Mejillones Enchilados con Arroz Amarillo

I know so many people whose motto is "I don't eat anything that comes from the sea." Then there are people who will eat fish but not shellfish, and those who will eat fish and shellfish, but NOT mussels! That's okay; more for me.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture of rice with mussels that my sister made. My daughter did not eat with us that day, so I decided to make her a different version of mejillones enchilados con arroz amarillo (mussles in a spicy red sauce and yellow rice).

2 lbs of mussels (I used pre-cooked frozen mussels, fresh is better of course)
1 medium size onion,  chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
8 oz canned stewed tomatoes
dash of hot sauce
dash of Worchestershire sauce
dash of soy sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine
olive oil
salt to taste
parsley for garnish

If using fresh mussles discard any with open or broken shells. Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush, debeard and rinse under cold water.

Coat a pot with olive oil and saute your onions and garlic. Add your stewed tomatoes, hot sauce, Worchestershire sauce, soy sauce, bay leaf and wine and salt and let simmer for the flavors to meld. Add your mussels and cook until they open carefully spooning the sauce over them as they cook. Turn off the heat cover and let sit for a while so the mussels absorb the flavor of the sauce. Serve over a bed of yellow rice.

Note: If you don't eat mussels you can substitute shrimp, crab, lobster or any other shellfish for this recipe.

Roasted Acorn Squash, Onions and Peppers

This is so simple. Peel and cut an acorn squash into section (any squash will do), peel and quarter 2-3 onions, seed and quarter 1-2 bell peppers. Liberally coat the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for approximately 40 minutes, turning the vegetables half way through.

I served the roasted vegies with salmon sauteed in olive oil, white wine, 1/2 cup vegetable broth, salt, olives and capers. Sorry I didn't follow through with this one as far as the steps.

What's for Lunch? Salmon Patties

 

This is very simple to prepare and very tasty.

2 cans salmon (approx 7 oz each)

12 saltine crackers, crushed

1 egg,

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Mix all these ingredients together. (I think I ended up using basil instead of parsley.... I don't know what I grabbed from my herb garden, but it tasted fine either way!) Coat the bottom of a pan with oil (I used olive oil) and form 7 to 8 patties. I formed round balls and then flattened them with the spatula, it works better for me this way. Brown on each side on medium high heat and you're done!

Mussels in Garlic Wine Sauce

Funny how the mind works. I was thinking of Jack LaLanne; my thought process led me to muscles and then as logic would have you (lol) to mussels! I've made this recipe before, but since I made it again this afternoon, I thought I'd post today's picture with the link for the recipe. Here it is.

Baked Shrimp

My friend gave me this recipe over 25 years ago. For a couple of decades I had it written on an index card labeled "Katy's Shrimp." In moving up here I lost the index card (I'm sure it will turn up when I least expect it), but of course with a new piece of technology called "the internet," I was able to send her a message requesting the recipe again.... here it is with some adjustments.

2 lbs large shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails on
1/2 cup butter  (I used olive oil)
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup minced parsley (I used cilantro)
a splash of lemon juice
3 large cloves garlic, minced (I used more garlic)
a splash of Worcestershire sauce
a splash of hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs


Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine all ingredients except shrimp and breadcrumbs in a baking dish. Mix well. Remove 1/4 of this mixture and set aside. Add shrimp to baking dish and mix thoroughly. Combine breadcrumbs with reserved sauce and sprinkle over shrimp. Bake 20 minutes.

Bring a Bib: Enchilada de Langosta for Two

How do you like my Spanglish title?
So I was at the supermarket a couple of weeks ago looking for shrimp when I spotted packages of frozen (I know) lobster claws on special. I haven't had lobster in forever so I snatched up a bag.  I'm used to Florida lobster which has no claws, so I wasn't quite sure what to do with these. I opened the bag and there were seven of them. Doing a little math I figured it was only enough for 2... my daughter and me, and we like them enchilada.  For those of you who have been following my blog you've seen me make this sauce before, but what the heck? Here we go again.

