Angela hosted supper club this month. She is engaged to Neil who is Jamaican and chose the Caribbean theme as an opportunity to try out some new recipes and to celebrate their upcoming marriage in Cayman. So, the menu:
Drinks: Caribbean Sangria and Pineapple Mojitos
Appetizers: Tostones and Salt Cod Fritters
Main Dish: Chicken Fricasse
Sides: Yams (with lime zest and bananas), Rice and Peas, and Black-Eyed Peas in Coconut Milk
Dessert: Grand Marnier Cake
Here is the recipe for the Tostones:
3 large very green plantains
3 teaspoons crushed fresh garlic
4 teaspoons salt
4 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil or canola oil
Directions:
Peel plantains and slice into 1 inch thick sections.
Place water, salt and garlic in a large baking pan.
Soak the plantain slices in the garlic mixture for 20 minutes.
Pour oil in a pan set at 365 degrees.
Fry plantains until they are golden brown on all sides.
Flatten each plantain between sheets of wax paper with a plate or the palm of your hand.
Dip flattened plantains into garlic mixture and place on a paper towl.
Place plantains into the oil once again and fry until crispy and golden brown.
Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Serve promptly after frying for best taste.
Okay, folks. Here is the recipe. I used the extra firm organic tofu from Trader Joes and cut it into large cubes, which worked pretty well. The texture was a little, well, firm and I think my guys might like just plain old firm better. I also used a non-stick skillet so I didn't use as much oil. My recommendation with stir-frys and other Asian dishes is to have all the ingredients measured out and those that are added in the same step combined before turning the stove on. After the tofu is cooked the other steps happen really quickly.
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 pound regular tofu
1/4 C. orange peel
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. Orange Zest
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 C. vegetable broth
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1/4 C. sherry
1/4 C. orange marmalade
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
Cut tofu into strips. In wok or skillet heat oil over medium high heat. Add tofu and stir fry until golden, it may be easier to do 1/2 or 1/3 of tofu at a time.
In medium bowl combine cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, sugar, sherry, marmalade and red pepper, stir into tofu.
Stir constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat for 1 to 2
minutes. Serve over rice. Note: Adjust the spiciness by adding more or
less red pepper. The 1/2 tsp. gives it a kick without being
overpoweringly spicy.
Ever since I can remember my dad, aunt and other friends and family gather in early December to make the fig cookies. Usually it is preceded by weeks of my mom suggesting to my dad that he make a 1/2 batch and him stubbornly trudging ahead as planned. The fig cookies aren't something everyone can appreciate, but they seem to be getting better and better each year. The filling is a mixture of dried figs, dates, citron, those other red and green fruit things (whatever they are) that you find in fruit cake, chocolate and other spices. Every year seems to be a new variation based on what is available and what is going through my dad's head at the time.
He usually starts a week or two in advance of cookie day grinding all of the ingredients in a food grinder and letting them sit in the fridge so the flavors can meld. Then on cookie day everyone has their task and the cookies, which would be an enormous job for one, is done in a matter of an hour or two.
I'm not going to bother posting the recipe, but here are some photos of the family at work.
Dad rolling the dough. I apprenticed in the roller position this year.
Franko and Aunt Toni. Joe. Franko would fill the dough and Toni and Joe would seal it and cut it.
A few years ago my sister took a tamle cooking class and gathered my brother and I to make our own tamales. So, for the third year in a row we have made tamales together. It's a lot of work, but so worth it! Here are the favorites...
Tamales with Green Chile and Cheese
Ingredients:
Filling
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, cut in 2x ¼ inch sticks
4 Pasilla or poblano chiles, roasted, seeded
and sliced
Batter
1 cup lard (Manteca) or vegetable shortening, slightly softened
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 lbs corn masa (4 cups of masa preparada)
11/3 cup chicken broth
Corn husks (soaked in warm water for several hours until pliable)
Batter:
With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat the lard with salt and the baking powder until light in texture, about one minute.Continue beating as you add the masa to the lard.Reduce the speed to medium low and add broth.Continue beating for another minute or so, until a half teaspoon dollop of the batter floats in a cup of cold water.Add additional broth if necessary.
Cornhusks:
Lay out a large, lightly dried cornhusk with the tapering end toward you.Spread 3 Tbs of dough into about a 4-inch square, add a stick of cheese along with chilies to the center and pick up the two long sides of the cornhusk and bring them together.Fold up the empty section of the husk along the bottom.
