Mexican Gorditas

Hey, fellow travelers! I’m back again with another new recipe, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Today, I’m going to teach you how to make gorditas, tasty little Mexican morsels that have few ingredients but are big in taste.

Now, what exactly a gordita is and how it is prepared varies greatly depending on where you are in Latin America. There are some gorditas that are more like pitas or puffy tortillas that are cooked on the stove top and then are split open and stuffed with a variety of fillings. There are other gorditas that look more similar to tortillas and are not stuffed, but have toppings placed on them after cooking. There are even other gorditas that are more similar to empanadas and are stuffed before cooking and then deep fried.

The gorditas that I will teach you how to make today are something of a cross between a tortilla, an American biscuit and an English muffin. This style of gordita is very similar to some varieties that are traditionally prepared in the northern states of Mexico. My gordita recipe is made with a mixture of all purpose flour and Masa harina (corn flour) along with a little salt, water and baking powder. They are cooked on the stove top and will inflate while cooking. This makes them perfect for stuffing with any kind of filling that you wish. Refried beans, guacamole, shredded chicken or pork, ground beef, salsa… the possibilities are endless.

These gorditas cook up in less than 10 minutes and are an excellent quick breakfast or great addition to any meal. And what’s even better is that you don’t need any oil to cook them. While some recipes for gorditas are either deep fried or fried in lard or oil, my recipe is simply cooked in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. If you want to have gorditas that are golden brown, you can use one to two teaspoons (about 5 – 10ml) of olive oil, but that isn’t required.

So what do you say we head on over to the kitchen and whip up something good?

 

Ingredients

1 cup (100 g) Masa harina (see footnote 1)
3/4 cup (100 g) all purpose flour (I use enriched and presifted)
salt to taste (I like to use about an 1/8 teaspoon for myself)
3 teaspoons (12 g) baking powder
about 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (175 ml) warm water (see footnote 2)
1 – 2 tsp (5-10 ml) olive oil (optional)

 

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Masa, all purpose flour, salt and baking powder until well Incorporated.

Pour in about half the amount of water and begin to mix. Continue to mix while gradually adding more. You’ll want to stop once you get a dough that has the texture and consistency of Play-Doh, not too dry but not too wet.

Break off pieces of dough and shape into balls about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter. Using your hands or a glass, slightly flatten the balls. You’ll want the gorditas to look like small fat pitas: you don’t them to be as flat as a tortilla, at least not for this recipe. Leave them to rest on a large dish.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place the gorditas inside, keeping them spaced apart from one another so they’re easier to turn. Cook gorditas for about 3 – 4 minutes per side. You want the gorditas to be slightly brown and blistered on each side. Once the gorditas are done cooking, transfer them to a dish and allow them to sit for about 2 – 3 minutes, until they cool slightly. Using a fork, slightly split open the gordita and stuff with filling of choice.

Makes about six 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) gorditas.

 

Notes

My gordita recipe is partially adapted from a recipe made by former MasterChef Season 4 contestant Adriana Guillen. my recipe is essentially the same as hers, except I use slightly more flour and less baking powder.
1. Masa harina is a type of flour made from ground corn that is commonly used in Mexican cooking. You can find Masa harina in Mexican grocery stores, as well as in most chain supermarkets. You can even find small bags of it at some dollar stores in North America. There’s one particular chain where you can get a small bag of Masa for just a dollar. My American readers will probably know which one I’m referring to. 😉 Let’s just say money grows on it.

Masa harina is much different in texture then cornmeal, so I would advise against trying to substitute cornmeal in place of it.

2. As with most recipes for bread or any kind of recipe that requires you to make a dough, the amount of water given is very suggestive. I’ve learned in the last few months while making various kinds of traditional Sicilian breads that depending on where you live in the world, the amount of water needed in bread recipes varies wildly. The amount I’ve listed is a rough estimate based upon my own experience.

When making any kind of bread or similar recipe with water and flour, it’s a good rule to start with about half the amount of water given and to gradually add the rest in small increments. Depending on where you live, you may or may not need extra water. It’s better to start with a dough that’s too dry and to work your way up from there then to end up with a dough that’s too wet and difficult to work with.

Mexican Gorditas

Hey, fellow travelers! I’m back again with another new recipe, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Today, I’m going to teach you how to make gorditas, tasty little Mexican morsels that have few ingredients but are big in taste.

