My Comfort Food

October 2, 2009 | Filed Under Plantains, Plantains, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways | 8 Comments

My regular readers know that my favorite comfort food is plantain. My friend Tina made this the other day — sliced ripe plantains, seasoned with a little salt, and fried in a little oil.

*sigh of bliss* I. Am. Happy.

Thanks, Tina!

Paz

Nectarine and Blueberry Pie

May 31, 2009 | Filed Under Baking, Fruits, Recipes | 23 Comments

I like to bake, but I don’t do it often enough. It’s therapeutic for me — the kneading, the shaping, the rolling out of the dough, the baking smells…. However, one needs time and energy to bake (or at least, I do) and lately, I haven’t had a lot of time or energy for that — not until I saw this delicious recipe for a Nectarine and Blueberry Pie on Sweet Paul. I saw nectarines and blueberries at the grocery store, just calling my name, and there was no holding me back. I made the time and found some energy to try out this pie.

While I could use the practice slicing the nectarines, rolling the dough and making the petals for the pie crust, I still had a good time making this pie and enjoyed my finished product.

The instructions called for using a tablespoon of white vinegar in the pie crust ingredients. Hmm… Very interesting. I’d never heard of that before. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any white vinegar, so I couldn’t use it. I’m not sure if the lack of vinegar in my crust made a difference in its taste of my crust, but I thought it tasted just fine.

I liked that overall, my pie wasn’t too sweet. The fruits and crust tasted good. My Nectarine and Blueberry Pie was a nice treat for a long-awaited weekend. Now it’s time to start a new week.

Have a good week, everyone.

Paz

Ed. Note: Thanks, Courtney and Mari for letting me know that the vinegar in the crust ingredients makes it nice and flaky. Ahhh! I didn’t know that. Now I do.

Nectarine and Blueberry Pie

Sweet Paul

Serves 8

4 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 3/4 cups unsalted cold butter, in cubes

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 large egg

1/2 cup iced water

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.

Add butter and use your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Mix vinegar, egg and water in a bowl and mix into the flour with your hands just until combined.

Press the dough gently together, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

Take it out and roll it flat.

Fill a 9 inch pie plate with it.

Cut of excess dough.

Cut out small circles with a cookie cutter to go around the edge of the pie.

Filling:

5 nectarines, pitted and sliced

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tablespoons plain flour

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

Place the nectarines and blueberries in a bowl and toss with flour.

Place it in the pie shell. Pour over the lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar.

Line the edge of the pie with the small dough circles.

Beat egg and milk and brush the dough with it.

Bake at 450F for about 40 minutes, or until golden.

Cool and serve.

Vegetable Soup with Orzo

November 24, 2008 | Filed Under Carrots, Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, Fellow Bloggers, Green peas, Orzo, Pasta, Soups/Chowders/Gumbos, Sweet Peas, Vegetables | 19 Comments

Oh! The past couple of days have been extremely cold. This past Saturday was the coldest day so far. Freezing.

I wanted something hot. Something to warm me up. Then I remember a simple soup recipe from Haalo (Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once). I’d saved it a long time ago. It was time to pull it out. I liked that the recipe was simple. I like simple recipes. I like no fuss recipes. This was my kind of recipe.

It called for fresh peas. I bought frozen peas, which worked fine. The recipe also called for capsicum. Capsicum? What was that? I had no idea. After looking it up, I found that that it’s a common name in Australia and Britain for pepper. In North America and Canada, it is commonly known as Bell Pepper ( In other countries it’s also known as Cayene Pepper, African Chillies, Tabsco Peppers, Pimiento and more.). Ahhh! Now I understood. One Red Bell Pepper coming up. I love to learn something new from my fellow bloggers.

I prepared my soup. It tasted delicious! I offered some to my mom. At first she was hesitant and then she said, "yes."

She finished one bowl and then asked, "Is there any more soup?"

LOL! Yup! My soup tasted Mmm, Mmm good. We were both warmed up by this simple, delicious Vegatable Soup with Orzo.

