Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Inspired by The Hundred Foot Journey to make a sea urchin soup, we tracked down some fresh urchin. Thanks, Ms. Shiho! But first, D made his grocery list... coconut milk urchin 'tie' [sic] basil (we didn't actually get Thai basil because I had some fresh basil from our High Ground Organics CSA ) curry tomato sauce cilantro rice  cooked white rice (I made an exception to our usual brown rice rule!) saffron  We picked up some already prepped urchin and D did clean one urchin ! I was grateful we didn't have to do that for all of the urchin. Now for his soup... Ingredients 3 shallots, finely diced 3 cloves garlic, finely diced 1/2 t minced lemongrass 1 T butter splash of olive oil 5 ounces fresh urchin, halved 1-1/2 C clam juice 2 C fish stock pinch of saffon  1 T Thai curry powder 1 t ground paprika dash of ground turmeric 1 can coconut milk freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper 1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped 1/4 C fresh basil...

Christmas in Peru, as everywhere else in the Christian world, is a time of celebration and libations. The 24th of December – “ la noche Buena ” (the good night) – is a huge feast, when families gather to enjoy good food before opening their presents together after midnight. Because we were just rolling back into town after three days away, I needed something quick and easy...but still elegant. I picked a hearty, spicy Peruvian stew: Parihuela . While I cooked, the boys helped the Nonni trim the tree. Though it is similar to the French bouillabaisse from the port of Marseille, its flavors and ingredients are uniquely Peruvian. Two things guarantee a great parihuela : using fresh ingredients and serving it immediately. Traditionally a firm flesh white fish as the main ingredient, such as the center cut of a cod or sea bass. But since Dungeness crab are in season in California, I also added some for flavor, contrast, and to enhance the presentation. And my dad picked u...