Sunday, December 28, 2014

Raisins in our Tamales



Tamales have always been a tradition in my family. Who knows how many generations back our tradition goes and who knows what great-great grandmother in our family decided to add the very European ingredient, raisins, to the tamal, thus transforming a pre-Columbian food into a colonial hybrid. 

Every family makes them differently; every family is convinced they make the best. Although...ours are the best. The arrangement of the raisins, one of the last things added before wrapping the tamal is crucial. They make the first bite into the tamal a delicate burst of sweetness mixed with the red chile-seasoned pork and venison. The corn dough is light, never pasty and thick and they are cooked in steam. Three types are made: venison/pork, bean with rajas, and sweet tamales. The moment of suspense comes in testing for doneness after the steaming process: the tamal must peel away from the husk easily. If this doesn't happen, two days of work are down the drain and everyone is in a tizzy looking for who or what is to blame. This has only happened once and it was about 30 years ago, but it's still a horror story retold nervously among the group of family gathering to make tamales every year.

Tamales have one taste when they're fresh out of the steamer, and another in the days after that, when you toast them on a comal to warm them. You can even warm them up in the microwave, but everyone prefers the toasted way. 

I'm re-posting our family recipe for tamales in case you get the courage to make them on some wintery day this season.

Enjoy 

http://culinarianexpeditions.blogspot.com/2011/12/tamales.html




Saturday, December 27, 2014

Almond Biscotti



Biscotti is something we like to eat when it's cold outside. I was given this recipe by a friend in Florence who always served them with Vin Santo. If you have flour, eggs, almonds, an orange, vanilla, and a bit of baking soda, you've got everything you need. They keep forever, especially if you store them in an airtight tin; you'll get the aroma of almonds and orange peel every time you open the tin.

(48 cookies)
2 cup  Flour; unbleached, all purpose
1 cup  Sugar
1 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp -Salt
2 Eggs, large
1 Egg yolk, large
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tbl Orange zest; freshly grated
1 1/2 c Almonds, whole; toasted lightly & chopped coarse

----------------------------------EGG WASH----------------------------------
1 Egg, large; beaten with
1 tsp -Water
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the flour, the sugar, the baking soda and the salt until the mixture is combined well. In a small bowl whisk together the whole eggs, the yolk, the vanilla and the zest, add the mixture to the flour mixture, beating until a dough is formed and stir in the almonds.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead it several times and halve it. Working on a large buttered and floured baking sheet, with floured hands form each piece of dough into a flattish log 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, arrange the logs at least 3 inches apart on the sheet, and brush them with the egg wash. Bake the logs in the middle of a preheated 300F for 50 minutes and them cool on the baking rack for 10 minutes.

On a cutting board, cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices, arrange the biscotti, cut sides down, on the baking sheet and bake them, in the 300F oven for 15 minutes on each side. Transfer the biscotti to racks to cool and store them in airtight containers. 

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Capirotada




Today is Easter and I confess I'm late in posting this Capirotada recipe because today is the day for all other types of Easter meals commemorating the resurrection of Christ. In countries where Christianity is practiced, it is the culmination of the Passion of Christ preceded by Lent or 'Cuaresma' as it's called in Spanish, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

During Lent, in Mexico, all sorts of foods are traditionally eaten; one of them is Capirotada. It is a bread pudding so delicious one wonders how it counts as a 'Lenten' penance dish.


Last year I posted an adaptation to Capirotada that I felt was more in keeping with my family's tastes and that our son would have liked. Here, however, I am posting a traditional recipe for it, since I am now living in San Miguel de Allende, after all, and I was given this Capirotada by my kind neighbors, who were making it on Palm Sunday, (Domingo de Palmas).


Capirotada



Recipe Type: Dessert


Cuisine: Mexican


Prep time:


Cook time:


Total time:


Serves: 6

Ingredients:
  • oil for frying
  • 8½ cups water
  • 6 large French rolls or one large French baguette, sliced
  • 1 lb piloncillo or dark cane sugar
  • 1 cup regular sugar
  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 4 cloves
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • ½ cup dried prunes
  • 1/2 cup coconut
  • 1 plantain, sliced
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese cut into small cubes.
Instructions:
  1. Dry the slices in the sun and then fry them in hot oil.

  2. Boil the water together with the piloncillo, sugar, cloves, and cinnamon sticks until you get a light syrup and strain it.

  3. Arrange a layer of the slices of the fried bread on the bottom of a clay casserole (or any other if you don’t have a clay one) and cover with part of the nuts, raisins, and cubes of the cheese.

