Recipe: Timorese Grilled Tuna Steaks with Garlic and Butter

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Serves 4 Loads of garlic, butter, and sea salt make this tuna leap for joy. Forget tuna in a can. Fresh tuna steaks are as good, if not better than salmon. Bold and intense, this recipe will transport you to the flavors of East Timor and an incredible meal, as remembered by Karen Coates of Rambling Spoon. Read Karen's story - the inspiration for our recipe. Perfect for Valentine's day, or any special occasion. Ingredients: 4 Tuna steaks 4 Tbsp butter 3 cloves garlic coarse sea … [Read more...]

Recipe: Fried Frog Legs

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Makes 8 legs - Serves 2 What you are about to see is really, really strange. Some of you might be bothered by it. But, I promise, if you stay by my side, we'll get past all the strangeness and enter the amazing world of deep fried food. And, let's be honest, it's hard to go wrong with deep fried food. Ingredients: 8 frog legs (4 pair) For the coating: milk 1/2 cup flour 1 tsp ground thyme 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper Method: First, fill a pot half way with vegetable oil … [Read more...]

Recipe: Callaloo

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Serves 4-6 Callaloo, a luscious green stew made all over the Caribbean, is one of *those* recipes. It's like chili in the US; everyone lays claim to having the "best" version. And every version was made by someone's mama, so you best not mess with it. This version is made by Ava's mamma - me. But.. unlike those other recipes, feel free to mess with mine. After all, I'm a novice Callaloo maker and still have a lot to learn. Given the limitations of supplies around these parts, I went ahead … [Read more...]

Recipe: Smoked Salmon Smørrebrød

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Makes 12 canapés Throughout Scandinavia the smørrebrød, or open faced sandwich is the pretty way to eat lunch. I've turned them into dainty finger food, perfect for parties. Yum! Ingredients: 12 slices of dark rye bread or pumpernickel softened butter 1 package of smoked salmon 1/2 a cucumber, halved & sliced thinly thinly sliced red onion, to taste 1 lemon a few sprigs of fresh dill Method: Slice up all your ingredients so they are ready to go. Then, lay out … [Read more...]

Recipe: Warm Christmas Potato Salad (Seasoned Potatoes with Salt Cod)

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Serves 6 This warm salad benefits from the resourcefulness of Croatians who still enjoy preserved fish with salt. Mixed with creamy red potatoes, a bit of bacon, and green onion - this salad makes a great side dish for any eastern European meal. Ingredients: 1 pound boned, salted codfish 2 lbs red potatoes 3 green onions, sliced thinly fried bacon - 2-4 slices, crumbled olive oil Method: The day before serving: First, gather the salt cod. Salt cod is literally fish packed … [Read more...]

Recipe: West African Shrimp in Avocado boats

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Serves 6 This elegant appetizer showcases creamy avocado and delicate shrimp.  Your guests will never know it only took you a few minutes to throw together (make the shrimp salad an hour or two ahead - cut the avocados immediately before serving). Ingredients: 1/2 lb cooked & cooled shrimp (shelled) 1T ketchup 1T mayo 1/4 of a fresh lime, juice (or to taste) 3 avocados, halved and pitted Method: Cut shrimp into little pieces. Behold the little nuggets of shrimp … [Read more...]

Recipe: Fish with Banana Leaves (Liboke de Poisson)

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Serves 4 Steaming fish in banana leaves - extremely common in Africa - results in a light, healthy dish. Liboke is a congolese word (in the Lingala dialect) for packets of food cooked in banana leaves. Ingredients: 4 fish fillets (I used tilapia, you can use any white fish you like) 4 banana leaves (or sheets of aluminum foil) 1/2 onion, thinly sliced 1-2 tomatoes, thinly sliced lemon juice, to taste salt cayenne pepper Method: First, prepare the banana leaves. Trim off … [Read more...]

Recipe: Boiled Lobster

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Serves 1-2 Cooking a live lobster can be intimidating, but take it one step at a time and you'll have a delicious dinner in no time! Please note this was my first time cooking a live lobster and is written in the hopes of preparing other first-timers for both the process and the emotions involved. Ingredients: 1 lobster (about 2 lbs) salt Method: First, come to terms with what is about to happen. I had a hard time with this step. I stood like this for several minutes. I was … [Read more...]