PUNCH UP THE FLAVOR WITH ADOBO MARINADE

 I´ve got just the marinade for your weekend grilling. Adobo. Adobo marinade is usually used for fish or meat to preserve it a few days. But the strong flavors work well for a last minute rub. I used it with chunks of rape--that's Spanish for monkfish or angler fish--then threaded them on skewers with peppers, onions and cherry tomatoes. For two, we're not firing up the grill on the patio. The kebabs are so fast on a grill pan.

 

Monkfish kebabs on a bed of quick-cooking couscous with a side of first green beans from the garden. 

No sauce is needed. Adobo punches up the flavor and keeps fish moist. Lemon on the side for extra tang; a few toasted pine nuts scattered over all.

Skewered fish cooks in under 5 minutes.

Adobo Marinated Fish Kebabs

Brochetas de Rape Adobado

Any firm-fleshed fish works well. Try shark (cazón in Spanish), swordfish, tuna, mackerel, halibut or grouper.

Serves 4.

6-inch bamboo skewers

1 pound boneless monkfish

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sweet pimentón (paprika, not smoked)

¼ teaspoon smoked hot pimentón

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Pinch of cumin seeds

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil + more for vegetables and grill pan

1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon water

Green bell pepper

Onion

Cherry tomatoes

Coarse salt

Lemon slices, to serve

Soak the skewers in water.

Cut the monkfish into 1 ¼ -inch cubes and place them in a bowl.

Marinade mix.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, two kinds of pimentón, oregano, parsley, cumin, salt, 2 tablespoons of oil, vinegar and water. Mix well and pour over the fish. Stir to coat all of the pieces of fish. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes (or cover and refrigerate for up to an hour).

Cut the pepper and onion into 1 ½-inch pieces. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Combine them in a bowl and sprinkle with a little oil. Mix to coat the vegetables.

Marinated fish skewered with onions, peppers, tomatoes, ready to grill.

Drain the soaked skewers and wipe them dry. Thread one skewer with one cube of fish. Thread remaining skewers alternating with halves of tomato, cubes of fish, slices of pepper, and pieces of onion.

Grill kebabs on gas or charcoal barbecue, on a flat grill pan or in a cast iron skillet.

Heat a flat grill pan, brush it lightly with oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Lay the fish kebabs on the grill. Moderate the heat so they don’t scorch. Grill about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the skewer with one cube of fish and check it for doneness. The fish should be opaque in the center and flake easily. 

Serve the kebabs hot or room temperature with lemon slices.

More versions of adobo:

Marinated Fried Fish (Bienmesabe)

Marinated Grilled Spare Ribs.

Pork Tenderloin in Adobo Marinade with Cherry Ketchup

Turkey Breast with Sour Orange Marinade

Filipino Adobo Chicken.

More about monkfish here.

IT’S BEEN A GOOD YEAR FOR THE ARTICHOKES

 

Artichokes, medium and tiny. 

Perhaps it’s due to the load of estiercol, manure, that got dug into the planting bed next to the house, for it’s sure been a good year for the roses. The artichokes (two big plants) that share the plot have done pretty well too. 

My favorite way to prepare artichokes is to snap off the outer leaves and cook the whole bud in salted water just until a leaf pulls off easily. I serve them whole and let each person dismantle their own. Accompanied by either olive oil and lemon juice or mayonnaise, artichokes are fun food, or “partychokes,” as one of my grandsons called them.

But, this year's favorite way is to fry them. I first tasted fried artichokes on a spring visit to Barcelona. The crispy slices were everywhere, as tapa; as entrante, starter, and as a side with meat or fish. Thinly sliced, the artichokes fry up as crisp as chips. And, like chips, you won’t be able to stop eating them!

You don’t need to soak artichokes in lemon water, which changes their flavor. Prepare them right before you’re ready to fry them. Sure, they’ll begin to oxidize (turn dark), but they’re going to get even darker in frying. 