Now, what exactly a gordita is and how it is prepared varies greatly depending on where you are in Latin America. There are some gorditas that are more like pitas or puffy tortillas that are cooked on the stove top and then are split open and stuffed with a variety of fillings. There are other gorditas that look more similar to tortillas and are not stuffed, but have toppings placed on them after cooking. There are even other gorditas that are more similar to empanadas and are stuffed before cooking and then deep fried.

The gorditas that I will teach you how to make today are something of a cross between a tortilla, an American biscuit and an English muffin. This style of gordita is very similar to some varieties that are traditionally prepared in the northern states of Mexico. My gordita recipe is made with a mixture of all purpose flour and Masa harina (corn flour) along with a little salt, water and baking powder. They are cooked on the stove top and will inflate while cooking. This makes them perfect for stuffing with any kind of filling that you wish. Refried beans, guacamole, shredded chicken or pork, ground beef, salsa… the possibilities are endless.

These gorditas cook up in less than 10 minutes and are an excellent quick breakfast or great addition to any meal. And what’s even better is that you don’t need any oil to cook them. While some recipes for gorditas are either deep fried or fried in lard or oil, my recipe is simply cooked in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. If you want to have gorditas that are golden brown, you can use one to two teaspoons (about 5 – 10ml) of olive oil, but that isn’t required.

So what do you say we head on over to the kitchen and whip up something good?

 

Ingredients

1 cup (100 g) Masa harina (see footnote 1)
3/4 cup (100 g) all purpose flour (I use enriched and presifted)
salt to taste (I like to use about an 1/8 teaspoon for myself)
3 teaspoons (12 g) baking powder
about 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (175 ml) warm water (see footnote 2)
1 – 2 tsp (5-10 ml) olive oil (optional)

 

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Masa, all purpose flour, salt and baking powder until well Incorporated.

Pour in about half the amount of water and begin to mix. Continue to mix while gradually adding more. You’ll want to stop once you get a dough that has the texture and consistency of Play-Doh, not too dry but not too wet.

Break off pieces of dough and shape into balls about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter. Using your hands or a glass, slightly flatten the balls. You’ll want the gorditas to look like small fat pitas: you don’t them to be as flat as a tortilla, at least not for this recipe. Leave them to rest on a large dish.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place the gorditas inside, keeping them spaced apart from one another so they’re easier to turn. Cook gorditas for about 3 – 4 minutes per side. You want the gorditas to be slightly brown and blistered on each side. Once the gorditas are done cooking, transfer them to a dish and allow them to sit for about 2 – 3 minutes, until they cool slightly. Using a fork, slightly split open the gordita and stuff with filling of choice.

Makes about six 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) gorditas.

 

Notes

My gordita recipe is partially adapted from a recipe made by former MasterChef Season 4 contestant Adriana Guillen. my recipe is essentially the same as hers, except I use slightly more flour and less baking powder.
1. Masa harina is a type of flour made from ground corn that is commonly used in Mexican cooking. You can find Masa harina in Mexican grocery stores, as well as in most chain supermarkets. You can even find small bags of it at some dollar stores in North America. There’s one particular chain where you can get a small bag of Masa for just a dollar. My American readers will probably know which one I’m referring to. 😉 Let’s just say money grows on it.

Masa harina is much different in texture then cornmeal, so I would advise against trying to substitute cornmeal in place of it.

2. As with most recipes for bread or any kind of recipe that requires you to make a dough, the amount of water given is very suggestive. I’ve learned in the last few months while making various kinds of traditional Sicilian breads that depending on where you live in the world, the amount of water needed in bread recipes varies wildly. The amount I’ve listed is a rough estimate based upon my own experience.

When making any kind of bread or similar recipe with water and flour, it’s a good rule to start with about half the amount of water given and to gradually add the rest in small increments. Depending on where you live, you may or may not need extra water. It’s better to start with a dough that’s too dry and to work your way up from there then to end up with a dough that’s too wet and difficult to work with.

Maccu di Fave: Sicilian Cream of Fava Bean Soup

Hey, Fellow Travelers! I’m finally back with a brand new recipe! Today, I’m going to teach you how to make maccu or macco di fave (pronounced mock-oo or mock-oh dee fahv-eh), a traditional Sicilian soup or stew of crushed fava (broad) beans.

