Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

Author: Oswald Rivera (page 37 of 84)

EGGPLANT AU GRATIN

May 2, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Once in a while I have to go back to classical French cooking. I was not trained in French cuisine. I am a gourmand not a gourmet. What I learned from cooking, I did from experience, coming from a Latino culture where good food and drink is paramount. So, I enjoy dabbling in the French cannon with its rich sauces and elegant inspired creations. Within this vein, one of my favorite dishes is eggplant au gratin. I love this eggplant and mushroom combination replete with cream and butter and delicate spices. This is a special dish for a special occasion. Oh, what the hell, for any occasion where you want something out of the ordinary. During this time of pandemic, what better way to affirm the joy of living and eating well.

Note that for this dish, you can use whatever mushroom desired. I use a combination of white button mushrooms and portobello. But I’m sure the dish will go well with shiitaki, crimini, chanterelle, porcini, whatever. I do insist on fresh mushrooms. This time around the canned variety just won’t cut it. I’m not being elitist, just practical.

EGGPLANT AU GRATIN

Ingredients:

1 pound eggplant
Salt to taste
½ pound fresh mushrooms
Juice of ½ lemon
1½ tablespoons flour
½ cup milk
¼ cup heavy cream
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Few drops of Tabasco Sauce
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425º.
  2.  Peel eggplant and cut into 1-inch cubes, more or less. Drop cubes into boiling salted water and cook about 5 minutes or just until done. Drain well.
  3.  Meanwhile, slice mushrooms. You should have about 3 cups. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add mushroom slices. Sprinkle with salt and about 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Cook, stirring, until wilted and juices come out. Continue cooking until liquid evaporates. Set aide.
  4.  Melt 1½ tablespoons butter in a large saucepan. Add flour, stirring with wire whisk. Add milk and cream, stirring rapidly with whisk. When blended and smooth, add salt and pepper to taste, remaining lemon juice, nutmeg and Tabasco to taste. Stir in mushrooms and eggplant. Stir in egg. Spoon mixture into baking dish (preferably 8X10″ pie plate or cast-iron). Sprinkle with a mixture of bread crumbs and cheese. Dot with tablespoon butter.
  5.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, and then brown under broiler for a couple of minutes.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

ISFANAKH MUTAJAN

April 28, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This dish is nothing more than lightly boiled spinach seasoned with sesame oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. But once you taste it, you”ll think it’s manna from heaven. The recipe is from my second cookbook,  The Pharaoh’s Feast (Four Walls Eight Windows). Published in the UK under the title, Feasting with the Ancestors. The title says it all. It’s a compendium of cooking throughout the ages and how it changed our world view. 110 simple recipes starting from the dawn of time to the present. The Arabic section of the book is particularly interesting. While in medieval times, western man was dining on rancid mutton and half cooked vegetables, in  the Persian Empire they were dining on truffles from the Arabian Desert, cakes from Egypt, steamed couscous from Baghdad, and savories cooked with spices from India and China

Throughout this time, one gourmet reigns supreme, al-Baghdadi (the whole name is Muhammad ibn al-Hassan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Karim al-Katib al-Baghdadi).  His cookbook, dating from the 13th century, defined Persian cooking.  The problem with al-Baghdadi is that his recipes are, by and large, highly complex in terms of the spices used. There are recipes which include sumac, taro, murri, and coriander juice.  So, it was great to come across this offering which doesn’t go to town with numerous ingredients and cooking techniques.  al-Baghdadi  put this dish under the heading of “relishes.”  It’s simple and delicious. For a vegetarian, this is the best dish you’ll have. And if you’re not a vegetarian,  you”ll savor it just as much.

My friends, eat like your a sultan tonight. The accompaniment to this dish is rice or couscous. I served it with pilaf rice. But whatever side dish you use, this simple spinach dish will be unforgettable.

ISFANAKH MUTAJAN

Ingredients:

2 to 2½ pounds spinach, stems removed, washed, drained, and chopped
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Parboil the spinach for 1 to 2 minutes in a large pan of boiling salted water. Drain and squeeze dry.
  2.  Stir in the sesame oil, add the garlic, and mix.
  3.  Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the cumin, coriander, and stir to mix.
  4.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.
    Yield: 4 servings.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

April 26, 2020 / / 0 Comments

“When the stars make you drool, just like pasta fazool, that’s amore.”

