Moqueca Baiana

Last night was great. My Brazilian crew (Fabiola, Lenicio, Lusimar & Andre) and the other international folks (Karine & Claudine) threw me a surprise birthday party. They also taught me how to make Moqueca Baiana. This was a BIG deal for me. I actually tried making moqueca last spring using salmon filets, but wasn't terribly impressed by my efforts, but I was SUPER impressed yesterday.
Lenicio explained that there are two different types of moqueca, the one from the Bahia state (which is where he is from) and Moqueca Capixaba, from the southeast. The big difference between the two is that the Moqueca Baiana uses palm oil (dendê) and the Moqueca Capixaba does not.

It's really not a hard dish to make, the most work to do involves chopping the veggies, other than that, you just put the lid on and let it cook.

PS Thanks again to Lenicio for all his tips on how to make a great moqueca and to Fabiola for chopping all the vegetables before I got there. It was a GREAT party guys and I'll try to get the recipes up for the Pirao de peixe and the great bday cake you made Karine!


So onto the essential ingredients for all moquecas

For 6 to 8 people

2.250 kg Fish steaks (bones in). We used whiting, but halibut, tuna, and other hearty
fish that can be stewed would work too.

3 limes, juiced

1 tablespoon of colorau de urucum (a natural colourant used in Brazilian
cuisine, similar to the use of paparika in Portuguese cuisine)

1 teaspoon palm oil

3 teaspoons olive oil

5 Bell peppers, roughly chopped (we used 2 yellow, 2 red and 1 orange)

3 Medium sized onions, roughly chopped

6 Medium sized tomatoes, roughly chopped

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomatoe paste

3 pimento de cheiro (literally "the smelly pepper," they are very fragrant,
are yellow in colour and about the size of a grape. Available in Portuguese
or Brazilian food markets)

1 can coconut milk (NOT the one for baking)

1 bunch of fresh cilanto, finely chopped. Also chop a handful of the cilantro
stems and put aside


Tools --> A dutch oven, if you have one. We used a clay wok which also worked. You want to use something that will retain its heat so that you can simmer the stew at a lower temperature.

1. Marinade the fish steaks with salt, pepper, colorau de urucum and the juice from the lines. You can let the fish hang out while you chop the veggies. About 1- 2 hours (if you have the time)

2. Heat the pot on the stove top and then add the olive oil and palm oil. Add the chopped garlic and the handful of chopped cilantro stems. This is going to infuse the oil with all that flavour and your kitchen is going to smell AWESOME :)

3. Being careful not to let the garlic burn, layer about half the fish steaks on top of the frying garlic and then layer about half the chopped vegetable mixture on top of the fish, then another layer of the veggies. Keep in mind that the number of layers you have depends on the size of your pot. Lower the heat to medium.


4. Add the tomato paste, and pimento de cheiro on top of your last vegetable layer. Cover the pot and do let simmer for 35 to 40 minutes. Don't mix anything, just let the fish and veggies get to know one another, undisturbed :)

5. By this time, your house is going to smell like a sea side restaurant and your guests mouths are going to be watering. Carefully add the coconut milk and sprinkle the top of the dish with all that chopped cilantro. Remember to taste for salt before taking the pot to the table!

6. Serve with rice, more fresh cilantro and Pirao de Peixe (recipe yet to be written and posted)

Cheese Demonstration

As promised, my cheese demo from the Western Fair a few weeks ago...I was pretty busy that weekend with my parents grape festival and wasn't as energetic as I wish I was, but I'm happy with it...especially the comments from the tasters :)

PS Big Thanks goes out to my 'fan club' who came out to support me...it made it all the better :)

Beat Up Potatoes (Batatas à Murro)

I think this dish embodies many things that are uniquely Mediterranean...it marries garlic and olive oil with a baked potato, replacing the usual sour cream and chives. And instead of gently cutting open the potato, these ones are literally beat up ('à muro') in the true hot blooded fashion that is being Mediterranean.
I've never really liked potatoes, but this, along with my grandma's taters, are by far my favourite ways of eating potatoes. I don't think I'm the only one, since most people that try them, usually ask for seconds.
As a bonus, it's a really easy recipe and goes well with anything, but we usually serve it will grilled fish.

Ingredients

20 to 30 small white baby potatoes, washed
olive oil
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Put the whole potatoes on a baking sheet or shallow baking pan and bake at 450 F for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to very lightly brown.

2. Using an oven mitt or clean linen cloth, pick up one potato at a time and squeeze it until it pops open (This is the beating up part!). Transfer to a deep heat-proof bowl.

3. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil until evenly coated, add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

ALTERNATIVE METHOD
My cousin Jorge, lives in Portugal, and is a great cousin because not only does he read my blog, he suggests recipes and ways to make it better. This recipe is one of them.
He emailed me shortly after I posted this recipe to tell me his quick way of baking the potatoes....in the microwave. I've never tried it with this recipe, but I have 'baked' potatoes in the microwave before, and they have turned out just fine. Jorge suggested 8 to 9 minutes at the maximum setting, but use your best judgement.

