Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

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SQUID WITH SOY SAUCE AND OIL

February 4, 2021 / / 0 Comments

 

Mention squid and almost everyone goes “Yuck! Aaaag!” You get the message. Still, as mentioned in prior posts, squid (or calamari) is a dish favored throughout the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. It is also popular in Asian cuisine as well, as noted in the recipe given below. It’s simple and quick, and delicious, with a mild sweet taste.

We are fortunate that today, in most markets and stores, you can buy squid cleaned and prepared. So you don’t have to go through all the drudgery as in the old days when you had to cut the squid apart, scrape and discard the innards, remove the outer membrane and clean the squid thoroughly. When you buy cleaned squid, they come with tubes and tentacles. All you have to do is rinse them in water, slice and cook. That’s it. In this recipe, you add a little soy sauce, vegetable or peanut oil and a few drops of sesame oil. The natural accompaniment to this dish is plain boiled rice. This time around, we had some plantains on hand so we paired them with tostones, deep-fried plantains. For a recipe on tostones, check my post of 09/09/10.

SQUID WITH SOY SAUCE  AND OIL

Ingredients:

1 pound cleaned squid
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons vegetable or peanut oil
Few drops of sesame oil

Instructions:

  1. Rinse squid under cold running water. Slice tubes and tentacles into bit-sized pieces.
  2.  Fill a large saucepan two-thirds full with water and bring to a boil. Drop the squid into the water and cook about 1 minute over medium heat, stirring lightly with a wooden spoon. The squid pieces will curl up like cylinders, and you can check for doneness by cutting through a piece. The squid should be opaque all the way through. Do not over cook or they will become tough.
  3.  Drain the squid and shake out any excess water. Transfer to a serving bowl, and toss with the soy sauce, oil, and sesame oil. Serve immediately.
    Yield: 4 servings.

 

CAMARONES CON CEBOLLA (Shrimp with Onion)

February 1, 2021 / / 0 Comments

 

This is one of the easiest shrimp dishes you can prepare. It’s from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine  in America (Running Press). A quickie fix-up—with a little bit of rum added to it. Camarones con Cebolla was a family favorite back in Spanish Harlem, and it still holds up to this day. The shrimp is stir-fried just to doneness and smothered in onions. Few things can be more satisfying. This dish goes great with crusty bread or on rice.

CAMARONES CON CEBOLLA
(Shrimp with Onions)

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced in rounds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 pounds raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 tablespoons Puerto Rican rum (white or dark)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
Salt and black ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Add onions and garlic and sauté over moderate heat until onion is limp and transparent.
2. Add shrimp, rum, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until shrimp turns pink (3 to 4 minutes).
Yield: 4 servings.

 

 

 

 

 

EASY SPINACH SOUFFLE

January 26, 2021 / / 0 Comments

I like spinach. Even as a kid, I liked the veggie. I know, that makes me weird. Be it as it may, one of my favorite spinach   recipes is Spinach Soufflé. But, even though all the recipes I came across were okay, they were not as simple as I would like. They involved heavy cream and eggs and flour, and other stuff. So, I put on my thinking cap and decided to create something simple. No mess. no fuss, and still good enough to garner those “Ooohs” and “Ahhhs.” Here it is: my simple Spinach Soufflé. This can be a great side dish to chicken, lamb, beef or pork; or as a meal in itself.  We paired it with gnocchi, those small, soft dough potato dumplings that we, in the Rivera clan, just love. But you can serve it with a grain like rice or couscous, or even over pasta. It’s a dish made in heaven.

Note that this dish can also be done with 2 packages frozen spinach. It will do in a pinch. Just remember to cook spinach  according to package directions. But, if you can get it, go for the fresh stuff.

EASY SPINACH SOUFFLÉ

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh spinach
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
2 dashes ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Dash of Tabasco
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2.  Remove stems from spinach, and rinse spinach under cold running water.
  3.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute. Drain and place in a shallow baking dish, or casserole (I prefer cast-iron). Blend in sour cream, bouillon, nutmeg, lemon juice and Tabasco. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top. Drizzle with butter. Place in oven and bake 20 minutes. Serve hot.
    Yield: 4 servings.

BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH SAUSAGE

January 13, 2021 / / 0 Comments

About the only time we have black-eyed peas is on New Year’s Day when we cook them with rice. It’s a dish called Hoppin’ John, and it’s a southern favorite. Other than that, we seldom cook these suckers. Well, I recently found some on hand.  To me, Hoppin’ John is good once a year. I had to create something new with this batch. So, I decided, why not pair them with sausage? It sounded okay. And it turned out magnificent. This dish you can have by itself or with rice. For the sausage, I used pork sausage. But you can use beef, chicken, turkey sausage or, if you’re in the mood for something spicier, Spanish chorizo sausage. Also, remember, if the sausage comes with a casing, remove such before cooking

Let me state that we used dried beans for this recipe. If desired, you can use the canned or frozen variety. However, it will not be the same in terms of texture and flavor. The extra bother of soaking the peas is well worth the effort.  And, yes, I know, there’s a pop-rap group known as the Black Eyed Peas.  They had nothing to do with this dish. Although I was sad when Fergie left the group. J. Rey Soul is a pretty good replacement.

BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH SAUSAGE

Ingredients:

1½ cups dried black-eyed peas
2 sprigs fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 12-ounce package pork sausage, cut into ¼-inch rounds
1 small onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons red wine
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Instructions:

  1. Soak black-eyed peas overnight with water to cover by about 2 inches. Drain and rinse.
  2.  Place beans in a Dutch oven, heavy kettle or pot with water to cover by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour or until peas are tender.
  3.  While peas are cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet, add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
  4. Add pork and oregano, and sauté until pork is brown. Add wine and cook over high heat until wine is absorbed and has evaporated. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes more.
  5.  When beans have cooked, add sausage, season with salt and pepper, and stir to mix. Garnish with parsley and serve.
    Yield: 4-6   servings.

 

 

BROCCOLI STUFFED POTATOES

January 11, 2021 / / 0 Comments

This is one of my favorite stuffed potato recipes. And it makes a great vegetarian dinner. Yes, it’s potatoes with broccoli. Okay, I hear the moans and groan. Broccoli? Yeah, that maligned vegetable that all kids (and some grownups) hate. I am old enough to recall when George Herbert Walker Bush, the first Bush to occupy the White House, famously (or infamously) declared, “I hate Broccoli.” Sorry, Mr. President, but you’re way off the mark. When prepared well and paired with other ingredients, broccoli is glorious.  in this dish, besides the broccoli, it includes milk, grated cheese and butter.  A rich flavorful dish for a rich occasion.  You’ll never again have to beg the young ‘uns to eat their broccoli.

Note: The dish calls for baked potatoes. I easiest way I know to bake potatoes is  my wife’s method: wash and scrub the taters (do not peel); wrap in aluminum foil, prick all over with a fork, and bake for 1 hour in a 450 degree oven or until tender.

BROCCOLI STUFFED POTATOES

Ingredients:

6 medium baking potatoes, washed, scrubbed and baked
½ head of broccoli, steamed until crisp tender, and chopped
¾ cup grated cheese (we use either Asiago or Parmesan)
1 tablespoon butter
Freshly ground back pepper to taste
¼ cup milk

Instructions:

  1. Slice the potatoes in halve and scoop out the insides into a bowl with the broccoli.
  2.  Add ½ cup of the cheese, the butter, pepper and milk. Mash all together or combine all ingredients in a food processor and process briefly.  Stuff into the potato skins and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes.
    Yield: 6 servings.

 

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS ASIAN STYLE

January 5, 2021 / / 0 Comments

This is what you would call a fusion dish. It’s my own idea. We had some lamb shanks, and I considered, why not try a different cooking method? I usually prepared lamb shanks the traditional way: coated in seasoned flour, browned in  oil, then cooked in a pot or Dutch oven with vegetables and liquids like bouillon and red wine, or marinara sauce. So, I decided, why not mix the traditional with Chinese cuisine? That’s why I called this dish Braised Lamb Shanks Asian Style.  In Chinese cooking, the basic method for preparing Braised Chicken, is to brown the chicken in oil,  then it’s simmered in a mix of sherry, soy sauce, water or broth, scallions and ginger root?  Why not do the same for lamb shanks? And guess what? It works. The lamb shanks came out juicy and tender, the meat just fell off the bone. In our case, we served it over fettuccine; but any grain, or even Asian noodles will do.

