A Brazilian Feast!

Several weeks ago I decided to host a Brazilian send-off for two new friends that were going to Sao Paolo. On the menu was bolinhos de bacalhau, marinated pork loin, sautéed collard greens, rice, beans, and of course caipirinhas. When I first was introduced to Brazilian food the first dish that I first fell in love with was the bolinhos de bacalhau, or codfish fritters. Over the years I have developed my own little ritual for eating them, which includes a squeeze of lime, a dash of Tabasco and a spoonful of Brazilian vinaigrette (recipe below). This is not the traditional way to eat them, but like many of my food compulsions, once I find a flavor combination that I like, long standing tradition goes out the window.

These still are quite possibly one of my favorite things to eat and at dinner parties they fly off the table. The ingredients are cheap, the flavor wonderful and they can either be served as an appetizer or as part of the main meal. Malaguetta pepper hot sauce is always present and capirinhas are consumed faster than my husband can make them. The recipes for the foregoing are all below and I hope you will try one, if not all, of the dishes featured. Although I am not Brazilian, my husband is, so with his nod of approval I can guarantee that this food is authentic and delicious!

Bolinhos de Bacalhau:

1 lb of salt cod soaked for 2 days. Change the water several times. (Some recipes call for a longer period of time but I feel that this removes too much salt.)

2 large potatoes (you will need two cups)(white, Yukon or any type that mash well)

2 Tbs finely chopped parsley

1 cup of bread crumbs

several dashes of garlic powder

2 eggs separated with the yolks lightly beaten

¼ cup milk (optional)

1 bay leaf

1 Tbs of peppercorns

½ yellow onion sliced

salt to taste

1 quart of vegetable oil for frying

Newspaper and/pr paper towel for draining

Hot sauce

4 limes quartered

(Note: You can find salt codfish at Whole Foods, but it is a lot cheaper if you go to a store in Chinatown or in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish or South American neighborhoods.)

Add the codfish, bay leaf, peppercorns and the onion with enough water to cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. (I have read that if you overcook the fish will toughen but I never saw a difference when I forgot the codfish too long)(You can also store the fish in the mixture for more flavor).

Peel and cube the potatoes and boil in salted water until they are soft enough to mash.

Drain the codfish and place in a food processor. As I add the codfish I go through it and remove any bones or pieces of skin. Pulse the fish until it is in tiny bits. (You can also shred by hand if you do not have a food processor.) Add the parsley and garlic powder and continue to pulse until everything is incorporated. Place the mixture into a large bowl and using a potato ricer add the potato. If you do not have a ricer, mash finely using a fork. I add a little potato at a time checking for flavor as I go. Add salt, mix thoroughly and taste for seasoning.

Add the egg yolks and incorporate. If the mixture is too dry add some milk to moisten, if too wet, bread crumbs to absorb the moisture. Take the remaining egg whites and beat until soft peaks form and then fold into the mixture. This extra step is not necessary, but I feel that it creates a fluffier bolinho. Chill for several hours until the mixture firms up.

When ready to cook take an ice cream scoop or two spoons and create evenly portioned little croquettes. You can make then round, oblong, or quenelles. Gently coat in bread crumbs and set aside until ready to fry. You can even do this the morning of, but remember to refrigerate!

In a heavy bottomed deep pan, preferably cast iron, fry at 375 degrees until golden brown. (If you do not have a thermometer, you can use my grandmother's technique, which is adding a little piece of bread to the oil to see if its hot enough. If it is ready, the bread will rise and start to have little bubbles around it.

Remember not to overcrowd the pan or they will not cook properly. The temperature will also drop when you add the food so you need to regulate accordingly. Turn the fritters while cooking to ensure even color. Drain on paper towels and salt while hot. Serve with limes, hot sauce and vinegraitte.

Vinaigrette:

1 small tomato cored, seeded and finely chopped

1 small yellow onion finely chopped

½ green pepper finely chopped

3 Tbs olive oil

Enough red wine vinegar to cover the mixture by ½ inch. About 1 cup.

