Oswald Rivera

Author: Oswald Rivera (page 57 of 83)

Shrimp Aglio e Olio

January 9, 2015 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

This recipe is about the quickest shrimp dish I know. It could be called a shrimp quick fix. All you need is some shrimp and whatever pasta is available. For this recipe I use whole-wheat linguine. And if you don’t have linguine, spaghetti or macaroni hanging about, you can serve the shrimp over rice.

“Aglio e Olio” means garlic and oil, and by that, we mean olive oil. You just cook the shrimp is oil, add the seasonings and serve over desired pasta, with fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese on the side. . The cooking of the pasta and shrimp take about the same time. Thus you can start by boiling the linguine and, while it’s being cooked, prepare the shrimp. Nothing could be simpler. With bottle of Pinot Grigio or Chianti, and a crusty bread loaf of bread (or garlic bread if you want to fancy it up) you have a delicious, quicky meal perfect for any occasion.

SHRIMP AGLIO E OLIO

3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 pound whole-wheat linguine, cooked according to package directions, but reserve 1/4 cup cooking
liquid
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the shrimp and lemon juice, and cook 4 minutes.
4. Add salt, red pepper flakes, parsley and 1/4 cup cooking liquid from the pasta. Stir to combine.
5. Place cooked linguine in a large bowl or serving platter. Add the shrimp and serve, with the Parmesan or Romano cheese on the side.
Yield: 4 servings.

Nuyorican Chicken Wings

What better way to celebrate the dawning of a new year than by going back to homey comfort food? By that, I mean dishes that remain all-time favorites. Among these I include chicken wings. I know, we have all kinds of variations: Buffalo chicken wings, breaded chicken wings, broiled chicken wings . . . and the list goes on. We Nuyoricans have our own way of cooking. At least we do in the Rivera family; and it goes back to using tried and true methods and ingredients. You could say it’s baked chicken wings—but with that Puerto Rican élan (I know, it’s one of those fancy-dan words I discovered during my travels in Europe).

In our recipe, it calls for using a mortar to crush the seasoning ingredients. A mortar and pestle (at one time considered exotic) is a utensil that now can be found in most food outlets. If not, any Latino/Hispanic or Asian market will carry the item. Other than that, the recipe is no-nonsense, easy to prepare and delicious. Normally we serve it with yellow rice and/or tostones (fried green plantains—see entry of 9/9/10 for a quick recipe). If preferred, you can serve it with chicken gravy and mashed potatoes. Chicken wings, in whatever manner, is a dish that will never go out of style.

NUYORICAN CHICKEN WINGS

10 chicken wings
3 cloves garlic, peeled
12 whole peppercorns
Salt to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Rinse chicken wings under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, place in a bowl, and set aside.
3. Put the garlic, peppercorns, salt and oregano into a mortar and pound until crushed. Add this mix to the chicken and toss to combine thoroughly with the chicken wings. If desired, you can use another variation—which is to place chicken wings with seasoning in a large zip-lock bag and shake to combine. Use whatever method seems best.
4. Place chicken wings in a shallow roasting pan (I prefer cast iron) and bake for 1 hour or until crisp and cooked through.
Yield: 2-3 servings. If you want more, you can double the recipe for 4+ servings.

Black Rice and Sausage

December 19, 2014 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

We Puerto Ricans are inveterate rice eaters. It has been with us since anyone can remember. Mainly because rice was (and is still) relatively inexpensive; easy to cook; and we prepare it in infinite ways: rice with beans, rice with fish, rice with chicken, rice with squid, yellow rice, pilaf rice, ext. My Father, of late memory, ate rice everyday. It made no difference what the entrée was, a bowl or rice had to be there. In our culture it was, and still is, mainly white rice. In recent years some of us have become more health conscious, and some homes may serve brown rice. But, from what I’ve seen, this is more the exception than the rule.

Since my journey from the block, I’ve discovered that there are multiple varieties of rice out there. There is Jasmine rice, and Indian Basmati, Japanese Nishiki rice, aromatic Bengali Kalizira rice, red rice, wild rice, Italian Arborio rice, and the list goes on. According to the UK Rice Association, there are over 40,000 different varieties of rice. Go figure that one out.

Glutinous black rice is the unpolished whole grain of regular sticky white rice. It’s not actually black in color, it’s more of a dark purple. And it’s very healthy for you. It contains no fat, and a 1-cup serving has only one gram of sugar. It’s rich in protein, a good source of iron (which your body needs to make blood cells); and it contains no sugar or cholesterol. It’s a very popular and common dish in Southeast Asia, India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.

In the recipe given below, I’ve combine glutinous black rice with sausages, specifically chorizo, the spicy Spanish sausage so unique to our cuisine. The nutty, chewy flavor of the black rice goes great with the chorizo. A criollo dish by way of Asia.

MILLED GLUTINOUS BLACK RICE AND SAUSAGE

2 cups milled glutinous black rice
4 1/2 cups water or broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
3 tablespoons sofrito (or 2 cloves minced garlic mixed with 2 teaspoons turmeric and 2 tablespoons
fresh chopped parsley)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3 chorizo sausages, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Wash rice and drain.
2. Heat oil in a heavy kettle or pot. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add sofrito and tomato sauce. Sauté for about 3 minutes.
3. Add chorizo and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the rice. Add water or broth, salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil. Cover tightly and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings.

Boricua Squab

December 8, 2014 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

In general, most of us out there seldom if ever cook squab. It’s one of those (as my father would say) “rare bird dishes.” In a way it might go back to our culinary habits. Throughout history squab was considered a dish of the more wealthy and upper classes. Well, I don’t come from the wealthy or upper classes, and I love the suckers. Squab has a moist, tender and richer taste than most game birds. Its dark meat and fatty skin gives a milder flavor than other game poultry. And it can be found these days in most Asian, Middle Eastern or specialty food stores. I get my squab in New York’s Chinatown.

Squab has a long culinary history. It was popular in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe where domesticated pigeons were consumed. That’s what squab is: a young domesticated pigeon, usually about a month old. Recipes for squab go back back a long ways. In the 4th century Roman cookbook, Apicius, there is a recipe for roasted squab in a sweet and sour sauce. The well-to-do Romans did know how to live.

In cooking squab it should be remembered that due to their delicacy and size, it normally takes half the time to cook than it does chicken or other poultry. To maximize its taste it should be served medium-rare. I cook squab in what I call Boricua Style, that is, the Puerto Rican way. I season it as my mother would season any game bird for roasting, using the herbs and condiments popular to our cuisine. It calls for crushing the condiments in a mortar. This device, either wood or metal, and native to our cooking, can be found in any Asian or Caribbean store. Even with the use of a mortar, the recipe is easy and no-fuss. With a good bottle of red wine, it can’t be beat.

BORICUA SQUAB

4 squabs, 1 to 1 1/4 pounds each

4 cloves garlic, peeled
12 whole peppercorns
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Rinse squabs, inside and out, under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels.
3. Place the garlic, peppercorns, salt and oregano into a mortar and pound until crushed. Rub the squabs, inside and out with the seasoning.
4. Place the birds in a shallow roasting pan (I prefer cast-iron). Drizzle with the vinegar, and pour in the olive oil to coat the squabs. Place in oven and bake 15-20 minutes (an instant-read thermometer inserted in the breast should read 145 degrees F.) Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Yield: 4 servings.

Holiday treat: Rice and Pigeon Peas

December 1, 2014 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

In Puerto Rican cooking, rice and pigeon peas, or arroz con gadules, is the preeminent holiday side dish. When I was a kid back in the Barrio (Spanish Harlem) there wasn’t a home that didn’t have a steaming pot of arroz con gandules to go with the turkey at Thanksgiving, roast pork shoulder (pernil) at Christmas, ham or lamb at Easter. This tasty mix has been with us since I can remember, and it served as a change from the standard rice and beans.

