Around the World in 80 Dishes: Croatia

Slowly, but surely, I am making my way around the world with the goal of making a main course from 80 different countries (with four bonus meals made based upon the cuisines of peoples who do not have their own state).  The selection of countries is somewhat random, somewhat by opportunity.  My 29th challenge falls in the latter category.  I knew I would be making a seafood dish and I had it in my mind to make a brodetto, which is an Italian fish soup (also known as Cacciucco in Tuscany or even Bouillabaise in France).  As I was searching for a recipe online, I came across one for Brodet.  And that became my 29th challenge ... to make that dish, which is a main course from the country of Croatia.

Very briefly, an independent Croatian kingdom emerged in the 10th century A.D. The independence eventually faded when the country came under a personal union with Hungary.  While Croatia remained a separate state, it was effectively controlled from Budapest, and, the front lines in the wars against the Ottoman Empire.  When the Ottomans were driven back, Croatia became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.   After World War I ended, which saw the breakup of that empire, Croatia became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.  It was united with other states or regions, including Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. Croatia had a brief period of "independence" during World War II, when it was allied with Nazi Germany, but the country found itself back in a broader multi-ethnic state -- namely, Yugoslavia -- after that war.  Croatia remained part of Yugoslavia until it was able to obtain its independence in 1991.  Since that time, it has been known as the Republic of Croatia.

This history, as briefly recounted above, provides some insight into the culture and cuisine of Croatia.  As one could expect, the centuries under Austro-Hungarian rule would show through with German and Hungarian influences in some of the cuisine.  This influence is particularly pronounced in the cuisine of two of three regions of Croatia.  These regions are Slavonia, which consists of the North and East of the country, as well as central Croatia, which includes the capital of Zagreb.  The food features ingredients such as black pepper, paprika and garlic, as well as dishes of smoked meats, breaded meats, goulash and stuffed cabbage grace the plates here.

And, then there is the third region.  It is the coastal region, stretching from the Istrian peninsula down all the way down the coast.  This region is known as Istria and Dalmatia.  The coastline lies on the opposite side of the Adriatic sea from Italy.  Thus, it seems only logical that the Croats would have their own version of a Brodetto.  From Porec to Dubrovnik, and everywhere in between (except for that small sliver of coastline that belongs to Bosnia-Herzegovina), there are ports and fishing villages where local fishermen could go out and return with a bounty that could end up in a fish stew.  Of course, the fishermen sell off all the good fish and keep the less desirable ones for the stew.  That fish stew would become my personal culinary challenge. 

MAIN COURSE

This challenge represents an instance where I am making a dish that represents the cuisine of one country, even though I know that there are similar dishes in other countries.  Indeed, there are some similarities between a Croatian Brodet and an Italian Brodetto.  The similarities lie in the use of garlic onions and tomatoes in the base.  There are also differences.  A Brodet uses additional vegetables, such as leeks, and red wine vinegar which is not usually used in a Brodetto.  (The cook probably drinks the wine as he makes the Brodetto, as I often do when I make the dish). 

This Brodet is a little more luxurious than one would probably find being made by local fishermen at a Croatian fishing town.  I used monkfish, black grouper and halibut.  Each fish contributed to the dish, whether by texture (monkfish) or taste (grouper and halibut).  I also used some medium sized shrimp (about 21 to 26 count) and some mussels.  As for the wine, I could not locate any Croatian red wine, so I went with a wine from an Italian province across the water ... a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (which is a wine I have used to make an Abruzzese Brodetto).

The recipe I used is from Arousing Appetites, which also recommended serving polenta with the Brodet.  A polenta was made for this dish, although it is not in the picture.  

BRODET

Recipe adapted from Arousing Appetites
Serves 6-8

Ingredients (for the brodet):

2/3 cup olive oil

1 heaping handful of fresh parsley (about 1 cup when chopped)

1 lemon juiced

15 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound of monkfish (or similar denser, firmer, meatier fish)

1 pound of grouper (or similar flavorful, flaky fish)

1 pound of halibut

1/2 pound of raw, medium size shrimp (21-26 count)

1/2 pound of mussels, washed

2 onions, chopped

2 small leeks, the white and green stalk parts halved and thinly sliced

2-3 fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced

2-3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup of red wine

1 teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

2 bay leaves

3 stalks fresh rosemary, chopped

4 cups fish stock or water

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients (for the polenta):

2 cups water

2 cups fish broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup polenta

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup grated Parmesan (optional)

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Marinate the fish.  In a food processor, combine the fresh parsley, 1/2 cup olive oil, 4 cloves of garlic and lemon juice together to create a thick and rich puree.  In a large bowl, rub the puree into the fish and shrimp and then let marinate for at least 1 hour.

