Updating a Quick and Easy Old Recipe

I was born in 1950, and grew up with Mom's cooking in the '50s, a mix of foods of that era and also of her Slovak heritage. Dad added in his mix of his Mom's cooking from Yugoslavia (from the area that is now northern Serbia, or Vojvodina). I have no idea if this supper dish was something just of that era, or even if it was something anyone else made. I know it was a big "go-to" meal for Mom. Easy to make and quick was the name of the game, and we all know what it is to be rushed for something to put on the table. I am the oldest of the children, and others quickly followed. By the end of the '50s there were already 5 children in the family, and by 1963 there were 7. Mom spent a lot of time in the kitchen, but with that many kids around, it had to have been a challenge to manage meals every single day, but manage, she did!

Creamed Tuna with Peas

I am sure not all my siblings loved Creamed Tuna with Peas as much as I did. I know for sure my next sister, Barb, also loves that meal, and once a few years back while I was visiting, she asked if I liked that dish. On finding that I did, and that we were eating on our own that evening, she asked if it would be okay to make it. Of course I said yes, because I never get to make it when I am home. My husband will not eat fish, and tuna from a can has really bad associations for anyone who is not into fish. Tuna from a can is generally a little more aromatic, but these days I do not really find it so. 

Creamed Tuna with Peas was one of two creamed dishes served on toast; the other was Creamed Dried Beef with Potatoes. Both of these were particular favorites of mine while growing up. I don't make the Dried Beef dish, mainly because it is so salty, and causes swelling (for me). If this were not an issue, I would probably make it often, because that is one that my husband does love! I have heard it unlovingly called "S___ on a Shingle". Whatever it is called, it is good, quick and easy.
 

Toast Cups courtesy of www.graciousrain.com

The "shingle", in these cases is a slice of toast. When Mom got in the mood to "fancy up" a plain and simple meal, she took this concept to another level. The bread was just store-bought white bread,  but sometimes she would cut off the crusts, then press the little white squares down into muffin tins, creating little cups. She often gave me the job of brushing these little bread cups with melted butter, and then they were set in a preheated oven to toast. Once toasted, they kept their little cup shape, and these were filled to overflowing with the Creamed Tuna with Peas. I found the steps to make these little cups available on this website, and the finished product is shown in the photo here, courtesy of http://graciousrain.com/easter-egg-toast-cups/. 

Creamed Tuna with Peas

The other part of the recipe for Creamed Tuna with Peas is the peas themselves. Mom always used a can of peas. One can of peas to one can of tuna. I don't care to use cans of vegetables these days, and far prefer using frozen baby peas, as they are so tender, tasty and GREEN, plus not over-salted. When making this dish now, I will only use frozen peas and the best canned tuna possible. When thinking about this dish last evening, I made creamed hamburger with peas for my husband and creamed tuna with peas for myself. While in the process, I thought I would add in a half onion, finely chopped, as well as a little dill. In thinking back on the sauce (a Bechamel), I wonder if Mom also used the liquid from the canned peas. I know milk went into the dish, but she might have started the liquids with the liquid from the peas, then adding milk as needed for the sauce.  All I can say is, if you like tuna from a can at all, you've got to try this. Even without my updates (caramelized onion, dill and frozen peas), I would still love this dish, a real comfort-food memory. 

Creamed Tuna with Peas

Creamed Tuna with Peas

Serves 2 - 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, chopped finely
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 (4-ounce) can light tuna, drained
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 teaspoon dried dillweed

In a medium skillet, over medium-low heat, add in the oil and then the chopped onion. Saute the onion for about 15 minutes, slowly, until golden and caramelized. Add in the butter to melt, and then the flour, stirring until all the flour is absorbed into the fats and onion in the pan. Begin adding the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all the mixture is smooth in the milk. Continue to stir, cooking for about 10 to 15 minutes until thickened and bubbly. Add in the dillweed, tuna and peas and stir until heated through. Serve over toast, or toast cups as mentioned above.

flour added to onion; flour absorbed; milk added;
Bechamel thickened; tuna added; dill, then peas (not shown)

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Fantastic Beef Stew with Sour Cream

I was inspired yesterday. I knew I was going to make a stew. I asked my husband what he'd like and he said "beef stew, with lots of potatoes". Okay, I could do that. I got 2 (1-pound) packages of beef stew meat from the freezer early yesterday. By 2 o'clock it was just barely thawed enough to break apart. Then I was pondering what sort of stew to make. I need to go grocery shopping. My vegetable drawer was almost empty - not something that happens often. Did i want to just follow a tried and true recipe or try something new? I looked through some recipes but nothing really called me.

