Food

Since my return from vacation, I have been trying very hard not to lose control again with my eating. I started back at the gym, have my yogurt and granola in the morning, and have a reasonable meal at night before seven. So, when we had our last dinner club, I tried very very hard to behave—Right!

The food was just too good to even go there. It was a Spanish theme set around a dish called bacalao. I was to bring appetizers. I decided that I would bring fajita chicken wings and quesadillas, some veggie and some seasoned pork ones. 

My problem with cooking for dinner club, in general, is that I just cannot figure out when enough food will be enough. I made enough quesadillas to feed about, oh, eighteen to twenty people. They were large ones, too. Of course, there were more than enough items in them as well.

In the veggie ones, I put roasted season potatoes, grilled bell pepper and red onion, fresh spinach, roma tomato and of course, colby-jack cheese! I am lucky that I have a grill on my stove. It worked great. I actually tried using my panini grill, but it made them soggy!  I then prepped a side of everything to put on them: black olives, sour cream, jalapeños, fresh sliced avocado, fresh cilantro and of course, salsa.

I think I was very hungry when I made all this stuff. Anyway, everything looked great. The chicken wings I made were tossed in a fajita season dry mix over night. The next day, I put my own season mixture on them. It consisted of chili pepper, garlic powder, dried parsley, kosher salt, cumin, a very small amount of canola oil, and ground coriander. I tossed the wings with this and put them back in the fridge for about three hours.  When I was ready to cook them, I tossed them with lime juice (a very small amount) and put another coating of my seasoning on them.

You can, of course, make whatever seasoning you want.  The trick to cooking wings, in my world anyway, is to have an extremely hot oven. Oh, I guess I did not tell you that I love fried wings—Yes I do!  But Mike likes baked ones. So, as a compromise—a big deal in my food world for sure—I bake them. The temperature is never less than 465 degrees, preheated! 

What happens, in my oven anyway, is that the skin gets crispy. I have to turn them over after about ten minutes. They turned out very tasty, and they were moist inside and had a little crispness to them. These were served with no sauce of any kind, or in the wing world, I guess I should say naked! They were a hit.

Cathy Waters brought a salad made with Chardonnay pear vinegar (purchased at TJ Maxx), tossed sesame oil, feta cheese, candied pecans, and a little Cajun seasoning. She used walnut oil in a pan and a handful of pecans, roasting them on low-to-medium heat. Then she tossed them with kosher salt, a tablespoon of sugar, and a very small amount of Cajun until a glaze starts. After you are done, cool it down and put it on salad.

OK, if you don’t know me by now—and I am not referring to the song—I am a salad hog. This was amazing. I have never had this kind of dressing before. It was not over dressed, and there was just the right amount of dressing mixed with leafy greens. Yes, my taste buds thought I was taking some kind of drug, and would I have more? The answers are no drug and yes, I had more. I am not crazy.

So, as I sat there, thinking about this meal, knowing I had only eaten appetizers and a salad so far, I wondered what control I might have for the main course. After all, I am back at the gym for Pete’s sake, and then someone asked that question: “What was for dessert?” 

Oh my God, as Kate said the answer—Sandra’s lemon dessert—I could feel myself going to loosen my belt. There was no way I was not going to eat a lemon dessert, no way on god’s green earth that would ever happen. I really have no control with lemon; it is my everything dessert.

I still remember the lemon meringue pie Diane Rutter made for me almost 28 years ago when I worked nights at the hospital . It was the biggest, most lavish dessert I could ask for. It was for my birthday.

Anyway, let me back up. The main dish Deb and Dan made was Bacalao, a traditional Spanish/Mediterranean dish made with dried salt cod. In Mexico, it is often served on Christmas. The recipe is a mixture of U.S. and European measurements. Oh my, my, my, this was so very tasty to the palate. I really think I would have it over rice, too.

Lastly, there was this corn dish that Merry Helm made. Gee it was just well—wonderful. She made it up . It was low fat and made with soy milk.  So, I have all the recipes here for you . Again, another two part column. You will get the salad and the corn recipe next week with the lemon dessert. You are so lucky! 

Bacaloa

3 kg of cod, cut into large pieces (dry, not wet or soaked in lye).

4 kg of plum tomatoes, skinned, de seeded and finely chopped

¾ kg of finely minced onion

2 12oz. cans of pimiento morron (for the sauce) - I used the small jars of pimentos you can get here in the supermarket

1 ½ 12oz. cans of pimiento moron (for garnishing)

1 can of tomato puree

1 Tbsp. of sugar

2 Tbsp. of smoked paprika

1 jar of olives stuffed with pimentos

1 ½ bunch of finely minced parsley (approx. 3 cups chopped)

8 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 cans of pepperocinis

1 kg of small potatoes

Soak cod for two days in water—change water twice per day. Save last water to use in case the sauce becomes too dry or to reheat the sauce at a later time. Heat the cod in a large pot until boil, remove immediately and remove skin. Dry the cod with rags to absorb the water. Dust the cod with flour and fry in olive oil until golden. Remove cod from the pan. Shred with hands to remove bones, leaving large pieces.

Set aside one cup of tomatoes and two cans of pimiento (drained) and a can of tomato puree and 2 Tbsp. of smoked paprika and blend in a blender. In a large pot, heat olive oil and fry garlic and slightly boiled potatoes—remove potatoes from pot and add onion and fry until golden.

Add parsley until fried. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the blended tomatoes and pimientos to the large pot. Once the sauce boils, add 1 Tbsp of sugar. Turn heat to low and simmer for 4 hours, stirring once in a while to prevent from sticking. After 4 hours, add olives (drained), fish and potatoes and cook until warm—about 2 hours, stirring gently and frequently (keeping it from sticking, burning and mashing all together). Once it is warm, add pepperocinis and the other pimientos for garnishing
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So, although I am jumping all over the place with the dishes, I’m sure you get the point: that this was a wonderful meal. Until next week, eat well and stay safe.