Hello amigos,
Hope everything is well with your family, friends and in the places you all live. Although I keep myself busy doing the things I do daily, I am deeply saddened with the destruction of storm Sandy in and around my New York state. I invite you to join me in my prayers for those who are still going through a difficult time right now in NY, and especially, for those who are living without electricity or heat in a situation never seen in NYC. We all have been affected in one way or another with the passing of Sandy through our city.
Last evening* while the snow storm was going on I made a soup that I like to share with you. One of the greatest things about living in NYC is our melting pot. The diversity we have in this city is our most valuable assets since we all contribute to the pot by adding our knowledge, cultural values, skills, labor and so on. One of the things I like about this city is the many cuisines and restaurants you can find anywhere throughout the five boroughs. Any food in the world is found here, you only have to look for it and you will find it in New York City.
Many years ago when I first came from the Dominican Republic, I became friends with Martha, an Ecuadorian, and the most kind person I know who gave me shelter when I most needed it. Back then Martha and I were both novice cooks, but her husband was and still is a passionate cook. I still remember a time when Martha’s husband Gilbert came home to find five pounds of shrimps ground into a mass of blended green plantain; the plantain was supposed to be grated to make a Shrimp Sango, a dish from the coast of Ecuador. Many years later and after years of experience eating and cooking Ecuadorian food, the soup I present here today is an improved version of the Sango soup that my friend and I once tried to make without success and to her husbands derision.
In Ecuador as in any other country in the world, the food is a strong aspect of their identity. The Ecuadorian’s gastronomy is characterized for its diversity as for its quality. Its food is a combination of aborigine roots as well as the roots of all the culture that have come after the Spanish conquest of their territory. I have been lucky to live in a community where Spanish food from all over south, central and the Caribbean is easily available making my life and those I share it more fun and without doubt more enjoyable. I will be cooking lots of Ecuadorian dishes, for the most part dishes from the coast of Ecuador since those are the ones I have more experience with. The foods from the coast of Ecuador are characterized by the use of excellent seafood, hot peppers, plantain, yucca, achiote, and peanut butter. I cannot go without mentioning their excellent cazuela de pescado (fish cazuela), seafood – meat bollos, caldo de bolas, sango de pescado, arroz con pollo (chicken & rice) and yes, their “ceviche” which is to die for.
Seafood soup Ecuadorian style
Ingredients:
Serve 6
For the Spanish sofrito:
1 medium red onion
1 medium white onion
2 medium stem tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 small hot pepper
4 cloves of garlic
Fresh cilantro and parsley
Fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon of cumin
For the stock:
2 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon of achiote paste
½ portion of Spanish sofrito
1 chayote diced
1 green plantain grated
1 laurel leave
2 ½ quart of water or chicken stock
For the seafood:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves diced
1 tablespoon cumin
½ portion of the Spanish sofrito
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2 lbs. of little neck clams
½ cup of white wine
1 lb. of prawns – deveined
1 lb. squid
2 tablespoon of peanut butter
Stock
1 lemon
½ cup of milk
Garnishing and presentation:
Fresh cilantro or parsley
Fresh tomatoes, hot sauce, lemon, or chilies (optional)
Note: We need two stockpots for this soup. In one pot we are going to prepare the stock and the vegetable and in the other pot we are going to cook the seafood. The reason for this is simply to avoid that our seafood overcook and became rubbery. The seafood we are using here will be cooked approximately for 4 minutes. If we add the water or stock and wait for the water to boil, by the time the water reach the boiling point, the seafood will be already cooked and the broth will not be ready. I also want to mention that you can substitute any of the seafood items listed here for those of preference or add more if you wish.
Precedure:
For the Spanish sofrito:
In a food processor put all the Spanish Sofritos ingredients and process until it is all mixed. Divide in two equal portions and reserve.
For the stock:
In a stockpot add the oil, the achiote paste and cook for a minute. Add the sofrito, chayote, grated green plantain and cook for two minutes. Add the laurel, the water or chicken and simmer for half hour. Keep it hot until needed.
For the seafood:
In a stockpot add olive oil, garlic cloves, cumin, sofrito and cook for a minute. Add the clams, white wine and cook for two minutes. Add the clean prawns and squid and cook for a minute. Add the peanut butter, lemon, the hot stock, the milk and cook for two or 3 minutes.
The assembly and presentation:
Serve hot in a soup or pasta bowl. Garnish with some of the suggested garnishing listed above. A su salud!
Quote* May our home be warm and our friends be many!
Who is better than your family to approve or disapprove dinner?
Last evening* refers to the evening of the snow storm (October 29, 2012)
This post is also available in: Spanish
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