Contest Entries and Swamp Cabbage Update

Strawberry Scones

This is a first attempt at creating a winning scone recipe for the Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, KY. The recipe deadline is April 15th, and the winning scone will be served as part of a four-course tea at the event.

2-1/2 cups AP Flour

3 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, cut into chunks

1 cup chopped fresh Strawberries

2 Eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Half-and-Half (make that a "scant" half cup, so the dough isn't too moist)

Sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut-in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently toss in the strawberries. Make a well in center of the mixture; set aside.

In another bowl stir together eggs and half-and-half, and beat until well combined. Add egg mixture to flour mixture a bit at a time, gently stirring with a spatula until the flour mix is just moistened.

Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead dough 5 or 6 times by folding and pressing. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pat or lightly roll the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick disk. Slice disk into wedges and pull apart slightly.

Brush wedges with additional half-and-half and sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden.

Not bad as a first pass. But there are some "enhancements" I want to make to bring out the "strawberry-ness" -- the dough needs some strawberry flavor of its own, not just the berries.

Cajun Seafood Pie

This contest entry is for the Healthy Solutions tm Spice Company Contest. The contest is for bloggers, and once you pre-registered, they send a sample packet of your choice of one of their 16 spice blends. 

 Healthy Solutions blends are all about the spices -- unlike many other company's blends which are half salt or MSG or other fillers.  Healthy Solutions spice blends have no salt, no fillers, no MSG. And 'boy howdy' can you taste the difference! 

I chose their Cajun Seafood Blend tm because I knew it would do wonderfully in my signature Seafood Pie. I like this a lot more than other "cajun" blends I've tried; it's go a smokey component that will go well with lots of spicy dishes I make.   Regular readers may remember I posted this basic recipe quite some time ago.

1 premade frozen Pie Crust

1/2 pound Salmon

1/2 pound Sea Bass or other firm white fish

1/2 lb medium-large Shrimp

1 14-16 oz bag of Frozen Mixed Vegetables (your choice of veggie blend)

1 cup Cajun Trinity - equal amounts of diced Celery, Onion, Bell Pepper

1 8oz bag of shredded Cheese

1+ Tbsp HEALTHY SOLUTIONS Cajun Seafood Seasoning

Preheat oven to 400F.

Put the frozen veggies in a large bowl along with the Trinity. Cut the fish into 1" pieces and add to the bowl. Rough chop the shrimp and add to the bowl. Toss/stir to combine. Add 3/4 of the cheese and stir again. Dust the mixture with seasoning and stir one last time.

Transfer the veggie/fish mix to the pie shell and pack it down. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400F for 45 minutes until the cheese is melted, golden brown and delicious.

One tablespoon of the Healthy Solutions spice was just right for those who want a tang but not a slap in the face.   For me, I'll use 1 Tbsp + 1-2 tsp next time. If there is any leftover filling, you can chop it finer and make some excellent seafood empanadas using a tube of crescent roll dough.

Swamp Cabbage Fritters

We went to the La Belle Swamp Cabbage Festival -- a wonderful gathering -- on Saturday. Caught the parade. It was more 'cowboy' than most Eastern parades I've seen, reminded me of small town parades out West.  But this part of Florida is Cracker country, and the Crackers were America's first cowmen!   After the parade we wandered the vendor and food booths in the park. Just had to sample some Swamp Cabbage fritters and BBQ. This recipe can easily be made with canned Hearts of Palm, and sounds tastier than the ones we had at the festival, which were pretty good. Look in your megamart in the same place as they have canned artichoke hearts...

2-1/4 cups Bisquicktm or similar biscuit mix

1/2 cup Milk

2 Eggs

2 tsp Red Pepper (optional)

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 (14 oz) can Hearts of Palms, drained and sliced or chopped

1 small Onion, diced

1 stalk Celery, diced

1/2 cup diced Red Bell Pepper

Oil for frying

Combine everything except the oil. Heat the oil for deep frying. If you don't a deep fryer, use a small/deep pot. Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot oil, fry until golden, and drain on paper towels.

