This was invented the other night. The inspiration was whatever was left in the fridge!
I sauteed the bacon, removed it, fried the corn in the bacon fat and then added some leftover white beans, fresh corn that had lost its sparkle and some chicken stock. Finished with a few drops of avocado oil.
With fellow gastronomer Nico Sando by my side, last night we made shrimp in cornhusks. In a glass bowl, we marinated whole, unpeeled shrimp in garlic, olive oil, fruit vinegar (we used plantain), Mexican oregano and salt.
While the shrimp took its luxury bath in the marinade, we prepped the coals. We then soaked corn husks (intended for tamales) and then stuffed them with shrimp and tied them with strips of the extra husks.
It was that simple, and so delicious that there is no photographic evidence of the cooked shrimp.
Thanks to Gerardo Vazquez Lugo who has inspired all my corn husk grilling experiments.
From the Eat Cook Share site comes this great salad by Chef John Spottiswood. We modified things the tiniest bit, eliminating the option for canned garbanzos.
“This was also a big hit at our weekend getaway. The combination of
greens, chickpeas, and sumac with lemon and fresh mint is really to die
for. People went back for seconds of this salad, which is saying
something given how much other good food there was!” – John Spottiswood
Ingredients
* 8oz dried chickpeas
* 1/2 cup good olive oil
* 1 onion cut into thin wedges
* 2 ripe tomatoes
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
* 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 3 lb swiss chard or other flavorful green
* 3 Tbsp fresh mint
* 3 Tbsp lemon juice
* 1 1/2 Tbsp ground sumac
* Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste.
Directions
1. Cook the beans in your favorite manner. Drain chickpeas and place in a collander or bowl. Thoroughly wash the greens, trim the stems, and finely shred the leaves. and add to the bowl or collander with the chickpeas.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy saute or frying pan, add the onion and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until softened and just starting to brown.
3. Cut the tomatoes in half (down the stem), scrape out the visible seeds, and dice the flesh. Add the diced tomato to the pan with the sugar, cinnamon, and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes until softened.
4. Add the chickpeas and greens to the tomato mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes until the greens wilt. Add the mint, lemon juice, and sumac, and cook for one minute.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
6. NOTE: Sumac can be found in any middle eastern grocery and in many large grocery stores. It can be added to many dishes and has a nice, mild flavor.
I just got back from Mexico and spent part of my time in the Huasteca
region of Hidalgo. It was a really a wild, memorable experience. The
drive took hours and most of it was over almost humorously curvy roads.
The destination was a collective of farmers who are growing their native
oregano. They called it Oregano Indio but it’s a variety of Oreja de
Raton.
These people are incredibly strong, proud and poor. We’ve been selling
their oregano at Rancho Gordo and it’s glorious. It’s less citrusy than
the more traditional Mexican oregano and more earthy. It just soars when
you mix it with garlic. The farmers started cultivating it when they
discovered their foraging was affecting the landscape. Over the years,
they’ve developed their systems, which I didn’t quite follow, but I do
know it ended with harvesting with the moon’s cycles somehow.
The farmers were so proud. They have thousands of starts waiting to
plant and acres and acres of oregano planted. I love people who are
passionate and want to share what they know. I know in San Miguel de
Allende there’s a huge push to plant lavender and while I think the idea
is well-intentioned, why not plant an indigenous plant? I guess lavender would be easier to market but is there any cultural relation to Mexico?
After the tour, we all gathered at one of the houses and all of a sudden
the entire village was there, about 40 people. They’d prepared a great
goat barbacoa and the goat meat has been washed with some maguey liquid
that took away the gaminess and added incredible flavor. Beans,
quelites, caldo from the goat and later pancita with incredible salsas. A few people gave speeches thanking us for what we’d done and I was feeling somewhat guilty. What had we done? We just bought a few bags of oregano at a fair price and it was delicious. When it was my turn to speak, they asked what else they should grow. I told them I was no expert but it seemed to me that good vodka should come from Russia, foie gras from France and Oregano Indio from the Husteca and they shouldn’t dilute their message with too many products. I hope I was right!
