Pasta should be last to finish. Scoop it out of the water and
add to the bowl, tossing everything. If you think it needs a little more
liquid, add a teaspoon or two of the Pasta water, but not much! I didn't add
any at all.
This is a very
refreshing summertime dish. Enjoy!