7 lobster claws
1 cup onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
2 cups water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup dry sherry
salt to taste
olive oil
a few sprigs of parsley, chopped

Make sure your lobster is cracked. Heat a pot with about 2 tbsp olive oil. Sautee your onions and garlic. Add the water and the lobster. Add your soy sauce, hot sauce, Worchestershire sauce, ketchup, sherry and salt. Simmer on low for about an hour for the flavors to meld and the liquid to reduce. Add your chopped parsley in the last 15 mintues.

Halfway through the cooking process I thought I should test the lobster, so I pulled one out and realized that the shell was so hard that I was going to have to crack it further; otherwise, the mess at the dinner table would be tremendous. I ended up taking them all out and cracking them to expose the claw meat which ended up better in my opinion because the sauce saturated the lobster meat even more.

Mejillones al Ajillo • Mussels in Garlic Sauce

My daughter and I love mussels. When she was in elementary school I would pack her lunch and sometimes I would put canned mejillones en escabeche in her tupperware container. The other kids would make fun of her, but she was thrilled to eat it.

3 dozen mussels
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 mild onion, chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup minced parsley
1 tsp Salt

I used frozen mussels which is what I was able to find here. If using fresh mussles discard any with open or broken shells. Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush, debeard and rinse under cold water.

In a large skillet heat your olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic. Add the wine and bay leaf and boil 2 to 3 minutes to reduce liquid slightly and concentrate flavors. Add mussels and parsley. Cover and boil over high heat, shaking pan frequently, until shells open, about 5 minutes.

Shrimp Stuffed Portabellas

Cubans aren't known for eating mushrooms. A mushrooms is a fungus and we don't eat fungi, my mother would say. I don't even know of any Cuban recipe that calls for mushrooms.

The first time I ever ate a mushroom was probably as a pizza topping in my late teens, and I wasn't introduced to portabellas until my thirties when my vegetarians friends encouraged my husband and me to try a portabella appetizer at an Italian restaurant. After that day I would order them at restaurants whenever they were offered on the menu, but I never really made them at home.

I was tempted to buy these portabella mushrooms at the supermarket the other day thinking I'd make something with them for Meatless Mondays. Well, that idea went out the window because I decided to make a shrimp stuffing that turned out delish.

2 large portabella mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped cooked shrimp
1/4 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed
6 Saltine crackers, crushed
1 heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise
olive oil

Wash your mushrooms and remove the stems and dark scaly parts with a spoon. Do not discard this. It is quite edible and we are going to incorporate it into the stuffing. Chop the stem into small pieces.  Drizzle olive oil into a skillet and sauté your onions, garlic and mushroom pieces. Add your cooked shrimp and crushed saltines and mix together. Add your mayonnaise, mix and turn off the heat. If you want to grill these, then brush the outside of the mushrooms with olive oil before stuffing. If you're going to bake them in the oven as I did, then coat a baking dish with olive oil and place your mushroom in the pan, stuff with the filing and bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven, slice into wedges and serve as tapas, or you can eat a whole one as a meal. (I cut up some red peppers as an afterthought  and sprinkled on top.)

The Heat Is On!

Still extremely hot in the Midwest.  I thought a salad for lunch would be pleasant. I prepared a large chef salad for everyone, and chilled some steamed shrimp to top it off.

I used romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, green olives, Genoa salami, turkey, swiss cheese, edam cheese, and hard boiled eggs

I steamed the shrimp with some spices I threw into the water along with lime juice. The salad dressing was served on the side.

Sweet Potato Crab Cakes

Here I go again... frying something. I bought a a sweet potato last week. I like to make sweet potato fries instead of the regular potato French fries now an then, but I wanted to make something different this time. I guess by now you've figured that I like crab. A couple of years ago I had sweet potato crab cakes at a local food fair, and they stuck in my mind. I did a little research and didn't really find any specific recipe that appealed to me, so I went ahead and put together ingredients that I thought made sense.

