I’m back. I really had a tough time willing my legs to move towards that airplane yesterday afternoon. Why can’t I be on a permanent vacation? Maybe if I played the lotto and won one of the mega bucks prizes I could.
It’s always wonderful going home. I was telling The Hubbz that I’m always aware that I miss home, but the moment I see the landscape from the plane, I realize how very much I miss it. All of it. But now I’m back and I will share some of it with you. Try to, anyway; it never seems to translate quite as well.
Originally, my plan was to share some of the food with you as we ate around town. At the last minute I decided to leave the laptop behind and just plug in at local internet cafes. What was I thinking? The few times I thought about it while I was out, I was too busy taking in the sights and foods. Then when I was out of the city and made it to one, they didn’t have USB connections on the computers. So…, it was a no go.
Over the next few days, I will share my trip with you. Foods. Sights. Culture. Life. I have over 800 pictures to sort through, please bear with me, but I do hope you’ll enjoy the show. Once it begins.
Begrudginly back,
Anamaris
Panama. I know you’ve heard about it. I know this, because there is a mention of this little country in every other action movie ever shot or still in production. I think its funny that such a small place gets so much play. As often as it is referred to, though, people know very little about it.
Puente del mundo, Corazon del universo–translates to bridge to the world, heart of the universe; that’s my homeland’s slogan. Panama is best described as melting pot in which just about every culture is represented. It only makes sense that the food is as varied as its people.
I was lucky enough to have my epicurean beginnings there and now I will be taking my darling husband to what he jokingly refers to as the ‘birth place of civilization’. The joke will be on him once he realizes how true that statement really is. HA!
We will be in my beautiful country for about 10 days, enjoying 2 vibrant foodie areas: Panama City and Bocas del Toro. In Bocas we will be surrounded by beautiful beaches while we enjoy food with a very distinct Caribbean flair. In Panama City, we will eat all my childhood favorites (or so I hope) and delight in dishes from around the world.
We will cover the full culinary spectrum: high brow to everyday staples. Fancy schmanzy to dives and roadside vendors. Mamas serving food at fondas to a 6-course meal by a Spanish chef. We will visit my mom’s bakery, which has been around for over 25 years and is still going strong. We will get a ‘raspao’ (shaved ice) while walking around town and my mandatory No Me Olvides sundae at La Inmaculada. This is going to be a foodie’s wet dream and you’ll get to live vicariously through every bite we take.
Stay tuned for the food, sights, sounds and smells of Panama.
Impatiently yours,
Anamaris
I’m totally lame, I know this. I didn’t make a new dish for today, to commemorate Cinco de Mayo. In my defense, I’m too busy driving my OCD-self crazy with last minute shopping and planning and preparing for my trip to Panama. In case you have forgotten, the Hubbz and I leave Friday…weeeeeeeeeeee!
Anyway, will you allow me to alleviate some of my lameness with a trip down memory lane? Huh? Huh? Let me call your undivided attention to something old. Something that may very well predate our time together and, hence, be new to YOU. It’s all about you, after all.
Here’s a humble roundup of recipes with a Mexican flair or, at the very least, a jalapeño. You can click on the images for the full recipes. Now grab a Negra Modelo and a seat, enjoy the ride.
Let’s start with brunch: Huevos Benedictinos – a twist on the traditional Benedict. This one incorporated chorizo, a creamy salsa and queso fresco into puff pastry baskets.
The FDA suggests we have 2 snacks a day as part of a healthy diet. With that in mind, how about snacking on some Jalapeño Poppers.
Once you’re ready for dinner, why not try this creamy Chicken in Poblano Sauce. I know I want some right now.
And no holiday would be complete without dessert. Flan is a very common offering in Mexican/TexMex restaurants here in Houston, however, this one is made extra creamy thanks to the addition of cream cheese.
Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
I was lucky enough to hit the fantastic foodie city of New Orleans about a month ago. That was probably the beginning of crawfish season in the Gulf Coast and there were all sorts of dishes and yummy treats prepared with the mud bugs, as they’re lovingly called.
I had never tried crawfish balls before, but I loved them! Sorta like a crabcake shaped like a ball and fried. The moment I took a bite I knew I would be making them at home and so I did. I don’t really think there’s a need for a very specific recipe, but I’m listing the ingredients and the amounts I used here. In the end, you want the dough to be wet, but pliable enough to hold its shape. These can easily be frozen and just fried as needed.
Crawfish Balls
2 cps crawfish tails, peeled & deveined
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 serrano chili, chopped (optional)
4 slices of stale bread
1 egg
3 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
3 tbsp green onions, chopped
Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste
11/2 cups of bread or panko crumbs
If you have a food processor, don’t worry about chopping the ingredients finely. I essentially threw all the aromatics and the bread into the processor and blitz it until they were pretty fine, then added the crawfish, egg, salt & pepper and pulsed until blended. This way, some of the tails are still in pretty large chunks.
Shape the dough into balls about the size of a ping pong ball and roll in bread crumbs. I found it beneficial to shape the balls and place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes before rolling in the breadcrumbs. Once they have been rolled in crumbs, you can freeze them in an airtight container or ziploc bag and use them at a later date.
Fry them in a deep fryer or use a regular pan with enough oil to submerge the balls; heat the oil to 375° and cook until deep golden brown. Serve with a remoulade or cocktail sauce.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
I need your help. I still don’t know what to call this dish. It all started as a challenge posed by Cindy, my friendster. Apparently there was competition not long ago, for which the contestants had to submit a dish using pickles as a main ingredient. She extended the challenge to me and being the competitive sucker that I am, I accepted.
It was an odd ingredient for me to work with because I’m not all that crazy about pickles. I don’t crave them as a snack. I asked they be skipped on sandwiches. I eat them very seldom. But I had to do it, I just had to take a swing at it.
It took me a few days to settle on an idea. I envisioned raviolis, pickle ravioli topped with pulled pork. My thought was a play on a pulled pork barbecue sandwich. I would sub the pasta for bread and instead of bbq sauce, a tomato ragout.
On my first attempt, I chopped pickles and sliced carrots very thinly and used that to fill the ravioli. I made about 3 ravioli, it was a test after all. That was OK and I imagined that once it was together with the pork, it would all come together. However, I wasn’t wild about the textures. The pickles were chewy in a weird way. I gave the whole thing a bit more thought and by the time I was ready to make the final version, I had tweaked the original version to what I’m sharing here.
Note: You’ll need to plan ahead for this one as the pork will need to cook in advance. Slow-cooked even. However, you could use leftover meat instead of the pulled pork. I used wonton wrappers to make the ravioli. I really like the lightness of the dough and how incredibly easy it makes the task. This recipe made 25 ravioli, enough for 5-6 servings.
For the Pulled Pork
1 Pork butt roast (this one was about 5-6 lbs, but I used less than half for this recipe)
8-10 garlic cloves, sliced
Sea salt & black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 medium tomatoes, seeded & chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cp Italian parsley, finely chopped
Cut slits into the meat and fatty side of the roast and insert slices of the garlic into each slit. Sprinkle generously with salt & pepper and let it rest for 30-60 minutes.
Place the roast into a crock pot and cook overnight on low. It took about 10-12 hours for a 5-lb roast to be done. I put it in Friday around midnight and it was ready when I woke up Saturday morning.
Remove the roast from the liquid and allow it cool. Reserve the liquid to use in the ragout. If it has cooked enough, it will LITERALLY fall off the bones. Pull the meat apart, you’re essentially shredding it. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat about 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and add the onions; cook them until translucent, then add the garlic and tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes break down and the chunks are unidentifiable, about 12-15 minutes.