So, what are pigeon peas? Well, they are a legume (or fruit pod) such as beans, peas, soybeans, peanuts, alfalfa, etc. They’ve been around for about 3,500 years; and were first cultivated in eastern India, and from there spread worldwide. They were brought to the Caribbean islands by the slave trade; and until recently were virtually unknown in mainland North America. I remember that when I traveled to New England or the Midwest I couldn’t find the things anywhere. Today you can find them in any Hispanic or Caribbean market.

In the recipe given below, you can either prepare gandules from scratch, like you would do any beans, or simply get canned pigeon peas. I’ll tell you right now, there is no shame in using canned pigeon peas. I know, the purists will howl—but as viable shortcut when time is essential, the canned stuff is just as good. You may have to doctor the canned peas somewhat by adding spices such as black pepper and oregano, but the results will be acceptable.

Note that in the recipe, I favor the overnight soaking method for dry beans rather than the popular quick-soaking method where beans are covered with water, then cooked uncovered over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Afterward, they are removed from heat and left to soak for 1 hour. Then cooked as required. What bothers me about this method is that the package beans you pick up at the supermarket may be older (and drier) than last year’s leftover meatloaf. So it follows, the more soaking time, the more tender the final product. The recipe also calls for sofrito, the base flavoring used in criollo cuisine. If you don’t have sofrito, then in a small bowl combine 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1/2 onion, chopped; and 1/2 cooked chopped fresh parsley. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, and then add this mixture to the recipe.

One final plug: this recipe is from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America, which is going into its third printing. Want to savor more gems kike this one? Buy the book, make me rich.

ARROZ CON GANDULES
(Rice and Pigeon Peas)

1 pound fresh or dried pigeon peas, or 1 pound canned peas
2 cups rice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound salt pork, rinsed in cold water and diced
1/4 pound lean cured ham, rinsed in cold water and diced
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium green bell pepper (pimento), cored, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons sofrito (or the substitute given above)
1 cup alcaparrado (olive-caper mix available in Latino markets)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Salt to taste

1. If you’re using fresh pigeon peas, you’re ahead of the game. They can be cooked just as is after rinsing in cold running water. If using dry beans, they need to be soaked overnight in water to cover by at least 2 inches. Drain beans and place in a pot or kettle (a Dutch oven is perfect for this) with 2 quarts (8 cups water) and bring to a boil. Cover and boil over moderate-low heat until beans are tender (about 1 hour).
2.   Drain cooked peas and set aside, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid.
3.   Wash rice and drain.
4.   Heat oil in a heavy kettle or pot (I prefer cast-iron). Brown the salt pork.
5.   Add ham and cook on moderate heat until golden-crisp (about 4-5 minutes).
6.   Add onion, bell pepper, cilantro, sofrito, alcaparrado and tomato sauce. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
7.   Stir in rice. Add peas, reserved cooking liquid, wine and salt.
8.   Boil on moderate-high heat, uncovered, until water is absorbed (about 5-8 minutes).
9.   Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
10. Turn off heat and let rice sit for 10 minutes before serving.
      Yield: 8 servings.

Tarragon Roast Chicken

November 20, 2014 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Tarragon is one of my favorite herbs. It is aromatic and flavorsome, with an aroma reminiscent of anise (as in anisette). Thus a little bit goes a long way. The dish that follows is quite popular in our crowd, mainly for it taste and ease of cooking. It’s simply roast chicken with tarragon as the main component. In fact, if you’re tired of the traditional turkey for this coming thanksgiving, cook one or two of these birds and serve it instead. Sometimes it pays to experiment.

TARRAGON ROAST CHICKEN

1 3 to 3 1/4 pound whole fryer-roaster chicken
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Sat and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Rinse chicken, inside and out, under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bush whole chicken with this mixture.
4. Sprinkle with the tarragon, inside and out. Put crushed garlic inside chicken, and place chicken in a roasting pan, breast side down. Bake for about 1 1/4 hours until chicken is brown and a fork can be inserted with ease.
Yield: 4 servings.

