Brazil and Latin America

I went to the library today to get my stack of Brazilian cookbooks.  No luck.  I got a couple of Latin American cookbooks and a couple of international.  I am a little apprehensive, due to the lack of recipes that I am finding.  I will reach out to my friend Dre and scour the web.  I would be happy to have some contributions of Brazilian recipes.

Thanksgiving

Crawfish Pie:  2 pie crusts.  Melt one stick of butter.  Saute 1 cup onion, 1 cup celery, and 1 cup red bell pepper and 1/4 cup minced garlic.  Saute 5 minutes.  Add 1 pound chopped crawfish.  Saute 3 minutes.  Add 1 cup heavy cream.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Let cool.  Stir in 1 cup italian breadcrumbs, and 1 beaten egg.  Add 1/2 cup sliced green onions and 1/2 cup chopped parsley.  Stir.  Season with salt and pepper and Louisiana hot sauce.  Place in unbaked  pie crust.  Cover with another pie crust and make 4 slits.  Preheat oven to 450.  Bake 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350.  Bake another 20 minutes.  Serve hot.  From :  The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cooking.

Cornbread stuffing.  Not such a fan

Oyster Stuffing

Green beans cooked with bacon and chicken broth.

Roast Turkey

10 months later. The proscuitto

I am a little scared to eat this.  I think I will wait to see how the others feel in about an hour.  This has been hanging in our basement since February. 

Gumbo

We cheated in this one a little.  The real recipe called for frying chicken first, but there was not enough time or energy to do that, plus we fried chicken just a few days ago.  I don't think it needed the fried chicken.  It was plenty rich.  Note, as we were cooking this and tasting along the way we were quite concerned.  Each time we tasted after a step it was a little better, but still not really good.  I have no idea how it could taste so bland and off during the cooking process to end up with a delicious final product!  Since here's our adaption of Fried chicken and Andouille Gumbo from Real Cajun.

Heat 1 cup canola oil.   Add 1 1/2 cup flour, whisking constantly until dark brown.  It thicken a little, but not as much as I expected it to.  As the roux darkens, slowly decrease the heat.  Make sure to not let it burn.  If any black specks appear, throw it away and begin again.  The cooking of the roux takes about 40 minutes.

All at once, add the following to the roux, stirring with a wooden spoon.   1 diced onion, 3 diced celery sticks, 1 diced poblano chili, 1 diced green bell pepper, 1 diced jalapeno, 3 minced garlic cloves along with the spice mixture of 1 tbsp salt (we used less since our chicken broth is salty), 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 1 1/2 tsp file powder.  Remove from heat and allow to cool briefly.  Transfer the roux to a large pot.  Heat over med heat.  Stir in 3 quarts chicken broth.  Reduce heat and simmer 60 minutes.  Every now and again skim the oil from the top.   Next add chicken.  (we used a rotisserie chicken cut into 8 pieces.) and 1 pound andouille sliced into half moon pieces.  Simmer another hour, stirring occassionally.  If it still has a floury taste, add more broth and keep simmering.  (we didn't need to do this).

In another skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil.  Saute 3 cups okra.  (we used presliced frozen okra, much easier)  Saute about 10 minutes, until the sticky goo is gone.  Add to gumbo and cook another 15 minutes.  The gumbo is finished when there is no more oil rising to the top.

The finished gumbo served with rice and sliced scallions.

Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp Stock:  Shrimp shells simmered with onion, parsley, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaf.

Care package from our friend, Karen Truckey

This was really delicious.  I am a little reluctant to actually read this recipe.  Sanford made it while I was on the couch with a cold.  It was wonderfully creamy, rich, a little sinful.