Add about 3 cps of the pulled pork and a bit of the pot juices you reserved. Lower the temperature and simmer for another 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Add the parsley and turn off the heat. Adjust the seasonings by adding a sprinkling of salt and pepper, if necessary. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Pickle and Onion Ravioli
For the Pickle Filling:
1-16 oz jar of dill pickles, drained
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cp cheese, something like Gouda
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 pkgs wonton wrappers (25 per package)
To prepare: Drain the pickles completely, by laying them on paper towels for about 30 minutes. This will not only drain the moisture, but also help remove some of the pickling.
In the meantime, heat a medium skillet with the oil and cook the onions until they are translucent. Set aside to cool. Put the pickles and onion into a food processor and pulse until they’re minced. Mix in the cheese and enough of the cream to make it into a paste. Set aside.
Lay out a few wrappers at a time and brush one side with water, then place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper, then top with another wrapper. Be careful not to put too much filling.
This time I decided to use a biscuit cutter to make them into rounds. Make sure you pinch the edges very well once you’ve trimmed them. This will ensure the filling isn’t lost in the boiling water. Continue until you’ve used all the filling. I froze them overnight, but you can proceed to cook them right away.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then add about 2 tbsp sea salt and a bit of oil. Drop the ravioli into the water and immediately lower the temperature to medium. You don’t want the water to be boil too hard once the ravioli are in, otherwise they will split open. Cook the ravioli for about 8 minutes, they will begin to float once ready. Carefully remove them from the water onto a colander or strainer and then to the serving plate. Be careful, they’re very delicate.
I topped the plates with fried pickles. Originally, I did it for presentation’s sake, but I have to admit they added another lovely dimension to the dish.
For the Fried Pickles I used about 15 spears, I removed the seeds and drained them on paper towels for about 15 minutes. Then I cut each spear into 3 sections, set aside.
In a small bowl combine 1 cp flour and whisk in about 1/2 cp of beer, you want the batter to be thinner than pancake batter. Dip the pickles in the batter, then roll them in breadcrumbs or panko before deep frying at 375°.
Plating: Place 4-5 ravioli at the bottom of the plate, top with a mound of the pork ragout and crown with the a few pieces of pickle.
I will let the judges: Cindy, Dorothy and Lindsay, give you their input. They judged the dish on 4 areas: Creativity, Taste, Use of the Ingredient, and Presentation. I will say that I found it to be an unexpectedly delicious and interesting dish. But I still don’t know what to call it. What do you suggest? The components are: Ravioli filled with pickles and onions, pulled pork in a tomato ragout and fried pickles. HELP!
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
On my last visit to New Orleans I had the yummiest etouffée at Deanie’s. I ordered a Crawfish Quartet: crawfish etouffée, crawfish au gratin, fried crawfish tails and crawfish dressing balls; I had planned on skipping the balls since I was low-carbing. When the waiter placed the dish before me I was a bit taken back by the color. I have to apologize, I didn’t take a picture of that dish. It was lightly golden brown, not how I’ve seen etouffée for the most part.
But when I took the first bite, I was in HE.A.VEN! This thing was delicious beyond words. Creamy and smooth, bursting with seafood flavor and tomato-less. I was in love and regretting I didn’t order a double portion. I knew it would be one of the first dishes I would attempt to recreate when I got back home.
Once in Houston, I looked around for recipes that sounded promising, and became increasingly frustrated when they added tomatoes and other nonsense. So, I decided to wing it, I’ve watched Emeril make some happy, I can do it too!
I’ll have to make a few disclaimers. First, I used duck fat, because I made some yummy duck a few days before. You can use any fat you like, but I would avoid butter because it burns so easily. However, I’ve been told that animal fat is too unstable for roux–not that I had any problems with my duck fat. The other, is that I had some crab stock in the freezer, you can use any seafood or even chicken/vegetable stock. And lastly, I used both shrimp and crawfish, you can use just one of the two. No sweat, mmkay pumpkins? Here’s my rendition.
