Branzino Arrostito Con Il Mosto Di Uve All Alfonso Longo Recipes

BRANZINO ARROSTITO CON RAMI D' ALLORO, LIMONE, E CAPPERI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Dry the fish well with absorbent paper towels and split it in two. Place 1 bay branch or 2 rosemary branches on one side of the fish, then the slices of lemon, one overlapping the other. Strew the lemon slices with the capers and anoint the whole with sea salt and a few drops of the oil. Re-form the fish, massaging it with more of the oil and laying it in a shallow terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole. Cover the fish with the remaining branch of bay or the remaining branches of rosemary.
• Roast the fish for 10 minutes, then adjust the heat to 375 degrees and continue to roast for another 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the bass emerges extremely hot.
• Remove the bass from the oven, pour over the white wine, permitting it to steam and hiss up into vapors while you carry the fish to table.
• Serve the bass with no other accompaniments save its own good juices, a bit of oven-toasted bread, and very cold white wine.

BRANZINO ARROSTITO CON IL MOSTO DI UVE ALL' ALFONSO LONGO

Steps:

• Stem half the grapes, never minding their seeds, and place them in a heavy saucepan, smashing at them with a wooden spoon, crushing them. Add the bay leaf, the raisins, and the wine and, over a medium flame, bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the flame and cook until the wine has evaporated and the fruit has collapsed into a thick jam. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. (Some might think to pass the jam through a fine sieve to relieve it of its debris of skins and seeds, clashing up against, though, the rusticity, the honesty of the dish.)
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Sprinkle the sea salt inside the fish and then stuff its belly with the jam. With a wooden mallet or some such instrument, crush the remaining grapes that are still on their stems and place them in a shallow terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole just large enough to cradle the fish. Place the fish on top of the grapes and douse it with the red wine mixed with the olive oil.
• Roast the fish for 30 minutes, basting at least three times with the pan juices. As soon as the flesh is firm, the fish is cooked.
• Carry the fish to table in the roasting pan, serving it with spoonfuls of the juices and perhaps a rough puree of roasted fennel and a Taurasi from Mastroberardino.

PESCE SPADA SOTTO SALE CON MARMELLATA DI LIMONE ALL' ALFONSO LONGO

Steps:

• Prepare the fish and lay the slices in one or two large, shallow ceramic dishes. In a mortar with a pestle, pound the sea salt with the brown sugar, finely grinding the two together. Rub the poultice onto both sides of each slice of fish, baptizing the whole with grappa or vodka and strewing the lot with the fennel fronds.
• Cover the dish or dishes tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two days, turning the fish once or twice a day.
• To present the fish, remove some of the larger pieces of fennel fronds and lay the cured slices on a large, flat platter, drizzling them with any drops of liquid that might have accumulated during the cure. Strew the fish with the fried lemon zest, passing lemon marmalade and a basket of crostini (see below for zest, marmalade, and crostini).
• First weigh the lemons, or have them weighed at the fruit market, as you'll be using two-thirds their weight in sugar to make the puckery jam. Slice the lemons fairly thin and toss them into a heavy, shallow pan with the prescribed sugar and enough water to barely cover them.
• Over a lively flame, stirring constantly, cook the mixture for a few minutes, then lower the flame and, still stirring, cook for 20 minutes or so, until the water has evaporated and the fruit is softened and trapped in a glossy, thick syrup.
• Let the marmalade cool and then portion it out into 2 or 3 jars with tight-fitting lids to store in the refrigerator. The confection will stay nicely for a week to ten days.
• Finely shred the lemon zest. In a small saucepan, barely cover the zest with cold water and bring to a simmer. Quickly drain the zest and dry on absorbent paper towels.
• Over a lively flame in a small saucepan, warm the olive oil and sauté the zest, tossing it about, letting it crisp a bit and take on a good, deep color.
• In a large sauté pan over a medium flame, warm the olive oil and brown the bread well on both sides, cooking it until it is quite crisp.
• Let the crostini rest a bit on absorbent paper towels before placing them in a napkin-lined basket.