Tag Archives: potato

El Palenque in Montevideo… Delicious Vegetarian Parrillada???

27 Aug

I love good food… and I particularly like to eat good food when I am traveling. I love to find out what are the best local places and experience what’s typical and traditional about a specific country’s cuisine and culture. And try everything, within my dietary playing field…

When I traveled for the first time to Uruguay in 2003 for work, we were taken to El Palenque in Montevideo. Located in the historical Mercado del Puerto we were told this was Montevideo’s most loved restaurants by far. It’s a parrillada restaurant and I do not have to tell you what is served traditionally in these parrillada places. But I have always been one to be resourceful when analyzing menus and I ordered the Provençal Mushrooms with French Fries. It was delicious and everyone was gawking at my plate to see what the vegetarian was eating…

 

I loved it so much indeed… that a few days later I went back to El Palenque by myself, sat at the very typical counter inside the market and ordered the exact same thing again!!! That’s me… that when I find something I love, I go back to the same place and order it over and over and over again.

 

Flash forward 8 ½ years later… I got the chance again to visit Montevideo, now as a day trip with my mom after a week in Buenos Aires. We took the Buquebus from Puerto Madero to Montevideo which in a few hours takes you across the Río la Plata. I was so excited to show my mom around Montevideo, a place I had very much enjoyed a few years back.

 

I was not sure of how I would find the city after all these years, but one thing I was sure of… we would have lunch at El Palenque!!! This is what we ordered:

Provençal Mushrooms and French Fries

Lettuce, Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad

 

I felt we could now have a salad because we are now 2 sharing this meal and not just me eating by myself. And check out how the server made the balsamic vinaigrette in front of us… so cool!!!

Dressing our salad…

 

Cooking our mushrooms… 2012!!!

 

Here are my cooks in 2003… Doesn’t the guy on the left look like the chef cooking my mushrooms in my last trip??????

The food and the service were as good as I remembered it. Below you’ll find evidence if we enjoyed it or not…  Check out the pics from this trip and my first one… I think I look better now than what I did then, don’t you think???

 

 

I tried to locate another restaurant I enjoyed very much during my first trip – ROMA AMOR de Donatella, an Italian restaurant which taught me so much about enjoying delicious and beautiful food. It was sad it was no longer open. I really wanted to show it off to my mom and to you guys too!!!   😦

A tip to you travelers… Montevideo, for some reason, is mostly closed on the weekends. So much of what I enjoyed during my business trip, I was not able to show my mom because the streets were empty the Saturday we visited. So if you plan a trip to Montevideo, please keep that in mind when scheduling.

Do you have a favorite restaurant you love to visit whenever you travel to a specific city??? What is THE MUST thing to order there??? Tell me all about it….

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Work-Week Vegetarian Favorite Recipes

30 Jan

As a follow-up from last week’s post on my friend Kate’s experience on transitioning to a more veggie-full lifestyle, I asked her to please share with us her fave KarmaFree Cooking recipes.

Something I always tell my non-vegetarian friends, whom are many… is that you do not need to be a vegetarian to enjoy the recipes in KarmaFree Cooking. Most of the recipes are made with ingredients easily available in your neighborhood supermarket. Only a few are made with “fake meats” and even those, could works without them either.

Here are 3 of Kate’s, the workweek vegetarian, favorite KarmaFree recipes… maybe it’ll give you a chance to give some of these recipes a second chance too.

Kate and her handsome husband, Alessandro

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One thing about eating vegetarian that I didn’t realize was a factor is that there is a LOT of fried food recipes. I mean WOW. Really? I went vegetarian during the week to help my high cholesterol! So I suppose that one has to be picky and choosey in any diet scenario.    KFC – Kate, remember KarmaFree Cooking is written by a Puerto Rican, and “frituras” are part of our culinary vernacular. Sorry about that…

KarmaFree Cooking really gives me great ideas. I use the recipes posted, but I bookmark many that are easily adaptable. One that I have actually printed out and keep in my cookbook is the Cauliflower Cheese and Mac.  When it’s cold outside and we want something a little rib-stickier I can take out the Cauliflower and sub for potatoes and cabbage!

couliflower-and-cheese-mac

It’s pretty insane that my husband has gotten to the point where he ASKS for certain dishes that are meatless. One that he asks for often are the Yellow-Mustard Fingerling Potatoes.  I usually put them alongside a big omelet (1 yolk for every two eggs) filled with sautéed onions and peppers and mushrooms.

yellow-mustard-fingerling-potatoes

Another recipe that I’ve been able to adapt into just about anything is the Leek Rice.  OH MAN. I LOOOOVE Leeks. I should get that printed on a trucker hat or some mud flaps for my car because I really do. They’re such a misused ingredient. Italians are so NOT into Leeks that they’re one of the cheapest vegetables at the market. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? Ugh. So I make Leek Rice for just about anyone who comes over for supper. If it’s one of the rare evenings that I eat meat, it’s really perfect to put with anything. I especially like it with poultry, but during the week I pile it high on my plate with some Broccoli Rabe and Walnuts or Cashews.

 

I am so glad to know some of our recipes have changed someone’s perception of vegetarian food and cooking. That someone who before shied away from something vegetarian, now asks for it. I feel like I am accomplishing my goal with KarmaFree Cooking then. Please share your favorite recipes with your family and friends. We would love to have them around to visit us often.