1 1/2 to 2 cups worth of grated sweet potato
6 to 8 oz canned lump crab meat, drained
1/4 cup onion, minced
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (if using dried like I did use one tablespoon)
1 teaspoon salt

oil for frying
lime to garnish

Peel and grate your sweet potato or run through a food processor. In a large bowl combine all your ingredients. Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet. Form a ball with about a tablespoon of the mixture and drop into  hot oil. (You may have to press the balls in your hands to squeeze out excess liquid.) Drop balls in one by one adjusting the temperature of your oil as you go. Remove onto a paper towel lined plate. Squeeze a little lime on top if desired. Serve with your choice of dipping sauce.

(Note: you may only notice one egg in the photo. I added another one after I took the picture.)

Penne Puttanesca with Salmon Polpette

I'm stepping out of the Cuban zone and going Italian. I tried this recipe before and liked it, so I decided to do it again and post it. I have copied this recipe from Rachel Ray's Puttanesca with Tuna Polpette. Substituting salmon for the tuna. I'm going to cut this recipe in half for me, but listed are Rachel's proportions and instructions.

1 pound penne
Salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for tuna (salmon)
5 to 6 anchovies, in jars with red pepper, if plain anchovies add 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 large cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes
1 cup chicken or seafood stock
Freshly ground black pepper
A few tablespoons capers, drained
A handful pitted black olives, oil cured or kalamata, chopped
1 pound tuna steak (salmon fillets)
1 large egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and keep warm.

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add anchovies and stir into oil until melted. Add the garlic, turn heat to low and saute for a couple of minutes. Stir in the tomatoes crushing them up, then stir in stock. Season with a little black pepper, add capers and olives and simmer a few minutes.

While sauce simmers, cut salmon into chunks and grind in food processor into coarse mixture. Pulse in the egg, bread crumbs and parsley and season with a little salt and black pepper. Remove tuna mixture from the processor to a bowl and add a drizzle of olive oil. Stir to combine. (Adding the oil will prevent mixture from sticking to your hands as you roll the balls.) Roll the tuna into small balls and drop into the sauce. Cover the pot and simmer the tuna balls in the sauce, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Place the pasta into a serving bowl. Add the tuna (salmon) and sauce, toss to coat and garnish with shredded basil.

Diet: Post #4

It's been a week since I started my diet. I cheated a little bit over the weekend – I made some ham croquetas and couldn't resist.  The good news is I lost 4 pounds. I'm down to 166 now; however, this makes me want to treat myself to something yummy. Then again, yummy doesn't mean fattening.

I bought some butternut squash over the weekend and pondered what to do with it (it makes more sense to know what to do then buy the squash). Soup? Puree? I went with a basic

Calabaza con Ajo: Butternut Squash with Garlic

butternut squash
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped

This was a large squash and I didn't want to use the whole thing so after peeling it, seeding it and cutting it into chunks, I froze half.

In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer the squash in salted water until tender.
Now, here's a little tip. Pour your olive oil in a microwave safe dish and heat for 45 seconds, add the garlic to the oil and heat for another 30 seconds.
While hot, drain your squash, put onto a plate and drizzle with the oil and garlic.

I decided to eat this as a side with salmon:

Crispy Salmon Skin 

I buy my salmon with the skin on because I like to fry the skin. This is very simple and really quite delish. (I don't believe it's bad for you if you fry it with olive oil.) Remove the skin from your salmon, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet and drop in about 1 clove of minced garlic. Drop in your salmon skin, (be careful, it could splatter) turning 'til crisp. Remove from oil and place on paper-towel lined plate. Remove any of the garlic left in the oil, since it will be used for....

Salmon Fillets

I seasoned my fillets with lime juice, salt, pepper, parsley and pressed garlic. I dropped them into the skillet with the oil from the crispy salmon. Let the fillets cook through turning once or twice. Don't handle them too much or they can start falling apart.

I guess I was in the mood for garlic! You can skip it on the fillets.

Camarones al Ajillo: Garlic Shrimp

This didn't fit into my diet, so I'm not writing it as a diet post, but I did eat a little of it (2 shrimp and a little pasta). I mostly had salad.

1 lb shrimp deveined, tail on
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan and then some)
1 tsp paprika
sprinking of cilantro
salt and pepper to taste


This is so simple, it's almost silly to post it. Heat your olive oil in a skillet with your pressed garlic until it becomes fragrant. Add your paprika and shrimp. Add your cilantro (I was going to originally use parsley which would have been the more "obvious" choice, but I only had cilantro and it was marvelous), salt and pepper. Toss back and forth. The shrimp cook rather quickly.


