Along with goat, lamb is one of my favorite meats.  I am a huge, I mean H.U.G.E fan of Indian cuisine, and I always order a goat curry or a lamb vindaloo when we go out to eat.  That, and some naan bread.  And perhaps a samosa chaat to start.  Oh, and don’t forget the Masala dosa.  And the mango lassi.  Uh, yeah.  I LOVE Indian food.  Usually, I can’t move afterwards, but that’s neither here nor there.

Along with goat, lamb is one of my favorite meats.  I am a huge, I mean H.U.G.E fan of Indian cuisine, and I always order a goat curry or a lamb vindaloo when we go out to eat.  That, and some naan bread.  And perhaps a samosa chaat to start.  Oh, and don’t forget the Masala dosa.  And the mango lassi.  Uh, yeah.  I LOVE Indian food.  Usually, I can’t move afterwards, but that’s neither here nor there.

Now, if I had to choose between and Indian stew or an Ecuadorian stew… Well, that’s a tough one.  I love both of them for different reasons.  I love the former for its heat and spice complexity, but I cherish the latter because it reminds me of home.

Recently, the folks over at Mountain States Rosen Company, a lamb and veal cooperation, contacted me to see if I would be interested in creating a recipe using one of their lamb products.  In the name of lamb love I said, YES!  And what better way to use lamb than in a traditional Ecuadorian stew, like a seco de borrego.

I’ve made seco de chivo (goat stew) before, but I wanted to try a different approach to making seco this time around.  The basics of the refrito didn’t change, but instead of using naranjilla juice which is traditional, I opted for using a light beer instead.  Although the flavor componets are different, it is common to interchange these two ingredients in Ecuadorian secos.  The naranjilla juice or the beer help tenderize the meat and take away some of the gameyness goat and lamb have.  I also wanted to make the cooking process of the stew as effortless as possible, keeping in mind that many of us don’t have the time to oversee the stovetop for hours.  In order to solve this issue, I decided to use a crockpot.  The result was a rich and flavorful, oh-so-tender lamb stew, which goes perfect over a bed of yellow rice with some fried sweet plantains on the side.  Did I mention that the crockpot is one of my favorite tools as of late?  Now, ya know.

**  Mountain States Rosen provided the lamb sample to create this recipe.  The recipe and opinions are mine.  No monetary compensation was received for this posting.  Gracias.  **

Start by making the refrito, which is the base for a traditional Ecuadorian seco.  In a food processor, puree tomatoes, red onions, green peppers, some garlic cloves and a serrano pepper without seeds.  In my case, I had to do it in batches.

Now, let’s prep our lamb meat.  I received a boneless, butterflied leg of lamb under the Cedar Springs Brand.  According to their website, Cedar Spring lambs are raised on high mountain pastures in their natural environment.  Let me tell you, this lamb meat was so glorious!  There was no doubt it was very good quality.  These lambies were well taken care of!  Since I had no bones, I opted to leave some of the fat to give the meat flavor.  I trimmed some of the white tissue (different from fat), because this tends to be tough to chew on once cooked.  I also cubed the meat in bite-sized pieces.

Season the lamb generously with salt, ground pepper and ground cumin.  This is the Ecuadorian trifecta of seasonings!

Pour the refrito in the crockpot, and season this as well with salt, ground pepper, ground cumin and ground achiote for coloring.

Add the seasoned lamb meat to the crock pot and stir to combine.

Let’s spice this up a bit more.  Add some panela (or piloncillo).  If this is unavailable, you can substitute with dark brown sugar.  Then, add a few whole cloves, a couple of whole allspice, and some dried oregano, along with some roughly chopped celery stalks.  I used Mexican oregano, but the traditional oregano works as well.

Now, pour the beer (light beer, I used Yuengling Light) over the mixture and stir one last time to combine.  Note that I have a large crockpot – this one is a 6 quart oval crockpot.  This recipe can be easily scaled down to fit your own crockpot.  You can save some of the refrito in a tightly closed container for later use (refrigerated for a week).  The beer – well, use some and drink the rest.  And then some.

Cover the crockpot with its lid, and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  Towards the end of the cooking process, you can get your yellow rice ready and fry some sweet plantains, which take no time.

Prior to serving, remove the celery stalks, the whole cloves and the allspice.  By now, the sauce is reduced and has thickened (don’t worry – there is plenty of liquidie goodness!), and it has a reddish-brick tone to it.  I just gave Pantone a new color to work on.

Serve the warm Seco de Borrego with the yellow rice and the sweet plantains.  This amount of meat resulted me in stew enough for 8 generous servings.  ¡Buen provecho!  Thanks again to Lindsey at Prevail Strategy and Mountain States Rosen for the opportunity to sample a beautiful and exquisite cut of lamb!

I love hummus as a quick snack.  Sometimes it’s all I eat for lunch – hummus with some chips and baby carrots.  It usually happens after realizing I punished a whole 8-ounce beef burger and fries plus two beers the night before.  Back in Jersey, this would happen at The Lighthorse Tavern.  These days, it happens either at The Porter or at The Vortex.

Last week, I wanted to make a hummus-like dip that would incorporate something [...]]]>

I love hummus as a quick snack.  Sometimes it’s all I eat for lunch – hummus with some chips and baby carrots.  It usually happens after realizing I punished a whole 8-ounce beef burger and fries plus two beers the night before.  Back in Jersey, this would happen at The Lighthorse Tavern.  These days, it happens either at The Porter or at The Vortex.

