Blue Corn Crackers, Braised Bamboo Shoot, Baked Yuca Sticks, Vegan Pulled "Pork", Plum Parfaits

Vegan Pulled Pork Sandwich with Oven-baked Yuca Sticks

Vegan Pulled "Pork"  

Last year I showed you how to make Pulled Jackfruit -- a.k.a. Vegan Pulled "Pork".

(https://foodingaround-kiltedcook.blogspot.com/search?q=jackfruit).

It was so good, I'm doing it again1  Check out all the details in that post from last year.

Last week Michael from Pine Island Botanicals  harvested his biggest-ever Jackfruit -- 98 pounds!!   So I went to the Farmer's Market and pickup up about an 8lb slice;

After processing the green fruit slice I had about 6 pounds of ready-to-use pulled 'meat'.  So I diced up an onion and some garlic, sautéed them, them added the jackfruit.  After a few minutes of cooking I added "some" BBQ Sauce.  My new favorite is G. Hughestm Sugar Free, Original BBQ Sauce.  As the name sez, it's sugar-free -- more vinegary than sweet, and perfect to counter the natural sweetness of the jackfruit.

To accompany my Pulled "Pork" sandwiches, I made;

Baked Yuca Sticks -- can't call 'em 'fries' if they're baked!
That's Yuca, not Yucca.  Pronounced You-ka, not Yukk-a.  Yuca is a root vegetable; Yucca is not.  Yuca grows in the moist hot tropics; Yucca grows in the hot arid desert fringes.  Don't eat Yuca Raw; it's moderately poisonous unless cooked.  Don't eat Yucca at all, it's just nasty.    Yuca is also called Cassava or Manioc, and is the source of tapioca.

Now that we've got that out of the way, we're going to make Yuca Sticks, because you can't call them "fries" if they're baked!

I got this monster root from the Southwest Florida Produce Co-op, where we get most of our fruit and veg.  These yuca were grown locally.

Preparing the Root
First thing you have to do is cut the root into manageable lengths -- 4-6" is good.  I use a hacksaw.  If you had to you could use an oiled serrated knife, but a hacksaw is easier.

Now stand the sections on end and slice away that rough 'bark' with your chef's knife or a cleaver.

Leave the logs whole, and boil them for 20-30 minutes to soften them up so they're 'fork tender' half way to the core.  Drain and cool.

Once cool, you can cut the logs into sticks.  Start by quartering lengthwise. Then slice away the tough, stringy core.  After that cut the quarters into sticks.  You can store these par-cooked sticks over night and finish the cooking the next day.

Baking
Preheat your oven to 425F.  While that's going on prepare a baking sheet with no-stick spray or a piece of parchment paper.  Place the drained and patted dry yuca sticks in a large-ish bowl and either spray with a high-smoke-point oil, like Grapeseed oil, or toss with a tablespoon or two of the oil.  Coat the fries and they lay them out on the baking sheet with space between.  Dust with a spice blend like Everglades Seasoningtm.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or so, then toss them and cook for another 15-20 minutes until nice and brown.  Serve hot from the oven.  A lemon or lime-mayo makes a nice dipping sauce rather than ketchup.  We also like Costa Rican Lizano Sauce as a dip for yuca sticks.

Plum Parfaits with Honey & Almonds
After a rich dinner like BBQ Jackfruit and Baked Yuca Sticks you want something light and a bit sweet to finish the meal.  These Plum Parfaits are quick, easy and just right!

2 firm Plums of choice, diced
1 Tbsp Honey of choice
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Lemon Zest
1-1/2 cups plain Icelandic or Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted.

Simmer the plums, honey and cinnamon in a splash of water until the plums get saucy.  Transfer to a bowl, add the lemon zest, and cool to room temperature.

To plate, layer spoonfuls of cooked plums with spoonfuls of yogurt, ending with plums, then top with toasted almonds before serving...


"And now for something completely different!"

Yóu Mèn Sun (Braised Bamboo Shoot)

I stopped at a local Farmer's Market the other day to get a few pounds of Jackfruit from my friends at Pine Island Botanicals.  And while I was there I saw these huge fresh Bamboo Shoots.  So I got one to show you Faithful Readers.  This is not those stringy metallic tasting things in a can that you add to stir fry.  This is a magnificent vegetable in its own right.

Preparing the Shoot

My shoot weighed in at 11 ounces after trimming the bottom clean.  Next step is to use a sharp knife to slice down the length of the shoot about 1/4" deep.  Use your fingertips to pull the outer "leaves" away exposing the creamy white interior.  

