Power Through Mariscada

Here I am in San Francisco ready to get back into the kitchen and start my new life. It's slightly nerve racking moving to place I've never been before, well besides that one time when I was five. Luckily it turned out to be the right decision, being a beautiful city filled with friendly people and heavenly food.

I have spent the past two weeks aimlessly hunting for an apartment and job, while still managing to squeeze in the occasional tourist attraction and enjoy the intoxicating nightlife. I finally managed to check the apartment off the list, as I will be moving into a house in the Castro neighborhood on Wednesday, which is more than exciting for me. The job on the other hand is taking longer than expected. Apparently people were not joking when they said California was hit hard by the economic crisis, leading me close to a state of desperation. I may be Craig's Lists' number one stalker this week, constantly checking the page morning, noon and night, hoping the answer to my problems will pop up in a one lined job description.

As I send out cover letters and resumes galore I hope for the best, even attempting to send out positive energy into the universe as if it could solve my problems. My friend Semra seems to think I will be fine based on the observation that I am the luckiest person she knows, which I may be, but so far my luck isn't directing itself where I need it to go.

My lack of work has left me feeling slightly powerless over my life at the moment. I love to work, even more so I need to work to keep me feeling as though I am moving forward. Since work outside of the home hasn't sent me any invitations, I have turned my attention to work in the kitchen to keep the momentum alive.

Inspired by the fresh, gorgeous produce the Bay Area has to offer, I have been working double time in the kitchen. My dishes this week included a Summer Squash and Zucchini Stew, Rib Eye Steak with Balsamic Dijon Sauce, Vegetarian Three Cheese Lasagna and a Strawberry Mascarpone Tart. My favorite, and in a way my ode to Barcelona, was the Mariscada I made for a dinner party a few days ago.

Mariscada first popped into my life while I was working in a Cuban restaurant years ago. Each night the chef would prepare it for me, extra spicy of course, and I officially became an addict. I began to make it in Barcelona, taking advantage of the well-priced, delectable seafood on hand, and it quickly became a cult favorite at my dinner parties.

It is a popular dish in Brazilian, Cuban and Spanish cuisine, each made differently, but always consisting of a variety of seafood. I spent years experimenting with it until I reached the desired dish: light, full-flavored and packed with seafood surprises. It can be made with any variety of seafood, I usually stick to mussels, clams, shrimp and bacalao, but scallops, squid, lobster and crab are some additional options.

Mariscada may not help me find a job, but it did give me the chance to feed a group of friends and keep my momentum going.

Mariscada

Serves 6

Olive oil

1 bay leaf

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large red pepper, roughly chopped

1 large green pepper, roughly chopped

1/2 lb clams, cleaned

1 lb mussels, cleaned

1 lb bacalo (codfish), cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb raw, peeled shrimp

1 1/2 large cans of diced tomatoes, drained

A pinch of saffron

Salt and pepper

1 dried chili pepper, crumbled

1-2 Tbs. flour

A handful of cilantro, chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 375

2. In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil until hot, followed by the bay leaf, garlic and onions.

3. Cook until the onions are soft about 10 minutes.

4. In a separate pan over medium to high heat, add the mussels and clams and cover until the shells open, about 15 minutes.

5. While they are cooking add the canned tomatoes to the onion and garlic mixture, followed by the saffron, crumbled chili pepper and a little salt (be careful because the fish will add a salty taste) and pepper.

6. Once the mussels and clams have opened, add them and their juices to the pot with the diced tomatoes.

7. With a small flour sifter, very slowly (this is important, if not done slowly the flour will turn into large clumps) sift small amount of flour into the tomato mixture, stirring as doing so. This will thicken the broth. Bring to a light boil and cover.

8. In a deep oven pan, evenly lay down the raw shrimp and fish.

9. Add the cilantro to the tomato broth and stir.

10. Pour the tomato broth evenly over the shrimp and fish and put it into the oven.

11. Cook for about 20-30 mins stirring occasionally, it should be in just long enough for the shrimp and fish to cook without getting tough.

12. remove from the oven and season with salt if needed.

12. Serve over soft basmati rice.

Sun, sand and pasta

I'm back from my beautiful, wonderful, relaxing, tummy filling, sun filled (i'm running out of spectacular words to describe it) vacation. Sperlonga is by far the most beautiful place I have ever been, complete with incredible beaches, friendly Italian locals and food that satisfies each and every taste bud. It was one of those places that pleases each sense. The taste of the fresh pasta, the smell of the blooming flowers, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the touch of the soft sand and the sight of just about everything the town had to offer resulted in an overall feeling of awe. I went with my grandmother and both of us couldn't have been more content. We stayed at the Aurora Hotel.The charming local is a Gagliardi family run business, bursting with a garden that puts those in House & Garden to shame.

