Fish Sticks

We made a fun dish. Grilled Swordfish on Rosemary Branches from Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton at Home. Our friend Shu joined us for dinner. We grow lots of Rosemary in our backyard, I harvested many sprigs for this recipe. Cathy made a Rice Flavored with Saffron to accompany the Swordfish.

Many times we have made Oven Candied Summer Tomatoes from: The Italian Country Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. When I was looking up the recipe, I noticed a recipe on the next page I had never considered. As I read it, I was amazed this recipe is my type of food. It is called: Signora Bimbi's Peppers (I Peperoni delta Signora Bimbi). The taste of the grilled peppers, the olives, vinegar and bread crumbs makes for a fantastic presentation of Red and Yellow Peppers. This recipe is a keeper!

Grilled Swordfish on Rosemary Branches

Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton at Home

Swordfish is the steak offish—meaty, flavorful, and very well suited to grilling, especially when threaded on fragrant branches of rosemary. Even when stripped of their greenery, they infuse the fish with a light perfume.

4 rosemary branches, about 10-12 inches long, stripped of all leaves except for 1-1/2 inches at top, opposite end sharpened to a point

1/4 pounds swordfish, cut into about 16 pieces, 3/4 X  1-1/2 inches

12 bay leaves, soaked in water for 30 minutes if dried

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

½ teaspoon coarse salt

Prepare a barbecue grill.

Alternate swordfish with 3 bay leaves on each of the rosemary skewers.

Stir together the olive oil, tarragon, parsley, and salt.

Coat all sides of the fish with the mixture.

(This step may be done several hours ahead. Refrigerate, covered, and bring to room temperature again before grilling.)

Grill for about 2 minutes per side, or until the fish is still slightly pink inside. It will continue to cook after being removed from the fire. Remove from the skewers and arrange on plates with the bay leaves.

Serves 4

SIGNORA BIMBI'S PEPPERS

I Peperoni delta Signora Bimbi

Serves 3 to 4; doubles easily

The Itialian Country Table

Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Yellow and red, sweet and juicy, these wedges of roasted peppers are covered with garlic-toasted bread crumbs and leaves of fresh herbs. You can serve them right away, or let the peppers wait at room temperature for about an hour, making them a fine dish for entertaining. The recipe comes from the turn of the century, proving how timeless good food can be. I discovered it in the old scrapbook of a Signora Bimbi, who back then was the mistress of II Frantoio, an olive estate deep in the Puglia countryside, where I stayed.

2 each large sweet yellow and red peppers

8 herbed or oil-cured black olives, pitted and chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs

1 tightly packed teaspoon each fresh Italian parsley and basil leaves, chopped

Using a wood fire, gas flame, grill, or broiler, roast the peppers, turning them so they blister on all sides. Place the peppers in a paper bag and let rest about 30 minutes.

Slip off the skin from the peppers, remove the cores, and scoop away their seeds. Cut the peppers into wedges about 3 inches long and 1-1/2 inches at their widest. Toss with the olives and vinegar, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cover and hold at room temperature for several hours.

In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, bread crumbs, and a little salt and pepper. Stirring constantly, toast the crumbs to golden, about 3, minutes. Immediately turn into a bowl. At this point, you can hold the peppers and crumbs separately for several hours. Don't combine them until just before serving, so the bread crumbs are crisp.

To serve, arrange the peppers on a platter. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and herbs and set out for dining.