Northern Italian Cooking - Class 4: Sea Bass, Polenta, Calf's Liver, and Tuscan Beans

Sea Bass in Parchment
Clean, aromatic, and moist.

• 4 fillets Sea Bass, skinned
• 1 bag Spinach, wilted
• Baby Carrots, peeled and blanched
• Cucumber, sliced 1/8" rounds
• 1 clove Garlic, finely minced
• Butter
• Basil, parsley, rosemary, etc, chopped

On a sheet of parchment: Lay a fillet of sea bass onto a bed of spinach. Cover with herbs and garlic, then cucumber slices, then a bit of butter, and place the baby carrots on one side. Wrap the parchment tightly - you need to seal in all the moisture. Egg whites can be used as a "glue" for the parchment paper.

Place the envelopes onto a tray and bake at 400F for 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Creamy Polenta
This is some of the better polenta I've eaten, due to the cream and herbs. Soft/ spooning polenta reheats pretty well, compared to the harder sliced type.

• 1000 ml Water
• 250 g Fine Polenta (not extra fine)
• 1 cup Cream
• Fresh Basil and Parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly crushed Pepper

Imported, non-instant polenta is best. Soak the polenta in 500 ml water for 1 minute, and bring the other 500 ml to a boil in a double-boiler. Add the soaked polenta and its water to the double boiler. The polenta will take 10 to 15 minutes to cook through; be sure to stir regularly and check consistency: it is finished when soft, not grainy. Add cream, herbs, and seasoning to finish.

Grilled Calf's Liver
For the liver lovers out there.

Don't buy frozen liver for this recipe - it will lose its texture.

Peel the film from and remove the artery, if not already done. Soak the liver overnight in milk to cleanse and neutralize it.

Grilling: This is best grilled to medium or medium-rare. Flip it when some blood starts to come up through the surface, and remove it from the grill when the blood starts to come up through the surface again.

Serve with caramelized onions.

Tuscan White Beans
Tuscan beans look like large white kidney beans. This is a pretty simple and hearty dish.

• 400 g Tuscan White Beans
• Sage
• Rosemary
• Basil, chiffonade
• 2 cloves Garlic, sliced
• 200 g Stewed Tomatoes
• 100 ml Olive Oil
• S+P

Soak the beans 24 hours, then cook them with sage and rosemary in boiling water. Drain and salt when tender.

Heat some chopped (or whole) sage and rosemary in olive oil to infuse flavor. Add the tomatoes with a pinch of chili flakes. Saute for a few minutes. Add garlic, and saute 1 minute. Add the beans and basil, tossing the pan to mix (so that the beans don't get broken). Remove the whole herbs if using. Season to taste.