Thursday, August 13, 2009

Daring Cooks' #4 Spanish Seafood Rice

Spanish Seafood Rice and a lesson in chemistry
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
August Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Olga from Las Cosas de Olga and Olga’s Recipes she chose a delicious Spanish recipe, Rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes by José Andrés, one of the most important Spanish Chefs at the moment. The recipe is from his US TV show Made in Spain. I hope you enjoy it. (Please note tips (2) and (3) at the bottom for alternative cooking). He trained under well-known Ferran Adria at his three Michelin star restaurant El Bulli. José Andrés lives now in Washington DC and he owns several restaurants in Washington DC area (El Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel…).

Thank you Olga for this month's challegene it really shows off the Spanish flair for seafood and rice.

This is one magnificent dish the first flavour you notice is the seafood taste of the rice then you get the taste of the sofregit and saffron and when you eat the dish the textures of the rice, seafood, artichokes, mushrooms just work to perfection – if you cannot get fresh artichoke use only ½ the amount of marinated artichokes since they are much stronger tasting than fresh – also I think okra a green vegetable would be very nice. The allioli is incredibly potent only do 1/3 cup of the recipe below (i.e. use only one clove of garlic and 1/3 cup of olive oil) and I only used about ½ teaspoon on my serving and yes it did take 23 mins to do the whole process very tedious. I did half the reveal recipe and it served 4 people for lunch with crispy bread and fruit salad as afters. I used sushi rice it was exactly right for this dish it absorbed the liquid it was creamy and held all the ingredients together and its tooth bite was a slight contrast to the other ingredients it worked very well. I added ½ tablespoon of powdered seaweed in the fish stock to increase its 'seafood' taste. Also I added some Spanish chorizo sausage it really adds a nice touch to the dish and it doesn't make the dish taste any less 'seafoody'. I used all fish stock since my guests had ethical problems with wine. Please use fresh bay leaf if you can it really does make a huge difference.

Allioli
Allioli this is very very pungent but great in small amounts. I think the final colour depends a lot on the colour of the olive oil that you use, my olive oil was very green and its taste was fruity which I think helps the final colour and taste, my three guests all liked it (in small amounts). Don't make too much. I was expecting it to be white like garlic mayo. See a full and detailed recipe with quantities below.

Ingredients for allioli
Photobucket
Grinding the garlic as finely as possible
Photobucket
Prepared allioli
Photobucket

Sofregit
Sofregit (a well cooked and fragrant sauce made of olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and onions, and may at times have different vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms) – this is wonderful (I will be making this again and again) it is so aromatic and sweet tasting I will be having the leftovers on cheese toast tomorrow. It tastes of summer very 'fruity' with a great vegetable overtone.

Ingredients for the sofregit
Photobucket
Cooking the sofregit
Photobucket
The finish sofregit
Photobucket

Ingredients for the rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes
Fresh artichokes and saffron
Photobucket
Cleaned artichokes remember to use some lemon juice to stop browning of the hearts
Photobucket
Rice, cuttlefish, prawns (shrimp), clams, mussels, octopus, squid, Spanish chorizo sausage , saffron, bay leaves and mushrooms. I used about 250grams of seafood for the half recipe - this was plenty it felt generous when eating the dish. I used only one half sausage chopped again plenty. Sushi rice worked very will indeed it really absorbed all the liquid and flavour so is very tasty in the final dish.
Photobucket
Salmon heads for fish stock – lightly fry in olive oil add water and simmer for 30 mins - one salmon head yields 2 1/2 cups of stock, or 1 kg of fish heads gives 3-4 litres of stock. There is no need to add anything else to this fish stock since the sofregit adds the extra flavours needed to complete the final dish. I added 1/2 tablespoon 'seaweed' powder leftover from the last DC challenge to the stock also. If you simmer too long the stock will go bitter. Strain through a fine sieve discard all solids. Skim any fat off the top of the strained liquid.
Photobucket
Cooking the recipe
Photobucket

Final dish
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

Recipe for one cup of allioli
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic – peeled
1 cup (25 cl) extra virgin olive oil – If at all possible use Catalan arbequina olive oil. Failing that, use a mild Greek or Italian extra virgin olive oil.
1 pinch salt
A few drops of lemon juice
How to prepare allioli
1.Peel the garlic cloves and cut them in half lengthwise to check if they have greenish shoots. If you see sprouts, cut them off, and discard them. Garlic sprouts make it more difficult to bind the allioli, and they make it much too hot as well. If you are sure that the garlic is very fresh, just peel the cloves, and you can begin to mash them in the mortar without cutting them in half.
2.Drop the garlic cloves in your mortar, add a pinch of salt, the lemon and start pounding with the pestle.
3.Pound and mash the garlic and the salt with the pestle until you obtain a very fine and smooth paste. This step is essential for binding garlic and olive oil properly with mortar and pestle. If your garlic paste is not smooth and fine enough, the allioli will tend to break much easier.
4.Now, while you stir the mixture with the pestle in one hand, start adding the olive oil very slowly, almost drop by drop, with the oil dispenser that you hold in the other hand.
5.Stir constantly and always in the same direction, describing circular movements, until you obtain a thick paste. In the picture, you can see the texture of an authentic allioli in Catalan style.

For vegans I found squid flavoured tofu the packaging says vegetarian but it's only made of spiced tofu and yes it does taste like squid.
Photobucket

Costs about $4.18 per serve for lunch - I could of saved $1 per serve if I had left out the artichoke and replaced it with asparagus which was on special only 10c per bunch. I think asparagus would go well with this dish.
Photobucket

Spanish seafood allioli nori rolls
I made another batch of seafood rice this morning but we decided to go on a picnic since the weather was so nice. What to do with the cooked seafood rice dish? I made nori rolls. To the cooled dish I added some deep fried squid tofu, a lot of allioli, and a touch of the following ingredients oyster sauce, seaweed powder, wasabi power and lemon powder then I wrapped them in nori sheets. They are surprising good as nori rolls. We had a great time on Sydney Harbour looking at the sailing ships and walking across the bridge. Great picnic food very tasty and the rolls had a real kick to them which was great on a clear sunny winter's day on the harbour. You can have a lot more allioli in the cold dish then in the hot dish.
Wrapping Spanish seafood rice with allioli in nori sheets
Photobucket
Formed Spanish seafood allioli nori rolls.
Photobucket
Photobucket

The Chemistry Lesson
One of the Daring Cooks' msmflo said "Your sushi rolls are such a wonderful idea!" and "I am posting because for the life of me, it got me boggled why your allioli is dark green in colour when its suppose to be a creamy off white. The chemist in me meant that I must get an answer for it lol. I spend the day rifling through my chemistry books and I think the answer lies in the oil and the garlic that you use as compared to the other participants uses.

You are using extra virgin olive oil. Is that a first pressed /cold pressed extra virgin oil? Is it really dark in colour (yes I think you mentioned it was really green)? May I know what kind of olive oil are you using? Is it just normal olive oil which is light in colour or is it dark green as well?

Cold pressed/first pressed extra virgin oil actually contains a large amount of chlorophyll in it. nd i think that is what causes the allioli to turn green in colour as when you grind it. also note that garlic contain sulphur compounds which can react with copper to form copper sulphate, (blue/blue-green/aquamarine). This enzyme that changes the colour of garlic only happens to raw garlic as heat destroys the enzyme that's why cooked garlic would not turn blue and green. Still, the grinding of the garlic is an effective way of breaking the garlic's internal membranes and mixing with the cells chemicals that when react together with an acidic catalyst (in this case is the citric acid of the lemon) to create the green pigment. From the microchemical journal, it is stated that "The dependency of the trace elemental content of olive oils is dependent on their geographical region" and traces of copper can be found in extra virgin olive oil. although it is quite minute (about 1.5 microgram).

So that's why the aioli was green? I need answers."

I answered Yes Ma! Here are your answers. Girl I just love your questions - yes I just looked at the very very expensive bottle of olive oil I used and YES it is I quote "a first and cold pressed extra virgin olive oil that is grown in the mineral [i.e. copper] rich soils of South Australia using an ancient wooden oilve press imported from the old country so retaining large amounts of the green chlorophyll found in olives hence its vivid colour and depth of fruity taste". And it is the strongest green colour it is great on bread. Also the garlic was from friends in the Hunter Valley (a wine growing region close to Sydney) with Grey Dermosol type soil with a well structured B2 horizon containing low levels of free iron. The parent materials of dermosols range from siliceous, intermediate to mafic in composition. Also in these soils decreased iron availability increases copper and sulphur uptake by plants...like garlic for example.....

You are one clever cookie well done bravo I like smarties. Now everybody knows - what low iron garlic and high copper olive oil with high chlorophyll gives - green allioli LOL LOL

I will try it again without the lemon juice (i.e. the citric acid) and see what happens.

I made the allioli using no lemon juice to compare the colours, my olive oil is a very green colour. I used the same garlic in both batches.
Left side made with lemon and the right side made without lemon.
Photobucket
As you can see the colour difference is huge even without lemon juice it still is yellow-green. Thanks for the chemical analysis and chemistry lesson msmflo.
Here endth the lesson

I had a late afternoon BBQ for some very close friends and mates. I made another batch but I decided to plate it in a more dramatic manner. Sorry for the harsh shadows but the available lighting wasn't the best of photos. I made the rice dish a bit drier so I could mould it using an old tuna-fish can (never throw them away they are great of several purposes). I used cooked asparagus shavings on the side of the moulded rice seafood. I used the allioli with some white wine vinegar as a dressing (which makes it more runny than normal) on the cherry tomatoes, cut asparagus and seafood rice. Simple plating and so yummy, I love this dish very easy and tasty. And it's cheap so long as you use seasonal fish and veges.
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
The dessert was a wild cherry marshmallow swirl roll with cream and wild cherry jam. The pink marshmallow is cherry flavour the white is vanilla. I have never made this before and it worked out well I thought. The design was based on something I saw in a bakery in Sydney which looked so cute. Just concocted (no recipe) at the last moment since I was making something else that needed marshmallow and wild cherry and I had spare ingredients.
Photobucket

Rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Equipment:

1 Chopping Board
1 knife
1 medium saucepan
1 Paella pan (30 cm/11” is enough for 4 people. If not available, you may use a simple pan that size)
1 Saucepan
Ingredients (serves 4):
4 Artichokes (you can use jarred or freezed if fresh are not available)
12 Mushrooms (button or Portobello)
1 or 2 Bay leaves (optional but highly recommended)
1 glass of white wine
2 Cuttlefish (you can use freezed cuttlefish or squid if you don’t find it fresh)
“Sofregit” (see recipe below)
300 gr (2 cups) Short grain rice (Spanish types Calasparra or Montsant are preferred, but you can choose any other short grain. This kind of rice absorbs flavor very well) – about 75 gr per person ( ½ cup per person) Please read this for more info on suitable rices.
Water or Fish Stock (use 1 ½ cup of liquid per ½ cup of rice)
Saffron threads (if you can’t find it or afford to buy it, you can substitute it for turmeric or yellow coloring powder)
Allioli (olive oil and garlic sauce, similar to mayonnaise sauce) - optional

Directions:
1.Cut the cuttlefish in little strips.
2.Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and put the cuttlefish in the pan.
3.If you use fresh artichokes, clean them as shown in the video in tip #7. Cut artichokes in eights.
4.Clean the mushrooms and cut them in fourths.
5.Add a bay leaf to the cuttlefish and add also the artichokes and the mushrooms.
6.Sauté until we get a golden color in the artichokes.
7.Put a touch of white wine so all the solids in the bottom of the get mixed, getting a more flavorful dish.
8.Add a couple or three tablespoons of sofregit and mix to make sure everything gets impregnated with the sofregit.
9.Add all the liquid and bring it to boil.
10.Add all the rice. Let boil for about 5 minutes in heavy heat.
11.Add some saffron thread to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. Stir a little bit so the rice and the other ingredients get the entire flavor. If you’re using turmeric or yellow coloring, use only 1/4 teaspoon.
12.Turn to low heat and boil for another 8 minutes (or until rice is a little softer than “al dente”)
13.Put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand a couple of minutes.

Sofregit (a well cooked and fragrant sauce made of olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and onions, and may at times different vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms)-
Cooking time: aprox. 1 hour
Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
5 big red ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 small onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
4 or 5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup of button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped (optional)
1 Bay leaf
Salt
Touch of ground cumin
Touch of dried oregano
Directions:
1.Put all the ingredients together in a frying pan and sauté slowly until all vegetables are soft.
2.Taste and salt if necessary (maybe it’s not!)

Allioli is the optional part of the recipe. You must choose one of the two recipes given, even though I highly recommend you to try traditional one. Allioli is served together with the rice and it gives a very nice taste
Allioli (Traditional recipe)
Cooking time: 20 min aprox.
Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, peeled
Pinch of salt
Fresh lemon juice (some drops)
Extra-virgin olive oil (Spanish preferred but not essential)
Directions:
1.Place the garlic in a mortar along with the salt.
2.Using a pestle, smash the garlic cloves to a smooth paste. (The salt stops the garlic from slipping at the bottom of the mortar as you pound it down.)
3.Add the lemon juice to the garlic.
4.Drop by drop; pour the olive oil into the mortar slowly as you continue to crush the paste with your pestle.
5.Keep turning your pestle in a slow, continuous circular motion in the mortar. The drip needs to be slow and steady. Make sure the paste soaks up the olive oil as you go.
6.Keep adding the oil, drop by drop, until you have the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise. If your allioli gets too dense, add water to thin it out. This takes time—around 20 minutes of slow motion around the mortar—to create a dense, rich sauce.
José's tips for traditional recipe: It's hard to think that, when you start crushing the garlic, it will ever turn into something as dense and smooth as allioli. But don't give up. It's worth the extra time and effort to see the oil and garlic come together before your eyes. Just make sure you're adding the olive oil slowly, drop by drop. Keep moving the pestle around the mortar in a circular motion and keep dreaming of the thick, creamy sauce at the end of it all.

Allioli a la moderna (Modern recipe)
Cooking time: 3-4 minutes
Ingredients:

1 small egg
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (as above, Spanish oil is highly recommended)
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 Tbs. Spanish Sherry vinegar or lemon juice (if Sherry vinegar is not available, use can use cider or white vinegar)
Salt to taste
Directions:
1.Break the egg into a mixing bowl.
2.Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic cloves, along with the vinegar or lemon juice.
3.Using a hand blender, start mixing at high speed until the garlic is fully pureed into a loose paste.
4.Little by little, add what's left of the olive oil as you continue blending.
5.If the mixture appears too thick as you begin pouring the oil, add 1 teaspoon of water to loosen the sauce.
6.Continue adding the oil and blending until you have a rich, creamy allioli.
7.The sauce will be a lovely yellow color.
8.Add salt to taste.
José's tips for modern recipe:
(1) If you do not have access to a hand blender, you can use a hand mixer (the kind with the two beaters) or a food processor. If you use a food processor, you must double the recipe or the amount will be too little for the blades to catch and emulsify.
(2) What happens if the oil and egg separate? Don't throw it out. You can do two things. One is to whisk it and use it as a side sauce for a fish or vegetable. But if you want to rescue the allioli, take 1 tablespoon of lukewarm water in another beaker and start adding to the mix little by little. Blend it again until you create the creamy sauce you wanted.
Olga’s Tips:
(1) In Spain, rice is not stirred as often as it is when cooking Italian risotto. You must stir it once or twice maximum. This tip is valid for all Spanish rice dishes like paella, arròs negre, arròs a banda…
(2) When cooking the alternative style you can change the cuttlefish or squid for diced potato.
(3) If you can’t find cuttlefish or squid, or you’re not able to eat them because of allergies, you can try to substitute them for chicken or vegetables at your choice.
(4) Sofregit can be done in advance. You can keep it in the fridge or even freeze it.
(5) For more information on how to clean and remove the heart of artichokes, please watch this video
(6) To watch how Jose Andres cooks this dish click here.
(7) For more information on how to clean and remove the heart of artichokes, please watch this video
(8) To tone down the taste when you do it by hand in a mortar, then add an egg yolk. If you want to tone it down in the alternative way use milk or soy milk. Anyway, the best alternative way is the original oil and garlic alone.
(9) Allioli must be consumed during the preparation day and preserved in the fridge before using it.
(10) For help on conversion on metric to imperial, visit this page.