Beef Stew with Sour Cream

Basic ingredients

I figured I would just start with the meat and add whatever sounded good! I started with all the vegetables left in the fridge - bell peppers and celery, and some garlic and thyme and a little parsley. I don't use celery in stew very often, but it is a good filler. I had 2 onions left and potatoes in the pantry. I thought I would use mushrooms, since I had cans of them, and frozen peas. And then I thought about the sour cream in the fridge. Okay, I had basic ingredients, and I was ready to start. I like some of the quasi-Hungarian types of goulash, though any recipe for "goulash" I have tried to make has failed to please my husband. We used to frequent a German restaurant in Orlando, which had something they called "goulash soup". It was slightly thickened, had a lot of shredded beef and potatoes, and was deep in color with an obvious tomato base of some kind. No recipe I have ever tried - and I have tried many ways to duplicate this "soup" - has ever remotely satisfied my husband's memory. Oh well.

So, that was not the goal for last night's stew. 

Steps 2 & 3: Brown meat - add to stew pot

Still, the thought of a tomato base with the sour cream at the end was sort of there in my mind. Proceeding with that idea, I browned the meat. I have a wonderfully large braising pot with a lid, and love to use it for stew. It is wide and low, so it has a lot of surface area. Somehow, stews just seem to get done nicely in that pot. I got it out and set it next to the stove. I used a large nonstick skillet to brown the onions and then the meat. I added flour after the last batch of meat was browned, for a little thickening. All that went into the braising pot once done. Adding in the celery and peppers, thyme, some salt and pepper and bay leaves, I thought of Hungarian paprika. I love paprika; it is another spice that was often used during my childhood. Once the skillet was emptied, I added water and stirred up the browned bits, then added tomato paste. I had first thought of canned petite diced tomatoes or maybe tomato sauce, but ended opting for the paste. I stirred that into the water in the skillet and poured it over the meat and vegetables in the braiser. Into the oven went the covered pot and the stew simmered for 2½ hours.

To finished the stew, I cooked cubed potatoes on top of the stove, added frozen peas to the stew straight from the oven, so they thawed nicely. Sour cream at the end was the perfect final touch. The stew was so amazingly delicious. My husband loved it, too, which makes it just that much better. Comfort food at its best.

Beef Stew with Sour Cream

Serves 6 to 8

olive oil or bacon fat for browning, as needed
2 onions, in ½-inch cubes
3 - 4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 pounds beef stew meat, in 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 green bell peppers, in cubes
3 large stalks celery, sliced

Steps 4 & 5 add flour to pan, remove to stew pot

1 large can (about 13.25 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
½ cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 - 2 bay leaves, depending on size
1 teaspoon sugar to round out flavor
2 - 3 teaspoons salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups water
1 small can (6-ounces) tomato paste
2 pounds potatoes, peeled, about 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups frozen peas
1½ cups sour cream

Have ready a large stew pot or braising pot, with tight fitting lid. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Steps 6 & 7: Add water and tomato paste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add in some oil or bacon fat. Add the onions and saute until they are just translucent. Add the garlic and continue to saute for another minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove the onions and garlic to the stew pot. Add more oil to the skillet if needed and brown the meat in 2 or 3 batches (Steps 2 & 3), taking care not to over crowd the pan or the meat will not brown properly. Brown all the meat, removing to the pot with the onions once done. With the last batch of meat (Steps 4 & 5), add in the flour and toss to completely moisten, then remove the meat to the stew pot.

