Moqueca - Brazilian Fish Stew

(adapted from Saveur magazine)

While we're on the topic of shrimp (when are we not?!), here's a great and pretty easy recipe for a hearty stew that uses them, discovered in a recent issue of Saveur magazine.

The recipe was a good one, although we both agreed that we expected more flavor from the final result. So I've modified the original recipe to include some additional things (my untested additions are starred below, so you can make it as-is, or give the alternative a shot and lemme know how it goes), like cayenne and extra garlic. Maybe it's because we couldn't find palm oil and had to substitute butter. In any case, it was still pretty delicious, and a nice alternative.

1.5 lb boneless, skinless catfish filets, cut into 2" pieces
8 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
Juice from two limes
*12 cloves garlic (recipe called for 8)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium/large yellow onion, 3/4 minced, 1/4 thinly sliced
1 "Italian frying pepper" (if you have any idea what an Italian frying pepper is, use it; I used a jalapeno); 1/2 minced, 1/2 thinly sliced
*Cayenne pepper to taste
2 plum tomatoes, 1 minced, 1 thinly sliced
*1 cup chicken stock (recipe called for fish or vegetable)
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp palm oil (recommended if you can find it; I used butter)
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1/2 cup minced Thai basil leaves
Cooked brown rice, to serve

Toss the fish, shrimp, lime juice, half the garlic, and the salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the garlic, the minced onion, and the minced pepper, sprinkle with cayenne, and cook until soft. Add the minced tomatoes, and cook until broken down. Add the stock, coconut milk, and palm oil/butter, and bring to a boil. Drain the fish and add to the pot, cooking until just cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add the sliced onion, pepper, and tomato, and cook, covered, for about five more minutes. Stir in the cilantro and basil, season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice.

Pork Chop and Barley Stew

Well, we're back from two weeks in India! What a phenomenal trip. Definitely inspired to dive back into my Indian cookbook and try that more in earnest.

In the meantime, I have about five recipes waiting to be posted, so I need to get cracking. I don't even remember when I made this one, but it was great! Fantastic for winter. I never cook with barley, and was somehow under the impression that I don't like it, which is most definitely not the case. And I love cooking with a bone-in meat - the flavors are just that much better. One thing I did learn about barley is that it's very absorbent - so this was pretty thick. You could put less barley in if you wanted a soupier consistency, but I feel like the creaminess makes it more of a comfort food.

2 bone-in pork chops, diced (leave some meat on the bones
Salt
Pepper
Hungarian paprika
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small onions
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
10 baby carrots, sliced thin
2 plum tomatoes, diced
8 cups chicken broth
Turmeric
1 cup barley
Olive oil

Start with a large, heavy pot. Brown the pork chops, including the bones, on both sides in a little olive oil and garlic over medium-high heat, sprinkling with salt, pepper, and a little paprika. Add the onions, celery, and carrots (you can add a bit more olive oil if it's dry), and stir occasionally until they start to soften. Add the chicken broth, barley, and tomatoes, and add a pinch of turmeric and paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until the barley is cooked, about 1 hour.

Pappardelle with Veal Ragu

(adapted from the Chicago Tribune)

I was home a few weekends back for my best friend's wedding (hooray, Ali and Patrick!!), and Joef and I were lucky enough to enjoy a homemade meal with my parents while we were at it. My dad made something new for us - a recipe out of the Chicago Tribune newspaper. An unlikely source, admittedly - and it just goes to show that you shouldn't rule anything out, because this is fantastic. It's perfect for fall weekend evenings, when you have a little time and feel like filling your home with delicious aromas. And when it's time to eat, that's even better.

So this does have a slightly longer cooking time than most of my recipes. It's worth it, though. Joef scarfed it down both at my parents' house, and when we made it at home a week later. (So did I.) The veal makes it a little more delicate than beef (which you could use, if you wanted...ohhhh, or lamb...), but it's still very hearty. And even though it has a longer cooking time, it's mostly a prep-and-wait kind of thing - not too much to do once you've put it on the stove.