Bleu Tuna

That's right -- Bleu Tuna, not Bluefin Tuna. This is how I make Tuna Salad (or as the Brits call it, Tuna Mayonnaise). This is a technique, not a recipe...

Celery

Red Bell Pepper

Canned Solid Pack Albacore Tuna

Bleu Cheese Dressing

Pinch of Spice

You've heard my rant about canned tuna -- always buy solid, not chunk. If you buy chunk, you're paying good money for far too much fish-flavored water and not enough fish.

To each can of tuna (drained and flaked), add a stalk of celery diced small, and a third of a red bell pepper also diced small.

Instead of mayonnaise, or mustard, add a good dollop of chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing, and a pinch of a somewhat peppery spice -- I like Evergladestm seasoning, but Sazon Completa or even fresh cracked black pepper works too.  Stir to combine well.

Now make a Tuna Melt with some nice sharp cheddar cheese and a multigrain bread. Stuff some Bell Peppers, or make a tuna omelet. Or anything else you like to use tuna salad with.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of those on-again, off-again vegetables. Right now it's in favor, and readily available. Other than Cheesy Cauliflower, my favorite way to make this relative of broccoli and cabbage is roasting it with some curry spice. For two of us I usually use half a head of cauliflower. This is another technique rather than a recipe:

Cut the head apart into flowerettes, and rinse them thoroughly. Drop them, still damp, into a plastic bag and add some Indian spice blend -- couple teaspoons or so. Twist the bag closed and give the contents a good shaking to spread the spice around.

Lay the flowerettes out on a baking sheet, and roast at 400F for 20-25 minutes until just coming tender. Serve plain, or with honey-mustard for dipping.

Peach Blood Orange Lemon. What??

Peach Crescents

Found this recipe in the newspaper the other day. Publix had some nice looking nectarines so I picked one up to experiment with, since I don't care for peach fuzz. The chiller section had tubes of crescent roll dough, so I picked up one of those, too. Cinnamon, butter and sugar are always on hand.

1 large, firm-ripe Peach or Nectarine

1 tube 8 count Crescent Roll dough

4 Tbsp softened butter

1-2 tsp Cinnamon, to taste

Granulated sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix together the cinnamon and butter. Chill in the freezer until semi-solid. Reserve. If using a peach, peel and it, and cut into 8 sections. Nectarines don't need to be peeled, just pitted as you cut them into eighths.

Separate the crescent roll triangles and lay them out on your work surface. Brush cinnamon butter on each triangle. Lay a fruit segment on the wide end of each triangle and roll up to the point.  Tuck the ends around to enclose the fruit. Place the rolls seam side down on a baking sheet, and bake 15-18 minutes, until dough is golden and the fruit has softened.

Remove to a cooling rack. Brush the rolls with more cinnamon-butter, then sprinkle with sugar. Best while still warm but good cooled as well.

Blood Oranges

My local Publix got in a new-to-me variety of Blood Orange, called a Moro. The usual dark read flesh, less acidic sweet taste and mottled darker orange skin. Also they peel easily, almost like a tangerine. If you've seen blood oranges and never tried them, please do. You're in for a pleasant and flavorful surprise.

While I was in the mood to experiment, I made two dishes, which "if you try it, you'll like it". The first dish was

Blood Orange Salmon

Simple enough.

2 Blood Oranges

2 Salmon filets

Everglades Seasoning tm to taste

Slice one orange into rounds to support the fish while it pan poaches. Put the salmon on the orange rounds. Dust with Everglades seasoning. Add water to come just below the fish.

Peel the second orange, and mince the skin. Add it to the water you put in the skillet, to make the courtbouillon.  

Courtboullion (pronounced coo-be-yon) is the liquid over which you poach something -- wine, water, herbs & spices, etc.

