Skewered Swordfish with Aromatic Vegetables

ASSAGGIO RISTORANTE
92–94 King William Road
Hyde Park South Australia 5061
W www.assaggio.com.au
E service@assaggio.com.au
T 8272 4748
F 8357 1545
OPEN Lunch and dinner Monday to Friday and Sunday11.30 am till late, dinner only Saturday 5.30 pm till late

Skewered Swordfish with Aromatic Vegetables
CHEF — Camillo Crugnale
RESTAURANT MANAGER/SOMMELIER — Orlando Bagnara
wine match — The best wine match should be aromatic, with good crisp acidity Paracombe Pinot Gris or Paracombe Sauvignon Blanc are great matches
serves 4

In rural areas in the south of Italy, vegetables often co–star with meat or fish, and even the more humble of them, like chickpeas, turn out to be more interesting in the sort of combinations that home cooks devise (or improvise, perhaps). For a most flavorsome result, this meal is best prepared in a wood oven, or over hot coals on a barbecue. You may also prefer to experiment with the vegetable accompaniment, choosing those liked by all (or most) of the family!

Ingredients
Marinade
125ml olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
half teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
The Skewers
500gm Swordfish fillet cut into roughly 3cm cubes
12 shallots, cut in half
2 red capsicums, seeded, deribbed, and cut into 1.5cm chunks
AromaticVegetables
1kg spinach, well rinsed and tough stems removes
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 cup Tomato Essence (refer below)
1 cup Chickpea Sauce (refer below)

Method
For the marinade
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, thyme, garlic, and pepper. Add the fish, shallots, and capsicums, stirring gently to coat them with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for between 3 to 4 hours. Remove the fish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
SOAK THE SKEWERS in boiling water for 30 minutes.

THE VEGETABLES CAN BE PREHEATED 160°C OVEN
Put the spinach, with just the rinsing water clinging to the leaves, in a saucepan, cover, and cook just until wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain in a sieve, pressing out any excess water, set aside to cool slightly, and then chop finely. In a bowl, toss together the spinach, chives, Tomato Essence, and Chickpea Sauce. Transfer to a baking dish and heat for 20 minutes in a preheated oven, or for 2 minutes on full power in the microwave.
DRAIN THE SKEWERS
Remove the fish chunks from the marinade and thread them onto the skewers, alternating them with the shallot halves and bell pepper pieces. (This messy step is best done over a platter, with some paper towel handy.) Discard the marinade.
WHEN THE COALS ARE HOT (usually after about 30 minutes, when they’re barely covered with gray ash and you can hold your hand about 4 inches above them for only 2 or 3 seconds)
WHEN THE OVEN IS HOT place the skewers on the well-oiled grill rack. Grill 4 to 6 inches from the heat source, turning as necessary until the fish is just opaque throughout, about 10 minutes (it’s better if the fish is slightly underdone, rather than overdone and dried out; test a chunk to see).

To serve
Spoon a bed of aromatic vegetables onto warmed plates and top with a skewer of fish.