Radish carrot and onion salad with Worcester dressing.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Enfrijoladas De Pollo
Enfrijoladas
For some reason enfrijoladas (similar to an enchilada but using a sauce made of beans rather than a salsa) are far classier than you would initially think something so simple should be. Perhaps it the silkiness of the bean sauce or perhaps is the possibilities they offer for dainty presentation - with folded triangles of corn tortilla, resembling crepes, dressed in a light creamy sauce.
They are, despite how fussy or rustic a presentation you prefer, very satisfying.
I enjoy them in rolls, like an enchilada, stuffed with a little chicken and dressed with some Mexican chorizo, a little crema and some queso fresco.
The Bean Sauce
Black beans make the most impressive looking enfrijoladas but any beans can be used, and while I used beans I cooked myself, there is nothing wrong with substituting tinned beans.
The beans need to be blitzed in the blender with enough stock (and some onion and garlic if desired) to make a light sauce. Consistency is critical here, you should be aiming for something close to, or just slightly thicker than, a coating consistency. The sauce thickens quite a bit as it cools. Softening the tortillas in the sauce is a pain if the sauce is too viscous, and the dish is ruined if the sauce is think and lumpy.
There is a good recipe here from Rick Bayless, and while I'm sure cooking some of the chorizo with the beans, as he does, makes for an even more delicious sauce, it's not possible if you are using already cooked beans - as I normally am.
Once the beans have been blitzed with the stock the sauce is strained into a saucepan to heat through.
At this point you will probably find yourself adding liquid to the beans to keep the correct consistency as it will thicken very fast, especially in a wide shallow pan. When it's hot each tortilla is dipped in the liquid to make it pliable before being rolled around a couple of teaspoons worth of shredded chicken and plated. The tortillas have to be softened first. You can either steam them wrapped in a towel or, as I do, microwave them for 30 seconds or so while in a tortilla warmer.
Chorizo
Mexican chorizo is very different to the Spanish version, it is a fresh sausage and is not cured so it requires cooking before use. It's highly spiced, but not particularly hot, and normally sold in sausage-like plastic casings, though it can also be purchased loose resembling a very fine mince.
When cooked it can be used in a number of dishes; papas con chorizo or huevos con chorizo and can also be sprinkled over things like enchiladas or in this case our enfrijoladas.
Assembling Everything
After the tortillas have been softened in the sauce they are rolled around a small amount of shredded chicken, Three or four of these cigars are placed on a plate and covered with the sauce then dressed with the chorizo, crumbled queso fresco and a lick of crema.
You could also do something similar with triangles of tortilla without filling, or for something more rustic just the filled tortillas folded over in half and laid upon each other,
It's hard to find fault with the dish, it's simple, quick to prepare provided everything is to hand, a sauce of black beans looks very striking and if you have been careful to make a smooth creamy sauce it's quite elegant. It makes a perfect weekend breakfast or a quick lunch.
For some reason enfrijoladas (similar to an enchilada but using a sauce made of beans rather than a salsa) are far classier than you would initially think something so simple should be. Perhaps it the silkiness of the bean sauce or perhaps is the possibilities they offer for dainty presentation - with folded triangles of corn tortilla, resembling crepes, dressed in a light creamy sauce.
They are, despite how fussy or rustic a presentation you prefer, very satisfying.
I enjoy them in rolls, like an enchilada, stuffed with a little chicken and dressed with some Mexican chorizo, a little crema and some queso fresco.
The Bean Sauce
Black beans make the most impressive looking enfrijoladas but any beans can be used, and while I used beans I cooked myself, there is nothing wrong with substituting tinned beans.
The beans need to be blitzed in the blender with enough stock (and some onion and garlic if desired) to make a light sauce. Consistency is critical here, you should be aiming for something close to, or just slightly thicker than, a coating consistency. The sauce thickens quite a bit as it cools. Softening the tortillas in the sauce is a pain if the sauce is too viscous, and the dish is ruined if the sauce is think and lumpy.
There is a good recipe here from Rick Bayless, and while I'm sure cooking some of the chorizo with the beans, as he does, makes for an even more delicious sauce, it's not possible if you are using already cooked beans - as I normally am.
Once the beans have been blitzed with the stock the sauce is strained into a saucepan to heat through.