Salt to taste

(Note: This is great over rice and beans or steak!)

Sauteed Collar Greens:

1 bunch of collar greens washed and cored. I take the tough vein out with a knife but you can also fold the leaf in half and rip it out.

4-6 cloves finely minced garlic

Olive Oil

Salt

Layer the greens so the largest one is on the outside and roll tightly. Fasten with rubber bands or hold firmly with your hand. Finely slice as in the picture below. Many Brazilians pride themselves on how thin they can slice them. My husband’s father is particularly good at this.

Add the garlic to the oil and start to heat. Cook garlic for a minute or two, making sure not to burn it. Add the greens, tossing while cooking, so the garlic is incorporated. Cook until tender. They should still be bright green (see below). Salt to taste.

(Note: These are a nutritious and delicious side that go well with everything from fish, meat or just rice and beans. Make sure your pan is large enough. The greens will reduce quickly, but they will take a lot of room in the beginning.)

The pork loin was delicious! The recipe was created by Devaki at Weave a Thousand Flavors and you can find her recipe at: http://www.weavethousandflavors.com/2010/02/a-spin-on-brazillian-feijoada-pork-tenderloin-marinated-in-feijioda-inspired-spices-roasted-with-a-o.html

I only had time to marinate the pork for two days, but it was still great and the glaze was amazing. I like my pork medium, so I cooked it at 425 – until it reached 138 on an internal thermometer and then let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Around 45-50 minutes. I served it on a platter surrounded by the collard greens and sliced oranges.

Caipirinha:

4 ounces cachaca (I like them strong)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 lime quartered and sliced

Muddle the lime and sugar very well. The longer you take doing this, the better it will taste. (The best caipirnha I ever had even removed the skin of the lime but this takes a bit longer. Try it if you have time). Add the cachaca, ice and shake.

You can also add strawberries, mango or passionfruit! Strawberry is my favorite!

Passion Fruit Caipirinha

Bom Apetite!

The New Amsterdam Market/City of Merchants

So my post on profiteroles has gotten significant airtime and now it is time to upload another review. This post was originally supposed to go up last week, but unfortunately life and reality television got in the way. I hope you will still continue to follow my blog after I admit that I am a die hard follower of the NY and NJ Housewives sagas.

Despite my weakness for trashy television, I always demand quality food and it was at the City of Merchants, which I attend on Sunday, May 18, 2010, that I was able to get a tummy's worth of delectable treats. The City of Merchants was a fundraiser for the New Amsterdam Market and despite my recent tight budget, this was one dining experience I was not going to miss! Particularly since the ticket paid for itself in food, beer, wine and dessert!

Last year I discovered the New Amsterdam Market and immediately fell in love. Ironically the Market was only several blocks from my apartment and I never knew about it until I read a post on Grub Street (another new favorite of mine). Ever since the Fish Market left Fulton Street, the area has been left unused and the founders of the New Amsterdam Market are now attempting to bring back a year long market of local purveyors and food artisans. In their own words, the New Amsterdam Market is,

"To be comprised of retail and wholesale vendors including butchers, grocers, mongers, farmers and provisioners, bakers and distributors, brokers, importers, and sellers of cooked foods, New Amsterdam Market will follow a local tradition, set by the market halls of old New York." www.newamsterdammarket.org

For those local to New York, this post may be the first notification you receive about the New Amsterdam Market and I hope you will attend. For those who do not live regionally, I hope this post will inspire you to source locally and perhaps get creative with some of the ingredients featured below.

ICED TISANES!

Refreshing iced chamomile and mint Tisanes by McEnroe Farm of Duchess County, New York.

HOUSE-CURED HAM AND CHEESE!

