Fideo Con Pollo a La Ruiz
Growing up in our house wherever it may have been during dads time in the Air Force and when he was away in Vietnam I remember mom making this dish for us kids. Fideo being one of mom’s signature meals, is a wonderful dish due to its simplicity in prepare and of its ingredients. One item you have to have is a molcajete a mortal and pestle for the non-Spanish speaking folks out there. Mom’s molcajete is ground smooth after years of continuous use making all of those wonderful meals she was taught by her mother and of course that special touch that only a mom can bestow upon her cooking. Along with fideo we also had pinto beans and of course not a single meal is complete without out having tortillas!
This dish is simple to prepare and the chicken can be made a day prior if you like and be sure to save the additional broth of other uses in your kitchen.
The recipes for fideo I found on the web are virtually all the same some have small differences but over all they are identical. Just remember use the freshest ingredients possible! In Kuwait I am able to find all of the ingredients needed to make fideo. But for me and where I live going to the grocer to pick up a couple items is not something I can do on a whim, I have an hour drive at the least to visit the nearest market to pick up any last minute item. When I make fideo I have to buy tomato paste, chicken bullion, and bottled garlic paste in order to make fideo. Pinto beans have to be imported from the states and luckily for me, my wonderful wife Charlee has sent several bags.
Ok, on with the show!
Fideo
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons manteca or vegetable oil
1 chicken boiled, de-boned. Reserve broth.
½ bell pepper, yellow, coarsely chopped
1 Large ripe tomato, diced and seeded
1 large onion, chopped
1 box of Fideo (vermicelli)
2 – 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced or granulated equivalent
1 tsp salt to taste
whole pepper corns or ½ tsp ground black pepper
whole cominos or ½ tsp ground cumin
1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 ¾ - 2 cups Chicken Stock
Instructions:
1. Boil chicken in salted water until done. Let cool, de-bone and reserve the broth. This step can be done a day before to make things easier for ya’.
2. Chop the onions, bell pepper and tomato and place your onions in a separate bowl from the others.
3. Combine the chicken stock along with the chopped tomato and sauce, cumin, black pepper, salt and garlic.
4. In a heavy cast iron skillet at medium high heat add the manteca, when melted add the fideo and brown.
5. When the fideo is starting to brown, add the onion, shredded chicken and cook to warm up the chicken.
6. Once the chicken is warmed add the sauce from step three along with the tomato and bell pepper, stir well, cover than stir occasionally.
7. When completed serve with a side of beans and tortillas.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sweet Tea!
Has anyone out there watched Steel Magnolia's? Other than being a chick flick and a good movie there is a line that goes something like this "Sweet tea. The table wine of the South". That statement is not far from the truth, it seems that no matter what time of day it is you can find yourself a glass of sweet tea.
With the following exceptions of Texas and parts of Florida and Louisiana you will not find sweet tea unless you visit one of those restaurants that look like a log home, that is the only establishment that I have visited outside of the South that serves sweet tea.
Making a good pitcher of tea is not difficult just as long as you follow a few easy steps.
1. Never use a metalic pitcher.
2. Never use lipton tea.
and
3. If you tap water tastes odd than your tea will taste odd. Use filtered or bottled water.
Now! Pull out your favorite tea pot, hotpot or what it is you like to ues to heat water and get your water boiling!
Once water is boiling remove from the heat and pour into 2-quart pitcher followed by two 1-quart bags of either Lusiana or Red Diamond tea bags (no substitutions!) and let steep. The amount of time is dependent on your tastes. I let mine sit for 30-40 minutes or longer if you like.
Once the steeping period is complete remove but do not squeeze to get the excess tea from the bags and discard; add sugar (just under 3/4 cup more if you like) stir until completely dissolved followed by cold water to fill the remainder of your pitcher.
There you have it! A half-gallon of sweet tea, now all you have to do is place the pitcher in the fridge and leave until it is nice and cold or you can pour your fresh brew over a glass full of ice.