  4. Pour the syrup over this and repeat until you have finished the ingredients.

  5. Cook either in the oven or on the stove top.

  6. If you cook it on the stove top, you’ll need a low flame and you’ll need to stir often.





Friday, March 21, 2014

Chipotle Lentil Soup


Chipotle chili peppers are items that are a complete must for your pantry, if you're going to cook Mexican food. In fact, they're a unique flavor to add to just about any meat, if you are adventurous. Growing up in Laredo Texas, chipotles were peppers we occasionally used to make a salsa, but I knew these were not well known outside of the Spanish speaking community, for the most part. The word chipotle has become well known because of the restaurant chain by the same name, and even if you don't know how to pronounce it (chee-poh-tleh) chances are, you've eaten there and at least know it has to do with Mexican food.



Chipotle is a nahuatl word, meaning smoked chili pepper. No one knows for how long the indigenous peoples of Mexico have used the technique of dry smoking a pepper both to preserve it and for the flavor. But the flavor the chipotle imparts to a dish is like no other spice: it is the essence of the earth and of fire encapsuled in these dried, wrinkled pods, coming to life in the warm moisture of another substance. This lentil soup has the signature flavor of chipotle. I made it with dried pods, reconstituted in the soup, although you can also use chipotle from the can.

Lentil soup is eaten often during this period of Lent and was introduced to me by the Godinez family in San Miguel de Allende.



Chipotle Lentil Soup




Recipe Type: Soup


Cuisine: Mexican


Author: Gilda Valdez Carbonaro


Prep time:


Cook time:


Total time:


Serves: 6


This is a totally vegetarian soup, its personality comes from the smokiness of the chipotle pepper.




Ingredients
  • 3 cups dry lentils, rinsed
  • 2 or 3 dry chipotles washed
  • 1 tsp cumin powder (or grind your own)
  • 1 poblano pepper, seared over a gas flame on your stove, peeled, seeded, and cut into strips 1 inch strips
  • 3 roma tomatoes cut into small cubes
  • 1 large yellow onion, minced
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • cilantro for garnish in each bowl
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, or more if necessary
  • salt to taste
Instructions:
  1. Sear, peel, seed, and cut the poblano into strips and set aside.
  2. Place the poblano, tomato, onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin in a large pot to cook slowly in the olive oil, about 15 minutes.
  3. Add about 5 cups of water and the lentils to the pot.
  4. When it comes to a boil lower the heat and add the chipotle peppers and cover partially.
  5. It should cook for about 1/2 hour or until all the flavors come together.
  6. You can take 2 cups of the soup out with the lentils, place in the blender to cool for a moment, then blend, and replace into the soup, for added thickness to the soup, if you prefer.
  7. Also, you can take the pepper out and chop them up to replace in the soup, if you want a spicier taste.
  8. Serve with a cilantro garnish.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Beans, then and now



Beans are Mesoamerican in origin and together with corn and squash form the 'three sisters' that provided precolumbian societies the nutrient triangle necessary for survival. They are among the most important legumes in the world with their high concentration of protein and fiber.

They were central to my family's diet when I was a child growing up in Laredo, prepared in different ways depending on which meal of the day it was. When they were served at lunchtime, they came with guisados or picadillos, or calabacita con pollo. But we never tired of the ubiquitous beans boiling in a clay pot on our stove; it was always a taste and a texture that was as comforting as a mother's embrace. In fact, it's no surprise that one of my son's first meals when he began to eat 'solid' food was a strained bean soup with a velvety consistency that he loved from the first spoonful.


The marriage of round white corona beans with olive oil, vinegar, herbs, and chopped onion is a radically different taste and texture from the traditionally Mexican one. I've had them like this in Italy, but I was surprised to find them served this way in Mexico, albeit 'Mexicanized' with chile de arbol flakes. The beans are whole, and the herbs are fresh tasting, making a perfect side dish or a delicious salad, but best of all, so simple to put together.



Simply beans

Recipe Type: Appetiser, Salad


Cuisine: Mexican


Author: Gilda Valdez Carbonaro


Prep time:


Total time:


Serves: 6


If you're using freshly cooked beans, which I recommend, make them at least a day ahead of time.

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups dry white corona beans
  • 1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 small white onion, chopped finely
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon chile de arbol flakes
  • 1/2 cup olive oil or enough to coat the beans
  • 2 tbsp wine vinegar

Instructions:
  1. Cook the beans as you would cook dry beans (soak overnight, drain, refill, then cook slowly for about 3 hours, adding the salt the last half hour)

  2. When the beans are cooked, drain them, and mix them with the chopped onion, dill, parsley, crumbled chili flakes, and olive oil.

