Serendipity, Synchronicity and Saffron

FANTASTIC FISH PIE

2011-11-28T20:31:00.001-07:00

A while back I spent a wonderful winter in a small town called Piriapolis,

located in Uruguay, South America.

Piriápolis was founded in 1893 by Francisco Piria.

Population of around 10,000 people ( and 12000 dogs...)

Piriapolis is also known to be a mystical place.

It suppose to be the crossroad of strong points of energy.

I don't know if that it is true but I have to admit that I did spent a very peaceful and happy

four months.

What I do know is that they have the best sunset I've seen in my life.

Everything is walking distance (long walks). There is a fantastic market once a week

where fruits, vegetables, cheese and other goodies were great quality and extremely affordable.

The best thing about it was the fresh fish. Very early in the morning boats will leave

the coast and come back with loads of fresh fish.

I did get to try several seafood recipes while I was there.

My favorite fish is call ''Brotola''.

With brotola I made this delicious fish pie, I got the recipe from Food.com (Recipezaar at that moment)

Ingredients:

5 large potatoes, peeled and diced into 2 . 5cm/1 inch squares

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 free range eggs

200 g fresh spinach

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, halved and finely chopped

extra virgin olive oil

600 ml cream

200 g cheddar cheese

1 lemon, juice of

1 teaspoon English mustard

100 g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

500 g haddock or 500 g cod fish fillets, skin removed pin boned and sliced into chunks

nutmeg (optional)

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F

Put the potatoes into salted boiling water and bring back to the boil for 2 minutes.

Carefully add the eggs to the pan and cook for a further 8 minutes until hard boiled,

by which time the potatoes should also be cooked.

At the same time steam the spinach in a colander above the pan.

This will only take a minute. When the spinach is done, remove from the colander

and gently squeeze any excess moisture away.

Then drain the potatoes in the colander.

Remove the eggs, cool under cold water, then peel and quarter them.

Place to one side.

In a separate pan slowly fry the onion and carrot in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes,

than add the double cream and bring just to the boil.

Remove from the heat and add the cheese, lemon juice, mustard and parsley.

Put the spinach, fish and eggs into an appropriately sized earthenware dish and mix

together, pouring over the creamy vegetable sauce.

The cooked potatoes should be drained and mashed - add a bit of olive oil,

salt, pepper and a touch of nutmeg if you like.

Spread on top of the fish.

Don't bother piping it to make it look pretty - it's a homely hearty thing.

Place in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are golden.

Now, if you are wondering why I do not have a picture of the finish dish....It's because we were sooo hungry, that I forgot and we eat it all!

Sorelle in pentola: Seppie saltate con carciofi croccanti

2011-09-24T07:52:00.000-06:00

Sorelle in pentola: Seppie saltate con carciofi croccanti: Questi giorni di malattia mi stanno aprendo un nuovo mondo. Erano mesi e forse anni che non mi fermavo, con il corpo ma soprattutto con la m...

ITALIAN COMFORT FOOD

2010-06-26T20:12:00.014-06:00

Food that nourish the body and soul.In Italy it differs with the regions.

I was volunteering for 6 months in Puglia, the South of Italyand hosted by the most adorable couple, Gianni and Graziella.

Graziella happens to be one of the most amazing cooks I've ever met.And trust me, I've been in the food business for a long time.

Cooking is her passion and her husband keeps a large organic veggie gardenwere we picked most of the fresh produce needed for her fantastic meals.

Top quality.

If I try to reproduce one of her meal with the sad tomatoes that I find at the grocery store this days it will probably taste like ...water (if I'm lucky)

Comfort food is a nostalgic element, and this baked pasta dish bring back memoriesof my great journey in Puglia this past winter.

Baked Pasta Puglia Style :

Ingredients: (4 people)

400 grs. rigatoni

120 grs. sausage

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 Tbs. basil, chopped

200 g ground beef

200 g tomatoes, diced

100 g bread

50 g milk

2 eggplants

200 grams mozzarella

100 g mortadella

extra virgin olive oil

salt

In a pan with olive oil, place onion, basil, tomatoes, salt and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Mean while shred the sausage, chopped the mortadella and set aside.

Mix the ground meat with bread soaked in milk, sausage and a pinch of salt and make some small meatballs.

Cut eggplant into strips and fry in a pan with olive oil.

Cut the mozzarella into pieces.

Cook the rigatoni in salted water, al dente and strain.

In a greased baking dish put a layer of rigatoni and cover with half of all ingredients including meatballs, add a second layer with the remaining rigatoni and finish the rest of the ingredients.

Bake at 200 degrees for twenty minutes.

INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL

2010-02-07T14:04:00.009-07:00

I arrived to Bergamo the first week of October just in time to go to the annual international food festival. Hundreds of stands with magnificent food steaming in the cold Autumn days.
How lucky I was.

People are always so happy around food.

I had dozens of samples.

But I spent most of my money on cheese. Mmmm...so many creamy, pungent and delicious cheese.

I also had toasted chestnuts for the very first time in my life. I loved them.

One of my favorites was a spice stand with seasoning freom all over the world.

FANTASTIC POLENTA

2010-01-26T08:34:00.004-07:00

While in Bergamo this winter I was honored to meet "Chef Enrico", a true bergamasco chef or cuoco with a twist.
During my time there he made several fantastic dishes and this original polenta was the first one of a series of unforgettable meals.

