On shih-tzus and Mahi

One doesn’t have to do with the other but I bought a new puppy yesterday to make my year old one company. He’s only 4 months old. Hopefully they get better along during the week. I also bought some fresh mahi, it’s been awhile I haven’t had this fish at home, so I made a welcome dinner, mahi with pineapple salsa. I really didn’t follow any recipe or measurements, just followed my heart and tastes.

2 mahi filets

olive oil

curry powder

paprika

salt

black pepper

lime juice

lemon juice

Mix oil with the spices and add the fish, marinate for 1 hour.

For the salsa

pineapple diced

garlic minced

jalapeno (careful with touching your sensible parts) minced

cilantro chopped

scallions sliced

lime juice

red pepper diced

salt and pepper

cumin

Mix all ingredients season to taste and leave in the fridge for 1 hour to a day.

Sautee the filets in olive oil, serve with salsa.

flipping his wings

free through the reef

golden mahi

Quenepas

You find this summer fruit by the south coast mainly. Traditionally cracked by the teeth. Inside the skin is the tart, tangy, cream pulp of the fruit, which is sucked by putting the whole fruit inside the mouth.

Bili

A drink made with this fruit.

INGREDIENTS:

8 cups white rum

2 1/2 pounds Quenepas

1 1/2  cups brown sugar

1/2  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick

DIRECTIONS:

• Take peels off quenepas.
• Mix quenepas, sugar, and vanilla until sugar has dissolved.
• Slowly add all of the rum while continuously mixing.
• Add cinnamon stick and place mixture in a sealed bottle.
• Make sure sugar is to your taste and make adjustments if necessary.
• Serve chilled.

Back with a sugar apple

well, well, well. I have been lost for a couple of months since my last post. What have I been doing? traveling, working, this and that. But I decided to write a little again. I encountered a weird looking but interesting fruit called sugar apple or anon in Spanish.

Origin unknown, the ripe sugar apple is usually broken open and the flesh segments enjoyed while the hard seeds are separated in the mouth and spat out. It is so luscious that it is well worth the trouble. In Malaya, the flesh is pressed through a sieve to eliminate the seeds and is then added to ice cream or blended with milk to make a cool beverage. It is never cooked.

Till next time.

Chorizo with achiote paste and spinach

This is an adaptation I made from a recipe in a magazine. The chorizo is sliced and sauteed in a little achiote paste, the spinach is raw drizzled with reduced balsamic vinegar.

Achiote paste

2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

4 tsp achiote seeds

1 small clove garlic

Process all the ingredients to a paste, refrigerate.

Slice a small chorizo and sautee in medium heat until crisp and add some of the paste, mix together.

Reduce 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar.

Place the chorizo in the center of a plate, add the spinach, balancing it drizzle with the balsamic and achiote paste.

Polvorones

A few months left before Christmas, time for some treats. This is a crumbly almond cookie, popular in Spain during the holidays and here in the island, but here you find them year round.

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Sift the salt and flour. Mix the sugar and shortening until soft. Add the egg and butter mix well. Add the extracts.Slowly add the flour. Mix everything together in a bowl. Form small balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly brown at 350. Cool

 

Moros, Cristianos y Cerdo

I decided to quit using canned black beans. Fresh is the way, even though is some time consuming. Moros y cristianos means “Moors and Christians” moors for the black beans and Christians for the rice. The dish has Spanish roots but is a Cuban dish. Also I made it with plantains and cumin rum spiced pork. Recipe coming soon, meanwhile enjoy the picture.

Lemongrass

My lemongrass looks better by the day. I already took some stalks. I will make some tea, it is good for colds and the following marinade.

3 garlic cloves chopped

3 chiles minced

2 stalks of fresh lemongrass, bottom third only, thinly sliced

1 shallot chopped

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

1/2 cup Thai fish sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a processor, mix the garlic, chiles, lemongrass, shallot and ginger and process to a paste. Scrape the paste into a bowl and add in the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, cilantro, coriander and pepper.

The joy of gardening

My garden looks great, some pics to share, lemongrass, figs, oregano, plantains…….. (disregard the dates on the pics, I  discovered how to fix that after I took the photos)

          

Garlic pork with spicy potatoes

I made this dish after a tapas recipe I read about, but they did not use chops.

2 pork chops

1 lemon

6 large cloves of garlic sliced

salt and pepper

cumin

red pepper flakes

Season the pork with salt, pepper, lemon, cumin and red pepper flakes.Marinate for 15 minutes.

Sautee the chops in oil with garlic, carefully not to burn the garlic.

This is my version of “Papas Bravas” a Spanish potato preparation.

4 boiling potatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garlic chopped

1 small onion chopped

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

chopped parsley

Boil the potatoes with skin. Cut in each potato in half. Heat oil and saute the garlic with the onions until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook slowly careful not to dry too much. Add the potatoes and sautee for 6 minutes. Season with the red pepper, salt, black pepper and parsley.

Lime and Coconut Macaroons

Lime and coconuts, some of the best things the islands offer. I made these with some limes from my mother’s garden, I have a tree but it is still young but in the meantime I can get some from mom. They were beautiful very green and juicy.

whites from 3 eggs

2 cups shredded coconut sweet of course

lime zest very fresh

juice of 1 large lime very freshly squeezed.

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and combine very well. Form small balls and place in a greased (lightly greased) baking sheet separated for less than an inch. Preheat oven 350 degrees after that bake for 15 mins. until the edges are a little bit browned. Cool on a rack.