recipe: chipotle queso pollo y tequila camarón aguacate

The last few years, my sister and treat our mommy to dinner and desert that we prepare for her. More times than not, we let her go shopping and whatever she picks up fresh is what we craft together into a meal. There seems to be a southwestern / Mexican flare running as yearly theme at this point, so, when my sister suggested this chipotle dish, I just couldn’t refuse. After all, the smoked halipeno is a personal favorite and since she just discovered it’s beauty she was all too eager to test it out. This is a slight variation on the recipe itself which includes the hor’dourves and the meal itself. My sister’s mastery of both art and baking produced a wonderful cake in the shape of a half a wine barrel sprouting with roses. Stunning, to say the least.

Shrimp
Shrimp
Olive Oil
Tequila
cilantro
cayenne pepper
shallot
avocado
lime
yogurt (Greek preferably, something thick, hearty and plain)

Combine equal parts olive oil and tequila
Zest the lime into the liquids
Shred the cilantro into the liquids
Add the shrimp and allow to marinade for 10-20 minutes (don’t go too long or it will begin to cook in the alcohol)
Very finely dice the shallot
Skin and de-pit the avocado and then mash
Combine the mashed avocado and shallt with the yogurt (about a 2:1 or 1.5:1 ratio would be good depending on your preference) and add a splash of tequila and the line juice
Season with cayenne pepper and fresh shredded cilantro
One a wooden skewer soaked in water, shift 4-5 shrimp separated by 1/8th’ed lime wedges (the ones you’ve already “zested and juiced”
Grill the shrimp, use the marinade to help keep the shrimp moist and from sticking, they will cook fast on a hot grill, do NOT overcook. Shrimp come with a “built in” thermometer – as they change color they are ready to turn, when they go to reddish-orange they are done!

To serve, take the avocado mixture and place it in a bowl in the center of a large platter, line the platter with chips, then place the skewers of shrimp along the edge of the platter over the chips with a few fresh sprigs of cilantro. People can dip the shrimp into the avocado, they can use the grilled lime if they’d like to drench the shrimp with an extra flavor level (esp. because once grilled they take on an extra flavor level) and of course the chips will finish up the dip.

Chicken
Chicken – thighs are better but breasts will work just fine*
Tequila
Lime (both zest and juice)
onion
garlic
montery jack cheese (shredded)
heavy cream
cilantro
chipotle peppers (they usually come packaged in an adobo sauce, which is tomato paste, onion and the pepper’s natural juices)
butter
flour

Marinade the chicken in the tequila and the zest and juice of the lime, you can shred a little fresh cilantro. Anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours would be a good start.
* Thighs come with a darker meat, usually a little bit more fat content and will grill much more evenly on the grill, but breasts will work just fine too. I would suggest, with thighs a bit lower heat and a longer more generous cook that includes a good hot burn right at the end to give texture, with the breasts, thttp://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/central/he fatter the breast the more I’d probably cook it like a thigh, but the smaller ones, super high heat on the first sear and then put them on the top rack and let them cook through. If you can get with skin, I would because it will protect the flesh, but you don’t need to eat it or serve it if you don’t want.

The topping you are creating is a derivative of the Béchamel mother sauce, which is a light roux combined with a dairy. In this case, you are augmenting the mother sauce with a few southwestern concepts to bring it together as a sauce, but it follows a very basic principle

Very finely dice the onion, garlic
Combine equal parts lipid and starch (oil and flour) in the pan over low heat and keep them moving until they combine and become a rich yellow color
Add the veggies to the mixture and continue to keep the mixture moving until the roux begins to turn a light brown and the veggies themselves go to browning
Add the finely diced chipolte and a adobo sauce (1 tbsp per pepper used, to taste)
Add the tequila and allow it to thin out the mixture
Add the heavy cream and allow to combine into the mixture
Bring up to a low boil and immediately back down to a simmer to allow the roux to take shape
Beginning mixing in slowly the shredded montery jack cheese to combine completely
Do not allow anything to burn and continue combining adding the lime as desired
Finish the sauce with the fresh cilantro