Fresh Cheese (Queijo Fresco)

As a child, fresh cheese was something I wouldn’t eat very often, since it wasn’t always available at the local Portuguese grocery store. I remember spending an afternoon at my cousin’s house and having sandwiches of fresh cheese that my aunt had just made. I was always amazed by the fact that she had actually made the cheese right there, while we played during the afternoon.

Years later, during dinner at my godmother Carmen’s house, one of her guests had brought fresh cheese that she had made. I immediately ambushed Rosaria for the recipe and was amazed by how easy it really was to make. I proved it this weekend during a few cooking demonstrations I hosted at the Western Fair. A video of that demonstration will be posted in about a month, once my trusty film/tv guy Marco has a chance to edit the footage.
What follows are some of the pictures I took backstage before the demonstration as well as the instructions on how to make your own fresh cheese.

Ingredients

1 bag of 2 % cows milk (approximately 1.3 L)

1 capful of powdered coagulant (combination of bacterial culture & rennet)

1 tsp. Sea Salt or ¼ tsp. iodized salt

Tools

Cheese mold

Big Bowl

Slotted spoon

Clean cutting board

Note: If you're looking to buy a cheese mold and the coagulating agent, LetsMakeFoodandWine.com sells both as a kit.

Step 1: Warm the milk to 32°C to 35°C using a water bath (if possible)

Step 2: Add the coagulant and the sea salt to the bowl, then slowly pour in the warm milk. Stir gently until the coagulant and salt are incorporated into the milk.

Step 3: Cover the bowl and wait about an hour or until you can see the milk starting to ‘set.’ It will look like kind of like plain yogurt.

Step 4: Place the cutting board at the edge of your sink and place something under the end on the counter to create a slant. I usually use the rim of a mason jar lid, or a saucer. The cutting board needs to be on a slant so that the liquid from the cheese will be able to drain away from the cheese and into the sink.

Step 5: Place the cheese mold on the slanted cutting board. With one hand, securely hold the cheese mold and while using a slotted spoon, transfer the contents of the bowl carefully into the cheese mold.

All the contents of the bowl won’t fit in the mold right away. You’ll need to wait for the liquid (whey) to drain out of the cheese. You can speed up the process by using a shallow spoon to scoop out more of the liquid and make space for the remaining contents of the bowl.

Step 6: Keep adding the contents of the bowl into the mold until the bowl is empty. Make sure the cheese mold is secure on the cutting board and will stay put once you let it go. Now all you need to do is wait until most of the whey drains and the fresh cheese is left. If you leave it overnight, it will definitely be ready by the next morning.

Step 7: Carefully remove the mold from the finished cheese and transfer to a serving dish. You can keep the cheese refrigerated for 2 or 3 days (if it stays in your fridge that long!) It will lose more liquid and become denser with time, and you’ll likely need to drain the excess whey from the container that you store it in.

Serve with fresh cracked pepper, red pepper dip or anything else you can think of!

Leftover Shepherds Pie (Empadão)

Remember how I mentioned that my brother had 2 favourite dishes? Bife a Cavalo and Shepherds Pie or Empadão, in Portuguese. I’ll have to admit this was one, and still is one of my favourite comfort foods. I can still remember distinct times when my Mom would ask us what we wanted to eat and we’d say “empadão!” 95% of the time. She wouldn’t make it all the time, and I understand why. It’s generally a long process; making the meat mixture on the stovetop, cooking and mashing the potatoes and then baking the whole thing. Well, I decided to cut out a step and used leftover chili and roasted vegetables from lunch time as the filling which left me only having to boil and mash the potatoes. Overall the results were pretty good. My family was happy with the fact that food was ready quickly and that it wasn’t just warmed up chili from lunch. My brother had his beloved empadão and no food went to waste.

Ingredients

• Leftover meat, could be BBQ, chili, stew, whatever, be as creative as you like
• Cooked vegetables, I used roasted peppers and asparagus, but you could use canned or frozen mixed vegetables too.
• Potatoes for mashing, here’s where you’ll have to eyeball it. I used about 8 medium sized potatoes which made enough mashed potatoes for a 9” square baking pan. It depends on how much filling you have. However, it’s better to make more mashed potatoes, you can use the extra as another layer in your empadão, or keep it to make some soup tomorrow
• Butter, a few tablespoons
• Milk, about a ¼ of a cup
• 1 or 2 eggs

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.

2. Bring a pot with water to a boil and add the potatoes and some salt. Cook for 10 minutes or so, or until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork

3. Drain water from the potatoes and begin mashing with a potato masher. Add a tablespoon of butter and a little milk and keep mashing. Check the consistency of the mashed potatoes and taste them to see if they need more salt. Add more butter and/or milk if they’re not smooth or creamy enough for you.

4. Once the potatoes are mashed to your liking, get an appropriately sized baking pan and layer the meat mixture and vegetables on the bottom. Then smooth over the mashed potatoes.

