We like to try out new recipes when we have friends over, and we were in the mood for fish, so we tried out this recipe from Healthy Latin Cooking. In spite of the late hour (or maybe because of it?) the dish got quite a few compliments. The sauce had many distinct flavors in it (from three types of roasted peppers, roasted tomatoes, pineapple, and plantains) and a deep dark red color that really contrasted the white of the swordfish. We served it with the green rice that we listed a few weeks ago. This was one of Lisa’s favorite dishes all year.

Swordfish with Roasted Fruit and Chile Sauce
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6 swordfish steaks (6 oz. ea.)
salt and pepper
2 tbsp lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 ancho chile peppers
3 guajillo chile peppers
3 cups warm chicken stock
2 tomatoes
2 jalapeño peppers
3 tbsp slivered almonds
3 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
1 stick cinnamon (3″ long)
1 ripe plantain, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped fresh or drained canned pineapple
1/2 cup chopped jicama
3 tbsp cilantro

Sprinkle the swordfish with salt and pepper. Place in a 13″ x 9″ glass baking dish. Sprinkle both sides with the lime juice and garlic. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, tear open the guajillo and ancho chiles. Remove and discard the seeds and stems. Roast the peppers on a dry nonstick skillet over dry heat for 10 seconds; do not burn. Place in a medium bowl. Add the stock or broth, place a small dish on the peppers to keep them covered, and soak for 15 minutes or until softened. Transfer the peppers and stock to a food processor.
Roast the tomatoes and jalapeños in the skillet for 5 minutes or until the skins blister. Scrape off the burnt skin and seed the tomatoes and peppers. Transfer to the food processor.
In the same dry skillet, over medium heat, roast the almonds and sesame seeds for 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Transfer to the food processor, and puree all ingredients until smooth, working in batches if necessary.
Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, plantains, pineapple, and the pureed sauce. Simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until thick and flavorful and the plantains are cooked. Season with more salt and pepper if desired. Remove the cinnamon stick.
Preheat a BBQ and grill the swordfish for 4 minutes per side or until firm and white and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Transfer to a platter and spoon the sauce over the top. Top with the jicama and cilantro.

6 servings.

Another delicious, low-fat recipe from Healthy Latin Cooking — in this one, the ground beef in traditional picadillo is replaced with ground turkey. I was a little skeptical with the inclusion of raisins, but it worked really well. Lisa’s not a huge fan of green olives, capers, OR raisins, but she was singing the praises of this dish all night. We placed the picadillo on plantain “surfboards”: plantains boiled, then rolled out flat and baked until crisp on the outside. The recipe specifies to do the plantains one at a time, but I was able to do 2 by temporarily using a third pan when flipping them over.

Plantain “Surfboards”
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4 green plantains, peeled
6 cups chicken stock or water
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

Preheat the oven to 400. Coat 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray.
In a large pot over high heat, combine the plantains and stock or water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the plantains for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain.
Place a plantain between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Gently flatten it by tapping with a rolling pin. Roll it out to form a large flat oval about 12″ long, 5″ wide, and 1/8″ thick. (If the ends break apart, push them together with your fingers.) Slide the plantain onto the back of a prepared baking sheet. Lift off the top sheet of plastic wrap. Lightly brush the plantain with some of the oil and season with salt. Place another baking sheet on top, bottom side up. Invert the plantain onto it. Peel off the other piece of plastic wrap, brush the plantain with oil, and season with salt.
Bake, turning once, for 20 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned. (To flip, place a baking sheet on top, then invert the plantain onto it.) Transfer to a large serving plate. Repeat with the remaining plantains.

Makes 4

Turkey Picadillo
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1 1/2 lbs ground turkey breast
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tomato, seeded and finely chopped
8 pimiento-stuffed green olives, finely chopped
1/4 cup dark raisins
3 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp caper juice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp tomato paste

In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, cumin, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper. Mix well with a spoon and let stand for 5 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for 4 minutes, or until the onions are just beginning to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Crumble the turkey into the skillet. Cook, breaking up the turkey with a spoon, for 3 minutes or until it starts to turn white.
Stir in the olives, raisins, and capers. Cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the caper juice, wine, and tomato paste and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the turkey is tender and no longer pink in the center and most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with more salt, pepper, and cumin, if desired.

4 Servings

Our friend Carrie came over for dinner tonight and we planned a nice, outdoors-because-it’s-too-hot-inside three-course feast! All the recipes come from Healthy Latin Cuisine, and tonight was the first time making them — they were all a hit!

For our appetizer, Lisa made these Plaintain “Spiders”:

Extremely easy to make, and really flavorful — shredded plantains, garlic, and ginger! We served it with some extra chimichurri sauce.

Plantain Spiders
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2 large green plantains, peeled
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced and cut into thin slivers
1 piece (1″) fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced and cut into thin slivers
salt and ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil or nonstick spray

Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a nonstick baking sheet iwth nonstick spray.
Grate each plantain on the coarse side of hand grater. Transfer to a bowl, add the garlic and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, toss to mix.
Using your fingers, shape the mixture into 1″ balls. Flatten slightly (don’t pack tightly). Arrange the flattened balls on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the balls with olive oil or coat generously with nonstick spray.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a platter and season with more salt and peppers, if desired.

Serves 4 (24 pieces)

As an appetizer for the International Potluck, we made these bake-fried plantains. It was super-simple, just slice the plantains length-wise, place on a baking sheet with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt, and bake in a 350 degree oven until brown and crispy. We also made some guacamole (with tomatillos) and attempted to invent a black-bean dip. The guac worked out well, but the bean dip consistency just wasn’t what we were looking for. The plantain and guacamole recipes can be found in Healthy Latin Cooking.