Plantains - Part I

Sept 29, 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

Plantains are an integral part of my culture. We boil them, we fry them, we add them in casserole dishes; we eat them as appetizers or with the main meal. They are ubiquitous in the Caribbean. Almost every island has a claim to them. To those if us who are not familiar with plantains (platanos), think of them as bananas on steroids. And in Puerto Rican cuisine there are two categories that we enjoy.

The first category are green, unripe plantains. These we serve as tostones, or fried green plantains. And that is what we will discuss today.

Green plantains, these days, can be found almost anywhere. My wife and I summer in Vermont. And even in Vermont we can find plantains. In the regular world, any Caribbean or Asian market will carry them. In the northeast, they are found in almost any supermarket.

I prefer tostones to their close cousin, the amarillos, the ripe plantains. Some folks prefer the ripe ones. It's all a matter of taste. They are both equally delicious.

In the recipe included below the plantains are fried twice. In other parts of the Caribbean, notably Jamaica, the plantains are deep-fried just once. They are not pounded and re-fried. For those who follow our method, the unbroken skin of the plantain is used for flattening the tostones. Otherwise, you can acquire what is called a tostonera in any Latin market. This consists of two pieces of wood or plastic that hinge over to enclose the plantains slices. Here, again, I defer to tradition. Nothing beats the plantain peels and the flat of the hand for pressing the tostones.

The recipe is from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Perseus Book Group).

TOSTONES (FRIED GREEN PLANTAINS)

3 green plantains

4 cups water

2 tablespoons salt

Vegetable oil for frying

1. To remove the skin from the plantain, cut tips at both ends, cut a slit along the length of the plantain and peel off. To facilitate easier handling, some cooks dip plantains in hot water for 5 minutes and then remove the skin. Once plantains are peeled, cut into diagonal slices about 1-inch thick. Reserve peels.

2. Combine water and salt in a bowl and soak plantain slices for 30 minutes. Drain well.

3. Fill a cast-iron or heavy bottomed skillet halfway with vegetable oil. Heat oil until very hot (about 375 degrees). Deep fry plantains for 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

5. Place a plantain slice between two plantain peels, envelope fashion, and pound flat with the palm of the hand. Repeat until all slices are pressed. Return plantains to the skillet and cook until golden grown (about 5 minutes longer). Drain on absorbent paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Yield: 12 to 18 tostones.

Mac 'n Cheese Rules

Sept 23, 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

My wife and I spend the summers in Vermont. And, if there is something Vermonters love, it's comfort food. You know, things like meat loaf, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, all that good stuff. So, you could say they were ahead of the curve, culinary-wise. For the longest time the prevailing winds were for intricate, arcane complex dishes. But it seems we've gone back to the foods of our youth and heritage, not fancy Frenchy-fied extravaganzas, but good ole down home cookin'. Even major restaurants are promoting "Comfort foods." Maybe it's a sign of the recession, I don't know. But I do know one thing: one of the best comfort treats in the world is good old macaroni and cheese. The American classic. It's a universal dish, favored by both picky kiddie eaters and their adult parents.



So, in honor of this lowly, working class marvel, below is what we consider the best macaroni and cheese we've ever tasted. Yes, that's great praise indeed. It is the creation of Mrs. Sandra Gutzmann, of Crafstbury, Vermont, and who dishes out this gem at the Crafstbury Country Store. If you are ever in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom , you must make a stop at the Country Store and order Sandy's mac n' cheese. It's great take-out; you can munch it on a drive, or, as we do, take it home and feast.



Sandy was kind enough to give me her great recipe, and here it is.



SANDY GUTZMANN'S FAMOUS MACARONI AND CHEESE



1 pound macaroni
1 quart milk (either whole milk or 2 % milkfat)
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
1/4 pound provolone, cubed
1/4 pound Swiss cheese, cubed
1 small onion, grated real fine
2 tablespoons flour mixed in 1/4 cup water (for thickener)
8 ounces of cream cheese
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water as per package instructions.
3. While macaroni is cooking, put milk in a medium saucepan and heat to a slow boil.
4. Add cheddar, provolone, Swiss cheese, and onion. Stir to mix. Once cheese is melted, add flour thickener and cream cheese. Stir till it's all blended together, and add salt and pepper.
5. When macaroni is done, drain and place in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan (it can be a glass baking dish or other---I prefer using a large cast-iron skillet). Pour cheese sauce over macaroni; and sprinkle Ritz crackers over it.
6. Bake for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, or until cheese starts to bubble and the sides and edges turn brown.
Yield: 8 servings.

Fish and Mustard---A Great Combo!

Sept 19, 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

A couple of blogs ago I did something on Quick Meat Patties in a Mustard Sauce. That started me to thinking, Why can't I do the same thing with fish? This all came about when I decided to roast a whole fish I had acquired in Chinatown. I had been looking forward to this meal. I hadn't cooked a whole fish in quite a while. But, necessity being the mother of invention, I checked my fridge and noticed I had some mustard and cream. So, why not combine the two and make what the French would call a moutard sauce?

It was a simple process: score the fish with a few cut marks, season, pour the mustard-cream sauce over it, and bake. Easy, quick, and nutritious. For an accompaniment we had baked scallion potatoes. Also an easy process: cut the potatoes in 1-inch chunks, drizzle with butter and bake along with the fish. At the finish, sprinkle with chopped scallions or parsley.

When baking the fish, I suggest any white firm-fleshed fish. Blue Fish may be too oily, and a whole salmon may be too cost prohibitive. The recipe also works well with fish fillets and fish steaks; although cooking time may vary depending upon thickness of fillets or steaks.

