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Rum-Marinated Salmon

July 3, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Like most Americans, I love to grill. But there is just so many burgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken that I can take. I’m always experimenting with out-of-the-ordinary grilling dishes. Here, in the Rivera household, we enjoy grilled lamb for instance, and grilled seafood. And while experimenting with seafood, we discovered this rum-based marinade. I come from a culture where rum is used copiously, not only with imbibing, but with cooking. So why not a rum marinade for seafood, in this case, salmon? The thing about grilling with spirits is that the alcohol content cooks away with the grilling, and one is left with the flavor of the liquor. For this dish I prefer a dark rum, preferably añejo, that is, a rum that is aged over four years. But you can use regular white rum, if desired. Nothing is set in stone where a good, flavorful dish is concerned.

The other good thing about this recipe is that it’s very easy and quick: 15 minutes total. The marinating process itself can be from 5 hours or overnight. But once that’s done, it’s a snap to make this dish. Also, you can also use the leftover marinade as a baste for grilling chicken or other meat.

RUM-MARINATED SALMON

1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup dark rum
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar or maple syrup
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 drops Tabasco sauce (or hot chili sauce)
4 salmon fillets (about 1 1/2 pounds), with skin left on

1. First, make the marinade: in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rum, sugar (or maple syrup), garlic, and Tabasco.
2. The day before the grilling, place the salmon in a large zip-lock bag and add the marinade. Then place the the bag in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours or overnight, turning the bag over at least once in the process so the the fillets will be totally infused with the marinade.
3. Next day, place salmon pieces on the grill, skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn carefully with a spatula and cook 2-3 minutes more or until desired doneness.
Note: If you don’t have a grill, you can also broil in the oven. Simply place salmon on a broiler pan or aluminum foil and broil on one side only (do not turn) for 5-6 minutes or until done.
Yield: 4 servings.

Photo: courtesy of The Grill Boy

Tropical Salad

June 28, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

The hot, hazy, lazy days of summer call for salads. It’s only natural. Who wants to spend hours or even minutes slaving over a hot kitchen (even with air conditioning) when the humidity and temperature outside are sucky? The salad given below is called (giving a nod to the weather) a “tropical salad.” Why is is tropical? Simple; it contains fresh mangoes—and a splash or rum for vigor.

I like ripe fresh mangoes. I enjoy them as a snack, a dessert, and my favorite concoction: chunks of mango in a round champagne glass with sparkling champagne poured over the mango. It’s a scrumptious, sexy way to start the or end the evening. The recipe given does not contain champagne. It’s a typical salad for a hot summer day, and it’s from my second cookbook, The Pharaoh’s Feast (Four Walls Eight Windows); also published in the UK as Feasting with the Ancestors (Sutton Publishing).

TROPICAL SALAD

1/2 bunch watercress
2 ounces fresh mango, peeled and cut julienne style into strips
2 ounces red onion, peeled and julienned into strips
2 ounces cucumber, peeled and julienned into strips
1 scallion, diced
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
Splash of white rum
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon fresh chopped mint

1. Rinse the watercress under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Place in a salad bowl and add the remaining ingredients, tossing all together.
Yield: 2 servings.

Photo: courtesy of Drizzle Oils

Scones—Blueberry Friday!

If you’ve ever had a typical English breakfast, then you know what scones are. Think of an English breakfast biscuit, but on the sweet side. I like scones, especially when I discovered that on the Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine, it was the favorite breakfast dish of Dr. Bashir, one of the main characters on the show. Scones are a dense, rich pastry of Scottish origin, where it has been served since 1513. In Scotland it evolved as a quick bread that made its way to English tables to accompany tea. They come in several versions including soda scones (made with baking soda), potato scones, or griddle scones (which are cooked on a griddle). Some say the word “scone” comes from the ancient capital of Scotland (Scone, Scotland), where ancient Scottish monarchs were crowned.

My Seattle friend, Paul Goldstein, has a sweet tooth for scones. And this is his recipe. Now, scones come in various shapes: triangles, rounds and squares, with round being the most popular these days. They are sweet since the often contain such fruit as raspberries, cranberries, raisins. etc. Although this recipe calls for blueberry scones, you can use whatever flavored scones you like. Also, you can bake your own scones, but Paul goes the easier route—just buy them at the store or supermarket. An 18-ounce pack will yield you six scones. This is a very easy recipe to make that you can enjoy either for breakfast or as a quick dessert. Either way you can’t go wrong.

BLUEBERRY FRIDAY SCONES

2 blueberry scones
1 pint vanilla ice cream (preferably French vanilla)
1 pint blueberries, or more if desired
Whipped cream

1. Cut the scones in half. Spoon ice cream about 1/2-inch thick over each scone.
2. Place blueberries around the outside of the scones and then top with a generous amount of whipped cream. That’s it.
Yield: 4 servings.

