Dinner from Veracruz, Mexico

Not your usual Tex-Mex fare! Veracruz is on the Gulf coast and, thus, is known for its fish and seafood dishes, especially Pescado a la Veracruzana (fish with Veracruz-style sauce). M liked rolling the dough and cutting out the circles of dough for the empanadas.

Our menu:
Pescado a la Veracruzana
Black Beans
Rice
and, for dessert, empanadas filled with peach-mango jam.

Yum, yum!

M's interruption: Veracruz is no. 1! I mean ,veracruz is plenty good. Plus, we chose the right things!

Back to Anne.
Here are the recipes:
Pescado a la Veracruzana (adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light, 2001)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped
* 1 cup sliced pitted manzanilla (or green) olives, divided
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 cup capers, divided
* 1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, divided
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 3 bay leaves
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided
* 6 (6-ounce) red snapper or other firm white fish fillets (I used Mahi Mahi)
* 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup olives, water, 2 tablespoons capers, 2 tablespoons jalapeños, basil, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Discard bay leaves.

Arrange fish in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; drizzle with lime juice, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes; discard marinade.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spoon sauce over fish. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup olives, 2 tablespoons capers, and 2 tablespoons jalapeños. Serves 6.

Empanadas (so easy you'll be tempted to make them often!)
Makes 6 small empanadas (we had two each)
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
* 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup fruit preserves (we used Favorit brand peach-mango jam)
* 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. DAY BEFORE: Cream butter and cream cheese together until smoothly blended. Beat in the flour. Shape dough into a smooth ball, wrap in foil or cling wrap, and refrigerate overnight or up to a week.
2. AT BAKING TIME: Remove dough from refrigerator 30 minutes before using. Start heating oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Roll chilled dough thin. Cut with 3 or 4 inch round cookie cutter. Place small spoonful of jam in center of each round, moisten edges with water.
4. Fold round over and press edges together. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately roll in sugar mixed with cinnamon (traditional) OR in confectioners' sugar if preferred.