A Series of Unfortunate Events. Sounds like my love life. Ha! No, just kidding. A good series of books (I have them all), even if the ending was disappointing. I mean, that’s it? No “happy ever after”? I mean, so they don’t have to worry about Count Olaf anymore. Big deal. Seriously, they had a better chance of getting off that island than Gilligan.
But the food! The only book that comes even close to peeking my culinary curiosity is Harry Potter and even that’s a stretch. J.K. Rowling’s use of food in her books is incredible (and I’ll happily admit HP is what got me started on this little venture) even if 90% of what she writes about is true English food.
Lemon Snicket, on the other hand, could easily have been a chef. Who else would come up with an entire restaurant based on salmon and call it Café Salmonella. Kind of reminds me of a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix (N. 7th Ave, I think?) called La Cucaracha (The Cockroach).
So, the other day my sister asked me about authentic enchilada sauce. Luckily for me, Lemony Snicket mentioned just the same thing! Well, sort of. While the kids where in the Vile Village, a man named Hector took care of them and made them a dinner of enchiladas like his mom had made for him.
Being from Arizona, I love a good enchilada. I hate bad ones, but that goes without saying…even though I just did. My mom made enchiladas with a great creamy sauce with green chilies. Unfortunately, she never wrote down the recipe and changes it every time she makes it depending on what she has on hand and that makes it difficult to include it, but I’ll do my best!
I’ve also included a couple of other traditional sauces I think you should try. The Red Chili Sauce (Salsa Roja), is the spiciest. (Don't believe those who think green is hotter!!!) If you don’t want to take the time to cook the chicken and roll the enchiladas, you can buy those frozen chicken taquitos, Just be sure to thaw them out first. I’m dreaming of Jordan’s on Central Ave again (even though it’s closed)!
Cooking the Chicken -
3 lbs chicken
2 Bay leaves
10 whole peppercorns
Put everything in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat a little and let it simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Pull the chicken out of the water, put it on a large plate, and let it cool. The chicken should be tender and break apart easily with a fork. Shred it into thin pieces. Save the water in the pot.
In a large bowl, mix the chicken together with:
1 bunch green onions, chopped - white and green parts together
1 4 oz can chopped olives or 1 6 oz can whole olives, chopped
Roll this mixture into corn tortillas with a sprinkle of cheese and place then in a casserole dish. Cover with the sauce of your choice and more cheese. Bake, covered with foil, at 325° F for 25-30 minutes.
Creamy Enchilada Sauce -
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of milk
2 4 oz cans diced green chilies
2 tablespoons sour cream
Salsa Verde (Green Chili Sauce) -
Before we start there are several things you should know. It’s best to use the canned green chilies. Roasting chilies involves rubbing them with oil, putting them on a hot grill until completely black, putting them in a bowl and covering with plastic to let them steam in their own heat for an hour or two and then rubbing off the burnt skin. Way too much effort even for adults. However, if you want to go through all that trouble, the taste is totally worth it. Also, using canned tomatillos is totally acceptable because blanching them involves peeling off the paper-like skin, cooking them in hot boiling salted water for two minutes and immediately cooling them in an ice water bath. Again, if you want to do that it is totally worth the effort. If you have a tomato garden and you have some nice green tomatoes, those work just fine instead of tomatillos. They are not related in any way (even though they look the same), but the flavors are very similar. You don’t even have to blanch them. Finally, you don’t have to clean the seeds out of the Poblano chilies because they aren’t all that hot. At least not to me! If you want some heat, add a jalapeño or two. If you are feeling brave, you don’t have to clean the seeds out of that one either. Now, let’s get started!
1 T Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, chopped
2 fresh Poblano chilies, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 8oz can green chilies or 10 - 12 roasted fresh Anaheim chilies
1 7 oz can tomatillos or ½ lb fresh tomatillos cleaned, blanched and cut in quarters
1 14 oz can chicken or vegetable broth
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1 T lime juice
salt and pepper
In a medium-sized sauce pan, heat the olive oil just a little. Sauté the onions, Poblanos, garlic, cumin and oregano until the onions get soft and the garlic and spices start to sweat. Put this mixture in a food processor with the roasted chilies, tomatillos and half of the broth and blend until smooth. Put all this back into the same sauce pan with the rest of the broth and bring the sauce to a simmer. Let the sauce cook for about five minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper. Taste it and add a little more salt and pepper if needed.
Salsa Roja (Red Chili Sauce) -
8-10 dried large red chilies (or ½ C red chili powder)
2 cups boiling water
1 T olive oil
1 T flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 8 oz can (1 cup) tomato sauce - optional
Dash of salt
In a bowl, combine the dried chilies and boiling water. After the water has cooled and the chilies are nice and soft, pull the stems off and then puree the chilies with the water. In a saucepan, warm up the olive oil a little. If the oil is too hot, you’ll burn the spices. Add the cumin and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes until the spices start to sweat. Add the flour and keep stirring until mixed well and you have a nice paste. Add the pureed chilies (and tomato sauce, if you like) and stir until the paste is dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add a little salt and taste to make sure it‘s right. If you use chili powder, there’s no need to puree anything.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Don't Burn The Soup!
I love World War II history. It may have been a dark period but there are so many lessons to be learned; stories of heroism amidst tragedy abound. Here we are at war again and yet the sacrifices we are making pale in comparison to what The Greatest Generation had to deal with. Millions died, all so one singular man could justify his existence. But enough waxing philosophical. This is a food blog and what better way to celebrate peace and life than to talk about food!