House-cured ham and cheese sandwiches with, what I am guessing to be, an amazing butter/tarragon spread, by Brooklyn's Marlow and Daughters. These mini sandwiches were so good I had three and even used my last ticket to get one, thereby forfeiting ice my right to cream. Fortunately my friend Lineka gave me a spoonful of her's!

GRILLED KIMCHI-CHESSE SANDWICHES!

Above are kimchi grilled cheese sandwiches by Mother-In-Law's Kimchi and Saxelby Cheesemongers. Although I did not get the recipe, I would imagine the kimchi would be good with a mild cheddar or any other mild cheese. Delicious and perfect with beer!!

FRIED FISH!

When I was a little girl I refused to eat fish. My Greek Grandfather, Efstratios, would insist that I eat all sorts of fish, head to tail, explaining that it would make my brain grown. Not sure how large my brain is, but my stomach has grown plenty and now one of my favorite foods is baby fried fish. (If you ever having a craving like I do for baby fried fish, the ones at Uncle Nick's on 9th Avenue and 51st are really good.)

ICE CREAM!

This ice cream came all the way from Vermont (I think) and it was great! I had a craving for strawberry ice cream and this definitely hit the spot. As you already read, I ran out of tickets and could not get my own, but fortunately Lineka was gracious enough to give me a spoonful of her's. I am a salt freak and she has a sweet tooth, so the friendship works well.

EDIBLE BOTANICALS!

Earlier in the morning on the day of the event there was to be a sale of wild, edible botanicals. Unfortunately they were unable to forage enough to sell, but we were allowed to sample. Who knew you could eat cattails! (Cattails shown on the left.) After sampling some amaranth and water mint, which really cleared by sinuses, I did a bit of foraging of my own and was able to find wild strawberries, dandelion greens, a mulberry bush and an apricot tree! The funny thing about New York City is that you never know what you may find, from strawberries to crack dens, we have it all!

As the date approaches I will do another post/reminder on the New Amsterdam Market with photos from last year. The first one this year is on June 27, 2010 and it will be located at 100 Peck Slip, in lower Manhattan. They are usually on Sunday and are monthly. For more information and the schedule go to www.newamsterdammarket.org.

Happy Eating!

Profiteroles with Orange Blossom Pastry Cream

My love affair with profiteroles started almost 16 years ago (yikes!) when I first started working at I Tre Merli as a bartender. On the menu they had a dish called Bongo Bongo, which consisted of profiteroles filled with ice cream and topped with a warm chocolate sauce. The dish was simple, yet it was amazing, and for some reason I was never able to find it anywhere else. Every time I saw profiteroles on a menu I got excited and inevitably when I ordered the I was always disappointed because the pastry chef, however talented he may have been, overcomplicated the dish by adding weird fillings and sauces. For this reason, as usually happens when I cannot find a dish the exact way I want it, I decided to make it myself.

The first time I made profiteroles I was scared and did not think that I would be able to recreate those puffs of joy, but I can assure you that they are not hard to make. The nice thing about profiteroles is that they are versatile and never cease to impress. You will need to familiarize yourself with the use of a pastry bag, but this is a skill that you will be able to use time and time again. Once mastered you can make savory gougeres, a.k.a cheese profiteroles and other delectable treats.

Although you can cut the profiteroles in half and fill them with ice cream and top with chocolate sauce, the profiteroles in this recipe have been filled with pastry cream. The pastry cream is inspired from a dessert at Tabla, Chef Floyd Cardoz’ restaurant in Gramercy, which consisted of beignets with an orange blossom dipping sauce. The flavors at this restaurant are inspiring and you cannot help but think about how you can incorporate them into your next dish.

Pate a Choux

1 stick of butter

1 cup of water

1 tsp of sugar

½ tsp of salt

1 cup of flour

4-5 large eggs

In a heavy bottomed saucepan bring to a boil the butter, water, sugar and salt. Remove from the heat and add in the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated and then return to the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes, while continuously stirring, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and leaves a light residue on the bottom of the pan.

