A day late 📅

Hey there Florida Foodie friends,

It is the father of lies, the uncle of deception and a distant cousin to subterfuge — Thomas Mates.

I am here with a special Halloween edition of the Florida Foodie newsletter.

[ADD YOUR BUSINESS TO THE FLORIDA FOODIE DIRECTORY]

What makes it so special? To be honest, I ran out of time to do it yesterday so I’m fulfilling my obligations today.

In any case, I hope you all have a happy Halloween full of treats for all your little ghouls and goblins, along with some pilfered Reese’s Cups for all the parents out there.

We’ll jump right into the newsletter, but first I wanted to remind everyone to vote. I don’t care how you vote, it is none of my business, but it is so important that you exercise your rights and have your voice heard.

If you need help understanding the ballot, we have a rich trove of resources on our website. Just click here.

OK, off my soapbox. Let’s dive in.

Butterfly Lifestyle🦋

We first spoke to Shereece Mitchell-Sanchez in 2021, just after she started her food pantry in Pine Hills.

Since then, the need for food assistance has grown and she has been working tirelessly to keep up with the demand. I mean that sincerely as well. She walked me through her schedule and it doesn’t leave much time for anything else.

Mitchell-Sanchez joined Candace Campos and Lisa Bell to share more of her story and how people can get involved.

>Listen to the whole conversation here<

Small bites🍞

Diverse local chefs👩🏼‍🍳👨🏿‍🍳: A new food hall is set to open up in downtown Orlando. It promises 10 dining options and is slated to open in 2025. Here are all the details.

Staying closed🍊: It is no secret that the citrus industry is facing tough times. Those hardships are now keeping a family fruit stand shuttered for the first time in 70 years. Hollieanna Groves announced it would not open its citrus stand this year. Read the story here.

On a hot streak🔥: An Orlando-based hot sauce brand recently made a splash on the hit YouTube show Hot Ones. Learn more about their rise to success here.

Something to try at home 🍽️

This week I wanted to share a recipe that sounds really fancy but is actually simple and delicious.

We are making moqueca, which is a Brazilian fish stew.

This recipe comes from Recipe Tin Eats, though I made a few adjustments.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound firm white fish, no skin, cut into 1″ cubes. I recommend cod, but tilapia works well too
• The juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 14-ounce coconut milk
• 14-ounce canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup seafood stock (I used homemade shrimp stock, but you can use any kind you want)

1. First, marinate your fish. In a bowl, combine your fish with the juice and zest of one lime, olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Give your fish a toss, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
2. While the fish marinades, place a stock pot on medium-low heat. Add enough coconut oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Once the oil is shimmering, add your onions and bell peppers. Sauté them until the onions turn translucent. Then add your garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Now, add your cumin, paprika, and cayenne, Again, cook until fragrant. Then add your crushed tomatoes. You’ll want to cook this until the raw tomato smell goes away.
4. Add your coconut milk and seafood stock, then reduce to a bare simmer and let it cook uncovered.
5. While your stew simmers, remove your fish from the fridge. Place a pan over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with a neutral-tasting oil, like canola. Then, in batches, start searing your fish. You want to get it brown on at least two sides, but you do not want to cook it all the way through. This should take less than a minute on each side. Set aside your seared fish for the moment.
6. You may find that there is some brown build-up in the pan used to sear the fish. This is called fond and it is delicious. Don’t let that go to waste. If you have more seafood stock, pour some of that into the pan while it’s still hot, then scrape the bottom and add the mixture into your stew.
7. By this point, your stew should be suitably thickened. If it still seems too soupy, let it cook for another few minutes until it reaches the right consistency. Now, kill the heat and add your fish. It should finish cooking through from the residual heat in a moment or two.

Now all that’s left is to serve. I recommend pouring it over some white rice, but you could have it on its own. Moqueca is sweet and savory. Best of all, it doesn’t take long to make. I think I knocked this dish out in about an hour, give or take.

That’s all for today.

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Send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.

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- Thomas