The Busy Gourmand

Ropa Vieja

I keep finding new things to try out at the meat counter at the local Mexican market. It is not that you cannot find any of these things in the regular market. I think it is the way they cut and display the meat that makes me stop and take a second look.

Flank steak is not normally something that I would buy, but when they are stacked eight high, separated by paper in between and pressed against the glass of the meat counter somehow they just screamed “buy me.” As with many of my purchases I decided I would figure out what to do with it later.

In this case it turned into ropa vieja, or translated as “old clothes.” This is typically attributed to Cuban populations although it is apparently popular all the way from the Canary Islands to Colombia. What you put in the mixture is heavily influenced by your locale. Many of the recipes called for diced tomatoes or tomato paste. I just was not feeling tomatoes in this dish so I left them out. I tried to really spice it up with two whole pickled jalapenos. The slow cooking process I think really washed away the heat. So maybe add some more jalapenos at the end. Although the picture shows the dish in a bowl it is normally served with tortillas. And as with any sort of meat tortilla dish I like mine with a squeeze of lemon and some sour cream. Buen provecho

Oxtail Osso Buco

I have been availing myself of the many interesting things you can find at our local Mexican market. Over the recent weeks I have seen every part of the pig or the cow available for sale. (I cannot figure out what you do with the full pigs head. Guess I will have to research that one.) The produce is outstanding both in quality and variety. And prices, except for certain cuts of meat seem to be a bit less than the large chain grocery stores.

This market has inspired me to take a look at some things I would usually pass by. In this case I was captivated by the beautiful oxtails in the meat case. I had no idea what I was going to do with them once I got them home. And at $10 for four of them it was not a purchase I would take lightly.

Oxtails Tied Up Before Cooking

A bit of quit research turned up the idea Osso Buco. Although traditionally made with veal shank I decided the oxtails would work just as well with the requisite mix of meat and fat. And of course there are as many recipes to cook this dish as their are cooks who make it. So I pulled together the pieces that I thought would be best from each recipe and came up with my own. I served it over polenta, a very good choice and another new recipe which will follow in a couple of days. We had to have black-eyed peas for the new year so I made a nontraditional recipe with butternut squash. All in all I am batting 100% with all my great finds at the Mexican market. Olé!

Shrimp, Feta and Couscous Salad

I am not a person who usually puts in a plug for prepackaged food. But once in a while you come across something that is pretty good and becomes a staple in the pantry. In my case it has even earned a container in the cabinet along with rice, beans, and assorted pastas. It is produced by World Market and is called Couscous Medley. It is a pearl couscous, also called Israeli couscous for some reason, that is mixed with lentils, orzo, and dried corn. I have been making a lot of warm salads with it and it is remarkably versatile.

I have made it with vinaigrettes and simple lemon juice and olive oil mixtures. I have made it completely vegetarian or mixed it with some leftover chicken and in this case some shrimp. The mixture tends to work best with feta cheese for some reason. Topped with some fresh herbs it is really hard to beat for a quick, easy, hearty salad.

This particular shrimp salad is very simple. It includes the couscous, onions, tomatoes, a mixture of greek olives, some fresh herbs, feta cheese, and a simple lemon and olive oil emulsion. I suppose you could serve it cold but I prefer it on the warm side, especially this time of the year. Who would have thought something out of the package could be so good?

World Market Couscous Medley

Carnitas with Pico de Gallo and Sour Cream

Generally speaking when I see carnitas on a menu they would hardly raise an exclamation point or a second look for that matter. They are usually comprised of shredded pork that has been braised for a long period of time. You generally place the shredded pieces on a warm tortilla and garnish with your favorite condiments. I have had decent varieties served in Mexico. However, even there they tend to be on the dry, tasteless side. You end up getting more flavor from the pico de gallo than from the meat itself.

Composing the Carnitas

I found some beautiful boneless country pork ribs at the Mexican market. I had no idea what I wanted to do with them. They were probably headed for pork schnitzel. But seeing as how I bought them at a Mexican store I thought I would see if I could come up with an edible version of carnitas. Doing my usual research I found that recipes were from all over the board, all of them claiming to be authentic. The most unusual included cooking them in pepsi, and another suggested so many spices I was not sure you would end up tasting meat at the end.

