Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook (21 page)

SAUCE

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

⅓ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons drained nonpareil capers, rinsed

2 tablespoons minced yellow onion

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 skinless halibut fillets, 8 to 10 ounces each and cut 1 inch thick

⅓ cup dry white wine

1.
To make the sauce: Whisk the lemon juice and mustard together in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the mayonnaise. Add the capers and onion and whisk to combine. Season to taste with the pepper. Cover and let stand for at least 15 minutes to meld the flavors.

2.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.

3.
Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until the oil is very hot but not smoking. Add the halibut and cook, turning once, just until seared and golden on both sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer the halibut to a plate.

4.
Reduce the heat to medium. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits in the skillet with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and return the halibut to the skillet. Spoon the wine in the skillet over the halibut.

5.
Transfer the skillet with the halibut to the oven and bake until the halibut looks opaque when pierced in the center with the tip of a knife, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

6.
Position the broiler rack about 8 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler. Spread the sauce over the halibut. Broil until the sauce begins to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer each fillet to a dinner plate and spoon the pan juices around the fish. Serve hot.

Roasted Monkfish with Asparagus and Chickpeas

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Like many people, as I got older, I developed food allergies. I was pretty disappointed when I found out that I had to avoid crustaceans, but then I discovered monkfish. It has a sweet flavor and firm texture that is highly reminiscent of lobster. It’s not that easy to find at a supermarket, so if it shows up, try this.

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup all-purpose flour

4 skinless monkfish fillets, about 6 ounces each

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes

One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

12 asparagus spears, woody ends snapped off, stalks cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces

2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Spread the flour on a large plate. Coat the monkfish in the flour and shake off the excess. Add the monkfish to the skillet and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate.

3.
Add the crushed tomatoes, chickpeas, asparagus, and scallions to the skillet and stir well. Bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Return the monkfish to the skillet and dot with the butter.

4.
Transfer the skillet with the fish mixture to the oven and bake until the monkfish looks opaque when pierced in the thickest part with the tip of a knife, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the monkfish to a platter and spoon the sauce on top. Serve hot.

Fillet of Sole with Seafood Stuffing

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

My grandmother Concetta loved this elegant seafood dish, which is perfect for entertaining special guests at home. You can make them well ahead of time, and just bake and broil just before serving. The stuffing is moist and juicy, with a secret ingredient of ground calamari.

STUFFING

½ pound cleaned calamari, bodies and tentacles, cut into ½-inch rings

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup finely chopped yellow onions

3 medium (21/25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined, finely chopped

½ cup bottled clam juice

2 tablespoons dry white wine

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon seedless raisins

1 tablespoon pine nuts

¼ cup light cream or half-and-half

½ cup plain dried bread crumbs

4 skinless sole fillets, about 8 ounces each

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Sweet paprika, for sprinkling

Lemon wedges, for serving

1.
To make the stuffing: Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low to bring the water to a simmer. Add the calamari squid and cook, uncovered, until the squid is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and let cool. Pulse the calamari in a food processor until finely chopped (or chop the calamari with a large knife).

2.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chopped calamari, shrimp, clam juice, wine, lemon juice, butter, parsley, raisins, and pine nuts and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the cream. Simmer until the cream reduces slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in the bread crumbs to make a thick paste. Let cool.

3.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly butter a 10 by 15-inch glass or ceramic flame proof baking dish with softened butter. Cut each fish fillet in half, following the central line that runs the length of the fillet. Crisscross two fillets to resemble a cross. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the stuffing at intersection of the fillet strips. Fold the ends of the horizontal fillet over and onto the stuffing. Fold the ends of the vertical fillet over to enclose the filling. Place the packet, smooth side up, in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining fillets and stuffing. (The fish packets can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 hours.) Pour the lemon juice over the fish packets and dot with the butter.

4.
Bake until the fish looks opaque when flaked in the center with the tip of a knife, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove the dish with the fish packets from the oven.

5.
Position the broiler rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler on high. Sprinkle the paprika over the fish packets. Broil until the tops of the packets brown lightly, about 2 minutes.

6.
Transfer each fish packet to a dinner plate and top with the pan juices. Serve hot, with the lemon wedges.

Ava and Frank, Show Business Royalty

There was a time in the early fifties when Frank’s career was overshadowed by that of his wife, sex goddess and movie star Ava Gardner, who was necessarily footing the bills. When Frank finally came into the chips, he was inordinately proud.

One night after his ship came in, the couple visited the restaurant. Ava was wearing a gorgeous new mink coat, which she clasped protectively around her beautiful body. Frank kept urging her to open the coat, but Patsy was nervous—for all he could tell, she could have been nude underneath the fur. Finally, she obliged, and stood up to open the coat wide. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your outlook), she was clothed. But inside the coat was a big label reading: “THIS COAT WAS BOUGHT BY FRANK SINATRA.”

Grilled Calamari with Three Bean Salad

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Most people only fry calamari. I love it as much as the next guy, but at Patsy’s, it is almost as versatile as hamburger. Dom DeLuise agreed with us. Once he came in and announced that he only wanted calamari for dinner. So he had this, a grilled calamari dish, and for dessert … fried calamari!