Downtown Foodie of Richmond

Amazing Fluffy Roasted Banana Bread

2012-01-25T22:53:00.000-05:00

I just made the most amazing banana bread I've ever had! The texture is soft and fluffy instead of being that typical, almost excessively dense and sticky banana bread. What's more, using chunky mashed bananas instead of puree leaves you with wonderful, flavorful chunks of banana in the finished bread. The banana flavor is intensified by roasting, and the palm and demarara sugars give this bread such an amazingly rich flavor that you don't even need cinnamon or other spices! Who knew?! Take that coming from a total cinnamon freak. The rum also aids in intensifying flavor and it, along with the yogurt, create a soft, silky texture. I also topped the bread with some coarse demarara sugars and that created a nice crunch on the top of the bread, yum!

Whether you love banana bread or aren't all too crazy about it, I'm telling you, try this recipe! It really is amazing! It is infinitely better than the old school recipe. Plus, who can complain when the process for making it is so simple and the reward is oh so great?! Do tell me how you like the recipe or any changes that you make. Enjoy :)!!

Roasted Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup palm sugar (in the jar--microwave until just softened, if necessary) (if in a solid block, grate first)*
1/2 c demarara/turbinado sugar* (my favorite brand is Florida Crystals)
1/2 cup of butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 unpeeled bananas, roasted and mashed coarsely
1 TB yogurt or sour cream
2 TB dark rum (my favorite is Barbancourt, Haitian rum)
1 TB vanilla
2 cups + 1 TB flour
3 tsp baking powder

*If you do not have palm sugar or demarara sugar, just use all regular Domino brown sugar. The taste will be different, but still delicious.

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Roast the bananas on a baking sheet while still inside the peel. When roasting, the peel will brown and you may hear some mild hissing from some of the banana juices seeping out. Do not be alarmed by this; it is normal. Allow the bananas to cool. Remove the peel and the threads. Mash the banana by hand, leaving the mixture full of small chunks

3.Cream the sugars, salt, and butter with an electric mixer.

4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated

5. Stir in the yogurt, rum, and vanilla.

6. Stir in the flour and baking powder just until the batter is moistened and all ingredients are fully incorporated.

7. Bake in a prepared pan for 1 hour or until the bread springs up when pressed in the center. Do not use the toothpick test for doneness with this recipe. When done, the bread will be golden brown on the tops and sides, and the sides will pull away from the side of the pan.

8. Allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

References: http://danicasdaily.com/brown-sugar-banana-nut-bread-recipe, http://doesnttaztelikechicken.com/2009/03/22/the-amazing-banana-bread/, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giadas-weekend-getaways/flours-famous-banana-bread-recipe/index.html

On a side note, sorry for the lack of photos lately. My computer's SD drive is malfunctioning, and it has already damaged one of my memory cards. Would anyone happen to know how to repair memory cards that show up with a read error when inserted in the camera itself?

Warm, Rich, and Comforting Winter Favorites

2012-01-19T22:49:00.003-05:00

There are so many wonderful dishes that I love to enjoy in the winter time. There's just something about a good, rich, hearty, comforting meal in the winter that just warms that soul and gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling. I wanted to take the time to compile a list of some of my favorite winter dishes for those days when you're not quite sure what you want, but you know you want some good comfort food to warm you up when it's freezing outside. I hope you enjoy this selection of recipes for comfort foods that are especially good when enjoyed in the winter.

Savory
Warm, comforting Cuban garlic soup

Rich and creamy tomato soup

Nicaraguan chicken soup with meatballs (sopa de gallina con albóndigas)

spaghetti alla carbonara

Southeast Asian carmelized sweet and spicy pork

Dominican fish in coconut sauce

Cuban tamal soup

Sweet

Rich, moist, chocolaty devil's food cake

Rich, fudgey brownies

Chewy, sweet, salty, and crunchy toasted Korean stuffed pancake (hodduk)

Mojo Marinated Chicharron ( Latin Style Fried Pork Belly)

2012-01-19T21:49:00.001-05:00

For those who are unfamiliar, chicharron (Chee Chah ROHN) is a type of fried pork common in many Latin American countries. It is prepared using chunks of the same meat that bacon comes from, but the skin is left on and it is uncured and still in slab form before being cut into pieces. I am not much of a fried food person, but some chicharron once a year is darn tasty! It's crunchy on the outside, the meat is tender, and the layer just beneath the crisp skin is slightly chewy, mmmmm, mmmm, mmm! Chicharron on its own is often eaten as a street food or a snack

This particular recipe is even more wonderful because you marinate the meat and pack it with flavor before frying it. I dare you to try eating it without licking your fingers! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Enjoy this recipe for some out-of-this-world chicharron!

You can see my video for the process here. It's in the middle of cooking the mofongo, so part of the video is frying plantains too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSqcUatytmk&feature=player_embedded

*This is the same recipe that I use for my mofongo or Latin style stuffed fried green plantain mash

Chicharron

Desired amount of chicharron, marinated overnight in mojo recipe above. You only need maybe 1/3 lb of chicharron for the actual mofongo, but I got 1.5 lbs and enjoyed the rest on its own. It's super cheap. Just ask the butcher to cut you some pork belly with the skin, meat, and fat all in tact. Cut the chicharron into 1-1/2" - 2" pieces to fry. 3/4 cups water 1 tsp baking soda

Procedure:

Rub the marinated chicharron in the baking soda. Cook the chicharron over medium low heat (Skin side UP--you don't wan't to cook it in water or it'll get chewy, not crispy) in 3/4 cup water. The reason for drying it is because the marinade adds a lot of liquid and excess liquid will make your chicharron chewy. It isn't supposed to cover the meat.
After about ten minutes of cooking on medium low (it should look very close to cooked, if not cooked), transfer the meat into a separate, ungreased, pre-heated pan to let it fry in its own grease over medium high. Be sure to turn the meat two or three times to allow it to become crispy and brown on all sides.
Alternatively, you can also just fry it the chicharron the whole way it its own fat, rather than doing water, if you don't want to risk messing it up and getting chewy chicharron. Traditionally, the process is to cook the chicharron in 1 cup of water over medium low until the water evaporates, then it fries in its own grease. This doesn't work for this recipe since we used a liquid marinade, not a a basic salt or salt and oregano dry seasoning. Besides, many people end up with chewy chicharron with the water process anyway, and some opt to just fry the meat in its own grease the whole way, skipping the water altogether.

Haitian Stewed Chicken

2012-01-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

I initially intended to write this post on the 12th, not because I planned it, but because it just worked out that way. I hadn't had Haitian food since I was living in Miami, and I recently pulled out all of my books that had been packed away. I've been going through a few of my cookbooks again, including my Haitian cookbook, The Art and Soul of Haitian Cooking. When I came across the stewed chicken recipe, I just had to make it! I'm actually glad that I made this dish on the 12th. I felt closer to a very dear friend of mine who passed in the earthquake. I would have shared this dish with her and we would have surely exchanged stories, laughed, and listened to some music over a great meal. This post is in honor of her and her love of life, her contagious joy, and her love and pride for her country. For those who have never tried Haitian food, I encourage you to give it a shot. This recipe is very easy and super delicious! In honor of my dear friend Stephanie and of all of those who perished that day and in honor of every soul that was touched by the earthquake in any way, I hope that you will be encouraged to try something new and experience a taste of Haiti.

As an introduction for those who may be unfamiliar with Haitian cuisine, it is very similar in technique to other Afro-Caribbean cuisines--it has a strong focus on braised meats in a spicy, well-seasoned sauce that is most often served with white rice or seasoned rice and beans. Out of all of the Afro-Caribbean cuisines that I know, I would say that Haitian food is closest to Jamaican. If you like Jamaican food, you will love Haitian food too. Although Haitian food tastes very different from Jamaican food, the ingredients are quite similar. Haitian meats are marinated and braised in a sauce that contains everything that Jamaican meats do except where Jamaicans would use allspice, known by Jamaicans as pimento berries, Haitians use whole cloves. Also, Haitians also add vinegar and, like their Dominican neighbors, tomato paste. This particular recipe is very easy, authentic, and you probably already have all of the ingredients to make it. Haitian stewed chicken has a rich, spicy, slightly tart flavor. The cloves impart a deep, rich flavor that has a wonderful aroma. All of the flavors combine create a very unique flavor that is sure to delight the palate!

Also, as with many other Afro-Caribbean cuisines, the meat is chopped into bite-sized pieces using a good knife and a hammer to pound the knife through the bone. This technique, although a bit intimidating at first, is actually very convenient because flavor penetrates the meat much more thoroughly, and cooking time is significantly accelerated.

Here is a recipe that I have adapted, with some changes, from The Art and Soul of Haitian Cooking by the Haiti Institute in DC. I highly recommend this cookbook, by the way. It is very authentic and has tons of great Haitian recipes, including baked goods, drinks, and even candies and ice creams.

Haitian Stewed Chicken
1 whole chicken, or about 8 drumsticks, chopped (bone-in) into bite-sized pieces (3-4 per drumstick)

1/2 a medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

6 whole cloves or about 1/4 tsp of ground cloves

5 green onions, minced (if you don't have them, no biggie)

1/2 tsp thyme

1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (habanero is a perfect substitute and is much more readily available in most areas) (do NOT break the skin of the pepper or your dish will be too spicy)

1-1/2 TB tomato paste + water for diluting (about 1-2 TB should be enough)

juice of 1 lime + extra juice for washing the meat (about 1 lime)

1-1/2 TB white vinegar + habanero hot sauce (traditionally pikliz vinegar, vinegar from a seasoned hot pepper and veggie pickle, is used)

1 tsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

2 TB of oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Wash the meat with lime juice and let set for about 5-7 minutes, no longer than 10. Rinse and pat dry.

2. Crush the thyme, parsley, garlic, lime juice, bell pepper, and onion in a mortar and pestle or grind in a small blender or food processor until a uniform paste is achieved then add in whole cloves

3. Cover and rub the meat with the marinade. Marinate the meat for at least 1 hour. I discourage marinating overnight as acidic marinades can cause meat to become tough if left to sit for too long.

4. Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade for later use

5. Brown the chicken in the oil over medium heat

6. Add in the reserved marinade, the thinned tomato paste, and the vinegar/pikliz

7. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes until chicken is done

8. Serve with white rice or Haitian rice and beans

*Although this is not done traditionally, I like to strain out the solid onions and peppers after cooking is done. It's not necessary, but it is just my preference because I like the nice, smooth sauce that results.

Fluffy, Silky, Buttery Brioche

2011-12-10T00:04:00.001-05:00

So I keep hearing all of this talk about how great brioche is, how it's so buttery and delicious. Well, I was craving a nice, somewhat sweet bread and since I already made houska/challah I decided to go for brioche. The funny thing is, I've never actually had brioche before. In fact, I've never even seen it besides on TV and online.

Well, I actually just took my bread out of the oven and, unfortunately, a small piece got stuck to the bottom of my loaf pan. I was disappointed, especially considering that I actually sprayed the pan before baking, but that little piece missing gave me a window into just how ridiculously amazing the texture of this bread was. The bread was soft, airy, silky, and oh-so-good...almost melt-in-your-mouth fluffy and soft. I cannot wait until this bread cools so I can dig in! Based on the small piece that I tasted (since it stuck to the pan anyway), this recipe was a 100% success.

I actually used a French recipe for this, but I measured out everything using my measuring cups and spoons after I weighed out the metric volume amounts. I had my doubts about this recipe because there is a TON of butter, and you feel like there's no way there is even enough bread for all of that butter, but there is! Yummy, yummy, yummy! It's sort of like when you make a good, flaky buttermilk biscuit--you feel like "where on earth is all of this butter going to fit?" but once you bake it, you're just like, "mmmmm, perfection."

Well, here you go! Cheers to me for not being forgetful or lazy and actually measuring to convert from metric for once! Enjoy :)

Ingredients:
1. 7 TB warm milk
2. 2-1/2 tsp dry yeast (use what you prefer, but note that double acting will taste a bit yeasty)
3. 3c + 3 TB all purpose flour (you may need to add more based on feel of the dough. It will be soft and sticky before the first rising)
4. 4 TB sugar
5. 1-1/4 tsp salt
6. 5 eggs, gently beaten
7. 2 sticks + 2 TB room temperature butter, cut into small pieces (I actually ended up cutting 1 TB or two from the total butter amount because I was scared, and it actually turned out perfect.)

Procedure:
1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a medium-sized bowl, stirring with a whisk. Allow to proof for 10 minutes in a warm place.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

3. Add the eggs and the yeast mixture and mix (you can do this by hand if you don't have a machine). You should have a soft, sticky dough.

4. Knead the dough intensively for 15 minutes so that it will be smooth and elastic.

5. Stud the dough with the butter pieces and knead until the butter is well-incorporated

6. Place the ball of dough in a large, greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Refrigerate and allow to rise overnight. The goal is to have it double in size, but it is recommended to let it rise overnight for optimum results.

7. Preheat oven to 350F

8. Punch down the down dough until it reaches its original volume. Form the bread into the desired loaf shape and place into a greased pan and cover with greased plastic. Allow to rise in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
*If you want the same loaf shape as photographed above, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and place close together in a loaf pan, as pictured. If you have a scale, weighing the balls for equal weight would be ideal; otherwise, simply divi out balls that look about the same size.

9. Remove plastic and brush the top of the bread with egg wash. I did mine with yolk and a little water only since the yolk creates a sweet, rich glaze which goes well with brioche. The original recipe just calls for a regular egg wash with a whole egg.

10. Bake in greased pan for 45 minutes. Your brioche will be very dark on the top, maybe a little darker than photographed because I had to bake an extra 15 minutes from when I took the photograph to get the bake time that the original recipe called for. Oops :).

11. Let cool for at least one hour. Enjoy!

References: http://www.patiss.com/recette/pates/brioche.html

Tips:
To store, wrap the bread loaf itself (not with the pan, just the loaf) up really well in plastic and, if possible, store inside a large container for optimal freshness. Fresh bread lasts about 3-5 days.

Bread generally freezes well, so freezing half for later use may be a great idea, even if you plan to eat it within the same week. Simply thaw on the counter. You can also refrigerate the loaf in an air-tight container, which is what I do after the first 24-48 hours.

The original recipe says that brioche dough also freezes very well, but not to freeze it for too long. I'd recommend wrapping it up well in plastic, then in foil before putting in a Ziplock to protect from freezer burn.

Wonderfully Rich and Delicious Shrimp Stock

2011-12-07T22:51:00.001-05:00

I am an NPR fanatic. Back when I was in grad school, I didn't have cable, and I was just fine was it because I'd just keep my NPR on all day long, and I just loved it. There was always something new and interesting on the "Dianne Rehm Show" or "The Story," plenty of hilarious moments on "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me," "Car Talk," and "The Moth." One particular show that I fell in love with is "The Splendid Table." Host Lynne Rossetto Kasper always shared such great recipes, and I loved hearing her creative suggestions for callers in recipe ruts. Her recipes always sounded so amazing, yet they were never overly complicated.

As a regular listener of "The Splendid Table," I had mentally bookmarked a number of Lynne's mouth-watering recipes. One of those recipes was the Rustic Shrimp Bisque shared by Melissa Clark. Today, I finally had the chance to try the recipe and WOW!! Talk about an easy recipe that packs some shockingly serious flavor! In just 3 simple steps and 20 short minutes you can have a wonderful, restaurant-quality shrimp stock for soups, bisques, or seafood rice dishes.

As usual, since I didn't have a few of the ingredients (the wine and the brandy) I substituted with whatever I had around. Below is the recipe that I used. The original recipe can be found at the link at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1. shells from 1lb or so of shrimp, well-rinsed
2. 1 TB of butter
3. 2/3 c beer (I used Modelo)
4. 1 TB of cachaca (Brazilian sugar cane alcohol) or white rum
5. 6 cups of water
6. 1 clove of garlic
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 3 sprigs fresh time, or 1 pinch of dried thyme
9. salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Melt butter in a medium sauce pot and cook shrimp shells over high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. This should take about 3 minutes.

2. Add beer and cachaca and continue cooking over high heat until the alcohol is almost evaporated.

3. Once the alcohol has nearly evaporated, add 6 cups of water, bay leaf, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

4. Strain shrimp stock into a bowl, pressing the shells before discarding them.

References: The Splendid Table, http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/soup_shrimp_bisque.html

Limoncello Crepes

2011-11-21T21:26:00.001-05:00

This past Friday I was dying for something sweet and delicious, but I've been feeling a bit under the weather, and I definitely wasn't up to cooking anything myself. Unfortunately, I live in a bit of a culinary dessert--food here is notoriously bland and sub-par overall. I remembered, however, that there was a Cheesecake Factory at the mall. I really don't like cheesecake very much, but I like the mousse-y cheesecakes at Cheesecake Factory, so I decided to give it a shot.

I'd been itching to make a lemon cream cake all week, so I knew I wanted something with lemon and berries. When I saw the Limoncello cream torte, I was sold. It was SO delicious, and SO worth the wait! The cake had an airy crumb yet it was somehow very dense at moist all at once. The mascarpone cream filling was divine, and the crumb topping provided some nice textural balance. The fresh sliced strawberries served with the cake made for a delicious balance of sweet and tart, yum! This crepe recipe was inspired by my lemon cake craving and Cheesecake Factory's wonderful Limoncello cream torte. Enjoy!

For this recipe, prepare the batter first, then set aside. Make the sauce once the batter has rested then begin cooking the crepes according to the instructions below.

Crepe Recipe
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2 eggs
1 cup milk (whole, skim, almond, etc)

Procedure
1. Measure the flour into a bowl, make a well in the center, and add the eggs. Whisk, drawing in the flour.

2. Continue whisking, pouring in the milk in a light, steady stream, gradually drawing in all the flour.

3. Whisk until smooth. Let stand about 30 minutes so the starch grains absorb the liquid and swell

4. Ladle enough batter into a lightly greased pan (dip the napkin in oil and lightly grease the pan) (an omelet pan is ideal)

5. Cook over medium heat for 60 seconds, or until golden underneath. Loosen the edge and flip the crepe over.

6. Cook the other side of the crepe for 30 seconds, or until golden. Serve.

7. Oil the pan lightly before making the next crepe.

Limoncello Sauce
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1/8 c water (optional--use only if your sauce is too tart for your liking)
caster sugar or powdered sugar to taste (I used about 2 TB or so of powdered sugar)
1 TB cachaca or white rum (I only used cachaca because that's what I had on hand)
1/2 stick of butter, cut into pieces

Procedure:

1. Place all in a large nonstick pan or in a medium to large skillet until the butter has melted. Simmer gently for 5 minutes

2. Reduce the heat to low. Place 1 crepe in the pan and turn it over to coat on both sides. Folk it in half then fold it in half again. Move to the side of the pan.

3. Add another crepe and repeat the same process. Overlap the first crepe and repeat.

4. Enjoy with whipped cream and fresh berries.

References: Crepe suzette recipe in Cooking Essentials by Barry & Spieler and the Cooking Club of America

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

2011-11-12T11:20:00.001-05:00

Here are some of the things that I love to keep around to add a little extra punch to my food or to serve as the basis for a quick, easy-to-prepare meal.

1. Jowl Bacon
The sweetness of this particular bacon is delightful against the saltiness typical of bacon. The crunch and sweet saltiness give great depth and textural variety to a number of dishes from pastas to rices to chicken dishes, veggies, and of course breakfast foods. Although I'm not at all one to sit down to a breakfast plate and eat a whole slice of bacon on its own, it's nice to use a slice or two of chopped jowl bacon to flavor a dish.

2. Coconut Milk
Creamy coconut adds an unrivaled delightful velvety richness to both sweet and savory dishes. My favorite dishes to add coconut milk to are rice dishes, stews, and desserts. Coconut milk works especially well with rice and beans and SE Asian or West Indian braised and stewed meats.

For savory rice dishes, a TB or two of powdered coconut milk works just as well as the fresh stuff and is much more convenient. Otherwise, using fresh coconut milk for 1/4-1/2 of the liquid in a rice dish lends great depth and deliciousness. For sweet rice dishes, fresh coconut milk adds a wonderful richness to make sweet flavors pop and to give them more dimension.

3. Jasmine Rice
Fragrant jasmine rice has a wonderfully soothing scent and a mildly sweet flavor. It is my preferred rice to steam plain and serve on the side of a meal and my favorite rice for mixed meat and rice dishes such as Haitian rice and beans and Dominican locrio (a dish of meat and rice cooked together). Of all of the medium to long grain rice, jasmine is my favorite for sweet rice dishes such as rice pudding or arroz con leche as well.

Another great thing about keeping rice around in general is that you can have a delicious and nutritious meal ready in just 30 minutes by adding in canned or frozen veggies and meat along with your seasoned rice. Also, you can also use raw rice as a thickening agent. Just soak a palmful rice in enough water to cover it while you prepare a soup; put the soaked rice and water in the blender, strain it, and you've got some old school thickener. Works much like corn starch would.

4. Canned Tomato Products (tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes)
Canned tomato products are great to keep around for throwing together quick dishes, making speedy sauces, and for adding extra zing to savory rice dishes. I actually have an entire shelf in my cabinet that is nothing but tomato products. I keep whole tomatoes, tomato paste and crushed tomatoes around for making marinara or other pasta sauces and I also use 1-2TB of tomato paste in rice dishes (per 1c of raw dish). I love to keep diced tomatoes around for soups or to mix into rice or pasta. I also keep whole tomatoes around to slice up for braised meats or other dishes since store-bought fresh tomatoes have become both pricey and lacking in flavor.

5. Homemade chicken stock
Sometimes when I'm having a lazy day I just end up buying a roasted chicken from the grocery store (preferably Sam's Club, yum!). Once I've eaten the chicken, I put the carcas in the crockpot with onions, garlic, veggies, herbs, and other seasonings until the bones become soft, about 8 hours or so on low. Just let it do its thing while you're asleep or at work. Once it's ready, you just strain the broth and enjoy. I love to freeze the leftover stock in freezer bags in 1 or 2 cup portions. Then I just pull out the stock to make soups or to use as the liquid for rices. It's so convenient and tastes so much better than store bought stock or broth.

Mmm, Breakfast Time!! Sweet, Salty, and Deeeelish!

2011-11-12T10:44:00.001-05:00

I'm not the type of person to sit down and eat a slice of bacon, but there's just something about that touch of saltiness that crumbled bacon lends to so many dishes. In this particular breakfast dish, the salty and slighlty sweet flavor of the jowl bacon balances the sweetness of the syrup. The fluffy texture of the waffle with the crunchy bacon and the velvety soft yolk of the egg is simple and easy to make, but oh so delicious!!

