Dentex is one of the most flavorful and prized Mediterranean fish, and it beautifully complements asparagus in this rather unexpected variation on the surf and turf pasta sauce. To serve 4:
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 14 ounces (400 g) penne
- A dentex weighning 1 1/3- 1 3/4 pounds (600-800 g), scaled and cleaned
- 1/2 pound (200 g) asparagus tips (or, in season, wild asparagus)
- A medium carrot
- A medium onion
- A 6-inch (15 cm) rib celery
- 1 cup (250 ml) pureed canned tomatoes
- 2/5 cup (100 ml) dry rosé wine
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Filet the fish (see instructions if need be) and slice the filets into pieces.
Chop the carrot, onion, and celery, and sauté them in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, seasoning the mixture to taste with salt and pepper; when the onion has become translucent add the fish and continue cooking over a medium flame for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle the wine into the pan and continue cooking until it has evaporated.
While the fish is cooking, tie the asparagus so it stands upright, and cook it in boiling water in an asparagus pot, using enough water to submerge the stems, but not so much as to submerge the tips. When the asparagus spears are cooked -- they will be done in 3-5 minutes from when you add the asparagus to the water. When the asparagus is done, remove it to a plate and slice the tips and the softer green parts of the stems.
Also, set pasta water to boil, and, if you want to increase the fish flavor of the dish, add the fish skeleton and head to the water. If you want, you can also add the tougher parts of the asparagus stems to the water.
By now the fish should have cooked, and the wine boiled off; remove the pieces of fish, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, break them up, removing spines and bones.
Return the fish and the asparagus tips to the sautéed herbs, add the tomatoes, and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes more.
In the meantime, remove whatever you added to the pasta water with a skimmer or slotted spoon, salt the water, and cook the pasta.
Season the pasta with the sauce and serve at once, with more of the wine you added to it -- I might go with a Bardolino Chiaretto here.
Cheese shouldn't be necessary.
Chop the carrot, onion, and celery, and sauté them in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, seasoning the mixture to taste with salt and pepper; when the onion has become translucent add the fish and continue cooking over a medium flame for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle the wine into the pan and continue cooking until it has evaporated.
While the fish is cooking, tie the asparagus so it stands upright, and cook it in boiling water in an asparagus pot, using enough water to submerge the stems, but not so much as to submerge the tips. When the asparagus spears are cooked -- they will be done in 3-5 minutes from when you add the asparagus to the water. When the asparagus is done, remove it to a plate and slice the tips and the softer green parts of the stems.
Also, set pasta water to boil, and, if you want to increase the fish flavor of the dish, add the fish skeleton and head to the water. If you want, you can also add the tougher parts of the asparagus stems to the water.
By now the fish should have cooked, and the wine boiled off; remove the pieces of fish, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, break them up, removing spines and bones.
Return the fish and the asparagus tips to the sautéed herbs, add the tomatoes, and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes more.
In the meantime, remove whatever you added to the pasta water with a skimmer or slotted spoon, salt the water, and cook the pasta.
Season the pasta with the sauce and serve at once, with more of the wine you added to it -- I might go with a Bardolino Chiaretto here.
Cheese shouldn't be necessary.
