Category Archives: Recipes

Tuscan Cacciucco Fish Stew

A variety of fish, tomatoes, and onions makes for a delicious meal.

Cacciucco is a fish stew commonly made in the Northern Tuscany seaport of Livorno. At the end of a day at sea and after auctioning off the fish to both locals and fish markets, the fisherman takes his fresh fish and puts it into a pot with onions, garlic and fresh tomatoes topped off with a dash or two of red pepper! This flavorful dish takes your imagination directly to a beach restaurant where you sit outside on a deck, feeling the breeze gently on your face and saltwater fish in every tasty bite.

Serves 6

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds (1/2 to 1 kilo) of mixed fish (see list below)
  • A half a medium onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • A bunch of parsley, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 pound sliced fresh or canned plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • Salt to taste
  • Crumbled or minced hot red pepper (about a half teaspoon, or to taste)
  • Toasted Italian bread rubbed with garlic

Preparation:

Ingredients for Cacciucco or Fish Stew

Fish: Go with what’s in season, keep it cheap! Example: sole, mullet, catfish, dogfish, goby, squid, octopus, fresh shellfish and shrimp. Chop the large fish, but leave the small ones whole.

Direction: Sauté in olive oil the onion, parsley, and garlic in the oil in a deep bottomed pot (5 minutes). Once the onion has turned translucent, add fish and turn with other ingredients in pan, (3 minutes).  Add wine, when the wine vapors are released (1 minute), stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt the mixture to taste. This is one of the few spicy Northern Italian dishes, add in red pepper.

Simmer the Cacciucco until the fish is done, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, toast several slices of bread and rub them with a crushed clove of garlic.  Once the fish is done, line the bottoms of your bowls with the toasted bread, ladle the Cacciucco over them, and serve.

Spiced Rice

Spiced Rice may be served with: Curry, Stews, Sauces. Here presented with almonds and soy beans

Flavorful rice that can be a great additive side dish, especially with curry, stews and sauces. See instructions below to add a creative aspect to this delicious plate!

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cup’s Rice
  • ½ onion diced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 4 whole cloves
  • ½ cinnamon bark (1 inch or 2.5 cm in length)
  • 2 cloves of cardamom
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tsp turmeric (optional)

Rice should be washed by placing into a bowl and covered with water, carefully remove water. Repeat process 3 times.   Allow rice to remain in water for 30 minutes, remove water from rice and set aside. (If rice is not pre-soaked add another ½ cup water to dish when rice is added to pan for a total of 3 ½ cups)

Over medium heat add oil to a large frying pan with onion, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom; cook for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add rice and incorporate well with onion and spices.  Add 3 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Fluff rice with 2 forks and recover pan.

BE CREATIVE:

  1. May add vegetables to this dish before water is added to rice.
  2. May add Saffron or Tumeric to dish at end of cooking.
  3. Rice can be placed into a mold pan upon completion of cooking.  Allow to cook for 20 minutes, invert pan to release formed rice and top off with almonds and soy beans.

Suggested dishes to accompany Spiced Rice: Permjit’s Chicken Curry, Paratha, Raita,  Chicken or Veal Parmesan, Florence Italy’s Peposo

Raita

Serve Raita with Permjit's Chicken Curry

Raita adds flavor to any Indian meal and also assists in cooling down the palate’s “hotness” brought on by the spices used in food preparation. Serve on the side with Permjit’s Chicken Curry,  Paratha,  Spiced Rice

Serves 6-8

  • 500 g low fat yogurt
  • 1 Cucumber shredded (remove water of cucumber)
  • 1 Carrot Shredded
  • 1 ½ tsp Roasted Cumin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 pinches black salt

    In a bowl, whisk yogurt for 3 minutes, this will add air and provide a lighter taste to the Raita.  Add all ingredients to yogurt and continue to whisk together. Set aside in refrigerator.

    Paratha

    Paratha

    Paratha is a bread that accompanies Indian dishes that resembles a tortilla. Paratha can be made plain or may have spices kneaded into the dough.

     

     

     

     

     

    Serve with Permjit’s Chicken Curry, Raita, Spiced Rice

    Serves 10-12 Paratha

    Ingredients:

    • 2 ½ cups wheat flour (wheat flour may be softened (OR may substitute 1 1/2 cups wheat flour and 1 cup white flour.)
    • ¾ c cold water

    Heat a tortilla pan over medium heat.

    In a large bowl add ingredients together to make a soft, but slightly sticky, dough mass. Break pieces of dough off the size of tennis balls (for smaller Paratha use golf ball size dough pieces).

    Knead dough until soft but slightly sticky.

    Flatten and roll into a circular disk with a thickness of a dime.

    Roll out dough until thin as a coin.

    Place dough disk onto hot pan and allow to cook about 1 minute per side, until slightly brown or toasted. Air pockets will appear and may even become pillow like if left on the heat. Remove and place into a basket to keep warm. Repeat cooking instruction until completed.

    Place dough onto heated pan to quickly fry Paratha

    Permjit’s Chicken Curry

    Chicken Curry

    Curry, a general name that sends most salivary glands into over drive.   This recipe has journeyed from India, Africa, America and Europe delighting the taste buds of many and providing dietary medicinal benefits as well. The following curry sauce is easy to do.  Follow the directions to achieve a tasty dish just by simply layering in the flavors.

    Two important tricks to making this recipe are:  1. Keep 2 cups of water on hand to slow down cooking . 2. Constantly stir to prevent food from overcooking.  Serves 6

    • 2 onions finely minced (emulsified)
    • 1/2 c.  oil (may use:  sunflower, vegetable, canola, peanut , or olive)
    • 2-3 bay leaves
    • 1 tsp Roasted Cumin (may warm cumin in a dry pan over low heat for 1 minute)
    • 2 cups water (to be used in small amounts through out cooking)
    • 1 Tbsp Ginger
    • 4 Green Chilies diced (may add 2 more chilies for a spicy flavor)
    • 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic (5 Garlic Cloves)
    • ¼ c yogurt
    • 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
    • 2/3 c Tomato Sauce
    • 5 lb’s( or 2 kilo) cubed chicken
    • ½ c Cilantro
    • 1 ½  tsp Salt
    • ½ tsp Saffron or Tumeric
    • 2 tsp Fenugreek (or Methi Sookhi)
    • 1 tsp Cumin

    Begin by peeling and then mincing 2 onions add 1/4 cup water to emulsify the onions.

    Over medium heat, add oil to a large pan along with onions, cumin and bay leaves. Allow ingredients to saute` for 8 minutes until brown, stirring constantly as to not burn! Next, stir in 1/2 cup water to slow down cooking and prevent onion from burning.

    Combine ginger into onion base and allow to cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring. Blend in Chiles and Garlic saute` for 1 minutes.  Add 1/4 cup water.

    Incorporate the cubed chicken breasts  into onion and spice base, the chicken is white after 5 minutes.

    Add in the Yogurt, Tomato Paste and Tomato Sauce always stirring for about 5 minutes.

    Lastly stir in one at a time, cilantro, salt, saffron/turmeric, Fenugreek, Cumin add in rest of water (about 1 cup of water.) Allow all flavors to simmer together for about 2 minutes.  DONE!!!

    Serve with Paratha bread,Spiced Rice, Raita

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