*Just as a note, I'd caution against substituting with a store bought waffle in this dish. The flavor is not nearly good enough to make this dish shine.*

Ingredients
1 fluffy and crisp waffle
2 eggs, fried easy over
1 slice of jowl bacon, cubed and fried

Procedure
1. Take the freshly prepared waffle and drizzle lightly with syrup (I do my syrup with just vanilla and butter flavoring, no maple flavoring)

2. Top with easy over fried egg (don't go greasy, all you need is a nonstick pan and a spray of Pam)

3. Sprinkle with crispy fried jowl bacon

4. Enjoy the sweet and salty, fluffy and crunchy goodness!! Mmm, mmm, mmm!!

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

2011-10-29T19:18:00.000-04:00

Looking for the perfect chocolate cake? Look no further! This cake is chocolate-y, super moist, yet springy, and absolutely delicious! This one is one of our family favorites, whether as a sheet cake glazed with toffee syrup before being topped with whipped cream or as a layer cake filled with raspberry preserves. This is one chocolate cake that you just can't go wrong with, no matter what you decide to do with it. As much as I am just not a fan of Hershey's chocolate or their cocoa, you'd never know that it was Hershey's with this oh-so-wonderful cake. Enjoy :).

Ingredients
2c sugar
1-3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4c Hershey's Cocoa
1-1/2 baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1c milk
1/2c vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1c boiling water

Procedure
1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 9-in baking pans.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.

3. Beat on med. speed 2 min. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour into pans.

4. Bake 30-35 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. An alternative test would be to touch the center of the cake for springiness. Once it is springy, it is done.

6. Cool 10 minutes (do not let sit in pan too long or it will stick). Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting

The Absolutely Perfect Omelette

2011-10-25T21:45:00.002-04:00

Mmmm, look how thick and fluffy!

I'm not much of a eggs and bacon breakfast type of girl, so I never actually tried to make an omelette until now. I tried out a recipe this weekend and once I got to the second omelette, everything turned out wonderfully. Just the same, I wanted to perfect the recipe tonight. I decided to see what adding half sour cream would do to the texture. It did just what I expected--my omelette turned out super soft and fluffy and oh so delicious!! Try it for yourself. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Omelette:

3 eggs

1 TB heavy cream

1 TB sour cream (or plain yogurt, use heavy cream if you have neither of these--2 TB of either of these in lieu of heavy cream could also work)

salt to taste (about 1 tsp or so)

pepper to taste

a shake of garlic powder

1 TB of butter and a drizzle of oil (the oil raises the smoking point of the butter and prevents burning)

Filling:

1 tsp finely chopped green pepper

1 tsp finely chopped onion

1 TB sliced black olives

1 TB chopped tomatoes, excess moisture removed

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 large handful of washed fresh spinach, lightly salted (or desired amount of thawed frozen spinach), sauteed with excess moisture squeezed out)

1 slice of jowl bacon, chopped and fried (regular bacon is fine too, you want the end result to be about 1 tsp of chopped bacon)

shredded cheese, desired amount (I like about 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup and I like to put cheese on the top and bottom of the other fillings to hold them in place)

Procedure:

1. Place omelette ingredients in a blender for one minute, allowing the mixture to become foamy

2. Melt butter and heat oil together over medium low heat in an 8" skillet (this smaller pan will ensure optimal fluffiness)

3. Pour blended egg mixture over the pan and allow edges to set just enough to lift them with an oiled spatula

4. Lift the outside edges of the omelette and allow egg mixture to flow beneath the set eggs. Do this for all edges and smooth out the omelette with spatula to even it out

5. Continue this process until the omelette is nearly set

6. Once the omelette is nearly set, sprinkle toppings evenly across one side of the omelette and fold the other side of the omelette on top of it

7. Cover the pan and allow the omelettes to set and the cheese to melt

8. Slide the omelette out of the pan and onto a plate and enjoy :).

Don't laugh but my boyfriend will not eat his omelettes without ketchup, and I finally tried it...I must say, if you drizzle just a little good ketchup over the top, it sure is yummy.

Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats Drizzled with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

2011-10-23T23:11:00.001-04:00

Ingredients
3 TB butter
10 oz marshmallows (about 40 marshmallows if you're using Jet Puffed)
1 rounded spoonful (eating tsp) of peanut butter (Planter's brand creamy peanut butter recommended)
6c crispy rice cereal
finely chopped quality creamy milk chocolate, such as Milka or Ghirardelli
chocolate hazelnut spread (I used Ulker Golden brand--use your brand of preference. I must admit, the
consistency of Ulker is much nicer than Nutella and it doesn't get dry or pasty)

Procedure:
1. Melt butter over medium heat

2. Once butter is melted, stir in marshmallows until fully melted

3. Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies

4. Grease a pan with butter or oil, sprinkling half of the pan with chopped chocolate

5. Spread Rice Krispies mixture over the pan and drizzle the half spread over the chopped chocolate with chocolate hazelnut spread

6. Allow to set and cut into equal slices. Enjoy :)

Reference: http://www.ricekrispies.com/?utm_campaign=Intention%20-%20Brand&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Rice%20Krispies%20Desserts&utm_term=rice%20krispie%20desserts#/recipes/the-original-treats

Peanut Butter Bread Pudding with Homemade Butterscotch Sauce

2011-10-22T12:23:00.000-04:00

I had some leftover ciabatta bread yesterday, and I was definitely due for some de-stressing time in the kitchen, so I decided to make bread pudding. I've been itching to do something with a peanut butter twist, so why not peanut butter bread pudding, right? I knew that the peanut butter alone would create a very flat, one-dimensional flavor, so in came the idea for the butterscotch sauce. There is just something very special about the combo of peanut butter and butterscotch. It just never fails!

This bread pudding was easy to make and tasted divine! The top was crusty; the inside was soft and moist without being a mono-textured blob. The peanut butter created a flavor that was warm and slightly salty while just the right amount of sweetness and richness came from the butterscotch topping, and the golden raisins gave the perfect pop of slightly tart brightness to balance the flavor. Mmmm, tasty perfection! The cute little cupcake portions were a great touch and a nice little portion control aid...well, at least in theory ;).

Ingredients:
1-1/2c heavy cream
1c milk (I used almond milk because that's what I had on hand)
2 TB butter
1 roundedTB of peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla
4 egg yolks

8 cups of crusty bread cut into 1" cubes (at least day old--I used ciabatta, but French bread or challah is ideal)

1 heaping TB golden raisins, soaked in rum or scotch min. of 30 min. (microwave raisins in rum or scotch 30 sec to speed process)
cinnamon to taste (~ 1/4 tsp or so)
pinch of salt (I add extra because I like mine a little saltier)

homemade butterscotch sauce---this recipe calls for scotch, but I used dark rum (Rhum Barbancourt) because it's what I had on hand and it was absolutely delicious!

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Place sugar, milk, cream, peanut butter, butter, and cinnamon in a sauce pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until homogeneous. Note that there will still be thin streaks of peanut butter, but the goal is to remove any lumps.

3. Allow mixture to cool

4. Whisk egg yolks and whisk in vanilla and cooled cream mixture.

5. Soak cubed bread in custard and toss in raisins. Allow bread to soak with custard and raisins for at least 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to ensure that custard is nearly fully absorbed

6. Lightly press soaked bread cubed into a lined muffin pan. Compress bread pudding mixture lightly to avoid gaps, but also to avoid a one-textured bread pudding. I like a little crunch and texture variation.

7. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until springy when pressed.

8. Once baked, drizzle hot bread pudding with butterscotch sauce

9. Remove liners before serving. If desired, top with a dollop of homemade sweetened whipped cream

*You can mix the leftover egg whites with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, sugar, and vanilla and make meringue cookies http://www.dominicancooking.com/784-suspiritos-meringues.html or you could always just add the extra egg whites to your eggs for omelettes in the morning, as I did, yum!

References: http://sourkrautkrafts.blogspot.com/2010/08/white-chocolate-bread-pudding-cupcakes.html, http://carpecupcakes.blogspot.com/2010/02/recipe-of-week-bread-pudding-cupcakes.html,

Requests?

2011-10-15T12:35:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to reach out to all of you and get your feedback. What types of recipes would you like to see more of? Are there any techniques or cuisines on my page that you'd like me to provide tips for (e.g., cooking rice, baking, bread making, SE Asian cuisine, etc)? Are there any questions that you guys have about recipes that are already posted? Looking forward to your responses :).

Asian-Inspired Sweet and Tangy Red Chili Pork Ribs

2011-10-13T22:54:00.000-04:00

When I made this dish, it was one of those days when I was busy and had little time to cook. I went to the international supermarket and saw this nice pork back rib meat. I thought it'd be fun to play with some Korean spices and make a nice spicy, tangy sauce with a touch of sweetness and a nice fresh ginger flavor to balance everything out. Since the ribs came cut into small pieces and the ingredients were pretty simple, I was able to make this dish quickly and easily.

The flavor of this dish balances the bitter heat of Korean chili powder, the sweet tangy-ness of rice vinegar, and the sweetness of sugar and honey. Fresh ginger adds a nice pop of freshness and a soft crunch. Surprisingly, the ginger rounds are actually very tasty, and they become almost candied in the cooking process, fully absorbing all of the flavors of the sauce. The sauce is lightly thickened, as opposed to being the thick, sticky consistency of Chinese American food. The meat on its own has a great flavor and a slight bit of chewiness (not the type that comes from being overcooked) with a very thin velvety, buttery-tasting line of fat along the edges of the bone. Although the meat is a bit more difficult to get to with the way that the bone is positioned, the flavor makes up for it. Other pork ribs, such as spare ribs or spare rib tips would work equally well. In fact, I would likely prefer spare rib tips if I made this dish again. Spare rib tips are actually one of my favorite types of pork for adding great flavor to rice dishes.

Enjoy this easy, flavorful dish with white rice.

Ingredients:

1/2 c corn syrup
1.5 c water
5 cloves of garlic + 3 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
2 TB of fresh ginger (peeled and sliced into somewhat thin rounds beforehand)
1 tsp Korean chili powder**
2 tsp Korean red chili paste**
1 whole dried Korean red chili pepper**
1 tsp rice vinegar (much more affordable at any Asian market)
1 tsp of honey
1-1/2 TB of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
*cornstarch

*This will be used once the marinated meat is at frying stage

**These ingredients can be found at any Korean market or larger Pan-Asian supermarkets (e.g. Global Foods in Northern VA or Korea Garden on Midlothian in Richmond, VA (http://koreangardenva.com/)

Marinade:
5 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp chili paste
salt

Procedure:
1. Wash meat and rub marinade into meat for a few minutes. Marinate for at least one hour.

2. Make a sauce with the remaining ingredients.

3. Cook the sauce over medium high heat for about 5 minutes

4. Lower heat and simmer over medium low heat until thickened, about 25 minutes

5. Place meat in a pan with 1-1/2 TB oil over medium heat

6. Dust meat with just enough meat so that both sides of each piece of meat receives an light dusting. This seals in the meat's juices and will also aid in thickening the sauce later in the cooking process

7. Brown the meat over medium to medium high heat until 3/4 cooked

8. Once meat is cooked, add the cooked sauce to cover the meat and toss evenly

9. Cover the meat and bring the dish to a boil for just about a minute.

10. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes

References: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dakkangjung

Fluffy and Crisp Waffles

2011-10-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

Surprisingly, I haven't made waffles since I moved from Miami. I was a bit obsessed when I first got my waffle maker. I used to make them every week :), and I tried all kinds of recipes. Since my little cousin from back home was staying over for the first time, I wanted to make a good breakfast for her. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my manufacturer's waffle recipe book, which was surprisingly good, so I had to Google new recipes. I took a big risk with a recipe that only had one review, but the ingredients looked pretty promising. The recipe actually turned out to be my favorite!! With a little tweaking, the texture was perfect--tender, fluffy, and somewhat crispy (I cook mine for 15-17 minutes, depending on the amount of batter--I like my waffles on the darker side). With a little added sugar, the sweetness was spot on, and the honey created a great flavor! I enjoyed my waffles with some homemade syrup (I use a little butter flavoring instead of maple) and scrambled eggs to which I added some chopped up pork left over from last night's dinner. Talk about deeeelish!

Try this recipe out and let me know what you think. I just added a TB or so of sugar for added sweetness. My batter was runny and much looser than I prefer, so I also added about 3/4 cup of flour to get a somewhat thick, but still liquidy (as opposed to pasty) batter. Just eyeball it. A thicker batter makes for a denser waffle. For the eggs, I separated the whites and beat them to soft peaks with a mixer before folding them into the blended battler. The recipe with my adjustments makes 5 Belgian-waffle-sized waffles. Enjoy :)!

Pineapple Filling for Cakes

2011-10-07T19:11:00.001-04:00

Pineapple Filling

looks ugly, tastes amaaaazing ;)

Ingredients:
fresh pineapple, peeled and chopped
cinnamon
sugar to taste
1-2 TB of dark rum
pinch of salt
2 TB or so of cornstarch (sift over the pineapple sauce while in the pan, sifting avoids lumps)
Do NOT try to be exact with this. Just add enough to get a desirable consistency that is not wet, but not overly stiff and jello-like either. After about a minute on medium to medium high, you get the full effect of the cornstarch in terms of thickening.

Procedure:
This recipe is very much freestyle. I didn't measure anything. I just chopped some pineapple into chunks (maybe try 1-1/2 cups or so) and put it in the blender with enough water to get it going. I pulsed it until I got a consistency still slightly chunky and not too watery. Then I put that on the stove over medium to medium high with some sugar, cinnamon, 1-2 TB of dark rum, and a pinch of salt and added in about 2 TB or so of cornstarch to thicken it so that it would not run or get the cake wet. End result = mmmmm mmmm, talk about GOOD!

Super Moist Homemade Basic Yellow Cake Recipe and Cake Decorating!

2011-10-06T23:24:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone!

So I'm taking a cake decorating class at my local craft store (that was super affordable, I might add), and look what I did!!!! Yay!!!! Don't mind the off-balance decorations in the center. Everything outside of the shells was pretty much me just practicing everything that we'd learned that day. I guess I got lucky that it actually ended up looking somewhat balanced ;). I'm super proud! This is what we learned in our third class session. Pretty awesome, especially considering how little I paid. Anyhow, I just wanted to pop in and say that I will likely be posting cake decorating pics and tutorials soon so stay tuned!

I also wanted to share the ridiculously good cake recipe that I used for this cake. The basic recipe is at the link below. The cake turned out super moist and had a great flavor. Instead of 1 cup of sour cream, I just did 1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice and 1/2 cup sour cream + 1TB of dark rum. I had this cake with a yummy homemade pineapple filling, which you can find in my other post.

http://homecooking.about.com/od/cakerecipes/r/blc13.htm

The frosting was just the shortening-based buttercream frosting that is typically used for decorating cakes. Butter becomes soft at room temperature and the frosting becomes to soft to hold the shape of things like flowers.

FYI, for those who are curious, below would be stiff peaks. That is NOT what you want. If you do stiff peaks, you cake will have air bubbles. Soft peaks is when the peaks that form kind of curl over or lean a bit at the top after you lift the beaters, whereas in the photo below they sit up straight and stiff.

without flash

with flash--see the stiff peak toward the center?

Authentically Delicious Southeast Asian Stir Fried Pork and Squash

2011-10-01T12:38:00.003-04:00

My boyfriend's dad loves to cook. Though he isn't exactly the emotional, warm and fuzzy type and I definitely am, food is one of those things I feel connects souls. I love to sit down with his dad and talk about traditional Cambodian food and learn a few recipes here and there. Stir fried pork and kabocha squash is actually one of my favorite Cambodian dishes. The overall flavor profile of this dish is absolutely divine! The rich flavor of the squash is an unexpectedly excellent accompaniment to the pork. This stir fry is one of those things that's nothing like the sum of it's parts. The squash acquires a velvety consistency, the pork is tender and flavorful, the garlic acquires a mild sweetness, the saltiness of the fish sauce balances the sweetness of the sugar and garlic, and the oyster sauce gives the dish depth, while the black pepper serves to break up the sweetness. The green onion, although my boyfriend's dad does not use it, really adds a wonderful little pop of flavor that I just love! The comparatively milder flavor of this dish makes it a wonderful introduction to Cambodian cuisine.

Although it looks very similar to buttercup squash, don't be fooled. Kabocha squash is a Japanese squash that is much firmer and has a much deeper, richer, sweeter flavor than buttercup squash. The firm texture makes this squash ideal for stir fries. With that in mind, I would strongly caution against substituting another squash in this recipe. Although the preparation of the squash takes a bit of skill on the peeling and chopping end of things,the end result cooks so quickly that the overall time investment is actually quite minimal. Just grab your squash and sit down in front of your favorite show, and it'll be done before you know it, maybe about 7 minutes. For strategy tips, pay attention to the photos below. Cut the peeled squash into wedges, then stand the wedges on their side and cut slices thickness-wise, as seen in photo #3. From these slices, cut matchsticks, as demonstrated in photo #4, and there ya go! Try this super easy and delicious dish and let me know what you think. Yum, yum, YUM!!

What to do with the other half of the squash??? Bake it and eat it either plain or sugared; bake it into bread, sweet buns, muffins, or pancakes; or add in very thin slices to a frittata. This squash works well in any recipe that uses pumpkin, buttercup, or butternut squash. Don't forget to roast the seeds for a tasty snack ;).

Cambodian Stir fried Pork and Kabocha Squash

Ingredients:

1/2 kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and julienned (sold at some supermarkets and most SE Asian markets)

1 1b of pork (pork sirloin preferred--shoulder or butt can also be used, my boyfriend's dad often uses pork belly), sliced into matchstick-like pieces

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1TB oyster sauce (http://www.khiewchanta.com/images/oyster-sauce.jpg)**

1 TB fish sauce (http://www.pinoyoutlet.com/image/cache/data/sauces/three-crabs-fish-sauce-682ml-500x500.jpg)**

a generous pinch of sugar (maybe around 1/2 TB or so)

cracked black pepper (maybe around 1 tsp)

1 green onion, sliced into thin rings

oil for cooking

**These items are found at any SE Asian market. The brands photographed are the recommended brands. They are only about $2 or $3. For those in Northern VA, you can also find these items at Global Foods.

Procedure:

*All of the amounts above are approximate. This dish is pretty freestyle. Adjust to your taste preference or until you sense that the flavors are sufficiently balanced. The only thing that will really mess up the dish is overcooking the meat

1. Marinade sliced meat in a modest amount of salt along with garlic for a minimum of 30 minutes. This step is not traditional, but I find that the resulting flavor is superior.

2. Pat marinated meat dry, being sure to remove any excess moisture, as the moisture will result in a watery stir-fry.

3. Heat oil in a pan over medium high to high heat.

4. Once the pan is hot, add in meat and squash and stir frequently to prevent overcooking

5. Season the ingredients with the oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper.

6. Continue stirring frequently to allow for even seasoning and cooking of the ingredients.

7. Once the meat is about 85% or so done, sprinkle the green onion over the top, lower the heat to about low or medium low. Cover, and let cook for two minutes.

8. Serve with Jasmine rice and enjoy!

Homemade Garlic Plaintain Chips--Mariquitas!!

2011-09-24T23:02:00.001-04:00

Mariquitas are a Cuban snack commonly enjoyed throughout Latin America. In Miami, fresh mariquitas can be found at many Cuban restaurants, bakeries, and sandwich shops. They're crispy, salty, and absolutely delicious whether eaten alone or with some tangy and flavorful mojo sauce. Enjoy my version of mariquitas with a tasty garlicky twist :).

Mariquitas (plaintain chips)

1small pot of oil

1 plantain, sliced thinly, either on a bias or in rounds

1 clove of garlic cut into three pieces

salt

water

Heat oil with garlic slices over medium high heat. Meanwhile, soak plantain slices in salt water to remove sticky residue and flavor the chips. Once the oil is ready, pat the plantain slices dry and add the one-by-one into the oil, stirring constantly. Let the chips fry until golden brown and crispy. Be sure to stir constantly as they can and will stick if you don't. After the first minute or so of frying, remove the garlic, as it has already released it's flavor and you don't want it to begin to become bitter.

If you so desire, serve with Cuban mojo sauce. Here is a recipe http://www.tasteofcuba.com/mojo.html. Just be sure that you're using mariquita mojo (not the one with all of the herbs that you use to marinade).

Authentic Spaghetti Alla Carbonara Take II

2011-09-24T20:27:00.024-04:00

Rich, creamy, a little salty, and slightly smokey--traditional spaghetti alla carbonara is simple. It's made with only 6 ingredients--pork jowl bacon, egg yolk, pecorino cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper. Although you may not be familiar with it right off, it is super cheap and easy to find. It is exactly what's used in the traditional carbonara sauce in Italy, where it is called guanciale (wahn CHA Leh). Pork jowl is the cheek meat of the pig. It is very flavorful and is similar to regular bacon in the way that it cooks and tastes.

Spaghetti alla carbonara falls into the category of primi piatti in Italy. Primi piatti are things like rice, pasta, and other starches that are eaten alongside a meat dish. Although we are accustomed to having the chicken mixed into our spaghetti alla carbonara here in the U.S., it is traditionally served alongside a chicken main course.

Traditional spaghetti alla carbonara contains absolutely no cream, nor does it contain pancetta. The pancetta piece is changing and some people have become more flexible on that aspect. For those who are lactose intolerant, the technique used for this recipe is a great way to get creamy sauces without the use of milk or cream. The creaminess comes from the combination of egg yolks and Parmesan cheese. Since Parmesan is a much drier cheese it generally does not cause a negative reaction in those who have a lactose intolerance. Even for those who are not lactose intolerant, you get the benefits of a nice, rich, and creamy sauce without the gross feeling that cream-based sauces often leave you with.

Recipe

Ingredients: 350 grams of pasta, 150g (~1cup) of pork jowl bacon, 2TB of olive oil, 1 egg, 4 egg yolks, 100 grams (~1cup) of pecorino cheese*, cracked black pepper to taste + salt, and 1 garlic clove, sliced

*I use grated parmesan in the can because that's what I have around, and it's more economical

Cook pasta until al dente in salted water with the sliced garlic clove. The pasta soaks up all of that yummy garlickiness, mmm! You can leave the garlic pieces behind once you strain the pasta.

Fry pork jowl over medium heat in a TB or two of olive oil. Yes, this is necessary because otherwise it will stick to the pan.

Continue frying until crisp

Whisk the 1 egg and four yolks. Once eggs are broken, whisk in parmesan until evenly blended. Add in cracked black pepper to taste.

Once jowl bacon is crispy, immediately whisk it, along with all of the fat from the frying pan, into egg and parmesan mixture until homogeneous.

Once the pasta is al dente, strain it lightly, leaving in some of the pasta water. Immediately toss into into the egg mixture until the sauce has time to thicken and cook. You must add the pasta immediately after cooking to fully cook the sauce. Add more pasta water for a thinner sauce.

Don't worry raw egg police, there is not an egg in the world that won't cook once you pour boiling hot oil, pasta and water over it. Since the sauce is mostly yolk, and since it's mixed with Parmesan, no curdling!