WHOLE FISH IN MUSTARD-CREAM SAUCE

1 whole fish (about 2-2 1/2 pounds), gutted, scaled, clean, with with head

and tail intact.

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup mustard ( Any good mustard will do---from Grey Poupon to

Gulden's)

4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (preferably organic)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Wash fish under cold running water and clean with paper towels. Then score fish on each side with three to four knife cuts across the body.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

4. In a small bowl, combine the mustard and heavy cream.

5. Place fish in a greased baking dish; and spread the mustard- cream

sauce over it.

6. Bake for 45 minutes or until skin flakes easily with a knife or fork.

Yield: 4 servings.

Tarru-Bird Stew - The Oldest Recipe in the World

Sept 15, 2009 

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

When I was researching my second cookbook, The Pharaoh's Feast (Avalon Books), part of the deal was that I had to research ancient recipes. The Pharaoh's Feast deals with the history of cooking throughout the ages, from day one to the present. I came across some really great gems, inclusive of the recipe noted below. It comes from three Akhadian clay table from the Yale Babylonian Collection. The tablets are a collection of recipes from the old Babylonian Empire, circa 1700 B.C.E. They are not a cookbook. They are more of a culinary record written for administrative purposes so that the recipes could be codified for the benefit of those who would enjoy them---the big whigs in the hierarchy. They show that ancient Mesopotamia had a vibrant and sophisticated cuisine for its time.

Tarru can translated to mean fowl. Thus this recipe could have been made with wild pigeons, quail or partridge---any small bird. For modern usage I recommend Cornish game hens or poussin (young chickens). The recipe is arcane, but using common sense, one can come up with something worthwhile. It's your basic stew; and it goes well with boiled potatoes or steamed rice.

Some words inscribed in the tablets have yet to be translated, such as samidu. The recipe contains onions, garlic, leek, milk and samidu (whatever the hell that is). It also calls for a broth made of mutton. I figure you could use any rich meat or beef broth. Also, one of the ingredients given is"hulled cake of malt." I've substituted malted milk powder---and it works.

So, make believe you're in Ancient Babylon, you just got home from a hard day in the fields, or from haggling in the marketplace over some horse or camel, and the Tarru-Bird Stew is just waiting for you.

TARRU-BIRD STEW

2 Cornish game hens or poussin

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 whole leek, rinsed and finely chopped (green part only)

2 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons milk

4 cups beef broth or bouillon

1 tablespoon shortening or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons malted milk powder

1. Rinse the Cornish hens under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Split hens in half.

2. Put the onion, leek, and garlic into a mortar and pound until everything is crushed together. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can place the ingredients in a heavy bowl or saucepan and crush with a potato masher or the back of a spatula or large spoon. Add the milk, and mix. Do not cheat by emulsifying in a food processor---it will come out too watery.

3. Place the Cornish hens in a large pot, casserole, or Dutch oven. Add the beef broth, shortening, salt, and malted milk powder. bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for ten minutes.

4. Add the onion mixture. Cover and continue simmering until the hens are tender (10 to 15 minutes).

5. Place the hens on a serving platter as is. Or you can carve them into small pieces, if desired, with the broth served over them.

Yield: 4 servings

Steamed Sea Bass - A Classic

Sept 7, 2009

from Oswald at Large by Oswald Rivera

There are some Chinese dishes that stand the test of time. One of these is Steamed Sea Bass, Cantonese Style. I came across this gem because of a dear, departed friend, Eddie Hor. Eddie was one of those characters who was bigger than life. He was gracious, generous, sophisticated, and a consummate ladies man. I imagine that one of the reasons for his success with women was that, apart from being a great listener and empathetic, he was also a great cook---the best of all combinations. I met Eddie when I was a young man back from Vietnam. At the time all I wanted to do was put the war behind me, mainly by partying and trying to score with the opposite sex. I learned a lot from Eddie, about life, responsibility, and what it means to be a man. I cherished his friendship.

I also learned from Eddie how to prepare the sea bass dish that follows. Steamed sea bass is normally cooked in a wok with a rack for steaming. You can also use a regular metal steamer, Chinese bamboo steamer or even a Western-style clam steamer.

Eddie once told me that cooking is like a seduction: go easy, take your time, just let it happen. The same with this dish. The steaming process will take 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. A neat way to ascertain if its done is to check the fish and, if its eyes have popped out during the steaming process, it's done. Another added trick is to put hot olive oil over the steamed fish. This will sear the skin with the flavor of the oil. If you want to impress your friends, do this at the table. And finally, if you can't find sea bass, striped bass will do just as well.

STEAMED SEA BASS A LA EDDIE HOR

1/4 brandy or bourbon whisky

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 tablespoons chopped scallions, including greens

2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger

3 tablespoons soy sauce (preferably Tamari)

1 whole sea bass (1 1/2-2 pounds), cleaned, scaled, gutted, but with head and tail intact

1/4 olive oil

1. In a small bowl, combine the brandy, garlic, scallions ginger and soy sauce. Set aside.

2. Rinse the fish inside and out under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Slash fish crosswise three time on each side.

3. Place the fish on a platter, and place the platter on top of the steamer. Pour sauce over the fish. Bring water to a boil, cover and steam 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Check fish for doneness. When cooked, the flesh will be white and the eyes will have popped out.

5. Heat the olive oil quickly until its hot in a small saucepan. Then pour the boiling oil over the fish, searing the skin. Serve immediately

Yield: 4 servings