Red Snapper Filets in a Coconut Milk, Tomato & Saffron Sauce

Fish poached in a coconut milk-based sauce can be found throughout the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Though many such dishes contain sauteed onions and peppers, Caribbean versions often add potatoes and coconut pulp while Southeast asian versions often add lemongrass, basil and heat in the form of chiles. Here, I set out to make my own version of red snapper with coconut milk, and ended up adding tomato paste, saffron and lime.

Ingredients:

4 red snapper filets

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

1 onion, sliced

2 bell peppers: 1 green and 1 red, sliced

1 pinch saffron

1 lime

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Dried oregano, to taste

Olive oil

Procedure:

(1) Shake can of coconut milk. Add saffron and stir.

(2) Sautee sliced onion and peppers in olive oil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

(3) Turn down heat to medium-low and add saffron-infused coconut milk.

(4) Juice one lime over contents of pan and stir well to incorporate.

(5) Season fish filets with salt, pepper and oregano and add to pan. Spoon some of the vegetables and sauce over the filets.

(6) After fish has cooked for at least a few minutes on one side, flip filets with a spatula and allow to cook for a few more minutes.

(7) Serve immediately with white rice.

Green Apple, Marcona Almond & Idiazábal Cheese Slaw

I have never liked cole slaw, the picnic and church social standby side of shredded cabbage, iceberg lettuce and grated carrot in a mayonnaise-based dressing. I don't particularly dislike any one of its elements, but the combination of flavors have never appealed to me.

About five years ago, when I lived in Madrid, I discovered my inspiration for this dish in a tapas bar near the Plaza de Santa Ana. A couple of friends and I were tapeando (going from tapas bar to tapas bar, filling up on small plates and having plenty of wine) a little before midnight, which is when nightlife in Madrid really gets going. Unfortunately, because there are dozens of places like the one I visited, I can't recall exactly which bar it was! The good news is that I have remembered very well the different components of the "salad," as the bar called it: crisp, green apple; rich, nutty Idiazábal cheese, sliced Marcona almonds and a rosemary vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, grated or cut into matchsticks

1 cup Idiazábal (Manchego can be substituted) cheese, grated or cut into matchsticks

1/2-cup Marcona almonds, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

3 teaspoons dijon mustard

Rosemary, chopped, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Procedure:

(1) Combine apple, cheese and almonds in a bowl.

(2) Mix red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, plenty of chopped rosemary and a bit of black pepper in another bowl. Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking constantly and rapidly.

(3) Incorporate vinaigrette into other ingredients and serve slaw either immediately or chilled, on its own or over a bed of arugula.

Fire-Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic & Lemon Hoummous

Hoummous is a quick, easy, healthy and inexpensive snack, spread or dip. Though it's pretty easy to find in any well-stocked market, it's one of those things that I have almost always found tastes better when freshly-made and customized with your favorite ingredients. Just get out your blender or food processor and start creating, as hoummous requires little planning and only one "special" ingredient that you may not find everywhere: tahini*, or sesame paste.

Though Middle Eastern hoummous is traditionally made with the bases of chickpeas and tahini, Mediterranean hoummous often contains, in addition to those ingredients, olive oil and lemon juice. Though tahini gives hoummous sufficient creaminess, I find that the addition of olive oil adds an element of richness and that the acidity of lemon juice balances nicely against the chickpea base, which can, if not properly combined with other ingredients, taste mealy. Rest assured that this will not be a concern if you follow this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed and drained.

1/2-cup tahini

1 fire-roasted red pepper

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Handful cilantro

Olive oil, to taste. Here, I use a couple of tablespoons.

Salt, a few pinches

Cumin, a few pinches

Procedure:

(1) If you have a gas stove, set the burner to medium and place the red pepper directly over the flame. Turn every minute or two with a pair of tongs to char the skin on all sides. Once charred, rub off the charred skin with a paper towel and slice the pepper. If you don't have a gas stove, you can use the broiler to achieve the charring effect, or, if you wish to skip this step entirely, just substitute half of a small can of roasted red peppers.

(2) Rinse and drain chickpeas.

(3) Place chickpeas, tahini, roasted red pepper, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, olive oil, salt and cumin in blender or food processor and blend/process until desired consistency is achieved.

(4) Garnish with paprika, cumin, lemon zest or whole chickpeas and serve alongside pita bread for an instant snack.

*Tahini can be found in all Middle Eastern markets and also in most Greek, Indian and Italian markets. Many supermarkets carry it, as well.