Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. In another large bowl, whisk the lime, orange and tomato juices with the tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.
Cook the shrimp in the boiling water just until curled and pink, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the ice water. Return the pot of water to a boil and add the squid. Cook for 30 seconds, until firm but tender. Drain immediately and add to the ice water.
When cool, drain the shrimp and squid and pat dry. Add to the bowl with the juices and toss to coat. Transfer the mixture to a large resealable plastic bag. Close the bag, pressing out the air. Refrigerate overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
Transfer the seafood salad to a bowl and stir in the tomatoes, avocados, scallions, onion and cilantro; season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Using a slotted spoon, scoop into martini glasses and serve with the plantain chips.
I know. Yet ANOTHER way to make beans!!! But like the other ones I have tried recently, this one brings something new and special to the table.
In a large saucepan, combine the beans with 10 cups of water and the quartered green pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand until the beans are softened, about 1 hour.
Return the beans to a boil and cook over very low heat until tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Discard the green pepper.
In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the sofrito and cook until most of the liquid is gone.Using a slotted spoon, add 1 cup of the beans to the skillet and mash to a paste.
Scrape the paste into the beans in the saucepan. Add the oregano, bay leaf, sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add the remaining 1 cup of water, or enough to just cover the beans, and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar and wine and cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are thick, about 15 minutes longer. Discard the bay leaf and serve.
Have you ever tried fruit salsa? If not, you don't know what you are missing! A mixture of sweet and spice, fruit salsas are great with grilled meat and fish, wonderful with chips, and fabulous on a bed of rice for a light lunch.
YUMMMM!!!! Rum cake! I remember clearly a slice devoured while in the Bahamas. Moist, sweet yet sharp from the rum, it was once of the best slices of cake I have ever had.
If you ever watch Foodtv, you should try to catch Marcela Valladolid. She is adorable to watch and cooks Mexican food in a way you may not be used to seeing - without the addition of pounds of cheese!
I don't have an amazing, earth-shattering recipe to share today. In fact, last night I did something I rarely do - I used a pre-packaged spice mix (Jamaican Jerk). Rather, I wanted to share with you this fish.
It was moist and tender in the middle while having a nice crust on the outside. Yum!
Southerners Take Note: This is not what YOU would call cornbread! It is moist and somewhat sweet, not dry. I promise, I am not trying to re-invent true cornbread, just offer another alternative!
Can you feel the excitement as they wait to be cooked?
Preheat the oven to 275ºF.
Begin by cutting jalapeños in half lengthwise. Try to keep the stems intact.
With a spoon, scrape out the seeds and light-colored membranes to match your heat-tolerance level.
In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, chopped green onion and pineapple (if using). Mix the ingredients together gently. Stuff each hollowed jalapeño half with the cheese mixture.
Brush the cream cheese with your favorite barbecue sauce. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until pepper is getting soft, but is not "mushy".
It seemed time to write about a vegetable again. We do eat them!
I am reaching back a couple of weeks for this recipe. It is from Fiesta on the Grill, a wonderful cookbook that I highly recommend! Not made during grilling season, I cooked the veggies over the gas flame on my stove. Despite this change in technique, the tomatoes and other veggies had an amazing charred flavor.
Less salsa, more salad, this side dish can be great with strong thick tortilla chips, or eaten alongside your favorite main dish with a fork.
Oh, and if I didn't mention it before, it is very easy to make!
Charred Pear Tomato Salsa (Adapted from Douglas Rodriguez)
Salt
1 medium white or red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
3 cups (about 1 1/4 lbs) cherry or pear tomatoes
1 t + 1 T olive oil
2 cloves roasted garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 t to 2 T chopped chipolte chiles in adobo sauce (the amount depends on your heat tolerance)
1 T fresh cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 T lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sugar as needed
Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with foil, or prepare a small steamer basket with oil for your gas stove-top.
Salt the onion slices and cook until browned and a little charred around the edges, at least 15 minutes in the oven, or 5 minutes over the gas flame. Remove, cool and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.
Toss the tomatoes in 1 t oil and cook the same way as the onions, until they have some black spots, are beginning to give off juice, but are still firm. Remove from heat and place in a bowl ti capture the liquid.
Combine the onion, tomatoes, garlic, chiles, cilantro, lime juice and remaining oil and let sit for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to develop.
Taste and season with salt and pepper and if needed, sugar to balance.
Sounds so much prettier than Chicken with Rice!
I have always wanted to try this Cuban dish. Disclaimer - I have not yet tried this at a restaurant so I don't know exactly HOW authentic this recipe is, but I can tell you this much - It was GOOD!!!
I didn't find annatto seeds until after I was finished, I instead used achiote paste to make the oil. It seemed to work although I will be anxious to try again with the seeds. Also, a few of the ingredients were not readily available to me: ajices dulces and culantro. I simply left them out.