Seafood Etouffée
4 tbsp duck fat or oil
1/4 cp flour
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cp celery, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 cp shrimp stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cp green onions, thinly sliced
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb crawfish tails and its butter, cooked
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Crystal, but Tabasco works)
3 tbsp butter
Salt & ground white pepper to taste
Season the shrimp with a bit of salt & pepper and 1 crushed garlic. Set aside. In a large heavy-bottom skillet, heat the fat over medium high heat and the flour. Lower the temperature to medium heat and continue to cook the flour, stirring it often until it reaches the color of peanut butter. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
Add the onions, celery and bell pepper cook until the aromatics have soften, then add the garlic and green onions. Stir to avoid burning.
Slowly add the stock, stirring as you do. In goes the Worcestershire, hot sauce and white pepper. The base should be about the consistency of gravy, not too thick, not too thin. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Add the crawfish meat with its butter, stir to coat. Finally add the shrimp and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp is pink. Stir in the remaining butter, and adjust the seasonings to taste.
Serve over white rice and eat your little heart out.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
A few nights ago, the Hubbz and I were watching V on TV. We were both totally absorbed in the show, or so I thought. Then a scene comes up where some of the 5th Column members (and I do apologize if you have no clue what any of this means, but it really isn’t vital for this story) have arranged to use a decoy to trap one of the Visitors that has been offing 5th Column members.
The decoy walks towards the spot the lookout tells him to. They’re in a square of some sort, I’m captivated by all the action. Then Hubbz says ‘if that were you, you would’ve been ch-chk, ch-chk, ch-chk, crooked ch-chk, ch-chk’.
I had no idea what he was talking about, then he said ‘Lanterns. You would’ve told them to hold the shooting while you took pictures of the lanterns’. Seriously?
He’s OH so funny, isn’t he?
Of course, I have no idea of what he’s talking about.
Or do I?
I wouldn’t call my interest in lanterns an obssession.
So I like all manner of lighting fixtures. What’s wrong with THAT?!
uhh…, maybe he’s got a point. ch-chk, ch-chk
crooked, ch-chk
I don’t remember when I first tried duck, but I think it was at a Chinese restaurant and it was their interpretation on Peking duck. I’ve liked the bird ever since, but it wasn’t until my first visit to Paris that I fell helplessly in love it.
Parisians certainly have a love affair with this winged creature. Heck, maybe all of France does, but I know for sure it rules in Paris. I can’t get enough duck confit, I’ve probably ordered it at every restaurant where it was offered. I’ve looked at recipes for it, but I’m still reluctant (read: scared witless) to prepare the confit. Quite honestly, I had not cooked duck until I tried this one.
I bought a bird a few weeks back at the farmers market and hid it away waaaaaay in the back of my little freezer. After peeking and peeping at it for weeks, I pulled it out and decided to tame the wild beast. And by wild beast I mean my fear of failing the duck.
So, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I threw caution to the air and went for it. I broke down the bird, pulling out the breasts and left the rest of the carcass intact. That evening I seared the breasts and served them with asparagus or some other veggie, I can’t remember. I overcooked them. Hubby was concerned about eating them too rare and I just let them sear for way too long. I walked away disappointed and slept in the fetal position that night.
The next day, though, the next day I nailed it! Even though I didn’t confit those little legs and thighs, the end result was similar. Tender and juicy with a slight crisp on the skin. Oh yeah, baby. And it was as easy as ordering pizza! No need for a recipe.
In a baking dish I layered the duck leg and thigh portions, these had been salted & peppered. Then I tucked chunks of carrots, together with whole, unpeeled garlic cloves in between the open spaces and threw a few sprigs of fresh thyme here and there.
It went in the oven for 2 hours or so at 300°. I just forgot about it, well, as much as you can forget about something in the oven that is permeating every room in your home with a delicious aroma.