He made one mini omelette for each of us, sauteed some mushrooms with parsley and the best organic extra virgin olive oil in the world, cooked some polenta, sliced some smoked cheese and roasted some potatoes.

After that he assemble the dish by setting the polenta in the middle of the dish with the smoked cheese on top, above the cheese he set the omelette and cover it with the sauteed mushrooms.

All surrounded by the roasted potatoes.

The dish was delicious and great looking.

I have had polenta with mushrooms before and I really like it but I hated that the mushrooms turn the polenta kind of grayish looking. By placing the mushrooms on top of the omelettes, that problem was solved.

Thank you chef Enrico.

Delicious fresh wild mushrooms

2009-06-25T17:01:00.008-06:00

Winter just started in this part of the world.
A couple of days ago we went to collect some pine cones for the fireplace.
Not only we found plenty of them but we were also very lucky and we found some wild mushrooms.

I believe they are Pine Mushrooms, Hongos de Pino locals called them; they were right under at the bottom of a pine tree. I had them at home for a couple of days, Google them over and over, but I was afraid to eat them. What if I’m wrong and they are poisonous?
Well…I guess they were not! I had them today and they tasted fantastic; it’s been 5 hours and I’m still alive (and hungry again).
We had a delicious lunch: Grilled meat and sausage (Salchicha Parrillera), green salad, sautéed mushrooms, roasted spicy peppers, cauliflower fritters and some Pita bread.

The cauliflower fritters was a recipe from Food and Wine.
The pita bread was a recipe from the King Arthur's cookbook; I’ve made this bread several times, it’s a yummy, easy, fool proof recipe.
The peppers I bought at the market and roasted them myself in the oven then peeled them and marinade them in olive oil with a whole garlic clove.
The mushrooms came out scrumptious. They smelled so good.

Sautéed wild mushrooms:

Fresh wild mushrooms, sliced
Olive oil
Whole garlic cloves
Worcestershire Sauce
Chopped parsley

Just warm up the oil, add the garlic cloves and don’t let them burn.
Add mushrooms, sauté for a couple of minutes and season with the Worcestershire sauce and parley.

We enjoy the meal in the terrace, it was little cold but such a nice day we just bundle up a bit.

It smelled so good we attracted some visitors.

The number one fish taco recipe

2009-05-01T16:45:00.016-06:00

I have not been good at blogging this past month.
Actually I have not been good at anything.
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.

This morning I woke up and it was kind of cold and cloudy. I made coffee, brought it back to bed, turn on my laptop and started catching up on Google Reader where I keep track of all my favorite blogs, I haven’t check them out in almost a month.
To my surprise I wasn’t that behind. As I start reading I notice that I’m not the only one
without energy or lack of inspiration. Hmmm…strange, what’s going on?
The two first blogs I read where Beck & Posh and Mishmash! , both going through something similar.
Somehow it made me feel that I’m not Coo- Coo and inspired me to get up, cook up a storm and post.
So here I am, with some delish and super home made fish tacos.

I started making homemade flour tortillas, that came out very tasty.

I went to the island’s central fish market and got some fresh fish. I took my camera with me, it is a great place to photograph, sadly I got completely camera shy, didn’t want to look like a tourist and did not take one picture. Oh well…I am not 100% there yet, but I feel much better.

I dusted the fish with flour, salt, pepper and some paprika and cooked it in olive oil. My kitchen smelled like the Mediterranean.

When it was done I deboned it and broke it into big chunks.

At the market I also got 3 different kind of peppers for the salsa. They looked pretty spicy but it is just looks, they are not.

I used all 3 plus a tomato and green onions to make the salsa.

To add heat I had my tacos with chipotle mayonnaise. I think I have a little addiction to chipotles.

It was definitely and acquire taste since I didn't like them that much the first time I tried them.

I assembled the tacos with some lettuce and cilantro.

Added quite a bit of lime juice.

Opened a super cold beer and...yummy!!!!!!!!!!!

Chilli con carne

2009-03-13T09:06:00.006-06:00

Why is it that we always want what we don't have?
When I was in the US, I used to make a two hour drive trip to go to a small grocery store that carried Argentine food.
I would come back home with tons of tapas de empanadas, masa de tarta and what ever goodies I could find.
When I was in Argentina, I was searching through China Town all the oriental markets trying to find oyster sauce, fish sauce, red and green curry, sesame oil, etc...
Now, in Brazil, I find myself searching for Mexican food: tortillas, chipotles, jalapeños, tomatillos...
I almost threw a party yesterday after I found tortillas at the grocery store. I wasn't sure if I should buy them all and freeze them or just gamble that i will be lucky in the future and find them again.
Finally a voice inside me yelled: " Just enjoy the LOCAL food"
And I will, but to celebrate my find I made Chilli con Carne.
I got this recipe from the BBC Goof Food website.

1 tbsp oil
1 large onion
1 red pepper
2 garlic cloves , peeled
1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder (or 1 level tbsp if you only have mild)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
500g lean minced beef
1 beef stock cube
400g can chopped tomatoes
½ tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato purée
410g can red kidney beans
soured cream and plain boiled long grain rice , to serve

Prepare your vegetables. Chop your onion into small dice, about 5mm square. The easiest way to do this is to cut the onion in half from root to tip, peel it and slice each half into thick matchsticks lengthways, not quite cutting all the way to the root end so they are still held together. Slice across the matchsticks into neat dice. Cut your pepper in half lengthways, remove stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop.
Start cooking. Put your pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add the oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot (a little longer for an electric hob). Add the onions and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft, squidgy and slightly translucent.Tip in the garlic, red pepper, chilli, paprika and cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Brown the mince. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince. Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.