Photo: courtesy of Bulldog Baked Goods

Papaya Preserve (A Glorious Dessert)

June 11, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Back on the block, when I was coming up in the world, one of our favorite desserts was papaya, especially Dulce de Papaya, or papaya preserve. I love papayas. They are a delicate fruit whose peak season is from June until September. They are great right now. Although today, in most supermarkets, they are available year round. When papayas are green, they taste awful. But when ripe, they are delicious. Still, be aware that if too ripe they’ll dry out. You can discern ripeness by a smooth yellow color and tenderness to the touch. An overripe papaya will start to discolor. So seek out only that fruit which is mellow yet firm and unblemished.

For cooking purposes, a moderately ripe papaya will do. Some cooks say only green ones should be used for making a preserve. The problem with that is that more sugar is needed as a sweetener. I’ve discovered with the recipe given below that you can use sugar or maple syrup (which is my innovation). Since I spend my summers in Vermont, I prefer the maple syrup, which is healthier. Oh, yes, the recipe is from my cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Perseus Books Group, Running Press).

DULCE DE LECHOSA
(Papaya Preserve)

3 medium ripe papayas, peeled, seeded, and cut into into 1/2-inch strips
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 quarts water
2 sticks cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground anise seed
1 cup maple syrup (or 2 cups sugar)

1. Place papayas in saucepan with water to cover. Add salt and let stand 5 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Place in a pot or heavy kettle but not aluminum for it will stain. Add 2 quarts water, cinnamon sticks and anise seed.
3. Bring to a boil and cook on low-to-moderate heat, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until tender.
4. Add maple syrup and continue cooking, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Note: if using sugar, cook until sugar is thick and syrupy.
3. Remove cinnamon sticks and allow papaya preserve to cool at room temperature.
6. Serve in a dessert bowl or store in glass jar or container in the refrigerator.
Yield: 4 servings.

Photo: courtesy of Vegetarian Times

Shrimp Cocktail

June 5, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

In 1959, Italo Ghelfi, one of the original partners of the Golden Gate Casino, introduced the famous 25¢ shrimp cocktail to the casino and Las Vegas (photo: Welcome to the History of Las Vegas)

In his tome, American Cookery, published in 1972, the famous gourmand, James beard wrote, “There is no first course as popular as a cocktail of shrimp with a large serving of cocktail sauce.” Of course, he was describing the eternal shrimp cocktail, a concoction which was a variation on the “oyster cocktail” created sometime in 1860 by a miner in San Francisco—who accidentally dipped some oysters into ketchup. By the 1900s a cocktail sauce had been created and shrimp, popular in Cajun/Creole cooking, had become the standard in the sauce. By the 1950s every party or gathering had shrimp cocktail as a standby.

Today, shrimp cocktail has become rather passé. Admittedly, not many people make it or order it in restaurants, from what I’ve seen. And that’s sad. A well-made shrimp cocktail is a delight for the palette. I loved it when I was a kid. It made me feel like an adult, partly because of the “cocktail” moniker. Anyway, I still love the dish. Given below is my own humble recipe for this delightful appetizer.

SHRIMP COCKTAIL

For the cocktail sauce:

½ cup chili sauce (I prefer Heinz)

1 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Juice of ½ a lemon

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 clove garlic, finely minced

For the shrimp:

1 lemon, halved

1 clove garlic, peeled and halved

1 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

2 pounds large tail-on shrimp in the shell (about 30

1. Prepare the cocktail sauce: in a medium bowl, combine chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and garlic. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. Have a large bowl of ice water ready to cool the shrimp. But first, to a large pot of water (about 8-quart), add the lemon, garlic, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Add the shrimp, and when the water returns to a boil, the shrimp should be done (no more than 3 minutes total). They should be a bright pink and curled.

3. Remove with a slotted spoon to the ice water. When they are cool enough to handle (about 2 minutes), peel and remove the vein along the curve of the shrimp, but leaving the tail on. Serve at room temperature, or chilled, in a martini glass filled with cocktail sauce and the shrimp decoratively arranged and looped along the rim of the glass.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings, depending on size of cocktail glass.

Szechuan-Style Noodles

May 16, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Like most Americans, when it came to Chinese food, I grew up eating basic Cantonese fare which had morphed into American-Chinese cuisine. You know what I’m talking about: friend rice, egg food young, chow mein, chop suey, etc. I recall that in the Rivera family (as in probably every other family at the time), Friday night we would trudge to Chinatown and go to the Hong Fat Restaurant on Mott Street and order our perennial favorites: the aforementioned fried rice, baby spare ribs, Cantonese noodles, chow fun, and (on special occasions) lobster in garlic sauce. Hong Fat is no longer around, having closed years ago. But Cantonese fare remains.