Remove the thighs to cooking preference
Serve with the sauce in a bowl or gravy boat that is warmed (with a tea candle or other small candle would be typical but any heater would work)
Allow guests to select their meat and drench in sauce as desired

A nice side is to include an additional lighter version, or as an undergarment to the original recipe is to take the flour and butter and put it in a fry pan and allow it to come to a blond roux, add the tequila and finely chopped garlic and onion and bring to a boil and reduce immediately add the lime juice and zest and some water or stock and reduce by half, add the cilantro bring back to a boil and then back to warm and serve

Veggies
Vidalia Onion
Multi-colored bell peppers, poblano pepper, anaheim pepper
Tomatoes
Squash (summer yellow, zucchini, etc)
olive oil
lime
black pepper
cayenne pepper
wood dowels

combine the olive oil, lime and both ground pepper into a vinaigrette
soak wood dowels in water min of 20 minutes
allow the veggies to soak in the vinaigrette for between 20 min and 2 hours
skewer the veggies on the dowels
sear over high heat on the grill until each veggie reaches desired tenderness

note the higher the heat the greater the char but the less done the veggies and this is a quick cook, the lower the heat the less carmalization but the more tender the veggies will be on a longer cook. use the vinaigrette / oil to keep the veggies from sticking and burning.

recipe: Tuna ai linguine

I recently returned from Firenze, Tuscana, Italia. As you may know, I am very partial to Delta (Cajun, Creole), Iberian (Portuguese, Spanish) and Southwestern (Texas, Arizona, New Mexico) styles of cooking, but I must admit, my culinary heart is still with the true heirs in France and Italy. I do carry a bit of disdain for Italian-American cooking and as flawed as it may be loving other recreations of recipes in the Americas to dislike the bastardization that occurred with Italy’s beautiful simplicity upon being rendered to the American palette. It is a shame because the recipes were, just, so clean and fresh and even when there were spices the natural flavors of the root ingredients takes hold.

I came home to a somewhat empty fridge so a quick trip to the store and a few lucky finds later and I had a meal in mind, inspired by the food I am surely going to miss for the next several weeks until I re-adjust my tongue. I’ve actually done variants of this recipe using sun dried tomatoes and other fish and different herbal combination but this was the softest and simplest way I could prepare it with what I could find quick including fresh pasta (always nice to get and not have to make!).

tuna steak
olive oil
cherry tomato
shallot
basil
garlic
celery leaves
red pepper flakes
house seasoning

Split the garlic cloves and place them in the oil with the red pepper flakes and allow to set (for a few minutes to a few days depending on what you have)
Add the tuna steak to the oil in a holding pan so it covers no more than 1/3 of the tuna and allow to set (no less that a few minutes no more than 20 minutes) and be sure to flip it at least once at your half way mark
Roast the tomato in the broiler (or in a cast iron skillet) until the outsides begin to char evenly all the way around. Do the same with the shallot and garlic if you so choose as well.
Slice the tomato into halves or quarters, finely dice the shallot and garlic.
Combine the roasted tomato, shallot and garlic with olive oil to create a base with some red pepper flakes and allow to meld

Timing is key from here on out as the fish will take the same amount of time to sear rare to medium rare as the fresh linguine will take to boil. The fish will need the same time to set as the pasta will to drain and cool.

Salt the pasta water (if you are using dry, the pasta may be salted enough to not need this, and, they will require longer cooking) and bring to a boil.
Add the pasta
Set the tuna steak in the hot skillet and sear the first side
Dredge the pasta to ensure equal cooking and separate the strands
Flip the tuna as the sear moves up the side of the steak showing the level of cooked
Pull the pasta from the heat and drain
Add the chopped celery leaves and parsley leaves to the sauce of olive oil, garlic, shallot and cherry tomato
Add the drained pasta and toss with sauce described above.
Pull the tuna from the heat and allow to set

