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Grilled Ceviche with Avocado Butter Time: 1 hour 45 minutes 1½ pounds of fresh Bahamian conch or cleaned calamari ½ cup, plus 1 tablespoon, fresh lime juice 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup minced red onion 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup minced red bell pepper ¼ cup minced tomato 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced 16 picholine olives, pitted and minced 2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves 1 ripe Hass avocado 6 leaves Bibb lettuce |
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1. If you use conch, cut off hard narrow end and discard or grind
it for conch cakes or meat in thirds on the bias and pound each
piece flat between sheets of waxed paper with mallet. For
calamari, remove tentacles and discard or reserve to deep-fry.
Cut bodies in lengthwise, and slightly score surface in crisscross
pattern with sharp knife. 2. In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup lime juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, wine, half the salt and pepper. Add conch or calamari. Marinate 30 minutes. 3. Heat grill or stove-top grill pan. Grill conch or calamari about 20 seconds on each side seared. Set aside on a plate, 20 to 30 minutes. Mince, and place in bowl with any juices 4. Add bell pepper, tomato, jalapenos, olives, scallions, cilantro and remaining red onion can be prepared up to this point, covered and refrigerated. 5. Lightly beat ¼ cup lime juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil together, and add to seafood ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature serve, no more than 30 minutes. 6. Halve and pit avocado. Remove flesh, chop and place in food processor or blender with a tablespoon of lime juice. Process until smooth, scraping sides of container from time to time machine running, drizzle in remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Scrape container, and process until well blended. With food processor, mixture may look slightly separated: if so, transfer and beat vigorously with a small whisk about 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth. If you use blender, you may have to scrape container more often, but mixture will emulsify better. Taste with salt. If not for immediate use, cover and refrigerate up to 1 hour. If mixture start to separate, whisk again before serving. 7. Place a lettuce leaf in each of 6 martini glasses or wine goblets. Spoon in conch or calamari mixture. Top each with dollop of avocado butter and serve. Yield: 6 servings. |
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Coconut Rice with Pigeon Peas Time: 1 hour 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped 1 red Scotch bonnet chili 1½ cups Uncle Ben’s rice or long grain rice, rinsed until water runs clear ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk 1 cup cooked pigeon peas (gandules); canned or frozen can be used 2 ¼ cups chicken stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup finely chopped scallion (green part only) 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, seeded, cored and diced ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves |
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1. Heat oil in heavy saucepan. Add onion and cook over medium
heat until soft. Stir in chili and rice and cook a few minutes.
Fold in ½ cup coconut milk and pigeon peas. Add stock. Bring to a
simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 2. Cover pan with double layer of plastic wrap so wrap clings tightly to pan, extending about an inch below rim. Place cover of pan over plastic wrap to make a tight seal. Cook over low heat 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside 15 minutes. 3. Uncover pan and remove plastic using mitts because the steam can burn. Stir rice. Spread out in shallow baking dish to cool. 4. To serve, remove chili. Fold in scallions, bell pepper and thyme. Check seasonings. Return to saucepan, cover and gently reheat. Fold in remaining coconut milk, and serve. Yield: 6 servings |
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Mango and Scotch Bonnet Barbecue Sauce 2 green bell peppers, halved, cored and seeded 2 red bell peppers, halved, cored and seeded 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and halved 3 ripe mangoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 1 large sweet onion, chopped 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 Scotch bonnet chilies, halved ¾ cup cider vinegar 1 ¼ cups, packed, light-brown sugar ¼ cup molasses ¼ cup Dijon mustard ¼ cup tamarind paste 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper |
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1. Light a home smoker and smoke bell peppers and tomatoes 30
minutes, preferably over oak chips. Alternately, a smoker can be
made by completely lining bottom and cover of a wok with foil and
placing two tablespoons each of rice, brown sugar and black tea
leaves in bottom of wok. Place wok, covered, very medium heat.