Making the sauce. Crumble your stock cube into 300ml/1⁄2 pint of hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture. Open the can of chopped tomatoes and add these as well. Tip in the marjoram and the sugar, if using (see tip left), and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp of tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan or isn't drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
Bring on the beans. Drain and rinse the beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat.

Mushrooms

2009-01-29T07:55:00.004-07:00

When I was a child, a few decades ago, there were some foods that really did not like.
Some of them where my mom’s favorites and I so wanted to please her that I would eat them any way, swallow them whole not to taste them, and tell her I love them.
Crazy!!!
One of those foods where mushrooms. I remember summers by the beach and my mother running out after a rain storm to see if there were any wild mushrooms around.
She could always find them and inevitably end up in an omelette.
At some point in my life, I have no idea when, I started liking mushrooms and now I really, really love them.
I while ago I found this recipe in the BBC Good Food web site and decided to give it a try. It turned out delicious.
I didn’t post it for a long time because I did not like the picture I took, but Ilva from Lucullian Delights, inspired me to share it any way. It is truly a nice recipe.

Pan-fried chicken in mushroom sauce:

2 tbsp sunflower oil
6 large, free-range chicken legs , halved at the joint so you have 6 thighs and 6 drumsticks
700ml/1¼ pts chicken stock
50g butter
1 onion , finely diced
400g mixed wild mushrooms (about a pound)
300ml/½ pt dry white wine
284ml pot double cream (1 1/4 cup)

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the thighs for 8-10 mins, skin side only, until golden brown, then transfer to a casserole dish. Fry the drumsticks for about 5 mins each side and add them to the thighs.
Pour the stock over the chicken legs in the casserole. There should be enough stock to just cover the chicken, if not add a little water. Bring stock to the boil and cover, leaving lid slightly ajar. Cook at just below simmering point for 30-35 mins until chicken is cooked.
While chicken is simmering, drain oil from the pan. Heat the butter in pan and add onion. Sweat onion for 5 mins until soft, but not coloured. Turn up the heat, add the mushrooms, then fry for 3 mins until they soften and start to smell wonderful. Pour over the white wine, raise the heat to maximum and boil rapidly for 6-8 mins until reduced by two-thirds. Turn off the heat and leave until chicken has cooked. Once chicken legs are cooked, strain stock into pan with the onion, mushrooms and white wine, bring back to the boil and reduce again by two-thirds until it is thick and syrupy. Pour in double cream,
bring it to the boil, season if you want, then pour it over chicken. Heat chicken through in the sauce for 2-3 mins then turn off the heat and leave for a few mins before serving. This is such an aromatic and beautiful looking dish you should serve it straight from the casserole with the lid on.

BEST SUSHI

2009-01-28T14:55:00.009-07:00

Here in Brazil it is very common to have restaurants that sell food by the pound (kilo actually).
It is a buffet, but instead of eating “All you can eat style”, you help your self to what ever you want and then they weight your plate. Yes, ½ a pound of mashed potatoes has the same price as ½ a pound of tenderloin. I’m sure it works because they are very popular.
My favorite so far are two restaurants, one called Central and a Sushi bar called POKURO.

Central has been in business for years. The have a big and exquisite food selection, displayed in a beautiful way. Very good service and reasonable priced.
Pokuro is quite new; I think they have been open for 2 or 3 months only.
The sushi is delicious. The rolls are small, something that I love; you can just pop them in your mouth.

They have great variety and a lot of unusual combinations, such as the dessert pieces with strawberries and chocolate.
I wasn’t able to find a webpage for any of the two restaurants. If you do let me know, I would like to add the links.

Resolutions

2009-01-09T13:09:00.010-07:00

I don’t even know what happened in December 08, in between traveling and holidays I’ve lost the entire month.
Now things are back to normal ( well…my normal might not be that normal) and I’m happily catching up with life.
I received the New Year in South America and I have to admit I really love the feeling of starting the year during summer time.
What I liked the most was the way people wished you a happy new year; you feel that they really meant it. While they hold you they look at you in the eyes and smiling they wish you love and prosperity, health, good luck and many wonderful things.
It really made me think, I usually just say “Happy New Year”. Next year I will honestly customize my wishes. Actually, why wait until next year?
To all of you, from the bottom of my heart I really wish this would be the year that you find peace and harmony.
I wish you will feel loved.
I wish you will laugh every day.
I wish you could see the people you love often.
I wish you health.
I wish you will feel young and beautiful.
I wish you will have time to play, time to look around and admire.
I wish you will have no regrets.

Happy 2009

I would love to share this delicious and simple Omelette recipe I’ve got from Recipezaar, one of my favorites sites.

Caramelized Onion & Goats Cheese Omelette:

1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon butter, preferably unsalted
4 eggs
40 g goat cheese
1 pinch rosemary
1 pinch sage
1 pinch oregano
1 pinch marjoram
1 pinch thyme
Salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Rocket or baby spinach leaves or salad greens, 2 handfuls
1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or 1/4 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice) 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Melt the butter in a (preferably non-stick) pan and sauté the onion and garlic until they have softened and golden browned; remove from the pan. If you want to use the same pan, rinse or wash it as necessary and wipe it clean with kitchen towel.
Whisk the eggs lightly and pour into a (preferably non-stick) pan; when the base of the omelette is beginning to set, add the cheese, onions and garlic, your choice of herbs and salt and pepper to taste.Cook the top of the omelette under a grill; slide the omelette onto the serving plates and serve immediately with your choice of salad greens drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with lemon zest.

