tasting memories

Drank a bottle of Pinot Noir tonight and proceeded to make coq au vin. I was ispired by Alton Brown's Good Eats episode "Cuckoo about Coq au Vin" last week. It sounded like the perfect meal for these cold winter days here in New York City. I did a little research and found a few more recipes for Coq au Vin. The Guardian article by Nigel Slater "Perfect Coq au Vin" provided much of the inspiration for this recipe. He says "I love a recipe that really works, where you feel there is something unequivocally right about it. Where the cook has remained true to the dish, to its provenance, its history, its soul." I couldn't agree more. This dish speaks of tradition, confort and soul: down to earth and heart warming.

A note about this recipe: I strongly recommend that you follow Alton Brown's advise to refrigerate this dish overnight before serving. The flavor is noticeably better the next day. You can either prepare the whole recipe and simply warm the next day or prepare to step 6, add the chicken to the wine sauce, cover and refrigerate overnight and begin at step 7 by warming the contents, removing the chicken and proceeding to thicken the sauce.

Coq Au Vin
1 stewing chicken, cut into pieces (or approx 6 lbs. of boned chicken pieces)
3/4 cups pancetta or 1/2 cup salt pork
2 medium onions
1 large carrot
2 ribs of celery
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cognac
1 bottle of red wine
4 or 5 small sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves
1/3 cup butter
24 to 30 pearl onions, peeled
1/2 pound small mushrooms
2 cups chicken stock

1. Cut the pancetta or salt pork into short strips. Cook over medium heat in a large heavy casserole (cast iron or enamelled work best), stirring occassionally until golden. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside, leaving behind the fat in the pan.

2. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and place them in the hot fat in the casserole. Brown the chicken on all sides until golden brown. (Note from Mr. Slater: "The skin should be honey coloured rather than brown - it is this colouring of the skin, rather than what wine or herbs you might add later, that is crucial to the flavour of the dish.") Remove the cooked chicken and set aside.

3. While the chicken is colouring in the pan, peel and roughly chop the onions and carrot, and wash and chop the celery. With the chicken out, add the onions and carrot to the pan and cook slowly, stirring from time to time, until the onion is translucent and it has gone some way to dissolving some of the pan stickings. Add the garlic, peeled and thinly sliced, as you go. Return the chicken and pancetta to the pan, stir in the flour and let everything cook for a minute or two before pouring in the cognac, wine and tucking in the herbs. Spoon in ladles of the simmering chicken stock until the entire chicken is covered. Bring to the boil, then, just as it gets there, turn the heat down so that the sauce bubbles gently. Cover partially with a lid.

4. Melt the butter in a medium pan, add the small peeled onions and then the mushrooms, halving or quartering them if they are too big. Let them cook until they are golden, remove from pan and set them aside.

5. Check the chicken after 40 minutes to see how tender it is. It should be soft but not falling from its bones. It will probably take about an hour, depending on the type of chicken you are using. Lift the chicken out and into a bowl.

6. Strain the sauce and remove the vegetables.

7. Return the sauce to the pot and turn the heat up under the sauce and let it bubble enthusiastically until it has reduced a little. As it bubbles down it will become thicker - though not thick - and will become quite glossy.

8. Return the chicken to the pan along with the mushroom and onions. Serve with noodles or boiled potatoes.

Makes 6 servings.

Have you ever had a cubano that was so good you couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the day? Well, Angelica and I just had that cubano today at Mi Floridita Restaurant. We happened upon the place and stopped there for lunch. It has all the signatures of a great Latin family restaurant. At the center of the restaurant is a bar area where the server expertly slices the pernil (pork) and layers the sandwich with ham, swiss cheese and that wonderful garlic sauce. Everything about the preparation was done with care, right in front of you. She took her time making these sandwiches, and I tell you they are worth the wait. We were delighted and at $4.50 a sandwich, you can't beat the price.
If want to eat a cubano to remember, stop at Mi Floridita Restaurant on the corner of Broadway and 129th Street (just a few blocks north of the 1 train on 125th street).

Mi Floridita Restaurant
3219 Broadway
New York, NY 10027-2326
Phone: (212) 662-0090
Map

Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

There's something about this breakfast that makes me feel like a whole person. It's super simple and energizing. The trick is using ingredients you enjoy.

Use your favorite yogurt. I prefer the yogurts that are tart and made with live cultures in smaller quantities. In the New York area Ronnybrook's yogurts are wonderful. My favorite is the Maple Vanilla Yogurt.

About oats: It's a matter of preference and what you have in your kitchen, but I would encourage you to use rolled 'old fashioned' oats. I just love the flavor and texture of raw oats.

More of a guideline than an actual recipe...

Yogurt, Oats and Fresh Fruit
1/2 cup yogurt
a handful of rolled oats (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup fresh berries or sliced fruit (banana, apple, peaches, pears)
if you use plain yogurt, add honey or fruit preserves to taste (like apple butter, jam or jelly)

Serving Ideas:
1. My favorite: arrange all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy.