Steaming:
When all of the tamales are in the steamer, cover them with a layer of leftover husks, and fill any openspaces with foil to keep the tamales secure.Set the lid in place and steam over a constant heat for the about one hour.Make sure the water doesn’t boil away, add boiling water to the pot when necessary.
Tamales are done with the husk peels away easily.Let tamales stand in the steamer off heat for a few minutes to firm up.
Makes 3 dozen tamales
Tamales with Black Beans in Banana Leaves
Ingredients:
Filling
½ bunch of cilantro
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp salt
4 Tbs vegetable oil
2 large onions (chopped)
4 gloves of garlic (minced)
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
4 15 oz can black beans
Salt and pepper
Batter
1 cup lard (Manteca or shortening)
2 lbs masa (4 cups preparada)
1 1/3 cup chicken broth, cooled
3 lbs Banana leaves
Twine
Banana Leaves:
Unfold the banana leaves and cut off the long, hard sides of the leaves along the central vein.Look for holes or rips, then cut leaves into unbroken 8 inch segments (you will need 36).Either steam the segments for 20 minutes or one at a time, run them over an open flame or hot electric burner until soft and glossy.
Filling:
Heat a medium-large saucepan over medium-high heat.Add the vegetable oil and heat until barely smoking.Add the onion to the pan and cook until it is translucent and soft.Add the garlic, oregano, cumin and cook for another minute.Add the beans to the pan and simmer until tender.Mash the beans with the remaining broth until they are soft, not soupy.Season with salt to taste.
Batter:
With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat the lard until smooth.Continue beating as you add the masa in three additions or more.In a blender puree the cilantro with 1 cup of broth, then slowly pour it into the masa mixture, beating all the while.Beat in enough additional broth to give the mixture of soft, not runny, batter; it should softly hold its shape in a spoon.Season with salt, about 2 scant teaspoons, depending on the saltiness of the broth.
Forming and Steaming the tamales:
Lay a leaf so the long side is horizontal, and smear a scan ¼ cup of batter into a 4x4 inch rectangle.Spoon about 2 tbs of beans over the batter.Fold the right third of the leaf over the middle third, then fold over the uncovered third of the leaf.Fold the ends in at roughly the point where the batter begins and tie with twine.Lay folded side down into a steamer lined with the remaining banana leaves.Cover and steam over medium heat for 1 to 1 ¼ hours.Let the steamer stand off heat for a few minutes—if the leaves peel off easily, they are done.
Makes 4 dozen tamales
Tamales with Chicken and Red Chiles
Ingredients:
Filling
8 medium dried guajillo chiles, stemmed,
seeded and torn into several pieces
8 garlic cloves
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
3 lbs chicken breast, boneless and skinless
Salt
Olive oil
Batter
2 ½ cups lard (Manteca)
or vegetable shortening, slightly softened
3 tsp baking powder
4 tsp salt
4 lbs corn masa (8 cups of masa preparada)
2 2/3 cup chicken broth
Corn husks (soaked in warm water for several hours until pliable)
Filling:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and pan fry until cooked.Shred the chicken.In a blender or food processor combine the chiles, garlic, pepper and cumin.Add 2 cups of chicken stock and blend to a smooth puree.Pour into the saucepan and add the shredded chicken plus 1 teaspoon of salt.Simmer uncovered for one hour stirring regularly—may want to add more liquid if needed.Once the liquids have reduced, remove and cool.I find the flavor is better if you make it the day before and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Batter:
With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat the lard with 4 tsp salt and the baking powder until light in texture, about one minute.Continue beating as you add the masa in three additions or more.Reduce the speed to medium low and add 2 cups of broth.Continue beating for another minute or so, until a half teaspoon dollop of the batter floats in a cup of cold water.Add additional broth if necessary.
Cornhusks:
Lay out a large, lightly dried cornhusk with the tapering end toward you.Spread 3 Tbs of dough into about a 4-inch square, spoon the filling down the center and pick up the two long sides of the cornhusk and bring them together.Fold up the empty section of the husk along the bottom.
Steaming:
When all of the tamales are in the steamer, cover them with a layer of leftover husks, and fill any openspaces with foil to keep the tamales secure.Set the lid in place and steam over a constant heat for the about one hour.Make sure the water doesn’t boil away, add boiling water to the pot when necessary.
Tamales are done with the husk peels away easily.Let tamales stand in the steamer off heat for a few minutes to firm up.
I have never really canned anything before. I grew up watching my mom can jars of apricot jam she made from the apricots growing in our back yard, but I never tried it myself. Every year around Thanksgiving our persimmon tree (fuyu) yields an abundance of fruit. We like persimmons, but don't ever really do much with them except eat a few and give a lot away. This year I thought I'd try my hand at a couple of recipes. #1 Persimmon Butter. The canning technique is based off of something I read online. It worked, but I'm not sure if it is the right way to do things or not.
