Mediterranean Seafood Salad – Salada de Mariscos

Photos by Priscillakittycat

The recipe for this succulent salad comes from the blog of Chica Andaluza.  Check it out.

Ingredients
Peeled Shrimp
Sliced squid or baby squid
Mussels
Garlic cloves
White wine vinegar
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Sugar
Prepared mustard or dried mustard powder
Salt
One can drained Cannellini beans
Finely chopped celery
Chopped Romaine lettuce
Tomatoes
Peppers
Red onions
Flat leaf parsley

For the seafood mix, you can use peeled shrimp, sliced squid or baby squid and mussels. It’s okay to use frozen seafood.  Just make sure all the seafood is defrosted and well drained if necessary. I use paper towels to dry the seafood because it will sauté better.  Chop up a couple of cloves of garlic and reserve.  Saute the seafood separately in olive oil and garlic.  (First heat the oil and garlic, then add the seafood).  When each batch of seafood is ready, scoop into a bowl and set it aside until cooled.  It’s okay if some juices and oil remain in the cooked seafood.

For the dressing, prepare a vinaigrette with two parts extra virgin olive oil, one part acid (you can mix lemon juice and white wine vinegar for the acid), a sprinkle of sugar, half a teaspoon of prepared mustard (or ¼ teaspoon of dried mustard powder) and salt and pepper. Put it all into a jar and shake it up well.  To a large bowl add one can drained Cannellini beans and three sticks of finely chopped celery.  Combine the seafood.  Stir the dressing into the seafood, beans and celery mix.  Refrigerate for at least two hours so the juices combine.

For the salad use a mix of finely chopped lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, red onions, and flat leaf parsley. Mix the salad ingredients with the cold seafood mix.  For garnish and flavor at the end, some finely sliced hot chili pepper and the zest of a lemon.  Serve immediately.

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Ingredientes
Camarão descascado
Lula
Mexilhões
Dentes de alho
Vinagre branco
Suco de limão
Azeite de oliva
Mostarda
Sal
1 lata de feijão branco (canellini)
Apío
Alface
Tomate
Pimentão
Cebola vermelha
Salsinha

Os mariscos podem ser do tipo congelado.  Certifique que estejam descongelados antes de cozinhar.  Eu seco eles com papel toalha antes de cozinhar.  Esquente o alho com o azeite numa panela rasa.  Cozinhe os mariscos separados porque alguns mariscos demoram mais para cozinhar.  A medida que vão ficando prontos, coloque os mariscos numa tigela grande.  Não tem problema se os sucos dos mariscos se juntarem.  Deixe esfriar.

Prepare o vinagrete com duas partes de azeite de oliva e uma parte ácido (pode usar suco de limão e vinagre branco para o ácido).  Adicione um pouco de açucar, meia colher de mostarda, e sal.  Misture o vinagrete ou chacoale num recipiente fechado.  Misture este vinagrete com uma lata de feijao branco coado, apío bem picado e os frutos do mar.  Coloque na geladeira por duas horas ou mais para que os temperos incorporem.

Para a salada use alface, tomate, pimentão, cebola vermelha, e salsinha italiana.  Misture com os mariscos frios e sirva imediatamente.

Meatballs ~ Almôndegas (and delicious David)

Curry Mustard Glazed Meatballs, Photos and Video by Priscillakittycat

I have a notebook where I keep savory food recipes.  The cover is adorned by a hot sculptural masterpiece.  It’s probably considered very uncultured to call a sculpture hot…but I’m just being honest.   I saw delicious David for the first time when I was 17 years old and on a trip to Europe with a friend.  Since then, I’ve returned to Florence to visit him a few times.  I can’t stay away for more than a few years.  It’s just one of those things.  And when I think of meatballs…I think of David.  LOL

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Tenho um caderno onde anoto as receitas de comidas salgadas.  A capa do caderno mostra o David, a escultura marcante–deliciosa.  Conheci o David pela primeira vez aos 17 anos, durante a viagem a Europa que fiz com uma colega da escola.  Foi amor a primeira vista.  Desde então, não aguento ficar longe dele por muito tempo.  Será que é por cause dele que me apaixonei por Firenze?  Agora tudo faz sentido.

 

Pomegranate ~ Romã

Pomegranates fresh from the backyard. Photos by Priscillakittycat

I can’t keep saying, “my favorite fruit is…” because they are all my favorite and I wouldn’t want you to think I’m waffling.  How about I just tell you the ones that top the list? Passion Fruit, Pomegranate, Loquat (Níspero), Raspberries, Surinam Cherries (Pitanga), Papaya, Lemon, Tamarindo, Jaboticaba, and Pineapple.  You’ll notice that with the exception of Papaya, all the others are very tangy or acidic fruits.  When given the choice between a chocolate gelato or a lemon flavored one…nine times out of ten, I’ll choose the lemon.  I remember when we were kids, during the hot and dry summers of Alice, Texas, dad would take us to Baskin Robbins for ice cream.  I always chose the Raspberry Sherbert or the Rainbow Sherbert.

The pomegranates you see in the picture come from the tree I planted in 2010.  Among the other trees that adorn our backyard…you guessed it–the majority are tangy fruits.  We have a Níspero tree that I planted by accident.  The tree grew out of a pot.  I thought it was an avocado tree and proudly showed the pot to my Spanish neighbor, Juancho.  He asked if I was sure that’s what I planted in the pot.  “Yes”, of course I’m sure.  He motioned for me to follow him through the yard to his Níspero (loquat) tree.  I burst out in laughter.  There was no doubt the leaves on my tree were those of a loquat, not an avocado tree.  (Juancho has both in his yard).  I must have tossed a seed or two in the pot after eating one of the fruits off his tree.  Excited that I had managed to accidentally plant an exotic tree, I transferred it to a sunny spot in the front yard.  Juancho expects I’ll have a tree full of loquat next year.  In the meantime, I pick-and-eat the fruits off his tree.

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Ooops, agora que eu me dei conta…esqueci de traduzir os textos mais recentes para o Portugues.  Vou tirar um break e volto já com a tradução!

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Não posso ficar dizendo, “minha fruta favorita é…” porque você vai pensar que sou indecisa.  É porque todas são boas!  A lista das favoritas:  Maracujá, Romã, Loquat, Amora, Pitanga, Mamão, Limão, Tamarindo, Jaboticaba, e Abacaxi. Com exeção ao Mamão todas estas frutas são acidas.  Se me fizer escolher entre um gelato de chocolate ou um de limão, eu escolho o de limão.

As romãs que você vê na foto vieram do quintal onde plantei uma variedade de árvores frutíferas.  Tenho até uma arvore de Níspero que plantei sem saber.  Pensei que era abacate mas quando o meu vizinho espanhol (Juancho) viu a muda, me disse logo que a muda não era de abacate.  Eu provavelmente jogei uma semente de Níspero no pote onde tambem tinha plantado o abacate.  O abacate não pegou, mas o níspero agarrou e agora é uma arvore linda.  O Juancho afirmou que no ano que vem teremos Níspero!