Remove from the heat and add the dough to a stand mixer with the beating attachment and beat on low speed for 2-3 minutes until slightly cool. On medium speed, one by one, add the eggs until fully incorporated. Beat for a minute on medium speed. When done the batter should create a string when the beater is lifted from the bowl. (See photo below). If the consistency is not right, beat the last egg with a little water and add a little at a time until you get the right consistency.

Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag with a pastry tip and pipe into little circles as in the photo below. Use your discretion with the size of the pastry tip you want to use. If I want to make larger pate a choux for a dinner party, I will use a larger tip, for larger groups, I will make smaller ones.

When filling my pastry bag I find it useful to place the bag in a large glass and pull the bag over the sides of the glass to stabilize before I fill. Otherwise everything goes all over the place and I get more of my filling on the floor then in the bag.

You can brush the pan with butter, but I find it easiest to use a Silpat (in my amazon.com store below).

After finished piping, flatten the tips (see below) with an egg-water wash. I usually use the leftover egg mixture that I added to thin the pate a choux batter.

In a preheated oven bake the profiteroles at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and then reduce to 350 and cook until the are golden brown. This usually takes another 10-15 minutes. Cool completely before you fill with the pastry cream.

Pastry Cream

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

¼ cup honey

¼ sugar

pinch of salt

3 Tbs plus 1 tsp cornstarch

2 Tbs unsalted butter cut into pieces

2 tsp orange blossom flower water

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat milk, honey and salt to a simmer over medium heat and set aside. In a separate bowl beat the sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch one tablespoon at a time, fully incorporating each tablespoon before you add the next.

In a low stream add half of the milk to the egg mixture to temper. (Err on the side of caution when you first learn this technique and incorporate a little of the heated milk slowly or else your eggs will scramble.) Return the egg-milk mixture to the remaining milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat while continuously whisking until the custard thickens.

Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter one piece at a time and then add the orange blossom water. Place in another bowl and line the surface with saran wrap so a skin doesn’t form. Chill in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.

When ready to assemble whip the heavy cream until soft peaks are formed and fold into the pastry cream to lighten. Fill a pastry bag with the mixture, as described above, and pipe through the bottom into the profiteroles. Top with powdered sugar.

You can find orange blossom water at most gourmet markets, Middle-Eastern stores, or in my store on amazon.com below.

For step, by step photos and more pastry arts techniques, check out http://www.joepastry.com/.

Thea and Lineka's Filipino Brunch

Lineka Rocking The Electric Wok and Making Garlic Rice

Anyone that knows me will attest to the fact that I rarely relinquish control of my kitchen. Several weeks ago, however, I broke my own rules and allowed my two dear friends, Lineka and Thea, to take over my kitchen and prepare a magnificent Filipino Brunch! The food was Devine, as was the company. The menu included cantaloupe juice, beef tapa, fish daing, ponsit, garlic rice, green papaya salad, several types of longanisa and various condiments and sauces.

It was my first time eating Filipino food and I will definitely be going back for more. Since the food of the Philippines has been influenced by many other cultures, you are never bored and the palate in constantly stimulated. So as not to forget this delicious food, and a super great day, I convinced Thea and Lineka to each contribute a family recipe so you too can have a Filipino Brunch!

(Left, Thea scooping out the contents of a cantaloupe with a fork for a refreshing juice. Traditionally only water and sugar are added, but we decided to also go with vodka which definitely got the party started.)

Thea's Tapa:

2 lbs London broil, sirloin or short ribs (short ribs are Thea’s preference).

Marinade: 1/3 cup soy sauce, 5 tablespoons of brown sugar and 4 cloves minced garlic. (Alternately you can use salt and regular sugar in 1 to 4 ratio but Thea finds its more flavorful with the soy sauce and brown sugar. I have also seen some recipes that call for the addition of plum wine and/or rice wine vinegar.)

Cut meat in thin slices at 30 degree angles and marinate for 24 hours. The next day grill or pan fry. Serve with garlic rice, longanisa, a fried egg and tomato-onion compote referenced below.