Serve one of two ways… either with the pasta on the plate and a tuna steak offset with it, or family style with the pasta in a deep large dish that is inset with the oil sauce soaking the pasta and a softly fork flaked version of a or several steaks over the dish.

recipe: the inexpensive one skillet dish

So, in this crappy economy, I am as conscience as ever as to how much things cost. I’ve been cooking on a sublimely tight budget for many years on some tight time lines. I am a strong believer you can cook inexpensively and healthy and quickly given the right understanding. This meal as noted costs about $12 and for a single person would feed them about 3-4 meals or a small family for a night, it cooks in about 30-40 minutes total (prep to table) and is a balance of flavors with healthy elements. The origins of this meal were actually to prove a point to two friends, one who claimed to hate spinach (and other dark leafy greens, where I used collards this time) and another who had a disdain for seafood. Both adored the final version (and both also helped inspire previously variants of a previously noted Mac & Cheese variant also using these elements)

There are plenty of ways to recreate this base dish, including substituting the tuna with ground meat (or I’ve used flounder, cod, catfish and tilapia at different times or even veggie crumble), the collard with other veggies (often, I do a version with mixed frozen veggies, other dark leafy greens also work too), the rice with pasta, etc. The base veggies (onion, celery, peppers as the trinity can be done as the miraquiox replacing the peppers with carrots, shredded work best) should be done slow to let them get soft and sweet as a nice base flavor. The okra will help thicken this into a nice consistency. Personally, I’m not an okra fan, but a friend got me into using it more often, and though other thickeners can be substituted as well, I do prefer the okra in dishes like this because of how they meld into the dish flavor wise. I’ve also done versions of this with cheese and baked it after the initial cook to give it a nice crusty top too. This dish, or variants of it can also be used as a side dish rather than a main casserole type dish, but that’s for you to figure out!

onion
pepper
celery
garlic
chipotle pepper
diced tomato
canned tuna
brown rice
black beans
collard greens
okra
small amount of olive oil
water (or veggie stock)
house seasoning
large skillet

Mix the rice and olive oil in the skillet and begin to saute
Dice the onion, celery, peppers and garlic
As the rice begins to become translucent add the onion, celery, peppers and garlic and over low heat and sweat the veggies until the onions become translucent, the rice begins to lightly toast and the flavors meld
Drain the tomato and tuna and reserve the liquids
Add the tomato, chopped chipolte and chopped okra, seasoning and allow to continue to sweat to combine flavors
Add the water (or stock), re-season as necessary, combine thoroughly cover and simmer over medium heat 3/4 of the recommended cooking time for the rice
As the rice begins to soften almost to the point of serving, add the black beans, collard greens and re-season as necessary, cover and continue to simmer
Combine again and allow to rest for the remaining liquid to thicken and serve

By my calculation, last month’s costs at average for the three different stores in walking distance from my apt in N. NJ the costs are below… It is not necessary to use the entire amount of some of these, but I didn’t prorate the costs for the post based on the amount used and total shopping trip for this recipe was under 38.00. For example, I only used a couple of stalks of the head of celery, 2 chipolte pepper from the can, 1/2 cup brown rice from the bag, 2 tbsp of oil, a few tbsp of the house seasoning, 1/2 bag of the other veggies at most, etc…

onion 1 lb chopped frozen bag 1.50 or 1 yellow fresh for 1.29
pepper 1lb chopped frozen bag 1.50 or 1 bell pepper fresh for 1.29
celery 1.79/head
garlic 1.29 fresh or a 32 oz minced container for 8.99
diced tomato 14.5 oz can 1.20
canned tuna 10 oz can 2.00
brown rice 1.5 lb bag 2.50
black beans 0.50 14.5 oz can
collard greens 1 lb chopped frozen bag 1.50
okra 1 lb chopped frozen bag 1.50
olive oil 750 ml bottle 7.99
chipolte peppers 4.5 oz canned in adobe 2.99
water (free – if you make your own stock, that’s pretty close to free too)
house seasoning 3 oz shouldn’t cost more than 3-4.00 to make