Even one of my dogs got in on the action when I left a few drops in the bowl. I turned around for just a second and she reached up on her hind legs and pulled the bowl down to the ground from the table. She quickly cleaned it out with her long tongue. Yup! I’ll say that even the dog enjoyed the soup, too.

Thanks Haalo for this recipe!

Paz

Little bit of soup left in the bowl, before the dog got to it. *sigh*

Vegetable Soup with Orzo
Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once

For two

1 large red onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 small red capsicum, finely diced
1 large stalk of celery, finely diced
1 zucchini, finely diced
1 large tomato, diced finely
fresh peas
salt and freshly ground white pepper
handful of orzo, per person

I’ve made a very simple vegetable soup and the ingredients should only be used as a guide - feel free to substitute whatever you have on hand.

Place a little olive oil and butter into a saucepan over a medium heat - when butter has melted add the onion, carrot, celery and red capsicum and cook slowly until the vegetables start to soften (you may need to turn the heat down to ensure they don’t colour).

Now add the zucchini and cook until it has started to soften and then tip in the tomato. Wait until the tomato starts to break down before adding the orzo followed by enough boiling water (or stock if so desired) to cover the vegetables by about 2cm/1inch.

Turn the heat up to maintain a boiling temperature and cook for about 5 minutes. Remember to keep stirring so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the fresh peas and then taste and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Turn off the heat and cover and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes - during this time the pasta will finish cooking by absorbing the cooking stock but won’t become mushy.

Before serving add a little more stock if it looks a little dry and bring it back to temperature.

Pear, Gorgonzola, and Pecan Salad

November 3, 2008 | Filed Under Cheese, Fruits, Gorgonzola, Nuts, Pears, Pecans, Salad | 21 Comments

This summer, while convalescing in bed, using my laptop was one of the few things I could do without feeling pain. As I caught up with my blog reading, I came across this salad on Bleeding Espresso.

Later, when I felt better and could go into the kitchen, I made the salad. I loved it and made it over and over again. Never got tired of it. It’s supposed to be a summer salad but if I find the main ingredients like the pears, I plan on making it any time of the year. I think I’ll try canned pears. Thanks, Michelle!

Pear, Gorgonzola, Pecan Salad

Bleeding Espresso

For salad:

Salad greens of your choice
Pears, washed, sliced in half and cored
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Raisins
Pecans

For dressing*:

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste

* This makes enough dressing for about 2-3 salads depending on personal taste and the size of the salads.

1. In a small bowl, mix together lemon and honey until honey is dissolved.

2. Stir in vinegar, then oil, and adjust for salt and other ingredients.

3. If making individual salad plates (recommended), assemble as shown in the photos with pear sliced in half lengthwise and cored placed in the middle of the plate–or any way you like really. It’s your salad!

4. Be sure to brush the pear slices/halves with lemon juice so they don’t brown before serving.

5. I would also recommend serving the dressing on the side at the table but that’s personal preference. If you’re adding it to the plates, serve immediately so things don’t get soggy.

Mango and Coconut Sago Pudding

September 8, 2008 | Filed Under Desserts/Sweets, Guest Bloggers, Mangoes | 30 Comments

Please help me welcome this week’s guest blogger, Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once. Thanks for being here, Haalo!

Paz

Every Monday I have a date with New York - a slice of that lovely city photographed by Paz. So I thought to start this post I’d share a photo of my city, Melbourne at night, taken at the banks of the Yarra River.

When Paz asked if I would guest post while she recovers I immediately had to say yes. Paz is one of those truly lovely people, a friend to all, she’s always there with a cheery word and encouragement.

So for this post I thought I’d make something with her favourite fruit which has just come back into season here - Mango!

While it is perfectly acceptable to just indulge in the fruit in its unadulterated form I really needed to do something more. Various ideas were floated but ultimately I wanted something simple and uncomplicated that wouldn’t compete with the fruit but rather compliment it.

So I turned to a forgotten ingredient -

Pearl Sago or Pearl Tapioca or Tapioca Seed - it is known by various names but refers to virtually the same product. Sago comes from the Sago Palm while Tapioca is made from cassava.

Sago itself has a neutral flavour but does work as a carrier of flavour and as a textural element. To complete the dish, another friend of mango comes into play, coconut cream to bind it together.

