Seafood

Puttanesca is a sauce named after streetwalkers. The ladies would make pots of a fishy-smelling mixture of tomatoes, anchovies, and garlic and leave the pots in brothel windows to attract fishermen in like stray cats. After the business was done, the sauce was tossed with pasta and became their dinner, or breakfast. This is a very unappetizing story for such a delicious dish, so when I am asked what “it” means, I tell a slightly less descriptive version, which you can pass along: Puttanesca is the sauce of the ladies of the night because it’s spicy, fast, and easy! (It still makes me blush, but at least I remain hungry.)

Gloria Estefan taught me how to cook plantains in the microwave and her husband, Emilio, gave me the urban, updated idea of lightening up some Cuban-influenced dishes. The result is this menu, my interpretation of Metro-Retro Cuban cooking. This dinner is also delicious made with seasoned grilled thin-cut chicken breast, seasoned in the same manner as the steak.

Choose your wrap: the Bibb will be soft, the iceberg will be crunchy. Like the difference between flour and corn tortillas.

Thanks again, Ming Na!

Serve the soup in shallow bowls and pass crusty bread for mopping.

The shrimp mosaic can be served warm or cold. It is an unusual presentation that works nicely on the bottom of the plate with a pasta or salad built on top of it, much like a chicken paillard. We’ve served it with a chunky avocado salad or tucked underneath a creamy risotto. It also makes for a fine spin on the traditional shrimp cocktail.

Octopus is an acquired taste. People who enjoy it really love the meaty texture and slightly sweet taste. Here we’ve cooked it in oil flavored with garlic and smoked ham hocks. We like the gentle nutty flavor of rice bran oil, but you can substitute the vegetable oil or fat of your choice. The slow, gentle cooking leaves you with incredibly tender and flavorful meat.