Kosher Cooking—Italian style

By JOYCE GOLDSTEIN

Cucina Ebraica: Flavors of the Italian Jewish Kitchen
By Joyce Esersky Goldstein and Ellen Silverman
208 pages. Chronicle Books. $29.95.

Pesce Freddo alla Salsa di Noce
Fish with Walnut Sauce

One of my childhood nightmares was having to face a plate of boiled fish—dry, overcooked, not at all appealing. But here is a recipe for simple poached fish, moist and delicate, served with a lively nut sauce. This was often served at room temperature on the Sabbath or Passover.

Serves 4 to 6

For the Fish Broth:
6 to 8 pounds fish frames (bones, heads, tails, with gills removed) from mild fish such as snapper, rock fish, halibut or sea bass
3 cups dry white wine
3 to 4 medium onions, chopped
5 celery stalks, chopped
1 large bay leaf
4 lemon zest strips
10 black peppercorns
4 coriander seeds
3 whole allspice
5 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
2 fresh thyme sprigs
dried chili pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
About 8 cups water

To make the fish broth, rinse the fish frames well and set aside. In a deep saucepan combine the wine, all the vegetables, the lemon zest, spices and herbs. Add water to cover all the ingredients generously and bring to a boil. Add the fish frames and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook, skimming off foam as needed, for 20 minutes. Strain through a colander lined with wet cheesecloth. You should have about 2 1/2 quarts broth. Chill, uncovered, until cold, then cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.

2 pounds mild white fish fillets such as sea bass, flounder, rock cod, halibut, or sole
Walnut sauce (see below)

Measure out enough fish broth to fill a wide saucepan to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Reserve the rest for another use. Bring the fish broth to a boil in a wide saucepan. Slip in the fish, cover the pan, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and poach gently until the fish tests done, 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to a platter. Serve with walnut sauce.

Note: You may also reduce the pan juices so that when they are chilled they will form a jelly, which is then spooned over the fish.

Salsa di Noce
Nut Sauce

This rich sauce is a cross between an Italian salsa verde and a Sephardic nut sauce. It usually is served with cooked fish, but it is also tasty spooned over cooked vegetables or hard-cooked eggs. Note that unlike other nut-based sauces, this one has no acid--no lemon or vinegar. It is quite fragrant and voluptuous without them, but if you are craving a bit of tartness, add the capers, as their brininess will cut some of the richness. Some recipes use almonds or pine nuts in place of the yolks. If you are pressed for time, you can pulse the ingredients in a food processor, although the result will not be as good.

Makes about 2 cups

3 hard-cooked egg yolks, chopped
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped, pitted Mediterranean-style black olives (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped capers (optional)

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk to mix well.

Pollo Arrosto all' Arancie, Limone, e Zenzero
Roast Chicken with Orange, Lemon and Ginger

Ginger arrived in Italy with Arabic traders or North African Jewish immigrants, so it's likely that this is a Sicilian or Livornese recipe. Most Italians would use dried ginger, but since fresh ginger is so plentiful at our markets, why not use it?

Serves 4

1 roasting chicken, about 5 pounds
1 lemon
Grated zest of 1 lemon, with remaining lemon cut into quarters
Grated zest of 1 orange, with remaining orange cut into quarters
3 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger root
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons margarine, melted or olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons pomegranate juice in place of some of the lemon juice (optional)
Orange sections for garnish

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the lemon into quarters. Rub the outside of the chicken with one of the lemon quarters, then discard it. In a small bowl, stir together the lemon and orange zests and 1 tablespoon of the grated ginger. Rub this mixture evenly in the cavity. Put the lemon and orange quarters inside the bird. Place the chicken on a rack in roasting pan. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. In the now-empty small bowl, combine the melted margarine or olive oil, lemon and orange juices (or use pomegranate juice in place of an equal amount of the citrus juices), honey, and the remaining 2 tablespoons ginger.

Place the chicken in the oven and roast, basting with the citrus juice mixture at least 4 times during cooking, until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Transfer to a serving platter and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Carve the chicken. Garnish with the orange sections.

Zucca Disfatta
Melted Golden Squash

The yellow-orange squash of the Veneto is often called zucca barucca. For Jews, barucca is related to baruch, the Hebrew word for "blessed."  Non-Jewish Italians say this name is dialect for verruca, meaning bumpy and wartlike, describing the outer peel of the squash. What we do know for sure is that there are many Italian Jewish (as well as Spanish and Moroccan Jewish) recipes that call for the zucca barucca, the pumpkin squash that was brought to Italy by the Sephardim from Spain and Portugal.

Disfatta means "defeated" or "decomposed" squash, in other words, melted and quite soft. Baking the squash provides a richer taste than boiling it. This recipe is from the Veneto, Ferrara to be exact, and traditionally was served to break the fast at the end of Yom Kippur. It calls for fresh citron, which is sweeter and more aromatic than grated lemon zest. You'll find, however, that the sweetness of the squash will help balance any slight bitterness of the lemon zest. Some versions of this dish add a pinch of cinnamon; others add chopped parsley and rosemary.

Serves 6

1 or 2  hard-skinned yellow squashes such as butternut, banana, or acorn, 3 pounds total weight
3 tablespoons olive oil, margarine, or unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons finely minced citron,or 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Chopped fresh mint, flat-leaf parsley or rosemary (optional)

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Prick the squash or squashes with the tip of a knife and place in a pan in the oven. Bake until tender when pierced, about 45 to 60 minutes, depending on size. Remove from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, cut in half. Scoop out the seeds and fibers and discard. Scoop out the flesh and pass it through a food mill placed over a bowl, or mash it with a potato masher. You should have about 3 cups purée.

Warm the olive oil or margarine in a sauté pan over low heat. Add the onion and sauté until very soft and sweet, about 15 minutes. Add the puréed squash, season with salt and pepper, and add the citron or lemon zest and cinnamon, if using. Cook over very low heat, stirring often, until dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with mint, parsley, or rosemary, if you like.

Excerpted from CUCINA EBRAICA: FLAVORS OF THE ITALIAN JEWISH KITCHEN by Joyce Goldstein. Copyright 1998 by Joyce Goldstein. Published by Chronicle Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Used with permission from Chronicle Books, LLC. Visit ChronicleBooks.com.