Do Blue Skies Inspire Cooking?

Blue skies of San Miguel. This is such a beautiful time of the year. The sky is so, so blue. Seldom any clouds. The days are warm and the nights chilly. No wonder we get so many people from the North at this time of the year. And what is really nice is that they aren't tourists who breeze in for a few days and then out. They come and stay until the end of March or April or maybe even May. This is great because we have time to build long term friendships.

When we picked up the mail I had three Fine Cooking magazines waiting for me. One was the Thanksgiving issue, another Christmas but the last one was the February-March issue with some cold weather recipes like several one-pot dinners and eight recipes for meatloaf.  There are some good variations on these two staple recipes, especially for the meatloaf. Some combinations that I might not have thought about.

Last night I didn't follow one of the recipes for a one pot dinner but they did inspire me to cook one. I had a big chicken so I used the thighs, legs and wings. Seasoned it, browned it in my enameled cast iron pot, then added some minced celery, maybe two ribs of celery. I added mushrooms, carrots, slivers of garlic and some small onions I quartered since you can't find boiler onions here. Then a cup of white wine, a cup of chicken stock and some water to get enough liquid. Also added some rubbed sage and of course, salt and pepper. Put the top on the pot and put it in the oven at 300 degrees for a slow cook. I would have cooked it on top of the stove but I can't adjust my stove low enough for a low simmer. I served it with some couscous left over from the night before.

This issue of Fine Cooking also includes a 30-minute menu for a Special Valentine Supper. Oh, it is so enticing. I love lobster and the recipe is for a Vodka-steamed lobster with tomato-thyme butter sauce. Vodka lobster for Valentine. I love that image so I'm thinking I might have to try Vodka-steamed shrimp since I do not think I'll find a tank of lobster sitting in any market or grocery store in San Miguel.

I don't know why, but I love to cook in San Miguel. In the last two days I have made banana nut bread, red snapper in a puttanesca sauce, carrot soup and the chicken-in-a-pot. Today, I think I'll actually follow a recipe for shrimp with rice noodles. It has a bit of an Asian flare to it. Also, it is time to get back to bread making. This afternoon I'm planning to start a recipe for a no-knead bread of some kind.

Maybe the blue skies of San Miguel inspire me. Or maybe I like the shopping and searching in lots of tiendas to find the ingredients. Or maybe I like having to use my creativity to come up recipes that work here. Or maybe I just like to cook.

Golden Creamed Onions

This colander holds five pounds of cleaned boiler onions all ready to be cooked tomorrow. But I'm worried about having enough so I've sent Ned back to the store for two more pounds. I know this may look like a lot but they cook down. Not as bad as spinach but they definitely don't expand like beans. These are nice ones although some are almost as small as pearl onions. Pearl and boiler onions are not cheap. In fact you can spend as much on them as you do on the turkey but what the heck.....it is for Thanksgiving!

I'll be making Golden Creamed Onions for Thanksgiving from a recipe I took out of Gourmet magazine back in 1986. I made them that Thanksgiving and they caught on with the family....even the extended family. They are really a pain to prepare because they take so much time to clean. Actually they take quite a while to cook as well and you need a really large skillet because you are suppose to cook them in one layer so they can caramelize. I think I gave my huge skillet to Betsy when we moved to SMA so I've sent Ned over to borrow it. If it is not there then I'll be cooking them in batches.

Now a suggestion about cleaning them.  This recipe says to blanch them for 2 minutes. It depends on the size. If I have boiler onions that are like small meatballs, then I may blanch for 3 minutes and I don't start timing until the water comes back to a boil. I use a small knife to cut off the root end but you only want to cut off a little bit of the root end because if you cut too much off they will come apart during the cooking. I like them to stay whole. And I use scissors then to snip off the leaf end...just a little not too much.

The recipe for Golden Creamed Onions

3 pounds (about 50) small white onions, blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes, drained and peeled.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar (I like to add brown sugar. I think it adds to the caramelized taste)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (I don't think I add this much....I just put it in until it looks right)

In a deep skillet large enough to hold the onions in one layer combine the onions, the butter, the sugar, the salt, and enough water to cover the onions by 1/2 inch, bring the water to a boil, and boil the onions until the liquid is almost evaporated. Cook the onions over moderate heat, swirling the skillet, until they turn golden and begin to brown. Add the cream, bring the liquid to a boil, and boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened  slightly. Season and mixture with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.

The onion mixture may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated in a skillet over moderately low heat, stirring until it is hot. (I prefer to make it up to the point of adding the cream, chill and then reheat in a skillet and add the cream closer to serving time.)

Serves 10

Spicy Gazpacho with Shrimp

It is beginning to warm up in San Miguel so a lot of the things I've been cooking in a dutch oven now seem too heavy. It is time to think more about grilled meats and vegetables, salads and cold soups. When we went to the tianguis on Tuesday I knew I wanted some shrimp or maybe red snapper. I had three recipes in mind depending on what was available. The shrimp looked the best. The vegetables were very fresh. The decision was made, Gazpacho and I'll add shrimp and avocado.

