SC - Tzimmes

[Margo Hablutzel]

And it came to pass on 12 Mar 99,, that Philip & Susan Troy wrote:

> Robin Carroll-Mann wrote:

[snip]
> > Fish done "en cazuela", on the other hand, is placed in the
> > casserole with spices, herbs, and a small amount of liquid: verjuice or
> > orange juice and/or oil.  It is then cooked on the embers or in the
> > oven.  Several of the recipes specify that the casserole must be tightly
> > covered, and if it is not, it should be cooked in the oven.  I imagine
> > that this is to ensure that the fish is exposed to heat on top, since it
> > is apparently not covered by the liquid.
> 
> The closest expression used in culinary English would be braising, which
> sounds etymologically linked to the term "brasas". There are two types of
> braising, a white version in which the ingredients are not browned before
> adding liquid, and a brown verison in which they are. The latter seems to
> be more common, but certain dishes ranging from Irish Stew to Blanquette
> of Veal seem to fall into the former category, and so does this salmon
> dish.

I agree.  There is definitely no instruction to brown or fry the salmon 
before it is braised.

> In theory braised dishes (especially those where you have large
> chunks of foods, usually meats, braised whole rather than in chunks)
> should only be covered partially covered with liquid, generally halfway up
> the side of the meat.  

Even less, I think.  The instruction in this particular recipe is to 
cook it with a little verjuice or orange juice  ("un poco de agraz or 
de zumo de naranjas").  Some of the other fish casserole recipes 
call for no liquid other than a little oil.  To me it sounds like just 
enough to give the fish some moisture and flavor.


> > Hmmm... maybe at a gentle simmer, tightly covered?
> 
> Possibly. I think the idea of using the embers is that they have a
> relatively gentle a stable heat, and also perhaps because they can be
> banked up the sides if the pot. Your best bet might be to cook the dish in
> something like a Dutch oven or covered casserole in the oven, or perhaps
> with some kind of heat diffuser (possibly one of those asbestos gizmos) on
> a low heat on top of the stove.

Of the two, I think I like the oven idea better.  I'm less likely to end 
up with salmon crisp.
 
> Does the recipe specify covering the dish? If not, cooking it uncovered on
> top of the stove (which would presumably require _very_ gentle heat, and
> long cooking) might be the closest to what the original author has in
> mind. 

This recipe does not mention a cover (or the lack of a cover).  
Some of the other fish recipes say that the casserole should be 
covered if it is cooked on the embers, and if it is not, then it should 
go into the oven.  Some other recipes, like the salmon, do not 
mention a cover.  I do not know if the omission is deliberate or not.  
At this point, I think I am inclined to try the salmon -- uncovered -- 
in the oven, and see how that does.

> Adamantius

Brighid


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net
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