Oysters, Tabasco and Limes

2008-11-23T04:56:00.008-07:00

I lived in the mountains away from the sea for way to many years.
I do not love cold weather but I do enjoy skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing; my biggest complaint was the lack of fresh seafood. On top of that the little seafood we get is extremely expensive.
Since I arrived to Brazil I can’t stop eating raw Oysters.
They are so fresh and sweet. I like the smaller ones, not because of difference in taste but I think Oysters should be a one-bite affair
Walking to a bar on the beach and enjoying beautiful sunsets with great company.
Good music…what else could I ask for?
Oh yes…A cold beer

Top three reasons to go to Brazil.

2008-11-14T15:17:00.011-07:00

Food, food, food.

A few days ago I was chatting with my cousin on line and he asked me: “What are you doing?”
“Not much” I answered, since I just woke up and I was enjoying my cup of super-strong coffee.
“Come over” he replied.
“Over to Brazil?”I asked, thinking maybe the coffee wasn’t as strong as I thought.
“Yes” he said.
“Ok” I answered.

I finished my coffee, grabbed my little red bag, threw in 2 bikinis, a pair of flip flops, a couple of sun dresses and my camera; and left.

Twenty six hours later I was arriving at the Florianopolis rodoviaria (bus station), hugging my cousin after almost 20 years of being apart.

The love for food is definitely a family thing. I’ve been feasting for 4 days nonstop. The fact that it rained for 3 days didn’t help at all; no sightseeing, no morning walks just eat, munch, munch, eat.

Today it was the first sunny day and to celebrate we went out for lunch. We had seafood, my favorite.

The food was so good and fresh that I almost forgot to take pictures. So I’m sharing pics of what was left. Better than nothing, I guess.

We had Oyster, fried fish, fried shrimp, mussels with vinagrette sauce, a side of rice and a second side of something like cream of wheat, that I need to ask the name again because I forgot.

Fantastic!

Me Me

2008-11-11T18:31:00.002-07:00

I have been tagged...

By Ilva from Lucullian Delight to tell six random things about me:

· I am 42 years old and I still do not know what I would like to do when I grow up.
· When the sun touches my face I get an instant smile.
· My grandfather died when I was 5 years old, but in those few years he left me with enough happy memories for a life time
· I have seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun over 100 times and I never get tired of it.
· I do not care much about sweets but I could eat a jar of Nutella a day.
· I really wish people would smile some more.
I'll just invite anybody who feels like it to consider himself tagged (or herself)

EATING MY WAY THROUGH ARGENTINA

2008-11-03T09:00:00.008-07:00

Good friends, good food; can you think of a better combination?
We had a fun Paella night and a mouthwatering barbecue.

We traveled a little around the province.
Drove through “El Trapiche”, such I nice community, I definitely want to go back and spend some time there.
We stopped for lunch at El Hotel Potrero by a beautiful lake in “El Potrero de los Funes”great service and a very nice meal.
Then continued our drive to “La Carolina” , a very small gold mining town with population 250. The end of our day trip was at “La Gruta de Inti Huasi” .

I saw old friends and I made new friends.
My stay in San Luis was wonderful; I can’t wait to go back.

For dessert after the Paella we had a cake called Pirineo, made by one of the guest, un-be-li-va-ble!! The bottom was similar to a thick brownie with nuts, cover by dulce de leche repostero, a layer of heavy whipped cream and meringue on top.

My lunch at the hotel, Veal with a reduced Marsala sauce with peach and a side of veggie mashed potatoes. Big enough for 2.

One of my friend's meal was a typical Milanesa a la Napolitana.

3 Delicious Spinach Recipes

2008-11-01T12:30:00.011-06:00

Somehow the last three posts have been about spinach.
This is the end of the series.
This recipe is from my friend Patricia, who hates to cook, but has this signature dish that is fast simple and delicious.
Try it you can’t go wrong.
Just follow these easy steps.

Spinach Nests

Put some butter in an small oven proof bowl. (Individual portions)

Enmantecar unas cazuelas. (Porciones individuales)

Add some fresh spinach.

Agregar espinaca fresca.

A touch of salt.

Un poco de sal.

An egg in the middle.

Un huevo en el medio.

Heavy cream (that was really good heavy cream)

Crema

Parmesan Cheese. (a lot)

Queso rallado. (bastante)

And into the oven until the egg is cooked.

Y al horno hasta que se cocine el huevo.

Niditos de espinaca

Spinach, a delicious source of iron and calcium

2008-10-23T06:47:00.004-06:00

I left Buenos Aires and moving on to San Luis, visiting some chilhood friends.
The weather is fantastic, warm with a nice breese keeping the day from becoming hot.
My frineds are so kind and happy and hospitable; I don’t want to leave.
“Vivi”has been working at my friends house for almost a decade and yesterday she made a fantastic spinach fritatta. She is the proud owner of some very expensive Essen cookware. Interestinly with that kind of pan you do not need to precook any of the frittata ingredients and you do not even need to turn it over.
Here she is sharing her recipe.

