Ingredients
– Penne – 1 lb. cooked al dente
– Sword Fish– 2 steaks, trimmed from bone and cubed into 1 ½” pieces
– Garlic – 4 to 5 cloves, rough chopped
– Olive Oil – about ½ a cup
– Graffiti Eggplant – 2 cut into squares 1” or smaller
(substitute: Japanese eggplant)
– Cherry Tomatoes – 2 large handfuls, halved
– Pine nuts – ½ cup, toasted in a hot sauté pan for about 1 to 2 minutes
– Capers – 2 teaspoons
– Parsley – large handful, flat leaf, rough chopped
– Lemon – zested and juiced
– White Wine – about a glass and a half
– Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
How to make the Pesce spada alla Bagnarese:
Bring your pasta water to a boil. And cook your penne noodles al dente. Drain. Reserve a cup of the now starchy cooking water.
In a large sauté pan heat 2 glugs olive oil over high heat. Add your eggplant and garlic. Cook until you get some color on the eggplant, then remove to a plate. Salt and Pepper your chunks of halibut. Reduce heat to medium high, in the same pan add a glug more oil if needed, then sauté your sword fish until it starts to brown on all sides.
This should only take about 2 minutes or so. Stir in ¾ of your parsley. Add your wine and lemon juice, let the alcohol cook off a bit. Remove pan from heat and re-add your cooked eggplant and garlic. Fold in your cooked penne, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, capers and remaining olive oil.
Adjust your seasoning with salt and pepper. Now take a look at your sauce coating the noodles… if they look too dry add a dash more olive oil and some of the reserved cooking water.
Transfer to a large serving bowl, garnish with remaining parsley, lemon zest, and enjoy.
Serves 4
Regional recipe from Calabria