At this point you will probably find yourself adding liquid to the beans to keep the correct consistency as it will thicken very fast, especially in a wide shallow pan. When it's hot each tortilla is dipped in the liquid to make it pliable before being rolled around a couple of teaspoons worth of shredded chicken and plated. The tortillas have to be softened first. You can either steam them wrapped in a towel or, as I do, microwave them for 30 seconds or so while in a tortilla warmer.
Chorizo
Mexican chorizo is very different to the Spanish version, it is a fresh sausage and is not cured so it requires cooking before use. It's highly spiced, but not particularly hot, and normally sold in sausage-like plastic casings, though it can also be purchased loose resembling a very fine mince.
When cooked it can be used in a number of dishes; papas con chorizo or huevos con chorizo and can also be sprinkled over things like enchiladas or in this case our enfrijoladas.
Assembling Everything
After the tortillas have been softened in the sauce they are rolled around a small amount of shredded chicken, Three or four of these cigars are placed on a plate and covered with the sauce then dressed with the chorizo, crumbled queso fresco and a lick of crema.
You could also do something similar with triangles of tortilla without filling, or for something more rustic just the filled tortillas folded over in half and laid upon each other,
It's hard to find fault with the dish, it's simple, quick to prepare provided everything is to hand, a sauce of black beans looks very striking and if you have been careful to make a smooth creamy sauce it's quite elegant. It makes a perfect weekend breakfast or a quick lunch.
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Not Your Mother's Olla Express...
I have picked up a number of cooking prejudices from my mother, one if these is a distrust of pressure cookers and a belief that they are nasty hissing explosive things and too fiddly to be worth bothering with. Lately they are much praised for making stock by people with well thumbed copies of Harold McGee, and every recipe I read for beans cooked in a pressure cooker seems to contain the obligatory remark that today's pressure cookers are not like you remember from your mother's kitchen.
I had been growing tired of leaving beans to soak and of endlessly simmering them. I was in the habit of forgetting the soaking beans and accidentally leaving them ferment, so I decided it was time to challenge my prejudice and buy a pressure cooker so I could cook my beans quickly and without soaking.
I'm converted.
Frijoles de la Olla
I've covered this before so I'm not going to go through the details of the preparation. In this case I used dry pinto beans, a couple of pieces of onion and celery, a jalapeño and a couple of pieces of the chicharron pictured below.
The beans were cooked for a hour from the time the pot came up to pressure and were perfect. They were soft through but not in danger of falling apart. This will turn cooking beans from a weekend chore to something I can do in an evening without any hassle.
Braised Shin of Beef
The next outing for the pressure cooker was to braise some beef. Much of the meat here used in tacos, for example carne desherbrada or the weekend barbacoa (which is very popular here in Monterrey) is cooked long and slow and cooked down into a very soft texture. I was looking to replicate that texture with a shin of beef.
I cooked two think slices from a shin on beef in a small quantity of water and chicken stock in the pressure cooker along with some onion, a lot of garlic, a couple of chipotle peppers with some adobo and a mixture of cumin, bay leaves, allspice, nutmeg, pepper and clove.
In this case I cooked everything for over two hours and left to cool in the pot. The following day I removed the meat from the liquid and shredded it. I took the couple of cups of liquid, strained it and then reduced it by half. When the liquid was reduced I added it to the shredded meat and cooked the slightly soupy mix together in a wide pan until the liquid had reduced further and I was left with just tender moist meat.
This made some great tacos. The meat was very soft and moist and the highly reduced stick gave it a very meaty taste and the slight gelatinous texture that is reminiscent of barbacoa (though in terms of taste barbacoa is simpler without the Christmas spices in this dish). The tacos were dressed with some onion and corriander and some habenero salsa.
I guess I'm converted to using a pressure cooker. I guess the only remaining prejudice handed down to me is a dislike of condensed milk. I wonder how long that will last?
I had been growing tired of leaving beans to soak and of endlessly simmering them. I was in the habit of forgetting the soaking beans and accidentally leaving them ferment, so I decided it was time to challenge my prejudice and buy a pressure cooker so I could cook my beans quickly and without soaking.
I'm converted.