Last week, I wanted to make a hummus-like dip that would incorporate something traditional of Ecuador.  Mote, AKA hominy came to mind.  Once I made it, I called it Mote Hummus.  Then, I realized that it cannot be hummus, because hummus is garbanzo-based, and in this dip, I replaced the garbanzo beans for the hominy.  Calling it hummus is just plain wrong, I realized.  I realize a lot of things these days.  Like how I just realized I used the word “realize” too often.

Things I’ve Realized

• I’ve realized I can chow down a burger with fries and two beers any night of the week.
• I’ve  realized if I chow down a burger with fries and two beers every night of the week I would have a heart attack in no time.
• I’ve  realized I REALLY need to pick up my running.  Stat.
• I’ve realized I am a dog person AND a cat person.
• I’ve realized I am deeply in love with my Luna.

And I know she loves me back.  Look!  Her tongue is shaped like a heart, full of love for me.

So… The dip!   What is hummus-like in the dip?  Well, I used tahini paste.  That is probably about it.  Additionally, I used some lightly salted peanuts.  If you recall, peanuts are also used in a several Ecuadorian soups, like the delicious Fanesca.  The result was a delicate and airy dip that satisfied my hunger on that said day, following the aftermath of that awesome burgerfest.

First, drain a can of hominy, reserving half of the liquid.  Set aside.

In a small skillet, add two tablespoons of olive oil and one slightly crushed garlic clove.  Turn on the heat to low and let it cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes.  This will infuse the oil with the garlic aroma, soften the garlic and take off some of the bite garlic has.  I find that hummus sometimes has a strong garlic pungency, which I don’t appreciate on my breath or on anyone else’s.  Once the time is up, turn off the stove and set the oil and garlic aside.

In a blender, add some lightly salted peanuts with some tahini paste.  Pulse several times to blend.  I realized (there it goes again) there weren’t enough peanuts or tahini paste to make a puree, but I didn’t want to make the dip too peanut-y.

So then, I added the drained hominy plus the reserved hominy liquid.   Pulse 3-5 times to puree the ingredients.  The dip should be lookin’ smooth.  Much better.

Now, add the garlic-infused oil and the garlic to the dip.  Pulse a couple of more times to blend.

Finally, add the juice of 1/2 a lime and pulse again.

To the dip, add 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro and mix with a spoon.  Taste for seasoning.  Because I used lightly salted peanuts, I didn’t have the need to add any additional salt.

Garnish with a bit more of chopped cilantro.

Now it is ready to be consumed.  I attacked my dip using sliced yellow and orange peppers as my weaponry.  It was a good choice.  This dip will also be good with some cherry tomatoes, and of course corn chips or pita chips.

El Señor Hubs and I are BIG fans of Cuban food.  Back in Jersey, we used to eat at this lonchería-style restaurant called Rumba’s, which served authentic Cuban food.  The food was homemade delicious at a great price.  Needless to say, we ate there at least twice a week.  Rumba’s was our saviour when we got home pooped-tired after 12 hours of work.

Pooped-tired.

I think I just made a new phrase.

El Señor Hubs and I are BIG fans of Cuban food.  Back in Jersey, we used to eat at this lonchería-style restaurant called Rumba’s, which served authentic Cuban food.  The food was homemade delicious at a great price.  Needless to say, we ate there at least twice a week.  Rumba’s was our saviour when we got home pooped-tired after 12 hours of work.

Pooped-tired.

I think I just made a new phrase.

Anyway, one of my favorite dishes is the ubiquitous Rabo Encendido, which translates to “Tail on Fire”, as in Oxtail on Fire.  Weird, huh?  While the name would suggest this dish is spicy, it’s not the case.  In this aspect, Cuban cooking resembles Ecuadorian cooking.  Our food is not spicy.  Rabo encendido is oxtail cooked low and slow in a colorful combination of vegetables and liquids, which results in a very flavorful, fall-off-the-bone meat stew.  My mouth waters just thinking about it.

The low and slow cooking method is one used in Ecuadorian cooking and it many cuisines around the world.  It is certainly one of my favorite methods of cooking.  You can leave stuff on the stove or in the oven for a couple of hours or more, and do laundry, read a book, paint a picture, chase your dog around, etc.  Before you know it, dinner is ready.

I took some cues from the Cuban Rabo encendido, but I infused a traditional Ecuadorian refrito as a base for this oxtail stew.  I also incorporated the French cooking technique of the mirepoix and made a very flavorful base for the oxtail.  Beef stock and dry red wine round up the flavors, which result in a decadent stew.  My only complaint: I just wish oxtail had more meat.

What would you serve this saucy, oxtail stew with?  Well, traditional Cuban cuisine will suggest you serve rabo with some rice.  However, I wanted to incorporate a bit of my “new home” into this dish.  So what do you eat while in the South?  Grits!  Grits makes a great side to this meal because it helps up soak up all the juices from the stew.  I made these grits using some refrito to tie the meal together.  There is enough flavor in the grits, but it doesn’t overpower the oxtail.

The pictures in this post do not make justice to how flavorful this meal is.  You see, by the time I got to serve and take pictures, I was losing natural light.

And we were starving.

And in a hurry to eat.

Screw the pictures.

I encourage you to make this over the weekend; your palate will thank you profusely.

Preparing the refrito:

We will start making the refrito.  This combination will result in about 2 cups of refrito.  We will use 1 cup for the oxtails, and about 1/4 cup for the grits.  The rest can be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container for 1 week.  I used my refrito to make some chicken later on the week and it was amazing!

Roughly chop 1 large green pepper, 1 large tomato, 1 medium red onion and a small bunch of cilantro.

Throw them into a food processor and blend away.

Preparing the oxtails:

Wash and pat dry 3 lbs. of oxtail.  My local grocery store tends to sell them in 1.5 lbs packages; I find them easily accessible.  Three pounds of oxtail will feed 2 people generously, with probably another serving left over.

