Everything But The Kitchen Sink Rice

Pati made this stew on her cooking show and I had to search for the recipe since it looked delicious.  

The recipe is versatile as far as using the seafood that your family prefers. When I get around to making this, it will include shrimp, fish and crab.

Ingredients


1 whole (about 3 pounds) white-fleshed, mild-flavored fish, such as red snapper, grouper, or rock fish, boned and filleted OR 1 pound fish fillets
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes
2 jalapeño or serrano chiles or to taste
8 garlic cloves, 5 finely chopped, 3 peeled and left whole
1/2 cup coarsely chopped white onion
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher or coarse salt or to taste, divided
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound cleaned squid rinsed and sliced into 1/4" rings
1 pound medium shrimp peeled (shells and tails reserved if making broth)
2 cups long or extra long white rice or jasmine rice
5 cups seafood or fish broth (homemade or store bought)
1 large fresh epazote sprig or 3 cilantro sprigs
12 small to medium fresh clams scrubbed and rinsed
12 small to medium fresh mussels scrubbed and rinsed




Directions

NOTE: If you plan on making the seafood or fish broth, get the whole fish and ask your fish monger to clean it for you and to give you the head, bones and tail to use for the broth. Also, save the shrimp shells and tails to use in the broth, as well. 

Cut the fish fillets so that you have 6 more or less equally sized pieces. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside. 

Place the tomatoes, jalapeños, and the 3 whole garlic cloves in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer until the tomatoes are fully cooked and very soft, about 10 minutes. 

Transfer the tomatoes, garlic cloves, and only 1 of the jalapeños (puree one chile at a time, taste for heat, and add the other if desired) to a blender, and add the onion and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Puree until completely smooth. 

Rinse and dry the saucepan and heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in it over medium heat. Once hot, add the tomato puree and cover the pan partially with a lid, as the puree will sputter and jump. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, dark and fragrant, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

In a large, wide casserole, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over high heat. Once hot, toss in the squid, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, add half of the finely chopped garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove the squid and the garlic with a slotted spoon and place in a heatproof bowl.

Add the shrimp to the casserole, along with another 1/2 teaspoon of salt and half of the remaining chopped garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring and flipping the shrimp over halfway through. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the bowl with the squid. 

Reduce the heat to medium and add 1/4 cup of the remaining olive oil to the casserole. Once hot, add the rice and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the casserole, until the rice is crackling and coated with oil, feels heavier in the pan as you stir it, and the color of the grains has changed from a pale white to a deep milky white. 

Pour the cooked-down tomato puree over the rice.  It will sizzle and smoke a bit, which is what you want. 

Cover partially with a lid and cook, stirring a couple of times, until the rice absorbs most of the sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the seafood broth and stir the rice, scraping the bottom of the casserole. Add the epazote or cilantro sprigs and reduce the heat to medium-low. 

Gently arrange the reserved shrimp and squid on top of the rice, adding any of their juices from the bowl, as well as the clams, mussels and seasoned fish fillets. 

Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and can be easily pulled apart with a fork, and the clams and mussels have opened up. 

Turn off the heat and serve immediately in soup plates. The rice should be tender and the mixture very soupy.



Source: https://patijinich.com/recipe/seafood-rice-stew/

Seafood Pasta Chowder

© 2009 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

This is one of those recipes that calls for spoiling yourself and making this a special meal.  Of course you can also serve it for a casual lunch.  But it can be made very special.  

First of all, there is something about having this chowder out of a bread bowl that makes you feel spoiled.  I also like to garnish the top with larger shrimp.

However you choose to serve it,  the chowder aims to please!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked miniature pasta bow-ties or shells 
• 5 tablespoons butter 
• 8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 cups fish stock (clam juice can be used if it is your preference) 
• 2 cups half-and-half 
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 
• 1 teaspoon dill 
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, amount depends on your heat preference 
• 1 cup canned fresh crab meat 
• 8 ounces shrimp (whatever size you prefer . . . we prefer bigger shrimp and sometimes use more than 8 ounces depending on our budget) 
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions, green tops included 

Preparation:

Cook pasta in salted water in a large pot. Drain and rinse.

While pasta is cooking . . . 

Saute mushrooms on low heat in 3 tablespoons butter in a large pot. Salt and cook about 3 minutes, until they have cooked down a bit.

Saute an additional minute after adding garlic, making sure the garlic does not brown.

Stir in 2 tablespoons butter until melted. 

Add flour into the mixture, stirring constantly and cook for 2 minutes. 

Continue stirring and add the fish stock, then the milk. Heat until thickened.

Add paprika, nutmeg, and cayenne, stir in crab and shrimp.  

Cook only until heated through! 

Add drained pasta and green onions. 

Taste and season accordingly, if necessary.

Awesome when served in a bread bowl, but make sure to enjoy with some hot crusty bread.


Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Photo credit © 2009 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, recipe adapted from About.com

The Captain's Pork Stew

Who said that leftovers have to be boring?  We had some pork roast left over from our delicious meals of black beans and rice with roast pork.  The Captain made a delicious pork stew out of the leftovers!  I can't tell you how much money we have just thrown down the garbage can until we started coming up with ways to turn one meal into another.  

There are many things you can do with leftover pork roast.  My favorite is to make sandwiches on some good hoagie bread.  How about a pot of any type of beans with the leftover pork thrown in?  I've used them in my famous "Gina's Cuban Style Fried Rice" . . . actually, all types of leftovers end up in that dish!

Ingredients:

1-3 lbs Gina’s Mojo Pork* or your roast pork

1-3 large onions quartered

4-8 medium potatoes cut into bite sized pieces

1-2 heaping tablespoons of minced garlic

½ to 1 12 oz can of tomato sauce

½ to 1 can corn

½ to 1 can peas

Salt

Pepper

2 quarts of water

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil and add the onions, garlic, and potatoes boil for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile slice or shred Gina’s Mojo Pork, keep some of the fat and discard the rest.

Reduce the onions/potato/garlic mixture to a simmer and add Gina’s Mojo Pork. Add just enough tomato sauce to taste. When the stew simmers add salt and pepper to taste.

Occasionally stir the stew. As it cooks it will become long shreds of pork and the sauce will reduce.  When the potatoes have become soft (about 20 minutes), mash them against the side of the pot to break them apart.

Add the corn and peas.  Heat until steaming and serve with biscuits.

  

*The spices used in Gina's Mojo Pork do have an impact on the outcome of the total flavor of the stew.  I highly recommend making the pork for a main meal and using the leftovers for the stew.

This recipe was shared at the following linky parties: