Archive | October, 2010

Chai Latte

30 Oct

About this same time last year I was in India celebrating the birthday of my friend Annie Mariel.  During this trip – my second time in India, but my first time to Varanasi – I learned about Chai Masala Tea.  Chai is a Hindi word for tea and this delicious concoction is typically made with black tea and a mixture of spices –cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, among others.

Masala Blend

This delicious tea with milk is offered to any welcoming guests – at a store, at a home, even when watching the sunrise from a boat in the Ganges…

Drinking Chai     

And even though I have enjoyed this tea during my last two travels in India, I should not consume it on a regular basis because the black tea contains caffeine and caffeine neither agrees with me or is karma-free.  Caffeine is a stimulant and should be better avoided.

So to celebrate the anniversary of my first encounter with Chai Latte, I wanted to share with you my own caffeine-free version I now make at home. 

 

CHAI LATTE

1 ½ cups water
½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 cinnamon sticks
5 pieces of star anise
About 10 cloves
½ cup of evaporated milk
2 tbs agave nectar
Ground cinnamon (optional)

 

  1. In a small sauce pan add the water, ginger, cinnamon, star anise and cloves.  Bring to a boil and steep all the ingredients in that boiling water for about 10 minutes.  Turn off the stove and leave those spices to continue to steep for about 30 minutes more.
  2.         
  3. Strain about ½ cup of the spiced water into a mug and add the evaporated milk.  Season with agave nectar.  Sprinkle with a little cinnamon on top for garnish.

 

Next time, I’ll make it with sweetened condensed milk to see if I can achieve even a creamier consistency and will not need to add any agave nectar.

Asparagus Tart

29 Oct

I have been staying with my sister in Southern Florida during the arrival of my first nephew… and I decided to make a bunch of recipes that could be quite challenging or expensive to make in Puerto Rico – challenging because not all ingredients are readily available anywhere, and when you finally find the ingredients you need they’re not as fresh as you would like or are very expensive to just try out a recipe.

 Such is the case with this tart… I had seen a version of this recipe a few years ago and now I said it was time to try it out. But of course, I can’t seem to follow a recipe to a “T”. I couldn’t remember where I had read this before or the specifics on all the ingredients.

 So I had to start all over again with a recipe all my own. I think I may need to thank Martha or someone else at the Food Network for the inspiration…

 

ASPARAGUS TART

 

 1 package puffed pastry, thawed in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours
 1 package of thin asparagus, trimmed of the woodsy part in the bottom
 About ¾ cup of Parmesan cheese
 About 4 oz of goat cheese
 Garlic Salt and Pepper
 Olive Oil
 Some spelt or whole wheat pastry flour to roll out the pastry

 

  1.  Preheat oven to 425F.
  2. Open up each sheet of puff pastry and with a little flour stretch it just a bit… enough to kind of erase the creases but not that much that the pastry sheet would not fit the baking tray you have.
  3. Using a paring knife, score a ½ inch border around the pastry sheet but be careful not to cut through the pastry.
  4. Prick the inside of the pastry using a fork. Prick especially the corners to make sure the inside will not puff up when cooked in the oven. Make sure the border you created is not pricked… you want the outside border to puff up.
  6. Scatter Parmesan cheese on the pricked portion of the pastry. Sprinkle it evenly all over the bottom. Start placing asparagus one next to the other, tips facing out and alternating one tip towards the right and the next tip towards the left. You just want to make it look pretty… no matter how you place the asparagus, it’ taste good all the same, so no worries.
  7. After you create a whole layer of asparagus on top of the pastry, sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Drizzle some olive oil on top. Afterwards, place dollops of goat cheese on top of asparagus.
  11. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes… or until the edges are puffed up and look golden brown.

 

I made this recipe the other day for my sister, brother in law, uncle, my sister’s mother-in-law, mom… everyone was impressed. The flavors are spectacular. Even my uncle who is super quiet said I graduated myself in the kitchen – he’s not used to tasting my cooking at all. My sister’s mother-in-law was so pleased she told me she wanted to learn how to make it to replicate it again at home.

This will definitely become part of my repertoire for when people come over to visit… or even to impress my next boyfriend.