The idea for the Gazpacho with Shrimp came from Pam Anderson's cookbook Perfect Recipes for Having People Over. This adaptation reflects what we can find in the grocery stores in San Miguel or nearby.

Pam suggests using Hunt's petite diced tomatoes and they are a better size than the S&W canned diced tomatoes that I buy at Costco. If I would have been very industrious, I could have drained the tomatoes, retaining the juice, and diced them up a bit more but I took the easy way out and used them right out of the can.

Pam suggests pureeing some of the tomatoes with water but I've found that I like to use bloody mary mix to adjust the consistency of the gazpacho. It brings in another level of flavor and spice. I've also used some V8 juice in the gazpacho as well....maybe 1/2 V8 and 1/2 bloody mary mix. Or you could puree 1/2 cup of the diced tomatoes with the 1/2 cup of V8 instead of water. We went to three grocery stores and two liquor stores yesterday looking for bloody mary mix. We get it here in San Miguel but none of the stores had it yesterday. So I used tomato juice that I spiced up with worcester, tabasco and other things that I would use to make my own bloody mary mix.

Pam suggests grilling the shrimp but I like to use smaller bite size shrimp in this gazpacho. They would be too difficult to grill and not overcook, so I like to sautee them so that I can control the doneness and do it ahead of time so they have time to chill.

Ingredients

Shrimp
1 to 1-1/2 pounds of small to medium shrimp (but larger than popcorn shrimp).
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for sauteeing shrimp.
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.

Gazpacho
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, preferably Hunt's "petite diced"
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for gazpacho.
1-2 cucumbers peeled, seeded and cut into small dice (need scant 2 cups)
1/2 cup red onion cut into a small dice.
1 small yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into small dice (about 3/4 cup).
2 medium garlic cloves minced.
1-2 Serranos minced. You can seed and de-vein if you wish but that will lower the heat and flavor. Use one serrano and then taste gazpacho and then add more if you like more heat.
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.
salt and black pepper to taste.
1 to 2 cups bloody mary mix to make consistency of the gazpacho wet but still chunky.

Garnish
1 firm but not hard avocado cut in chunks.

Peel shrimp. Sautee in 12-inch skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Cook about 4 minutes on high heat stirring often so that both sides of the shrimp are cooked. Be careful not to overcook. Taste and add salt if necessary. Most likely they will be salty enough with out adding any additional salt because most shrimp today are frozen in a salty mixture. Remove from skillet, let cool for a few minutes and refrigerate while the rest of the gazpacho is prepared and chilled. Add shrimp when ready to serve.

Prepare and combine all the other ingredients except for the avocado and shrimp. If you do not have bloody mary mix, add tomato juice but it will be necessary to add worcester sauce and tabasco and any other spices that you usually add to tomato juice to make a bloody mary mix. Chill the gazpacho in a covered container until flavors have time to meld and it is cold. Taste again and adjust seasonings.

Ladle gazpacho into chilled bowls and top with shrimp and the diced avocado. Serve with a crusty rustic bread such as this one.

Serves 4 for a main course or 6-8 for an appetizer.

Cream of Carrot Soup Recipe

One of the readers asked if I would share my "creamless" Cream of Carrot Soup Recipe. So here it is....

Cream of Carrot Soup

(Without the cream)

6 servings

2 cups sliced onions
8 large carrots
2 tablespoons butter
7 to 8 cups liquid; use water or combination of water, chicken, fish or vegetable stock, and/or milk. Use 4 cups of liquid for the base and add the rest later.
½ cup raw white rice
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper

For the base, saute the onions slowly in the butter for 7 to 8 minutes, or until tender and translucent. Peel the carrots. Chop them roughly and add to the sauteed onions. Add 4 cups of liquid (I usually use ½ water and ½ chicken stock) and thyme. Cover and simmer about 20-30 minutes or until the rice and carrots are very tender. Puree the soup until very smooth in a blender, adding more of the liquid if needed. You will have a smooth, creamy, lightly thickened puree. Return the soup base to the pan, add the remaining liquid and correct the seasoning. You may even need to add some additional liquid to obtain the consistency you prefer. It is a delicious creamy soup without the calories of a “cream” soup.

Dish into a bowl and garnish with either rye croutons OR with a teaspoon of crema or sour cream and chopped chives.

Rye Croutons

3 slices of rye bread cut in 1/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a skillet cook the bread in the oil and butter over moderate heat, stirring, until they are crisp. Turn out on a paper towel and sprinkle the croutons with a bit of salt, These can be made ahead and stored in an air tight bag. They are also good sprinkled on steamed broccoli or in salads or other soups.