Enjoy!
With the following exceptions of Texas and parts of Florida and Louisiana you will not find sweet tea unless you visit one of those restaurants that look like a log home, that is the only establishment that I have visited outside of the South that serves sweet tea.
Making a good pitcher of tea is not difficult just as long as you follow a few easy steps.
1. Never use a metalic pitcher.
2. Never use lipton tea.
and
3. If you tap water tastes odd than your tea will taste odd. Use filtered or bottled water.
Now! Pull out your favorite tea pot, hotpot or what it is you like to ues to heat water and get your water boiling!
Once water is boiling remove from the heat and pour into 2-quart pitcher followed by two 1-quart bags of either Lusiana or Red Diamond tea bags (no substitutions!) and let steep. The amount of time is dependent on your tastes. I let mine sit for 30-40 minutes or longer if you like.
Once the steeping period is complete remove but do not squeeze to get the excess tea from the bags and discard; add sugar (just under 3/4 cup more if you like) stir until completely dissolved followed by cold water to fill the remainder of your pitcher.
There you have it! A half-gallon of sweet tea, now all you have to do is place the pitcher in the fridge and leave until it is nice and cold or you can pour your fresh brew over a glass full of ice.
Enjoy!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Peach Cobbler
I have a sweet tooth luckily for me it is not a condition I have to endure day by day but when I do get the taste for something sweet this is one of desserts I like to make.
Peach Cobbler! I'm from Texas and in Texas everything there is better. Well I am going to have to say that in this respect I have yet to taste a peach that is as sweet as the ones where I live in Alabama. Not even the peaches from Georgia tastes as sweet and juicy. I might get a few strongly worded replies about my allegations that Georgia nor Texas can grow a decent peach but I guess I must weather the storm.
There are two ways to prepare this recipe both are good but the later to me tastes wonderful.
3/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 stick butter (use butter! no margarine and I normally use 1/2 of a stick)
3 cups sliced fresh peaches (From Alabama)
Destruction!
Preheat your oven to 350 deg.
grab your trusty 9 x 9 inch pan and place the stick of butter in the pan and place in the oven. Once butter is melted remove from the oven and set aside.
in a mixing bowl add your flour, salt, baking powder and sugar, use low speed of your mixer to blend all the ingredients. Once blended add your milk to make your batter, ensure you have no lumps.
Pour the batter into the baking dish.
Place a layer of sliced peaches on top of the batter than sprinkle some sugar on top. The amount of sugar you use is all up to you.
Place the dish back into the oven and bake for at least 1 hour. Depending on your oven it might take a bit longer or it might not.
Serve with vanilla ice or Leche de Dulce ice cream. How many does this serve? I really don't know.
Now for version 2.0!
Everything stays the same except use a can of peaches and reserve the juice. Once the peaches are in place drizzle a bit of the juice on top than bake.
Version 2.2
Pour a can of peaches in a small pot and place on low heat add apx 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg. Taste the juice and adjust accordingly. Place the peaches on top of the batter than add some of the juice on top than bake.
Here is a later addition to this recipe that has nothing to do with ingredients but to the baking aspect. Where I live in Kuwait we are not allowed to have any cooking appliance not matter what the type but yet in the BX they sell frozen pizza and other items that need to be cooked in a small oven even a toaster oven would be useful but even this is too small for my use.
What I do have on hand is a 12 inch clam shell pizza maker, heating elements are on both the top and bottom to ensure the pizza is cooked evenly. I re-purposed this hand kitchen gadget but before hand I cleaned the interior to ensure no home-made pizza residue remained within the pizza maker.
What I did next was to turn on the unit (15 min timer) for 5 minutes to melt the butter. Once the butter was melted I tilted the bottom was well coated.
Next I placed the peaches on top of the batter and along with the peaches I drizzled a bit of the syrup.
