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 Christmas Recipes

Starter Dishes

Ceviche de Camarones - Shrimp Ceviche, Cuenca, from Galapagos & Ecuador
submitted by, Allie E. Almario, Myths and Mountains

Serves 4

This recipe is courtesy of my friend Juan Piedra, who now lives in Cuenca, Ecuador.  An excellent cook, he had worked for years in many restaurants in New York City before recently retiring and returning to his native country. Dinner at the Piedra household was always a treat -- lots of children, lots of laughter and lots of delicious food that reflected the simple, but hearty, cuisine of Ecuador.  When I recently asked Juan for an easy seafood recipe that would remind me of my favorite destination, the Galapagos, he sent me the recipe below.  It's a crowd-pleaser that I'm sure your readers will enjoy.

Directions: Heat 3 cups of water.  Add salt, pepper and garlic. Once the water is boiling, add shrimp.  As soon as the shrimp changes to a light pink color, remove from stove.  Add shrimp (including the water it was boiled in) to a bowl and toss in the olive oil, lemon, orange, salt, pepper, chopped tomatoes, onions, parsley, cilantro, Accent and ketchup.  Refrigerate for one hour.  This can be served with slices of fried sweet potatoes. -- Juan Piedra.

Salmon/Prawn Jalapeno Cakes from Canada
 submitted by: Patricia Hatchman, First Island Tours, Ltd.

Recipes compliments of Spinnakers Brewpub & Guesthouse, which is one of the stops on Victoria, B.C.'s "Ale Trail." Best served with mugs of India Pale Ale.

Place salmon into a stainless steel bowl and break into very fine pieces.  Add mayonnaise, eggs, Dijon, cayenne, Lea & Perrins, scallions, salt and pepper.  Gently combine these ingredients.  Add the panko breading slowly; you are looking for a firm, but moist, mixture.  Take a small amount of the mixture, form it into a cake and sauté in clarified butter on both sides until crisp.  You want to see that the cake holds together and to ensure proper seasoning.  Form remaining mixture into cakes, cover and store in refrigerator.  When needed, dredge cakes in breading and sauté in clarified butter on both sides until crisp.

I.P.A. Hot and Sour Cucumber & Red Onion Salad Recipe
 submitted by: Patricia Hatchman, First Island Tours, Ltd.

Place marinade on stove and bring to a boil.  Remove from stove and cool.  Combine cucumber and red onion in a bowl just before serving.  Add marinade, toss well, let stand for 5 minutes in refrigerator.  Drain and place a small amount on each hot salmon prawn cake.

Locro de Papa (Potato soup), from Ecuador
submitted by: Doris Welsh, Galapagos Network

Here is a recipe from Ecuador for a delicious typical potato soup from the highlands near Quito. Courtesy of Paola Diaz, Information Officer, at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands.

Fry the sliced onion in the achiote or in the oil, then add the peeled potatoes and the cups of water until the potatoes are covered with the water in a big sauce pan. Add the salt. Boil the potatoes until they are soft, and when they are ready, add the cup of milk (the milk should be added a few minutes before serving). The soup is served with avocado cut in slices.

Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Sear the slices of pineapple both sides until light brown. Serve the pan seared pineapple slices with the Tutu and the stuffed pork roast.

Temptation Plantain
Submitted by :Lucia Anreus, Experience Panama

4 to 5 servings

Hit the plantains on all sides with a wooden spoon to soften. Peel and cut each plantain into pieces. In a large skillet, melt butter and oil on high heat, add plantains, fry until brown. Combine sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and water. Reduce heat to low, and pour liquid over the plantains. Continue cooking until the liquid thickens, about 15 minutes. This dish is a great accompaniment with all meats, rice and other vegetables.

In a bowl we put the oil, the walnuts, the sugar, the orange juice, orange zest, and baking powder.  We mix well the ingredients.  We add the baking soda to the brandy and mix well; we then add it to the bowl with the other ingredients.  We then slowly add the flour to make soft dough.

We take enough dough to form an oval shaped cookie (approximately two inches).  It is customary to decorate the top of the cookie by cross-pressing with a fork, or pressing the cookie on a cheese grate.   We line a cookie sheet with wax paper and arrange the cookies.  We bake at 180º C for about 30 minutes.  When they are done we let them cool on the cooking tray while we prepare the honey syrup.

Honey syrup ingredients

Honey Syrup

In a pot we put the honey, water, and sugar, adding a few drops of fresh lemon juice, and we bring to a boil (approximately 5 minutes).  There will be some foam, which should be removed.   Using a large perforated spoon, dip 5-6 cookies at a time into the (slowly) boiling syrup. Once the cookies have absorbed a little of the syrup, remove with same spoon to a tray to cool and get rid of any excess syrup.  Continue until all cookies have been dipped in the syrup.  We then remove the cookies to a serving tray and sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon, cloves and finely ground walnuts.  This recipe makes about 40 cookies.

Kala Xristougenna!/ Merry  Christmas!

Rice Custard
submitted by, Lucia Anreus, Experience Panama

Cook rice in salted water until tender. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a fork, simmer for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Variations add 1/2 cup of pineapple or shredded coconut or raisins. (Coconut is my favorite)

Ricciarelli - Sienese Almond Cookies from Italy
submitted by Judy Witts Francini, Divina Cucina

Serves about 16 cookies

Grind the almonds. Add the powdered sugar. Combine the baking powder with the flour and fold in. Beat the egg whites until stiff and mix into the almond mixture. Add the almond extract and blend until you have a soft paste.