In a large skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter.  Add 1/4 cup each, minced, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and green bell pepper, 1/2 cup minced onion, 1/2 cup minced celery, 1 tbsp minced garlic and 1/2 cup minced andouille sausage.  Saute 3-5 minutes.  Sprinkle 1/4 flour over it.  Stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes or until slightly golden.  Slowly add 4 cups shrimp stock, one cup at a time, stirring until a sauce like consistency is achieved.  Blend in 1/2 cup heavy cream.  Bring to a low boil.  Add 1/4 cup sliced green onions and 2 dozen peeled shrimped.  Cook 3-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Grits:  Combine 3 1/2 cups whole milk, 3 1/4 cups water, 1 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper and 4 tbsp butter.  Bring to a low boil.  Add 1 1/2 cups stone ground grits.  Reduce to med low and cover.  Cook 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1/4 pound shredded gouda (not smoked).  This is only half the amount of cheese called for.  Sanford showed a little restraint!  Adjust seasonings to taste.

This recipe was taken from The Encylopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine.  Another gift from a dear friend, Lauren.

Day 4 of this cold

Day 4 of this terrible cold.  Can't bring myself to cook, even though I am really looking forward to a collard greens and roots soup.  So tonight, grilled cheese with tomato soup and a salad.  Comfort.  I am not sure what the origin is, but it seems like it could be Southern.  Jack chose a beef with vegetable soup from a can and Sam chose chicken and dumplings.  The kids think they are being treated!

Grillades and Gravy with Maque Choux

Well, this started off as a recipe the Simple Fresh Southern by the Lees Brothers.  But, once again, I changed it in relation to what I had in the house.  We recently bought some grass fed beef from a friend.  There was something in it called a "minute steak".  I was pretty sure that it was going to be a think slice of beef.  Instead it was thick and tenderized.  Totally different than what the recipe called for.  But, it was thawed and it didn't require that I head to the store.  We all liked it, but the meat was a little chewier than I would have liked (I think due to the fact that it was the wrong cut and it was grass fed, so not much fat)

Grillades and Gravy:

Mix 1/4 cup flour with 2 tbsp corn meal, 1 1/2 tsp salt, fresh ground pepper and 1/2 tsp smoky paprika.  Dredge the meat in the flour mixture.  Heat 3 tbsp oil.  Brown on both sides and remove.  Add 2 tbsp butter.  When melted, add 2 cups chopped onion, 3 finely sliced scallions, and 1 diced red bell pepper.  Saute until softened.  Add a can tomatoes, 2 tbsp frank's hot sauce, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 cups chicken broth and 1 tsp dried red chile flakes.  Return meat to pan.  Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.  Remove meat from pan and bring to a boil and reduce sauce.  When thickened, return meat to pan to warm.  Serve over white rice with sliced scallion as a garnish.

Maque Choux:

I've looked at a lot of recipes for this.  Most call for a stick of butter, which I couldn't bring myself to do on a Tuesday night.  Here's a compromise that I really liked.

Melt 2 tbsp butter.  Add 1 smalled chopped onion, 1 chopped and seeded jalepeno, and 1 chopped poblano chili.  When softened, add 2 diced tomatoes, 4 bay leaves, 1 tsp basil and 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt, fresh ground pepper.  When the tomatoes start to release their fluids, add 4-5 cups corn and 1 1/2 cups water.  (I used frozen corn which was completely thawed, so I reduced the water to 1 cup.)  Simmer for 15 minutes.  (At this point I turned up the heat to bring it to a boil, before I reduced it to simmer.  I went downstairs and forgot that I had it on high.  I came back upstairs about 10 minutes later.  All the fluid was gone and the onions and corn were wonderfully carmalized.  I'm not sure how soupy it was supposed to be, but I really liked it this way)

Oh Yeah! Fried Chicken!

A traditional southern dish.  Sanford did this meal by himself since we spent most of the day at the animal hospital with our beagle.  It was delicious!   We all went to bed with bellyaches.  So full!   Thanks Sanford!

Fried Chicken:  Soak chicken in a brine (a gallon of water with 1 cup salt and 1 cup sugar, peppercorns, chili flakes and a bayleaf) for 24 hours.  Drain.  Cover with buttermilk and refrigerate another 24 hours.  Drain, dry and dredge in flour mixed with salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Fry in canola oil.