Pasta e Fagioli, or pasta and beans, is a popular dish in Italian cuisine. And it’s best know to the rest of us as “Pasta Fazool.” It’s origin is Southern Italy, where it started out as a peasant dish, since it is filling and inexpensive. It began, originally, as a hearty soup or stew. In my family, we never made it soupy. It was more of a traditional pasta dish. That’s the way I’ve been eating it  all my life. The version I’m familiar with includes white beans, either cannellini beans (white kidney), Great Northern, or Navy beans. At one time there was a great restaurant in Brooklyn, Fiorentino’s, where they made the dish with lentils. I found that fascinating, and just as good. In all cases, the pasta used is of the small variety such a elbow macaroni or ditalini.  I reckon you could probably do it with larger shapes such as penne or rigatoni. I’ve never seen it done with string pasta but, if you wanna try, go right ahead.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve been stocking up on beans, along with everyone else. Mainly it’s been the dried variety since they are cheap and plentiful. So, pasta fazool was a natural for a hearty dinner. Now, in the recipe noted below, we use canned beans since that’s the easiest way to prepare. But if you want to use dried beans, be my guest. Remember they have to be soaked, preferably overnight, drained, boiled, then simmered for an hour or so using the ingredients given.  Add a crusty loaf of bread, a good Chianti wine, and you’re set for a beggar’s (or a rich person’s) feast.

PASTA E FAGIOLI
(Pasta Fazool)

Ingredients:

1 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 ½ cups (more or less) tomato sauce
2 15.5-oz cans white kidney beans, drained
Fresh basil to taste or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions:

1. Cook elbow macaroni per package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic and sauté over moderate heat until onion is translucent and tender.
3. Add tomato sauce and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
4. Add beans, cooked macaroni, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and serve piping hot. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.
Yield: 6 or more servings.

 

 

BIFTEC CON GARBANZOS (Beefsteak with Chickpeas)

April 25, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Like everyone else, during this time of Covid-19, we have stocked up on beans, both dried and canned. This is inclusive of chickpeas (garbanzos), which is one of the most common staples in Nuyorican cooking.  It amazes me how we never got the idea of mashing the chickpeas and creating something akin to hummus—but that’s another story. The following recipe comes from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Running Press) and the thickener used is cornstarch. I suppose flour could be used though we’ve never tried it that way. For the steak, fillet of beef is recommended, though boneless sirloin or round steak can be substituted. The cooking time will be longer though: 15 to 20 minutes for simmering the meat or until tender.

In our family, when we served his dish, the usual accompaniment was steamed rice. This time around we had some plantains on hand and we made platanos (fried plantains). For a recipe you can go to the post of 10/16/16 (Tostones, Fried Green Plantains). The biftec recipe also calls for achiote, a flavoring that adds an orange-red color to our dishes. For simplicity’s sake, I’ve added a recipe for achiote. If you don’t have the time or inclination to use genuine achiote, then you can substitute 1 teaspoon turmeric.

BIFTEC CON GARBANZOS
(Beefsteak with Chickpeas)

Ingredients:

1 pound fillet of beef, cut into julienne strips
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon achiote (see recipe given)
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and slice in thin rounds
1 teaspoon paprika
1 16-ounce can chickpeas
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle the beef with garlic, salt, pepper and achiote, and mix until meat is well coated.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan and sauté the meat over high heat for approximately 3 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium, add the onion, paprika, chickpeas (with their liquid) and bay leaf. Stir to blend.
4. Add the water mixed with cornstarch and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (about 3minutes). Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 3 minutes more.
Yield: 4 to 5 servings.

ACHIOTE

1, Ina small skillet, preferably cast-iron, heat ½ cup olive oil or vegetable oil. When the oil is very hot add 1 tablespoon annatto seeds. They can be obtained in most supermarkets in 8-ounce jars. Turn heat to low and cook the seeds, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. If the flame is kept on high, the seeds may crack and splatter. During cooking, the oil will turn a bright orange-red color. The longer the seeds steep in the oil, the deeper the hue.
2. Remove from heat and let cool. Using a small strainer, pour into a glass jar or container. Cover and refrigerate.
Note: My relatives use a lot of achiote. Some of their recipes call for a  whole bottle of vegetable oil (32ounes) and one jar (8-ounes) in annatto seeds. Again, this is for those who use it constantly and fequently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BAKED FISH WITH TOMATOES

April 20, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This recipe works well with fish fillets or fish steaks. Your choice. Even in these trying times, fish fillets and/or fish steaks are still plentiful; and so are tomatoes. For the fillets it can be any firm fleshed white fish, be it haddock, perch, turbot, cod, grouper, bass, tilapia, even tilefish.  Same for fish steaks whether its tuna, snapper, salmon, swordfish or mahi-mahi. So, what are you waiting for? Go at it .