Vegetable Pot Pie

27 Oct

The casseroles I grew up with were pastelones… so when I listen on TV to recreate a food from your childhood and people mention a pot pie, I can’t really relate.  My mom told me she used to buy some frozen pot pies when we were little kids… I honestly do not recall at all.

But I have been intrigued by pot pies for some time now.  I guess I am drawn to a puff pastry topping… which in my book is always welcome. And when I saw a recipe from Ina Garten for Vegetable Pot Pie, I kind of wondered “why didn’t I think of that one on my own?”  I guess because I was intrigued about it, but without a real reference from before, it’s not something I truly crave or miss.

Now that I have been staying with my sister in Southern Florida, there’s a great abundance of winter squashes and pumpkins…  Autumn and Halloween are nearing, definitely.  And it’s also the perfect excuse to make this recipe for all the “paussy” that’s staying here.  It’s definitely a recipe challenging to make just for one.

 

VEGETABLE POT PIE

1 stick of butter
2 medium onions, diced
1 fennel bulb, top and core removed, thinly sliced
½ cup spelt flour + ¼ cup additional for the puff pastry
2 cups organic vegetable broth
4 tbs of heavy cream
1 large baking Idaho potato
1 medium butternut squash
2 small carrots
About 1 cup of asparagus, sliced small – left over from the asparagus tart I had made earlier in the week
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Olive oil
1 sheet puffed pastry

 

  1. In a medium sauce pan filled with salted boiling water, parboil the potatoes and the butternut squash pieces for about 10 minutes.  Take them out and set them aside.
  2. Bring that same salted water to a boil again and par-cook the asparagus and carrots for about 5 minutes.  Set aside.
  3. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions and fennel and sauté until softened and translucent for about 10 minutes. 
  4. Add the flour and stir it all together and allow the flour and butter to cook thru about 3-5 minutes.  Slowly, add the stock and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  Add the heavy cream.
  5. Add the cooked potatoes, butternut squash, asparagus and carrots.  Mix well to combine.  Add the parsley and allow to cook for a few additional minutes.  Cover and turn off the stove.
  7. Pre-heat oven to 425F.
  8. Take the thawed puffed pastry and roll it out a bit to fade as much as possible the creases.  Measure the ramekins or the pot where you will bake the pot pie and cut the puff pastry about ½” over the size of the mouth of the ramekin.  
  9. Spread a little of heavy cream over the rim of the ramekin to make the puff pastry to stick to the edge of the ramekin. 
  11. Make a few slits on top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.  Brush a bit of extra heavy cream over the puff pastry to make it golden brown in the oven.
  12. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper… this is important because the filling will boil and might spill and you do not want that to be on the bottom of the oven.
  13. Bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes, until the pastry on top is golden brown.

 

I served this with a side salad… but you can even enjoy the filling without the pastry.  It’s a delicious stew all its own.   My sister was wary of the fennel and it really adds a nice dimension of texture and flavor to the filling.

A pot pie still does not represent in my mind the epitome of comfort food, but definitely its something I have learned to appreciate and enjoy… hopefully many more times in the future.

Veggie Chips

25 Oct

My mom and I are into snacks… yes, we admit it.  And lately these are our favorite snacks. 

We love these potato chips made with spinach and tomato mixed in. We buy them in large bags like this one and also in smaller individual ones.   We took the small individual ones to our last trip in India.  These were our official snacks for “lunch time”.  You can find them in straws that look like French fried or in discs that look like potato chips.

You can find them in any health food store such as Freshmart, but you can find them at Costco too.  Hope you enjoy them too.

Brown Sugar Simple Syrup

22 Oct

I started making this recently…  I had seen how chefs in the Food Network prepared simple syrups using white sugar…  but I do not use white sugar at all.  Would I be able to replicate with brown sugar??

OF COURSE!!!

This is super simple to make and great to sweeten ice teas and natural juices made at home.  At the Yoga Center we sometimes whip the brown sugar with water in a blender to make it easier to dissolve in a cold liquid, but this technique works well, especially if you’re not using the blender at all.

 

BROWN SUGAR SIMPLE SYRUP

3 cups of brown sugar
3 cups of water

 

  1. Mix together the brown sugar and the water in a large sauce pan.
  2. Bring to a quick boil and allow the brown sugar to dissolve well in the water.  It’ll take about 10-15 minutes.