  3. Adjust the salt.






Sunday, March 9, 2014

You say guava, I say guayaba






Escaping the snowy Washington D.C. March winter for a few days in San Miguel de Allende, I was drawn to the sun-kissed, aromatic, tropical fruit found in abundance at the market here: guayaba or guava, as it's called in English. The name guava has always confused me because in Laredo where we grew up everyone called it by its Spanish name, guayaba. A bowl of these, with the floral scent of the tropics and redolent of the warm sun under which they grew, make the most inviting fruit one can have arriving from a frigid nothern climate.

Use firm guayabas so they are easy to peel

At Casa Carmen where I'm staying, the devoted cook of this bed and breakfast, Doña Beatriz, prepared a dessert with guayaba today. This is just one of the ways to eat this delectable fruit, but really, you can simply eat it raw when it's sweet and ripe, have it as an agua fresca, make it into dried fruit paste, marmalade, ice cream or even a sauce to accompany meats. Guayaba is an antioxidant and is a great way to get Vitamin C. It doesn't get any better. Here is Doña Beatriz' recipe.


Guayabas literally bursting with flavor


The sugar/water should syrup have turned pinkish from the cinnamon before you add the peeled guayaba

You say guava, I say guayaba

Recipe Type: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican


Author: Gilda Valdez Carbonaro


Prep time:


Cook time:


Total time:


Serves: 6

This dessert can be easily prepared several days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:
  • 2 lbs guayabas (approximately 12 small guayabas
  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups water

Instructions:
  1. Peel the guayabas and pierce them to the center with a sharp knife and set aside.

  2. Boil the water with the cinnamon sticks until the water turns pinkish.

  3. Add the sugar and boil for another 10 or 15 minutes.

  4. Add the peeled guayabas and boil them until they feel soft when you pierce them with a fork.








Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Sopes with Shrimp and Cactus


Nopales (cactus) boiled with cloves of garlic and strained
So much of what the indigenous people of Mexico eat is finger food, picked up gingerly and eaten with the hands, while it is hot, freshly made, and handed to those gathered around the hot comal. Freshly nixtamalized corn is shaped into small tortillas, gorditas, tlacoyos, huaraches, or sopes...all vessels that will carry the vegetables, the beans, or the meats to those hungry mouths. You simply can't eat some of these things with a fork. They won't even taste the same. The base of all 'wrappings' in Mexican food is, of course, this corn dough, sometimes thickly patted by hand, sometimes flattened thinly in a tortilla press...small, large, oval, round, fried, cooked on a comal, or steamed, but it's all corn dough.

Sopes fit into the category of small, edible 'plates' of corn with diverse toppings, usually offered ahead of a meal. You make your masa (dough) using commercial corn dough like Maseca if you're not lucky enough to live in Mexico where you can always find freshly ground corn dough. For your dough, use slightly more water than the recipe calls for so that your dough doesn't crack on the edges. Here's a recipe for sopes made in an oval shape. These are not fried the way you often find them sometimes and the topping is an amazing mixture of nopal (cactus, or prickly pear) with dried shrimp which is rehydrated with warm water. I've mixed a red chile ancho sauce.

We don't yet have all the evidence to call cactus a superfood, but we know it's part of a healthy diet:  it's high in fiber and antioxidants.

My aunt, Tía Leila, helped me make these in San Miguel de Allende last time we were there. Tía Leila, who is in her 80's, explained to me they were often eaten during Lent in our family when she was a child and later when she was raising her family.

Dried shrimp after rehydration


Sope topped with shrimp, cactus, and chile guajillo salsa




Sopes with Shrimp and Cactus

Recipe Type: Appetiser


Cuisine: Mexican


Author: Gilda Valdez Carbonaro


Prep time:


Cook time:


Total time:


Serves: 4


Dried shrimp is an ingredient that is usually found in Latino stores, but you can substitute boiled fresh shrimp, of course. I've seen the cactus paddles very often now in regular grocery stores. I recommend you prepare a chile guajillo sauce ahead of time: http://culinarianexpeditions.blogspot.com/2012/04/la-madrina-salsa-recipes.html

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups chopped cactus
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups small dried shrimp (or fresh tiny boiled shrimp)
  • 4 cups commercial corn dough (following the recipe on the package)
  • red chile guajillo salsa, see http://culinarianexpeditions.blogspot.com/2012/04/la-madrina-salsa-recipes.html
  • chopped cilantro, optional

Instructions:
  1. Place the dried shrimp in a bowl of hot water to soak for about 30 minutes.

