Monday, July 4, 2011

Pie Party: Veggie Pot Pie!

Hi Everybody,
 It's a very rainy Monday here in DR, perfect to stay in and cook something delicious and warming. Also perfect to work on two of the years hottest food trends VEGETABLES and PIE! I think it's the first time veggies are the IT item and it was about time. And forget the cupcake fever cause pies are taking over this year, either savory or sweet pies are oooohh so in.

That means today we are making a delicious Veggie Pot Pie!  

This is my  own recipe, and I loved the reaction I got from my family, specially from my dad that kept coming back into the kitchen while I made it, eating almost all the filling and was eating it cold the morning after! And my granny too who called me to tell me that was the most delicious thing she had had in a long time! So here it goes.

Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter cubed
1/4 cup ice water (using as much as needed)

Pre heat oven to 325F.
Make the crust dough first so you can let it rest inside the refrigerator for 20 mins before rolling it out.
In a bowl get the flour, salt, cubed butter and mix together fast until it looks crumbly. Don't use the palm of your hands; they are warm and make the butter melt faster. Add the water slowly until dough comes together. You don't want it too dry or too wet, you are looking for the perfect dough to roll out.
Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. Let rest.
Prepare a 8 inch pie plate rubbing butter and flouring it eliminating any excess.
Sprinkle flour over the space where you are going to work and roll out the dough.  Cover the pie plate with the dough, and cut the sides excess and save for top layer. Cover the pie with parchment paper and put dry beans so the crust doesn't rise. Par bake the crust for 15- 20 minutes.

Filling
1 medium onion, medium dice
2 garlic cloves, choped
1 medium carrot, medium dice
1 stalk of celery and leaves, small dice
A handful of green beans, cut in quarters
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup corn
1 medium potato, small dice
1 cup of dry shiitake mushrooms , hydrated (reserve water)
1/4 cup of milk
**
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 tablespoon of flour

In a saute pan, melt a tablespoon of butter and saute onions until translucent; then add garlic, cook for a minute. Continue to add the potatoes, let cook for 2 minutes then add carrots again let cook for 2 more minutes and continue adding  mushrooms, celery, green beans, green peas and corn with 1/2 a minute in between adding every vegetable and seasoning with salt every time. *
Now let's make a roux, which is going to be our thickening agent. In the same saute pan where you have the veggies, melt a tablespoon of butter then add all the flour and mix very well and fast. This is going to make a paste, cook until flour doesn't taste grainy.
Add the milk and 1/2 cup of the mushroom water and season with salt and pepper. The filling should look creamy and not too thick
Now your filling is ready. Pour the filling into the par cooked pie crust. Roll out a top layer for the pie and make a X so steam can come out while cooking.
Bake for 25- 30 minutes.

*When cooking don't season at the end: it's ideal to season every time an item is added to what ever you are cooking.


This veggie pie is  truly delicious and easy to make. You can add your favorite vegetables or even stick to basic ones if you are in a hurry.
Hope you all make it and enjoy it.

'till next time
Fran


Friday, July 1, 2011

All BBQ (part Dos)

Welcome back to our 2 day all bbq blog posts series! Yesterday we talked about how to get your grill ready, best charcoal to use, how to manage the fire, and more fun tips. Today is all about what’s grilling!
All the best tips on how to achieve that perfect grilled ______!(fill in the blank with you favorite grilled item)
Here we go!

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The perfect grilling cuts. Tender meat cuts are perfect for grilling, look for loin, rib or any top round cut. If grilling hanger or flank steak make sure they are thinly cut for better results. When it comes to fish, fatty fishes like salmon or cobia are the perfect choice.

Salt before grilling. This was a question asked by my friend Marnely last night via twitter and there are a lot of people that have their doubts about it. But adding a healthy amount of salt to your meat 20 to 10 mins before grilling it is going to draw out all the extra moisture allowing a beautiful seared and marked meat when grilled. At the same time is drawing out moisture salt is sinking into you meat, denaturalizing proteins making it juicer + tender at the end. Don’t forget to dry off all that moister before getting on the grill.

Sauce it after. No bbq is complete without delicious bbq sauce! Just be sure to add the sauce after the meat is done. Brushing the sauce before grilling or even while grilling is going to make a hot fiery mess, brush the sauce after the meat is completely done in the warm zone of your grill.

