I took this recipe from a book bought last December, a book that caught my attention for the title: “Dita di Nettuno” and the subtitle ” Le Abbazie del Monte di Portofino e la loro Cucina da un Ricettario del 1880″. The author, Carla Beretta, wrote it starting from a little book that had been donated to his grandfather in 1920 by the Carthusian monks who lived in the Convent of Cervara, between Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino. The book is full of traditional Ligurian recipes described, in part, with the language of the late nineteenth century; soups with herbs or vegetables, sauces to flavor pasta and “cheer” vegetables, meatballs and meatloaf, boiled , fried, or stewed fish … .. Already reading the recipes I seemed to feel the smell of anchovies, crushed pine nuts, baked sea bass , stuffed vegetables and fish sauce, squid, octopus or squid … .. but the recipe that I have most interest was “Occhi di Balena” I tried to play … .. with some minor variations
….. and this is‘ the beautiful book that inspired me
Ingredients for about 20 whale eyes (4/5 people) 1 onion, 5 anchovy fillets in oil, 1 carrot, 1 bunch of parsley, 300 grams of fish flesh, 60 grams of bread crumbs, 1 plant escarole, 40 grams of pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil.
Wash the vegetables, finely cut carrot and onion and blanch the escarole cut into strips in lightly salted water. Let the pine nuts to soak in cold water for about 3 hours.
In a large saucepan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onion over low heat with carrot: after about 5 minutes, add a coffee cup of water and continue cooking adding the chopped anchovies and parsley. After 10 minutes, let cool and blend in a mixer with the pine nuts sgocciolat, fish flesh cut into small pieces, bread crumbs (soaked in boiling water and well squeezed with your hands) and the escarole, boiled and well drained. Chop patiently stirring occasionally preparation in the mixer until the mixture is homogeneous enough or
The dough will be very soft: Prepare the meatballs round about the size of “a small hollow egg” and roll in breadcrumbs
Lay eyes of a whale on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper greased with oil, brush them also on the upper surface with oil and bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning them once. They should be golden brown when cooked.
Serve hot, warm or cold ….. these eyes are always delicious!