Sitting quietly at one end were three guys who it turns out had just
been busted in Arizona. Before they left they told the collective they
were nuts and it wasn’t going to work. Now they’re back, broke and
begging to work for one of the growers. The leader wisely said no, but
agreed to give them 1,200 plant starts so they could start their own.
I
obviously don’t want to go into politics but I will say the root of the
problem is these men want and need to work in Mexico. They don’t want to come to the states for bad landscaping jobs. Whether this is the responsibility of the Mexican and U.S. governments or if our trade
policies contribute to their destitution is up to you to decide. But the
crux is that it was shamefully easy to give these people hope and a
start. Between this and the Rancho Gordo-Xoxoc Project where we’re
working with indigenous bean farmers, I’m learning one can do
business where everybody wins.
Anyway, the good news is that the oregano was delicious and apparently
healthy. My trip was incredibly moving and of course delicious.
Buy Oregano Indio from Rancho Gordo.
This is a simple dish from Diana Kennedy’s The Essential Cuisines of Mexico
Carne de Res con Col
(Ground Beef with Cabbage)
From Chiapas
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
6 peppercorns
salt to taste
1 lb ground sirloin with a little fat
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1 jalapeño chile, finely chopped
6 oz tomatoes, finely chopped
4 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup cooked Moro beans
2/3 cups water
1/2 cup firmly packed, roughly chopped cilantro
Crush the garlic, peppercorns and salt together and mix well into the beef. Set aside for a few minutes to season.
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet, add the onion, chile and a sprinkle of salt, and cook over medium heat until the onions is translucent, about 1 minute. Add the tomaotes and continue cooking until most of the juice has been absorbed, about 3 minutes.
Stir the meat into the pan and cook over fairly high heat, stirring from time to time, about 7 minutes. Add the cabbage, beans, water and cilantro and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring from time to time until the mixture is well seasoned and moist but not juicy, about 15 minutes. Serve on tostadas, or as a stuffing for chiles or as a main course with rice.
Variations: I made the dish in my clay cazuela from Pueba, from start to finish. I was out of fresh tomatoes and used half a can of whole peeled tomatoes. A few drops of full fat plain yogurt somehow managed to land on the finished tostadas and it was really good. I also tried cheese but it was gilding the lily and not anywhere near as good as nothing.
I’m lucky enough to have a few friends who forage for wild mushrooms. They tell me this has been an incredible year for chantrelles and they seem to be right!
I think the secret with mushrooms is that you need to cook them very high or very low. I took these and fried them on high with garlic and olive oil. Then I dusted them with our own Mexican oregano.
Then I reheated some of the new crop of Good Mother Stallard beans. They used to be a favorite but I’ve been so busy and I’ve made due without them for so long (we ran out of them right after the book came out and then we had crop failure), it was like meeting an old friend again. Gosh, but they’re good! The texture is silky and the bean broth is famous for its deliciousness.
I used the same skillet I used for the mushrooms in case there was a smoodge of goodness left over.
Tossing them together, I crumbled a very little queso fresco and sat down to a bowl of perfect happiness, improved only by a few drops of good olive oil and an afternoon with not much to do.
To be honest, I think almost any bean would be good in a similar setting, especially the big bold ones like Christmas Limas and all of the runner beans.
Hola, comrades! I’m in Texas with my oldest son to see NASA, Fonda San Miguel and a bunch of old friends so I’m offering you an “encore presentation” of this post, which is double speak for recycling old posts so that I can go on a holiday. I don’t think you’ll mind this week, though.
-Steve
This is one of the easiest salsas imaginable. It’s nutty and
has a very mild heat. I’ve been putting it in a squeeze bottle and smothering
my eggs with it. Last night I used it with a little beer to de-glaze a pan
that had turkey cutlets frying in it earlier.
Take about 10 cascabel chiles and remove the stems and seeds,
reserving the seeds. Toast on a hot comal or grill until gently toasted.
Don’t let them burn or they will be bitter and inedible but if you don’t
toast them they will have a raw, unpleasant taste. Remove the toasted chiles
and place them in a blender jar. Now toast the reserved seeds until brown.
Add these to the jar, along with 2 cloves of garlic, a little salt and about
3/4 cup of water. Blend well, adding more water if needed. Allow to stand
for a few minutes so it can thicken up. You can add a little water if it’s
too thick. It’s that simple.
