How to Peel Almonds May 10, 2008

I feel the need to apologize… I have not been posting and sharing with you as frequently as I would like to.

I have been quite busy with a cooking project - trying to evaluate if cooking for hire is a career move I really want to make.  I’ll let you in on more information as it becomes available.

In the meantime, another project I took on was to make something for Mother’s Day, as opposed to buying something.  So I decided to make something with nuts… something to nibble, to snack, to entertain your mouth in between serious food.  My mom is a serious snacker so I decided to indulge her with my Rosemary Almonds.

I personally prefer peeled almonds to those with skins, plus my mom is always shying away from hard to chew foods…  you know, the story that at her age (which she does not represent at all…) her spare parts do not come cheap.  So to please my mom, I soak the almonds to make them a tad softer and to be able to peel them too.

What you need to do is:

1. Soak the almonds in filtered water for about 2-3 hours.  The almonds will plump a bit and the skin will soften.

 

2.  With the help of your fingernails, clip the tippy tip of the almond and the skin will peel right off, just like peeling an orange with your fingers.

3.  Don’t soak them for too long or they’ll loose some of their oils and won’t roast well. 

4.  If you can’t peel them all in one sitting, drain all the water, let them dry and re-wet them when you’re ready to peel again.

This is how the almonds will look like after they’re peeled.  You’ll still be able to roast them on the stovetop or in the oven for that toasty almond taste, it’ll just take a little longer. 

After you do this, you really learn to appreciate why the cost of blanched, slivered almonds…  it’s a bit of a hassle, but I like them that way.

Enjoy your skinless almonds!!!

Yogurt Cheese April 21, 2008

I am trying to learn to live with a little less cheese in my life…   My personal trainer used to tell me that that little belly I complain soooooo much about has a name - QUESO!!!! 

Cheese usually has a lot of fat.  I don’t like to buy the low-fat kinds usually because they replace the fat with plenty of chemicals to emulate the mouth-feel.  So I rather eat the real full-fat kind and eat less of the chemicals in the process.  I do like the reduced fat cream cheese though…

But sometimes, too much of a good thing can be not-so-good for you.  There was a time in my life when my doctors eliminated all dairy from my diet.  It was absolute HELL!!!  At the time, I used to drink at least 2 huge mugs of milk with chocolate a day.  Ohhh, I also got caffeine eliminated from my diet too.  Caffeine I can understand better, but Milk, Cheese,  how?!?!?!?

Over the years,  I have learned to have soy milk or rice milk based cheeses.  They are actually very ,very nice.  There are some better brands than others…   I know.  But they tend to be expensive. And I have to take a special trip to the natural food store to get them… not usually available at my neighborhood grocery store.

Some years ago, I learned that for people who tend to be lactose intolerant, yogurt seems to agree with them and it’s a great way to get calcium in your diet.  Something to do with the live active cultures. 

So I decided to make yogurt cheese - all the benefits of yogurt, the consistency of cream cheese.  It’s economical, because I can make it with regular yogurt I can find at my regular grocery store.  And, there’s hardly anything to it…  Too many pluses to count.  Don’t you think? 

I try to use organic plain yogurt.  I always read the label to make sure it has no added gelatin.  Unfortunately, most commercial fruit-flavored yogurts (the Dannons and Yoplait yogurts of the world…) all have added gelatin.  I usually buy Stonyfield Farms or some other organic brand.

 

 

 

YOGURT CHEESE

6oz container of plain low-fat yogurt - I started small, but the next time I’ll make a whole pint

1 tsp kosher salt

 

1. In the same container the yogurt comes in, mix in the salt.
2. Empty the salted yogurt onto a fine mesh strainer lined with a cheese cloth or 2 coffee filters.  I used the unbleached kind.
3. Place a bowl under the strainer to catch all the liquid that will drain.  Cover the yogurt on the strainer with cling wrap or the cover of the bowl you placed underneath and place in the fridge for about 24 hours. 

The whey will drain off and the yogurt left will have the thick consistency of cream cheese.

Use the same way you would use cream cheese or even ricotta cheese - on crackers, toast, in a sauce, on top of pasta… 

No-Knead Bread - Consolation prize for my ego March 2, 2008

I already told you about my fiasco story on the Daring Bakers Feb 2008 Challenge - Pain Francais.