As I said in a previous post, one of the reasons that I have not been posting very faithfully on here is because I have been very busy cooking a lot of different recipes, mostly Sicilian ones. This recipe in particular is one of my personal favorites that I have discovered recently. I’ve made it several times and I can say that I love it more and more every time I make it. And I’m sure that once you make maccu for yourself, you’ll agree.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Per the unwritten food bloggers code, I have to blather on and on a little bit more before I give you the actual recipe.  😉

Like I said earlier, maccu is a traditional soup of pureed or crushed fava beans that is widely eaten throughout Sicily. It was a meal that according to tradition was eaten by Sicilian farmers before or after a day in the fields. No doubt the beans would either give or replenish some much-needed energy before or after a long hard day of work. It is also a dish that is sometimes eaten on the Feast of St. Joseph, which is observed on March 19th.

Traditionally, maccu is prepared with dried fava beans and often paired with one or more different types of vegetables (for a more detailed discussion of some variants of maccu as well as explanation of the dish’s name, see footnotes 1 and 2). Usually, fava beans are soaked overnight and then boiled for several hours until they turn into a thick mush.

My version, however, takes a much more simplistic approach. Instead of using fresh or dried fava as is usually the case, I use canned fava beans along with the liquid they’re packed in. The beans are cooked until tender or heated through and smashed into a thick paste with a potato masher. Also, my version consists of six simple ingredients: olive oil, spring onions, garlic, fava beans, black pepper and fennel fronds. I love the rich, meaty taste of the fava beans along with the refreshing bits of onion and garlic. The fennel fronds are a very nice finishing touch, adding a subtle sweetness to the dish.

The beautiful thing about maccu is that it is such a versatile dish. It can be eaten as a soup or stew. It can be served hot or cold as a party dip. It can be used as a filling for panini or a topping for bruschetta. It can even be used as a pasta sauce. The earthy, meaty taste of the beans is lovely on pasta. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you can even prepare maccu and mix it with a little bit of tomato sauce and plant milk and make a delicious meat-free ragu they even your meat-eating friends will love. You won’t believe it’s not meat!

The not so beautiful thing about maccu is having to skin the fava beans. Ugh. It doesn’t matter if you use fresh, frozen, dried, fresh or canned favas; if you want a relatively smooth and creamy texture, you have to take the skins off the fava beans. It’s an annoying step, but it beats eating the soup and constantly chewing on the skins. Although I have to admit, most of the time I skin only the really big fava beans in the can and leave the smaller ones with the skin on. Nobody said that you can’t always cut a few corners here and there. 😉

While maccu may not be the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen, I guarantee it will be one of the tastiest things you will ever eat.

Note: the following recipe makes enough maccu for about two people. If you want to make more maccu, I recommend doubling the recipe. If you find the maccu too thick, you may wish to water it down a little. I have not yet attempted this as I like maccu very thick. You may also wish to water maccu down slightly if you decide to use it as a pasta sauce, but again I’ve never done this.

 

Ingredients

 

2 tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil

2 spring onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced or chopped

1 14 oz. (400 g) can fava/broad beans, drained with liquid reserved (see footnote 3)

Salt and pepper

Fennel fronds, to taste (see footnote 4)

 

Instructions

 

Chop the onions and garlic and put aside.

Drain the fava beans, reserving the liquid until needed.

Remove the skin from the fava beans by grabbing the sides of the beans with your thumb, index and middle finger and gently apply pressure. The skin should slide off easily. Discard the skin. You may wish to not skin the beans or to only skin the larger ones. Be advised that not peeling the beans will give the maccu a much more chewier texture.

Pour the olive oil into a large deep pot. Set the fire to medium-high and once the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic. Fry for about 2-3 minutes.

After 2-3 minutes, turn the heat off and allow the oil to cool slightly. Then add the reserved bean liquid, along with the fava beans.

Turn the heat back on and bring the beans to a boil. Depending on the toughness of the beans, you may need to cook the beans for a few minutes until they become tender. If the beans seem fairly tender before cooking, just bring them up to a boil (see footnote 5).

Remove from heat, then take a potato masher and crush the beans into a thick paste. If you find the puree to be too thin, you may need to simmer it for a few minutes.

Pour the bean puree into bowls to serve as a stew. Garnish with fennel fronds. Alternatively, you can use the puree as a pasta sauce, as a filling for panini, a topping for bruschetta, or serve cold as a party dip.

 

Notes

 

1. The name maccu/macco is believed to be derived from the Latin word maccare, meaning to crush or smash. This seems likely since the soup consists primarily of crushed or smashed fava beans. If this is the case, it can be assumed that this dish had its origins during the period of Roman rule in Sicily (241 BC–476 AD). Recipes for stews consisting of either crushed or pureed fava beans or peas were well-known to the ancient Romans (see Apicius, De re coquinaria V.3.189-191).