Wait. As hard as it is going to be, after meats are done wait a good 1 to 2 minutes before cutting into it, this is going to allow all the juices inside to redistribute and take their places for the delicious flavor symphony that is going to take place in your mouth.

Building flavor. Marinating and rubbing your meats the night before is going to spice up any meat or fish you are grilling. Try Asian flavor marinades for a juicy tender item or a Jamaican rub for a spicy and crunchy bite.

Its not all about meat. Every time we get grilling in my house my mom's AWESOME grilled vegetable salad is a must, get veggies like onions, zucchinis, eggplants, potatoes directly on the grill or wrap them with foil paper. Just choped them up when done at salt, pepper, lime and olive oil for the perfect side dish. Also try grilling fruits like apples, apricots, plums and strawberry for a delicious and very summery fruit salad.

Refreshments. Don’t forget the beverages, cause its going to be hot. Besides beer (a must have), surprise your friends with a delicious sangria and a special summery cucumber cocktail.

Well guys this is all I have for now, I really hope you enjoyed my all bbq series of posts! But what I really wish is for you to have an incredible fun and full of delicious grilling weekend! Follow these tips and you’ll be the weekend hero!

‘till next time
Fran

Thursday, June 30, 2011

All BBQ (part Uno)

Today I’m super excited and happy for various reasons, first my darling friend Marnely Rodriguez from cooking with books is celebrating her 100th blog post, so after you are done here check out her especial post by clicking her name!

And secondly, I’m excited because we are just a couple of days away from the 4th of July! And that could only mean one thing, BARBECUING baby!

And it doesn’t matter if you are celebrating independence day or not (so don’t get jealous my fellow Dominicans) it's all about enjoying this lovely weather and getting to soak up the sun while having your friends over and getting that grill going! So starting today I’m doing a 2 day post series of BBQ tips on how to get ready for the big day. So lets get started!


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Charcoal. Make sure you get real natural coals that look like they came from an actual tree, they burn faster and last longer then those almost plastic self burning ones. You want your food to taste like it was grilled not like chemicals.

Smokey yummy flavor. If you are a smoked flavor lover like me get wood chips like mesquite, apple and other popular woods that are going to add a beautiful smoked flavor to your meats. You can also use herb stems to aromatize.

Condition it before using it. Take a minute and make sure your grill is clean. Take old ash out so it doesn’t come out flying off when you start a new fire, wash and scrape off the rods of your grill so there’s no old food residues. After it dries use a rolled up cloth soaked with oil and pass it trough the rods to lubricate them.
Also have in mind soaking wooden skewers if you are thinking of using them, this is going to prevent them from catching fire.

Get your tools out. Be sure to have: a long handle tong, platters, a big metal spatula, a brush; these are all must haves to be able to handle the grill.

Temp up. Lets face it, not all of us are grill masters, so be sure to get a thermometer to measure the right temp for the different meats and terms. Go to http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/meat_temperatures.html to learn about the right temps.

Grill up. Once the fire is on, make sure to identify your cooking zones. This means finding those really hot spots you can mark and sear your meats, and those less hot for slow cooking (or finishing cooking) meats as for holding them hot too.
Its also good to set zones for all the different types of meat you are grilling so they don’t carry undesirable flavors.

Heat it up. Once the fire is on let your grill get as hot as possible. The hotter the grill the less of the items you grill are going to stick to the rods. Already hot, separate the coals with the help of tongs to spread the fire around.

Well guys how are all these tips for starters! Although I wanted to given them all away today, I have to continue tomorrow.  In our 2nd part of this bbq series of posts, were we are going to talk about the best cuts of meat to use when grilling, best seasonings spices, marinated recipes, and more fun tips for you to have the best barbecue weekend ever!

I'll leave you with this one tip so you come back tomorrow looking for more!

Season up. When it comes to seasoning I am old school, I like using salt and pepper. Use coarse salt before and after meat is done. Fresh ground pepper is perfect to give that spicy and crunch bite to your favorite cuts of meat. Make sure you season your meat even if you marinaded them all night... but more about that tomorrow.