Season the oxtails on all sides with generous amounts of salt, ground black pepper and ground cumin.

Dredge the oxtail pieces on some flour.  I find this helps to dry out the pieces, so when you brown them in high temperature oil, it doesn’t splatter.  It also helps to thicken the stew sauce when we add the pieces to the liquids during the braising stage.

Heat some olive oil in a dutch oven at high heat, and sear the oxtail pieces on all sides,

Until they are golden brown.

Once browned, remove them from the heat and set aside to rest.

Preparing the stew:

In the same dutch oven where the oxtail were seared, add 1 cup of the refrito and sautee in medium heat for a few minutes.  Stir around to combine the refrito with the pan drippings.

Sautee the refrito with salt, ground pepper and ground cumin to taste.

Add 1/4 tsp. of ground achiote powder for coloring.  Stir to combine.

Add the mirepoix to the pot, which consists of 2 medium sized carrots, 2 stalks of celery and 1 cup of chopped yellow onions.  Stir to incorporate all the flavors.

Add three whole garlic cloves to the vegetables and stir.

Add the seared oxtail pieces and any juices to the vegetables.

To all the vegetables and the oxtail, add 2 cups (16 oz.) of beef stock,

Followed by 1 cup (8 oz.) of red wine.  A dry, table red wine works great.

For even more flavor, add a couple of bay leaves – I used 2 dry bay leaves,

And 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.  Stir everything.  Bring the stew to a boil.  Then lower the heat to low.  Let the stew simmer for 2.5-3 hours until the meat falls off the bones.

If you like the sauce chunky and love to taste the carrots, celery and onions, you can leave the sauce like it is.  Just remove the bay leaves before serving.  If you like a smoother sauce, which is the way I like it, remove the oxtails from the stew, and transfer the vegetables along with the liquid to a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Return the oxtails back to the stew and maintain warm until ready to serve.

Preparing the grits:

I followed the package directions for cooking grits, with the caveat of adding the refrito as the base.  I used 1 cup of dry grits, which yields ~ 4-5 servings, because I like lots of grits.  So here is what I did:

In a sauce pan, heat a bit of vegetable oil and 1/4 cup of refrito, along with 1/4 tsp of salt.  Sautee for 3 minutes on medium heat.

Add enough water to cook the 1 cup of dry grits, which according to Quaker Old Fashioned Grits, is 5 cups.  Bring this to a boil.

Now add the cup of dry grits,

And whisk vigorously to combine and thicken the grits.

Cover and lower the heat to medium low and let the grits simmer for about 15 minutes until some of the liquid has evaporated.  Grits will be creamy and not dry.  You should be able to ladle them on your bowl – kind of like runny mashed potatoes.  Once the grits set, they usually congeal.  They sometimes remind me of jello shots – without the vodka.

Plating the stew:

In a bowl, ladle some grits and place a couple of pieces of oxtail over the grits.  Ladle the liquids from the stew over the oxtail pieces.  Garnish with some chopped cilantro.  Inhale immediately.  ¡Buen provecho!

Fanesca is a traditional Ecuadorian soup eaten during the Cuaresma period (Lent) and Semana Santa (Holy Week/Easter).  The Fanesca is made with 12 legume/vegetable ingredients, and each Ecuadorian family has their own way of making it.  These 12 ingredients are grains grown in Ecuador and include: choclo tierno (corn), habas (lima beans), frijoles rojos (red kidney beans), frijoles blancos (white beans), alverjitas (green peas), chochos (lupini beans), lentejas (lentils), mote (hominy), maní (peanuts), mellocos (a [...]]]>

Fanesca is a traditional Ecuadorian soup eaten during the Cuaresma period (Lent) and Semana Santa (Holy Week/Easter).  The Fanesca is made with 12 legume/vegetable ingredients, and each Ecuadorian family has their own way of making it.  These 12 ingredients are grains grown in Ecuador and include: choclo tierno (corn), habas (lima beans), frijoles rojos (red kidney beans), frijoles blancos (white beans), alverjitas (green peas), chochos (lupini beans), lentejas (lentils), mote (hominy), maní (peanuts), mellocos (a small Ecuadorian potato),  zapallo and zambo (varieties of squashes, like pumpkin, yellow squash, butternut squash, etc.).  Additionally, this soup contains bacalao (salted cod), cooked rice and has a milk base.

The specific origins of the Fanesca are not clear, although it is said that it originated during Colonial times.  The 12 legume/vegetable ingredients symbolize the 12 Apostles, although it is also said they symbolize The 12 Tribes of Israel, while the fish represents Our Savior Jesus Christ.  Recall that during this time of the year, devout Catholic Christians don’t eat red meat, hence the use of fish in this soup.  Also, during Lent it is common for many people to fast, so when Fanesca time comes around, eating a big, hearty soup is welcomed.

Back in Ecuador, I remember preparing the Fanesca was always a big deal, not only because of what the soup represented, but because it is SO.TIME.CONSUMING.  Families spent days making this soup, because each bean had to be soaked and cooked on its own, and the same goes for the squashes.  In Guayaquil, finding bacalao normally was not a big deal and you could get the fish quite fresh, but it still needed to be soaked and cooked.  And with 12 ingredients plus the fish, you can only imagine how much soup you ended up with, which is why eating Fanesca is a family affair.