  2. Boil the cactus for about 10 minutes with the peeled cloves of garlic, then strain and set aside.

  3. Drain the shrimp, peel it and chop it.

  4. Place the shrimp and the drained, cooked cactus in a bowl.

  5. Stir in enough chile guajillo salsa to your preference, see recipe http://culinarianexpeditions.blogspot.com/2012/04/la-madrina-salsa-recipes.html

  6. Make the corn masa according to the instructions on the package, adding a few extra tablespoons of water to make it more pliable.

  7. Shape balls of dough about ping pong sized into cylinders.

  8. Flatten them between your hands until you have oval shapes about 1/8 inch thick. (Keep your hands slightly damp)

  9. Place the oval shapes (sopes) on a medium comal (iron griddle) and cook them on both sides until you see spots on the dough.

  10. Remove the sopes from the comal and pinch the sides so they all have ridges on the edges.

  11. Spoon your shrimp/cactus mixture onto the sopes and place them on the comal again for a few minutes before placing them on a tray.

  12. If you like, top the sopes with chopped cilantro.


Saturday, January 11, 2014

Silky Flan




This started out as a blog about Mexican cuisine, but how well we know that cultures cross, mixing and blending together into improved versions of the original. Many years ago I discovered this flan, otherwise known as crème caramel in French, as a guest at a country house in northern France. Our  hostess served it to my three year old son, my youngest sister  and me at the end of a sumptuous meal at a table set by a roaring fire in this country house. The impeccable French hospitality created a welcoming ambiance, leaving us with warm memories of the evening. I can remember almost everything from that meal about 30 years ago, everything prepared to perfection.  But it was the flan (crème caramel)  that came as a revelation. I wondered why I had ever tolerated those overly sweet, rubbery, rich things that looked like Swiss cheese.

In Mexico and other countries in Latin America, condensed milk is used, rendering it cloyingly sweet. No sugary condensed milk here, only whole milk, resulting in a silky, elegant custard with the smoothest texture imaginable. It makes a supreme arrival at the end of a good meal. It became one of my son's most requested desserts growing up.

Silky Flan

Recipe Type: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Gilda Valdez Carbonaro

Prep time:

Cook time:

Total time:

Serves: 6

The preparation time for this dessert does not include the cooling time in the refrigerator, about three hours.

Ingredients:
  • For the caramelized sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ tsp. cream of tartar

For the Custard
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 3 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
  • zest of one orange (optional)
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325

Caramel
  1. Work quickly to line your 1 quart porcelain mold (or individual molds) and wear mitts if you're worried about getting burned with the melted sugar. Place the mold on a large strip of wax paper.

  2. In a small, heavy saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and stirring in the cream of tartar.

  3. Boil the syrup over moderate heat tipping the pan back and forth almost constantly, until the syrup turns into a rich color of brown that looks like tea. It takes around 10 minutes.

  4. Remove the pan and carefully pour the syrup into the mold in a thin stream, tipping and swirling the mold to coat the bottom and sides as evenly as possible.

  5. When the syrup stops moving, turn the mold upside down on the wax paper to cool and let any excess syrup run out.

Custard
  1. In a 1 – 1 ½ quart saucepan, bring the milk almost to a boil over moderate heat.

  2. Remove the pan from the stove and add the vanilla extract.

  3. With an electric mixer beat the sugar, eggs, and egg yolks until they're well mixed and thickened. Add the zest if you like this flavor.

  4. Stirring gently and constantly, pour in the milk in a thin stream (you don't want to do this all at once because you'll get scrambled eggs)

  5. Strain this mixture through a sieve into your mold and place the mold in a large pan on the middle shelf of the oven.

  6. Pour boiling water into the pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the mold.

  7. Bake the flan, but be careful to lower the temperature of the oven if you see the water in the pan beginning to boil.

  8. After about an hour, insert a knife in the center. If it comes out clean, it's ready.

  9. Take the mold out of the water and refrigerate the flan for at least 3 hours.

  10. To unmold it, run a sharp knife all around the edge and dip the bottom of the mold briefly in hot water. Then dry the bottom, place your serving plate upside down over the mold and grabbing both sides firmly, quickly turn the plate and mold over.

  11. Rap the plate on a table and the flan should slide easily out of the mold.

  12. Pour any extra caramel remaining in the mold over the flan.