Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

Category: all (page 28 of 77)

CALAMARES FRITO (Fried Squid)

May 10, 2021 / / 0 Comments

In the southern part of Puerto Rico lies the fabled town of Ponce, which a has a coastal area known as “Los Meros.” This area, at one time, was home to a number of makeshift restaurants, some no more than tarp structures that sold beer, snacks and sandwiches. The sandwiches consisted of the local seafood like conch and octopus. When I would visit my parents in Ponce, the first thing we did was drive up to Los Meros and enjoyed their superb squid, another item on the menu. I know, you’re saying, “Yuck!Squid?” Yes, as in fried squid, the recipe that my family got most likely from a joint in Los Meros.

In my family we enjoyed this dish over rice, and the leftovers were used for sandwiches the next day. I’m just saying, give the fried squid a try. It is also very popular in the Mediterranean. We can’t all be wrong. You’ll be surprised how delicious this dish can be. You like fry chicken? you’ll love fried squid. I guarantee it.

Note that in this recipe you can use frozen squid. Today you can buy frozen calamares (or calamari) rings that are already cleaned and ready to cook. If you’re lucky enough to find these, half the recipe given is already done.

CALAMARES FRITO
(Fried Squid)

Ingredients:

3 pounds fresh or frozen squid
2 cups bread crumbs
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon oregano
3 eggs, well beaten
Oil for frying
Lemon wedges

Instructions:

  1. If frozen, thaw the squid. Whether fresh or frozen, remove the arms by cutting them from the head, and reserve them. Remove and discard the head, chitinous pen, and viscera. Wash thoroughly and drain. Cut the mantle into rings.
  2.  In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, salt, pepper and oregano
  3.  Dip the tentacles and mantle rings  in the eggs and then in the bread crumbs, coating well.
  4.  Deep-fry in a pan or skillet until golden brown.  Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
    Yield: 4-5 servings.

 

MAKARONADA (Tomato-Meat Sauce)

May 7, 2021 / / 0 Comments

One of the most popular dishes in the Nuyorican repertoire is Picadillo (pee-kah-dee-yoh), a ground meat stew that we serve over rice. Lately I’ve discovered a recipe that is very similar to picadillo, but is of Greek origin. It’s a tomato-meat sauce called makaronada. It’s fascinating that, on two different parts of the world, you could find such similar recipes. The difference with the Greek version is in its ingredients. It includes such things as cinnamon, allspice and cloves, things we would never put in our picadillo. Also, instead of tomato sauce, as we do it, this dish has tomato paste.

We tried out the recipe and found it marvelous. The mix of ingredients with the ground beef makes for a marvelous meal. This dish, I’m told, is normally served over macaroni with grated cheese.  This time around we used whole-heat penne, and it came out great!

MAKARONADA
(Tomato-Meat Sauce)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 pound ground beef (can substitute chicken or turkey)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 cups water
¼ cup red wine
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Dash ground cloves

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and beef. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat loses its pink color.
2. Combine the tomato paste and water and add to the meat mixture. Add wine, salt, pepper, cinnamon stick, allspice and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook, partially covered, for 1 hour
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve.
Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

 

CAULIFLOWER WITH TOMATOES AND CHEESE

May 6, 2021 / / 0 Comments

This is a scrumptious vegetarian dinner that can also serve as a side dish or an accompaniment to chops or omelets. And it requires minimal preparation. Even the kids, those who hates veggies, will love this one. Cauliflower with Tomatoes and Cheese will satisfy every palate in the house, especially a hungry palate.

CAULIFLOWER WITH TOMATOES AND CHEESE

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 large cauliflower, trimmed, washed and separated into florets
6 tomatoes, blanched and roughly chopped
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons grated Swiss cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease a large shallow pan, skillet or casserole with the tablespoon of butter. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, cook  the cauliflower in boiling water over moderate heat for 9 to 12 minutes, or until tender. Drain the florets and place in the pan. Arrange the chopped tomatoes on top and sprinkle with salt, pepper and half of the melted butter.
4. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan and Swiss cheeses and sprinkle the mixture over the vegetable pieces. Spoon the remaining melted butter over the mixture and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

PUERTO RICAN BLACK BEAN SOUP (Yoga Version)

May 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments

The recipe is Puerto Rican black bean soup. I call it the ‘yoga version.’ I’m always on the lookout for good bean recipes. Beans are an integral part of Puerto Rican cuisine. But this one has an unusual provenance. My wife, Holly, is a proponent of yoga; and her library includes the  Yoga Natural Foods Cookbook by Richard Hittleman. Now, this book is an oldie. It was first published in 1970 when, during the age of Aquarius, natural food and diet and all those hippy-dippy concepts began to gain currency in our society. So, I was intrigued as to what a yoga cookbook would do with Puerto Rican black bean soup

The recipe calls for garlic, cumin and oregano to be crushed in a mortar. The assumption is that when he mentioned cumin and oregano, the author meant whole cumin seeds and fresh oregano. For the sake of convenience, I tried the recipe with ground cumin and oregano, the type that you can get in any store, and the recipe was just as delicious. So, your choice as to use fresh herbs or dried. Also, the recipe calls for vegetable salt. I discovered that vegetable salt is hard to find in my area. Regular salt is just as good with this dish.

