Turkey Wings a la Helin
February 9, 2010 | Filed Under Honduran recipes, Poultry, Sofrito, Turkey | 7 Comments
Chopped cilantro and onions — part of the ingredients to make sofrito.
I’m not so crazy about turkey. The only part of the turkey I like LOVE is the wings. Yeah, I love turkey wings and that’s it. For a long time, I’d just sprinkle salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil on the wings before putting them in the oven. That was it for me. Then family friend, Helin mentioned how she usually prepares her turkey. Intrigued, I decided to try her method on my wings. It sounded so easy and the added enticement was that I could use the same recipe when preparing chicken, too.
First she made her version (Honduran) of sofrito. For those new to sofrito, it’s basically a flavorful sauce, freshly made and added to meats, poultry (in this case turkey), stews and sauces. It’s used in different types of cuisines, such as Latin, Spanish, Mediterranean and more. Ever since I made my first sofrito a few years ago, I’ve learned that there are different types of sofrito.
Helin’s sofrito was simple and consisted of 5 cloves of garlic, 1/2 bunch of cilantro, 1/2 bunch of culantro, 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper, water and apple cider vinegar, which was then mixed in the blender.
Sofrito prepared in the blender
Next, she carefully cleaned and washed the turkey, making sure to remove stray feathers. I confess that I was never that thorough when preparing any type of poultry. Then Helin rinsed the wings with fresh lemon juice and water. I’d never seen it done that way before but she said that’s what she does to help get rid of the bacteria. Another confession: I normally just wash with cold water and call it a day. Well, I’ve learned something new now.
Next we seasoned the turkey with Adobo, Sazón with coriander and annatto and covered the wings with the freshly-made sofrito (The wings could also be marinated a few hours in the sofrito.). Helin said that when she prepares a whole turkey, she pokes holes into it so the the sofrito seeps into the turkey and flavors it more.
Turkey wings covered with sofrito before going into the oven.
We covered the wings with foil and place them in the oven. After 40 minutes, we removed the foil and left the wings in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Uncovered, we spooned the juices/gravy over the wings.
When ready, the turkey came out full of flavor and very tasty.
A few days later, I tried the same method with chicken pieces. Again, I wasn’t disappointed. Delicious.
Paz (very happy)
Three remaining pieces of turkey wings after everyone served themselves.
Aji Criollo (Ecuadorian Hot Sauce)
January 11, 2009 | Filed Under Aji Criollo (Ecuadorian Hot Sauce), Cuisines, Ecuadorian Cuisine, Fellow Bloggers, Laylita's Recipes, South American Cuisine, Vinaigrettes/Salsas/Sauces | 34 Comments
Last week, I wrote about Laylita’s Baked Plaintain with Cheese recipe, which I served with Aji Criollo, an Ecuadorian hot sauce/salsa. The hot sauce adds a bite to the dish served.
For those of you who like their foods hot, this is a hot sauce for you. For those who don’t like or can’t eat spicy, just look at the photo. It’s good and hot and not for the faint of heart, or should I say it’s not for the faint of tongue. You use hot peppers like serranos, jalapenos or habaneros. I chose serranos, which turned out perfect for me. You can also make make the hot sauce a little milder by removing the membranes and the seeds. Of course, I left them in. Of course.
What I loved about this hot sauce is that I could taste the freshness of all the ingredients — the hot peppers, the cilantro (cilantro!), the garlic, lime and onions. It certainly beat the store-bought, preservative-filled bottle of hot sauce any day. I also loved that this hot sauce was easy to make. I simply put the ingredients together in the blender and I was practically done.
According to Laylita, it’s better to finish the hot sauce the same day but it can last up to 3 days. It lasted less than a day and a half in my house. Everyone loved this hot sauce with the baked plantain and used it to eat with other foods the next day. I won’t say who specifically because I do not want to get in trouble, but I spied someone lifting their plate and licking the remnants of the hot sauce clean from it. LOL!
Yeah, it was that good (and hot!).
Oh by the way, did you know that if you eat something that’s too hot for you, you’re not supposed to drink water. That does nothing to lessen the burning of your tongue. Instead, you’re supposed eat a piece of bread. I’ve actually tried it before and found that it does indeed work.
Thanks for the recipe, Laylita!
Paz
Ed. Note: In the post, I mentioned one way to cool down your mouth/tongue after eating something hot (eating a slice of bread). In the comments section, Sra of When My Soup Came Alive added some suggestions — According to her aunt, milk is "supposed to help". On the other hand, Sra has found that drinking hot water "helps" her.
