Biba's Northern Italian Cooking - Biba Caggiano [39]
Dip prawns or shrimp into beaten eggs. Using slotted spoon, lower prawns or shrimps into hot oil. Sauté over medium heat until golden. Remove from skillet with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt.Arrange prawns or shrimp on a warm platter. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve hot.
ADRIATIC CLAM SOUP
Brodetto di Vongole
If you like clams, you will adore this appetizing preparation. Leftover sauce should be reduced and used over pasta.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
4 pounds clams in shells, the smallest you can get
2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup Basic Fish Broth, page 94 1 (15-ounce) can imported Italian plum tomatoes with juice, put through a sieve or food mill to remove the seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
8 slices Italian bread, toasted
Soak the clams in cold salted water 20 minutes, then rinse and scrub thoroughly under cold running water. Put the clams in a large skillet. Add the wine and 1 tablespoon of the oil and cover the skillet. Cook over high heat until the clams open. With a slotted spoon, transfer the clams to a bowl. Discard any clams that do not open. Strain the liquid through paper towels to remove any sand, and set aside.
Wipe the skillet with paper towels and add the remaining oil. Heat the oil and add the garlic and anchovies. Cook over medium heat until the garlic begins to color, about 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar; cook until it is almost all evaporated.
Add the fish broth, the strained tomatoes and reserved clam liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the parsley and add the clams. Cook briefly until clams are well coated with the sauce, about 1 minute. Serve with the Italian bread.
Game and Poultry
Most Italians are not great red-meat lovers, but give them white, tender meat, and their enthusiasms and culinary skills will perform wonders.
Most types of poultry and game, like chicken, pheasant and rabbit, have been used in Italian cooking for centuries. Turkey is the exception. It was introduced into Europe from North America by the Spaniards in the early sixteenth century.
In some northern regions, like Lombardy and Piedmont, turkey is served at Christmas. The bird is roasted and stuffed with a mixture of chestnuts, sausage, truffles, apples and prunes.
If turkey is relatively new on Italian tables, chicken is not. The chickens of ancient Rome were kept because they produced eggs. They were so scrawny that they were not considered good enough to eat. Eventually the Romans learned how to fatten chickens. They have been avidly devoured ever since.When we were children, I would often go with my brother and sister to visit an aunt who had a farm twenty miles outside Bologna. Besides climbing trees and rolling in the grass, we also chased chickens, turkeys and ducks. We would return home loaded with fresh eggs, white flour, country bread and a few live chickens. I still maintain that those were the best chickens my mother ever prepared.
The number of chicken dishes in the Italian repertory is staggering. A chicken can be broiled, baked, stewed or cooked on a spit. It can also be cooked with innumerable sauces, changing it to fit either a simple or an elaborate menu.
Chicken breasts can be used in many ways.They can be breaded and sautéed.They can be pounded and treated like veal scaloppine. Marsala wine combined with cream to make a rich sauce can turn chicken breasts into an elegant meal.
One favorite Italian way of cooking chicken is pan roasting. Using this method, the meat juices are sealed by browning the chicken in butter or oil. Then the heat is reduced and a little liquid is added to prevent the chicken from drying out.
Chicken is a particularly good buy. It is an excellent source of protein, vitamin B and iron. In selecting