recipe: stuporbowl faves

Normally, when you see the typical Super Bowl grub it is predictable finger foods that truly reflect the breath of diversity of culinary impressions that make up the breath of the American melting pot. For me, the Superbowl has always been a time to really bring out some unique and special creations which I adapt from year to year depending on what I’m typically cooking around that time and some of my more all-time faves blended together to share with my friends. Despite the lack of a big party this year, I would have broke out the following experiments to share among friends, I came back from my hike down at the Jersey Shore to bring together these dishes to enjoy during the game. These are comfort foods to me, and in as such, the represent some of my favorite interpretations of food as I enjoy it. During the game, I was sharing thoughts with my fellow blogger Bobby (you can see the eclectic conversation we had: http://nyphillycombine.wordpress.com/)

There are a couple of courses to the SB meal so scroll through them

Beer and Cheese Soup
Anyone can bust out the canned quesso or some cheese wiz and then try and ‘doctor it up’ into something, but why go though the hassle when you can have it done right the first time and really bring some flavor to the party. Besides… beer and cheese, c’mon you totally weren’t going to do that with the canned crap anyhow!

Ingreds:
butter
flour
milk (or heavy cream)
onion
garlic
chipolte pepper
celery
extra sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
beer (a nice amber lager or light ale works best)
stock (pork is preferable, beef will work too)
chorizo sausage (pref portuguese charise, however a linguica will work too)
soup pot

Tip:
the liquids are going to be done in parts so please note the beer will be used throughout the recipe to maintain consistency so the final amount will vary. The beer and stock when combine will be about 1:1 to 2:1 beer to stock. The creme should be about 2:1 to the beer and stock to creme (the creme really is just to help set the roux as the thickener like making cheese sauces)

How:
Very finely dice the onion, pepper, celery and garlic and dice the chroizo (cut small pieces not big slices)
Add the butter and the flour to the pot (1:1) and allow to begin to combine over low heat
Once combined add the veggies and continue to work the mixture until the veggies soften and the roux to begin to brown
Do not let the roux or the veggies burn, but allow the roux to get to between a dark blond and light brick color while the veggies begin to break down
Add chorizo and the creme and combine until the creme is integrated with the roux to form a mother sauce
Add the beer and stock mixture and the cheese and stir lightly to combine
Bring the mixture up to a boil and immediately back down to a simmer stirring constantly
Allow to simmer watching the consistency so it remains thick and rich, do not allow the mixture to burn to the bottom (heat is too high) or begin to chuck (heat might be too low)… add beer as necessary during simmering to maintain consistency.
When the soup is ready there should be almost no veggies left to feel in the soup (you can use a blender to thin them out if absolutely necessary) and it should be a creamy and rich combination with balanced flavors
Serve with finely chopped flat leaf parsley and additional grated cheese as desired

Note:
I actually have made this without the charise and with veggie stock, so it is possible to do it other ways, but the charise and pork stock make a nice pairing to the cheese. I’ve also done this with a blended cheese mixture, so feel free to experiment with the cheeses as long as they maintain the consistency of the soup.

Pork and Poblano Chili
Nachos ’supreme’ are so cliche and chili and chips can be pretty plain (besides, the kidney beans make the beer drinking guests fart more). This isn’t my chili verde recipe, but the color and the flavors will definitely turn more than a few heads and tantalize a few tastebuds who probably had one too many hamburger helpers lately.

Ingreds:
onion
poblano peppers
green jalipino or other hot pepper
celery
garlic
bay leaf
cubed pork (very small cubes)
andouile sausage
green chili powder (ancho or other red will work too)
cumin
white pepper
rosemary
beer (a nice amber lager or light ale works best)
olive oil
flour
stock pot

Tips:
because this is a poblano chili, you will need about 2:1 poblano to the rest of your veggies. it isn’t supposed to be super hot. Most poblanos are fairly mild so if you have a batch of mild ones, use the jalipino to give it some bit, otherwise, if you have good, bold polbanos, let them do their business alone. I strongly suggest charring the polblano too to bring out the earthy flavor and really give the dish some depth. Take the whole cooking process SLOW. Like most long cook meals, you can do 30 minutes cook time, but trust me, 3 hours is a much better minimum, set it up and after the first 15 minutes of cooking just check it at regular intervals and go about the rest of your business.

