Oswald Rivera

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ESPINACA CON ARROZ (Spinach with Rice)

September 4, 2024 / / 0 Comments

 

This is another one of our beggar’s banquet meals. When times were lean in Spanish Harlem, this was one of the go-to  dishes that was inexpensive, filling and delicious. It’s simply spinach with rice or Espinaca con Arroz. In our family this is served over plain white rice. We never paired it with Spanish yellow rice or pasta. But, I guess you can, if you want to. Consider this a cheapo dinner that vegetarians and even carnivores will love.

ESPINACA CON ARROS
(Spinach with Rice)

Ingredients:

2 cups rice
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt  and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 pound baby spinach leaves or fresh spinach washed and large stems trimmed
¼ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Wash rice at least 3 times in cold water and drain to rid it  of starch.
  2.  Heat  3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy kettle or pot. Add rice and stir until grains are opaque.
  3.  Add water to cover by at least ¼ to ½ inch. Add salt to taste.
  4.  Bring to a boil. Add chicken bouillon and stir until it has dissolve. Cover and simmer on low heat until water is absorbed (about 20-30 minutes).
  5. While rice is cooking, in a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook , stirring, until onion and garlic are soft, about 3 minutes.
  6.  Add spinach, salt, pepper, oregano and lemon juice. Cook, stirring, until jut wilted, about 3 minutes.
  7.  Remove from heat to prevent overcooking. Here you can go two ways: you can put the rice in a large serving bowl or platter and topped with  the spinach and all of its juice. Or you cam serve the rice in individual plates with the spinach. In each case, as a added touch, you can top with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

 

SAUCY BREADED LAMB CHOPS

September 3, 2024 / / 0 Comments

This recipe is simply breaded lamb chops cooked in a sauce, thus I call it Saucy Breaded Lamb Chops. Again, my own innovation. I had some lamb chops on hand and needed to invent a quick meal. Noting special here. Just lamb chops, flour for breading and eggs to coat the thing. The result was, well, marvelous. A delicious entrée or luncheon that goes well with your favorite grain, be it rice, couscous, millet or farro (as noted before, a type of ancient wheat grain popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine). With this dish, even pasta goes well with it.

Note that in this recipe I used bone round lamb chops. But you can use lamb rib chops, which is considered by many the most prized cut of lamb (and the most expensive). Or lamb loin chops, the equivalent of T-bone beef steak and very juicy. Most prefer lamb shoulder chops, Which are the most economical version. While not as tender as rib chops, if they are will seasoned (as we like it in Nuyorican cuisine) and slow cooked, they offer great taste and very good lamb flavor. You’re the boss, so pick what suits you best in terns of economics and preference.

Whichever cut of lamb you choose, with this dish you can’t go wrong.  It will impress family and friends. And leave them hankering for more.

SAUCY BREADED LAMB CHOPS

Ingredients:

4 lamb chops, preferably round bone, about 12 oz. each
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon dried chives
1/3 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
5 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup water
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dry wine (red or white)

Instructions:

  1. Rinse lamb chops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Season them well with the salt, pepper, oregano and chives. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil
  3. Dip each chops into beaten eggs and then press them in the flour to coat.
  4. Heat the reaming 3 teaspoons olive oil in a large frypan or skillet. Add lamb chops and cook 3-4 minutes per side.
  5. Mix flour and water and add to skillet, along with the wine. Cover and cook 4 minutes more or until done. You can cook them a little longer if you wan them well done.
    Yield: 4 servings.

PASTA IN CRABMEAT SAUCE

August 22, 2024 / / 0 Comments

OOne of the dishes I discovered in my young manhood was linguine in white clam sauce. To this day it’s still a favorite in our crowd. Recently I was gifted with some crabmeat, and I thought, why not do the same, except using crabmeat instead of clams? Well, the experiment worked. The result was a delicious pasta dinner that everyone loved. This time around I used angel hair pasta. But it can also work with thin spaghetti or, the old standby, linguine. So, here it is, Pasta in Crabmeat Sauce. I’m sure the dish can work with tubular pasta as well, such as penne, elbow macaroni. or bow ties (farfalle). My friends, you’re the boss, so pair the sauce with whatever you prefer, even with a grain such as rice or couscous.

PASTA IN CRABMEAT SAUCE

Ingredients:

I pound angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Pinch Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ cup freshly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 packages (6 oz.) Dungeness crabmeat or 2  (6 oz.) cans white crabmeat
¾ cup heavy cream
Grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Instructions:

1 .In a large pot (5 qt.) or Dutch oven heat water to a boil and cook pasta until is al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking, melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet or frypan. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes. Add pinch of  crushed red pepper, if desired.