Section the peeled orange and reserve a couple wedges for garnish. Chop the other wedges and add them to the courtbouillion. Bring to a simmer, cover and poach for 12-15 minutes until the salmon flakes easily. Plate the fish, garnish with orange wedges and serve.

 Blood Orange Salmon ready to be plated.

Blood Orange Marmalade

My new favorite marmalade and toast/bagel/English muffin topper! This is simply fantastic. Better than my signature 1-1-1 Marmalade (one orange, one lemon, one lime).

Made the usual way by chopping then pureeing whole citrus fruit (skin, pips, meat and all), measuring into a microwave safe glass bowl, and adding the same measure of sugar (your choice; here I used plain white granulated). Stir, taste, adjust if needed. I used less than an equal measure of sugar because the blood orange is so much sweeter than a regular orange; I used about 2/3 cup sugar to 1 cup of fruit puree. Microwave on High for 10 minutes and ladle into screw-top jars. Cool on the counter before sealing and storing in the fridge.

Moroccan Style Lemon Chicken

In spite of the insanity in the Middle East and North Africa, this Moroccan dish is very tasty and a worthy addition to your repertoire. Traditionally the dish is cooked together with garbanzo beans and pimento-stuffed green olives and served over cumin rice. I was making chicken for Sally's lunches in the week, so it's just the meat and spices.

Ras el Hanut literally means "top of the shop". A fancy name for 'swept up leftovers'. I was usually made by combining the spillage as the spice merchant weighed, ground, shaved and otherwise prepared spices for his clients during the day. The 'fallout' would be swept off the blending table and combined with other days sweepings. The result was called Ras El Hanut. Fast forward hundreds of years, and today the flavor of Ras El Hanut is somewhat stabilized, somewhat like the "Curry Powder" in a red & white can...

2 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless

1 tsp Ras el Hanut spice blend

2 segments of Preserved Lemon (see below)

Dust the "show" side of the breasts with the spice blend. Oil a hot skillet and put the breasts show side down. Cook for 6-7 minutes. Turn the breasts over add about 1/4" water to the skillet along with at least two wedges of preserved lemon. Cover and cook another 6-10 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through.

 This is a file photo of Moroccan Lemon Chicken.  Since I was cooking breasts to slice for Sally's lunches, as the recipe above shows, I eliminated the olives and bed of rice.

Preserved Lemons

Got lemons? Now you can make something more than lemonade. These salt-pickled lemon wedges are great seasoning for chicken and pork dishes.

Lemons

Kosher Salt

Screwtop Jars

Cut several lemons into quarters. Pack some of the wedges in a jar. Add "some salt" -- say a palm-full. Repeat until the jar is full of wedges. Now add lemon juice (juiced from some of those other lemons you've got) until the jar is brim full. Place in a dark, cool-ish place for at least two weeks before using. To use, take out a couple wedges and reseal the jar before putting it back on the shelf. Will last a year or two in the jar, un-refrigerated (even here in Florida).

 

Two Updates 

Here's a photo of the latest iteration of my Savory Breakfast Muffin.  I got some nice paper baking molds and they worked just fine:

 Some folks wanted to know what a Scotch Egg looked like inside after it was cooked.  Here you go:

 

Flounder Quiche, Lobsta Mac, Creole Omelet and much more

New England Style Baked Flounder

We got some beautiful frozen flounder filets from Costco and I've been looking for some different ideas on how to prepare and serve this delicate, mild fish. Baking appealed for its simplicity.

4 Flounder filets, thawed, rinsed and patted dry

1 cup Panko or other bread crumbs

4 Tbsp Butter, melted

Old Bay tm Seasoning, or salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour a little of the melted butter in a baking dish and spread to coat the bottom. Combine the bread crumbs with the rest of the melted butter.

Spice both sides of the fish, and lay in the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over the fish.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until fish is cooked thoroughly (and flakes easily). Serve on top of lemon slices and with fresh lemon wedges to squeeze liberally!  

I served it with a side of:

Mojo Green Beans

Add some magic to your green beans, with a splash of mojo sauce in the cooking liquid.

Mojo Breakfast Burrito

Speaking of mojo sauce, here's another Cabana breakfast.

3 Eggs, beaten

1/4 cup diced Celery

1/4 cup diced Onion

1/4 cup diced Bell Pepper

1/4 cup diced Crimini mushroom

1/4 cup shredded White Cheddar cheese

3 oz ground Turkey

2-3 Tbsp Mojo Criollo Sauce, I like the Badia tm brand

1 large Wrap tortilla -- I use the green 'spinach' wraps from Toufoyan tm

Saute the stuffing vegetables in a splash of oil for a few minutes until they start to soften. As they soften add the mojo sauce, and then the ground turkey. Continue cooking until the turkey is nearly browned. Now add the eggs and scramble everything together.

Mound the filling in the center of the wrap and top with the cheese. Roll everything up. Top with additional cheese if desired. Serve with sides of salsa and sour cream or yogurt.

Red Hot Bleu Sauce

I've got a problem. See, I like hot sauces, but not gratuitiously hot hot sauces; I prefer those that have flavor as well as some heat. I also like bleu cheese dressing on my salads. In a moment of inspiration -- like the mingling of chocolate and peanut butter -- I created Red Hot Bleu Sauce. 

Take some Frank's Red Hot tm Wing Sauce or any similar hot sauce, and cut it about 50% (more or less) with a good chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing. Now you're talking!! Great on wings, chicken nuggets or a roast beef sandwich.

Lobsta Mac & Cheese

Sally requested this for Valentine's Day Brunch with Mum. So of course she got it. This recipe makes a ton of pasta and cheese sauce. I used about 3/4 of each and froze the rest separately for later consumption.  This isn't a cheap dish, but it's great for a special occasion.

12 oz Lobster -- I used 4 of the little ones, which happened to be on special at the megamart.

1 box Macaroni -- I used Cavitappi/Corkscrews with the grooves to hold sauce better

2 cups Sharp Cheddar

2 cups Mixed Cheeses

4 cups Heavy Cream

4 Tbsp Butter -- we use Olivio tm

5 Tbsp AP Flour

1/2 cup diced Onion

1/4 cup White Wine

1 Tbsp Tony Chachere's Creole Spice tm or paprika, salt and cayenne to taste

1 cup frozen Peas

1/2 cup Panko or breadcrumbs

Pre-cook the lobster tails. I baked them @ 350 for about 7 minutes. Cool, then chop the meat into pieces.

Make the pasta according to the box. Drain. Cool.

In a pot, slow cook the onion in the butter. When the onion is translucent, add the flour and stir to make a roux. Let the roux cook for 4-5 minutes, to cook out the flouriness. Cut the roux with the wine, stirring. Reduce heat to low. Slowly add the cream, whisking to get rid of any lumps. Add the creole spice. Keep whisking. Finally, add the cheeses, a handful at a time, whisking until every thing is smooth and cheesy.

Measure the cooked mac that you'll need into a baking dish, then transfer the mac to a mixing bowl. If you use the whole box of mac, you're gonna want a pound of lobster at least, and a 9x13 baking dish. Add the lobster and frozen peas and stir to combine. Now add the cheese sauce until the mix gets a soupy as you like. Top with panko or other breadcrumbs.

Bake at 375F for about 30-35 minutes until bubbly and hot. Let it rest about 5 minutes before spooning out portions.

Red Velvet Roll

I didn't really "make" this. The megamart had the delicious looking cream cheese filled Red velvet cake roll. All I did was slice up strawberries and raspberries add some simple syrup, and ladle the fruit onto slices of yum.

Creole Quiche

This one is for Susan Duplantis, my blogger friend from Baton Rouge. I created this for our cabana guests who wanted something with lots of veggies and eggs, on a Saturday morning when Sally and I had to be somewhere early. They had two slices one day, and two slices the next, along with a bowl of cut fruit.

3/4 cup diced Celery

3/4 cup diced Onion

3/4 cup diced Bell Pepper

3/4 cup chopped Mushrooms

12 Shrimp, cooked and shelled

4" of diced Andouille sausage if you can find it. Or a Johnsonville tm New Orleans "sausage"

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp ground Cardamon

1-1/4 cups half & half or whipping cream

6 oz shredded mixed Cheese

1+ Tbsp Tony Chachere's tm Creole Spice Blend, to taste

1 premade frozen Deep-Dish Pie Crust

Preheat the oven to 425F.

While that's happening, saute the meat and veg filling until the celery and onion are tender. Drain and reserve.

Beat together the eggs and dairy and cardamon. Add half the cheese. Reserve.

Put the still frozen pie crust on a baking sheet. Spoon the filling into the crust and pack down if necessary. Pour the egg/dairy/cheese mixture overall, to fill, add more dairy if needed. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm and set, golden brown and mouth-wateringly delicious. Let rest at least 15 minutes before serving.

Kabocha & Swiss Chard Galette

Sally found this recipe in an issue of the Oprah magazine. It was 'way too fussy and complicated as written (an excerpt from Anna Thomas' cookbook Vegan Vegetarian Omnivore), so I've simplified it considerably.

Basically this is a vegan, or at least vegetarian, pizza featuring a strange winter squash and Swiss Chard. Slightly sweet, slightly nutty.

1 Kabocha Squash (substitute a Butternut, it will be lots easier to work with... trust me)

1-2 large Sweet Onions (Valdosta, Maui, WallaWalla, etc)

2 large Garlic cloves

1 bunch Swiss Chard or Rainbow Swiss Chard

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan or similar cheese.  Vegans use soy-cheese.

1/3 Raisins

1/3 cup Pine Nuts or Sunflower kernals

1 lb fresh Pizza Dough - from your megamart or local pizza parlor

Juice of half a Lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste

EVOO as needed

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Peel and seed the squash and cut it into 1" cubes. You want 3-4 cups of cubes. Toss with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon or so of EVOO. Spread the cubes on a baking tray and roast them for 30-40 minutes, turning periodically, until they get some nice color and soften a bit. Reserve.

Slice the onion into strips and caramelize in a skillet until golden (medium-low heat). Again, this will take about 30 minutes. Near the end, slice the garlic and add it to skillet. Don't let it burn.

While that's happening, rinse the chard and cut the long stems into 1" lengths. Add the stems to the onion/garlic mix and continue to cook until they soften a bit (about 3 minutes). Add the chard leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper, cover and cook until the chard wilts (about 5 more minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the raisins, cilantro, pine nuts and lemon juice. Reserve.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the pizza dought to make a 16" disk, or roll it oblong to fit a baking sheet, like I did. Spread the onion-chard mix around, leaving an inch or so of the dough edge bare. Add the roasted squash. Finish by sprinkling the cheese overall. Bake at 400F for 30+ minutes, until the crust browns nicely. Slice and serve. Serves 4-6.

Overall, pretty tasty, but it needed "something" to give it pizazz. A spice blend perhaps, other than a pinch of salt and pepper.  Perhaps a base sauce, not necessarily tomato.  Next time I'm going to give the rolled-out dough a schmear of Romesco sauce, or even French dressing, before laying down the veggies, just to take the flavor profile to the next level.

Swamp Cabbage, Black Chicken Soup and Aroz Familia

Swamp Cabbage

Swamp Cabbage is a unique Florida Cracker/pioneer dish that was learned from the native Seminole. How they learned to peel, trim and boil up the 'boot' tips of the aptly named Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto) and make something edible, is one of the wonders of the culinary world. Sabal, or Cabbage Palm is the Florida state tree. They grow wild throughout the center of the state as an understory to pines and in open pastures and fringe areas.