The end product, a lusciously delightful Mango and Coconut Sago Pudding!

Mango and Coconut Sago

Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once

½ cup pearl sago

1 cup coconut cream

1½ - 2 cups water

½ cup sugar

1 mango

Prepare the mango:

Cut the cheeks from the mango - slicing close to the central seed.

Using a large metal spoon, drag it around the edge of each cheek to scoop the flesh out in one piece.

Cut each cheek into small dice.

Remove the skin from around the seed and then scrap off as much of the mango flesh as you can - collect this in a bowl and then mash to form a puree. This will be used as a topping.

Make the pudding:

Put the sugar, coconut cream and 1½ cups of water into a saucepan and place over a gentle heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then add the sago.

It’s important that you don’t allow the mixture to boil as that will cause the coconut cream to split.

Keep stirring to ensure the sago doesn’t form clumps. The sago will swell and the mixture will become quite sticky as the starch is released - if it becomes too thick, just add a little more water.

The sago is cooked when it becomes translucent. When you see this happening, gently fold through the diced mango.

The pudding can be served from cold to hot - my preference is to serve it warm.

Pour the pudding into serving glasses and top with the reserved mango puree.

Thanks again to Paz and we all hope to see you back at the helm very soon!

Spinach, Tuna, Tomato and Radish Salad for Paz

September 1, 2008 | Filed Under Fellow Bloggers, Fruits, Guest Bloggers, Kalyn's Kitchen, Radishes, Salad, Seafood, Spinach, Tomatoes, Tuna, Vegetables | 32 Comments

Please help me welcome this week’s guest blogger, Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. Thanks, Kalyn!

Paz

When Paz first asked me to be a guest blogger for her while she was recovering from surgery, I planned a surprise and photographed a bunch of food bloggers at the BlogHer conference in San Francisco, all holding signs with get well wishes for Paz. Then I was impatient and shared a couple of photos in my post about the conference, and Paz refused to stay in bed like a good patient, so she saw the surprise!

I believe things happen the way they’re supposed to, so maybe the get-well wishes were better when Paz was first recovering anyway. Now I’m thinking she might be feeling quite a bit better and maybe now she’s well enough to make this simple salad. This recipe is loaded with nutritious ingredients to get Paz back in good shape in no time!

Spinach, Tuna, Tomato, and Radish Salad for Paz
(Makes one salad, can be doubled, Recipe created by Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen.)

2 cups washed and dried baby spinach leaves (or arugula)
1/2 can tuna, drained (Italian tuna packed in olive oil is best for this.)
5-6 radishes, sliced
2-3 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in quarters
extra virgin olive oil, about a tablespoon
juice of half a lemon (or more if you like a lot of lemon)

Arrange washed spinach or arugula on salad plate. Put tuna in the middle of the spinach, arrange tomatoes around the edge, and sprinkle radishes over. Drizzle salad with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil, the squeeze lemon juice over. You can serve with extra lemon slices to squeeze on when you’re eating the salad if desired.

This is one of those salads where all the individual parts combine to make a lot of flavor. Bon Appetit Paz! Thanks for letting me be a guest blogger. I hope you are feeling a lot better by now and will soon be back to some serious cooking and taking photos around New York!

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

July 14, 2008 | Filed Under Avocado Salsa, Avocados, Fellow Bloggers, Fruits, Laylita's Recipes, Salmon, Seafood, South American Cuisine, Vinaigrettes/Salsas/Sauces | 16 Comments

I love fish, especially salmon. Funny thing: I pronounce salmon, SAL-MON. I notice Americans pronounce it SA-MON. They leave the "L" out. So, when I say SAL-MON, they look at me funny. LOL! I’m not sure where or how I learned to prounonce it that way but that’s the way I do. Anyway, whichever way it’s pronounced, I love this fish and when I saw the recipe for Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa (and a photo of the meal — please, please check out Laylita’s enticing photo.), I couldn’t resist making it. Actually, the Avocado Salsa is what got me. I’d never before heard of anything like that to eat with salmon.