Carnitas in the Pot

I landed on an inspiration from Williams-Sonoma’s slow cooker cookbook. Their version included browning the meat and then braising the meat in beer and citrus juices. It was a good start. I coated my meat with some spices before browning and instead of using the juice and rind from a lime I cut two Mexican limes into quarters, squeezed the juices into the pot and threw the lime pieces into the beer mixture. You have to remember to take out the limes pieces before shredding. I also reduced the temperature for braising so as not to make the meat too tough. These carnitas were very moist, mildly spicy, including some sweetness from a bit of cinnamon, and they definitely had that hint of lime all the way through the meat. Although they could certainly stand on their own, a bit of pico de gallo and some lime-infused sour cream rounded out the meal. Que rico!

Chorizo Squash and Corn Stew

I know we are technically only a few days into winter but I find myself suffering from a bit of what I call the “winter blahs.” The signs include lounging in bed a bit longer than I should and an overall case of ennui. Sitting in a cold office most of the day does not help much either.

In order to shake myself from this condition I have started altering my routine a bit. I have added shopping at the local Mexican market to my list of new things to do. The result has been a bit of inspiration about new things to cook, or trying to cook old food concepts in a new way. I am a big fan of stews and soups during the winter as most of you have already figured out. So I decided to add one more to the list.

I found some really good Mexican chorizo which I would normally cook with some scrambled eggs and eat it with some tortillas. This time I combined it with some butternut squash and some corn to create a chorizo, squash and corn stew. A bit of a variation from the last recipe with the added heat of the chorizo. Although it certainly has not cured the winter blahs it at least put a smile on my face for a little while.

Squash, Bean, and Corn Soup

I was recently reminded that we throw the term “American” around pretty casually. We often hear about things being “American as apple pie” or “Americans have a different value system,” largely referring to the people who live in the 50 United States. Of course apples are not indigenous to the continents that make up the Americas and one of our 50 states would more accurately be classified as part of Polynesia. The term “America” has devolved into a sort of jingoist phrase more intent on exclusion than inclusion, and based on no real tie to the continental geography.

The reality is that the people who reside in the Americas, therefore Americans, range from Tierra del Fuego in the South to the Northern Territories of Canada. We are all Americans. We do divvy it up a bit with South Americans, Latin Americans, North Americans, and Central Americans. The operative word in all cases is American. And if you took a survey of what most people in these continents would consider to be “American” food you would probably be surprised that the vast majority would consider squash, beans, and corn as the main food staples as opposed to hamburgers (German), pizza (Italian), and the aforementioned apple pie (English and/or French). Ironically, squash, beans, and corn were being consumed by most indigenous Americans long before anyone from the West ever stepped on the continents.

Soup with the Extra Garnish

I thought it would be appropriate to make a real American meal using the three food staples with an assist from two other American crops, chiles and tomatoes. The latter two not always considered essential cooking ingredients but ones that offer a flavor assist not to mention a good reason to drink a beer. And what better way to serve the ingredients than in a soup. The blandish tendencies of squash, beans and corn were assisted by getting a good caramel glaze on the squash, and using chipotle chiles along with some cumin and cilantro. And to finish it, a dollop of sour cream mixed with lime juice, a squeeze of lime over the top, and for a bit more decadence, using another indigenous crop, some cubes of avocado. You could skip the avocado and the sour cream, but the squeeze of lime finishes the whole dish. So when you are looking for some “real American food” I would suggest this recipe for squash, bean and corn soup.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Like most everyone else when it comes to Thanksgiving I tend to stick with the tried and true, the usual. It is not that you cannot try to do new things at Thanksgiving. It is just that there is something comforting in the knowledge that a well-cooked turkey is going to be accompanied by mashed potatoes, dressing and a handful of other dishes usually followed by a pumpkin or pecan pie, or hopefully both. This year we opted for a few things that were a bit out of the ordinary. Not like a walk on the wild side with Lou Reed, but more like a pleasant variation on some old themes.