Pia of Serendipity, Synchronicity and Saffron writes that a tomato slice "works wonders".
If you have any tips on how to lessen the heat of a spicy food after taking a bite, please share with us.
Aji Criollo (Ecuadorian Hot Sauce) served with Baked Plantain with Cheese
Aji Criollo (Ecuadorian Hot Sauce)
Ingredients:
4 ajies or hot peppers (jalapenos, serranos and habaneros are good replacements)
1/2 bunch of cilantro (stems and leaves)
1/2 cup of water
3 garlic cloves
Juice from 1/2 lime or lemon
3 Tbs finely chopped white onion (scallions can also be used)
Salt
Preparation:
Combine the hot peppers, cilantro, water, garlic cloves and lime juice in the blender and blend well.
Add the chopped white onions and salt to taste.
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
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.
Tomatillo Salsa Verde
February 15, 2007 | Filed Under Tomatillo Salsa Verde, Vinaigrettes/Salsas/Sauces | Leave a Comment
Salsa verde!
Oh, how salsa verde brings out the love in me, when I taste it. I love the tangy, piquant, green, fresh taste. What a wonderful combination of the tomatillos (those small green husk-covered fruits that are also known as Mexican tomatoes), garlic, cilantro (oh, yeah!), jalapeño, lime juice and olive oil! Oh, yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah! And it’s so easy to make. So easy to fall in love with this. It’s so easy to get that lovey feeling.
The salsa verde is actually a part of one of my favorite meals — Bluefish fajitas — a recipe from Beyond Salmon. Very delicious! I’ll have to post the Bluefish fajitas recipe at a later time. Each time I make it, I’m too tired and hungry to take a photo of it.
I did manage to take a picture of my salsa verde, which was lots of fun to make. It made the Bluefish fajitas taste extra special. I love to take my bluefish-filled fajita and sop it up with the salsa verde (in addition to the guacamole and Greek yougurt).
Yeah, I’m so loving my salsa verde.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
Ed. Note: A few of you cannot find tomatillos and have asked whether there’s a substitute for it. After checking with Helen, the answer is not really. This is a recipe for tomatillo salsa. Without the tomatillos, it will be a different type of salsa. However, Helen mentions that you can use regular tomatoes. Finely chop the tomatoes, instead of pureeing them (as you would do for the tomatillos). Have fun!
Tomatillo Salsa Verde:
Beyond Salmon
8 medium tomatillos, with paper-like husks removed
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced (use less if you prefer it less spicy)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Quarter tomatillos. In a bowl of a food processor, combine tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, and lime juice. Process until chopped into tiny pieces. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Move to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Spicy Grilled Salmon with Mango, Radish, and Lime Salsa
June 20, 2006 | Filed Under Fruits, Mango, Radish and Lime Salsa, Mangoes, Radishes, Salmon, Seafood, Vinaigrettes/Salsas/Sauces | Leave a Comment
Making Southwest Spice Mix
Things do not always go according to the plan during my cooking adventures. Making this Spicy Grilled Salmon with Mango was one of those times where my cooking adventure took a wrong turn. Even my photo didn’t turn out right. I’ve mentioned several times that I love mangoes — preferably green mangoes. When I saw celebrity chef’ 911 Tyler Florence’s recipe involving mangoes, I jumped at the opportunity to prepare it. I eagerly ran out and bought all the ingredients that included more of my favorites — salmon, red onion, cilantro. The menu was relatively easy to put together. I had fun making the Southwest Spice Mix. The ingredients for the spice involved ancho chili peppers (which, I’d never heard of before), cumin, corriander, cinnamon and paprika. Everything turned out well, till I tasted my salsa. It was horrible! I think the problem was that I’d used unripe, green mango, which spoiled the taste of the salsa and made it taste almost bitter. No one ate the salsa, which they pushed to the side of their plate. Later, it went into the garbage can. 
Overall, I liked the recipe. The Spice Mix tasted really good on the salmon. So, I’d like to try it again. Next time, I’ll make sure to use ripe mangoes for the salsa and perhaps, I may leave out the lime. I think the lime made the salsa too sour. Any salsa makers out there: What do you think? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Paz
Spicy Grilled Salmon with Mango, Radish, and Lime Salsa
Tyler Florence - Food 911
Salsa: 2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks 1 red onion, chopped 6 red radishes, chopped, plus 1 sliced for garnish 2 limes, peeled and cut into segments 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon Southwest Spice Mix, recipe follows 1 (2 to 3 pound) salmon fillet Extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper For the Salsa, put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped; set aside.
