June 25th--Sea Bass Ceviche

Dave: It is a hot night in the old town tonight! So, we decided to make a meal that doesn't require igniting a cooking flame: Ceviche!

Lauren: Ceviche is raw, citrus-marinated seafood - the acids in the citrus essentially "cook" the fish by denaturing the proteins. (Cooking with science is awesome!) We've wanted to eat ceviche for, oh, probably going on a year now, so why not make it ourselves? Plus, the fish guy at Whole Foods really sold us on the sustainably-caught sea bass.

Dave: It is nice to know that we aren't adding to the sea bass problem (I'm sorry, is there some kind of land bass I'm not aware of?). We decided to go with the Spanish ceviche recipe, which is more citrus and sweet than the more savory variations popular in South America and Mexico.

I decided to toss in some Haitian mango because we just listened to a "This American Life" about the plight of the Haitian mango farmer.

Lauren: Gotta love a delicious meal that is also socially conscious! We served it with two sides, purple jasmine rice and asparagus cooked in lemon juice and garlic

Scott also helped out on this one by reprising yesterday's margarita recipe, only replacing the quantity of lemon juice with 1/2 lemon, 1/2 lime, and adding grapefruit chunks before blending. It turned out slightly less sweet (good for those who prefer a less sugary margarita).

Juice of one half of one grapefruit

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup lime

One Mango (Haitian)

Lb. of sea bass (Note: marinade is good for 3/4-Lb. to 1 Lb. of sea bass)

Mix lemon juice, lime juice, grapefruit juice and mango in a large glass or ceramic bowl (metal and plastic are not ideal). Cut the sea bass into thin strips with large surface areas. Marinate the sea bass strips in the lemon juice mixture and put in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Cut the rest of the mango into strips and serve with sea bass strips.

June 23th--Tortilla Espanola

Dave: Tonight we are making a Spanish Tortilla! No special reason...no new materials on hand...we just felt like it. It's kind of interesting that the Spanish Tortilla has so little in common with the Mexican Tortilla. The Spanish version is much more similar to frittata.

We're making the tortilla with the red potatoes left over from last night instead of the more traditional waxy potatoes...we'll let you know how it turns out.

Lauren: Tortilla Espanola is a classic tapas dish, but seems to be easily adaptable to "Hmmm...what's that in the fridge? An aging red pepper and some olives we should probably use up? Groovy!" The original recipe also calls for onions, which we probably would've added if it weren't a) something that we'd have to go to the store for and b) pouring torrentially.

Dave: That is true...you could really pop anything in this dish and it would be pretty acceptable - as long as you have the traditional eggs and potatoes, it would still be Spanish Tortilla. In related news, there is a tornado warning so I'm glad we didn't run out for an onion.

1 Lb potatoes
2 cups olive oil
½ cup mixed olives (we used a mixture of green and kalamata), pitted
1 red pepper
2 eggs
dash of Hungarian hot paprika
dash of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Peel potatoes, cut into small cubes or wedges, then put on a clean dish towel and dry well. Cut the red pepper into 1" squares; cut olives into quarters. Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottom or nonstick skillet. Add the potato pieces, red pepper, and olives, then lower the heat and cook, stirring frequently for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, but not brown. (They'll actually look like they've been boiled, yet will have the delicious flavor of the olive oil cooked inside them.)

Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl and season with salt, pepper, chili powder and hot paprika. (Note: If you are using olives, be careful not to over-salt the egg mixture, as the olives will impart plenty of salt to the tortilla. Also, a secret: if you are ever having a dish at our house and taste a spice that is unidentifiable but delicious, it's probably hot paprika. Very few things are not improved by its addition.)

Place strainer over a large bowl; when the potato mixture is cooked, drain into the strainer so that the bowl catches the oil. Set oil aside. When the potato mixture is well drained, gently stir it into beaten eggs.

Wipe skillet clean or wash it if necessary to prevent the tortilla sticking. Heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved olive oil in the skillet. When hot, add the mixture, lower the heat and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the underside is just set. Use a spatula to push the potatoes down into the egg so that they are completely submerged and keep loosening the tortilla from the bottom of the skillet to stop it sticking.

To cook the second side of the tortilla, cover it with a plate, and hold the plate in place with the other hand. Drain off the oil in the skillet, then quickly turn the skillet upside down so that the tortilla falls onto the plate. Return the skillet to the heat and add a little more of the reserved oil if necessary. Slide the tortilla, cooked side up, back into the skillet and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until set underneath. The tortilla is cooked when it is still firm and crisp on the outside but still slightly runny in the center.

Slide the tortilla onto a serving plate and let stand for about 15 minutes. Serve it warm or cold, cut into small squares, fingers or wedges.

Optional: For a little extra heat, serve with Sriracha.