Spaghetti with Fish Sauce

Last October my family and I met up in Chicago for a long weekend. We saw a show, took some tours and, of course, ate ourselves siiiiilly. We even had a few serendipitous moments, like when we found ourselves standing in front of Rick Bayless' restaurant Xoco. 

We had just eaten a few Chicago-style hot dogs but knew enough to find room for some of the best churros and Mexican hot chocolate on the planet.

In addition to its vibrant restaurant scene, Chicago is well known for its many ethnic and cultural neighborhoods. In fact, it boasts the third largest Italian population in the country. It also happens to be the first U.S. city to inherit giardiniera, a pickled vegetable concoction that made its way from Italy in the 1920's. Used as a condiment atop Italian beef sandwiches, it also finds its way onto antipasto platters and pasta dishes.

 
I've always loved pickled, briny things (just ask Tristan - he always kept a big jar of pickles in the fridge for me when we first started dating), so naturally I went gah-gah when I heard about a pasta and fish dish packed with green olives, capers AND gardiniera. It happened one day when I was channel flipping and landed on "My Family Recipe Rocks." Joey Fatone (remember him from N'Sync?) was in Chicago learning how to make the Cannistra family's beloved "Spaghetti with the Fish," where pasta gets topped with an olive oil-based sauce that's loaded with chopped garlic, fresh parsley and lots of salty flavor bombs. The final step involves the addition of white fish, which falls apart and melts right into the sauce as it simmers.

I adjusted the recipe substantially for bolder flavors and, well, more sauce. What can I say but YUM-o. The juicy broth is light and fresh, and if you happen to have any left over, it tastes even better the next day.

Spaghetti with Fish Sauce
Adapted and tweaked from My Family Recipe Rocks on the Live Well Network. 
Serves 4-6.

1/2 cup olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
10 large green olives with pimentos, chopped
2 tablespoons capers
Hot water
3/4 cup hot giardiniera*
1 lb white fish fillets (cod, halibut, haddock, etc.)
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, plus more for garnishing
1 lb vermicelli pasta
Asiago or Romano cheese for grating

In a 1 1/2 - 2 quart pot, heat the olive oil, garlic, green olives and capers over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Add enough hot water to fill the pot 3/4 full. Add the hot giardiniera* and some salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the fish fillets and continue cooking for 30 minutes more. The fish will slowly flake into the sauce. Right before finishing, stir in the fresh parsley and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.

To serve, top each plate of pasta with a ladle of fish sauce. Garnish with grated cheese and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

*My neighborhood grocery store only had regular giardiniera so I added some Mama Lil's Peppers for heat (you could also use hot sauce or red pepper flakes). If you don't want the heat, just use regular giardiniera.

Warm Roasted Pepper Salad

We don’t have cable, but if we did we’d be in trouble. Tristan for his sports addiction and me for being a cooking show junkie. We actually get by quite nicely with Netflix. But can I say thank god for PBS? Not only do they air old black and white Julia Child episodes, they have Ming Tsai, Lidia Bastianich and America’s Test Kitchen in their line-up. And in my opinion, these shows are far superior to anything you’ll find on the Food Network.

That said, I was half awake one night on the sofa watching Lidia’s Italy. I really should’ve retired to bed but she was about to make a roasted pepper salad that sounded incredible. I watched, salivated and hoped I’d remember it the next day.

Good thing I did because this salad blew our socks off. The oven-roasted peppers were sweet and juicy while the capers, anchovies and olives contributed earthiness, saltiness and brine. I served it with pan fried white fish for dinner and then alongside scrambled eggs the next day for breakfast. The muffled “mmmm’s” and “ahhh’s” between forkfuls proved its worthiness.

Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Capers, Anchovies and Olives

Don’t even consider using jarred roasted peppers – the slightly warm, just roasted flavor is what knocks this out of the park. Adapted from Lidia’s Italy.

6 bell peppers, preferably 2 red, 2 yellow and 2 orange 

Olive oil

Salt

6 anchovy fillets, minced

1 heaping tablespoon capers

Rounded 1/3 cup oil-cured black olives

3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Wash and dry bell peppers and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush outsides with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake until charred and very soft (they’ll start collapsing), about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

When cool enough to handle, peel skin away from peppers. Pull out stems, cut each pepper open and scrape out seeds. Using your fingers, tear peppers into 1-inch wide strips and place in a bowl. Add anchovies, capers, olives and parsley and mix well. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

The 35th Annual Duck Dinner

Last weekend I had the distinct honor of attending my 2nd duck dinner. And let me tell you, there's nothing like it.

The tradition began in 1974 in upstate NY when a University of Buffalo PhD student rescued a handful of baby ducks from an imprint study. Having escaped their destiny in a fiery furnace, they were given a home in the basement of a student house. Before long, the fluffy chicks turned into smelly, messy, somewhat crappy pets. The decision was eventually made to slaughter some of the birds, just in time for a birthday celebration (ironically, the birthday belonged to their liberator).

That first duck dinner was the beginning of a long-standing tradition. Every year since, those present 35 years ago in Buffalo, reunite, along with their family and friends, to celebrate the duck.

This year's menu was stellar:

Appetizers

bubbly

Pâté from an Ithaca, New York farmers' market spread on Melba toast rounds with a dollop of fig preserves

Grilled baby artichokes with caper mint sauce

Mussels with Greek yogurt, capers and mint

Soup Course

Thai Three Melon Soup

Pasta Course

Roast turbot with asparagus veloute over tagliatelle

Palate Cleansing Course

Concord grape and rosemary sorbet

Main Course

Duck breasts with endive tarts

Salad Course

Salade Composee with ginger dressing

Dessert Course

Pavlova with lavender cream and berries
Double chocolate goodness

With expanded waistlines and loosened belts, the celebration ended the same way it always has: with a long walk.