Orata al Cartoccio (Sea Bass Baked in Foil)

The last of the four recipes featured in Diane Nocentini and Madeline Armillotta's video cooking blog entry:

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: one hour

4 baking potatoes, cleaned and sliced
4 (1-pound) fresh sea bass, cleaned and scaled
Salt
1 lemon, cut into 8 slices
1 tomato, cut into 8 slices
1/2 cup olives
1/2 cup capers
4 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Grease 4 squares of foil, large enough to enclose a fish and a potato. On each piece of foil, lay a sliced potato and place a sea bass on top. Sprinkle with salt. Put two slices of lemon and two of tomato into the cavity of each fish. Add a few olives and capers to each packet, and sprinkle with oregano and salt to taste. Drizzle olive oil inside and over the fish. Wrap each fish in the aluminum foil and lay in a baking dish. Bake for 1 hour. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread and a salad.

VARIATION: Rainbow trout or halibut steaks are appropriate substitutes, if sea bass is not readily available.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Farfalle con Salmone Affumicato e Panna (Smoked Salmon and Cream with Butterfly Pasta)

The third of four recipes featured in Diane Nocentini and Madeline Armillotta's video cooking blog entry:

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup smoked salmon, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon whiskey
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt
1 pound butterfly (bowtie) pasta

Melt the butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat, and mix in the salmon. Add the whiskey and stir, until it has evaporated. Add the cream and stir gently until heated through. Adjust the flavor with a little salt, if necessary. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for the specified time on the package, and drain. Mix the pasta with the sauce, and serve immediately.

VARIATION: Half an onion may be chopped and sauteed in the butter, prior to adding the salmon.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Stir-Fried Crab with Bamboo Shoots

Serves 4

½ cup chopped pork
½ cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup (8-ounce can) thinly sliced bamboo shoots
2 green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup sesame oil
1 cup fish or vegetable stock
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
1 cup crabmeat, cooked
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (see above)
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Preheat the oven to 475º. Stir-fry the pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onions, and garlic in the oil for 6 minutes, or until the pork is thoroughly cooked and the vegetables are tender. Add the stock to the vegetables. Combine the cornstarch and water and stir into the mixture. Allow it to come to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully pick over the crabmeat, discarding any bits of shell. Add the crabmeat and oyster sauce and heat through. Pour the mixture into a large serving bowl. Mound the egg whites in the center, spooning several tablespoons of the sauce over all. Place in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the egg whites are golden brown.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Five-Colored Pork and Shrimp Rolls

To-gan is a dried variety of tofu that has been steeped in various spices and seasonings. Having absorbed those flavors, to-gan then imparts them to any dish to which it is added.

Serves 4.

½ pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
12 freshwater shrimp
1 quart salted, boiling water
2 tablespoons raw or light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 large cucumber
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ pound dried tofu (to-gan)
½ teaspoon sesame oil
10 (3-inch round) wonton wrappers (available at Asian markets)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons peanut powder (available at Asian markets), or peanut butter
Fresh parsley sprigs
3 green tomatoes, sliced

Bring the pork tenderloin and shrimp to a gentle boil in the salted water. Cook for 6 minutes or until the pork and shrimp are done. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon. When the pork and shrimp are cool enough to handle, finely chop the pork tenderloin and shell the shrimp. Mix with the sugar and soy sauce.

Blanch the bean sprouts in the boiling water. Remove and drain thoroughly. Slice the cucumber into pencil-sized strips. Salt and allow strips to drain for 5 minutes on paper towels. Slice the dried tofu into pencil-sized strips.

Oil the wonton wrappers sparingly. Working with one wrapper at a time, place it on a plate. Spread one-tenth each of the pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts on the wrapper. Add a cucumber slice, 2 tofu strips (arranged lengthwise), chopped parsley, and peanut powder. Roll tightly, slightly dampening the wonton ends to adhere. Slice in half width-wise. Arrange on a platter and garnish with fresh parsley sprigs and tomato slices. Continue until all the ingredients are used.

Picture courtesy of Karen Hulene Bartell. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Oysters with Leeks

Recipe one from Karen Hulene Bartell's Chinese Valentine's Day menu for two:

Serves 2.

½ pound shucked, fresh oysters
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 leeks, rinsed thoroughly and chopped into ½-inch slices
¼ cup sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients except the cilantro in a hot wok. Stir-fry all for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the oysters are cooked and the leeks are tender. Garnish with the cilantro.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Valentine's Day menu series.

Fried Small Fish (Pečene Sardele)

The first of three recipes, in Heike's Slovenian appetizer series:

In Slovenia and Croatia, fried small fish, whether it be sardines, mackerel or smelts, make a wonderful appetizer with a cold beer.

Serves 4
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Olive oil, for frying
1/2 pound fresh sardines or smelts
Lemon wedges

Beat the egg in a shallow dish with a teaspoon of water.
Place flour in a second shallow bowl. Mix in the salt and pepper.
Coat the bottom of a skillet with ¼ inch layer of olive oil. Heat on medium heat until the oil starts to sputter.
Take each fish and roll it in the egg mixture, then roll in the flour mixture, until it is covered in flour.
Fry each fish for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is browned on one side, then flip it over and cook 3 to 4 minutes on the other side, or until it is browned on the other side.
Remove from the pan and dry on a paper towel.
Sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice and serve immediately.

Picture (Head Chef at Grand Hotel Toplice, in Bled, frying trout) courtesy of Heike Milhench.

