New Year's Pears

First credit where credit is due: I found this recipe posted by an online friend, who wanted to share his daughter's recipe. Thank you!

Second, I've not done much in the way of desserts, and this seemed like a good place to start.

Third, I altered the recipe proportions in one essential ingredient, sugar, which I wished to keep low. But this alters the outcome, as we'll see later.

Delicious!

Ingredients:

4 Large pears, peeled, cored and cut into large pieces
1 Bottle (750ml) of red wine
1 Tsp. grated orange peel
1/2 Cup orange juice
1 Tsp. Cardamom
1 Cinnamon stick (about 3 inches long)
1 Scoop vanilla ice cream
1 Cup sugar

As with most cooking, the larger part lies in preparing the ingredients. I found it easier to peel the pears by using a diagonal motion with the potato peeler. Don't worry about peeling near the stem or the bottom, you'll be cutting off those parts anyway (or you should).

About the sugar, the idea is to obtain a syrup in the end. For that you need 2 1/4 cups, as one cup won't do it. Still, I do watch my sugar intake, and the single cup I used made the dessert sweet enough. But in the end I get a thin, sweet sauce rather than syrup. Choose accordingly.


First mix everything but he pears in a deep saucepan, or a pot, and bring it to a slow, gentle boil (you may want to let the ice cream scoop sit a while before adding it; of course it doesn't matter if it melts). Add the pears and let them cook through, say for about 25 to 45 minutes. Remove the pears to a serving dish when they're done, and keep simmering the mix until it's reduced enough (or until it's syrupy if you go with more sugar).

I tried them right off the stove, and found them delicious and perfect for a cold night. If you serve them cold, you can add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle some syrup on top. This dish has a strong, spicy, flavor.

One last thing, the cardamom is key in this recipe. It's a bit expensive (I paid about $8 for a small jar with 65 gr., or about two ounces I think), but well worth it. In contrast, any cheap, dry red wine will do nicely.

Potato Soup, second draft

I really thought I had it, but upon eating a bowl of it I had to demote it to second draft <sigh>. I think I know now (sure) how to improve it. I'll try again a few weeks from now.

In the meantime:

Ingredients:

5-6 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
4-6 mushrooms, thinly sliced
4-6 strips turkey bacon, cut in small pieces
1/2 onion, sliced or chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 liters chicken broth
1/2 cup dry wine
1 cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon fine herbs
1/2 teaspoontarragon
1 teaspoon corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup of water.

In a soup pot heat the olive oil then add the bacon. Fry until it's about halfway crispy. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add the potatoes and saute, while tossing them about, for a couple of minutes. Reduce the flame to half and add the wine. Toss everything around for a minute or two, making sure it all gets exposed to the wine.

Lower the flame to low and add the chicken broth. You know what comes next, right? Bring to a sow boil.

When the soup boils, add the fine herbs and tarragon. Stir well. The potatoes will take long to cook, say about an hour. Keep checking on them. When they're nearly done, add the milk and corn starch dissolved in water. Stir well. When the potatoes are tender, you're done.

I do like it, but it's not quite right. Not to me. So I'm thinking to either skip the wine or the corn starch next time.

Chilorio and Ginger srambled eggs

I've been experimenting with breakfast cooking (beyond microwave oatmeal) these past few weeks. I lack the time during the week, when fifteen minutes more sleep trump a nice breakfast, but on weekends I do cook breakfast. So:

Chilorio is a dish popular in the north of Mexico, made up of shredded pork with chiles and spices. Lately a lighter kind, made with turkey, has been hitting supermarket shelves. Here's a photo of an opened can:

The small can holds 170 gr., or about half a pound. For my breakfast I use about one third of it. The rest can be refrigerated (not int he can, never refrigerate food in cans; use a small tupperware instead) for a few days. Here's the recipe for about 3 to 4 people:

Ingredients:

1 170 gr. can of Chilorio (your choice turkey or pork)
3 whole eggs
6 egg whites (give or take, I buy a half liter jar of egg whites rather than separate my own)
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. olive oil (or any other vegetable oil)
1/2 onion, chopped
3 mushrooms, roughly chopped

You can tell it's just-made because it's still steaming

In a bowl whisk the eggs and egg whites. Next heat the oil in a skillet. Add the, ginger, onion and mushrooms, and saute for 3-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add the chilorio. At first you want to keep it separate from the other ingredients and let it cook a minute. Then mix it up with the onion and mushrooms.

When the onions are slightly browned, add the whisked egg mixture. Be careful, as whites cook a lot faster than whole eggs. The mix will tend to make thin films in the sides of the skillet, so scrape them off and mix well with the rest. Cook until the egg mix is done and serve hot.

I hesitated to add more spices, as the ginger has a rather subtle flavor. But I think some pepper and a dash of Worcestershire or Tabasco would add a nice touch.

And now in my list of things to try is to cook my own chilorio. I'm thinking of doing a chicken version...

Nearly right potato soup

I made potato soup last night. It didn't come out quite right, but I'm posting the recipe I used and I'll point out the mistake I made. I don't quite know how to fix it yet.