Mashed potatoes.  Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Put through ricer.  Add 1/2 stick butter.  We added skim milk to achieve texture.

Gravy:  After frying chicken, pour off all but about a 1/4 cup oil.  Add 1/3 cup flour.  Stir over low heat for 10 minutes.  Add 2 cups milk (again, we used skim and it was very tasty), stirring.  Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken.  If it gets too thick, add more milk.  Season with salt and pepper.

Green beans:  Cook 2 strips bacon and 1/4 cup diced smoked sausage until fat has rendered.  Add 1 diced onion and 3 minced cloves of garlic.  Cook until softened.  Add 2 cups diluted chicken broth (we were worried this was going to be a huge salt fest).  Reduce a little, then add green beans.  This cooked about an hour.

Fajitas

This seemed a little like cheating, but I found this recipe in a book called The Best of Cajun and Creole Cooking.  These were different from any tex-mex enchilada I have had.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan.  Cook 12 oz chicken breast (cut into thin strips) with 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 minced garlic clove.  When firm, add 1/2 chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 chopped green bell pepper, and 1 small chopped and seeded  red chili.  ( I used a jalepeno)  Toss.  Remove from heat and keep warm.

Heat 1 1/4 cup milk with 1 tbsp butter.  (I used skim milk since that was what we have in the refrigerator, I am sure we lost a bit of creaminess in the end, but I didn't mind).  Add 1 tbsp cornstarch (I made a slurry before adding it so I didn't have to worry about clumps so much) and 2 tsp mustard (we used grainy dijon).  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  When it thickens (a couple of minutes) add 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp red pepper (we substitued ancho chili pepper for the red pepper).  Remove from heat, add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese.  Allow to cool slightly.

Put 2 tbsp tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole.  Take a flour tortilla.  Paint some guacamole on it.  Add 1/4 chicken mixture.  Put a ladles worth of sauce inside.  Wrap and place on top of the tomato sauce.  Repeat for a total of 4 tortillas.  Any remaining sauce can be poured on top.  We also topped it with the extra peppers.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Place under broiler for 5 minutes.

Smothered steak with roasted broccoli

Day 2 of the South. 

Salt and pepper a 2 pound round steak.  Dredge in flour.  Brown in 3 tbsp oil.  Remove from pan.  Add 2 chopped onions, 1 chopped bell pepper, 1/2 chopped celery to pan.  Season with salt and pepper and cayenne pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add 1 cup beef stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Add meat back to pan, along with 2 more chopped onions, 1/2 chopped celery and another chopped bell pepper.  Cover and cook.  The recipe said to cook it for 1 1/2 hours.  The steak was rock hard at that point.  I cooked it a total of 2 1/2 hours.   Served with rice and roasted broccoli.  This recipe was adapted from Alex Patut's Cajun Home Cooking.   (copyright date:  1952)


I also cooked the rice the way he recommended.  It's interesting how differently rice is cooked all over the world.  He didn't specify the type of rice, so since we have a ton of basmati, that's what I used.  I put about a cup and a half of rice in a pan.  (He specifically says don't worry about measuring!).  Fill pan with water about 2 inches above the level of the rice.  Boil rapidly uncovered until water is below rice line.  Cover and turn to low.  Cook 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat, leave covered another 15 minutes.  No peeking.

The broccoli was simply tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Roast in 375 degree oven about 35 minutes.  (I left mine in too long.  Jack is convinced it tasted like brussel sprouts!)

The South

Ok, we've moved from India to the South.  This will be particularly difficult to try to eat a healthy diet while doing this month.  If anyone has recipes to offer up, we would be happy to try them.  This is our attempt at a healthy compromise with Sanford!  Jack just said he would be happy to have this meal everyday for the rest of the year!

Pan fried tilapia.  Fish dipped in flour, then an egg mixed with a little water, and then a mixture of flour, bread crumbs, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.  We then cooked it in about a tbsp of canola oil.  Quick and easy!