What are your KarmaFree Cooking favorite recipes??? Please share with us too…

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Eggless Potato Soufflé

22 Jul

Purists out there will lynch me… I know this is not a traditional egg-based potato soufflé, but it sure rises in the oven just like a soufflé does. I believe it’s the power of mashing and whipping the potatoes by hand that gives them that airy and fluffy consistency. Even though they have lots of cheese, they still feel light and airy.

This is a nice twist to a regular mashed potato dish… hope you enjoy it too.

 

EGGLESS POTATO SOUFFLÉ

3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cubed
¼ onion, grated finely
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
½ cup sour cream
4 tbs melted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Olive oil Spray
  1. In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes with water going about ¾ of the way up the potatoes. Do not cover them completely with water, I find they cook faster with less water. Salt the water generously. Boil the potatoes until fork tender.
  2. Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the same hot saucepan and add the grated onion, ricotta, sour cream, butter. Mash until the potatoes and mix-ins are fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I sometimes add a little bit of olive oil… but only sometimes if I feel the mixture is too dry.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
  4. Take a 9” x 11” glass baking dish and spray with cooking spray. I sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the baking dish and shake it around so the parmesan sticks to the spray in the pan creating a coating. If there is any excess parmesan cheese, add it to the mashed potatoes.
  5. Pour the mashed potatoes onto the baking dish. Smooth out the top and sprinkle some additional parmesan cheese on top.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes for the cheeses to fully blend and melt into the potatoes. You’ll see how the potatoes will fluff up just like a soufflé does…

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Once Steamed/Once Baked Potato Casserole

13 Jul

Mashed potato is a definite go-to in my recipe repertoire. You’re hungry… potatoes available… make a potato mash. But sometimes you want something more substantial that feels more like a main course, rather than a glorified side dish.

The other day I saw the Idaho potatoes in my sister’s fridge and we were all hungry now… what to do? I wanted to do some twice-baked potatoes, but we just didn’t want to wait to bake and re-bake. So this is a quicker alternative with the same flavor punch of the original.

I do not bake the potatoes first… but I do not boil them either, like for regular mashed potatoes. I steam them. To me is a faster method to cook potatoes and yields the same delicious result.

 

ONCE STEAMED /ONCE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

3 large russet or baking potatoes
1 large onion, diced finely
1 small carrot, grated or chopped finely
2 large garlic clove, minced or grated
2 tbs butter
2 ounces of plain yogurt or sour cream
2 ounces of cream cheese
2 scallions, chopped
2 tbs of Vegan Bac’n – optional
2 generous handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. I steam the potatoes in a medium pot with just a few inches of water. I season the water with salt. And let them steam for about 10-15 minutes.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat sauté the onions, garlic and carrot in a little bit of olive oil. Cook them until they’re softened.
  3. When the potatoes are cooked, strain them and add all the fixin’s… the butter, sour cream or yogurt, cream cheese, the cooked onions/carrot mixture, scallions, shredded cheese and veggie bacon if using. Mash it all well until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you feel the mixture needs some moisture.
  4. Take the potato mash and spoon it into individual ramekins. I like to mound the mixture so it looks luscious and abundant. Place what’s left of the shredded cheese on top.
  5. Place in a toaster oven on 450F or broiler for about 10 minutes to melt and brown the cheese on top.

 

 

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Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

17 Jun

I love to eat baked potatoes… I remember when we first got a microwave oven, way back when, I was always in charge of making the baked potatoes. Prick them a few times with a fork… bake in the oven… wrap them in foil paper to retain the heat… and eat them just like if you were at a steak house.

That was AGES ago… now, I no longer have a microwave in my kitchen and steakhouses are not part of my restaurant rotation. But I still love to bake potatoes. But they take FOREVER in an oven… even in a toaster oven which is what I usually use if it’s just me and a few others to feed.

My sister gave me an Express Cooker last Xmas as a gift. One of the recipes in the booklet that comes with the Express is how to bake potatoes… and to do it in just 15 minutes. In the regular oven, it usually takes about 1 hour to properly bake a potato. So this is a real time-saver. But the real kicker is what to mix it with… Anybody can bake a potato, but the fixings are what make it special.

LOADED TWICE BAKED POTATOES

1 large baking potato
1 tbs butter
2 tbs sour cream
2 tbs cream cheese
1 large garlic clove, minced or grated
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbs of Vegan Bac’n
2 handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. I baked my potato using the Express… but you can do it in a regular oven or toaster oven. I cut the potato into 2 halves, oiled it with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. And cooked it cut side down for 15 minutes.
  2. When the potato is baked, I allow it to cool off a bit so I can handle it easily. But it needs to still be warm for you to easily be able to remove the flesh of the potato and leave the outer skin with a bit of potato so it has still some structure.
  3. Place the flesh of the potato in a medium sized bowl and mix in your favorite fixin’s… mine has butter, sour cream, cream cheese, garlic, scallions, these new Vegan Bac’ns I found at the health food store the other day and shredded cheddar cheese. I use a bit of cheese inside the mash and leave some for the topping.
  4. Mash all the ingredients together… season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you feel the mixture needs some moisture.
  5. Take the potato mash and spoon it back into the potato shells. I like to mound the mixture so it looks luscious and abundant. Place what’s left of the shredded cheese on top.
  6. Place in a toaster oven on 450F or broiler for about 10 minutes to melt and brown the cheese on top.

To me, half a potato is plenty for me as a side dish… and both halves are good as a main course with a salad on the side.

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