Seafood Salad - What's your recipe?
 

I've been to different restaurants and attended different gatherings to find people have their special ways to prepare a seafood salad.

So .. what's your preference? And I'd love to try your recipe if you have one to share :)

I do it by ear, er, tastebud but strongly prefer the Italian-style
marinated seafood thing to the mayo-clad American-style.

Ingredients to include various shellfish thingys, lightly steamed,
for example small squid rings and tentacles, smallish shrimp, mussel
or small clam meats, scallop muscles (not roe - saute those
separately). I've had baby octopus at Italian restaurants but
would prefer not to deal with them in my kitchen. No finfish, which
I think go soggy in dressing. Baby mushrooms, a sprinkle of minced
(fresh) onion bits, a few thin slices of celery (restaurants tend to
use too much; I leave it behind). A vinaigrette made with good
white wine vinegar and mild olive oil (not EV), lightly herbed (I
don't use dill or basil in this context, but anything else goes,
including fennel fronds) and - here's where my recipe diverges
from many others - very slightly sweetened with ordinary sugar.
Go light on salt and pepper. Darn, this has set my tum churning
and tastebuds crying out, and it's breakfasttime.

Buon'appetito!

Scallop, Shrimp, lettuce, olives, pepper sprays, italian dressing.

Stoly Pertsovka-Recipe?
 

Does anybody have a recipe for making a pepper infused vodka similar to Stoly Pertsovka which was discontinued a number of years ago and which I have been unable to find in the USA or Europe?

I really miss Pertsovka. Was reasonably easy to find in the 80s. Impossible in US now. Was impossible in Russia last year - only place I could get it was at the restaurant in the Russian Museum off Red Square (#1). Couldn't find a bottle anywhere & I tried. Pertsovka is unusual as it's hot (not too) but also soft tasting. I wouldn't know how to start (except it's probably a red pepper that does it).

I can't stand most other commercial peppered vodka as they taste chemically to me. There is one from OR that is good (Mazama) but I've found it iffy to find. What I've started to do is simply take put 1 quartered jalapeno into a bottle of vodka (I use Russian Standard) and let it soak for 6-12 hours depending on how hot you want it and the heat of the pepper. That seems to work for me and the resulting peppered vodka has a "green" natural flavor to it.

The reason I needed it is that one of my favorite cocktails is from Wallse in NY - their tomato water martini - and I like to make it at home.

Hope that helps - now you've made me want a little sipping vodka before I go to bed...

"chou vendredi" recipe
 

Does anyone know where to find a recipe for Haitian cabbage and salt-cod stew, otherwise known as "chou vendredi"? A local restaurant serves it but we haven't been able to go on a Friday, which is the only day they make it.

I Googled but couldn't find anything. No combination of search terms in English or French (Haitian food, cod, cabbage, morue, chou etc.) brought up anything successful.

So I'm turning to the collective wisdom of Flyertalk now...

feijoada recipe?
 

Can anyone recommend a recipe for feijoada (the Brazilian national dish)? I saw it on No Reservations and would like to try making it.

Have you tried any of these? I'm looking for a recipe people have actually tried and can recommend as being faithful to what feijoada is, since I have never tasted it and don't know anyone who has.

No, sorry I haven't.

Some of those might have reviews though and can be viewed by rating.

Of course, thanks. And in the meantime, I'm still open to suggestions. :)

Of the recipes listed, the **** example by Milliken et al looks closer to my memories of and attempts to recreate the dish, better than the sort of short cut recipes of the famous chefs. I's a dish which does need most of the day to prepare.

This one is closest to the one my mom from Araçatuba used to make:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqvuJK7xELg

She'd cook the beans along with the meat. Instead of dried beef she'd usually add a ham hock. Linguiça was the mandatory sausage. Pretty much any other meat around would be added--a real everything-but-the-kitchen-sink concept.
Serving it with rice and farofa were standard.

I have made this hundreds of times, never following a specific recipe, just adding the meats I have on hand. It's very easy. The trick is to boil it down. When the beans are done, it will have thickened and become very black.

Feel free to PM me about it if you'd like.

Sr...I am brazilian...there are a lot of recipes I can give you...we can put a lot of ingredients...

Usually we like to eat the "light feijoada". PM me if u need help!

hello to every one here i am posting recipe hope it will liked by some of you
This recipe takes some time to cook, but the result is well worth it.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 cups (1 pound) black beans, rinsed and picked over
• 3/4 pound pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of fat
• 6 ounces slab bacon
• 1/2 pound smoked pork sausages
• 1/2 pound hot Portuguese sausage such as linguica
• 1 or 2 pounds ham hock or shank, cut into 1-inch rounds
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 to 4 ounces dried beef carne seca, minced (optional; see Note)
• .
• For the Seasonings:
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and sauteed in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 6 green onions, including tops, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• Large handful of chopped fresh parsley (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1-1/2 tablespoons dried oregano, crushed
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Preparation:
Soak the black beans overnight in water to cover by several inches. Drain.

Place the drained black beans in a saucepan and add water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender, 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Add additional water as needed to keep the beans covered.

While the black beans are cooking, prepare the meats. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Dice the pork butt or shoulder and the bacon into 1/2-inch cubes. Place the pork, whole sausages, and bacon in a large baking pan. Roast until well done. The sausages will be ready after 35 to 40 minutes and the other meats after 45 to 60 minutes.

Cook the ham hock at the same time as the meats are roasting. In a saucepan, combine the ham hock rounds and onion with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Remove the ham hock rounds from the water and remove the meat from the bones, if desired; set aside. Or leave the rounds intact for serving alongside the black beans. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl. Add the strained onions from the liquid to the beans. Add the cooking liquid to the beans if needed to keep them immersed.

Once the black beans are almost cooked, check to make sure there is plenty of cooking liquid in the pot. It should be rather soupy at this point. Stir in the beef carne seca. Cut the sausages into rounds and add them and all the other cooked meats to the pot. Then add all of the seasonings to the pot, including salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the beans are very tender.

Taste and adjust the seasonings. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley just before serving.

NOTE: Using dried beef adds complexity to the richness of this dish, but its inclusion is optional. If dried beef isn't available at your butcher, Armour makes a ground compressed dried beef sold in 2-1/2-ounce jars. Soak it in warm water to cover for 15 minutes to rinse off some of the salt.

Yield: 8 servings

Per serving: Calories: 665, Fat: 34g, Carbohydrates: 45g, Cholesterol: 107mg, Sodium: 801mg, Protein: 45g, Fiber: 12g, % Cal. from Fat: 46%, % Cal. from Carbs: 27%
thanks try it! enjoy it!!!!

Anyone have a great Chimichurri recipe?
 

Been addicted to that stuff ever since Buenos Aires :)

I usually make it from scratch. Tastes like heaven!!

I think the question asked should have resulted in your sharing your recipe.

Telling everyone you make a great one but not sharing the recipe is akin to a kid walking up to his pals and announcing that he has a secret, but he can't tell anyone what it is.

An Argentine co-worker gave me the following recipe, although she was very clear that this is what her family likes, and that every family has their own variation. Many versions have much more oil, and just the flavored oil is used and the solids are either strained out or left in the bottom of the container and topped off with more oil for the next meal.

Here goes (all total approximations):

In a food processor, combine:

1 bunch parsley (chop off and discard the woody stems. Tender stems are ok.)
3-5 cloves raw garlic
juice of 1 lemon (buy 2 lemons, you may need more at the end)
pinch of oregano (fresh or dried)
aji molido (or red pepper flakes) to taste
enough olive oil to make a thick paste

Process until smooth, scraping down the side of the processor once or twice.

Add salt and additional lemon juice to your taste. Let stand for at least a few hours for the flavors to meld-- I think she would leave it in the fridge overnight prior to serving. We would just spoon the stuff over grilled meat and it was fantastic.

Just a note that it is italian/flat-leaf parsley one needs to use and not the curly leaf variety.

Some use white/clear vinegar instead of lemon juice cited above for the acid.

I use this recipe. I generally put in more (red wine) vinegar and less oil.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chimichurri/

I have also made it with half cilantro/half parsley --- yum!

Had it tonite in olive oil as well.. Used the Chimchurri on my Rib Eye Steak..

Get it if visiting Fairmont Mayakoba.. La Brisas Restaurant overlooking the coast of Riviera Maya..

^

:D Awesome! ill be trying this tomorrow!

First time I had Chimmichurri was in Amsterdam at a little Argentinean steak place just off the Damm. Great stuff. Thanks for the recipes.

So generally Chimmichurri is used on steaks.. I'm new to this having had it served at the fine dining restaurant at Fairmont Mayakoba..

Is it generally served for anything else?

Cant see why you couldn't use it for whatever you want, but it's yummy on a great steak

I agree.. usually I'll have steak sauce.. but the Chimmichurry was very tasty and satisfying..

Its generally served with steaks, but I like to use it for dipping the bread that comes before the steak. I also have used it as a vegetable marinade (before grilling) and with chips when I ran out of salsa.

Used it on my whole snapper fish yesterday at El Puerto, Fairmont Mayakoba Riviera Maya.. 4 diamond AAA

And the waiter suggested it wasn't a faux pas.. these guys are serious about the cuisine.^

Funny, sometimes I just eat it as is. Kinda reminds me of Tabouleh

Recipe Idea
 

This from my mom - worked really well tonight for dinner. It's sort of like lasagna without the pasta.

Slice chicken breasts into medallions. Put some butter and olive oil in a big pan and saute some garlic and onion in it. Add the chicken and saute until it's almost cooked.

Put chicken/onion/garlic into a baking pan. (I used a glass 9x13 dish) Add some sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella/creminis). Pour a jar of pasta sauce in. Top with fresh spinach and slices of fresh mozzarella. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 mins or until liquid is gone (this is why it's good to use a glass pan - you can see how much liquid is left. Although I just poured out excess liquid after 25 mins).

Turn off the oven. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and put back in until parmesan melts, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Yum!

What are your ideas?

Looks pretty good. Saved in my recipe book. I might even try to make this on sunday

Sounds really nice, although without pasta I would need some garlic bread with that!^

It does sound very yummy, but I agree that it needs garlic bread. I may try it on Sunday, and make homemade garlic bread from scratch. :)

Funny you all mention garlic bread...quite independently, I roasted some garlic bulbs and served them as a side with some crusty Italian bread. :)

I didn't try it that Sunday, but I am going to try it tonight, in part because it won't take too long, which is one of my requirements for weekday cooking. :)

Sounds good. I don't think I could resist serving it over pasta...

I put some variations on your recipe. Instead of parmesan, I use mozzarella cheese to make it more gummy.