Steps 8 & 9 all ingredients mixed together, ready to cook

While the onions and meat are cooking, chop the peppers and celery and add them to the stew pot, along with the mushrooms, parsley, paprika, thyme, bay leaves, sugar, salt and pepper (Step 8). Once the last batch of meat has been added to the stew pot, add some of the water to the skillet, stirring to pick up any browned bits in the pan. Add the tomato paste and stir until completely blended (Steps 6 & 7). Add this liquid to the stew pot, along with the remaining water. Set the stew pot on the stove to bring up to a bare simmer (Step 9), then cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place the pot in the oven at 300 degrees, or whatever temperature will just maintain a simmer, for about 2½ hours, until the meat is tender.

Just before the stew is done, prepare the potatoes and cook them in water to just cover, with 1 tablespoon of salt until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes. Remove the stew pot from the oven. Remove lid carefully and add the cooked potatoes and the frozen peas and stir to combine. Allow the peas a few minutes to completely heat through. Stir in the sour cream, garnish with more parsley, if desired, and serve.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Wonderful, Any-Night Supper

Beef Ragout

Beef Stews are so comforting, and especially on these cold nights. There are so many possible ways to combine ingredients to make a stew, and this is just one more. I made this last week some time, and am just getting around to posting it. Looking at the recipe makes me want to go back and make it again.I called this Beef Ragout. Ragout is just a spiced stew of meat and vegetables. That description leaves a whole lot of leeway, and would fit most any beef stew. This one is nothing fancy, and just plain good. It has just the right amount of meat and vegetables, and a lovely flavor. It is hearty and warming and all that one wants from a dish such as this. Because the meat is marinated and then cooked in wine, the resultant sauce is very purple. This is perfectly acceptable for a stew made with wine, but to adjust the color, I used Kitchen Bouquet.

Beef Ragout

Beef Ragout

1.5 pounds beef stew meat, or chuck, in 1 – 2-inch cubes

MARINADE:
1 cup dry red wine
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 – 2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 whole cloves
----------
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet meat coloring
1 large can (13.25 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
½ - 1 cup water or stock
1 cup frozen peas
4 medium-small potatoes, peeled, cooked in salted water

Early in the day or the evening before, combine all the marinade ingredients in a container with a lid or a zip-top bag. Place the meat into the marinade and toss to coat well. If marinating and cooking the same day, the meat can be left on the counter.

Peas added to the cooked stew to heat through

When ready to prepare the stew, remove the meat from the marinade and place on layers of paper toweling to dry. Reserve the marinade. Preheat oven to 300, or whatever temperature will just maintain a simmer.

Have ready a large stew pot or braising pan with tight fitting lid. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the butter and olive oil with the onions. Sauté the onions, stirring until golden but not browned. Remove the onions to the stew pot, reserving any oils in the skillet.

Cooked potatoes added in

Add in half the meat cubes and brown them quickly, raising heat if necessary; remove them to the stew pot when done. Repeat with remaining meat cubes. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and onions and toss until the flour disappears. Add in the reserved marinade, Worcestershire, Kitchen Bouquet, mushrooms and water or stock to just reach about half to ⅔ up the meat. Cover the pot and set the pan in the oven for 2 to 2½ hours, or until the meat is tender.
When the stew is done, remove from oven, add in the peas and cover, allowing the peas to heat through. Add in the cooked, cubed potatoes and stir to combine.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest. 

Sloppy Joe Conundrum

Uniquely Fine Chicken Salad

Hi again! It seems like that old saying about that road paved with good intentions. I keep wanting to get to this blog, and I am still so bogged down with unpacking. Admittedly, I have too much stuff. No question. And now, with a large enough house to really unpack it all, one month later and I am still working on it. On top of that, I have a wedding cake to make. I have finally gotten a little preliminary work done, but there's a lot to do, and the wedding is less than a month away.



Sweet Smoky Pork Tenderloin

I have also been busy trying out new recipes and getting photos of some that have been around quite some time in  my kitchen, like my Uniquely Fine Chicken Salad. A couple days back I made Goan Style Chicken. Before that, I had made Sweet Smoky Pork Tenderloin, accompanied by Apple Onion Chutney with Sultanas. 

