Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

Category: sauces (page 5 of 7)

STEAMED MUSSELS PROVENÇAL

October 5, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Steamed mussels is a very popular dish in the Mediterranean. To be honest, back in Spanish Harlem, we never had mussels as a dinner dish. We had it in sandwiches, yes, sandwiches. Figurer that one out. It  wasn’t until my early manhood that I enjoyed steamed mussels. And invariably it was Provençal style. That is, infused in a broth with olive oil, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and a host of other herbs. The mussels are steamed in their own juices and served with crusty bread. In the recipe given, we serve them with fresh spinach, braised in the broth in which the mussels are steamed. Another good aspect of this dish is that leftover broth can be used as a base for a cream sauce for fish,  poultry or even steak.

Today we are fortunate that most markets have mussels that come already cleaned. So, you don’t have to spend time cleaning the suckers .But if you are not fortunate enough to get mussels already set, then you will have to go through the ritual of removing all the barnacles, seaweed material and sand from the shells. Then you will have to scrape off the “beards” from the barnacles with a clam knife or any bunt-edged knife. Afterward, you put the mussels in a deep bowl and cover them with cool water. It’s good to agitate them with your hands for 30 seconds or so. Finally you drain them well and discard the water.  You repeat this until the water is clear. Discard any mussels that open  before it is cooked.

Admittedly, the above procedure is a pain in the you-know-what. But, as stated, you’ll probably find cleaned and prepared mussels in most  markets.  Something that makes it all easier.

One of the great things about mussels is that you can use whatever variety of seasonings you desire. In French cuisine, the favorite ingredients are white wine and shallots, that’s it. As for myself,  I like to liven them up with whatever herbs and seasonings I have in the cupboard. So, give yourself and family a treat today. Get some mussels and go at it. It’s a cheap, delicious meal and, apart from the cleaning and preparation, the dish can be cooked in 5-6 minutes.

STEAMED MUSSELS PROVENÇAL

Ingredients:

2 pound fresh mussels
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped onions
1 sweet red pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup crushed canned tomatoes
½ teaspoon saffron threads (optional)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon (or to taste) crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup dry white wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

  1. If mussels come in a package, already clean, then proceed with recipe. If not, scrub them, remove beards and barnacles and wash in cold water. Drain well (see above).
  2.  Heat olive oil in a large pot or saucepan. Add garlic, onions and sweet red pepper, Cook briefly over medium heat until wilted.  Stir often and do not burn garlic.
  3. Add tomatoes, saffron, turmeric, red pepper flakes, wine, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes.
  4.  Add mussels and parsley. Cover pan tightly and cook over high  heat until all the mussels are opened., 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
    Yield: 4 or more servings

 

CHICKEN RAGOUT

August 30, 2022 / / 0 Comments

It was in my young manhood that I first encountered a dish called Ragoût. When I saw it on the menu I pronounced it “rag-OUT.” It shows how far I’ve come in my culinary knowledge. Whatever you call it, the French categorize it as well-seasoned meat and vegetables cooked in a thick sauce. In essence, a  main-dish stew. Now, the Italians have their own thing, ragù, which  is a class of Italian pasta sauces made with ground or minced meat, vegetables, and occasionally, tomatoes.

Today’s dish follows the French pattern, though it’s a Lebanese dish,  Yakhnet Dajaj (Chicken Ragout in our vernacular.) For full disclosure, this is  from one of my favorite cookbooks, Lebanese Delights by Raymonda Khoury Naaman. It’s a compendium that features the art of Lebanese cuisine in all its glory. The recipe is a ragout unlike any I’ve ever encountered. It has cinnamon as an ingredient, and it gives the dish a unique taste and flavor. Rice is normally served as the accompaniment to this dish.

 

Ingredients:

1kg (2.2 lbs.) chicken breast (skinned and deboned)
3 tbsp. butter
½ kg (1.1 lbs.) tomatoes, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
3 cups water
1 kg (2.2 lbs.) potatoes
Salt, pepper and cinnamon as desired

Preparation

Rinse and cut the chicken breast into medium cubes.

Peel and rinse the potatoes, then cut them into medium cubes

Melt 2 tbsp. of butter in a frying pan. Add the chicken cubes, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook until the chicken cubes turn golden in color.

