A Trip To Puerto Rico…. Can you hear the waves on the sand, and feel the tropical breeze?

We always pick up anything that has recipes in it, and when it is free, that’s even better. Two weeks ago, Sue picked up a couple of copies of the Whole Food “delicious living” magazine. The morning after our last blog, we repeated the same routine where we ponder what to fix next, and within ten minutes we had this meal planned. Sue had never had Puerto Rican food, and Meg’s childhood link to the island seemed an opportunity too good to pass up. Throw in her brother,  Sherman’s , recipe for “Pirates’ Punch”, and we were off and running.

Plantains, strangely, were scarce in Reno this week, fulfilling the role of the one elusive element in almost every meal.  Because we are now very into “how will it photograph?”,  Sue purchased two beautiful fillets of Chilean sea bass…really beautiful!  When Meg asked her if she was ready to cut up the fish, she almost cried.  Somehow the magazine picture had morphed in Sue’s mind into fillets on mofongo.

Rum was the logical choice for this meal, as a lot of good rum comes from Puerto Rico, and Meg has fond memories of “mentiritas”.  Her brother, Sherman, has made this punch for events large and small for a very long time, and says it is modeled after the “zombie” drinks enjoyed in Old San Juan.    Here is the current version as we prepared it:

•  46 oz. canned pineapple juice
•  46 oz. orange juice
•  4 T Angostura bitters
•  1 cup fresh lime juice
•  1 qt. dark (Puerto Rican) rum

Pirates' Punch

We believe this will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, but ours probably won’t make it that long.  It is really refreshing , and you should exercise discretion, as the rum hides behind the fruit juice.  Surprise!

Escabeche with Mofongo

Escabeche

Recipe: Delicious Living magazine, July 2012
Serves:  6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds whole black sea bass, skin removed, cut into small cubes
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• 1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 piquillo pepper or pimientos, diced small (bottled is fine)
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Sliced avocado and lime wedges, for garnish 

Directions

Season fish with salt and pepper.  In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat; then add fish and sauté until opaque, 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a deep plate and keep warm.
In the same pan, sauté onion with garlic and bell pepper until translucent, 5 minutes. Add capers, piquillo pepper, vinegar, bay leaf, oregano, and cilantro; season with salt and mix well. Pour over cooked fish. Let cool to room temperature. Serve with avocado slices and lime wedges.

Weight Watchers:  9 points without the avacado garnish. This total was also based on using the 1/2 cup olive and we only used about 1 tablespoon. 

Mofongo (Plantain Patties)

Recipe: Delicious Living magazine, July 2012
Serves:  6

Ingredients

• 3 green plantains (about 2 pounds total), peeled cut in thick, round slices
• 2 Tbsp. reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
• 3 large cloves garlic
• Olive oil

Directions

Soak plantains in salted water for 30-60 minutes; drain. In a heavy saucepan, arrange plantains and add milk, plus just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer until tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid.

Mince garlic in a large food processor (or mortar).  While still warm, add plantains and pulse (or mash) with a little olive oil, adding reserved liquid as needed, until plantains are soft  and mashed; they will somewhat harden after a few minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Form into six thick patties and serve warm, topped with Esabeche.

Weight Watchers: 9 points



Tembleque (Coconut Mousse)

Tembleque (Coconut Mousse)

Recipe: Delicious Living magazine, July 2012
Serves:  4

Ingredients

• 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
• ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. water
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup natural cane sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. fresh orange zest
• Toasted flacked coconut and orange slices for garnish

Directions

Pour coconut milk into a heavy saucepan. Pour water into coconut-milk can, swish around, and add to saucepan, along with cornstarch, sugar, and salt; whisk until smooth. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon over medium heat until thickened, 5-7 minutes. Do not let it boil. (Usually it is ready right before it starts boiling.) Remove from heat. Stir in orange zest and let mixture rest for 2 minutes.
Coat four ½-cup ramekins with cooking spray and divide coconut mixture among them. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Unmold and serve cold, decorated coconut flakes and orange slices.