Heat the grill to medium high. Drizzle some olive oil over the salmon and season it with salt and pepper. Gently rub 2 tablespoons of the Spice Mix into the salmon. Pour some olive oil onto a paper towel and rub the grill with it - this will help to prevent the fish from sticking. Grill the salmon flesh side down for about 12 to 15 minutes.
To serve, spread most of the Salsa onto a platter and place the salmon, skin side down, on top. Garnish with more Salsa, radish slices, cilantro, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Southwest Spice Mix: 2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded 2 tablespoons whole cumin 2 tablespoons whole coriander 1 cinnamon stick 1 tablespoon sweet paprika Put the ancho chiles, cumin, coriander, cinnamon stick, and paprika into a small dry skillet over medium-high heat, and toast the spices just until they begin to smell, about 1 minute. Empty into a spice mill and grind to a powder.
Making the salsa — the ingredients in the food processor
A really bad photo of the Spicy Grilled Salmon with Mango
Grilled Spanish-Style Snapper with Tomato and Green Olive Salsa
October 21, 2005 | Filed Under Red Snapper, Seafood, Tomato and Green Olive Salsa, Vinaigrettes/Salsas/Sauces | Leave a Comment
After watching one of Rachael Ray’s 30-Minutes Meals shows, I became anxious to try her Grilled Spanish-Style Snapper with Tomato and Green Olive Salsa. I finally got a chance and bought my ingredients from the new Citarella store in my neighborhood. They sell fresh fish, meat and good vegetables. Here’s there recipe:
Grilled Spanish-Style Snapper with Tomato and Green Olive Salsa
4 (8oz) portions of red snapper fillet
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling
1 ½ tsp (1/2 palmful) cumin
1 ½ tsp (1/2 palmful) sweet paprika
1 tsp (1/3 palmful) coarse salt
1 tsp (1/3 palmful) black pepper
1 tsp (1/3 palmful) coriander
Tomatoes and Green Olive Salsa:
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Handful of cilantro, finely chopped (You can substitute with flat leaf parsley)
½ small red onion, chopped
12 large green olives cracked from pits and coarsely chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Preheat grill pan; drizzle snapper with extra-virgin olive oil; combine spices in a small bowl; rub fish with spice mixture; cook fish for 5 minutes skin side down first; turn the fish and cook for 5 to 6 minutes longer; combine salsa ingredients in a small bowl and allow it to marinate until ready to serve. To serve, plate spiced snapper with a generous serving of salsa.
First, I prepared the salsa and let it sit before starting with the snapper. I enjoyed all the chopping involved to make the salsa. My favorite part of the process was chopping the cilantro on my new cutting board — a nice, big, wooden one. As soon as the knife hit the cilantro on the board, it’s distinct smell wafted towards my nose and had me salivating in anticipation of the finished meal. I love cilantro. It not only brings color to the dish but tastes so good with the tomatoes, lime, and green olives.
Next, I concentrated on the red snapper, prepared on my handy small grill pan. The aroma of the spices floated up into the air. From the smells alone, I knew it would be a good meal.
While waiting for the fish, I started on the green beans with toasted almonds that Rachael suggests goes well with the snapper. It’s another simple recipe:
Green Beans with Toasted Almonds
1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
1 Tbs (1 turn around the pan) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs butter
Salt
Toasted slivered or sliced almonds for garnish
Cook green beans for 5 minutes in one inch boiling water, covered; drain beans and return the pan to the heat; add the oil and butter to the pan; toss the beans in the oil and melted butter; season the beans with salt and transfer to serving plate; garnish the green beans with the toasted slivered or sliced almonds.
Rachael also recommends a sangria to drink with this meal. She calls her special mixture, Sunset Sangria. I haven’t made it yet. When I do, I’ll let you know how it tastes, but I can tell you that the snapper, topped with the salsa, and served with the green beans with toasted almonds was very good.
Paz
Sofrito (Freshly made)
October 19, 2005 | Filed Under Latin Recipes, Sofrito | 1 Comment
When I make certain Latin recipes like rice and beans, macarroni with chicken, or a simple sauce, part of the ingredients I use include sofrito — the special base used in many Latin recipes. It is also used to flavor other dishes like chicken and sautéed shrimp. You can buy the sofrito from a store that sells Latin food products or you can make your own from scratch. I’ve found that I prefer the homemade version by T.V. Cook Daisy Martinez. I love the smells of the fresh cilantro, sweet peppers, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and ajicito dulces as they are pureed in the food processor. It’s as if the sofrito brings life to the kitchen aromas and meal preparation. It tastes very good, and adds an extra special flavor to the dish. As the sofrito recipe suggests, I store the rest of it in the fridge or freezer to use when needed. Paz
Sofrito
Makes about 4 cups.
