Crimped Pike, Bruschetta, and Basil Pinzimonio

The scene is Sora Leila, the old restaurant on the Isola Tiberina in Rome, in 1952, where the grandmother of a friend was hosting my friend and me to dinner. A wonderfully typical Roman skit happened, for Sora Leila, the restaurant owner, offered her luccio grilled, and la nona wanted it poached; so poached it came with typical Roman bruschette and the best ever pinzimonio, the oil-rich dressing flavored liberally with fresh basil. This is best prepared during the spring when the Jewish hol