Mashed potatoes with a little butter and nonfat milk.  The gravy was made with 3 tbsp butter and 1 1/2 tbsp flour cooked over med low heat until darkened a little.  About 1 1/2 cups milk were added and brought to a boil, then reduced to a simmer until thickened.  Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg.

We have cooked a lot of greens this year (ethiopia, india, greece, etc) but these were easily the best.  We think it was the bacon!  Cook bacon until crisp.  Remove.  Add one thinly sliced onion and cook until softened.  Add 1 cup chicken broth.  Reduce a little.  Add 1 1/2 bunches mustard greens.  Add bacon back to pan.  Cook until greens are tender.

Vegetable curry and pork chops.

Tonight, I didn't want to go to the store, so I made do with what I had.  It was pretty good.  The pork chops were a little on the thin side.  I coated them in a mixture of bread crumbs, ground coriander, ground cumin and salt.  Then pan fried them in a little oil.  I served it with a vegetable curry (that I made up), rice, flatbread and chutney and yogurt.

The curry:  Heat 3 tbsp oil.  Add 1 tbsp cumin seeds and a pinch of asafetida.  Add 2 chopped onions, 3 diced red potatoes and 4 sliced and peeled carrots.  Cook until almost tender.  Add 6 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger and 2 serrano peppers chopped in a mini food processor.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add 3 chopped tomatoes, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp coriander and 2 tsp cumin.  Add salt to taste.  Add 1/2 can coconut milk.  Simmer until tender.  Add 1 can rinsed white beans.  Add 1 cup frozen peas.  Heat through.

Another type of sausage: Moong dal, pork and lamb

Put in cuisinart:  8 large garlic cloves, 2 inches of chopped ginger, 3 serrano peppers and pulse until chopped small.   Put 4 tbsp oil in pan.  When hot, add a couple tbsp of each:  cumin seed, mustard seed, and coriander seeds.  When they begin to pop, add garlic mixture and cook about 2 minutes.  Turn off heat.

Rinse moong dal.  Soak for an hour.  Cook in boiling water until tender.  Drain and cool.

Grind about 2 pounds each of lamb stew meat and pork shoulder.  Mix with a couple of tbsp red wine vinegar, the spice mixture, ground pepper  and 3 tbsp salt.  Add moong dal and stir in.

Stuff, still not pretty, but quite tasty.

The past few days: Goat and lentils

Red Goat Stew (adapted from Madjur Jaffrey)  Put 1 inch cubes ginger, 8 peeled garlic cloves, 4 tbsp water in blender and make a smooth paste.  Heat 10 tbsp veg oil in pan.  Brown the goat in several batches.  (we had "goat chunks"  I have no idea what part of the goat we used!)  Remove meat.  Add 10 cardamon pods, 2 bay leaves, 6 cloves, 10 peppercorns, and one cinnamon stick.  After a few seconds, add one chopped onion.  Stir and fry 5 minutes.  Put in ginger-garlic paste.  Stir 30 sec.  Add 1 tsp ground coriander, 2 tsp ground cumin, 4 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne, and 1 1/4 tsp salt.   Stir and fry 30 seconds.  Add meat back to pan.   Add 6 tbsp yogurt, one tablespoon at a time.  Stir and fry 3-4 minutes.  Add about 12 oz water.  Bring to boil.  Cover and turn heat to low.  Cook 2 hours or until meat is tender.  Stir often.  Sprinkle 1/4 tsp garam masala and freshly ground pepper and stir. 

Moong dal and red lentils with browned onions.  This was from Madjur Jaffrey.  I liked it, but I would increase all the spices.  Combine 6 oz each of moong dal and red split lentils with 2 pints of water and 1/2 tsp tumeric.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer until tender, about an hour.  Add 1 1/2 tsp salt.   Meanwhile heat 4 tbsp oil.  Add a pinch of asafetida.  Quickly add 1 tsp cumin seeds.  Stir until they begin to pop.  Add 5 dried hot chilis.  When they begin to darken, add one thinly sliced onion.  Cook until browned.  Pour over cooked lentils.