Growing up, my family didn’t make Fanesca every year.  Most of the time we bought it from a restaurant, or from la comadre (the “close friend”), whom we knew would be making large Fanesca batches in an effort to earn a few Sucres.  I didn’t eat Fanesca all the time because I found that the bacalao mixed in with all the rest of the beans gave the soup a weird flavor.  Hard-core Fanesca lovers enjoy the fish-infused milk used as a base for this soup, since traditionally the bacalao is cooked in milk for about 15 minutes.  I decided not to cook the fish in the milk for my Fanesca.  Instead, I cooked my 24-hour soaked salted cod in water with lemon juice for 15 minutes, removed the fish, and DISCARDED the water.

Don’t be discouraged by the Fanesca-making process!  The beauty of making Fanesca nowadays is the availability of canned beans.  It makes life so much easier!  Since the traditional Fanesca requires to use the cooked beans with its liquid to make the soup, I used the canned beans with their liquid to make this soup.  However, I decided not to use the liquids of the corn and the hominy because a) these are more watery relative to the other beans and we want a thick consistency, and b) my dutch oven was about to overflow.

I did have to soak and cook a few of the legumes, namely the lentils, the lima beans, and the pinto beans.  The two latter ones were because I had some dried beans in my pantry – no reason to spend money when I have these already.  However, you can easily find canned lima beans, along with the rest of the other beans.  Should you use dry lima beans, don’t forget to soak them overnight and remove their thick skin which should be relatively easy once they are soaked.  The chochos are normally sold in a brine, which we won’t use in the soup.  Recall that the chochos have a thick skin, which needs to be removed. Since the mellocos are not available here (I’ve never seen them in the U.S.), I skipped those.  I also replaced green peas for garbanzo beans.  You know what happened when I served peas in my household.  A final note on the beans: don’t beat yourself if you can’t find the specific beans.  For instance, for the white beans I used cannellini beans, but feel free to use navy beans, great northern beans, or others.  If you like peas, go ahead and use the peas.  Chances are you have the majority of these in your pantry already.

The Fanesca is generally served with moló – mashed potatoes Ecuadorian style, fried sweet plantains and masitas, which are deep fried little empanadas.  It is garnished with chopped cilantro, slices of hard-boiled eggs or slices of avocado. Now, let’s go on and enjoy this Fanesca, shall we?

Fanesca prep work:

Soak the salted cod in water for 24 hours, changing the water 3-4 times in between.  Store in the fridge until ready to use.  After the soaking period is done, discard the water.

Cook the now softer cod in plenty water with the juice of 1 lemon.  Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove the codfish from the water and set aside, discarding the water.

If using dried beans, such as lentils, soak them for a few hours, but preferably overnight.  Cook the beans with enough water to cover them.  Season the water with salt.  Set aside the cooked beans, reserving its liquid, which won’t be too much.

Cook the squashes in plenty water until soft; we will need 2 cups of each of the squashes.  I used calabaza (pumpkin) and yellow squash which I peeled and seeded.  You can use butternut squash, kabocha or acorn squash.  There is no need to season this water.  Once cooked, chop the squashes in smaller pieces and set aside, reserving the liquids as well.

In a small sauce pan, bring 3 cups of  lightly salted water to a boil.  Add 1 cup of long grain white rice, and lower the heat to a simmer.  Cook the rice until it is well done and mushy, and the water has cooked down.

Heat a small skillet on medium heat and toast 1/4 cup of lightly salted peanuts.  Toast for a few minutes until you see the peanuts turning slightly brown in color and bead of oil forming on the surface of the peanuts.  Remove from the heat.

Blend the peanuts with 2 cups of milk – I used skim milk.  Set the mixture aside.

Preparing the Fanesca:

In a large dutch oven, heat up some oil (vegetable or olive), and make a refrito with 1 cup of chopped yellow onions, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro.

Season the refrito with a generous pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon of ground cumin.  Stir to combine.

Then add about 1/4 teaspoon of achiote powder and sautee on medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the peanut/milk mixture to the refrito, stir and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add the mushy rice to the dutch over, and stir to incorporate the ingredients.  With the spoon, mash down the rice as well, and bring to a rolling boil (bubbles are forming).  Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the diced squashes to the pot, followed by 1 cup of each of the liquids – so 1 cup of the pumpkin cooking liquid and 1 cup of the yellow squash liquid.

Stir and with the spoon, mash the squashes to thicken the soup.

Now it is time to add the beans.  Since we are mostly using canned beans, this process is fairly easy.  I used 1 can of each of the different variety of beans.  For the dried beans I had cooked separately, I measured a can-worth of the pinto beans and the lima beans.

I didn’t have a particular order in mind when I added them to the pot.  I added the following with their liquids:  lentils, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans (instead of red kidney beans), and the lima beans.  Then I added the lupini beans, peeled and without the brine.

Then I added the corn and the hominy without the liquids.

Stir to combine all the ingredients.  Taste the soup and adjust for seasoning if necessary.  I added another generous pinch of salt, more ground pepper and cumin.  Bring the soup to a boil, and then lower the head to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, heat some oil in a frying pan.  Pan fry the pieces of cod on both sides, until slightly golden.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

To plate the soup, place a piece of the cod fish in a soup bowl, and ladle a couple of spoonfuls of the Fanesca over it to get this:

Garnish with chopped cilantro, slices of hard-boiled eggs and/or slices of avocado.  Serve with slices of fried sweet plantain and/or masitas fritas.  Curious how to make masitas?  Masitas are basically our lovely empanadas de viento, but smaller.  Follow the same recipe, but instead make discs of 3 cm. in diameter.  Have a wonderful Easter!