Sautee the potato cubes in 1 tbsp. of butter.

Place the fried chicken in a cooking pot, add the potato cubes, the sliced tomatoes, the tomato paste (dissolved in half a cup of cold water) and the remaining water.  Boil until the chicken is done (about 25 minutes).

Serve hot with cooked rice.

MARVELOUS GREEN SAUCE

August 18, 2022 / / 0 Comments

I call this recipe ‘Marvelous Green Sauce.’  It goes specially well with fish, especially if fresh caught. Think of it as a green jade sauce since it also has a splendid  green color as well as taste. We recommend you prepare it several hours ahead of serving time to get a full blending of flavors. It’s a wonderful  summer meal when served cold over pouched or steamed fish. This time around we added pasta to the dish, using tagliolini, a type of ribbon pasta; but you can also use spaghetti, tagliatelle or capellini, or even rice with this dish. The sauce just makes it perfect.

MARVELOUS GREEN SAUCE

Ingredients: 

1¼ cups mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
¾ cup finely chopped spinach leaves
½ cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
¼ cup finely chopped scallions
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Ground pepper to taste
Salt to taste (optional)

Instructions:

  1. In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream ,spinach, parsley, dill, scallions and lemon juice, Mix well.
  2.  Season with pepper and check to see it salt ifs needed. If so, add sparingly. Cover and chill thoroughly before serving. Flavors develop further during this time.
    Yield: 2½ cups (approx.)
    As noted above, in this recipe we served it over poached fish on a bed of tagliolini (or you can substitute any ribbon pasta).

CURRIED TOFU

August 15, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Curried Tofu is a popular vegetarian dish, and I have no own slant on it. So, here it is, my version of tofu (bean curd) in a curry sauce, Let me add you can double the recipe and serve a whole load of people, I normally serve it with steamed rice. Although I’ve also tried it with pasta and other grains such as quinoa and couscous, and it’s just as good. It’s a perfect dish, even in  summer, with a chilled dry white wine or a good ale or beer.

As noted in prior posts, it is recommended that tofu be pressed before cooking. Why? Pressing the tofu compresses it and squeezes out extra moisture, making it firmer and drier when cooking giving you a close grained interior and a crisp exterior. You do not want shredded tofu in your pan. Pressing mitigates that. So, how do you press tofu, especially if you don’t want or own a fandangle tofu press?  Simple: place tofu block on a plate;  then place a few folded sheets of paper towels underneath and a few on top. Finally, place a heavy skillet or pot on top. Fill the skillet or pot with something heavy such as a jar of sugar, a bag of flour, a few cans, books, etc.  You can press the tofu for 30 minutes or, ideally, up to one hour.  After the tofu has been pressed, remove the skillet and its contents and discard the paper towels. Cut the tofu into whatever size is desired and proceed with your recipe.

CURRIED TOFU

Ingredients:

1 16-oz. package extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth or bouillon
1 small onion, peeled and sliced in thin rings
1 teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons green scallions, chopped

Instructions:

  1. Rinse tofu under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.  Do the pressing ritual as described above and cut tofu into cubes, about ½-inch thick or to your liking.
  2.  Melt butter in a wok or heavy skillet. Add flour and blend well over low heat,
  3.  Stir in chicken broth and blend with a fork or wire whisk until you have a smooth sauce as it cooks. Bring slowly to a boiling point and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  4. Add onion and mix it in with the sauce.
  5.  Stir in curry and ground ginger. Mix well. You can season highly to taste adding more curry if desired.
  6.  Stir in tofu until it totally combines with sauce.
  7.  Sprinkle with scallions and serve.
    Yield: 4 servings.

 

SAUCED CUALIFLOWER AND SPINACH

June 20, 2022 / / 0 Comments

I happened to have some cauliflower and spinach on hand. So, what to do with it? I thought, how about cooking the suckers in a nice sauce? And the dish came out superb.

This is what I call a one dish meal. I find it’s best cooked in a wok. If you don’t have a wok, then a large skillet or frypan will do. It’s a simple enough project. Just make a nice white sauce, add the cauliflower and seasonings (inclusive of turmeric), cook some more, then finish with the spinach. The dish can be served over rice, quinoa, farro or pasta of choice. This time around we combined it with Israeli (or pearl) couscous. It made for a fabulous vegetarian meal that even carnivores will love.