Spinach. So good for you

2008-10-21T12:53:00.008-06:00

I’m visiting my hometown after many, many years. It feels as if I never left.
I’ve seen a lot of friends, visited many places and I’m enjoying immensely the food I grew up with.
The country I am from has a strong Italian influence. A very characteristic dish from my area is Tarta Pascualina or Spinach Pie.
I found a recipe for Tarta Pascualina in the book “The Silver Spoon”, this book is the English translation of Il Cucchiaio d'argento, an Italian classic.
This is not exactly as the Pascualina I grew up with, but in my opinion, it is a wonderful variation.

Tarta Pascualina

Butter, for greasing
1 ½ pounds, spinach
10 eggs, divided
1 ½ cup ricotta
½ cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs bread crumbs
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs fresh marjoram, chopped
16 oz puff pastry dough, thawed if frozen
all purpose flour for dusting
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a pie dish with butter. Cook the spinach in salted boiling water for 5 minutes until tender, then drain, squeeze and chop. Beat together four of the eggs. Put the ricotta in a bowl; add the beaten eggs, Parmesan, breadcrumbs and cream and season. Stir in the spinach and marjoram. Roll out half the dough on a lightly floured surface into two sheets. Line the prepare dish with a sheet of dough, letting the edges overhang; pour in half the spinach mix. Make 6 small hollows in the spinach mixture and break an egg into each. Season, cover with the remaining spinach mixture and top with the rest of the dough and crimp carefully around the sides to seal. Prick the surface with a fork. Bake for 1 hour. The pie may be served hot or cold.

Tarta Pascualina

Manteca
1-½ libra de espinaca
10 huevos
1-½ tasa de ricotta
½ tasa de queso rallado
2 cucharadas de pan rallado
1 tasa de crema de leche
1 cucharada de mejorana fresca, picada
Masa de tarta
Sal y pimienta a gusto

Precalentar el horno a 400 F. Enmantecar la tartera. Hervir la espinaca en agua salada por 5 minutos, luego colar, escurrir y picar. Batir 4 de los huevos. En un bowl mezclar la ricotta con los huevos, queso rallado, pan rallado, sal y pimienta. Luego agregar la espinaca y la mejorana.
Poner masa de tarta en la tartera y agregar la mitad del relleno de espinaca. Hacer 6 huecos en el relleno y romper un huevo en cada uno. Luego agregar la otra mitad del relleno; cubrir con la otra tapa de tarta; hacer el respulgue y poner al horno por 1 hora.
Se puede servir frío o caliente.

Paper Chef 33… The Results!

2008-10-12T17:24:00.003-06:00

Well, before I even star writing, I have to say this was with out a doubt the most difficult decision I made in my life. I hope my ex-husband is not reading this but it was much easier to decide about getting a divorce (with a small child in a foreign country) than to pick a winner for Paper Chef 33. Every single entry is fabulous.

Usually when I looked at Paper Chef’s previous entries, I had an immediate favorite. This was absolutely not the case.

Let’s start with Kay and Dana from Besides Pizza with Really Red Apple Pie Crisp
I do not have a sweet tooth, but if there is a sweet I like it is apple Crisp; what a great idea. The addition of coconut, walnuts and pecans on the crisp is something that I’m taking notes and implementing in my next apple crisp for sure.

Next we have Duncan from Syrup and Tang with Beetroot and ginger layered kuih with apple purée, very creative idea. I had rice cooked in coconut milk (a sweet version) in Thailand and I loved it. I think using ginger in both the jelly and the apple puree was a very smart way of combining all the flavors.

Prtybrd from Culturally Confused made Ginger Rice Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Apple Beet Compote. How did I not think of that? As a child I don’t remeber ever eating pork with out applesauce; this “grownup” version with the compote is fantastic.

Next are Mike and Paul from Eat Me! with Green Apple Risotto with Beetroot and Ginger “agrodolce” and Walnuts. What is better than a good risotto? A good risotto with a twist and a great side. I really like the addition of vincotto to the agrodolce.

Magnus from Amsterdam. What are you trying to do to me??? It is difficult enough to judge on dish, imagine a three course menu. You are just an explosion of ideas and very good looking I must add (I’m talking about Magnus, not food). So he made Smoked mackerel on an apple salsa with a beetroot sauce and a beetroot cracker to start, Rice coated sea wolf on lentils in a beetroot broth as a main and Fluffy rice pudding with apple gel, poached beetroot with beetroot syrup for dessert.

Ilva from Lucullian Delights made Beetroot and Ricotta Mousse with Ginger, Thyme and Balsamic Vinegar Served in Rice baskets and Topped with Apple Garnish., Beautiful! And I cannot imagine how good that dish was using the amazing Italian fresh ricotta (one of the 5000 reasons I would love to move to Italy).

This are all the entries, they are all extremely creative. I personally thought about making soup or slaw, so I’m glad I didn’t participate in this round because I would have come last.

Everybody used all the ingredients.
We have sweet, salty….and I like them all.
So the only way I can decide who is the winner is by thinking which of this recipes I would try FIRST.

And….that would be Magnus’s Rice coated sea wolf on lentils in a beetroot syrup.
Congratulations Magnus! Have fun being the judge next month and please mail me some samples of those dishes.

And for the People’s Choice we have Kay and Dana's Really Red Apple Pie Crisp.
(I wouldn’t mind some more samples)

Thanks to Ilva for organizing everything, and thanks for playing!

