A Roundup of Recipes cited in WGH Destinations from The World's Greatest Honeymoons

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The Caribbean

Bahamas: Pigeon Peas & Rice

2 oz. pork fat

1 oz. oil

2 oz. celery

2 oz. onion

2 oz. green pepper

4 oz. tomato paste

12 oz. pigeon peas

1 qt. water

1 lb. rice

salt

pepper

thyme

Cut the pork and vegetables into 1/4-inch cubes. Fry the pork in the oil until brown. Add the vegetables and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, peas, thyme, water and seasonings. Bring to a boil and add the rice. Cover pan and cook approximately 20 minutes.

—Thanks to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism for this recipe

Curaçao: Blue Beard's Favorite

This pre-dinner "pick-me-up," made with the blue liqueur named for the island of its birth (Curaçao), packs a wallop.

1 oz. of Senior's Blue Curaçao Liqueur
1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Gin

Place all ingredients into a shaker. Add ice and a few drops of lime juice. Stir gently, and strain into a cocktail glass rubbed with lime and coated with sugar.

—Thanks to Curaçao of Curaçao Distillery for this recipe

Turks & Caicos: Caribbean Conch Chowder

Serves 6-8

3 slices bacon, diced

4 whole allspice berries

2 bay leaves

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers

1 Scotch bonnet (habanero) pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or to taste

2 teaspoons chopped fresh garlic

4 cups seeded & chopped tomatoes (with juices)

6 cups shellfish stock or clam juice

1-1/2 pounds new potatoes, quartered

2 pounds cleaned and diced conch meat

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves

In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

In the center of a 6-inch square piece of cheesecloth, place the allspice, bay leaves, and thyme. Draw up the sides to form a pouch and tie with kitchen twine to form a bouquet garni.

To the fat in the pan, add the onions, celery, carrots, and bell peppers and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the hot pepper and garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the stock and potatoes and bring to a boil. Add the bouquet garni, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Add the conch and cook until the meat is tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and discard the bouquet garni. Add the lime juice and parsley, stir to combine, and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Ladle into soup bowls with several fritters served in each bowl. Serve hot.

—Thanks to Chef Emeril Lagasse for this recipe

Europe

Greece: Santorini's Tomatokeftedes (Tomato Fritters)

Make this dish at the end of summer, when tomatoes are at their best. Choose the ripest and most flavorful tomatoes you can find. Intensely favored cherry tomatoes work well.

Serves 4-6

1-½ cups ripe tomatoes

½ cup green onions

1 garlic clove

1 Tb parsley

2 Tb fresh mint

¼ tsp dried oregano

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

Salt & pepper to taste

olive oil

Finely chop tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley, and mint. Combine in a bowl with onion and herbs.

Mix baking powder and flour. Add to the bowl slowly, stirring constantly. The end result should be firm enough to form into balls. If the mixture isn’t firm enough, add a bit more flour. Form the balls and then flatten slightly.

In a heavy skillet, heat enough olive oil to fry the tomatokeftedes. When they are a rich gold in color, remove from the pan and place them on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Variation: Add the flesh of a baked potato to the mixture. This will serve as a binder, allowing you to somewhat reduce the amount of flour.

—Tomatokeftedes ©Suzanne Rodriguez

Italy's Amalfi Coast: Spaghetti con Vongole

Serves: 4-6

This recipe comes from the town of Amalfi.

1 lb spaghetti

2 lbs small clams in the shell*

1 14 oz can plum tomatoes, finely chopped

1/3 Cup Good Quality Olive Oil

4 (or more) cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 Cup Freshly Chopped Parsley

Red Pepper Flakes/small red chili (to taste)

In a large pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic & sauté till golden. Add the tomato and most of the parsley; Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (10-15 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste.

At this point you can set everything aside until about 30 minutes before eating. When you’re ready, put a pan of water to boil for the pasta and proceed as follows:

If you're using clams in the shell: Bring the sauce to a lively simmer, and add the unshelled clams. Continue cooking, shaking the pan occasionally to keep sauce from sticking or burning. Cook 5-10 minutes, just until shells open. Discard any that remain closed.

If you’re using shelled or canned clams: Add clams—along with their liquid—to the cooked sauce for 2 or 3 minutes only, just before ready to serve the pasta. Don’t cook them in the sauce longer than this, because they will turn tough and rubbery.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente and drain into a warm bowl. Pour sauce and clams over the pasta and toss well. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

* Try to find small, fresh clams to use in this recipe such as littleneck. Since some clams can be sandy, it is a good precaution to soak them in cool water for up to an hour before using. If you choose, remove most of the clams from their shells, reserving a few for each plate as a garnish. You may also opt to use an equivalent amount of canned clams.

—Thanks to the Italian Government Tourist Board for this recipe.

Mexico

Veracruz-Style Red Snapper

Serves 4.

1 whole snapper, about 3 pounds

3 cups chicken broth

2 Tbl. fresh limejuice

2 pounds ripe tomatoes

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1 Bay leaf

1/2 tsp. Oregano

1/2 cup green olives, sliced

2 Tbl. capers

1-2 jalapeño chilies

Salt to taste

1. Clean snapper, leaving head and tail in place. Prick fish on both sides with a fork, rub in the lime juice, and sprinkle with salt. Place on a dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

2. While snapper flavors are deepening, peel and thinly slice onions and garlic. Slice jalapeños into thin strips. Set aside.

3. Skin, seed, and chop tomatoes. Set them aside.

4. When ready to assemble, preheat over to 375°.

5. Sauté onions and garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, capers, jalapeños, olives, and salt to taste. Bring just to boil and immediately turn down to a simmer; cook until the mixture thickens slightly—about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

6. Arrange fish in baking pan or dish. Cover with tomato sauce and sprinkle with remaining olive oil.

7. Place uncovered baking dish in oven. After 20 minutes, carefully turn the fish over and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes, or until fish is firm.

—Veracruz-style Red Snapper Recipe ©Suzanne Rodriguez

Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo:Tiritas de Pescado

Serves 2-4

Juice of 6 limes, freshly-squeezed
1 lb. snapper (or other firm whitefish) filets, sliced into thin strips (see note below*)
2 small-medium red onions, thinly sliced
6 serrano chiles, seeded and thinly sliced
Salt, cilantro, and fresh oregano to taste
Diced avocado
Tortilla chips

Pour juice into glass bowl, and then add the fish strips. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. This process "cooks" the fish, which will darken slightly. When you're ready to serve, add the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Serve with diced avocado on top and a bowl of and tortilla chips as scoops.

Mexican beer is an excellent, cooling-down accompaniment to this dish.

* Note: Be aware that raw seafood has a safety risk. Ceviche depends on a chemical process in citrus acid to "cook" the fish, but factors such as acidity intensity and marinating times vary. To avoid harmful micro-organisms in the fish, it must be exceedingly fresh. In addition, health experts recommend first freezing the fish to -31°F for 15 hours to eliminate risk.

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