2. Throughout Sicily, there exist numerous variants of maccu. Some versions consist merely of fava beans cooked for a long period of time until they become a thick mush. Others consist of crushed fava beans with some type of vegetable, such as carrots, celery, or chopped fennel. In Catania, it is common for fava beans and peas to be paired together, whereas in Palermo there exists a version of maccu with fava and pumpkin. In southeastern Sicily, there also exists a version of maccu with fava beans and other various mixed beans and vegetables that is eaten on the feast of Saint Joseph. There is also a version of maccu that once prepared is allowed to cool completely and is then sliced, breaded and fried, much like the Sicilian chickpea fritters known as panelle.

3. In the United States, fava beans can easily be found in most Italian or Middle Eastern markets, as well as some grocery stores. If you are unable to find fava beans or do not like them, butter beans may be substituted.

Butter beans can be peeled in the same manner as described above, although they tend to be a bit more delicate and are more likely to break apart. This isn’t much of an issue since you’re going to smash the beans anyways. The maccu made from butter beans tends to be a bit more watery then fava based maccu. If it seems too watery, simmer the puree until it thickens.

Maccu made with butter beans tends not to be as meaty tasting as fava bean maccu, but instead tastes very similar to chickpeas, at least to me.

Another bean that can be used in place of fava beans are black eyed peas. These are my favorite beans to use in place of favas since they do not require peeling and their taste is relatively similar to favas, although slightly less bitter. However, maccu made with black eyed peas may need to be simmered in order to thicken, just as when using butter beans.

4. You can also use fresh or dried oregano, thyme, rosemary or basil in place of fennel fronds.

5. The tenderness of canned fava beans tends to be very subjective, at least in my experience. I’ve had cans where the beans were soft and others that felt like they were raw.

A new year, a new direction?

Hey, fellow travelers! I’m back here today to talk to all of you about something that’s been weighing on me for the last few days, if not the last few months.

As you all know, I started this blog with a very simple goal: to share my cooking knowledge with the world. My intention from the very beginning was to share with you a plethora of recipes from all around the world, but to do so at a very slow pace (maybe a little too slow). I wanted to avoid the kind of commercialism that many people sometimes fall into and share with you only the highest quality of recipes.

I still intend to do this. However, I have been considering changing the focus of this blog.

Over the past few months, I have found myself preparing more and more Sicilian recipes than others. And I feel as I have made more and more of these recipes that I have found my place in the culinary world. I still make other kinds of recipes as well, I’ve just begun to focus more on Sicilian cuisine.

This is the reason why this blog has been neglected so much, along with life in general getting in the way. I’ve been reluctant to share these recipes with the world as I’ve felt that I was straying away from the original intent of this blog. However, I’ve made so many good things that I’ve felt foolish not to share them with all of you. After all, what good is knowledge if it isn’t shared?

So now, I find myself asking this question: what do I do? My culinary direction has slightly changed and I have gained a lot of knowledge, but I have been letting the knowledge go to waste.

This is why I am considering changing the focus of this blog. I feel that it would more accurately reflect where my culinary journey has taken me. I have become a Sicilian cook and as of now, I feel as if I should change this blog to more accurately reflect my culinary path.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that I will totally abandon international cuisine entirely. If I revamp that this blog, I still will feature international cuisine from time to time. The majority of the time, it will mostly be Sicilian food. At least, that’s what I’m thinking right now.

But there still a part of me that feels uncertain about changing direction of this blog. Is this a wise decision? Should I change the focus of this blog or  just stay the course?  Will changing the blog cause me to gain or lose more readers (and not that there are many anyway)?

What do you think? Should I feature more Sicilian cuisine and feature international cuisine every now and then? Is this a good idea or bad idea? Let me know what you think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad’s Roasted Potato (or Sweet Potato) Wedges and Season’s Greetings

 

