Sabtu, 12 Juni 2010

Sweetness and Fish: Women in Nineteenth Century Rio de Janeiro



Spicy grilled Halibut, sauteed asparagus, and candied yams. Halibut recipe below



Brazilians gorged on “sweetmeats of every description, from the most delicate preserves and candies to the coarsest preparations of treacle” writes Maria Graham who traveled to, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the 1820s. Sugar masters made treacle or golden syrup from the drippings accumulated from the vats used in sugar refining. It looked and tasted something like molasses and sold very well when one added chopped coconuts, nuts, and fruit, and let it harden. Plantation mistresses supervised the daily production of treacle candies and other marketable foods and their female slaves received a percentage of their earnings for what they sold on busy city streets. Most of their earnings went toward purchasing their freedom or the freedom of a loved one. Thus ironically sugar played a part in their captivity in Africa and manumission in the Americas. Treacle is also used in recipes. Here’s a forty minute recipe for spicy grilled Halibut with treacle that feeds four people:



Spicy Grilled Halibut



Ingredients

6 Chillies, deseeded and chopped

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Onion, sliced

4 Garlic Cloves, chopped

2fl.oz. Black Treacle or Dark Molasses

2 tbsp Honey

8fl.oz. Water

Sea Salt

1 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro

4 Halibut Fillets or Steaks



Method

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan until hot then add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft, stirring from time to time. Add the chilies and continue to sauté for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add the treacle, honey, water, salt and coriander, mix well and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool a little, then transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Set aside to cool. Preheat the grill to hot. Dip the halibut in the cooled sauce and grill for about 3 minutes per side depending on the size of the fish, until the fish is cooked through, basting with sauce from time to time. Serve immediately.






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