-Vegetarian version, sans fish is below.
There are many versions of tapenade recipes available;
it's no wonder, since it's such a wonderful condiment that marries well
with "California Cuisine". Tapenade is an olive
paste named for one of its ingredients- capers (tapeno or tapeino in Provencal).
For the tapenade:
• 3 large cloves garlic, blanched and peeled
(to blanch garlic, drop unpeeled garlic cloves
into
boiling water for 2 minutes; remove with slotted spoon and rinse under
cold
water
before peeling)
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, drained and
rinsed from brine
• 1/8 cup capers, drained and rinsed from
brine
• 1/8 cup toasted pinenuts
• 1/8 cup (lightly packed) julienned sundried
tomatoes (rehydrated, ready-to-eat, or
drained
oil-packed)
• 1/8 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
leaves
• 1 anchovy fillet
• zest from one lemon
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a food processor
and mix into a smooth paste. May be kept stored
in an airtight container in refrigerator for 7-10 days.
Yield: 3/4 cup
For the swordfish:
Prepare a gas or charcoal fire to medium-high
heat.
• 2 swordfish steaks, or 1 large steak to
divide (total weight 3/4 to 1 pound), rinsed under
cold
water and patted dry with paper towels
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Rub olive oil and seasonings into both sides
of fish. Grill on each side for a total of no
more than 10 minutes per inch of thickness.
For the pasta:
• 6.5 ounces whole-wheat thin spaghetti /
angelhair pasta (about 1/2 of a 13.25 oz. box)
• freshly chopped Italian parsley for garnish
• lemon wedges, if desired, for garnish
Boil pasta in salted water according to
package "al dente" directions. Drain pasta,
reserving some of the cooking liquid. Return
pasta to pot, and toss with 1/4 cup of tapenade (a pasta spoon comes in
really handy here!). Use a scant amount of
pasta water to help incorporate tapenade if necessary. Add
a bit more tapenade if you prefer, and taste and adjust salt.
To plate: Spoon a
generous amount of pasta onto half of plate. Sprinkle
some chopped parsley over the pasta and decoratively around rim of
plate. Place a piece of fish gently overlapping
the pasta on the other half of the plate. Spoon
a generous tablespoon of tapenade onto fish and serve with lemon wedges.
Serving suggestion:
Grilled asparagus or artichokes or a simple
green salad rounds out this meal perfectly!
Alternate vegetarian main
course pasta entrz
Angelhair Tapenade alla
Carbonara
The Italian term "carbonara" is used to
describe a pasta dish composed of cream, Parmesan cheese, bacon, and
eggs that cook into a sauce. Here, the oily,
briny tapenade replaces the cream and bacon.
For the pasta:
• 6.5 ounces whole wheat thin spaghetti /
angelhair pasta (about half of a 13.25 oz. box)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup prepared tapenade
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese,
divided use
• 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed and at
room temperature
• freshly ground black pepper
Boil pasta in salted water according to
package "al dente" directions. Drain pasta,
reserving some of the cooking liquid. Return
pasta to pot over very low heat, and working quickly while pasta stays
warm, stir in tapenade along with a bit of reserved pasta water if
desired. Stir in eggs; continue stirring to
incorporate eggs until slightly set and "saucy", about 2 to 3 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese, reserving some for garnish. Stir in peas. Taste and
adjust salt. Serve immediately in warm bowls. Sprinkle with a dusting of Parmesan and a few
twists of ground pepper.
Additional uses for
tapenade:
- Top other firm-fleshed, flavorful fish.
- Excellent as a spread for crostini (fancy
for toast!), especially if combined with goat
cheese
and/or roasted red peppers.
- Place a dollop on top of grilled lamb loin
chops, or smear inside a leg of lamb before
tying
and roasting or grilling.
- Terrific as a sandwich spread or dip for
artichokes, either alone or combined with
mayonnaise.
- Stir into scrambled eggs or frittata.
THE WINE: Tenuta
dell' Ornellaia 2000 Poggio alle Gazze Sauvignon Blanc - Tuscano,
Italy - $24.95 a bottle
Except
for Pinot Grigio, Italian whites are misunderstood by most American
consumers who believe they are insipid, light, "watery", flavorless and
at best quaffable efforts! This is probably the main reason Tenuta
dell' Ornellaia's 2000 Poggio alle Gazze Sauvignon Blanc from Tuscany
remains available. "Fully mature" by authoritative guidelines that
generalize Italian whites inability to age, this wine provides counter
argument as its brisk and lively integrated acid buoys a core
of intense fruitiness A beautiful middle weight wine that
expresses floral lemon scents on the nose and lush citrus flavors on
the palate without any of the bothersome under ripe herbal components
that often stigmatize Sauvignon Blanc. A
perfect Mediterreanean wine to accompany the assertive flavors of this
Italian tapenade using California ingredients.
Most of you will recognize
Ornellaia for its 1998 "SuperTuscan" Cabernet Sauvignon blend from the
Tuscan region of Bolgheri that was the Wine Spectator's #1 Wine - 2001
Top 100. This Sauvignon Blanc effort scored 91 points and was listed
as the #61 by the same source. Ornellaia
also produces an extremely limited Merlot by the proprietary name
Masseto that is the envy of every Italian collector.
Last May, Robert Mondavi and Marchesi de'
Frescobaldi jointly purchased Ornellaia. Regretfully, it has been
announced the Poggio alle Gazze Sauvignon Blanc will be no longer
produced!
Available at The Wine Consultant
for $24.95 a bottle. Limited, but currently in stock or order now by
reply email.
Thank you!
Renee Kroeger & Eric Stumpf
The Wine Consultant
8039 Greenback Lane
Citrus Heights, CA 95610
(916) 721- WINE (9463)
info@TheWineConsultant.com
