Week 5: Time for Travel

 This week we are hitting the road and heading to Florida with hopes of seeing the Space Shuttle launch scheduled for Thursday.  Growing up I always wanted to work for NASA- even applied and got accepted to Virginia Tech in Aerospace Engineering-during middle school I went to Space Camp, and I have even said when the time comes I would like to be cremated and have my ashes taken up in space (or put in fireworks).  So I am truly hoping all elements cooperate and we are able to witness one of the last shuttle launches. 
  I am hoping to find some fun meals along they way, so that we can add some new places to the bucket when we get back.  So check in next Monday for our next destination....if I don't post I may have just found a way to sneak on board the shuttle =)

Liadillos Sevillanos

  This week getting inspired by a meal was difficult because we didn't have any real food memories from Sevilla.  My mom gave me a few ideas, but nothing sounded exciting to me.  So I started searching the internet in hopes of finding something that not only sounded fun to cook, but also would taste good to all of us.  One dish I kept seeing over and over was Huevos a la Flamenca (Gypsy eggs/ Flamenco style baked eggs).  This dish sounds delicious with ingredients including ham, peas, tomatoes, and eggs.  But with Zachary not liking eggs I decided against it so that he would be able to enjoy the meal.  Then yesterday I stumbled upon a website called: A little bit of Spain in Iowa ( http://www.spain-in-iowa.com/ ).  To my delight there was the recipe for Liadillos.  I have never eaten them, but it sounded like a fun meal to try.

  Well it wasn't an easy or neat meal to prepare, but the end result was good (at least for the adults).  Now I was able to prepare this meal with a 19 month old sous chef, so anyone can do it.  As always I changed a few things here and there, but overall was happy with this recipe and can see many possibilities with it (maybe even an Asian twist).

Ingredients:

• 1lb lean ground beef
• 3 bacon strips, cut up in small strips ( I omitted this ingredient)
• 2 1/2 oz cured serrano ham (prosciutto or pancetta will work fine)
• 3 eggs
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• Spanish green olives, diced
• 1 tbls parsley (preferably Italian parsley)
• Celtic Sea Salt (I omitted the salt since the ham and olives tend to have a lot of salt)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Flour and breadcrumbs for frying
• 1 Cabbage

Preparation

1. Trim the cabbage, eliminating any bruised or damaged leaves.  Blanch for 3-5 minutes in slightly salted boiling water.  Cut out the core and carefully remove 12 leaves.
2. In a skillet start to brown the beef.
3. Once the beef is almost cooked through, add the sliced bacon and cured ham.
4. Add a pinch of sea salt and 1tsp of ground nutmeg.
5. Transfer to a bowl and add 1 beaten egg, garlic, parsley, and green olives.
6. Fill a cabbage leaf with about a tablespoon and a half of filling.
7. Fold two sides of the cabbage in and fold over with the top and bottom of the leaf, holding in place with a toothpick.
8. To fry, first flour the cabbage roll, dip in beaten egg, then roll in breadcrumbs
9. Fry in a cast iron skillet filled with about 1 1/2″ of hot evoo until browned on both sides. 

So next week will be a little different, but if all things go as planned it just might be a meal that is out of this world....

Week 4: Sevilla, Spain



Plaza de España



  This week we are headed to the capital of Andalucia- Sevilla!  Dan and I went to Sevilla during a trip to Spain in 2003.  We only spent one day there and unfortunately I was sick that day, so although we got some sight seeing in, we weren't able to savor the food.  So I am researching some typical dishes from the region and will surprise everyone Thursday.

Some fun facts about the area:

•  Located in southwest Spain, Seville is on the Guadalquivir River north-northeast of Cadiz
•  Fourth largest city of Spain
•  Sevilla is more than 2,000 years old
•  The oranges that dot the city landscape, too bitter for modern tastes, are commonly used to  make marmalade and lotions

Orange trees line many of the streets

Ropa Vieja & Mojitos

  

 Well I'll admit it I had every intention of cheating a little bit this week, but the powers that be had a different plan.  When we lived in Fairfax every other month I would go to a place called Dinner Done.  The concept is simple, they have a menu from which you choose anywhere from 4-15 meals, you either go and spend two hours preparing them or you can have them made for you, freeze them, and cook when needed. For us it was great because it allowed me to still prepare healthy meals without the prep and clean up.  I have found a similar place here in NC, but still tend to favor the Dinner Done menu.  So when I go back to Fairfax or in this case, Dan went back, we fill up the cooler and bring meals back.  Imagine my delight when on this months menu they had Ropa Vieja-perfect timing since Miami was our city and Dan was in Fairfax last week.  I had ordered 7 meals (most of which can be split so you actually are getting 14 meals), but for some reason one didn't make it in the cooler...yep the Ropa Vieja!