Frijoles de la Olla
I've covered this before so I'm not going to go through the details of the preparation. In this case I used dry pinto beans, a couple of pieces of onion and celery, a jalapeño and a couple of pieces of the chicharron pictured below.
The beans were cooked for a hour from the time the pot came up to pressure and were perfect. They were soft through but not in danger of falling apart. This will turn cooking beans from a weekend chore to something I can do in an evening without any hassle.
Braised Shin of Beef
The next outing for the pressure cooker was to braise some beef. Much of the meat here used in tacos, for example carne desherbrada or the weekend barbacoa (which is very popular here in Monterrey) is cooked long and slow and cooked down into a very soft texture. I was looking to replicate that texture with a shin of beef.
I cooked two think slices from a shin on beef in a small quantity of water and chicken stock in the pressure cooker along with some onion, a lot of garlic, a couple of chipotle peppers with some adobo and a mixture of cumin, bay leaves, allspice, nutmeg, pepper and clove.
In this case I cooked everything for over two hours and left to cool in the pot. The following day I removed the meat from the liquid and shredded it. I took the couple of cups of liquid, strained it and then reduced it by half. When the liquid was reduced I added it to the shredded meat and cooked the slightly soupy mix together in a wide pan until the liquid had reduced further and I was left with just tender moist meat.
This made some great tacos. The meat was very soft and moist and the highly reduced stick gave it a very meaty taste and the slight gelatinous texture that is reminiscent of barbacoa (though in terms of taste barbacoa is simpler without the Christmas spices in this dish). The tacos were dressed with some onion and corriander and some habenero salsa.
I guess I'm converted to using a pressure cooker. I guess the only remaining prejudice handed down to me is a dislike of condensed milk. I wonder how long that will last?
An Unusual Salad
Something that surprises anyone getting familiar with Mexican cooking is how much they love soy sauce, Worcester sauce (or salsa tipo Inglesa as they call it) and Maggi seasoning.
They feature in drinks like micheladas; a mixture of beer with lime and some combination of the above condiments, sometimes with tomato juice or with clamato (a mixture of tomato juice and clam juice). The drinks are not something I like, but they are a good hangover cure, and I might cover the various types at some point.
Worchester sauce is used on its own as a seasoning for grilled meats, however, more unexpectedly, a combination of the three condiments is used as the basis of a crisp and refreshing salad.
There is a seafood restaurant near where I work where this salad is left in the middle of the table for diners to share.
It is comprised rounds of of sliced radish, carrot and jalapeño along with sliced onion and chopped corriander. The salad is dressed (or more accurately sits in a pool of) a dressing comprised of lime juice, soy, Worcester and Maggi. The relative proportions are roughly; a tablespoon of soy, a teaspoon of Worcester and a half teaspoon of Maggi for the juice of each two limes. The objective it a dressing with a balance of sour, salty and savoury.
The salad it then sprinkled with Chile Y Limon which is a type of seasoning salt with chile powder and lime which is often sprinkled on fruit here and is used to dress the rim of a michelada glass in place of salt.
The salad is hot, sour, salty, crunchy and savoury - a list of attributes one would generally associate with Thai rather tan Mexican food, in fact, aside from the absence of fish sauce and possibly some sugar this is something one would not be surprised to see in a Thai cookbook.
They feature in drinks like micheladas; a mixture of beer with lime and some combination of the above condiments, sometimes with tomato juice or with clamato (a mixture of tomato juice and clam juice). The drinks are not something I like, but they are a good hangover cure, and I might cover the various types at some point.
Worchester sauce is used on its own as a seasoning for grilled meats, however, more unexpectedly, a combination of the three condiments is used as the basis of a crisp and refreshing salad.
There is a seafood restaurant near where I work where this salad is left in the middle of the table for diners to share.
It is comprised rounds of of sliced radish, carrot and jalapeño along with sliced onion and chopped corriander. The salad is dressed (or more accurately sits in a pool of) a dressing comprised of lime juice, soy, Worcester and Maggi. The relative proportions are roughly; a tablespoon of soy, a teaspoon of Worcester and a half teaspoon of Maggi for the juice of each two limes. The objective it a dressing with a balance of sour, salty and savoury.