We went to a fundraiser Swamp Cabbage Demonstration and lunch at the Alva Pioneer Museum in Alva, FL, just about 25 miles upriver from Fort Myers. Alva was platted in the late 1880s by Capt. Peter Nelson, one of the area's more interesting early Characters.

What a great event! The proceeds of the event go towards a remodel and enlargement of the old schoolhouse/museum and library. The demonstrator was Jim English, who's family first settled in the Alva area not long after the Civil War, even before Capt.Nelson bought the parcel which he eventually named Alva.

 Jim English slicing bits off of a Swamp cabbage  "head".

Swamp Cabbage preparation is a real family event among the descendants of those who settled this area.  We spoke at length with Darren Watkins, sixth generation resident of Alva, who was assisting the event behind the scenes by preparing the cabbage and making batches to serve the several hundred people who showed up to support the event.  

Darren explained that sabal fronds create semi-circular 'boots' which make up the diameter of the trunk, sort of like the overlapping 'leaves' of an artichoke. To make Swamp Cabbage, you start with several 5-6 ft tall trees which are cut down at ground level with a hand-saw or machete, and sectioned into 18-24" lengths after removing the outer 'bark' boots.  Inner boots are sliced lengthwise and separated from the main stem.  Then the tender lower ends of the boots are broken or sliced away to be cooked.

 

Here you see the semi-circular layers of frond  'boots' 

 

Swamp Cabbage 'heads' ready to be cut up.

 Darren's pot of cabbage cuttings ready to cook.

Don't live in the Land of the Cabbage Palm? You can buy Hearts of Palm in a can from most megamarts in the same section where you find canned artichokes and such.

Here's the English family recipe, well over a hundred years old:

1/2 lb smoked bacon for each 'head' of cabbage (grandmother added pork fat back as well)

1 stick butter per cabbage head

Salt & Pepper to taste

Render out the bacon in a frying pan. Cut up all the cabbage and put in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. When it comes to a boil add the salt, pepper, butter and bacon with its rendered drippings. Simmer until the cabbage is tender -- 15 minutes or so.

 

Ready to eat!

There are simpler and much more complicated recipes as well. You can also make Swamp Cabbage Fruit Salad, Swamp Cabbage Fritters, and other pioneer delectables.

We had Jim's Swamp Cabbage as a side dish accompanying pulled pork and grilled chicken. 

Yum! A taste of Olde Floriday! The taste is mild and bacon-y (of course) reminding you of a cross between artichoke and yucca root. The texture is smooth and defines that foodie word  'unctuous'. This is Good Stuff, even if it is time consuming to make.

Black Chicken Soup

No, the chicken didn't have black feathers. No, it was not a Silkie chicken with its blue-black meat and bones. My Black Chicken Soup is black because of the dark soy sauce and hoisin sauce which give this Asian-inspired soup it's dark broth and flavor.

2 Chicken Breasts

1 ea 12-15 oz bag Frozen Vegetables -- I used the Gumbo blend because we like that combination of veg

1 can Baby Corn

1 small can Bamboo Shoots

4 oz. Sugar Snap Peas

3/4 cup Jicama - peeled and cubed

1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper (it's what I had on hand)

4 oz sliced Crimini Mushrooms

1 cup dark Soy Sauce (I used the rich, mushroom soy that I use for my holiday turkey breast not the usual commercial brands)

1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce

1/2 cup Paul Newman tm Asian Ginger Sesame salad dressing

3 Tbsp Toasted Sesame oil

4-5 cups water

Sriracha Sauce (optional if you want to give the soup a kick)

Saute the chicken in the sesame oil first, with just a bit of black pepper. Remove the chicken from the pot and add the bagged and canned veggies along with a couple cups of water. While that starts to cook, peel, chop and trim the fresh veggies. Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Now add the flavorants -- soy, hoisin, dressing -- to the pot along with the fresh veggies and chicken. Let everything simmer for 45 minutes or so to marry all those wonderful flavors. 