I made these little rosquitas de mantequilla last week because I had a hankering for a snack and wanted something crumbly, something relatively crispy.  I could’ve eaten crackers, but it really wasn’t what I was looking for.  And for some reason, I recalled a type of rosquitas I used to eat back in Ecuador – a kind you could buy on the streets.  Those rosquitas were quite crispy and on the salty/savory side, and street vendors used [...]]]>

I made these little rosquitas de mantequilla last week because I had a hankering for a snack and wanted something crumbly, something relatively crispy.  I could’ve eaten crackers, but it really wasn’t what I was looking for.  And for some reason, I recalled a type of rosquitas I used to eat back in Ecuador – a kind you could buy on the streets.  Those rosquitas were quite crispy and on the salty/savory side, and street vendors used to sell them in these little plastic baggies which held about ten little rosquitas.  I can’t remember how much they were, but I remember paying Sucres for them.  For those who don’t know or are too young to remember, Ecuador used to have their own currency back in the day, and it was called Sucre.  Oh boy, am I dating myself…

Although these rosquitas weren’t like the ones I used to buy on the street, they will satisfy that 4 o’clock nibble time – just in time for tea.  These rosquitas reminded me more of a cross between an empanada dough and a pie crust – the best of both worlds!

Cookery instruments needed:

Mixing bowls, a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, baking sheet, parchment paper, cooling rack.

Cookery ingredients needed:

All-purpose flour: 3 cups; egg yolks: 4; unsalted butter: 1/2 cup; salt: 1/4 tsp; baking powder: 1 tbsp; granulated sugar: 1/4 cup.  Not pictured: 8 tbsp cold milk (I used skim).

 In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.  Whisk and set aside.

In a standing mixer, beat the butter until creamy.  Add the yolks to the butter and continue beating until all is incorporated.

To the butter/yolks mixture, add the dry ingredients and knead with your hands inside the bowl.

I noticed that the dough was hard to work with, and it didn’t hold together.  I used cold milk to solve this problem, adding one tablespoon at a time, and checking between each tablespoon for the dough’s consistency.  In total I added 8 tablespoons until the dough held together.  Knead the dough in the bowl until both the dry and wet ingredients are incorporated, and the dough is smooth and dense.

Lay out the dough onto a floured counter and divide it into small balls, about the size of Jawbreakers, or big bubble gum balls.  This dough yielded me a total of 32 small dough balls.  In order to braid the wreaths for the rosquitas, roll out two dough balls into long strings of about 10 centimeters long.

Braid the two strands overlapping one over the other to form a rope-like shape.  Form a circle and pinch the ends to close it.  You have made a rosquita!

Lay out your rosquitas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes, until the rosquitas are golden.

 When they are done, let them cool off on a wire rack.  I had to test the finished product.  Don’t judge.

Enjoy your rosquitas de mantequilla with some Nutella or some fruit jam.  I love eating my rosquitas with a cold glass of milk, but these make for the perfect tea time treats.  ¡Buen provecho!

Going to the grocery store starving hungry is never a good thing.  I know this, yet I do it.  However, sometimes this hunger ignites the food awesomeness creativity in my brain, and I come up with food ideas.  We taste test them, and then I share them with you.  This is the case of this butternut squash and turkey lasagna.  Having gone hungry to the store ended up not being a bad thing.

Last week [...]]]>

Going to the grocery store starving hungry is never a good thing.  I know this, yet I do it.  However, sometimes this hunger ignites the food awesomeness creativity in my brain, and I come up with food ideas.  We taste test them, and then I share them with you.  This is the case of this butternut squash and turkey lasagna.  Having gone hungry to the store ended up not being a bad thing.

Last week I was walking down the pasta aisle and I noticed a jar of butternut squash sauce for about $8.00.  I read the ingredients on the back of the label, and I figured I could absolutely make the sauce myself for maybe half of that (I don’t have the dollar breakdown – sorry!), and get much joy in doing so.  Additionally, it gave me another excuse to use my brand new toy – the Blendtec.  I love love LOVE my new Blendtec blender! We’ve been making lots of fruit and vegetable juices to increase our intake of vegetables on a daily basis.

As you know, lasagnas are a bit time consuming, but they are not hard to make.  Using no boil noodles makes the process easier.   I’ve made lasagna before here.  But when I look a the pictures, even though it is a tasty lasagna, it looks rather skinny and puny.  So this time around I wanted a lasagna thick and with lots of layers.  I did a layer of turkey, a layer of butternut squash sauce, a layer of cheeses, with noodles in between.  Thick.  Divine.  Flavorful.  Different.  The butternut squash, the turkey and the cheeses are a great combination.  The sauce is sweet, thick and creamy; the turkey takes on the flavors it is surrounded with, and the cheeses gives add more creaminess and compliments the rest of the ingredients adding the savory flavor to it.  If the acidity of a regular tomato marinara sauce plays tricks on your stomach, try this lasagna instead.  Make this lasagna tonight!

Cookery instruments needed:

A baking sheet, a large skillet, a 9×11 or 8×11 (weird, right?  I have an 8×11 which is what I used) baking dish, a blender or food processor, a vegetable peeler, kitchen knife and spatula.

Cookery ingredients used:

OK.  So when I got home, I was so excited about putting this lasagna and I created the ingredient mood board in my mind and then laid it out.  At first I thought I would need to make a roux for my butternut squash sauce, but the butternut squash puree is so creamy that the roux wasn’t necessary.  The hearts are to show you how much I love you.  And to hide the unnecessary ingredients.

1 box no boil lasagna noodles; roasted red peppers: enough pieces to equate 1 pepper (about 5); ground turkey: 1 lb.; tomato paste: 1 tbsp; low fat ricotta: 12 oz.; 1 butternut squash: ~ 2 lbs.; 2 shallots; 5 garlic cloves; celery: 2 stalks; yellow onion: 1/2 of it, diced; bacon: 2 strips.  Not pictured: chicken stock: 1/4 cup for the butternut squash sauce + 1 cup for the turkey; freshly grated parmesan cheese: 1/4 cup; 2 whole eggs; salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper to taste.

