Sabor for the kitchen & tea for the soul.
Sabor Eats is an experimental food blog created by Erica and Wasc, two students who love food, culture, and travelling.
Over Thanksgiving break I decided to make a giant Kit Kat bar. I had recently discovered that Nestle released the passion fruit flavored Kit Kat earlier this year in June. Of course delicious flavors like that would only be sold in glorious Japan and not in the US, so.... I made it myself! :D
This baby weighs approximately 7 pounds! It's so many calories... I looked up the caloric content for other giant Kit Kats and they were calculated to weigh anywhere from 36,000 to 46,000 calories!!! :O Please don't eat this all by yourself in one sitting.
Half of this giant Kit Kat is lined with coconut wafers and half is lined with peach wafers. I think the coconut wafer pairs better with the passion fruit flavor.
My mom has been gobbling up the portions the cut from the Kit Kat claiming that she loves it because it reminds her of durian and coconut. :/ The texture is also that of a ganache--very soft and melt-in-your-mouth. Maybe that's also part of why it reminded her of durian. I'm not so sure I want the name durian attached to this Kit Kat though. My brother did not think it tasted like durian, so I think we're okay! :)
Anyway, hope you enjoy the photos! :)
Compared to a Matcha (green tea) Kit Kat.
Pictured with the Japanese Passion Fruit Kit Kat label.
OM NOM NOM!!!
This thing was a monster to slice!
My brother, "The Process Documenter".
Yanyi, my brother's girlfriend, AKA "The Font Maker"
Step 1: Make and cut out the font.
Step 2: Heating the coconut cream and passion fruit pulp.
Step 3: Mixing the passion fruit cream and baking chips.
Click "Read More" below for the rest of the steps!
Happy eatings!
-Erica
Giant Passion Fruit Kit Kat Bar
Serves SO MANY
Ingredients:
7 packages of 11 oz Ghirardelli White Baking Chips
3/4 can coconut cream
1 package Goya Passion Fruit Pulp
2 packages of wafers
Recipe:
Prepare your mold. Either print out and trace or free-hand the "Kit Kat" logo on a cardboard.
Cut the logo out and paste onto the bottom of the mold with the letters reversed right for left and pasted on in reverse. For example: "taK tiK"--But make sure to also reverse each letter (not shown in example).
Pour 2 packages of baking chips into a large bowl.
Heat 1/4 of the coconut cream with 1/4 of the passion fruit pulp on medium for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly.
Slowly pour heated passion cream mixture over the baking chips, mixing all the while.
Mix until all the chips have melted and pour the melted chip mixture into the bottom of the mold.
Let mixture cool (about 1 hour+ depending on which brand of white chocolate you use).
After the first layer has cooled, layer wafers with long end parallel to the short side of the mold. *NOTE: I ended up with 4 stacked layers, 11 wafers long.
Heat the remaining cream and pulp as in #4, and pour over the remaining bags of baking chips. *NOTE: It may be easier to mix and melt the chocolate if you complete this step in smaller (about 2) batches.
Let chocolate cool laying flat in the refrigerator overnight.
Basil Pesto Tofu Steak with Roasted Butternut Squash
Wow, I've been on a long hiatus! I have been cooking, but have not had the time to photograph or write about all the things I've cooked/baked.
Did anybody miss me? ;)
Well, I am here today to make it up to you with not one--but THREE recipes in one post! :D How exciting is that?! This recipe is a three parter, and you can use each component in different recipes altogether. Isn't that a great deal?
The basil pesto can be used to coat pasta, as a spread on bread, even as a seasoning to popcorn! In this recipe I made the pesto using freshly plucked basil from my home garden. It tastes amazingly fresh and has a beautiful, natural green color.
The roasted butternut squash can be used as filling to make delicious tacos, as a vegetable side, or even pureed to make a thick and rustic soup. If you are so inclined, you could even add more vegetables to roast with the butternut squash (that also tastes amazing--maybe I'll post a recipe for that at a later date).
And now for the main protein of the dish: Tofu.
Anybody who knows me knows that I have 2 main staples in my food diet. Just about anything I make is guaranteed to contain 1) Tofu or 2) Kimchee, and if you're lucky, both in one meal. :) Why do I love these ingredients? Well, it's pretty simple: They are healthy and can also pack a flavorful punch in a meal.
Now please, don't discount tofu as a major player in the food or even protein world. I won't get started on this topic regarding "protein", as I could sit here for 6+ hours talking about it. :) If you want to learn more, you can rummage through my old posts for ramblings regarding tofu and nutrition, or may I suggest food documentaries like "Forks over Knives". I mean, if you get bored one day and want something to watch. ;)
Okay, enough with the rambling. Now presenting what you really came for: photos and recipes! :)
Bon Appétit!
-Erica
Basil Pesto Tofu Steak with Roasted Butternut Squash
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/2 package firm tofu
1 medium sized roasted butternut squash (see recipe below)
2 tbsp basil pesto (see recipe below)
Olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Pomegranate arils (for garnish)
Umeboshi *optional (for garnish)
Recipe:
Slice the firm tofu into 4 medium-thin slices. Lightly sprinkle both sides of each tofu slice with coarse sea salt.
Wrap the tofu with paper towels to remove excess water and let sit for 15-20 minutes. You want as little water in the tofu as possible so that it does not splatter during the frying process. *NOTE: You may need to change out the paper towels every so often.
Fill a skillet with enough olive oil to cover half the depth of the tofu slices and heat to medium-low.
Add the slices of tofu and pan fry until golden brown on one side. Flip over the tofu and pan fry the other side until golden brown. Remove immediately on to a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.
Smear 1/2 tbsp of basil pesto on to fried tofu slabs.
Plate with roasted butternut squash. Garnish with pomegranate arils and umeboshi.
Roasted Butternut Squash
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 medium sized butternut squash, diced
1 tbsp Coarse sea salt
Ground black pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Cayenne pepper
Recipe:
Pre-heat oven to 380 degrees F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together diced butternut squash, coarse sea salt, olive oil, and cayenne pepper.
Spread the seasoned squash on the lined baking pan.
Grind black pepper over the squash to taste.
Roast for 20-25 minutes or until squash is medium-soft to touch (roast longer if you want them softer).
Basil Pesto
Makes enough to almost fill 1 small mason jar
Ingredients:
2 cups loosely packed Italian Basil leaves, washed and completely dried
1/4 cup and 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
4 large cloves of garlic
1/8 tsp coarse sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Recipe:
In a blender/food processor with a flat blade, roughly process toasted pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together. Add 1 tbsp of EVOO to help process if needed.
Add 1-2 handfuls of basil leaves and parmesan cheese to the processor along with a little bit of olive oil. Roughly blend/process and repeat until all of the basil, parmesan, and olive oil are gone.
Store in a sterile mason jar* or freeze in ice cube trays** for future use. *NOTE 1: If you store the pesto in a mason jar and do not plan to use it all up within a few days, it is a good idea to top off the jar with enough olive oil to cover the exposed pesto so that it does not mold. **NOTE 2: Use silicon ice cube trays or spray tray with olive oil before adding pesto for easy removal. After pesto has frozen, transfer them into a ziplock bag for freezer storage.
I've been wanting to make my own empanadas for a few years now... It's all finally happening, so I hope you enjoy being bombarded with photos and recipes for different kinds of empanadas!
The best empanada I've ever tasted (thus far) is from this place called Casanova's Restaurant. It's a Venezuelan restaurant here that sells a lot of Venezuelan comfort food. My favorite empanada from there is the Pabellon Empanada. It's so delicious! Shredded beef with black beans, plantains, and lots of cheese. Drizzled with the chef's special green sauce (which I'm going to take a stab and say it's cilantro with avocado mixed with mayo) and MMmmmMMMM!!! Heaven. Plan on falling into a food coma after eating there though, as just about every food item is composed of fried goodness.
The original recipe for these Empanadas de Puerros called for the empandas to be baked. It's much healthier, but since it was only my second time making empanadas, I wanted to refine the timing of my frying. :) They are also just way too delicious not to indulge on while frying... I had set 2 or 3 small empanadas aside to be baked later. We'll see if they still taste as delicious when baked.
In addition, I added more meat than the original recipe called for--although I did use turkey bacon instead of full-on thick pork bacon. I also added Mexican chorizo, though that was not intentional. I meant to add chorizo that can be cut like sausage...but since it was my first time buying chorizo, I didn't realize that Mexican chorizo crumbles apart like ground meat when cooked. Oh well, it still turned out pretty tasty!
Next time I will not add the raisins. In the original recipe, the author thought that the empanadas needed a little sweetness to balance the flavors. However, I felt like the raisins were detracting from the strong flavors of the empanada. And although I used pepper-jack cheese and added paprika and cayenne pepper to the filling, the empanada was not as picante as I had wanted. Therefore, I added chili powder to the recipe below.
These can be eaten as a snack or as an appetizer if made small enough. They should give you enough energy to power through until dinnertime. :)
I hope you enjoy!!!
-Erica
Empanadas de Puerros (adapted by Laylita's Recipes)
Makes ~15 empanadas
Ingredients:
15 medium empanada discs, click here for the recipe
3 leeks, thinly sliced (white and tender green parts online)
10 oz turkey bacon (or thick bacon), diced
1 package chorizo
1 tsp olive oil (if using turkey bacon)
1 can of black beans
2.5 cups of shredded pepper-jack cheese
1/2 tsp cumin
Dash of nutmeg
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 egg white
Recipe:
Pan-fry bacon until crispy. Set cooked bacon aside to cool. *NOTE: If using turkey bacon, there will be no excess grease; however, if you're using thick bacon, reserve the grease to sauté the leeks.
Pan-fry chorizo until fully cooked, then set aside for cooling.
Sauté leeks in reserved bacon grease (or 1 tsp olive oil) on medium heat until tender (about 8-10 minutes). Set aside to let cool (about 15 minutes is fine).
Heat black beans with cumin and salt to taste in a pot until cooked. Set beans aside to cool.
Combine leeks, bacon, chorizo, beans and shredded cheese in a large bowl. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste (*NOTE: I added very little salt) and mix.
Assemble empanadas by scooping 1.5-2 tbsp of empanada filling into the center of the discs.
Seal the disc using egg white as a glue. Pinch shut.
Use the end of the fork to seal the empanada a second time. Braid the edges and then seal one last time with a fork.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This will help ensure that they don’t break and cause a huge, oily mess when it’s time to fry them.
Fry using a fryer or pan.
If using a pan to fry: Heat enough oil to cover at least half of the empanada to medium-high. When oil is hot, add empanada and cook each side until it is gold in color (or 1-2 minutes).
Serve warm with sauce (made from blended avocado, cilantro, and lime. Fold in mayo).
I'm back!! After a long on-again-off-again break, I've got a new recipe for you! Empanadas de Viento. These empanadas can be eaten for breakfast with black coffee or coffee with condensed milk, at teatime with coffee, as an appetizer, or for an afternoon snack. And yes, I do recommend having coffee with these empanadas. It's a pretty amazing combo, although the empanadas by themselves are pretty good as well.
This was my first time making empanadas, so I was crossing my fingers the entire time, hoping that they would come out delicious and close-to-authentic.
If I were to redo this recipe, I would use another type of cheese. I bought some Queso Fresco (having never tried it before) and did not know that it was not a melting-type cheese, but a Hispanic version of feta cheese.... Imagine my disappointment when I tore open a freshly-fried empanada and was not greeted with my best friend, Oozy-Gooey Cheese.
Alas, I bit into the empanada. To my delight, it was still very tasty! It was even more tasty with some hot coffee. I brought some of the empanadas to a Latin party later on that night to do a trial run--to test its taste and authenticity--and either everyone was being very nice or it was a success! I'd like to think it was a success. :)
I'd also like to give a shout-out again to all the Latin mamas who make and roll their own dough for empanadas, tortillas, etcetc. everyday--RESPECT. My weakly wrists could only knead and roll out about 13 tortillas before giving out. There was still dough left over... -_- Oh well, I guess I will be rolling out more today!
Empanada filling.
Straight out of the fryer.
With some nice, hot coffee for breakfast. MmmmMMmm!!
My not-so-oozy insides.
Enjoy!!
-Erica
Empanadas de Viento (adapted from Laylita's Recipes)
Makes ~13 medium-sized empanadas
Ingredients:
13 medium-sized empanada discs (recipe for dough here or purchase pre-made dough)
5 cups of grated cheese (use a cheese that melts well like mozzarella, monterey jack, etc)
2 cups finely chopped white onion
Sugar for sprinkling
Canola oil for frying
Recipe:
Mix the grated cheese and chopped onions together.
Dab your finger into a bowl of water and then wet the edge of half of the empanada disc. This will help it seal better.
Spoon about 3 tbsp of mixture into the center of the empanada disc (may be more or less depending on the size of your discs).
Fold empanada over and seal using your fingers. You may find that you will need to stuff a little more cheese mixture into the empanada before sealing the last edge.
Use the end of a fork to seal the edges.
Braid/fold the edges over, then seal one last time using a fork.
Repeat with remaining empanada discs.
Refrigerate the empanadas for at least 1 hour so that they can solidify. This will help ensure that they don't break and cause a huge, oily mess when it's time to fry them.
Fry using a fryer or pan.
If using a pan to fry: Heat enough oil to cover at least half of the empanada to medium-high. When oil is hot, add empanada and cook each side until it is gold in color (or 1-2 minutes).
Remove from oil onto a paper towel and sprinkle with sugar.
This is an introductory post on how to make your own empanada dough. Tomorrow I will release a post on how to make Empanadas de Viento (Fried Cheese Empanadas).
Rather than buy pre-made empanada dough, which has been mixed with who knows what kind of preservatives, you can make your own dough from scratch! The dough itself is easy enough to put together--it's the rolling out of the dough after mixing and kneading the dough that really works out your wrist muscles. Makes you think of bakers and Latin mamas who roll their own dough for tortillas, empanadas, etc. in a new light. For example, they must have a lot of arm and wrist strength, so make sure you don't upset them. If they thump you on the head or hand with the rolling pin (like you see in cartoons), it's going to hurt! But really, throw some appreciation their way, they definitely deserve it.
What's great is you can roll out the dough and save it in the refrigerator or freezer for later use. This is especially nice for when you don't have the time to make the empanada fillers, stuff, then fry them on the same day. Or for those of you like me who made a lot of dough and did not have the wrist strength to roll out more than 1 bowl's worth.
Here is a quick snapshot of my working station.
Happy rolling!
-Erica
Makes ~15 medium sized empanada discs
Ingredients:
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick of unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces or 1 tsbp, at room temperature
2 tbsp orange juice
3/4 cup of chilled/filtered water
Recipe:
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
Add butter, orange juice, and 2/3 water.
Mix and lightly knead until incorporated.
Add the rest of the water as necessary for the rest of the dough to clump.
Knead lightly and roll dough into a ball.
Cover and let it rise for 1 hour.
Roll out the dough into thin sheets. Use a cookie cutter or a small bowl to cut out small discs of dough and set aside (cover to ensure they do not dry out).
Roll out each disc of dough even more to make the disc larger and more thin. **NOTE: You want the disc to be thin so that it fries easily.
Use the dough immediately or store in the refrigerator/freezer for later use.
After I moved back to the town I go to school in, my parents tended to my herb garden for me. Or rather, did not tend? They watered my herbs, but that was probably it. Haha. As a result, look at how much thyme I harvested!!! This wasn't even all of it!! This was the portion I was going to oven dry. I stored the rest (about the same amount) fresh in the refrigerator!
I didn't get any photos of the rest of the herbs I had, but they were also quite plentiful. Lets just say I had herbs to last quite a while. This photo was taken some time in September and I STILL have quite a bit of fresh thyme in my fridge! :)
Since the weather here has been a bit strange, we had essentially a "second season". Plants and veggies which were supposed to die came back to live and flourished for a few more weeks. It was great (harvest-wise). Not so great in the aspect of climate change....
This is a real quick and easy recipe for a "smoothie" that will start your morning. It utilizes greek yogurt so it will be a bit different from your normal smoothie. I found it more of a milkshake consistency (but not as thick).
This drink will certainly wake you up in the morning! It was so sour the first time I made it (I've adjusted the proportions readily in the recipe below). I suppose you could balance out the sour with more maple syrup, but since this is meant to be a healthy drink, I did not want to put anymore in. Feel free to add more maple syrup in, especially if you're using this drink as an afternoon non-alcoholic cocktail. ;)
Enjoy!
-Erica
Light and Refreshing Mojito Smoothie (adapted from Inspired Edibles)
Serves 1
Ingredients:
3/4 cup of Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup of Almond Milk
1/4 cup of ice
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime
7 mint leaves, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
Mint leaves, garnish *optional
Recipe:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a cup, garnish with a mint leaf (optional) and enjoy!
