Retracing My Family Roots in Coastal Italy

Passport & Plate - Traditional Adriatic Brodetto

Ingredients
1 liter olive oil
2 onions sliced
1 green tomato per person
1 green and red tomato each per every 6 people
1 liter white wine vinegar
1 bottle white wine
2-3 handfuls small octopus
2-3 handfuls squid
assortment of other fish and/or rays
salt and pepper to season at the end as needed.

 

How to prepare this recipe
Start with a gigantic size pan- this one fit over two burners, turn the heat on and warm it up. Then pour in 1 liter of olive oil and 2 sliced onions. Fill another pot with water and turn it on until the water boils. Once the oil begin to bubble and onions begin to soften add a few handfuls of small octopus. They must be small! Cook until they begin to brown and then add a few ladles of the boiling water to the pan.

The octopus will begin to turn red, then add a few handfuls of cut up squid. Cook until they are tender and easy to break.

Into the pan you’ll then add 1 liter of white wine vinegar and 1 bottle of white wine (you can leave out the wine if you prefer). Cut up 2 red and 2 green bell peppers and quarter 12 green tomatoes. Add the vegetables to the pan. You’ll then add several ladles of the boiling water to cover everything or as the chef says “make it swim!” Leave this to cook for 20 minutes.

Now it’s time to add the rest of the fish. Everything should be cleaned, scaled, and spines removed. The toughest fish that need the most time to cook should be placed at the bottom, followed by more tender fish closer to the top. Cover with more water. Once all of the fish are in the pan, do not move again. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, It can then be left to sit for a little while before serving hot with plenty of bread.

 

The story behind this recipe
Last year was the first time I visited Italy. As the great granddaughter of an Italian immigrant I was always aware of my heritage but had never had the chance to experience it. In the short time I was there I felt such an affinity and closeness to my past, something that I had never experienced. While I'm not a big lover of seafood, being in the kitchen cooking and learning about this recipe brought back many memories of my now deceased grandfather. It's simple, just like the food I grew up on. After we prepared the meal we went to visit another local site while it cooked.

When we went back to taste the brodetto I wasn’t feeling well. My blood sugar had dropped and I asked to please have something sweet to drink as soon as we sat down. The chef quickly came back with a Sprite and asked if there was anything else he could get me. I tasted the brodetto with everyone else but it was just too much fish for me. I didn’t want to be rude or have anything special made but he quickly went back to the kitchen and brought a plate of fresh ravioli and sauce for me. He continued to check on me throughout lunch and even came with a special dessert. Sure, it could have just been the makings of a great chef and host at work, but I caught a wink he sent my way after he was certain I was ok and in that moment I felt my grandpa was there with us. Besides how could he have known ravioli were my favorite if grandpa wasn’t there watching out for me?

This will forever be one of my favorite travel memories because it brought a culture I knew so much about to life!