Making the Butternut Squash Sauce:

Roast the butternut squash, the celery, 3 cloves of garlic and the shallots.  Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle some salt over them.  Bake them in a 425F degree oven for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes are over, remove the celery, the shallots and the garlic, and return the butternut squash for another 15 minutes.

In a blender, pour the 1/4 cup of chicken stock.  Oh yeah, and here is my beloved Blendtec.  I cannot tell you how much I love this blender.  You can do just about anything with it.  It is an investment, but you will recoup it in no time.  We’ve made so many fruit and vegetable shakes and soups.  You can even make bread dough!

And add the chopped butternut squash, followed by the rest of the roasted vegetables and the roasted peppers.  Season the vegetables with some salt, white pepper and some freshly ground nutmeg.

BLEND!  And set aside.

Preparing the turkey:

In a large skillet, spray some cooking spray and fry two chopped pieces of bacon on medium heat to render the fat out.  Fry until crispy.

Once fried, remove the bacon bits from the pan and set aside.  Resist the urge to stuff your mouth with them.  As always, I speak from experience.

In that same glorious, rendered fat, sautee the yellow onions for a few minutes.  Your kitchen will smell divine.

Add the 2 cloves of minced garlic and sautee until the onions become translucent, in total about 5 minutes.  If the onions are browning too fast, lower the heat.

To the onions, add the ground turkey.  Season the turkey with salt and white pepper, followed by the tomato paste.  I added a pinch of cayenne pepper towards the end to give it a bit of a kick.

Add the chicken stock and cook until the turkey is done.  This turkey sauce won’t be “saucy” per se, but there should be some liquid left once it’s done.

Finally, add back the bacon bits and let it rest.  Letting it rest for 15 minutes or more allows all the flavors to combine, which is key for the turkey since it is a meat that has little flavor on its own.

For the cheese sauce:

In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with the eggs and the grated parmesan cheese.

Mix with a spatula until incorporated.  Add a pinch of salt and white pepper to taste.  You may want to do that before you add the eggs, if you are concerned about salmonella…

Assembling the lasagna:

On your baking dish, ladle a bit of the turkey.  Layer some noodles over the turkey, followed by the butternut squash sauce, more noodles, and the ricotta cheese.  And top the cheese layer with…  More cheese!  Add some grated mozzarella over this layer.

Repeat the process.  Since my baking dish ended not being that deep, I combined the turkey with the butternut squash towards the end.  I was also running out of noodles.  Your last layer will be the cheese layer, and finish it off with plenty of mozzarella.

Cover your lasagna pan with aluminum foil, ensuring it doesn’t touch the cheese.  Bake in a 350F oven for 40-45 minutes until the cheese is melted and gooey.  Yum…

Serve with a bit more grated parmesan cheese and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.  What inspiration have you found in the supermarket lately?

So last week, El Señor Hubs calls me from the airport as he was waiting to board the plane to come home.

“What’s for dinner?”

“Cocido de albóndigas with some rice and patacones.”

“Wha..?”

“It’s essentially a meatball stew.  I’m serving it with rice and some fried plantains.”

“Oh, OK.  Cool.  See you in a couple of hours.”

“OK.  Have a safe flight.  I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I always say ‘have a safe flight’ every time [...]]]>

So last week, El Señor Hubs calls me from the airport as he was waiting to board the plane to come home.

“What’s for dinner?”

“Cocido de albóndigas with some rice and patacones.”

“Wha..?”

“It’s essentially a meatball stew.  I’m serving it with rice and some fried plantains.”

“Oh, OK.  Cool.  See you in a couple of hours.”

“OK.  Have a safe flight.  I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I always say ‘have a safe flight’ every time El Señor Hubs travels.  I always pray he gets home in one piece.  I do this knowing that there is little he can do about his safety while in flight.  He is neither a pilot nor a mechanic.  So naturally, it makes little sense that he can do anything to ensure the safety of a plane; yet, I find great comfort in saying this.

I digress.

What El Señor Hubs didn’t know about dinner was that said cocido had vegetables.  No big deal.  Well, kind of.  Among the vegetables, this cocido has peas.  And if there is ONE thing you should know about El Señor Hubs is that he hates peas.  I mean: He.HATES.PEAS.  And I made this knowing he hates peas.  Why?  Because I LIKE peas.  AND, this one one of my favorite meals growing up.   Well, aside from the peas, the rest of the vegetables were sort of an issue for me.  As you know, I hated vegetables.  Especially carrots.  And don’t get me started on the green beans.  Darn vainitas!  Celery not so much.   So, if the thought of eating softened vegetables makes you queasy in your stomach, I suggest you puree them like my nana used to do.  It was the only way she would get me to eat vegetables.  In hindsight, I should’ve done the same for El Señor Hubs.

Once home, and I served this to him, the first words that came out of El Señor Hubs mouth were: “PEAS?!?!?!  WHY did you put peas?”  I laughed.  And it was kind of an evil laugh.  And then I said, “Deal with it.”  Because this is one of the ways I show him my unconditional love.

With his fork, he proceeded to separate the vegetables from the meatballs, and then he separated the peas from the rest of the vegetables.  Then, he asked for a spoon.  With said spoon, he shoved the peas in his mouth as fast as he could, his face twisting into this painful grimace.  I laughed.

“Don’t EVER put peas in my food again.”