Now trim about an inch off the tip, and put in a pot of water to boil for at least 30 minutes.  Some species of bamboo contain high concentrations of cyanogenic glycosides which can produce cyanide!  However boiling the shoots for at least 30 minutes renders all species perfectly safe to eat.

Once drained and cooled, cut into convenient sized pieces.

The Braising 

I'm going to braise the bamboo shoot first, and then add other, separately-braised vegetables to make a complete dinner.  

3 Tbsp EVOO

2 thin slices of fresh Ginger

2 tsp Sugar

2 tsp Rice Wine

1 Tbsp dark Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

1 cup Water

Heat the oil and fry the ginger in it for about 30 seconds.  Then add the sugar and cook until it dissolves before adding the bamboo shoot pieces.  Stir and fry for a couple minutes until the edges start to brown.

Now add liquids and simmer everything together for about 10 minutes while the liquid reduces.

Remove the bamboo shoots and repeat the process with other vegetables.  I used:

Parcooked Baby Carrots

Whole Button Mushrooms

Sugar Snap Peas

Red & Green Bell Pepper strips

English Cucumber strips

Shallot

Blue Corn Crackers

I got a half-price deal on a bag of Harina de Maiz Azul -- blue corn flour.  It used to be that you only saw blue corn products on the Navajo Reservation --  because the Dineh had a more or less monopoly on the blue seed-corn.  Nowadays you find blue corn chips everywhere, and the harina is common in mercados and tiendas (Mexican stores).   These crackers, although round, aren't really tortillas or tostadas.  They're more of a gordita -- chubby.  Much thicker.  The smaller thicker ones have a softer center; the larger are more crispy like a tostada.

You can make these crackers with ordinary yellow masa -- but where's the fun in that?  Still, either color makes a healthier snack than tortilla chips.  This recipe makes about fifteen 3"diameter crackers.

1-1/2 cups Harina de Maiz Azul (blue corn flour)

1 tsp Cumin

2 tsp Mexican Spice blend or similar seasoning

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

3 Tbsp EVOO

1 cup Water, plus maybe a bit more...

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Mix together the dry ingredients.  Add the olive oil and water.  Just enough water to make a workable dough after you knead it for a minute or two in a blue corn floured bench.

Make the dough into thin flat bits.  I used my tortilla press and walnut sized lumps of dough.  I you don't have a press, roll the dough out to about 1/8" thin between sheets of wax paper and use a biscuit or cookie cutter to make your crackers.   Lay them out on a dry baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes or until crisp and just beginning to brown on the edges.  Let cool enough that you don't burn your mouth before serving!  This recipe makes about 16 crackers 3" in diameter.

Melanzano, Kiwi Berries?!, Asian Slaw, Street Tacos...

Kiwi Berries
Actinidia arguta, the Hardy Kiwi, is a perennial vine native to Japan, Korea, Northern China and the Russian Far East.  It produces a small kiwifruit without the hair-like fiber on the outside.  Kiwi berries are about the size of  a grape, and are rich in Vitamin C, naturally low in fat, cholesterol and sodium.  Also high in fiber, and a great source of potassium, vitamin E and magnesium.  In the States they're grown in Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey.

You can occasionally find kiwi berries in mega-mart produce departments, but they're more likely to be found in Farmer's Markets and specialty fruit & vegetable sellers.  Our Co-op had some, and I just had to try them for you Loyal Readers.  

They're great!  Much like a  grape, you pop them in your mouth and eat skin, tiny seeds and all.  Very tasty in a mild-mannered way -- like their larger, hairier kin.  

Timballo di Melanzano
This is the dish I made for Sally as her special Homecoming dinner>

A Timbale is a "drum shaped" edible container for more edible goodies.  It's a concept, not a recipe.
The edible container or crust can be rice (Sartu di riso), bread (like an enclosed quiche) or pasta.   The Timballo di Melanzano has the "crust made from thin grilled slices of eggplant (melanzano):  

A Timbale is at least 3" deep and 9" in diameter, and can be as much as 18" deep (using a stock pot as a baking 'dish' for the pasta liner and its filling).   The fillings can be as mild or wild as you want:  fish, fowl, beef, pork, vegetables, pasta of various shapes and sizes, cheeses, meatballs of various kinds and sizes, etc. This filling has rotini pasta, a putanesca type sauce and lots of veggies -- whole mushrooms, green beans, cubes of carrot, peas, etc.

The filled, sealed Timbale is then baked to thicken the filling and crisp up the crust.  

When cooled it is un-molded, sliced and served.