52 comments:

Rose said...

Hello Audax! Well done (as usual) on a challenge well met. I really enjoyed seeing the different variations you did on both the presentation of the rice and the allioli! Sushi rice, hm? I should try that! Although one of my favorite ways to enjoy sushi rice is in a bowl with a ton of furikake and a side of nori! I so enjoy your contributions to The Daring Kitchen. You are a treasure of knowledge! Hope you have a lovely day.
~Cheers~ Rose

msmflo said...

Audax! Your post are so detailed and great to read even though I had been reading about the challenge in the forum for what seemed like the longest time now.

Thanks for linking me, and again, I must correct myself, Acid in lemon is Citric Acid. I was on drugs (must be) when i said it has Acetic Acid (Vinegar). Makes myself look bad *blush*

does that meant that I can publish my post?

Once again, the sushi rice roll is still IMHO, BRILLIANT!

Karen | Citrus and Candy said...

I actually loved the garlic aiolli in all its pungentness - we added quite a lot to our rice! In fact we didn't have enough aiolli cos we couldn't stop dipping our fingers in it while we were cooking! But this is of course coming from someone who never thinks there's enough garlic!

I loved this month's challenge. Anyhow my post is up as well (from a fellow Aussie). Cheers!

Tres Jolie Studios said...

Looks wonderful Audax!!

I really love the idea of rolling the rice up into a nori roll. I bet it was delicious!!

Are these photos from your new camera??

Jenni said...

You're posts are always so informative and inspiring! Way to go!

Lisa said...

Aud, I don't even know where to start. Seeing your entry makes me wish i had participated (I made ribs instead lol). I love the addition of the chorizo, and the Nori rolls are fantastic..what a presentation! Jose would love it! I also love your science lesson :) You are truly a master of all things edible! PHENOMENAL job and lovely photos as always!

Lisa said...

Aud, I don't even know where to start. Seeing your entry makes me wish i had participated (I made ribs instead lol). I love the addition of the chorizo, and the Nori rolls are fantastic..what a presentation! Jose would love it! I also love your science lesson :) You are truly a master of all things edible! PHENOMENAL job and lovely photos as always!

Eat4Fun said...

Wonderful job on your DC Challenge! As always, you did a great job exploring the in's and out's of this recipe. Chemistry lesson too!

Delicious looking results and nori rolls! Everything looks great!

Simones Kitchen said...

I had ofcourse already seen the photos of your finished challenge on the daring kitchen forum, but wow, I am always impressed with how you manage to make something so quickly after the challenge is posted. You are the first person to check if I run into any troubles along the way! (which I unvariably do..lol)
Love your results and then the variations!

morgana said...

Wow!!! You're so brave! It's not easy to make homemade allioli...

Jose Andres is so nice... He had a TV show in Spain And I was addicet to it, it was quite fun. I'm glad to see a spanish challege here. Olga is brave too. ;-) Good job. It's 9:30 and I'm so hungry now that I'd take some of this rice for breakfast. I'm a little bit ashamed about this, but your photos are too "explicit".

Corry said...

Audax.

You are fantastic. Great effort and post. You always make everything look and sound so good. I'm not into things with tentacles and my husband is not a fan of paella and similar so I opted not to do this challenge.

Unknown said...

Audax, what can I say? You're a master. Thanks so much for you help during this challenge. I think I wouldn't have been able to answer all questions without your help. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

Anna said...

As always - million photos and so many variations of one recipe. Great job! Yes, the Allioli... I was dissapointed with that but it seems it's not my fault at all ;)
Cheers from rainy Ireland!

Junie Moon said...