Best Sweet Potatoes Recipe

2008-10-02T07:49:00.007-06:00

Sweet Potatoes with Tangerine Chipotle Glaze

I have a great cookbook from Chef Douglas Rodriguez; it’s called Douglas Rodriguez Latin Flavors on the Grill. The recipes are sophisticated approach to Latin cuisine and they are photographed beautifully.
A few weekends ago I sat in the kitchen with the book and after reading it back and forward 3 o 4 times I chose a menu; fish with a wonderful looking fruit salsa and a side a sweet potatoes with orange chipotle glaze, a real explosion of colors.
I made a detailed list of all the ingredients, went to the store and shopped for everything.
I was going to a friends house and we where going to cook dinner together.
I was running late (as always) and left in a rush. Halfway down the road I realized I’ve forgot the cookbook, there was no way I was turning around and I thought I would probably remember the recipes. Usually the first time I cook something from a cookbook I like to follow the recipe to the T, to learn something new. Then after that first time I make changes to my taste and eventually the recipe becomes mine.
Well, this was not going to be the case. By the time we started cooking after some chatting between some cheese and wine, I could no remember the recipes at all and I had several “EXTRA” ingredients.
I was not delighted with the fish and the salsa results, but I absolutely loved the sweet potatoes, that ended up with a Tangerine glazed instead of and orange glazed (part of my extra ingredients problem)
So I could say this recipe is INPIRED by Chef Douglas Rodriguez.

Sweet potatoes with tangerine chipotle glazed

· 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½ inch rings
· 2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo, finely chopped
· ½ cup fresh squeezed tangerine juice
· ¼ cup butter, melted
· Salt to taste
· Cilantro, chopped

In a medium saucepan boil potatoes in salted water until done (be careful to not over cook). Melt butter in a large frying pan and arrange sweet potatoes with out over crowding. Sauté until golden brown on one side; turn over and sauté on the other side, season with salt to taste. Meanwhile mix chipotle with tangerine juice, add to sweet potatoes and reduce until glazed. Serve and sprinkle with cilantro.

Batatas con un glasé de chipotle y jugo de mandarinas

· 2 batatas grandes, peladas y cortadas en rodajas de 1 cm
· 2 cucharadas de chipotles en adobo, finamente picados
· ½ taza de jugo de mandarina
· ¼ taza de manteca
· Sal a gusto
· Cilantro picado

En una cacerola mediana hervir las batatas en agua salada con cuidado de no sobre cocinar. Derretir la manteca en una sartén grande y distribuir las batas sin amontonar. Dorar de un lado y dar vuelta, salar a gusto. Mientras mezclar el jugo de mandarina con los chipotles picados y agregar la mezcla a las batatas. Seguir cocinando hasta que la mezcla se reduzca y las batas queden glaseadas. Servir y decorar con cilantro picado.

Paper Chef 33

2008-10-01T12:12:00.006-06:00

It is time for the October edition of Paper Chef.
Paper Chef 32, was my first time participating and I loved it.
The ingredients, in my opinion, where challenging and for a while I had “chef’s block”, but suddenly, ideas started flowing.
I’m very exited about being the Judge for this month’s event. I hope we'll have many entries.

This month randomly chosen ingredients are:

-Beetroot

-Ginger

-Rice

And to this I would like to add:

-Apples (any kind)

My first thought was actually “lamb” but then I realized lamb was chosen not long ago.

So… you have until Tuesday October 7th by midnight to come up with a wonderful recipe.
If you have any doubts or questions, the official rules are at the Paper Chef blog and you can always email questions at paperchef AT gmail DOT com, where our wonderful host Ilva, from Lucullian Delights has always the right answer.

Get creating and have a blast!

What to do with quinoa

2008-09-08T19:23:00.013-06:00

I’ve been watching Paper Chef from afar for quite a long time.
I’ve been wanting to participate for a long time also but I always happen to be out of town, traveling, in a foreign kitchen, etc…So, I was so exited this time to actually be able to participate. That was until I saw the ingredients list.
Quinoa, tomatoes, yogurt and rice paper.
Quinoa is something that I like if somebody else makes it, but I wouldn’t normally cook with it. Love tomatoes and yogurt and I have used several times rice paper for Shrimp Rolls. The combination of all 4 ingredients was definitely a challenge for me.
Ilva, who is our wonderful Paper Chef host, just publish some scrumptious "Polpettine di pollo con rosmarino" and that is where I got my inspiration from.
My dish is a roasted tomatoes soup with mini quinoa croquettes (or polpettine).
The soup has small dollops of Tzatziki and the rice paper was cut into small strips, seasoned and fried for garnish.
I hope you’ll enjoy it; it was fun creating it

Roasted tomatoes soup with quinoa croquettes:

For the soup:

6 ripe tomatoes

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 onions, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

Oregano, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Cut tomatoes in half; fit cut side up on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a touch of kosher salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile sauté onions in a medium pan. Chop tomatoes and add to the onions, mix well and add the broth; season to taste.

Quinoa croquettes:

1 cups cooked quinoa
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup parsley
Pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and roll mini croquettes.
(I got 50)

Tzatziki

1 pint Greek style yogurt
1 English cucumber peeled, grated, salted lightly for 5 minutes and squeezed between the hands to remove juice
3 garlic cloves mashed to a paste
½ cup olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill (optional)
Salt

Just mix everything up together until it is all blended and the oil has emulsified into the yogurt.

Topping:

Rice paper, thinly sliced
Chili powder
Cumin
Garlic salt

Limes wedges.