Along with long days spent on the beach basking in the sun and taking the occasional dip into the warm ocean, my grandmother and I ventured along the coast to the local Archaeological Museum, leading out to ancient ruins and a cave fit for a king (or an emperor in this case).

Yes, it was perfect, right down to every last bite of pasta. I went a little pasta overboard in fact, trying to combine my meals with other extra treats, like breaded scallops, a shrimp cocktail, crisp salads and plenty of tiramisu and gelato. All in all though I just couldn't resist the seafood pasta combination, I figured if I were on the coast I may as well sample what it had to offer, and I did, devouring pasta with all types of fish and crustaceans each night.

Spaghetti with mussels and clams

Baked scallops with breadcrumbs

Shrimp Cocktail

I decided, like any self-respecting food junkie caught in Italy, that the only way I would be able to make it out was by stuffing my suitcase with fresh pastas, dried Porcini Mushrooms, chocolate and hazelnut infused biscotti and a variety of other special treats.

With these specialties in hand on my return home, the first thing I did was run straight to the outdoor market, stocking up on fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, plenty of garlic and some freshly caught clams and mussels in order to ease my way back into normal life. My first at home meal was right on the Italian target, whipping together Linguine di cozze e vongole (linguine with mussels and clams) and an Insalata caprese.

The best part about Italian cooking, and I am repeating myself, is that a lot of the dishes are quite simple, it's the quality of the ingredients that make the difference. This is the recipe I came up with after plenty of taste testing seafood based pastas these past few days. I used to make something similar without the tomatoes, but the sweet taste of perfectly ripe tomatoes make all the difference.

Linguine di cozze e vongole (Linguine with mussels and clams)

Serves 4

Extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1 dried chilli

15-20 good quality cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

1/2-1 lb mussels, cleaned

1/2 lb clams, cleaned

A bunch of fresh parsley, leaves and stems separated, leaves chopped

1/2 lb good quality linguine, fresh if you can find it

1. Heat a few lugs of olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add in the garlic, turning down the heat slightly so as to cook the garlic but not burn it, crumble in the dried chili.

2. After about 5 minutes add in the cherry tomatoes, squeezing them slightly so their juices release into the olive oil.

3. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the skin of the tomatoes begins to peel off.

4. Add in the mussels and and clams and cover with a lid.

5. At this point bring a large pot of water to boil and add in the linguine.

6. When the mussels and clams in the pan have opened turn off the heat and add in the chopped parsley.

7. keep an eye on the linguine, turning the heat off a minute or two before the instructions say to.

8. Drain the pasta and add in back into the pot, pouring the sauce over immediately and cooking over medium heat for a few minutes.

9. Serve immediately.

Mussels to cure writers block

Today I have writers block and am planning to solve the problem by listing a few of my favorite things in hopes that the happy thoughts will get the momentum going.

Chocolate anything, reading a really good book that's impossible to put down, the sun, really BIG banana splits, the feeling I get after a difficult yoga class, Latin food, beach days that turn into all night barbecues, new shoes, dinner parties with friends, my bicycle, singing in the shower, dancing in the kitchen, road trips, train rides, Asian food, good music, guacamole and chips, all things spicy, seafood, children, The Big Lebowski, day dreaming, arts and crafts, Freaks and Geeks, the ocean, Christmas time, places where it's always warm, my family, four hour long cooking sessions, not having writers block.....

Although my writers block has not budged the list has reminded me of one of my favorite inventions, a mussel dish I came up with while browsing the isles of our local Asian supermarket. The habanero peppers, ginger and lemon grass may just give me the jump start I need to get the creative juices flowing.

Mussels with Habanero Peppers, Ginger and Lemon Grass

Serves 2

Warning: This dish is very spicy (in a good way of course)!

1 lb. mussels, cleaned

About a 1 in piece of ginger, in all diameters, chopped

1 piece of lemon grass, chopped

1/2 of a habanero pepper, thinly sliced

2 Tbs cilantro, chopped

1. Place a large sauce pan over medium heat and put the mussels inside.

2. Sprinkle over the rest of the ingredients and cover.

3. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the mussels open.

4. Spoon out into two bowls, making sure to get all the broth.

5. Serve with sliced French bread.