So, I almost forgot what this photo was of. I do remember it being very delicious and easy to make though. Luckily, I remembered it was a Breakaway recipe. I did not have any mackerel on hand though (the original recipe calls for makerel), so I used whatever fish was available in the freezer at the time.
This recipe reminded me of the food in Japan. I imagine this would be the kind of thing I'd be cooking on a regular basis if I lived there. Actually, this is pretty easy/quick to do on a regular basis here as well! Hehe.
I served the broiled fish with some rice and a quick Chinese garlic and green bean stir-fry. Yum!
Enjoy!
-Erica
Broiled Fish with Soy, Lemon, and Butter (adapted from The Breakaway Cook)
Ingredients:
1/4 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp agave
One 6 oz fish fillet, rinsed and dried
Freshly ground black pepper
Tangerine salt
Zest of 1 lemon
Recipe:
Preheat broiler.
Whisk together soy sauce, lemon juice, butter, and agave in a small saucepan over medium heat until the mixture begins to slightly thicken (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.
Spoon mixture onto the fillet and top with freshly ground black pepper.
Broil until surface becomes crispy (about 3-5 minutes, but this will depend on your fish and its thickness). Flip the fillet over and broil until it also becomes crispy (1-2 minutes, again depending on your fish).
Plate and add salt to taste. Garnish with lemon zest. Optional: add another squeeze of lemon juice over the fish.
Serve with rice and veggies. (Pictured above with some stir-fried garlic Chinese green beans).
I love cherries. I miss summer (for the cherries)! Dang, this Whole Wheat Cherry and Rosemary Sea Salt Focaccia was good... I like this recipe because you don't have to wait an entire day for the dough to rise. You can start this around noon and enjoy fresh bread by the afternoon!
By-the-way, the aroma of fresh focaccia baking will make your house smell amazing!! Double win. Or is it triple win?
If I am correct, I made this sometime near the end of June. It was pretty delicious, minus the fact that the sea salt I used to sprinkle over the focaccia was in too large crystals. This caused the focaccia to be way too salty. I had to brush them off before eating! I'd recommend using smaller sea salt crystals.
Enjoy!
Erica
Whole Wheat Cherry and Rosemary Sea Salt Focaccia (adapted from A Cozy Kitchen)
Ingredients:
1/4 oz active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 cups luke warm water
2 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil + 3 tbsp in reserve
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 lb cherries, pitted (I do not have a pitter, so I did it manually, which is why the cherries are in halves)
3/4 tsp fine-medium coarse sea salt (to sprinkle on top)
Recipe:
Stir together lukewarm water and dry yeast together in a large bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.
Add to this bowl whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and sea salt. Mix until you get dough. Knead dough for 1 minute in the bowl.
On a flat, floured surface, knead dough for 5 minutes.
Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and lightly oil the exterior surface of the dough.
Lightly cover the bowl and let it rise for about 1 1/2 hours in room temperature or until the dough doubles in size.
Prepare a baking pan lined with a liberally oiled baking sheet.
Spread the dough out over the entire oiled baking sheet, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise until dough doubles in size once again (about 1 hour).
Preheat over to 400-425 degrees F (this depends on your oven, so I would carefully watch the dough to see when it has finished baking).
In a small bowl, mix together remaining 3 tbsp olive oil and chopped rosemary.
With your index finger, make indentations (about 3/4 of the way through) in the dough and brush dough with rosemary-oil. **NOTE: it's okay for the oil to pool in the indentations
Gently push cherries into the indentations and sprinkle very lightly with fine-medium coarse sea salt.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.
Eric Gower's The Breakaway Cook (a book I've mentioned many times before) is probably my favorite hardback cookbook. Everything I have is online, but this book is just beyond amazing. The recipes never cease to please, and they're so versatile and packed full of healthy, fresh flavors.
Here is one of my favorite breakfast/brunch items from his book. I like to serve these Shirred Shiitake Eggs with some hot hojicha that I purchased while gallavanting Japan. Plus, if you accidentally over-salt the eggs, the hot tea is the perfect drink to wash and cleanse your palate!
Bon Appetit!
-Erica
Breakaway Shirred Shiitake Eggs (adapted from The Breakaway Cook)
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 tsbp unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering ramekins
2 tbsp + 2 tsp pulverized dried shiitake
4 large eggs
Matcha salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A few handfuls of shredded Gouda cheese
1 tbsp minced fresh chives
Thai basil, ribbons of carrot, cherry tomatoes for garnish *optional
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat a pan on low, then add butter. Add 2 tbsp of powdered shiitake, stir to mix. Once the butter starts to foam, remove from heat.
Lightly butter 2 ramekins, and sprinkle the remaining 2 tsp of shiitake powder to the bottom of the ramekins. Tap the ramekin to spread the powder the entire ramekin.
To each ramekin, spoon in half of the butter-shiitake mixture and crack in two eggs.
LIGHTLY sprinkle in some matcha salt. (be careful if your sea salt is coarse, it is easy to over-estimate the amount of salt. I recommend grinding your salt to a fine size so that you don't end up eating a mouthful of salt).
Grind fresh black pepper into the ramekins.
Sprinkle the Gouda cheese over each ramekin. I was very liberal with the cheese, it's just too dang delicious!
Bake ramekins for 12-14 minutes or until cheese barely starts to crisp up.
Use a rubber spatula to remove the eggs onto plates.
Garnish with chives.
Garnish with Thai basil, ribbons of carrot, cherry tomatoes if you wish.
