Fiesta en Diciembre! Aye! Aye! Aye!

If there's one thing South American cultures understand and one thing I miss terribly during winter, it's color. Vibrant, sun-soaked, primary colors that take your breath away. Such passion for color and rhythm and margaritas can only mean an incredible zest for life that shows through their food. I hope to one day achieve this culmination of taste and passion. But for now, my attempts are at least muy delicioso!


 To use up Christmas dinner leftovers this year, I wanted to try out a Turkey Chilaquiles recipe I had seen last year in ReadyMade. So of course I decided to turn it into an all out Mexican feast. Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish and also one of the vocab words from high school Spanish class that always sticks in my memory along with Bacalao and Guachinango for their nice rhythmic sounds.

Margaritas are a must for a Mexican feast in my opinion. And with that comes the need for a bit of kosher salt and limes. I like to dip the rim of the glass in a shallow bowl of lime juice and then dip it again in a plate of kosher salt. Don't be embarrassed to lick the glass.

However, if you want to go a little simpler, La Playa Cerveza at Trader Joe's is only about $3.50 for a 6 pack. Not bad for some cheap ice cold cervezas.

If you're really serving a crowd, cook up some beans or ground beef, maybe some fresh guacamole, and spread out some taco fixings to go along with the chilaquiles. For bean tacos, chop up an onion and a few hot peppers and garlic, and combine in a fry pan with your favorite taco seasonings and a dash of sherry or Madeira if you have it. Let cook on medium in heated oil until onions are translucent. Add the beans and let go, shuffling often, until the onions are slightly caramelized/browned. You can add cooked meat instead if you prefer.

Turkey Chilaquiles

 

3-4 hot peppers of your choice, minced
1 c turkey stock
1 lb roasted turkey, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 c gravy (If I made this again I would go for 1 1/2 cup gravy and 1/2 cup stock for added thickness)
1 t ground cumin
8 oz tortilla chips (about 8 cups)
2 T olive oil
6 eggs
Cilantro
Homemade salsa

 

Instructions

1. Combine turkey stock and peppers in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Place mixture in a blender or food processor and process until nearly smooth. 

2. Transfer mixture back to the saucepan. Stir in shredded turkey, gravy and cumin, and cook over medium heat until heated through.

3. Cook eggs until over-medium. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the tortilla chips, turkey mixture, cilantro and homemade salsa. Serve immediately on a platter with the eggs presented on top.

Keep your eyes on Trailbraising for an upcoming guest post by Michael Boland, resident 30605 salsa specialist.

The Process

Just wanted to show off my shiny new toy. And the nice little apple latkes they produced. Next I will try them with the Julienne blade but this was just with two times through the slicer blade. I also want to achieve some really nice crispiness next time. This is always a problem of mine because I tend toward impatience and never toward lower heat and waiting. Sorry for my strange obsession with latkes as of late. I'm sure it will pass sooner or later.

Brunch: A Very Nice Thing

Last week, before returning to our homes for the holidays, my roommate and I decided to host a holiday brunch, a potluck in theory but really just an overambitious menu designed by me, as I like it. However, unlike most of my eager menus that come from too many hours drooling over my favorite food blogs, this brunch did serve the nice convenient purpose of using up some stragglers in my soon-to-be-abandoned fridge.

On another fun note, it turned out to be a veritable (if in the abstract sense) multicultural feast that began at noon and ended at 4 a.m. I regret I didn't get pictures of everything, so you'll have to use your imagination.

Our table featured:

• To Drink - Mimosas and Poinsettias (featuring Champagne, wishfully from France)
• Mexican Sweet Bread
• New Orleans Beignets and Coffee with Chicory
• Jewish Apple Latkes with crème fraîche
• City-American homemade "Egg McMuffins"
• Mountain-American Walnut and Pumpkin Pancakes
• BelgianWaffles
• Spanish (?) Clementines
• Scrambled Eggs with Gouda (cheese that's ostensibly Netherlandish, don't you know)
• and Plain Ole' Bacon

See! What a delight. Later in the night we snacked on leftovers, roasted Brussels Sprouts and Michael Boland's famous salsa while we watched -- yes this is true -- X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 17 Again, Black X-mas, and Shallow Hal late into the wee hours.  

Poinsettias

For a non-poisonous, yet delightfully "libatious" (alcoholic and delicious) drink, mix champagne and cranberry juice (of any variety). We used Hibiscus Cranberry juice from Trader Joe's. Be sure to pop the top of champagne jovially and audibly to begin your meal, and naturally serve the drinks in the ever so classy plastic flutes you have lying around since New Year's two years past.
 
Pancakes and Waffles

We just used quick and easy Bisquik with two notable exceptions. For waffles and pancakes I always add some vanilla extract. And for the Walnut Pumpkin Pancake variety, add in some walnuts, pumpkin puree (if you can find it, pumpkin pie filling if you can't) and cinnamon or nutmeg as well. 

