Sandra's Kitchen Studio

Chiles en Escabeche--Pickled Jalapenos

   Just recently, a friend sent me a bushel of her home-grown jalapeno peppers and I did not even blink twice before reaching for my bottle of white vinegar. You see, when blessed with such a bounty of chiles, the easiest way to make a very good culinary investment is to preserve them in the form of a Latin "escabeche".

Escabeches are ever-present throughout the entire Latin territory. We inherited this technique of of pickling and preserving ingredients from the Spaniards who colonized the New World territories centuries ago, who themselves learned about escabeches from the Arabs. This ancient way of pickling vegetables, meats, or seafood, can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire. Though the history of escabeches is long, the technique is easy to master. Basically, escabeches begin with the preparation of a hot vinaigrette that is combined with whatever will be preserved--in my case, these amazingly plump, hot and spicy chiles.

I began without a recipe, since I have prepared chiles in escabeche all my life. I simply sauted some chopped purple onion--I guess I could have used any other color but the purple looked ravishingly beautiful against the vibrant green of the chiles--with some sliced carrots, using some corn oil to saute the vegetables until they were a bit soft but had not taken any color. I then added a few garlic cloves and cooked those for a few seconds. I added all of the chiles--which I had washed ahead of time--and stirred for 5 minutes over medium-heat, just enough to warm them but not cook them through. I seasoned them with a little bit of Mexican oregano--I like its pungency better than the sweet Mediterranean counterpart--and with 2 large bay leaves. I threw in some sea salt and whole peppercorns for good measure and balance of flavors.

I then covered the vegetables completely with white vinegar, allowed the mixture to come up to a boil while stirring the chiles so they would all cook evenly; and turned the heat off. I covered the  pot and allowed the vegetables to steep for 30 minutes before transferring them to clean jars. Once they came to room temperature I  closed the jar and refrigerated the chiles in escabeche. They will last in my refrigerator for up to 3 months--or should I say, they should last that long but probably will be finished before that time has elapsed.

I put this chiles into everything I eat--sliced in sandwiches; chopped over chilis, stews and soups; minced into mayonnaise; stirred into scrambled eggs, etc. I admit that I have not dared to try them with my oatmeal breakfast but have to confess I've thought about it. To me, these chiles in escabeche are as adictive as pickled cucumbers are to pregnant women. 

A word to the wise: these are very hot...I mean it. The pickling process accentuates the power of the capsaicin within, so if you cannot stand the heat, please seed these before eating them. The carrots and onions are ideal for those who love a faint level of heat, since they take in all of the escabeche's flavor but little of the spicy bite. Which is why I am generous with the onions and carrots I add to my escabeches, since these make delicious additions to salads, sandwiches, and quesadillas and provide a tangy flavor without the heat.

So for those of you out there, who are just now facing a garden filled with generous chile plants and don't know what to do with such bounty, preserve them in escabeches. They are easy, economical and absolutely delicious!

Copyright C. Sandra Gutierrez; 2008.

Carne Asada

Summer is in full gear and this is just the perfect time for cooking and dining al fresco.

One of the easiest summer meals in the Latin repertoire consists of perfectly seasoned and grilled beef, served with  refreshing tomato salad, sweet platanos fritos (also known as maduros), and delicate rice pilaf.

I love this meal because it is quickly prepared and requires minimum fuss in the kitchen.

Carne asada is Spanish for grilled beef. Go to any Latin country and you will find myriad renditions and variations on the theme.  Argentineans drape their asados in chimichurri sauce--an unctuous concoction of parsley, vinegar, garlic and oil; Guatemalans prefer to serve their carnes with a roasted tomato salsa called "chirmol" ; Mexicans love spicier toppings such as chipotle salsas and yet others prefer their beef without toppings at all. Nicaraguans, like most Central Americans, like their beef thinly cut before grilling, South Americans  favor steaks thickly cut; Brazilians and Argentineans vie for the top spot, when it comes to the most famous "asados", and are widely recognized for their culinary expertise on the matter of grilled beef. One thing remains constant and that is that Latin beef is highly seasoned with a mixture of spices, and almost without exception with a decent amount of salt.

I, for one, like beef cut any way I can get it,  and I dress it as it fancies me depending on my mood or the seasonal availability of summer produce. Those who know me are not surprised to know that I  am as likely to drape a thick rib-eye with an ancho chile sauce one day, as I am to grill a whole beef tenderloin and offer it with a cilantro chimichurri rendition on another. Tonight I found myself rubbing a flat-iron steak with a crust of salt, spices, and freshly cracked pepper (see picture)  before slapping it on the grill.

So suit yourself. Purchase the best cut of beef you can find--that means, your favorite and nobody else's--season it to your specifications and grill it to your desired level of doneness.  That's the best way--the Latin way.

Ensalada de Tomate

1 lb. grape tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place tomatoes in a bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard; slowly whisk in the oil until the vinaigrette has emulsified. Taste and season well with sea salt and pepper; toss the tomatoes with enough dressing to coat them lightly.  Yield: 1 delicious tomato salad.

Copyright. Sandra Gutierrez 2008: All Rights Reserved.