SAUCED CAULIFLOWER AND SPINACH

Ingredients:

Half a stick butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken or beef bouillon
2 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 head cauliflower cut into florets
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups fresh chopped spinach

Instructions:

  1. Melt butter in wok or skillet over medium heat. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add chicken bouillon and cook, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes until it makes a creamy sauce. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
  2.  Mix in cauliflower florets, salt, pepper, oregano and turmeric. Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until florets are fork tender.
  3. Stir in spinach and cook 2 minutes more. Serve immediately over couscous or preferred grain.
    Yield: 4 servings.

 

 

MUSTARD SAUCE

June 10, 2022 / / 0 Comments

There’s this old wives’ tale about mustard sauce being too strong for delicate fish dishes. The following recipe puts a lie to that old tidbit. Mustard sauce, if done correctly, can be as fine and smooth as the best velvet sauce. Simply, you just have to be careful in the amount of mustard you put in it.

As noted, the following recipe makes a great sauce for broiled or baked fish, be it fish fillets, fish steaks or a whole fish. Also, it’s quite easy to make. No fuss, no bother.  It’s perfect for a good seafood dinner. By the way, you can also use the sauce for vegetables or even by itself over rice or pasta. The possibilities are endless.

MUSTARD SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon mustard, preferably Dijon
½ cup heavy cream

Instructions:

  1. Melt butter over medium heat  in a small saucepan and add shallots, stirring briefly until wilted.
  2. Add wine and cook about 30 seconds, stirring. Add mustard and stir.
  3.  Add cream and bring to a boil. Cook down over relatively high heat about 3 minutes or until reduced to about ¾ cup
    Yield: About ¾ cup.

SKORDALIA (Garlic Sauce)

May 18, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Skordalia is Greek sauce that is very versatile.  It can be used as a sauce for fried fish, as a dip, with crackers or vegetables.  It’s prime ingredient is garlic. Thus, it’s rather spicy. In the Rivera clan, that’s not a problem. But, if you want to make it milder, cut back on the garlic; use maybe 3-4 cloves.

The sauce should have a slightly rough texture so it’s best to make it with a mortar and pestle, although a blender or food processor can be used if you don’t blend the mixture too smoothly. Note that the sauce can be made in advance, covered and refrigerated, but bring back to room temperature for serving.

SKORDALIA
(Garlic Sauce)

Ingredients:

5 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/3 cup pignoli (pine) nuts
1/2 pound bread crumbs
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup warm water

Instructions:

  1. Using a stone or wooden mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and salt together to form a paste. Add walnuts and pignoli nuts and pound to a uniform mixture.
  2.  Soak the bread crumbs in water and squeeze out the excess moisture. Add to the mortar and blend thoroughly.
  3.  Continue pounding while adding the oil and then the vinegar. Add the half cup of warm water gradually until you have reached the desired consistency.
    Yield: About 2 cups.

PESTO EGGPLANT

March 14, 2022 / / 0 Comments

As most of us know, pesto sauce (or pesto alla genovese) is a sauce that combines pine nuts, olive oil,  garlic, salt, lost of fresh basil and Parmagiano or Pecorino cheese. The sauce can compliment almost anything. But how about eggplant? Which set me to thinking, Why not our beloved eggplant? The result is the dish given below. An experiment that turned out delicious. Even in Genoa, the city that invented pesto, they would appreciate this combo.

PESTO EGGPLANT

Pesto Sauce:
(Makes 2 cups)

4 cups fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
½ to 1 cup olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and ½ cup olive oil. Process until a paste is formed. Slowly add additional oil (if needed) in a steady stream, and cheese. Pulse several times more. Don’t forget to occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

EGGPLANT

1 large eggplant (about 1½ pounds),  sliced into ½-inch rounds (do not peel)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

1, Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
2. Drizzle olive oil over eggplant slices. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Arrange eggplant in a large greased baking pan or dish (we prefer cast-iron). Note that if the dish is not large enough you may have to layer the eggplant slices to accommodate all.
3. Bake until brown and tender, about 35 minutes. Top with pesto sauce and bake 5 minutes more.
Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