Instead of a whole turkey we just cooked a turkey breast. Considering the number of people dining it made a lot of sense. Although in prior years it would have seemed like blasphemy. With careful preparation it turned out moister than the whole-turkey version. Rubbed with butter and fresh herbs it was a very nice change. Instead of mashed potatoes we had the “Greek-style” potatoes made in an earlier post. Definitely emphasizing the lemon and feta cheese, this went well with the turkey. I played with my usual cranberry compote relying on apricot preserves more than sugar. I liked the new version better. Less cloying with the orange and ginger flavors really coming through.

The Whole Pumpkin Cheeseake

The biggest change came from me complaining “pumpkin pie again?” I pushed for a pumpkin cheesecake. I know, not exactly pushing the envelope, but definitely more interesting. After a lot of research the resident pastry chef came up with an excellent and light version using a mix of spices that really made the pumpkin flavor shine through. And, unlike the “America’s Test Kitchen” version which takes two days to make, I believe he was done with the whole thing in a matter of a couple of hours. This is definitely worth a try if you ever suffer from pie fatigue.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

When in the course of culinary events you cannot find a recipe that fits your idea of a very common food offering, you go out and invent a new version. A version not so new as to be unrecognizable but new enough that someone might actually think your iteration is a step forward in the development of cooking. Not a giant leap mind you. Just a little step forward that will put a smile on your face. One of those food “aha” moments.

I was on a soup jag after the white bean soup. There was something so natural about eating a bowl of soup with a slice of crusty bread for dinner that I had to continue with at least one more. So armed with some broccoli in the refrigerator I went in search of a cream of broccoli soup. To my chagrin this was not an easy task. The most common recipes included cooking the broccoli to mush in some chicken broth, pureeing the mixture, adding some cream and then some salt and pepper. Not the most inspiring concoction.

So thinking about my recent foray into potato and leek soup I came up with the idea to cook the broccoli with a potato. This would allow be to add some creaminess without adding a whole lot of cream. Next I thought the whole thing would be made more interesting with just a touch of bacon, a couple of dashes of hot sauce, and chopped roasted chiles of the mild variety. This also allowed me to keep the palette mostly in the green category. (I hate it when someone wants to know why there are “red pieces” floating in the sea of green broccoli. It is easier to give the philistines what they want.)

I never had the “soupspicion” (old Creole for “suspecting” something) that this would turn out so well. The bacon was a nice addition but not overpowering. The smoky heat from the hot sauce was just right. And with the potato I kept the cream content to a minimum allowing the flavor of the broccoli to dominate. You can of course follow the usual recipes, or you can take a leap into the unknown and try my cream of broccoli soup.

Ham and White Bean Soup

Sometimes I even surprise myself when something I produce is so wonderful. I had the leftover white beans and smoked ham from my dinner last night. I decided to make them into a soup. To the beans I added some sauteed onions, carrot, celery and ginger, a dash of hot sauce and some chicken broth. I pureed the beans and added the leftover diced ham. I let the whole thing simmer for about 15 minutes.

All I can say is “Wow!” The soup had a wonderful creamy consistency. The smokiness of the ham from cooking the previous day permeated the soup. The heat from the ginger and the hot sauce gave it just enough interest. With a slice of bread and a garnish of cilantro leaves it is one of the best meals I have had in a long time. More good news…I have some leftover for lunch today!

Our last housekeeper was from El Salvador. When I asked her what was her favorite meal she replied, beans and rice. It has been my experience that beans and rice are considered peasant food throughout Latin America. I have never seen them offered on a menu or offered as a meal when visiting someone in their home. And yet, despite the lack of status, she chose beans and rice because to her they are the ultimate comfort food. She was fascinated by the fact that I usually prepared my own beans rather than using a canned variety.

When we were in Barcelona I saw a dish that struck me as being so simple and looked so satisfying I have made it several times since then. It is a smoked ham shank simmered in a pot of white beans. Seasoned with some salt, pepper, and a bit of onion and garlic. You cook it in a low oven for about two hours. It has to be one of the simplest yet most satisfying meals that I make. Feeling a bit blue last night I decided to treat myself with this recipe. The good news…I am going to make a white bean and ham soup with the leftovers for tomorrow’s dinner.