So, try something different for dinner this time. With this innovative dish, you won’ t be disappointed.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS ASIAN STYLE

Ingredients:

6 lamb shanks
1 cup flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cups water or chicken broth
2 scallion stalks
2-3 slices fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, preferably Chinese parsley

Instructions:

  1. Rinse lamb shanks under cold running water and par dry with paper towels.
  2.  On a plate, combine flour, salt,pepper and oregano. Dredge lamb shanks in the seasoned flour. Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the lamb shanks.
  3.  Add sherry, soy sauce, water or broth, scallions and ginger root.  Bring to a boil; then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
    4. Add sugar and simmer, covered, another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Or, if you’re the fancy-dan type, place in a serving dish, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
    Yield: 6 servings—unless you have hearty eaters, then it’s 4 servings.

 

FISH FILLETS WITH LEMON AND THYME DRESSING

January 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments

For this dish you can use fish fillets or 4 fish steaks. It’s a simple recipe of fish in a lemon-thyme dressing, or sauce. The fish can be any firmed flesh white fillets such as haddock, cod, perch, turbot, sea bass, grouper, tilapia, snapper, whatever you can find.

This is an easy baked dish. So, the next time you are in a hurry and want to prepare an easy nutritious meal full of flavor, this is it.  Note that if you’re using frozen fish fillets, the cooking time, as shown in the recipe,  is a bit longer. Regular or thawed fish fillets require less time to cook. With a side of vegetables, with a grain or potatoes, this dish will satisfy.

In past posts I’ve included lemon zest and I’ve gotten questions about how to zest a lemon.  Lemon zest is the outer yellow layer of the lemon, and when scraped from the lemon, it adds flavor to any dish. The easiest way I know to zest is by simply using a cheese grater. First, wash lemon under cold running water, and pat dry with kitchen or paper towels. Then place the lemon against the smallest holes in the grater. The larger holes are for shredding, and you want grated lemon rind. Simply move the lemon back and forth as you would with grating cheese (be careful not to grate your fingers). And that’s it, lemon zest. There are special citrus zesters out there and, if you want, you can buy one of those. But I find the cheese grater just as good.

FISH FILLETS WITH LEMON AND THYME DRESSING

Ingredients:

2 pounds fish fillets, 4 to 6 ounces each
6 tablespoons butter, divided
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 sprigs fresh lemon thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

Instructions:

  1. Heat broiler to medium high. If using a broiler/oven, heat to 450 degrees F.
  2.  Rinse fillets under cold running water and pat dry with pepper towels.
  3.  Arrange fillets in a baking dish or pan. Broil 5 to 7 inches from the heat source for  about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and place 1/2 tablespoon butter over each fillet. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons lemon  jiuce, then season with salt and pepper. Return to oven and cook an additional 7-10 minutes for frozen fillets, or 4-6 minutes for fresh or thawed fish.
  4.  While fish is cooking, add remaining butter to a saucepan with the lemon zest, remaining lemon juice and mustard. Heat gently, whisking until melted. Add the thyme and cook about 2 minutes more. Serve the fish, pouring the lemon-thyme dressing over the fillets.
    Yield: 4 servings.

 

 

 

EGGPLANT PROVENCAL

December 28, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This is the easiest eggplant dish to make. It’s called Eggplant Provençal. But, back on the block, when my mother made it, to us it was simply Berenjena con Tomates,  eggplant with tomatoes. Little did we know that we were preparing something out of French classical cuisine.  Provençal, or Provence, refers to a region in southeastern France on the Mediterranean basin and adjacent to Italy. And the region has a cuisine all its own, and it includes tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. Little did my Mon know that she was creating a classic in our Harlem apartment kitchen.

