Summertime is When to Whiten Up A Little ..

Summer’s coming with a fury and, like a creature shedding fur, I’m transitioning from the heavy reds of winter to lighter and more refreshing wines which are better suited to the tropical temperatures to come. I’m also altering my food choices by selecting lighter meals with more fresh veggies and fruits. I am not, however, giving up red meat nor will I forego the pleasure of red wine. This is strictly a seasonal decision having nothing, I assure you, to do with a lifestyle change and everything to do with sating my hedonistic tendencies.

Okay, now that we have that cleared up, today I’m going to tell you about a great summertime meal beginning with a simple salad, followed by a light, spicy, yet rich, seafood entrée. Oh, and by the way, I’m going to suggest a couple of complementary wines that will make this a meal to remember.

First the salad. Some years back, a good friend was kind enough to present me with some arugula seeds which had -- how shall I put this-- somehow found their way into his luggage on his return from a trip to Italy. This was about 10 years ago and arugula was an exotic and highly prized green vegetable. I planted the seeds and fortunately, the arugula flourished, and consequently we have enjoyed this aromatic, peppery and nutty tasting green perennial vegetable in salads and in pasta dishes each spring and early summer.

Nowadays, you can find arugula in many supermarkets and from smaller fruit and vegetable vendors (The Purple Onion in Charleston’s Capitol Market usually has a good supply). Arugula is native to Italy and these folks use it in a number of ways, one of which is to simply clean it, dry it then dress it with olive oil, fresh lemon, sweet onions and salt and pepper. To this mixture, I add thinly sliced fennel (from the bulb), sectioned blood oranges and top the salad off with thinly sliced (one-inch long) pieces of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Next, I drove to my favorite seafood purveyor (Joe’s Fish Market at the corner of Brooks and Quarrier Streets) and purchased several six-ounce fillets of Chilean sea bass. For those of you who have not experienced the exquisite flavor of truly fresh fish, I suggest you travel to Joe’s and let the experts there tempt you with their deep sea goodies. But this entrée would work just as well with grouper, halibut or some other firm, yet mildly flavored fish. However, in my estimation, this dish works best with Chilean Sea Bass.

1. To begin, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees then dredge the fillets in a dry mixture of flour, salt and pepper. Sauté the fish in about two ounces of extra virgin olive oil for about three minutes to a side until lightly browned and then set them aside.

2. In the same sauté pan, add more olive oil and lightly brown a teaspoon of freshly chopped garlic, one-half cup each of diced sweet onion along with sweet yellow and red peppers.

3. At the same time, you should boil two quarts of water for pastina (the tiny pasta that is about half the size of rice). Boil one cup of pastina until cooked but firm, drain and add a teaspoon of butter, salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

4. Once the vegetables are cooked al dente (not mushy), add to this mixture one cup each of freshly cored and peeled sweet tomatoes (canned tomatoes will do in an emergency) and one-half cup of dry white wine (preferably the stuff you will be drinking with the entrée). Cook vigorously for another three minutes then add pitted and chopped Greek or Italian black olives, and two teaspoons of capers. Remove from the heat and cover the mixture.

5. Place the fish in a shallow oven pan (rubbed with olive oil) and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until it is firm, but not overdone.

6. Now spoon the pastina onto a plate and put the fish on top of it. Then ladle the pepper and tomato mixture over top the fish and Viola (that’s pronounced 'Vie-ole-la' where I come from), and you’ve got yourself some good eating.

With regard to choosing wine, this is a dish which needs a light to medium-bodied white and I’ve got two recommendions for you:
2005 Banfi Le Rime ($10): A blend of Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, this northern Italian wine is fresh and fruity but with enough depth of flavor to stand up to – but not overwhelm - the entree.
2005 Pierre Sparr Pinot Blanc Reserve ($15): This Alsatian wine (see photo at right) has melon and citrus notes with a crisp, dry finish and would marry well with the flavors in the Chilean Sea Bass dish.