MariRecipes » Meat, Fish

Stuffed Sardines

MariRecipes — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:49:26 +0000

Sardines are fishes very rich in Omega 3 , which can help fighting the“bad” cholesterol and if you can prepare them without frying it will be even better … I agree that they are hard to clean, but if someone gives us a hand, everything becomes faster and easier …:)) I do carve a boxcutter on the belly, take out the entrails and head, take off the backbone and also leave it like an open book. Then wash, and leave to dry or use paper towel to dry them a little. Living them open, I put salt and freshly ground pepper in small quantities. Preparing the filling:

. 2 slices sandwich loaf (don’t use the zest of the bread)

. 1 cup cold milk

. chopped parsley

I let the bread soak in milk for 5 minutes. Then squeeze well and add the chopped parsley on a plate. With this mix I’m going to stuff the sardine (1 teaspoon of filling might be enough) , and cover with another sardine (becomes a sort of sandwich of sardines). The next step is to pass them over the breadcrumbs, in both sides and arrange them in a baking tray lined with baking paper. Add a drizzle of olive oil and take them to bake in a preheated oven at 180-200 ° C for about 15-20minutes (depends on the oven and the “size” of sardines). I let them cool slightly before serving. You can serve warm or cold with a fresh salad.

Baked Cod

MariRecipes — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 12:50:10 +0000

In Italy it is not so frequent the use of salt cod, as they call it, but it’s more used the stockfish which is always the same Norwegian Arctic cod “Gadus morhua” but dried rather than salted as usually used in Brazil or in Portugal. For this recipe you need the salt codfish , soaked in cold water, the water must be changed at least 3 times a day for 48 hours, and kept in the fridge. I also removed the skin from the cod because I saw that desalinated better.

. 6 portion of codfish’s fillet (about 150 to 200 g per serving)

. 1 and 1 / 2 potato per serving – cut into slices about 1cm

. 3 carrots (or broccoli florets, previously cooked) cut into sticks

. 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

. 3 ripe tomatoes, skinned and seeded, cut in half

. extra virgin olive oil

In a non-stick pan heat some olive oil and brown the slices of garlic on low heat. Withdraw and leave them aside. In the same pan brown the potatoes, a few at a time, of both sides. Take an anti adherent baking pan and distribute the golden potatoes. In the same pan brown the carrots and distribute them in the baking pan with the potatoes (if using broccoli, these must be added already cooked with tomatoes, in the last ten minutes of baking). In another non-stick pan brush a little olive oil and let it warm up well.Grill the fillets of cod, for 4 minutes on each side, until it forms a crust (best to use high heat).Distribute the cod fillets over the potatoes prepared.Drizzle with olive oil and bring to bake in a preheated oven at 180 ° C for about 30 minutes.Add the tomatoes and garlic and drizzle a little golden olive oil and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes over low heat (150 ° C). Remove from oven and serve immediately adding more olive oil as desired. I did not salt the potatoes, just added a little salt to carrots and tomatoes. It was right for my taste with salt. If you want you can also add a sprinkling of freshly ground white pepper to serve.

Chicken Strogonoff

MariRecipes — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:26:15 +0000

This is a variant of straganoff beef, mushrooms can also be used, as in the classic recipe …

. 1 whole chicken breast, cut into cubes

. 1 small onion, 1 carrot and 1 clove of garlic, minced

. Salt and pepper

. 1 / 2 cup of pureed tomato or 2 ripe tomatoes, skinned and seeded

. 1 sprig of thyme

. 1 small glass of brandy

. 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

In a large and low pot slightly heat the olive oil, add minced onion, carrot and garlic. Cook over low heat until it becomes golden. Increase heat and add the diced chicken, leaving them to brown on all sides.When the chicken is golden add the brandy making it catch fire (I bow slightly the pot to make the brandy catches fire, you can use the ladle of steel, bringing it closer to the flame, and after adding it to chicken), leaving it evaporates completely . Then add the tomatoes, thyme, salt, pepper and if needed a little warm water. When it starts to boil, reduce heat to minimum, cook with the lid for about thirty minutes. If you want you can also add fresh cream just before serving. I use to serve with basmati rice cooked at the time with carrots cut into julienne …

Braised Meat with Vegetables

MariRecipes — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:12:36 +0000

This is a simple and undemanding way to prepare the beef … the meat results very soft and delicate, you can eat it warm or cold, with frayed pitted olives in a beautiful sandwich ….