Back in the Kitchen

I'm definitely back in the kitchen and it feels good to cook for family and friends. I think one of the things I like so much about cooking is that there is a beginning and an end. And most importantly there is something to show for the effort. And if you did a good job, there is feedback. So different from my life in the corporate world where projects piled on projects so that by the time you finished one there was no time to stand back for a minute and look at what you had accomplished. Most of the time there wasn't any feedback either until you got a promotion or a raise but it didn't seem to be tied to anything in particular. I like the short-term cycle of planning, execution and reward that comes from cooking.

My menu last night was green tapenade with toasts, also cheddar coins. Then a creamy carrot soup with crema and chives. Roasted pork tenderloin, couscous with peas and carrots and roasted asparagus, and the dessert was an apple rustic tart. Oh, and I also made a loaf of no-knead bread.

The green tapenade was a recipe from Julia Childs. I followed the recipe exactly and I thought it was a little overwhelming. Next time I'll cut the garlic and anchovies by half. As a spread it was too strong but it could work with a pasta or maybe as a garnish for a grilled steak.

I've been making the carrot soup recipe for years but last night it was especially delicious. Everyone thinks it is full of cream but it isn't. You add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of rice to the soup while it cooks and then puree it until very smooth. It has the texture of a rich creamy soup and you can use that trick with other cream of vegetable soups. I did add a teaspoon of crema as a garnish along with some chopped chives from my terrace garden. It looked very pretty.

The rest of the menu was nothing new but I did learn something with the Rustic Tart. The recipe calls for the dough to be made in a stand mixer. I've been making it in the food processor because it seemed to be faster and worked okay. Yesterday I followed the recipe exactly for the dough. It was the easiest dough to roll out I've ever made for the tart. And it rolled out in a perfect circle and made perfect pleats around the apples. I've been struggling to learn to make good crusts and I'm getting better. Can't believe I waited until I was this old to start learning to do make crusts but I couldn't live up to my Mother's crusts and I could buy suitable substitutes from the frozen food section in the grocery stores. So I was lazy. Now, here I am in Mexico and I am forced to learn to make a decent crust. I love this apple rustic tart recipe. It is a dessert that isn't overly sweet and makes a nice finale to a dinner. Also, I have to admit that it makes a pretty good breakfast as well.

Yesterday was the first time I made the no-knead bread. Ned has made it a couple of times but I have bought a book of recipes for no-knead breads so I thought I should start out with the one that our friends Suzanne and John showed us how to make. You start it about 20 hours before you want the loaf of bread but it is simple to make. Talk about a big reward! Everyone is really impressed with homemade bread. I brought back some loaf pans to try some of the other recipes in the book by Nancy Baggett, Kneadlessly Simple, Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads If you want to try the no-knead bread, here is a link to the recipe.

I really do love thinking about food. I already have a couple of other dinner parties all planned out in my head. I'm definitely back in the kitchen.

It is a Wonderful Life and I am Thankful

I have been cooking, some good and some not so good (but I'll save that for another blog entry.) We had thanksgiving dinner with friends so I only had a few things to prepare. First of all and by request of the hostess, I made cheddar cheese coins. I add a little more cayenne to the recipe but every cook that eats them wants the recipe. They are a great snack with wine and maybe a few olives. Best of all they are easy to make.


Next assignment was a green veggie. We eat just about all of the vegetables so I'm always surprised when I find that lots of people I know don't eat a wide variety of vegetables. Brussel sprouts is one of those that a lot of people are on the fence about. Nevertheless, I chose brussel sprouts and I used a new recipe and it turned out really good and it was pretty for the holiday.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries and Pecans from Fine Cooking Magazine
Makes 4 servings
2 slices bacon (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
1 shallot (diced) (I used regular onion since I didn't find shallots at the mercado.
1 pound brussels sprouts (cleaned, quartered, blanched and drained)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons dried cranberries (I soaked them in warm water and rough chopped them)
2 tablespoons pecans (chopped)

Directions
1. Cook the bacon in a pan and set aside reserving 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease
2. Add the onions/shallots to the pan and cook in the bacon grease and saute until tender about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the brussels sprouts to the pan, season with salt and pepper, toss in the grease and saute for a minute.
4. Remove from heat and mix in the cranberries and pecans.

I doubt that the Pilgrims sat down to such a beautiful table but I appreciated the friends and the beauty of the setting.

Now that was Thanksgiving day and the food but I also took time to think about all we have to be thankful for. Inspite of the health issues in our family this year we still have so much for which to be thankful. The grandsons are doing so well. What a blessing they are to us. Our sons and daughters-in-law are also doing okay and I mean in the way of building their family, cherishing friends and enjoying life. Ned's cancer was a surprise but we are blessed because we can get good medical treatment and the cancer has responded to the treatment without too many side effects. We are blessed that we can live where we want to live and still keep close contact with the family and we are blessed with friends both in Mexico and Texas.