5. Beat the eggs and apply as an egg wash on top of the potatoes before putting it in the oven.

Layering the mashed potatoes over the leftover meat and roasted veggies

The Shepherd's Pie baking in the oven...the egg wash makes it brown to a pretty colour :)

Grandma's Potatoes

In my last post, I mentioned how my grandma has two signature dishes she makes at every family function arroz doce, and these roated potatoes. There are very rarely leftovers when she makes them, since everyone usually takes seconds. This is a guideline to make these amazing pototoes, since like most seasoned cooks, my grandma doesn’t use any concrete measurements.

Ingredients:

6 to 8 medium yukon gold potatoes (my grandma insists on them), cut into bit size pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, cut into quarters

1 tsp. sweet paparika (approximately)

1 or 2 dry bay leaves

2 tbsp. olive oil (approximately)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oven to 400 F.

2. Place the cut up potatoes in a flat baking pan (i.e. like those rectangular Pyrex ones) and add all of the other ingredients. Mix well so that everything is evenly distributed and the potatoes are coated with olive oil.

3. Cover with tin foil and bake until done (20-30 minutes). Put the broiler on for the last 5 to 10 min so that the top of the potatoes become toasty

4. Tastes great with any kind of roast, or BBQ

Salmon with an Orange, Ginger and Garlic Sauce

In the past few years I have discovered the use of fruit in savory food. Before then, the thought of mixing fruit with meet or fish, or even in salads kind of weirded me out. Well, I have learned better and I now have a few (not many) recipes that combine fruit in non-dessert dishes. Which is the case in point. I had heard that orange and salmon paired well together and after doing a little 'googling' found that most recipes combined orange juice, garlic, ginger and soy sauce to some degree. This is my version.
A few notes before you start, a non-stick frying pan is a really REALLY good thing to have for this, otherwise you'll be leaving half of your salmon in the frying pan. Also, hold on seasoning the fish until after you add the soy sauce...the dish might be too salty otherwise.

Ingredients:

2 fresh salmon fillets
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1" knob fresh garlic, roughly chopped
1 orange, squeezed (save a few slices for garnish if you like)
1/2 lime, squeezed
1.5 tsp soy sauce
1 medium onion, count into thin rounds
sesame seeds
cilantro, finely chopped

1. Rinse the salmon fillets and place in a lightly oiled non-stick pan at medium heat, skin side down. Put the lid on the pan so that the salmon will fry/steam and remain moist.

2. Mash up the garlic, and ginger (if you have a mortar & pestle, here's the time to use it!) and combine it with the orange juice, lemon juice and soy sauce. This is a good time to taste the sauce, and add whatever seasoning you think it needs.

3. Check on the salmon. If it looks like it has that pink opaque colour (about 5-7 min depending on the thickness of the fillet), flip it so the skin side is up. Cover the frying pan.

4. After another 5 min or so has passed, check your fishy and see if it looks like its cooked. Take a peek in the middle of the fillet to check for pinkness; like I said before, it should be an opaque pink colour.

5. Once you've determined the salmon is cooked, add the sauce and the onions, making sure to immerse the onions and salmon in the sauce. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let the flavours simmer for another 5 min or so.

6. Serve with rice, and/or fresh veggies. Garnish with fresh cilantro, and sesame seeds and a little extra soy sauce.

Fantastic Roast Chicken

You know, I didn’t know who Jaime Oliver was for a really long time. I kept hearing people rave about him but didn’t even know what he looked like. That was until I happened to flip the channels and come across this cooking show that I had never seen before. I thought the guy was great! He was using lots of flavour and keeping things pretty simple…and then when I saw the credits and the light bulb went off. This whole thing is the segue to the fact that this recipe is from none other than Jaime Oliver and coincidently enough, it’s taken from that original episode that introduced me to him in the first place.
This roast chicken really is fantastic. I added a handful of baby carrots to give the dish some more colour, and couldn’t find a celeriac so omitted that, although I’m sure it would taste awesome.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken, preferably organic
1 large lemon
8 slices prosciutto or Parma ham, thinly sliced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 good handfuls fresh thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces softened butter
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large celeriac, peeled

1. Preheat the oven and an appropriately sized roasting tray to 425 F. Wash your chicken inside and out and pat dry. Using your fingers, part the breast skin from the breast meat. It's important to try to push your hand gently down the breast, being careful not to rip the skin.

2. With a peeler, remove and chop the fragrant yellow skin of the lemon, keeping the peeled lemon to one side. Chop prosciutto and add to the bowl with the lemon skin, garlic and thyme. Season, with salt and pepper and then mix it all into the butter. Push this into the space you have made between the meat and the skin -- rub and massage any that's left over in and around the bird.

3. Slash the thigh meat to allow the heat to penetrate a little more, which makes it taste better. Cut the peeled lemon in half and push it into the cavity. Then put chicken in the hot roasting tray and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

4. While the chicken is cooking, parboil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes and drain. Cut the celeriac into irregular chunks around the same size as the potatoes.

5. Remove the chicken from the oven, by which time the tasty butter will have melted, flavored and cooked out of the chicken into the bottom of the tray, awaiting your potatoes and celeriac. Put a fork into the cavity of the chicken and lift it off of the tray for 20 seconds while tossing and coating the vegetables in the butter. Put the chicken back on top of the vegetables and cook for around 40 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.