Serve the artichoke “chips” as finger food with drinks or as a side alongside meat or fish. Chilled fino (Sherry or Montilla-Moriles) is a good accompaniment.

Frying turns artichokes leaves as crispy as chips. 

With these medium-sized artichokes, the fuzzy chokes are not very developed and get crisp with the leaves.

Fried to a frizzle.

Serve the artichoke chips as finger food.

Or serve them as a side (shown with sliced beef).

Crispy Fried Artichokes

Alcachofas Fritas

Choose medium-sized artichokes for frying. They have minimal chokes, the fuzzy bit in the center. If using large artichokes with well-developed chokes, after slicing, use the tip of a knife to nip out the chokes.

You don’t need deep oil to fry the sliced artichokes. Add oil to a depth of ¼ inch. Put in the slices in a single layer. Use tongs or a spatula to turn the artichokes.

Medium artichokes

Olive oil

Flaky salt

Wash the artichokes and dry them thoroughly. Snap off 2 or 3 layers of the outer leaves. Cut the stem to 1 inch. Use a very sharp knife to cut away the outer dark layer of the stem. Use a sharp knife or serrated knife to cut the artichokes crosswise about a third of the way from the stem. Stand the artichoke up on the flat, cut side. Cut downward, right through the stem, to make ¼-inch thick slices.

Snap off outer layers of leaves.

Outer leaves removed from all the artichokes.

Use the stems, too. Trim off the fibrous outer part of the stems, leaving the pale inner stem.

Slice the artichokes about a third of the way from the bottom. 

These artichokes are trimmed, ready to slice.

Stand the artichokes, flat side down. Use a sharp knife or serrated knife to slice them about 1/4 inch thick.

Slices, ready for frying.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet to a depth of ¼ inch. Fry the artichoke slices in a single layer until they are browned and crispy on the tips of the leaves. Use tongs or a spatula to turn them to brown the reverse side. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve immediately.

Use enough oil to cover the skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch. Turn the artichoke slices when they are browned on one side.

Drain the fried artichokes on absorbent paper. Sprinkle them with flaky salt.

Artichokes Confit

Alcachofas Confitadas en Aceite de Olivo

Rather than trim and slice the tiny artichokes for frying, I poached them in olive oil until tender. The confit artichokes are great in salads.

Trim off outer leaves of the artichokes. Cut the artichokes in half or quarters and drop them into a saucepan with extra virgin olive oil to cover. Add slivered garlic. Heat the oil until it begins to bubble. Reduce heat and poach the artichokes in the oil until they are tender (test by piercing the bottoms with a knife), about 15 minutes, depending on size. Remove from heat and allow the artichokes to cool in the oil. Store them, tightly covered and refrigerated, in the oil. Remove artichokes from the oil to serve. The oil can be used for salad dressing and in cooking. 

Confit artichokes are terrific in salads.

Rose bushes share a small plot with artichoke plants.

Links to more artichoke recipes here.

BEEFING UP MY KNOW-HOW ABOUT MEAT CUTS

 I’m still thinking about pot roast (see my reference to the subject here.). I decided to try it using beef brisket. The dictionary translates “brisket” into Spanish as “falda.” So, without further research, I asked the butcher for falda. 

But lexicographers  may not know anything about butchering a cow. From consulting the on-line diagrams of beef cuts, American and Spanish, it looks to me like brisket is “pecho” and “falda” is flank. Unless it’s “skirt,” which is actually what “falda” means. When I read up about flank, I learned that it’s usually grilled rare on a hot fire and thinly sliced for fajitas. Longer cooking means tough meat. Uh oh. Does not sound like the juicy, tender pot roast beef I was after. And I had 3  pounds of it!

