Ceviché (SAY VEE CHAY’) is what occurs to people to do to preserve fish in an unrefrigerated world. It starts by going and catching some fish… or seeing a special on red snapper or some such at the store. Choosing fish is something important to the process of making ceviché and could be the subject of great length within this recipe but we won’t go there. With the availability of all sorts of fish at the super market or the flash frozen kind you can get at Trader Joe’s you can find the right type of fish. We have made ceviché with red snapper, krab (although this fake crab is a bit sweet for my tastes), shrimp, bonito, swordfish, mahi mahi, triggerfish, barracuda, yellowtail and many others. Mixing several varieties of fish is a “good thing” as would be fresh ingredients.

The amounts given here are for a plastic or glass tub with lid about 8 1/2 “W X 12 “L X 3”D (that’s roughly 16 cups).

4 to 6 cups raw diced fish 20 limes ½ cup cilantro 1 onion 1 clove garlic 1 cucumber 1 bell pepper 1 carrot 1 or 2 avocados 1 or 2 tomatoes

Squeeze the limes into the plastic or glass pan (not metal). Add fish and everything else diced or chopped finely. It is possible to add almost any other vegetable matter on hand with good result so be free to toss in whatever feels right (the list could include celery, cabbage, etc.). This is the baseline recipe. The mixture needs to be turned a few times to be certain that the fish is well “cooked” by the limejuice. As a side note, we found a great invention sold in hardware stores in Mexico, a manual lime squeezer. It saves the wrists and hands when called upon to obtain mass quantities of limejuice.

At minimum the mix should be kept covered (and refrigerated if available) for three hours. It can be served with saltine crackers, tortilla chips, triscuits or water table crackers. Spoon or fork the stuff onto the cracker, it goes great with a little beer and sea breeze, enjoy!

BREAD IN A SKILLET

I found this recipe on the web and have used it several times with great success.
The nice thing about this bread is “Its Dead Simple” and versatile.

INGREDIENTS

One-Cup Warm Water
One-Teaspoon Dry Yeast
One-Teaspoon Salt
Two Teaspoons Sugar
Flour

Put the Warm water, Yeast, Salt and Sugar in some sort of mixing bowl or Saucepan and stir together until the yeast, salt and sugar are dissolved.

Add flour and stir, just pour some out of the bag right into the liquid. At first you’ll have a lumpy, soupy mixture. Keep on adding flour a little at a time until its like oatmeal, and then add some more until you can hardly stir the mixture any more. You can stop hear or add a little more until its quite stiff.

Turn the mixture out into a greased (Pam or other squirt non-stick spray works well) Teflon lines skillet. I used a 9” cast iron skillet but I guess any skillet will work. Cover and let it rise. When it has doubled in size or fills the skillet.
Cover the whole pan with tin foil and place on the stove, turn the heat on very low and let it cook. Once you notice the fresh baked bread aroma, about 10 minutes, lift up one corner with a spatula and see if the crust has started to brown, Also notice as the bread cooks that the dough starts to dry out from the edges to the center, and the shrinking wet spot in the middle is a good indicator of doneness.
If the bottom is not too brown, wait until the wet spot is gone, and then slide a spatula under the cooked side, and very carefully flip it over so the uncooked side is now in the skillet. Cover and continue cooking until done.

Note: The heavier the skillet the better. For cooking with gas or alcohol, try to fine a nice big heavy piece of iron, copper or aluminum you can put between the flame and the skillet bottom – it helps distribute the heat evenly.

This skillet bread is very versatile – by itself, with cheese and an apple, or cut in half and opened like a pita, it will hold lots of filling.

Try this – after the first side is cooked and the wet spot has disappeared, set the bread aside. Sauté onions and mushrooms, add some tomato sauce, slice or shred some cheese on top to the mixture and heat until the cheese starts to melt. Now put the uncooked side of the bread down on top and cook for another 5-6 minutes until most of the liquid has cooked off. Let it rest for a few minutes more and turn out onto a platter or foil.