Sorry, no recipe for this one. I made this collard green wrap over the summer. It was a great idea, healthy lunch and whatnot, the only problem was that the raw collard green was too bitter for my taste!!
The fillings were fantastic though. I lined the wrap with tomatoes, gouda cheese, carrots, cucumbers, roasted yellow bell peppers, avocados, homemade tzaziki sauce, and Dijon mustard! Yum!
I finally got around to making my own kimchee (actually, this was made in the summer, I just got around to uploading the post now)! After watching the Korean drama, Kimchee Family, I have been itching to make my own kimchee!
Note in these photos that I placed the kimchee in 2 differently sized jars. Since it was the first time I was ever going to make kimchee, I did not want the jar to be bubbling over with kimchee juice while it was fermenting. I've opened several kimchee jars that I've bought from the Asian markets and without fail, every single time, the kimchee cabbage pops its head at least 1 inch out of the jar and the counter top becomes red with kimchee juice. :P Not fun!
After about 55 hours I noticed that the kimchee in each jar shrunk a bit--the radishes shrunk enough that I could just barely fit the smaller jar of kimchee into the larger jar. Great!! Now I only have to keep one huge jar in the refrigerator instead of two unequally sized jars.
Serve with rice and other dishes. I have discovered that kkakdugi is pretty delicious with some spicy ramen! Give it a try, you may find out the same thing too.
Enjoy!
-Erica
Kkakdugi: Korean Radish Kimchee (adapted from cHow Divine)
Makes 8 cups of kimchee
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, washed and dried, stems and seeds removed
1 inch of ginger, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp honey
2 tsp Korean Anchovy Sauce (fish sauce)
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
1/2 Fuji Apple, peeled and chopped into 1 inch bite-sized pieces
1 small Korean Pear, peeled and chopped into 1 inch bite-sized pieces
1 large Korean Radish (Korean Daikon)
2 tbsp Korean coarse sea salt
5 tbsp Korean red chili pepper flakes (Gochugaru)
1/2 tbsp Gochujang
3 green onions, sliced into 2 inch pieces
Recipe:
Process the red bell pepper in a food processor. Do not let the bell pepper liquify--it should look like look like large pepper flakes
In a bowl, mix the processed red bell pepper, ginger, garlic, honey, and fish sauce.
To the red pepper mix bowl, add chopped onions, apple, and Korean pear. Mix well.
Wash and peel Korean radish. Pat Korean radish dry.
Chop Korean radish into 1 inch cubes.
Place chopped radish in an large, non-reactive bowl.
Add Gochugaru, sea salt, and Gochujang to the chopped radish. Mix well.
Add the red pepper mixture from Step 3 to the radish mixture. Mix well.
Add sliced green onions into the radish mixture. Mix GENTLY so you don't break the green onions.
Transfer the kimchee mixture into a sterilized jar with a tight fitting lid. Push down the kimchee with your hands and pack it tightly.
Scrape all the seasonings and liquid into the jar, making sure to leave some room at the top so that there will be room for the kimchee to ferment. If you do not, then the kimchee will bubble over in the jar.
Close the lid.
Leave the jar out at room temperature for 48-72 hours.
Couscous and Tofu Stuffed Purple Bell Pepper Served with a Salad
One day I was shopping at Whole Foods when I saw out of the corner of my eye, purple bell peppers! Wow, I had never seen purple bell peppers before so I had to purchase some to try at home. They were a beautiful color. I'd probably have to try some more to be able to tell you the flavor differences between purple and the other colors. Next time I will have to try it raw instead of baked, which caused the bell pepper to lose most of its purple hue and nullified the original taste.
Today I will show you how to make Couscous and Tofu Stuffed Purple Bell Pepper. I've paired this dish with a summery salad to add some raw, nutrition packed foods to the meal! :)
I hope you enjoy the photos below!
Served with a side salad composed of: mixed greens, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber slices, blackberries, smoked salmon, and feta cheese. Tossed with homemade Tuscan olive oil and lemon juice salad dressing.
Enjoy!
-Erica
Couscous and Tofu Stuffed Purple Bell Pepper Served with a Salad
Couscous and Tofu Stuffed Purple Bell Pepper
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 purple bell peppers
2 thick slices of cucumbers
1/4 package of silken tofu, drained and fluffed with a fork
Pinch of lavender salt
1/2 cup of whole wheat couscous, cooked
2 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme, stems removed
3 leaves of fresh sage, chopped
5 leaves of fresh Italian basil, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese, reserved for sprinkling on top
Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a tray with aluminum foil.
Stem and remove the seeds from the bell pepper carefully.
Slice off 1 1/2 inches off the bottom of the bell pepper and cover the bottom with 1 cucumber slice each (do this only if your bell pepper will not stand on its own).
Mix together whole wheat couscous, dill, thyme, sage, basil, smoked paprika, and shredded parmesan cheese.
Season the fluffed, silken tofu with some lavender salt.
Alternate layering the inside of the bell pepper starting with the couscous mixture, then the tofu mixture, leaving about 1/2 inch from the top for the reserved parmesan cheese.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until fully cooked, but still a little crunchy.
Chicha Morada is a Peruvian drink made from purple corn. It's very refreshing and especially cooling to drink during these hot summers.
I have been told that in areas of South America, old ladies chew on the kernels and then spit out the juice into a pot. They then use the juice spit to make the chicha morada!!! How gross sounding, right? I hear it's freakin' delicious, but doesn't mean I'm going to be trying old lady chicha morada spit any time soon!
The good news is that you can make this recipe without chewing the kernels then spitting out their juice. This is a simple recipe involving only boiling of the kernels, cloves, cinnamon, and fruit with water. The second half of the recipe involves cooling the drink to let the fruit absorb the flavors of the drink.