Lineka’s Garlic Rice: (image above) fry minced garlic (to taste) in olive oil and add pre-cooked rice. Stir to combine and add salt to taste. Lineka recommends adding some garlic powder to the water that you cook the rice in for extra kick. She warns that this version may best be eaten alone and definitely not before a first date.

Lineka’s Directions/Comments on Longanisa:

Longanisa can be found at any large Asian grocery store in the frozen section. Usually, they come in packs of 8 and you have a choice of regular, sweet, or hot and, if lucky, a selection of pork, beef, or chicken. Traditionally, longanisa is made up of pork (wild boar)...and with all the typical sausage cuts (cheeks, snouts, tails, etc). I've read that, because meat grinders were not readily available in the Philippines back in the day, all meat had to be chopped by hand, so a traditional longanisa filling should be chunkier than a kielbasa or a merguez sausage. That is really what gives longanisa its character.

To cook place frozen sausages in a sauce pan, fill with water, and bring to a boil (there's no need to let them thaw). Boil for about 8-10 minutes, depending on package directions. Then place in a non-stick fry pan with just a small bit of olive oil (the sausages will give off their oil as you cook) and cook, turning frequently, until browned, about 8-10 minutes.

Tomato-Onion Compote: Dice several ripe tomatoes and yellow/Spanish onions. How you make yours depends on your personal taste. Lineka's family likes a to 2:1 tomato to onion ratio, but it can also be 1:1 if you like onions. Place in a small bowl and add white or cider vinegar (or a mix of both) halfway up the bowl. Lineka also likes to add a little bit of patis (fish sauce) for saltiness. If you aren't hard core, you can just use a pinch of regular kosher salt. Let rest for at least 30 minutes so it can soak up the vinegar.

For additional Filipino Recipes please see, Memories of Philippine Kitchens. My friends say it's great and you can find it in my Amazon.com store below. It also is on my “Wish List,” hint, hint, if anyone is looking to buy me an early Christmas present.

Kainan na!

NYC Food Film Festival

For those of you who think that all my posts will be voluminous and long winded, the following is in your honor. Today at noon (ok I am a little behind) tickets went on sale for the NYC Food Film Festival! I just learned about this festival earlier this month through an article in Edible Manhattan. I am super excited since there is nothing I like more than eating and learning about food! Although I tried to get free tickets for the "Food Truck Drive-In Movie", I found out too late and unfortunately all the free tickets were "sold out." :( Since I am too broke to buy tickets, I plan on taking my iPod to Battery Park City and sitting in front of a Halal cart and pretending I am there. Sad I know, but all is not lost since I am pleased to announce that I have just secured four tickets to the "Edible Adventure; Smokes, Ears and Ice Cream Event!" If anyone wants to join me, is interested in other tickets, or simply wants to find out more about the event, get on it and follow the link below!

http://nycfoodfilmfestival.com/index.html

I would also like to give a shoutout to the people at the NYC Food Festival, who are super nice and were kind enough to provide me with their logo.

My Favorite Vietnamese Restaurant

There are many reasons why I love my husband, but one in particular is because he introduced me to Brazilian and Vietnamese cuisine. Prior to meeting him I had never tried food from these cultures and now these two countries are on the top of my culinary list. As much as I love Greek food (clearly my last three posts have been very Greek-centric) I have to say that if I ever was on death row, Pho would be my last meal.

When we first moved to Philly a friend of my husband's recommend a restaurant simply called "Vietnam." After we first ate there it was all over for us. We quickly became converts and started a weekly ritual of ordering two Phos and one mixed platter of appetizers to share. When we moved back to New York City I started jonesing for Vietnamese and the hunt began! After some trial and error, and a bit of Internet research, I found Xe Lua. Xe Lua is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC, if not my favorite, and I ritually frequent this establishment once a week.