2.  Begin making the polenta.  Add water, fish broth and salt in a sauce pot and bring it to a boil.  Add the polenta and whisk vigorously through the water.  Keep the pot on high heat as the water beings to re-boil.  Once the pot begins to boil again, turn the heat down to the lowest possible simmer setting.  Simmer the polenta for at least 45 minutes, whisking and [ the polenta around as frequently as every 2 to 3 minutes.  

3.  Begin to make the Brodet.  After about 15 minutes of cooking the polenta, bring a soup pot with the remaining oil over high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the onion and remaining minced garlic.  Saute for five minutes.  Add the leeks and saute for another 2 minutes.  As the leek and onion become gradually softer, add the tomatoes and tomato paste and mix vigorously.  Reduce the heat to medium high and cook for another 2 minutes.  Once everything is mixed well and the tomatoes have softened, add the red wine, red wine vinegar and red pepper flakes.  

4.  Add the fish.  Layer the fish on top of the vegetables in the soup pot.  Once all the fish is in, add the fish stock, bay leaves and rosemary into the pot.  Keep the soup pot uncovered and cook on high heat for 15 minutes, but do not stir the pot.  If you need to jostle the ingredients around, pick up the soup pot by the handles and give it a bit of a shake.  Add more fish stock or water as needed to keep the fish submerged in case of evaporation.  

5.  Add the shellfish.  After about 15 minutes, place the shrimp and mussels on top of all other ingredients and submerge in the broth.  Cover the soup pot and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes to help cook the shellfish. After 5 minutes, remove the brodet from the heat and set aside for a moment.

6.  Finish the dish.  Take the polenta off the heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter.  As the butter melts and the polenta becomes creamy, finish by adding the cheese to the polenta and whisking it through until the cheese melts.  Serve the brodet with a side of polenta. 

*          *          *

Having made Cacciucco and Brodetto, I have to admit that I was not expecting to have a different culinary experience with the Brodet.  However, the Brodet did have its own flavor and taste.  The use of the wine and the vinegar definitely gave the broth a more acidic taste that a Brodetto.  Also, the marination of the fish in the parsley, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice paste added another layer of flavors to the broth.

Overall, this was a very good dish.  The presentation was clearly lacking, but the taste made up for it.  With another challenge in the books, I can now look forward to the next one.  Given my last two challenges (this one and Italy) focused heavily on seafood, I might just tip the scales towards a challenge that involves something that walks on land, such as a cow, lamb or chicken.  Until next time ...

ENJOY!

Thai-Style Green Fish Curry

I am a huge fan of curry dishes.  The one thing that I love most about curries is the seemingly endless combinations of varying spices and herbs, together with a protein and/or with vegetables.   Even the same curry dish may be prepared in a slightly different way from region to region, country to country. 

My personal cookbook reflects much of that love.  I  have made many curries with a variety of ingredients, including two different types of duck curry (Kerala and Mauritius), pig's feet curry (Kangchu Maroo), and even a curry from the early Colonial period in the United States (Mary Randolph's Curry).  I have also made curries from around the world, from Africa (Mtuzi wa Samaki) to central Asia (Makher Taukari) to southeastern Asia (Kaeng Kiao wan Kung).  I have even tried to create my own curries, such as my Soft Shell Curry, Goan Style.

And, I am always on the lookout for new curry recipes.  Recently, I was going through my cookbooks when I found this recipe for Thai-Style Green Fish Curry.  The recipe comes from Joshua Wesson's Wine and Food and, because of Joshua's expertise in wine, it also comes with recommendations for pairing.  The recipe calls for the use of a firm white fish, such as halibut or sea bass.  I used monkfish, just because I wanted to try something different and the monkfish that was available and it was not on my do-not-buy list.  Monkfish was also cheaper than halibut and I like it a lot more than cod. 

In the end, this Thai-Style Green Fish Curry was a delicious dish that is very easy to make.  If I could make any other changes (other than using monkfish rather than halibut or cod), I think it would have added a little heat from a green pepper, such as a jalapeno or serrano chile.  Just another opportunity to add to the nearly infinite number of curries out there!

THAI-STYLE GREEN FISH CURRY

Recipe from Joshua Wesson, Wine & Food, page 73

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound of firm white fish (such as halibut, cod or sea bass), 

     about 1 1/2 inches thick

1 stalk of lemongrass

1 can of coconut milk (13.5 fluid ounces)

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth (or seafood broth)

3 tablespoons of fish sauce

Finley grated zest of 1 lime

3 tablespoons of lime juice

1 tablespoon high quality green curry paste

1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 cups hot cooked jasmine rice

Directions:

1.  Prepare the fish.  Skin the fish fillets, if necessary, and discard the skin.  Cut the fillets into 1 1/2 inch chunks and set aside.