The salad it then sprinkled with Chile Y Limon which is a type of seasoning salt with chile powder and lime which is often sprinkled on fruit here and is used to dress the rim of a michelada glass in place of salt.
The salad is hot, sour, salty, crunchy and savoury - a list of attributes one would generally associate with Thai rather tan Mexican food, in fact, aside from the absence of fish sauce and possibly some sugar this is something one would not be surprised to see in a Thai cookbook.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Chintextle Revisited
A few posts ago I discussed chintextle, a paste made using pumpkin seeds and dried chile. I mentioned at the time that there was also a version that used dried shrimp instead of pumpkin seeds.
It sounded strange enough that I decided I should try it. I know this is an odd diversion to take given the hundreds of far more canonical dishes I haven't covered yet, but so what - it's got dried shrimp!
The recipe itself is simple; about a dozen dried shrimp toasted on a lot comal, toasted chile - I used about 8 to 10 chiles cascabel - a clove of garlic, a good splash of vinegar and enough oil to form a paste of it all in the blender.
It tastes exactly like what you imagine a paste made from dried shrimp would taste like. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it's pretty elemental, you certainly wouldn't eat a lot of it, but there is something about it that keeps bringing you back for another small taste. It's intriguing.
I have absolutely no idea however how it could be used. I think it would be nice stirred into a fish soup but I suspect that's not what it's intended for. Until I think of a use it's winking at me every time I open the fridge, and I take a little pick of it now and again. Though I suspect it'll last a long time so there is no rush in figuring it out.
It sounded strange enough that I decided I should try it. I know this is an odd diversion to take given the hundreds of far more canonical dishes I haven't covered yet, but so what - it's got dried shrimp!
The recipe itself is simple; about a dozen dried shrimp toasted on a lot comal, toasted chile - I used about 8 to 10 chiles cascabel - a clove of garlic, a good splash of vinegar and enough oil to form a paste of it all in the blender.
It tastes exactly like what you imagine a paste made from dried shrimp would taste like. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it's pretty elemental, you certainly wouldn't eat a lot of it, but there is something about it that keeps bringing you back for another small taste. It's intriguing.
I have absolutely no idea however how it could be used. I think it would be nice stirred into a fish soup but I suspect that's not what it's intended for. Until I think of a use it's winking at me every time I open the fridge, and I take a little pick of it now and again. Though I suspect it'll last a long time so there is no rush in figuring it out.
Migitas
Another very quick and simple breakfast dish. Migitas (or migas which seems to be a more common name, and also means "crumbs" in Spanish) are simply corn tortillas, fried until golden and then scrambled with eggs.
There is not a lot to describe, the tortillas are cut into strips of about a finger's width and a couple of inches long - but there is no need for any precision - when golden brown the eggs are added and everything is scrambled, seasoned and served, either alone as a light breakfast, or in a tortilla.
For the frying butter is nice as is lard, but vegetable oil is grand, and I find two tortillas per three eggs to be the ideal proportions.
Some versions contain onion, tomato and some chile, much as you would if making Machacado, however I prefer the simpler version with nothing but egg and tortilla, and if I were going to do something more complicated I'd rather make machacado or chileaquiles anyway.
One thing I do notice about Mexican egg dishes, especially these breakfast dishes, is that they are not afraid to cook the egg a lot quicker and faster the I would. I'm used to cooking scrambled eggs very slowly and carefully and generally serve them a lot looser than any Mexcican seems comfortable with. "If they are done in the pan then they are overdone in the plate" isn't the motto here. In fact the normal procedure is to fry the tortilla strips, then crack the eggs directly into the pan and mix until roughly scrambled and tightened.
If you are in a hurry Migitas are perfect, they can be cooked and on the plate in seconds, so are a fantastic quick breakfast. They also have some texture, which I like because personally I find eating plain scrambled eggs in the morning more of a chore than a pleasure.
There is not a lot to describe, the tortillas are cut into strips of about a finger's width and a couple of inches long - but there is no need for any precision - when golden brown the eggs are added and everything is scrambled, seasoned and served, either alone as a light breakfast, or in a tortilla.
For the frying butter is nice as is lard, but vegetable oil is grand, and I find two tortillas per three eggs to be the ideal proportions.
