In the current culinary frenzy, the joys of simple green salads are often forgotten. A little selectivity at the market and proper preparation can yield a salad worthy of lingering over. A good salad is a mixture of textures and flavors. Instead of just plain iceberg lettuce, mix a soft butter lettuce with a crispy, mild flavored romaine or a stronger flavored leaf lettuce. Additionally, it just takes a few leaves of bitter radicchio, arugula, watercress, or baby organic greens to make the salad even more interesting. After bringing your greens home, wash them in cold water and spin them dry. Besides diluting your dressing, moisture will spoil greens more quickly. Store the greens in reusable bags or plastic containers with a slightly dampened paper towel at the bottom to maintain humidity. If you are serving the salad within a few hours, place the dressing in the bottom of the serving bowl and lay the serving utensils crosswise over the dressing. Pile the greens over the utensils, cover the bowl with cellophane and refrigerate to keep them crisp and flavorful until service. The addition of some freshly chopped herbs such as parsley or chives just before serving will also boost the salad’s flavor.

[Source]

From the state of Bahia in northern Brazil, moqueca de peixe (moo-KAY-ka duh PAY-shuh) is a tropical fish stew fragrant with garlic and peppers, and enriched with coconut milk.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds boneless fillets of any firm whitefish
1/2 pound small shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
3 cups canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 cups chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
1/2 cup fish stock or water

Procedure:

Cut the fillets into bite-size pieces. Cut the shrimp in half lengthwise. Place in a shallow, nonreactive bowl and set aside. Combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic, chile, lime juice, oil, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until
smooth. Pour over fish and allow to marinate for 1 hour. Place marinated fish in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and fish stock. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Serve immediately with rice, if desired. Makes 6 servings.