Hey, fellow travelers! I know it’s been a while since I last posted a recipe up on this blog. As you know from my last post, I’ve been busy working on new recipes and some other things. I am planning on posting more content in the year to come and this may or may not be my last post for the year.
Since (American) Thanksgiving is just days away, I felt I should contribute something to the cooking blogosphere by giving all of you a helpful quick recipe for roasted potatoes. Unfortunately, there are no photos or videos this time. I might repost it again sometime in the future with photos and a video, but since I’m pressed for time with t and he holiday approaching, this will have to do for now.
Before I get to the recipe, I have to do what most food bloggers do and rant on and on before I give you what you came for. This wouldn’t be a food blog if I didn’t do that, would it? 😋
So anyways, this method for cooking potatoes (it also works for sweet potatoes as well) comes to me from my dad. For years, my dad has struggled trying to come up with a perfect recipe for roasted potatoes. He’s tried so many methods for making roasted potatoes in the oven, only to have them come out undercooked and inedible.
But one day, he discovered a way of making roasted potato wedges that were both soft and crunchy at the same time. What he does is he cuts up some potatoes, pours some olive oil over them and mixes them well. He then puts them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, seasons them (He does it in the bowl, I do it in the pan sometimes), covers them with an equally large sheet of aluminum foil, long enough to cover the entire pan. This traps steam from the potatoes inside of the foil, causing them to soften up.
After about 20 minutes, he uncovers the potatoes and turns them over and cooks them a little while longer, until they get nice and brown. The potatoes are crunchy on the outside, yet soft and flaky on the inside.
I’ve used this method numerous times and I’ve had great success. However, there is one very critical thing that I need to point out: You need to use smaller potatoes.
I once tried doing this recipe with one of those colossal sweet potatoes you can get at a big box store and the darn thing never cooked properly. So whether you use real potatoes or sweet potatoes, make sure they are small to medium in size.
Also, the recipe I’m giving you is for one pound (that’s about 450-500 grams for everybody outside the United States, Myanmar and Liberia) of potatoes. So if you have a large gathering, you may want to consider doubling for increasing the size of this recipe even more. Since I live in a relatively small household, this is typically the amount of roasted potato wedges we make for ourselves.
With that out of the way, let’s get down to the recipe!

Dad’s Roasted Potato (or Sweet Potato) Wedges

Ingredients:

1 pound (450-500 g) potatoes or sweet potatoes, cut into half inch 12-13 mm wedges

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

Seasonings of choice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit / 190 degrees Celsius.
To prepare the potatoes, slice each potato in half straight down the middle. Then, take each half of potato and slice it vertically down the center again. Then take each strip and slice off half inch 12 – 13 mm wedges.
Place the wedges inside of a large mixing bowl and then pour the olive oil over them. Mix well with your hands until the potatoes are well coated.
Take a large baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil. Spread the potato wedges evenly across the surface, then take whatever seasonings you wish (I like to use salt, pepper and a mixture of oregano, sage and rosemary) and sprinkle them over the potatoes.
Take another sheet of aluminum foil, enough to completely cover the top of the pan, and seal it tightly over the tray. This will trap steam inside, causing the potatoes to soften.
Put the tray in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes (your cooking time may vary, but in my oven it usually takes 20 minutes), check the potatoes by poking them with the fork. If the fork goes through, you’re good to go.
Remove the top layer of aluminum foil and flip the potatoes over. Cook them on the other side uncovered for 5-15 minutes, depending on how dark you want them to be.
Remove them from the oven and enjoy!

——-

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s one of my favorite ways to prepare either regular or sweet potatoes, which aren’t even really potatoes in the first place. But that’s a story for a different day.
As I said at the beginning of this post, this might be the last time you hear from me this year. I got big plans for 2019, and hopefully I’ll be able to share with you some new tasty recipes as well as some helpful tips. So unless I make another post before year’s end, have a Merry/Happy/Joyous holiday season and I’ll see you in the new year!
See you on the road!

Char Siu Ribs (叉燒肋骨)

 

How’s it going, everyone? I’m back once again, this time with a classic Chinese recipe: char siu ribs!
Now for those of you that don’t know, char siu (or cha siu as it is called in Cantonese) is a traditional Cantonese method of cooking various cuts of marinated pork or other meats, usually by grilling or roasting.
For some of my readers, you might recognize meat prepared in the char siu fashion. They’re those candy apple red slices of meat you commonly seen hanging in the windows of Chinese butcher shops.

 

Which brings me to the recipe today. The char siu marinade that is used on meat traditionally consists dark soy sauce, rice wine, honey, hoisin sauce and either fermented red bean curd, red yeast rice, red yeast powder or red food coloring. The recipe I’m giving you today does not have either hoisin or anything to add a red color to the meat.
There’s two reasons why I omitted these ingredients. First, my family and I try to watch the amount of sugar we eat, and hoisin sauce typically has a ridiculous amount of sugar (one brand has 19 grams per 2 tbsp!) Second, I was unable to find fermented red bean curd, red yeast rice or powder. I know some recipes for char siu marinade have beet juice or ketchup, but that kind of felt like it was straying too far from the way the recipe traditionally is made.

 

And as far as food coloring is concerned, that stuff scares me.