2.  Prepare the curry base.  Cut off about two inches of the lemongrass stem and pull of and discard the tough outside layers.  Finley mince the tender inside stalks, measure out 1 teaspoon and add it to a saucepan.  Add the coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, lime zest and juice, curry paste, ginger and garlic.

3.  Cook the curry base and the fish.  Bring the coconut milk mixture to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about ten minutes to blend the flavors.  Add the fish and simmer gently until the fish is opaque throughout when tested with a knife tip, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Add the cilantro, basil and mint.  Taste the curry and adjust the seasonings with fish sauce.

4.  Plate the dish.  Place a scoop of rice in each of 4 warmed shall soup bowls and ladle the curry over the rice.  

By the way, Joshua Wesson recommends a German Riesling Kabinett as a pairing for the Thai-Style Green Fish Curry, which worked very well with this dish. 

ENJOY!

Grilled Halibut Steak with an Avocado, Habanero and Mango Salsa

I love to cook and eat halibut.  The best halibut to buy is wild-caught Pacific halibut, which also goes by the name "Alaskan halibut," because it is the most sustainable.  Atlantic halibut or Pacific halibut caught using means such as gillnets and bottom trawlers are not as sustainable because the fishing methods result in a lot of bycatch.  Recently, Pacific halibuts steaks have been available around where I live, so I got the idea of buying one (which was almost a pound) and taking it home to grill. 

Before grilling the fish, I decided to use a very simple marinade of olive oil (which would help with the grilling of the fish) and lemon, along wtih some salt and ground black pepper.  I decided to leave the skin on the steak, which made it (slightly) easier when the time came to turn or flip the steak.  Once the steak is finished, I removed the skin and took a cleaver to cut through the bone in order to create two smaller steaks to serve to Clare and myself.

I made this dish without any guidance from a recipe, so it is a little rough around the edges. I plan on making this dish again, and, in future efforts, I will probably tweak both the marinade and the salsa.  

GRILLED HALIBUT STEAK WITH AN AVOCADO, HABANERO

AND MANGO SALSA

A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 pound of halibut steak

1 avocado, diced

1 mango, diced

1/4 Vidalia onion, diced

1 habanero pepper, diced

1 lemon, juiced

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

Pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Marinate the halibut.  Whisk the lemon juice and the olive oil.  After seasoning the steak with salt and pepper, place the halibut steak in a ziplock bag and pour the lemon juice and the olive oil into the bag. Let the steak marinate for about thirty minutes in the refrigerator.

2.  Prepare the salsa. While the steak is marinating, add the diced avocado, mango, onion and pepper in a bowl.  Mix the contents thoroughly.  Add some salt and ground pepper.  Continue to mix.  Set aside.

3.  Grill the fish.  Heat the grill on medium high.  Oil the grates with some olive oil to make sure that the fish does not stick.  Add the steak and let it cook for about three to four minutes, then turn it ninety degrees and let it cook for about three or four minutes.  Flip the steak and repeat, grilling for three or four minutes and then turning it ninety degrees to cook for three or four minutes.  Let the steak continue to cook until finished, probably a couple of minutes at most.  The total cooking time should be about sixteen to twenty minutes.  You will know when the fish is about finished because, despite the skin, the fish will begin to flake. 

4.  Finish the dish.  After removing the fish from the heat, let it sit for a minute.   Remove the skin and take a cleaver or large knife and cut through the backbone to create 2 separate steaks.  Plate each steak on a plate and spoon some of the salsa over the steak.

ENJOY! 

Poisson en Papillote

As with any great meal, there is an inspiration.  In this case, the inspiration is my beautiful wife.  I wanted to make a very special dinner for her birthday.  On one prior occasion during a class at L'Academie de Cuisine, I made fish baked in paper, also known as Poisson en Papillote in France and Pesce en Cartoccio in Italy. This is a very healthy way to eat dinner.  The fish is enclosed in parchment paper with whatever vegetables you wish to add along with some olive oil and wine.  The fish proceeds to steam in the bag (or bake depending on how well you seal the bag).  Either way, the final product is very delicious.

So, I found a few recipes to use as guides and decided to make my own version of Poisson en Papillote.  The only limitation was the parchment paper, which ended up being a little on the small side.  Still, I was able to lay a foundation of thinly sliced potatoes, salted and peppered with a little dry thyme, that served as the base for the fish.  I then put carrots, green peppers and red onions, with a little garlic on top.  After almost sealing the pouch,  I added a little white wine from the Loire Valley.  I closed the pouch and stuck it in the oven.

POISSON EN PAPILLOTE

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Between 3/4 to 4/5 of pound of fish, such as Halibut
1 medium sized carrot, julienned
1/2 medium red onion, julienned
3/4 green pepper, julienned
2 red potatoes, very thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/4 cup of dry white wine
Salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste
Olive oil for drizzling and basting

Ingredients:

1.  Prepare the packets.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.  Prepare two sheets of parchment paper.  Place the potatoes in two rows about the length and width of the fish on each piece of paper.  Salt and pepper the potatoes liberally.  Sprinkle the dried thyme over the potatoes and drizzle a little olive oil over the potatoes.

Place the fish on top of the potatoes.  Salt and pepper the fish.  Then place the vegetables (red onion, carrot and green pepper) on top of the fish.  (Don't worry if you don't use all of the vegetables, just saute the extras and you have an instant side dish.)

Begin sealing each side of the pouch by folding over the parchment and crimp the edges.  When you get to the middle, lift the pouch and pour half of the wine in each pouch. Seal the pouches and spread a little olive oil over the tops of the pouches with a brush.

2.  Bake the fish.  Bake the fish in the oven for about twenty five minutes.

3.  Plate the dish.  Remove the fish from the oven and let it rest for a couple of minutes.  Then split the paper open carefully, because the steam will escape as you cut through the paper.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Cuscusu (Sicilian Couscous with Fish)

The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily, has a very interesting history, which has left its mark on Sicilian cuisine.  The Greeks brought farming to the island.  The Romans turned Sicily into a breadbasket for the mainland.  However, it is the Arabs that brought changes that have endured in the cuisine of Sicily.  Arabs brought irrigation to the island, as well as a host of fruits and vegetables that are not just common, but perhaps synonymous with the cuisine, such as eggplants, oranges, pistachios and lemons.  Arabs also introduced spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and saffron.  And, finally, Arabs introduced couscous.

This recipe is from a cookbook called Regional Italian Cuisine, which provides more than 200 recipes from every region of Italy.  The recipe requires everything to be made from scratch, including the fish stock used when steaming the couscous.  And, while I would ordinarily make my own fish stock, I decided to try to modify the recipe to make it easier for people to cook.  The first step to making the recipe easier is to substitute seafood stock for the fish stock, thereby allowing people to use fillets rather than whole fish to make the recipe.

I also made a couple of other adjustments.  First, cuscusu, like many Italian fish dishes (such as brodetto) usually is made with different types of fish.  However, that can be a little costly, as fish can be expensive.  So, I decided to make this dish with one fish, halibut, which is a more economical way of making this dish.  Second, I did not have any fresh parsley, so I skipped adding the parsley at the end.  But, in the future, I will definitely make sure that I have parsley to add as a garnishment.

The following is my adaptation of the recipe from Regional Italian Cuisine.  The original recipe can be found at pages 288-289.

CUSCUSU (Sicilian Couscous with Fish)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 and 2/3 cups of couscous
1 big pinch of saffron
1 pinch of ground clove
1 pinch of ground nutmeg
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 and 1/2 to  2 pounds of mixed fish
6 cups of seafood stock
2 cups of flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Prepare the fish and saffron.  Cut the fillets into even sized pieces, rinse those pieces and set aside in a refrigerator.  Dissolve the saffron in a few tablespoons of the stock.

2.  Cook the couscous.  Pour four cups of fish stock in a pot, with the bay leaf and whole cloves.  Bring the fish stock to a boil. Add the couscous in a heat resistant sieve or colander.  Moisten the couscous with the saffron and water.  Place the couscous over the boiling fish stock and cover.  Steam for about twenty minutes, periodically fluffing up the couscous, until it is done.

3.  Cook the fish.  Meanwhile, bring two cups of seafood stock to a boil in a deep pan or pot.  Place the fish in the stock and simmer for about five to ten minutes on medium. 

4.  Season the couscous.  When the couscous is done, season it with the salt, pepper, ground cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg and place on a preheated platter.

5.  Plate the dish.  Top the couscous with the fish and sprinkle the chopped parsley.

ENJOY!

For more about the history of Sicilian cuisine, check out In Mama's Kitchen and Wikipedia.

Pesci e Patate al Forno (Oven Roasted Fish and Potatoes)

This is a recipe that I created myself, inspired by a Patate al Forno recipe, which is a dish of oven-roasted potatoes and tomatoes that is made in Abruzzo and Apulia.  The layers of potatoes and tomatoes, with a generous sprinkling of cheese is a great side dish.  However, I was trying to make a main dish.  So out with the tomato and in with the fish.  In this case, I bought some halibut, although any fish will do. 

