A tale of two Paella's

This post is a throwback to my days as a child going to the best Spanish restaurant in town, Casa Madrid.  This lovely place (which unfortunately is no more) was owned by my mothers cousin's father in-law (yeah us Italians always know someone who knows someone) and prove to be some of the most delicious Spanish food I have ever tasted.  Their signature dish was their seafood paella which was above all magical when it entered your mouth.  This magic is what I tried to recreate being here in Grenada with an abundance of fresh fish.  

First you start with the goods.  This dish was made possible from my friend Ellery who brought down some delicious Chorizo for me as a gift.  Pictured here is the beautiful slices of pork that I must admit, not all of the slices made it into the pot.

I had to make sure they were crisped up a bit so I put them in the pan with a little oil and let them sizzle down.  This also adds tremendous flavor to the oil (style points if you want, this is purely an optional step in the process)

Next I add my (1 whole) chopped onion, parsley, and garlic and let it get softened for about 5-10 minutes. 

While making this meal I realized the pot wasn't big enough, so I set up another one! Plus I wanted to make a second batch for my friends who don't eat pork.  I deal with all food sensibilities and want my friends to enjoy the fruits of my labor.  So down below is batch number #2 (notice the lack in color, but thats okay...)

Then I threw in the rice.  I used your plain old ordinary rice but traditionally a short grained rice is used for paella.  I let the rice cook for a couple minutes, toasting them a bit (like you would do with risotto), then I added the (hot) water to the mix.  Shortly after you can add about a teaspoon or two of Saffron for that beautiful yellow color and taste.  Let this all cook for about 10-15 minutes.  With paella, you don't want the rice to be too soft.  

Shown here is some fresh lambie as the locals call it.  I call it conch or squingili (which is also the nickname I give to my sister Victoria).  I diced this up into small chunks and added a bevy of other seafood, such as mussels, shrimps, octopus, and clams.  The proper way to make this would be to get the seafood in their shells (for the mussels and clams that is) but work with what you got!

 After about 20 minutes and a couple chopped tomatoes (as well as seasoning with salt, pepper, and paprika along the way...), you'll get something that looks like this.  One big thing that I forgot to mention is that throughout this whole process, you shouldn't stir the very botom of the pot.  This is so you can create whats called the "Socarrat" or the bottom crust of rice that is super delicious and is preferred amongst aficionados.

And there you have it.  Throw some fresh parsley on top at the end for garnish and you've got yourself a creamy delicious paella.  Buen Provecho!

My friend Dan can tell you how he enjoyed it...just look at that smile.

Stuffed Eggplants (Melanzane Ripiene)

Tonight's dinner was inspired by an episode of Cooking with Nonna hosted by Rosella Rago, a native Brooklynite who has such a passion for cooking she has her own show where she takes a different Nonne (Grandmothers) every week and does a dish that they love to make.  Incorporating the story of the Nonna also makes it very special and I highly recommend it! http://www.cookingwithnonna.com/ The episode that inspired me was the one with Nonna Anna and the stuffed eggplants.  I decided to put my Nonna's personal touch to it as well so its a little different.

 It starts off simply enough with an eggplant or two, (or three or four, depends on who you're cooking for).  Slice them right down the middle long way's like so.  Next you are going to wan to carve around the outer edge leaving about a quarter inch on the side.  Then take a spoon and scoop out the meat (but don't throw it away we need it!).  Then dice up the guts of the eggplant into cubes.  If you are picky like my one uncle and don't like the eggplants with seeds then try to pick smaller eggplants and they usually have less than the bigger ones.  

Next you are going to chop up some garlic and put it in the pan with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Then take about a quarter pound of ground pork sausage (my Nonna's touch) out of the casing and throw it in there as well as some salt and pepper.  Add some onions and olives in there as well for added taste (that was my own mothers recommendation when I told her I made it this way...thanks Mamma P).  Saute everything until nice and browned.  

Next throw the stuffing in a bowl and add about two handfuls of breadcrumbs (2/3 of a cup- I actually made my own breadcrumbs by putting two slices of whole wheat bread in my magic bullet), chopped up parsley, 1/4 cup of cheese.  Then crack an egg and incorporate it all together.  Then slice up some Potatoes about 1/8 of an inch think and throw them in the pan with some marinara sauce.  Put the hallowed out shells of the eggplant on top and then fill them with your stuffing.

Throw some sauce on top of the stuff then sprinkle some grated cheese on top and then throw it in the over at 350-375 for about an hour.  When it comes out you're gonna want to eat it right away.  Resist the urge and set the plate in five minutes with a nice glass of wine or a nip of 12 year old scotch like I did.

I realize it looks like I needed to add another thing on this plate!

Meatballs, oh meatballs...

So I will preface this by saying that these aren't the traditional Italian Meatball's that I know and love but under the circumstances I think were pretty good.  I came to create these beautiful balls of meat since I was going to a pot luck party where everyone brought a dish.  I figure I could make them bite sized little snacks on these little dinner rolls I came across at the grocery store.  Little did I know that when I went to the party, it was a veritable meat fiesta that pretty much put me into protein shock! (and I loved every second)  Hopefully I can have one of my friends send me a picture of the spread we had to show how intense it was (we even had Chocolate covered Bacon!!!)