The next day after work, I bought the ingredients and set out to prepare it for dinner. Regular readers know by now that I love simple and easy-to-make meals. This is definitely one. Oh, and another enticing factor about this recipe is that it has cilantro. Hello!? Cilantro! Again, regular readers know that cilantro is my all-time favorite fresh herb. Yes!

Laylita’s recipe calls for the cilantro to be finely chopped. Umm… I didn’t really do that and I clearly added more than the 2 Tbs of cilantro. Next time, I’ll try to follow the recipe better.

The salsa was very easy to put together. No problem.

I got out my grill pan and prepared the salmon. My dogs LOVE fish and started getting excited about the aroma wafting from the kitchen.

Layla suggests the side dish of Ecuadorian rice and or Patacones (thick fried green plantains) to go with the Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa. A third thing regular readers know about me, by now, is that I HEART plantain. I didn’t have any plantain at home, so I ate my salmon and avocado salsa with rice. That was good enough. It was mouthwatering delicious. I loved my meal. I loved the Avocado salsa, which was new and different to me. It sort of had a tangy taste, which enhanced the grilled salmon that had been marinated in salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onions and black pepper. Let me tell you, it tasted so good. I normally only use salt and black pepper when preparing my salmon, so these spices were an added treat to use on the salmon.

The next day, I had some leftover salmon and salsa, so I had it again for dinner. This time I’d bought some yellow (ripe) plantain (kelewele — see photo here), which I fried and ate with the fish. Oh, how I enjoyed my dinner even more. I can’t wait to make this dish again. Thank you, Laylita!

In the meantime, I’m scheduled to have surgery this week –Tuesday. The recovery time is a bit long, so I won’t be able to post any food posts for a while. Some awesome food bloggers have agreed to guest blog for me while I’m recuperating. I’m really excited to see what they have planned for us. I thank my guest bloggers in advance for their kindness. You won’t see me on your blogs for a while but I plan on stopping by as soon as I can.

So see you soon on the blogs and don’t forget to come back here next Tuesday to find out about our first guest blogger.

Best,

Paz

GRILLED SALMON WITH AVOCADO SALSA

Laylita’s Recipes

Ingredients (for 4 people):

2lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

Avocado Salsa

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 small red onion, sliced

3 mild hot peppers, seeded and deveined, diced or sliced

Juice from 2 limes

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs finely chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Suggested sides — Rice (rice Ecuadorian style)and patacones (thick fried green plantains)

Preparation:

1. Mix the salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Pre-heat the grill.

3. Combine the avocado, onion, hot peppers, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.

4. Grill the salmon to desired donesness.

5. Serve the salmon topped with the avocado salsa, and with rice and patacones or thick green plantain chips on the side.

Mango and Feta Salad

July 7, 2008 | Filed Under Basil, Cheese, Fellow Bloggers, Feta Cheese, Fruits, Herbs, Mangoes, Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska, Salad | 22 Comments

My number one favorite fruit is a mango (Cherries come next, then guavas…). Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska recently featured a Mango and Feta Salad on her blog. What an excellent salad for the summer. The mango and basil taste cool and sweet, while the feta cheese lends a salty taste. It’s a winning combination and so easy to throw together. I’ve made this salad several times now. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. Thanks, Laurie!

Paz

Mango and Feta Salad

Serves 1 as a meal and 2 as a side salad

Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska

1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

1/4 cup crumbled feta

1 tsp minced basil

1 Tbsp. best quality olive oil

Sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Lightly toss the mango, feta, basil, and olive oil together. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Plantain, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways #5 - Mangú (Mashed Green Plantains)

March 14, 2007 | Filed Under Plantains, Plantains, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways | 1 Comment

I love that there are so many ways to prepare plantains, my favorite food. Mangú, mashed green plantains, is a typical breakfast meal in the Dominican Republic. It’s become one of my favorite breakfast dishes. To see what a green (unripe) plantain looks like, go here.

I first made mangú, a while ago, when my Dominican friend, Rocío, gave me the recipe. Thank you, Rocío! I was so excited and since then, I’ve prepared it several times. You can serve mangú with onions (preferably red) and sausage, bologna, cheese or fried eggs. I like to eat my mangú with red onions and ox tails. The best thing about knowing how to prepare mangú is that I can eat it anytime I want, not just for breakfast. Yes!