So, to give myself an ego-boost, I decided to try out the NY Times No-Knead Bread Recipe…  of course, with a few modifications because I was using whole wheat flour again.  For months I have been meaning to make this recipe… and to me it was a dream come true, because one of the reasons I have never dared to make any breads or pizza dough is the lack of a Stand mixer - remember my Xmas wishes??? So, this recipe eliminated that need…

For this recipe you need a cast iron dutch oven… yikes, I don’t have a cast-iron dutch oven either. But my friend Kathleen told me I could probably do this with a Pyrex bowl on top of a baking sheet.  I don’t have a big Pyrex glass bowl, but my mom has a glass Pyrex dutch oven - the best of both worlds. 

You still need to plan this recipe out… it needs about 12 hours to proof.  It’s not like you get a bread craving and you can make this in a pinch.  You can make the dough at night to bake it in the morning, or make the dough in the morning to bake the bread at night. 

 

NO-KNEAD BREAD

Adapted from the original No-Knead Bread recipe from the NY Times.

3 cups of whole wheat flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 tbs kosher salt

1 package of dry active yeast

squirt of honey

1 3/4 cups of water

2 tbs wheat germ

Covered Pot - (5 quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel - something that can go into a 450F oven)

Mix the Dough

1. When using whole wheat flour, I read in several sources that it’s better to proof the yeast before mixing in the rest of the ingredients.  So take like 1/2 cup of the water the recipe calls for and dissolve the yeast packet.  Add a squirt of honey to help it come alive.  (I threw away several packets of yeast thinking they were dead before doing this little trick to it.) 
2. Combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together.  It will be a shaggy, doughy mess.  Control the urge to add more water.  Cover with a plastic wrap and let sit in counter-top for about 12 hours.  The room should be about 70degrees F.  Leave for up to 20 hours if room is slightly cooler.

Shape and Pre-heat

1. The dough will be wet, sticky and bubbly.  With a wet spatula, dump the dough onto a floured surface. 
2. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape.  You can use your hands if you prefer.
3. Generously dust a flour sack towel with flour and wheat germ. Set dough seam side down on top of towel.  Let it rest for 2 hours.
4. Set 2 timers - 1 for 1:30 hours and one for 2 hours.
5. When the 1:30 hour timer rings - it’s time to pre-heat the oven.  Put your covered pot in the oven and preheat the oven with the pot inside for 30 minutes at 450 degrees F.
6. When the 2 hour timer goes off - it’s time to bake.

Bake

1. The dough should have doubled in size.
2. Carefully, remove pot from oven.  Holding the dough inside the towel, dump the wobbly dough inside the pot - it does not matter which way it lands.  Cover.
3. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Set timer again for 30 minutes.
4. Uncover.  Bake another 15-20 minutes uncovered  until the crust is golden brown and beautiful.
5. Remove from oven and let cool in a cooling rack.

 

I ate mine warm with lots of butter.  The crust was superb.  I ate some of it, and gave a piece to a friend and my mom, which loved it too.

I still do not consider myself a bread baker by any means.  However, I will definitely make this recipe again… and I know that as I feel more confident with it, I will start making modifications to it… adding cheese, or nuts or other flours.  You’ll see.  I won’t keep it to myself…

Agave Nectar January 23, 2008

I learned about Agave nectar when I attended the Conscious Gourmet cooking seminar this past April.  I am sure I walked past it a million times in many health food stores, but I usually consume honey or brown sugar to sweeten things and have not had the need to use anything else…

 

At the seminar we discussed refined sugars and all the potential health conditions it’s associated with, such as:

Candida

Depression

Crohn’s Disease/Colitis

Ulcers

Hypertension

Gallstones

Kidney-stones

Even, Cancer

So based on this information, why not use and consume a more natural and non-processed form of sweetener?

Agave nectar is made from the same plant Tequila is made.  Cool, huh?  So because it’s a plant-based sweetener, it’s also vegan.  Another cool thing about agave nectar is it has a very low glycemic index.  This means that when you consume it, it will barely increase the glucose levels in your blood, therefore not increasing the production of insulin nor activating the fat storage system.  Hey, I learned this from my sister who is a diabetic from the age of 15 and an endocrinologist.

Just to give you an idea of the glycemic index of different foods:

Corn Flakes         119

White Bread       112

Rice                        83

Honey                   83

Apple                    54

Peas                      32

Agave nectar     27

Agave nectar then is great for those people who are diabetic, are watching their carbohydrate intake or blood glucose levels or even watching their weight.   You can see how my friend Kathleen lost about 45lbs. this last year and agave nectar is one of the few sweeteners she now uses.

