Sunday Feast № 49 | Grilled Swordfish with Cilantro Chile Vinaigrette

The combination of what I see as Latin flavors of cilantro, chilies, lemon or lime juice, is irresistible to me. The multi-dimensional citrus flavors cut with spicy heat enhance any rich food far better than any of those ingredients alone. Plus, the simplicity of this meal is quite alluring. Think about it: simply grilled fish steak with butter finish, elevated with that kind of a vinaigrette. Have it with crisp dry white wine and good bread to mop up those juices, or maybe skip the latter if you have big fish steaks, and after all, licking the plate is acceptable is certain circumstances. If you can't get swordfish steaks, I hear halibut and fresh tuna are good substitutes. The recipe is very slightly adapted from Food & Wine magazine November 2014 issue (yep, still with the same issue after the pumpkin focaccia): it was the garlic - the cloves I had were big so I downsized from two to one as not to lose the other flavors. And yes, I did use left over vinaigrette like pesto. Fun on the side The same magazine issue made me happy to no end by including a recipe for Yemeni hot sauce. This meant that for once I didn't have to fret over what to do with significant amount of cilantro left behind, which is more often than not the case in my kitchen. This sauce drizzled over roasted vegetables was a divine simplicity. Yet again.

Sunday Feast № 41 | Latin Braise Coc Co Co Coc, or Coconut Braised Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes

The flavor combination read as perfect. Perfect enough to drown the pages with dribbling saliva.    I might be exaggerating, but mussing up of the pages was involved, followed by quick run through the cupboards and the fridge, and a grab for pen and paper to write a shopping list, to make about a half of the original recipe. Then I spaced out on changing the cooking time when recipes are halved, first time around at least, then I learned fast.    Adapting a recipe from from Food & Wine magazine October 2016 issue to a smaller portion, I went ahead and let it braise in the oven for about an hour the original called for. Now being mindful of the fact that the cooking smells, no matter how divine, after lingering overnight are less so, I opened to kitchen backdoor, and thus effectively removed smell as a cue to check in on the chicken. An hour later, I came back to a broken sauce and a rim of burn where it used to be. However, the chicken and potatoes were fine, and there to prove that my initial impetus to make this dish was absolutely justified. Two days later, I remedied the situation. See below. This one is here to stay as an alternative finish-the-chicken-in-the-oven-"go-to" to Pablo's chicken with potatoes and aioli. And that says something.