. 800 to 1 kg of lean beef

. 2 small carrots, chopped

. 1 small onion, chopped (or shallot)

. 2 cloves garlic, minced

. 3 juniper berries

. 4 tomatoes peeled seeded diced

. olive oil

. 1 / 2 cup red or white wine (I used a dry white)

. leaves of a sprig of thyme and 1 bay leaf

. salt and pepper

In a large pot bring to heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the meat, turning it many times to make it colored on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot, add 1tablespoon of oil if needed and pour the onion,garlic, carrots and chopped juniper. Mix well with a wooden spoon until the onion is wilted. Add tomatoes and cook for several minutes. Put the meat in the pot, pour the wine and allow it to evaporate over high heat. Salt and pepper according to your taste, add the bay leaf and thyme. Slowly add warm water, not covering the meat (up to slightly more than half) and cook slowly for about 2 hours, low heat, with lid. Do not let it dry… always check if there is enough liquid. Let the meat set in the pot for a few minutes before slicing.Strain the sauce with a hill or with the chinois, until the sauce is smooth. If it is too runny mix half a glass of the sauce with a teaspoon of cornstarch and cook for a few minutes to thicken it a little more … Serve the meat with the sauce … it is pretty good with boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes , Basmati rice cooked with grated carrots…

Courgettes and Potatoes Omelette

MariRecipes — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:46:57 +0000

Basic for the summer …

. 5 eggs

. 1 courgette , cut into large cubes

. 1 large potato, diced

. 1 / 2 tablespoon butter

. 2 tablespoons of grated parmigiano cheese, or grana padano cheese or pecorino cheese

. 3 sticks of parsley, chopped

. salt and pepper

Cook in a pan with a small quantity of boiling salted water, potato and courgette for about 5 minutes until you can stick a toothpick but they remain still firm. Remove them from the water and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, beat eggs with salt, freshly ground pepper, Parmigiano cheese (or any other cheese chosen) and chopped parsley. Heat a non-stick pan and add the butter until it is dissolved. Add the potato and courgette and cook for few minutes.Add the beaten eggs and cook the omelette over medium low heat. When it is firming, flip it over onto a plate and return to pot in order to cook the other side. Continue until it is ready. This omelette is good both warm and cold, with fresh green salads (such as valerian) or tomatoes …:)

Moroccan Cous cous with Vegetables and Grilled Chicken Breast

MariRecipes — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:06:07 +0000

The cous cous is originated in Maghreb and nowadays it’s very apreciated in the international cookery, easy and fast to prepare and it’s great with vegetables, meat or fish. My father is an expert in preparing it and as he always says you can use almost whatever vegetables you have in the kitchen, according to your personal taste (you can use red and/or yellow pepper, yellow courgettes, eggplants, onions…you decide!). For this recipe I use the pre cooked cous cous (from semola di grano duro). Serves 4 to 6 persons.

. 1 cup of pre cooked cous cous

. 1 cup of boiling water with 1 teaspoon of salt

. extra virgin olive oil

. 2 greeen courgettes grated in the large grater

. 1 carrot grated

. 1 clove of garlic minced

. mint leaves

. 1 chicken breast marinated with 1 glass of white wine, salt, pepper, thyme and origano.

In a glass bowl pour the pre cooked cous cous and add 1/3 of the boiling water at a time. Mix well and “husk” with a fork until all the water has been absorbed. Let it stand for 7 minutes and in the meanwhile heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a non stick pan and add the garlic until golden. Add the carrot, cook for 5 minutes. Add the courgettes, salt, cook for another 5 minutes and take it off the heat. Add the vegetables to the prepared cous cous and mix well. Allow to set for a while and add the mint “crumbled” with your hands.

At this moment heat a pan (add a little quantity of butter if you want with some sage leaves) and grill the chicken breast until golden. At this point take it from the pan, cut into slices and return them to the pan. Add the wine of the marinata if you want, and allow it to evaporate completely. When it’s done add the slices of chicken to the cous cous that you have divided into the plates, to serve. It’s tasty, light and very nutritive at the same time. You can enjoy it in the summer or in winter…

Frayed Codfish with Cherry Tomatoes and Black Olives

MariRecipes — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:46:23 +0000

This is a plate you can serve as an hors d’ouvre or as a unique plate with boiled nouvelle potatoes, seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, salt, ground pepper and chopped parsley…

. 1 portion of dissalated and frayed codfish

. 2 cloves of garlic chopped

. extra virgin olive oil

. ground pepper

. 200 g of cherry tomatoes

. 3 tbsp of stoned black olives

. spanish “colorau” if you have it (it’s a kind of paprika)

As always you must dissalate the codfish for 72 hours. Afterwards fray it with your hands. Add the chopped garlic, the entire cherry tomatoes, the olives and season with salt (if necessary, it’s better taste first…), pepper, olive oil, the colorau if you have it by hand…Mix well and let it stand for one hour before serving…it’s very tasty also if served with “casareccio” bread and olive oil…:))