How:
Coarsely chop onion, poblano peppers, jalipino celery and garlic and place it in a large stock pot
1:1 oil and flour should be added to the pot and set the heat to medium, stirring constantly so the veggies begin to soften and the roux begins to form
Dust the pork with the cumin, white pepper, chili powder, crushed rosemary and white pepper
Once the roux begins to darken and take on a tan to redish color and the veggies are softened add the cubed pork and sliced sausage
Keep the whole mixure moving lightly and slowly sear off the pork and sausage
Once the pork and sausage have seared off add the beer to the mixture, reseason with the cumin, while pepper, chili powder, crushed rosemary and white pepper, add the bay leaf
Bring up to a boil and then immediately back down to a very very low simmer
Allow to simmer and reseason as necessary till the meat is almost ready to fall apart with a fork and the sauce is thick and rich from redection and the roux
Nicest to finally serve with chips and let people dig in or with collard lined bowls with shredded cheese, shredded poblano peppers and cilanro

Catfish Cakes
So, you wanted to serve chicken fingers. Ahem, lame! C’mon really? Deep fried, breaded chicken with a collage of lame “dipping” sauces? I’m not only Portuguese and grew up with spectacular codfish cakes, but I grew up in MD and have an inherent love of crab cakes. This recipe combines what I love of both into an invention that encompasses another great white fish for the experience. Trust me, it’ll turn a head and it’s not the greezy serve of those bock bocks you were gonna serve

What:
Catfish filets
whole black pepper corns
rosemary
cumin
garlic
house spice
cilantro
corn meal
large skillet

Tips:
Fresh, fresh, fresh… catfish can be realy cheap and not even the farm raised ones, but go with what you can get and it’ll really add to the experience the fresher it is. Also, for “dipping” sauces, there are a tonne of great ones, from a garlic and clarified butter, to a nice coarse ground mustard, to a chili paste, to molassase and then some… the house spice, which is a lynchpin in this recipe, could be anything from say a storebought blackening seasoning to your own personal house spice, but it is a mixture or combination of the flavors you “love” and that’s what is most important.

How:
Cut up the catfish filets into pieces (I strongly suggest not buying “catfish bits” on sale, you’ll spend too much time removing skin and “fat” and not enjoy the experience, trust me, nice fresh filets will go a long long way)
In your deep skillet put garlic, the bay leaf, rosemary and the pepper corns and bring up to a boil with water that covers at least 1/3 the depth
Once the aroma begins to exude, add the catfish filet and let it poach till it’s just about flaking
Set the fish aside and once “cooled” crumble it in a large mixing bown with rosemary, cumin, garlic, fresh cilantro and house spice to the corn meal and then coat the fish totally pressing it together against itself as necessary into palm sized balls
Keep the skillet super hot and then re-add the coated catfish
Do not let the catfish to burn to the dry skillet, keep the pan moving and the catfish searing over the high heat rolling through the pan
If necessary add a little bit of oil the the skillet to keep from burning and let the coating begin to brown before removing from heat

Note:
If necessary, you can add a nice heavy starchy mashed potato to the mixture, boil it cubed into small pieces with the fish and then mash it and combine it with the flaked fish at the same time as the spices before you hit the high heat. You may actually need a light coating of oil if you use the potato, but you’ll have to feel out your pan to decide. The potato will strech the same amount of fish twice as far, but do not over potato and for every one you add per big filet remember to reduce the corn meal by the same amount or you’ll have a dry starchy mess.