I have been warned.  But I enjoyed the sight.  Yes, I was mean.  But I got him to eat vegetables.

I promise you though, this dish is delicious.  Although I suppose you must like peas.  Don’t grimace.

Making the meatballs:

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 lb. of ground beef (I used sirloin), and 1/2 lb. of ground pork.  To the ground meats, add 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp. ground quick oats, 1 tbsp. yellow mustard, 1 egg, salt and pepper.

Form the meatballs, the size of golf balls.  Fry them in a large skillet with some olive oil, until browned on all sides.  Don’t forget that if you want to taste for the seasoning in your meatballs, you can make a tiny patty and fry it before you make all your meatballs.  In that way you will know if you need to adjust for the seasoning of the meatballs.

Once browned, remove from the heat, and set aside.  By the way, these are probably one of the better meatballs I’ve had.  I think adding the oatmeal made a big difference in the texture.  Seasoning them with the tangy mustard gave them good flavor.

Preparing the rest of the stew:

Behold your frying pan, with all the glorious bits left from browning the meatballs.  I think this pan and I should go out on a date.

In this same pan on medium heat, add 2 stalks of raw chopped celery,

Two medium diced cooked carrots,

One half cup of frozen peas,

And one half cup of frozen green beans.  Stir to combine all the flavors and the vegetables.

Add 1 tbsp. of tomato paste,

And 1 cup of beef stock.  Stir to combine.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

Add back the meatballs and combine all the flavors and ingredients.  Cook in medium heat for another 5 minutes.  If you notice the stew is drying up, add a bit more of beef stock.  You may also enhance the flavor of the stew by adding 1/2 cup of dry red wine along with the stock.

Serve the cocido with rice and fried plantains, my favorite way.  Enjoy the cocido.  And the peas.

Empanadas de viento are one of my favorite Ecuadorian street foods.  It is common to see ladies on the streets selling baskets full of empanadas de viento.  Viento means “wind” or “air” in Spanish, and these empanadas are soft, doughy and delicious.  The airyness of the empanadas is courtesy of the butter and the seltzer water used to make them.  They are also called empanadas de viento because traditionally the filling is nothing but a [...]]]>

Empanadas de viento are one of my favorite Ecuadorian street foods.  It is common to see ladies on the streets selling baskets full of empanadas de viento.  Viento means “wind” or “air” in Spanish, and these empanadas are soft, doughy and delicious.  The airyness of the empanadas is courtesy of the butter and the seltzer water used to make them.  They are also called empanadas de viento because traditionally the filling is nothing but a smidgen of cheese, and the rest is just “viento” or wind!  The good thing is that the sugar sprinkled all over the empanadas makes up for the non-existent cheese.  I am not following tradition, and I stuffed these empanadas with enough cheese to make your tummy happy and not eat just viento.

In this video, I show you how to make these empanadas, which are super easy.  Additionally, I will teach you how to “repulgar”, which is the Spanish term for making that cool, rope-like twist that seals them empanadas.  And as with everything, practice makes perfect.    The recipe is below the video.  Enjoy!

Mote pata: I call this the Ecuadorian pozole – without the peppers.  And thicker.  Mote pata is a soup traditionally served during Carnaval in Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador.  Now, Carnaval in Ecuador is quite different from Carnaval in Brazil.  Different regions in Ecuador have different ways of celebrating it.  For instance, in Guayaquil (where I’m from) we have the tradition of throwing balloons full of water at people.  When you’re a kid, [...]]]>

Mote pata: I call this the Ecuadorian pozole – without the peppers.  And thicker.  Mote pata is a soup traditionally served during Carnaval in Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador.  Now, Carnaval in Ecuador is quite different from Carnaval in Brazil.  Different regions in Ecuador have different ways of celebrating it.  For instance, in Guayaquil (where I’m from) we have the tradition of throwing balloons full of water at people.  When you’re a kid, this is tons of fun.  You can get together with your friends and have an awesome water balloon fight.  When you’re a professional adult, walking down the street trying to get to work and suddenly you get whacked by a water balloon – notsomuch.  Not to mention that many times, the water balloon throwing was done several stories ABOVE the sidewalks.  Yeah, that hurts.  If balloons are not available, not to worry!  Just get a bucket, fill it with water and dump it on the innocent bystander.  ¡Carnavalazo!   That’s what it’s called…

The good thing is that, it is not like this all over the country.  For instance, in Ambato, a beautiful city located in the Ecuadorian Andes region, people celebrate Carnaval through a festival dedicated to celebrate the flowers and the fruits of the region.  This celebration is known as La Fiesta de las Flores y Las Frutas.  Think of it as the Ecuadorian Rose Parade for Carnaval.  People dress up in festive and colorful costumes, and ride floats decorated with beautiful and bright flowers and fruits.  It is typical that during Carnaval in Ambato, people feast on some delicious Llapingacho, probably one of my favorite Ecuadorian meals.

Now, back to the Mote Pata.  Although the name would suggest that there are feet or hocks involved (pata), this is not true.  This soup is made of hominy and pork, with a hint of peanuts for creaminess.  As with many Ecuadorian soups, mote pata contains milk.  After experimenting, I am going to tell you that milk is optional.  While milk helps the soup thicken, if it gets too hot, it curdles and I am not a fan.  Instead, we will puree some of the hominy with the peanut (I used peanut butter), which will then add the thickness and creaminess this soup calls for.  Should you wish to add the milk, add it right before serving and cook in low heat for 5 minutes.

 Cookery instruments needed:

A medium pot, a large stock pot or dutch oven, a blender or food processor, a strainer and a spatula or ladle.