Some versions contain onion, tomato and some chile, much as you would if making Machacado, however I prefer the simpler version with nothing but egg and tortilla, and if I were going to do something more complicated I'd rather make machacado or chileaquiles anyway.
One thing I do notice about Mexican egg dishes, especially these breakfast dishes, is that they are not afraid to cook the egg a lot quicker and faster the I would. I'm used to cooking scrambled eggs very slowly and carefully and generally serve them a lot looser than any Mexcican seems comfortable with. "If they are done in the pan then they are overdone in the plate" isn't the motto here. In fact the normal procedure is to fry the tortilla strips, then crack the eggs directly into the pan and mix until roughly scrambled and tightened.
If you are in a hurry Migitas are perfect, they can be cooked and on the plate in seconds, so are a fantastic quick breakfast. They also have some texture, which I like because personally I find eating plain scrambled eggs in the morning more of a chore than a pleasure.
Friday, 24 February 2012
Sunday, 19 February 2012
A couple of different ways with Arrachera
Arrachera is a signature cut of beef in the north of Mexico and especially in Monterrey. The cut is from the underside of the animal, either from the flank or plate. There seems to be no consistency in the definition and you find the cut being indicated as equivalent to hanger steak, which comes from the plate (the animals abdominal muscles near the diaphragm) or as flank steak (again underneath the animal but closer to the hind legs).
What I buy, which is sold as arrachera, is clearly hanger steak. It's a fairly ragged looking cut with a long grain. The restaurants which specialise in arrachera (like here for example) seem to use the thicker flank steak cut.
The steak, when served, is cut perpendicular to the long fibres to make it more tender. The meat has a much more intense taste than steaks from the relatively under worked muscles on the top of the animal. Though the common advice is to serve the meat rare to keep it tender, I don't agree, given the fibrous nature of the cut, unlike a regular steak it is actually more tender when well cooked.
I invested in a new grill an used the opportunity of it's first use to compare three different methods of preparing arrachera. For cooking I used mesquite charcoal, which is traditional, and gives a long even heat and is not as hot as the charcoal bricks I would be used to using at home. (I'd never go back to those pressed briquettes after working with lump charcoal like this!)
Arrachera in 3 Chile Adobo
The first was a cut of arrachera (which you can see in a previously posted picture) marinaded in a 3 Chile Adobo rub. I have covered adobos already, so I won't go into detail. The rub was made from toasted and soaked guajillo, ancho and cascabel chiles, along with garlic, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon clove cumin and salt.
The meat was slathered in the paste and left to marinade for a couple of hours before cooking
Arrachera Marinaded in Pickled Jalapeño and Tequila
This was something I picked up from the internet and you see lots of versions under the same theme. In this case the meat is marinaded using the contents of a can of pickled jalapeños and a slosh of tequila.
The meat, jalapeños, can liquor and the tequila were all dumped into a large zip-lock bag and stashed in the fridge until cooling time. Unlike the adobo the marinade has a lot of acid which should help to tenderise the meat.
Simple Arrachera
The third, and simplest, approach was simply to season the meat with plenty of salt and dried Mexican oregano.I guess this was the control in the experiment.
Guess what!
Simple is best.
By far.
What I buy, which is sold as arrachera, is clearly hanger steak. It's a fairly ragged looking cut with a long grain. The restaurants which specialise in arrachera (like here for example) seem to use the thicker flank steak cut.
The steak, when served, is cut perpendicular to the long fibres to make it more tender. The meat has a much more intense taste than steaks from the relatively under worked muscles on the top of the animal. Though the common advice is to serve the meat rare to keep it tender, I don't agree, given the fibrous nature of the cut, unlike a regular steak it is actually more tender when well cooked.
I invested in a new grill an used the opportunity of it's first use to compare three different methods of preparing arrachera. For cooking I used mesquite charcoal, which is traditional, and gives a long even heat and is not as hot as the charcoal bricks I would be used to using at home. (I'd never go back to those pressed briquettes after working with lump charcoal like this!)
Arrachera in 3 Chile Adobo
The first was a cut of arrachera (which you can see in a previously posted picture) marinaded in a 3 Chile Adobo rub. I have covered adobos already, so I won't go into detail. The rub was made from toasted and soaked guajillo, ancho and cascabel chiles, along with garlic, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon clove cumin and salt.