Szechwan Slaw
Here's a Forks over Knivestm recipe that I've tweaked just a bit.  With the beans and rice this is a meal salad, not just a side dish!   Toss together the following:

3 cups shredded Cabbages (red, Napa, green etc) and Carrots in any combination Jicama and Daikon optional
3 cup thin sliced Red Bell Pepper
1 bunch Green Onions cut to lengths and quartered lengthwise
1-1/2 cup cooked Brown or Black Rice
1 can Beans (I used Cranberry Beans but any will do) drained and rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked Millet or Quinoa (for a bit of crunch)

Dressing
In a bowl whisk together and toss with the main ingredients above:

1/4 cup low sodium Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp White or Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Nut Butter (peanut, almond, or what have you)
2 tsp fresh grated Ginger
Lime Wedges for top dressing

That's a seriously satisfying salad.

Street Tacos

I don't now about where you live, but here in Ft. Myers, in the Ethnic section of our Publix megamart, you can purchase Street Taco sized tortillas -- white corn or flour.  These are the roughly 4" diameter tortillas you get handmade in Mexico and real Mexican restaurants; rather than the larger tortillas found in Americanized Mexican restaurants.  The smaller ones are perfect for antohitos (appetizers) as well as general devouring.  I usually make a lunch from 3 smaller tortillas and simple fillings.  Here are three of my favorite street taco dishes:

Roasted Chicken Tacos
I buy one of those rotisserie chickens, disassemble the carcass, and shred the meat for a variety of purposes.  Here you see that chicken, a dusting of Sazon Tropical spice and a splash of Salsa Verde.

Skirt Steak Tacos
When I get a craving for beef, I often turn to this cut for tasty and relatively expensive steak.  In these tacos, the skirt steak isn't a main course, it's a flavor element.  I marinate the steak in Mojo sauce for anything from 2-8 hours before cooking it hot and fast.  If you cook skirt steak more than a bare sear, it can turn into a hockey puck.  Here the steak is paired with diced red bell pepper, onion and a pinch of sharp cheddar.

Shrimp Tostadas
Here the tacos are spritzed with a tiny bit of EVOO and then dry-fried on a griddle until almost crisp.  The shrimp are topped with a bit of  Frank's Red Hottm Sweet Chili Sauce which I also put on omelets.

Frugal Beef Week

Sally was gone all week, on a road trip to Virginia, with her daughter.  So I got to cook things that I love and she doesn't.  Beef was the theme of the week.  That and being "frugal" -- in the Jeff Smith/Frugal Gourmet way -- cooking once or twice and eating dinners for the whole week.

Chili Today

My Chili.  No beans chili.  Just beef, a variety of peppers, onion, herbs and spices.  No beans.  No cans. No other vegetables.

1-1/4 lbs 95/5 Ground Beef, thawed
2 large Sweet Onions (Valdosta or similar)
3 cloves Garlic, minced
5 Beefsteak Tomatoes, chopped
2 Red Bell Peppers, seeded & veined and roasted nearly black
3 Green Bell Peppers, seeded & veined and roasted nearly black
2 Poblano Chilies, seeded & veined and roasted
1 Anaheim Chili, seeded & veined and roasted
1 small Jalapeño, seeded & veined and chopped
1/2 tsp Hot Hungarian Paprika (dried pepper of course)
1 tsp Sweet Hungarian Paprika
1 Tbsp Hatch Green Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Healthy Solutionstm Chili/Taco Seasoning
1 Tbsp Cumin
5-6 cups Water

After roasting the peppers under the broiler, chop them to pieces.  Dice the Onions.  In a deep pot, brown the beef, then add the onions and cook until softening.  Add the garlic, tomatoes and chopped peppers.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Add the herbs and spices and water.  Simmer 1-2 hours until starting to thicken.   Serve with white corn tortilla chips or corn tortillas.

This isn't a hot chili, by any stretch.  But it has great depth of flavor with just enough heat to make it interesting.

Pepper Beef
My other cooking this week was what I call Pepper Beef.  Simpler than my Chili, but equally tasty.

1 lb "Beef for Stew"
2 Green Bell Peppers, sliced into strips
1 Sweet Onion sliced into strips
6 oz sliced Button Mushrooms
1 Tbsp BBQ Sauce
1 Tbsp Lizano -- Costa Rican sauce
1 Tbsp Franks Red Hot Sweet Chili Saucetm
1 tsp Evergladestm Seasoning
1 tsp Green Sazon Tropicale
3-4 cups Water

Saute the onions then add the beef and brown it.  Now add the peppers and everything else.  Simmer for at least 2 hours to make sure the beef gets really tender.

Can be eaten as a stew, over smashed potatoes or pasta, or on slices of toast.  Anyway you serve it this is GOOD!

Next Week...
Of course I didn't eat just those dishes!  Breakfasts were my usual 1 egg mushroom omelets.  For lunches I had both rotisserie chicken street tacos with salsa verde, and my tuna salad (with dill pickle) sandwiches.   Plus, wit till you see what I'm making Sally for here Welcome Home dinner tonight!

