September 25, 2011

Crab Newburg

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Crab Newburg

Crab Newburg

September 25: National Crab Meat Newburg Day

We love Lobster Newberg* so we cooked another one with crab! Crab Newburg* is just as rich and tasty but crab meat is a little less costly than lobster meat. While the latter is served in puff pastry shells, the recipe below states that the crab and sauce are served as toppings on toast. If you have a craving for crustacean canapés but want a more budget-friendly appetizer, make Crab Newburg. They are fabulous for social functions and on National Crab Meat Newburg Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Scoma’s Restaurant)

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cooked crab meat
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
  • ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 ½ cups milk (we used Lactaid brand)
  • 2 tablespoons sherry
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • paprika
  • parsley flakes
  • toasted bread triangles or Melba toast

Directions

In a skillet, melt the butter. Saute the onions and mushrooms for about 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in the flour, then add the milk. Whisk constantly until thickened. Add the sherry and cayenne pepper. Cook until heated through.

Crab Newburg

Spread some crab meat on top of the toast. Spoon the sauce over the crab to heat the meat. Sprinkle with a little paprika and parsley flakes and serve immediately.

Crab Newburg

Notes

  • *We are not sure which spelling is correct: Newburg or Newberg. We have seen both referenced in print and online cookbooks.
  • National Crab Meat Newburg Day is observed exactly six months after National Lobster Newberg Day (March 25).
  • Instead of using pre-packaged Melba Toast for Crab Newburg, top it on a homemade version. See the recipe posted on National Melba Toast Day (March 23).
  • Search our blog for other recipes containing crab meat.
 

September 21, 2011

Fried Plantains

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Plátanos Fritos

(Fried Plantains)

 Fried Plantains

September 21: International Banana Festival

Fried bananas are a favorite for Islander. Her Mommy used make them as a sweet side dish to sinangag for our family for a Filipino-style morning meal. The type of banana she used was called Cardaba or Saba banana, also known as the Philippine plantain.

After moving to the mainland from Hawaii, Islander had not eaten fried bananas for a long time until befriending classmates and co-workers from the Caribbean and Latin America. At get-togethers in their homes or restaurants, she ate maduros as an appetizer or dessert and sometimes substituted starchy potatoes for plátanos fritos or tostones.

As we like to cook different cultural cuisine for our blog, we fried plantains to observe the International Banana Festival food holiday.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 large plantain
  • oil for frying
  • salt or sugar to taste

Directions

Get a green plantain from the grocery store and let it ripen to yellow for a starchy side dish or snack. Or let the peel turn black for a sweeter and softer dessert-like dish. Cut off an end of the plantain, slit down the sides and peel it open. Cut diagonal slices. Heat the oil about ½ inch high in a skillet. Lower to medium heat and fry the slices slowly until they turn golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels. Season the starchy-style plantain with salt or sprinkle a little sugar to caramelize the sweeter version. Serve hot.

Fried Plantains

Notes

  • Plantains are a member of the banana family. Read more about the similarities and differences between bananas and plantains as well as get nutritional information about the latter from the Grab’Em Snacks site.
  • Search our blog for other banana recipes.
 

September 19, 2011

Chicken San Gennaro

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Chicken San Gennaro

Chicken San Gennaro

September 19: Feast Day of St. Januarius (Gennaro in Italian)

We enjoyed meandering around Manhattan’s Mulberry Street, which is the main thoroughfare of “Little Italy.” On the weekends, when the weather was nice, we would take a 45-minute train ride from New Jersey, where we lived, to New York and explore the ethnic sections of the city. Little Italy was just steps away from Chinatown, so we got to tour (and taste) the best of both worlds!

Little Italy hosts an annual Festa di San Gennaro, an 11-day festival coinciding with the feast day of the patron saint of Naples, in September. The big block party features parades and processions, vendor and games booths, entertainment and food! A sausage sandwich with sweet bell peppers and onions is traditionally sold and served at the festival. But a similar version is made with chicken. We tried the latter at home for a tasty and traditional meal marking the Feast Day of St. Januarius.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf)

 Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts, skinless and thinly sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 cup onions, sliced
  • 1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced
  • slices of Italian bread, toasted

Directions

Lightly season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet with a little olive oil and saute the garlic over low heat. Turn up the heat and brown the chicken on both sides. Remove from the skillet and keep warm on a lipped plate. In the same skillet, pour in the white wine, scraping the brown bits. Sprinkle the oregano and basil and boil to make a sauce. Pour over the chicken.

Chicken San Gennaro

In the same skillet, saute the onions until brown and soft, adding a little olive oil as necessary. Remove from the skillet. Saute the pepper until slightly softened but still crisp. On a plate, lay a few slices of toasted Italian bread. Place a chicken breast on top of one slice. Spoon a little sauce over it. Garnish with a side of onions and peppers. Serve as a sandwich.

Chicken San Gennaro

Notes

  • San Gennaro festivals are held where there are large communities of Italian-Americans, such as New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
  • The Feast Day of St. Januarius/Gennaro is celebrated in the West on September 19. But in Naples,  the patron saint is fested on December 16 (this was the day in 1631 that Mount Vesuvius could have had a volcanic eruption but Italians believe that he interceded and spared the city).
 

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