My favorite is Raison bread. When mixing the ingredients, add extra sugar. Then when it’s at the oatmeal stage, add some nice plump dark raisons.
If you want Rum Raison Bread. Soak the raisins in rum for a while. Then drink the rum and add the raisons after the dough has risen, just need them in. I found that the alcohol tends to kill the yeast and it won’t rise, as it should.

Have fun and let your imagination run wild.
Fair Wind and smooth waters
Rex

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Crawfish Etoufee

 Amount    Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method

--------  ------------  --------------------------------

  1/2      Cup             Olive oil

   2       Tbsp            Garlic – finely diced

  1/2      Tsp             Tabasco sauce

  1/2      Tsp             Basil

  1/4      Tsp             Thyme

   1                            Bay leaf

   2       Shots        Bourbon (optional but highly recommended…)

   3       Total        Green/Red/Yel1ow bell peppers -- chopped

   4       Ribs            Celery -- chopped

   1       Large        Onion -- chopped

   3       Cans        Cream Of Mushroom Soup -- 10 3/4 Oz Each

  1-2      Pound       Crawfish tails or shrimp -- precooked

   2       Cans        Diced Tomatoes With Green Chiles -- 10 Oz Ea

   2       Cups        Uncooked, unrinsed long grain brown rice

  1/2      Cup             Green onions – finely chopped

Etoufee:  In large pot saute the garlic in the olive oil until light brown but do not overcook.  Then add peppers, celery, and onion in the olive oil.

Add tomatoes and their liquid, the Tabasco (be careful here…a little goes a long way) and stir to blend completely.

Add the soup and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the crawfish tails/shrimp and one shot of bourbon to the mix, and cook 30 minutes more over low heat.  The second shot should be downed by the cook for a job well done…

Rice: In a large saucepan mix the rice with 4 cups of water and ½ teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 45 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.  Do not stir the rice while cooking.

 Serve the Etoufee over a scoop of rice in individual serving bowls garnished with the green onions.  Add some warm French bread, a good bottle of wine and you have the makings of a pretty decent mealJ

 Makes about 6 servings.

 This Gulf Coast specialty is a combination of a recipe from a good friend and great cook, Melanie Hensgens, and several others, including one from Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. The bourbon was strictly my idea…

Joseph DiMatteo

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Make before you leave home and chill in plastic container until ready to serve. Serve with crusty French bread.

1 flank steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbs. freshly grated ginger or 1 tsp, dried ginger
Pineapple slices
Blend soy sauce, pineapple juice and ginger and place in glass or plastic container
Lay flank steak in mixture and turn to coat both sides.
Cover tightly and marinate 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes.
Remove from marinade and grill.
Lightly grill pineapple slices and place on top of flank steak. Serve with stir fried rice sticks.

Stuffed Sandwiches

Cut a loaf of French bread crosswise into 4 to 6- inch pieces.
Hollow out the center of each piece, removing all but the outer 1/2-inch of bread and crust.
Fill cavity with desired filling, taking care to drain any liquid and pack filling firmly.
Wrap tightly in foil or plastic wrap.
When ready to eat, unwrap and slice into 1-inch pieces.
Suggested Fillings
Curried Tuna and Egg Salad
1 6-1/2-ounce can tuna, drained and flaked
1 medium green pepper, diced
1/2 cup small stuffed green olives, coarsely chopped
3 to 4 Tbs curry powder
3 to 4 Tbs mayonnaise
3 hard cooked eggs, chopped
Combine the tuna, pepper and olives. Blend curry powder and mayonnaise. Add the chopped eggs and mix lightly.
Meat and Cheese
Roll thin slices of ham, salami, mozzarella, and Munster jelly-roll style and stuff into bread cavity.
Caponata: Buy a can, drain liquid and stuff into bread cavity.
Cream Cheese:
Combine softened cream cheese with one of the following: smoked salmon, herbs, minced clams or anchovy paste and 1tsp lemon juice.

Cruising Menus

Ceviché

BREAD IN A SKILLET

INGREDIENTS

Stuffed Sandwiches