Then in the late 1970s, restaurants featuring Szechuan food started popping up in Asian neighborhoods. It was a far cry from American-Chinese. I was impressed, not by the spiciness of the food, but by the subtle uses of hot spices within the food. Szechuan dishes are not simply hot, they contain many flavors—sweet, sour, bitter, salty, fragrant, and aromatic. They not only stimulate the palate, they make us more sensitive to those flavors. After years of bland Cantonese-style food, this was a revelation. I was hooked.

What does give the hot component to Szechuan cuisine is in its use of chili peppers. But initially, chili peppers were not utilized in Szechuan cooking. The Chinese had their own milder variety, faraga, also called Chinese of Szechuan pepper. The cuisine became even more peppery when Portuguese and Spanish traders introduced chilies to the region during the 16th century.

The dish given below is one of my favorites. An inclusive, simple, all-in-one meal that harbors the taste of this fabulous cuisine. This particular recipe is from my second cookbook, Feasting with the Ancestors (Sutton Publishing, UK)

SZECHUAN-STYLE NOODLES

1 pound fresh noodles (Chinese thin noodles are the best, otherwise, angel hair pasta is a good substitute)
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 pound shredded barbecued pork, store bought or home made*
1/2 cup bok choy, washed, drained, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup carrots, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup snow peas
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch (or as needed)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste with garlic (can use more or less depending on taste)

1. Parboil the noodles in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. To make sure noodles do not stick, loosen up the noodles with chopsticks as they boil.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the pork, bok choy, carrots, broccoli, snow peas and onion, and stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a platter.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring until thickened. Add the pork and vegetables and stir well until the mixture comes to a boil. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve.
Yield: 4 servings.

*You can substitute a chicken breast, cut into strips, for the barbecued pork. In this case, stir-fry the chicken until nearly done, remove the chicken from the wok and continue as directed with the recipe, adding the chicken and vegetables to the sauce as the last step.

Photo: Courtesy of Tablespoon

Margarita Pie

May 6, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

The margarita cocktail, which some believe was the precursor of the margarita pit (MexGrocer.com)

(photo: courtesy of MexGrocer.com)

How about an adult pie? What? Something like a margarita pie. I’m sure we’ve all heard of the margarita cocktail. It’s become an American favorite: a concoction of tequila mixed with Cointreau or similar orange-flavored liqueur, lime or lemon juice, with the glass often rimmed with salt. Well, there’s an edible version very popular in the western U.S. and the plain states—and that’s the margarita pie.

The origins of this dessert are unknown. Enough to say that this is not a dessert for kids. But if you want to liven up your next bash, and there are no teetotalers around, this is a fabulous dessert.

MARGARITA PIE

1 ¼ cup finely crushed pretzels

¼ cup white sugar

½ cup melted butter

2 limes, zested and juiced

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

4 tablespoons gold tequila

2 tablespoons triple sec or orange-flavored liqueur

1 cup whipped heavy cream

Orange rind twists, for garnish

Mint leaves, for garnish

1. In a medium bowl, combine the pretzels, sugar and butter. Mix well. Press mixture into a buttered 9-inch pie plate. Chill for 1 hour.

2. In a large bowl, combine lime juice, lime zest, condensed milk, tequila, and triple sec. Fold in whipped cream.

3. Pour into cold pie crust and freeze for 4 hours until firm or chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator until firm.

4. Garnish with orange twists and mint leaves, and serve.

Yield: 6 servings or more.

Churros for Cinco de Mayo

April 29, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Cinco de Mayo is coming up. That is, the fifth of May holiday that is celebrated in Mexico, and now is popular in the United States. In the U.S. the holiday is a misnomer in a way. They regard it as Mexican Independence Day, something similar to our Fourth of July. In actuality, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla in Mexico wherein the French invaded Mexico (they saw an opportunity while the U.S. was busy fighting a Civil War), and 6,500 Frenchmen cam up against 4,000 Mexicans. A bloody battle ensued, and the Mexican army won. And what began as a local celebration in Puebla, is now celebrated in most other Mexican states as well.

In the fiesta of Cinco de Mayo, traditional foods such as guacamole, tamales, and tacos are enjoyed. But, how about something different for this coming Cinco de Mayo fest? Something delicious and sweet. I’m talking about churros. Basically, it’s a deep fried pastry dough also know as a Spanish doughnut. It was developed centuries ago by Spanish goat herders since it could be cooked quick and easy over an open fire. With the Spanish conquest of the Americas it wasn’t long before the dish made its way up to the Southwest, where it came be known as a Spanish cruller. I like churros; always have. It’s one of the best meals ever, either as a dessert or other.

