Sorry for the long absence in posting, but I've been traveling in Italy with little to no access to cooking -- until now. After a month of sightseeing in disparate places like the mountains of Val D'Aosta to the sparkling seas surrounding Sardinia, we are now settled in an apartment in the city of Como for a bit. While I love eating in restaurants, it can be difficult to control the calories and what's available, so I am looking forward to having a real kitchen. Except..... except... I guess I didn't read the fine print, because while we have a great range and a microwave, there is no oven in this apartment. I will be cooking everything on the stovetop for the next couple of months, (when we're not frequenting restaurants) which presents a bit of a challenge. But I'm up for it, and have made a few dinners already that passed the "husband approved" rating: spaghetti cacio e pepe, an onion and pepper frittata, potatoes and Romano beans with pancetta, and now trout in acqua pazza.
Legend has it that fish in acqua pazza (which means crazy water in Italian) was so named in the 19th century after fishermen in the Campania region of Italy cooked their catch on board in sea water, due to the high tax on salt. They noticed the water boiling violently and dubbed it "crazy water." Today's version adds a few more ingredients, including olive oil, cherry tomatoes, garlic and olives, and you can add more to call it your own.
Since I don't have a range for a while, I'll be making all my meals in pans available here in this apartment, so I hope you stay with me through this challenge. You can follow my daily doings on my Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/ciaochowlinda/. I also have no serving platters, so all my food will be served on the few dishes available to me in this kitchen. So while I love the aesthetics of presenting food on a beautiful platter, what really matters is the taste - and my husband declares this one passes the test in spades.
By the way, now that I'm grocery shopping here, I am finding prices in Italy are so much less than in the United States. This trout for instance, cost me the equivalent of about $8.00 at the local fish monger, (who trimmed off the head and cleaned the inside). At home, I'd probably pay close to $30.00. Who knew I could actually save money living in Italy for a few months?
1 whole fish (about 2 or 2 1/2 lbs) or 4 fish fillets (I used trout, but sea bass, branzino, cod or snapper would be great too)
6-8 grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 large clove of garlic, or 2 small ones, sliced thinly
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used leftover prosecco)
1 cup water or fish broth
minced parsley, salt and pepper
a couple of slices of lemon
optional: a half dozen olives or a few capers
Procedure:
In a large, deep skillet, place the olive oil, garlic and tomatoes. Let it cook on a low flame for a few minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the white wine and water (or chicken broth), season with salt and pepper, and let everything simmer together for about 10 minutes. Season the fish with salt and pepper, both on the outside and inside. Place the fish in the pan with the tomatoes, garlic and liquid and add the lemon slices and parsley. Place a lid on the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes until fish is cooked through. To serve, place the fish on a platter and remove the skin from both sides, then fillet it and remove it from the skeletal frame. Place the filleted pieces on a serving dish and pour the liquid juices on top, sprinkling with some freshly minced parsley.