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Grilled Mahi-Mahi

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

The Polynesian culture is more than 900 years old. Its very existence can be attributed to coconuts. The coconut palm is called “the tree of life” for it provides everything that is essential to survival in the South Pacific. In fact, coconut palms are so important that one tree is planted for every newborn. The juice of a young coconut can be used in transfusions, it is so perfect in its composition of electrolytes and nutrients, and it is sterile, pure and refreshing. The roots can be used to treat dysentery, the ribs of the fronds make brooms, the leaves are woven into baskets, the shells are polished for cups and bowls, buttons, and decorations, the wood is now a replacement for hardwoods used in flooring. The hardwood also makes a superior charcoal for filtering and the meat of mature coconuts, known as copra, makes oil and flaked coconut.

In the Tongan islands, the hub of Polynesia, fish is breaded, browned in coconut oil, and then cooked in coconut milk with onions. The local hot-sauce, made of chilies soaked in seawater, is the condiment of choice with this dish. The flavors are fresh, spicy and comforting. This recipe is a leaner, kicked-up version that can be grilled on the barbeque, on a cast-iron grill, or on a George Foreman grill. Halibut, tuna, shark, or swordfish may be used in place of mahi-mahi. Buy the freshest fish available and trim the dark areas before marinating.

Grilled Mahi-Mahi

Ingredients:

o 1 lb. mahi mahi (4 oz per serving)
o Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
o juice of 1 lime, reserve zest for sauce
o 2 Tbsp olive oil
o 2 Tbsp minced shallot, reserve 1 Tbsp for sauce
o 3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, reserve 1 Tbsp for sauce, remainder for garnish

Method:

1. Salt and pepper fish fillets on both sides. Place on a glass plate.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Pour ½ the marinade over fish and distribute evenly. Turn and repeat.
4. Cover and marinate for 30-40 minutes in the refrigerator.
5. Grill 6 inches from flame for 3 minutes each side, or until it flakes with a fork.
6. Remove from grill and keep warm. Reserve the juice from the fish for the sauce.
7. To serve: Make a puddle of sauce on each plate, top with grilled fish, garnish with lime slices and cilantro.

Coconut Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

o 1 can (14.5 oz) coconut cream
o Reserved juice of grilled fish
o 2 tsp lime zest
o 1 Tbsp reserved cilantro
o 1 small red chili, minced (or Tabasco sauce to taste)
o Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Method:

1. Pour 1 cup coconut cream into a small sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Bring to a low boil, lower heat to a simmer and reduce until slightly thickened.
3. Add juice from fish, lime zest, cilantro, chili, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5-6 minutes.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Other recipes by JoAnn Jagroop can be found at http://yuwie.com/joannjagroop

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JoAnn_Jagroop

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Posted in Main Dishes | 3 Comments »

Pulled-Pork Tacos for Poker Night

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

This is the night mom takes the kids skating or to the movies and dad invites the guys over for a friendly game of Texas hold’em. Dad, you can use the crock pot and start cooking the pork before you head off to work in the morning. Once you’re home from work make the gravy in the blender, warm the tortillas and chill the beer.

This recipe is a take-off on country style ribs with green chili gravy that was popular in Houston around the mid 1990s. The ribs were stewed with onions and garlic and the resulting juice was used in the preparation of the gravy. Toasted corn tortillas were used for thickening the gravy and added that little maza flavoring. Roasted poblanos and cilantro were added to produce the green chili in the gravy.

* Deep dark green poblano chilies are as large as green bell peppers, mildly spicy with a lot of flavor. The best way to cook them is to roast them over a fire or in the oven. Just hit them with a little olive oil which will draw the heat of the oven to them, place them on a baking pan in a 350° F. oven for about 10 minutes, turn them over, and roast the other side for 10 minutes. They should be blistered or charred on the outside. Place the chilies in a plastic bag for 10 minutes to steam, then scrape off the outer skin. Slit open and remove the seeds and stems.

Buy a pork shoulder roast. It will cost about $6.00 for 4 pounds and will be full of flavor and tender enough to pull once it is slow cooked. Fatten them up before you take their money. They won’t mind a bit after you feed them this great dish.