When it came out, the skin was golden brown, crisp and perrrrrrfect. The carrots, which are not on my list of faved veggies, were incredibly good. Sweet and soft tasting of garlic, thyme and duck fat. Oh glory.
I will try making duck again. Soon. Real Soon. What do you do with duck?
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
Remember I mentioned eggplant would be showing up every so often? Well, here it is again. I continue to find other ways to prepare this veggie/fruit–it has seeds, does that make it a fruit? Hmmm.
This is still quite similar to the way I had prepared it in the past in that the eggplant is sorta stewed. I’m going to call this a ragout. I’m not completely sure that’s what it is, but I like the name and this is my blog so that’s the name it gets. The dish is a simple one, no complicated or fancy cooking skills required, but it does have a few steps if you choose to make it into raviolis. Alternatively, you could make the ragout and serve it over your favorite pasta. That would be oh so good too.
Eggplant & Tomato Ragout
2 shallots, sliced
3 large tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1 large eggplant, cubed
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cp gin or wine
In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil and add the shallots; cook until translucent. Then add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have soften. Season with salt, pepper and sugar.
Add the gin or wine (you can also substitute with stock) and ignite it to burn off the alcohol.
Add the eggplant, stirring well to coat all the cubes with the tomato puree. Cover with a loose-fitting lid, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 20 minutes or until eggplant is soft and creamy.
Set aside and prepare the ravioli.
For the ravioli I used Chinese wonton wrappers. Here’s the step-by-step action.
Work with a few wrappers at a time. Brush one side with water, these little wrappers have a lot of cornstarch on them to keep them from sticking to each other. I brushed the entire surface with water to get rid of the excess and also to moisten it so I could press them together.
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Drop about 2 tsps of filling in the center of the wrapper. Don’t overstuff them.
Top with a second wrapper and pinch the edges together. I don’t have a pasta or pastry cutter, I used a knife to trim off the edges. In my head that would help seal the edges together.
Once you’ve filled all the raviolis, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Make sure to add enough salt and oil to cook the raviolis. About 5 minutes or so (follow packet instructions) or until they float to the top. Drain and set aside.
I made a quick Bechamel sauce to top the raviolis, then laid them out in an oven-safe dish, topped them with the sauce and sprinkled some Parmesan. Then baked for about 15 minutes and broiled until the top was golden brown and bubbly. You can skip the bechamel altogether and simply serve the raviolis with the ragout that’s leftover.
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These were so light and delicious, I hope you’ll enjoy them. As long as I’m on an eggplant kick, do you have a recipe you love and want to share?
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris
I enjoy these challenges, they force me to stretch my culinary comfort zone and I hope it does the same for you. Ultimately, I want to inspire to try new and different things, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Stop and smell the spices and cook a little. OK, I’m done with the clichés, promise.
Last month we got to play with edible flowers, it freaked me out and I loved it! The Kitchen Masochist was chosen as the Top Chef for last month so that means she picks the ingredients for this month’s challenge. I know. I know. The schedule is off. It’s not my fault, life got in the way, but it will be OK. There will be more complications to my schedule this month, soooo, I’m trying to work around it.
For this round the challenge will be open from April 20th to May 21st. If you’re a foodie, submit your recipe by midnight on Friday, May 21st. Remember you must incorporate all 3 ingredients in your recipe. If you’re a reader, you can cast your vote beginning May 22nd.
Here are the ingredients selected by The Kitchen Masochist and some tips when choosing them:
Tofu – firm or soft ( also known as ‘silken tofu’)
Seafood of your choice – fish, shrimp, mussels or clams
Lemongrass
Tips from the Masochist:
-buy your tofu from your local Asian markets instead of those fancy or trendy health food stores like Whole Foods. You’ll pay much less.
-Soft or silken tofu is generally used in desserts and firm tofu in savory dishes.
-The scent of fresh lemongrass dissipates the longer its exposed to air, so chop your lemongrass just right when you’re about to use it.
Don’t be shy, send your recipes this way.
Anamaris