Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Audry's Ecuadorian Spread



My sister Audry is quite simply, a kitchen goddess who whips up the most fantastic food with effortless flair.

I come from a big family and even though I LOVE NYC I miss everyone so much.... but when I really miss them I bring them into my home with nostalgic favourites. Today I made one of Audry's famous spreads- delicious pan fried fish, Ecuadorian style lentils and red onion salsa. It's such a wicked combination of crunchy and soft, tangy and sharp.. so so insanely superb! Every bite is the perfect bite when it comes to this. And now my home has the smells of Audry's home cooking:) It's amazing how sensory food is-if I didn't have it, my bouts of homesickness would be incurable!


Fish:

2 fillets cod
1 teaspoon goya seasoning
3/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
a mixture of olive oil and canola for shallow frying
1 clove garlic with the skin on

Method:
Cut fillet into four portions. Season with goya, salt and pepper. Coat in flour and fry on medium-high heat until it's lovely and golden brown. Place on towel paper and serve hot (you can sprinkle some kosher salt while it's fresh from the pan..or not:)

Lentils:

1/2 cup green lentils
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green pepper
1 small onion finely diced
1 garlic clove smashed
1 teaspoon goya seasoning (it's the one with cilantro in an orange packet)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 kettle boiling water
salt and pepper to taste
a handful of fresh chopped cilantro

Method:
Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onions and peppers- cooking on low heat until they're soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook until it's tender. Add the lentils and goya seasoning, stirring well to incorporate all the flavours. Add enough boiling water to cover the contents by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If the lentils are absorbing the liquid quickly add more water (a little at a time). After 40 minutes the lentils will soften and the liquid will thicken, it will be thick but slightly runny. Top with fresh cilantro.

Onion Salsa Ingredients:
2 medium sized red onions
5 limes
1 lemon
1 large tomato
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Method:
Slice onions as thinly as possible. Soak them in salted cold water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain. In the meantime, juice the limes and lemons. Cut the tomatoes in half, seed them and finely chop it so it's more of a liquid state than a chunky one. Add the onions, salt, olive oil and cilantro. Mix well and cover for at least one hour before serving. This will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so. I can't stress how delicious this is and how splendidly it goes with fish, meat and poultry!

2 comments:

  1. Aha- so it runs in the family...does she have a blog too?

    ReplyDelete
  2. yes it does:) She totally should but has her hands full with a teenage daughter and two babies!!

    ReplyDelete