Elaine Cooks

This is a recipe not necessarily from Palermo, but one I’ve made and enjoyed over the years. I first made this out of “Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen” by Lidia Mattichio Bastianich, which was also the first time ever I was introduced to this delicious recipe and I have been making this dish ever since! This dish may be made generally year-round, at least in and around New York’s coastal waters.

I want to write something about cookbooks. Despite the wide availability of recipes available online, there is still something special about an experience to return to a “cookbook”, relied upon and treasured over the years on your shelf, its use reserved to return to for those recipes which may be particularly special to you, perhaps with the pages dog-eared to easily locate for future cooking or a post-it note attached. These types of cooking books are well-used and well-loved, its messy pages suffered from laying on the kitchen counter when cooking and notes inscribed in the margins to reflect any observations, recipe adjustments (which are sometimes incorporated if certain ingredients are missing from your kitchen at the time of cooking) or, for me and this blog, which are made to transform a recipe into a gluten free recipe! This has been exactly my experience in learning about how to make Gluten Free Meatballs in Sugo all’Arrabiata, thanks to Lidia and her inspiration. Grazie and Mangia!

Ingredients

To Make the Monkfish Meatballs

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds monkfish fillets
• 1 1/2 c. plain gluten-free panko
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 c. chopped flat parsley
• 1/4 c. small capers, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
• Fine white rice flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill for its availability and quality), seasoned with 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• Canola Oil, 2 tbsp., or a bit more if needed to lightly fry all of the monkfish meatballs until golden

For the Sugo all’Arrabiata

• 1/2 of large yellow onion or 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (enough to produce approximately 1 c.)
• 1 28-ounce San Marzano canned tomatoes (I like Cento, for its availability and price)
• 1/4 c. large capers, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c. dry red wine (may be replaced with water)
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 c. golden raisins
• 1/2 c. walnuts, toasted and crunched
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. ground peppercorn, or otherwise to taste
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper, depending upon your spice level preference

Ingredients

Begin with the monkfish fillets. You can ask your fish market to trim any excess skin and fish membrane, or with a good knife, you can do at home. Cut the fillets in 1-inch chunks and chill them, covered, in the refrigerator, about 1 hour. You can then opt to pass the cubes through a meat grinder, but given, in my experience, few families have meat grinders in their kitchens, a good alternative is a food processor, stopping and restarting the grinding process, to avoid over-processing, but until the fish resembles ground meat.

Place the ground monkfish into a bowl. Add the panko, beaten egg, parsley, capers, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Mix with your fingers. Once mixed, with your hands, form medium-sized meatballs, and place on a platter next to the stove. Next to the meatballs, fill a shallow bowl with 1 c. seasoned white rice flour.

Using a large skillet or saute pan, heat canola oil over medium heat and begin to lightly fry of the monkfish meatballs. Before placing each meatball in the pan, lightly dredge each meatball in the seasoned rice flour, and then lightly frying each meatball in the pan on all sides until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and re-place each meatball on the platter, covered with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Now, we prepare the spicy sauce. Pour any excess canola oil from the pan (as olive oil will be added to prepare the spicy sauce).

Add the olive oil to the drained pan over medium heat. Stir in the chopped onion and saute, stirring until translucent, approximately 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaves, crushed red pepper, and add 1/2 c. water (or 1 c. water (if red wine is not used)). Season to taste with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, and then lower heat to allow the sauce to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in the golden raisins and toasted walnuts and add the meatballs very gently into the sauce (to avoid breaking). Spoon sauce over the meatballs so that they are fully coated with the sauce.

Simmer for 20 minutes longer, checking occasionally. Turn off the heat and let stand for approximately 10 minutes. Ready to serve!

I recommend this dish be served with a creamy polenta and sauteed broccoli or broccoli rabe, which makes for an absolutely delicious, and complete, dinner. Buon Appetito!