 

 

 

GREEK MEATBALLS WITH RICE

November 15, 2021 / / 0 Comments

One of my favorite ways of preparing  meatballs is how our Greek brethren do it. I have long been a fan of Greek cuisine. They have 3,000 years of history in terms of cooking. We can learn a thing or two from them. So, you can consider this posting as a Greek meal. Simply, it’s meatballs  (keftaides) over rice with fideo (pilafi me fides). The latter dish  is just rice combined with cut thin spaghetti (fideo). Back in Spanish Harlem almost every household would add fideo to their soups. We never thought of combining it with rice (another innovation by our Greek brothers and sisters).

With this Greek dinner I took the liberty of adding saltsa bechamel to the meatballs. Saltsa bechamel is the Greek method of preparing béchamel sauce, that fame sauce attributed to French cuisine (although some historians state its origin is actually Tuscany—but that’s another story). Add some good Greek wine like a Agiorgitiko from Nemea or Xinomavro from Naoussa, and you’ll have a dinner that will transform you to a sunset evening in Athens. Don’t let the Greek wine tongue twisters deter you. An Agiorgitiko is similar to a Merlot. With a Xinomavro, think of a Barolo or Pinot Noir.

For this dinner, I would suggest making the béchamel sauce first. You can set it aside and heat it up again with the main course; then preparing the rice with fideo. While the rice is cooking, you can make the meatballs, which are served drizzled with the sauce.

SALTSA BECHAMEL

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Dash of nutmeg
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

Instructions:

Melt butter over low heat. Add  flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir until blended into a consistent paste. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk and return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Remove from heat and gradually add egg yolks, stirring constantly. Yield: 2 cups

RICE WITH FIDEO

Ingredients:

1½ cups long grain rice
¾ cup fideo (or crushed vermicelli)
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried chives

Instructions:

Combine the rice and fideo and sauté in butter in a 2-quart pan or pot until golden brown. Add chicken broth and chives. Cover and cook over very low heat until the liquid is absorbed, about 30-40 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve. Yield: 4 or more servings.

GREEK MEATBALLS:

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef or a mixture of beef and pork or lamb
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint or 1 teaspoon dried
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup ouzo or anisette
1 cup flour
½ cup olive oil (or more if needed).

Instructions:

  1. Combine meat, bread crumbs, salt, onion, parsley, garlic, mint, egg and ouzo. Mix well.
  2. Form into meatballs and roll them in the floor. Note that we like our meatballs medium-sized, not small. Place on a cookie sheet and chill for 1 hour.
  3.  Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan  and fry meatballs over medium-high heat until done, about 15-20 minutes. Serve them hot.
    Yield: Makes about 32 meatballs (4 to 6 servings).

 

 

 

 

 

BREADED FISH FILLETS WITH YOGURT

November 12, 2021 / / 0 Comments

One if my favorite recipes is breaded fish fillets. It’s an easy dish to make, and delicious. Another go-to recipe is fish fillets baked in yogurt (or a combination of yogurt and parmesan cheese). So I considered, why not combine breaded fish with yogurt? In this case, the yogurt is mixed with turmeric. This renders a nice sauce in which to cook the fillets. You’ll be amazed at the result. It is really good. This is a multi-dimensional dish that can be served by itself with some crusty bread, or with rice  or pasta.  Add a light red wine or good white wine, or even beer, and you have a winner.

For this dish you can use any good firm fleshed fillet, be it cod, turbot, halibut,  flounder, monkfish, etc. I would not recommend dover sole. It is just too mild and fragile for this recipe.

BREADED FISH FILLETS WITH YOGURT

Ingredients:

4 fish fillets, 6 ounces each
1 egg, lightly beaten
¾ to 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 cup yogurt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Rinse fish fillets under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  3.  Place beaten egg in one dish, and breadcrumbs in another.
  4.  Mix turmeric with the yogurt. The turmeric will give the yogurt a pinkish color. Set aside.
  5.  First, dip fillets in egg, and then in breadcrumbs to coat thoroughly. Place fillets in a greased baking dish. Cover with turmeric-yogurt mix,  and bake until tender, about 25 minutes.
    Yield: 4 servings.
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