My last step was closing the pizza maker and turning the timer to 15 minutes and now all I have to do is wait. I was a bit frightened when I started to smell the cobbler starting to burn but my fears were allayed (did I spell that correctly) when I peaked and all look great.
What I did notice was that the full 15 minutes were not necessary and I cut the time by a few minutes and this is what we had. Luckily for me it tasted really good but the only thing we were missing was some vanilla ice-cream! How could I have forgotten such a necessary and integral part of the dessert? Oh well next time. :)
If you do happen to try this let me know how it worked for you.
One of the guys I work with has a little saying when we don't have what we need out here and here is it. "Life in the Desert".
See ya'!
Peach Cobbler! I'm from Texas and in Texas everything there is better. Well I am going to have to say that in this respect I have yet to taste a peach that is as sweet as the ones where I live in Alabama. Not even the peaches from Georgia tastes as sweet and juicy. I might get a few strongly worded replies about my allegations that Georgia nor Texas can grow a decent peach but I guess I must weather the storm.
There are two ways to prepare this recipe both are good but the later to me tastes wonderful.
3/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 stick butter (use butter! no margarine and I normally use 1/2 of a stick)
3 cups sliced fresh peaches (From Alabama)
Destruction!
Preheat your oven to 350 deg.
grab your trusty 9 x 9 inch pan and place the stick of butter in the pan and place in the oven. Once butter is melted remove from the oven and set aside.
in a mixing bowl add your flour, salt, baking powder and sugar, use low speed of your mixer to blend all the ingredients. Once blended add your milk to make your batter, ensure you have no lumps.
Pour the batter into the baking dish.
Place a layer of sliced peaches on top of the batter than sprinkle some sugar on top. The amount of sugar you use is all up to you.
Place the dish back into the oven and bake for at least 1 hour. Depending on your oven it might take a bit longer or it might not.
Serve with vanilla ice or Leche de Dulce ice cream. How many does this serve? I really don't know.
Now for version 2.0!
Everything stays the same except use a can of peaches and reserve the juice. Once the peaches are in place drizzle a bit of the juice on top than bake.
Version 2.2
Pour a can of peaches in a small pot and place on low heat add apx 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg. Taste the juice and adjust accordingly. Place the peaches on top of the batter than add some of the juice on top than bake.
Here is a later addition to this recipe that has nothing to do with ingredients but to the baking aspect. Where I live in Kuwait we are not allowed to have any cooking appliance not matter what the type but yet in the BX they sell frozen pizza and other items that need to be cooked in a small oven even a toaster oven would be useful but even this is too small for my use.
What I do have on hand is a 12 inch clam shell pizza maker, heating elements are on both the top and bottom to ensure the pizza is cooked evenly. I re-purposed this hand kitchen gadget but before hand I cleaned the interior to ensure no home-made pizza residue remained within the pizza maker.
What I did next was to turn on the unit (15 min timer) for 5 minutes to melt the butter. Once the butter was melted I tilted the bottom was well coated.
Next I placed the peaches on top of the batter and along with the peaches I drizzled a bit of the syrup.
My last step was closing the pizza maker and turning the timer to 15 minutes and now all I have to do is wait. I was a bit frightened when I started to smell the cobbler starting to burn but my fears were allayed (did I spell that correctly) when I peaked and all look great.
What I did notice was that the full 15 minutes were not necessary and I cut the time by a few minutes and this is what we had. Luckily for me it tasted really good but the only thing we were missing was some vanilla ice-cream! How could I have forgotten such a necessary and integral part of the dessert? Oh well next time. :)
If you do happen to try this let me know how it worked for you.
One of the guys I work with has a little saying when we don't have what we need out here and here is it. "Life in the Desert".
See ya'!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Pizza dough and Sauce
Pizza Dough and Sauce
No one knows where pizza first originated and to tell you the truth I would like to know when but since there is no real way to tie it down to when and where lets just be thankful that it has come to being at its current incarnation shall we? Great!