Soak rice paper until pliable, cut into thin strips, season with chili, cumin and garlic salt and fry in some olive oil.

Sopa de tomates con pequeñas croquetas de quinoa:

Para la sopa:

6 tomates
5 cucharadas de aceite de oliva
1 cebolla picada
4 tasas de caldo de pollo
Sal y pimienta a gusto
Orégano a gusto

Calentar el horno a 375. Cortar los tomates por la mitad y poner en una fuente de horno, rociar con aceite de oliva sal y pimienta. Cocinar por 30 minutos.
Mientras tanto saltar la cebolla en aceite de oliva. Picar los tomates ya cocidos y agregar a la cebolla; mezclar bien, agregar caldo y condimentar con sal, pimienta y orégano.

Mini croquetas de quinoa:

1 tasa de quinoa cocida
½ tasa de pan rallado
½ tasa de queso rallado
¼ perejil picado
Pimienta a gusto
Ajo en polvo a gusto
2 huevos

Tzatziki:

2 tasas de yogurt griego
1 pepino, pelado y rallado y exprimido con las manos para sacar toda el agua
3 dientes de ajo, pisados
½ tasa de aceite de oliva
1 cucharada de vinagre de vino
1 cucharada de eneldo picado (optativo)
Sal

Decoración:

Papel de arroz, cortado en tiritas
Chili
Comino
Sal de ajo

Poner papel de arroz en remojo, cuando se ablande un poco cortar en tiritas y secar.
Condimentar con chili, comino y sal de ajo. Freír rápidamente en un poco de aceite de oliva.

Limas

How to look 10 years younger in 5 minutes

2008-09-02T14:58:00.015-06:00

This past weekend was the official date when all the farmers market comes to an end in my area. Well at least the area I’m right now, since that changes quite often. There is only one market left, which I love mainly because it runs on Tuesdays from 3 to 8 in the afternoon. The other markets are usually on weekends, but there are so many other things to do on weekends. On the other hand my Tuesday afternoons are pretty open.
This is a typical market with veggie and fruit stands, breads, food and food demonstrations, wines, roasted chilies, soaps and nice smelling things, etc.
Even thou I am TOTALLY into food, I have to admit that my favorite discovery at this market was a “Facial Kit”.
This lady comes to me and asked me if I wanted a free 5 minutes facial.
“Is this a trick question?” I asked her. Of course I want one; I love pampering, especially FREE.
The kit consists of a citrus moisturizing, a dry mask, a moisturizing mask and a toner. It is all made with natural and organic substances like chickpea flour, grape fruit oil, etc.
It felt really good on my face.
When she was done she gave me a mirror. Oh my God!!! There was actually a change!
My skin looked great, refreshed and younger. I bought the kit!
I have never had this results with anything I tried in my 42 years of life in this planet.She doesn’t have a website yet, but she does have an email address: dimension3.5@live.com and her name is (I think this is a funny coincidence) Mary Kay.

I also bought zucchini, eggplant, garlic, edible flowers and basil.I used the zucchini, garlic, edible flowers and basil in a frittata. The flowers looked very mice while I was cooking them but after the frittata was done you really couldn’t see them. Next time I’m going to add some more.

Zucchini and flowers frittata

4 Tbs olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped garlic clove
2 cubed zucchinis
1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped
4 large eggs, beaten
1 bunch edible flowers
Salt and pepper to taste

In a small frying pan over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for five minutes.Add the zucchini and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until tender about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in basil and flowers. Pour in egg mixture and cook, without stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the bottom is golden and most of the mixture is set. Now carefully invert frittata onto a plate, then add remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and slide frittata back into skillet.
Cook for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until golden on the bottom.
Slide onto serving platter.

Tortilla de zapallitos y flores:

4 Cucharadas de aceite
1 Cebolla picada
1 diente de ajo, picado
2 zapallitos en cubos
1 cucharada de albahaca picada
4 huevos batidos
1 puñado de flores
sal y pimienta a gusto

En una sartén sobre fuego medio, dorar una cebolla en 3 cucharada de aceite, por 5 minutos. Agregar zapallitos, mezclar y cocinar por 10 minutos. Sazonar con sal y pimienta.
Agregar albahaca y flores, mezclar e incorporar los huevos batidos; cocinando por 3 o 5 minutos hasta que el fondo este ligeramente dorado. Con mucho cuidado, dar vuelta la tortilla sobre un plato. Agregar la cucharada de aceite restante a la sartén, calentar y deslizar la tortilla nuevamente en la sartén. Cocinar por 3 a 5 minutos mas o hasta que este ligeramente dorada en el fondo.

Green Salad with peppered goat cheese and watermelon

2008-08-26T11:32:00.005-06:00

Watermelon should be a synonym of summer; it is truly one of summertime’s sweetest treats. I’m always delighted when I start finding them on truck farmers or roadsides produce stands.
This year, while traveling Italy, I bought my favorite Italian cooking magazine, Sale & Pepe, where I found this delicious and simple salad.

Green salad with peppered goat cheese and watermelon:

24 oz watermelon
10 oz mixed greens
12 oz goat cheese
Juice of 1/2 lemon
8 Tbs. Olive oil
Salt to taste
Green pepper to taste

Ground green pepper on a plate and roll the goat cheese over it to cover. Cut into slices.
In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice and salt with a fork, until emulsified.
Cut watermelon into thin slices; set on individual plates. Ad mixed greens on top and goat cheese. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.
Makes 4 servings.