Allow to cool and use to sweeten your favorite cold drinks…  like this Passion Fruit/Guava Fizzy drink.

Passion Fruit/Guava Fizzy Drink

20 Oct

I wanted to serve a signature drink for my sister’s baby shower…  she couldn’t drink anything with alcohol and the room we were having the activity didn’t allowed it either.  It gave me the perfect situation to serve a non-alcoholic punch that would be enjoyed by everyone.

I have made a version of this drink using champagne…  I served it at my friend’s bridal shower.  So this is an updated version using frozen fruit pulp, as opposed to frozen fruit juice.  You can find frozen fruit pulp in almost any supermarket in Puerto Rico and also in Southern Florida, where the shower was held.

 

 

PASSION FRUIT / GUAVA FIZZY DRINK

2 passion fruit pulp – defrosted
1 guava pulp – defrosted
½ cups brown sugar simple syrup
About 50 oz natural ginger ale – between 4-5 cans or bottles
1 cup of fresh strawberries, sliced

 

  1. In a large punch bowl mix together the defrosted fruit pulps, the simple syrup, ginger ale and fresh strawberries. 
  2. Add the ginger ale slowly because it will create lots of fizz.  If you find it makes too many bubbles, just skim them using a large spoon.
  3. Add ice to keep the mixture cold for guests.

 

 

If you want to make this ahead for a party, this is how I made it.

  1. I mixed the fruit pulps with the simple syrup to create kind of like a fruit juice concentrate. 
  2. I sliced the strawberries and froze them in individual layers divided by parchment paper.
  3. At the party, I mixed together the juice concentrate with the ginger ale and added the frozen strawberries last.  Add ice to keep the mixture cold.

 

If you want to make individual drinks, just add fruit concentrate in a tall glass, add ginger ale to taste and add ice as needed.   You could also mix with water and it will taste fine too.

A Vegetarian Baby Shower…

18 Oct

My sister is about to have her first baby… the first grandson and nephew for our side of the family.  And Titi Madelyn gave herself the task to plan a baby shower for my sister.

One of my most daunting tasks for this baby shower was to plan a menu that would be pleasing to all invitees and that it would still be vegetarian and it would represent me well.  I couldn’t bear myself to say I planned a baby shower that would be filled with food and treats that I wouldn’t be able to try out or taste.  The next toughest thing was to find a caterer that would be open to create a fully vegetarian menu where the meat-eaters would never miss the meat.   

I was very lucky my sister and brother-in-law trusted me and my taste in food and didn’t even question my choices.  I only informed them of the menu selected after it was all planned.

I decided to make the Appetizers and a Signature Drink or Bull and have the lunch catered by someone professional.  I had too many things to look after to make food for 35+ people…

  

The appetizers we served were:

  

p1010730.jpg

Red Bell Pepper Dip with an assortment of whole grain crackers

  

Rosemary Almonds

Erasmo, husband to my cousin Marilyn, fell in love with these Almonds…  I gave them all to him to enjoy for later on.

  

sand-esparragos-3

Asparagus Sandwiches

Spinach Pinwheels

Spinach Pinwheels

We baked these the morning of the baby shower and they kept very fresh for the party.  My sister’s nieces and nephew were cautious of these “pastelillitos” and their parents were almost sure they would not like them because spinach is not in their repertoire, but they were all surprised on how delicious they were.  I was a bit afraid they would not leave enough for the other guests at a point… that’s how much they enjoyed them.

Passion Fruit/Guava Fizzy Drink

The catered part of the lunch included:

Green Tossed Salad with Candied Pecans and Cranberries with a Balsamic Vinaigrette

Whole Wheat Rolls with butter

Butternut Squash Risotto made with vegetable broth

Penne Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Creamy Sauce

Green Beans with butter and garlic

     

 At the end, my sister and brother-in-law were very pleased with the baby shower we planned.  And no one  missed the meat…  at least they never mentioned it to me!!!

Broccoli Rice Burrito

15 Oct

I am telling you… broccoli is everywhere and cheap.  So I need to cook off all this broccoli before it goes bad on me.

As the official caterer to my mom and aunt while my grandma was in the hospital, I decided to make something they would both enjoy, knowing how picky and particular my aunt is about vegetarian food.  She says she likes it… but then she has certain rules like she only eats avocados with rice…  go figure!!!

