Ciao Italia - Bringing Italy Home: Regional Recipes, Flavors, and Traditions as Seen on the Public Television Series Ciao Italia

This recipe for swordfish with spaghetti and tomato sauce is one that I've enjoyed in Mondello, a Sicilian seaside community near Palermo. It is easy to put together if you have homemade tomato sauce on hand. Whenever I serve it to company, the response is "I never thought to cook swordfish with tomato sauce and spaghetti." Be sure to use fresh swordfish and do not overcook it.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound swordfish, in one piece
1 pound spaghetti
1-1/2 tablespoons salt
2 cups prepared tomato sauce, preferably homemade
16 black oil-cured olives, pitted and coarsely chopped.

Heat the olive oil until it begins to smoke, then lower the heat to medium and cook the swordfish, turning it once. It is cooked when a fork is easily inserted into the fish.

Transfer the fish to a cutting board and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. With a knife remove the skin and discard it. Cut the fish into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside.

Cook the spaghetti in 4 to 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water with 1 tablespoon of the salt. The spaghetti is done when there is no white flour remaining in the center of a strand. It should be firm -- al dente -- but cooked throughout.

While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the tomato sauce in a sauce pan and keep it warm.

Drain the spaghetti, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Return the spaghetti to the cooking pot with the reserved water and the tomato sauce. Mix quickly over low heat. Add the swordfish pieces and stir gently for 1 minute. Stir in the olives and the remaining salt.

Transfer the mixture to a serving platter and serve at once. A few whole olives and a sprig of fresh basil makes a nice garnish.

Insalata di Rucola, Fragole e Noci -- Arugula, Strawberry, and Nut Salad
Serves 6

My friends Giulia and Mario Cocco live in Verona and are always gracious hosts. They treat me to large portions of la vera cucina Veronese and we have a good time talking about food and customs. One day we had a light lunch with a refreshing and elegant-looking salad made with arugula, strawberries, citron, and nuts; it shimmered in a light dressing of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed orange juice. Arugula is a sharp-tasting green that looks much like the leaves of radish plants and comes in many varieties. My husband, Guy, covets this plant in his garden, growing several varieties including a sawtooth variety known as antique arugula. Most people I know mix arugula with other greens in order to tame its outrageous peppery taste, but in this salad it stands alone in the salad bowl, beautifully balanced by the sweetness of the fruit and the citron. Citron is available in Italian specialty stores, especially at holiday time, or it can be ordered by catalog (see the mail order section at the end of the book). If it's not available, substitute golden raisins.

1/3 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
3/4 pound arugula, stemmed and torn in pieces
12 ounces strawberries, stemmed, washed, dried, and cut in half
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 ounces citron, diced
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or more to taste

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are browned. Transfer the nuts to a small bowl.

Fill a bowl with cold water and submerge the arugula in it. Let the arugula soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain, and repeat the process one more time to make sure no dirt or sand remains. Drain the arugula, spin it dry in a salad spinner or roll it in a towel, pressing as much water out as possible. Transfer the arugula to a salad bowl. Add the strawberries, mango, and citron. Toss the mixture gently.

Pour the orange juice into a small bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil a little at a time with a whisk until an emulsion is created. Stir in the salt.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss it gently. Sprinkle the nuts over the top and serve immediately.

Spumini Mandorlati -- Almond Foams
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

What I love about these bite-size meringue and almond cookies are their delicateness and their almost ethereal texture and taste. And I also love the name given to them by my Tuscan friends and super cooks Giovanni and Iris Lodovici, spumini mandorlati, the literal translation of which is "almond foams." This exquisite cookie calls for only four ingredients, is quick to put together, but requires 45-minute baking time to produce a dry, crisp spumini that literally melts in your mouth like foam.

1 cup whole blanched almonds
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 225° F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Grind the almonds in a food processor until very fine and transfer them to a medium-size bowl.

In an electric mixer whip the egg whites until they are foamy. Gradually whip in the sugar, a little at a time, until the egg whites begin to form peaks and appear shiny. Whip in the flour a little at a time. Fold the nuts into the egg-white mixture until they are well blended.

Use 2 teaspoons to spread small rounds of batter onto the parchment paper, spacing the spumini about 1/2 inch apart. They will spread a little. Or fill a tipless pastry bag with the batter and pipe out 1-inch rounds.

Bake the spuminiwithout opening the oven door for about 45 minutes, or until crisp. They should remain pale in color.

Allow the spumini to cool completely on the baking sheets, then carefully remove them from the parchment paper.

Note: These are perfect to serve with fresh fruit, ice cream, or sherbets.

Recipes from Ciao Italia: Bringing Italy Home, Copyright © 2001 by Mary Ann Esposito.