If you can’t find ajices dulces or culantro, don’t sweat. Up the amount of cilantro to 1 ½ bunches.
| 2 medium Spanish onions, cut into large chunks 3 to 4 Italian frying peppers or cubanelle peppers 16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled 1 large bunch cilantro, washed 7 to 10 ajices dulces (see note below), optional 4 leaves of culantro (see note below), or another handful cilantro 3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks |
Chop the onion and cubanelle or Italian peppers in the work bowl of a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time and process until smooth. The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It also freezes beautifully. Freeze sofrito in ½ cup batches in sealable plastic bags. They come in extremely handy in a pinch. You can even add sofrito straight from the freezer to the pan in any recipe that calls for it in this book.
Pantry Notes: Ajices Dulces, also known as cachucha or ajicitos are tiny sweet peppers with a hint of heat. They range in color from light to medium green and yellow to red and orange. They add freshness and an herby note to the sofrito and anything you cook. Do not mistake them for Scotch bonnet or Habanero chilies (which they look like)those two pack a wallop when it comes to heat. If you can find ajicitos in your market, add them to sofrito. If not, up the cilantro and add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Culantro is not cilantro. It has long leaves with tapered tips and serrated edges. When it comes to flavor, culantro is like cilantro times ten. It is a nice, not essential addition to sofrito. (See Sources for both the above.)
White Fish with Lemon Vinaigrette
October 5, 2005 | Filed Under Lemon Vinaigrette, Seafood, Tilapia, Vinaigrettes/Salsas/Sauces | Leave a Comment
Last night, I made a fish dish from Giada’s show, Everyday Italian — Tilapia fish, covered with cannellini beans, mixed with radicchio and fish broth; lemon vinaigrette drizzeled over the talapia.
The vinaigrette consisted of fresh lemon juice, Italian parsley leaves, garlic, finely grated lemon zest, extra virgin oil, salt and pepper – just the right finishing touch.
The tilapia fish was tasty and flaky. The cannellini beans, soft and melted in my mouth.
Everything about this dish was perfect. Well almost.
The radicchio tasted bitter. Very bitter. Is that the way radicchio is supposed to taste or was it spoiled? Yuck!
I liked the dish and tried again. This time, I used a different kind of beans (I don’t remember which) since I didn’t have cannellini available. Unfortunately, I had the same problem with the radicchio. Again, it tasted bitter — so bitter that it was inedible. I will try the recipe again, but I will not use radicchio. It’s official. I do not like it radicchio.
Paz
White Fish with Lemon Vinaigrette
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 shallots, thinly sliced 1 large head radicchio (about 12 ounces), coarsely chopped 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1/3 cup fish broth Salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 (5 to 6-ounce) whitefish fillets, such as tilapia All-purpose flour, for dredging Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the radicchio and saute until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and broth, and cook until the beans are heated through, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season the radicchio mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a 14-inch (or 2 smaller) nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper. Dredge the fillets in flour to coat completely. Shake off the excess flour and fry 3 fillets in each pan until they are golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Spoon the radicchio mixture over the center of the plates. Top with the fillets. Drizzle the vinaigrette over and serve immediately.
Lemon Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh Italian parsley leaves 2 cloves garlic 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil Blend the lemon juice, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
Chicken Peanut Curry
September 22, 2005 | Filed Under African Recipes, Peanut Curry Sauce, Poultry, Vinaigrettes/Salsas/Sauces | Leave a Comment
Checking out the Simply Recipes blog for the first time the other day, I came across a recipe called Chicken Peanut Curry based on a West African meal. The recipe brought back another childhood food memory, which I didn’t mention in my meme.
I found it interesting because although I’d never cooked the food before, I did remember that the ingredients listed in the Chicken Peanut Curry recipe were totally different than the one used in the dish I ate as a child in Africa.
Not only were the ingredients different, the name, Chicken Peanut Curry, was also different from the one used in Africa. Here are the differences:
Current recipe:
Name: Chicken Peanut Curry
Ingredients: Curry powder, scallions, Serrano chili peppers, coriander seeds, mint and cilantro
Childhood recipe:
Name: Groundnut soup (but in the U.S. we call it Peanut Butter Soup because we use peanut butter)
Ingredients: Peanuts – roasted and finely ground, fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, shrimp powder, goat meat, fresh fish, smoked fish, or chicken
We hadn’t had this dish in a very long time – a couple of years, in fact. So, I decided to surprise my mother with the meal and see her reaction.