3. Add lemon juice, oregano, basil, parsley and wine. Stir for one minute. Add crabmeat and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Drain pasta and place in large bowl.

5, Cover pasta with crabmeat sauce. Add heavy cream. Stir well and top with parmesan cheese.

6. Serve with warm crusty bread and chilled white wine (or red, if preferred).

Yield: 4 serving

FILETES DE PESCADO CON VEGETALES (Fish Fillets with Vegetables)

August 8, 2024 / / 0 Comments

 

This dish can be done with fish fillets, fish steaks or even a whole scaled fish. It is simply fish cooked with vegetables, This time we’re using fish fillets, thus the moniker: Filetes de Pescado con Vegetales. Back on the block,  some in my family preferred it with fillets and some with fish steaks. Use what suits you best in terms of taste or cost. It’s an easy enough recipe. You poach the fish in white wine or vermouth. Then you stir-fry veggies of your choice. We use onions, tomatoes and bell peppers (what we call  pimientos). These can be  yellow (as in this recipe), green  or red pepper.

In this recipe you can use fresh or frozen fish fillets. Let me add that it makes for a great summer dish since you can serve it at room temperature. In colder weather, you can make the vegetables first, then set side in a warned platter, cook the fish fillets and combine it with the vegetables. Either way. or in whatever season, it makes for a delicious lunch or dinner.

In Nuyorican cuisine the usual accompaniment to this dish is rice. But you can serve it over couscous, farro (a wheat grain popular in the Mediterranean and Middle east) or even pasta. With a good crusty loaf of bread and favorite wine (red or white), or even beer, it can’t be beat.

FILETES DE PESCADO CON VEGETALES
(Fish Fillets with Vegetables)

Ingredients:

1 pound fish fillets of your choice, cut into 4 portions, or 4 (6-8 oz.) fish fillets
White wine or vermouth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow bell pepper (can substitute green or red bell pepper)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 tomatoes, rinsed and cut in chunks
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons dry red wine
Ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon oregano

Instructions:

  1. Rinse fillets under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Place in a large frypan or skillet with white wine or vermouth almost to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat to simmer and poach for 6 minutes.  Remove from poaching liquid and let cool in a serving platter or dish. Discard poaching liquid or save for another use (such as stock or flavoring).
  3.  Wipe skillet clean. Place back on burner, add oil and heat until shimmering. Add pepper, garlic and onion and stir fry over medium-high heat until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, capers, red wine, ground pepper and oregano; and simmer 5 minutes longer.
  4.  Spoon vegetables mixture over fillets and serve at room temperature.
    Yield: 4 servings.

Magic Beans and Broccoli

August 2, 2024 / / 0 Comments

In my lifetime, I’ve had an eclectic circle of friends. One of them was a gregarious sort who came from the heartland and called me, affectionately, “The Beaner.” There was a reason for this: I love beans. I would make great bean dishes and he would exclaim, “My God, Oz, you’re a beaner!” And he was right, Maybe it’s genetic, maybe it’s a cultural thing, I don’t know. But, give me a good bean dish, and I fall in love.  Recently, experimenting in the kitchen with what I had on hand, I enlarged the repertoire. I happened to have some broccoli and beans and decided, why not fused them together in a recipe? The result is what I call Magic Beans and Broccoli. Why? Because the beans are majestic, and flavorful.  For this dish you can use whatever variety of beans preferred, be it red beans, black beans, pinto bean, even garbanzo beans. As stated numerous times before, you’re only limited by you’re imagination.

I’m a traditionalist. When I cook beans I do them from scratch. That is, I soak them overnight in water and next day, drain, then place them in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven with water to cover by two inches, bring to a boil, cover and cook over moderate-low heat until beans are tender (about 1 hour).  I know, given today’s time constraints and rapid culture, most people  do not have the time or inclination to cook dry beans from scratch. In that case, use canned beans (but do not drain). You’ll get the same results. You’re choice.

Note that we like this dish by itself with a crusty loaf of bread. But, if desired, you can pair this dish with you’re favorite grain be it rice, couscous, quinoa or other. Even even pasta works but, in this case, I would prefer tubular pasta like penne, elbows or macaroni.