Place some powdered sugar on a clean, dry surface. Form one tablespoon of dough into a small ball, roll in the sugar, and then form the traditional diamond shape, flattening the cookie with the palm of your hand.

Place the cookies on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.

Ricciarelli are fabulous with tiny cubes of candied orange peel rolled into them and then dipped in chocolate.

Panforte - Sienese Dessert from Italy
submitted by Judy Witts Francini, Divina Cucina

“Everyone should try being Italian at least once a year”

I've made my home in Florence since 1984. I started Divina Cucina in 1988 with a simple aim -- to share my knowledge of Italian cuisine and culinary history with fellow food lovers in and around Florence.  I've lived in Florence among food enthusiasts, exchanging ideas and recipes, frequently lunching with chefs, and developed my own style that is relaxed and entertaining. That's La Divina Cucina's style!

Serves 12


Mix the fruit and nuts together and toss with the flour, spice mixture and cocoa powder.

Heat the sugar and honey together until boiling. Let boil for 1 minute.

Take off the heat and stir in the dried fruit mixture.

Prepare a 9-12 inch round baking pan. Line with parchment paper. Pour mixture into pan.

Bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let cool.
Dust with powdered sugar.

Serve in tiny slices with a glass of sweet dessert wine or a good cup of coffee.

You can also make a more flavorful topping by combining the same spice
mixture and cocoa powder with the powdered sugar for the dusting.

Take husks to where the masa is and have fowl/seasonings mixture at hand. Pick bigger husks. Then, with a spoon, spread the masa over the wider bottom part of husk. Hold husk in your palm while spreading the masa. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of mixture over the masa, then add black olives.

Fold over sides of husk snugly and pull the "tail" of husk up. Set tamales in an upright position in a cooking pot lined with aluminum foil or a steamer. Steam-cook tamales until the masa is easily removed from the husk.

Stuffed Pork Roast King Style from Brazil
submitted by: Judy Ebrey, Cuisine International

Serves 8

In a bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients and reserve.

To butterfly the roast, place the meat vertically over a working board. Imagine that your piece will open like a book. Place a slender knife parallel to the center of the meat cut it all the way to the bottom. Make sure you do not cut all the way through. You should have the first side of the book.

Proceed the same way on the other side, flipping the meat over in order to obtain the second side of the book. You should have now a rectangle. Place a plastic wrapping paper over the rectangle and pound it thoroughly, making the surface evenly flat. Place the meat in a recipient and marinade it for 6 hours.  

For the filling:

Preparation:

Cook the baby carrots in boiling water for 1 minute. Place them in a bowl with ice and water for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve. Repeat the same procedure with the bell peppers. Using your fingers, flatten the prunes and the apricots, and reserve.  Place the meat flat on a working surface and brush off the excess marinade. Spread the mustard over the meat and start arranging the ingredients of the filling ingredients lengthwise, alternating the rows of ham, carrots, peppers, prunes, apricots and olives.

Cover the meat and rows of ingredients with plastic wrapping paper and press firmly down with your hands. Take the paper off and start rolling the meat lengthwise, pressing down firmly to make sure all the ingredients are held in tightly. You will have a cylinder-like shape. Tie the roast with a string until it becomes a firm, solid piece. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the stuffed meat in a roast pan coated with oil and sear over direct heat on each side till golden. Remove from heat. Pour 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of orange juice around the roast pan, spread onions cut in 2-inche squares, and bake it for 45 minutes to 1hour and 15 minutes, according to the thickness of the roast.  

Baste a few times and add more liquid to the roasting pan if needed.  Let the roast cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. Remove the strings with a pair of scissors and cut the roast lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices. Heat the roast pan over medium heat, add 2 cups of orange juice and bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom of the roast pan to collect all the juices. Strain and put on a serving bowl.

Place the meat slices on a platter; garnish with parsley, prunes, apricots, parsley and tropical flowers, if available.

Petto di Tacchino al Sedano, Rapa E Zucca - Roasted Turkey Breast with Celery Root & Squash, submitted by Kim Lloyd, Villa Delia Tuscany Cooking School

Umberto Menghi would like to invite you to share with him the good times he has had with food, the pleasure of entertaining people and the lovely lifestyle of the restaurant business. Besides his restaurant business, he invites you to look around at his newest, Villa Delia Cooking School. “Come in and experience my taste for life. Buon appetito."

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Remove the breast meat from the bone in one piece, keeping on as much of the skin as possible. Chop the bones into 2- inch/5-cm pieces and set aside.  Rub the breast with dried sage and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a medium-sized heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.  Add the breast, skin side down. Cook until the skin is well browned, approximately 5-8 minutes.

Remove the breast from the skillet and set aside. Add the chopped bones and the onion to the skillet and cook until the onions are golden brown, approximately 5-6 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs and chicken stock, lower the heat and simmer 5-8 minutes. Add the turkey breast.  Place in the preheated oven for approximately 20-25 minutes.

While the turkey is roasting, heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the squash, celery root, brown sugar and sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook over medium heat for approximately 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

When the turkey is done, remove from the oven, cover and set aside. Strain the juices from the skillet into a small saucepan and set over high heat to reduce the liquid (approximately 5-8 minutes), skimming if necessary. Adjust the seasoning and drizzle with the lemon juice.

Place the turkey breast on warm dishes, spoon the sauce over and garnish with the vegetables. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.