Czech Guláš, Moroccan Tagine, Impossible, and more...

Hovězí guláš s knedlíčky
This is the Czech version of the ancient Hungarian herdsman's dish known in America as Goulash. 

No self-respecting Hungarian or Czech guláš would ever contain the elbow macaroni and tomatoes found in the American version!  This is the Real Deal -- meat, onions, herbs and spices.  This recipe feeds 4.

1/2 lb thick (1/4") slice of rare and lean London Broil
2 large White Onions
3-4 tsp Sweet Paprika, or a combo of Sweet and Hot Hungarian Paprika
1 tsp Caraway Seeds
3-4 cloves Garlic, chopped
1-2 tsp Marjoram
Salt & Pepper to taste
Bread Crumbs for thickening

Cut the beef into strips about 1/2" wide and " long.  I used Deli London Broil as lean and rare as I could get it, to save having to roast a big piece of meat or settle for tougher, cheaper cuts of beef.

Slice the onions and chop the garlic.

In a large-ish pot or deep skillet, saute the onions and garlic until soft and turning golden.  Add the beef.  Reduce the heat, add the herbs and spices, and add water to cover.  Cover, and simmer for at least an hour until everything is "fall apart" cooked, adjusting seasonings as you go. 

At the end, add breadcrumbs to thicken and cook just a few minutes longer.  Plate with a couple slices of dumpling, as seen above.

Dumplings
The s knedlíčky in the title above means "with dumplings" So here's a recipe for plain Czech-style boiled dumplings -- a more appropriate accompaniment for guláš than noodles.

2 cups AP Flour
2 cups "stale" Bread  (I used the "guts" of the Turtle Bread which I had saved)
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg Yolk (save the white for something else)
3/4 cup Milk

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large cup whisk together the egg yolk and milk.

Add the liquid to the flour mix and stir into a dough.  Cover and let it rest one hour.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  While that's happening, flour your hands then work the bread pieces into the dough until well incorporated.  The shape into a  logs 6-8" long and 2-3" in diameter. 

Carefully slip the dumpling log into the boiling water, and nudge it with a soon so it don't to the pot.  Reduce heat, cover and boil for 12 minutes.  

Then remove  and slice in half to check done-ness.  I put mine back for an additional 5 minutes.  When done, slice into 3/4" thick rounds. 

 

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge.  To reheat, put the slices in a steamer for a few minutes, or nuke for a minute with a ramekin of water next to the dumpling to raise the humidity.

Butternut & Lentil Tagine
A tagine is a shallow, covered Moroccan "pot" used for making all kinds of stew like dishes.  If you don't have a tagine (and most Americans don't) you can use a covered skillet or something similar.

This recipe really uses the tagine to bring together the flavors of the cooked butternut squash, toasted pine nuts, and cooked lentils with a little tomato sauce and Ras el Hanut, a quintessential Moroccan spice you can find at Middle Eastern markets and some quality international shops (I get mine at World Market).

1 lb Butternut Squash cut into 1/4" dice
2 cups dry Green Lentils cooked until tender
1/2 cup Pine Nuts, toasted
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
2 Sausages -- Vegan or Carnivore
1 Tbsp Ras el Hanut

Simple enough....

Cook the lentils according to package direction.  I use my rice cooker for perfect lentils every time.

Toast the pine nuts.  Grill the sausages and cut them into pieces.  Nuke the cubed squash for about 6 minutes until done but firm.

Put everything in a covered skillet.   Add the Ras el Hanut, the tomato sauce, and a cup or so of water.  Stir to combine, and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until the liquid reduces about half.

Turtle Bread Presentation

Here's the way the Ninja Turtle Bread looked on the buffet table at the baby shower:

Impossible
I've heard the hype, and so have you.  So I just had to try an Impossible Burger to see what all the shouting is about.

Looks like a Whoppertm.  Tastes pretty much like a Whopper (but then the major tastes of a Whopper have always been the lettuce, tomato and mayo, with the burger tasting "flame grilled" in the background).  Looks like a hamburger patty -- "they" certainly have gotten the texture of ground beef down!  Doesn't look like your average "garden burger" -- even mine!  All in all the same taste experience you get with a regular Whopper.  If you closed your eyes you probably can't tell the difference between Impossible and a regular Whopper.

Would I buy it again?   Maybe.  Probably.  If I go to Burger King again.  It is a bit more pricey than a real Whopper.  We don't normally do that kind of fast food anymore.    But it is really good to see a major player in fast food stepping up to the plate for the growing numbers of vegetarians/vegans out there.