Cookery ingredients needed:

Hominy: 3 cups, cooked (may use canned hominy); bone-in pork chops: 1 pound; yellow onions: 1 cup, diced; garlic: 2 whole cloves plus additional 3 cloves, minced; peanut butter: 1/3 cup; water: 4+ cups; milk (optional): 1 cup; (not pictured) - ground achiote powder: 1/4 tsp; ground cumin: 1 tsp; ground black pepper: 1/2 tsp; salt: 1 tsp + more to taste;  Garnishes (not pictured): hard boiled eggs: sliced, avocados: sliced.

In a medium pot, place the water with the pork chops and the two whole garlic cloves, and cook in medium heat for 30-45 minutes until the pork is cooked.

Once cooked, place the pork chops on a chopping board and cut into small pieces.  Reserve the stock, discarding the garlic cloves.

In a food processor, add 1 cup of the cooked hominy, the peanut butter and 1/2 cup of the stock and process until smooth.  Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, heat some vegetable oil, and add the onions and the garlic.  Season the refrito with the ground achiote powder, the ground pepper, ground cumin and salt.  Cook until the onions turn translucent.

Add the rest of the hominy and the hominy/peanut butter puree and sautee along with the refrito.

Pour the remaining of the stock, plus an additional cup of water, and cook for 10 minutes in medium heat until the soup begins to thicken.

Add the chopped pork and stir.  Cook for another 5 minutes until all the flavors are incorporated.

Optional:  Add the milk to the soup to add more thickness and cook at low heat for another 5 minutes.  Make sure you are always stirring so that the milk doesn’t curdle.  What I did is ration how much I was going to eat, and add the milk just to that portion.

Serve warm and garnish with slices of hard boiled eggs, or avocado, or both!  ¡Buen provecho!

In Ecuador, some of our tamales are made using banana leaves instead of corn husks, similar to what our fellow Puerto Ricans call pastelitos.  I love cooking with banana leaves because they infuse a sweet flavor into whatever you fill them with.  Banana leaves also make a great container – no need for a plate with this one.   Although my favorite banana leaf-contained food is ayacas de papa, this tamal de col y espinacas [...]]]>

In Ecuador, some of our tamales are made using banana leaves instead of corn husks, similar to what our fellow Puerto Ricans call pastelitos.  I love cooking with banana leaves because they infuse a sweet flavor into whatever you fill them with.  Banana leaves also make a great container – no need for a plate with this one.   Although my favorite banana leaf-contained food is ayacas de papa, this tamal de col y espinacas is a close second.  I warn you that when you go back to see the ayaca recipe, the pictures may scare you, but the recipe is awesome!

This tamal is more like a souffle because we separate the eggs, and beat the whites into a meringue, which are folded into the rest of our mixture towards the end of the preparation.  You can serve this tamal with some aji criollo, some encurtido, or both.  And if you are looking for something without any meat involved, I got your tamal right here!

Cookery instruments needed:

A large stock pot, an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment followed by a whisk attachment, a “tamalera”, or steam pot.  You can finagle your own steam pot by fitting a steel colander into a larger pot where you will pour the water to steam; just make sure the colander doesn’t touch the water at all.

Cookery ingredients needed:

Butter; eggs, separated; crumbled queso fresco, minced red onion, salt, pepper, all-purpose flour, baking powder, shredded cabbage, spinach and banana leaves.  Sorry, no picture this time; use your imagination.

Here are the banana leaves.  They are normally found in the Hispanic frozen food section aisle, or the Asian food section too.  These banana leaves are long, so we need to cut them in smaller pieces –  squares, about 10in x 10in.  Set aside.

In a large stock pot, bring abundant water to a boil. Once boiling, add the shredded cabbage and blanche for 3 minutes. Remove from the water, and lay out to dry, removing as much liquid as possible.

Repeat this same step with the spinach, squeezing out as much liquid possible once blanched. You will end up with a tight and small amount.

In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour with the baking powder.  Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy.  Using a big mixer was kind of a pain in the but, so if you have one of those hand held electric mixers, that would work much better.

Add the egg yolks, one by one and keep beating for another 10 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl every so often.  This mixture will be bright yellow.  It will make you happy.

Add the crumbled queso fresco, the minced onions, salt and pepper. Continue to beat until incorporated.

Add the sifted flour/baking powder combo and continue beating until all is incorporated. The dough will have a sticky consistency, and it will be relatively dense.

Add the blanched cabbage and spinach, and mix with a spatula until the ingredients are incorporated.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites plus a capful of plain, white vinegar, until you have a meringue. The egg whites will form stiff, short peaks.

Gently fold the meringue into the other mixture until all incorporated, but without deflating the egg whites.  Don’t forget: fold, not beat, or mix.

Lay a banana leaf flat on the counter and scoop a ladle of mixture in the center. Add some sliced queso fresco in the center.  Queso fresco makes the world a better place.  Then, fold the sides of the banana leaf in, followed by folding in the bottom and top ends, enclosing the mixture in the banana leaf, like a small packet.

Place the tamales, sides down in a “tamalera” (a pot made for steaming tamales that has an insert + a pot for the water), or another steaming pot. You can create your own steaming pot by fitting a steel colander in a bigger pot, making sure it doesn’t touch the bottom. Fill the bigger pot with water and turn on the heat to medium.  Or if you are lucky like I am, you will have a rice cooker that comes with a steam basket.  I win.

Steam cook for 30 minutes.

Enjoy warm.  You can serve them right on the leaf, or lay out the tamal by itself on a plate.  Top with some ají criollo, or some encurtido if you like.  However, you can’t go wrong eating it by itself.  It is so soft and airy, you won’t be able to eat just one.  This recipe yielded me 7 tamales.