But on to the title of this blog: Sloppy Joe Conundrum. Last evening I thought I would make something quick and easy; Sloppy Joes. We have a lot of hamburger meat left from the side of beef we bought 2 years back, so I look for new ways to use it, but often just fall back onto old standbys. My husband is picky about certain sauces like spaghetti or Sloppy Joes. If they are too thin, he just doesn't like them. Store bought ones do have thickeners, such as flour or Guar Gum or Xanthan Gum, among others. He likes the Manwich original so that is what I buy. My preference would be to make a recipe of my own, but have not bothered.

Goan Style Chicken

Okay, so I had thawed a package of what I thought was hamburger, only to find it was pork sausage instead! Great. I usually don't thaw too much ahead, so it wasn't like I couldn't just substitute some ground beef. I heat a pot, add some oil, set the frozen meat in there, allow to brown a bit, flip, scrape off the cooked part flip again and scrape, repeating until I have cooked the whole package of frozen meat. It works.

My original thought was to just make the one pound of ground beef, since I only had one can of the Manwich. I would just save the sausage meat for something else. Then I started reading the ingredients on the can. I got thinking I'd like to try out some semblance of the canned flavor by creating a sauce of my own. Granted, once I did this, it was combined with the actual Manwich, so I couldn't be completely impartial about the flavors. I added in the ground pork sausage to brown with the beef. I will have to give this a go all on its own to see how it tastes. However, that said, my husband and sister did not know the difference. I guess that says something.

Having gone on to remake this on its own, using just ground beef, this is the recipe:

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes

1 pound hamburger meat
1 (14.5 or 15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
¼ cup double concentrated tomato paste (from a tube)
2 teaspoons Barbecue Spice Mix
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a 6 quart pot, brown the hamburger meat well. Add in the onion and continue to stir and cook for about 10 minutes more. Add in all the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for at least a half hour for flavors to meld. Serve on hamburger buns.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Riff on Eggs Benedict

I am writing sporadically lately, because I am in the process of packing up my house, preparing to move. A tedious process, and time consuming. Still, I had to share something. The last time I wrote I gave the recipe for Rosemary Parmesan Biscuits, which were awesome. I cannot recall if I wrote about my desire to try them as a base for a sort of Eggs Benedict? Well, I did. Try it, I mean. OMG.

I always prefer to make things from scratch, so I had the biscuits, which I toasted, cut in half, face down in the pan where I had cooked up some bacon, and then fried some potatoes. I made a quick Hollandaise sauce for one:
 

Hollandaise for One

1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar or lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ teaspoon salt, or less

Set a small pan of water to simmer. Have everything measured and ready, with the melted butter at hand. Test a small bowl; when set over the simmering water the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. With the bowl off the pan of water, place the egg yolk and the water. Whisk together and set over the simmering water, whisking briskly until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the vinegar or lemon juice and whisk again until the mixture begins to thicken. With this small amount, it will not take long. Slowly, drizzle in the melted butter, whisking constantly until the mixture has grown in volume and is smooth and creamy. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Once I removed the hollandaise from over the simmering water, I added a splash of vinegar to the water and cracked in two eggs to poach for 3½ minutes. I cut each of the 2 slices of bacon into 2 pieces and laid them onto the biscuit halves. I set the poached eggs on top of the bacon and spooned the hollandaise over the eggs. It was a remarkable breakfast. Very rich, and not one I do often - maybe once every couple of years. The timing was right, the biscuits were fantastic and I just love Eggs Benedict. This was a bit of a riff on that concept of English Muffins, Canadian Bacon and Poached Eggs, but oh my was it good!

I hope someone out there gives this a try.



