This is what Omelet made....
Mako Shark (or other meat) with Anchovy and Caper Sauce
[I used boneless skinless chicken thighs]
Marinade:
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped garlic
3 bay leaves
-[Bay leaf is optional, I did not use it]
1/4 cup imported sweet paprika
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-[or 1/4 tsp. powdered ground red pepper flakes]
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-[or 3/4 tsp. white pepper]
6 mako shark or swordfish steaks (about 8 ounces each)
-[or 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs]
In a large bowl, combine the onions, garlic, bay leaves, paprika,
lemon juice, 1 cup of the olive oil, the cayenne, salt and 1/4
teaspoon of the pepper. Add the shark steaks and set aside to
marinate, turning every 20 minutes, for 1 hour.
-[or marinate chicken thighs overnight]
I covered it with waxed paper touching down into the bowl and refrigerated overnight.
Mix for the putanesca sauce:
"Tweaks" are added in the -[brackets].
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 can (14 oz) Italian plum tomatoes, including liquid
-[Added two cans plus a 6 oz. can of tomato paste]
5-6 Oil Cured Black Olives, pitted and sliced in half
5-6 Sicilian Green Olives, pitted and sliced in half
5-6 Kalamata Olives (or Greek Black Olives), pitted and sliced in half
3-4 Peperonccini, sliced
-[I used 4 but won't next time. Just too hot for my tastes with the addition of
the crushed red pepper that I over-did. I'll likely delete the red pepper next time]
2 tsp of capers
-[I used 1/2 of a jar. I'll likely add even more next time. ;-d]
Crushed Red Pepper to taste
-[see above note for the peperonccini's]
Fresh (or dried) Oregano to taste
-[I used a mix of fresh mexican oregano and dittany of crete since I had it growing.]
Fresh (or dried) Basil to taste
-[I used fresh, 1 whole bunch of it from the store]
1 lb spaghetti
Chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
Anchovie Caper sauce for the chicken.
Sauce:
Anchovy fillets, rinsed and finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
-[or 1/2 cup dry vermouth]
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
-[or 2 tbs. red wine vinegar and 1 tbs. dried rubbed tarragon]
2 whole cloves
-[or 1/4 tsp ground mace]
1 can (15 ounces) Italian peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely
chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
-[or one packet of Splenda]
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick (4 ounces) butter
-[or 2 oz (1/2 stick) for a lower fat sauce]
1/4 cup drained capers
1 small bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and finely chopped
-[along with 4 Tbs. fresh minced Basil, 1 Tbs. fresh minced Mexican oregano
and 1 Tbs. fresh minced Greek Oregano]
Preheat the broiler. In a large nonreactive saucepan, saute the
anchovies in the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil over moderate heat
until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar and mace.
Reduce heat to low; cook for 5 minutes. Strain; return the sauce
to the pan.
Add the tomatoes, sugar and cinnamon and simmer the sauce over
moderate heat until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time,
stirring until completely melted. Add the capers, parsley and
remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cover to keep the sauce warm.
Remove the shark steaks from the marinade and pat dry. Broil the
steaks about 4 inches from the heat until just opaque throughout,
about 5 minutes on each side. Pour the warm sauce over the fish
and serve.
-[If using chicken thighs, they can be grilled in an indoor electric grill for 6 minutes each,
or quick fried in a hot skillet for 4 minutes per side in a small amount of Olive Oil]
Beginnings of this recipe. This is minced anchovie and Garlic in Olive oil:
I could not justify purchasing the more expensive jars of olives for just using a few of them.
I used 2 dozen each of pimento stuffed salad olives and canned pitted black olives.
It worked quite well and I'll likely add sliced in half olives to pasta sauces more frequently now!
In a skillet, heat oil. Add garlic and anchovies; cook over low heat until anchovies dissolve.
Add olives, capers and pepperonccini and saute for a few more minutes.
Add a splash of dry white wine.
[I used dry vermouth, Martinni and Rossi]
Chop tomatoes; add the tomatoes and spices to skillet; cook for 5 minutes.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain.
Either serve the bed of spaghetti with the sauce on top -or- mix well.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Overall, a very satisfying recipe! Richly flavored. Adding Olives, capers and
anchovies to a good marinara sauce recipe would probably give similar results.
