Crisp, Cool Salsa

Keeping cool in the dog days of NYC summer can seem like an inescapable challenge.

If cooking a full hearty meal with your AC on blast in an 11x11 studio apartment doesn't sound appealing to you, you may want to simply not. That's how this cool salsa came about. No cooking, just chopping and mixing together some fruits and water veggies.

I've eaten this alone like fresh fruit salad, dipped crispy corn chips into it and also love to top light fleshed fish like Tilapia and Mahi with it.

Since its so versatile, I like to make a generous amount. Thanks to the citrus I don't need to eat it all at once - though stopping myself may prove to be an even bigger challenge than beating the heat!

Ingredients:

1 chopped fresh mango

1 small can of pineapple (drained)

1 cucumber (I like to peel mine because of the wax overload on these!)

1 small red onion

1 ripe avocado

about a handful of cilantro

Salt, pepper & lime juice to taste

Chop all ingredients to 1/3 inch cubes. In a large bowl mix roughly with your hands (you want to be gentle with the avocado). Finally, add salt pepper and squeeze in the limes!

*Remember the limes help keep the avocado nice and green even days after, so its crucial!

Let them eat Salmon cake!

In these recessionary times, I wandered the isles of my local grocery store, like many fellow hungry Americans, looking for ingenious ways to stretch the dollar. My main obstacle, never to sacrifice flavor. Afterall, I do live to eat, not eat to live.

There it was $1.79 for 14.75 ounces of omega rich Salmon. I looked curiously at the golden colored can as I walked through the isle toward my usual Albacore in water. Suddenly I stared at the opaque aluminum can and thought of my humdrum tuna salad. But the thought of salmon from a can?? No, I just couldn't do it! It was my unwritten, unacknowledged mental rule: "The only animal I eat out of a can is tuna!"

But it haunted me, all the way to the register. The golden glow of the can whose contents promised the very same for my post-winter lackluster skin & locks. But i thought: "no, no only lox." Despite the turmoil, I politely asked the cashier to pause as I ran over to the luring isle and grabbed a single $1.79, 14.75 ounce can of Atlantic Salmon.

I looked at the back label, not for inspiration, but merely salvation. What did I find? fish. tacos. Though I love them with light and tropical tilapia, salmon is much too hearty a fish to stuff into a shell if you ask me. So this, I would not attempt.

I took my non perishable can home, along with my perishables. My first thought was. . . salad? But the whole point of getting this salmon was escaping the bun that trapped my tuna and my palate in a quotidian cage of dissatisfaction.

I wanted this meal to feel hearty, home-cooked, warm, rustic yet refined. I wanted it all to come out of the shiny yet shanty golden can.

Many google and cabinet searches later my results were pretty satisfying if I may say so myself.
"Hearty? Check."
"Warm? Check."
"Home-cooked? Semi-check."
"Rustic? Definitely check."
"Refined? Well...3.5 out of 5 isn't too shabby!"

Here is my take on rescuing canned salmon and my hungry tummy- its a win-win, really.

Salmon Cakes

What you will need:

one 14.75 oz can of Atlantic salmon

2/3 cups of breadcrumbs

1/2 cup of chopped onion

2 small eggs

1/2 lemon's worth of juice

salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder (to taste)

3-4 Tb olive oil

Action!

1- Using your favorite can opener, open the can of salmon

2- Lightly whisk eggs just so that the york and white are blended together

3- In a large mixing bowl mix together all ingredients adding the seasoning last. I used about a teaspoon on each. Remember the salmon is already salted in the can, so there really isn't much need for a lot of salt.

4- Using your clean hands blend mixture together and make 2-inch rounds. These should be similar size/shape as sliders. I flattened mine slightly to get a crispier cake.

5-Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil at med temperature. Once the oil is hot ( you can try a small piece of salmon to test) place a few patties in the pan. Cook these for a few minutes on each side, until they are that coveted shade of golden brown.

Makes about six cakes best enjoyed with tomato wedges and a touch of tartar sauce.

Plantains Por Favor!

Being that I am of Caribbean descent, Puerto Rican to be more precise, I am often asked about one of my dietary staples, the plantain.

Plantains are similar to its smaller cousin, the banana but are in my opinion much more versatile. They can be cooked ripened or unripened, their flavor varying greatly depending on its stage in maturity.

