Trinidad & Tobago

IMG_0031

Crab Pilau

Trinidadian braised rice with crab and coconut milk.

Total time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 cup purple onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 hot chili, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons curry powder
  • 3 uncooked white rice
  • 4 400ml cans coconut milk
  • 2 cups water
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 700g canned crab meat, drained
  • 4 tablespoons green onions, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • lime wedges for garnish

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter over moderate heat until foamy. Add onions, garlic, and chili and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add curry powder and continue stirring (2-3 minutes). Add uncooked rice and continue stirring until rice is coated with the onion mixture (2-3 minutes).
  3. Stir in coconut milk, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer undisturbed (15 minutes).
  4. Stir in 1-2 cups water, bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice is fully cooked (15-20 minutes).
  5. Stir in crab meat, green onions, and lime juice. Simmer until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice and crab is heated through (about 5 minutes).
  6. Serve with lime wedges for garnish.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 3.5/5, very filling!
  • Papa: 4/5, could use less rice and add shrimp
  • Girlie: 3.5/5
  • TW: 4/5
  • McM: 3/5, somewhat heavy so I would recommend substituting half the regular coconut milk for “lite” coconut milk and reducing the amount of rice

IMG_0029

Original recipe: 
http://www.alleasyrecipes.com/recipes/2/2/braised_rice_with_crab_and_coconut_milk.asp

Advertisement

Chile (Part 2)

DSC09569

Caldillo de Congrio con Vino Blanco

Chilean seafood stew.   

Total time: 60 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 4 cups vegetable stock* (see notes below)
  • 4-6 tablespoons fish sauce to taste* (see notes below)
  • 3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups parsley, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 4 cod fillets* (see notes below)
  • 250g scallops
  • 250g shrimp
  • 250g mussels
  • 1 cup 18% cream
  • 1 egg yolk

Directions

  1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and saute until softened but not browned (4 minutes). Add bell pepper, carrot, garlic, cayenne pepper, chili powder and cook, stirring (2 minutes).
  2. Transfer the onion mixture to a large pot. Add broth, fish sauce, tomatoes, bay leaf, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer over low heat (10 minutes). Remove bay leaf.
  3. Add cod, shrimp, scallops, and mussels. Simmer over low heat until fish and scallops are opaque, shrimp are pink, and mussels open (10 – 15 minutes).
  4. In a small bowl, whisk heavy cream with egg yolk. Ladle a small amount of hot soup into the egg mixture before adding to soup (to prevent egg and cream from curdling). Simmer (2 minute).
  5. Garnish with additional parsley and serve.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 5/5
  • Papa: 4.5/5, could use a little less parsley but otherwise an excellent stew!
  • Girlie: 5/5
  • TW: 5/5,
  • McM: 4.5/5

Notes

  • Congrio is not available in North America, but any firm-fleshed white fish can be substituted. We used cod, but other options include halibut, sea bass, red snapper, grouper, or monkfish.
  • The original recipe included fish stock but we were unable to find this in our local grocery stores. We substituted by using vegetable broth and adding fish sauce.

Original recipe:  http://thelatinkitchen.com/r/recipe/caldillo-de-congrio-con-vino-blanco

Spain (Part 2)

DSC09483 (1)

Paella

Paella is a traditional spicy Spanish dish with a variety of meats and seafood served over rice.

Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 2 cups uncooked white rice* (see notes below)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1kg chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes* (see notes below)
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
  • 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 lemons, tested
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
  • 500g medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 250g mussels
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Cook rice according to package instructions (we prefer to use a rice cooker).
  2. Cook mussels according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Set aside  in refrigerator to marinate.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, and cooked rice. Add parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer while proceeding with the next steps.
  5. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook until shrimp is pink (5 minutes).
  6. Serve rice in bowls topped with meat and seafood mixture.

DSC09479 (1)

Notes

  • The original recipe involves cooking the rice in the skillet. However, we found that it was easier and faster to cook the rice ahead of time using a rice cooker.
  • The original recipe describes the chicken cut into 2 inch pieces but we found that these pieces were too large to eat easily from the bowls. We recommend using thinner strips or 1 inch cubes of chicken.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4/5, quite spicy
  • Papa: 4.5/5
  • McM: 4/5
  • TW: 4/5
  • Girlie: 4/5, a little too spicy for my preference

Original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/84137/easy-paella/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=8

DSC09486 (1)