 
My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Happy Easter, However one Celebrates

We are going to be with family for Easter dinner tomorrow. Every family has its own special Easter foods. My background being Slovak and Serbian had us enjoying ham, kielbasa or other smoked sausage, sirets, beets with horseradish and Pascha bread. My parents and grandparents are long gone now, and my husband's family celebrate with some other foods to accompany their Easter ham. Here is my recipe for Beets with Horseradish:

Beets with Horseradish

Beets with Horseradish

This combination has been a favored condiment to go with Easter ham (or for me, any time we have ham). It was traditional from my Serbian grandmother, and has remained so with me. I have seen it possibly called Hren, Ren, Chrin and many other things, I do not recall ever hearing it called anything but Beets with Horseradish in our household. This was served as a condiment in my family, to be eaten next to the ham, Sirets, and kielbasa with the Pascha bread. Alternatively, we put it on the ham in a sandwich, which is my favorite usage.

Amount is flexible, make as much as desired

1 (1-lb) can or jar beets, well drained
1 small jar horseradish, start with 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon sugar

Using a rotary grater (mouli) or hand grater with small holes, shred the beets into a bowl. Add in horseradish, to taste. Use one teaspoon, one tablespoon, or however much to make is as hot as you will enjoy. Add in the sugar, to taste. Pack into jars for use over Easter with the ham.


NOTES: If the beets are pickled, meaning they already have sugar added, the added sugar is not necessary in this recipe.


Silk Dyed Eggs

However it is celebrated, one never forgets their roots, and it is always good to have some of those comforting things amid all the rest. I made my beets with horseradish. Just cannot live without that when it comes to ham. I made my Pascha loaf to take to my sister-in-law. I don't bother making lots of Easter eggs. I do not have any small children around to have Easter egg hunts. I did, however, make some silk dyed eggs after watching The Chew on TV the other day. They turned out really lovely, and they can be decorations at any time of the year.

Pascha Bread (Mom's Bread Updated)


As my contribution to the Easter dinner tomorrow I was asked to make Hot Cross Buns. Though I have been making bread for over 40 years now, Hot Cross Buns are one iteration I had not made before. I used the recipe from my husband's grandmother. It is very similar to the recipe for my Mom and Grandma's Pascha bread, but I decided to follow the Hot Cross Buns recipe as it was written. They look wonderful, so I imagine they will taste great, too.


Hot Cross Buns

Since neither my husband nor I need extra sweets around the house, I have long since stopped buying Easter candies. However, for the sake of recipes to go in my website or blog, I have been wanting to make Brigadeiros, a Brazilian Truffle, for a long while. I made them yesterday, and they are as good as I recalled, though it has been a long time since I made my recipe last, 

Brigadeiros

Brigadeiros

These Brazilian truffles are about as quick as is possible for a caramel type candy. Traditionally rolled in chocolate sprinkles, they may be rolled into any coating desired. I used chopped pecans for some here. These are my token Easter candies this year.

Makes about 15 - 20 truffles

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon butter
sprinkles or other for coating

Mix ion a medium saucepan the milk, cocoa and butter. Bring to a boil, stirring vigorously so it does not stick to the pan. Continue stirring constantly for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and clumps around the spoon.

Allow to cool slightly and scoop out balls about 1 inch in diameter. With buttered hands, roll the mixture into a neat ball and roll into the coating of your choice.

The other thing I made to take to Easter dinner is a lemon meringue pie. Last year I was asked to bring a lemon meringue pie and a coconut cream pie. Both were hideous messes. Both the fillings turned out hopelessly runny. I tried to make an Italian Meringue and failed at that. I tried making a stabilized whipped cream and ruined that. Alas. No matter how good a baker I am, and I pride myself on my baking, those two types of pies are not ones I have ever really made. I recall living in Guatemala, once making a lemon meringue pie. I used an old fashioned egg beater to whip the meringue. I like lemon meringue pie, though I am not wild about meringue, itself. I cannot recall how it turned out, overall. I love coconut cream pie, but as luck has it, my husband does not like coconut, so I have not made one of those. In the course of this last year, I found Rose Levy Berenbaum's Lemon Curd recipe. It comes out beautifully firm, so I used that as the filling for this year's pie. I also found references to making a meringue with cooked cornstarch to stabilize it. The pie looks good. Tomorrow I will find out how these things came out!

For now, I am sharing photos of some of the things I made, and hope all of you have wonderful foods to share this Easter 2013.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Guatemalan Enchiladas, a Healthier Alternative

Okay, I do admit, these things take some time to make properly. There are probably shortcuts, but they taste so good made the long way that I hesitate to take those shortcuts for fear they will not taste the same. And they taste so very, very good.

Guatemalan Enchiladas do start off with a fried corn tortilla, but everything else that goes on top is made from scratch. From a tomato sauce, to separately cooked pickled vegetables and a roast that is chopped into bitty pieces (this can be done in the food processor), it is a time consuming recipe, but easily made in stages over a couple or more days, as desired. 

A Guatemalan Enchilada

Another difference from what is commonly known as an "enchilada" here in the US, is that the Guatemalan variety is picked up and eaten with the hands. It is as messy as it can get, but it is nearly impossible to use a fork to eat them. Regular pressed corn tortillas found in stores all over the US these days are far too thin to really support all the things that go on top of these enchiladas. In Guatemala, when the corn tortillas are made by hand, patted out lovingly and shaped into far thicker tortillas, they are fried only partially for the enchilada. If they were fried to complete crispness, the thickness alone would prohibit biting into them without breaking a tooth. I found that "La Tortilla Factory" corn tortillas, though they do have some flour added in, are just the perfect size and thickness to use for this recipe. 

Enchiladas from another occasion

There is an order to the layering of the ingredients on these enchiladas. Onto the fried tortilla goes the homemade tomato sauce. It is made from Roma tomatoes, onion, garlic and celery, with some salt and pepper for flavor. It is a delicious sauce, equally at home over fried eggs. This sauce is topped by a leaf of lettuce. Next comes the vegetables.

The main vegetable that is always present is beets. They can be used alone, or in a mixture with any or all of cabbage, green beans and carrots. Each vegetable is cooked separately in water and salted. A mixture of vinegar and water is poured over each separate, shredded or finely cut vegetable. Once a few hours or days have passed, the vegetable(s) are drained and only then combined. A pile of the mixed vegetables goes on top of the lettuce. Following the vegetable layer is a layer of a cooked meat that has been chopped finely and then fried with onion. My personal preference for sheer flavor is brisket. It also lends itself to easy slicing across the grain, eliminating a lot of chopping. It literally falls into little bits on its own. The meat is piled onto the vegetables. A slice of hard boiled egg goes on next, followed by a slice of raw onion, a good sprinkle of Cotija cheese and then a sprinkling of chopped parsley. And this marvelous combination of flavors is just almost too good to be true. I hope that despite all these steps, someone enterprising might give these a try.

Enchiladas (Guatemalan Style)

Makes about 8 - 10 enchiladas

VEGETABLES:
3 medium beets, about ¾ pound
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced green beans, optional
½ - 1 cup julienned or thick-shredded carrots, optional
Vinegar / water solution

The main vegetables used are always beets and cabbage. Sometimes green beans and carrots are added as well. Boil the beets whole, then peel and shred. Place in a container with a lid. Cook the cabbage until tender; place into another container with lid. If using green beans and carrots, repeat, placing each in their separate container.

Mix up a solution of half white vinegar and half water, with a little salt for flavor. Pour about ¾ cup of this solution over each of the separate vegetables, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

MEAT:
1 pound brisket
1 medium onion, whole
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 onion, chopped finely
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place brisket in a pot with water to cover, along with the next three ingredients and cook at a slow simmer for 2 to 2½ hours, or until very tender. Remove meat from pan to cool. Strain and save the delicious broth for another application, or freeze for later. Slice the meat very thinly across the grain, which is very apparent in brisket. The meat will easily fall apart into tiny, "shredded" pieces.

Heat a skillet and add in the oil until it shimmers. Saute the chopped onion until well cooked and golden. Add in the meat and saute over relatively high heat, tossing constantly. The goal is fine bits of meat, nicely browned. Place in a container and refrigerate or set aside until needed.

