Brazilian Fish Stew/ Moqueca

This is my version of Moqueca.  There are plenty of variations out there.  You can choose your own fish/seafood to put in this, but I prefer either sea bass, catfish or snapper.  Enjoy.  This does require marinating the fish for at least a few hours.

    1 chopped green onion
    1 medium yellow onion, chopped
    1 tsp minced fresh ginger (I use the fresh stuff in a tube that you can find in your produce area)
    1 Tbsp ground cumin
    4 large cloves garlic, minced
    7 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
    5 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
    1 1/4 pounds fish cut into 2-inch chunks
    1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
    1/3 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
    1 1/2 cups fish stock (you could also use clam juice, homemade chicken stock, low-sodium canned chicken broth)
    1 cup coconut milk (if I am running low on stock I use extra coconut milk)
    2 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
    1 Tbsp lemon juice (I always use fresh about 1 lemon worth, some people prefer lime juice)
    Sea Salt and ground black pepper to taste
   

Directions

    1. In a bowl, mix together half of the scallion, half of the onion, half of the ginger, and half of the garlic and the cumin. Add 5 of the 7 Tbsp olive oil, and half of the cilantro. Place the chunks of fish in a resealable plastic bag and add the marinade, pressing the bag to evenly coat the fish. Remove all of the air from the plastic bag and seal it. Place the bag in a shallow bowl, making sure the chunks of fish are completely covered by the marinade, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
    2. Take the fish out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350°F
    3. Place the remaining 2 Tbsp of Olive oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the remaining scallion and onion along with the green and yellow bell peppers, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
    4. Add the remaining onions and spices to the pan and cook, stirring to combine, for another minute or until it’s hot. Add the stock and let it come to a full boil. Add the coconut milk and tomato paste and return to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to medium-low or so and simmer the sauce, nice and gently, while you prepare the fish.
    5. In the meantime, place the fish and its marinade in a casserole dish. Pour the lemon juice on top and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake until the fish is not quite cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
    6. Carefully transfer each chunk of fish to the pan with the gently simmering sauce. Add any juices in the dish from the fish and marinade. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook just until the fish is soft and tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
    Sprinkle with the remaining fresh cilantro and serve.

Banana Bread

Here is my favorite Banana Bread recipe.  I am making it this afternoon.  You can add nuts or not, whatever you want.  I like this because I never seem to have shortening and this does not require any.  This is a moist, very banana flavored bread.  YUM.  Simple too.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
7 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:

Makes two regular size loaves of banana bread.

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Blend in the bananas, vanilla and eggs.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. Add to the bread mixture and mix until just combined. Pour into two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans.

4. Bake at 350F. Check on the bread after 35 minutes (it may take up to 60 minutes). Banana bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the banana bread in the pan for 10 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack.