A Time to Celebrate - Family

Dad making soup

October 1st marks my youngest sister's 50th birthday. She finally made it. I am long past that now and feeling great to have had a wonderful life and still able to learn so much daily. I am truly grateful for my family, and particularly my sisters (all 5 of them). We always have a wonderful time when we get together, with everyone talking, everyone laughing (which puts me in mind of the quip: "I laughed so hard the tears ran down my legs!"), lots of wine and or other drinks, and most of all the foods. We all are excellent cooks. Some of us have stronger skill sets in one area (or maybe just more patience!) than another, but we are all wonderful cooks. This stemmed from Mom, who was a very good cook, and Dad, who loved to experiment when he had time, coming up with some marvelous recipes along the way.

 
Dad loved to experiment, and was not afraid to try new things. I recall when he and Mom collaborated on a recipe for Ham Bone Soup. Dad found a recipe for "Senate Bean Soup" originally, but was not pleased with how the recipe came out, so over the years he and Mom tweaked the recipe until it came out "right." He loved to make Stewed Tomatoes, and played with that recipe right up until the end of his cooking lifetime. When we were young, Dad would sometimes make us French Omelettes, something he learned when in France during the war. Mom made dishes from her Slovakian heritage with a few other staples thrown in, all of which were just marvelous.

I guess what I am trying to say is that all of us sisters learned what good food was since birth, and we all learned to experiment. When we get together for any event there is so much wonderful food; so many wonderful flavors. Standing around eating and savoring the flavors is something my husband described for me:

"Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible and the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly, savoring every bite, wishing that the experience would never end?"

That is what happens when we all get together. Well, maybe not the "eating slowly" part! But it is magical. Laura, the upcoming birthday girl, makes the most wonderful truffles. I have never had the patience. Barb is always busy with job and her own family all getting together, but even as busy as she is, she always makes putting together a meal for kids, grandkids, extended family and their friends - seem easy. It is a gift, to be sure. She makes basic food taste sublime. Her "Friendship Bread" was nearly an addiction for me! I could write a short story about all the wonderful talents my sisters have in the kitchen. Please excuse if I don't get into the wonders each have created. 

So this is some background on my family and how we all got the "cooking gene", and I have taken it a step farther by bringing it all online.  I will be gone a week to celebrate Laura's 50th. In running around the house, gathering up things to pack for the trip, my husband came home with some small cukes to make into Bread and Butter Pickles. I had wanted to make them weeks ago and between one thing and another it didn't happen. Then the season for the small pickling cukes was over and I was left without being able to make these. I wanted to put a photo on my website, but had no cukes to can. I did get them made yesterday, finally, and here is a photo of the final product. 

Bread and Butter Pickles

Bread & Butter Pickles

1 quart apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
7 cups sugar
1 - 2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cloves
5 pounds pickling cucumbers
3 pounds onions, sliced and quartered
Canning or Kosher salt, for sprinkling

Slice cucumbers to about ¼-inch thick and layer into a large colander, sprinkling salt all over them, layer upon layer. Set them aside to drain for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, slice the onions and set aside. In a large nonreactive enamel or stainless pot mix together the vinegar, sugar water, turmeric, mustard and celery seeds.

In a small piece of cheesecloth, place the allspice, cinnamon and cloves and tie together for easy removal later. Place into the pot. Bring the mixture to nearly boiling to dissolve the sugar. Drain the cucumbers well and add them to the pot with the onions and bring just to under a boil. Remove the little bag of whole spices. Pack the pickles and onions into hot, sterilized jars and top with lids and rings. Place the jars into a boiling water bath to cover and process for 10 minutes at 0 - 1,000 feet. Add 5 minutes for 1,000 to 3,000 feet; 5 more minutes for above 3,000 feet. 


For the next week I will be helping out at my sister Anita's house, making things to share with all of us for the birthday week. Anita has things well in hand already, but it will be a busy few days. Off I go!


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.

Dreaming of Tamales

I lived in Guatemala for just about 12 years, from early 1970 to late 1981. I was married to a Guatemalan man, and had all four of my children while down there.  I learned to speak the language very well, and learned to cook many of the foods, including Tamales.

While the marriage didn't last, the memories of the country, the people, the food, and all I learned down there stays with me always. I learned to cook down there. All from scratch, too. My older 3 children remember the foods very well. The youngest was just turning 3 when we moved back to the States. She recalls the foods because of what I have continued to cook. Food memories are very strong, and they really evoke the feeling of time and place, so whenever I make something Guatemalan, I am at once back there in memory. I have a lot of very lovely memories of my time there, and am eternally grateful that I had the chance to experience that culture.

Paches Guatemaltecos, photo courtesy of Guatemala.com

The recipe for tamales that got me dreaming today is the one traditionally made at Christmas time. There are savory tamales and "sweet" tamales, for Christmas. The savory ones have a red sauce over top (made red by free use of annato seeds), and the sweet ones have chocolate added to their sauce. When I first went down there with my Dad, I tried them, but didn't much care for them. Too different, to a not-quite-twenty-year-old.  The sweet tamales were passable. As time went on, and I learned to make them and ate them more and more often, I swung over to loving the savory ones far more.

Making Tamalitos de Elote

Tamales are just about anything wrapped into packets and steamed. In Guatemala, "tamales" are generally thought of as the ones I just posted the recipe for, but other things are also tamales, such as "Paches", which are a potato based tamal, rather than corn and / or rice.  Then "Tamalitos de Elote", which are tiny sweet tamales made from not quite dry field corn, ground and folded into the same green corn husks - delicious!  I finally got an opportunity to get some field corn last year and made them for the first time in over 30 years.  I photo documented every step of the way.  And then forgot to get a photo of a finished tamalito, unwrapped.  

Tamalitos de Elote, photo courtesy of KiwiLimon.com

Some tamalitos (meaning "little tamales") are just corn masa dough, and my ex father-in-law was particularly fond of "Tamalitos de Chipilin".  Chipilin is a weed/herb used mainly in Mexico and Central America. It is sometimes mixed into the plain corn masa dough. One last type of tamal is called a "Chuchito" (see one below, to the right), and it is the most similar to what we in the States know as Mexican tamales.

So, I spent the day reminiscing and longing for some of the foods I ate while in Guatemala. I wish I could share them with all of you! Unfortunately, with no access to maxan leaves, nor even banana leaves, I haven't made tamales for a long time now. Thus, I have no photos of my own. For now, here is my recipe, from my mother-in-law:

Tamales Colorados y Negros with one Chuchito

courtesy of AntiguaDailyPhoto.com

Tamales Quetzaltecos

Makes 60 to 80 tamales

INGREDIENTS:
1 turkey, cut up into 2 - 3-inch chunks, bone and all (at least 12 lbs)
2 pounds white rice (3 pounds for larger amount)
1 pound white hominy (2 pounds for larger amount)
12 ounces shortening or lard (less if stock is fatty)
1 large pinch saffron
4 ounces unhulled sesame seeds
4 ounces pumpkin seeds
12 tomatillos
12 roma tomatoes
4 red bell peppers
1 dried hot red chile (optional)
2 dried pasilla or ancho chiles
3 inches of stick cinnamon (true cinnamon)
4 whole cloves
4 slices day-old French bread
4 tablespoons shortening or lard

FOR SAVORY TAMALES:
salt, to taste
½ cup annato seeds (or more, as needed)

FOR SWEET TAMALES:
sugar, to taste
"Mexican style" chocolate, to taste

TO ADORN:

• bottled whole pimientos, cut into long thin strips
• capers
• olives, with pits
• almonds, blanched, peeled, sliced
• raisins
• prunes

1. Two days in advance, wash the rice, rinse and drain. Set it to dry on large flat cookie sheets with rims.

2. The day before, cut up the turkey (or chicken or pork or duck) into pieces of a size for the tamal, put them in a very large pot and boil with the saffron, some salt (do not over salt at this time), and an onion. Bring to a boil and cook till meat is done. Remove from heat and set to cool. If the pot is too large for the fridge, outside is fine (in winters up north!) as long as it is cold out and the pot has a strong lid!

3. The morning of Tamal Day, remove the meat pieces to a bowl and strain the stock into another large pot. Bring the stock to a boil.

4. The rice should be thoroughly dry. If not, set in a very low oven with the door ajar and turn often, till dry. Grind the rice in a grain mill till fine, but still with granules. It should not be flour! More like the consistency of Cream of Rice cereal. Do not try to substitute Cream of Rice Cereal - I tried it and it comes out FAR too runny!

5. Grind or blend the hominy till very fine with a bit of water. Mix in more water till you have about a quart of liquid or so. Set aside.

6. Once the stock is boiling, and stirring constantly, pour in the rice in a fine stream, till all incorporated. If the stock was not too fatty, or you are using water instead of stock, add the 12 oz. of shortening or lard, otherwise cut this quantity in half.

7. As the rice begins to cook, add, a little at a time, the liquidized hominy, stirring continually. Be careful that the heat is not too high so the masa does not burn. (Be very careful to wear oven mitts to stir, as the masa, once boiling, can burn badly!) Once the masa begins to boil, allow it to boil for about 15 minutes, stirring all the while. This takes about one hour, total. Remove from heat.

8. Continue to stir the masa, off the heat, until it is cool enough to insert a finger for about a half-minute without getting burnt. (Here is where someone to help comes in handy.) This maintains softness and pliability of the masa; otherwise it would cool to one large lump!

9. Once cooled, separate into two containers; one for savory and one for sweet. Add salt to the savory masa and sugar to the sweet. If the masa has thickened too much, add some water to thin it and stir well.

FOR THE SAUCE(S) (Recado)
1. In a dry skillet, over medium high heat, toast separately - the sesame seeds, the pumpkin seeds, the cinnamon and cloves. Be especially careful of the sesame and pumpkin seeds – they will continue to cook once off the heat and can burn! Once burnt, you will need to start over with fresh seeds, the burnt flavor is that bad.

2. In a good-sized saucepan, put the tomatoes, tomatillos, red bell peppers (seeds and stems cut out), the “Pasilla” or “Ancho” dried chiles (whole – remove seeds and stems after cooking), and the hot dried chile, if desired, and nearly cover with water. Set to cook until all are cooked through. Take the Ancho or Pasilla Chiles and remove stems and seeds. Saving the cooking water, remove all the vegetables to a blender or a food mill (Food mill will remove skin and seeds, resulting in a smoother sauce).

3. Grind the seeds and spices finely in a food grinder, or put them into the blender with a little of the pureed vegetables as a liquid base and blend till fine. Add the spices to the pureed vegetables. Add a little ground black pepper, to taste.

4. Put the 4 pieces of French bread into the cooking water until they have softened, then blend them to a fine paste also; add to the sauce. Stir the sauce over medium heat till it thickens slightly and add the 2 oz. of shortening or lard. Once incorporated, take off heat and divide into two pots – one for the savory tamales and one for the sweet.

5. In the pot for the savory sauce, use annato seeds to color and flavor, till you get a nice orange color. (In a small saucepan, heat a very small amount of water with a handful of annato seeds, till it begins to give off color. Then rub through a sieve or a food mill to extract as much color as possible.) Add a bit of salt, to taste.

6. In the pot for the sweet sauce, add Mexican Chocolate, grated (this contains sugar already, so there is no need to add sugar). If no Mexican chocolate is available, use (½ square at a time) Baker's unsweetened chocolate to reach the desired color, then add sugar to taste. The sweetness should be distinguishable, but not terribly sweet. Too much sugar will also thin the sauce.

PREPARE LEAVES:
1. If using banana leaves fresh – wash well, then pass them through boiling water to soften.

2. If using frozen banana leaves, thaw, and wash.

3. If no leaves are available, use squares of parchment.

4. With leaves, you will need a larger outer “wrapper” plus an inner “serving” leaf per tamal.

5. With parchment, just the one sheet is all that is needed. 



My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. Join me at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook and Pinterest.

An Easy to Make Comfort Meal

I have been making this dish since long ago, when as a busy mom working 2 jobs, I needed something that gave me time to get ready for my second job, yet provide my children with a nourishing meal. This came about as a fluke, throwing things together in a large skillet, and hasn't really changed since then. I always grow as many herbs as my yards would afford space, so I usually have thyme, basil, rosemary, sometimes parsley and sage. If I have more space, I really go to town with whatever herbs I can find. Since thyme is always in my garden, no matter where I have lived, that is always a part of this dish. It is now an integral flavor. Since most groceries these days carry thyme fresh, I can make this meal even in winter.