Persian Meat Loaf

November 13, 2014 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Meat Loaf in Persia? Yes, Persian culinary history has a form of meatloaf. They call it Kofta Bil Sania. It actually translates to something like “Ground Meat Loaf in a Tray.” Now, in the Rivera clan, we’re meatloaf fanatics. My mother made the best meatloaf ever. She made it Puerto Rican style. It wasn’t anything like the Quaker Oats recipe in the back of the box. Her meat loaf (or butifarrón, as she called it) had crushed peppercorns, lots of garlic, onions, green bell peppers sweet chili peppers (aji dulce), plus the usual eggs, tomato sauce and cracker crumbs. It was heavenly.

Still, I’m always on the lookout for some good recipe of this famed dish, if only to compare it to my mom’s masterpiece. When I came across this Persian recipe, I was intrigued. It contained spices I didn’t usually associate with meatloaf: such things as cinnamon, allspice, cumin. A totally different flavor concept. I’m told this recipe is still very popular in modern day Iraq and other point in the Middle East. I would say this recipe predates the American version of meatloaf probably by centuries. Persian cuisine has a colorful and storied history. During the Middle Ages, when western man was dining on rancid mutton and stale ale, the Persian Caliphate was enjoying exotic fruits from Central Asia, cooking with spices from India and China and using such ingredients as truffles and rosewater in their cooking. Kofta Bil Sania harks back to that time.

PERSIAN MEAT LOAF
(Kofta Bil Sania)

1 pounds ground lamb (can substitute beef, veal, chicken or turkey, if desired)
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground allspice
butter (for greasing baking pan or dish), and about 2 tablespoons cut into small shavings
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, combine the meat with the onion and garlic. Add salt, pepper, and allspice, mixing spices thoroughly into the meat.
3. Spread the meat mixture onto an buttered baking dish (I prefer cast-iron), and flattened the meat with a hand or wooden spoon. The meat should be 3/4 to 1-inch thick. Top with butter shavings. Place in oven and bake until the surface of the meat is browned, about 40 minutes. It will give off a nice, roasted aroma.
4. Meanwhile, mix the tomato paste with the water, and pour over the meat. Continue baking for about 10 minutes more, or until the sauce has been absorbed and the meat is cooked thoroughly.
5. Invert the meatloaf onto a serving dish. Garnish with parsley and serve cut into wedges like a cake.
Yield: 4 servings
Note: I’m told that another variation is to flavor the meat with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, or 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander. Feel free to experiment.

Codfish – Portuguese Style

November 5, 2014 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

I have some Portuguese friends who informed me of this recipe. They state this is the way codfish is normally prepared in Portugal. As a Puerto Rican, I am a fan of codfish. Also, the icing on the cake is that it calls for eggplant, another of our favorite foods. The recipe is easy, nutritious, and delicious. Who could ask for more?

I’m told that this dish is usually served with rice. If not rice, then baked or steamed potatoes will do.

CODFISH – PORTUGUESE STYLE

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced into rounds about 1/4-inch thick
3 onions, peeled and sliced into rings
2-3 pounds codfish fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tomatoes,sliced into rings
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the oil and cook the eggplant slices and onions until the eggplant begins to brown and onions are clear and translucent. If you don’t have a large frying pan, you can cook the onions and eggplant separately and get the same results (depending upon the amount of vegetable used, you may need more oil).
3. In a baking dish (I prefer cast iron), spread the eggplant, and then layer the onions rings over the eggplant.
3. Rub the fish fillets with salt, pepper, and paprika. Place the fish over the onion rings. Cover with the tomatoes and garlic. Pour the wine and lemon juice over fish and vegetables. Top with butter.
4. Bake for 1/2 hour or until the fish is tender.
Yield: 4-6 servings.