In my culture, beans and rice go like love and marriage. In this case we paired the beans with yellow rice, but plain boiled rice is also good.

PUERTO RICAN BLACK BEAN SOUP
(Yoga Version)

Ingredients:

1 pound black beans
4 cloves garlic
½ tablespoon vegetable salt (can substitute regular table salt—we like sea salt)
1½ teaspoon cumin
1½ teaspoons oregano
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions (chopped)
2 green peppers (chopped and seeded)

Instructions:

Soak beans in water to cover, overnight. Add water to make two quarts and cook until tender. Put garlic, salt and herbs in a mortar and crush. Sauté vegetables in oil until transparent. Add garlic mixture and a tablespoon  or two of water and simmer a few minutes. Add this mixture to beans and simmer 30 minutes.
Note: The book does not tell how many servings the recipe yields. But I would surmise it’d  be from 6 to 8 servings.

 

APPLE BUTTER PEAS

April 30, 2021 / / 0 Comments

This recipe intrigued me solely because it contains apple butter. To me, apple butter is for breakfast, on toast or on pancakes. But with peas? As a side dish or main vegetarian course? This I had to check out. And it’s a marvelous combination. The recipe also calls for roasted pumpkin seeds. So, it’s very healthy, another plus.

The dish can be served with rice, or your favorite grain. This time around we served it with tostones (friend green plantains – check post of 09/29/09 for a recipe).

APPLE BUTTER PEAS

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound frozen or fresh shelled peas
½ cup water
½ cup apple butter
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

  1. Heat butter in a skillet or pan. Add onion, and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
  2.  Add peas and water. Sauté until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the apple butter and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.
  3.  Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, and serve.
    Yield: 4 servings.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

April 24, 2021 / / 0 Comments

This is the Puerto Rican method of making sweet and sour chicken. It contains no Asian ingredients, just what’s on hand. You probably have everything you need in your cupboard or kitchen. The dish is normally served with rice (plain boiled or yellow rice). But you can pair it with your favorite pasta, be it  noodles, tubular or ribbons .

Ingredients:

2½ pound chicken, cut into serving pieces
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 can (1 pound) tomatoes, broken up
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Instructions:

  1. Dredge chicken with flour and salt.
  2.  Heat oil in  a large pan or skillet. Add chicken and cook pieces until brown. Remove and set aside.
  3.  Add remaining ingredients except for parsley, and stir to mix. Return chicken to skillet. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
    Yield: 4 servings.

SIMMERED TOFU OR TEMPEH

April 21, 2021 / / 0 Comments

From time to time I cook tofu, or tempeh, as the case may be. Like everyone else, I found that Tofu (or tempeh) takes on the flavor of whatever seasoning is being used. That’s the great thing about it: it’s versatility.

This recipe is fairly straightforward, it’s basically tofu or tempeh braised in a soy sauce, vinegar, tomato paste and mustard combination. It’s delicious hot over rice or toast, and it’s great for sandwiches too. If you’re using tempeh, it needs a longer time to simmer to absorb the flavors, so use extra liquid in the sauce.

SIMMERED TOFU OR TEMPEH

Ingredients:

1 pound tempeh or firm tofu
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ to cups water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
¼ cup tomato paste
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
Pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. If using tofu, rinse and chop into 1-inch cubes. If using tempeh, rinse and slice into bars about ¼-inch thick and 2 inches wide.
  2.  Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until golden.  Stir in water or broth (use 1½ cups for tofu, 2 cups for tempeh), soy sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, mustard and pepper. Bring to a boil. Arrange tofu or tempeh in the pan or wok. Spoon the sauce over the cubes or slices, making sure they are covered.
  3.  If you’re serving the dish hot, cover and simmer about 20 minutes for tofu, ½ hour or longer for tempeh. If you want to use the cubes and slices for sandwiches, cook uncovered over low heat until the sauce is evaporated and absorbed, making a glaze over the cubes or slices. Keep an eye out to prevent sticking and burning.
    Yield: 4
    Note: For a more seasoned taste, add a clove of minced garlic and a pinch of cayenne to the onion when sautéing, and a tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger near the end of the sautéing.

 

 

SCALLOPS ON A BED OF SPINACH

April 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments

This recipe, I’m told, is Italian in origin. It’s simple enough,  sautéed scallops served over spinach. Nothing could be easier. And if you don’t like spinach, substitute another green. You’re only limited by your imagination. Enjoy.

The recipe calls for steaming the spinach (or whatever greens you use). If you don’t have a steamer (portable or otherwise), simple: in a pan, heat 1/3 cup water to a boil, add spinach, cover and steam as instructed. Drain, and continue with recipe as given.