And don’t underestimate its sweetness.   Agave nectar is sweeter than table sugar, but it’s not processed or contains any chemicals.  Actually, you should use about ¼ to 1/3 less amount of agave than you would sugar or honey.   You use it the same way you would use honey - to sweeten beverages, desserts, hot cereals, smoothies, yogurts, etc.  I even use it to sweeten my Spinach Crepes recipe.

Check out agave nectar the next time you go to your local health food store.  Try it, you’ll not be disappointed…

Clementines - My favorite winter citrus January 20, 2008

Citrus are mainly in season during winter-time. I read somewhere the season starts in November.  I know we have lemons here all year round… but when I visit Costco, it’s near the December/January time-frame where I see and can purchase one of my favorite citrus fruits… CLEMENTINES!!!!!!!

 

I learned about these delicious and cute Clementines about 10 years ago, but was not able to get them here in PR… and when Costco opened their doors about 6 years ago, they started bringing them.  I love them because they’re petite, mostly seedless, super sweet and their membranes are really thin, so they’re easy to eat in segments.

I regularly do not eat regular oranges in segments… I learned this when I was in school in Chicago and we had to do a project about the introduction to market of an Orange.  People would talk about eating them without a knife and I was - hello!!! speak for yourself!!!  I have to peel an orange with a knife and cut them in half … just like you would if you were using a juicer to make fresh squeezed juice.  I eat oranges like this because i can’t stand the bitterness of the membranes around the segments.

So for those of us who do not like orange membranes, Clementines are the perfect orange for you… as they are for me.  And the cute wooden crate is just an added plus.

Try some soon and tell me all about it…

 http://www.producepete.com/shows/clementines.html

Freezing Berries January 20, 2008

I guess I am in a very fruity mode these days… but I indeed mentioned that one of my new year’s resolutions were to eat more fruit and vegetables.  I am taking you along for the ride…

I love making myself fruit smoothies in the mornings.  Particularly, I LOOOOOVE adding fresh berries to them.  Unfortunately,  in a way, is that berries are pretty expensive… I am paying these days between $7 and $8 for a pound of strawberries.  I guess they’re not in season in the US and they’re bringing them from God-knows-where. And there’s little I can do to reduce my carbon footprint in regards to this… because we don’t grow berries in Puerto Rico, I either buy them imported, frozen, or not eat them at all.

What I want to share with you is about freezing berries… this is a trick I learned, again, from my good friend Martha Stewart (she does not know how good friends we are…)   With the price I pay for berries, I can’t eat them all at once and they’re prone to spoil fast.  To avoid this when I purchase these beautiful strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or any other berry… is to freeze them individually on a baking sheet and then store them.

I wash the berries, remove any stems, dry them as well as I can and place them without touching on a baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet on the freezer overnight and then store the berries in a freezer plastic storage bag.  Never freeze them all clumped up in a bag, because then you’ll have a tough time separating them if you need just a small amount at a time.

 

This way, I have great tasting berries anytime.

Hope this helps…

Pesto 101 December 25, 2007

This is my recipe for pesto… my mom loves pesto and every time I have too much basil that might go bad, I do a batch.  It’s great on it’s own with pasta, as a condiment, as an ingredient for a salad dressing or to add to a recipe where you would like some fresh basil flavor.

 

PESTO

2 tablespoons pine nuts or almonds

3 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cups basil leaves, strip away the stems

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Mix  everything in a food processor. 
2. Add more olive oil if the mixture seems a bit dry.

Store in a jar in the fridge or you can freeze it in an ice tray for individual servings .

Sofrito 101 December 25, 2007

Sofrito is the foundation of many Latin dishes… it’s a mixture of garlic, peppers and onions.  Very similar to the “trinity” from the South, where the foundation of many dishes is garlic, carrots and celery or even carrots, onions and celery…  I guess every culture has their own combination… this is ours.

 

SOFRITO

1 head of garlic

2 large onions

4 cubanelle peppers - we call them around here cooking peppers or “pimientos de cocinar”

1. Chop everything in a food processor.
2. Store in the refrigerator.  It will keep for a long time… you can even freeze it if you feel it’s too much amount to use in a few months time.

 I use this as a foundation for many dishes…  to start off any stewed dish, to give added flavor to a rice, to season a white “bechamel-type” sauce… you name it.  I wanted to share this basic recipe, because you’ll start to see it as an ingredient in many upcoming recipes. And, instead of having to chop onions, peppers and garlic  every time, sometimes you can shortcut by adding a few tablespoons of sofrito.