All ingredients (except peas)
in the pan and set to cook

I have had to think of what to make on the fly, and do not always have a meat thawed out. Hamburger at least, can be fry/cooked from frozen in just a few minutes. Place the frozen block into the skilet with some oil, and allow the bottom to brown, flip it over and scrape off the browned part, let it continue to brown on that opposite side and flip it over and scrape off the browned parts. And so on, until the meat is cooked, making sure to break it up as it is scraped off the frozen block.  If you are lucky enough to have planned ahead and have the hamburger meat thawed already - well, you're one step ahead of the game. I have been making this dish since the 1980s, and never took a photo of it.  Today I made this meal again, and this time I did get photos.  Above left is a photo of the large skillet with all the ingredients, minus the peas, ready to cook.  The peas go in for the last few minutes to heat through.  Here is the recipe:

One Skillet Hamburger Meal

One Skillet Hamburger Meal

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 pound lean hamburger meat

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, thick grated
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 cup green beans, cut across into 1/4 inch pieces, optional
1 can corn, drained (I use the cans with 50% less sodium)
1 cup rice
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 to 3/4 cup ketchup
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (depending on the can of corn)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 or 2 large sprigs thyme, left whole
1 cup frozen peas


Brown the hamburger in a very large skillet. As it nears being completely browned, add in the onion and toss well; allow to cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes more. Add in the garlic, carrot, celery, green pepper, green beans and corn; toss well. Add in the rice and the Worcestershire, ketchup, bay leaves, salt and pepper and mix until all is combined. Nestle the thyme sprigs into the mixture and add 2 cups water (to almost cover). Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover, maintaining a simmer for about 45 minutes. Add in the frozen peas just as the rice is tender and cover for about 5 minutes until the peas are warmed through. Remove thyme and bay leaves and discard.

Naturally Gluten Free, Too

Since becoming aware of the perils of gluten for so many people, I am also happy to report that this dish, made with fresh vegetables, meat and rice, a can or corn, frozen peas. The only sticklers were looking at the ketchup and Worcestershire bottles. Lea and Perrins Worcestershire has no gluten in its ingredients, and Hunts Ketchup is now made gluten free, also.


My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. Join me at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook and Pinterest.

Food Fun in Michigan

I just got back from a trip to Michigan.  I was visiting with 2 of my daughters and their families, one of whom just had a new baby.  It is always fun to visit with my kids.  They are all foodies of one kind or other.  We all have certain interests and directions, but we all love food and new recipes!  Sitting and talking with one of my daughters, who is married to a Polish man, we came to discussing ethnic foods as a matter of course.  If any of you see my Welcome page (or even the first post here), you will note that I come from a Slavic background and lived in Guatemala and had my children there.  Indian food came into my ethnic horizon a little later, but no less strongly for all that! 


Three Holupki, or Cabbage Rolls

My children, all having been born in Guatemala, love some of the foods we ate there, and continued to eat in the US, as I continued cooking those recipes. Things like Picado de Rabano (Chopped Radish Salad), Hilachas (also known as Ropa Vieja, and meaning "rags" or "old clothes"), which is a stew made with brisket, Horchata, a rice drink, or Tamales and many other dishes.  My daughter's Polish husband was longing for Holupki (or Golumki, Golubki, Halupki, Sarma and so on throughout those eastern European countries), which set us talking about that particular recipe.  She had eaten it before of course, both growing up with me and later at her husband's parents' house.  She had never yet made this dish herself!  I suggested we try it out together!  In doing so, I finally got a photo of these Cabbage Rolls that are known by so many names!

It is strange, when creating a blog or a website dedicated to food, to realize how many recipes I have taken for granted over the years.  I have never thought to take photos of those homey foods like Holupki, or Chicken Paprikash, in all my 42 years of cooking.  That day with my daughter, I got photos of Holupki for the first time.  A milestone!  I also never had a real "recipe" for them, having been given the recipe by word of mouth from my Mom, who got it from her Mom, and so on.

My Mom always made these cabbage rolls with ground beef and rice.  I actually didn't like them, when I was small.  The appreciation for this dish came later, when I had no access to them.  Isn't that just the way?  Absence makes the heart grow fonder - even with food.  My daughter noted that her mother-in-law makes them with some ground pork added in.  I said that sounded good, so we got some ground pork.  She had a giant bag of ground hamburger in her freezer, so we made about 5 pounds of meat in total.  We mixed in nearly 2 cups of raw rice!  Here I pared down the recipe from what we did.  This will make about 10 - completely depending on the size of the rolls.

