Swordfish Sicilian-style

It has been a little difficult for me to continually find vegetarian recipes to share here. So, pardon me if occasionally, items transgress into the world of meat-eating. Here is a lovely swordfish recipe my husband found in the Chez Panisse Fruit cookbook. We tried it two weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised. The stuffing is savoury enough that I felt I would enjoy it with some sort of poultry, but the mild flavour and substantial texture of swordfish are a good foil.

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion

1 pinch of saffron threads

3 anchovies (rinse them if they are packed in oil)

2 oranges

1/4 cup dried currants or raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

3 Tbs. chopped parsley

1 tsp. chopped oregano

salt and pepper

bay leaves

This stuffing recipe is for 2 pounds of swordfish which is far too much for only two people. I usually figure 6 oz. of meat/person as a serving. So if you are making this for two, halve the stuffing recipe and purchase a 12 oz. swordfish steak. The swordfish should be cut into 1/8 thick slices about 4 x 6 inches for rolling.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Toss the bread crumbs with 2 Tbs. olive oil and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast them in the oven stirring occasionally until they are golden brown - about 15 minutes. Dice the onion and saute it on medium-low with the saffron and another 2 Tbs. olive oil. Cook until the onion is soft. Chop the rinsed anchovy coarsely. Squeeze 1/4 cup juice from one of the oranges and pour it over the currants or raisin to plump them. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet on medium or medium-high unitl golden stirring continuously to prevent burning.

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, onion, anchovies, currants (with their juice), pine nuts, chopped parsely and oregano. Season generously with salt and pepper. Taste. The stuffing should be assertive, but you want to take care not to over-salt as it already contains anchovies.

Lay out the swordfish slices and season both sides with salt and peper. Spoon about 2 Tbs. of stuffing onto each slice and roll it up. Arrange each roll, flap side down, in an oiled baking dish just big enough to hold all of them snugly.

Cut the remaining orange into half-moons or smiles :) and with a bay leaf, wedge it between each roll. Drizzle olive oil over the fish and bake the dish for 15 minutes. The rolls will be opaque and firm to the touch when finished.

We ate this dish with a simple roasted vegetable and a plain risotto. It could also be nice with a salad and a simple pasta.