Featured Posts – August 2010 Archive (33)

Yield: 8 Empanadas

Ingredients for the dough:

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of sugar

½ teaspoon of baking soda

3 cups of sifted flour

2 tablespoons of…

Living in Houston means, among other things, that you live in Tex-Mex country. It also means sweltering heat 9 months out of the year. Luckily, those 2 little facts make a Margarita a necessity. Simple as that. Margaritas are how we quench our thirst and cool down from the heat in…

Arroz con Pollo was one of the first dishes my mom taught me to cook. I remember her cooking for me and my friends to celebrate the end of the school year back when I was going to business school in Lima. My friends loved it and I remember asking my mom to add beer to the dish (this was a tip given to me by Sebastiana, a dear friend of my grandmother. My dad was her daughter’s godfather). It gives the dish a different – and…

Photo by Marisa Zanganeh

Even before the panini fever hit the United States, I already loved these small…

Carne en Posta is a staple of Colombian cuisine. You can basically find anything "En Posta", from chicken to fish, but at my house, beef was the norm. Traditionally it is from the Caribbean region of Colombia, where my family is from (Barranquilla!) but now you can find it almost everywhere. This recipe was passed down from generation to generation in my family, and now I am the proud recipient! At my house we serve it with Arroz Con Coco (coconut…

Once a proud kingdom that extended into parts of France, and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, Italy; Catalonia today is an autonomous region with its own language and dynamic traditions in Northeastern Spain. A seafaring nation, Catalonia has gathered from all over the world an eclectic mix of style and a true melting pot in the kitchens around town.

Pasta is typically associated as the cuisine of Italy. However, in…

Ají de Gallina is a spicy stew made with hen and ají, and it is a source of some controversy in my family – I like to use ají mirasol, the way it is made in Lima, but my mother and my aunts insist the proper way is with ají panca, the…

Humintas are very similar to Mexican tamales, but without the meat filling. In Bolivia there are two ways to make humintas, boiled or baked. This recipe is for boiled humintas.



Ingredients:



8-10 corn husks

4 cups of corn kernels, boiled and ground into a paste

3/4 cup of hot melted shortening

5 tablespoons of powdered hot red pepper

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of…

Deep Dish Fish and Black Bean Tacos is a small-kitchen-friendly version of pan de cazon. In Campeche, Mexico, “dogfish bread” is among the classics. Of course, it’s not a bread at all and typically calls for mako shark, which often surprises the uninitiated. This species is plentiful in the area and a popular marketplace item.



While shark steaks are available in some areas of the U.S. and even online, it’s more convenient to…

This rich and creamy chicken and spinach dish is spiced up with plenty of garlic, onion and roasted poblano chiles. I suggest sauteing aromatics with the chicken itself, which result in a beautiful base for a pan sauce, as well as adding a roasted jalapeño for an extra kick. Chef Bayless suggests cubing the chicken, whereas I recommend shredding it for a more consistent texture and an optimal melding of flavors. Also…

A guiso is one of those universal, one-pot dishes that exists in every cuisine/culture I can think of. Stew, cassoulet, kho, cocido, caldeirada, goulash--whatever the name and the main ingredient, it is a hearty soupy dish, slowly braised until the various ingredients are incredibly tender. There's…

Well, not really, but they are yummy beans. I have to begin by telling you that I'm not intimately acquainted with white or navy beans. We just don't have these in Panama, at least *I* didn't have them. We have the prepared cans of pork & beans, which I believe are made with these, but that's…

Guavas are a tropical fruit with an intense flavor and are enjoyed throughout the Caribbean, especially as part of desserts. Here is a simple preparation of this aromatic fruit by chef Cielito Rosado. On behalf of Cielito, enjoy!



6 Servings



Ingredients:

4 cups of ripe guavas

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of water

some cinnamon…

Picadillo is well-known, even if slightly different, in all Latin countries. It always begins the same way, with ground beef that is increased with local vegetables and aromatics. In Panama, we add tomatoes or tomato sauce, capers, olives and sometimes…

I love salsa. I think I could live on chips and salsa. If only I wouldn’t be SERIOUSLY lacking in other nutrients. As a matter of fact, I don’t even really care about the chips. It’s the salsa. Smoky or tangy, spicy and fresh, I love green, red, pico de gallo, but especially chipotle…

The Perfect Mid Morning or Afternoon - PICK ME UP

Ingredients

Serves 4

1-(14oz) can condensed milk

4 to 5 ice cubes

8 shots of room temperature espresso coffee, unsweetened made in Espresso Maker

Preparation:

1. First, pour 3 tablespoons…