Everyone has their favorite kinda of pizza, whether it’s ham and pineapple, pepperoni and cheese, plain cheese or what the Danes like to call a Garden pizza. No matter what your toppings are nothing can beat the taste of home made pizza. My preference is double pepperoni, garlic and jalapeno’s next in line is the meat lover’s pizza. What’s your?
I have been looking for a while for a good pizza dough recipe and searching on the net you will find a basic recipe for the crust. What I was looking for was one that used semolina in the recipe. I had found several but ended up melding two different recipes into one that I liked. It will make two twelve-inch pizzas or four-nine inch (personal size pizzas that can be prepared in a 9-inch metal pie plate.
Here is the recipe and I hope you like it as much as I do. In making the dough be sure that the room you are using to let the dough rise is a warm room or use your oven to proof the dough. Also make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature prior to making the dough.
The Dough
Ingredients:
1 Packet yeast
1 Tbls Sugar
3 ½ cups Flour
1 cup Semolina
1 ¾ cups warm water
3 tbls Olive oil
1 tbls Salt
1. In a separate container add ¾ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon of sugar and mix well, once mixed add the yeast and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl add your flour, semolina and salt; blend all of the ingredients well.
3. Check the yeast and make sure that there is a good amount of foam on top if so than your yeast is good. Pour it into the flour mixture along with the olive oil and add ¾ cup of warm water, knead into the flour and do not add any more water than necessary if you do just add a bit of flour and knead into the dough until it is not longer sticky, tacky is ok.
4. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes after that amount of time your dough should feel silky if not knead until it is.
5. Once kneading is complete divide the dough accordingly and shape into round balls, place then in oiled bowls, cover, place in a warm place and let rise for two hours.
6. Once the dough has risen to double in size remove and knead place back in the bowl and cover and let rise again.
7. After the second rise remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and either lightly roll out the dough to form a 12 or 9 inch round or use your fingers to form the dough.
Pizza Sauce
500 g Tomato Sauce
60 g Tomato Paste
1 Tbls Italian Seasoning
½ tsp Garlic Paste or more to suit your taste
1 tsp powdered onion or
½ medium onion diced
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
¼ tsp Salt
1 – 2 tbls Olive Oil
Combine all ingredients together and simmer for at least an hour prior to using. Taste and increase any of the ingredients to your liking.
As a side note if you would like to experiment, flavor your dough with some dried herbs like oregano, basil or anything that you believe would taste good. I used a bit of Cayenne pepper in my last batch and it did taste pretty good. Use infused oils other than olive oil, you can buy infused oils at a number of well stocked stores or on-line, they come in a variety of flavors like hot chili, garlic, etc.
No one knows where pizza first originated and to tell you the truth I would like to know when but since there is no real way to tie it down to when and where lets just be thankful that it has come to being at its current incarnation shall we? Great!
Everyone has their favorite kinda of pizza, whether it’s ham and pineapple, pepperoni and cheese, plain cheese or what the Danes like to call a Garden pizza. No matter what your toppings are nothing can beat the taste of home made pizza. My preference is double pepperoni, garlic and jalapeno’s next in line is the meat lover’s pizza. What’s your?
I have been looking for a while for a good pizza dough recipe and searching on the net you will find a basic recipe for the crust. What I was looking for was one that used semolina in the recipe. I had found several but ended up melding two different recipes into one that I liked. It will make two twelve-inch pizzas or four-nine inch (personal size pizzas that can be prepared in a 9-inch metal pie plate.
Here is the recipe and I hope you like it as much as I do. In making the dough be sure that the room you are using to let the dough rise is a warm room or use your oven to proof the dough. Also make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature prior to making the dough.
