Find all of Daisy's delicious postings on the searchable recipe archive...

This month's recipes:

Jicama-Apple-Pepper Salad
Rosemary Scented Shrimp and Chorizo
Daisytini

 

Last month's recipes:

Tomato Salad
Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Cocktail Sauce
Orange, Red Onion, and Olive Salad
Shrimp, Mango and Jicama Salad with Pineapple Vinagrette

The Indispensable Quartet

Achiote Oil

Annatto seeds, known as achiote in Spanish, are small irregularly shaped, deep reddish colored seeds about the size of a lentil. They grow in pods but are sold loose in jars in the spice aisle. (Or see the "Sources" section.) Steeping annatto (achiote) seeds in hot olive oil for a few minutes will do more than give the oil a brilliant orange-gold color; it will infuse it with a nutty, delicate aroma and add a quick kick to whatever you use it in. This incredibly simple technique will become part of your repertoire, not just for the many dishes that call for it in this book, but any time you want a splash of color and a hint of annatto flavor. [more...]

Sofrito

There is no other recipe I could have chosen to open a chapter, let alone my book. This is the one indispensable, universal, un-live-withoutable recipe. Having said that, it is incredibly easy to make with ingredients you can find at the supermarket. And if you can’t find all the ingredients I list below see the note that follows for a very simple fix. What sofrito does is add freshness, herbal notes and zing to dishes—you can do that with the onion, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and tomato alone.
In my house, sofrito makes its way into everything from yellow rice, black bean soup, sauce for spaghetti and meatballs to braised chicken and sautéed shrimp. Not only that, it freezes beautifully, so in about In 10 minutes you can make enough sofrito to flavor a dozen dishes. I’m telling you, this stuff does everything but make the beds. Try out your first batch of sofrtio in the recipes you’ll find throughout this book, or add sofrito to some of your own favorite dishes that could use a little boost. You will change the way you cook. I guarantee it. [more...]

 

White Rice

When I was young, I always took “plain” white rice for granted because we ate it so often. But when I was a teenager and ate at friends’ houses I realized how awful rice can be if you don’t treat it right. There’s nothing easier and, in some ways, more satisfying than good white rice. Trust me on this one. [more...]

 

Yellow Rice

You know those packaged rice mixes you can buy with the foil bag of mystery spice? When you taste this rice, you’ll forget all about them. This is remarkably easy to make, once you’ve got achiote oil and sofrito on hand. Even if you’re starting from scratch without those two staples, you can still get this on the stove in fifteen minutes. I have never served this at a party without rave reviews. Guests have often said that they could eat just the rice and nothing else. I’m always delighted to tell them how easy it is, but encourage them not to pass on the beans or other accompaniments! [more...]