Re: [london.food] Fish stew

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From: Robert / Elizabeth Fusina
Subject: Re: [london.food] Fish stew
Date: 13:28 on 14 Oct 2003
>On Sat 11 Oct 2003, Robert / Elizabeth Fusina <fusina@xxxxx.xxx> wrote:
>>  Ah, here is recipe that I like, and the kids ate-well, let's just say
>>  I didn't have any leftovers...
>>
>  > Mtuzi Wa Samki (Kenyan Baked Fish with Spicy Sauce)



>  > 1 tsp. seeded and finely chopped jalapeno chili (I used the whole
>>  thing, but I like stuff hot.)
>
>I used the whole thing too, and I didn't bother seeding it.

We say here, Seeding is for sissies.

>I used already-chopped canned tomatoes.  I didn't drain them.  I think
>if you drained them it would turn out too dry.

That was my experience too. Which is why the second time I used 
fresh. Also, the chopping of whole canned tomatoes-shudder, wince. 
The first time I made it there were no diced canned tomatoes. I use 
them regularly now, mostly in chili and red sauce, I like the chunks 
of tomato.

>  > In a skillet heat the oil until it is very hot, saute onion, garlic
>>  and jalapeno until the onion is transparent.
>
>Why the very hot?  The onions browned before they went transparent -
>is that what was intended?  It was certainly nice.  And why cook the
>garlic for the same length of time as the onion?  If I'd done that it
>would have burned.  I put it in later.  You didn't specify what to do
>with the garlic, so I sliced it.  It was nice like that.  Oh, and I
>used four cloves.

Mmm. I did the recipe as written, haven't made it enough to have come 
up with my own variants yet.

>  > Pour the sauce over the fish, bake 25 to 30 minutes.
>I didn't cover it when I baked it.  Do you usually cover it?

No. I think it does serve to thicken the sauce somewhat.

>I'm very interested in the title of the recipe.  I don't know anything
>at all about Kenyan food.  Where did the recipe come from, and have
>you got any more?

Our area newspaper-the Washington Post, as it happens, and yes, I do 
have more. This came from (I think anyway) the New York Daily News, 
it is:

Sumak Mah Batattas (Fish with Potatoes) (Unsure of the origin, but it 
is in pidgin English, so...)

1 onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 bunch parsley
10 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 large white fleshed fish, about four lbs, cleaned and sliced into 1 
1/2 inch thick pieces (or do what I did and just use fillets, but I 
am pretty lazy about this, and having cleaned fish once or twice am 
rather in favor of avoiding it entirely, really.)
6 medium potatoes
3 tbl butter
large can tomato sauce (it says 30 ounces, but the cans of tomatoes 
in the US come in 15.5 and 26 ounce cans, so...

Heat oven to 275F. Chop onion very fine and line 13 by 9 inch pan. 
(There is a note here, Hassan says you should press the onion with 
the base of your palm to release some of the juices - a potato masher 
of the round sort with square holes in works very well if you don't 
want to spend the next day smelling like onions) Sprinkle with salt 
and pepper to taste and set aside.

Finely chop the parsley and place it in a separate bowl. Add salt and 
pepper -another note, more pepper than salt- and the pressed (I 
assumed here that they meant a garlic press, which smushes it into a 
paste, sort of) garlic and the cumin and mix together. Clean the fish 
and stuff the garlic mixture into its cavities and between skin and 
flesh and place in pan (or if using fillets, place in pan and spread 
the mixture on top of them. Peel potatoes (or not, I don't but I like 
potato skin) cut into 1/2 inch slices (I use 14 inch, they cook 
faster) and place in pan, around fish. Dot potatoes and fish with 
butter, and pour tomato sauce over carefully, add water to cover 
everything and bake until potatoes are soft and fish is cooked, about 
2 hours (yup, this long, because it is a very low heat. And the smell 
of it cooking is very distracting.)

Elizabeth

There's stuff above here

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