While other's consider Saturday brunch a time for Belgian waffles and eggs Benedict, I consider it a time for green papaya salad, vegetarian spring rolls, barbecued quail and Pho. I have tried to make Pho at home, and even tried a vegan version, but it never comes out the same. Until I get the anise, clove, cinnamon and beef stock proportions right, I will continue to surrender myself to Xe Lua.

I do not want to discredit other Vietnamese restaurants, because I clearly have not tried them all, but why try any other place else when the service at Xe Lua is friendly, the atmosphere inviting and the food exceptional! I am a creature of habit and this place is a mainstay in my weekly routine. Aside from my own converts that eat frequently at Xe Lua, the restaurant is also filled with native Vietnamese. In my book that is the sign of a great restaurant and I hope you feel the same!

Below is the link to Xe Lua's website. Although I fought with idea of releasing their secret location, I finally decided that the world, and at least New York, would be a better place if more people ate at Xe Lua.

XE LUA

86 Mulberry Street,

New York, New York

(212) 577-8887

http://xeluanewyork.com/

Perfect Greek Salad

Greek food is the perfect example of why less is more and why the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference in the world. Last week after watching an episode of “The Best thing I Ever Ate,” my husband asked me what my favorite dish was, and the things that came to mind were sea urchin, octopus, tomatoes and fondue. It was an interesting exercise in self-examination, because I realized that my favorite dishes are often the simplest. One of my other favorite things to eat is a Greek salad. Not the one you get at diners or your average Greek restaurant, but the one they serve in Greece. The simple one, the one without radishes, anchovies, dolmades or lettuce. Yes, lettuce, you heard me correctly, there is NO Lettuce in a Greek salad.

Now don’t get me wrong, Greeks like lettuce and in fact we have many salads and dishes with leafy Greens. It is just that lettuce has no place in a classic Greek salad. I have pondered why lettuce appears in the Greek salad west of the Atlantic and have come to two conclusions. First, lettuce helps to keep costs down since it acts as filler and two, restaurant owners were probably afraid that if lettuce wasn’t present, customers wouldn’t think it was an actual salad. You would think that something as simple as a Greek salad would not need a lengthy post or recipe, but I can assure you that other than in Greece, there are very few places where I can get a decent Greek salad.

What makes this salad difficult is finding the right ingredients. Your tomatoes need to be perfectly ripe, your olive oil needs to be the best and your black olives cannot come out of a can. Kalamatas are preferable, but I have gotten away with Nicoise. In Greece you can order either a tomato-cucumber salad (Anguro-Tomata) or Greek village salad (Horiatiki). The difference is that the latter has cheese and olives, but other than that they are the same.

Greek Village Salad a.k.a The Greek Salad

2-3 super ripe tomatoes cut into eights

½ an English or seedless cucumber halved, then sliced

½ small red onion sliced

4 oz Feta either crumbled or in a large slice on top (omit Feta to make this a vegan entree or side)

10-15 Kalamata olives, depending on your taste and the size of the olives.*

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup vinegar (I like a lot of vinegar which will add to the

dipping experience which is described below)

1 tsp Greek or Mexican oregano

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, black olives, salt, pepper, ½ of the oregano, olive oil and vinegar to a serving bowl and toss. Top with feta and add the remaining oregano on top.

*My grandmother also will include thinly slices light green peppers if they are available.

Serves four as a side or 2 as a main.

Serve with crusty bread, which you can dip in the juices that collect in the bottom of the bowl. This is not rude and considered proper form at the dinner table. In fact we frequently eat out of the same bowl and don’t bother to serve the salad on individual plates.

For a variety of bargain-priced, quality feta, olive oil, olives and oregano, go to Titan Foods in Astoria (http://www.titanfood.com/). When I lived in Miami I used to ship from them and even with the shipping included it was still cheaper than buying local. If you are feeling adventurous and want to try other Greek products, feel free to email me for other recommendations on what to buy.

Enjoy!