¡¿Mi Caldo Verde está Rojo!?

{Dearest ________,}

I knew it the moment I saw the picture and said the name.  It seeped out of my head and into a whisper.  To no one but myself...I just needed to say it out loud.  Caldo Verde...in a soft, but confident whisper...escaped my lips.  Soon I would be standing over a fragrant pot of Caldo Verde.  My cupped hands would be warm around their steaming bowl of infused liquid...treating me to a heady, spice-perfumed facial.    It happened on a familiar visit at one of my regular haunts, Souper Sundays.  I was just there...taking in the soups, fantasizing over oxtails...when I spied it.  Wish you were here.  It was so seductive with its white creamy potato base peeking out from the dark green kale that surrounded it.  There were even a few pieces of golden-orange chorizo nestled on top.  I just know I got googly eyes.  As I'm wont to do, I began looking for a little history and some other examples  It's actually a classic Portuguese dish,  but was embraced by and became equally loved in Brazil.  See.  Fate.  This month our Regional Recipes destination is Brazil...and I had yet to figure out what to make.  Until then. 

The version that I made ended up being a good fusion of two recipes that were very different from each other, yet amazingly similar.  (The version that started it all, from The Taste Space and Nourished Kitchen's version).  I would have loved to have gotten my hands on some chouriço or linguiça, so as to make it more traditional, but alas I went with fresh chorizo instead...which did aid in my broth's red tint...that, and the chiles I decided to use.  I used waxy, not starchy potatoes and I didn't mash or break any of them up for body because I was more in the mood for a clear broth.  But I did not skimp on the kale.  I'm pretty sure I've mentioned my over-affection for kale.  My body was just screaming for those dark, green leaves!  So I still had lots of green.  And an abundance of soul-warming flavor and depth.  You should definitely come over and warm up with a bowl of Caldo Verde.  Hope to see you soon!
{best wishes, Heather}

Caldo Verde

from the kitchen of girlichef

(inspired and adapted from The Taste Space & Nourished Kitchen...see links above)

yield: ~1 gallon...give or take

2 Tbs. olive oil

~1 lb. fresh chorizo

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 carrots, scrubbed and sliced ¼" thick

5 garlic cloves, minced

~1 lb. small red potatoes, halved or quartered

1 bay leaf
2 pasilla chiles, stemmed & most seeds shaken out

~2 quarts rich chicken stock (+ more as needed)

HUGE bunch of kale, thicker, tougher portion of stem removed

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

Heat a large Dutch Oven over medium heat.  Add the olive oil and the chorizo.  Cook until chorizo is cooked through and golden in some spots.  If the bottom of the pot seems dry, add another drizzle of olive oil.  Turn heat to medium-high, add onion, carrot, garlic, and potatoes, bay leaf, and chiles.  Stir around, coating the vegetables with the reddish-orange glisten from the chorizo.  After a few minutes, once the onions and garlic have begun to soften, pour in the chicken stock, scraping along the bottom of the pot to release that flavor-packed fond.  Bring to a boil, partially cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for ~20 minutes.

Slice the kale into fat ribbons, and then chop a bit.  Add kale to pot, put the lid on all the way, and turn off the heat.  Let it sit until the kale has wilted, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Season and adjust with sea salt and black pepper.  If you'd like, remove the bay leaf and whole chiles (the chiles will be soft and falling apart, so you could just stir to break them up a bit and leave them in).

It's good enough to write home about!

*This post is linked to:

Daigaku Imo ...Caramel-Coated Sweet Potato for Regional Recipes

Some of you may remember telling you of a time when I did not understand the glory of the sweet potato.  Can you imagine?  Until the time when I first tasted one of these gorgeous, orange tubers unadulterated;  roasted in its jacket...with nothing but a pat of golden butter to accentuate its natural sweetness...sticky-sweet juices peeking from the steam holes poked around the outsides before roasting.  That was all it took.  The skies opened up and a whole world of possibilities shone on the horizon!

I love sweet potatoes with a pat of butter, a smattering of bleu cheese and bacon, and a sprinkling of salt...that's my go-to.  But I also like to try different avenues.  I was flipping through a great book full of easy Japanese recipes in search of something to bring to the table for Regional Recipes this month when a page fell from my thumb...a page that required the fan of pages to stop.  Immediately.  Staring me in the face was THE exact thing I wanted in my belly.  I read the description on my way to the library check-out desk, eyes glued to the page...led only by memory and spidey-sense...desire building and tummy waking from its slumber.

"Daigaku imo (meaning "university potato") is so called because it was created to fill the stomachs of the young, cheaply and easily, and became very popular among university students living away from home.  This dish is eaten as a sweet snack as well as a dessert."

Daigaku Imo

(Caramel-Coated Sweet Potato)

from Easy Japanese Cookbook by Emi Kazuko

serves 4

2 Tbs. sea salt

3-4 sweet potatoes (~1½ lbs), sliced lengthwise and cut into ½" thick half-moons

oil for deep-frying

 ½ c. sugar

1 tsp. shoyu (soy sauce)

1 Tbs. black sesame seeds (black, white, or a mix)

Stir the salt into 2 c. water and add the sweet potatoes; leave 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towels. 

Heath the oil in a deep wok or pan to 200° F.  Gently slide in the potatoes and deep-fry, gradually increasing the heat to a higher temperature,5-6 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove w/ slotted spoon and drain on wire rack.

Put sugar and shoyu in a large saucepan w/ 5 Tbs. water. Heat over medium heat 5-6 minutes, stirring until mixture becomes syrupy. Remove pan from heat and fold in hot, fried potatoes. Sprinkle w/ sesame seeds and serve hot.

These are an amazing snack...the light shell of salty caramel softly envelopes the crisp outsides of the sweet potato...and then you bite in, exposing a tender, warm semi-circle of bliss.  It's the simple things in life, isn't it?

My Big, Fat Puerto Rican Meal (Pavochon, Jibaritos, Spicy Piña Vinagre, Mantecadas)

When Joanne announced that Regional Recipes was traveling to Puerto Rico this month, I was so excited!  But honestly, I'm not really all that familiar with the PR branch of hispanic cooking...you know I'm pretty well-versed in Mexican cuisine...but there is so much more to hispanic/latino cuisine than just Mexican.  Perhaps I'm just giving myself a push by saying it out loud.  So, I was happy to start the digging and the drooling and the searching and the wondering.  Where, oh where, would this journey deposit me? 

I ended up finding a whole meals worth of things I wanted to make in the book Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night by Daisy Martinez.  The flavors, the descriptions, the photos...I was instantly transported!  So, every single element of my big, fat, Puerto Rican meal came from this book. This post is pretty jam-packed with mouthwatering goodness...so I'll stop the jawin' and let the food transport you today....

Adobo Mojado
Wet Adobo Rub
yield: ~1/2 c.

12 cloves garlic
1½ Tbs. kosher salt
1 Tbs. black peppercorns
2 Tbs. dried oregano
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar

Place garlic cloves & salt in mortar and pound w/ pestle to a paste.  Add peppercorns and oregano, pounding each into the mix before adding the next.  Stir in the olive oil and vinegar.  Best when freshly made.

Use this peppery garlic rub to transform turkey into an irresistible meal!

Turkey Breast "Pavochon"

"Pavochon is a Puerto Rican word used to describe a turkey (pavo) seasoned and roasted like a suckling pig (lechón)."  ~Daisy

yield: ~12 svgs.

A double boneless turkey breast, skin left on

1/2 c. Adobo Mojado  see above

The first thing I had to do was bone a turkey breast...because I couldn't find one already boned anywhere!  It's easiest to use a flexible boning knife.  I just saved the bone/carcass that was left in the freezer for turkey stock.  Once you have your boneless double turkey breast w/ skin still attached...

Work from top (round end) and slip your fingers between the skin and the turkey, leaving skin attached along sides of breast.  Rub a generous amount of adobo under skin, massaging into meat.  Flip breast over and rub remaining adobo into skinless side of turkey, also.

Cut several 14" lengths of kitchen twine.  I realized too late that I didn't have any twine, so I improvised by cutting lengths of cheesecloth and twisting it into ropes.  Roll the breast up, tucking in any edges to make a tight, smooth roll.  Tie the breast securely at 1½ " intervals.  Wrap well in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight. 

Place an oven rack in lowest position and preheat to 400° F. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and let come to room temperature while oven is preheating.  Roast for 45 minutes.  Lower oven temperature to 375° F and continue roasting until thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers ~150° F, ~1 hour and 15 minutes.  The temp. will continue to rise as it sits outside of oven...reaching ultimate goal of 160-165° F. Remove and let stand for 20-30 mins. before carving.

Remove the twine and slice the turkey breast at a slighty angle into ¼" thick slices.

This is some of THE best turkey I've ever tasted in my life.  I think it was key leaving it to marinate overnight.  This was awesome eating just out of hand once it was sliced.

BUT, you cannot begin to imagine how double-awesome it was once it was added as a component in the Jibarito!

Jibaritos

"Jibarito is a termof endearment in Puerto Rico...it represents people who are the heart and soul of Puerto Rico."  This awesome sandwich is made with slices of fried plantain in place of bread.

yield: 2 sandwiches

2 green plantains

oil for frying

4 thickish slices Swiss Cheese

1 1/2 c. leftover thinly sliced Pavochon  see above

4 dill pickle slices  garlic dill

4 thin slices deli ham

2 Tbs. deli mustard

Peel the plantains.  Carefully cut them in half lengthwise.  Pour 1" oil into a large skillet and heat over medium until ~325° F.  Fry the platain halves, turning once, until they are tender when poked w/ the tip of a knife, but only just starting to brown, ~5 mins.  Remove and drain on paper towels until cool enogh to handle.  Lay still warm platain half flat side down on sturdy surface.  Pound w/ a flat-bottomed heavy skillet to an even thickness of ~¼".  Repeat w/ remaining halves.  Reheat oil over medium high until oil is ~375°F.  Fry the flattened plantains, turning once, until crisp and golden brown, ~5 mins.

Preheat a  sandwich or panini press.  Tear or cut the slices of cheese as necessary to cover two of the flattened plantain halves.  Top the cheese on each with an evenlayer of the turkey, then a layer of sliced pickle and 2 slices of ham.  Spread the mustard over the ham and top w/ two remaining plantain halves.  Cook in a sandwich or panini press until cheese is melted and centers are warmed through.  Cut in half and serve immediately. 

I drizzled it with Spicy Pineapple Vinegar (see below)...absolute insanity.  I cannot describe how fabulous this is.  The plantains turned bread were so rockin'!

Vinagre
Spicy Pineapple Vinegar
yield: ~4 c.

"A bottle of this spicy condiment is found on every table of every fonda in Puerto Rico.  It is, easily, more popular than ketchup."  ~Daisy

2 ripe pineapples
1/2 lg. Spanish onion, thinly sliced
20 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
6 habañero chiles, stemmed & coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. cider vinegar, plus more as needed
1 Tbs. smashed fresh oregano leaves
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. kosher or fine sea salt, plus more as needed

Peel the pineapples and set aside the peel for use.  Save the pineapple for eating or use in something else.  Put rinds in a pot large enough to hold them comfortably, pour in enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Adjust heat so liquid is at a gentle boil and cook until rinds are very tender, ~30 mins.  If water dips below rinds, top off as necessary to keep them submerged.

Meanwhile, put onion, garlic, chiles, vinegar. oregano, peppercorns, and salt in a large jar (or two smaller) w/ tight fitting lid.  Strain pineapple liquid into large measuring cup or bowl.  Pour into the jar of seasonings. Taste and add a little salt or vinegar if you think it needs it.  Can be used as soon as it cools, but will get better as it sits.  Keep in fridge for up to 2 months.

We finished off the meal with a simple plate of cookies and some strong coffee...

Mantecadas

Puerto Rican Shortbread Cookies

yield:~30 cookies

slightly adapted

2 c. AP flour

1 c. almond flour

1/3 c. sugar

pinch salt

8 oz. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 XL eggs  I used 3 lg. eggs, well beaten

~2/3 c. guava (or any) jelly  I used mango butter and strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Line 2 baking sheets w/ parchment.  Stir together flours, sugar and salt in medium bowl.  Add butter and work into dry ingredients w/ your fingertips until there is almost no trace of the butter left.  Dough should be loose and crumbly.  Add eggs and stir until dough is smooth and no longer crumbly.

Using 1 level Tbs. for each, roll dough into balls and set ~1½" apart on prepared baking sheets.  Press down firmly on center of each dough ball w/ your thumb to flatten it out and create a deep well.  Spoon ~½ tsp. jelly into each well.  Bake until cookies are very pale golden around edges, ~25 mins.

We absolutely loved every minute of our Big, Fat, Puerto Rican Meal!! Be sure to head over to Regional Recipes to check out what Puerto Rican recipes everybody else ventured into this month...plus, you have til the end of the month to join in the PR fun!

Chickpea & Sweet Potato Soup (Ethiopian-inspired)

Just gonna put a quickie out today.  I seem to have fallen behind in so many things over the past couple of weeks.  Visiting, commenting, organizing, thinking!  That's me...yes woman.  Has a hard time turning things down.  Figure I can fit it in somewhere...I can do it all!  Maybe if I try real hard.  Maybe if the day would have at least 8 more hours in which to accomplish the various tings on my list...some of which I've surely already forgotten.  One thing that's been on that list for the past month is cooking up something Ethiopian.  One. Whole. Month.  That's how long I've been sitting on this...pondering.  My dish ended up more Ethiopian-inspired (flavors) than authentic Ethiopian, I think...  Ahhh.  And I really wanted to make some Injera bread to go with it.  That was really my main goal.  BUT, my former omelette pan-slash-crepe pan is s-h-o-t SHOT.  Why?  Because even though I swore when I bought it that I would ONLY use it for omelettes, crepes, or fried eggs...it of course got used for many other things.  Sticky things, scrapey things, smooth-nonstick, easy-flip surface-ruining things!  Soooo, instead I bring you a simple soup-ish (was going for a stew...sigh) Ethiopian-inspired dish...

Ethiopian-inspired Chickpea & Sweet Potato Soup
from the kitchen of girlichef

olive oil
~3 c. chickpeas (~1/2 lb. before cooking)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1" pc. of ginger, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, peel & pureéd
4 c. vegetable broth (or any bone broth if not vegetarian)
2 lg. sweet potatoes, peel & diced
~2 Tbs. Berbere (an Ethiopian Spice mix, recipe below)

Toss the drained chickpeas with a bit of olive oil and spread on a parchment lined sheet tray.  Cook in a 450 degree F oven for ~30 mins., stirring once, until the chickpeas are very dry and golden.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a med-large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the garlic, onion, and ginger and stir until soft and fragrant.  Add the Berbere and stir for a minute or so to release the oils in the spices.  Add bell pepper and pureéd tomatoes, cook another couple minutes.  Add roasted chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and broth.  Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover partially and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender.  Check seasoning and season w/ salt & pepper if necessary.  If stewy enough, serve over Injera bread...or simply eat from a bowl...you can always dip some flat bread.

Berbere Spice
adapted from several recipes I found around the net


2 tsp. cumin seeds whole
7 ea. cloves, whole
3/4 tsp. cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, whole
3 ea.. allspice berries, whole
1 tsp. fenugreek
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds, whole
10 small dried red chiles, stemmed
3/4 tsp. dried ginger 
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. sea salt
2 1/2 Tbs. mild paprika
1/8 tsp. cinnamon


In small pan, on a low heat, toast cumin, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, allspice, and corainder for ~2 minutes, shaking constantly.  Let cool slightly.  In a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle, finely grind together the toasted spices and chilies.  Store in airtight container.

This post is linked to:

MLLA was started by Susan at Well Seasoned Cook.

It's all Greek to me...Potato, Onion & Caper Salad and Dolmades!

This month has FLOWN by!  Seriously...where does the time go?  I told myself I was going to get my rear in gear and participate in my pal Joanne's Regional Recipes this month and I almost missed it!  But the month is not yet over, and here I am...sliding in under the wire!  This month's region is Greece...when I think Greek food, I think flaming cheese and dolmades!  Nothing wrong with that.  As a matter of fact...everything is RIGHT with that.  Cheese with booze ignited and oozing...oh man!  I would have made Saganaki if I'd had the time foresight to make (or buy) the cheese!  As a matter of fact, just talking about it is bringing on a whopper of a craving. 

But, back to the task at hand...I bought a gorgeous little bunch...if you can refer to potatoes in the term bunch...of multi-colored fingerlings at the farmer's market a week or so ago and really needed to use them!  So, I searched out Greek recipes that contained potatoes...and I find one that became a quick favorite.  I love potato salads made with vinegar, but mostly have it German-style (BACON!).  This particular recipe is fabulous...is packed full of those addictive, salty little bubbles...capers!  In a cookbook I found at the library called Modern Greece by Andy Harris, the recipes intro says... "In the Cycladic Islands, capers grow wild on the cliffs.  Picked and pickled by most families, they are added to this frugal salad found often in the summer months at the lunchtime table."  So, I will close my eyes and imagine I'm in that picturesque fairytale of a country...

Potato, Onion and Caper Salad
serves 4

2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks I (almost) never peel my potatoes
1 medium sized red onion, peeled and thinly slice I (almost) always DO peel my onions
1/3 c. capers, rinsed
3 Tbs finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes and drain in a colander.  Transfer to a large bowl and combine with all the other ingredients, seasoning the salad with salt and pepper.  Serve while potatoes are still warm.

My oldest son...potato-lover extraordinaire...LOVED this!  Me too ;-)

Since I have a plethora of grape leaves available right outside my door, I decided I had to make a few dolmades, too.  I was gonna hold off because I have an upcoming post about preserving grape leaves...but it fit, so...

No exact recipe...if using fresh grape leaves, rinse and blanch them for about a minute before using.  Lay out one of the blanched (or preserved/rinsed) leaves, shiny side down.  Place a heaping teaspoon (or more if the leaf is large enough) of your preferred stuffing in middle.  Fold in the sides, then roll loosely.  Line them up in a large pot, place a plate on top, to weigh them down.  Add water to cover and simmer gently for ~40 minutes.  These particular dolmades were stuffed with brown rice, red salad onions, garlic, mint, toasted pinenuts seasoned w/ salt & pepper.  Leave the rice raw, it will cook in the process.  You can add cooked, ground meat to the mixture...and raisins, too...but I was in the mood for meatless and I was out of raisins!

This is my entry into Joanne of Eats Well with Others' Regional Recipes: Greece event...whew, nothing like procrastinating.  I'm also sending the salad over to another friend, Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays this week and Reeni of Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice and her Side Dish Showdown, plus I'm adding it to this weeks Two for Tuesdays post!