Sunday, January 4, 2009
the tiny kitchen (as featured by the new york times magazine)
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
guatemalan red cabbage relish
cucharamama restaurant
1 medium red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
1 large carrot, peeled and finely shredded
1 1/2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 large red onion, cut lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup beet juice (optional)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup red-wine vinegar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Grated zest of one bitter or regular orange, preferably Seville
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice (optional)
1 tablespoon cumin seed, toasted (optional)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dark Muscavado (optional)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add cabbage and let cook for 2 minutes. Drain well and let cool completely.
2. Transfer cooled cabbage to a large bowl. Add carrot, chile, onion, and bay leaves; set aside. In another small bowl, whisk together beet juice, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, orange zest, cilantro, allspice, cumin, and Muscavado, if using; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add to cabbage mixture and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Keep tightly covered, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
latin american adobo! ole
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 large cloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon aniseed
1/2 teaspoon Spanish hot paprika
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed bitter orange juice, such as from Seville oranges, or 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons guava preserve or 1 tablespoon Catalan wild oak honey
1/4 cup Oloroso sherry
1/2 cup grated brown loaf sugar, preferably Mexican piloncillo or Columbian panela or dark muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Saturday, December 1, 2007
rack of lamb
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 racks of lamb, "frenched" (see note)
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the salt, rosemary, and garlic until they're as finely minced as possible. Add the mustard and balsamic vinegar and process for 1 minute. Place the lamb in a roasting or sheet pan with the ribs curving down, and coat the tops with the mustard mixture. Allow to stand for 1 hour at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Roast the lamb for exactly 20 minutes for rare or 25 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then cut into individual ribs and serve.
Note: "Frenching" refers to scraping the meat off the tips of the bones. Ask your butcher to leave 1/8 inch of fat on the meat.
rum raisin rice pudding
3/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons dark rum
3/4 cup white basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 cups half-and-half, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 extra-large egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
In a small bowl, combine the raisins and rum. Set aside.
Combine the rice and salt with 1 1/2 cups water in a medium heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stir once, and simmer, covered, on the lowest heat for 8 to 9 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed. (If your stove is very hot, pull the pan halfway off the burner.)
Stir in 4 cups of half-and-half and sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, until the rice is very soft. Stir often, particularly toward the end. Slowly stir in the beaten egg and continue to cook for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the remaining cup of half-and-half, the vanilla, and the raisins with any remaining rum. Stir well. Pour into a bowl, and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Serve warm or chilled.
tiramisu
6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup good dark rum, divided
1 1/2 cups brewed espresso, divided
16 to 17 ounces mascarpone cheese
30 Italian ladyfingers, or savoiardi
Bittersweet chocolate, shaved or grated
Confectioners' sugar, optional
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until very thick and light yellow. Lower the speed to medium and add 1/4 cup rum, 1/4 cup espresso, and the mascarpone. Whisk until smooth.
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup rum and 1 1/4 cups espresso in a shallow bowl. Dip 1 side of each ladyfinger in the espresso/rum mixture and line the bottom of a 9 by 12 by 2-inch dish. Pour half the espresso cream mixture evenly on top. Dip 1 side of the remaining ladyfingers in the espresso/rum mixture and place them in a second layer in the dish. Pour the rest of the espresso cream over the top. Smooth the top and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, sprinkle the top with shaved chocolate and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
Notes: To make espresso for this recipe in your electric drip coffee maker, use enough water for 4 cups of coffee plus 1/3 cup of ground espresso.
You can find savoiardi and mascarpone in an Italian specialty store.