Clams in a Cataplana (Ameijoas na Cataplana)

Never cooked with a cataplana, or chatted over tea with friends about its role in the Portuguese Inquisition? You may end up doing both after reading this recipe from Cherie:

As we consider the cuisine of Portugal today, there are many ingredients that have come from the age of exploration. Cinnamon and curry spices were brought to Portugal by Vasco da Gama and became a staple for many of the egg sweets. Onions and garlic were brought to Portugal by the Romans, who established colonies there. They also brought wheat, olives, and grapes. The Moors who occupied Portugal for 500 years were responsible for planting almond, fig, apricot, lemon, and orange trees. They invented the cataplana, a clam-shaped pan for cooking.

A famous dish that resulted from the Moorish influence was Ameijoas na Cataplana (clams tossed with sausages and pork). The dish was created during the Inquisition to test adherence to Christianity, since the consumption of pork and shellfish was forbidden by Orthodox Judaism and Islam. The Moors are also credited for the egg desserts so popular in Portugal and throughout the Portuguese-speaking world. The nuns in convents were responsible for making these sweets and are credited for taking them to Brazil in the sixteenth century.

This recipe comes from the Ribatejo region of Portugal which is the area northeast of Lisbon along the Tagus River.

Serves 4 to 6.

Marinade:
1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. salt
½ c. white wine
6 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf

Pork:
2 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons bacon fat or lard
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Clams:
4 pounds littleneck clams
4 tablespoons cornmeal
½ cup olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon flour
1 cup minced fresh parsley

For the Clams: Wash the clams well and scrub with a brush. Place the clams in a pot with water to cover. Add the cornmeal and salt. Refrigerate for 10 hours. This will whiten the shells and give the clams a sweeter taste.

For the Marinade: With a mortar and pestle, purée the garlic and salt. Add the wine, lemon juice, vinegar, paprika, pepper, and bay leaf. Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes, rub well with the mixture and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

The following-day Clams: In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onion slices and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until the garlic is lightly browned. Remove the garlic. Add the tomatoes, flour, and pepper and continue cooking over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender. Set aside.

For the Pork: Heat the olive oil and bacon fat in a large, heavy skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Drain the pork from the marinade, set the marinade aside, and in the skillet brown the pork quickly in small batches. Transfer the browned pork to a dish and keep warm. In the same oil sauté the onion and garlic until limp and golden, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, reserved marinade, pork cubes and any juice that has accumulated. Mix well, cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add the clams and the tomato mixture to the pork mixture and simmer until the clams open, about 15-20 minutes. The Portuguese usually serve this dish with French fried potatoes and white rice.

Note: If you have a cataplana, add all the ingredients to it at the point before you cook them for 30 minutes. Then add the clams and tomato mixture to cook and meld for the last 15 to 20 minutes. Some cooks use red wine instead of the white for the marinade.

Those Bandeirantes sure got around! Taste the best recipes from all the cuisines they left behind with Cherie's book.

Photos courtesy of Tom Wallace and Wikimedia Commons.

Sexy Dishes? Cazuela de Mariscos al Coco (Crustacean Chowder)

This week Hippocrene Cooks shines light on the flavors of Colombia, with guest postings from Patricia McCausland-Gallo. Patricia, who formerly worked as a journalist in Colombia, is a veritable wealth of information on the country's cooking techniques, which you can scroll down and see in action for yourself!

The recipe I enjoy most in Secrets of Colombian Cooking is Cazuela de Mariscos al Coco or Crustacean Chowder. An original of the Colombian Pacific, it is usually prepared with clams from the ocean called piangua (or cockles), squid, shrimp and conch.

Conch is usually very hard to cook, and you will see fisherman hitting the shellfish meat with wooden hammers to break the tight muscles and soften up the meat. Squid, on the other hand, could be cooked for just 50 seconds and it would be enough, but here it cooks long enough for it to re-soften and leave a delicious flavor and texture in the final dish. The coconut milk in the recipes keeps the seafood at its peak even after 45 minutes of cooking time.

This is an ideal one-dish meal, along with a green salad, and can be a great Valentine’s day dinner, or a perfect meet-your-in-laws dish. You will have them on your side forever after they eat this marvelous soup! For those of you who would like to make it lower in calories, all you have to do is change 2 cups of coconut milk for 2 cups of 2% milk. It is a lighter version, yet delicious too.

You can also use the seafood that you have locally, or buy a mixture. In the picture of the recipe on the left, I added mussels just minutes before serving. Bring the Pacific flavor into your home and enjoy a wonderful meal. Serve it in coconut halves after a day at the beach in the summer, when the children need a hot soup to warm up their bodies.

Just try it once and you'll be hooked on it for life.

4 to 6 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup grated red bell pepper (grated on the large holes)
2 pounds raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined
½ pound raw squid rings, cleaned
½ pound piangua or clams, cleaned
½ pound raw conch pieces or oysters
1½ fish bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 teaspoon color or Sazón Goya with Saffron
1¼ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon pepper
4 cups coconut milk
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons flour
¼ cup white wine
1½ tablespoons minced cilantro
1 tablespoon minced parsley

NOTE: You can use a 2½ to 3-pound bag of mixed seafood in place of all the individual ones.

1) In a large, heavy pot or caldero over medium-low heat, place the oil, onion, red pepper, seafood, bouillon cubes, garlic, color or saffron, salt, and pepper. Cook for 12 minutes.

2) Mix the coconut milk, milk and flour together to a smooth consistency. Add them to the pot; simmer over low heat for 15 minutes more.

3) Next, add the wine and simmer for 15 minutes.

4) Sprinkle with cilantro and parsley and serve.



Need advice on substitute ingredients, or want to share your experiences with this recipe? Leave a comment for Patricia!

If you have trouble viewing the video, please click here.
Video and photos courtesy of Patricia McCausland-Gallo.