This dish is fairly simply to make, requiring only fish, potatoes, sage, olive oil and a lot of grated cheese, along with salt and pepper.  The key is to slice the potatoes as thinly as possible, so that they cook fast.  Also, you should grate the cheese as finely as possible, so that it can brown faster.  And use a hard cheese, like Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano.

This dish is very "user-friendly," because you can tweak it any way you want.  You could add some diced garlic, shallots or onions.  You could also use other herbs, such as rosemary or basil.  You could even use different fish, although that will most likely change the cooking times. 

PESCI E PATATE AL FORNO (Oven Roasted Fish and Potatoes)

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
About 1 pound of fish, cut into even sized pieces
4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
1/4 pound of Pecorino Romano, grated finely (at least)
4-5 tablespoons of olive oil
Sage, chiffonade (cut into thin strips)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions

1.  Prepare the baking dish. Spread the olive oil along the bottom and sides of a glass casserole dish.  Then lay the potato slices on the bottom of the dish, making sure that the entire bottom of the dish is covered.

2.  Assemble the fish and potatoes.  Place the fish on top of the potato slices.  Salt and pepper the fish generously.  Apply a liberal amount of Pecorino Romano and sage.  Cover the fish with the remaining potato slices.  Once again, apply a liberal amount of Pecorino Romano and Sage.

3.    Bake the fish.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place the casserole dish in the oven and cook for about 35 to 45 minutes.  When the cheese begins to brown and the fish begins to flake, it is done.

4.   Plate the dish. Plate each piece of fish with a good amount of the potatoes. Serve immediately.

This recipe is my quick and easy version of much more complicated recipes.  Overall, it turned out well.  Both Clare and I enjoyed this dish.  I'll be making it again, perhaps with some of the tweaks I mentioned above.

ENJOY!

Iron Chef Night: MUSHROOMS!

Clare asked me to cook for a couple of her friends who were visiting here and she wanted me to do an "Iron Chef" night.  The question was what would be the secret ingredient.  Two out of the three people I would be cooking for were pescatarians, they ate only vegetables and fish.  I am not a big fan of the "seasonal" vegetables, such as squash and pumpkins, and I do not have enough experience cooking with them to make dishes comfortably. After whittling down the possible ingredients (all meats, seasonal vegetables, etc.), the secret ingredient was MUSHROOMS.

THE APPETIZER

Fortunately, there are a wide variety of mushrooms out there.  I decided to go a little outside of the comfort zone with some of the dishes.  I made three dishes: one soup, one risotto, and one main dish.

For the soup, I saw a recipe for a Basque-style creamy mushroom soup.  I used the recipe as a guide but modified it to accommodate our guests.  The recipe calls for beef stock, which I could not use, so I substituted vegetable stock.  I also added the garnish of a basil leave and pink peppercorns, the latter of which provided a peppery taste that was not really there based on the recipe.

BASQUE-STYLE CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP
Recipe adapted from one submitted by Paul Chapin to the Linguist List Cookbook
Serves 4 

Ingredients:
1/4 pound of butter
2 scallions (white part only)
1/2 pound of mushrooms (I used cremini and portabello), sliced
4 cups of unsalted vegetable stock
1 cup of heavy cream
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter on medium high in a pot.  Saute the mushrooms for about 10 minutes.   Add the scallions and saute for about two or three minutes more.  Reserve about 1/4 to 1/3 of the mushrooms for later.

2.  Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 20 minutes.

3.  Remove from the heat and let it cool.  Pour into a blender and liquefy it.  Return the liquefied mixture to the pot.

4.  Add the heavy cream and stir.  Add the remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking the butter into the soup and making sure that each tablespoon is fully melted and blended in to the soup before adding another tablespoon.

5.  Divide the reserved mushrooms between the bowls. Pour in the soup and garnish with whatever you like.  I used a basil leaf and 5 pink peppercorns.

THE FIRST COURSE

The next dish is a Wild Mushroom Risotto.  Once again, I had to make some substitutions.  Just like the soup calls for the use of beef stock, I would have used beef stock (or maybe chicken stock) to make this risotto.  I substituted vegetable stock in this recipe and the reserved liquid from re-hydrating the mushrooms.  And, as for the mushrooms, I used a couple of dried "wild mushroom" packs that had morels, chanterelles, oysters, and other mushrooms.  You can use any mushrooms, dried or fresh, although I like to use dried mushrooms so that I have the reserved liquid to flavor the stock used to make the risotto.

WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO
A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 4  

Ingredients:
1/2 ounce of dried mushrooms
4 cups of unsalted vegetable stock
Liquid from re-hydrating mushrooms (optional)
4 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of toasted onion
1 cup of white wine
Handful of basil leaves
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

1.  In a pot, heat the vegetable stock and the reserved mushroom liquid to a simmer.  Add the toasted onion and three large basil leaves.  Salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and keep the stock warm.

2.  In another pot, heat four tablespoons of butter on medium heat.  Saute the mushrooms for about ten minutes.  Add the rice and mix with the mushrooms and butter.  Add the wine and stir.  Cook until the wine is almost absorbed, stirring often.

3.  Add 1 cup of the stock to the rice and continue to stir until that cup is almost absorbed.  Add another cup of stock and repeat.  Once that cup is almost absorbed, add another.  You will have to add about four cups.  Everyone once in a while, taste the risotto to determine how much it is cooked.  Keep adding stock until the rice is almost al dente.

4.  Remove the risotto from the heat.  Portion the risotto in bowls and top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

THE MAIN COURSE

Finally, I decided to make a fish dish, inspired by a recipe from Morimoto, but with Italian influences rather than Japanese flavors.  The fish is basically steamed in the a covered saute pan with a broth made from the reserved liquid from the re-hydrated mushrooms and white wine.  Whenever I make a fish dish, I always try to buy sustainable fish.  A good guide is Seafood Watch, which is a program of the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.  Seafood Watch provides you with information about whether a particular fish has been over-fished or fished in a manner that harms the environment.  For example, I initially thought of using cod for this dish.  However, cod is very over-fished.  Seafood Watch recommends cobia or striped bass as alternatives.  I ultimately decided to use halibut, which is a fish that I love to eat. 

STEAMED HALIBUT WITH MUSHROOMS
A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound of halibut, sliced into four pieces

1/2 ounces of dried wild mushrooms

2 cups of white wine

3 large basil leaves, chopped

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Rehydrate the mushrooms in warm water.  Strain the mushrooms using cheesecloth and keep the strained liquid.

2.  In a pot, add the reserved liquid and the wine. Add the basil.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Heat the liquid on medium high.

3.  Once the liquid is warmed, ladle some of the liquid into a saute pan.  Place the halibut pieces in the pan and cover it.  Heat the pan to medium high.  Once the liquid begins to boil and steam, ladle another cup over the fish and cover.  Add the mushrooms.  Cover.

4.  After a minute or two, ladle some more of the liquid over the fish and mushrooms and cover.  Repeat as necessary while the fish cooks, making sure that you don't add too much liquid. When the fish begins to flake, you are just about finished.  

5.  Remove from heat and plate the fish.  Top with some of the mushrooms.

For a side, I had a side of baby arugula, with some olive oil and ground pepper. 

ENJOY!

Around the World in 80 Dishes: Bangladesh

The next step on my culinary journey takes me half-way around the world to Bangladesh.  A populous county in South Asia, Bangladesh suffers from a lot of calamities such as famine, typhoons, and poverty.  Despite all of its troubles, the country's cuisine is quite interesting and which is heavily influenced by geography.  Bangladesh is situated in the Ganges Brahmaputra delta. The proximity to water means that fish is one of the key staples of Bangladeshi cuisine, as are lentils and rice. The cuisine is also well known for the use of spices, including ginger, coriander, cumin, chilies and tumeric.

THE MAIN DISH

I searched the Internet to try to find a dish that is "commonplace" in Bangladesh.  Having no knowledge about the cuisine, other than what I was reading on various websites, it was quite a challenge to decide upon a dish.  Ultimately, I chose Makher Taukari or Fish Curry.  This is a fairly easy dish to make and, with a couple of variations, it is also relatively quick to make.  I cut the fish into even sized pieces, so that it would cook evenly and quickly.  I also cut the tomatoes two different ways.  I sliced two of the tomatoes into wedges and I diced two tomatoes.  It provided a difference in terms of texture and presentation.

MAKHER TAUKARI (FISH CURRY)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 pound of fish (I used trout, halibut and turbot), cut into roughly even sized pieces
1 tablespoon of red chili powder
1 tablespoon of tumeric
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon of garlic
2 to 3 green chiles, sliced
3 to 4 tomatoes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Cilantro, chopped for garnish

Directions:

1. Saute the onion and garlic.  Saute the onions in the the oil until translucent and then add the garlic.  Saute for a few more minutes.

2.  Add spices.   Add the red chili powder, and tumeric.  Saute for 3-5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and peppers and continue to saute for a couple of minutes.

3.  Cook the fish.  Add the fish and saute for a couple of minutes on each side.  Then add enough water to just cover the fish.  Continue to cook the fish until it is done, a few minutes more.