Rice with Cheese and Creamed Eggs

October 29, 2014 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

In our culture, rice comprises a main component. It’s not only just a side dish. In most cases it constitutes a major part of the meal whether it’s something like Arroz con Pollo (rice and chicken) or Asopao (a hefty stew), or fragrant yellow rice. When my horizons expanded, I discovered there were other methods of preparing rice—such as Italian Risotto, or Indian cumin rice, or Chinese fried rice (by the way, an American invention). The Risotto, combining Arborio rice with broth and grated cheese fascinated me. And I began experimenting, and I came up with this beauty—a simple rice with cheese and a sauce of creamed eggs. In this case, the sauce is simplicity itself: Take a can of cream soup (I like cream of mushroom) and combine it with eggs and the rice. For the cheese, you can use any cheese desired. It could be grated Parmesan, or Swiss, Gruyere, Gouda, Romano, Monterey Jack, etc. For this recipe, I used Cheddar. Whatever cheese ingredient used, you get a hearty, rich, delicious and inexpensive meal, great by itself or served with fish, seafood or meat.

In this dish, the rice is mixed with saffron, to give it that unique taste and color so revered in our cooking. If you don’t have (or can’t afford saffron) then turmeric will give the same glow and coloring. This is something acquired from Indian cuisine. It gives the dish that added oomph. As an added treat, the rice can be served in a ring mold. If you don’t have a mold, take any round pan or pot (with enough space to hold the rice), rinse the pan under cold running water, and stuff it with the cooked rice. Let it sit a couple of minutes. Then unmold, tapping the top of the pan gently, on a plate. Pour the sauce atop the rice, and you got a highfalutin continental dish.

RICE WITH CHEESE AND CREAMED EGGS

1 1/2 cups rice
2 cups water
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon saffron or turmeric
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (or any variety desired)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup diced canned pimentos
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
6 hard-cooked eggs, quartered

1. In a 2-quart saucepan or pot, bring the water to a boil. Add rice, saffron and olive oil. Mix well, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender and all the liquid has been absorbed (20 minutes to 1/2 hour).
2. Stir in cheese. Cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.
3. While rice is cooking, melt butter in a skillet or fry pan. Add onion and saute until soft and translucent. Stir in mushroom soup, water, pimentos, and parsley.
4. Add eggs and heat briefly.
5. Layer rice/cheese mixture into a ring mold (or individual custard cups) packing tightly with a spoon. Unmold rice ring on a serving plate. Spoon egg sauce over rice, or over individual rice molds.
Yield: 6 servings.

Breaded Pork Chops – PR Style

October 24, 2014 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Breaded pork chops (Chuletas Empanadas) are a family favorite in my neck of the woods. In the Nuyorican method, we have two ways of making them. One quicky method is to apply the breading and then bake slowly in a medium oven (350°). The other way is listed in the recipe given below. Here, lean pork chops are required, about 1/2-inch thick. They are lightly pounded, breaded and cooked in oil. In the Puerto Rican manner, the herbs used are crushed in a mortar. You can buy a mortar and pestle almost anywhere these days. It can be wood (my preference), aluminum or cast iron. It is an essential tool in Caribbean cooking. We usually served breaded pork chops with yellow rice or a salad.

An added note: This recipe is from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Thunders Mouth Press – Avalon Books), which is currently going into its third printing. If you’re interested in other such recipes, by the book, make me happy.

CHULETAS EMPANADAS

(Breaded Pork Chops)

8 pork chops, 1/2-inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)

9-10 whole black peppercorns

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tablespoons fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

2 eggs lightly beaten

2 cups bread crumbs

Vegetable oil for frying

1. Rinse chops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.

2. In a mortar, crush peppercorn, garlic, oregano and salt. Add olive oil and vinegar, and mix.

3. Place chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound lightly with a mallet or a heavy cleaver.

4. Rub seasoning into the pork chops.

5. Dip each chop in the beaten eggs, then coat with bread crumbs, pressing crumbs into both side with heel of hand.

6. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan and cook until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes per side). Drain on absorbent paper towels.

Yield: 4 servings.

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