I have always been intrigued by the story of Anne Frank and her book was always on my list of books to read. It never occurred to me to add it to my list of children’s literature for my cookbook, mainly because, contrary to the belief of some extremists, it is not a work of fiction. In fact, it is the only non-fiction book on the list.
Then I saw her diary played out on a special on PBS (Masterpiece Theater, I think? Yeah…no cable means I watch a lot of PBS). I was hooked. Why do we not teach this story in high school? Why is it not required reading for our kids? I had to read Catcher in the Rye, which may have been a classic, but is not nearly as poignant and profound. Especially considering the author was only 13 when she started writing.
So what does this have to do with food? Anne actually talks quite a bit about food, although not in great detail like J.K Rowling or Lemony Snicket did. She talks mostly about things like their eating habits, peeling potatoes, her father’s jam making business or Mr. Dussel secretly hording food. I was extremely delighted when she talked about watching Mr. van Daan making mettwurst, so much so that I have to try it, even if it kills my diet! It’s interesting considering the main meat used in mettwurst is pork. They must not have been all that orthodox, which would explain them celebrating St. Nicholas’ Day. Of course, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Beans and potatoes were a big staple for them; easily cooked, easily stored and in plentiful supply compared to other rationed foods. They had “brown beans”, which I assume to be pinto, navy beans, and split peas. The split peas intrigued me the most because her mom had put them on the stove and forgot them, not only burning the peas but ruining the pan as well. Oh, how I can relate! I did that to a pot of lentils once. Luckily I managed to save the pan.
Not everyone likes split pea soup and I can understand why. Sometimes it looks like something from the diaper of a sick baby. Sorry. Had to be said. I like mine chunky with big bits of potatoes, carrots, onion and ham. (The soup, not the diaper!) With their rationing I can’t imagine them wasting anything like potatoes and carrots on a soup and being Jewish, the ham is out too.
So, I have two recipes here. One is how I make it at home. The other is how I think Mother Frank would have made it in the Secret Annex’s kitchen.
My Split Pea Soup
1 lb split peas
1 tsp salt
1 ham shank bone
2 quarts vegetable broth
2 quarts water
1 lb diced ham
½ lb German potatoes (red ones - or any kind you like), washed and diced large
½ lb carrots, peeled and diced large
1 onion, diced small
½ tsp liquid smoke
1 T fresh thyme, chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine the split peas, ham bone, water and vegetable broth in a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the ham, potatoes, carrots, onion and liquid smoke. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until split peas and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the fresh thyme, simmer for about 5 minutes and taste for salt and pepper. Remove the bone before serving.
Mother Frank’s Split Pea Soup
2 lbs split peas
1 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 gallon water
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine everything in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook 50 minutes to one hour, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt and pepper.
Just don't burn the soup!
I have always been intrigued by the story of Anne Frank and her book was always on my list of books to read. It never occurred to me to add it to my list of children’s literature for my cookbook, mainly because, contrary to the belief of some extremists, it is not a work of fiction. In fact, it is the only non-fiction book on the list.
Then I saw her diary played out on a special on PBS (Masterpiece Theater, I think? Yeah…no cable means I watch a lot of PBS). I was hooked. Why do we not teach this story in high school? Why is it not required reading for our kids? I had to read Catcher in the Rye, which may have been a classic, but is not nearly as poignant and profound. Especially considering the author was only 13 when she started writing.
So what does this have to do with food? Anne actually talks quite a bit about food, although not in great detail like J.K Rowling or Lemony Snicket did. She talks mostly about things like their eating habits, peeling potatoes, her father’s jam making business or Mr. Dussel secretly hording food. I was extremely delighted when she talked about watching Mr. van Daan making mettwurst, so much so that I have to try it, even if it kills my diet! It’s interesting considering the main meat used in mettwurst is pork. They must not have been all that orthodox, which would explain them celebrating St. Nicholas’ Day. Of course, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Beans and potatoes were a big staple for them; easily cooked, easily stored and in plentiful supply compared to other rationed foods. They had “brown beans”, which I assume to be pinto, navy beans, and split peas. The split peas intrigued me the most because her mom had put them on the stove and forgot them, not only burning the peas but ruining the pan as well. Oh, how I can relate! I did that to a pot of lentils once. Luckily I managed to save the pan.
Not everyone likes split pea soup and I can understand why. Sometimes it looks like something from the diaper of a sick baby. Sorry. Had to be said. I like mine chunky with big bits of potatoes, carrots, onion and ham. (The soup, not the diaper!) With their rationing I can’t imagine them wasting anything like potatoes and carrots on a soup and being Jewish, the ham is out too.
So, I have two recipes here. One is how I make it at home. The other is how I think Mother Frank would have made it in the Secret Annex’s kitchen.
My Split Pea Soup
1 lb split peas
1 tsp salt
1 ham shank bone
2 quarts vegetable broth
2 quarts water
1 lb diced ham
½ lb German potatoes (red ones - or any kind you like), washed and diced large
½ lb carrots, peeled and diced large
1 onion, diced small
½ tsp liquid smoke
1 T fresh thyme, chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine the split peas, ham bone, water and vegetable broth in a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the ham, potatoes, carrots, onion and liquid smoke. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until split peas and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the fresh thyme, simmer for about 5 minutes and taste for salt and pepper. Remove the bone before serving.
Mother Frank’s Split Pea Soup
2 lbs split peas
1 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 gallon water
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine everything in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook 50 minutes to one hour, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt and pepper.
Just don't burn the soup!
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