I had chicha morada at a Peruvian restaurant once. They, however, did not include the fruit chunks in the drink. Wascar told me that he's had the drink with the fruit chunks before and that it was delicious. He was right. It was great to have him on hand because he knew exactly how large the fruit chunks were suppose to be. I would have chopped the apple into larger chunks if he wasn't there to tell me.
-Erica
Chicha Morada
Makes 2 liters
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pieces of purple corn (Maiz Morado), kernels removed from the cobb
3 liters of filtered water
5 cloves
3 large sticks of cinnamon
6 oz. sweet pineapple peel
2/3 cup of agave
Ice (enough to cool liquid mixture)
Juice of 2 lemons
1 large gala apple, cut into very small cubes
1/2 fresh and sweet pineapple, cut into bite-sized cubes
Recipe:
Fill a large pot with purple kernels and filtered water. Boil for 1 hour.
Add cloves, cinnamon sticks, and pineapple peel. Boil for 10 additional minutes.
Remove pot from heat and strain the liquid into another large pot.
Add agave and stir until combined.
Add ice by the handful until the mixture cools. You don't want to add too much ice or else you will dilute the taste of the drink. (I probably didn't use more than 1 1/2 to 2 cups of ice cubes).
Stir in lemon juice, apple, and pineapple cubes.
Let mixture cool and infuse in the refrigerator (in the pot or in a jug) for at least 5 hours.
It's summer! So that means lots of gelato, sorbet, granita, frozen dessert recipes. It should be no surprise then that in this post I will teach you how to make Mentha Stracciatella Gelato.
What is Metha Stracciatella Gelato, you ask? Well, it is Italian for Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato... Basically. It's delicious and is one of my favorite gelatos to purchase at the cafe or at Target.
My favorite brand is Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto. MmMmm, so delicious! Among my favorite flavors are: Mediterranean Mint Gelato, Roman Raspberry Sorbetto, Blood Orange Sorbetto, and Malaysian Mango Sorbetto. If we had all the flavors sold here, I would probably have more favorites.
When we went to Tokyo, Japan last year, there were many gelato and sorbetto cafes/shops. They had many, many unique flavors that enticed me. Sadly, where I live, we do not get those types of flavors. Although some flavors in some of the stores in Tokyo, like tomato gelato, sounded/looked utterly disgusting! Haha.
Here are some photos of gelatos and sorbettos and their patissieres that I had visited/eaten at while galavanting through Japan.
We had Matcha (Green Tea) Gelato and Raspberry Sorbet.
Gelato and Sorbetto store in Shibuya, Japan. These were just a few of the flavors they offered. I had the cantaloupe and apricot gelato served in a cone.
This photo is not of gelato, but it is the BEST green tea soft serve I have ever had in my life--no exaggeration there. I'd like to say that I am a bit of a green tea ice cream connoisseur. ;) This green tea soft serve can be bought on Mount Fuji, Japan.
So, back on the topic of how I made Mentha Stracciatella Gelato.
There is a healthy and crunch twist that I added to the recipe. Instead of using chocolate, which is sweetened with sugar, I used cacao nibs--the precursor to chocolate! Cacao nibs are a Mayan superfood which act as antioxidants. They are packed full vitamins and minerals and are high in magnesium, which helps to reduce your risk of blood clots. Essentially, cacao nibs are heart friendly! What else is great about cacao nibs? Well, they help lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) while increasing your HDL (good cholesterol)! Yay, for cacao nibs! Plus, I love the extra crunch it gives to the gelato.
The mint flavor of this gelato really stands out! It literally punches you in the mouth. After eating this homemade, fresh, mint flavored gelato, I could really tell how an frozen dessert tastes when you infuse the flavor using fresh mint versus using an artificial or preserved mint extract. The flavor is absolutely outstanding for a gelato.
I hope you try to make this and I hope you relish in its deliciousness and healthiness as much as I do!
-Erica
Mentha Stracciatella Gelato (adapted from David Lebovitz)
Ingredients:
2 cups of whole milk
2 1/2 cups of packed fresh mint leaves, washed and dried (ie: in a salad spinner)
4/5 cup of honey
1 pinch of salt
2 cups of heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp mint extract
5 oz cacao nibs (Or use half the amount of cacao nibs and for the last half, use melted chocolate)
1/2 tbsp gelatin
1 1/5 tbsp cold water
Recipe:
In a medium sized pot, heat milk, mint leaves, honey, agave, and a pinch of salt until nearly boiling.
When the mixture nearly boils, remove from heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let it infuse for 1 hour.
Remove the mint leaves from the mixture and press down on the leaves with the back of a spatula to remove as much color and flavor as possible from the mint leaves.
Discard the mint leaves.
Pour heavy cream into a large, non-reactive bowl. Place this bowl of heavy cream into an ice bath (contained in a larger bowl).
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks.
Begin to reheat the infused milk.
Constantly whisk the egg yolks while slowly pouring in some of the infused milk mixture. This tempers the eggs (ensures the eggs don't scramble).
Once tempered, slowly pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan.
Heat the custard while stirring constantly until the back of the spatula is covered with a thickened liquid. If you have a food thermometer, it should read 170 degrees F. **NOTE: Do not over cook, otherwise the custard will start to clump.
Strain the custard into the heavy cream mixture (which is sitting in an ice bath).
Stir in the vanilla extract and mint extract. Continue stirring until the mixture is cool.
Refrigerate mixture thoroughly, keeping it in the refrigerator overnight if possible.
Right before you are about to churn the mixture, bloom gelatin in cold water.
Microwave bloomed gelatin for 10 seconds.