Ingredients:

o 4 pound pork shoulder roast (Boston butt)
o 2 onions, chopped course
o 6 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
o 1 bay leaf
o 1 sprig of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
o 5 cups stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
o 2 corn tortillas, toasted lightly on a dry grill or skillet, torn into pieces
o 2 large poblano chilies, *roasted, scraped and seeded as directed above
o 1 bunch cilantro
o 1 tsp cumin
o Salt and pepper to taste
o Chopped lettuce, tomato, and queso fresco (or grated cheddar cheese) for toppings

Method:

1. Place one onion on the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot.
2. Set pork roast on top of onion, cut roast in pieces if necessary.
3. Add remaining onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and stock. Set temperature to low and let cook for 10 hours or longer.
4. Remove meat to a platter and pull pork with 2 forks while poblanos are roasting.
5. Prepare poblano chilies as *directed above.
6. Pour crock pot juices into a blender. Add poblanos, corn tortillas, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper to blender. Cover the blender and puree contents until smooth.
7. Return gravy to crock pot, add back the meat and turn the temperature to warm.
8. To serve, toast a tortilla in a dry skillet, spoon pulled pork and gravy into tortilla, add lettuce, tomato, and queso fresco or grated cheddar cheese. Fold up the bottom and then the sides like a burrito.

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Tartiflette Provencal

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

This French country dish from the Savoie region is reminiscent of gratin with the heavy cream, potatoes, bacon and cheese.  It is perfect for warming up after an afternoon on the ski slopes.  Make ahead, omitting the cream, until ready to bake.  Serve it with a green salad and a white wine like Apremont.  (Let’s not get too pretentious here… red wine is also acceptable.)  

Traditionally, tartiflette is made with Roblochon cheese which is made from cow’s milk.  Dairy farmers in the Aravis Valley of the Savoie region made this cheese for decades as a result of avoiding all the tariff imposed on milk.  Instead of milking their cows dry they would milk them for just enough quantity to satisfy the taxman.  After the taxman left, they would finish the milking and use that milk for Roblochon cheese and other home purposes. 

Roblochon is similar to Brie or Camembert and melts beautifully into the potatoes, onions and bacon in this dish.  A true tartiflette casserole dish is greased with goose or duck fat and rubbed with raw garlic before the layers of cooked potatoes, onion and bacon are assembled.  As with every French dish butter, cream and cheese are added for richness, flavor and comfort…it’s not low cal that’s for sure.  However, drinking wine, especially red wine, will help to eliminate fatty solids from your digestive system.  That’s why the French have less heart disease than the English or Americans.  Cooking with wine enhances flavors and tenderizes too.  Any wine you’d drink  is appropriate for cooking.  However those little bottles of cooking wine on grocers’ shelves are way too salty and overpriced so avoid them.

Enjoy this French country dish. 

Ingredients:

  • 2 large waxy potatoes, scrubbed clean
  • 8 strips of bacon, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup of dry white wine
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp of dried thyme
  • 1 Tbsp butter plus enough to grease casserole dish
  • 1 clove garlic to season casserole dish
  • 6 ounces of Roblochon cheese ( Brie or Camembert if Roblochon style cheese not available)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method:

  1. In a sauce pan of salted water, boil potatoes for 20 minutes.  Drain and cool enough to handle.  Peel and slice into 1/4-inch discs.
  2. Saute bacon over medium heat until fat is rendered.  Add onions and saute until translucent.  Transfer to a strainer to remove excess fat.  Return to skillet.
  3. Add wine, thyme and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until wine is nearly dissipated.  Remove skillet from heat.
  4. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  5. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 3-4 quart casserole dish.  Rub with raw garlic clove.
  6. Layer half the potato slices on the bottom, cover with half the onions and bacon. 
  7. Slice the cheese in half horizontally so you have 2 round discs.  Place one disc, cut side down, on top of the onions and bacon.
  8. Repeat layers ending with cheese on top.  Dot with butter.  Pour cream over the top surface and season with salt and pepper.
  9. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until top is golden brown and bubbly.  Remove to a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes before serving.

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Steamed Manila Clams

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

 

Manila clams are similar to “steamer clams” of the Pacific Northwest and “little neck clams” of New England’s Atlantic coast.  They are common fare in the South Pacific where Polynesians gather them daily and sell them in coconut-leaf baskets for about USD $2.50 a kilo (2.2 pounds).  Manila clams have a slightly thinner shell and usually measure 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter.  They are tender sweet morsels that cook up quickly and make a perfectly light starter dish for dinner or a main-course for lunch.  The broth made with dry white wine or vermouth plus aromatics should be mellow enough not to overpower the delicate flavor of the clams yet the aroma should be enticing enough that you’ll want to slurp it from a shell and dip into it with chunks of warm crusty bread.