Enjoy :)!

Before you comment on my unconventional method of cooking pasta, let me explain. When I first moved to my new apartment, all of my things were still in storage because I waited until the last minute to schedule the delivery of my storage cube. During that time, of course I was itching to cook, so I purchased a couple of cheap pans to hold me over. I wanted to make pasta one day but I had not pots, so I improvised and made my pasta in a large pan. The water reaches a boil much more quickly, thus it saves energy, and it holds the perfect amount of water to cover the pasta if you're only cooking for one or two people. I've been cooking my pasta in a pan ever since.

References: http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Spaghetti-alla-Carbonara.html (in Italian). I learned this wonderful recipe thanks to my favorite Italian chef, Sonia Peronaci of GialloZafferano.it :).

Mommy's Southern Style Greens

2011-09-21T23:42:00.003-04:00

Sauteed the pork jowl and onions after adding seasoning. I later found out that no one sautees the onions. They just cook with the greens.

Stuff, stuff, stuff the greens into the pot!

Just after compressing the greens down and turning on the heat

After 15 minutes of cooking

All done :).

Everyone who knows me always says that I'm a great cook, but that I never make American food. The thing is, I know the American food like the back of my hand. I could make it in my sleep. Although it's fun to get creative and put new twists on the traditional dishes, it's more challenging to venture out into new culinary realms. Just the same, soul food is very dear to my heart. Growing up, my mom and I would cook together while swapping tips and talking some good old fashioned trash over the stove. When I was in my early teenage years and going through that stage of distancing myself from my parents, my mom would make me come downstairs to watch her make certain dishes so that I wouldn't lose our family traditions.

Although I like to make foods from all over the world, the smell of candied yams in the oven and greens or cabbage on the stove still brings back memories of my childhood. So for those who are always asking my why I don't make more American food, and for all of the wonderful mothers out there who so lovingly pass their recipes down to their children, keeping strong the ties to our past, this recipe is for you.

Ingredients:
1 2lb bag of greens (collards are the most common or kale, but turnip greens are also very good)

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced (traditionally ~ 1/4 tsp garlic powder)

2-4 slices of jowl bacon, chopped coarsely ( I ran out of ham hocks. Traditionally you use 1 smoked pork neck bone or ham hock or even a smoked turkey leg--for these large cuts of meat, score the meat with a knife. )

1/2-1 tsp (or to taste) of hot pepper flakes

1-2 TB of sugar (likely 2)

salt to taste (may 1 TB or two)

water in a large stock pot (about 2" of water)

Procedure:
Wash the greens well. Drain them and set aside.

Fry the jowl bacon over medium low to medium heat in a large stock pot. If you are using smoked turkey or ham hock or neck bones, you do not need to do this step. *Just be sure to score those larger cuts of meat.

Once the meat is browned, fill the pot with 2" of water. Add the seasoning and the greens.

You will likely have to compress the greens to stuff them into the pot. Don't worry, they will cook down in 15 minutes. If all of your greens do not fit in the pot, just add in more after the greens cook down to make enough room.

Cook for about an hour and a half until tender. Depending on the time of year, it may take up to as much as two hours or so.

*This process can also be done the crock pot.

Homemade Houska (Challah) Bread

2011-09-13T22:06:00.005-04:00

Loaf I

Loaf II

Hi everyone!

A few weeks ago I made the most delicious bread! It was a modified version of a houska that more closely resembled challah bread. A number of cultures have sweet egg breads in the culinary repertoire, many of which are consumed as holiday treats. Among these breads is houska, a czech Christmas bread. Traditionally, houska is made with sliced almonds and golden raisins, but as I am still recovering a GI issue, I've left the nuts and raisins out. The result was still an incredibly rich and flavorful bread! If you've never heard of houska, it is pretty much the same as challah bread, but with nuts and golden raisins.

I've never actually had houska before, and I've only had challah as french toast in a restaurant, but I can assure you that you will absolutely love this bread! I happened to have a a few guests over the weekend that I made my houska and they all absolutely loved it! I served it with this wonderful raspberry rhubarb preserves from World Market that I highly recommend that you try. I've never had rhubarb before either and neither had my guests, but we all fell in love with the stuff! It had just the right sweetness with a slight pop of tartness to balance out the sweetness, and the raspberry flavor was very fresh and not a bit artificial, yum!

As for the houska, it's a rich, flavorful bread that you will fully enjoy, even on its own. And let me just tell you, this bread makes the absolute BEST french toast I've ever had. Try it with the technique recommended by Chef John of FoodWishes.com (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zyJT-PiqUA). I added lemon zest, a little lemon juice, vanilla, allspice, cinnamon, and a couple tablespoons of sugar to my batter.

You can find the houska recipe that I used here (http://soilisforlovers.wordpress.com/2010/12/26/houska-a-very-special-recipe-posted-by-my-dad/). Enjoy!!

TIPS:

Two eggs are for the batter and 1 is for the egg wash.

I highly recommend getting toothpicks before baking this bread so that it keeps its shape.

Also, be sure to braid tightly to get a nice shape. This was my first attempt at doing a braided bread, and I braided a bit loosely, so the loaf turned out a little different from the intended shape, although I still find it appealing.

I needed significantly more flour than the recipe called for to get the dough to the non-sticky point that is recommended, so don't be afraid if you find yourself needed to add a significant amount of extra flour.

Before Baking

References: http://soilisforlovers.wordpress.com/2010/12/26/houska-a-very-special-recipe-posted-by-my-dad/, http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/breads/r/eggbraid.htm

Hamentaschen (Jewish Purim Holiday Cookies)--Flavorful Shortbread Cookies with Delicious Poppy Seed Filling--

2011-09-07T21:45:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone!

Miami is a total dessert when it comes to American bakeries. Finding good American pastries period was virtually impossible, unless you went to a super duper high end restaurant to get them there. Sometimes you just want some good, simple, homestyle yummies. Luckily, I discovered a total goldmine for good ol' homestyle American pastries after they catered my work orientation. That place was Joanna's Marketplace, which happened to be within a mile of my house! When I lived in Miami, Joanna's was my go-to when I was craving a taste of home. They had things like cookies, whoopie pies, fruit tarts, tiramisu, and many other beloved pastries that weren't exactly American, but were standard fare at American bakeries ;).

One not-so-standard pastry just happens to be what I fell in love with--hamentaschen (HAH men tah shin)!!! I had neither seen nor heard of these delectable treats before moving to Miami. In fact, I didn't even have a clue how to pronounce them. I'd just go in and ask for a poppy seed pastry. "Which one?" "The one that starts with "h." I craved them that badly!! Well, what on EARTH is hamentaschen for goodness sake, DF?! They are amazing shortbread cookies filled with a variety of fillings from poppy seed to apricot to date walnut. Poppy seed was my treat of choice.

They were so darn simple but so amazingly, craveably delicious! They weren't overly sweet, but were still very flavorful. And, no, the poppy seed flavor in this dish is nothing at all like poppy seed bagels. I even remember being almost certain that they somehow managed to get coconut into that filling because they were so rich in flavor, but it turns out that that wasn't the case at all. It's just poppy seed, honey, citrus zest, a splash of citrus juice, and that's it. The flavor is like nothing you've ever had before, but it is oh so good! They may not look as amazing as I say, but trust me, they are! Soon just the sight of them will make your mouth water, just like it does for me :)!

Just as proof. Here's a quote of what went down this morning when I gave one to my neighbor at work to try. This is what she said as she was eating her hamentaschen.

"Hm, this is different...It's kinda weird but good. Hey, this is REALLY good. I never knew poppy seed could taste like this. It tastes nothing like a poppy seed bagel. Hm, I really like this! What's in it?!"

Pre-bake

Midway

Yum, yum, yum, all done :)!!

INGREDIENTS:

*Makes about 20 cookies

Filling:

1/2 cup of blue poppy seeds, ground into a food processor (found at Target or a European market)

1/4 cup of milk

1/4 cup of honey

1.5 TB of butter

zest of 1 lemon

a splash of lemon juice

dash of salt

Dough:

2.5 cups of flour

1 stick of cold butter, cut into small pieces

2 eggs, beaten + 1 for egg wash (mix with 1 TB of water)

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of half an orange

1 TB of yogurt or sour cream

1 tsp of orange juice

1/2 cup of sugar

1 pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

Filling:

1. Mix all ingredients and boil over medium heat until thick

2. Refrigerate and cool before filling

Dough:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Cut butter into flour

3. Beat in all ingredients, *except zest*, until homogeneous

4. Add in citrus zest

5. Form a ball, cover with plastic and refrigerate for an hour

6. Roll out the dough on a floured surface, leaving it somewhat thick (~ 1/4")

7. Use a glass to cut the dough into 3" circles

8. Fill each circle with 1 tsp of filling (do NOT overfill) and place on a greased baking sheet

9. Fold the corners into a triangle, using water to seal the edges

10. Brush with egg wash

11. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes to 15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom (the dough will still be fairly white on top)

References: http://www.food.com/recipe/purim-hamantaschen-stuffed-pastry-dough-with-filling-289852, http://creativenoms.com/2011/03/hamantaschen-makhbouz/, http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/03/18/hamantaschen-for-purim/, http://info.jpost.com/2000/Supplements/Purim/Hamantaschen.html

Filipino Chicken Adobo (Adobong Manok)

2011-09-03T18:53:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!

So during the long hiatus, while I was moving, moving, moving again, and finally unpacking and settling in, I picked up a few new tricks. I've been looking at Filipino recipes on YouTube and studying the science of good, homestyle Filipino cooking for the past year. Though I hadn't yet mentioned these dishes or took the steps to make them, they've been on my list for quite a while. Well, last month I finally went ahead and tried my hand at it. Let me just say first that Filipino food has to be one of the easiest foods to make and the reward is definitely greater than the required. investment of time and effort.

Typical Filipino food is tangy with a slight sweetness and generally involves some sort of stew. The base flavors of the most common dishes are tomato and some sort of acid, be it a type of white vinegar or lime juice. Among the most commonly used seasonings are onions, garlic, and soy sauce. It's amazing what flavor you can get out of such very simple ingredients!

Although the first dish that I made was chicken asado, unfortunately, I did not record that recipe so the recipe I will share today is, very appropriately, the Filipino national dish, adobo. In the case of this particular recipe, we will be doing chicken adobo. As I mentioned, this is very easy to make. Filipino food has become one of my go-tos for quick dinners after a long day at work and running some evening errands.

Enjoy! If you try it, let me know what you think! And as always, if you have any questions feel free to ask away :). I'd love to hear from you!

Ingredients:
6 drumsticks
3-4 cloves of garlic
6 TB soy sauce *remember to check that soybeans are actually on the list of ingredients*
half a stick of butter, melted
about half a small onion, diced
3 bay leaves
4 TB cane vinegar (found in most SE Asian markets)
salt and black pepper to taste

References: Pinoy Recipes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT-d6iuWWn0, Panlasang Pinoy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlCXyE5KebM

And just as a disclaimer, I only tasted with my finger because no one was going to eat it but me. It was for MY lunch :).

My Absolute Favorite Rich and Fudgey Brownies!!!

2011-09-01T23:10:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone!

So, I've been on a huge baking streak lately. I've been baking cakes galore to practice my decorating skills and to work on my Dominican cake recipe. Beyond the cakes, I've also been practicing dessert sauces and cake fillings--rum caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, pineapple filling, strawberry filling, etc. Well, the other day I made brownies. I am very particular about brownies. For one, I'm really funny about chocolate in general. I don't eat Hershey's because it's gross. In fact, most American chocolate grosses me out. So it almost goes without saying that I highly recommend using quality chocolate for this recipe. Going with the cheap stuff really does crock the taste. I recommend Godiva or Ghirardelli. Although Lindt could work, I find it to be excessively creamy and, thus, excessively fattening.

Well, beyond my pickiness with chocolate, I also strongly prefer a certain type of brownie--fudgey, but not too fudgey; chewy, but not too chewy; and nice and chocolately. This brownie gets a definite A+ from me on all fronts. It has a nice, rich chocolate flavor and just the right amount of chewiness, while being super moist without being outright wet and raw-feeling in texture. Bake these super easy-to-make brownies and you'll be sure to please any crowd! They are slightly more work than the typical pour and mix brownie, but I promise you they're well worth it!

The original recipe is from The Modern Baker by Malgieri, but I substitute pecans in place of the cocoa nibs.

Enjoy!

What you will need:

1 9 x 13 x 2

1 electric mixer

1 medium sauce pan

Ingredients:

8 oz unsalted butter cut into 12 pieces

9 0z bittersweet chocolate, cut in 1/4” pieces

1-1/4 cup darks brown sugar firmly packed

4 large eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp salt

1 TB vanilla

1 – ¼ cups flour (leveled)

½ cup pecans

1 TB cocoa

Pan lined with buttered foil

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350

Put butter in saucepan over medium heat, stir 2-3 times, let bubble 10 seconds and add chocolate off heat.

Gently shake pan to submerge chocolate. Set aside so chocolate melts and use whisk to smooth

Beat brown sugar w/ 1 egg with electric mixer. Add rest of eggs one at a time.

Add chocolate and butter mixture and beat in.

Add salt, sugar, vanilla, and beat until smooth.

Add ¼ pecans and scrape batter into prepared pan

Add remaining pecans on top of batter

Bake until firm, but still moist in center, typically about 35-40 minutes. The center should spring up when touched.

From The Modern Baker – Nick Malgieri

Richest, Most Chocolatey, Moist Devil's Food Cake Ever!

2011-08-20T20:28:00.002-04:00

Hey guys!

I know it has been a looong while, but I just wanted to pop in to share an amazing cake recipe that I made today. This recipe makes a super rich, flavorful, springy, and delicious cake!! It's not at all too sweet, but it's perfect with a glass of milk! Here is the recipe for the devil's food cake. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/devils-food-cake-recipe/reviews/index.html?pn=2. Be sure to smooth the lumps out against the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

I made this delicious devil's food cake with a delicious coconut Italian meringue frosting. I put in 2 tsp of vanilla and about 1/8 tsp of almond flavoring and 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of coconut flavoring (to taste). To make the Italian meringue, which I learned because it is the typical frosting for the traditional Dominican cake, you just take the sugar and let it boil over medium heat until thick like corn syrup. The test is to drop in a toothpick in and watch until the mixture makes a thread from the toothpick. You'll notice that it's the thickness of corn syrup. This should take about 8-10 minutes.

The trick is to clean ALL of your bowls and utensils for the meringue process with vinegar and a towel to remove any excess grease and then dry them off with a clean towel. Any fat or yolk leaked into the egg whites will ruin your meringue and the whites will never form the stiff peaks necessary to make a fluffy meringue. Trust me, this tip is absolutely especially, especially if you are using a plastic bowl, as opposed to the preferable metal or glass bowl.

Italian meringue
2 cups of white sugar
1/2 cup of water

7 or 8 egg whites (pasteurized)

2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp coconut extract

Boil the water and sugar over medium heat. Do not stir; rather, swirl the pan gently to mix. Let the mixture boil, being careful not to allow the sugar to crystallize on the bottom. Meanwhile (yes, it HAS to be meanwhile, not after), mix egg whites on high until foamy. Once foamy, add in cream of tartar and whisk continuously until stiff peaks form.

Once the sugar mixture is as thick as corn syrup and it leaves a thread when you dip a toothpick in it. At this point, drizzle 1/4 cup of the corn syrup into the firm egg whites until incorporated. At this point, begin drizzling in the boiling sugar mixture while continuing to beat the mixture on high. Continue this process until you get a glossy meringue. Add in the extracts. Continue beating until the meringue is cool to the touch.

*The absolute most important part of this recipe are to clean the utensils well and to cook the sugar mixture until it reaches the proper thickness.

Enjoy!

Variations:
Fill the cake with seedless rasperry marmalade or seedless raspberry preserves.
Top with toasted coconut
Dust with cocoa

*Be sure to clean up any mess you make with the meringue right away or else it becomes sticky like marshmallow cream

*If you drip sugar syrup, it is extremely sticky and virtually impossible to clean. Just wipe the syrup away with vinegar, allowing it to soak if necessary.

I'm Not Gone, I Promise!!

2011-05-26T19:17:00.000-04:00

Hi guys!

Forgive me for being away so long without further explanation. So I moved back to VA and I am moving again for work in a couple of weeks. Things have been pretty hectic. I defended and I have approval to graduate and all, but it's not official until I complete my revisions. I have to do that within the next week.

In short, I just wanted to say a quick hello and let you guys know that I haven't abandoned you. I will be back around late June. Things will be a bit hectic for a while with all of this moving and such. I may be able to pop in at some point for a recipe. We'll see. I've got some great ones for you when I return :).

Hugs,
DF

Finals Week

2011-04-28T22:54:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to pop in to let you know that I am not leaving. I am just taking a hiatus for a bit to finish up final papers, defend my thesis, and GRADUATE! After that, I've got a big move back to VA coming up, so things will be a bit crazy between now and mid to late May.

I have some exciting recipes that I will post once things calm down. Among them are spicy Jamaican oxtails with coconut rice and peas, deliciously crunchy oatmeal waffles, and a delightfully tangy Nicaraguan pork fricassee. I hope you're all looking forward to some yumminess coming your way!

Thanks for reading :),
DF

Southeast Asian Carmelized Sweet and Spicy Braised Pork

2011-04-10T23:45:00.005-04:00

Mmmmm, kaw (kaw saik jrouk) is one of my favorite Cambodian dishes. I absolutely love it's delicious carmelized yumminess! It is a pork stew like nothing else you've ever had before, but I promise that if you give it a chance, you'll love it. The dominant flavors are a dark sweetness and a delicious spiciness that balances it. Kaw is a braised pork dish in a caramelized broth with crunchy bamboo shoots and yummy hard-boiled eggs. I know, I know, why on earth would there be hard-boiled eggs in broth? Well, once you try this, you'll never ask that again because the eggs are, without a doubt, the absolute best part. They soak up all of the yummy sweet and spicy caramelized goodness, yummmm!

The broth is made with a base of caramelized palm sugar and garlic with lots of magical, tasty Asian sauces, lol. Don't worry, the sauces are fairly inexpensive at about 3 bucks or less per bottle in your local SE Asian market. If you are either diabetic or have high blood pressure, this dish is NOT for you. There is a high sugar content and a high sodium content, but it neither tastes overly sweet nor overly sugary once it's done.

I found out on another blog, WhiteOnRiceCouple, that this dish is also made in Vietnamese cuisine. Interestingly enough, I was explaining the dish to my Guatemalan friend who is of Cantonese descent and she says, "hmmm, we make the same dish." So apparently, they make the same thing, but with more of a Chinese 5-spice kind of twist because they put lots of star anise in it, too. I will have to invite her to try my version and see what she thinks.

So, in short, this dish has been around the world for a reason--it's absolutely deelish!

**This recipe was adapted from Forg3tM3Not770 on YouTube(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybZoUIFw2jk)

Ingredients:

2 lbs of pork loin (my boyfriend's dad uses pork belly but his mom and many other people use pork loin), in bite-sized pieces

2 short cans (8 0z) of sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed

6 or 7 hard-boiled eggs, peeled (be careful not to break the flesh)

1-1/3 cup palm sugar (the jarred type is much more convenient, but you can use the block and grate it)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 scant basting spoon of dark sweet soy (this is NOT regular soy sauce)* use maybe 1TB or so less than my video ( I made it a bit sweet that time)

1-1/2 basting spoons of fish sauce

one basting spoon of soy sauce

1/2 cup + 2 cups of water, separated

2 TB cracked black pepper

salt to taste

Procedure:

Sautee the garlic in vegetable oil for about 30 seconds over low to medium low heat.

Stir in the palm sugar and turn the heat up to medium to med-high heat.

Brown the sugar mixture, stirring constantly until darker brown, about 10 minutes.

Add in 1/2 cup of water and blend.

Once the water and palm sugar have blended and the water reaches a boil, add in the pork.

After a minute or so, add in the fish sauce, soy sauce, and dark sweet soy sauce and stir until blended.

Allow to cook until the meat is nearly done.

Add in black pepper, bamboo, and 2 cups of water and stir until blended.

Once it reaches a boil, gently stir in eggs, cover and simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.

Enjoy with jasmine rice!

Just as a note, once I finish with my thesis, I will edit this and other videos into one per recipe; however, I just do not have the time now.

*On video V, I got a bit out of control on the descriptions, so if you want to get straight to the recipe, you can even skip this vid and go on to VI. I was just explaining ingredients.

Creamy, Rich, and Comforting Cuban Tamal Soup/Tamal en Cazuela

2011-04-10T19:25:00.006-04:00

Tamal en Cazuela, which literally translates to tamal in a in a pot, is a wonderfully rich, hearty soup made with a base of fresh ground corn and cornmeal. Many Cuban soups (such as crema de malanga (cream of malanga/yautia/coco yam) and sopa de ajo (garlic soup--see previous post) are very thick and hearty. They are more commonly a creamy, even paste-like consistency as opposed to a thinner, runny texture. It's amazing that these dishes were created on an island where there's no real winter because, for most of us, these dishes would seem like winter meals. Oddly enough, I found the same to be the case in the Dominican Republic, where they regularly drink thick maizena (a thick, creamy, cornstarch-based hot drink) and eat hearty sancocho. I assume that these very hearty dishes are primarily a product of the African influence in both countries. Ahh, what a marvelously delicious influence it is.

For those of you who have never had or even seen tamal in cazuela, much like me for before I moved to Miami, it is very similar to a polenta or even grits in thickness, but is much creamier and smoother. For those of you who just can't get into grits because, well, they're gritty...or because they just never seem to have enough flavor, tamal en cazuela is the answer to all of your problems--it's immensely flavorful, smooth and creamy, warm, rich, and comforting. The flavor is intensely garlicky, like most Cuban food, and it also has the slightest touch of tanginess and sweetness from white wine added into the sofrito, or vegetable seasoning sauce.

Even though it's hot here, mid 80s or so, I still love this dish. It's great for me because it lasts throughout my hot, busy days and because I can heat it up to lukewarm at home and it holds up until I eat at lunch time. For those of you still enduring the bitter cold, you've got even more reason to make this dish. Though it may be intimidating on the sole basis of being unfamiliar, don't be scared, you can definitely finish this dish in 40 minutes easily. It doesn't need babying either. Once you've got the soup together, just stir about every 7-10 minutes while it simmers. Otherwise, leave it covered and let it do its thing.

Just as a note, to get an idea of the actual color, which is a beautiful, rich golden yellow, see the final video at 3:09. The color on the soup in the rest of the video is way off and doesn't look appetizing, I know.

Tamal en Cazuela

Tools: blender or food processor

Ingredients:
1 lb of boneless pork, marinated 10 minutes in the mojo or cooked with lots of garlic and lime
**I cut them bite-sized in the vid, but I prefer the traditional small bits
**I used rib meat, which I would likely pre-simmer for 20 minutes to get it tender next time. Use pork of your
choice.