Whisk in liquid gelatin into gelato mixture immediately before pouring the gelato mixture into your ice cream machine.
Freeze according to your ice cream manufacturer's instructions.
In the last 2 minutes of churning, pour the cacao nibs into the mixture.
Breakaway Salts : Kaffir Lime Salt, Blood Orange Salt, Matcha Salt, Mandarin Orange Salt, Black Sesame Salt, and Lavender Salt
I know I have been promising a post about making your own flavored salts for a while now, so here is me making good on my promise! :)
These flavored salts/finishing salts/Breakaway Salts (termed by Eric Gower, author of The Breakaway Cook) are a great way to add a special flavor to your dishes! They are easy to make, requiring only kosher or sea salt and your flavoring. Eric Gower suggests that you keep these finishing salts visible and near your stove so that you remember to use them.
The great thing about these salts is that they can be thrown on just about anything and will infuse their flavor deep into your dish. Not only do the salts carry bursts of flavor but they also impart their colors on to the food which they season.
Very colorful! Can you imagine the color they can add to your dishes?
Blood Orange Salt: Deep, tangy, citrusy, fruity, and sweet
Matcha (Green Tea) Salt: Slightly bitter and green tea flavored
Black Sesame Salt: Nutty and smoky
Lavender Salt: Floral and herbacious
Mandarin Orange Salt: Tangy, fruity, citrusy
Hope you enjoy the bursts and depth of flavor these salts will add to your dishes!
-Erica
Kaffir Lime Salt
Ingredients:
5 Kaffir Lime Leaves, dried
2 1/2 to 3 tbsp coarse sea salt
Recipe:
Wash the lime leaves and pat dry with a paper towel.
Oven dry the kaffir lime leaves on the low heat (about 150 degrees F) for about 10 minutes. Leaves should feel dry with no moisture in them to ensure no molding!
In a coffee grinder (what I used) or a spice grinder, grind the dried leaves to a fine powder if you can. I was not really able to get it all to become fine powder and was left with some tiny bits and pieces of kaffir lime leaf. This is fine, it will make your salts look nice.
In a sterilized, dried, and airtight jar, mix together coarse sea salt with the ground kaffir lime leaves.
Blood Orange Salt
Ingredients:
Peel of 1/2 a blood orange (or a couple of medium-thin slices of blood orange)
5-6 tbsp coarse sea salt
Recipe:
Wash the blood orange peel (make sure there is very little to no pith if using only peels) and pat dry with a paper towel.
Oven dry the blood orange peel or slice on the low heat (about 150 degrees F) for about 45 minutes or until the peel is completely dry. Peel should feel completely dry with no moisture in them to ensure no molding!
In a coffee grinder (what I used) or a spice grinder, grind the dried peels/slices to a fine powder if you can.
In a sterilized, dried, and airtight jar, mix together coarse sea salt with the ground blood orange peel/slices.
Matcha Salt
Ingredients:
1 tsp matcha
3-4 tbsp coarse sea salt
Recipe:
In a sterilized, dried, and airtight jar, mix together matcha with the coarse sea salt.
Black Sesame Salt
Ingredients:
2 tsp ground black sesame
3-4 tbsp coarse sea salt
Recipe:
In a sterilized, dried, and airtight jar, mix together ground black sesame with the coarse sea salt.
Mandarin Orange Salt
Ingredients:
Peel of 2-3 mandarin oranges (I used Cuties)
3-4 tbsp coarse sea salt
Recipe:
Wash the mandarin orange peel (make sure there is very little to no pith if using only peels) and pat dry with a paper towel.
Oven dry the mandarin orange peel or slice on the low heat (about 150 degrees F) for about 45 minutes or until the peel is completely dry. Peel should feel completely dry with no moisture in them to ensure no molding!
In a coffee grinder (what I used) or a spice grinder, grind the dried peels/slices to a fine powder if you can.
In a sterilized, dried, and airtight jar, mix together coarse sea salt with the ground mandarin orange peel/slices.
Lavender Salt
Ingredients:
2 tsp lavender
3-4 tbsp coarse sea salt
Recipe:
In a sterilized, dried, and airtight jar, mix together dried lavender buds with the coarse sea salt.
Saltenas Served With Llajwa: My first attempt at making Bolivian food
All summer long I have been waiting to make empanadas or a version of empanadas. I have been meaning to for the past two weeks, but I just got too lazy.
A few months ago I bought a book called My Mother's Bolivian Kitchen (which I had mentioned before) but have yet to try to make an authentic dish from the book. The book includes some recipes for different types of Salteñas, Pukacapas, etc.
Salteñas are a Bolivian empanada, which may include eggs, olives, and raisins. Although salteñas are Bolivian, they originate from Salta, Argentina. The original salteña was created by a woman named Juana Manuela Gorriti who was exiled from Argentina to Bolivia during the early 19th century. In order for her family to make a living, they sold salteñas. Since then, salteñas have become a traditional Bolivian snack that is usually eaten as a mid-morning snack.
You may be wondering what the difference between an empanada and a salteña is. I have compiled a convenient list here for you!
Salteñas are very juicy. You have to eat them carefully, otherwise the juice will run down your arms when you eat them! Salteñas are "like a stew in a pastry," according to Wikipedia. The secret to making them juicy is adding gelatin to the filling. You refrigerate the filling overnight so that it solidifies and is easy to spoon into the dough. Don't worry, the filling melts again after baking resulting in a "stew-like" filling. Because of the juiciness, salteñas have to be eaten in a certain way--nibble a bit off the top corner, and eat your way down, being careful not to spill any juice.
Salteñas are baked at super high temperatures, they are not fried.
The dough for salteña is different than the dough for empanadas. The dough for salteña is thicker. (Crispy on the outside, soft and bread-like on the inside).