SCALLOPS ON A BED OF SPINACH

Ingredients:

½ pound spinach, washed and trimmed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
18 large scallops (more or less)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

  1. Steam the spinach for 2 minutes and drain. Chop the spinach and, while still hot, toss with the butter. Cover and keep warm.
  2. Heat olive oil in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add the scallops and sauté for 1½ minutes on on each side. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and balsamic vinegar, and cook for 3 minutes.
  3.  To serve, place the spinach on a serving platter, arrange scallops on top and spoon some cooking juices over them.
    Yield: 6 servings.

 

BACALAO Y BERENJENA EN CASEROLA (Codfish-Eggplant Casserole)

March 24, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Not long ago I did a post on salted cod, (Bacalao Gudisado, or Stewed Codfish – 12/20/20). In that recipe I hailed the properties of salted codfish. Salted cod was ubiquitous back in my day in Spanish Harlem. In midwinter, when fish was scarce and you just didn’t want to do frozen fish, salt cod was the answer. Dried salt cod has been a common staple throughout the Mediterranean basin. It is , even to this day, well represented in Spanish, Greek, Portuguese and French cuisine. Even Indian cuisine indulges in it, The problem with salt cod is that it’s labor intensive. These days , most people would just rather get fresh fish from the supermarket or frozen fish from the shelve. And that is sad, simply because salted cod has a magic all its own.

You’ll discover that in the recipe given. It combines eggplant with bacalao (as call it), or bacala  (as it is known to our Italian brethren). Figure it this way: want to give that spectacularly special dinner to hubby, honey, family or friends? This dish is it. Believe me, they’ll sing your praises. Yes, it’s time intensive, but the results will be more than worth the effort. Be adventurous, and go for it!

Salt cod goes back to the days when fish was salted so that it could travel overseas without spoiling. That means it has a high sodium content. So, to prepare, you soak the cod in salt water overnight. Then drain and and rinse under cold running water.  Finally, you simmer the cod in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain again and, when it is cooled, remove bones and flake the fish so that is it ready to cook. These days you can find salt cod that is deboned and already flaked. If your store or supermarket has it, you’re ahead of the game.

The usual accompaniment to this dish is rice. But you can serve it with whatever grain you want or even pasta. This time around we served it with Farro, the wheat grain similar to barley that has gained a wide following in the U.S.

BACALAO Y BERENJENA EN CASEROLA
(Codfish-Eggplant Casserole)

Ingredients:

1 eggplant (about 1½ to 2 pounds)
1 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1½ pounds dried salt cod (prepared for cooking, see above)
1 16-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter’

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2.  Peel the eggplant and trim off ends. Cut the eggplant into six to eight slices, each about ½-inch thick.
  3.  Heat ¾ cup of olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan and sauté over moderate heat until eggplant begins to brown (about 3 minutes on each side). Drain on absorbent paper towels.
  4.  Wipe skillet or frying pan clean. Heat remaining olive oil and sauté onions and garlic until onions are limp and translucent.
  5.  In a greased casserole dish, arrange alternate layers of eggplant, onions and flaked codfish. Pour crushed tomatoes over contents in casserole.
  6.  Bake for thirty minutes. Then dot with butter and bake 10 minutes more.
    Yield: 6 servings.

CHULETAS DE TERNERA GUISADA (Stewed Veal Chops)

March 20, 2021 / / 0 Comments

We call this recipe Chuletas de Terneta Guisada, or Stewed Veal Chops. This is where we get into semantics. Some in my family, especially the older crowd, called it Chuletas de Ternera en Caldo, which literally translates as “Veal Chops in Broth.” Now, a broth, to me, is like a thin soup. In this recipe the veal is poached or cooked in beef stock, with the addition of a little Puerto Rican rum. So, I stick by my moniker of Stewed Veal Chops.

Whatever you call it, it makes for a hearty veal dish. Which is another contradiction in terms since veal is considered such a fine meat. You usually see it in veal scaloppine, where the veal is pound thinly before cooking. This is not scaloppine. This is veal loin chops cooked in beef stock. Back on the block, the usual accompaniment to this dish was rice. But you can serve it with any grain of choice or even over pasta. This time we served it with herbed potatoes.  With a  light red wine, such as a Bardolino, Barbera or Beaujolais, it hits the spot. If you’re choice is a white, then a Sauvignon Blanc or Chablis will do. Hell, whatever you want to drink with it is okay. In our clan we don’t stand on formality.

CHULETAS DE TERNERA GUISADA
(Stewed Veal Chops)

Ingredients:

6-8 loin veal chops (1½ to 2 pounds total weight depending on size of chops)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup beef broth or stock
2 ounces dark rum
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

  1. Season veal chops with salt, pepper and oregano.
  2.  Heat butter in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Add chops and brown quickly in butter. Add beef stock and rum. Lower heat and simmer slowly for 9-10 minutes, or until desired degree of doneness. Garnish with parsley and serve. If you want to be fancy about it, you can arrange veal on a serving platter, garnish and serve.
    Yield: 4-6 servings
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