These amazing appetizers go great alongside a glass of your favorite Italian wine. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
Chicken Wings All’aceto
1/4 c flour
2 t sea salt + more for garnish
2 1/2 lb chicken wings, separated at the joint
3/4 c olive oil
1 t ground rosemary
1/2 t pepper
12 anchovy fillets
1 T garlic, minced
3/4 c white wine vinegar
Pasticcio di Dante (Dante’s Fine Little Mess)
1 T garlic, minced
1 T anchovy fillet, minced
2 T Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 c capers, drained
1 c roasted red bell peppers, drained and julienned
salt and pepper, to taste
1 T lemon juice
Spiedini di Gamberi alla Siracusana (Sicilian-Style Grilled Shrimp) with Salsa
24 tail-on prawns (approx. 1 lb large), peeled and cleaned
1 lemon, halved and squeezed
12, 8” bamboo skewers pinch of kosher salt
1 ea red and yellow bell pepper, cut into large strips
3 T olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lg ripe tomato, diced fine
10 sprigs parsley, leaves only
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 basil leaves, torn
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Spiedini alla Roman (Roman-Style Smoked Mozzarella Skewers)
1 baguette, sliced into 24 pieces
1/2 lb smoked or fresh mozzarella, sliced into 16 thick pieces
8, 6” bamboo skewers
3 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c butter
4-8 anchovies in oil, to taste
8 sprigs Italian flat-leaf parsley
Steps
Chicken Wings All’aceto
In a bowl, mix flour and 2 t salt. Toss in wings and coat. Place oil in a wide, deep skillet; heat to med-high. Fry wings, browning all sides until crispy. Add rest of ingredients except vinegar and sauté for 2 min. Add vinegar; cook until liquid evaporates. Serve immediately, sprinkled with sea salt.
Pasticcio di Dante (Dante’s Fine Little Mess)
Purée garlic, anchovy and parsley. Heat 1 T oil in a saucepan; add the garlic-anchovy paste and capers and lightly sauté. Add peppers and remaining oil. Simmer until liquid evaporates. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon. Serve warm with toasted bread.
Spiedini di Gamberi alla Siracusana (Sicilian-Style Grilled Shrimp) with Salsa
Soak prawns in cold water, lemon and salt for 30 min. Pre-heat grill to med-high. Put two prawns and three peppers per skewer; sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill approx. 2 min per side, until done. Serve immediately with the salsa.
For salsa, combine tomato, parsley, garlic, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.
Spiedini alla Roman (Roman-Style Smoked Mozzarella Skewers)
Pre-heat broiler to 375 degrees. Alternate three pieces of bread and two pieces of cheese on each skewer, with bread on each end. Place the skewers on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle 2 T olive oil over the skewers and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place under the broiler on middle rack just until cheese begins to melt and bread lightly browns, approx. 5-8 min. Meanwhile, melt butter with remaining 1 T olive oil; mash anchovies with a fork and combine well. Serve skewers hot from the oven with butter and anchovy mixture poured over and topped with parsley.