The other change I would make is to use more sofrito. It tastes sooooo good that a bit more can only be better, right?
I think it is necessary to say again - this one WILL be repeated!!!
Chicken with Rice (Arroz con Pollo adapted from Daisy Martinez)
1/4 cup Achiote Oil, recipe follows
1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Fine sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Sofrito, recipe follows
1/4 cup alcaparrado or coarsely chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch ground cloves
4 cups long-grain rice
5 cups homemade or store-bought -- reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 large bottled roasted red peppers, cut into 1/4-inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
Achiote Oil
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons achiote (annatto) seeds, (see Daisy's Notes*)
Sofrito
2 medium Spanish onions (about 12 ounces), cut into large chunks
3 to 4 Italian frying peppers or Cubanelle peppers, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks
16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large bunch cilantro, washed
7 to 10 ajices dulces (see Daisy's Notes*), optional
4 leaves culantro (see Daisy's Notes*), optional
3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), cored and cut into chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cored, -- seeded and cut into large chunks
In a paella pan or wide, shallow pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the Achiote Oil over medium-high heat until the oil is rippling. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add as many pieces skin side down to the pan as fit without touching. Cook, turning as necessary, until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the pieces as they are done and set aside. Adjust the heat under the pan, especially after you start removing chicken, so the chicken browns without the oil darkening.
When all the chicken is removed from the pan, add the Sofrito and alcaparrado. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and boil until most of the water is evaporated from the Sofrito. Add the cumin and cloves.
Stir in the rice until coated with oil. Return the chicken to the pan, pour in enough broth to cover the rice by the width of 2 fingers (about 1-inch), and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until the level of liquid reaches the rice. Stir gently and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook until the liquid is absorbed, the chicken is cooked through, and the rice is tender but firm, about 20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork. The arroz con pollo can be brought to the table right in the pan or transferred to a large serving platter. Either way, garnish with the red pepper before serving.
Achiote Oil
Heat the oil and annatto seeds in a small skillet over medium heat just until the seeds give off a lively, steady sizzle. Don't overheat the mixture or the seeds will turn black and the oil will turn a nasty green. Once they're sizzling, remove the pan from the heat and let stand until the sizzling stops. Strain and reserve in a jar with a tight-fitting lid at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Sofrito
Chop the onion and Cubanelle or Italian peppers in the work bowl of a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add theremaining ingredients 1 at a time and process until smooth. The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It also freezes beautifully.
*Daisy's Notes:
Achiote seeds are a deep orange seed with a nutty flavor. They are available in many supermarkets and almost all Latin markets.
Ajices dulces are little sweet peppers that look similar to the fiery hot Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, only smaller. They have a wonderful fresh herbal flavor, almost like cilantro, but only a tiny bit of heat.
Culantro is an herb with broad, round-tipped leaves. Its flavor is similar to cilantro, but much more intense. Both ajices dulces and culantro are available in Latin markets. If you cannot find them, simply increase the amount of cilantro to 1 1/2 bunches.
So I keep thinking "how many more ways can there be to make beans"?
Confession time - I have never made beans that included a "meat ingredient". A smoked turkey wing provided a depth that has been missing from past bean recipes - yes, a turkey wing. I wasnt ready to use a ham hock and it's higher fat count. But after using the turkey, I'm not sure the hock is necessary.
At least until I make the recipe on deck for next week!
I love the first time I turn on the grill each year. The first time meat hits the grate. The way it smells, the way it sounds....
Read the title. Isn't is pretty? Say it out loud. Sounds even better, doesn't it!
You should TASTE it!!!
Lime, rum and honey are all wonderful bold flavors on their own. Together they blend like a lovely three-part harmony. Rum provides the deep bass note with it's richness. Lime is the harmony that sits in the middle, keeping its own integrity, yet also providing the acid needed to help the rum and honey do their jobs. Then there is the honey. The melody. The sweet foundation. Without it, the other two would sound (taste) thin and out of place.
Now that I have channeled enough of my music background...
This recipe is easy and fun to make. It was made on the cast iron skillet and even though it cooked just fine, the grill would have helped caramelize the honey, making for a more crusty finish.
Guess I will have to make this again come grilling season!
Honey, Lime and Rum Glazed Shrimp (Adapted from Latin Flavors on the Grill)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup dark rum
2 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp lime juice
3/4 cup honey (I used a dark amber)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
Combine lime juice and rum in medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk in cornstarch and lime juice mixture and honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. When glaze is cooled, stir in the lime zest and the cilantro. Transfer to a container, cover and keep cool.
Preheat grill to medium-hot. Toss shrimp with the oil, 6 tbsp of the glaze and salt and pepper to taste. Grill shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes each side, brushing frequently with more glaze. Cook until shrimp are bright pink on the outside and white on the inside.