MAGIC BEANS WITH BROCCOLI

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and slice into thin rounds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and mince
2 medium to large head of broccoli, rinsed and cut into florets
2 cans (15 oz.) red kidney beans (can substitute red beans, pinto beans or other)
1 chicken bullion cube
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon oregano

Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Add onion and cook over medium  heat until wilted. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
  2.  Add broccoli florets and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
  3.  Add beans (do not drain). Add bouillon and wine. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Stir to mix. Lower heat and simmer 8-10  minutes more or until beans are cooked through.  Serve immediately.
    Yield” 4-6 servings.

FISH FILLETS WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

July 31, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Fish fillets in sauce have always been a Nuyorican staple. Not so much  back on the island of Puerto Rico. This is something  that was appropriated by Boricua cuisine when they came to the mainland U.S. Honestly, I don’t recall fish with  sauce dishes when I was growing up back in Spanish Harlem. It was normally fried fish or in stews. But as our palate expanded, sauces began to be incorporated. So, today, fish in a sauce is one of our favorite takes on cooking seafood.

The rendition given is fish in a mushroom sauce. Now, this could be a whole fish, cleaned and scaled (with head intact) or with fish fillets, as in this recipe. In some variations, the fish can be steamed or, as we do it today, poached in a little water. The mushroom sauce is easy to prepare. All you do is sauté onions in butter, add some shallots and mushrooms. Then, when mushrooms have wilted, blend them in a blender or food and stir in some cream.  Simple, easy and delicious. This time around we serve the fish and sauce with quinoa. But you can use  rice, couscous, or even pasta, Whichever side dish you choose, it makes for a memorable meal.

FISH FILLETS IN A MUSHROOM SAUCE

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless fish fillets such as cod, striped bass, turbot, haddock, whitefish, tilapia or snapper, about 1-inch thick, about 3 pounds
1 cup water
5 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
¼ pound mushrooms, washed and cut into thin slices
Salt and black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼  cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions:

  1. Rinse fish fillets under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. In a large saucepan or skillet, place fish fillets. They could be layered if they all don’t fit in the saucepan. Add  cup water, bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and cook  for 5-8  minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Carefully remove the fish with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  3.  Heat 2 tablespoons butter in the same skillet or saucepan. Add shallots and cook over medium heat until wilted
  4.  Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano. Cook, stirring until wilted. Add the wine and simmer, uncovered, for about 3  minutes.
  5.  Put the mushroom mixture into a food processor or blender and blend thoroughly. Return to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Swirl in the remaining butter and stir in the cream.
  6.  Transfer fish to a warmed serving platter, add mushroom sauce and serve.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

PECHUGA DE OLLO CON CREMA (Chicken Breasts with Cream)

July 18, 2024 / / 0 Comments

 

We call this recipe, Pechuga de Pollo con Crema, or Chicken Breasts with Cream (or Chicken Breasts in  Cream Sauce). As you  can imagine, the cream is what gives this dish its pizzazz, or glamor. It’s a simple enough recipe: floured chicken breasts cooked in lots of heavy cream. In our Nuyorican version,  we do not pound the chicken breasts until they are relatively thin. That is something that our Italian brethren do. We like the suckers ample and meaty. As with most Boricua dishes, we usually serve this over rice. But you can substitute pasta, couscous, farro or favorite grain. In fact, it can also be a stand-alone dish with a hefty loaf of bread or bread buns. Your choice. Either way, everyone present at the table will love it (except for vegetarians or vegans, of course).

PECHUGA DE POLLO CON CTREMA
(Chicken Breasts with Cream)

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts
½ cup flour
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¾ teaspoon oregano
¼ tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry

Instructions:

  1. Slice or split each chicken breasts into 4 fillets.
  2. In a large plate or platter, season the flour with salt, pepper and oregano. Dip or dredge each chicken piece into seasoned flour.
  3. Heat oil in a large frypan or skillet. Add chicken fillets and fry on medium heat until tender and brow. Depending on size of skillet you may have to do this in batches. Remover to a hot serving dish and set aside.
  4.  Remove all fat from the skillet except for  2 tablespoons. Add chicken broth and cream, stirring until thickened.
  5.  Add dry sherry and cook  2 minutes longer.
  6.  Add chicken and mix with sauce until heated through. Serve immediately with favorite grain or pasta, either tubular or stringed.
    Yield: 4 servings.

SCRAMBLED TOFU

July 16, 2024 / / 0 Comments

This has become one of my favorite tofu recipes: Scrambled Tofu. Think of scrambled eggs, but with a more healthy alternative. I know, there are those out there who point out that “Tofu has no taste.” In a way, they’re correct. But that’s the beauty and benefit of tofu. It acquires whatever taste you want with the condiments or herbs you use. What we have here is a great breakfast dish—or for dinner or lunch served with rice, toast, or your favorite grain. Even finicky kids will like this one.