1 lime
3-4 cloves of garlic
mojo (in lieu of the lime and garlic - the traditional recipe simply seasons the meat with salt and lime)
2TB olive oil

1 small white onion, diced finely
1 green pepper, diced finely
3 cloves of garlic, smashed with salt or minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce (unflavored)
2 TB of dry white wine*
1.5 cups of yellow corn meal* (I did 3/4 cup but I'll do 1 cup the next go 'round)
salt to taste (about 1-1/2 tsp should do for the assembled soup)
1 TB olive oil

2 cups frozen sweet kernel corn, thawed
3 cups of water

* these are amounts that I have changed since making the video

Procedure:
In a large pot over medium heat with 2TB of olive oil, cook the marinated meat (or the meat with garlic and lime), stirring frequently, until it is about 85% cooked.

Meanwhile, make the sofrito by sauteeing the green pepper and onion over medium low heat in a pan with 1 TB olive oil. Once softened, add in the garlic, tomato sauce, and oil, and bring the pan up to medium heat. Sautee for a few minutes to cook off the wine, stirring occasionally.

Once the sofrito is ready, add it to the meat and continue the cooking process, stirring the seasoning into the meat and its juices.

Meanwhile, grind the corn in a blender or food processor. It will get stuck, so just use your spoon to move the mixture around and process the mixture again until homogeneous. Once you have a homogeneous mixture, add in 3 cups of water and process the mixture again until homogeneous.

Once the meat has cooked for a few minutes, strain the corn mixture into the soup and blend.
Once blended, add in the corn meal and blend. Cover and simmer over low heat for an hour, stirring every 7-10 minutes to avoid sticking. Thirty minutes is sufficient, but one hour will simply intensify the flavors.

Makes 4 sizable servings.

Southeast Asian Marinated Fried Tofu with Pickled Daikon Radish and Carrot Slaw

2011-04-07T16:07:00.009-04:00

The next recipe in the vegetarian meal series is a delicious, incredibly flavorful fried tofu. It is marinated in delicious spicy, almost curry-like marinade commonly used in Cambodian cooking called kreung. Kreung, representative of Indian influence in Cambodian cuisine, is a seasoning paste that can vary in its ingredients but is generally made up of lemongrass, Thai birdseye chilies, garlic, galangal, shallots, and kaffir lime (leaf or juice), but may sometimes also include ingredients such as turmeric, cilantro and prahok (fermented fish paste). It is used to flavor many meats and soups in the Cambodian kitchen.

This dish is very easy and delicious, especially with the pickled daikon and carrot slaw, which I absolutely love. The slaw is slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and is bursting with a delicious garlicky flavor. It's a refreshing addition to the spicy, intense flavor of the marinated tofu. The pickled daikon and carrot slaw is the same pickle used on banh mi, or Vietnamese sandwiches, and is generally served with fried foods in Cambodian cuisine.

For those who are looking to experiment with vegetarian meals, this is a wonderful introduction since it is far from lacking in flavor and texture. For vegetarians looking to spice up their diet, this recipe is great for you, too. Lastly, for those looking to gradually introduce new flavors into their kitchen, this recipe requires very inexpensive and easy to find ingredients (at least in Richmond). All of the ingredients (literally, everything in the list, even the mortar and pestle and a cheap hand tool to julienne veggies) can be easily found at your local Southeast Asian market. The peppers are only about $2 a bag, by the way, and the turmeric is sold on the dry spice aisle. I have a list of some of my favorites in Richmond on the right side of my blog.

Enjoy this tasty recipe that comes courtesy of My Linh from KhmerKromRecipes.com. You can find the original recipe "To hu chien kreung" or "Fried Tofu with Lemongrass" recipe on her website in the "fried foods" section http://www.khmerkromrecipes.com/.

Ingredients:

pickled daikon and carrot slaw
Thai hand julienne tool
(optional, but will speed up the process significantly and only costs 2 or 3 bucks) (http://somtum.info/images/31FjO25OofL._SL160_.jpg)

1 tsp salt
2 cups shredded or julienned daikon radish, approx 1/2 lb daikon (found in SE Asian or Korean markets) (http://supperinthecity.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/daikon_radish.jpg)
2 cups shredded or julienned carrot

1/2 cup white vinegar (yes, it does matter, WHITE vinegar)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 TB salt
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed (do not use pre-packaged, pre-chopped garlic here) (optional)

Procedure:
Mix the shredded veggies with 1 tsp of salt and toss them gently to distribute the salt evenly. This will serve to soften the veggies and they will begin releasing their juices. Let them sit for a minute or two then rinse and squeeze out the excess liquid. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar, water, and the 1 TB of salt together, and the minced or pressed garlic (if you plan on using it). Mix well until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour the vinegar sauce over the carrot and daikon and mix well before serving.

This pickled slaw is best when allowed to sit ideally overnight, but at least for 30 minutes to an hour.

tofu marinade:
*1 mortar and pestle--must be *stone*, NOT wood or clay or it will not work

2 cloves of garlic
2 TB minced lemongrass (you can buy pre-minced in the frozen section or mince the fresh stuff yourself)
2 Thai birdseye chilies (optional, but yummmy!)
1 tsp soy sauce (be sure that soy is actually on the list of ingredients...not all brands are real soy sauce)
1 tsp oyster sauce (or mushroom sauce if you're a strict vegetarian)
1 tsp turmeric powder (or 3 or 4 minced turmeric roots)

1 package *firm* tofu, sliced horizontally in half, with a about 5-7 slits vertically across the top only of the tofu
3 TB vegetable oil

Procedure
Pound all of the first section of ingredients together into a uniform paste in a stone mortar and pestle. Gently rub the marinade on each piece of tofu that has been rinsed and patted dry.

I would allow it to marinade 15-20 minutes, but this is optional.

Preheat oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat. Fry the tofu until brown and crispy. Serve with white rice and pickled daikon carrot slaw. I have also done this recipe on my foreman grill and in my toaster oven at a high temperature (400 or so) and it turned out very yummy. Just be sure to grease the surface of whatever alternative cooking device you choose.

*Mortar and pestle photo courtesy of ImportFood.com on Amazon.com
*Birdseye chili photo courtesy of devonfresh.com

Don't forget to let me know what you guys think about this and other posts by hitting the "useful," "interesting," or "cool" buttons below or by leaving a comment. I love to see what types of recipes you prefer and how things turn out when you try these recipes at home.

Happy cooking :)!
DF

Mofongo!!! Fried Green Plantain with Crispy Pork Bits

2011-04-03T21:36:00.019-04:00

Hi guys!

For those of you who read the title of this post and said to yourselves "mofo what?!" hopefully you have had tostones, or fried green plantains. If you love tostones, I promise you, there is no way that you will not absolutely love mofongo. If you have not had tostones by now, try them for goodness sake!

Mofongo is a yummy dish popular in both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic that is traditionally made with crispy bits of fried pork skin (chicharron), garlic, sometimes a little oil, and, of course, fried green plantains. Mofongo has many, many variations these days, such as mofongo with shrimp, with longaniza (a flavorful sausage used in Spain and in different parts of Latin America), with any meat known to man pretty much. Then there are other variations, such topped with white cheese, half boiled plantain/half fried, covered in a red tomato-based creole sauce. In short, you can do tons of things with mofongo, but the traditional is with 100% fried plantain, garlic, and chicharron (can refer to either pork skin or the pork belly with the meat, fat and skin, depending on the context) served with mojo criollo (bitter orange-based sauce that is very heavily flavored with garlic and oregano as well as onion) on the side.

By the way, if you don't have a pilon, you can just use the Thai clay or wooden mortar and pestles found at any SE Asian market (see my list, plus I believe there is one on Midlothian) and maybe in some Latin markets (this is less likely in Richmond).

Well, I'll stop blabbing. Here's the actual recipe. Enjoy! And by the way, there are vids of how I did the whole process, but for some reason, my formatting got screwy when I put them earlier on in the post, so I gave in and put them at the end. Let me know what you think.

**TIPS**

* this dish is pretty dry and crumbly as leftovers, so *only make as much as you will eat right away.*

Be sure to hit the useful, interesting, or cool buttons below, comment, or share on Facebook if you're enjoying these posts. I love to interact with you guys and know how you're liking things.

Hugs,
DF

Mofongo

Ingredients:

3 green plantains (they should not be turning yellow or they will be sweet) (in 1/2" slices, soaked 10-15 in generously salted water to remove excess starch/stickiness)
chicharron (you can use the unflavored bag one or you can fry pork belly yourself and cut it into tiny bits)
3 cloves of garlic

If you decide to do the chicharron homemade, I marinated mine in mojo and then rubbed it in 1tsp of baking soda for extra crispiness (a tip I got from a Colombian blog ( http://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/colombian-style-fried-pork-belly-chicharron-colombiano/comment-page-1#comment-108337)

Cuban Mojo MarinadeIngredients:

1 heaping tsp of oregano
1 cup (or so) of bitter orange (sold in a bottle in Latin section at any supermarket and at any Latin market--I recommend Goya or Badia brand)
1 tsp of salt 6 cloves of garlic (mine were pretty large) (mashed into a paste or passed through a garlic press)
pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
This is my own thing, but I also added the juice of half a lime since the bitter orange is bottled. It just gives it that fresh zip. Two tsp is likely enough because I added more bitter orange afterward since it was strong)

* Reserve about 1/3 cup of this marinade and store separately in the fridge to add in to moisten the mofongo as you prepare it**I beg of you, if you add the lime PLEASE don't use bottled. Please don't do it.

Chicharron

desired amount of chicharron, marinated overnight in mojo recipe above You only need maybe 1/3 lb of chicharron for the actual mofongo, but I got 1.5 lbs and enjoyed the rest on its own. It's super cheap. Just ask the butcher to cut you some pork belly with the skin, meat, and fat all in tact. Cut the chicharron into 1-1/2" - 2" pieces to fry. 3/4 cups water 1 tsp baking soda

Procedure:

Pre-soak your plantains in generously-salted water for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, paper towel dry the plantain well then rub the marinated chicharron in the baking soda. Cook the chicharron over medium low heat (Skin side UP--you don't wan't to cook it in water or it'll get chewy, not crispy) in 3/4 cup water while you soak the plantains. The reason for drying it is because the marinade adds a lot of liquid and excess liquid will make your chicharron chewy. It isn't supposed to cover the meat.
After about ten minutes of cooking on medium low (it should look very close to cooked, if not cooked), transfer the meat into a separate, ungreased, pre-heated pan to let it fry in its own grease over medium high. Be sure to turn the meat two or three times to allow it to become crispy and brown on all sides.
Alternatively, you can also just fry it the chicharron the whole way it its own fat, rather than doing water, if you don't want to risk messing it up and getting chewy chicharron. Traditionally, the process is to cook the chicharron in 1 cup of water over medium low until the water evaporates, then it fries in its own grease. This doesn't work for this recipe since we used a liquid marinade, not a a basic salt or salt and oregano dry seasoning. Besides, many people end up with chewy chicharron with the water process anyway, and some opt to just fry the meat in its own grease the whole way, skipping the water altogether.
Fry the pre-soaked and very thoroughly paper towel dried (this is to avoid grease popping everywhere) plantain slices in oil that has been heated over medium high heat. Fry until light golden brown. You just want them cooked, not too dark--when you start seeing those dark brown, almost blackish lines in the plantain, you've cooked it a bit more than necessary. *In the video I said to cook them a little past doneness, but I later found that to be unnecessary, and it may result in drier plantains.
Next, in a pilon (mortar and pestle), mash your garlic (yes, it is left raw) with salt (1 tsp should be good) until it becomes a paste. Mashing with salt is key because it gets rid of the bitterness of raw garlic. Add in the plantain little by little.
Add in your small bits of chicharron that you've chopped after frying. Mash them in as you add the plantain and mash. This takes some force behind it, so don't be scared. You want to mash just until it begins taking the shape of your pilon--not too hard or too soft and you should still see some texture. It should NOT be 100% uniform. If it looks dry, just add in a little oil and add in some of the leftover mojo, if it needs further moistening. If the ball doesn't stay in the pilon, form it by hand.
If you have a larger pilon, no worries, just form the mixture in your palms. It should be a semi ball, one side round, one side flat. Once you get the shape, stud it with a few more pieces of chicharron for looks.
Serve the mofongo round side up. If you like, serve it with strained mojo, but I didn't need to. Mine was really flavorful. I just served mine topped with a slice of smoked provolone, which I melted on the top in the oven. I got this idea from the amazingly tasty mofongo a la doña with longaniza from El Carrito de Marchena in Santiago about a mile or less away from PUCMM. Yum, yum, yum!

Below, you will find the four videos I did for the process so that you guys could have a visual. I will try to edit them maybe this weekend and add in the final part where I showed the finished product.

You Won't Believe the Magic That Will Soon Ensue!

2011-04-01T22:35:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone!

I finally got a belgian waffle iron! I've been thinking about getting one for a while, and I found one on sale for a great price at Target ($17), so I said, hey, why not? You guys don't even have a clue what you're in for with this one. I'm going to have SO much fun with this thing, and I can't wait to share some yummy, inventive recipes with you. I'm so excited that I just had to make a quick post just to let you know that great things are in store in the near future, my dears.

Give me about a month or so to finish up with school, and I'll be sure to make the wait well worth it. I just got the thing home, and I've written down at least ten amazing recipes already. It's just a matter of finding the time to put them into action so that I can share some deliciousness with you guys. Keep an eye out for it.

Hugs,
DF

Delectable Shrimp and Calamari in Pepper Sauce with Homemade Plantain Chips

2011-03-26T02:43:00.008-04:00

Over Spring Break, I tried Bolivian food at this restaurant nearby (I am still in Miami) that I've had on my list since I randomly passed by it while working as a census taker in Little Havana last summer. I have never had Bolivian food and had no clue what to expect. I must say, I was absolutely amazed. I can't believe you don't hear more about Bolivian food. It's delicious!

Bolivian food has a distinctly indigenous Andean flair--most dishes contain potatoes in some form with easy-over eggs, there's a heavy use of peppers (not necessarily hot), and most dishes are accompanied with rice as well. The dish I had was asado borracho, which came with the characteristically Bolivian chorrellana, which is a sauce made of julienned peppers and onions with tomato.

I've been craving seafood this week, but I've also had a taste for that delicious, peppery, slightly smoky, lightly spicy sauce. I decided that I would try to recreate it using what I had at home and make a seafood dish with it. Voila shrimp and calamari in pepper sauce :)! I must admit, the flavors were spot on! I loved how the combo of peppers created a nice layered burn--some of it was a slow burn, some was a smoky burn, and some was a a more delayed burn, and the sweet peppers created a wonderful balance.

Here is a photo of the inspiration for my dish, Las Americas Restaurant's asado borracho (drunken grilled steak on a bed of fried potato rounds topped with a fried egg and chorrellana sauce with a side of toasty grilled hot dog, yes hot dog).

So, if you've never had Bolivian food before, here's your chance to try something similar; if you're looking for something new to do with seafood, this is for you, too. Serve with white rice and, if you like, throw in an easy-over egg to make it more authentic. Bolivians don't seem big on seafood, by the way, likely because they're landlocked. The seafood is my own thing. Don't forget the mariquitas (plaintain chips ;). I had a huge craving, so I threw that in, too.

Ingredients:

1 lb of shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1/3 lb of calamari

red bell pepper, julienned (maybe 6 sticks)

green bell pepper, julienned (maybe 8 sticks)

yellow bell pepper, julienned (maybe 6 sticks

Hungarian pepper (in reg. supermarket, use Cubanelle if you don't see it), julienned (about 5 sticks)

2 thai peppers, sliced as thinly as possible on a bias

about 6 thin slices of jalapeño, cut on bias

1/3 habanero pepper, julienned as finely as possible

1 small onion, julienned

4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly

1 full-size can of diced tomatoes (not flavored, Hunt's brand recommended)

2 TB of smoked pork chop or smoked ham, in small cubes

1/8 cup olive oil

salt to taste

Procedure:

Sautee the garlic in the olive oil over low heat for a minute or two to get the flavor into the oil. Don't cut back on the oil amount. You'll need it to sautee all of the veggies. The point of adding it all in the beginning is to let the garlic flavor seep into it.

Add in the onions and bring up the heat to medium low.

Toss the onions in the oil until coated. Sautee until mildly softened and add peppers. You want to let the onions soften first so that they are near caramelization by the time the peppers are cooked, and they will release more sweetness. Salt and sautee until softened.

Stir in pork and sautee for a minute or two to let flavors blend.

Add the can of tomatoes, re-salt, blend everything together, and turn the heat up to medium. Let sautee a minute or two so that the flavors blend.

Add in the shrimp only, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. They should only be half-way done at this point.

Give everything a gentle stir and add in the calamari. Cook no more than 5 minutes, until the seafood is cooked. Be sure that throughout the whole process of cooking the seafood that you never have a full boil going. You just want a simmer to avoid overcooking the seafood. Calamari should be tender, not chewy when done and shrimp should be bright pink and slightly curled, but not in a ring when it reaches doneness. If all of the shrimp form a ring, they are likely overcooked.

Plantain Chips (Mariquitas)

1 pot of oil

1 plantain, sliced thinly, either on a bias or in rounds

1 clove of garlic cut into three pieces

salt

water

Remove the chips from the oil and let drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Enjoy their crispy, garlicky goodness!! No need to add salt since they were soaked in salt water and are already perfectly seasoned ;). If you so desire, serve with Cuban mojo sauce. Here is a recipe http://www.tasteofcuba.com/mojo.html. Just be sure that you're using mariquita mojo (not the one with all of the herbs that you use to marinade).

This Summer's Festival Line-Up!!

2011-03-25T12:33:00.000-04:00

Any good Richmonder knows that the best part of living in this city has to be the amazing variety of festivals we have, especially in the summer. Richmond's festivals are a great chance to explore new cuisines, learn about different cultures, buy some cool handicrafts, and enjoy some great music and dance performances. Although it's been a while since I've lived full-time in Richmond, I always get super excited about filling up my calendar with festival dates!

I've checked out a couple, but I definitely have a lot more to see. Somehow I always end up missing the Filipino Festival, but this year, I am going to make absolutely sure that I make it there. Who can say know to lechon and halo halo? Not me! Lechon is one of my favorite foods, so I just have to try it Filipino-style.

So here's the rest of this year's amazing line-up!

Church Hill Irish Festival - tomorrow (Mar 25th) and Sunday, rain or shine! http://www.churchhillirishfestival.com/

French Food Festival - Apr 30
http://www.littlesistersofthepoor.org/

Lebanese Food Festival - May 13-15
http://stanthonymaronitechurch.org/festival/index.htm

Greek Food Festival - May 20-22
http://greekfoodfest.com/

Broad Appetit - June 5th
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=76385860964

St. Joseph's Italian Festival - June 11th
http://events.richmond.com/richmond-va/venues/show/3326565-saint-joseph-italian-festival

Filipino Festival - August 12th and 13th http://filipinofestival.org/ Last year, they even had a drive-thru!

Festival of India - no date set this year; normally in Sept
http://thefestivalofindia.org/home.asp

Que Pasa Festival - Oct 1
http://www.vahcc.com/?page=quepasa

Imagine Festival - Oct 8
http://www.richmondgov.com/

St. Benedict Oktoberfest - Oct 16-18
http://www.stbenedictoktoberfest.com/

Richmond Oktoberfest - October 21-22
http://www.richmondoktoberfestinc.com/

Festivals Nearby
DC National BBQ Battle - June 25-26
DC Caribbean Carnival - June 25-26 (admission $10)

Lentil Stew

2011-03-24T21:56:00.007-04:00

While I was doing my veggie challenge, I actually fell in love with lentils. Lentils are a great alternative to beans since they cook in a fraction of the time that it takes to whip up a pot of beans. Just about thirty minutes is all you need to have your lentils ready to eat. I love all kinds of lentil soups and I also like making a spread out of lentils and mashing them with salt, oil, garlic, herbs, and other seasonings before having them on flatbread with fresh veggies such as cucumber, tomato, olives, etc. Sometimes I even season them up with curry and put raisins in the mix.

Here's a simple yet delicious recipe for a tasty lentil soup. The flavor is dark, garlicky, and somewhat smoky and spicy from the Thai chili with a bit of brightness from the culantro. I came up with this recipe in an attempt to make a dish that was well-balanced both in nutrition and in flavor. Remember that red pepper is very high in vitamin C. Buttercup squash is a great source of vitamin A and also contains vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Celery also contains the same vitamins. Who said healthy food had to be boring? Enjoy!

References: http://www.produceoasis.com/Items_folder/Vegetables/Buttercup.html, http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2840/2

Lentil Soup

1 package lentils

¼ buttercup squash (any grocery store--do NOT substitute with the similar-looking acorn squash)

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

1/8 cup diced red pepper

1/8 cup diced onion

2-3 culantro leaves (sawleaf herb--easily found at SE Asian market) (a substitute, but not equivalent is the much brighter cilantro)

Half stalk of celery, diced

2 thai peppers, whole with stem removed (SE Asian market)

Handful of black peppercorns

Pinch of dried oregano

1 tsp turmeric

2-3 tsp salt

Goya Adobo to taste (I used the one with the blue top)

Mix ingredients together and cook according to package instructions, until desired tenderness.

Serve with sliced avocado and even rice, if you so desire. Yum!!

Dominican Seafood and Dumplings in Coconut Sauce

2011-03-20T16:41:00.018-04:00

As far as Dominican food goes, it's easy to believe that such a small island has a homogeneous national cuisine. In fact, to think that actually is partially correct. There is a basic sazon (seasoning) that is used all over the country and a huge shared repertoire of braised meats, casseroles, soups, and stews. However, if you take a closer look, there are some important regional variations.

The Cibao Valley region is known for its heavy use of plantains. In the Southwest, near the border, there is more Haitian influence, so food tends to be somewhat spicy, whereas traditional Dominican food is anything but spicy. In the capital, there are many more immigrants, so beloved dishes such as quipe (the Dominican version of kibbeh), and tipili (Tabbouleh) from Lebanese immigrants, as well as chofan (chow fan) from the Chinese immigrants first entered the Dominican kitchen there and are now enjoyed all over the nation.

Finally, in the East, where there is the highest concentration of sugar plantations, there is much more West Indian influence from the cocolos (West Indian immigrants) who came to cut sugar cane before the cane cutting labor force became primarily Haitian in the mid 1900s. There is also more Haitian influence for the same reason. As a result, there is a greater use of flour preparations, such as dumplings being added into sancocho (as they are in similar Haitian dishes) and full dumpling-based dishes (such as domplines ahogados) as well as johnny cakes, or yaniqueques from the West Indian influence.