Weight Watchers: 7 points


Our unsolicited and biased opinions:


We loved the salsa in this recipe!  It has so many possibilities; pairing it with chicken or any other kind of fish, as well as a key ingredient in fish tacos.  (Can you say “leftovers”? ) We accidentally added the juice of one lime, and loved the extra tartness.  We’re blaming it on the punch…that’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.  Really, try this salsa.

We used about (remember the punch) one tablespoon of olive oil to sauté the fish and the vegetables, which was plenty.  Other than those two changes, we are pretty sure we followed the recipe, and would definitely make this again.  Any firm white fish would work well in this recipe.

Be sure the plantains are cooked through.  It took a little longer here at altitude.  Add as much liquid as you need to keep your food processor going…the mixture will thicken a bit as it sits.  We liked the texture of the pieces left in the mixture.  We both ate two patties, which ended up being one patty too many. We plan on sautéing the leftover (smaller) patties in a little olive oil as a side dish.  If you have never tried cooking with green plantains, give this recipe a try and take a trip to the tropics.  Plantains are readily (usually) available in all markets here in Reno, and you will very likely find them in a market near you.

We did a riff on the slaw from one of our previous feasts (see posting on 5/19/12), but made changes based on what we had on hand.  We used red bell pepper in place of English cucumber, red onion in place of scallions, and honey in place of agave nectar.  It was great with this meal, and we plan on using it with the leftover fish for tacos.  We are both loving the lightness of this and our previous slaw for summer…no mayo.

This meal required some cooking, but you eat everything at room temperature, which makes it a perfect summer meal.

Although this is not a traditional Tembleque and did not firm up for us, the creamy texture, orange zest and toasted coconut made it a dreamy desert. We stopped cooking it before it boiled, as directed, and maybe that’s why it didn’t gel. It certainly didn’t stop us from eating it.

A Cool Meal for the Dog Days of Summer

OR-G - pretty to look at, fun to drink!

 Sue fell in love with this vodka bottle, which started the quest to find out if the contents were as good as the bottle was beautiful.  On the strong recommendation of a handsome young employee at Total Wine Sue happily bought a bottle, and will be buying another bottle.  OR-G is French vodka flavored with persimmon, mango, papaya and lime and made an excellent cocktail mixed with a splash of club soda and a generous wedge of lime.  OR-G is OMG good.  The flavor was surprisingly fruity without being sweet, and even though the bottle indicates they have recipes, we just plowed ahead with our own version.

 It has been so hot here. You ask, how hot?  How about over 100 most of this week?  While it is not unusual to get this hot here, it is usually in August,  not  July.  So we wanted something cool, refreshing, and   something that didn’t require heating up the oven.  And boy did we score with this choice. Sue found some great Ahi tuna, and the vegetables are so luscious this time of year, it was a perfect combination.  And yes, once again there was excitement in the produce aisle when Sue found the baby potatoes. They were just too cute to pass up.



Ahi tuna searing in rosemary olive oil

 This meal evokes a grape arbor, olive trees, fragrant herbs and flowers and a large gathering of close friends and family.  We made do with two hungry women in an air-conditioned house….we’re all about adapting.  Provide us the grape arbor, and we’re there.  The fresh flavors and richness of this dish will transport you anywhere you dream to be.



Nicoise Salad

Classic Tuna Nicoise Salad

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

Prep Time: 10 min

Inactive Prep Time:  --

Cook Time:  30 min

Level:  Easy

Serves:  4 entree salads

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1/4 pound haricots verts, or small, thin green beans, ends trimmed
• 2 pounds yellowfin tuna loin, trimmed of sinew
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1 large head romaine or Bibb lettuce, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• 1/2 pound Roma plum tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup halved and seeded black brine-cured olives
• 1/3 cup halved and seeded green brine-cured olives
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
• Chopped fresh herbs, for garnish (parsley, tarragon, chive, etc.)

Directions

Bring 2 medium pots of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes to 1 pot and blanch until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander, pat dry, and set aside. Add the green beans to the other pot and blanch until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, pat dry, and set aside.