BAKED FISH FILLETS WITH TOMATOES

Ingredients:

2 pounds fish fillets or 4 steaks
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place onion, parsley and garlic in a baking dish or pan (I prefer cast-iron). Season fish  with salt, pepper and oregano; and place on top of vegetables. Add wine, dot with butter and cover fillets or steaks with tomato slices,
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Then place fish under broiler for 3 minutes or until tomato slices are seared. Serve piping hot with bake potatoes and a side of greens.
Yield:  servings.

TURKISH KOFTE

April 18, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I’m a fan of Turkish cuisine. I first discovered it in my young manhood, and I’ve dabbled in it ever since. I especially love  the way our Turkish brethren prepare meatballs. It’s an art all its own. Like most Americans, I grew up on meatballs and spaghetti. But Turkish Kofte gave me a whole new appreciation on the subject. The following recipe I got from a friend years ago. I was entranced by the sauce that comes with it. It’s a lemon and egg sauce. A far cry, and different, from the usual marinara sauce in Italian cooking. And it gives the meatballs a whole new flavor component.

Figure it this way. With the current pandemic you’re most likely to be stuck at home, like most of us, sheltering in place. Now is the time to try something  different. Something that will spark your taste buds. I’m sure, once you’ve had this dish, you’ll never think of meatballs the same way again. It will become part of your repertoire now and in the future.

Let me add that when my friend cooked this dish, he would fry the meatballs in solid white shortening.  Honestly, the shortening gives it a better flavor. But there’s always that bugaboo about health concerns. So I use olive oil or vegetable oil. But, if you want to use Crisco, go right ahead. I can understand. It’s a personal preference. Also, I serve the recipe with rice. Or you can use couscous as an accompaniment if preferred.

TURKISH KOFTE

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup minced flat parsley
¼ cup fresh chopped dill
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
Lemon-Egg Sauce (recipe follows)

Instructions:

1. Place beef in a mixing bowl along with the onion, garlic, cheese, parsley, dill, salt and pepper. Knead mixture with hands for 5 minutes.
2. Form into ovals. Roll in flour, dip into eggs. In a skillet, sauté ovals on all sides in hot oil. Serve with lemon-egg sauce.
Yield: 4 servings.

LEMON AND EGG SAUCE

Ingredients:

4 eggs
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups chicken broth or bouillon

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, beat eggs until frothy. Add lemon juice and stir.
2. Place over very low heat. Add broth slowly, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, 10 to 15 minutes, until thickened. Do no boil.
Yield: 2 cups.

 

 

 

 

 

WALNUT CAULIFLOWER

April 16, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I’ve gotten into a cauliflower jag lately. Maybe it’ the coronavirus. Maybe I’ve just been lucky and found fresh cauliflower at the market. Whatever. It has enhanced my love for this venerable vegetable. When I was a kid I didn’t like it that much. But once I became an adult, a transformation happened. I discovered the wonderful ways that cauliflower can be prepared; and I don’t mean just boiling or steaming. You can make some really scrumptious dishes—like Walnut Cauliflower. That’s right, walnuts. Very healthy in the time of Covid-19. Not to mention, delicious. You can serve it, with its creamy mustard-flavored walnut sauce, as an accompaniment or as a meal in itself. It’ll hit the spot.

WALNUT CAULIFLOWER

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
1½ cups milk
¾ cup light or heavy cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
1 medium-sized cauliflower, cooked until tender and kept hot

Instructions:

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Remove the pan from the heat and, with a wooden spoon, stir in the flour to make a smooth paste.
2. A little at a time, add the milk and cream, stirring constantly and being careful to avoid lumps. Add the egg, vinegar, sugar and mustard.
3. Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thick and smooth. Do not allow the sauce to come to a boil or the egg will scramble. Stir in the walnuts and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
4.  Remove the pan from heat. Place cauliflower in a serving dish and pour the sauce over. Serve at once.
Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

 

 

 

SARDINES AND VEGGIES WITH FUSILLI

April 15, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This dish came about because of a wine that was sent to me by Laithwaite’s, my wine purveyor. It was a 2018 Portinho do Covo, a Portuguese blend with ripe fruit flavors and full-bodied character that make it ideal with roasted red meats, and sardines? (yes, sardines). I had to try this. I enjoy red wine, even with fish. I don’t buy that hard and fast rule of white wine with seafood.  You enjoy the wine you like with any food. But this sardine recommendation intrigued me.

I had to come up with a dish. I checked the cupboard found and I had tons of pasta, and a few cans of sardines. Now, for this recipe, I recommend wild canned sardines, if you can get them.  The rest I made up as I went along. I combined onion, garlic, tomatoes and some broccoli stalks that I had saved to make cream of broccooli soup.  The soup would wait. I cut the stalks into little pieces and added them to the mix. If you don’t like broccoli stalks then you can use broccoli florettes.