Every time I read your posted results regarding one of the Daring Kitchen challenges, I feel both inspired by your culinary creations and humbled when I consider my own weaker efforts. Either way is still a good opportunity for me to learn. This challenge is no exception and, once again, you've far surpassed what I imagined can be done with our recipe challenge. Wonderful!

Valérie said...

Great job, everything looks delicious! And thank you for the chemistry lesson! It's funny that you made nori rolls, I also made a Japan-inspired variation.

Simon said...

Hi :)

Some interesting interpretations of the paella e.g. nori roll, and so much detail with your post! Nice post. Had fun reading it all :)

Found the whole green aioli thing quite interesting. Mine came out yellow but that was due to a combination of the colour of the oil used and the garlic itself.

Lauren said...

Wonderful job Audax!! All of your versions look absolutely divine. Not to mention all of the information - priceless.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Wonderful as always Audax! I am always impressed by how quickly you make every challenge to display it on the forum and the tips and explanations you give are always helpful.

I love your presentation -- you always think out of the box!

I did not make the allioli as my husband can't tolerate garlic anymore and I would have had to eat it all myself and I wanted to be kind to people who came in contact with me the next day :-)


I was surprised that the saffron did not turn my dish a nice yellow or red color. I believe the portobello mushrooms gave the dish a slightly brown color, and I would use white ones instead next time.

Happy one year anniversary!

Jenn said...

I love how you really took this challenge to town - so many great variations!! Thanks for all the allioli help too!

Esther said...

I do love your entries to the challenges both your speed and the way you try so many things. I loved the chemistry lesson so much I have linked to it on my entry.

Amy I. said...

Blown away by your efforts and creativity. You're an inspiration!!

Anonymous said...

Audax, thank you for your kind comment on my cookies! Kudos to you again, for your sushi rolls made out of the fabulous paella. I've been enjoying your macaron posts too. Cheers!

Charli said...

Clever ideas with the nori rolls! Those sound really good :)

And $4/serving? Not bad for something that usually costs 10x that at a restaurant!

cristina said...

Thank you very much! Your paella is amazing like everything you do. I admire your creativity and originality to invent dishes even with the remains. Congratulations also for your cakes in the Darings Bakers. By the way, whatmeans "lang's"?

Rosemary & Garlic said...

What a great post! The individual servings were a wonderful idea. My fingers start aching when I think about the aioli and the 24 minutes... Next time I will use my wonderful mixer.

Barbara Bakes said...

Thanks again for all you tips and suggestions on this challenge. I've come to rely on your expertise!

KayB said...

Let me be No.27 to tell you how enjoyable it is to read your post, see the pictures and explanations and variations of this month challenge - as usual, great effort. Thanks Audax!

pigpigscorner said...

Well done! Love how you made them into sushi.

dandelion said...

I really enjoyed reading your posting. the detail you go into is very helpful. Sometimes I can't get up the energy to get one of our challenges done. Then I read your posts and get inspired by your infectious enthusiasm. THX

MsJess said...

I love the different presentations of the dish, especially the sushi roll. Your Aoli was very green!

Claire said...

Wow, so many great variations! they all look stunning and sound delicious!

Maria Beatrix said...

Superb! You always do a great job. Priceless tips as well

Medhaa said...

Wow, great Info. Love the idea of Sushi they look delicious

isa said...

As usual, I really loved all the variations you did and your post are so informative! Wonderful job - the chorizo sounds a delicious addition!

TaGa_Luto said...

Hi, Audax! Thanks for visiting my blog and for the comment. I love reading your version of the dish. I love the sushi idea. Also, thanks, for the Chemistry fyi..it does help.

Lisa said...

I love the sushi rolls! I've never made sushi before (shame on me ;) ) but I have to try it soon. I think it's great that you've made your own fish stock.

I love all the photos!

Jerry said...

Great post. That is wild about your aioli - I remember seeing it on the thread and wondering what could have made it go such a vivid green colour. Now we know . . . shame I never stuck with chemistry longer than I did. LOL

Margie said...

I loved every version of your Spanish seafood rice -- the first with chorizo, your truly inspired sushi picnic rolls, and the final rice stacks with asparagus. Your lunch and dinner guests are very lucky to have such a daring and generous cook for a friend. I found your advice on making fish stock very helpful and will be trying that out soon as I found a local grocery store that will save fish heads for me.