Hush Puppies
No no, not those shoes you hated as a kid, and i’m sure, if not positive that this recipe is probably a last choice but it’s designed to be a good pairing to the rest of these ideas… remember, i suck at making dough and other baking goods and I’m not typically a fryer guy either, but this, could be worth it, if you can figure out my stupidity

What:
1/2 cup finely grated veggies (onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic in “equal” parts)
flat leaf parsley
2 cups sifted fine stone ground corn meal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
cold water
mixing bowl
deep skillet
oil

How:
fill skillet 1/2 deep with oil and bring up to under a simmer, no more than 375 degrees
Stir corn meal, sugar, soda together in mixing bowl
Add egg, shredded veggies and parsley and buttermilk and beat until frothy in mixing bowl
Pour wet ingreds into dry and stir lightly to mix in bowl
Add just enough of the cold water to make dough a good dropping – the dough should hold its shape in the palm of your hand
Drop by palmfulls into hot oil, keep turning until golden brown on all sides

RECIPE: One, two, fisherman’s stews

Boiled on timbers and stirred with a broom”……So, The Doormouse and I have talked Paella recipe’s a few times, and he’s got a great grasp, ok a firm hold on the dish, as for me I’m a big fan of wingin’ things sometimes, this is by no means a paella, but it is what I call a “fisherman’s stew” it came out pretty tasty so I thought I’d share it with you all….I had a few smaller portions of various sea creatures leftover, so I decided to make one bigger portion out of them all, here’s what transpired….

FISHERMAN’S STEW

1 small yellow onion

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

6 stalks of celery

1lb baby carrots

3 medium tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped garlic

1 can okra (fresh is better & ideal)

1 small can baby clams

1lb 16/20 shrimp

2 4oz pollock loins

2 4oz white fish fillets(I used capensis)

white wine

dark roux*

Chop all your veggies with the exception of the baby carrots, saute in some olive oil with your garlic, now here’s where I get a little random, I just season with out thinking sometimes after years of doing it you learn to just add the shit you think something needs, so I give you this advice start with a little taste and re-add if needed…..anyhow, add some thyme, old bay seasoning, rosemary, sage, crushed red chilies, cracked black peper, and a couple bay leaves give your veggies a good few minutes in the oil, then deglaze with your white wine once your pan is deglazed drop your shrimp in, once they start to turn red, add a little veggie stock, bring to a boil and thicken slightly with the dark roux, then lay your fillets on top of the concoction, and cover and let them steam. Serve with some nice steamed rice or potatoes, some fresh bread and you got yourself some good grubbin’….

*dark roux — equal parts butter and flour cooked until just before the burning point, if you haven’t done this before cook over low to medium heat and pay attention once it starts to brown it goes quick, take it to the point that it smells like burnt popcorn and you’re good to go…

If you want the goods for fisherman’s stew hit up the Doormouse for his paella recipe……

And Big Rob, here’s “a” paella recipe I worked on over the summer. I actually call it casserole poisson a l’acadia because it’s not a true Iberian Paella

I love a lot of fish dishes and this is a mish-mosh of some of my faves, building off the traditional idea of the Portuguese Paella that I hold oh so dear to my heart. One note for those who only had thedish in Spanish-American resturants, the true dish is about the freshness of the seafood and the use of the pan and less necessarily about the dish itself. I have a very nice pan that only is used for a select few meals specifically given as a gift to make this recipe, of which today’s meal was done as a celebration.

Despite my remark earlier about the dish’s forte being in the freshness of the fish, several trips to several stores over the week did not provide all the preferences I would have hoped. I’m not going to give up the shortcuts, but I highly suggest you look for some fresh fish and match spices to them in a meal like this. It’ll be worth the effort.

This dish I named this way because I could. By strict definition creole is white French (of Canadian decent, usually Acadia, but also via modern Quebec) mixed with Iberian (predominantly Spanish although some Portuguese or, of course, French Iberian) -or- French (any origin) mixed with Carribean Islander (typically Haitian, but which, by traditional creole standard usually being mixed with an Iberian, usually Spanish in general, and originated as a French man with a Carribean woman of “color,” though, after the first generation the distinction becomes lost). White creole is rare form these days even among those who study creole heritage, yet oddly enough, by definition being French Canadian and Portuguese would make me, yes, creole. How’s that for a fun stretch??