The meat was slathered in the paste and left to marinade for a couple of hours before cooking
Arrachera Marinaded in Pickled Jalapeño and Tequila
This was something I picked up from the internet and you see lots of versions under the same theme. In this case the meat is marinaded using the contents of a can of pickled jalapeños and a slosh of tequila.
The meat, jalapeños, can liquor and the tequila were all dumped into a large zip-lock bag and stashed in the fridge until cooling time. Unlike the adobo the marinade has a lot of acid which should help to tenderise the meat.
Simple Arrachera
The third, and simplest, approach was simply to season the meat with plenty of salt and dried Mexican oregano.I guess this was the control in the experiment.
Guess what!
Simple is best.
By far.
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Arroz a la Mexicana
The red tomato coloured rice pilaf is an interesting dish for a couple of reasons. On the one hand it's very common and builds on techniques I have covered elsewhere; for example the purée of tomatoes, onions and garlic that forms the basis of the rajas recipe I covered a good while back. Yet it also adds some techniques and ingredients which are unusual and I haven't discussed before.
The rice is, at it's most basic, a pilaf with a blended puree of tomato, garlic and onion forming the basis of the stock. As far as quantities for each cup of medium grain rice a single plum tomato, a clove of garlic and about 1/4 of a medium onion along with a splash of water to allow the blender turn make up the purée. I also like to add about an inch of azafran to the dish for both colour and taste.
Browning the rice
This is the unusual part of the procedure. The rice must first be browned in some vegetable oil. This is not the gentle sweating that is the starting point for a risotto, the rice is fried under medium high heat until toasted and golden brown. This is a very counter intuitive procedure to anyone more familiar with European cooking, but stick with it.
Once the rice is golden brown the purée is introduced and the frying continues for another couple of minutes until the tomato has cooked out a bit.
Azafran
This ingredient has been the cause of quite a bit of confusion for me! Every time I had this rice in a restaurant, there was something savoury in it I couldn't identify. I would as a friend:
"There is something unusual in this, what is is", the answer always was
"Azafran",
"Ohh Safron?"
"Yes azafran"
"Are you sure? It doen't taste like saffron"
This went on for some time and I made rice a number of times, but was never entirely happy and could never match the taste of what I had been served.
Finally in the supermarket I spotted it! Azafran.
It is the root of the safflower plant, resembling ginger root but smaller with a yellow skin. Like saffron proper it is a very effective dye (preparing it will make your fingers look like an 80 a day smoker's, and it will stain everything it touches), but it doesn't have saffron's medicinal taste, it's somehow both lemony and meaty.
Finishing the rice.
Once the purée has cooked out slightly the liquid can be added. I find that for each cup of rice about two cups of liquid are about right, but allow for any liquid you added to the blender in the beginning, so in this case I used just shy of two cups of light chicken stock (or water).
At this point the pan is covered and the rice left to cook undisturbed over a low heat. It should take about 15 minutes to cook.
About 5 minutes from the end of the cooking time some peas can be added for colour. You may have noticed that I didn't add any chile. I don't think the rice should have chile in it if it being used as an accompanying dish. If you are going to add chile it's best to add some thin rounds of serrano along with the peas - adding the chile to the tomato purée dulls the red colour and if the chile was added before the peas the it's colour will have muddied by the time the dish is cooked.
After the 15 minutes have elapsed turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for a further 10 minutes to finish cooking. If you find you have too much or too little water you can do whatever manipulations are necessary at this point.
Garnish with some corriander and eat.
The rice is, at it's most basic, a pilaf with a blended puree of tomato, garlic and onion forming the basis of the stock. As far as quantities for each cup of medium grain rice a single plum tomato, a clove of garlic and about 1/4 of a medium onion along with a splash of water to allow the blender turn make up the purée. I also like to add about an inch of azafran to the dish for both colour and taste.
Browning the rice
This is the unusual part of the procedure. The rice must first be browned in some vegetable oil. This is not the gentle sweating that is the starting point for a risotto, the rice is fried under medium high heat until toasted and golden brown. This is a very counter intuitive procedure to anyone more familiar with European cooking, but stick with it.
