Holiday in the Sunbaked Cote d'Azur

From Fayence to Saint-Paul-de-Vence it was sunbaked bliss, and lots of tomato, eggplant & herbs. Here's a recipe we made in the wood burning oven of our rental house (albeit using indigenous Mediterranean sea bass instead of swordfish).

Braised Swordfish with Crushed Tomatoes & White Beans

Quantity Produced: Serves 6

Swordfish or Grouper Fillets 6 / 4-5 oz Pieces
Wondra Flour for Dredging 1 Cup
Kosher Salt & Fresh Black Pepper As Needed

Ripe Tomatoes (Not Soft), Scored 5 Medium
Sweet Onion, Diced 1 ¼ Cups
Red Wine Vinegar ¼ Cup
Garlic, Minced 2 Small Cloves
Sugar ¼ Cup
Freshly Ground Black Pepper and Kosher Salt To Taste

Pancetta or Bacon, Chopped 3-4oz.
Lemon Zest and Juice 1 Lemon
Cannellini Beans, Cooked 2 Cups
Italian Parsley, Minced 2 Tablespoons
Salt & Pepper as needed
Chicken Stock or Water ¼ to ½ Cup
Oil-Cured Black Olives (optional) ½ Cup Pitted

Preparation Procedure- Preheat oven to 350˚.
Make the tomato braise, bring a pot of water to a boil. Prep a bowl of ice water. Drop scored tomatoes into boiling water until skins peel back about 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Transfer to ice water to cool. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle peel off skin and cut into 1/4 . Seed tomatoes, remove cores and dice. Set aside. In a small sauce pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, sweat garlic and onion until translucent, 4 minutes. Add red wine vinegar and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil and add chopped, peeled and seeded tomatoes. Reduce temperature to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thick 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.