Ensalada verde con queso de cabra, pimienta verde y sandia

24 oz. (700 grs) sandia
10 oz. (300 grs) ensalada verde
12 oz. (400 grs) queso de cabra
Jugo de ½ limón
8 cucharadas aceite de oliva
Sal, a gusto
Pimienta verde, a gusto

Moler la pimienta verde sobre un plato y rodar sobre ella el queso el queso de cabra, para cubrir. Cortar en rodajas.
En un bocal pequeño, batir con un tenedor, el aceite, jugo de limón y sal hasta emulsionar.
Cortar sandia en rodajas finas y poner sobre platos individuales. Encima agregar ensalada verde y el queso de cabra. Rociar con el condimento y servir.
Sirve 4 porciones.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Tuna Salad

2008-08-18T22:25:00.004-06:00

Another of my favorites summer treats are tomatoes.
I just got back from Italy where I was in tomato heaven.
We planted several rows of tomato plants, but until the plants gave us their first fruits, we had endless trips to the market where we bought dozens, kilos and pounds of tomatoes.
I ‘m almost sure I had tomatoes every day. In sauces, or sugo; salads, antipasto; drizzle with olive oil, next to some fresh mozzarella and basil.
You can eat cherry or grape tomatoes like candy.
A recipe that I enjoy very much and I’ve been eating since I was a child (many, many years ago) is Tomatoes Stuffed with Tuna Salad. I used to make the salad with mayo, but now that I’m more health conscious I use olive oil in stead.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Tuna Salad:

-1/2 cup Arborio rice
-4 small tomatoes
-1 (6 oz) cans of tuna, drained
-4 oz mozzarella, cubed
-4 Tbs. Olive oil
-1 Tbs. lemon juice
-Salt, to taste
-Pepper, to taste
-2 Tbs. Capers

Cook the rice in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Drain. Rinse the rice under cold running water. Set the rice aside.
Cut tomatoes in halves and scoop the seeds, pulp, and juice from each tomato into a medium bowl.
Season tomato halves with a little salt and set aside.
Whisk oil, with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Toss the rice with the reserved tomato pulp, tuna, mozzarella and olive oil mix.
Spoon the rice mixture into the hollowed tomatoes.
Decorate with capers.

Tomates rellenos con ensalada de atún:

-1/2 tasa de arroz Arborio
-4 tomates, pequeños
-1 lata de atún de 6 onzas (170 grs), escurrida
-4 onzas (120 grs) de mozzarella, en cubitos
-4 cucharadas de aceite de oliva
-1 cucharada de jugo de limón
-sal, a gusto
-pimienta, a gusto
-2 cucharadas de alcaparras.

Cocinar el arroz por 20 minutos en una cacerola mediana con abundante agua salada, mezclando ocasionalmente. Colar. Enjuagar arroz bajo agua fría. Reservar.
Cortar los tomates por la mitad y vaciar. Guardar la pulpa en un bowl mediano. Condimentar las mitades con un poco de sal y reservar.
Batir el aceite con el jugo de limón, sal y pimienta.
Mezclar el arroz con la pulpa de los tomates, el atún, el queso y la mezcla de aceite de oliva.
Rellenar los tomates y decorar con las alcaparras.

Corn and Zucchini Quiche

2008-08-12T17:05:00.013-06:00

One of the thousand things I love about summer is the fresh fruits and vegetables. Right now the farmers markets are exploding with zucchinis and ears of corn. In honor to these veggies I’ve created a Corn and Zucchini Quiche, which you can eat hot or cold. Even thou I’m a very proud member of the Slow Food movement, I have to admit I sometimes “cheat”. And today was one of those times. I used Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, instead of making my own. What can I tell you? It’s delicious.

Corn and Zucchini Quiche:

-1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry
-1 medium onion, chopped
-4 Tbs olive oil
-1 ½ cups corn
-2 small zucchinis, cubed
-1 cup heavy cream
-2 large eggs
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1/4 ts nutmeg
-Salt, to taste
-Pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 380 F. In a large frying pans sauté onions and zucchinis in the olive oil for about 10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Mix in corn; turn off the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
While mix is cooling down, beat the eggs in a large bowl and add cream, Parmesan cheese and nutmeg.
Roll out puff pastry into a circle and put it on to a 10-inch quiche mold. Add veggies into bowl with cream and eggs; mix well and pour onto puff pastry. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Tarta de choclo y zucchini:

-1 hoja de masa de hojaldre
-4 cucharadas de aceite de oliva
-1 1/2 taza de choclo
-2 zucchinis pequeños, cortados en cubos
-1 taza de crema de leche
-2 huevos grandes
-1/2 taza de queso Parmesano rallado
-1/4 cucharadita de nuez moscada
-Sal a gusto
-Pimienta a gusto

Precalentar el horno a 200 C (380 F). En una sartén grande dorar la cebolla y los zucchinis en el aceite de oliva por 10 minutos , hasta que las cebollas estén transparentes. Agregar el choclo; apagar el fuego y condimentar con sal y pimienta a gusto. Mientras la mezcla se enfría, mezclar los huevos en un bowl grande, agregando la crema, el queso rallado y la nuez moscada.
Estirar la masa en redondo y forrar la tartera. Mezclar los vegetales con la crema y los huevos y verter sobre la masa. Cocinar al horno por 45 minutos o hasta que la tarta este dorada.