It is a wonderful life.

Mushroom Soup

I've been in a cooking mood. Peanut butter cookies, banana nut bread, bean soup and corn muffins, and today mushroom soup. Yesterday when I was in the mercado they had a box of really fresh white mushrooms and the idea just popped in my head that I'd make mushroom soup. I've never made it before and I didn't have a recipe but I figured that a pound or so of mushrooms would make a nice lunch.

This morning I went to the Fine Cooking Magazine website and looked at recipes but I didn't have all of the ingredients for any mushroom soup that they had so what the heck. Soup is soup. I thought I could figure out something. Here is my recipe, mas or menos.

3 tablespoon of butter
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large leek quartered lengthwise and sliced thin (about 2 cups)
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1.25 pounds of mushrooms, wiped clean, and sliced thin (about 6 cups of sliced mushrooms) I'd try a variety of mushrooms if I had them.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves
5 cups of boxed chicken broth or homemade
4 tablespoons of crema or 1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup white wine (might be better with dry sherry if you have it on hand)
1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

Melt butter and olive oil in stockpot over medium-high heat. Add leek and cook about 2-4 minutes until it is soft and starting to brown a bit. Stir in garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook about 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms are limp.

Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook about 5 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Let cool slightly then put about 1/2 to 2/3 of the soup in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer back to the stock pot. Add crema or whipping cream, wine or sherry and soy sauce. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. At this point I added a sprinkle of cayenne pepper just because we like a kick of heat in soup. Bring to low simmer for a minute or two to let the flavors blend. Put in bowls and sprinkle with just a few thyme leaves or maybe some chopped chives.

Squash Blossom Time

When we went to the Tianguis on Tuesday huge bundles of squash blossoms reminded me that I needed to cook something with them while they were still in season. I bought a huge "bouquet" not sure just how I would use them. So while we were wandering around the market I was thinking about what to cook. Then I saw the shrimp. They looked fresh. I bought a half kilo of shrimp. Now all I had to worry about was a recipe to combine the two. But this is what I love about cooking in San Miguel, I get to buy what looks tempting and then try to create something delicious.

I always hate to put a recipe on the blog because when I'm cooking I'm not using the part of my brain that measures stuff. However, I think this is pretty close to what I did

Squash Blossom Cream Sauce with Shrimp

1/2 kilo (about 1 pound) shrimp
Salt, black pepper and cayenne
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Large bundle of squash blossoms pulled from stems (in SMA this would be two of the small bundles that you can buy on the street or in the mercado)
For the roux, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups canned chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream (crema para batir)
8 ounces of pasta cooked and drained
olive oil as needed

I cleaned the shrimp and seasoned them generously with salt, black pepper and cayenne and put them in the fridge to meld with the seasonings. Do not add any seasonings to the recipe as you cook because when you add the shrimp that will season the dish.

I finely chopped about 1 cup of onion and three garlic cloves. Then I pulled the blossoms from the stems and roughly chopped them but you could leave them whole after removing from the stems.

Start water to boil for 8 ounces of pasta. I used spaghetti because that was what I had on hand but I would have preferred bowtie pasta for the looks of the dish.

In a 12" skillet add a bit of oil and cook the shrimp just until pink on the outside. Remove and set aside. Add the onion (more oil if necessary) and cook until wilted. Add garlic and cook until soft. Add squash blossoms and cook until starting to wilt. Remove onion, garlic and blossoms from the skillet and set aside. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet and 2 tablespoons of flour and make a roux, stirring and cooking until it is a deep butter color. Add 2 cups of chicken stock. Cook until it has thickened. Add the onions, garlic and blossoms and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes to blend flavors. Add the shrimp and 1 cup of heavy cream and simmer for about 5 minutes to 7 minutes. Now it is time to taste and adjust seasonings. You should be able to taste the cayenne but it shouldn't overpower the dish.

Drain pasta and add to the skillet and toss. With a green salad and crusty French bread this will serve four.

For more squash blossom recipes look here.

Father's Day Shrimp Cocktail

In a comment on the previous entry Son #2 reminded me of the Shrimp, crab and coconut milk cocktail he prepared for Father's Day dinner. This isn't a very good picture of it but man, it was delicious. I don't have the recipe but it had a real kick and the play between the hot of the serranos and sweet of the coconut milk was simply amazing. Looking at the picture and trying to deconstruct what I see, I'm guessing it has green onion, cilantro, serrano, something lighter green maybe some celery, crab, shrimp and coconut milk. Proportions? You'll have to try it on your own. Sure is nice to have a chef in the family who thinks up these amazing recipes.

