Caldo Cinco Mares (Seafood Soup)

This seafood soup is inspired by a recipe I found at La Piña en La Cocina for a Mexican-inspired Caldo Siete Mares (Seafood Soup). The recipe makes use of a frozen packages of mixed seafood that is available in most places in the United States. This recipe uses fresh (some previously frozen) seafood, specifically, Littleneck clams, mussels, shrimp, bay scallops and cod. My husband was so proud to tell me the fish monger cut up the cod into bite-sized pieces for him. I don’t have the heart to tell him that that is pretty easy to do. The original recipe also makes use of dried guajillo peppers and dried chile de arbol. Guajillos have mild heat, but the chile de arbol packs much more heat, if you ask me. I just used the guajillo for this application.

Polynesian Ceviche

For this recipe is is important to use sushi-grade fish since it is to be eaten raw. I can usually find this in an Asian market, not in the regular grocery store in the United States. There have to be 100 ways to make ceviche and many people prefer to use shrimp in place of the fish. If you choose to substitute cooked shrimp, I won’t tell.

Crostini with Olive-Fig Tapenade

Crostini is thought to date back to medieval times when Italian peasants typically ate their meals on slices of bread since they did not have individual plates.  It is eaten in the United States as an appetizer with various toppings such as cheese, meat, and or vegetables.  Sometimes it is served with a touch of olive oil and herbs or a sauce.

Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks with Cilantro-Shallot Relish

This is a short-cut version of the Punjabi recipe.  The chicken is not marinated in yogurt ahead of time, but it does have all the spicy goodness of the original.  This version is also not spicy-hot, although you could add in a bit of cayenne pepper if you’d like to make it so.

Pernil (Puerto Rican Pork Shoulder Roast)

This recipe was originally published by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli in 1954 (“Cocina Criolla”).  This is my translation. It needs to marinate 1-3 days, the longer the better.

Chicken with Cauliflower and Barley

I love food cooked in beer. Enough said.

Grilled Salmon with Charred Leek

Norwegian Chopped Salad

This is a Northern version with Norwegian vegetables.

Poached Fish with Olive Oil and Lemon

This method is equally good for a bass fish fillet or a salmon. A savory poaching liquid is first made, then the fish is gently simmered over medium low heat until cooked through.

Carne Asada with a Nicaraguan Twist

Many of us know and love Carne Asada. Commonly, Carne Asada is marinated in lime juice and garlic. This recipe opts for a marinade of orange juice and onions. The meat marinates for at least one hour, up to overnight.