Plantains are a huge part of my gastronomy. I quite honestly don't understand how so many can go on without knowing of their goodness! Hopefully this will inspire you to let them into your diet, as there are so many ways to eat them, you would be foolish not to.

Here are some of the most common, and most delicious ways to eat a plantain.

Pasteles - Pasteles are similar to tamales in the way that they are prepared. These are made with a puree of unripened plantain, that is laid of a sheet of wax paper and/or banana leaf, stuffed with meat and then wrapped and tied together with string. These are then cooked in boiling water. To me, and most Puerto Ricans, eating a pastel or "pasteles" as we call them most often (can't have just one) is synonymous with the Christmas holiday.

Mofongo- A savory dish also made with unripened plantains. Here plantains are first cut into medium pieces then deep fried, then finally molded into a "pilón" or wooden mortar. A stew then fills the mortar. This is often made of seafood, chicken or pork.

Mangu- Arguably a Dominican dish, this is one of the simplest ways to prepare a plantain. Unripened plantains are boiled and then pureed, often butter and garlic is added.

Pastelón- My all-time favorite way to eat plantains. Pastelón is very structurally similar to lasagna. Sweet plantains are fried into long strips that are layered between lots of cheese and ground beef.

Amarillos Fritos or Maduros - The most popular way to eat plantains is by simply peeling an over-ripened plantain cutting into 3/4 inch pieces and deep frying.

Tostones- Unripened plantains are fried, flattened and fried again: the result is a crunchy yet satisfying side dish or snack strong enough to scoop up anything on your plate.

Plantain chips- Becoming increasingly popular, a great alternative to potato chips. These are thin, crispy- whether store bought or homemade.

There really are countless ways to eat a plantain, and I'm sure as soon as I post this more will come to mind.

Look out - I'll be adding recipes for each of these. You owe it to yourself to give them a shot.

Frititas De Calabaza or Calabaza Squash Fritters

I made these on my own tonight, for the very first time. Growing up I used to beg my mother to make them. She always hesitated a bit, being that they are fried, they were considered a treat. I couldn't get enough...and truth be told, I still can't.

These are super easy to make. The hardest part may actually be getting the calabaza itself. Which, although I call "pumpkin" (today I realized "calabaza" seems to be used interchangeably to mean both squash and pumpkin in Spanish), most people know it as either calabaza squash, as it was labeled at the market or west indian squash.

To me, the many aliases just say that just about everyone that tastes this squash wants to have a dear, pet name for it, because it is just that tasty.

These fritters aren't traditionally served as a desert, but just top with some powdered sugar, or just a dab of whipped cream and they are as decadent as any traditional sweet treat.

My favorite way to eat these before a meal, or accompanying a savory dish where the contrast can really accentuate their sweetness.

Very few ingredients are needed:

2 cups pureed Calabaza
1 cup Flour
1/4 cup Milk
3 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
Vegetable Oil (for frying)

You'll most likely find this at the market fresh, in which case you will need to wash and remove all seeds. This can easily be done with a spoon. Don't worry about peeling the calabaza, the skin is much easier to remove once this has been boiled (and also makes for a tasty treat- just add a little butter and some cinnamon-sugar mixture). Cut the calabaza into medium chunks and place in boiling water. Boil until very soft.

Using a hand mixer puree the calabaza until relatively smooth- there should be no large lumps, but it is very fibrous in texture, so it will not be completely smooth. Mix in flour, milk, sugar, cinnamon.

Using a pan, heat vegetable oil at medium fire. Pour enough oil so that it is about an inch away from the bottom of the pan. Use a spoon to dollop mixture onto the pan. Each fritter should be just about covered by the hot oil. Keep at medium heat. Turn after about a minute on each side or until golden brown. Makes about 10 fritters.

The Best Hot Chocolate

I love drinking hot chocolate late at night- right before bed, when my tummy doesnt quite want to go to sleep, warm milk seems to put all my parts in agreement- and no one can argue with a little chocolate. Never one with a sweet tooth, I found a way to bring more earthy flavors and a bit of a kick to my hot chocolate. So this is how I make my favorite:

Start off with:

2.5 cups of skim milk
2 heaping tablespoons of unsweetented chocolate powder
1 tablespoon of sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder

Heat milk in a medium saucepan until steaming, keep fire at med-low. Slowly stir in unsweetened chocolate powder, stirring away any lumps. Add the sugar, cinnamon and chili powder. (serves 2)