Check out WholeFoods, better fish mongers or Asian/Fillipino markets.  Buy the freshest clams you can get.  They should be already cleaned but it doesn’t hurt to give them a good rinse in cold water and soak in cold water with sea salt while you prepare the rest of the meal.  Iodized salt will kill the poor creatures before they’re cooked so be sure to use sea salt.  Discard any clams that are open and do not close on their own when tapped.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh manilla clams (littlenecks or steamers)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 2 small shallots, minced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 scallions, leaves and bulbs, sliced thin
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
  • pinch of dried tarragon or few fresh leaves
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2-3 dashes of Tabasco sauce or pinch of hot red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup of dry white wine
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 lemon, cut in wedges

Method:

  1. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, quickly saute the shallots, garlic, and scallions in olive oil just until soft.
  2. Add parsley, tarragon, thyme, Tabasco, wine and water.  Over medium high heat, bring to a boil.
  3. Toss in the prepared clams and cover.  Cook for 5-8 minutes or just until the clams open. 
  4. Remove clams from broth to serving bowl(s), stir broth with 1 Tbsp olive oil and pour over clams.  Serve with crusty bread and lemon wedges.

Variations:

  1. Add 2 Tbsp of basil pesto butter in place of tarragon and thyme.  Omit second Tbsp of olive oil.
  2. For a spicier version, add minced habanero, serano or jalepeno pepper to the saute.  Omit Tabasco sauce.

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Eggplant Parmigiano with Ricotta Cheese

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

eggplant-parmOne of my favorite vegetables is eggplant…those big beautiful dark purple globes…sliced thin, breaded and fried then slathered with butter.  When I was a kid my Auntie Babe made eggplant just like that and I would stand next to the counter waiting for a crispy disc to land on my plate.  She didn’t salt the eggplant before breading and I can’t remember it tasting bitter.  Consequently I’ve never salted eggplant before preparing it.  Whether in ratatouille, minestrone, baba ganoush or eggplant parmesan my customers at Coco’s never complained of bitterness and always enjoyed these dishes.

This Eggplant dish is similar to lasagna without the pasta or meat but with a generous amount of ricotta cheese, a chiffonade of fresh basil and a simple tomato sauce.   I make myown ricotta cheese…its so easy and inexpensive.  Just bring 2 quarts of whole milk to a boil, add 1/3 cup of white vinegar and stir gently until the curds separate.  Remove curds with a slotted spoon to a fine mesh sieve and let drain for 5 or 10 minutes.  Add 1 tsp of salt and combine with 1 egg to make the filling for this eggplant dish.

Serve with a green salad, crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

Eggplant Parmigiano Ingredients:    4 servings

  • 1 large purple eggplant, washed and sliced into 1/4-inch thick discs
  • 1 egg beaten with 1/4-cup milk
  • 1/2 cup flour with 1/2-tsp salt and 1/4-tsp pepper
  • olive oil for frying
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese (commercial or homemade) beaten with 1 whole egg and 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups shredded fresh mozarella cheese (buy fresh mozarella packaged in water)
  • 4-5 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil
  • 3 cups basic Italian tomato sauce (recipe follows)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (please don’t use the stuff in a can)

Method:

  1. Dip eggplant into egg wash, dredge in seasoned flour and fry batches of breaded eggplant in oil over medium high heat until golden brown on both sides.  Add additional oil to skillet as needed.
  2. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on bottom of a deep casserole dish.
  3. Layer fried eggplant over sauce, overlapping slices slightly.
  4. Add another 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, spoon over 1/2 the ricotta cheese and egg mixture, sprinkle 1/2 cup of mozarella cheese and top with 2 Tbsp of basil chiffonade.
  5. Repeat layers ending with eggplant topped with remaining tomato sauce, remaining basil and sprinkle entire top with parmigiano reggiano cheese.
  6. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350° F. for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking for 15 minutes to brown top.
  7. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before cutting.

 

Basic Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1 rib celery, minced
  • 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes (or 5 large beef-steak tomatoes, skinned and diced)
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or few dashes of Tabasco sauce)

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