Campechana de Mariscos

I've always wanted the recipe for the Campechana de Mariscos at Goode Company Seafood in Houston. Friday was my lucky day. The Houston Chronicle published it. Yea! Although I might not be able to find lump crab meat here in SMA, I could just double up on the shrimp. I love this dish and call it the best Campechana in the whole wide world.

If you want to do a Mexican version, Cristina Potters at Mexico Cooks! published a recipe that she says is the best Coctel de Camaron in Mexico.

Dueling recipes. Which one are you going to try first?

Folk Art Recipes y Mas

This is the second book of recipes from my friend Dianne Kushner and her staff at Casa Luna here in San Miguel. I didn't get a copy of the first Tortilla Papers but this second cookbook is truly a handmade, folk art treasure trove of recipes from the staff of Casa Luna and the guest chefs who have taught cooking classes at Rancho Luna. I was even able to sneak a recipe into this cookbook and I'm honored to be there with those who really know Mexican cooking.
There are great recipes and they are presented in such creative pages. Like this one for Agua Frescas. There are lots of versions of agua frescas so the variations are tucked into a little pocket. The Casa Luna staff made each and every page of the book and every page is a delight of whimsy. Even if you aren't a cook, you will want your own copy. You can find out more about the cookbook and order one here.

Ham bone and beans

Over on facebook I posted that I was cooking beans with a ham bone and lots of people were either cooking beans too or they said yummy. Wayne asked for pictures and directions. I don't have soup recipes. Soup just depends on what I've got on hand. Today it was a part of a ham bone that I'd saved from a spiral cut ham I bought at Costco and served sometime in the Spring. I just wrapped up the bones still covered in big chunks of ham and put them in a freezer bag and saved them for a day that felt like a soup making day.

I also had a 1/2 kilo of frijoles peruano. I wasn't familiar with these beans until Cristina Potter of Mexico Cooks blog fame cooked refried beans with them at a food gathering. In their dried state they are a creamy yellow bean and I've seen them in all the mercados. They seem to cook faster than pinto or black beans and they are very creamy. I'm now a fan of these beans. They made a great combination with my ham bone.

As you know my recipes are not exacting but a guide.

Ham Bone and Bean Soup

1 nice meaty ham bone
1/2 kilo peruano beans
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic diced
10 or 12 cups of water
1 can diced tomatoes
1 finely diced serrano pepper (2 serranos if you really like hot)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven wilt the onion. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the beans, ham bone and water. 10 or 12 cups of water is a guess but you want the beans and ham bone well covered. Cook for about 1 and 1/2 hours over low heat until the beans are just barely tender. Let it cool a bit until you can pull the bone out and cut off any meat that is still on the bone. If there are some big hunks of meat in the soup, I'd also cut them up. Return all the meat to the soup and discard the bone. Add the diced tomatoes and serrano and cook for another 30 or 45 minutes. If the liquid starts to get too thick add a little more water or chicken stock. Do not salt until the last because the ham will add salt to the beans.

Served with a big green salad and cornbread or corn tortillas, this hearty soup makes a great dinner.

Chicken in Piquante Sauce

I bought this new enameled cast iron pot while we were back in Texas. I've been wanting a dutch oven and the more I researched them the more I knew that the best one would be one of these heavy enameled cast iron pots because they retain heat and encourage gentle, even cooking at low heat ensuring that the best flavor is obtained from the ingredients. I had looked before but the cost of the famous french brand, you know the one that Julia Childs used, was TOO expensive. I don't care if they do give a lifetime guarantee. That lifetime guarantee just isn't that important at my age. So I looked at Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray's cookware but the brand that won was Lodge. And it is 1/3 the price of that French one.

Here is the first meal I cooked in the pot and it more than lived up to my expectations. I tried my recipe for Chicken in Piquante Sauce. Well I kind of changed it up a bit because I had about 1/2 pound of a hot Italian sausage that had thawed out on the trip South and I needed to use it. So I browned it after cooking the chicken and put it in the pot as well. It made the dish a little confused. Italian? Creole? I wouldn't add the sausage again. I considered if a 1/2 pound of andouille sausage sliced thin might work. Andouille is a spicy, heavily smoked French sausage that is a part of cajun/creole cooking. I decided that I probably wouldn't add it either, if I could get it in SMA, because it might add a more smoked flavor than I'd like. But if you try it let me know.

The original recipe came from my old copy of Don's Secrets. I've adjusted it over the years. The original called for 1 cup of oil. That much oil isn't necessary at all but you do need some to brown the chicken and add a velvety taste to the sauce. The original called for a 4-5 pound chicken cut into pieces. I've settled on leg and thigh pieces instead. Oh, and you will need a heavy dutch oven to do the recipe justice.

Chicken in Piquante Sauce
This will serve 6

2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper

Chop all of them about in about 1/4 inch pieces...maybe a little larger but don't leave in chunks
Set aside.

6 leg and 6 thigh pieces of chicken. (I have left the skin on and I've taken it off. Either way is fine.)
1/3 cup of oil (if more is necessary, add by tablespoon so that you don't have to end up pouring off the excess oil)

Generously season chicken pieces with salt, pepper and cayenne. Brown the pieces in the hot oil until golden. Depending on the size of your pot you may need to do two loads so that the chicken isn't stacked. You want it crisping up and not steaming. This will take about 10 minutes for each load. The chicken may not be totally done but it is going back in the sauce and will finish cooking. Take the chicken out and set aside.

Add the onion, celery and green pepper to the pot and cook slowly until onions are wilted.

Add
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups tomato juice
1 can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon of sugar

Cook over low-medium heat until the oil floats above the sauce or about 20-25 minutes. You want the heat to be more than a simmer, maybe a slow bubble. The sauce will reduce down by maybe one-fourth.

4 cloves of garlic finely diced
Salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste.

Add the chicken and garlic back in the pot. Cover and cook about 5 minutes over low-medium (slow bubble) heat. Taste and adjust seasonings. Lean heavily on the Cayenne to give the sting which is what makes this dish Piquante. Cover and cook another 5 to 10 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

Serve over steamed rice along with a big green salad and crusty french bread.

If I were making this for a party, I would make the sauce including the diced garlic and do the chicken earlier in the day and then refrigerate separately. About 30 minutes before serving I would reheat the sauce and then add the cold chicken. It will take longer to finish cooking the chicken. Just check to be sure that the chicken is fully done before serving.

Eggs Benedict

We have been going out for breakfast on Saturdays. Usually to some small, funky, Mexican kind of place. Enough of the Huevos Mexicana or Ranchero with beans. I wanted something different like Eggs Benedict. The first time I had Benedict was at some restaurant in New Orleans. How delicious, how elegant they were but they didn't seem like something I could make for breakfast. Hollandaise Sauce? Didn't it break or fall apart or something like that if you didn't make it just right? Too complicated.

Not too complicated for my friend Helen. Her introduction to making perfect hollandaise in the blender started a tradition with our group of friends. So many breakfasts flash into my mind of three or four couples being in the kitchen and turning out a breakfast of Eggs Benedict. Any occasion would do.

We were pretty traditional in our preparation of the dish, English muffin, Canadian bacon, poached egg, hollandaise sauce. But today when I went to Wikipedia to see where the recipe originated, I found that there are lots of claims to fame for being the originator of the dish. And there are many, many variations to the recipe.....and all of them seem interesting to me although I don't think my heart could take trying them all.

This reminds me of a time when the gang was going to make Eggs Benedict at Pat and Tom's. Pat was a health nut and used low fat everything and anything. The hollandaise didn't turn out. Then we looked at the "butter" wrapper. It wasn't real butter. It had a high content of water and I can tell you for sure water will not make hollandaise.

Today we went to a little more upscale place for breakfast, Hungry's Cafe and Bistro and I had Eggs Benedict. It wasn't the Eggs Benedict with friends that I remembered. Ham instead of Canadian Bacon, Ciabatta bread instead of English Muffin, eggs poached with firm yolks and Hollandaise skimpy and without a kick of lemon or heat. So I'm making sure that I remember how to make it because I'll have the family together next weekend and maybe I'll see if we can whip up Eggs Benedict for the crowd.

Here is the recipe for the hollandaise made in the blender....just in case you want to try it too.

6 Servings (I'd double this recipe for 8 people....but then I like the hollandaise)

INGREDIENTS
3 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 dash hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™) (I prefer using some cayenne)
1/2 cup butter

DIRECTIONS
In the container of a blender, combine the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice and hot pepper sauce. Cover, and blend for about 5 seconds.

Place the butter in a glass measuring cup. Heat butter in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until completely melted and hot. Set the blender on high speed, and pour the butter into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream. It should thicken almost immediately. Keep the sauce warm until serving by placing the blender container in a pan of hot tap water.

Creamy Corn Poblano Soup with Lump Crabmeat

Remember the crab meat salad from Monday? I still had crab left and this is what I made today. Creamy Corn Poblano Soup with Lump Crabmeat. Ned has a recipe for a corn poblano soup that he learned years ago in a cooking class in Houston with Chata DuBose. We don't have the recipe with us so I winged it.

4 poblano peppers
1 medium onion
1 tbs oil
1 tbs butter
2 10-ounce packages of frozen corn
4 cans evaporated milk
2 cups milk
Lumb crapmeat.

Roast and peel 4 poblano peppers and chop into 1/2 inch pieces
Chop the medium onion and saute in oil and butter until soft
Add the poblanos and cook until they are soft.
Puree the poblanos and onion with 1 package of the corn and 2 cans of the evaporated milk. It will probably take 2 batches to puree this amount.
Put the pureed mix in a soup pot and add the other 2 cans of evaporated milk.
Add the 2 cups of the milk
Heat over low flame for about 15 minutes
Add 2nd package of whole corn kernels
Cook over low flame until heated through.
Add salt to taste.