Once the rice is golden brown the purée is introduced and the frying continues for another couple of minutes until the tomato has cooked out a bit.
Azafran
This ingredient has been the cause of quite a bit of confusion for me! Every time I had this rice in a restaurant, there was something savoury in it I couldn't identify. I would as a friend:
"There is something unusual in this, what is is", the answer always was
"Azafran",
"Ohh Safron?"
"Yes azafran"
"Are you sure? It doen't taste like saffron"
This went on for some time and I made rice a number of times, but was never entirely happy and could never match the taste of what I had been served.
Finally in the supermarket I spotted it! Azafran.
It is the root of the safflower plant, resembling ginger root but smaller with a yellow skin. Like saffron proper it is a very effective dye (preparing it will make your fingers look like an 80 a day smoker's, and it will stain everything it touches), but it doesn't have saffron's medicinal taste, it's somehow both lemony and meaty.
Finishing the rice.
Once the purée has cooked out slightly the liquid can be added. I find that for each cup of rice about two cups of liquid are about right, but allow for any liquid you added to the blender in the beginning, so in this case I used just shy of two cups of light chicken stock (or water).
At this point the pan is covered and the rice left to cook undisturbed over a low heat. It should take about 15 minutes to cook.
About 5 minutes from the end of the cooking time some peas can be added for colour. You may have noticed that I didn't add any chile. I don't think the rice should have chile in it if it being used as an accompanying dish. If you are going to add chile it's best to add some thin rounds of serrano along with the peas - adding the chile to the tomato purée dulls the red colour and if the chile was added before the peas the it's colour will have muddied by the time the dish is cooked.
After the 15 minutes have elapsed turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for a further 10 minutes to finish cooking. If you find you have too much or too little water you can do whatever manipulations are necessary at this point.
Garnish with some corriander and eat.
Monday, 28 November 2011
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Agua de Tamarindo
I have never been a huge lover of tamarind. Back in Ireland I always seemed to have a block of prepared tamarind in the fridge with the intention of making Pad Thai but somehow it never seemed to end up being used. The idea then of Aqua De Tamarindo never appealed to me, I always imagined it as being quite astringent and unpleasant and if you look back at the first post I made on various Aguas Frescas I left out Agua de Tamarindo.
I was wrong. It's actually very good, and refreshing.
It's possible to buy a box of oversized teabags which make tamarind cooler very quickly and without mess or fuss, but I also wanted to try using actual tamarinds which are also available in all the shops. If you have never seen a tamarind in the flesh before (and I hadn't) they look like giant brown peanuts. Making the drink simply requires breaking the pulp out of the shell, and soaking the pulp in some warm water for 20 minutes or so. Not a huge amount of tamarind is necessary, and 10 medium sized pods will easily give a couple of litres of finished drink.
After the pods have softened in the water you need to break up the pulp in the water and release the seeds. This is a bit unpleasant, it is I imagine exactly what you would have to do if your pet swallowed something valuable. But once the pulp has been mushed into the soaking water the resulting slurry can be sieved into a blender to extract the seeds, veins, skins and any stray bits of pod. After blending the mixture should then be decanted into a jug, again through a sieve, and diluted and sugar or sweeter added to taste.
Like Agua de Jamica it's best when not too concentrated and not overly sweet. Think light and refreshing rather then viscous and overly cloying. I also discovered Tamarind Margarita while in a restaurant lately.....definitely something to add to the list!
I was wrong. It's actually very good, and refreshing.
It's possible to buy a box of oversized teabags which make tamarind cooler very quickly and without mess or fuss, but I also wanted to try using actual tamarinds which are also available in all the shops. If you have never seen a tamarind in the flesh before (and I hadn't) they look like giant brown peanuts. Making the drink simply requires breaking the pulp out of the shell, and soaking the pulp in some warm water for 20 minutes or so. Not a huge amount of tamarind is necessary, and 10 medium sized pods will easily give a couple of litres of finished drink.
After the pods have softened in the water you need to break up the pulp in the water and release the seeds. This is a bit unpleasant, it is I imagine exactly what you would have to do if your pet swallowed something valuable. But once the pulp has been mushed into the soaking water the resulting slurry can be sieved into a blender to extract the seeds, veins, skins and any stray bits of pod. After blending the mixture should then be decanted into a jug, again through a sieve, and diluted and sugar or sweeter added to taste.