Online pal Nicole Krakora writes with what looks to be an amazing ribollita recipe:
As promised, here is the recipe that I use as a starting point. I jotted it down while we were making it in
Tuscany, so I usually just use the measurements listed as a guide and sometimes
add more or less of items depending on my mood.
I also look at the market and add whatever other vegetables are in
season (peas, parsnips, etc.). The basic
idea is to make a bean broth and add a variety of vegetables to make a hearty
dish.
Also, I usually double the beans called for in the recipe. Then I pass ½ of the beans and liquid through
a food mill and leave the other ½ whole so there are whole beans in the soup as
well. Borlotti beans are traditional for
this dish, but I like to make a blend of whatever meaty beans I have on hand to
shake things up a bit.
I also add a rind from some Parmigiano-reggiano to the soup pot to
add some additional depth of flavor.
Use the very best quality olive oil you can find, since you will
be drizzling it into the soup when you serve it.
This is a really hearty soup and is just so flavorful. It freezes very well. Buon appetito!!
Zuppa Alla Frantoiana
o Ribollita
Olive Presser’s Soup
(Ribollita)
(Recipe by Sandra
Lotti – Toscana Saporita cooking school, Italy)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 medium carrots, minced
2 celery stalks, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 medium onions, minced
2 leeks, white part only, minced
10 fresh sage leaves
8 leaves Swiss chard, stalks removed and roughly chopped
1 small head savoy cabbage, roughly chopped
10 leaves black kale, stalks removed and roughly chopped
6 ounces canned Italian (San Marzano) plum tomatoes,
shredded and with liquid reserved
2 celery stalks, diced
2 small carrots, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
1 bulb fennel, diced
1 cup freshly shelled peas (if available)
2 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
3 leaves fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 pounds butternut squash, seeded, peeled and cut into small
chunks
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 pounds dried borlotti or cranberry beans, soaked overnight, drained and
cooked in water along with 1 clove garlic, 1 red onion, and fresh sage, add
salt after beans are tender
freshly ground nutmeg
slices of peasant style bread
very best quality extra virgin olive oil
Parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Serves 4. Leftover
Ribollita can be frozen up to 2 months.
I made a huge pot of runner beans.
First things first, a bowl with some cilantro and imported cotija cheese.
Next meal, I added some nopales, chorizo and requeson (with epazote and onions):
And then for breakfast, two fresh eggs over the beans:
Earlier this summer when I was in Puebla en route to Oaxaca, we stopped in to see the amazing Lordes and her clay pots. Mexicans tend to be gracious and Lordes is no exception so were immediately offered food, in this case, her version of Mole Poblano.
I’m going to confess something that may shock you. Sit down. Pour yourself a stiff one. I don’t love this dish. I like it, especially when I’m in Puebla, but I can think of a dozen moles I prefer, especially the ones from Oaxaca. So I was happy to accept her gracious hospitality but I wasn’t prepared for what was served. It was one of the best I’ve ever had.
Lordes said she didn’t care for all the fruit and excess of traditional mole Poblano and after eating her version, I agreed. In coming home, I checked a book I have called Recetario mixteco poblano (which would describe Lordes’ family) and there was the following recipe, which sounded much like her version. This isn’t a great set of instructions but you get the idea. If you make this before I get a chance to, please let us know your results in the “Comments” section”
The following version doesn’t have chocolate but I’m almost positive that the version Lordes made did. I might sub some Mexican chocolate for the sugar in the recipe.
Mole Poblano
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1/2 kilo chile guajillo
1/4 chile ancho (I assume they mean kilo here and for all that follows)
1/4 chile mulato
100 grams sesame seeds
1 large head of garlic
100 grams canela (cinnamon)
1/4 sugar
1/4 tomatillos
1 kilo lard (manteca)
1. Butcher the chicken and cook it. (I’ll assume to poach it in water or broth)
2. Toast the chiles, cinnamon, garlic, sesame seeds wet grind them with some chicken broth.
3. Boil the tomatillos and blend with some water.
4. Heat the manteca and fry the mole with the tomatillo. Little by little, add the sugar, stirring constantly so as not to burn.
Serve by bathing the chicken pieces in the mole and decorate with some of sesame seeds.