Serve on a layer of rice or as in my case fettucini. Accompany with a salad.

Crab Cakes Made With Angel Hair Pasta

So I was looking at a recipe for Salmon Patties at The Tiny Skillet, and I remembered this recipe for crab cakes.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 oz canned lump crab meat
• 1-2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 heaping tablespoon of mayo
• 1/4 lb cooked angel hair pasta
• salt and pepper
• a dash of hot sauce
• oil for frying
• fresh lime juice to taste
• Cocktail sauce for dipping

Boil your pasta. Angel hair pasta cooks very quickly so don't walk away. Drain and let cool.  Open your can of crabmeat and drain. Pour your crabmeat in a bowl and add your chopped parsley. Add your pasta and mix together. Add your egg and stir. Add your mayonnaise. Your pasta should not be long, so you can cut it up before you incorporate it into the bowl, or if you forget, as I did, cut it up already mixed in.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Separate a tablespoonful of your mixture and form into a small ball. Drop into the heated oil. Repeat this process browning your fritters on all slides with a slotted spoon. Makes 12.

Well, I guess my mind has been a little frazzled lately since I omitted sauteed onions which I had intended to add, but no one complained. I kept my mouth shut.

Escabeche

Let me start by saying don't make this yet because I've never made it before and I haven't tasted it. You need to wait 24 hours. I'll let you know tomorrow. OKAY, its tomorrow Wednesday, May 19th.  I give this a thumbs up! I found that it needed a little salt, but once I put it on a saltine cracker it was fine. The fish maintained it's firmess. I will note, that I neglected to put in 2 bay leaves in the oil along with the other spices, and I should have done that, so please include that in the recipe.


According to epicurious.com
escabèche
[es-keh-BEHSH]
Of Spanish origin, escabèche is a dish of poached or fried fish, covered with a spicy marinade and refrigerated for at least 24 hours. It's a popular dish in Spain and the Provençal region of France, and is usually served cold as an appetizer.

Okay so I got this idea this morning reading the blog of one of my newest followers. Nathan made sardines in escabeche. Click here.

Of course, I can't find fresh sardines here, nor frozen for that matter, but it looked so yummy that I had to make it with something. I opened the freezer and I had tilapia fillet. As a child, I remember my mother making this with swordfish.  I didn't like it. It was always too dry, but then again my mother is not known for her cooking.  I didn't want to make a large batch just in case I repeated my mother's creation, but just from tasting it tonight I think I've got a winner. You can use just about any fish or shellfish you prefer.

I'm making mine a little differently than Nathan described in his link above.

To make this escabeche I used

4 tilapia fillets (about 1 lb)
3/4 cups olive oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 red onion sliced
6 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp salt
pepper
olives
flour

Flour your fish fillets on both sides. Slice your onions. You need not peel your garlic, just press it with the side of your  knife. Warm your olive oil on medium high and brown your fillets. Remove the fish from the oil and place in a glass or ceramic bowl. Lower the heat of the oil. You should have a lid handy in case you encounter splattering from here on. Drop in your onions and garlic. Let this cook for about 10 minutes. Add your paprika, oregano, salt, pepper. Stir and let it simmer for about 5-10 more minutes. Carefully (keep your lid handy) add your vinegar. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes. Pour your mixture over your fish. Let it cool, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.  (I also threw in about 1 tsp of chopped hot pepper that I had frozen in the refrigerator.)

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you if it's a go. It looks good though, right? It's good.

Paella with a little help from my friend Goya

Shortcuts. We have to take them sometimes depending on our resources: time, accessible ingredients, expense, knowledge. I don't have access to fresh mussels or clams or lobster (can't afford it anyway), basically most of what I can get my hands on is frozen. I had one package of Spanish chorizo that I found in the back of my pantry (surprise!) from a care package sent to me at Christmas. I'm not an expert at making paella, and with my track record for making rice (I will learn, Pedro!) I wouldn't risk ruining this dish with undercooked or overcooked rice, so I prepare the yellow rice separately in a rice cooker. There are quite a few step involved so I've taken a million pictures. Here we go.