4.  Plate the dish.  Divide into bowls and sprinkle cilantro as garnish.  Serve immediately.

THE SIDE DISH

As I mentioned above, rice figures prominently in Bangladeshi cuisine and so I decided to make some Basmati rice to go with the Makher Taukari.  I combined a couple of recipes to make this dish and it was so good by itself I decided to plate it separately from the curry (although I ended up mixing the two together when I ate it). 

BANGLADESHI JASMINE RICE

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice
2 cups of water
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick, crumbled
4 cloves
8 peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt, to taste

Directions:

1.  Toast the spices.  Heat a pot on medium heat.  Add the spices and toast them for a minute or two.  

2.  Saute the onions.  Add the butter and and onions. Saute the onions until transluscent..  Add a little more oil if needed.  Then add the carrots and saute for about five minutes more.

3.  Cook the rice.  Add rice and stir to combine.  Then add water and bring to a boil.  Once you have a boil, reduce it to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.  Check the rice.  If the rice is not tender, let it cook for a little more.  If the liquid is low, add a little at a time. Once the rice has reached the desired tenderness, take it off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.

*     *     *

In the end, I would label this part of the adventure a success, primarily because I worked off of recipes that had no pictures, so, especially with the Makher Taukari, it took a little imagination to figure out what the dish would look like.  I think my experience in cooking Italian dishes is reflected in these dishes.  The Makher Taukari turned out to look a little like a brodetto, although it tasted completely different than a brodetto primarily because of use of tumeric.  My experience with Italian cuisine also helped to save the rice, which I forgot to reduce from a boil, resulting in the water steaming off two quickly.  But, my experience in making risottos helped me to save the jasmine rice, adding just enough water to ensure the rice continued to cook without burning or becoming soggy.

Both Clare and I really liked these dishes so I will definitely make them again.  I hope you enjoyed this stop on the culinary trip.  Until the next time...

ENJOY!

Raviolini de Pescatrice

Last year, I undertook an effort to make ravioli for the first time.  I came across a recipe for Ravolini de Pescatrice (Fish Ravioli) in a magazine and I thought it would be an interesting dish to make.  

This recipe was not your typical ravioli, with meat and cheese ground so finely that you have a hard time telling which is the meat and which is the cheese.  Instead, it involved the stacking of fresh ingredients -- eggplant, cheese, fish, and tomato -- onto freshly made pasta and then covering the pasta with another sheet to make the ravioli.  This is not an easy dish to make.  

While my first attempt was a success, my second attempt failed miserably.  Still, when properly done, it is a very tasty and different dish.

RAVIOLINI DE PESCATRICE
Adapted from a recipe provided by Saveur Magazine
Serves at least 4

Ingredients (for the pasta):
2 eggs
5 cups of all purpose flour
Hand crank pasta maker

Ingredients (for the Raviolini):
1/2 pound of halibut
1 small to medium sized eggplant, sliced thinly
1 small to medium sized tomato, sliced thinly
Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Basil
1 garlic clove, diced
4 to 6 tablespoons of Olive Oil (at least)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  The first task is to make the ingredients for the raviolini.  Heat about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan at medium heat.  Slice the larger bottom end of eggplant into thin slices, trying to get as many same-size slices as possible. Salt and pepper the slices.  Add garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.  Add the eggplant slices and saute the slices until they become tender, which will take several minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Use a paper towel to remove any excess oil or moisture from the eggplant slices (this is important to minimize the amount of moisture of the contents of the ravioli to preserve the pasta).

2.  Slice the tomato into as many same size slices as possible.  Use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture from the tomato slices.  Also slice the mozzarella into as many same sized slices as possible. 

3.  Slice the halibut into evenly sized pieces.  Salt and pepper the halibut.  Add about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a new pan and heat at medium heat.  Add the halibut and saute until halibut is mostly cooked . Remove and let cool down.  Then use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Put all of the raviolini ingredients in the fridge.

4.  It is time to make the pasta.  Take four cups of flour and make a mountain.  Then make a crater in the middle of the mountain with your fingers.  Crack two eggs into the crater.  Using a fork, begin to beat the eggs gently, occasionally mixing in flour from the rim of the "volcano" or its outside edges. Continue to add flour until the pasta starts to come together.  Once you can form it into a ball in your hands, place the pasta on a flat surface that is covered with flour.  Shape the pasta into a rectangle.  Begin to knead the pasta with the palm of your hand, adding flour to wherever it feels sticky.  After about ten minutes of kneading, check the pasta to make sure that there are no sticky spots.  Wrap the pasta in plastic wrap and let sit for about ten minutes.

5.  Set the pasta maker on the widest setting.  Split the pasta in half.  Run the pasta through a couple of times.  Then move the setting to the next setting and run the pasta through.  Move the setting to the next setting and run the pasta through.  Keep moving through the settings but stop before the last one.