So traditionally, Italians make their meatballs with equal parts ground Beef, Veal, and Pork.  For this meal I had two parts ground beef and one part ground Turkey.  Next I threw in a whole cracked egg, a nice handful of breadcrumbs, and handful of Parmesan cheese. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper and paprika.

Next is the fun part...time to roll up your sleeves and start rolling baby!  First you have to incorporate all the ingredients.  Then you have to chip off small chunks and start rolling them into the size of balls of your choice.  Sometimes it helps if you keep a small bowl of water on the side to dip your fingers into in order to aid the process.  Once you have them all set and rolled its time to start frying them up in some Olive Oil.

After a couple of twists and turns of the fork or tongs you will have yourself some nice crispy meat-a-balls.  Make sure they are cooked through so break one of the bigger ones open in the middle...If its cooked, eat it if not, continue to fry them up.

I dressed these guys up on little dinner rolls and threw some cheese on top as well as a quick marinara sauce.  If you want to get fancier, throw a little chunk of mozzarella inside the meatball before you fry them and I guarantee deliciousness!  

Chicken Cutlets

This recipe is one that is very special and dear to me, not because it is a secret or since it's delicious, rather for the fact that it is the first dish that I can remember helping to make when I was a kid.  I can remember asking my mother if she needed a hand and her telling me I can pour the breadcrumbs, then crack the eggs, then dip chicken (this is successively after I mastered each step before).  This must have also been the case for my sister, since you can see here her written recipe for her "chincut lesc" from first grade!  Pretty impressive Nicole considering that the recipe is accurate!

So the secret to good chicken cutlets is having the assembly line set and down.  Henry Ford would be proud.  The ingredients needed are:

Breadcrumbs (Italian if you want but try making your own)

Parsley

Parmigiano Reggiano

3 Eggs

4 pounds of Chicken Breasts (actually make as much as you need, I just like cooking for my friends)

Now for me, a great chicken cutlet is all in the cut, which is why I slice my own.  I prefer a nice thin cut chicken cutlet for a couple reasons: (1) I'm frugal and like to stretch out my product and (2) You get a nice crispy cutlet that tastes amazing.

Next you want to set up a bowl with 2-3 cracked eggs and scramble them (add some salt and pepper).  Then pour some breadcrumbs in a bowl and put about a handful of cheese in the breadcrumbs.  You can get creative and add as many spices as you want just make sure to add dry to dry and liquid to liquid (i.e. Tabasco in the eggs or Red Pepper in the breadcrumbs.Dip in the eggs first then dredge in the breadcrumbs then let set them aside.  Make sure that the oil is nice and hot (but not too hot) when you set them in the pan.

Make sure not to undercook them since getting that extra crisp is also getting that extra flavor.  After a few times of making it you'll become a true professional.  Below is something else I make whenever I make chicken cutlets.  Since I mentioned I was frugal, I like to not waste anything when it comes to food.  In that vein, I take the leftover bits of egg and breadcrumbs and mix them together in a slurry and make a bread cutlet.  Fry it the same way you did the chicken and it makes for a nice variation on the meal.  Go back to the original picture to guess which one is the bread cutlet!

The great thing about the cutlets is that they are so versatile; once you make them you can reinvent them a million ways.  Tomorrow can be chicken cutlet parmigiano, and the next day can be chicken cutlet sandwich with provolone, tomato and mozzarella.  Anything your heart desires is the key.  Enjoy.

Addendum

Here is what you can do with the leftovers...reinvent them as Chicken Cutlet Parm!

Tilapia Oreganata

Tonight's dinner is a nice top of the sea dish I call Tilapia Oreganata.  I was able to wrangle some fresh Tilapia from Peru (I didn't exactly travel there, but care of the country) and made my quick and easy fish of the day.  

One of the great things about living in the Caribbean is having access to fresh ingredients.  This dish in particular is fast, easy and delicious.  Most Oreganata is breadcrumbs baked on top of fish/meat.  Where I come in is a little spice and variety.  First I took the fillet's and sprinkled them with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh Lemons from the garden and some Hawaiian sea salt and Old Bay.  If you don't know about Old Bay, it is an amazing spice for fish and chicken.  If you know anything about Blue Clawed Crabs and have been anywhere near Baltimore, you've tasted Old Bay.

Next I copped up some Onions, threw in some capers and some Mediterranean Black Olives and then topped the fillet's with breadcrumbs and fresh parsley.  I then saw that the dish was looking a little pale so I had some left over cherry tomatoes and tossed them in there as well as half of the lemon I used from the garden. (Don't forget to drizzle some Olio di Olive on top as depicted here) 

You then set the oven to 375 and throw it in the middle rack.  The tricky thing with fish is that it may seemed cooked on the outside but you want to make sure it cooks through.  It should stay in for about 15- 20 minutes, depending on your oven.  Then for the last minute or so, throw it under the broiler in order to get that extra crispy look and taste and voilà!  Slice up some fresh parsley on top and serve it up with some Rosemary potatoes and you have yourself dinner...Enjoy!