Holupki, ready to eat

Holupki, or Cabbage Rolls

1 large cabbage
2 pounds hamburger meat
(or substitute ½ pound of the meat with ground pork)
1 medium onion, chopped and lightly sauteed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 cup rice, uncooked
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 or more sprigs fresh thyme
water, as needed to cook

Directions: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Remove some of the outer cabbage leaves, as whole as possible. Place into the boiling water until they are soft, then remove and set aside. When the leaves on the remaining cabbage become too entangled to separate, place the rest of the whole head into the pot and allow the leaves to soften. Remove from the boiling water periodically, to trim off leaves at the core end. You will need at least 10 or so viable cabbage leaves for rolling the meat. Take the remaining cabbage and chop roughly. Place half the chopped cabbage into the bottom on a large pot or Dutch oven. Set aside the remaining chopped cabbage.

In a large bowl, mix together the meat(s), onion, garlic, egg, salt, pepper, paprika and rice. Do not over mix. Trim off the thickest parts of one cabbage leaf, then take one portion of meat mixture (approximately 2/3 to 3/4 cup worth) and set on one end of the leaf. Roll, burrito-style, folding in ends and tucking as necessary, but not too tightly - remember, the rice needs room to expand as it cooks. Repeat, until all the meat is rolled into cabbage leaves. Place the rolls into the pot, on top of the chopped cabbage. Top with the remaining chopped cabbage. Tuck the bay leaves down between the rolls, and place the thyme sprig(s) on top.

Combine together the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Add in a little more salt and pepper (plus a pinch or two of sugar if the tomato mixture is too acidic), to taste. Pour the tomato mixture over the cabbage rolls. The rolls should not be submerged, but nearly covered. If the tomato mixture is not quite high enough, add water until just the tops of the rolls are visible.

Set over high heat to bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer, covered, for about 1½ - 2 hours. Best served with mashed potatoes.


My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. Join me at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, or Pinterest. 

Welcome to A Harmony of Flavors Blog

Welcome to A Harmony of Flavors Blog

My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. My ethnic

Chris Rawstern

background is Slovakian on my mother's side and Yugoslavian (now in the province of Vojvodina in Serbia) on my father's side. All my grandparents came from Europe to the United States to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Many people have asked me what “A Harmony of Flavors” means.  Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible and the taste so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing that the experience would never end?  Then you have experienced a truly "harmonious" meal.

I began my cooking career in Guatemala, in 1970. I moved there as a naive 20-year-old, and set out to learn everything I could about cooking in a foreign land - from scratch. This process was complicated by the fact that I could not speak or read the language. This experience set a remarkable pattern for the rest of my life, as I learned to prepare healthy simple meals and snacks at home, from scratch, on a tight budget. I had no oven for many of the 12 years I spent there. An electric fry pan became my "oven." Placing a small rack into the pan, I used it to bake cakes, pies, and even bread!

I love food. I love new recipes. I love to create new recipe combinations and try them.
I hope to inspire you to follow me! My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own.

What do I want this Blog to represent?

If the Blog represents my personality, then its purpose is to bring together a group of people with a desire to enhance their cooking with new skills and ideas. I certainly do not think for one moment that any one person holds all of the secrets of cooking. It is a community of individuals that combined, sharing their ideas and tips, enhance the cooking experience for us all.

 

Two of my sisters and me, laughing together after a meal

This is best expressed by a phrase I recently saw “A weblog is kind of a continual tour, with a human guide that you get to know. There are many guides to choose from; each develops an audience. There is a camaraderie that forms between the people who run weblogs and their followers, somewhat like an electronic-extended family”. 

I remember the times that my sisters and I would sit around and discuss recipes and why they did or did not work. It was fun to hear about new ideas or tips to make our cooking more enjoyable. I have had the same experiences with a group of friends chatting with a glass of wine in one hand and sharing ideas.

 

Since it is not possible to get everyone in the same room to have this remarkable sharing experience I am trying to create the next best forum: A Harmony of Flavors Blog. Please contact me so we can start learning from each other.

Chris