The Dough
Ingredients:
1 Packet yeast
1 Tbls Sugar
3 ½ cups Flour
1 cup Semolina
1 ¾ cups warm water
3 tbls Olive oil
1 tbls Salt
1. In a separate container add ¾ cup warm water, 1 tablespoon of sugar and mix well, once mixed add the yeast and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl add your flour, semolina and salt; blend all of the ingredients well.
3. Check the yeast and make sure that there is a good amount of foam on top if so than your yeast is good. Pour it into the flour mixture along with the olive oil and add ¾ cup of warm water, knead into the flour and do not add any more water than necessary if you do just add a bit of flour and knead into the dough until it is not longer sticky, tacky is ok.
4. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes after that amount of time your dough should feel silky if not knead until it is.
5. Once kneading is complete divide the dough accordingly and shape into round balls, place then in oiled bowls, cover, place in a warm place and let rise for two hours.
6. Once the dough has risen to double in size remove and knead place back in the bowl and cover and let rise again.
7. After the second rise remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and either lightly roll out the dough to form a 12 or 9 inch round or use your fingers to form the dough.
Pizza Sauce
500 g Tomato Sauce
60 g Tomato Paste
1 Tbls Italian Seasoning
½ tsp Garlic Paste or more to suit your taste
1 tsp powdered onion or
½ medium onion diced
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
¼ tsp Salt
1 – 2 tbls Olive Oil
Combine all ingredients together and simmer for at least an hour prior to using. Taste and increase any of the ingredients to your liking.
As a side note if you would like to experiment, flavor your dough with some dried herbs like oregano, basil or anything that you believe would taste good. I used a bit of Cayenne pepper in my last batch and it did taste pretty good. Use infused oils other than olive oil, you can buy infused oils at a number of well stocked stores or on-line, they come in a variety of flavors like hot chili, garlic, etc.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Chicken & Chorizo with Rice
First the disclaimer. Gary, Mark, Gerald and the rest of you who tried this dish I apologize to you now for being my white lab rats. I had no other way to gauge how the dish would tasting without having you guys taste the rice for me. Thank you for being my impromptu white lab rats.
Why were you my lab rats? To put simply I changed the recipe here and there to judge the flavors of the dish.
Chicken Broth/Bullion cubes. I first made the dish with and without chicken broth even though everyone who tasted it it was better with chicken broth (or bullion cubes).
Oregano. the original called for more than what is used I liked it better using less oregano and it seemd as if everyone else did to. But like everything this is a matter of taste, if you want more use more. :)
Sofrito. Sofrito added more flavors and give the dish a more reddish color this is in addition to the color you would get from the chorizo. The final version for the rice we had for our bbq and it was noted that the rice was killer!
Bayleaf. I don't know about you guys but I did notice a very subtle aroma but not much on the flavor department so the final version keeps the bayleaf.
Chorizo. Here is where difference might matter but I don't believe so. I used Johnsonville brand chorizo, what we (us Mexicans) are used to eating is the variety that breaks apart when cooked, this chorizo acts like the Portugese or Spanish variety in that it does not break apart when cooked. I do not believe this to be an issue in making this dish. So if you try it with the Mexican version please let me know how it comes out. I really would like to know.
Ok now on with the rest of the story!
Chicken and Chorizo with Rice
Who likes chicken and rice? A whole lot of people love this simple dish and similar one- dish meals to feed your family. While scouring the web one day for another version of chicken and rice I came upon one that called for chorizo. If you’re Mexican as I am you love chorizo. Chorizo with eggs or potatoes or mixed in with your refried beans for that matter. A dip can be made with chorizo and cheese that is very good. Well you get my drift about chorizo so let’s get back to what we were originally talking about, chicken and rice.
I had found a recipe for chicken and chorizo, which intrigued me enough to copy the basic ingredients for the recipe this is what I came up with. I don’t know if you will like it but the flavor tasted pretty good. If you like it please let me know
I modified the recipe for the electrically controlled pressure cooker; also a couple of ingredients have changed due to location and available ingredients at the time. Please do the same for this recipe to work for you.