The crux of the meal is built on the trinity. A throw to the underlying christian heritage holding the region’s will. Where traditional French cooking depends heavily on the mariquois the carrot is replaced as an aromatic in the early steps. The important part of finishing is the high heat on the rice, (it has a special name I cannot recall)

Vadalia Onion
Celery
Poblano pepper
Anaheim pepper
garlic
brown rice
olive oil
prawns (crayfish)
little neck clams
oysters
blue crab (backfin crab)
andouile sausage
bay leaf
rosemary
paprika
coriander
black pepper corns
bourbon
stock (fish, veggie or pork will work, I prefer veggie)
tarragon
kale leafs
extra large skillet, or paella pan

Char both the peppers under the broiler than sweat the charred skins off and dice the flesh
Dice the onion, garlic, celery
place all in the pan with a bit of oil along with the pepper corns and sweat them out
add the chicken brown the thighs and allow to begin to brown
if you prefer add the sausage and all to brown, but remove before adding rice
add the rice and saute until the kernels become translucent
add the bourbon and burn it off over a low flame
add the stock and bring it to a simmer
add the bay leaf, paprika, rosemary and coriander
allow rice to simmer to 25-30 minutes
add the fish based on cooking times, typically crustaceans in their native shells uncracked will take longer than mollusks, and any fish out of its shell (such as gulf shrimp or bay scallops) will take the least time
make sure the last bit of liquid is evaporated or absorbed
cover the last fish with tarragon and kale leaves and bring the heat up to high
allow the bottom rice to begin to crisp along the bottom of the pan and bring up some of the smokey charred flavor

serve family style with the casserole
or for single servings, line the bowl with the steamed kale, then, bring up the bottom of the pan in the serving bowl with rice and a balance of the fish and meat

RECIPE: Porto-American Charise-Saffron Rice

It’s probably true that most people cook that which they know best and derive recipes that originate from their youth which probably includes a lot of Americanized cultural references. For me, I (eric doormouse) grew up with intersperced elements of Iberian, specifically Portuguese cuisine, and there’s still a soft spot for those recipes in my cooking. I am by no means versed in the subtilites of this cooking, but thanks to my proximity to the Iron Bound section of Newark, I am blessed with large neighborhoods of Portuguese from which to enjoy meals in.

I would venture a guess, many of the ingredents I take for granted I know them the way I do, but they are not as exotic as they might seem… The saffron itself is one of the more expensive spices you can cook with being derived from the crocus flower. It is very common in Iberian cooking but shows up in Italian and other traditional Mediterrean as well as in middle-Eastern and across the Indian subcontinent among other places. It produces a wonderful yellow color and a grassy fragrance when steeped and comes as threads produced from the flowers as well as in powdered form and is used generally for flavoring grains and sauces (you can buy fake “yellow rice” in packets as a cheap substitute)… The chorizo (in Portuguese chouriço or charise when spoken in American slang) is a wonderful pork sausage flavored with smoked red peppers, paprika and garlic. It comes cured or fresh, though, the cured version is more typical (and for me comes jam packed with memories along with the flavor).

Rice Part
saffron
rice (traditional is long grain white, but brown works too)
olive oil
water
stock (chicken or veggie)
skillet
cooling dish

boil water and then add the saffron, turn off heat, cover and allow to steep
drizzle oil in the skillet and allow to being to warm, add the rice, combine till all the rice is covered and simmer until the rice becomes translucent – do not brown rice or burn butter
add the saffron steeped water with the saffron and a 2:1 stock to water mixture to the rice
bring to a boil, back it down to a very low simmer, cover and allow to cook until rice is tender and the water is absorbed
remove from heat and allow to cool in cooling dish