Eggplant Provencal goes good with any grain, be it rice or other. But its especially good over pasta. This time around we served it over penne, and it hit the spot.

EGGPLANT PROVENÇAL

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of dried tarragon
4 green olives, chopped
Salt and freshly ground to taste

Instructions:

  1. Place eggplant, tomatoes and garlic in a saucepan or pot. Add lemon juice, tarragon and olives. Season with salt and pepper.
  2.  Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. If desired, before serving, you can garnish with additional olives.
    Yield: 4 servings,

 

 

BEEF AND TOMATOES IN OYSTER SAUCE

December 23, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Chinese cuisine is so vast and all encompassing that I’m always on the lookout for good recipes that define it’s cooking. This recipe is from Daughter of Heaven – A Memoir with Earthy Recipes by Leslie Li (Arcade Publishing). The book features Ms. Li’s grandmother’s recipes, inclusive of this one, Beef and Tomatoes in Ouster Sauce. From the ingredients utilized, I would consider this is a Cantonese recipe. It’s rather easy to prepare and renders a glorious dish. Served over plain boiled rice, it’s a winner.

BEEF AND TOMATOES IN OYSTER SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon granulates sugar (substitute honey or maple syrup)
1 pound flank steak, cut across the grain in ¼-inch slices (substitute chicken breasts or turkey)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Instructions:

In a bowl, stir together the cornstarch, soy sauce, sherry, and granulated sugar. Add the steak. Toss the mixture well, and let the steak marinate for 20 minutes.

In a wok or heavy skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat (but not smoking) and stir-fry the onion for 1 minutes. Transfer the onion to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok, and heat it until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic. Stir-fry for 45 seconds, or until golden. Discard the garlic.  Add the steak and the salt. Stir-fry the mixture for 1 minute.

Sprinkle the tomatoes with the brown sugar, and add them to the wok. Stir-fry the mixture until the tomatoes are just heated through. Add the ketchup. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the onion and the ouster sauce. Stir-fry the mixture for 1 minute.

Makes 4 servings.

 

 

 

BACALAO GUISADO – Stewed Codfish

December 20, 2020 / / 0 Comments

At one time, dried salt cod was a popular food worldwide. It was a common staple throughout the Mediterranean basin. It was well represented in Spanish, Greek and French cuisines; but it was also integral to the native cooking of places as far flung as India and Canada. In recent times it has fallen out of favor as modern transportation and refrigeration has made seafood more available, as least in  the developed world.

The thing to remember about salt cod is just that, it has an astronomically high sodium content. This was done back in days of yore in order to preserve it during transport. As noted, that is no loner a problem. Still, there are some of us who still sing its praises. The sticking point, now as then, is that the product has to be prepared before cooking. The common practice is soaking the salt cod in cold water, and changing the water at least three times. For regular salt cod the usual soaking time is from 6 to 8 hours.  The common procedure is to leave it overnight, then drain and rinse under cold running water. The cod is then placed in a pot of boiling water to cover and simmered gently for 15 minutes or so. It is drained again and, when cool, the skin and bones are peeled way. Lastly, the fish is flaked so that its ready to cook.  Luckily, today you can buy deboned salt cod. So, at least, that part of the process can be omitted.

You probably think the preparation time involved is a hell of a bother just to eat cod. But not many good things are as inexpensive or as versatile. It can acquire any number of flavors during cooking, depending upon the condiments used. It will complement almost any vegetable or grain, even pasta. In our culture we serve it with rice, or bianda (root plants), eggplant, or tostones (green fried plantains).  With whatever side dish, or even by itself with plain bread, salt cod is extraordinary.

BACALAO GUISADO
(Stewed Codfish)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon sage
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 pound dried salt cod (prepared beforehand for cooking; see above)

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy frying pan or skillet. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaf, sage and white pepper. Sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
2. Add tomato sauce and cook for 3 minutes longer.
3. Add flaked codfish. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
4. Serve with favorite vegetable or grain.
Yield: 4 servings.

 

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