2. If you don't enjoy the texture of raw oats, try this: mix ingredients in a bowl, stir and store in the refrigerator overnight. The oats will absorb the liquid of the yogurt and have the consistency of cooked oats.

3. Make a smoothie: Place all ingredients in a blender with ice cubes and a splash of soy milk, blend until smooth. Serve in a glass.

Makes 1 serving.

I love these Chow Tips from Chow - quick bursts of cooking information. Awesome!

Try this one:

Plate by Roger Baumann. Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.

I grew nostalgic for this most common Puerto Rican food when I first moved to Montana. It was then that I began experimenting with different empanadilla pastry recipes. I've tried different versions with canola oil or butter, but I find that shortening works best. Carmen Aboy Valldejuli's recipe in "Juntos en la Cocina" is the one I like best (sorry, i could not find the english translation of this book). It yields a dry but flaky dough. Below is my translation of that recipe. Note: this dough is best used fresh, not frozen.

Empanadilla Pastry
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3/4 cups cold water

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Cut the vegetable shortening into the flour mixture until it forms coarse grains the size of garbanzos. Work quickly to prevent melting the shortening.

2. Add the cold water slowly while using a fork to blend it into the four mixture. Mix well until there is no loose flour left in the bottom of the bowl.

3. Turn your dough into a work surface dusted with flour. Knead just until the dough is well incorporated, smooth and no longer sticks to your fingers. As you knead, add flour when needed to prevent sticking. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.

4. Roll the dough into a twelve inch log and cut into twelve 1 inch pieces.

5. Place one piece in a work surface dusted with flour. Work with a floured rolling pin to create a disk six inches in diameter. Set disk aside and dust with flour. Begin to roll the next disk.

6. Once all twelve disks have been rolled, proceed to fill the empanadillas with filling of choice. See the Baked Beef Empanadilla recipe for instructions on how to prepare the filling and assemble them. Cover the unused disks with a damp cloth until you are ready to use them.

Makes 12 disks.

Empanadillas in Ponce. Photo by Scott Bartolomei Edmonds. More at smatter.tv

The essential Puerto Rican street food, empanadillas, are served at roadside stands, street events, mom and pop cafeterias, and restaurants all over the island. You will find these savory pockets prominently displayed in glass cases with heating lamps. They are stuffed with ground beef, chicken, cheese, and even guava paste. Drive by coastal towns like Salinas and you will find grandmas with aprons wrapped around their big bellies, frying them in cast iron cauldrons filled with hot oil. There, you will find seafood empanadillas stuffed with crab, shrimp, lobster, conch, and chapín (a local fish). If you visit Puerto Rico, you must try freshly fried empanadillas.

You have some choices if you want to make empanadillas at home:

Time - The first choice is how much time do you want to invest in the empanadilla making process. For those of us who crave empanadillas but don't have a whole afternoon to invest, try Goya's "Discos" found in your supermarket's freezer aisle. Making the homemade dough is a time consuming process, but worth the work as the results are great.

Filling - Select your choice of filling. The recipe I've included is for baked ground beef empanadillas, but you can easily substitute shredded chicken, seafood, or pork. Whenever my grandma made empanadillas and had leftover pastry, she would fill them with sliced cheddar cheese or guava paste - easy and delicious. My brother's favorite empanadilla filling is pizza (the Puerto Rican version of a calzone). My point is, be creative with your filling.

Baking Method - "Baked or fried?" is the question. Traditional Puerto Rican empanadillas are fried, period. But if I make these at home, I often opt for the baked version as a healthier and easier alternative.

Once you've made these choices you are ready to make empanadillas. If you make a large batch, prepare them to step 5. Assemble them in a flat container with waxed paper in between each empanadilla, cover and freeze. When you are ready to bake or fry, simply take them out of the freezer and pop them in the oven/fryer.

Empanadillas
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup of ketchup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
1/4 cup chopped raisins
1 hard boiled egg, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
12 empanadilla pastry disks, thawed (pre-made or homemade)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup oil

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a medium heavy skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the onion, pepper, garlic, and meat. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Drain the fat and add the ketchup, cumin, olives, raisins, and boiled egg. Cook for another 5 minutes until well incorporated. Remove pan from the stove. Add cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

4. Prepare your work surface to assemble the empanadillas by having the following handy: empanadilla pastry disks, baking sheet, fork, bowl of water, and the cooled filling.

5. Place a disk on your work surface and add 2 to 3 tablespoons filling. Moisten edges of disk with water and fold over to form a semicircle. Crimp the edge with a fork, turn over and crimp the edges with a fork again. Set the empanadilla in the cookie sheet and repeat.

6. Brush the empanadillas with oil and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Makes 12 empanadillas.