America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook (20 page)

Did You Know?
The popular children’s stories about Brer Rabbit are actually African folktales retold among the Gullah/Geechee people?

Executive Office Catfish Curry

Washington, DC

SERVES 4

Heart &Soul

Food historian Adrian Miller believes Caribbean influence on American cuisine is often overlooked. In Martha Washington’s
Rules for Cookery,
one finds a fish curry recipe that is attributed to Elizabeth Monroe, the wife of President James Monroe, that most likely came to the colonies by way of the West Indies. Today, curry mixes unique to Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, and other islands comprise the base spice for many staple dishes. Mr. Miller learned the following updated recipe that celebrates the marriage of ingredients from the West Indies and the American South from a chef who created the dish to complement a presentation. “He pepped it up with ginger, garlic, bell peppers, carrots and celery, some heat (piquin chili), and a pinch of brown sugar.”

3 or 4 catfish fillets
1 quart water
2 onions
chopped parsley
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

Clean the catfish fillets and cut into to small pieces.

Over moderate heat, stew the water, fish, onions, parsley, salt, and pepper until the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup.

Remove the fish, cover to keep warm, and reserve.

Rub the butter with the flour, combine with the curry powder, and thicken the gravy with it.

Cook for a few minutes, stirring continuously.

Season with salt and pepper, pour over the fish, and serve immediately.
¹⁹

Chef Jeff’s Pan-Roasted Catfish

Las Vegas, Nevada

SERVES 4

Heart & Soul

“Catfish was a regular staple at granddaddy’s Friday fish fry,” says Chef Jeff Henderson. Grandad deep-fried the fish in a cornmeal breading, along with jumbo shrimp, red snapper and buffalo fish. He liked to change the sides regularly. Chef Jeff’s favorite was the homemade fries and potato salad. His version of this family-style catfish offers a healthier option.

CATFISH

6–8 ounces farm-raised or wild catfish filets
1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
kosher salt to taste
cracked black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, finely chopped
kosher salt to taste
cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Rinse catfish fillets under cold running water, pat fish dry, and season with salt and pepper.

In a non-stick pan over medium heat, add vegetable oil. Once oil is hot, place catfish into pan. Cook until one side is golden brown, 2–3 minutes, then turn fish over. Remove pan from stove and place it in oven. Roast 10–12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Serve over Sautéed Succotash (
page 149
)

Sheila Chadwick’s Stuffed Fish

Indianapolis, Indiana

SERVES 4

Sheila Chadwick is a single parent who has often had to find economical and unique ways to prepare food for her daughters, Anetra and Ashlee. Her stuffed fish recipe was born out of her love for both fish and crab, but when she first made it she never thought the girls would eat it, so she only made enough for one. To her surprise, she says she can “clearly remember sitting the finished product on the counter and watching their mouths drool over it. Luckily for them I was willing to share!” This dish is now a huge hit in Ms. Chadwick’s family. “This is the perfect dish for seafood lovers,” she says. “It’s easy to make and relatively inexpensive, yet the presentation looks as if you’ve spent all day preparing it.”

2 1-pound pieces boneless fish, such as tilapia, snapper, catfish, or sole
8 ounces canned lump crabmeat
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Creole seasoning (
page 235
)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 8-ounce can cream of mushroom soup

Pass It Down TIP

To kick up this presentation a notch with a boost of extra flavor, sprinkle with some paprika or finely shopped parsley.

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, combine the crab meat, mayonnaise, and butter and mix very well.

Add the sea salt, pepper, Creole seasoning, and garlic powder and mix well.

Spoon the crab mixture onto the fish, distributing primarily in the middle. Roll the pieces of fish over the crabmeat mixture and secure the piece closed with a toothpick.

Place the fish in aluminum foil and wrap it loosely, leaving an opening for the steam to escape. Place the package in a baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the flesh is firm and white. While the fish is cooking, heat the cream of mushroom soup in a saucepan. Do not add milk or water to the soup even if the label on the can calls for it.

Once the stuffed fish has completely cooked, remove it from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Place the pieces on a plate and gently remove the toothpicks. Spoon the mushroom soup over the top.

Giselle Colón-Wright’s Mofongo Stuffed with Seafood Stew

SERVES 4

“In Africa and the Caribbean, the tradition of using a starchy vegetable as a hearty filler together with a broth or stew is a common feature of daily cuisine,” writes Giselle Colón-Wright of this favorite family dish. “Generally, in Africa, cassava or other root vegetables are used, but in the Caribbean plantains are often preferred. Whereas in Africa the starchy roots are typically beaten into a floury paste with mortar and pestle, served with a stew of meat and vegetables, in the Caribbean the plantains are fried and then mashed before serving. My father passed down this recipe to me, as it was one of his favorite dishes. Today, my husband helps to maintain it as a part of the food tradition in our family.”

MOFONGO

salt pork with skin (optional)
8 green plantains cut into 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
4 large garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
1–1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 cup canola oil

SEAFOOD STUFFING

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium yellow onion
2 cubanelle peppers
1 large ripe tomato
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup white wine
1 pound of either shrimp, scallops or lump crab meat
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons capers
juice of ½ lemon or lime
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed, stemmed, and chopped for garnish

MOFONGO

Heat a small fry pan and add the salt pork (if using). Fry until the fat is rendered and skin is crispy. Remove the salt pork from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels to drain.

Place the plantain pieces in a large saucepan with salt and adobo seasoning and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and cover for 15 minutes more.

Drain the green plantains from the pot and pat dry. Heat a large fry pan with the canola oil on medium-high heat and add the plantain pieces. Fry until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and reserve the oil.

Place the mofongo in a large mortar and pestle or food processor fitted with a plastic blade. Add the garlic paste and the cooked salt pork, along with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Pound into a smooth paste or, if using a food processor, pulse into a thick, firm dough.

Form the mixture into balls the size of tennis balls and set aside until all are completed.

Reheat the canola oil in which you fried the green plantains. Add the mofongo balls and fry until the outside is crispy. Remove the mofongo balls from the heat and place on a platter. Make a deep indentation in the mofongo using the end of a wooden spoon or a pestle.

SEAFOOD STEW

Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan on medium-high heat and add the garlic, onion, peppers, and tomato. Cook until the onions become softened.

Lower the heat and add the wine and tomato sauce. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by one half.

Add the seafood, oregano, and capers, and mix well. Simmer for about 5–7 minutes or until the seafood is cooked through.

Add the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat.

Fill the center of each mofongo with the seafood sauce and garnish with cilantro and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.