The other day I saw fresh Sardines from Portugal and my thought quickly went to Sardines baked in oil, lemon and oregano. This is very common all over the Mediterranean.

However, the best dish for fresh sardines, in my opinion, is the Sicilian recipe, “a Beccaficu” The name derives from a European songbird, warblers (of the genus Sylvia) and the sardines when properly prepared resemble this particular bird.

The dish doesn’t take long to prepare and is versatile.”Sardi a beccaficu“ can be served as a main course or as appetizer.

SARDINES stuffed SICILIAN STYLE

SARDI a BECCAFICU

2 pounds or 8-10 fresh sardines
1 large lemon - juiced
¾ cup olive oil
1 medium onion - chopped fine
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup pine nuts
1 tbsp. sugar
1 large orange - juiced and zest grated
2 tbsp. vinegar
8 ounces fresh bread crumbs
8-10 large bay leaves
1 bunch parsley - chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 400˚ degrees

Clean, bone and flatten sardines like a book. Marinate with juice of lemon, 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper

Sauté onions until they caramelize. While still warm add raisins, pine nuts, sugar, zest of orange and juice of orange and lemon, vinegar, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, parsley and mix well.

Place mixture on one side of sardines with a spoon and fold, set first layer, and place 3-4 bay leaves to separate the layers. Sprinkle with olive oil and layer a second or third layer repeating process.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Serve hot or better at room temperature.

Fig Jam / Marmalade

When you have fig trees, you have decent years and you have great bountiful years

Usually there is enough that leads one to making a Fig jam or even Marmalade or even brandied.

2 lbs figs
19 oz (1lb 3 oz) sugar or 3 cups Splenda
1 box low sugar pectin
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 lemons – juiced = ½ cup

Remove the tips, peel and cut figs in quarters

Place figs in a medium pot with a little water (1 cup) in which you dissolve the pectin, squash the figs or put them through the food processor, to break them up and add grated lemon zest and the juice of the lemons and slowly bring to a boil

When the figs have come together add the sugar and cook until it reaches marmalade consistency
At this point, if you desire, you may add a shot of grappa or Metaxas brandy or even cognac

Place the marmalade in glass jars, washed in hot water
Fill the jar or jars to the jar mouth and allow them to cool

Clean the neck and lip of jar again and place lid – do not tighten

Place the jars in a surface covered with a towel and allow them to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.

Crostini-Bruschetta with Prosciutto or Anything you want

People are somehow led to believe that crostini are not small bruschette, but they are.

Bruschetta, toasted bread – from the word “bruscare” to toast, is made from day old, the dryer the better, Tuscan style or ciabatta bread. Tuscan style bread is also made in other regions of Italy. The bread is made with a starter or “biga” which if prepared two to three days ahead, left at room temperature to ferment, will have a sour odor and taste, henceforth, like sourdough style bread. There is a belief that says that in the old days, before all was mechanized, the bread would have been so stale that it would have to be soaked in stock or oil or juice to make it chewy and edible again, there is some truth to that. However, in this day and age you don't have to do this.

Crostini, little “toasts”, on the other hand are made from smaller loafs of bread, Italian loafs, also cut on the thin side and most of the time at an angle (on the bias) so they seem longer than they really are.
In Sicily we simply grilled a slice of bread, in the fireplace, put a small amount of olive oil and any leftovers and we had a snack.

In the fifties, with the flow of tourists, restaurants took this idea further. They used Tuscan style or ciabatta bread rub it with a clove of garlic, drizzle some oil, season them with salt and pepper and top it with flavorful condiments.

1 loaf of Tuscan style or ciabatta bread, cut into ½ inch slices
1-3 large cloves of garlic, peeled
12 ripe figs or other ripe fruit – cut into thin slices
6 slices of prosciutto, cut in half
Fresh mint
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

Grill your slices of bread, Tuscan style or ciabatta
While they're still hot, rub with the garlic and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil

Place a piece of prosciutto over each of your crostini or bruschetta, a slice or two of fig or other fruit and top with a leaf of mint

Serve with another light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a drop of balsamic vinegar, and some freshly ground black pepper

Making Hard Boiled Eggs

It’s not difficult to imagine that some people do not know how to boil water, never mind boil an eggs. So, here is simple step-by-step sure way to get excellent hard boiled eggs

1 dozen Eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 Make sure the eggs are at room temperature

2 Fill a sauce pan ¾ up with water

3 Place the eggs in the water, single layer, and make sure there is at least an inch of water over the eggs. Add a tablespoon of vinegar which will help keep the egg whites from running out of any eggs that may happen to crack while cooking

4 Add salt to the water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat

5 Once the water is boiling, remove the pan from the heat, cover it and let it sit for 10-12 minutes; (You can check for doneness by removing one egg with a spoon, run it under cold water, and cut it open) It is very hard to overcook eggs using this method you can let the eggs sit, covered, for up to 15-20 minutes without the eggs getting overcooked

6 Have a bowl of ice water at the ready and transfer the eggs to the ice water

7 Let cool for 5-10 minutes before peeling

8 Store the eggs in a covered container in the refrigerator

9 Hard boiled eggs should be eaten within a few days, a week maximum


Chef’s Note: If you have hard boiled eggs that are difficult to peel, put them in the refrigerator for a few hours or days; they will be easier to peel once cold.