 

So what I did was forgo any attempt to dye the meat and tried to find a way to create my own hoisin sauce. Looking at the ingredients, I realized that it pretty much was made of what I used to make my own char siu marinade. All I really needed to do was add something sweet, yet sour and sticky to the marinade to make up for the lack of hoisin.

 

And that something was dried prunes.
In the end, the marinade I constructed tasted like it had hoisin sauce in it, and it even made the meat a little red on the outside! It wasn’t as bright red as char siu traditionally would and the color did fade away a little after a day or so, but it was delicious either way.

 

So I hope you give this recipe for char siu ribs a try. It may not be as striking visually as its commercial counterparts, but I promise you it’s just as tasty.

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 5-6 hours to marinate)

Cook Time: about 10 minutes

Total: 5-6 hours

 

Ingredients

 

For the Ribs:

1 lb. (453 g) boneless pork ribs

1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder (optional)

 

For the Marinade:

2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce

2 tbsp (30 ml) rice wine or red wine

1 tbsp (15 ml) rice wine vinegar or white vinegar

1 tsp (5 ml) honey

1/4 tsp (1.2 ml) sesame oil

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

Black pepper

3-4 cloves of garlic, diced or finely minced

4 (36 g) prunes, finely chopped

 

Instructions

 

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the soy sauce, wine, vinegar, honey, sesame oil and spices.
Chop the garlic and prunes and add them along with the marinade to a food processor. Pulse the ingredients together until they have become well incorporated.

 

Pour the marinade into a large sealable plastic bag or baking dish and add the ribs. Rub the marinade into the ribs, then after washing your hands, seal the bag or cover the dish and allow the meat to marinate in your refrigerator for about 5-6 hours.
Once the ribs are done marinating, sprinkle them with five-spice powder.
On a grill, cook the ribs for about 5 minutes per side, until they reach an internal temperate of 145°f/62°c or until they appear white on the inside.

Notes

 

The basis for this marinade was inspired by in my own beef bulgogi recipe, which I featured last month.

 

 

Pasta alla Norma

Hey there, fellow travelers! I’m back again today with my very first pasta recipe on this blog, and I’ve got to say it’s become one of my new favorites.

Being the fact that I come from a partial Italian background, pasta plays a very big part in my family’s weekly dinner rotation. Because of this, I’m always trying to find new sauces or methods to use in order to keep it from becoming monotonous. Whether it’s got tomato sauce, olive oil, cheese or whatever, I’m willing to give it a try.

Which brings me to today’s recipe: Pasta alla Norma, a classic Sicilian pasta of eggplants in tomato sauce.

Like a lot of recipes, Pasta alla Norma has a nice-sounding (and probably not true) story attached to it explaining how it came to be. Supposedly, the pasta got its name from 19th Century composer Vincenzo Bellini’s opera Norma. The story goes that on being served this pasta for the first time, somebody (who it was changes depending on who’s telling the story) was so impressed with it they named it after the opera, viewing both to be perfect works of art.

However, others suggest that the Norma in question refers not to the Opera but a norma, an old Sicilian term referring to something that followed all of the conventions or patterns expected of it (like a recipe that was rigorously followed to the letter).

Whatever the case, this pasta is delicious. It’s so simple to make, doesn’t cost a fortune and tastes excellent. Make this for dinner tonight and enjoy a restaurant quality meal at half the cost. I think you’ll agree with me that this pasta truly is a work of art.

 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

 

Ingredients

 

1lb (453 g) penne rigate, rigatoni or ziti

4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced

1/2 medium eggplant, cut into ½ inch (1 1/4 cm) cubes (about 2 cups or 206 g)

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

28 oz (794 g) diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh

Black pepper

Grated parmesan, pecorino or ricotta salata and/or breadcrumbs

 

Instructions

 

Prepare the pasta according to the directions given on the package. While the pasta water is getting up to a rolling boil, heat up the olive oil in a large deep pot and then add the onion, garlic and eggplant. Add the garlic salt and fry the vegetables for about 6-8 minutes, making sure to stir about every minute or so. This should be long enough to soften up the eggplant.

Once the eggplant has become tender, remove the pot from heat and allow it to sit for a couple minutes. This is a technique my father taught me to prevent the tomato sauce and oil from splashing you, causing you to say words you’ll likely regret later.

After a couple minutes, add the diced tomatoes, basil and black pepper. Turn the heat back on and bring the sauce up to a boil. Then drop the heat to low, cover the pot and but scroll up simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes. This helps thicken the sauce as well as soften any eggplant cubes that may still be raw.