The ingredients with "*" next to them is where I have changed the recipe so this gives you a bit of leeway in making this dish. Oh, and before I forget this recipe is for a pressure cooker, you will need to adjust the amount of water or chicken broth to have enough to cook the rice.
1 small chicken cut-up*
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup Sofrito (a little more if you like)
2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 – 2 links Chorizo, sliced*
Oregano flakes (a few shakes from the bottle)
Red pepper flakes*
4 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 Medium onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 ¾ cups uncooked rice
1 chicken bullion cube
3 cups water (if you use chicken broth you can eliminate the chicken bullion)
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in pressure cooker with olive oil. Once browned set aside on a plate and drain oil from pressure cooker.
2. Add chorizo to cooker and brown once browned removed chorizo to plate with chicken but reserve oil in cooker.
3. Add remaining ingredients except rice and broth and cook onions until transparent than add rice, broth, chicken and chorizo and cook uncovered and stir occasionally for 10 minutes than cover and cook for 8 minutes under pressure.
4. When completed let cool slowly. Than serve.
• I had a whole cooked chicken from the dining hall that I de-boned and used instead of a small cut-up chicken.
• The chorizo used is Johnsonville brand chorizo. This is a firm style chorizo unlike the Tex-Mex variety from home does not crumble
• I had no red pepper flakes on hand so I used Tony Chachere’s It is a great spice and you can find it in Kuwait)
Why were you my lab rats? To put simply I changed the recipe here and there to judge the flavors of the dish.
Chicken Broth/Bullion cubes. I first made the dish with and without chicken broth even though everyone who tasted it it was better with chicken broth (or bullion cubes).
Oregano. the original called for more than what is used I liked it better using less oregano and it seemd as if everyone else did to. But like everything this is a matter of taste, if you want more use more. :)
Sofrito. Sofrito added more flavors and give the dish a more reddish color this is in addition to the color you would get from the chorizo. The final version for the rice we had for our bbq and it was noted that the rice was killer!
Bayleaf. I don't know about you guys but I did notice a very subtle aroma but not much on the flavor department so the final version keeps the bayleaf.
Chorizo. Here is where difference might matter but I don't believe so. I used Johnsonville brand chorizo, what we (us Mexicans) are used to eating is the variety that breaks apart when cooked, this chorizo acts like the Portugese or Spanish variety in that it does not break apart when cooked. I do not believe this to be an issue in making this dish. So if you try it with the Mexican version please let me know how it comes out. I really would like to know.
Ok now on with the rest of the story!
Chicken and Chorizo with Rice
Who likes chicken and rice? A whole lot of people love this simple dish and similar one- dish meals to feed your family. While scouring the web one day for another version of chicken and rice I came upon one that called for chorizo. If you’re Mexican as I am you love chorizo. Chorizo with eggs or potatoes or mixed in with your refried beans for that matter. A dip can be made with chorizo and cheese that is very good. Well you get my drift about chorizo so let’s get back to what we were originally talking about, chicken and rice.
I had found a recipe for chicken and chorizo, which intrigued me enough to copy the basic ingredients for the recipe this is what I came up with. I don’t know if you will like it but the flavor tasted pretty good. If you like it please let me know
I modified the recipe for the electrically controlled pressure cooker; also a couple of ingredients have changed due to location and available ingredients at the time. Please do the same for this recipe to work for you.
The ingredients with "*" next to them is where I have changed the recipe so this gives you a bit of leeway in making this dish. Oh, and before I forget this recipe is for a pressure cooker, you will need to adjust the amount of water or chicken broth to have enough to cook the rice.
1 small chicken cut-up*
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup Sofrito (a little more if you like)
2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 – 2 links Chorizo, sliced*
Oregano flakes (a few shakes from the bottle)
Red pepper flakes*
4 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 Medium onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 ¾ cups uncooked rice
1 chicken bullion cube
3 cups water (if you use chicken broth you can eliminate the chicken bullion)
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in pressure cooker with olive oil. Once browned set aside on a plate and drain oil from pressure cooker.