Arrange the tuna on a cutting board and cut into 4 equal portions. Season the tuna steaks with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, each. Heat the oil in a large skillet (or 2 medium skillets), over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the rosemary sprigs and tuna steaks and sear, about 30 seconds per side for medium-rare. Remove from the pan and dice the tuna into 1-inch pieces.

Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces and combine with chopped fresh parsley and tarragon. Toss with enough of the Anchovy Dressing just to coat. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed. Toss the potatoes and green beans in 1/4 cup of the Anchovy Dressing. Arrange the lettuce along the side of 4 large plates (or 1 serving platter). Spoon the vegetables along the other side of the plate. Arrange the diced tuna over the lettuce. Arrange the tomatoes, olives, sliced red onions, and eggs on the other sides of the plates (or serving platter). Garnish with additional herbs if desired and serve immediately.

Anchovy Dressing:

• 1 anchovy fillet, drained
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 large egg*
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a medium bowl, mash the anchovy, salt, pepper, and garlic into a paste with the back of a fork. Add the egg and whisk well to blend. Add the lemon juice and mustard, and whisk well. Add the oils in a steady stream, whisking constantly to form a thick emulsion. Add the shallots, capers and Worcestershire, whisk well, and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Yield: 1 cup

Weight Watchers: 19 points



Ricotta-Raspberry Ice Cream

Raspberry-Ricotta Ice Cream
Recipe from Whole Living Magazine, July /August 2012

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups ricotta
• ½ cup cane sugar
• ¾ tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• Pinch of coarse salt
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup raspberries

Directions

Puree ricotta, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Stir in cream. Freeze in ice cream maker, then mix in 1 cup berries. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm. For the best texture, freeze the ice cream in a shallow, flat container.

Weight Watchers: 9 points

Our biased and unsolicited opinions:

We loved every single element of this salad.  If you are not a lover of seared tuna, then you may want to substitute a grilled meat of your choice.  We substituted multi-colored  baby potatoes for the sliced red potatoes and were very pleased with results. We liked the tuna sliced rather than chopped. We also chose to quarter the tomatoes. The beauty of a composed salad like this, is that you can let the vegetables determine how you present them. The dressing was mild in spite of the strong ingredients and didn’t overpower the salad. We were so surprised by the amount of flavor that the rosemary infused into the tuna in just the few minutes it took to sear.

The wine was good but a bit strong for this meal. A Sirah or a Pinot Noir or even a sparkling white would be a better choice. This was an on-hand wine, and we wanted to try it, but it was over our established budget, and now we wish we had saved it for a better pairing.  We are sort of sorry, sort of . . . .

Maipe, Malbec2008, Argentina

The taste of the ice cream was great (how could it not be?). Sue liked the texture, but Meg thinks it should be smoother, and she is going to keep making and eating it until she has it right. This would lend itself to a variety of summer fruits, so let us know if you try something other than raspberries.

A Salute To Summer with Fresh Tomatoes and Herbs

So being “foodies”, we no sooner finish one meal than we are anticipating the next.  Right after the last SNS posting, (we’re talking Tuesday following the meal on Saturday),  we were chatting after work on the phone, and the conversation ping ponged  from, “We should start thinking about the next posting.”, to “I really liked a lot of the recipes in that Italian cookbook you loaned me.”, to summer portable foods, and evolved into this meal.

We decided right away to make the tart with heirloom tomatoes and then decided on shrimp in baby Romaine leaves as a side.  Meg suggested making an aioli, and we started naming ingredients.  After a long list of options, Sue said, “Am I supposed to be writing this down?”  So since then, every time we start talking about recipes, Sue asks, “Am I supposed to be writing this down?”  It’s now our joke, which we are sharing.  (You had to be there.)

We are so loving the aromas of summer cooking.  We encourage you to stop and sniff the vine-ripened tomatoes, and the basil, and the Parmesan when you are preparing this meal.  When you start with such wonderful ingredients, enjoy the journey, not just the end result.  This was pretty from the beginning, and we couldn’t resist sharing the pictures.