The Dish
onion
garlic
Chroizo sausage (or Linguiça or a hot Italian-American sausage also works)
collard greens (other dark leafy greens can be used as a substitute)
hot pepper (piri piri would be perfect, but a good frutescens chilis or other hot peppers would work, chipolte are what I used in this recipe)
oilive oil
coriander
cillantro
saffron
port wine
black pepper
skillet

place the choriso, sliced pepper, onion and garlic in the skillet and allow to begin to lightly brown with a little olive oil as necessary
once it begins to brown add the rice to the dish, season with coriander, cillantro, saffron, black pepper
once the rice begins to sear / fry add the shredded Collard greens
add the port wine, do not allow the wine to flame up if possible, just let it get absorbed into the ingreds and provide a liquid base to the meal
let the greens wilt, reseason as necessary
reduce heat and let the flavors meld

serve over whole collard greens in a bowl, I like coarsley chopped flat leaf parsely and Azores cheeses or a dry goat’s milk cheese to serve with it if you can find them along with a thick crusty bread on the side. The dish should not be really heavily spicy but rather a nice round flavor with a lot of bold charactor to it when complete, if it is too “hot” the cheese will help balance the flavors.

RECIPE: NYE Special … Bourbon Lime Chicken over Rice

Nearly every year over the last decade I’ve (Eric doormouse) cooked on New Year’s Eve. Sometimes it was a romantic dinner for two for the lady I was with, sometimes it was for a gathering of close friends, I’ve even cooked with family for it (or at least brought around some of the better leftovers from it). I really enjoy cooking, it’s such a creative and relaxing experience and with a nice glass of scotch or wine, some good music and good company there’s really few other ways I would rather spend time… and that’s exactly what inspired this meal. I made some adjustments in transcribing my notes from actually creating this recipe since it was mostly made up as I went along while looking at the ingredents that were brought along by friends. The ingreds were pretty straight forward, so this wasn’t nearly as big a challenge as say, trying to watch Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve contemplating 1) where’s the rock and 2) is that really DC or is it a CGI to maintain the illusion of a once great broadcaster?

chicken (breasts or theighs about 1″ cubed)
onion
garlic
bell pepper
anaheim pepper
celery
limes (zested and juiced)
molassas
brown rice
stock (veggie or chicken)
coffee
bourbon
spinach
black pepper
house seasoning
bay leaf
dried rosemary
olive oil
fry pan
large skillet
medium pot

lightly coat the cubed chicken in black pepper and then marinade for no less than 20 minutes in equal parts lime juice and bourbon
rough chop the onion, both peppers, celery and garlic
in the medium pot place 1/4 of the diced veggies, the rice and a little bit of oil
allow the rice to begin to become translucent and the veggies to soften over medium heat
mix the stock, bourbon and coffee 2:1:1 at aprox 4:1 to the rice (ie: 1/4 cup of rice, 1 cup of liquid) and add the liquid to the rice
bring the rice up to a boil, add the bay leaf and rosemary, cover and allow to simmer until rice softens and is tender
while the rice is cooking, heat the skillet with a little bit of oil
remove the chicken from the marinade and sear it on all sides, do not cook through, remove from heat and set aside covered
in the skillet add the rest of the veggies and lightly saute them
carefully add bourbon to the pan, increase the heat to high, carefully light the alcohol and allow to quickly burn off
add the lime juice and zest, mollassas and the reserved chicken to the pan and allow to simmer over low heat until chicken is tender and cooked through and the sauce is reduced by about half (it should come out viscous, not overly thick)
while the meat is finishing cooking place the washed spinach in the fry pan very coated lightly with a bit of oil, the house seasoning (and the leftover parts of the zested & juiced limes)
lightly saute the spinach until the leaves begin to wilt (if you used the lime parts, remove and do not serve them)

I served the rice in the center of the plate with the spinach encircling it and the chicken and sauce spooned over the top.

(note from Jan 1) Because it is good luck to serve pork as part of your New Years festivities, when I reheated this the next day, I used some leftover ham to help set up the rice as I fried it and used some chorizo sausage along with the chicken because there wasn’t a lot of left over chicken and it made for a very nice meal as well, looking back again, a little pork in the rice to begin with and the combo of meats might have even made this even more bold, like a nice andouile sausage, mm mm good