When smoke starts rising, put peppers and tomatoes on a rack in
wok, cover and smoke vegetables for 30 minutes. Chop vegetables
and transfer them to a 5-quart saucepan. (Without a smoker,
peppers and tomatoes can be chopped and placed in saucepan). 2. Add remaining ingredients to saucepan with 1 cup water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Allow to cool briefly. 3. Purée mixture in a food processor. You may have to do this in two shifts. Pass purée through a medium-mesh strainer. Check seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to use. Yield: 6 cups. |
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Saffron Pasta Time: 45 minutes plus 45 minutes resting 1 tablespoon dry white wine ½ teaspoon saffron threads 2 eggs, beaten 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus flour for dusting Salt to taste. |
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1. Heat wine to boil in a small saucepan, add saffron and remove
from heat. When cool, whisk in eggs. 2. Place flour on work surface and add salt to taste. Make well in center. Add egg mixture, and gradually work flour into center, adding a little water if mixture is dry, and kneading once ingredients are incorporated to make a firm, smooth dough. Dough can be made in food processor. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes. 3. Use pasta machine to roll pasta gradually to finest setting. Cut pasta sheets in 12-inch lengths (each about 6-inches wide), then cut each in half. Place pasta on lightly floured parchment paper, and cover with a towel until ready to cook. Yield: 6 servings |
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Saffron Lasagnetta with Lobster Sauce Time: 1 hour 1 poblano chili 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 1-pound lobsters, uncooked, cut up 3 cups lobster or fish stock ½ teaspoon saffron threads, optional 1 clove garlic, minced Kernels stripped from 1 ear yellow corn 1/3 cup cooked black beans 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and pureed Juice of 3 limes 6 tablespoons of soft unsalted butter 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves, plus 6 sprigs cilantro for garnish Salt 12 sheets saffron pasta or 1 ounces pappardelle noodles |
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1. Roast chili over open flame or under broiler until softened and
blackened. Scrape off skin. Core, seed and cut in slivers. Set
aside. 2. In 12-inch sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add lobster claws, and cook over high heat about 2 minutes, turning once. Remove. Add knuckles, cook one minute and remove. Add lobster bodies, cook two minutes and add stock. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. 3. While bodies are cooking, remove meat from claws, tails and knuckles. It will not be fully cooked. Dice lobster meat and set aside. 4. When bodies are cooked, remove and discard them. Strain lobster stock through a very fine strainer or a coffee filter. If not using homemade saffron pasta, add saffron and allow to steep several minutes. Meanwhile, wash and dry pan and return it to stove over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil. 5. Add garlic and one or more tablespoons slivered chili to taste, and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add corn and beans, and cook one minute. Add tomatoes, cook another 30 seconds, then add lobster stock. Bring to boil and cook until thickened and reduced to about 2 cups. Turn heat to very low. Stir in lime juice and add lobster pieces to pan. Simmer 2 minutes. Whisk in butter about a tablespoon at a time. Check seasoning. Scatter with cilantro and keep warm over very low heat. 6. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. If using lasagna, cook sheets about 30 seconds, drain, rinse and place on paper towel. Brush with remaining tablespoon oil to prevent sticking. With pappardelle, cook about 3 minutes, drain and toss with remaining oil. 7. To serve, place a sheet of pasta or equal portions of pappardelle on each of 6 warm plates, reserving about 12 strands of pappardelle. . Spoon lobster sauce on top of pasta. Cover with another sheet of pasta or top with reserved pappardelle. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve. Yield: 6 servings. |
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Fish Grilled in Fennel Time: 1 hour 15 minutes 1 head garlic, cloves peeled 2 shallots 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 3 lemons 2 whole yellowtail snappers, red snappers or black sea bass, each about 2 ¼ pounds, cleaned 4 to 6 heads fennel, branches and fronds untrimmed (fronds will be quite long) 1 tablespoon unsalted butter ½ cup heavy cream 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings. |
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1. Place garlic cloves in a small saucepan cover with water, and
simmer 15 minutes until they are tender. Drain. Mash by hand or
puree in small food processor. Mince 1 shallot, mix with the
garlic, add half the thyme and by hand or machine, beat in
tablespoons olive oil and the juice of ½ lemon to make a paste. 2. Cut 4 deep slashes in both sides of each fish. Rub the fish inside and out with some oil and juice of ½ lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill slashes with garlic paste, and spread any remaining inside fish. Slice remaining shallot, and put slices in cavities. Slice one lemon, and put slices in cavities. 3. Cut off fennel bulbs, and remove a few frond sprigs for garnish. For each fish, place about three fennel branches, fronds attached, side by side lengthwise on work surface. Place one fish on bed of fennel, and top with about three more branches with fronds. With butcher’s cord, tie fennel around fish in 3 places. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. 4. Heat grill, preferably charcoal. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a shallow 4-cup baking dish. 5. Slice off bottom half inch of fennel bulbs. Slice each bulb vertically, in ½-inch thick slices. Place in saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, drain and place in bowl of ice water. Drain and pat dry. 6. Arrange fennel slices, partly overlapping, in baking dish. Scatter with remaining thyme. Drizzle with cream, and strew with cheese. 7. Grill fish 10 – 15 minutes on each side, until tip of knife inserted in thickest part slips out easily and feels very warm when touched with your chin. While fish grills, place dish with fennel in oven, and bake about 15 minutes until browned on top. 8. To serve, snip off the strings around the fish, and remove the fennel. Remove the lemon and shallot slices from the inside fish. Fillet fish, and arrange on platter; garnish with remaining lemon, cut in wedges, and reserved fennel sprigs. Serve baked fennel alongside. |
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Tropical Oatmeal Mango Cake Time: 1 ½ hours 9
tablespoons butter, softened
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1. Use about ½ tablespoon butter to grease a 10-11 inch Springform pan. Dust with 2 tablespoons sugar. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Place oats in dry skillet, and toast until light brown. Transfer to bowl, and add 1 ¼ cup hot water. Set aside. Sift flour with cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. 3. Mix 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar in bowl of electric mixer. Beat in eggs until smooth and mixture falls back in a ribbon when beater is lifted. Fold in vanilla, softened oats and mango. Fold in flour mixture. 4. Transfer batter to pan, place in oven and bake for 45 minutes until cake tester comes out clean and surface is slightly browned. Removed from oven. Turn on broiler. 5. Mix pecans with remaining butter and remaining brown sugar. Stir in cream, and fold in coconut. Gently spread this mixture on top of cakes. 6. Place cake under broiler and broil until surface is bubbly and lightly browned. Watch carefully so topping does not burn. Transfer cake to rack, and allow to cool before removing sides of pan. Yield:
8 servings |
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