Bunnee said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog, Audax. Your work - both Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers - is always so inspiring and creative. I look forward to seeing how you approach each recipe since you are always the first one done! I'm a better cook than baker, but you ace both categories.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping by, Audax! ;)
Cuppy cuppy@cuppylicious.net
I have to admit, after waiting 6 weeks for my first challenge, I was a
little disappointed that I didn't like the dish. My husband had to remind
me that we DID alter the recipe to make it vegan, and that is probably the
#1 determining factor on flavor. So, probably my own fault, in all regards.

That's the real reason I split my posts. I loved the smell and flavor of
the sofrito and the allioli, and I plan to use them again. I MUST conquer
the traditional method!!! *determined* Consequently, when I shared this
experience with my mother-in-law (who spent some 10 years in Latin America),
I was laughed at for not knowing what sofrito was. Apparently, it's used
almost every day (I had no idea). She, of course, is now tickled pink that
I'd start serving her son the same sort of foods she enjoys.

I wish I'd discovered the Daring Kitchen sooner. The recipes challenges are
priceless... but the blog roll is the real winner here. I've tried to visit
everyone I can, and it's so engrossing and wonderful and I'm enthralled by
all the "food porn". I have a cheap digital camera that takes "OK"
pictures, so to see some SLR pics is a true treat.

Sorry for the ramble... Guess I'm just excited over my first visitors that
aren't houseguests! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Kenna - everythinggal.com said...

I love your step-by-step photos! Thanks so much for visiting my blog. It's not too often that I have visitors!

Debyi said...

Your rice looks amazing! I love that you added the cost breakdown of the meal, that is a great idea!

The bean aioli I made had a nice thick consistency to it. I was a little skimpy on my garlic because the cloves I had were pretty strong. After tasting it, I would've added another clove or two. It has not gone runny at all, the texture is really nice. Thicker than mayonnaise, but thinner than hummus. Hope that helps.

Anonymous said...

So glad someone else enjoyed the challenge as much as I did! I do love your photos, and thanks for picking up on the informative posting while my post was... ahem... more full of wine than full of information.

I love how you were all "Wow well I have come up with my conclusions about your behaviour" and I was all seriously worried because I thought I did something wrong! But alas you have just discovered my penchant for The Crazy.

I am always looking forward to your comments now, I consider you to be the Queen of Daring Cooks! Looking forward to seeing your interpretation of the September challenge! xoxo

Woman with a Whisk said...

Beautiful presentation! I really enjoyed the detailed explanation of the dish. Great job.

Luna said...

Your dishes were great. But I have to admit... .My favorite part was the chemistry lesson. So fascinating the dramatic color difference. I love seeing what you come up with.

Anonymous said...

Uhhh yeah I think I'll crawl into the abyss of Embarrassed Daring Cooks now. My sincerest apologies!

Anonymous said...

A Thousand Miles From The Place I Was Born
Yes, much more kid-friendly than cuttlefish!! I was very surprised at how much the family loved it!! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Debbie said...

Just wanted you to know that I appreciated your notes on the private forum about making the fish stock. I was able to get fresh salmon heads and the stock turned out beautifully. I only added some shallot and fresh parsley when simmering the fish ... next time I think I am going to add a few more layers of flavor that will compliment this dish. Thanks ... Debbie

Kat said...

Hi~
I think I now have to perform some garlic litmus of my own!
That is SO cool!!!
I wonder about leeks, onions, ohmygosh I'm gonna have me some fun!

Angela said...

Greetings from a fellow Daring Cook. You seem to cook a lot, do you know of any other cooking challenges out there in the internet ... blogs, I guess. I'm new to all this and intrigued. Would love to find another group to join.

Leslie said...

Your plating is just beautiful! And thanks for the comment on my blog!

victorya said...

Great piece I am able to alert you almost this column is with the aim of it's comparable headed for viagra or else drawn this viagra turkey locate, although the info you desire attain at this juncture viagra is absolutely brand new.