2. Add chorizo to cooker and brown once browned removed chorizo to plate with chicken but reserve oil in cooker.
3. Add remaining ingredients except rice and broth and cook onions until transparent than add rice, broth, chicken and chorizo and cook uncovered and stir occasionally for 10 minutes than cover and cook for 8 minutes under pressure.
4. When completed let cool slowly. Than serve.
• I had a whole cooked chicken from the dining hall that I de-boned and used instead of a small cut-up chicken.
• The chorizo used is Johnsonville brand chorizo. This is a firm style chorizo unlike the Tex-Mex variety from home does not crumble
• I had no red pepper flakes on hand so I used Tony Chachere’s It is a great spice and you can find it in Kuwait)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Flan!
If have lived in Puerto Rico before and had the chance to try the island's style of flan you will remember the creamy sweet flavor of the caramel and the flan mixing together in your mouth and a slight smile forming on your lips. That is what happened to me when I first tried flan in Puerto Rico back in the early 70's.
There are other dishes that I remember from our times on the island like arroz con gandules, Pan de Aqua (oh so delicious!), Pasteles, Bacalao and other's. The one fruit that my mom enjoyed were the butternut avacados that grew to a size that a normal person would have to use two hands to attempt to cover it.
The Recipe
Here is what you need to make your own flan it is very easy to make you just have to be patient in letting it cool unless you like the flan just a little bit on the warm side.
3/4 cup sugar
1 - 8 oz package of cream cheese
8 eggs
1 can consensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
In mold or pot, place 3 Tbs sugar & 2 Tbs water, mix well and cook on medium heat till sugar turns amber, than pour this into the bottom of your baking dish.
Beat all ingredients together.
Carefully pour into prepared pan & bake at 350F, in bain marie (water bath) for 50 minutes, or till golden.
Let the flan cool slowly. When cool but lightly warm invert onto a serving platter and serve or cool over night than invert onto a serving platter and serve.
There are other dishes that I remember from our times on the island like arroz con gandules, Pan de Aqua (oh so delicious!), Pasteles, Bacalao and other's. The one fruit that my mom enjoyed were the butternut avacados that grew to a size that a normal person would have to use two hands to attempt to cover it.
The Recipe
Here is what you need to make your own flan it is very easy to make you just have to be patient in letting it cool unless you like the flan just a little bit on the warm side.
3/4 cup sugar
1 - 8 oz package of cream cheese
8 eggs
1 can consensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
In mold or pot, place 3 Tbs sugar & 2 Tbs water, mix well and cook on medium heat till sugar turns amber, than pour this into the bottom of your baking dish.
Beat all ingredients together.
Carefully pour into prepared pan & bake at 350F, in bain marie (water bath) for 50 minutes, or till golden.
Let the flan cool slowly. When cool but lightly warm invert onto a serving platter and serve or cool over night than invert onto a serving platter and serve.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Carne Asada
Flank steak is a very tough piece of meat that has to be cut against the grain in order for the meat to seem tender. If you do not know what I mean "against the grain" here is a bit of a long explaination.
When your meat has thawed or is fresh from the store remove the meat from its packaging and rinse to remove the blood. Next, tear off any piece of fat that remains on its surface and than place it on a cutting board. Now pick a side where you can visibly see the structure of the muscle. Position the meat to where you see the strands of muscle run from left to right. Ok, got? Good. If you cut this piece of meat with the grain (cutting a piece of meat from left to right along the lines of muscle) this is called cutting with the grain and what you get when you try to chew this piece it will seem tough and well, stringy. Now if you cut the meat in thin slices in the opposite direction (against the grain) the pieces will seem tender and not stringy. This is what is meant by cutting against the grain. When I get a chance I will drop some pictures here to show you the difference.
