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 

The best Beans (Feijão) and Rice you ever had (with tomato and onion salad)

Do not turn your nose up at this dish until you've tried it. It gives new meaning to the "beans and rice." This is my family's go-to dish and one of the only things I know how to make from heart. When we have company, chances are beans and rice might make an appearance. 

The beauty of this dish is in its flexibility. Really all you need is a pound of beans and some meat. It can be leftover barbecue, leftover steak, bacon, sausage, whatever. The more meat you have, the better it will taste (and the less salt you'll need). If you have an onion to add, even better. 

But most importantly, you need that orange. You won't even believe what that orange juice does to the beans.

This recipe is adapted from my collection of Brazilian recipes. Today I made it with leftover beef brisket from our Cinco de Mayo party last week. So here's what you need:

Ingredients:

1 lb. of beans, soaked overnight

1 lb. meat such as brisket, smoked sausage (sliced), ham hock

1/4 lb. bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

2 oranges, juiced (I had a really big one so I only used one)

2-3 beef bouillon cubes

I have a pressure cooker from Brazil that I use to cook my beans, but I still always give them an overnight soak. If you have a pressure cooker, this would be the time to use it. If you don't, pull out a nice heavy pot that has a good seal on it. The better the seal and the younger your beans, the sooner they'll cook.

These are my beans after soaking all night.

And this is my pressure cooker! Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.

If you're using a pressure cooker, you only need half an hour to cook those beans (make sure you leave time for the pressure to drop or you won't be able to open the lid). If you use a pot, give yourself between 3-4 hours. The last thing you want is hard beans.

Draining off the water is optional. I don't. Some people say the bean water is what gives you gas. I haven't noticed and I'm lazy. Easy is good. :)

Put the beans and meat in your desired pot. For the pressure cooker, I'm assuming you know how to use it. Bring it up to pressure and then let it come down. For a regular pot, bring it to a boil. Put the lid on and lower the heat to medium-low. Feel free to check your beans after 2-3 hours, but bring it back to a boil each time before you put the lid on.

While the beans cook, make your tomato and onion salad. This is so good and the tartness compliments the beans perfectly! I sometimes throw in a cucumber but I didn't have any today. 

Ingredients:

1/2 large onion, diced (you can add more if you like)

2 C tomato, diced (I used grape tomatoes because that's what I had, but it can be any)

1/4 C vinegar (I used white)

1/4 C olive oil

Dice your onion and tomatoes. Toss them together in a bowl. Add the vinegar and oil. Yep, it's really that easy.

Beautiful. 

Make sure you start your rice, too, whether in a rice cooker or on the stovetop.

While the beans finish cooking, toss your bacon into a frying pan. Let it cook up crispy and add your onions. Saute them in the bacon grease. Juice your orange. Add the juice and beef bouillon to the beans (start with two cubes. Add the third after tasting, if it's needed). When the onions are translucent, add the bacon and onions to the beans.

 Let everything simmer for about ten minutes so the flavors blend. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with rice and the tomato and onion salad.

You can thank me later. :)

Tastefully,

Tamara