TOMATO SAUCE:

Tomato Sauce

1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes - OR -
(4 to 5 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped)
1 onion, chopped
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stalk celery, finely minced
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ - 1 teaspoon salt, as needed

In a skillet, heat the oil until it shimmers and add in the onion. Saute until nicely golden but not brown. Add in the garlic and celery and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add in the tomatoes and cook until completely melded (if using Roma tomatoes, simmer until tomatoes are cooked through); if there is too much liquid, cook until some liquid has evaporated. Season with salt to taste. Place all in a food processor or blender and puree until fine. Set aside or refrigerate until needed. 

Other Items Needed:

2 or 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
8 - 10 Romaine lettuce leaves
Cotija cheese (or Queso Fresco), grated, for sprinkling
Sliced raw onion rings for garnish
Parsley, chopped, for garnish
8 to 10 corn tortillas, partially fried in oil of choice

ASSEMBLY: Follow the diagram above right. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Delicious and Gourmet Dessert

I had a great idea yesterday. I love rice pudding. The cooked kind. With tapioca. My Mom would make rice pudding when we had enough rice leftover from a meal, and it was a special treat. There were 7 of us kids in the family, so having enough left over was tricky. We would beg Mom to make lots of rice, so there would be leftovers. She always thickened her rice pudding with tapioca, and with egg. Over the years, I have found the egg not to be necessary, and I like my rice pudding usually just a little less thick. The basic ingredients have always been milk, sugar rice, tapioca and vanilla, with or without eggs and with cinnamon sprinkled over top. 

Gourmet Saffron Rice Pudding with Cardamom

I was writing an article yesterday about coconut milk; what it is, its nutritional value, and some suggestions for using coconut milk, beyond the world of Indian Curries and Thai foods. One of the thoughts was to use it instead of milk to make rice pudding. I have played with my Mom's basic recipe for some years, changing out seasonings. I really love cardamom, so I have been using that either along with cinnamon, or on its own. The other thing was that the rice I had leftover in the fridge was Saffron Rice. 

Saffron is another thing I grew up loving. I know it is not everyone's special cup of tea, and have read commentary in places about the awful taste of saffron. To me, it is one of those smells and flavors that is evocative of great childhood memories. In particular, my paternal Grandma always made her soup with saffron, and the whole house smelled of her saffron flavored chicken soup when we arrived. My husband and I were lucky enough to be in Spain for a day on a cruise long ago, and though the large box of saffron I bought was not the highest quality, it still worked great and smelled heavenly and it goes a long way. My saffron rice is simple, just Basmati rice, a dab of butter or oil, salt and saffron.

So okay, back to the Rice Pudding. I had the leftover rice. I have added a pinch of saffron to my rice pudding at times also, so this saved a step. I had coconut milk. I had tapioca and cardamom. I set to work to make myself some pudding, and this is what came out of it. It is one of the best rice puddings ever, in my book. The saffron can be left out. Cinnamon can be used instead of cardamom. But I did really love the creaminess and flavor when made with the coconut milk. The recipe seems vaguely middle eastern, with the saffron and cardamom and coconut.

Gourmet Saffron Rice Pudding with Cardamom

Gourmet Saffron Rice Pudding with Cardamom

1 can coconut milk (14 - 18 ounces)
3 tablespoons minute tapioca
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon cardamom, ground 
2 1/2 cups precooked, cooled saffron rice 

In a 4 cup measuring cup, pour in the coconut milk. Add in water to make a total of 3 cups. Stir, and pour into a medium saucepan. Add in the sugar and tapioca, stir and allow to stand for 3 - 5 minutes. Add in the cardamom and rice, to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, lower heat and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Stir occasionally to prevent a skin from forming, or place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding until cool. 

This makes enough for 6 to 8 servings, depending on who's eating! I had pomegranate arils in the fridge also, and sprinkled some of those over top. Then I got the idea to layer the arils with the pudding in a wine glass. Pistachios added another pop of color and goodness. The whole thing was just so pretty, I got carried away with the photos. I hope someone finds this idea as enjoyable as I. The recipe is completely gluten-free, also, and if you haven't used butter in the rice (as I did), it is both vegetarian and vegan. Yum.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.