Beef Salad "Salpicon"

Salpicon de Carne (Cool Beef Salad)

Here is a recipe for those days in which you feel like eating something refreshing, yet filling. Salpicones are Latin American salads, usually made with boiled meats or seafood--although in some Latin countries, these can also be made with vegetables.

Copyright. Sandra A. Gutierrez, 2008; All Rights Reserved.

The beauty of salpicon is that it is usually prepared with leftover meats from "Cocidos", or boiled pots. Not unlike the New England boiled dinners, where meat and vegetables are boiled, the resulting broth of a "Cocido" is usually reserved for use in soups, stews or rice dishes. The leftover meat, is then processed (I use my food processor for this purpose, although most Latin cooks will chop the beef by hand), and combined with a light vinaigrette. This delicious beef salad is served chilled or at room temperature.

To make the base, or "Cocido", you will need: a beef roast (rump, top round work great), cabbage, onion, garlic, ears of corn, potatoes, yuca root, and carrots.  To flavor the broth, I like to add some parsley and cilantro as well. Place the beef in the pot and cover it with water; add salt and peppercorns, the onion and garlic and bring it to a boil; lower the heat and simmer, making sure to remove the scum that rises to the top of the pot. Simmer the beef for 1and 1/2  hour, so that the collagen in the beef can be broken down and so the resulting meat can be tender. I then add the potatoes, corn and yuca root, ears of corn and simmer for 20 minutes; add the carrots and cabbage, parsley and cilantro and simmer for 20 additional minutes. Remove the beef and vegetables from the pot and strain the broth.

 

This is a visual of the ingredients needed to make the cocido, which is the base of a "Salpicon". The cocido is served in a large platter, with the beef sliced thinly and accompanied by the vegetables on the side; the broth is served separately or reserved for other uses. Mustard and mayonnaise are common accoutrements for a cocido. Use leftover cold beef to make the Salpicon (recipe follows).          Copyright. Sandra A. Gutierrez, 2008; All rights Reserved.

Salpicon de Carne

1 lb. leftover boiled beef (from the "cocido"), cubed

1/2 cup minced red onion

1 bunch cilantro

Lime juice, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, place the cubed beef, onion, and cilantro; process until it is chopped finely. Add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days.  Yields: 4 servings.

In the summer, I like to prepare cocido strictly for the purpose of making "salpicon". I use the salpicon as a filling for sandwiches (lightly dressed with mayonnaise, mustard and sliced jalapeno peppers); or as part of a composed salad with boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, cooked (or raw) beets, shredded carrots and a lime vinaigrette. The traditional way of serving Salpicon is to pair it with and "Ensalada Rusa" or a simple potato salad, sliced tomatoes and hot sauce.

Copyright. Sandra A. Gutierrez, 2008; All Rights Reserved.

Traditional way to serve Salpicon. I like to offer a simple hot sauce made with chipotle chiles (that will follow in a future blog). Enjoy!

Copyright. Sandra A. Gutierrez; All Rights Reserved

Sopa Pavesa con Aguacate

Sopa Pavesa con Aguacate

On those evenings when time is of the essence and energy is low, all I want for supper is a bowl of soup and a lightly dressed salad. Fortunately, the Latin soup repertoire is filled with delicious, aromatic, and filling examples that can be whipped together with little effort and that take just a few minutes to assemble.

This rendition of a Sopa Pavesa fits the bill (pun intended) in more ways than one. Not only does it come together quickly but it is also very gentle on the budget--and with they way gas prices are going, it is nice to be able to create recipes that keep costs under control, while at the same time feeding my family nutritious and healthful food.

The ingredients that make up this soup are simple: chicken broth, eggs, cilantro, radishes and avocado. This is a case where simplicity truly makes a dish special; there are no fillers and certainly no strong flavors to steal from the natural taste of  simple and fresh ingredients. If you can find organic eggs, this is the time to use them. Radishes, so plentiful during the spring, can sometimes be a bit pungent; however, serving them in broth adds flair to simple flavors; the heat of the broth mellows their taste while the radishes impart a peppery bite to each spoonful of broth. I like to use whole cilantro leaves for this soup, which add textural mouth feel and a citrusy character to this soup.

This unpretentious soup  packs lots of flavor as each ingredient has its own special role  and come together in perfect culinary harmony. Each spoonful of this delectable soup yields a textural symphony comprised of the creaminess of the egg yolk as it bursts, the crunchiness of the radishes, the buttery sensuality of  avocado, and the smoothness of the broth. Simply sensual...

I like to make my own chicken broth out of the remnants (wings, necks, gizzards and trimmings) I collect and freeze when I prepare other recipes utilizing chickens. I particularly love using chicken wings in my broth, as they are very rich in collagen and lend tremendous flavor in a very short period of time. If I am lucky to have chicken gizzards at home, I add them for depth of flavor as well; I will often slice the cooked hearts and some of the gizzards and add them back to the finished broth, for some additional meatiness. A note of caution: I never use the chicken livers to make broth, as they make it turn cloudy.