Plate the soup and add the lump crab meat. I'm guessing I added about 1/3 cup of crabmeat to each bowl of soup. But I love crab so I may have added more to my bowl.

Or if you don't have lump crab meat, you can eat the soup with some cubes of cheese like asadero or crumble in some ranchero cheese.

One of these days I'll try to make this with fresh corn. I think it will take about 4 cups of fresh corn but you can always weigh it until you have 20 ounces of cut corn.

Julie and Julia

Julie and Julia, the movie.....we saw it last night. So if you are planning to see it don't read any further. I might reveal some plot detail that will spoil the movie for you.

I loved the cooking by both characters. I loved the sets. The apartment in Queens and the house in France. Great set design. But the best was Meryl Streep. What an actress! She became Julia Childs. And I loved the relationship between Julia and Paul. I have never thought of Julia as sexy but their relationship was intimate and quite sexy. Just goes to show, you can't judge a book by it's cover.

What lingered after the movie was the difference between the two women. Julie fell apart when something didn't go her way. She sat in the floor, or even sometimes laid down on the floor and wallowed in self-pity. Not Julia, even when her work of almost 10 years was rejected by a publisher.

"Eight years of my life. It just turned out to be something to do, so I wouldn't have nothing to do, Oh, well. Boo-hoo. Now what?"

Now about the cooking....no pound of butter or pint of cream was spared. Oh those bad ingredients that we try to avoid. But you know what, Julia while she wasn't svelte, she wasn't obese either. And she and Paul died in their 90's.

Visitation Cake

Many, many years ago the Visitation Cake was a staple in my kitchen. You made it to take to pot luck dinners, to someone who has just had a baby or came home from the hospital. You made it for your family when you wanted something sweet but didn't have time to make a cake. This was back in the old days when you actually MADE a cake, not poured it out of a box. After you have made it a time or two you can make it from start to finish including mixing, baking and icing in about 35 minutes.

My daughter-in-law Betsy made it one time to take to work. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. She told them that it was an old family recipe and she could not give it out. Smart girl. Everyone requested her chocolate cake whenever they were having some luncheon or event. She would hem and haw about how much trouble it was but would take it.

Betsy made it again for Father's Day. While it is an "old family recipe." I'll pass the recipe on to you.

Visitation Cake
1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
Bring to a simmer until butter and shortening are melted. Stir to mix in the cocoa.

In a mixing bowl put
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
Stir to mix
Pour chocolate mixture over flour and sugar and mix to incorporate.

Add
1/2 cup buttermilk that has 1 teaspoon baking soda stirred into it.
Mix until incorporated.

Pour into a 9x13 pyrex dish that has been buttered and floured.
Bake for 25 minutes in 400 degree oven.

Topping
In a small sauce pan add
1 stick butter.
4 or 5 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
Bring to a simmer until butter is melted and stir to smooth cocoa into mixture.

Put one box powdered sugar in a mixing bowl
Add the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth.
Add 1 tsp vanilla
Add 1/2 to 1 cup pecans
Pour over the hot cake after you remove it from the oven.


Grandson Will likes it with a scoop of Blue Bell ice cream. He dug in before I could get the camera.

Michelada?

It is hot. Anyone want a Michelada?

Michelada recipe

Salt the top of the glass with Tajin fruit seasoning: a mixture of chili, salt and lime.
Squeeze one lime in the glass (depending on the juice you might just use one half).
Add a pinch of salt.
Add three ice cubes (iced beer is acceptable in Mexico).
A few dashes of Tabasco Sauce.
A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Any Mexican beer to fill the glass.
Be careful when pouring because the salt will make the beer foam more than usual.
Mix and enjoy.

Pechuga a La Parilla

I've had this recipe for a long time. My notes say that it was by Mary Nell Reck in the Houston Post. The Houston Post closed down in 1995. I had the recipe for quite a while before it closed. I like the fresh tastes with a bit of a zing from the jalapenos. I have found that 1/2 of the following marinade recipe is plenty to marinate the chicken as well as have a teaspoon to sauce the top of each breast provided that you save some of the marinade before adding it to the raw chicken.

8 6-ounce chicken breast halves - finding small 6-ounce chicken breasts is difficult but it makes a difference in the outcome.
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
½ cup lime juice
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 ½ tablespoons salt
1 cup honey - I think this is too much honey. I add about 1/4 cup of honey.
2 tablespoons dried oregano ( 6 tablespoons fresh)
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup olive oil
2 jalapenos - sometimes I use 2 serranos.
3 cloves garlic
Garnish: Lime slices, cilantro springs or watercress sprigs

The same marinade may be used for shrimp, pork chops, even quail.