6.  Now you should have two sheets of pasta.  And it is now time to start assembling the raviolini.  Place the ingredients in the following order: eggplant, mozzarella, halibut and tomato.   Make sure to leave a lot of space between each stack of ingredients to ensure that you will have enough pasta to complete the raviolini.  Then place the other sheet of pasta over top.  Gently press down around the edges.  Take a knife and make a cut to create individual raviolini.  Take a fork and press down along all of the edges of each raviolini.

7.  Put a pot of water on high heat.  When the water begins to boil, add the raviolini, one at a time.  Let the raviolini cook in the boiling water for about 5 minutes.  Remove the raviolini from the heat.

8.  To serve the raviolini, I would drizzle olive oil over them, and then grind black pepper over the raviolini.  If you have left over halibut, I would saute the halibut, break it up and sprinkle it over the raviolini. You can also add a basil leaf for garnish.

ENJOY.

Seafood Risotto

Those who know me know that I cooked at a seafood restaurant during college.  I hated the job and, after I quit for law school, I basically stopped cooking.  My culinary renaissance came when I took a vacation in Italy that was coordinated by the Smithsonian Institution.  Led by a local chef, who was born in Tuscany, the trip took a group of us through Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, where we learned not only about how food was made, but we also got to see demonstrations of how it should be prepared.  Upon returning from this vacation, I renewed my interest in cooking.  I decided to focus on one cuisine, so that I learn the ingredients, cooking techniques and the presentation. I chose Italian cuisine, for obvious reasons.

There are few dishes more quintessentially Italian than risotto.  Arabs brought the short-grained rice to Sicily and Spain during the 14th century.  However, as for the origins of the dish known as "risotto," that is the stuff of legend.  More specifically, during the construction of the Duomo di Milano, an apprentice glassmaker named Valeris had the task of making the glass for the dome.  The townsfolk in Milan teased Valerius about his work, placing the credit for the vibrant glass on his use of saffron rather than his talents.  Tired of the teasing, Valerius decided to play a prank on the townspeople who were gathered for his master's wedding.  Valerius added large amounts of saffron to the rice prepared for the meal at the wedding.  Far from a prank, the townspeople loved the rice dish, which became what we know to be risotto.  (For those who want to learn more, you can check out this website and this other website.)

Setting the legends aside, the reality is that risotto is a blank canvas, which a cook can use to make a work of culinary art.  The canvas is arborio rice.  The cook can add a variety of broths or stocks (beef, chicken, vegetable or seafood), wines and a variety of meats, seafood and/or vegetables, along with a variety of herbs and spices.  I've made a few different risottos and, over time, I intend to post the recipes for those risottos on my blog.  For now, I'll start at the beginning, because all of my risottos flow from a basic recipe that I found in a cookbook that is far from Italian -- the Pike's Place Seafood Cookbook.  The cookbook contains a recipe for Shellfish Risotto.  True to form, I've never followed the recipe to the letter; instead, I use it as a guide.  And, with that guide, I produced what I consider to be my first true work of culinary art.

SEAFOOD RISOTTO
Adapted from the Pike's Place Seafood Cookbook at 113-114
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 cups of seafood stock
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of white wine
1/2 pound of shelled and deveined shrimp (get the largest count available)
1/4 pound of cleaned squid
1/2 pound of halibut
1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 sweet or Vidalia onion, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
Oregano, to taste
Salt, to taste
Several leaves of basil
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Directions:

1.  In a sauce pan, heat the seafood stock and water to a simmer.  Keep stock warm over low heat.

2.  In another pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic.  Saute the onion and garlic for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the rice and stir the rice so that the rice is covered by the olive oil.  Add the white wine and cook until the wine is almost absorbed, stirring often for a couple of minutes.

3.  Stir in 1 cup of warm stock.  Simmer slowly and stir often until the liquid is almost absorbed.  Adjust the heat of necessary so that the stock does not evaporate too quickly.

4.  Continue adding stock either by 1/2 cup or 1 cup amounts, stirring continuously until the stock is absorbed.  When there is about 1 cup of stock left, add the halibut and the shrimp and continue and stir with another 1/2 cup of stock.

5.  By this time, the rice should be creamy in consistency and cooked al dente (firm to the bite) and seafood should be partially cooked.  Add the squid  and cook for a couple of minutes until it is opaque.  Remove from heat, add butter and stir well.  Also add oregano, basil and pepper to taste.

6.  Serve in bowls.  Chiffonade the basil and sprinkle over the risotto.  Also, sprinkle grated Parmigiano Reggiano if desired.

ENJOY!