You don't have to go through the trouble of making your own chicken broth at all; boxes of prepared stock and broth are perfectly suited for times when we are cooking in a hurry, so feel free to use those instead.

The soup goes together quickly. Once the broth has been seasoned well with salt, pepper (sometimes I like to throw a whole serrano pepper for taste, which I remove promptly before serving), it is brought back to a simmer; eggs are dropped into the pot and poached.  To serve the soup, the eggs are carefully removed and placed in the bottom of soup bowls, then covered with the steaming broth. Sliced radishes and avocados are thrown in as garnish (and those sliced gizzards if you have them), and chopped cilantro  leaves for both color and taste.

I like to poach the eggs directly into the soup when I am in a hurry but they too, can make the broth cloudy as some of the egg whites separate while poaching. There is another method, if you find yourself with a bit of extra time and don't mind the effort, which is to poach the eggs separately in a pot of simmering water, and then transfer them to the soup bowls before completing the presentation. Both methods will work perfectly and will not deviate the flavor of the finished recipe, so suit yourself.

Some times simple is better. In the case of this soup it is certainly true.

Sopa Pavesa con Aguacate

8 cups of chicken broth (with sliced gizzards if you have them)

4 large eggs (organic would be best)

1 avocado

1 cup sliced radishes

1/2 cup cilantro leaves (packed)

Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat the chicken broth until it comes to a simmer; break the eggs one at a time into the broth and poach for 3-6 minutes (or until done to your liking). Slice, pit and peel avocado; slice avocado thinly. Transfer poached eggs onto four serving bowls; taste broth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle broth over the eggs and garnish with the avocado slices, radishes and cilantro leaves.  Yield: 4 servings.

Copyright.Sandra Gutierrez, 2008; All Rights Reserved.

Avocado Craving

Avocado Cravings

I find myself welcoming Spring with a strong craving for fresh produce. So I drove to my local store in pursuit of green fruits and vegetables and was greeted by some of my favorites--lovely asparagus, brilliant broccoli, kiwis, and delicious avocados.

Once in a while my body screams for luscious, creamy avocados. Not the large Florida alligator pears, watery and dense, but delicious, buttery Haas avocados with rugged and bumpy exteriors and rich, velvety flesh.  Having grown up in Latin America, where these delicious fruits thrive (yes, avocados are fruits and not vegetables), I am very particular about avocados. I like to purchase avocados when they are not yet ripe, their flesh hard to the touch and unyielding to my fingers. When I bring them home, I prefer to leave them at room temperature and allow them to ripen slowly. In the case of avocados, trust me, patience works marvels. As an avocado ripens, magic happens inside, as their hard interiors begin their transformation into buttery and nutty flesh. Placing them inside a paper bag will hasten the ripening process but avocados do best when allowed to mature at their own pace, as do their tropical cousins, the bananas.

My biggest pet-peeve is purchasing what looks and feels like a gorgeous avocado, then driving home to prepare it and find it brown and bruised on the inside (a sure sign that it has been chilled during shipping, and thus irretrievably ruined). You see, avocados should not be chilled until they are perfectly ripe and softened, and at most for a couple of days only. They are not inexpensive, either (at least in North Carolina where I live) therefore, it pains me doubly when I find that my beautiful avocados are ruined before I even brought them home.  I ask you to refuse to purchase avocados that feel cool to the touch and to let your produce managers know when you suspect them of refrigerating them. I have found that some store managers are more open to suggestions than others; I don't have to tell you that I shop accordingly.

An avocado is ripe when it feels slightly soft to the touch. Hold it in the palm of your hand and give it a gentle squeeze; if it yields a little, it is ready.  I also have a simple trick that I will share with you: If you pull gently on the little stem at the top of the avocado and it refuses to come off, it is not ripe enough; if however, it comes of easily and you can see a green mark where it once stood, your avocado is most probably right to consume, as long as its flesh yields to your touch.

There are many wonderful culinary uses for avocados. They are wonderful stuffed into sandwiches (picture a panini with provolone, avocado, piquillo peppers and a touch of mayonnaise), and are delicious in soups, salads and mousse concoctions. They resist heat, although they will lose some flavor in the cooking process. The most exquisite way of enjoying the true, unadulterated flavor of an avocado is to use it in place of butter, spread thickly onto a slice of warm, crusty bread, with a light sprinkling of "sel gris" or sea salt.

Of course, it's most popular culinary use is in guacamole, of which there are as many recipes as there are cooks. Today, my craving is for the simplest of all guacamole concoctions. I hope you enjoy my simple version as much as I did--simply wrapped in warm, corn tortillas.  Happy avocado craving!

Easy Guacamole

2 perfectly ripened Haas avocados

3 tablespoons minced, yellow onion

2 serrano chiles, minced (seeded and deveined for less heat)

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)

Lime juice to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, mash the avocados, leaving some small chunks. Stir in the onion, serrano chiles and cilantro. Season liberally with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with warm corn tortillas or crunchy tortilla chips.

Tip: If you are not eating the guacamole immediately, cover it with plastic wrap (make sure it covers the surface of the guacamole, touching it, to form a "skin") and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

Copyright© Sandra Gutierrez, 2008; All Rights Reserved.