Heirloom Tomatoes and Basil



The tart before adding the parmesan cheese.



Tomato and Basil Tart out of the oven

Tomato and Basil Tart

 Courtesy “The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Italian Cooking”, Carla Capalbo, Hermes House

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 ½  c unbleached flour
• ½ t salt, plus more to sprinkle
• ½ c butter , chilled
• 3 – 5 T cold water
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil

For the filling

• 1 c mozzarella cheese,  sliced as thinly as possible
• 4 – 5 medium tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch slices
• 4 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Make the pastry by placing the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.  Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add 3 T of water , and combine with a fork until the dough holds together.  If it is too crumbly, mix in a little water.
Gather the dough into a ball and flatten it into a disc.  Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 375’.

Roll the pastry out between two sheets of waxed paper to a thickness of ¼ inch.  Line and 11 inch tart or pie pan, trimming the edges evenly.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.  Prick the bottom all over with a fork.

Line the pastry with a sheet of parchment paper.  Fill with dried beans.  Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet and bake about 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven.
Remove the weights and paper.  Brush the pastry with oil.  Line with the mozzarella.  Tear half of the basil into pieces, and sprinkle on top. 

Arrange the tomato slices over the cheese.  Dot with the remaining whole basil leaves.   Sprinkle with salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese and oil.  Bake for about 35 minutes.  If the cheese exudes a lot of liquid during the baking, tilt the pan and spoon it off to keep the pastry from becoming soggy.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Weight Watchers   8 points for 8 servings, 10 points for 6 servings

Grilled Shrimp With Red Pepper Aioli

Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

 Recipe developed by Meg and Sue

For Saturday Night Specials 6/30/2012

Makes: 2 cups 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup  olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 egg
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 large red peppers, roasted, skins and seeds removed
• 1 Tsp.  Sriracha hot sauce
• zest of 1 small lemon
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Put all ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and blend on medium speed until well mixed.  Turn to highest speed and slowly drizzle the olive oil through the opening in the lid of the blender.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  This will help to thicken the sauce, also.

Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc

We had planned on a red wine for this meal, but Sue unilaterally decided on a white. Luckily, it worked out well. This wine complimented the basil in the tart.



Fresh Peaches with Rosemary-Honey Syrup

 

Peaches with Rosemary-Honey Syrup 

Recipe developed by Meg

For Saturday Night Specials 6/30/2012

Makes: ½ cup

Ingredients:

• 1 c water
• ¼ c honey
• 1 6 inch sprig rosemary
• ¼  c frozen cranberry-pomegranate juice
• 1 crushed whole cardamom pod
• 1 T balsamic vinegar 

Put all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Cook over low heat until it is reduced to a dark syrup.  If you can keep an eye on it, go ahead and use a higher heat.

Toast about ½ cup of sliced almonds in a skillet in 1 t butter until slightly browned.

Skin and slice about 1 ½ peaches per person into small bowls.  Drizzle with the syrup and sprinkle the toasted almonds over the top.

This syrup was made specifically for the wonderful fresh peaches, but could easily be used over almost any fresh fruit.  Adding the sliced, toasted almonds gives this summery dessert just the right amount of crunch.

   

Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

The shrimp in the Romaine with aioli is very portable, if you take the aioli in a small squeeze bottle.  We would also not leave the tails on, although it made for a prettier picture.

The aioli makes about 2 cups but you can easily cut the ingredients in half. Leftovers can be used as a sauce over cooked chicken, on fish tacos, or as a dip for fresh vegetables.

We loved the tart, but it isn’t finger food.  Next time we would grate the mozzarella. We have some ideas, which we will share on another occasion, to make it more portable. The combination of fresh tomatoes, cheeses and basil is hard to beat, and the aromas while it was baking were tantalizing.

Fresh fragrant peaches are showing up in our markets now. They needed no enhancement, but we made a rosemary-honey syrup, just because we could. A topping of toasted sliced almonds added a nice crunch. Really, a perfect summer dessert.