In Samana, West Indian-influenced favorites include ginger beer and conconete (sweet spiced coconut bread rounds) in addition to yaniqueques. Samana (in the east), because it hasan abundance of coconut trees, and I believe the highest concentration of coconut trees in the world, is famous for dishes using coconut milk. Among these dishes is their famous pescado con coco or fish in coconut sauce (see past post), which has become beloved all over the nation.

So, as I was looking up information about the Southwest, I came across a recipe from the region. The recipe was for something I'd never had before, domplines sancristobaleros (San Cristobal style dumplings) or Domplin de PicaPica (picapica is the name for sardines sold in a spicy tomato sauce). These dumplings are in finger-like oblong shapes and are added to a stew of shrimp, sardines in tomato sauce, corn, coconut milk, and Dominican sazon. Dominican sazon consists of about a 1:2 ratio of parsley to cilantro, along with onion, garlic, cubanelle pepper, oregano, tomato paste, and sometimes celery and/or celery leaf.

End result--a rich, lightly creamy, flavorful broth with tender seafood and dumplings.

This recipe was adapted from:
http://es-es.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=137750072935213 (you can find a photo here as well)

Domplines de PicaPica

Ingredients for Stew:
1 smoked pork chop, cubed
4 cans of sardines in tomato sauce (I prefer without bones, if possible, otherwise, you can opt to leave the bones or carefully remove by hand)
1 lb of shrimp
1/4 cup or just over of diced onion
1/3 cup or so of finely diced cubanelle pepper

half a habanero or scotch bonnet pepper (Since pica pica is not easily found in the US, we have to make it spicy ourselves)

3 or 4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp chopped parlsey

1/2 to 3/4 can of corn (or get the half size can), drained

1 can of coconut milk

2/3 - 3/4 cup of water
1 TB fresh lime juice
a pinch of oregano (less than 1/8 tsp)

salt

pepper

Dumplings
1 Cup of flour
warm water (or you could use milk, but that's not the traditional way) to form dumplilng dough
1/2 tsp baking powder (optional--traditionally, Dominican dumplings are harder than American, but I prefer more tender ones and baking powder helps with this)
salt
oil (butter would likely make them even more tender, but oil is traditional)

Water for Boiling Dumplings
2-3 cloves of garlic, slice in half or smashed
5 sprigs of cilantro
salt
oil

Directions:
Bring to a boil a pot of water with cilantro, garlic, salt, and oil. Meanwhile, mix 1 cup of flour with water, oil, salt, and baking powder. Drop the dumplings into the seasoned boiling water, stirring occasionally. Let boil until they rise to the surface. Remove from the water and set aside.

Sautee the onions and peppers, salted, over medium low heat until translucent. Add in the garlic and herbs and sautee for about 20-30 seconds. Sometimes I like to add 2/3 of the herbs in now and add the rest just before adding the coconut milk.

Add in the cubed smoked pork chop and sautee a bit for it to pick up the flavor of the sazon. Add in the corn and lime and sautee until it has a chance to absorb the flavors. Add in the water and the shrimp and sautee until almost cooked.

Add in the habanero pepper, four cans of sardines, with the tomato sauce they are canned in. Remove some of ingredients from the stew (preferably the shrimp so they don't overcook) to make room for the coconut milk to be distributed. Add in the coconut milk and gently blend it in.

Add in the reserved dumplings and let the dish sautee a bit so that the flavors blend.

Taste for salt and pepper and enjoy! Serve with tostones (twice fried green plantains--if you are clueless on this, comment and I'll help) and a slice of lime to squeeze over the top.

*Maps are the property of lonelyplanet.com

Grilled Mediterranean-Inspired Herb Tofu

2011-03-18T00:46:00.006-04:00

As promised, I have more recipes from my vegetarian series. This one is a wonderfully delicious Mediterranean-inspired marinated grilled tofu recipe. This fresh and flavorful dish is perfect for summer or any time at all. I have grilled mine in my toaster oven and on my Foreman grill. I think the Foreman is my preferred method, but either way, it is super delish!

The smashing of all of the ingredients brings out their flavor and creates a smoother marinade that will keep the herbs from burning and integrate the flavors better. Smashing the peppercorns gives you a nice spiciness that you don't normally associate with peppercorns.

The fresh Mediterranean salad is a wonderful, nutritious accompaniment to this dish. This dish is bursting with flavor and is great for both your taste buds and your waistline. Try this easy yet flavorful recipe yourself and show your the meat eaters in your life just how tasty tofu can be. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by the following recipe: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/grilled_tofu_with_a_mediterranean_chopped_salad.html

MARINATED TOFU

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 large basil leaf

¼-1/2 tsp oregano

Handful peppercorns (15)

Juice of one lime (you can also use lemon, but lime is much more easily accessible and more affordable in Miami)

1 tsp salt

1 TB olive oil

1 pack extra firm tofu (rinsed, patted dry, and sliced longways into four)

Salad:

Cucumber, diced

Tomato, diced

olives, diced

white vinegar

1 mortar and pestle (easily found at any SE Asian market ($9-$15 for the mid sized one). The stone Thai versions are idea for creating smooth pastes--be sure it's deep enough to not splash when you are pounding the ingredients. Also, the sides should be thick to prevent breakage. Don't fall for the thinner, more shallow American versions)

Procedure:

Smash all garlic, herbs, salt, and peppercorns. together in a mortar and pestle until you form a homogeneous paste.

Gently blend in the olive oil and lime juice.

Marinate tofu ½ hr – 8 hrs.

Grill to crispiness.

Serve with salad of diced tomato, olive (I used black), and seedless cucumber with a few splashes of white vinegar.

Warm, Comforting and Super Easy Cuban Garlic Soup (Sopa de Ajo Cubano)

2011-03-13T03:24:00.004-04:00

I know it's freezing cold on the regular these days back home, but it was in the mid 80s here for the past month, and all of a sudden the past week has dropped down into the low 70s and into the 60s at night. I know you guys will have no sympathy, but for me, that is freezing!!

All of this rapidly changing weather plus the onset of allergy season here has me super congested. I've got a runny nose that just won't stop. So, with the nights being chilly and me battling all this congestion, I've been in the mood for soup. After having Cuban food with my friend the other night, I was craving some garlicky Cuban goodness, but it had to be something quick. I Googled and Googled some more until I decided on Cuban garlic soup (sopa de ajo).

Sopa de ajo was inherited from the Spanish and Cubans have adapted it to their taste. This is like their version of chicken soup; Cubans swear a good sopa de ajo can cure the worst of head colds. After trying my first bowl tonight, I have to say, it's definitely a better cure-all than chicken soup. Even the smell of this soup cooking makes you start feeling better. I must say, a little garlic seems to take care of way more than just vampires. This warm, comforting soup has a rich, garlicky flavor and a velvety texture to which garlicky toasted bread croutons are added for a deliciously crunchy variation of texture. Any garlic lover is sure to enjoy this incredibly easy and flavorful dish.

Tip:
The trick is to be sure to temper the beaten eggs just before the soup reaches a boil, whisking rapidly and adding the broth in a slow, steady stream. If your eggs curdle, it likely isn't ruined. Just strain the egg; the flavor is likely fine

Also, be sure to strain out the garlic and onion before serving .

Add the croutons only as you are serving. Do not add to the main pot if you plan to have leftovers.

The following recipe was adapted from : http://www.ehow.com/how_5710025_make-cuban-garlic-soup.html (the soup looks nothing like the photo--it's yellow and velvety)

References:
http://www.tasteofcuba.com/garlicsoup2.html
http://cocinacubana.cibercuba.com/2008/11/01/179/sopa_de_ajo (pimenton dulce - paprika)

Sopa de Ajo Cubano
16 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small onion, minced
2 quarts of chicken stock (2 cartons)
3 eggs
8 slices of Cuban bread (or French as a substitute, but do NOT use white sandwich), cubed
1 tsp paprika (optional) --this is closer to the Spanish version, but most Cubans don't use it
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil for sauteeing (yes, you do need it all. You will be splitting it up into three fryings)

Over medium low heat, sautee the minced garlic for a few minutes in the olive oil, until softened.

Once softened, strain the oil and set the garlic aside (you will use it toward the end).

Coat the bottom of the pan with the garlic oil and turn the heat up to medium to medium high. You do not need to pour it all in, just coat the bottom of the pan (maybe 2 tsp - 1TB)

Fry the cubed bread until crispy (does not need to be brown).

Remove the bread from the oil and set aside for later use.

Add the rest of the oil, turn the heat to medium, and sautee the onion until translucent

Once the onions are translucent, add in the chicken broth, add in the garlic, and add the paprika, if using.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and set aside.

Once soup is close to boiling point, but not there, take half of the hot stock and temper it into the eggs in a slow, steady stream, whisking rapidly to avoid curdling.

Once mixed, the egg and broth mixture should look yellow and velvety.

Once the soup reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and whisk the soup rapidly while adding in the tempered eggs in a slow, steady stream.

Serve the soup with the garlic bread croutons you fried previously. Enjoy!

Notes:
Some people do the bread in full slices
Some people poach an egg in the soup per person by opening a raw egg onto the top of the soup while it boils and letting the egg cook 2-3 min.

Nicaraguan Fajita with rice

2011-03-09T00:23:00.004-05:00

Hi guys!

I wanted to share a quick recipe I made this weekend. This recipe is uber easy, full of flavor, and is surprisingly low in fat. The meat used is very lean and the red peppers used are packed with vitamins. Red peppers are among the highest sources of vitamin C and actually have three times the vitamin C of their green counterparts. It is not at all a bad habit to choose your foods based on color. Foods that are orange, yellow, or red, tend to be higher in vitamin C and beta carotene, while dark leafy greens, for example, are rich in fiber, folic acid, potassium, and magnesium, and are surprisingly high in vitamin C. Folic acid and potassium are especially important in the diets of women. Women who have adequate amounts of folic acid in their diets both before and during pregnancy significantly decrease the risk of birth defects. Potassium also plays a key role in cardiovascular and bone health, as well as muscle contraction.

Pregnant women often experience an increase in the frequency of charlie horses because of an increased need for potassium. If you find yourself getting charlie horses often, it is typically due to potassium deficiency. Try to eat a banana for the moment to help it. Also, try to increase your overall consumption of foods such as leafy greens and bananas, as well as beans, which are all good sources of potassium, as a permanent solution to frequent muscle cramping. So whether you are pregnant, have high blood pressure, or frequent muscle cramps, being intentional about incorporating more of these foods into your diet may be just what the doctor ordered.

Below you will find some useful websites for further reading on the topic of potassium and folic acid and their roles in the health of our body's systems.

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/folicacid_before.html
http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/updates/benefits-of-green-leafy-vegetables.php
http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/folic-acid.cfm#b
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/potassium-000320.htm
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/potassium-000320.htm

Here are some regarding the relationship of fruit and vegetable color to vitamin and mineral content:
http://www.fruitandveggieguru.com/ExtraSections/ProduceandYourHealth/NutritionInColor/tabid/91/Default.aspx
http://ezinearticles.com/?Choosing-the-Best-Fruits-and-Vegetables---Why-Color-Counts!&id=5165572

I hope you enjoy this deliciously tasty recipe that I've adapted from Nicaragua en mi Sazon with Maria Esther.

Fajita Nicaraguense (Nicaraguan Fajita)

Ingredients:
1 lb of top round steak, sliced into strips and marinated for 1 hour - overnight

Meat marinade
2 cloves, smashed into a paste or grated
2 TB Worcestershire sauce
Salt (maybe a teaspoon or so)

Vegetables:
½ onion, julienned
bell pepper*, julienned (use what you like. I used green and red (red is among the best sources of vit. C)
Celery, ½ cup*
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt

*the measurements for the celery and bell pepper really don’t matter. Simply go by your own preference. I just provided approximate measurements for any novice cooks out there.

! TB of vinegar (any type you like, I used white)
3 TB water

Procedure:
In a very lightly greased pan (either with non-stick spray or by spreading the oil over the pan with a napkin) sautee the onion over medium heat until softened. This will not take but a few minutes. Since there Is very little oil, it will not become transparent. At this point, add in the other vegetables, including the garlic, toss, and cook until they start to soften. Once the vegetables are slightly softened, add in the vinegar, water, and salt to taste, lower the heat to low and cook until desired doneness.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan over medium heat, greased in the same manner, cook the beef. Be sure to cook the meat in a single layer so that all of the meat cooks properly. This means that, depending on the size of the pan, you may do two or three panfuls of meat. With this in mind, start cooking the meat when you start the veggies off.
Once everything is done. Toss the veggies and meat together and enjoy!

I had mine with Nicaraguan-style white rice, which I tried for the first time. There really was a significant difference in flavor that I very much enjoyed. The rice was very flavorful and had that slight tanginess that I always enjoy in Nicaraguan food. What makes it Nicaraguan style is that it is toasted first, but not everyone seasons it with garlic and green pepper. The recipe is below.

Nicaraguan-style White Rice

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups of long grain white rice, rinsed (swish it around in a pot of cool water with your hand then drain the water. Repeat one to three times until the water is almost but not all the way clear.
2-1/2 cups of water (I don’t like the 1:2 ratio of rice to water. It is too wet for me.)
1 slice of green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 slice of onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TB butter, olive oil, or half a TB of each (this usually turns out nicely)
Juice of ½ lime
A pinch of salt

Procedure
Gently stir all of the ingredients together in a medium-sized pot. Bring the rice to a boil, stirring. Once it boils, cover it and take the heat down to low. Let the rice steam on low for 20 minutes. Do not open the pot during this time. Remove from heat and let steam for another 10 minutes. Again, do not open the pot. Once the 10 minutes are up, fluff and enjoy!

Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

2011-03-02T16:51:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

As promised, I told you that I would integrate some of the wonderful recipes I came up with during my two veggie months that I mentioned. This recipe is a super flavorful garlic parmesan broccoli recipe.

So, I already love broccoli anyway, but oh my goodness, this is the most amazing broccoli I have ever had in my entire life!! My garlic Parmesan broccoli tasted like something from a fine restaurant. Just amazing and bursting with flavor without overpowering the broccoli. At the same time, if you have a resident veggie hater around, serve them this broccoli and make them a total convert! I promise!

Mash

1 bunch Fresh broccoli

About 10 black peppercorns

½ tsp salt

1 TB parmesan cheese (in the can)

2 cloves fresh garlic

Thumb length piece of a leek chopped into small pieces

Stir in

A drizzle of olive oil to toss broccoli with

Directions:
Toss the broccoli with all of the mashed ingredients that have been blended with olive oil. Cook in your preferred method until al dente and enjoy! You may never want regular broccoli or broccoli and cheese again ;).

Hugs,
DF

Smoky and Garlicky Marinated Roasted Chicken with Cabbage Apple Slaw

2011-02-27T01:26:00.019-05:00

Hi everyone

So, I already posted about my newly-found love for Nicaraguan food. Well, for the little time left in Miami, I will mostly be trying new Nicaraguan recipes and taking advantage of the easy access to the ingredients as well as taste-testing other people's versions of a given dish. Well, there are a number of Nicaraguan meats that come in this deliciously flavorful red, adobo-based marinade--chancho con yuca (pork rind (with the meat still attached, not just fat)with cassava), costillas asadas (grilled ribs), and pollo asado (grilled chicken). I have loved every dish I've had with this marinade, but I couldn't figure out what on earth was in it or how it was made. The problem was, I had no idea if the marinade had a set name, so I couldn't Google a recipe as I usually would.

Well, today I just searched "pollo asado." I was thinking I wouldn't really get anything because Nicaraguans don't seem too crazy about chicken unless it's in soups. They prefer to make braised and grilled meats with pork and beef, and at the fritangas, everyone wants carne asada (grilled steak, flank, I think) or cerdo asado (roast pork). In fact, he quintessential fritanga meal is carne asada with gallo pinto (mixed rice and beans), plantains and a side of ensalada (pickled cabbage slaw). So anywho, I did find a recipe and a dang good one. The lady included a recipe for a good stock of that magic marinade I'd been trying to figure out for so long. For those who have never had this marinade, it is smoky, garlicky, and that nice tang that all Nicaraguan food has. It really is delicious! This marinade is called achiote, which is also the name of the red powder that is part of its ingredients. So, confusion resolved--there is a homemade achiote seasoning blend and an achiote powder from annatto seed. Some of those times I saw achiote in a Nicaraguan recipe, they were talking about this marinade, not the regular spice in powder or seed form. Traditionally, meats with this marinade are char-grilled, but I used a Foreman. It was yummy and juicy, but, man, it would've been super delish with the flavor from a charcoal grill. Mmmm, mmm!

I was just trying for something simple and fast today since I've been super busy and I really wasn't expecting much. As simple as it was, my dinner was delicious! I would even say it was "wow!". What made it wow was that instead of accompanying my dish with the traditional ensalada that I had, I had been itching to try my own recipe using apples, so I had that instead. As incredibly simple as it is, my pickled cabbage and apple slaw was divine! When the flavors of the cabbage, apple, and lime juice mixed, the result was a totally different flavor. It had a slightly sweet tang that was just what I wanted. The radish gave a little zip to it all and, oh my, deliciousness!

Here's the recipe! Enjoy!

Hugs,
DF

*This recipe was adapted from Cocina del Mundo http://cocinadelmundo.com/receta-Pollo-asado-a-la-Matagalpa

Marinade
1 head of garlic
4 oz achiote (annatto powder)
1 oz cumin
1/2 oz black pepper
white vinegar (add until you get a smooth paste)

Smash the garlic in a mortar and pestle until you achieve a homogeneous paste. Once you have a paste, smash in the cumin achiote, and black pepper and blend. Once you have a homogeneous mixture again, add in white vinegar and smash in, blending and adding enough vinegar to achieve a uniform, creamy paste.

*Just as a fair warning, be very careful with achiote. It does stain--countertops, clothing, floors, whatever. If it gets on something, try cleaning it immediately with baking soda and vinegar.

Chicken Preparation:
Rinse the chicken well. Wash it with bitter orange juice (rub the meat with bitter orange) and let it sit. After maybe 10 minutes, pour off the excess bitter orange, but do not rinse it.

Salt the meat and rub with the seasoning paste you made. Let the meat marinade for at least an hour, but I would recommend 4 hours - overnight. The flavor is much more intense if you marinate longer. Go ahead and prepare this in the morning before work or school. It takes no time to salt some meat and coat it with a pre-made marinade.

Cabbage Apple Slaw
1/4 large cabbage (finely shredded ?? (cut into shreds with a knife)
1 radish (very thinly sliced)
1/2 fuji apple
juice of one lime
a splash of some sort of vegetable oil (preferably one that has a little flavor, such as corn or olive oil)
Splash of vinegar (you don't want a ton of liquid, just the minimum to soften the vegetables)
a very small pinch of oregano (optional)
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Chop the veggies and put them into a container with a top. Mix tall of he liquids together with the spices and season to taste. Pour over the veggies and let sit for at an hour before serving. This salad is best the same day, but it's still preserved and tastes fine afterwards, too; it just loses a bit of its zip.

**Tip: Be sure to squeeze the lime juice first and set it aside so that you can pour it over the shredded apple immediately or while in the process so that it does not oxidize and turn a yucky brown.

Serve everything with either gallo pinto or the Nicaraguan white rice recipe from my original Nicaraguan food post.

Breadmaking and Using Yeast 101--Tips, Tricks, and Explanations

2011-02-27T00:46:00.000-05:00

Although I haven't been using yeast for long, only about a month, I have played with it enough, watched enough videos, and read enough recipes to learn a few things here and there. I am still by no means an expert, but I've learned how to avoid some commonly-made mistakes as well as some tricks for manipulating the texture of breads and other yeasted doughs. I'll share with you the ones I've found to be most critical. Please feel free to share with me any tips that you may have. If you have any questions, go for it and I'll try my best to answer them.

#1 Dry yeast is inactive.
Activating dry yeast requires mixing it with warm water. If you make your water a little warmer, it expedites the rising process. However, never make your water hot hot. It should just be warm to the touch, never hot enough to burn or cook anything. Hot water kills yeast, which is a living organism, much like the active cultures in yogurt.

Because yeast is inactive, yeast should be allowed to proof, which essentially means to activate. This is done by mixing the yeast in 1 cup of warm water until it is dissolved then placing this mixture in a warm place (no need to cover at this stage) until it forms a froth. Typically, if you leave the mixture for 10 minutes, you are good to go. Depending on the environment, less time may get the job done but, when in doubt, stick to 10 minutes as a rule-of-thumb.

#2 Salt Counteracts Yeast
Almost all recipes with yeast also contain at least a minimal amount of salt. How do these recipes work if salt counteracts yeast? Salt does counteract yeast, however, this issue is resolved fairly easily. The key is to never let salt come into direct contact with yeast. What that means is that when you are allowing your yeast to proof, although it is perfectly fine to add in things like oil and sugar into your yeast liquid, do not add the salt at this point. Any salt should be added once you have moistened the dough with any liquid until there is no more loose liquid present. At this point, the salt-yeast contact is no longer direct, so the yeast is able to do its thing with no problem.

#3 Sugar Helps Yeast Grow
In most cases, when using yeast in baking, your recipe for call for you to add a teaspoon or so of sugar to the yeast and water liquid. The sugar aids the yeast in proofing. You will taste the sugar's sweetness in the final product even though it is part of a chemical reaction. The sweetness does not go away once the reaction is completed and your dough is cooked. So what that means is, don't call yourself being a super genius by trying to double the sugar in hopes of doubling the proofing time.

#4 The Key to Crunchy Bread is Water
I can't say that I understand why or how it works, but if you want a nice, crusty bread, such as a ciabatta, a traditional focaccia or a similar rustic/artisan bread, water is essential. I don't mean that you need to make the dough really runny. What I mean here is that the strategic use of water during the cooking process after the dough has been formed is what creates the perfect crunch. There is something about the steam that creates crunchy bread. There are a variety of ways to achieve this. You can put a pan full of water on the rack beneath the baking bread or you can spray the top of the bread with water before baking. I have even seen someone spray the sides of the oven. I haven't used this method yet, but I can tell you that my preferred method would be to just spray the top of the dough with water. By the way, if you opt for the pan of water, don't be a silly little mess maker! Put the empty pan in the oven first, then add the water to it using a bowl that you have filled with water. Such a small step can avoid a huge mess. Just a few drops of spilled water is all it takes to make a total mess of your floor.

#5 Chewy, Pliable Baked Goods Require Sticky Dough
So, remember when I told you that baking with yeast was easy? Well, it is, but but the worst of it comes when you are making what you want to be an especially chewy, pliable final product. What I am talking about here are things like hodduk (Korean sweet filled pancake), really soft and fluffy naan, and the like. Basically, anything that is either marked by a distinct chewiness or pliability is likely to require a sticky dough. The reason for this is that the chewiness comes from a high liquid-dry ingredient ratio. When you think about it, it is similar to cakes. When you make really moist cakes that are also really dense yet springy, your batter tends to be thicker and stronger, if you will.

