We're offering a vibrantly diverse group of Spotlight Dishes tonight! Start off with our Insalata di Mercato (Fresh Market Salad), with gorgeous Thanksgiving Farms Patty pan squash, zucchini, crisp cucumber, young onion, basil, parsley, mint, and carrots. Then the explosively flavored Sgombro in Carpione. It's a pickled mackerel with sliced Thanksgiving Farms carrots, red onion, cucumber, celery, fennel, and radish.
Our Lamb “T-Bone” is a custom-cut lamb loin chop seasoned with rosemary, chili flake, garlic, salt and pepper, pan-seared and served medium rare over a delicious blend of New Jersey corn, Stokes farms green beans, and leeks.
Finish things off on a cool and fresh note with our delicious Lemon Granita, a true Southern Italian favorite, topped with Red Jacket Orchards black cherries.
See recipes below for the Granita and the Sgombro.
Sgombro in Carpione
(Pickled Mackerel)
EVOO for frying
1 med. sized Spanish Mackerel, filleted, pin bones removed, skin on, cut into 1-2 oz portions
All Purpose Flour for dusting
Salt and Pepper
1 C thinly sliced red onion
1 C thinly sliced celery on the bias
1 C thinly sliced carrot rounds
1 C thinly sliced fennel
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pt Red Wine Vinegar
1 pt water
Salt and Sugar to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Mint leaves and lemon wedge for garnish
Sicilian EVOO for finishing
- Heat 2” EVOO in a large roundeau. Season flour in a large bowl with salt and pepper. Toss fish pieces to coat evenly and shake off excess.
- When oil is shimmering but not smoking, add fish, skin side down, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
- Cook until golden and flip, about 5 minutes. Flip again and get color on the other side. Drain well on a rack or paper towels.
- Bring vinegar and water up to a boil. Season with Salt, Pepper and Sugar to taste. Add vegetables and cook 1 minute.
- Arrange fish in hotel pan, skin side up. Pour liquid with vegetables over it and let cool.
To pick up, place 1 piece fish on a plate and top with some vegetables, no juice.
Drizzle with Sicilian Olive Oil, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and finish with 1 mint leaf.
Granita di Limone
(From my cookbook Italian Cooking For Dummies)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon liqueur (optional)
Combine lemon juice with sugar. Add a tablespoon or so of your favorite liqueur, if desired. Pour the liquid into a 13 x 9 x2 inch ceramic or glass pan. ace the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. Using a large metal spoon, stir frozen crystals from around the edges of the pan back into the liquid. As the mixture continues to freeze, scrape the spoon against the sides and bottom of the pan to loosen and break up frozen crystals. REpeat this scraping process every 30 minutes or so until the mixture is frozen and a bit creamy, about 3 hours total. Scoop the crysals into individual bowls or goblets, top with fresh cherries, and serve immediately.