‘till next time
Fran

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Ice Ice Baby

As summer started I quickly noticed a trend on food blogs and websites, every writer/cook was desperately searching to satisfy their readers need to cool down and beat the heat. They searched for an easy, homemade possible, refreshing item…Granitas.

This delicious ice is made out of natural juices and it can be complemented with different herbs and spices to enhance fruits natural flavor.

Frozen natural juices were first refined by the Italians in the 17 century, but it all started as way for the Arabic to beat the summer heat.

Today we are going to follow this summer trend by making an exotic and “hot” granita. What do you say about a passion fruit, basil, chili granita….yep I said YUM too!

You’ll be needing:
Fresh passion fruit pulp
Water
Fresh basil leafs
A very small (tiny) piece of a hot green chili
**we are not looking for the granita to be spicy, we just want your palate to find it at the end of every spoonful

Sugar

Put all the ingredients into a blender and mix. After, pass through a strainer and pour into a aluminum or any metal container and freeze. This is going to help the granita solidify faster as these materials transfer the cold temperature faster.
Every hour or so go back to your freezer and with the help of a fork break the ice that has formed, repeat until the granita has completely frozen. This last process is optional but important because its going to help break into smaller pieces the ice crystals that have form, making your granita easier to eat and enjoy at the end.




                                         

Now your granita is ready to be enjoyed. When serving, dare to decorate it with herbs used for savory dishes like I did in mine with cilantro. It makes it look different and tastes great!

As you start eating your granita you are going to notice that the spicy hint found in your mouth at the end is going to help prolong the cold sensation in your mouth! Exciting, right?!

Hope you all have a great weekend
‘till next time
Fran
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, June 24, 2011

Mango Madness!

                                                                          
Today I am celebrating summer and one of the seasons most delicious fruits, MANGO! A group of my blogger friends and I decided to make a mango madness celebration by posting recipes with mango as the main ingredient.

I have two mango trees in my backyard and I eat them everyday all summer long, so I couldn’t resist to make just one recipe. To follow the cooking basics needed to be posted, today we are making a delicious tropical mango dressing so that way we can learn about emulsions, but I am also sharing with you my mango relish recipe perfect for those grilled items we love during the summer season.


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What is an emulsion? Well is the marriage between water and oil, two liquids that don’t mix together.
When you emulsify you are forcing together little drops of water and little molecules of oil by mixing or blending very fast. And this is exactly what we are doing for our mango dressing.

You’ll be needing:
1 big ripe mango
1 clove of garlic, peeled
½ cup of Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper to taste or if you are like me that loves everything spicy ½ a hot pepper

The first thing we need is mango juice as concentrated as possible, so if you have a juicer go ahead peel the mango and juice away. If you are using a blender peel and chop the mango and blend. Add water if needed but remember that we need the juice to be concentrated and thick. After pass it through a strainer so we end up with a nice and smooth dressing at the end.
Pour the juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender and blend. While still blending start adding the olive oil slowly. Feel free to add more olive oil, but just keep in mind that you are looking for dressing consistency.
Now your mango dressing is ready! Serve this with your favorite salad! I personally love sweet dressings like this one with a baby arugula and parmesan cheese salad! YUM! The sweetness of the mango goes great with the tartness of the arugula.



Now that we have the dressing ready lets continue with our mango madness party!

***

I loveee relishes they go perfectly with grilled meats, mixed up with rice, on top of crostinis and with just about all the foods we love to eat in spring and summer. Its because relishes are refreshing and fruity.
Today we are going to make one that is going to turn your summer around!

Ingredients
1 big NOT TOTALLY RIPE mango, peeled and small dice
1 small white onion, peeled and small dice
1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped
½ a bunch of cilantro, chopped
The juice of one lime
Olive Oil
Salt

This is easy and fast to make. Just mix all the ingredients together season with the lime juice and salt. Finish by drizzling olive oil. This relish is ready to be eaten!



Well guys I hope you had as much fun as I did today in our mango madness party!
If you are looking for more mango fun you definitely have to visit my blogger friends pages and sites. Trust me when I say you are going to LOVE IT! So go surf away!
Here are the names of my friends, just click on them so you can continue enjoying our mango madness party!

Elizabeth

Karriann
Malou
 Marnely 
Aubrey
 Erin

Annapet

'till next time
Fran