6-8 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic,minced
2-4 strips of pork bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
4-6 strips of turkey bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
3 mushrooms, sliced
Ground black pepper to taste

2 liters chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 stick margarine
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup ow-fat milk
3 teaspoons freshly chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Set the bacon to fry in a soup pot. Before it gets crispy, add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Saute until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the potatoes and black pepper and toss them around. Saute for two minutes or so. Add the chicken broth and wine, stir well. Reduce the heat to minimum and let it come to a slow boil. Simmer until the potatoes begin to get tender.

When the potatoes are nearly done, melt the margarine in a separate saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Here's where I erred, by using too much flour (about half a cup). Add the milk and keep whisking. Add the cilantro and tarragon. Make sure you get a smooth, creamy mixture. I got lumps, and those things won't dissolve in the soup.

Add the mix to the soup and stir. Let it boil a second time, simmer a bit. Serve.

As I said, mine didn't come out quite right due to the lumpy flour/margarine/milk mixture. I think using half as much flour, 1/4 cup, should fix it, but I really need to try it. If/when it works, I'll post it again with pictures.

On a break

I've been hearing a great deal about the Modern Paleo Diet lately. there is a lot of controversy around it, but some claims by its proponents are highly intriguing. Chief among them a reduction of inflammation, particularly later in life. This is huge, as inflammation causes a lot of problems. Arthritis is the most obvious, but it also plays a role in things like cardiovascular (heart) disease.

The big problem is this diet does away with grains and legumes. That means wheat, barley, lentils, beans and rice are out. A quick look at my recipes would show why that is a big issue for me. There's also the turnoff that many Paleo sites stress very simple dishes. Again, you know I like rather complicated recipes. And then there's the whole low-carb, high-protein stuff to consider, especially since Paleo advocates favor animal proteins over vegetable ones (naturally, as legumes are out).

I decided to experiment a bit anyway. But I won't be posting any recipes while I try out Paleo or Paleo-like dishes, and while I research the whole thing further. The recipes I post here must meet all my standards for taste and quality, but also of nutritional value.Since my focus so far has been low-fat, I need to know more about Paleo before I change focus.

I may post updates periodically. But don't count on it. Whatever else happens, I should resume posting next month.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Third time's the charm, it seems.

 

The secret is to use sherry and a little flour.

Ingredients:

500 gr. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup barley
1/4 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fine herbs
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
2 liters water
3 chicken bullion cubes, low-fat, low-sodium
1/4 cup sherry
2 bay leaves
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a soup pot heat the olive oil, next add the mushrooms and saute for about three minutes. Add the barley (raw), garlic and onion, keep cooking until the mushroom begin to brown, or about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir well. Keep cooking until the mushrooms are a nice golden brown, or around two minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium and add the sherry. Stir well and cook for about a minute. Reduce heat to low and add the water. Bring to a slow boil. When the water's hot, add the bay leaves and fine herbs. When it begins to bubble, add the bullion cubes.

Let the soup simmer until the barley's tender. Taste from time to time and add pepper and Worcestershire as needed.

Juicy Meatloaf

I should start with a warning: unlike almost everything else I've posted here, this recipe is not low fat.

I cooked it mostly as a challenge. I've had little experience with beef and I wanted more. Moreover, meatloaf is not common in Mexico, making it a bit exotic (it is a matter of perspective). I was pleased with the result.

I do apologize for the poor quality of the picture. I was already storing it before I thought to take a photo.

I'll post the glaze/sauce first, then the rest. Here we go:

220 gr. tomato puree or tomato sauce
1/4 Cup Ketchup
4-5 Tbsp. mustard
4 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Cup beef broth (or even chicken broth or hot water)
1/2 teaspoon ground or powdered ginger
1.5 Tbsp. Paprika


Mix the ingredients in a big enough bowl and whisk them well. The result should be rather thick, but fluid. Save 3/4 cup of it to mix in with the meatloaf.

Now the meatloaf:

3/4 Cup glaze you saved from the first step
1 Kg. ground beef, preferably lean
1/3 onion finely chopped
2 Cloves garlic finely minced
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped (optional; it tends to wilt a bit)
1 Cup wheat bran or breadcrumbs (by this I mean a coarse powder, like that used for milanesas)

First get a really big mixing bowl, next put the ground beef in it and break it up. Add the beaten eggs and mix them with the beef. Add the onion, garlic and cilantro, and again mix well with the beef.

The next step is important. Add the 3/4 cup of glaze you saved, but don't add it all at once. Add about 1/4, mix well with the beef, then another fourth and mix again, and so on until you've added all. I was advised to do this by someone who does make meatloaf often. The idea is for the beef to gradually absorb the glaze. I don't know if this is so or not, but the results were good.

Next add the wheat bran or breadcrumbs and, again, mix well.

We're done mixing now... Anyway, shape the mixture in a loaf or use a baking mold for bread (grease it first). If you shape it without a mold, as I did, just grease an oven safe baking dish or a roaster and place the loaf in it. Pour the glaze over the meatloaf. Use as much glaze as needed, but don't feel you must use it all. It's ok if some spills over onto the baking dish.

Put it int he oven at 180 C (around 350 F) for one hour. Periodically you'll want to baste it with the beef juices that will come out, and if desired add more glaze. You should also check from 45 minutes onward how things proceed. You want the center to be brown rather than pink in the end, that's when you're done.

I ate it by itself, which was ok, but it would go well with mashed potatoes, or oven roasted potatoes, and perhaps even with sauteed mushrooms.

Enjoy.