You don't have to be afraid of making anything chewy now. Just adjust your technique for handling the dough. Keep your hands well-oiled at all times following the dough's first proofing (rising). You may even need to drizzle a little oil or sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough prior to handling it. I would suggest maybe even drizzling a TB of oil in a small boil to dip your hands into throughout the process. Also, keep any surfaces the dough touches in the prep process very well-floured--that means the space you are working the dough on, the rolling pin, etc. With all of these surfaces, flour and re-flour after each time you lift the dough and go to work with another portion of the dough in the same spot.

#6 Tricks for Accelerating Proof Time
The part that most people fear with yeast baking is the proofing time...well, that and the kneading, of course. For the proofing, I can tell you that I have seen some ridiculous time estimates reaching as high as six hours. Let me tell you, six hours is just outrageous and definitely not necessary. I have never spent more than an hour to allow dough to proof and with a few simple tricks, I generally get it done in 30 minutes.

The first trick is one that I have mentioned before. This particular trick comes courtesy of my grandma. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees for literally about a minute. When you open the oven after turning it off, you shouldn't feel a burst of heat, rather just a mild warmth. You should be able to touch the grills without being burnt and without having the fear that getting burnt is a remote possibility. The grills should just feel warm to touch, not hot enough to cook anything. Once you get the oven to this point, you have achieved the oh-so-important warm place in which you can allow your dough to rise.

The second trick I have shared before as well. Just cover the bowl with oiled plastic before placing it in the warmed oven that, remember, is turned off. This traps the gases of the yeast, intensifying its action on the dough. You remember chemistry class--it's like when you shake up soda and it explodes because the gas has so little room to work in. A similar principle is at work here.

The third trick is one that you can use lieu of the oven trick. You just take your bowl of yeast that you've covered with oiled plastic wrap and put it into a bowl of very warm, but not hot water. Again, we don't want to cook the dough and kill the yeast. We just want to coax it into working a bit faster. We have lives and things to do, so we need this thing to happen yesterday, lol. This trick works like a charm just like the oven trick. Be sure that the water does not go more than halfway up the side of the bowl with the yeast in it. You don't want to risk any water seeping into your dough.

Useful Vocabulary:
- proof - allow the yeast and water liquid to activate and froth or allow the dough to double in size

- strong flour - bread flour (there is a difference and it is very noticeable, so if your recipe calls for it, I
   recommend against substitutes. I will discuss this in further detail in a later post). Bread flour is higher
   in proteins and gluten and helps create the chewiness that you associate with things like bagels and
   other breads but not, say, cakes and cookies.

- knead - knock the air bubbles out of the dough by folding and rolling it with your hands until you feel the
   dough becomes stronger and denser. Kneading is key for achieving the right texture in the final
   product.

My First Homemade Bread

2011-02-23T22:05:00.008-05:00

So I told you that I finally got over my fears and picked up some yeast at the grocery store. Well, I made hodduk (Korean sweet filled pancake) so many times that I decided it no longer made sense to buy the yeast in the packet. I went ahead and got a whole jar of yeast. Whew! Talk about moving fast! I opted for the RapidRise bread machine yeast by Fleischman's because, well, it's fast, and it says it's perfect for regular oven use, too. Thus far, it has worked like a charm. A full doubling of the dough usually takes 20-30 minutes, when covered in plastic and placed in a warm oven as mentioned in my "Conquering Kitchen Fears" post.

Well, having bought all that yeast, I convinced myself that I would have to play with it every weekend. My first venture was a basic poppy seed loaf bread. It is a spin on your basic sandwich loaf. It has a touch of sweetness, a nice crunch and slight nuttiness from the poppy seeds, and a really nice, delicate background flavor of almond and vanilla. I know you are thinking what I was, but, no, this is not a dessert bread. It is still perfect for any sandwich and it tastes nothing like cake or cookies; it's just a more flavorful loaf that what you find in stores.

In terms of process, I am telling you this is beyond easy! You will be so shocked that you've never done it before because it's so easy. Baking this bread from start to finish is much easier than baking a cake. I know, I know, it takes time to let it rise and blah blah blah. Well guess what, when it's rising, you can get on with your life--exercise, go pick up groceries, do your homework, wash clothes, clean the house. The point is, life need not stop because your bread is rising. This bread required two risings and, as mentioned above, generally 30 minutes was sufficient for me, but bear in mind that I live in a hot and humid climate, so rather than going by time, just visually check that your dough has doubled in size.

Well, here goes the recipe. It's not a DF original. Remember, I told you I am still a novice. Just the same, it turned out perfectly, despite my oven, which has a mind of its own. My oven is probably from 1960 and I usually end up setting it at 200-250 to get 375 : /. That's not even the end of it... For fast-cooking foods, sometimes I have to let it brown at 350 then drop the temperature by about 150 degrees or so. If my weirdo oven can make this bread come out perfectly, you have no excuse but to try and see for yourself how wonderful your own homemade bread will be!

http://www.familyoven.com/offsite?r_id=28772&u=http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Poppy-Seed-Yeast-Bread-2/Detail.aspx

Fresh and Tasty Chickpea Salad

2011-02-20T01:43:00.029-05:00

Hi guys:

I love to put my creativity to use in the kitchen and I also try to make a habit of developing recipes based on my body's specific nutritional needs. With these goals in mind, last year I decided to put myself through a two month veggie challenge.

I was thinking and I realized that most traditional American cooking doesn't really lend itself to learning what vegetables actually taste like. Think about Southern cooking--just about all vegetables are cooked in such a way that their natural flavor is overpowered by some form of meat or fat. We cook cabbage and collard greens with ham hock or some other form of smoked meat. We slather delicious, sweet corn with butter. With sweeter vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and butternut squash, we douse them in sugar, butter, cinnamon, and sometimes even marshmallows. If this is how we eat, that means many of us don't really know how vegetables actually taste on their own. I can speak for myself and say that I could definitely stand a lesson in How to Eat Your Veggies and Love Them 101.

After I thought about all of this, I set out on a mission to learn how veggies really taste and to capitalize upon their natural deliciousness in my kitchen. For two months, all of my meals had veggies as their primary focus. This does not mean that I became a complete vegetarian. No offense to those who are vegetarians for moral reasons, but that is not what motivated me to start my challenge. Animals eat animals, I eat animals, and I'm completely alright with that. What motivated me was learning how to take better care of myself and, most of all, learning how to make veggies as delectable as everything else in my kitchen so that, in the future, my children and husband would enjoy eating well and understand the science behind our diet and its impact on our overall well-being.

Let me tell you, guys, during my challenge I came up with some seriously delicious recipes! My fridge was always overflowing with yummy veggies of all kinds and I even learned how to play with some things I didn't normally buy. As I mentioned, I didn't go fully vegetarian. My philosophy for this challenge was to use meats as minimally as possible and primarily as flavoring agents, not as my principal source of food. I often used beef bones to make stalk as a source of both flavor and calcium. I even used other bony meats such as chicken necks, which I had never used before, as well.

Within the next month or so, I will share some of the deliciously healthy recipes that I came up with during my challenge. Go ahead and put my recipes to the test. Even the biggest carnivores are sure to love them! The first recipe in my veggie series is a simple, fresh, and delicious garlic herb chickpea salad. This recipe is light, fresh, and bursting with flavor, not to mention being incredibly easy to make. I learned many different ways to play with chickpeas because they are very versatile and are a good source of protein at about 11 or 12 grams per cup. Chickpeas are also a great source of fiber as well as minerals such as folate, B6, vitamin C and zinc.

For those who are interested in learning more about the properties of different veggies, here are some great places to start:
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Ency/Index.cfm/Id/1707008
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4326/2
http://health.learninginfo.org/chickpeas.htm

Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

Handful of fresh cilantro (leaves only)

Few sprigs of parley (leaves only)

Handful of black peppercorns (abt 15)

Juice of two limes (choose the ones that feel heaviest since they have the most juice--persian recommended)

1 fresh garlic clove, sliced

1 tsp salt

1 TB olive oil (cold pressed extra virgin--the better the quality, the better the flavor)

1 mortar and pestle

Procedure:

Mash garlic, peppercorns, and salt in a mortar and pestle. If you do not have one, use a food processor or smash the garlic and salt with the back of a knife before mincing it. Add in freshly-ground or coarse-ground black pepper for a similar effect in terms of spiciness.

Once you've created a smooth paste, add herbs and mash until they reach a chopped-like state. You want to be sure that you still have some identifiable pieces, not all mush.

Mix lime juice and olive oil into occlusion. Add mixture to herb mixture. Blend.

Pour the herb-garlic oil blend over two cans chickpeas or the equivalent of freshly-cooked chickpeas and combine.

Cover and let marinate in fridge at least ½ hr so that the flavors have a chance to meld.

*This salad would also be good with cooked, chilled long grain rice mixed in as well

Buñuelos de Yuca--Cassava Donuts

2011-02-18T21:49:00.024-05:00

Hi everyone! I always feel so rude not saying hi. I hope that you guys are having a great weekend. I've been doing a two week no junk food challenge and, let me tell you, it has been very difficult! I love to bake and when I don't have the time, there is a Cuban bakery (if not multiple) within a mile of most places in this city. The Cuban bakeries are super affordable, so I wouldn't even feel bad if I went weekly. I was struggling especially yesterday, the last day of the challenge, because I had the hugest craving for a chocolate señorita (Cuban napoleon topped with chocolate--my photo is from pasteldeguayaba.blogspot.com). As good as that looks, the real ones are even better. More cream, an almost graham cracker colored flaky crust, and a thicker, more solid layer of chocolate. ::sigh::.

Anywho, it's Friday and the challenge is over, so I decided (days ago, haha) that I would reward myself today by making buñuelos de yuca, Nicaraguan yuca donuts. I know, guys, what on earth would anyone want with a yuca donut, right? Let me tell you, honey, don't mess around with the yuca donuts. They are delicious!! I am a huge fan of flavor oppositions and I just love the very slightest salty bite that these donuts have from the addition of cheese, yes, cheese. Don't start hurling "you're crazy!" insults at me yet. Just hang tight. So you've got the yuca and grated white cheese as the donut flavor then you've got this amazingly tasty homemade syrup topping. The syrup is made of either turbinado sugar or, my personal favorite, piloncillo. If you use turbinado sure, be sure it's a nice, dark one. Those are the most flavorful. I have no idea what piloncillo (aka panela/dulce de rapadura) translates to because I really don't think it exists in the traditional American culinary repertoire. Just the same, I'm sure it's at any Latin market.

Piloncillo is used throughout Latin America. It is the result of evaporated sugar cane syrup that has not been processed. That means that the rich, delicious molasses taste remains and the sugar is sold in block, not granulated form. You don't even know what you're missing until you've at least smelled piloncillo. It's the kind of thing you want to linger in your house, sort of like the smell of freshly-baked cookies. Anyway, I digress...so the syrup is just a basic simple syrup made with equal parts water and one of the sugars I mentioned with three or four good quality cinnamon sticks added in. I'm telling you guys, you can't even imagine how good this is until you've had it. There's no need for vanilla or other essences because the sugar's natural, caramelized richness from the molasses is still in tact. No there's no bitterness like molasses has, just smooth, rich goodness.

So I'll take a moment to be honest with you guys. These yuca donuts are traditionally made with Nicaraguan queso seco (what you see by that name in Richmond is not the Nicaraguan one, but it will do). Well, I have never purchased queso seco for my home before, I've only had it out and I fell in love with it. I decided that today I would buy it make the traditional version. Well I decided to get fancy and go for the smoked version rather than the regular because it tastes so wonderful in the heavenly ripe plantains (maduros en gloria) that I get at the fritanga (Nicaraguan homestyle cafeteria). Guys, talk about failure!!! That stuff is wayyyyy too salty and wayy too smoky, and it totally ruined my buñuelos today : /. I also used baking soda instead of powder in my haste; but that was minor. The smoked cheese, however, was a major failure. :::sigh::: Whatever...

I've made this recipe before and it is absolutely divine with a mild, white cheese and the piloncillo-based syrup. As my dear host mom in the Dominican Republic used to tell me, don't expect anything you cook to turn out right if you don't have the time or energy to add the most important ingredient of all--love. She was so very right.

Don't be like me. Just get a mild white cheese, such as cuajada, queso fresco, and I would say even mozzarella or ricotta would do. Just be sure that the cheese is not really salty. You want a mild, white cheese. Anyway, mmmmm, what heavenly results you shall obtain from following this recipe and not being a loca like me. And let me not forget to say, this has to be THE easiest dessert you will ever make. See the recipe below, and if you know something easier, do share!

This recipe was adapted from a combination of Oswaldo Chamorro's version from Cocinemos Juntos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh3m3r5MFkQ) and Maria Esther's version on Nicaragua en mi Sazon (http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=415279747755). A huge thank you to the both of them for sharing such wonderful Nicaraguan recipes!

*The photos above have been driving me nuts. I've fixed them 5 times. If they fail to load completely, click them and the enlarged version shows up just fine.

Buñelos de yuca

tips: yuca is normally cheaper at Latin markets. Choose the more slender roots, as they are the most flavorful.

Ingredients:

Simple syrup

1.5 cups sugar (if it's piloncillo, you can shave it, grate it, or chop it)

1.5 cups water

3-4 Cinnamon sticks

Bring to a boil then turn off

Lime juice, a few squirts up to the juice of one lime (optional--I usually skip it but some people like tangy-ness)

Donuts

2 cups peeled and (finely, not the big side of the microplane) grated raw yucca

1 cup of shredded or crumbled white cheese --Nicaraguan queso seco (white, not smoked), cuajada or some similar milder, soft or semi-soft cheese

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking powder (not soda)

Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

With clean hands, mix all of the ingredients in the donut section and form into either small balls, cylinders, or disk-like pillows. The shape is simply a matter of personal preference. Some people even just drop the dough directly from the spoon into the oil.

Fry donuts in pre-heated oil over medium heat until golden brown. You will know when the oil is ready if you drop a small piece of dough into it and it sizzles. Place fried donuts on a paper-towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil.

Meanwhile, add all ingredients in the syrup section besides the lime juice into a small sauce pot over medium heat. Stir the mixture occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. At this point, add in the lime. Let the mixture boil for just a few minutes. Do not overcook the sugar mixture or it will crystallize. Just a two or three minutes will suffice.

Serve the donuts with a generous dousing of sugar syrup :). Mmmm, yes, a dousing ;). Hey, the donuts themselves don't have sugar, remember? Enjoy!!

Hugs,

My Not-So-Secret Secret Love--A Delicious Cuisine You May be Missing Out On

2011-02-16T16:54:00.022-05:00

Sopa de Gallina con Albondigas--Hen/Chicken Soup with Meatballs

shredded chicken meatballs, chicken wings, malanga/yautia, plantain, cabbage, herbs

Miami's easy access to authentic Caribbean food as well as Caribbean ingredients in supermarkets have allowed me to try my hand at learning a number of new foods. Nicaraguan food is one that it never crossed my mind to try. I am a very adventurous cook and often try recipes from countries I’ve never been to and end up with dishes I’ve never had in my life and probably never will have outside of my own kitchen.

Here in Miami, second to Cuban food, Nicaraguan food is probably the next most prevalent. Before coming to this city, I’d never heard the slightest mention of Nica food. I will say that it has to be among the most severely underappreciated cuisines I know of. It is very versatile, very flavorful, and full of lots of vitamins that are vital to our diets. In fact, Nicaraguan food has very much become my culinary love, if not obsession. I love it's tangy flavorfulness, the comforting feeling it gives you, and it's almost playful culinary ingenuity. You may not have had Nicaraguan food before, but don't be afraid. Step out and try something new!

Nicaraguan food is very much reflective of its continental Caribbean location. The cuisine of Nicaragua has been heavily influenced both by the African-descended population on the Atlantic coast and its indigenous roots. Its cuisine is best known for its grilled meats, especially churrasco, here in Miami, as well as its delicious and hearty soups and stews. Unlike Cuban food, Nicaraguan food always comes with veggies, even if it's only the very Nicaraguan ensalada (salad). Nicaraguan ensalada is shredded cabbage, carrots, and sometimes chopped tomatoes and onions that is quick-pickled in lime juice, salt, sugar, and sometimes a little white vinegar. It is an accompaniment to anything that is grilled, baked, or fried. I absolutely love Nicaraguan soups and stews. They come with tons of root vegetables and other starches, such as yuca (Eng - cassave, Fre - manioc, Kre- kasav), yautia (Eng - cocoyam, Span2 - malanga), and plantain (Span - platano, Fre - banane) as well as other veggies such as auyama/calabaza (buttercup squash), corn (still on the cob and chopped into three or so rounds), chayote squash (Span2 - tallota), carrots, and often tomato. The seasoning used in Nicaraguan cuisine is grounded by a heavy use of fresh mint, onion, green pepper (chiltoma in Nicaraguan Span.), garlic, lime juice, bitter orange juice, as well as the use of other herbs such as parsley and cilantro.

One of my favorite Nicaraguan dishes is sopa de gallina con albóndigas (hen or chicken soup with meatballs). If you've never had sopa de gallina, it is made with a whole chicken or hen cut into pieces, yuca, yautia, plantain, carrots, cabbage, corn on the cob, buttercup squash, chayote squash, mint, onions, garlic, bell pepper, tomato, bitter orange, and sometimes lime, cilantro, and parsley. It is a delicious soup that has a light tangy-ness, a light herb-y flavor, and it gives you that nice, warm, comforting sensation that all Nicaraguan food does. If you're like me, and you're uneasy about the idea of mint in your savory foods, don't worry; the seasoning blend in Nicaraguan food works very well with mint. It is not overpowering at all. It's not too different from the flavor you get from adding similar herbs to pho (Vietnamese beef soup). The overall flavor, of course, is very different from pho. Sopa de albondigas, as it is also known, is very hearty and has lots of vitamins that are vital to a balanced diet.

Below is my recipe for a wonderful sopa de gallina con albondigas. I've combined elements from the following recipes and made the dish my own.
http://et-ee.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=162025655075, http://www.recetasnica.com.ni/Sopa-de-Albondigas.html, http://www.taringa.net/posts/recetas-y-cocina/2585683/Como-hacer-Sopa-de-Albondigas-_-Comida-Nicaraguense.html

You will need your large stock pot for this one. It's a family-sized portion that will leave leftovers, but not a ridiculous amount. Just invite a couple of friends and family members over. Enjoy!

Sopa de Gallina con Albondigas Nicaraguense
(Nicaraguan Hen/Chicken Soup with Meatballs)

Ingredients:

Soup:

14 cups of water

1 large whole chicken or hen (marinated at least an hour in lots of smashed fresh garlic (6 cloves?), salt (1/2 TB), paprika (1/2 tsp), 1/4 onion (chopped), and pepper), cut up (not bite sized, but into legs, breasts, etc)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

6 garlic cloves

2 tomatoes (peeled by blanching quickly in hot water then peeling), chopped

5 stalks of fresh mint (wash and leave whole)

2 stalks of flat leaf parsley (whole)

1 stalk of cilantro (whole)

1 tsp celery leaves, chopped (they come attached to celery but you are using leaves only)

1 onion, chopped finely (for the broth)

1/3 TB achiote (eng - annatto), dissolved in water (use the marinade from the smoky garlicky chicken post or approximate its ingredients. That is the achiote I'm referring to here.)

1/4 cup bitter/sour orange juice (span - naranja agria - found in the Latin section of any supermarket or in any Latin market. I recommend Goya or Badia brand)

juice of 1 lime (always choose your limes by feeling how heavy they are in your hand. The heaviest ones have the most juice)

3 TB salt

pepper to taste (maybe 1/2 tsp)

***see other ingredients under the meatballs section***

Vegetables:

1 small buttercup squash, cut into quarters
(wash well with soap and water, rinse, then remove seeds and stringy fibers and leave on the peel)

1/2 small-medium cabbage, cut into two wedges
(leave the wedges whole to prevent falling apart during cooking)

2 stalks of corn (cut into 3 or 4 pieces each)

1 medium to large carrot (cut on a bias into 1/4" thick slices)

2 yellow but firm plantains (minimal black streaking), (cut into thirds or quarters)

1 chayote squash, sliced into lengthwise quarters then cubed into 1-1/2" blocks
(peel then remove the white heart with a spoon) (optional) (it has no flavor, just a light broccoli-stem-like crunch and is used often in Nica food)

1 medium yuca root
(choose the most narrow and slender one, these are the best in flavor. Be sure there are no soft spots, avoid black spot, if possible) (cut into 2 - 2-1/2" thick rounds) (you do not peel yucca with a peeler, rather by breaking through the hard peel with a vertical blow with the blade of a knife, then lifting off the peel by sliding the knife under the pink under layer and pulling it upwards and back)

2 yautia/malanga/coco yam roots
(found at SE Asian markets (see my market list) and sometimes at Mi Pais Mart on Hull St near Walmsley, but call ahead--do not ask for
coco yam; no one knows that word except West Africans and West Indians) ( **cut
these into 1" thick rounds**)

Meatballs:

2 level cups of Maseca corn flour

All of the chicken breast from the chicken cooked in the soup above (finely shredded by
hand)

1/2 stick of butter (not margarine)

1 egg, beaten

achiote (just enough dissolved achiote to give a reddish orange color)

broth from the soup once meat is cooked (used to moisten the flour and form a dough)

1 stalk of mint, finely chopped

2 stalks of cilantro

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 TB naranja agria

salt (at least 1 tsp, maybe two)

pinch of pepper

Procedure:

Bring the water with the salt, chopped garlic, onion, bell pepper, black pepper, and the achiote to a boil over medium heat (go ahead and cover at this point to reach boiling point faster).

Once at boiling point, add in your marinated chicken that you've cut into pieces (legs, wings, etc). I like to take the skin off of everything but the wings. There is variation on this particular part as some people will take all of the skin off and others will leave it all on. I've had it both way and, I must say, with all of the skin on, the amount of added flavor is amazing. A happy medium for me is to follow my suggestion of skinning all but the wings. Sometimes I even add in a little of the skin I cut off and remove it once its flavor gets into the broth. As the chicken boils, a frothy foam will appear on the top. Scoop this foam off and discard it as it appears throughout the cooking process.

Once the chicken breast is cooked (test by inserting a fork. It is done if the fork goes in smoothly, without resistance), remove it and set it aside to cool. You will use the breast to make meatballs.

At this point, once you've removed the chicken, add in the plantain, carrots, buttercup squash, cabbage wedges, and yuca. You will add the other faster-cooking veggies later. Let these all cook for 10 minutes.

After the ten minutes are up, add in tomato, bitter orange juice, lime juice, parsley, mint, celery leaf chayote, malanga, and corn. After 15 minutes have passed, add in the raw meatballs. Once they float, turn off the burner. The soup is now ready to enjoy with white rice or tortilla!