Spiced Persimmon Butter Recipe
Ingredients
3 c Persimmon pulp*
¾ c Apple cider
1 ¼ c Firmly packed brown sugar
1 t Cinnamon
¼ t Ground cloves
¼ t Grated nutmeg
Directions
Combine ingredients in a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and cook until the mixture is dark and thick. About 30 minutes to and hour, stirring often.
When persimmon butter is close to being ready, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. place clean jars in the pot and let them boil for a couple of minutes. When you are ready to fill the jars remove them from the hot water and wipe dry with a towel. Pour hot persimmon mixture into the jars leaving about 1/2 inch or more space on top. Wipe rim of jars with a clean damp cloth and seal tightly. Return jars to boiling water and let them boil for 10-12 minutes. Remove from boiling water. Dry jars and check the seal by pressing down. If it moves easily or you hear a popping sound the jar is not sealed. Return butter to the boiling water and try again. I have also found for jars that don't seal the first time around that if you wait for a couple minutes for the jars to cool down a bit and then place them in the refrigerator, the jars will seal.
*For fuyu persimmons that do not pulp easily, peel and chop them and add them to a pot with an inch or so of water. Cover and let the persimmons cook until very soft. Using a slotted spoon place persimmons in a blender and puree until smooth. Add remaining ingredients to the blender or use a hand blender in the pot to incorporate all of the ingredients.
I was challenging a friend who hadn't posted on his blog in a while, em, you know who you are, and he threw my lack of postage (for lack of a better word) on this blog back at me. I've got to confess, I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, but nothing really has stood out as post-worthy. When I browsed my archives for inspiration, I realized that my life has changed so much since I've started. Anyway, I realize that the magic does not need to be made in my kitchen for it to be post-worthy. With that in mind I transition to the subject of this blog - pastrami.
Around Passover I knew I had to find a source for chopped liver. Scott loves it; I don't. And I really didn't want to make it with all of the other things I was doing for our two seders (over 30 people). So I did a little web search for Jewish Deli's in LA to see if anything was nearby and I found Langers. Fortunately it was about a mile from my OB's office, so we made plans to meet my Dad, Sister, Franko (her boyfriend, whose name is really Frank, but there are a high number of Franks in my family - Big Frank, Little Frank, Baby Frank, so Frank has become Franko to avoid confusion) Scott and I decided to meet there for lunch after my appointment. I didn't have high expectations because everyone knows New York has the best Delis. BUT I was very pleasantly surprised. In fact, I found myself thinking fondly of this sandwich: Pastrami and Swiss Cheese with Russian Style Dressing. I only ate half and saved half of it for my mom, but alas the second half kept calling me and I succumbed to it's whispers.
It wasn't until I was in the hospital after Aitan's birth that I had Langers again. This time #19: Pastrami, Swiss Cheese and Coleslaw with Russian Style Dressing. Again, heaven. No regrets about eating the whole thing...after all I had just given birth hadn't I? The third time I had Langer's was for my Dad's birthday. We all met downtown for lunch. I agonized how I was going to avoid eating the whole sandwich...it's just too much of a temptation. Fortunately they have a 1/2 sandwich and soup or salad selection. I definitely wanted to the whole sandwich, though and it was a huge exercise in restraint for me.
I get e-mails from the Jewish Journal and was curious when I saw an article about Jewish Delis. What caught my eye was the claim that LA actually has better Delis than New York. The main reason given was that New York Delis have become tourist traps. Anyway, apparently David Sax talks all about it in his book: “Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen,” and he crowns Langer's pastrami as the best pastrami in the world. Well, David, I agree.
I am not going to promise that I will be diligent about posting a family food idea every friday, but I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while. Most moms I know have a hard time coming up with easy, healthy foods for their kids, so, when I have one I'll share it. This week's: Sam I Am Eggs.
Ilan hardly eats. Honestly. He just doesn't have much of an appetite, so it's really important to me to make sure that most of what ends up in his mouth is pretty nutritious. Of course, it doesn't always end up that way and veggies are the hardest thing to get in. One of the things I've been doing lately for breakfast is taking leftover broccoli, asparagus or even fresh spinach and giving it a fine dice and tossing it in with some scrambled eggs. When the eggs are almost done I might add some shredded cheese - whatever I have on hand. Ilan eats it up and the first time I made them he called them Sam I Am Eggs, which I thought was pretty clever.
