Four Continent Cuisine

A quick trip around part of the world this week.  South America, North America, India and Europe (England any way) for those who are counting.

Feijoada -- Brazilian Black Bean Stew

I was introduced to the concept of this dish one day last week. It sounded good, so I went in search of recipes. Feijoada (fay-zho-ada) is nominally the Brazilian National Dish. Like most such dishes, every cook seems to have his/er version. Basically it's black beans with smoked meats - beef and/or pork -- jerky, ham hocks, bacon, sausage, what have you. 

 Chouriço is NOT the same as chorizo although they are pronounced nearly the same. Chouriço is a Portuguese/Brazilian hard sausage. Chorizo is a soft Mexican sausage that 'dissolves' into whatever you're cooking.  Chouriço is tangy, but not nearly as spicy as chorizo. You can find Chouriço at your local megamart, but not in the Latino ethnic section. If that's not available look for linguiça, another spicy Portuguese  sausage.  Here's my version of Feijoada:

14 oz dry Black Beans

2 whole Chouriço sausage, sliced

2 Chuletas ahumadas - thin, smoked pork chops from my local Mexican carniceria

1 Onion, diced

4 cloves Garlic, mashed

2 Bay leaves

Rice

1 Roma Tomato

Orange sections for garnish

Cook the meats in a large pot first, with onion and garlic until the onion are translucent. Transfer a 1/4 cup of cooked onion to your rice pot, along with the diced tomato, before cooking the rice. Tomato, rice and sauteed onion is how the Brazilians often do rice.

Deglaze the large pot with a bit of water or broth, then add the beans.   Add enough water/broth to cover by an inch or more, plus the other ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the beans are tender and the liquid is nearly all gone -- 30 minutes or more. Plate with rice and the traditional slices of fresh orange as garnish.

Indian Okra

Indian okra? He said questioningly. Yep. Turns out okra is not just an indigenous Southern vegetable.  Bhindi or okra is a common vegetable in India. Sally and I strongly dislike boiled okra or okra and tomatoes, but do like it breaded and deep fried. We were introduced to a pan-fried okra dish a couple years ago, that was dressed with lime salt, and we both loved it. I've made a version of the dish several times since. Then one day a week or so back I was at our local Indian market and saw a package of Green Mango Powder -- Amchur. It's a staple in northern Indian cuisine and has an interesting tart 'tang' similar to lime.   Knowing that Sally is in favor of anything mango, I bought a box. I thought Bhindi....Amchur.... why not.

1 lb fresh Okra

Kosher salt to taste

Amchur - 1/2 teaspoon, to taste

oil for frying

Cut the tips off the okra, then slice them in half lengthwise. In a med-high skillet or griddle, fry the okra with oil and a bit of salt until very done and carbonized. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then dust with the Amchur powder. Serves two.  Enjoy!!

Easy Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya

"Anything that swims, crawls, walks or flies" is the usual answer to "What goes into Jambalaya?" 

 Jambalaya is basically the Cajun/Creole version of Paella, which is rice cooked up and around a variety of meats and vegetables. But where paella is cooked in a wide, flat pan, jambalaya is cooked in a deeper pot type dish. This time I used andouille sausage (a Louisiana specialty) and chicken. Can't find andouille? Use another spicy sausage but not Italian.

Normally you'd put uncooked rice in the bottom of the pot and then layer meats and veggies on top before adding spices and water to cook the rice up through everything. This time I had leftover rice and chicken instead, so just added the rice and a bit of water to keep things from sticking while everything heated through. Here's what I put in this jambalaya:

3 sticks Celery, chopped

1 large white Onion, chopped

1 large Red Bell Pepper, chopped

4 oz sliced Mushrooms

12 whole Okra, chopped

1/2 cup frozen Corn

4-5 inches (1/2 stick) Andouille sausage, sliced

1 large cooked Chicken breast, cubed

2+ cups cooked rice

1/2 - 1 Tbsp Tony Cachere's Creole Spice Blend tm to taste

Mango, Scones and Clotted Cream

After last week's tea party, I tested a recipe for English Scones which rise better, aren't as sweet, and aren't as buttery as the American scones I'd served. More cake like, but more savory.  But just as tasty in their own way.  For Sunday's lunch with Sally's Mum, I served them split, with some of last year's mangoes and leftover clotted cream.

English Scones

3 cups AP Flour

1/3 cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

8 Tbsp unsalted Butter, softened

3/4 cup Currants or Sultanas

1 cup Whole Milk

2 large Eggs

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut-in the butter until mixture looks like very fine crumbs. Stir in the currants.

Whisk milk and eggs together in second bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons milk mixture. Add remaining milk mixture to flour mixture and, using a spatula, fold together until no dry flour remains.

Transfer the very sticky dough to well-floured counter and gather into ball. With floured hands, knead until surface is smooth and free of cracks, 25 to 30 times. Form a disk. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the disk into 9-inch round, about 1 inch thick. Using floured 2-1/2-inch round cutter, stamp out rounds, re-coating cutter with flour if it begins to stick. Arrange the scones on baking sheet.

Brush tops of scones with the reserved milk mixture. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake scones until risen and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotate the sheet halfway through baking. Transfer to a wire rack and cool 10 minutes.