Combine the ingredients for the marinade: cumin, fresh lime juice, cayenne, salt, honey, oregano and olive oil. Rinse and pat dry the cilantro. Coarsely chop the leaves until you have three tablespoons. Split the jalapenos. Remove and discard the seeds and veins. Cut into thin juliene strips, then very finely dice. Peel, crush and very finely chop the garlic. Crushing extracts all the rich flavors which lie between the layers therefore diffusing the flavors thoughout the marinade. Add the cilantro and garlic to the marinade. Place the chicken in the marinade turning to cover on all sides. Marinate at least one hour or overnight. Because the olive oil tends to congeal a bit in the refrigerator, I like to take the breasts out of the marinade about 15-30 minutes before cooking and let them drain of excess oil.

If you are into smoking on the grill, soak three or four pieces of mesquite, pecan, cedar or other hard, flavorful wood in water for half an hour. Close to serving time, place the wet wood on top of the smoldering coals to create an abundant, flavorful smoke. Personally, we just grill the marinated chicken breast until well-marked on both sides and moderately firm to the touch. Transfer to a serving platter.

I like to use a large platter and surround the chicken breasts with grilled veggies; zucchini, red onion, asparagus and red and yellow bell peppers. In other words, any fresh veggies that look good in the market that day. I usually cook the veggies first because they are fine when served at room temperature. Garnish the platter with lime slices and cilantro sprigs. Add a bowl of black beans garnished with ranchero cheese and you have a great, healthy, fresh tasting buffet dinner. Serves eight.

Update: Date of the Houston Post closing has been corrected.

A Recipe Is Just A Place To Start

I didn't make any photographs of the food from dinner last night. I wish I had but I don't seem to be able to cook and photograph at the same time anymore. Last night I started with Pam Anderson's cookbook, Perfect Recipes for Having People Over. I like this book because she gives some great hints on how to do things ahead of time for a party so that you aren't stuck in the kitchen and missing out on all the good conversation with the guests and the recipes are usually very fresh and crisp tasting with distinct flavors.

My menu was: roasted pork tenderloin, poblano mashed potatoes, green bean and tomato salad, and bittersweet flourless chocolate cake.

Everytime I roast pork tenderloins I make some kind of a marinade. It usually depends on which herbs I have growing on the terrace. I doubt if I have ever made exactly the same one twice. This time it was some minced garlic, olive oil, dijon mustard, finely chopped rosemary, oregano and thyme and of course salt and pepper. I roasted them at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes and then let them rest for a while before cutting. They were juicy and had a pale pink center. I thought they were cooked just right. I also made a quick pan sauce with dried cherries soaked in a port, chicken broth, cornstarch and a bit of butter. It was okay but not outstanding.

Although Anderson doesn't have a recipe for poblano mashed potatoes she does have several variations on mash potatoes and a technique for making them earlier, even up to a day or so ahead of time, then finishing them off when you are ready to serve. Instead of one of her variations I roasted and cleaned three poblano peppers, chopped them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces and added them to the potatoes. Somewhere years ago, I found a recipe for pureeing the poblanos and adding that to the potatoes but I prefer the texture of having the pieces in the potato and I also think it is more interesting looking dish than just having pale green mashed potatoes.

Anderson also had a recipe for a green bean and cherry tomato salad. I really liked her technique for cooking the beans. You put them in a skillet with some salt and a small amount of water, maybe 1/2 cup. Put a lid on and stay near by because the water will evaporate rapidly and your beans are cooked to tender crisp in less than 5 minutes. But what I really liked about the recipe was that instead of running cold water over them to stop the cooking she recommends spreading them out on a paper towel on a cookie sheet and they cool very quickly but you don't wash off the taste. I can't remember her dressing recipe exactly but it doesn't make any difference because I did a variation on it. About 1/4 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of seasoned rice wine vinegar, a big heaping tablespoon of horseradish, one clove of garlic finely minced, and 1 or 2 tablespoon of chopped basil.

The dessert was easy and I made it a day ahead of time. Once again it is a Fine Cooking Magazine recipe. This time it was a bittersweet flourless chocolate cake. It is almost like a chocolate truffle melting in your mouth but what made it even better was the Terra d'Oro Zinfadel Port from Montevina Vineyards in Amador County in California. Whenever we can we smuggle in one or two bottles from the USA. It is just an amazing wine/port to serve with anything chocolate, especially any bittersweet chocolate.

This dinner was a little different for me because I skipped a first course of a soup or salad. I'm going to try cutting back on having a first course and simplfying dinner parties. God knows with all the eating and visiting that goes on around this house, we and our guests will not go hungry. And I certainly do not want to give up desserts so soup or salad was the one to go. My plan last night was to have simple food that is well prepared but it does put a bit more pressure on menu choices.

Of course, if I could always serve a chocolate dessert with the Terra d'Oro Zinfadel Port no one would remember the rest of the dinner.