For six servings:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, finely sliced (or equivalent in baby carrots - 10 or so)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, halved and finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 pound pancetta, thickly sliced, and then diced
1 lb veal shoulder, cut into bite-size pieces (I actually could only find pre-chopped veal stew, which worked fine. I still cut the cubes into even smaller pieces - halved them, in most cases.)
1 cup dry red wine
1 28 oz can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 sprig rosemary (or equivalent dried)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I added another 1/2 tsp or so habanero flakes)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 lb pappardelle
Freshly grated parmesan

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic, along with salt and pepper, and cook until softened. Set aside (you could also just leave it all in the pot and be fine). Add 2 more tbsp of the olive oil and add the pancetta, and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown. Add the veal and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the wine and cook, stirring, for about a minute before adding the reserved onions/carrots/celery/garlic, then the tomatoes, broth, rosemary, and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, crushing the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon against the sides of the pot. Reduce the heat to low.

Simmer, stirring every now and then, for about 1 1/4 hours. Add the balsamic and taste for seasoning.

Cook your pasta and drain. When it's done, combine with the sauce and toss to coat. Serve with grated parmesan and enjoy!

Curried Chicken and Banana Stew

(from Dave DeWitt's 1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes)

Oh, I'm excited about this one. For Christmas, my parents got Joef the above cookbook. He was, of course, thrilled. I gave them a "thank you" through (comically) gritted teeth. But sure enough, the first recipe we tried from the book was a total hit all around.

I loved this - it's an East African stew, apparently, with Indian influences (curry and coconut). It was also pretty easy - I'd probably save it for weekends, but it's really easy enough to make during the week, too. DeWitt gives it a heat scale of medium, which I found accurate. I wasn't sure about the banana the first night, but it absorbed the flavor of the stew when we ate it as leftovers, and really, it works with the dish if you're up for something different. Also, peanut oil must have a really low flashpoint, because that stuff bubbles like crazy.

I made the whole recipe, and ate it (gladly) for the next two-three days. You're gonna need a REALLY big pot.

3-4 lb chicken drumsticks
3 tbsp peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2.5 tbsp hot Madras curry powder (I could only find mild, but I compensated by buying extra hot chile - see below)
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp ground red chile (I used extra hot, powdered - see above)
2 cups tomato, chopped
1 cup shredded coconut
6 cups chicken broth
2 slightly under-ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

In a large, heavy pot, brown the chicken in the oil over medium-high heat (watch that oil, it pops!). Do it in batches if needed. Set the chicken aside.

Saute the garlic, onion, and celery in the remaining oil for about a minute, then add the curry powder, salt, black pepper, and red chile and saute for another minute.

Add the chicken back to the pot with the vegetables, along with the tomato, coconut, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 40 minutes.

Remove the drumsticks from the pot and remove the meat from the bones. Add the meat back to the pot. Add the bananas and simmer for about 10 minutes. I served it over rice.

Oh, and the Naga Jolokia made a guest appearance. Although I used such a small pinch of it that I think most of it just dispersed into the air. But still!

Betty's Oven Beef Stew

This is Joef's favorite meal. His mom makes it the best, of course - it's her recipe, to give full credit. But I think we got it pretty close tonight. It takes several hours, but most of that time is in the oven, so it's perfect for a weekend. A great, hearty meal just in time for fall.

2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper
1 1/2 lbs beef chuck cut in 1" cubes/stew meat
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 tsp dried basil
5 smallish potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 handfuls or so baby carrots
1-1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag; add the meat and shake to coat.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium and add the meat to brown on all sides. In a casserole dish, add the soup, 2 1/2 cups water, onion & basil.

Bake at 250 for about 1.5 hours. Remove and add the potatoes and carrots. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 2-2.5 hours. Turn the heat to 400 for the last 1/2 hour, and remove foil. Throw in the peas right before serving. Serve with crusty bread - butter the bread if you're feeling decadent.