Grilled Salted Cod (Bacalhau ao forno)

Salted cod is extremely popular in Brazil. It is potent and easy to find. Not so much here in the US. Luckily, with a little preparation, you can substitute with fresh cod! Or use any firm white fish, such as tilapia or Pollock.

Grilled Cod (Bacalhau ao forno)

Servings: 6

Time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

2 lb. cod fillets

1/2 lb. Potatoes, sliced

1/2 lb. Carrots, sliced

1 T olive oil

1 large onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1/4 C cilantro, chopped

2 T olives, chopped (optional)

Sauce:

1 T butter

1 C + 2 T milk (divided)

1 T cornstarch

1 egg, beaten

1/2 C heavy cream

1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk

Pinch of nutmeg

Pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

1. Defrost the cod overnight if frozen. Set fresh cod on plate and sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt. Let it sit for one hour.

2. While the fish sits, slice the potatoes and carrots. Boil fifteen minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Slice the onion. Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onion over medium-low heat ten minutes or until soft. Set aside.

4. When the hour has passed, drain the fish. Let sit in cold water for one hour, draining the water and refilling every twenty minutes.

5. Make the sauce during this time (see below).

6. Place the fish in a shallow frying pan over medium heat. Drain often, frying until excess moisture pulls out and the fish flakes easily with a fork.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

8. In a 9x13 pan, sprinkle half of the onions. Layer on top the cooked potatoes and carrots.

9. Put the fish on top of the potatoes. Add the other half of onions, the garlic, and the bell pepper. Top with the tomatoes, cilantro, and olives, if using.

10. Pour the sauce over the top. Bake for 30 minutes. 

11. Serve with rice.

Sauce:

1. Place the butter and 1 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl. Add to saucepan, stirring well. Bring to a boil and let the mixture thicken.

3. Remove from heat.  Beat the egg in a small bowl. Add two tablespoon of the milk mixture to the egg and mix well. Add the cream, can of coconut milk, the nutmeg, salt and pepper to the saucepan. Stir in the egg.

4. Bring to a boil, stirring often, for ten minutes.

5. Set aside until needed.

Jicama and Chicken Saute

The jicama is an underused root vegetable. It has the consistency of an apple and the flavor of a potato. I received several in my food basket a few weeks ago, and they kept quite well in the fridge, seeing as how they are a root.

I got a bit impatient with all the recipes I found for them, though. There are salads galore. And a few dips. But nothing that really showcased the vegetable. So when I found this one, I was a bit hesitant to try it. It looked a little suspect. What if we didn't even like the vegetable, after all?

We were pleasantly surprised. Serve this with rice, and you'll enjoy the crisp flavor the jicama with chicken.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, defrosted and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp curry powder, divided

1/2 C chicken broth

2 green onions, sliced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 T olive oil

2 C jicama, cut into matchsticks

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 C dry roasted peanuts

Sprinkle the chicken cubes with salt and 1/2 tsp of the curry powder.

In a small bowl, combine the broth, onions, crushed red pepper flakes, and remaining curry powder. Set aside. In another bowl have your bell pepper and jicama ready to go.

In a wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook about 7 minutes or until browned. Add the jicama and bell pepper. Cook another three minutes, stirring often.

Add the broth mixture and cook three more minutes or until heated through.

Serve over rice and garnish with peanuts.

Tastefully,

Tamara 

Double Italian Sausage and 3-pepper pizza

In my personal opinion, there are few things as yummy as a homemade pizza. But I also tend to buck the trend, only making pepperoni pizza for my children's birthday parties and making something more "interesting" for myself.

This would be a prime example.

I love sausage, and this uses two kinds. I don't love bell peppers, but these ones are sauteed before baking, and so the texture and flavor is pleasing and mild. I used a recipe for a thin, New York-style hand-tossed pizza crust here, but feel free to use any crust or sauce that you prefer.

The recipe makes for two large pizzas.

Ingredients:
pizza dough for 2 pizzas
1 C pizza sauce
4 T olive oil
1 large green bell pepper, seeded, ribbed, and sliced
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded, ribbed, and sliced
1 large red bell, seeded, ribbed, and sliced

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

4 mild Italian pork sausage links, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices

16 oz. shredded cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar)

1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage, separated into small chunks

1 T parmesan cheese

Get your dough/crust ready. Make sure if it was frozen, you brought it to room temperature.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. I used a tablespoon of chili-infused olive oil to add a bit more kick. Add the sliced peppers.

Saute until crisp-tender, about four minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, cayenne (more cayenne if you want it hotter), and salt. Saute one minute longer.

I like to place my dough directly on my pizza stone (love my pizza stone) to roll it out. If you're rolling on the counter, make sure you flour it first.

Roll or stretch the dough out to the edges of the pizza stone or to a 12-inch round. Roll the edges of the dough back to form a crust.

Spread the sauce evenly over the dough, all the way to the crust. (Remember the recipe makes for two.) Sprinkle the peppers over the sauce. Arrange the sausage slices over the top.

Sprinkle the cheese over the toppings, and then add the bulk sausage chunks, placing them on top of the cheese.

Bake at 500 degrees F for 12-14 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and slice into wedges.

So, so good! Even the next day! 

Tastefully,

Tamara