I trimmed off the fat. I sliced off a ¾-pound hunk and cooked it rare on a grill pan. Sliced thinly across the grain and heaped on warm tortillas with all the trimmings, it was terrific—juicy, a little chewy, beefy. But, my pot roast— 

Long story short—the flank, if that's what it was, made a pretty good pot roast, very tender and not at all stringy, which is what I was dreading. Flank is a very lean cut, with no marbling to keep it moist during braising. I used lots of olive oil. Wine and brandy beefed up the flavor. I pot-roasted the meat in the oven, but, I’m sure a pressure cooker or Instant Pot would do the meat nicely in much less time.

Beef flank, oven roasted with wine, onions, carrots and herbs.

After two hours in the oven, meat is very tender and fairly moist, if not exactly juicy.

Pan juices make a flavorful sauce to accompany the meat.

The carrots roasted with the beef. Sauteed peppers, onions and zucchini are a quick and colorful side dish (they also go with fajitas). Mashed potatoes or fries go well with the beef too.

Pot-Roasted Beef Flank

Falda de Ternera Asada

Trim off fat and connective membrane on the outside of the flank. If using brandy (optional; I used Brandy de Jerez), you can set it alight to burn off the alcohol, if you like, or just boil it briefly before adding the next ingredient.

If possible, brown the meat and the onions in a pot that can go straight to the oven. Otherwise, brown them in a skillet and transfer to an earthenware cazuela or roasting pan. The pan does not need to be covered. 

Fresh thyme, if available, adds a wonderful aroma to the meat while it’s braising. 

After removing the meat from the oven, let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before slicing it across the grain. Cook the liquid remaining in the roasting pan with additional stock to reduce it. Sieve the liquid and discard the solids—onions and herbs. Serve the sauce with the meat. 

Spanish style, the meat would be served accompanied by patatas fritas, Spanish fries. The fries are not expected to be crisp, but are added right to the meat sauce. But you could add peeled potatoes to the pot to roast alongside the beef flank.

Use beef flank, skirt or brisket.

Serves 4-6.

2 pounds trimmed beef flank, skirt or brisket 

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Flour to coat meat

1/3 cup olive oil

2 onions, sliced julienne

6 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons brandy (optional)

1 cup white wine

Sprigs of fresh thyme

Bay leaf

1 ¾ cups beef stock or water

Carrots (optional)

Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Allow it to come to room temperature. Dust the meat on all sides with flour. Pat off excess flour.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Brown meat before adding wine.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven. On moderate heat, brown the meat on both sides. Remove the meat. Add 2 tablespoons more oil. Add the onions to the pan. Sauté the onions until they begin to brown on the edges, 5 minutes. Lightly crush the (unpeeled) garlics and add them to the onions. 

Add the brandy and either flambé it or allow the alcohol to cook off. Add ½ cup of the wine. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Place the meat on top of the onions. Tuck sprigs of thyme and bay leaf around the meat. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over the meat. 

Place the pan in the oven and immediately lower temperature to 350ºF. Roast the meat for 30 minutes. Pour over the remaining ½ cup of wine and any remaining oil. Return to the oven for 30 minutes. 

Turn the piece of meat. Add carrots to the pan, if desired. Add about ½ cup of stock or water. Roast 30 minutes longer, adding stock as necessary, so there is always some liquid in the bottom of the pan. Baste the meat with the juices. 

Roast until meat is tender when tested with a fork, about 30 minutes more (total roasting time, about 2 hours). 

Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the meat to a cutting board. Place the carrots, if using, on a heated platter. Add remaining stock to the onions and juices remaining in the pan. Set the pan over medium heat and cook until slightly reduced. Strain the liquid into a heat-proof bowl, pressing on the solids. Discard the herbs and crushed solids. 

Carve the meat across the grain. Spoon some of the reduced pan juices over the meat. Serve the rest alongside.

More recipes for braised beef:

Braised Oxtail.

Rustic Beef Stew.

Oven Braised Beef Cheeks.

Slow-Cooked Beef Shank.

Boiled Beef Brisket (Cocido).