Meatball preparation:

Mix all of the ingredients from the meatballs section above, adding in enough soup broth to form a dough. Roll the dough into golf-ball-sized balls.

Tips:

When the chayote is done, it will still have a light crunch. Do not cook it to the point that it has no crunch. Malanga is the softest of the root vegetables we are using, so be careful not to overcook it. If you see that it softens before everything else is done, take it out and add it again once everything is done. The same goes for the buttercup squash. If you see that it will get too soft and fall apart if you leave it in through the whole cooking process, remove it and re-add it once everything else has cooked.

Serve with white rice and a thick, warm homemade tortilla

Hodduk (Chewy, Sweet, Salty, and Crunchy Korean stuffed pancake) and Conquering Kitchen Fears

2011-02-14T13:19:00.008-05:00

Remember when I said I'd been getting into some really exciting things that I never thought I'd make in my own kitchen? Well, I did! I'm so excited!! I finally conquered my fears and got myself some yeast! For some reason, just the sound of the word "yeast" can make some of the most seasoned and adventurous cooks tremble. I guess because our mothers (or fathers) were great cooks and we never saw them use yeast, so if they never taught us, then who are we to go jumping into such scary realms?

Well, the fear of the difficulty was a significant part of why I never ventured into bread-making or other yeasted treats, but I was also afraid that I'd develop a problem... I REALLY love bread. I've got my problem under control and now, luckily. I don't really eat bread at home unless it's a tasty multigrain like Arnold's Health Nut or their 7 grain or something to make a healthy sandwich for lunch (heck no my sandwich ain't got no deli meat! How dare you!! lol). I've learned to take it easy on the dinner rolls when I eat out (as long as it isn't O' Charley's...those things have crack in them! Plus, the fact that I never order anything but their California Chicken Salad allows me to justify eating more bread since I will eat a healthful meal afterwards). Overall, I'm really not the bread fanatic I once was. Although, admittedly, bread has probably just been replaced by rice, bread and I are cool. We can walk side-by-side and hold hands and stuff without me fantasizing about biting off it's fingers (remember that scene with the lion biting the zebra's butt in Madagascar? :::born free song:::).

All in all, I felt like I had enough will power as well as enough thirst to up the ante on my culinary creativity that I went ahead and bought some yeast. The funny thing is, I bought it to make something that I had never even had nor seen before. In fact, it wasn't even bread, it was a dessert. I love maangchi, a Korean cook on YouTube and at Maanchi.com, so when she made hodduk, I was just itching to have some of that deliciousness cooking up in my kitchen! So on a weekend sleepover in VA (no, I am not too old for that :P), I convinced two of my good friends (who just happen to be Korean) to try and make hodduk, or Korean sweet pancake filled with chopped peanuts, cinnamon, and brown sugar. They first called me crazy for wanting to make that from scratch, but after seeing the recipe, they caved and we were whipping up some hodduk the next afternoon. Unfortunately, our yeast was bad, so the dough didn't rise and instead of nice, fluffy, plush pancakes, we got crispy ones :/. On top of that, since the dough wasn't fluffy and elastic, the filling kept coming through the holes and the sugar was burnt and bitter in spots. We tried re-doing the dough twice and nothing.

As soon as I came back to Miami and got settled in, what was I making the next weekend? Hodduk!!! Guess what....it worked! They were so yummy and fluffy that I made them three times in about two weeks after that!! Hodduk are very fluffy and soft and slightly chewy and the sugar inside becomes a a lightly sweet syrup. Imagine a mildly-flavored donut with the chewiness of a really good bagel that's filled with a warm, syrup-y but not overly-sweet filling that's balanced with the saltiness and crunch of chopped peanuts and a light spice from cinnamon! Soooo yummy!

Here is the recipe I used http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetlog/3054879144/. Ignore the amount of salt she uses and just use 1/2 tsp instead, adding it once the yeast liquid has already moistened the flour and been somewhat blended in. Yeast should never come into direct contact with salt because it counteracts the yeast. I think she puts way too much cinnamon, too, so just do it to taste. Here is a video to help you out on technique (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_MPEq53QFs), but follow the recipe on flickr because it's best (and traditionally) done with glutinous/sticky rice flour (found at any E or SE Asian market). I used a slim design digital scale that I got for Christmas to measure. I got it from these guys http://myworld.ebay.com/tfyusa2010/. It was a wonderful investment since I make lots of Asian recipes as well as Italian ones and now I can do reliable measurements.

Hodduk takes a little practice to get it perfect, but don't despair! The key is to let it double in size completely and avoid overstretching the dough. To get the expedite the rising process, cover the bowl of dough in oiled plastic and put it in an oven that you have warmed up slightly but turned off. Do this by turning your oven to 200 for a minute and turning if off and letting it cool so that it's not hot enough to cook and it's cool enough that you can touch the grills and they are not hot, just warm. Let the dough rise in the warm over (it must be off).

The dough is incredibly sticky, as most chewy doughs are, so adjust your technique accordingly. The best idea is to keep your hands generously oiled at all times when handling the dough after the first rising. Keep a well-floured surface and flour the top of the dough before handing, then place the already floured side face-down in your palm and flour the other side before handling.

Having the right amount of filling is also key. To get in the most filling, fold the back half together similar to how you see it in the video but instead of adding all the filling then sealing edges. Once you have a pocket, lean the pocket's sealed bottom downward and fill, fill, fill with stuffing, then lightly stretch the dough to fill. Do not overstuff as it will create holes or it will burst and the filling will burn and become bitter, making your hodduk crunchy, not fluffy and chewy. Do not understuff or else it will be bland. You will get better even as you work with your first batch. Try them! You will love them and so will any kids in your family. YUM!

Sorry, but I don't think I ever took pics, but I will do so if I make them again soon. The pic I have is from this website http://www.flickr.com/photos/elleincalifornia/4658491542/. It is not my pic. The second one is not mine either, it's from a user on soompi.com http://www.soompi.com/forums/topic/139324-korean-desserts/page__st__40

So what are your kitchen fears? Share them with me below. I look forward to seeing your responses :). Whatever your culinary fears, no matter how big or small or how silly, conquer them and enjoy the tasty fruits of your labor!! Anyone can cook! It is just a matter of learning and practicing, and most importantly, trying!

Hugs,
DF

What You Probably Didn't Know about Food

2011-02-13T14:08:00.004-05:00

Have you ever met someone who trusts in everything and everyone, even when they haven't earned their trust? What about the person who trusts even when their trust has been blatantly disrespected and taken for granted time and time again? Ugh, you can't stand people like that, right? But wait, are you that person when it comes to what you put into your body every day? I want to talk about a few commonly-ignored realities about everyday foods and I'll let you decide for yourself if maybe you're a lot more like that person I talked about than you realized.

Ok, so I am a huge cereal lover! When I say huge, I mean it! I sometimes have cereal for breakfast, snacks, and dinner and I have been known to eat it anywhere from 2 to as many as 6 times a day. Well, if I'm eating cereals that are high in whole grains and lower in sugar and I eat them with fresh fruit such as bananas and strawberries, that's good, right? Well, I would say so.

What if I told you that I don't drink soda, I almost never eat chips, and I buy chips for my house even less often than that? Well, I am avoiding a lot of unncessary intake of sugar and HF corn syrup since I don't drink soda and cutting out a lot of fat and sodium by avoiding chips. If you said that, you'd be only partially correct.

The fact about pre-packaged food is that it often has a fairly high sodium content, regardless of whether they taste salty or not. Sodium is used to extend shelf life but, as we know, certain health conditions, such as hypertension require a close watch on sodium intake. What would you say if I told you that the cereal I have in my cabinet right now, Kellogg's Roasted Nut and Honey Crunchy Nut Cereal (mmm, yummy! It's new:) has just as much sodium as the Tostitos Scoops I also have? Well, it's true. They both have 120 mg of sodium and those Scoops are dang salty, too much so for me, in fact. What would you say if I told you that my favorite cereal, Honey Nut Cheerios, has even more sodium than that at 160 mg per serving? Again, although a bit counterintuitive since you don't taste saltiness in your Cheerios, it's true.

I hear you already "DF, you're crazy! You chose all of the cereals with nuts. Of course they have more sodium." Nope, what about the fact that corn pops have 110 mg of sodium, Honey Bunches of Oats have 150 mg and HoneyComb has 215, yes 215 mg of sodium? This is just the way it is. If you don't read the labels on your food, you will never know. The labels are there for a reason.

So what am I trying to say here, that you should never ever eat cereal again? That I should also give up cereal (fat chance!) since I gave up chips and they have the same amount of sodium? Not at all. The point here is, don't allow yourself to be passive about what you put into your body. Read the labels and be informed. That doesn't mean that once you find out all of the stuff in your food that you should freak out, become a farmer, and never eat anything from a store again. Be smart and pick your battles. Balance your diet and don't eat anything in excess. I chose to give up chips, but I eat as much cereal as I please. I'm okay with that. You have to figure out what works best for you.

I started off with the cereal example because it is something that is a very commonly-ignored and somewhat counterintuitive example. However, there are many many more examples, and I'd like to point out a few of the main culprits.

One of the trendy diet changes for the health conscious is the incorporation of milk substitutes such as almond and soy milk. I went through my stages with both of these for health reasons and, I must admit, almond milk is actually pretty tasty. However, both of these are fairly high in sodium. Below are some stats for you to take a look at.

Silk Almond Milk - 150 mg of sodium

Unsweetended Blue Diamond Almond Milk - 180 mg of sodium

Silk Chocolate Soy Milk - 140 mg of sodium

Silk Vanilla Soy Milk - 95 mg of sodium

"Okay, DF, but I really don't care because I don't follow food trends, so I don't eat that crap anyway." I hear you... Well, now let's talk about some things that I bet you do eat. You know that Campbell's cream of blah blah blah that your mom or grandma puts in everything? How about the store-bought chicken broth she adds to everything else? Guess what? If it doesn't specifically say "no msg," there is above a 90% chance that it contains msg. I can tell you for a fact that when Campbell's says "lower in sodium" or "reduced sodium" it's often because everything else has msg. The same is true of shelf-ready chicken broth (can or carton). Swanson, however, is one commonly-sold brand that does not contain msg.

Continuing on the msg road, most spice blends contain msg if they do not say "no msg." So what that means is that your Asian spice blends, your Latin spice blends, and even your American stuff, such as accent often contain msg unless otherwise specified. In fact, I found a bottle of Accent in my mom's cabinet once and the sole ingredient was MSG :/. However, spice blends such as Goya's Adobo as well as most, if not all Lobo brand Asian seasoning do NOT contain MSG.

What about Chinese restaurants? Those who know about msg know that Chinese restaurants are famous for using it. So what do you do? You ask for them to prepare yours without msg, right? Wrong! Although they may mean well and say "ok, we can do that," cooks and restauranteurs at not only Chinese, but also other East Asian and SE Asian restaurants (THAI! You Thai-food-loving Richmonder, you!) cannot always have full control over this. Many commonly-used sauces such as soy sauce and oyster sauce often contain msg. If your local restaurant is using a brand that contains msg, which is a high possibility, guess what, your food still has msg. So, just be cognizant of this when you are making dietary decisions. Again, always read your labels (when they are there...occasionally some imports, especially some SE Asian ones, do not have them).

So who cares if my seasoning has MSG, right? Well, MSG is a man-made form of sodium that can affect different bodies in different ways. It is known to cause sudden and substantial spikes in blood pressure, mild headaches, and migraines. I can speak for myself that it gives me headaches and even migraines and who knows what is going on to cause that. The bottom line here is, be aware of what contains msg and avoid it when you can. If you occasionally use some spice blends or sauces that contain it, don't freak out, just use them in moderation.

Here's another one. Do you use soy sauce? Be careful because the last time I went to buy a bottle of soy sauce, I realized that some brands do NOT even contain soy : /. Read the labels when you buy your soy sauce and make sure that soy is actually in the ingredients list. Otherwise...gross!!!

Lastly, this is especially for all of the vegetarians and vegans. If you love yogurt like I do, here's something you should know. Most American brands of yogurt, unfortunately, contain gelatin (as well as yucky-tasting artificial sweeteners). Gelatin comes from animals...I won't get into how or where, but if you can't eat meat, you can't eat gelatin. Just let it suffice to say that. A nice alternative is Indian yogurt, or dahi, which you can find at your local Indian supermarket. It is delicious, creamier, less sour, and contains neither gelatin nor artificial sweeteners, so it's a win win.

The point of all of this is that you cannot rely solely on the FDA. Do not expect the FDA to be some superhero defender of your well-being. Those people have their own interests, some wholesome and sincere, others more self-interested. At the end of the day, you are the one who puts the food in your mouth, not the FDA; so it is your responsibility to know what you are ingesting and how it affects your own body.

I know this may have been a bit much to take in, but I hope you found at least some of it useful. Let me know your thoughts :).

Hugs,

I'm Back!!! And with a Delicious Recipe!!!

2011-02-12T21:48:00.006-05:00

Hi guys!

I'm alive! So, I promised a certain someone in Richmond, RVAFoodie, that I would come back, even if I couldn't do so as often as I would like; so I will keep my word. I've been incredibly busy with work and grad school, but I have, of course, been cooking my way through it all to keep my sanity. If I've been cooking all this time, then why not share, right? Well, long story short, I've been wanting to revamp my blog and blah blah blah, but let's face it, if you want great, tried and true recipes, the pretty page is only a plus, it's good food that you really want, so here it is.

I haven't really told you guys, but I am a bit of a hippie at heart. I have sprinkling of tree hugger at my core and I really do believe that sometimes the best things are those that you grow or make yourself. I'm also a firm believer that if you want something done right, you should just do it yourself. That being said, I've been learning how to do some wonderful things at home that I never thought I'd do on my own. I will get into that soon, but trust me, it's very exciting and, yes, it is fairly easy as well :).

So today I want to invite you into my kitchen for a taste of something a little different. I may not have said it, but anyone who knows me knows that I go through spells in my kitchen...the Jamaican spell, the Nicaraguan spell, the Dominican spell, the Korean spell, the Cambodian spell, and so on. Every few weeks, my culinary mood changes and all of my recipes change with it. Lucky for you, my dear hippie and vegetarian friends, I am currently in my.....::wait for it::: VEGETARIAN SPELL!!!

"Oh boy...." said the carnivore (yes, I heard you). Fear not! This dish will be loved by grass eaters and meat lovers alike, I promise! So what on earth is it, you ask? Indian style vegetarian garlic pepper balls. "Ewww, Indian food? I don't like Indian food :/," said that whining little punk we all have in our lives who says they don't like anything yet they've also never tried anything either. Well, I don't like Indian food at restaurants, but when you make it at home, it is wonderful and this is no exception! Garlicky, warm, flavorful, spicy and with a touch of brightness from the herbs. This is a sure crowd pleaser, whether as an appetizer at your next party or for dinner tomorrow night.

This recipe is my version of the one from Chef Thumma at vahrehvah.com. Please check him out on his website and as "vahchef" on YouTube. He is full of energy and has wonderful recipes.

Anywho, this recipe is spicy with a tinge of sourness and is incredibly flavorful! I thought I made flavorful vegetarian dishes all the time, but this one just brings flavorful to a totally different level! Please, don't be intimidated by all of the unfamiliar spices. They are all incredibly cheap (average $2.99)per 3.5 to 7 oz bag of spices and those are Miami prices) at your local Indian market and they are all versatile and great to play with in other cooking styles as well.

Here are the ingredients:

balls:

***squeeze excess liquid out of all veggies once grated***

2 green plantains (boiled inside the peel until cooked/tender), finely grated (no, silly, don't grate the peel ;))

1 zucchini, peeled and finely grated

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated

1/4 cup buttercup squash, finely grated

1 tsp or so of salt

1TB olive oil

1-1/2 tsp kala jeera (black coriander seed)

3/4 onion, chopped

1 tsp salt

1 heaping teaspoon of chili garlic paste (3 cloves of garlic and a 1" piece of ginger smashed in a mortar and pestle or in food processor to form smooth paste)

1 tsp turmeric

1/2-1 tsp chili powder (mine said "extra hot," so adjust accordingly if yours does not) (the kind from the Indian grocery store only*** Different chilies make different chili powder)

1-1/2 tsp coriander

1 tsp amchur powder (green mango powder)

1/3 cup breadcrumbs (be sure they are plain, unseasoned)

1 egg

sauce

1/4 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic

2.5 inch piece of Indian green chili, sliced into thin rings

1tsp salt

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp amchur

small palmful (6-10 peppercorns) of black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar and pestle

1 green onion, chopped into thin rings

1-1/2 TB chopped cilantro

1 TB soy sauce (make sure that soy is in the ingredients list on the bottle...don't assume it is what it says...)

Procedure:

Squeeze all excess liquid out of the grated vegetables (not the plantain, silly), THEN season with 1 tsp of salt. Blend with your clean hands and set aside.

Add 1TB olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the kala jeera and stir. Add in the 3/4 of the chopped onion and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add in ginger garlic paste and cook for one minute, stirring. Add in turmeric and cook until the mixture gets a little golden brown-ish. Don't go crazy about the color, just move on once it's transparent.

Add in all of your veggies, including the plantains and blend. Cook, continuing to stir and add in chili powder, coriander, and amchur powder. Remove from heat once blended and add in breadcrumbs and 1 egg and blend with your hands into a uniform dough, if you will.

Oil a pan well and set your oven to 350. Roll each ball in the oil and cook until golden brown on the bottom. I guess this takes 10 minutes or so, but my oven is crazy, so that is just a guess based on the usual adjustments I make. Once brown on one side, flip the balls to brown on the other side.

Meanwhile, put 1TB of butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the last 1/4 of onion, 3 garlic cloves, and the hot pepper, stirring while cooking. Add in the powdered seasoning at this point as well and continue stirring.

Once the garlic and onion have become transparent, add in green onion and cilantro. Continue stirring and add 1 TB soy sauce. Once incorporated, add in your balls and toss them in the sauce. Enjoy!!

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think ;).

Downtown Foodie Takes on Italian Pt II

2010-02-15T13:45:00.005-05:00

Hi fellow foodies!

Sorry it's been so long. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been having fun using my fake Italian learn authentic Italian recipes. My most recent endeavor was polpette al sugo or Italian meatballs in tomato sauce. You all will be seriously amazed at how easy this recipe is and how great the simple, yet flavorful ingredients taste together.

Typically, I'm the last person you'll catch craving meatballs and definitely the last one to make them, whether it's the American style, the Italian style, or that weird hybrid found on the average meatball sub. Wait, um...I just remembered that there is one exception. Sino-Khmer Krom (Chinese-Cambodian-Vietnamese) style meatballs are really good. Here's the recipe (http://www.khmerkromrecipes.com/). But yea, like I was saying, meatballs in the typical sense were so not my thing until I discovered this recipe.

NOTE: These are appetizer meatballs, not spaghetti and meatballs. Spaghetti sauce also has 1/2 -1whole glass white wine and 1 chopped onion and you use more tomato (500 grams--about 2-1/4 cups). For spaghetti sauce, follow this whole recipe with these changes. Mix Hunt's brand crushed tomato (their brand is more of a crush than a chop, as opposed to the overly-chunkiness of other brands, which renders less sauce) and their sauce.

What you'll need:

for the sauce:

1 small can tomato sauce (the short can)

2 - 14.5 once cans of crushed tomatoes (diced will work if that's all you have, but bear in mind that there is still some skin in there, unfortunately) (I highly recommend Hunt's brand for best results in taste and texture)

12 leaves minimum of FRESH basil (yes, the fresh is a must. Otherwise, you totally crock the flavor. It's all about the freshness of your ingredients for simple recipes like this one)

3 cloves garlic, smashed

extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

For the meatballs

Just over 2lbs of ground meat (mixing the meats is tasty. I did mostly beef with maybe 1/4 of the amount in pork since that's what I had, but veal would be nice, too)

7/8 cup breadcrumbs (you can just do fresh ones with your own toasted bread if you like)

7/8 cup grated parmesan cheese (the bottle is fine)

3 eggs

1 clove pressed or finely minced garlic

a bunch of parsley, minced

a dash of nutmeg

Oil to fry in (if you opt to fry, not bake)

Here is the video in Italian that I watched and here's a website I used for comparison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbwmc-RIWxM

http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Polpette-al-sugo.html

Preparation

Mix the three eggs into the meat mixture

Add in fresh minced parsley and mix in

Add grated parmesan and incorporate into mixture

Add a pinch of nutmeg, 1 garlic clove, salt and pepper to taste and mix into mixture

Add breadcrumbs (fresh or store-bought) and incorporate well until mixture is smooth

Sprinkle a baking sheet, cutting board, or tray with breadcrumbs to avoid sticking. Form meatballs with a handful of meat mixture and place on tray. In this process, some people opt to rolls the balls in bread crumbs before frying (if they opt to fry). I fried the first go-round, but I will likely never fry them again. It's time consuming and wastes lots of oil, while adding tons of unnecessary fat. You can bake these in the oven on 400 degrees for 20 minutes (maybe 30, but I think 20 was perfect, if I am remembering correctly). This works especially well with a pan that allows fat to drip to the bottom pan.

Another option used by the text recipe in the link above is to just to add three tablespoons olive oil to a sautee pan over medium high heat and and once it's sizzling, add in the three cloves of garlic (smashed or sliced is fine) and give it maybe 10-20 seconds to cook, depending on how thin the garlic is. Then add in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and when it's just about to boil, add in the meatballs. Move the pan (we're using a deep pan here, not a pot) around to get the meatballs covered and evenly cooking. Let them cook in the sauce for twenty minutes. Once there's five minute left, add in the basil (just throwing in the whole stem with leaves attached is perfectly fine here). DO NOT add basil before this point or you will cook the flavor out and have a bland sauce. Move the pan around a bit to get the basil flavor distributed. Cook for the last five minutes and enjoy!

If you've opted to fry, simply fry the meatballs and toward the last batch, get your 3TB of oil and three garlic cloves (sliced or smashed) and let the garlic cook as mentioned above. Add in your tomato sauce and tomatoes. Cover the pot and allow it to reach a rapid boil. Add basil leaves whole (attached to stem is fine). Stir in the basil and let it reach a rapid boil. Add in the meatballs once the basil flavor is incorporated. They don't all need to be covered in sauce. Let boil on high for 10 minutes. It's not necessary to cook it any longer than that. The sauce need not be thick. Enjoy!

Downtown Foodie Takes on Italian Cuisine

2010-01-13T01:07:00.003-05:00

I enjoy a little Maggiano's every now and then, but I've always been curious as to what real Italian food was like. So, last weekend I thought I'd see what I could find using my Spanish to work through some recipes written in Italian. With the help of wordreference.com to translate the names of veggies and such, it wasn't bad at all. In fact, I took a liking (or maybe even a mild obsession) to learning Italian recipes. I only got a chance to try one recipe because I'm really not much of a pasta eater. My carb of choice would be rice or bread. Sometimes pasta really weighs me down and I'm not a fan of that stuffed-to-the-limit feeling.