Like Agua de Jamica it's best when not too concentrated and not overly sweet. Think light and refreshing rather then viscous and overly cloying. I also discovered Tamarind Margarita while in a restaurant lately.....definitely something to add to the list!
Monday, 24 October 2011
Carnitas
There are a couple of approaches to this pork dish. The meat can first be simmered barely covered with water for a couple of hours until very tender and then, after the water is boiled off, the meat is fried in it's own rendered fat until crispy. There are also recipes where the meat is poached in lard, and finally there are some where the meat is firstly braised until cooked and then the final crisping is done in the oven.
The last two methods don't appeal to me much, I find the idea of turning on the oven for something that has already been slow cooked wasteful, and while poaching the meat in lard sounds succulent, it's also messy and in all likelihood pretty unhealthy.
Ignoring the various ways of getting there, the destination for me is a succulent and slightly crispy pork dish that is scented with bay and orange. The orange is what makes the dish distinctive for me, though it seems to be omitted in quite a few recipes. It's also the combination of both crispy and tender that makes the dish really great.
The dish takes some time, though there is very little actual preparation time. The dish bubbles away unattended for the vast majority of the cooking time and requires little attention accept during the final frying.
Preparation
About a pound and a half of pork, ideally shoulder, cut into one inch or larger cubes is placed in a singe layer in a large saucepan or casserole. Water is added to cover, along with a heaped tablespoon of lard, half of a tennis ball sized onion thinly sliced, four cloves of garlic, half of an orange cut into four pieces, a couple of bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper.
The meat is brought to a boil and then then kept at a low simmer, covered, for a couple of hours.
When ready to finish the dish the cover is removed and the heat is increased. Pretty soon the available water will evaporate and the sound will change from one of liquid bubbling to frying. The meat is then fried in the lard and it's own rendered fat until the desired crispiness is achieved. Personally I like some texture but dislike the meat being too dry and find ten minutes or so to be sufficient. I also like to break the chunks of pork into smaller pieces.
Carnitas are generally used as a taco filling, accompanied by corriander and onion and some salsa the quantity above is sufficient to provide enough meat for a meal of tacos for three to four people. I have seen carnitas described as a menace to public health, and it's amazing the way the meat can soak up all of the rendered fat and added lard. Perhaps they are best enjoyed as an occasional treat rather then the cornerstone of a diet!
The last two methods don't appeal to me much, I find the idea of turning on the oven for something that has already been slow cooked wasteful, and while poaching the meat in lard sounds succulent, it's also messy and in all likelihood pretty unhealthy.
Ignoring the various ways of getting there, the destination for me is a succulent and slightly crispy pork dish that is scented with bay and orange. The orange is what makes the dish distinctive for me, though it seems to be omitted in quite a few recipes. It's also the combination of both crispy and tender that makes the dish really great.
The dish takes some time, though there is very little actual preparation time. The dish bubbles away unattended for the vast majority of the cooking time and requires little attention accept during the final frying.
Preparation
About a pound and a half of pork, ideally shoulder, cut into one inch or larger cubes is placed in a singe layer in a large saucepan or casserole. Water is added to cover, along with a heaped tablespoon of lard, half of a tennis ball sized onion thinly sliced, four cloves of garlic, half of an orange cut into four pieces, a couple of bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper.
The meat is brought to a boil and then then kept at a low simmer, covered, for a couple of hours.
When ready to finish the dish the cover is removed and the heat is increased. Pretty soon the available water will evaporate and the sound will change from one of liquid bubbling to frying. The meat is then fried in the lard and it's own rendered fat until the desired crispiness is achieved. Personally I like some texture but dislike the meat being too dry and find ten minutes or so to be sufficient. I also like to break the chunks of pork into smaller pieces.
Carnitas are generally used as a taco filling, accompanied by corriander and onion and some salsa the quantity above is sufficient to provide enough meat for a meal of tacos for three to four people. I have seen carnitas described as a menace to public health, and it's amazing the way the meat can soak up all of the rendered fat and added lard. Perhaps they are best enjoyed as an occasional treat rather then the cornerstone of a diet!
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