Although I am in the fortunate position to not have a job outside the home at this time, I did for all my adult life until very recently. When I wasnt getting home from work until six or after, It was very important to me to have meals that could be cooked very quickly. Along with that, however, it was important to me that these meals taste great, and also be healthy.
This dish would fit all those criteria! Recently I started cooking recipes from Daisy Martinez. She uses bold ingredients that dont require a lot of fat to taste good.
This recipe caught my eye, because it has garlic in the title. If there is garlic in the title, I'm pretty sure I will love it! Steam some rice while the chicken cooks, saute a bit of spinach and you have a great tasting meal! The aroma of the garlic cooking will make you hungry if you werent all ready!!
Chicken in Garlic Sauce - Pollo al Ajillo (Adapted from Daisy Martinez)
12 large chicken thighs (about 4 pounds; see Note)
Fine sea or kosher salt
1/4 cup canola oil
10 cloves garlic, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup chicken broth, homemade or canned
Wash the chicken thighs and pat them dry with paper towels. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many of the chicken thighs, skin side down, as will fit without touching.
Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 5 minutes more.
Remove the pan from the heat and spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat, leaving all the lovely brown bits behind. Return the pan to low heat, stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until the garlic starts to turn golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the sherry, increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Let it boil a minute or 2, then return the chicken to the pan skin side up. Reduce the heat to low, pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan tightly and cook 20 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces (or rotate them top to bottom if using a smaller pan) and cook until the chicken is very tender, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.
I was introduced to puposa several years ago when I moved to Nashville. Simply, it is a filled corn pocket. Kind of like a tortilla, yet different. They are very popular in many South and Central American countries. In fact, in El Salvador, November 13 is National Puposa day!
There is a restaurant in town that makes them and they are a favorite of mine. Fillings range from cheese, beans and cheese, pork and cheese... and they are served with a wonderfully tangy vinegar based slaw.
Like any other "bread" recipe that is mixed and manipulated, it was fun to watch the dough take shape. The aroma as the masa and water combine is incredible and I always find the kneading dough to be a pleasurable experience.
After a short rest, I rolled the dough into small balls, pushed a small indentation with my thumb, then added my choice of filling - shredded queso (cheese) and diced hot red pepper. The fillings were covered over and the dough was presses into a flat circle. A hot iron skillet made beautiful brown spots on the dough while making the cheese melty inside.
The corn flavor was similar to what I was used to. The filling wasn't as prominent as at the restaurant and I dry cooked mine instead of using oil, but all in all, a successful first experience.
If you have a place in town that makes puposa, give it a taste! Then come home and make your own!
Pupusas
2 cups Masa harina
1 cup Warm water
1 cup Filling (I used cheese and diced pepper)
In a large bowl, mix together the masa harina and water and knead well. Knead in more water, one tablespoonful at a time if needed, to make a moist, yet firm dough. (It should not crack at the edges when you press down on it.) Cover and set aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Roll the dough into a log and cut it into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
Press an indentation in each ball with your thumb. Put about 1 tablespoon of desired filling into each indentation and fold the dough over to completely enclose it. Press the ball out with your palms to form a disc, taking care that that the filling doesn't spill out.
Line a tortilla press with plastic and press out each ball to about 5-6 inches wide and about 1/4-inch thick. If you don't have a tortilla press, place the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and roll it out with a rolling pin.
Heat an ungreased skillet over medium-high flame. Cook each pupusa for about 1-2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and blistered. Remove to a plate and hold warm until all pupusas are done.
Pupusas de Queso: With a cheese filling. Use grated quesillo, queso fresco, farmer's cheese, mozzarella, Swiss cheese or a combination. Add some minced green chile if you like.
Goal: Eat more salmon. Issue: I don't really care for salmon. Solution: Try to hide it?
At least they make a pretty picture!
I have alluded to this amazing torte in the past. Now it is time for you to try it!
If you like dark and chocolaty, if you like moist, if you like a hint of citrus in your chocolate, this is for you. Though easy to make, it is an impressive dessert to serve to guests.
My only caution is this: if you don't like orange with chocolate, or don't like it to be strong, leave it out of only use the zest of half of the fruit. It did have a strong orange flavor.
Otherwise, perfection!
Chocolate-Almond Torte (Adapted from Food Network Magazine)
1 1/4 cups blanched, sliced almonds
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced, plus more for greasing
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Whipped cream, for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the almonds on a baking sheet until lightly golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Cool slightly, then pulse in a food processor until finely ground, but not pasty.
Melt 12 tablespoons butter and the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Stir until the chocolate is smooth, then remove from the heat and cool slightly. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with butter and coat with the breadcrumbs, tapping out the excess.
Combine the eggs and yolks and the sugar in a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-high until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest, rum and salt, then beat in the melted chocolate until smooth. Mix in the ground almonds until just combined.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the top is firm and cracked (a toothpick inserted into the cake will be fudgy), 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the ring. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with confectioners' sugar and whipped cream, if desired.