Anyway, the recipe I chose was pasta alla carbonara because it was easy to make with what I had at home. When I say easy, I mean absolutely shockingly easy. I had no idea any sauce could be made so quickly. So here goes the translated recipe and here's the link to the original video recipe with a text recipe at the bottom, if you want to see the technique for yourself or work through it with your Italian (or your Spanish or Portuguese) http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Spaghetti-alla-Carbonara.html. It's a recipe for four persons. 10 minute cooking time, 15 minute prep.

I kind of fell in love with this particular website for Italian recipes, by the way. It's very thorough and great with teaching technique. If you find yourself developing an obsession and want to know how to weed through the Italian recipes written in English, type the name of the dish into google.com using the following format: "name of recipe in Italian + ricetta" That automatically puts you in an Italian search because you included the Italian word for recipe (ricetta).

Oh yea, and here's the metric conversions list http://www.recipegoldmine.com/kitchart/kitchart2.html. You shall need it, friends ;). Just use the measurement for whatever is closest to what you're using. If you find yourself using Italian recipes often, consider purchasing a food scale. I have this very affordable one myself (http://cgi.ebay.com/Slim-Digital-Kitchen-Scale-Diret-Food-Touch-Screen-/250674649179?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item800f24e027).

By the way, this recipe is WAY better the next day. I recommend making it the night before and reheating. It'll look sticky and thick, but trust me, you won't need to add water. It'll melt down and become creamy in the cooking process. Gross (only to your ears, not to your mouth :), but true, you add in half of the bacon fat from cooking, so you know fat is stiff when cold.

Preliminary tip: Read this recipe THOROUGHLY before preparing or you will surely put something down the drain that you actually need for making the sauce and there's no way to get it back or substitute once it's down the drain.

Spaghetti alla carbonara

150 grams of guanciale or pancetta (or substitute thick-cut smoked bacon like I did--about half a pack, cut in thin slices (about half the length from where your nail begins to the tip of your finger) then cooked in a skillet ) (jowl bacon, whatever that is, is the closest thing we Americans have to guanciale, which comes from the cheek of the pig)

100 grams pecorino (I just used shredded parmesan that I crumbled by with my hand before adding it. I think the bagged shredded is probably better than the can for freshness and lower sodium--don't want it overly salty)

350 grams of spaghetti --I think this turned out to be 3/4 packet or so

4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg--some recipes use as many as 7 or 8, I chose to do 5 yolks and an egg, but 4 should work just fine as well.

2TB bacon fat --about half of the fat from cooking the bacon (see video to get an idea of how much she uses--bear in mind we won't use it all because bacon makes way more fat than her guanciale did)

***pasta water*** This is essential!! You MUST add pasta water to make the sauce. It needs to be pasta water, not regular water because the starch is essential to the thickening process of this sauce. See video for visual of the amount. Maybe it was around 1/2-1 cup. I don't remember but you'll see what it should be when you're doing it. You'll see in the video that the lady just opts to not fully drain her pasta to incorporate her pasta water into the sauce. I don't know about you, but I'm no expert at this dish, so I just opted to drain it closer to fully drained and saved the water in a bowl, from which I added more water to the sauce, as needed to get it to the right consistency. If you add too much water, there's no turning back, but if you don't add enough, you can add from your bowl of pasta water that you have set aside.

Fresh parsley (don't pull out your dried stuff on me, it is SO not the same. Just sprinkle a handful of the fresh stuff and mix it in. You actually can taste a difference. This particular video didn't use it, but many others did and I think it's necessary or else it'll be bland)

Salt and pepper (freshly ground is best --with a dish with so few ingredients, the fresher, the better because you can taste the difference)

Now, here's a surprise for you. Where on earth is the garlic, right?! I don't know, but I'll tell you this, no one used it. Not one person, and I searched for recipes for hoursss. So what's my take on this? Mince up a small clove or even half a clove (or else you will easily overpower the this dish), sautee it, and put it in the sauce or shake a bit of garlic powder.

Where's the chicken, you ask? Well, this is spaghetti alla carbonara, not pollo alla carbonara. Nonetheless, my mom insisted that the chicken be incorporated, as opposed to cooked separately and served alongside the pasta, so she took one of those giant bone-in breasts and chopped it down to bite-sized pieces and prepared it with a garlic clove, salt, and pepper in a skillet with olive oil. My recommendation for incorporating the garlic would be via the chicken you add in. The garlic flavor is just right that way. Not overpowering at all. So that's just one clove with the chicken and none with the pasta sauce.

By the way, this amazing sauce cooks with the heat from the pasta and the pasta water, so don't start boiling your pasta too early in advance. Be sure that everything else is prepped and ready to go (eggs, cheese, bacon grease, bacon, salt, and pepper should already be blended in a bowl before the pasta is done, but you can wait to add chicken after or with pasta).

Instructions

Beat all of the eggs together (yolks and whole), add cheese and beat together until well incorporated. Add salt and pepper. Add bacon and bacon fat. Add freshly cooked, lightly drained pasta, draining at least a cup of the water into a bowl. Add more pasta water, if necessary. Incorporate all of the ingredients and continue to stir until the sauce has thickened. The sauce will continue to thicken. If you leave it to eat for the next day, the flavors blend and intensify and the sauce is able to nicely thicken as well.

Can't get enough COCONUT?!!

2009-11-23T13:50:00.008-05:00

Well, me either!! I have been hooked on this recipe since I first tried it!! I happened upon it just randomly searching for Puerto Rican recipes. The recipe is for Puerto Rican-style homemade popsicles called limbers. These tasty frozen treats come in flavors like pineapple, dulce de leche, banana, guava, cookies and cream, cheesecake (I am really looking forward to trying this one one day, and I'll be sure to report back on how it turns out), peanut butter (not sure which is better, coconut or peanut butter) coconut, and just about any other fruit flavor you can imagine. I have yet to go to Puerto Rico and have them for myself, but I hear it's the type of thing women make at home and sell to both neighborhood children and adults for something like a quarter or so.

Limbers [LEEM behr] are super easy to make and kill any store-purchased popsicle you've ever had. Here is my adaptation of the recipe I found (http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-587305-.html). I just add about two teaspoons vanilla in addition to what the recipe calls for. By the way, to make them, they're traditionally just frozen in small plastic cups and people get creative as far as how to eat them :). What has worked for me is to fill the cup half way so that you can squeeze around the sides to loosen it, then push it up to enjoy it and flip the popsicle around to catch the juice once the bottom starts to melt.

Limber de Coco (coconut Puerto Rican-style popsicles)

1 can coconut milk

1can coconut cream

1 can water (fill the can of coconut milk to measure)

1/4 tb cinnamon

you can also add grated coconut before freezing, if desired

sugar to taste (maybe about a 1/4 cup)

Mix it all up in the blender and taste it to be sure it's to your liking. Freeze and enjoy a yummy, fresh-tasting, creamy limber!

Tips:

You can cover the tops of the cups by pressing a piece of plastic wrap flat to the surface to delay the tops of the limbers getting that freezer taste. It happens sometimes, but the whole thing isn't ruined...you can rinse the top with hot water, if necessary or just flip it and eat it from the bottom first.

I've also added two baby bananas in the mix and it was sooo good!! You can add a half a regular banana as a sub.

And sorry this is a little out of season for most of the US, lol. Hey, it's still in the 80s here in Miami, lol. Nonetheless, I would probably still be eating them if I were at home because they're just that good :).

*Source of photos: http://www.bijlmakers.com/fruits/coconut/coconut_fruits.jpg, http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uRkuxuyWxeY/THAeHAiHiCI/AAAAAAAAAMs/10wgmbqh70s/s400/coconut.jpg

Check out my reviews on yelp!

2009-11-03T15:06:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to invite you to check out my reviews on yelp. I have some for Richmond, N. VA, DC/Silver Springs, NYC, and, of course, Miami. Check me out at HKristen.yelp.com.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with yelp, it's pretty much a foodie's paradise! People reviews restaurants they've been to, so it's great if you need help finding a new place to try or finding somewhere to eat before going out-of-town. It's great because there are nice features like a Talk forum (which can be found on the top bar) and many features that make it a hybrid that combines social networking in the mix as well. That means that people create profiles (nothing long or cheesy, just a few basics and a couple quirky questions), add friends, and send private messages. I say it kills facebook any day! Plus...they have EVENTS! Awesome! I hear they are amazing! I'll post if i get to go to the one I RSVPd for in Brickell Key in Miami. We shall see what happens!

Rich, Warm, and Comforting Tomato Soup

2009-11-03T14:43:00.004-05:00

Okay, for those of you who are skeptical about any dishes with its flavor based off of just about nothing but veggies, try this recipe. I promise this dish will make a convert out of any meat-a-tarian out there. It's nothing like the ketchup-y Cambell's version of so-called tomato soup, so just erase that comparison from your mind altogether. This is my mom's recipe that I've have tweaked slightly by adding basil, thyme, and fresh cayenne pepper for extra kick. I absolutely LOVE this stuff! It's comfort food at it's best that's actually somewhat healthy (if you take out the fact that heavy cream is obviously full of fat :P!). This recipe is so rich and creamy, you almost have to have a new word besides soup for it--there's nothing thin and watery here, just lots of rich flavor! Meat-a-tarians, I especially want you to try this one out and get back to me. I made a convert of one of my biggest meat-loving friends, so I'm confident you'll change your mind to.

This dish is so warm and comforting and it always makes me think of fall. Just when it starts to get chilly, around October or November, my mom usually makes a huge pot of this stuff and I'm so nostalgic for it now!! I can't wait to get home and get a nice, warm bowlful!

Here's the recipe. It's nice and easy for those of you who may not be comfortable in the kitchen. Try your hand at this one and be prepared to wow your friends and family with your culinary skills!

Oh, and before I get into the recipe, let me say that the quality of your tomatoes is important in this dish as they are the principal ingredient. If you can, try to go for something like Hunt's Natural. You'll taste the difference.

Creamy, Flavorful Tomato Soup

1 28 oz can organic crushed tomatoes

½ cup heavy cream

1 onion diced

2 cloves garlic (3 if they’re small)

2TB butter

1 carrot (peeled and diced)

1 celery stalk diced

1 slice crispy, thick-sliced bacon

About 2-1/2 cups chicken broth (as long as its not too watery – I don’t know exact measurement)

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 bay leaf

1 pinch thyme

About a thumb’s length of fresh cayenne pepper

- could probably be substituted with 1/8 cup orange bell pepper and cayenne powder to taste

Salt, seasoned salt, and pepper to taste

I would add a bit of white wine (a couple TBs or so) too if you have it. I couldn’t find mine, so that’s the only reason I didn’t add any.

Put the celery, carrot, onion and garlic (and orange bell pepper, if you’re using it, not fresh cayenne) in pan w/ olive oil and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, bacon, fresh cayenne pepper (if using) chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. If using cayenne pepper, peel off skin and place 1/3 of pepper in soup and discard rest (don’t want it too hot). Add basil and cream, if using. Puree in blender until smooth.

ENJOY!

The BEST coconut Macaroons EVER!

2009-11-01T18:25:00.006-05:00

So I have really been craving something sweet, but I didn't want anything chocolate-y, and I really had no idea what I wanted because nothing was satisfying. I was surfing the net for recipes and came across Puerto Rican limbers (home-made popsicles), which are amazing! I fell in LOVE with the limber de coco and limber de mani (recipes forthcoming), but lately I've been wanting something else different. Finally, I remembered the amazing coquitos/besitos de coco (macaroons) that I had in Samana and La Romana, Dominican Republic. They were the amazing kind that had a cake-like softness to them. I had them at the Shell gas station there, believe it or not. They were homemade, too, lol.

I tried going to a local cuban bakery, El Brazo Fuerte, here in Miami, but the macaroons weren't what I was looking for. They were good, but they were the flourless kind and I had a craving to dive into some nice, soft yumminess! So...today after surfing online, I found this beauty and made a few tweaks. ABSOLUTE PERFECTION, friends! I promise!
Spanish - http://foro.univision.com/univision/board/messageboard.id=cocinadepuertorico&message.id=5585
English - http://www.ricanrecipes.com/recipes/detail.php?category_id=23&id=88.

For the sugar, go to your local Southeast Asian market (Battambong or Sahath By in Chesterfield, Horsepen and Rigsby Rd area markets off of W. Broad in West W. End--I recommend Far East, which is in the middle area across from Pho So 1) and ask for Palm Sugar. If they don't know what you're talking about, just look around. I promise, they have it. It's like $2 something in the pack and maybe a little more in the jar. Yes, it makes a HUGE difference in the flavor. It's rich with a great depth of flavor, like nothing you've ever tasted before and brown sugar won't cut it. Anyhow, read the back of the packet and make sure all it says is "palm sugar" or "coconut sugar." Basically, you just want to be sure that it's the real deal natural stuff.

Soooo...what I was getting at is that the change I made to the macaroon recipe is that you use 1/2 cup palm/coconut sugar (same thing) and and 1/2 cup white sugar. Break up the palm sugar (you want it in block form, not jarred) with a fork or grate it (don't do a pressed/packed measure), then mix it up with the white sugar, using the fork to break up the palm sugar more and mix it with the white. Other than that, just use 1/2 tsp vanilla instead of 1/4 and there you go!! These are soooo good!! The palm sugar gives them an amazing texture. You'll get a little crunch on the edges, but a nice one!!! I'm sure you could get a similar effect with brown sugar, but the taste will be soooo different, and perhaps a bit too dark for the coconut flavor and you might overpower it. But...try, if you wish. If you try it, write back to let me know how it turns out or if you made any changes.

Important Tips:

Baking in a glass dish is best if you don't want the crust, in other words, if you want the more traditional softness. But, guys, I'm telling you, the way I did them in the oven in a metal pan was a really tasty change. The bottom had a thin, lightly crispy crust, and a very slight crust on the top from the palm sugar, and the inside was warm and soft.

As far as bagged coconut goes, you get what you pay for. Go for the gold on this one and use Baker's brand. It's a lot more moist than others. You'll use a full 14 0z bag of Baker's.

This recipe is from Puerto Rico, so when they say brown sugar (azucar marron o azucar negra), what they're referring to is not the sticky molasses kind that's popular in the contiguous States. Rather, what they are referring to is turbinado or raw sugar (also known as demarara), which is abundant and much more affordable than refined sugars in much of the Caribbean. Brown sugar is preferred for use in desserts and coffee throughout the region, while white is only used for things such as juices and other drinks that would otherwise be altered by the flavor of raw sugar.

*The English version of the recipe says to use lemon, but it has been mistranslated. The Spanish version specifies lime, and that's what I used. Both work, but there's a widespread preference for lime in the Caribbean and it's really nice in this recipe.

*Best if consumed within 3-4 days.

What on EARTH is palm sugar, you ask?

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-palm-sugar.htm

The Big Move Down South...WAYYY SOUTH!!

2009-11-01T18:22:00.001-05:00

Downtown Foodie has made the big move to MIAMI!! I moved down in August for school and will be here for two years. I'll be back home on breaks, but for now, if you're ever in Miami, look for Kristen H. on yelp.com for the best restaurant recommendations. Get ready to try some new things and LOVE it!! In the meantime, I will be posting new recipes here and there, so keep an eye out.

Take care and until December!

Ichiban's SUPERMAN ROLL!!

2009-08-04T20:05:00.003-04:00

all I have to say is SUPERMAN SUPERMAN SUPERMAN!!! go try it!! It is sooooo good. Served warm and filled with melty cream cheese, panko batter shrimp, imitation crab (typically gross, but VERY good in this dish), caviar and a AMAZING sauce on top. Slightly spicy and veryyyy flavorful. DELISH!!!!

bacon wrapped bbq shrimp - celebrating charcoal grillin and summertime!

2009-07-09T16:17:00.002-04:00

So everyone loves some a good grilled meal, but this one is quick, easy, and super tasty! But before I begin, I have to start a short rant--can anyone please tell me why you think a gas grill is better than charcoal. If you're grilling on a gas grill, why not just cook inside? You miss out on the nice, smokey charcoal flavor and literally 3 minutes, you can get sooo much more out of your meal. I've heard the argument "a gas grill is just so much easier," but seriously, people. I had never started a grill myself until 3 days ago and the first time I tried, it took me 3 minutes at the very most. All you do is pile your charcoal, pour on the lighter fluid, and ignite...easy as pie! Just let the coals turn mostly gray and let the flame calm down and you're ready to grill. So tell me your thoughts on the gas vs. charcoal summer battle. I'm curious.

So here's my recipe for bacon-wrapped bbq shrimp. It was adapted from a recipe by Sunny Anderson of the Food Network show Cooking for Real. The difference is that I did a homemade BBQ sauce that was totally different from what she had and, of course, the fact that I grilled mine on the charcoal grill as opposed to indoors.

Ingredients:

hickory flavored bacon

extra jumbo shrimp

bamboo skewers (soaked in water for a couple hours to avoid burning and sticking)

homemade BBQ sauce

Preparation:

Remove shell from shrimp and devein. No need to salt or flavor in any way; the bacon and bbq covers that. Puncture the shrimp through the thicker end with the pointed end of a skewer and slide skewer through while straightening the natural bend of the shrimp. Once on the skewer, the shrimp should be straight. Place two shrimp to each skewer and wrap each one in half a slice of bacon. Slather with bbq and place on a hot grill over punctured foil to allow heat through. Let cook about 10 minutes on one side or until bacon is crispy (the shrimp will not be rubbery at this point, despite what you might think). Slather both sides with more BBQ and let cook 10 more minutes or until bacon is crispy on other side. ENJOY!

Funnel cakes!!

2009-07-08T17:45:00.003-04:00

I LOVE summer! Sometimes it might get a little too hot and, yes, the typical summer water restriction can be a pain (not this year--we've been getting a ton of rain, for once), but it's all worth the sacrifice to enjoy making memories and having a great time on a nice, sunny day. One thing I love about summer, besides cookouts and having more free time to cook for friends and family, is funnel cakes! A few years ago, I found a recipe and tried my hand at making them. They're incredibly easy and inexpensive and make for a great get-together treat. Kids and adults alike fall in love with them.

I used to use a recipe (http://www.recipezaar.com/YUM-YUM-Funnel-Cakes-27914) and it was really good, but I felt like it was just a bit short on flavor, so I've made a few small, but very important changes. The key to getting the great taste in the recipe is the brown sugar and the vanilla. Most recipes use white sugar, but you'll be amazed at how great the flavor difference is with brown sugar. I have tweaked the amount of brown sugar in the original recipe in addition to adding in some vanilla extract, among other things. This recipe make a nice thick and fluffy funnel cake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 -1/4 all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1- 1/2 tsp baking powder

Hint: this recipe is also great with a dash of cinnamon, but it's definitely amazing without it, too)

vegetable or canola oil for frying

funnel

toppings (sliced strawberries or any other berries with a little sugar - let sit a few minutes to produce juice)

powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar) for dusting

Preparation

Heat oil in a deep fryer or an electric skillet to 375 (have it ready just as you finish batter, don't let it sit hot or it'll burn). Mix flour, salt, and baking powder thoroughly in a bowl and set aside. Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl. Mix in brown sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Slowly beat in flour mixture until batter is smooth. It should not be too soupy. You want it to be a little thick.

Special equipment:

deep fryer or electric skillet

sifter

tongs

Funnel in about 1/2 cup batter and use your finger to stop the bottom of the funnel as you pour. Once you have poured in batter, scribble batter and make a swirl design to make shape of funnel cake. Let fry until golden brown and turn and let fry until golden brown on other side. Grab with tongs and hold over oil to let excess oil drip into fryer. Place onto plate lined with napkin to drain excess oil. Transfer to clean plate and sift powdered sugar over cakes, then top with desired fruit toppings. You can also mix powdered sugar with cinnamon before sifting and eat with or without fruit.

You will LOVE this recipe! Tell me what you think once you try it. It tastes and smells just like the county fair and you will love the smell almost as much as the flavor. ENJOY!

*Source of photo - http://img9.foodservicewarehouse.com/IC/375/96/Funnel_Cake-796.jpg

Mimi's Cafe - Short Pump

2009-07-07T12:09:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!

It's been a little while since I've posted a restaurant review, but last weekend I tried a new place. A friend celebrated her birthday at Mimi's Cafe in the Short Pump area. It had a nice, intimate, homey atmosphere food-wise and ambience-wise. We sat in the banquet room in the back and that was nice as well and the manager made a great effort to be sure that we were well taken care of. Although they were, unfortunately, out of ribs (they have a special with ribs) and later ran out of fettuccine pasta, they did their best to accommodate us. About 6 of us got the same dish, the Santa Fe Shrimp and Chicken Fettuccine, so one person had to have the dish made with penne. It was very flavorful, flavored with the perfect amount of seasoning. What's nice, too, is that is was just the right amount. I don't know about you all, but sometimes I just don't want to have leftovers.

I ordered the Quiche Lorraine. It was very tasty. Perfectly cooked, perfect amount of bacon and cheese. The bread basket the food is served with is delicious as well. I loved the carrot loaf. It was very moist and flavorful without being too sweet and had the perfect amount of cinnamon and plump raisins. I would definitely consider it to be very dessert-like, but that was a nice surprise for me :). My sweet tooth likes those sorts of surprises :). The quiche also came with a nice, big fluffy and moist muffin. I think it was carrot as well and it was very good!

Overall, I just wasn't amazed by this place for dinner. The food was good, but I would imagine not everything would be so great. The pasta dish was definitely tasty, as was the quiche. The brownie was super hard though. I was very disappointed with that. In general, the place just wasn't anything spectacular. I guess if you take it for what it is--a cafe--it lives up to the standards of its name. It's very much basics as far as flavor and variety goes. It just wasn't anything spectacular on the menu to make me say Wow, I just have to go to Mimi's today! It was all food you could, quite honestly, find at a quality grocer's freezer and bakery and be perfectly content. You could get good carrot cake and muffins at Sam's and quality grocer's freezer quiche is not hard to find at all. I just was not wowed at all. It was good, but you won't find yourself dying for more. It was just sufficient and nothing more. They really need something to make themselves stand out. It was just too ordinary and everyday for me to go back. Kitchen 64 has a similar concept as far as the cafe-like feel, but they've still managed to take the ordinary up a notch to wow us all. Being where they are as well, in the Short Pump area with so much competition, they've got to really step it up. I'm pretty sure you'll get wowed at California Pizza Kitchen before you do at Mimi's.

All in all, I think what I'm saying is don't bother, my friends. At the same time, if you're invited there, you don't have to cringe or beg to go somewhere else. It isn't bad, just not amazing.

11275 W Broad St
Glen Allen, VA 23060-5817
(804) 364-9275