One of my favorite meats to cook on the bbq grill is a pice of flank steak. It is a tough piece of meat but when you marinade it with the below ingredients you will be in for a treat. At home (Texas and Alabama) I will have this with either flour or corn tortilla's a side of rice and beans and of course the table wine of the South, tea.
The recipe below is for Carne Asada, I hope you like it as much as I do and as much as those whom I have prepared if for have enjoyed.
Carne Asada
Ingredients:
3 pounds flank
2 Limes, (freshly squeezed) If you do not have any fresh limes you can get away and use the bottled variety.
1 large white onion, thinly sliced or 2 tbls onion powder
2 tbls Garlic-Pepper (use your best judgement)
2 tbsp finely ground oregano
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 dozen each, corn and flour tortillas
Remove the flank steak from its packaging and rinse off the blood with cold water and set in side a glass container or use a gallon size ziploc bag.
Dust each side with the garlic-pepper, oregano, cumin and onion use the amount of spice to suit your taste.
If you place the meat in a glass dish make sure you flip the meat after a few hours to ensure the meat is covered. If using a ziplock bag you do not have to worry about it. Let it rest for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
You can cook this in your kitchen in a skillet over medium high heat or outside on a grill (prefered) with hot coals. Cook the meat to your desired preference. Remove from heat and let it rest for five minutes before cutting.
Cut the meat against the grain and serve with either a flour or corn tortilla along with your side of rice and beans.
As a note I have had guacamole inside the tortilla and this tastes wonderful but just plain right off the grill is still quite delicious. I hope you enjoy this dish.
When your meat has thawed or is fresh from the store remove the meat from its packaging and rinse to remove the blood. Next, tear off any piece of fat that remains on its surface and than place it on a cutting board. Now pick a side where you can visibly see the structure of the muscle. Position the meat to where you see the strands of muscle run from left to right. Ok, got? Good. If you cut this piece of meat with the grain (cutting a piece of meat from left to right along the lines of muscle) this is called cutting with the grain and what you get when you try to chew this piece it will seem tough and well, stringy. Now if you cut the meat in thin slices in the opposite direction (against the grain) the pieces will seem tender and not stringy. This is what is meant by cutting against the grain. When I get a chance I will drop some pictures here to show you the difference.
One of my favorite meats to cook on the bbq grill is a pice of flank steak. It is a tough piece of meat but when you marinade it with the below ingredients you will be in for a treat. At home (Texas and Alabama) I will have this with either flour or corn tortilla's a side of rice and beans and of course the table wine of the South, tea.
The recipe below is for Carne Asada, I hope you like it as much as I do and as much as those whom I have prepared if for have enjoyed.
Carne Asada
Ingredients:
3 pounds flank
2 Limes, (freshly squeezed) If you do not have any fresh limes you can get away and use the bottled variety.
1 large white onion, thinly sliced or 2 tbls onion powder
2 tbls Garlic-Pepper (use your best judgement)
2 tbsp finely ground oregano
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 dozen each, corn and flour tortillas
Remove the flank steak from its packaging and rinse off the blood with cold water and set in side a glass container or use a gallon size ziploc bag.
Dust each side with the garlic-pepper, oregano, cumin and onion use the amount of spice to suit your taste.
If you place the meat in a glass dish make sure you flip the meat after a few hours to ensure the meat is covered. If using a ziplock bag you do not have to worry about it. Let it rest for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
You can cook this in your kitchen in a skillet over medium high heat or outside on a grill (prefered) with hot coals. Cook the meat to your desired preference. Remove from heat and let it rest for five minutes before cutting.
Cut the meat against the grain and serve with either a flour or corn tortilla along with your side of rice and beans.
As a note I have had guacamole inside the tortilla and this tastes wonderful but just plain right off the grill is still quite delicious. I hope you enjoy this dish.
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