 

Cafe du Monde Beignet Mix 

Super easy way to have almost instant fried delights. Just add water to the mix which can be purchased at Whole Foods, at least. Then roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick using a very liberal amount of flour and cut into small rectangles (maybe 1 1/2 by 2 inches) using a pizza cutter if you have one or a knife if not. Heat about 2 inches of oil into a small fry pan. Then plop in a few squares at a time when it's hot and turn once. They'll cook really quickly - a minute at most. The box suggests basting but we didn't even need to. Just take them out onto a paper towel when they have puffed a bit and are golden brown. Sprinkle on liberal amounts of powdered sugar and devour while hot and fresh.

 

Apple Latkes

A delicious recipe I will revisit SOON now that I can pop the apples right into the food processor

2 or 3 Granny Smith Apples
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (another Christmas bonus, my new handy lemon squeezer that omits straining!)
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs
Butter (about 1 Tbsp. per batch to make them crisp)
Trader Joe's crème fraîche for serving

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and place a baking sheet inside.
2. Peel and core apples (a corer would be a nice new tool to have but for now I'm on my own) and then grate them, either on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor on the shredding blade with the apple chunks the long way for longer strands.
3. Transfer to a clean dishtowel or cheesecloth sling and wring out as much juice as you can into a small bowl. (I forgot this step, which obviously wasn't a disaster but might have helped them stick together better? Who knows).
4. Transfer grated apple to a medium bowl and toss with lemon juice and mixed flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder, coating the apples evenly. Whisk eggs and stir into apple mixture.
5. Heat a large cast-iron skillet to medium with one tablespoon butter. Once it has coated the pan, drop tablespoons full of apple batter in little piles, gently pressing them a bit flatter with a spatula. Fry until they are nicely brown underneath, about 3 to 5 minutes, then flip and continue to cook until they are browned and crisp. Drain briefly on paper towels and transfer to preheated oven to keep warm until serving up to an hour later
6. Add 1 Tbsp. of butter for each new batch in the pan, and repeat with remaining batter.
7. Serve with crème fraîche on top. Yum.

 Enjoy with friends

White Christmas

Hello everyone!

I've sorry to have abandoned you for so long. But now I'm back and I've got so many recipes and photos of my efforts to share.

For today though, it's Christmas and the very first White Christmas of my life as well as the first in Atlanta in over 100 years!! I woke to the dreary morning we have all become accustomed to in Georgia as our sorry excuse for winter. But just like a Christmas miracle, we began opening our presents in our sunroom as usual and suddenly the snow began to fall. And it got bigger and fluffier and started sticking...and now I only fear I won't make it to see True Grit because there's actually snow on the roads.

My white house and white car seem so at home. 

This playground was my first Christmas miracle. I was probably about 5 years old, and my grandparents had come to visit from Pennsylvania. On Christmas Eve my Grandma took me out for adventures all day long until it was dark, and I eagerly awaiting sleep so that Santa wouldn't pass by my house. When morning came, we sang "Silent Night" as we walked down the stairs, carefully preparing to deliver Baby Jesus to the manager as always. But the second I rounded the corner, I could see straight down the hall to the sunroom where in my backyard, Santa had magically delivered a fully assembled, perfect playground just for me.

That year Grandpa and my Dad were Santa. And what a magical thing it was.

 

 Now here's a recipe to keep you warm on these (finally) cold winter nights. It's simple and delicious. And perhaps I'll whip some up with my brand new food processor (Hallelujah!)

Carrot and Fennel Soup
 

2 medium fennel bulbs with fronds (Trader Joe's sells great big ones!)
1 lb carrots, quartered lengthwise
1 medium onion, quartered
 2 garlic cloves, halved
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground finely in a coffee grinder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lowest position.

2. Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1 tablespoon and reserve. Discard stalks and remaining fronds. 

3. Slice bulbs 1/4 inch thick and toss with carrots, onion, garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 

4. Spread in a 4-sided sheet pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Blend half of vegetables in a blender with broth until very smooth (or still with a little chunk in its step as I like it). 

6. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Repeat with remaining vegetables and water. Thin with extra water if you want it really soupy and simmer 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Meanwhile, finely grind fennel seeds in grinder and stir into remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

8. Serve soup drizzled with fennel oil and sprinkled with reserved fronds.

I grew radishes!

Big ones too.

 

...and arugula

Mushroom Risotto and Old-Fashioneds

Lately I just cannot get enough of mushrooms. I also happen to be a huge fan of risotto, a meal that I feel strikes the perfect balance between seemingly fancy but also really easy to make taste delicious. Also, there are so so many excellent variations. So when I saw this recipe on The Kitchen Sink I knew immediately I had to make it that night. I picked up some Brussels sprouts to accompany the risotto and some bitters and bourbon for some Mad Men style Old Fashioneds, Don Draper's drink of choice.