Once the pasta is done, serve it with the sauce, grated cheese and/or breadcrumbs.

 

Notes

 

1. I’m not actually sure where I first learned about Pasta alla Norma. Likely, it was in Rachael Ray Every Day, one of the three food I’m currently subscribed to. Several variations appeared in there over the years and I’m certain one of those was my first exposure to this pasta.

2. In constructing my own recipe for alla Norma, I followed a basic list of ingredients given on Wikipedia. I also happened to find a variation in an old clipping I saved from an issue of Rachel Ray Every Day that was very similar to the one given on Wikipedia. However, mine differs from the recipe given in RRED in several areas. My eggplant is cut smaller, I omitted anchovies and crushed red pepper and I used diced tomatoes instead of crushed.

3. The reason I suggest cutting the eggplant into 1/2 inch (1 1/4 cm) cubes is to help speed along the cooking process. If you do like I did when I first made Pasta alla Norma and cut it thick, you’ll have tough and chewy eggplant that no amount of frying or boiling will soften.

4. When buying eggplant, smaller is better. Smaller eggplants on average are less bitter and have smaller seeds as opposed to beefier eggplants. You know, I really do need to write a blog post on eggplants someday. I’ve got a lot to say on the subject.

Romanian Sweet Cheese Cake with Raisins and Chocolate (Prajitura Brânză Dulce cu Stafide și Ciocolată)

Before I get to the recipe for this cake, I want to note that it is partially adapted from a recipe made by Maria Popa, a Romanian baker who makes some very pretty and tasty desserts you should check out and bake for yourself.

If you want the recipe for the original cake, click here. Be advised that if you (like me) are not fluent in Romanian that the website is in Romanian and you’ll need to use Google Translate or another comparable translation app to read it.

Anyway, on to the intro.

I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited to make a recipe like this. It all started a few years ago, when I saw a recipe for a Romanian style cheesecake. I never got around to making it, but I never forgot about it.

Now, for those of you that do not know about Romanian cheesecake, it’s best to describe it as a two-layered sponge cake with a cheese filling in the center. Something more like a Sicilian cassata cake rather than the kind of cheesecake that most people are familiar with. It also comes in both savory and sweet varieties. But that’s a topic for another day.

So back when I was coming up with this blog, I was looking around the internet and I started to remember the Romanian cheesecake I had seen long before. Instead of going with the recipe that I originally was going to use, I somehow stumbled upon Maria Popa’s recipe. I looked at it and I thought to myself, “This looks like a really good recipe.”

And it is. It has a perfect balance of ingredients, which leads to a very moist and delectable cake. Words fail me to describe how delicious this cake is. Soft and sweet, tangy, salty and creamy all at once.

However, there were quite a few changes I had to make in my adaptation as some of the ingredients are very hard to find in North America. I also made a few changes due to the fact that I wanted to also make a cassata cake, but didn’t want to use up what flour I had left, didn’t have a lot of room in my refrigerator and didn’t want to hit dessert burnout.

The first change that had to be made in order to adapt this recipe was the cheese filling used in the cake. Branza, a Romanian cheese, is the traditional filling used in this cake (Heck, it’s part of the Romanian name of this recipe). But that cheese isn’t easily found in my corner of the world. So I did a little bit of digging around on Wikipedia and discovered that ricotta is very similar to branza, so I used that instead.

The second change that I had to make was the omission of vanilla sugar in the cheese filling. In the United States, vanilla sugar is not as easily found as in Europe. So what I did was add a quarter cup of sugar to the cheese filling, along with a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Not exactly a great substitution, but it worked in a pinch.

The third change that had to be made was in regards to the baking soda with lemon used in the original recipe. Since I’ve never seen baking soda and lemon juice together, I used one teaspoon of baking soda along with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. I also didn’t soak the raisins in rum.

While we’re on the subject of sugar, the fourth change I made was a reduction of the sugar in the cake itself. This was done more out of personal preference than anything else. I don’t think it really affected the texture or taste in my opinion. The cake seemed pretty sweet with only half a cup of sugar as opposed to the original recipe’s 3/4 of a cup. This was due to the stuff I added to the cheese filling. I also swapped some of the whole eggs for egg whites.

I also added half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter cup of chocolate chips to the cheese mixture. I did this to make the filling similar to that used in some cassata cakes. I also reduced the amount of lemon zest from the original recipe.

The sixth and final change I had to make for the recipe was the baking pan itself. Popa’s original recipe called for a 20×30 cm square pan. I was in doubt whether any pan I had would be able to fit the cake, so I used my trusty old 20×20 cm or (8×8 inch) brownie pan.