A COOKIE CONVERSION

I was after a crisp cookie, not overly sweet, sort of like galleta María, the Spanish breakfast cookie. But I wanted to make it vegan, omitting the egg and swapping olive oil for butter. Something was lost in conversion! I wound up with a crumbly cookie, tasty, but no good for dunking in a cup of hot chocolate, coffee or chai.

The results of my galleta experiment remind me of mantecados, typical Christmas cookies, that are usually made with lard. But some variations are made exclusively of olive oil, which probably makes them closer to their origin, Moorish or Sephardic, as, in those cultures, pig fat would have been taboo. 

Not for dunking, my olive oil cookies are soft and crumbly, not crisp. 

 

Chunks of crumbled cookies folded into whipped cream with strawberries--a lovely dessert.

Or, combine the crumbles with heavy cream whipped with chocolate. 

Serve the cookies alongside coffee or tea, with a medium-sweet Sherry or with snifters of brandy or anisette. Save any crumbled ones to crush as a base for custard tarts or cheesecake. Or, fold the crumbs into whipped cream with sliced strawberries. 

Grated lemon zest and cinnamon complement the subtle flavor of olive oil in these cookies. You could also try aniseed, typical in Spanish cookies of this type. Here’s my recipe.

Crumbly Olive Oil Cookies

Mantecados de Aceite de Oliva

Oat flour.

Makes about 40 (2X2 ½ -inch) cookies.

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 ½ cups oat flour

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour + additional to roll out the cookies

¼ cup almond flour (unsweetened)

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Powdered sugar to finish (optional)

In a bowl beat the oil with the two kinds of sugar and the lemon zest. In a mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, all-purpose flour and almond flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir to mix.

Soft cookie dough.

Make a well in the center of the flour ingredients. Pour in the oil and sugar. Mix into the flour to make a soft, smooth dough. Knead briefly to mix completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Have ready 2 baking sheets and 2 sheets of baking parchment.

Roll and cut the cookies on baking parchment, then slide the sheet of parchment onto the baking sheet.

Divide the dough in half. Place one sheet of parchment on work surface. Place one half of the dough on it. Sprinkle rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Use a pastry wheel or knife to cut into rectangles. Slide the sheet of parchment with the cut dough onto one of the baking sheets. Repeat with the second sheet of parchment.

Place the sheets in the oven and bake 10 minutes. Reverse the position of the baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes longer. Remove the sheets from the oven and place them on racks. Let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the sheets.

Cool cookies before removing them from baking sheet.

Sprinkle the cookies with powdered sugar, if desired. Carefully lift them off the baking sheet and place on a platter. 

To make strawberry or chocolate whip: Crumbled some of the cookies. Chill heavy cream and whip it until stiff. Sweeten to taste with powdered sugar. For the strawberry whip, fold in sliced strawberries, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a handful of crumbled cookies. For the chocolate whip, whip  the cream with a big spoonful of unsweetened cocoa powder and powdered sugar to taste. Fold crumbled olive oil cookies into the mixture. Spoon into dessert cups and chill.

More cookies with olive oil:

Crispy Olive Oil Cookies (Tortas de Aceite).

Cookies for crumb crust:

Cheese-Custard Tart with Mantecados Crust.

Recipe for Mantecados (with lard) here.  

SIMPLICITY—WHOLE ROASTED FISH

Sometimes, the easiest way is the best. That’s certainly the case with fish. Why bother with fiddly filleting when it’s easier to cook the fish whole? Fish cooked on the bone stays moister and tastier than cut-up fish. And, once cooked, it’s a whole lot easier to separate the flesh from the bones.

I´ve got a whole bonito (Sarda sarda), a blue fish related to mackerel and tuna (not the same as bonito del norte, which is albacore tuna). The fish weighs about 2 ½ pounds (gutted, with head). The recipe would work with any whole fish of similar weight—bluefish, salmon, sea bass, grouper, snapper, bream—although roasting time will vary with the thickness of the fish. Single-serving-sized fish such as trout, mackerel or bass can also be roasted whole. In this case, there’s no need to fillet them after cooking—let each person de-bone the fish once served.