1 large onion, chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 lb shrimp
1 lb scallops (or any other seafood)
1 package Goya paella mix (basically this brings seasoned yellow rice and a can of squid in a sauce)
2 cans octopus
3 chorizo links, casing removed, sliced
chicken (I used pre-cooked chicken breast pieces, you may use 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced)
dash or Worchestershire sauce
dash of soy sauce
dash of hot sauce
salt (see note below)*
olive oil
chicken buillon (optional)
t tbsp capers
1/4 cup red wine
1 tbsp tomato paste
Pimentos for garnish

I buy my raw shrimp with the shell on. Remove the shells and devein your shrimp . Place these shells in a pot with about 6 cups of water and one chicken buillon. Bring to a boil. Strain. Keep the broth.

In a large pot, sautee your onions and garlic in olive oil while you slice your chorizo. Add these to the pot. Add your chicken. Sautee for a while. Add a couple of laddlefuls of your broth and the tablespoon of tomato paste. Add your canned contents (squid and octopus). Add your soy sauce, hot sauce, Worchestershire sauce and your scallops. Add your capers and red wine. Simmer for a while. Add your raw shrimp. When the shrimp turn pink remove them from the pot and set aside. (Don't allow anyone into the kitchen at this point, or your shrimp could disappear). Let your pot simmer uncovered on low for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare your rice according to instructions substituting the broth for the required water.

Once the rice is done, incorporate this into your pot. Stir. Put your shrimp back in. Garnish with pimento.

*Be careful with your salt on this dish. Remember the chorizo is salty, soy sauce is salty as is Worchestershire sauce, the buillon is salty as well as the canned seafood. Taste as you go.

Cangrejitos de Cangrejo: Crab Stuffed Pastry

 

Let me start off by apologizing for not having photos of the steps I took to a make these pastries. The technology is just not cooperating today. The battery in my camera died, and I couldn't put off the baking until it recharged.  To make matters worse, I've been having trouble since last night uploading pictures to blogger, so I had to ask my daughter to upload for me from her computer.

Okay, so I was thinking of Cangrejitos. Cangrejo means crab, thus the name for these crab shaped pastries. Although usually filled with ham, I thought how cool would it be to fill them with actual crab! Cangrejitos are not something that are normally baked in Cuban households as they are readily available in Cuban bakeries, and are a staple at parties. Now remember I'm in the Midwest, so this is a variation of cangrejitos. 

The traditional dough is made with 1 1/2 cups flour, 8 oz cream cheese and 1 stick of butter. It's a relatively simple recipe that, although time consuming, is relatively easy to make, and I will make it another day.  

For these cangrejitos I pulled out a roll of Pillsbury butter dinner rolls. I flattened each individual dough roll with a rolling pin on a floured surface, and I dropped 1 tablespoonful of my crab mixture into each, rolling the dough into a crescent shape.

For the crab mixture I chopped 1/4 of a medium sized onion and satueed it in olive oil, I added about 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, and one can (6 oz) of lump crab meat, drained. I let this cool and added 1 beaten egg to hold it together.

You can brush an egg wash on the tops to give them a glaze. Into a pre-heated oven for about 20 mintues (keep your eyes on 'em). Remove when golden brown. They weren't "traditional" but they were yummy.

Batter Fried Fish

I'm going on a diet starting tomorrow. As the Rolling Stones sang... what a drag it is getting old.  I used to be able to eat almost anything and maintain my weight. No more. This is it! No more fried food for a while.

I started out with 6 Tilapia fillets. I had never heard of this fish before I moved up here, but it appears to be quite common and is quite suitable for frying.  I seasoned the fillets with lemon, salt and pepper. I kind of eyeballed it for the batter but I mixed about 3/4 cup Aunt Jemima pancake mix (I had it sitting out from yesterday's experiment), about 1 cup flour, 1/2 tablespoon baking soda, 1 egg and 1 cup water (more or less) – you can substitute beer.

Into the heated oil they went. We ate them with a little tartar sauce, and Ensalada Guacamola on the side.