Amazing Brisket
















Amazing Brisket

Marinade

2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of onion powder
2 teaspoons old bay seasonings
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 package of sazon goya
3 tablespoons of Adobo
2 tablespoons of vingar for Marinade
3 tablespoons of vinegar for rinsing brisket
1 cup of white wine (any wine), if you don't have wine you can use 1 can of beer
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 carrots cut up
1 medium onion chopped

1 reynolds baking bag, like the one used for baking a turkey

1 brisket about 4 or 5 pounds

Rinse brisket with vinegar and water, place in bag
Add all above ingredients in a bowl, mix well and pour in bag.  Tie bag and let marinate over night or for a few hours.

Heat oven to 350 F
Bake for 3 or 4 hours, preferably in a dutch oven.

The Best Chilean Sea Bass - The best fish I've ever tasted $$$$

Fried Chilean Sea Bass with Peppers 

4 servings

4 slices or fillets of sea bass
2 limes
Adobo
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
Fresh ground pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove - I use garlic press, because I don't like large pieces of garlic

1 sliced yellow pepper
1 sliced orange or red pepper
2 tbs olive oil
Fresh ground pepper
1 tbs of crushed red pepper flakes (less or more)
1/2 tsp vinegar
salt

Panko bread crumbs
Fresh ground pepper
Salt or adobo
2 eggs slightly beaten add a little water
1 cup of all purpose flour
oil

I rinse fish, coat fish with olive oil, squeeze 2 limes, add pepper, adobo, garlic and cilantro, mix well making sure fish is well coated.  Marinate for about 1 or 2 hours.   Don't leave overnight, because of the lime, it may fall apart, or add all other ingredients and marinate over night and add lime a little before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400 f.
Set out a plate with the egg wash, one with the flour and then another with the panko bread crumbs, season panko with pepper, adobo or salt.

Heat up oil in heavy base frying pan, dredge fish in flour slightly, dip fish in egg wash, then in panko make sure the panko sticks to all sides and place in frying pan, do this to all 4 pieces of fish.

Fry for a few minutes maybe 3 or 4 minutes, on each side making sure it gets golden brown, then place in heat proof pan or aluminum pan and finish cooking in oven.  The amount of time frying depends on how thick the slices of fish are.  The idea is to get fish to a golden brown, it can finish cooking in the oven.  I made this a few days ago and I got fish steaks, which are round instead of fillets and they were pretty thick so the frying was a little longer.

Heat up 2 tbs of olive oil, add red pepper flakes fry for a minute or so, then add peppers, and season with pepper and salt, lastly add vinegar.  Fry for a few more minutes until peppers soften.  Plate dirty rice, fish and colorful peppers over fish.  In picture peppers have been blended in food processor and fried a little more, but I like them better just fried.



Dirty Rice

Dirty Rice

2 or 3 ribs of celery finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped

1/4 cup of green pepper or if you like it spicy, 2 jalapeños finely chopped

1 garlic clove

1 cup of sausage or chorizo or Kielbasa
1 cup of chopped chicken livers and or gizzards (the "dirty" part of the rice)

2 slices of chopped bacon

2 teaspoons of capers

2 teaspoons of olives, with or without pits

oil

salt

Cilantro leaves just a few slightly chopped

I usually cook the chicken gizzards in my pressure cooker with salt and water.  When they are tender I take them out and chop them finely, I'm not crazy about chicken livers, so I only add a few finely chopped, before chopping I rinse and put a little lemon and adobo.  (they do give the rice lots of flavor) 

I heat up approx 5 cups of water and set aside.  I add oil in a pot, cook bacon till crisp, add chorizo or sausage, when pretty well cooked I add onions, garlic, celery, peppers, capers, olives, cook for a little then add chicken gizzards and livers, now I add 3 cups of long grain rice.  I add hot water stir and add salt to taste.  Let it heat up just so that it all mixes well, then I pour everything into an aluminum tray, not to shallow cover tightly with foil paper and place in a preheated oven, probably 400 f.

Cook in over for about 35 minutes, open and stir lightly, if not done close up again and wait a few more minutes.





Arroz con gandules / Rice with pigeon peas

Arroz con Gandules/Pigeon Peas

4 cups of rice (I use Jasmine rice, but you can use long grain rice)
1 can of gandules any brand

2 Tbs olives and capers mixed by Goya or any other brands (I like the ones with the pit)

1 package of Sazon Goya
3 slices of bacon or small piece of fatback (optional)
1/4 cup of oil
6 cups of water
Salt
3 Tbs of sofrito
1/4 bunch of cilantro with stems
4 large cloves of garlic
1/2 large green or red pepper cut in pieces
1 small onion cut in large pieces
Rinse and put everything in blender, use what you need and store the rest.

Add oil to a heavy bottom pot.  Fry bacon cut up in little pieces or fatback once crisp, add olives and capers, gandules, sofrito, and sazon envelope, fry for a few minutes without burning.  Add rice and mix well, salt to taste, then add 6 cups of water, stir and let simmer on high, when water evaporates but still real moist, place a piece of aluminum foil over pot, cover and put flame real low.  Cook for about 15 minutes then open stir rice gently and cover again for another 5 to 10 minutes

Optional:  If your not an expert at making rice and want better texture, try this: heat oven to 400 f, cook rice as above, add water, simmer for 1 or 2 minutes until water is hot, then pour entire pot contents to aluminum baking pan.  I use the disposable kind not too shallow.  Cover pan with aluminum foil tightly and place in oven.  Check after 20 or 25 minutes, if rice still to moist cover and leave a few more minutes.  Rice comes out perfect. 

My version of chicken marsala with my latin flare

Chicken Marsala

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin and pounded

1/4 cup lemon juice or lime juice

1 Cup of Flour

1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp oregano

2 tsp Goya adobo

1/2 dices onion

olive oil

1/2 or 1/4 stick of butter (your taste)

1 12 oz package of sliced portabella mushrooms, the small ones

1/2 cup of Marsala wine

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro (my latin flare)

Mix flour, pepper, garlic, onion, oregano, 1 tsp of adobo.

Dredge chicken cutlets in flour and shake well.

Heat up oil and fry cutlets, do not crowd pan, once chicken is browned place on paper towels.  Make sure oil is not to hot to burn.  Add butter and cook onions, add mushrooms, stir and add chicken pieces back in pan, add Marsala wine, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. 
When you see gravy thicken a little and wine reduced, taste season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Turn off burner, add cilantro and cover for a few minutes.  Delicious.. Serve with white rice or pasta.

Marinade chicken in lemon juice with 1 tsp of adobo for about 10 or 15 minutes.