Beef Stew with Creamy Polenta

MariRecipes — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:32:05 +0000

This is a very traditional dish, delicious and particullarly suitable for winter nights…

. 1 kg of beef chopped into cubes (neither big, nor small ones)

. 400 g of peeled tomatoes

. 1 laurel leaf

. leaflets of thyme

. 1 onion finelly chopped

. 1 clove of garlic chopped

. 1 small carrot finelly chopped

. salt

. ground pepper or red pepper

. 6 juniper berries

. olive oil

Heat some olive oil in a great pan. Fry the meat, until golden all parts. Take the meat off the pan and add some olive oil if necessary. Fry the onion until it becomes transparent with the chopped garlic. Add the carrot, the juniper berries and the meat. Mix well, add the tomatoes, a small quantity of warm water, the laurel leaf, the thyme, salt, pepper put on the lid and allow to cook in very low heat for 1 hour and a half or 2 hours. The beef will become very tender….When the stew beef is almost done you can prepare the creamy polenta:

. 1 l of water

. 1 teaspoon of coarse salt

. 1 cup of polenta (I use the fast preparing one, that cooks in 5-8 minutes)

. 1 tbsp of olive oil

. 4 tbsp of grated parmigiano or grana padano

In a small pan bring the water to boil. When it starts boilling, add the coarse salt and let the polenta fall like rain, mixing well and continuously with a wooden spoon, until it’s cooked. Turn off the heat, add the oil, mix well and add the grated cheese. Serve with more grated parmigiano with the beef stew just prepared….

Joaquina’s Codfish

MariRecipes — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:27:17 +0000

This is probably my prefered codfish dish… It’ s a great speciality from my mother who used to have great success when prepared it and certainly the ones who have tasted it have never forgotten it…it’s very delicate and savoury…(for 4)

. 4 cuttings of codfish of 150 g (600 g for all) disalated for 72 hours and skinned off

. 2 small white onions finely sliced

. 3 cloves of garlic (whole to be taken out afterwards or sliced if you like it)

. 4 tomatoes peeled off without seeds cut into cubes

. olive oil

. 4 to 8 anchovies (you must choose according to your personal taste)

. chopped parsley

. grated parmesan or grana padano cheese

- for the bechamel sauce:

. 30 g of wheat flour

. 30 g of butter

. 400 ml of heated milk

. 200 ml of fresh cream

In a pan heat 3 tbsp of olive oil, add the garlic and the onions, cook until the onions are “transparent”. Then add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add a small quantity of salt and set aside.

Prepare the bechamel sauce: heat the butter in a non stick pan, add the flour cook for some minutes and add the heated milk. Cook until thickens. Add the fresh cream and cook for other 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper (if you like it) and some grated nutmeg.

In a baking pan strew the onions and tomatoes sauce, lay down the cuttings of codfish, put over them 1 or 2 anchovies and cover with the bechamel sauce and some grated parmesan. Bake in the pre heated oven (180°C) for 1 hour and a half (control the baking time, it could be cooked with just one hour, depending on the oven). Serve with basmati rice (or venere rice) covered with the cream that has been formed during the baking and some chopped parsley. Unforgettable!!!

Lagareiro Codfish

MariRecipes — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:16:18 +0000

My parents are portuguese and I remember that during the Lent we didn’t eat meat in fridays, and in the Good Friday we used to eat codfish…when I was a little girl I didn’t like it very much as it has a very strong flavour…but as time goes by I come to appreciate it and now I definetely like it! This is a traditional portuguese recipe and the codfish results very delicate….it’s very important to desalinate the fish very well, at least 72 hours before cooking it…you must use very cold water, change it frequently, and keep the codfish in a covered glass bowl inside the refrigerator.

(recipe for 4):

. 4 pieces of codfish desalinated

. 240 ml of milk

. 4 cloves of garlic sliced

. 1 or 2 whole eggs

. bread crumbs

. little pieces of butter

. olive oil

After desalinated, cut the codfish into 4 big squares, remove the dark skin and the spines, and put it into a saucepan covering it with the milk and the sliced garlic. Set aside for at least 2 hours. (maybe in the refrigerator)

Pre heat the oven to 180°C . Drip the codfish from the milk, and set aside the remaining milk. Mix the egg(s) with a fork and dip the codfish pieces into the mix. Afterwards wrap them in the bread crumbs and dispose them in the baking tin. Put a little piece of butter over each piece and sprinkle some olive oil (not cover the codfish!!!) and some spoons of the set apart milk. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden…it’s good with baked potatoes…