SCRAMBLED TOFU

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 pounds tofu, washed and crumbled
3 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon oregano
Salt and ground black pepper to taster

Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a skillet or frypan.
  2.  Add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is tender and translucent.
  3.  Add tofu, soy sauce, oregano, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, until blended and mixed. Serve immediately.
    Yield: 4 servings.

MEATBALLS IN GRAVY

July 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Most Americans are familiar with meatballs but mainly as a pasta dish, as in spaghetti with meatballs. Yet have you ever considered meatballs without the  tomato sauce? And this is where today’s recipe comes in. It’s Meatballs  with Gravy. Simple, enjoyable, and quite delicious. You can serve this dish with buttered egg noodles, or give it an Asian slant and serve it over chow mein noodles. In our crowd, we prefer it with yellow Spanish rice. Either way you’ll have  a great lunch or dinner.

When preparing this entrée, forming the meatballs is what requires thought. In our family we love  BIG meatballs. By that, I mean the size of Spaulding hand balls. Some people like them even bigger. The size of the suckers depends on how large you want them. The recipe given below will  render 48 balls about 1-inch diameter. It will give you 17 balls if you prefer them larger, say 2-inch in diameter. You’re the boss. You you can make them as big as you like. It’s your show.

MEATBALLS IN GRAVY

Ingredients:

1½ pounds ground beef, chicken or turkey
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¾ cup bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
¾ teaspoon caraway seed
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ cup butter
¼ cup flour
3 bouillon cubes (chicken or beef)
2 cups water

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine meat, onion, garlic. bread crumbs, egg, caraway seed, salt and pepper. Mix well, and shape into meatballs whatever size you want (see reference above). I’ve discovered that the best way to form the meatballs is by shaping with wet hands. So, keep hands wet by dipping in water or rinsing under the faucet while making the meat balls.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add meat balls and brown slowly over medium-low heat turning or shaking frequently to brown balls. Depending on size of meat balls, you may have to do this in batches. Once done, remove balls from skillet. Do not clean skillet, leave remaining butter in.
3. Stir flour into skillet. Add bouillon cubes and water.  Cook over medium-low heat until thickened and smooth. Add meatballs, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes until meat balls are hot. Serve immediately with rice or pasta.
Yield: 6-8 servings.

 

 

 

 

CHICKEN PICCATA WITH ARTICHOKES

July 12, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Chicken piccata is nothing more than chicken breast cutlets, dredged in flour, browned, and served with a sauce of butter, lemon juice, capers, and either stock or white wine. It’s a dish that I love because of its piquant taste. For all you purists out there, piquant means food that has  a pleasant spicy taste.  With Piccata it’s a sharp taste and appetizing flavor. Being contrary, I attribute this to the lemon in the recipe. To me, chicken piccata means lemon piccata.

What I like about this recipe is that it includes another of my favorites: artichokes. It makes for a pleasing and delicious combination. And it’s great over orzo or any other small pasta shape for soaking up the delicious sauce. We did it, this time, over ditalini,  also referred to as tubettini because it’s shaped like a small tube. In some quarters it’s also known as “salad macaroni.” In my culture i.e. Nuyorican cuisine, it would undoubtedly be served over rice.

Let me add, giving credit where credit is due, this recipe comes Chicken Night (Weldon Owen , Inc.. 2014) by Kate Mcmillan

CHICKEN PICCATA WITH ARTICHOKES

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1½ pounds
½ cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jar artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken broth
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

  1. Cut chicken breasts in half through the thickness (as if you were going to open it like a book, but cut all the way through). Working 1 half at a time, place chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound  with the flat side of a meat pounder or other flat-topped heavy metal object to a thickness of about ¼ inch.
  2.  Pour the flour onto a large plate and season it well with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding, add the chicken and cook, turning once until golden brown on both sides and opaque throughout, about 4 minutes per side.
  3.  Return frying pan to medium-high heat; do not wipe the pan clean. Melt one tablespoon of the butter in the remaining one tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and artichoke hearts and sauté until garlic is soft, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, lemon juice and capers, Reduce heat to medium, bring to a gentle simmer, and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Cook, stirring until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  4. Return chicken to the pan and turn to coat each piece with the sauce. Cook just until is warmed  through,  about 2 minutes. Serve right away.
    Servings: 6

 

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