With the exception of one of the main ingredients – green onions – I found everything easily at the supermarket. I saw Spanish onions, red onions, white onions, yellow onions but no “green onions.” Nope, I couldn’t find them.
I returned home from grocery shopping and mentioned my dilemma to my sister who said she thought that green onions were scallions, but wasn’t sure. So, I looked it up on the Internet. She was right.
I couldn’t find “green onions.” You know why? Because there are no green-looking onions, that’s why! Silly me! Green onions are also known as SCALLIONS! Why don’t people just say scallions? At least, I know what those are. And why does it have two names? I know: Just to confuse me, that’s why. 
I made a second trip back to the grocery store to pick up my scallions/green onions.
After obtaining all the ingredients, the rest of the cooking process was uneventful. I prepared the meal according to the instructions. Even as I stirred in the peanut butter into the pot, I didn’t think it would taste like the groundnut soup of my childhood days. Finally trying the Chicken Peanut Curry, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted like the soup I remembered.
When my mother first tasted the food, she exclaimed in surprise, “This tastes like Peanut Butter Soup!” She went on to finish her meal. I didn’t have to ask her how it tasted because when she finished, she decreed the meal as, “Very good.” I think I pleasantly surprised her.
I told her the ingredients I used and she confirmed that she normally wouldn’t prepare the Groundnut Soup that way, but we agreed that the end results were the same – the Chicken Peanut Curry tasted similar and good. That’s what counts.
Paz
Chicken Peanut Curry
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken pieces, cut into 1 1/2 inch wide chunks or strips 1/2 cup flour 4 Tbsp curry powder 2 teaspoons Kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground peppercorns 1/2 cup olive oil 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced 2 Tbsp garlic, minced 2 serrano chili peppers, seeded, de-veined, minced 4 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup peanut butter (if using freshly ground peanuts, add 2 teaspoons of sugar) 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds 8 green onions, chopped, greens included 1/3 cup each finely chopped mint and cilantro 2 limes cut into wedges
1 - Rinse chicken and pat dry. In a small sturdy paper bag, combine the flour, curry powder, salt and pepper. Shake well. Add the chicken pieces and shake to coat well.
2 - Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Add chicken pieces. Cook 5-10 minutes (depending on size of chicken pieces) tossing occasionally to cook chicken evenly. Add the ginger, garlic, chili pepper and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to the saucepan. Cook for 3 minutes, scraping the pan with a spatula and stirring to combine everything well.
3 - Add the peanut butter, stirring quickly to incorporate it with the chicken. Add the remaining 3 1/2 cups of broth slowly, stirring continuously to maintain an even texture. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Right before serving, add the coriander and green onions. Salt to taste.
4 - Serve with rice. Top each serving with fresh cilantro and mint. Squeeze a little lime juice over it as well.
Serves 6-8.
Brazilian Salsa Vinaigrette
September 18, 2005 | Filed Under Brazilian Salsa Vinaigrette, Vinaigrettes/Salsas/Sauces | Leave a Comment
I’m still on a high from the Brazilian Day festival and decided to make a Brazilian salsa vinaigrette during the week.
I LOVE this salsa, taken from the recipe in Cook Brazil. It’s simple, fresh-tasting and as always – an important factor for me – EASY to make. The recipe recommends that you eat it with meat (like churrasco, the Brazilian barbeque), fish or sausage, but I ate it with my pollo frito (fried chicken) and I liked it just fine.
I used a large tomato, red and green bell peppers, bought from the Farmers Market (Oh, so good and fresh!). Since I like red onions, I used one, because the recipe didn’t specify what kind of onion to use.
Highly satisfied with the results, I plan on making it again, next time with the churrasco.
Paz
Brazilian Salsa Vinaigrette
Note: all diced ingredients = ¼ inch
1 cup of diced green and red bell peppers.
½ cup diced onions
1 cup diced ripe tomatoes.
¼ cup white wine vinegar.
2 tbs of olive oil
PREPARE:
In a bowl, mix green and red peppers, onions, tomatoes, vinegar and olive oil.
Hint: add salt to the salsa right before serving it. Salt dehydrates the tomatoes in the mixture if let for long time.
SERVE:
Brazilian Vinaigrette Salsa is great with Brazilian Barbecues or on top of any meat, fish and sausage.
SERVING SIZE: 8 portions