The end result was nothing short of delicious. Make this cake today and you’ll fall in love with it at first bite.

 

Ingredients

 

For the Cake: 

1 whole egg, plus 2 egg whites

3/4 cup (180 ml) milk

1/2 cup (104 g) sugar

3/4 cup (177 ml) canola oil

3/4 cup (96 g) all purpose flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t (2.5 ml ) lemon juice

1 t vanilla

 

For the Cheese Filling:

15 oz. (425 g) ricotta cheese

1/4 cup (52 g) sugar

2 egg whites, or 1 whole egg and 1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (40 g) raisins

1/4 cup (45 g) chocolate chips

 

Instructions 

 

Preheat oven to 350° F/180°C.

Combine the eggs, milk, sugar, oil, baking powder, lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl. Using a handheld mixer, cream together the ingredients on low speed until the sugar is dissolved and the batter free of lumps.

Add the flour and mix together on low speed until you get a thin and smooth batter, similar to pancake batter. Once this is finished, for the batter into a large measuring cup.

Line a 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) baking pan with parchment paper,then pour half of the batter into the pan and place it in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cake has become solid.

While the first half of the cake is baking, cream together the ricotta, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer on low until smooth. Afterward, use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips and raisins.

Remove the cake from the oven, spread the cheese all over it. Then pour the other half of the cake batter evenly over the cheese.

Bake the cake for about 30-35 minutes. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to an hour to cool, then cut into evenly sized squares, like you would a brownie.

While it tastes good at room temperature, tastes even better refrigerated since the ricotta will take on a custard-like texture.

Korean Potato Salad (Gamja Salad: 감자샐러드)

This side dish is everything you could possibly want in a potato salad. It’s cool and creamy, crunchy and sweet. It’ll be a favorite of yours and your friends for years to come.

 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Serves 4-6

 

Ingredients

 

6 medium russet potatoes (about 907 g), cut into chunks

1/4 cup cucumber (56 g) , diced

1/4 cup baby carrots (about 40 g), sliced

1/4 cup pear or apple (55 g), finely diced

2 green onions (50 g) , chopped

1 1/2 cup (345 g) mayonnaise

Garlic salt and black pepper, to taste

 

 

Instructions

 

Preheat your oven to 375° F/190 C. Wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil and bake for about an hour, until they can be easily pierced with a fork and start to make screaming sounds inside the oven.

Nobody ever said cooking wasn’t disturbing at times.

Anyway, once the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and wait 30 minutes before unwrapping. After unwrapping the potatoes, let them cool completely. Once they’ve cooled, cut the potatoes into chunks and place as he them into a large mixing bowl.

Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

 

Notes

 

I got the idea for this recipe after reading <a href=”http://seonkyounglongest.com/korean-potato-salad/”>Seonkyoung Longest’s Gamja Salad Recipe</a>. I had heard of German, Amish and other kinds of potato salad before… but Korean?

Intrigued, I went around the Internet and looked at more recipes. Most of them looked like mashed potatoes, which is the kind of potato salad I like the least to be honest with you. And the majority of gamja salad recipes had several tablespoons of white sugar in them, which is another pet peeve of mine when it comes to potato salads.

So what was I to do? I thought about it for a while, and then remembered the potato salad my family has been making for years. It has large cubed potatoes just like Seonkyoung’s recipe, and we never add sugar to ours.

It was then I knew what to do: I would take my family’s potato salad and make it Korean. I altered a few things and added diced carrots and cucumber. But what about the sugar? I didn’t want to add any since I’m not big on added processed sugars.

That’s when I realized there was something I could add that would give the salad some sweetness without added sugar. You see, the same day I made the first gamja salad was the same day I first made my bulgogi recipe. One of the key ingredients in that recipe was finely diced pear, which serves as a natural meat tenderizer. Since I had a little leftover pear, I could put it in the potato salad and that it would give it the sweetness I sought, as well as adding a Korean twist to the recipe.

 

Pick a Recipe!

Hey, fellow travelers! I’ve got a new recipe coming out in just a few minutes, but I want to ask you and everybody out there who’s reading this blog for some help.

 

You see, I’ve got a lot of different recipes I would like to put up on the blog, but I’m not really sure which ones should get featured first.

 

I’m not sure if I should put up a recipe for homemade bread, pizza, focaccia, no sugar added pineapple pie, cinnamon rolls or pear tart.

 

What do you think? Which one of these would you like to see first? Let me know in the comments section below.