Plantain, how do I love thee? I love thee so many ways!

Paz

Mangú served with red onions, eggs, and sausage

Mangú (Mashed plantains)
Dominican Cooking

Ingredients:
4 unripe (green) plantains
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of oil
2 large onions (*Paz note: I normally use red onions!)
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 cup of cold water
Salt

Preparation:
- Peel plantains and cut into 8 pieces.

- Boil the plantains, adding 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. When the plantains are very tender turn off the heat.

- While the plantains are boiling, heat a tablespoon of oil in a shallow pan. Sautee the onions, add the salt and the vinegar. Reserve.

- Take the plantains out of the water and mash them with a fork. Add the butter and the cold water and keep mashing until it is very smooth.

- Garnish with the onions and serve with scrambled eggs or deep-fried slices of salami.

Plantain, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways #4: Beef Ribs and Lentil Soup

January 18, 2007 | Filed Under Plantains, Plantains, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways | Leave a Comment

The other day, I found an interesting-looking recipe – Beef Ribs and Lentil Soup – in Tiempo New York, a local newspaper. What actually caught my eye was the fact that one of the ingredients included plantains – green plantains to be exact. Well, regular readers know how I feel about plantains. I love them. I immediately tore out the recipe and planned to make it for dinner that evening.

I managed to buy all the ingredients; except for the one I craved the most – the plantains. By now, I’ve learned that in all adventures, especially cooking ones, not everything goes as planned and one has to make due with what one has. Too tired to go to the store that sold the plantains, I had no choice but to cook without them.

Still, my Beef Ribs and Lentil Soup turned out well. The beef ribs added a succulent taste to the soup. The potatoes, lentils, celery, carrots were light yet filling. Instead of two small potatoes as the recipe dictates, a friend suggested using the baby potatoes, which is what I used. I liked that much better. The same idea applied to the carrot called for in the recipe. Instead of one whole carrot, I used a handful of baby carrots. I liked their perfect bite-size and the fact that I didn’t have to bother peeling or chopping anything.

So two things were missing from the soup: Plantain and cilantro, an herb I also love. I had the cilantro but by the time the food was cooked I was very hungry and forgot to add it to the soup. Luckily, I was able to spare a few minutes to take a photo before eating.

Plantain, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… I plan on making this Beef Rib and Lentil soup again very soon. Next time I’ll make sure it contains the plantain and cilantro. I believe those missing ingredients will enhance the soup flavor even more.

In the meantime, after the ingredients had the chance to meld together even longer, I found that my leftover soup tasted even better the next day. Mmm… Mmm good! Very good!

Paz

Ed. Note: I’ve made this recipe again, several times. Those times, I included the plantain (and cilantro), which you can see in newer photos below.

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Dish made again in February, this time with plantains and garnished with cilantro (yum!)

Beef Ribs and Lentil Soup
Adapted from Tiempo New York by Viviana Palacios
Dining – page 12 (January 11–24, 2007)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
½ pound of beef ribs
1 chopped onion
1 chopped carrot*
1 chopped celery strip
2 diced potatoes (small)*
½ diced green plantain
½ cup of lentil
5 cups of water
Salt, pepper and ground cumin
2 tablespoon of chopped cilantro

Preparation
Before chopping your ingredients, set the lentils aide in a bowl of water for at least 20 minutes or more. Preheat a soup pan; add the butter, onions, celery, garlic and beef ribs, salt, pepper and pinch of ground cumin. You brown the ribs for about 5 minute then add the drained lentil, potatoes, plantain, carrots and water. Check for salt and pepper taste and let boil for about 30 minutes, or to the desired thickness. Lastly you sprinkle some fresh cilantro on top and you are ready to serve. I like to add a squeeze of lime for enhanced flavor – try it!

*Paz Note: I used a handful of baby potatoes and baby carrots, instead.

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Beef Ribs and Lentils prepared again with plantains (and garnished with cilantro)