Brazilian Fish Stew (Muqueca)

You’ll want to use a firm white fish. I used pollock for this batch, which was firm enough. I also added shrimp to this stew.

Ingredients 

Soup

• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of fillets of firm white fish such as halibut, swordfish, pollock or cod, rinsed in cold water, pin bones removed, cut into large portions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped or sliced
• 1/4 cup green onion greens, chopped
• 1/2 yellow and 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, de-stemmed, chopped
• 2 cups chopped (or sliced) tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp paprika (Hungarian sweet)
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped with some set aside for garnish
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk

Rice

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup rice (I prefer jasmine)
• 2 cups water (check your rice package for the appropriate ratio of liquid to rice for the type of rice you are using)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Yield: Serves 4.

Method

1 Place fish pieces in a bowl, add the minced garlic and lime juice so that the pieces are well coated. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Keep chilled while preparing the rest of the soup. 

2 Start on the rice: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the rice and stir to coat completely with the oil, onions, and garlic. Add the water. (The amount depends on your brand of rice, check the package. If no amounts are given, add 2 cups of water for every cup of rice.) Stir in salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes or until tender and remove from heat until ready to serve with the soup.

3 Back to the soup: In a large pot (or a Dutch oven), coat the bottom with about 2 Tbsp of olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add half of the chopped onion and cook a few minutes until softened. Add the bell pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. (At least a teaspoon of salt.) Cook for a few minutes longer, until the bell pepper begins to soften. Stir in the half the chopped tomatoes and onion greens. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir in half the chopped cilantro.  Spread the vegetables over the bottom of the pan to create a bed for the fish.

4 Arrange the fish pieces on the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

 5 Then add the other half of the vegetables (onions, tomatoes, cilantro) covering the fish. 

6 Pour coconut milk over the fish and vegetables.  Bring soup to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes (I added shrimp after about 10 minutes).

7  Taste and adjust seasonings. You may need to add more salt, lime or lemon juice, paprika, pepper, or chili flakes to get the soup to the desired seasoning for your taste.

 

8 Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice and/or with crusty bread.

 

 

Note: I saw Fatima (Fafa) Gomes, the chef at MUQUECA in Cambridge, MA prepare this dish on local tv.  The restaurant link:  http://www.muquecarestaurant.com/about-us

Butternut Squash Ravioli using Won Ton Wrappers

This was an experiment that I've yet to refine...

This ravioli is made with wonton wrappers instead of pasta.

Ingredients:

1 (1 1/2 lb) butternut squash, halved and seeded

1 celery stalk
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
wonton wrapper (square)

1

Preheat the oven to 400°F Brush the olive oil over the cut sides of the squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place, cut-side down, in a glass baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until soft. Let cool. Scoop the squash out of the skin and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Chop the celery finely.

 2
In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat and add the celery, cooking until softened.  Add the squash, cheese, parsley, cinnamon and stir until just heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3
Place 1 tablespoon filling on a wonton wrapper. Brush the edges of the wrapper with water, fold one corner over to the other and seal two sides, pressing any air out of the middle of the ravioli. Fold one corner over, then fold the other corner over on top.  Squeeze gently to make sure corners stick together. Place ravioli on wax paper lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all the filling is used.

(note: I discovered after making these that a good tip is to place the cookie sheet directly into the freezer and allow raviolis to freeze through for ~1-2 hours)

4
In a large pot of salted slowly boiling water, cook the ravioli until they float to the top, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, pull out of water.

5 

Heat up a big skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat and when it was hot, I placed my raviolis into the pan.

6

While the ravioli are cooking, melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. 

You could brown sage leaves in the butter for 3 to 4 minutes or add parmesan cheese.  Pour over the ravioli and serve at once.

Roast Chicken with Green Beans and Artichokes Recipe from O Magazine

I got this recipe from Oprah's magazine and you can find it online HERE

Inspired by English food writer Nigella Lawson's chicken Vesuvio, chef Art Smith created his own variation, throwing spicy chorizo and green beans into the mix along with white wine and broth for a juicier bird.

Roast Chicken with Green Beans and Artichokes

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 4 scallions, coarsely chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 pound fresh pork chorizo or chicken sausage
• 2 cups fresh green beans
• 1 cup frozen artichoke hearts
• 1 lemon, sliced into 1/4-thick rounds
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Preheat oven to 400°. Season chicken with oregano, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper (if using). Place chicken, scallions, and garlic in a large roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast until chicken starts to brown, about 30 minutes. Add wine, chicken broth, and sausage to the pan and roast an additional 10 minutes. Flip sausages and add green beans, artichoke hearts, and lemon slices, making sure vegetables are partly submerged.

Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.