Evening star., 1942-12-21

na Ad1iii hiileIlCdnS i've on chile cC
idea that more chile and tamales
alone, or maybe we should include
the Panhandle of Texas, than in all
the lands south of the Rio Grande
And Sans South American dinner
menu proved that. 1t proved, too,
that our good neighbors, as indi-
Gated by two of their outstanding
dishes, know how to really season
not just how to burn ones "in-
nards."
The two main dishes of this South
American dinner were Bouquet do
Mar" Brazilian seafood delight
said to come originally from Portu-
gal. AS happens with many such
dishes, it can be made up of many
things. The Browns in their book of
South American cooking discuss it,
tell how it is made and from their
recipe Sam built his pot full. The
second was an "empanada," which
IN American means meat pie" but
1t is much more than the garden
variety of that menagerie of eat
ables. 1t has life and zest and tang.
These "empanadas" are popular all
over South America and worth
studying and making.
Now, for the Bouquet do Mar
meaning bouquet of the sea-:
Start with some fish bones and
trimmings and cook yourself about
four cups of fish broth. Strain, put
into saucepan and add two cups
of dry white wine COR water, if you
prefer. Heat slowly and as it sim
mers add 20 shrimps (cut into small
pieces, 20 scallops, in quarter inch
dice, a cup of lobster meat and cup
of crabmeat. Next add half a cup
of COOKED celery, minced fine,
four tablespoonsful of onion juice
and two teasponnsful of minced
parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer about Is minutes and then
but not until then-add 20 medi-
um-sized oysters. cut in halves or
10 small oysters left whole. If seal
lops are hard to get use diced clans.
If you serve this dish in soup plates
and know how to do a mermaid
whistle, it will call up mermaid or
two. incidentally, this isn't soup,
neither is it dry dish-it is in be-
tween-so it is best to have couple
of cups of fish broth standing by
In case your pot cooks down too
fast.
And now about this "Empanada
First we make the pastry. For eight
persons. figure on cups of flour,
2 cups of good lard or other
shortening, 2 teaspoons salt, and
2 of baking powder, with a cup of
boiling water. Wnen you have a
smooth dough, SCI into refrigerator
until wanted. Then make up the
filling. Cut up ana collect in a
mixing bowl: Six onions, nubbin
of garlic Gf you cam, green
peppers, 2 tomatoes Cor 2 cups of
canned tomatoes and half a cup of
minced parsley. Now, into a sizable
skillet put half cup of olive oil,
warm it and stir in a pound of
chopped beef. AS ii starts to brown,
add the vegetable mixture, seasoning
with plenty of black pepper, about
2 teaspoons salt. same amount of
sugar and a level tablespoonful of
ground chilli pepper you can buy
that in small cans, Thicken with
spoonful or two of flour, the last
thing. If it gets too dry, moisten
with a little tomato juice If you
like it little hotter, touch it up
with few drops of tobasco sauce or
more chilli pepper When this is
ready, 1t is about the consistency of
good, ready to use nce-meat-not
"mushy,' but not dry, either. Take
4 hard boiled eggs and slice. and
half ready 8 big green olives. Then
roll out plain pastry into rounds,
about 6 inches in diameter. Put a
couple of spoonsful Of filling in the
center, Top with an olive and some
egg slices, fold over and press down
the edges, brush over with white of
egg, and bake until a nice brown.
Serve this with cole slaw or potato
salad.
For simple dessert following
such a South American dinner, plain
cups of custard are typically in
Keeping, Or any sort of ice Is
appropriate.