The seal for the salteña different than for the empanada. Salteñas are braided using a technique called repulgue. The repulgue becomes a dark, almost burnt color after baking.
Filling the salteñas.
Braiding the salteñas using repulgue technique.
Because the salteñas were so large and the dough was too thin, I would have been unable to set them on the lined tray sitting on their bottom. The repulgue should be sitting vertically and facing the ceiling, not horizontally, as pictured here. This also has to do with the fact that I forgot this fact when I was making them... Haha.
Brushing the salteñas with olive oil and chili powder before baking in the oven.
Final product: Salteñas!
I suggest serving these salteñas with chimichurri, llajwa, or golf salsa sauce, although Wascar says that they are usually eaten without sauce (just Locoto peppers). I prefer sauces. :)
I served the salteñas with llajwa, a Bolivian hot sauce. Llajwa uses locoto peppers, but since we do not have any here, I substituted locoto with jalapeños. In addition, llajwa uses an herb called quillquiña, which we do not have in the US. As a replacement, I used cilantro.
So, the verdict is in. I gave some salteñas for Wascar to try. He said that my salteñas were HUUUUGE, like I had made large empanadas, hahaha. Well, that was because the recipe I used said to roll the dough out to 7 inches! Salteñas are usually no larger than 4 inches in diameter--they are supposed to be small. The seasonings were good, except that I should add more spices (not to be confused with more picante). The repulgue needs to be smaller and thinner--this is an art, just like folding Cha Siu Bao and other hand folded foods. But, not bad for my first try right? :) The repulgue should be DARK. Almost black in color! That sounds gross to me, but apparently that's the way it should be. You can accomplish this baking at higher temperatures (see the paragraph below for more reasons).
The dough needs a bit of fixing, which I am sure I can remedy by making thinner and smaller repulgue, roll the dough out a little thicker, and most importantly BAKE AT HIGH TEMPERATURES 450-500 degrees F. This was probably the most disappointing factor. The recipe I used from My Mother's Bolivian Kitchen told me to bake the salteñas at 350 degrees F. This was not enough heat, so the dough was too....doughy and soft pizza crust-like. The dough must be a little crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. The ovens are supposed to be so hot that in the wintertime, the ovens for baking salteñas are used as the main source of heat to keep warm! So, remember, use hot ovens! I have included this note in the recipe below, so adjust your cooking time as necessary.
I will post more notes and tips later after I try making salteñas in a few weeks! Until then, I hope you enjoy this post!
1 1/4 cup of shredded chicken (or other diced meat)
3 boiled eggs, sliced
12 large black olives, pitted and halved
1 cup of cheese
For the Dough
Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 tbsp agave
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup of water
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of paprika
For the Glaze
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground red chili or chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
Recipe:
For the filling
In a medium sized skillet, heat olive oil and chili powder over medium heat for 6 minutes.
Add smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, and salt. Let simmer for 8 minutes, stirring all the while. This toasts the seasonings and helps release their flavor.
Add chopped onion and chopped chili pepper to the skillet and cook for another 8 minutes, stirring periodically.
Remove skillet from heat and stir in agave, vinegar, parsley, oregano, and green onions.
In a small pot, mix gelatin and 3/4 cup of water over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, add shredded chicken (or diced meat) and remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture with the onion mixture.
Add in black olives and sliced boiled eggs and stir to mix.
Cover the bowl and chill the mixture in the refrigerator overnight. This will solidify the mixture so that it is easier to spoon onto the dough. It will also help the flavors soak into the meat.
For the dough
In a large bowl, combine flour and melted butter with a wooden spoon. Set aside for 7 minutes.
Add eggs, agave, warm water, and salt. Mix and knead until the mixture is well combined.
Transfer the mixture to a floured surface and knead until the dough has the same consistency all around.
Place the dough in a large bowl and loosely cover with a cloth and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into golf ball sized pieces.
Use a rolling pin to roll out each golf ball into a circle about 1/8 inch thick and 7 inches in diameter (this should actually be 4 inches in diameter).
Separate each piece of dough using parchment paper so they do not stick together. You can refrigerate the flattened dough to use later (it's best to use it by the next day).
Forming the Salteñas
Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of filling into the center of each circle.
Dip your finger in water and run it along the edge of the dough. This will help seal the salteña so that the filling and its oils will not leak out.
Fold the dough over to form a half circle to seal the salteña.
Braid the edges of the half circle using a method called repulgue** (see step 5 for instructions).
Repulgue: Start at one edge of the half circle and fold the corner dough from the sealed edge over to look like a triangle.
Press down to seal it and fold a second triangle right next to the first. Press the triangle down to seal and repeat until you arrive at the other edge.
Tuck in the last triangle to make the repulgue look neat. **NOTE: if you can, you can hold the salteña in one hand while folding the repulgue using your thumb and index finger with the other hand.
Repeat for the remaining salteñas.
For the glaze
Whisk together oil, chili, salt, and 2 tbsp water.
Arrange the salteñas on greased baking sheets and brush the tops with the glaze.
Bake the salteñas on the top rack at 350 degrees F (supposed to be 450-500 degrees F) until the edges are golden brown--approximately 8-10 minutes. Serve warm and with sauce.
For the Llajwa
Ingredients:
1 large tomato, chopped and seeds removed and reserved
3-4 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
Handful of cilantro leaves
Salt to taste
Recipe:
Depending on how coarse you want your llajwa to be, you can either puree the chopped tomato, chopped jalapeños, and cilantro leaves or roughly chop the those ingredients then run it very quickly through the food processor until they are small pieces.
Top with reserved tomato seeds and season to taste with salt.