Whole fish is roasted on a bed of sliced onions, lemons and tomatoes. 

 

This is a two-step procedure. The onions, sliced lemons and tomatoes get 30 minutes of oven time before the fish is added. Their juices with the olive oil and wine make a delicious sauce for the cooked fish.

“Carving” a whole fish is easy, but messy, so do it in the kitchen and serve the fish plated. While filleting the fish, keep the onions, tomatoes and pan juices warm in the oven. Have ready a heated platter to put the fish on. 

Here´s how: If you’ve roasted the fish with head on, remove and discard the head. Scrape the skin from the top fillet. (Discard the lemon slices in the slits.) Use a knife tip to pull away the dorsal fins (all down the back). Slide the knife blade flat along the spine to loosen the top fillet. Divide it lengthwise. Use a spatula or large spoon to lift off the top fillets. (It’s fine to remove them in several pieces.) Place them on the heated platter. With the knife tip, lift the spine in one piece and remove it. 

For the bottom half of the fish, remove any obvious fins and bones (fingers are useful for this) and divide it lengthwise. Gently ease each half off the bottom skin and place the pieces of the bottom fillet on the heated platter. With bonito and similar fish, you may wish to cut away the narrow strip of much darker flesh, the “bloodline.” It is edible, but has a stronger flavor than the rest of the flesh.

Divide the onions, lemons and tomatoes between four dinner plates (preferably heated). Place the fillets on top. Spoon the juices from the baking dish over the fish. 

If you plan to serve the fish cold, de-bone it while still warm. Store the fillets covered and refrigerated.

Serve filleted fish on top of the roasted vegetables. Pour pan juices over the serving.

Roasted fish stays moist.

Roasted Whole Fish

Bonito al Horno

Serves 4.

2 onions

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, slivered

1 lemon

Salt

1 large tomato, sliced

1 bay leaf

1 whole fish, gutted and scaled (about 2 ½ pounds)

½ cup white wine

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Roast layer of onions first.

Cut the onions in half and slice them lengthwise. Put 1 tablespoon of oil in the bottom of a baking dish or roasting pan big enough to hold the fish. Spread the sliced onions in the pan. Add slivers of garlic. Cut the lemon in half and slice it thinly. Add half of the slices to the onions. Sprinkle with salt. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over the onions. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Place sliced tomato on top of the onions and tuck in a bay leaf. Return to the oven for 10 minutes longer.

Place fish, with or without the head, on top of roasted tomatoes and onions. The slits in the flesh help the fish cook thoroughly.

 

While onions are roasting, cut deep slits in the skin and flesh of the fish. Sprinkle inside and out with salt. Insert lemon slices in the slits on one side of the fish. Place the fish on top of the onions and tomatoes in the baking dish. Pour the wine over the fish. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the fish. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Roast the fish until the flesh easily separates from the spine, 25 to 30 minutes. (Use a thin skewer to test it.) Remove the fish from the oven and place it on a heated platter. Turn off the oven and leave the baking dish with the onions in the oven to keep warm.

Fish is easy to fillet once cooked. A messy job, so do it in the kitchen and plate the fish.

Remove skin and bones from the fish. Separate the flesh into fillets. Divide the onions, lemons and tomatoes between four plates. Place fillets on top, spoon pan juices over the fish and serve immediately.

Filleted bonito, enough to serve four.

Onions, tomatoes and wine make the "sauce" for the fish.

More recipes for cooking whole fish:

Horse Mackerel, Biscay Style

Fish Baked in Salt.

Fish Baked with Potatoes.

Baked Fish with Chermoula.

Mackerel in Escabeche.

Whole Trout Stuffed with Serrano Ham.

Grilled Trout Wrapped in Grape Leaves.

Roasted Red Mullet with Picada Sauce.

Pan-Fried Sole.

Another recipe with bonito:

Marinated Bonito with Olives.