For the pasta, any tubular pasta will do. It can be penne, macaroni, elbow, ziti, even rigatoni. I decided on fusilli since I hadn’t had it  in a while.  You can also try a grain like rice, couscous or quinoa. As stated before, you are only limited by your imagination (and what’s on hand).

SARDINES AD VEGGIES WITH FUSILLI

Ingredients:

1 pound fusilli
3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup broccoli stalks (cut into serving pieces), or broccoli florettes
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3  4.4-oz cans  sardines
1 large tomato, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

Instructions:

1. Cook fusilli according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add broccoli stalks (or florettes) and cook 2 minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in sardines with their liquid. Mix in tomato and oregano.
3. Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl. Top with sardine-veggie mixture and serve.
Yield: 4 servings.

 

 

 

LAMB SHANK STEW

April 13, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This was a last minute dish that we made yesterday for Easter. Usually I prepared a leg of lamb and have my usual group over for the traditional Easter Dinner. In the age of Covid-19, that was a no-go.  All my friends and acquaintances, as well as Holly and I, are self distancing and hunkering down until this pandemic is over. Honestly, what with the coronavirus and alI I hadn’t planned a holiday dinner. Then, at the last minute, Holy reminded me of the holiday tradition. Problem was, we had no leg of lamb available. We looked in the freezer, and we did have some lamb shanks. I got to thinking, maybe this time I can still do something special with lamb shanks.

One of my favorite entrées is a Middle Easter dish known as Mozaat. Actually, it’s a veal dish, But, not what you think: it’s a shin of veal preparation where the veal shin is steamed along with herbs and spices. I figured, Why not try the same thing with lamb shanks?  The result is what some people would call a stew. It is rich and flavorful; and is usually served with couscous. We had rice on hand, and we use that grain as an accompaniment.  The results were magnificent.

Be aware that this dish includes potatoes. I usually do NOT peel the potatoes. The potatoes skin is what gives it its nutrients. Problem is, that most potatoes these days are sprayed with every kind  chemical. Thus, we always purchase organic potatoes as sold in a health food store, a local farm, or food coop. If you can’t find fresh organic potatoes, then you’d be advised to peel the things. But, if you are fortunate enough to get organic or farm-grown ones, cooked unpeeled.

Ingredients:

4 lamb shanks
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 potatoes, sliced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon turmeric
Juice of ½ lemon

Instructions:

1. In a large pan or pot, heat the oil over medium flame and sauté the lamb shanks, turning them to brown all over.
2. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and turmeric. Half-cover with water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours or until the meat is soft and the sauce reduced. Add a little water during this time if necessary, and turning the shanks occasionally.
3. Squeeze the lemon juice over the pan just before serving.
Yield: 4 servings.

 

BUTIFARRON (Meat Loaf)

April 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments

In this time of pandemic, good home-made  meals come to the fore. You know what I mean: those stick to the ribs favorites that every family has a time-honored recipe for. So, this time around, it’s my Mother’s Meat Loaf. In Spanish-Nuyorican cuisine it’s Butiffarón (pronounced “Boo-Tee-fah-ron”).

We all have a favorite meat loaf recipe. It goes with the turf. There are as many meat loaf recipe as there are cooks. They range from the renowned preparation found on the back of the old Quaker Oats box to meat loaf made with bulger wheat and peaches (I dare you to try that one). Like everyone else we have our own version in the Rivera clan. Back on the block, my mother would make it for us at every request. And it’s the best we ever tasted.

Note that among the ingredients for this dish, we have aji dulce, or sweet chili peppers. These can be found in any Asian or Latino market. These peppers are sweet, not spicy. If you use the spicy ones, you have problems—it will ruin the taste.

Added Note: As an accompaniment to this meal we added white beans. Why? We had some on hand, and we prepared it it Nuyorican style—soak 1 pound  beans  overnight in water to cover by about 2 inches. Next day, drain, and place in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven with 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over moderate-low heat until beans are almost tender, about 1 hour. Add 3 tablespoons sofrito (recipe in post of 08/11/2010), 1 beef bouillon cube, salt to taste, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, and ¼ cup tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until beans are completely tender and the sauce has thickened somewhat.  Enjoy with the meat loaf.

BUTIFARRÓN
(Meat Loaf)

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef
8 whole black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium green or red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 aji dulce, seeded and chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup milk
¼ cup tomato sauce
1 cup unsalted cracker crumbs

Instructions:

1. Place meat in a bowl.
2. Combine peppercorns, garlic, oregano and salt in a mortar, and crush with a pestle. Add this to the beef and mix together.
3. Add the remaining ingredients in order of which they are given.
4. Mix thoroughly and pack into a greased loaf pan.
5. Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 1 hour or until well browned
Yield: 6-7 servings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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