 

Aroz Familia (Cuban Family-style Rice)

Manuel is a really nice Cuban gentleman who works in the produce department of my local Publix megamart. He asked how last week's Ropa Vieja turned out, and I mentioned serving it with Aroz Amarillo. He then told me how his mother made rice for her family. Not the Aroz Amarillo we're familiar with. Something else. The process sounded so good I had to try it. Here's my interpretation of the dish.

2 "cups" Long Grain Rice -- I used two rice cooker measures, which aren't true cup measures. Get the 'extra long grain' if you can find it. Don't use short or medium grain.

1 "cup" Sofrito -- I used a rice cooker measure. Make your own from last week's post.

Put a tablespoon or two of EVOO in a hot skillet or grill pan and swirl it around. Add the rice and toast it for 5-10 minutes, shaking and stirring, until it gets nice and gold brown all over, but not black. 

Transfer the hot rice to the rice cooker pot, add the sofrito, and stir. Let it cook a couple minutes in the hot rice. Add the water up to the 2 mark in the pot, and cook the rice as usual. Fluff and serve. Esta muy bueno!

Kala Hummus

I created this for a recipe contest that called for you to make a gourmet "dip" for Game Day.  I probably haven't won anything, but it was fun to make, as I already had a batch of cooked Kala Chana in the fridge.

1 cup Kala Chana (Black Chickpeas)

2+ Tbsp Chhole Masala -- Indian spice blend used with chickpeas

1/2 cup Greek-style Yogurt

Cook the dried chickpeas and 1 Tbsp of the masala in 6 cups of water, low and slow so they absorb the liquid and plump up. When cooked, toss with the remaining Tbsp of masala, and more if desired.

When cooled, place chickpeas, yogurt and a half cup of water in a blender and puree until smooth. Use a spatula to scoop the hummus into a serving bowl. Surround with soft or toasted nan bread 'fingers' for dipping.

Next week -- Creole Omelets, Mojo Breakfast Burritos, and New England Baked Flounder.

Ropa Clafoutis

Ropa Vieja that is, and Blackberry-Mango Clafoutis.  Plus Chickpea snacks and a Cajun Omelet.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

"Old Clothes". That's what the name means in Spanish. The Cuban version of this dish is essentially "shredded beef with onion and colored peppers". This is a great slow-cooker recipe.

3 lbs Flank steak or similar beef

6 oz Goya tm Sofrito (or make your own as below)

1 Onion, sliced into strips

1 Red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips

1 Green Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips

6 cloves Garlic

Quarter the meat. Put everything in a slow cooker with 2 cups water. Cook on low for 6 hours or more, until the meat is "two-fork shreddable",  as you would for pulled pork.

I served the Ropa Vieja with Aroz Amarillo -- Yellow Rice, made with a jasmine rice and a packet of Badia brand Sazon Tropical tm.

DIY Sofrito

Here's a make-your-own sofrito recipe from a Cuban food blog:

21 Cherry Tomatoes, diced [personally I'd use 3-4 Roma tomatoes]
2-3 Green Peppers, diced (Cubanelles, Poblanos or Green Bells
2 large onions, diced
8 to 10 garlic cloves, minced
1 or 2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 dried oregano
3/4 cup Sherry, or to taste
4 Tbsp olive oil

Saute tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, bay leaves, cumin and oregano in oil slowly until everything is limp. Add the Sherry and simmer some more. Yields about one quart.

[You really want to dice everything fine for sofrito -- or pulse it a couple times in a blender/Food Processor. The final result should have the consistancy of thick pasta sauce.]