Mushroom Risotto

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (about two little cartons)
1/2 large onion, diced
2 shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or dried thyme, plus more for serving
kosher salt
freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup freshly-grated parmesan, plus more for serving

1. Melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned and soft.
2. If the mushrooms get too watery, drain the pan and scrape the mushrooms into a bowl to reserve for later.

3. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil.  Add the onion, shallots and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and softened.
4. Add the arborio, season with salt and pepper, and stir for about a minute.
5. Add the wine, and stir constantly until the rice has absorbed the wine.
6. Warm the vegetable broth. Laddle in about 1/2 cup of broth every time the rice absorbs what's already been added. Slowly but surely the rice will thicken.
7. When the rice is cooked to your taste, add the cooked mushrooms and grated cheese. Serve immediately, with additional fresh thyme and grated cheese, if desired.

Brussels Sprouts 
This recipe was recommended to me by my father.

Small brussels sprouts, however many you desire
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan

1. Wash the Brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any ragged outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and make a small X in the base of the stem. This is important because the leaves cook faster than the stems which causes the bitterness that most people dislike about Brussels sprouts. This trick maintains the buttery sweetness that makes these veggies utterly delectable.
2. Boil a pot of water and fill a bowl with salted ice water. Blanche the Brussels sprouts for about 3 minutes in the boiling water then drop the in the salted ice water.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don't go too hot.
4. Rub the Brussels sprouts with olive oil. Place the Brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down in a single-layer, sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes.
5. This is optional: once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side.
6. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and some grated cheese. Eat immediately if possible and reheat for snacks later.


Now for drinks...

 Old-Fashioned

• 2 dashes aromatic bitters
• 2 dashes of rhubarb bitters (recommended by the Five Points Bottle Shop guy)
• ½ tsp sugar dissolved with water and bitters
• 1½ oz of bourbon
• 1 cherry (optional)
• 1 orange slice
• Some orange juice squeezed in
• 1 lemon wedge

Instructions

Fill glass with ice. Add cherry, orange slice and lemon wedge. Pour in bourbon. Serve in a rocks glass over ice.

If you prefer, you could also make a whiskey sour or mint julep using the same bourbon you've already purchased. Salut!

What can be used instead....

Last night was one of my most absent-minded moments. I went into the kitchen, ready to make Brazilian Soup from my new, graphically favorite, cookbook I Know How To Cook. Now, before I go to the grocery store, I find my self thumbing through all the various recipes I have bookmarked, added to my delicious or starred on my reader in the past weeks. This inevitably leads me to purchasing far too many ingredients for far too many meals...although miraculously I've gotten pretty good at using every last bit before they reach "beyond banana bread" if you will.

 
So I had purchased the ingredients for Brazilian Soup weeks ago, only to find out, an hour before dinner was meant to be ready, that I didn't have the following: (and what they had gone to)

• Onion (Salsa) - Replaced by shallots
• Tomatoes (Salsa) - Excluded
• Consomme (Actually I didn't even get ingredients for this in the first place for unknown reasons) - Replaced by veggie stock
• Butter (Everything...my roommate and I use a sick amount of butter) - Borrowed from the Stephensons
• Nearly carrots. They were reaching floppy but luckily I caught them just in time. - Used anyway. Ya.

To give up and cancel dinner or to make something out of what I have and hope it works?

Brazilian Soup
Adapted from I Know How to Cook
 
A bunch of carrots (about 6 medium sized), thinly sliced
2 leeks, thinly sliced
3 shallots, minced
5 turnips
3 celery stocks, thinly sliced
1 Cayenne or Santaka pepper, minced
5 Tbsp. Butter
1 1/2 cups long-grained rice
13 cups of water
Salt, pepper
A few drops of truffle oil
Dash of ginger powder
1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
Vegetable stock

*The actual recipe had very exact amounts in ounces and I do not attempt to claim that my amounts are best or different really or anything of the sort. I figure with soup, it's all the same.*

1. Boil 13 cups of water. When it reaches a rapid boil, add the rice and stir once. Let cook for 10-12 minutes or until it tastes cooked to the proper softness. 
2. Drain the rice in a collander and rinse with cold water. 
3. Melt 2 heaping tablespoons of butter in pan. Once melted, add the rice and reheat on low-medium, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the pan and to coat with butter.
4. While the rice is cooking, melt 3 Tbsp. of butter in a large pan. Add the carrots, leeks, shallots, celery, turnips, and cayenne or santaka pepper. Cover and let cook stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.
5. Add salt, pepper, truffle oil and ginger powder to the vegetables to taste.
6. Puree the beans in a blender or food processor. 
7. After 30 minutes, add the vegetable stock (about 4 cups) to the vegetables. If you want to thicken the soup, add some corn starch mixed into a bit of cold water. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Add the bean puree.
9. Serve by pouring the soup over rice in a bowl. I also buttered some onion hamburger buns, topped them with fresh grated parmesan and toasted them in over for 5 minutes or so.