CHURROS

1 cup water

½ cup butter or margarine

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

Vegetable oil

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a 3-quart saucepan, heat water, butter and salt over medium heat until it comes to a rolling boil. Add flour and stir over low heat until mixture forms into a ball, about 1 minute.

2. Remove from heat, add eggs and beat until smooth.

3. In a dip fryer or frying pan heat 1 ½ inches of oil to 360 degrees F.

4. Spoon pastry mixture into a decorator’s pastry tube fitted with a large star tip. Squeeze 4-inch strips of dough into the hot oil and fry, 3 or 4 strips at a time, until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.

5. On a plate, mix cinnamon and sugar, and roll crullers in sugar mixture, and serve.

Yield: about 2 dozen crullers.

caption: courtesy of POSTRES de la Cipota

What is Cock-a-Leekie?

April 12, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

No, its not what you think. Cock-a-Leekie, believe it or not, is a soup of Scottish origin made with leeks and chicken. It is referred to as Scotland’s “national soup.” Think of asopao in Puerto Rican cooking, udon in Japanese cuisine, or good old chicken soup in America. According to the New York Times Food Encyclopedia, the dish most likely originated in France, where it was initially made with onions. By the 16th century it had reached Scotland, and the onions had been replaced with leeks. How the name “cock-a-leekie” came about? No one knows. But tell any Scotsman or woman about cock-a-leekie, and their eyes will sparkle.

Let me add that in some recipes, prunes are added to the soup. I’ve never added prunes. Also, I add onions to to my recipe, which I acquired years ago. I also add garlic since I’m a garlic freak. This soup goes great with a hearty ale (I prefer an IPA or India Pale Ale) and some good crusty bread.

COCK-A-LEEKIE

1 three-pound chicken with giblets
8 cups water or more to cover
Salt to taste
10 whole peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs parsley
1 carrot, trimmed, scraped and quartered
4 cups finely shredded leaks (before shredding, cut the leeks into 3-inch lengths)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

3 tablespoons rice

1. Truss the chicken if you prefer. Add it to large pot or kettle, and add the neck, if used, and giblets. Add the water, salt, pepper, bay leaf, parsley and carrot. Bring to a boil and simmer, skimming the surface often to remove scum and foam, for 20 minutes.
2. Add the leeks, onion, garlic and rice, and continue simmering 20 minutes longer. Remove and discard the parsley and bay leaf.
3. Remove the chicken and giblets. Now, you can either serve the soup, without the chicken, as a first course; and serve the chicken later, carved as a main course. Or you can serve the cut-up chicken in bowls with the soup.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Picture: courtesy of Farm Clipart Images

Easter Lamb

March 28, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

In the Rivera family, we always had lamb for Easter. And this was enshrine in a post I did back in April 2011, where I posted the recipe for my mother’s famous roasted leg of lamb (Pata de Cornero al Horno). I could reprise that recipe again for this coming Easter but then I thought, why not try something new with lamb? Delicious as it is, does it always have to be a whole leg of lamb? Also, if you haven’t noticed, a leg of lamb is an expensive proposition these days. Here, on the East Coast, it can run you up to $75-80. I know, it’s for a special occasion, but still? That doesn’t mean you still can’t have lamb for Easter. In fact, you can do very well with say, for instance, lamb shanks.

I love lamb shanks. That’s what I’m cooking for my beloved group of pagans and Christians this Easter Sunday. (For the record, I include myself in the former group). Back in the old days, one recipe we revered in our family was Caribbean style lamb shanks. Where Italian cuisine would tout its Osso Buco, or braised veal shanks, we celebrated our Muslo Cornero a la Caribe. It wasn’t veal, but the taste and flavor transported us to heaven.

The recipe given is from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Perseus Books Group). Unlike the traditional method of cooking shanks, we do not dust them with flour and then brown them in oil. We differ in that we trim the shanks of fat, then brown them, and finally simmer in slow cooking until done.

MUSLO CORNERO A LA CARIBE
(Lamb Shanks Caribbean Style)

4 lamb Shanks (about 3 1/2 pounds)
Juice of 1 whole lemon
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 packet Sason Goya (with coriander and annatto—found in most stores or Caribbean markets)
2 bay leaves

1. Rinse lamb shanks and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Trim excess fat from shanks.
3. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat olive oil in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven. Add lamb shanks and brown evenly on low-moderate heat.
5. Add tomatoes with their liquid, onion, garlic, oregano, cilantro, sason, and bay leaves.
6. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Serve with rice pilaf, or yellow rice and pigeon peas.
Yield: 4 servings.

Photo: courtesy of etsy.com

Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher