Two years ago I got a wonderful present in the mail: a copy of La Terra Fortunata: The Splendid Food and Wine of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Broadway, by Fred Plotkin, a native New Yorker with a real love of Italy.

If you share my imprecise knowledge of geography, the title may cause you to remark, as I did: where the heck is Friuli-Venezia Giulia. No wonder the book’s subtitle refers to it as Italy’s Great Undiscovered Region.

I was delighted to discover that Friuli-Venezia Giulia is a land bridge between Italy, Austria and Slovenia with a delectable cuisine that reflects a culinary blend of those cultures: gnocchi filled with plums or apricots; sea scallops with almond sauce; risotto flavored with ginger and nutmeg and cheeses accompanied by incomparable regional wines. Friuli-Venezia Giulia’s reds and whites are considered among Italy’s best.

Over the last two years, a number of the recipes Plotkin included in this book have become woven into the tapestry of our family meals. They now hold pride of place on the table during holiday gatherings or just plain together times.

The undeniable favorite is Brodetto alla Triestina – Triestine Seafood Stew. I like to serve it the day after Christmas when the family traditionally gathers at my house. To me, it’s a warm, wonderful and gently spicy echo of the seven fishes dinner, one of the hallmarks, along with Midnight Mass, of Southern Italian and Sicilian Christmas Eves.

I’ve also started serving the Seafood Stew on the Feast of the Assumption when all our eyes turn toward the sea in a tradition so lost in the multi-generational mist that no one is quite sure whether it’s Irish or Italian.

The children, who adore seafood, devour it with gusto. Adults who encounter it for the first time unfailingly ask for the recipe because it’s just so easy to prepare and so good to eat.

Though the recipe calls for at least five types of seafood and fish, I’ve made it with as few as three and as many as seven, always with good results. I like to make sure there are some chewy morsels in the bowl so I always include scallops, shrimp or monkfish in the brew.

And because the mix is a matter of personal taste, it’s possible to keep the cost down by relying primarily on less expensive fish such as cod or tilapia.

I plan to serve the stew to friends this Lenten season accompanied by Insalata Triestina, a tasty salad composed of greens, beans, feta cheese and poppy seeds.

Brodetto alla Triestina – Triestine Seafood Stew

Serves 6

The rule is that there should be at least five different varieties of fish and seafood in a combination of delicate and oily fishes. The choice is strictly up to you. Eel should be used if you want to be authentically Triestine (I never have). Sole and mullet are often used as well as an oily fish such as mackerel or boned sardines. Only use seafood with no shell attached. All the pieces of fish and seafood should be of comparable size. Leave shrimp and scallops whole.

• 3 garlic cloves (2 cut in half, 1 minced)
  
• extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2¼ lbs. assorted fish and seafood, washed, patted dry and cut into pieces
  
• a generous pinch of coarse sea salt
  
• 3 to 4 grindings fresh black pepper
  
• 1 large yellow onion, minced
  
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  
• 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
  
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
  
• 6 slices toasted or stale crusty bread

Directions: Rub the sides of a wide, 4-quart heavy bottomed pot with one of the halves of garlic clove. Add ¼ inch of olive oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Take care that the oil doesn’t splatter as you add the fish. Lower the heat to medium-low, toss in the salt and pepper. Cook the fish, turning it occasionally so that it cooks through but doesn’t brown.

Remove the fish with a slotted spoon, shaking off any oil, and transfer to a warm plate or dish and cover. Add the onion to the pot and sauté it in the same oil. After 1 minute, add the 4 garlic clove halves. Dissolve the tomato paste in the vinegar and add to the pot. Keep cooking until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally so it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.

Add 2 cups boiling water, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, then return the fish to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the butter and minced garlic clove in a large skillet and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bread slices and fry on both sides until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Place a slice of the bread in the middle of each serving bowl and add the stew. Serve immediately.

Insalata Triestina

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 cup cooked cranberry, pinto, kidney or other red or brown beans at room temperature (well drained canned beans may also be used)
  
• 1 tbsp. finely minced onion
  
• 1 tbsp. dill leaves (no stems)
  
• 1 lb. radicchio or other comparable greens (if the leaves are large, tear them into small pieces)
  
• 1 lb. savoy cabbage cut into small pieces
  
• ½ cup grated fresh carrots (the sweetest you can find)

Salad Dressing:

• 8 ounces fresh feta cheese
  
• juice of 1 to 2 large lemons
  
• 1 tsp. poppy seeds crushed in a mortar
  
• extra virgin olive oil or other pure vegetable oil

Directions for the dressing: In a glass jar, place the cheese, lemon juice and poppy seeds and shake vigorously to combine. Then add a little bit of oil, just enough to give the sauce a silky texture. The sauce should be creamy and runny rather than thick. To make it thinner, add a little more lemon juice. Shake again before serving.

Directions for the salad: Combine the beans, onion and dill and let sit for 1 hour. Put the greens, carrots and beans in a large salad bowl and toss. Serve dressing on the side.

Let us pray

Lord Jesus, our brother, we praise you for saving us. Bless us in your love as we gather in your name, and bless this meal that we share. Jesus, we praise you forever.