These burritos are super easy to make… their portable and can be eaten warm or at room temperature.  But warm are better in my opinion.  Perfect for a picnic, brown-bag lunch and even to bring to someone in the hospital…

 

BROCCOLI RICE BURRITO

½ broccoli head, florets only
½ cup cooked whole grain rice
2 ounces of cream cheese
1/3 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup of toasted walnuts
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
8 slices of tomato
4 tbs of Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 whole grain flour tortillas or flatbreads

 

  1. In a medium covered skillet with about ¼ cup of water, add the cooked rice and the broccoli florets.  Cover the skillet and over medium heat that bit of water will steam both the rice and the broccoli.   After about 10 minutes, just turn off the stove and the rice and broccoli will be done.
  2. Drain any excess water, but there usually isn’t any every time I make it this way.   In that same skillet add a drizzle of olive oil, the cream cheese, parmesan, walnuts.  Season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
  3. You can warm up the tortillas or the flatbreads if you’d like… I do it on the oven or in a skillet, depending on which ones I’ll use.  Sometimes, the flatbreads are just perfect as is.
  4. Place about ¼ cup of rice on each tortilla/flatbread.  Spread 1tbs of tomatillo salsa over it.  Top with the baby spinach and tomato slices.  Roll up the tortilla/flatbread and wrap in parchment paper before you put any aluminum foil over it.   This way you’ll be able to stick them in the oven to warm up and they’ll stay warm for a while.

               

 Both my mom and aunt loved these burritos…  My mom had hers with a slice of avocado on the side, as she is in my camp that we will eat an avocado any time, any place without any restrictions whatsoever.  But you can certainly add the avocado inside the burrito if you’d like.

Hope you like them too…

Spicy Asian Noodles

7 Oct

Has this ever happened to you… that you see or hear a recipe that calls your attention and realize you have ALL the ingredients in your fridge and pantry to make it that same night?

That’s exactly what happened when I learned this recipe.  I saw it once and said to myself “This is what I am having for dinner tonight”.  Of course, I changed up the recipe so that I would be able to handle the spiciness.  My spice tolerance has improved, but not thaaaaaaat much.

 These noodles were originally Szechuan Asian Noodles from Ina Garten, but my version is just Spicy Asian Noodles.  The spiciness comes from the ginger and the pinch of red pepper flakes, a new addition in my pantry.  If you prefer no spice at all, just omit them.

 

SPICY ASIAN NOODLES

3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup good soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/8 cup honey
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Small pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 pound spaghetti
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned
2 scallions, sliced diagonally (white and green parts)

 

  1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, place in a food processor the garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and the ground peppers. Puree the sauce until smooth.
  3. Drain the pasta in a colander, and return the drained pasta to the same pot and toss with 3/4 of the sauce. Add the red and yellow bell peppers and scallions; toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The remaining sauce may be added, as needed, to moisten the pasta.

This tastes to me very much like pad thai… so it’s a good facsimile.

How I squeeze the juice out of a lemon

4 Oct

I use a lot of lemons in my cooking…  I just love lemon juice drizzled over fried eggplants, as part of a dressing or even to marinate tofu.

I never thought the way I squeeze the juice from the lemon was anything special, but watching so much food shows on TV I noticed no one on TV does it the way I do.  The only person that does something similar is Anne Burrell.  So I want to share it with you to maybe help you out getting as much juice out of your lemons.

 

HOW I SQUEEZE THE JUICE OUT OF A LEMON

1 lemon half
Fork

 

  1. To get the most juice out of your lemon half, I insert the tines of a fork in the lemon pulp and squeeze away. 
  2. I change the positioning of the fork so I can squeeze as much juice as possible out of the half I am working with.

 

Anne Burrell sticks the tip of a knife inside the pulp, but I think that is a bit dangerous.  I was taught to do this when I was little by my dad.  So this is a tried and true method that works with all types of lemons.  And I’ve noticed that on yellow American lemons, it’s best if you take some of the rind off to make the pith more pliable and helps get more juice out.

Hope this new technique will help you get as much juice out of your lemons as possible.  Especially when drizzling lemon juice on food at the table.

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