Blackberry-Mango Clafouti

Clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-tee) is the French term for a sort of upside-down fruit-filled dessert related to the Tart Tatin. I learned to make this in an oven-able skillet that starts hot on the stovetop and slightly cooks the fruit; then I poured the batter over all and slid into a pre-heated oven. This version is easier.

I borrowed this Bisquick tm clafouti recipe from the Mount Dora Historic Inn in Mount Dora, FL. If you're up that way, it's a nice place to stay. With Bisquick you avoid having to assemble a bunch of ingredients into the dry batter flour mix.

3/4 cup Whole Blackberries

3/4 cup Mango cubes

1 cup Bisquick

3/4 cup whole Milk

2 eggs (double the Bisquick recomendation), beaten

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 to 1/2 tsp Garam Masala spice blend (taste the batter to check depth of flavor)

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Non-stick spray a 10" deep dish pie pan (glass or ceramic is best). Add the fruit.

In a bowl mix together the Bisquick, garam masala, beaten eggs and milk.  Pour the batter over the fruit.

 Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top starts to brown and springs back when pressed. When done, slide onto a platter and serve. Serve with cream if you're British. Serves 8 normal people.

Roasted Chickpea Appetizer -- Two Ways

An old friend was asking for some healthy Game Day snack recipes the other day.

Chickpea Appetizer #1

 This recipe was floating around on Facebook.

2 cans Chickpeas/Garbanzos, drained and dried very well

1-1/2 tsp EVOO

1/4 tsp Garam Masala spice blend, the original recipe had just salt & pepper

1/4 c fresh shredded Parmesan or Auribella cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

Once the chickpeas are dried, toss them in a large-ish zip top bag, followed by the EVOO. Shake to combine. Add the garam masala and shake again.

Lay a Silpat tm mat on a baking sheet; or use parchment paper, or non-stick tinfoil. Spread the spiced chickpeas in a single layer, then sprinkle the cheese over the spread. Roast for 20-30 minutes, giving them a shake every 10 minutes, until golden, crispy outside, creamy inside.

Pretty darn tasty. The garam masala gives them a great flavor, and cheese gives them a saltiness that the garam masala lacks. Eat'em while they're hot for the best crispiness. Using a Ras el Hanut spice blend would make these tasty nibbles Moroccan.

Chickpea Appetizer #2

This version is all my own invention -- roasted Chhole Kala Chana

Black Chickpeas (Kala Chana) cooked from dry with Chhole Masala, an Indian spice blend specifically for chickpeas. You can get them at you local Indian/Pakistani market.

These legumes take twice as long and twice as much water to reconstitute completely than regular chickpeas, but the result is worth it. I make them in my rice cooker with 3x the water to dry. Then I repeat the process a second time to get them fully reconstituted

Then I roast the spice-cooked chickpeas in a 400F oven, and sprinkle them with a bit of smoked salt. Get 'em while they're hot!

Kala Chana have a thicker, chewier skin that takes to roasting better than the regular chickpeas, IMHO.

Cajun Omelet

This is one of my Cabana Breakfast offerings. Our current guest has been really enjoying the dish, so I thought I'd share.

2 Eggs

1/4 cup diced Celery

1/4 cup diced Onion

1/4 cup diced Red Bell Pepper

1/4 cup diced Mushrooms

1/2 of 1 Johnsonville tm Andouille sausage

3 Medium Shrimp, cooked

1/2 tsp Everglades Seasoning tm

1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning tm

1/4 cup sharp white Cheddar or Fontina cheese

Saute the veggies with the Everglades seasoning for a couple minutes. Then add the shrimp and sausage, and cook until the veggies are soft. This can be done well in advance.

Beat the eggs well, with a splash of water. Oil a skillet or griddle and add the eggs. As they start to set, add the Tony Chachere seasoning. Add the filling to half of the spread eggs, then add the cheese overall. Fold in half when done, and serve.

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