  So I spent Friday morning searching for recipes.  I guess like most meals there are many different ways to prepare it and everyone claims its the authentic Cuban way.  So instead of following just one recipe I took bits and pieces from each depending on what I had at home and was able to find in the store.   Into the crockpot it all went this morning at 9am and by 5pm it was ready.  Made a little white rice, fried up some plantains, mixed the mojitos and Dinner was Done my way.  It was delicious!


Ropa Vieja

Ingredients

• 1 (2 pound) beef chuck pot roast
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell peppers, sliced  (I also included a yellow pepper)
• 1 green bell peppers, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 small can tomato paste, or to taste
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup of water (more or less depending on how saucy you want it)
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pierce the beef roast to tenderize it and let the flavors in, and place it into a slow cooker with the garlic (I minced it and rubbed it on the meat), red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and yellow onions. Stir in the tomato paste, red wine vinegar, and water ( I mixed them all together and then poured it over the meat) . Sprinkle salt, and ground black pepper.
2. Cover, and cook on Low until the beef is tender, 7 to 8 hours. Remove beef, and shred into long strands using two forks. Return the meat to the slow cooker and combine with the vegetables.
3. Serve with white rice and fried plantains make a nice side dish.

Mojitos

10 fresh mint leaves

1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges

2 tablespoons white sugar, or to taste ( I made a simple syrup mix and used it instead...see below)

1 cup ice cubes

1 1/2 fluid ounces white rum

1/2 cup club soda

Directions

1. Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a sturdy glass. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with carbonated water. Stir, taste, and add more sugar if desired. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge.

Simple Syrup

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool.

So now it is time to keep sipping my Mojito and start thinking about next weeks meal.  We are flying across the pond to a city where the streets are lined with orange trees. Check in Monday for our destination!



Week 3: Bienvenidos a Miami, FL

  Miami is one of my favorite food cities.  The only time Dan and I have been there together was for a conference he attended in 2005.  So while he was at the conference I was exploring the area.  I spent one morning enjoying the beauty of Biscayne National Park, such a relaxing place. 
  While in Miami one has to indulge in Cuban food. Vaca frita, ropa vieja, fried yuca, plantains...YUM!  So this week I will be making Ropa Vieja and Mojitos. My mouth is watering just thinking about it, but we will have to wait until Saturday this week for our travel meal.

We did eat at the conference party one night and one thing I still remember from that meal was the Mashed Potato Bar.  You could pick from garlic, sweet, or regular mashed potatoes-they then placed a scoop in a martini glass and you could garnish it with a variety of choices, including bacon, chives, and grated cheese.  Although I have yet to do it, I thought this was a great way to serve mashed potatoes at a party,

Not Exactly

 Unlike my oldest sister, I am not able to just look in my pantry pick a few ingredients and create a wonderful meal, so I consider myself a recipe cook.  I don't always follow them word for word, having to adapt things for missing ingredients, serving size, and to taste.  Following a recipe though can be frustrating because cooking isn't an exact science. So although I will post recipes on here and try to remember to include any changes I make along the way, when you try them be sure to play around with things to make it fit your cooking style/environment.

 Next weeks travel location will be revealed on Monday!  Pack your bathing suits though, we are headed South.

Homemade Pierogies

Well my attempt at making pierogies was a success, but I personally found them a little bland.  The recipe calls for onions in the potato/cheese filling, I decided to omit them thinking the kids would like them better without, so next time I would probably add them for flavor.  Also I just boiled them and served them with olive oil as a side to Brats sauteed with onions (I forgot to buy the green pepper).  The recipe does mention frying them up and I think I will try that with the ones I froze.

Below is the recipe I followed from about.com (any changes/additions I made are in red):

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
• 1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
• butter and onions for sauteing
• ingredients for filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)

Preparation:

Pierogi Dough
To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream, I added a few spoonfuls extra of sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. My dough seemed a little dry so I added 3tsp of water. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size. I got around 20- cooked 15 and froze 5 to see how they freeze/thaw. 
Prepare the Pierogies
Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough (2" for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2" for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.
Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.
Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy. Serve with a side of sour cream for a true Pittsburgh pierogi meal.
Homemade Pierogi Tips:

1. If you are having a hard time getting the edges to stick together, you may have too much flour in the dough. Add a little water to help get a good seal.
2. If you don't want to cook all of the pierogies right away, you can refrigerate them (uncooked) for several days or freeze them for up to several months.
3. You can fill pierogies with pretty much anything you want, though potato and cheese is the most common (recipe below). Sweet pierogies are often filled with a prune mixture.

Potato, Cheese & Onion Filling: Peel and boil 5 large potatoes until soft. Red potatoes are especially good for this. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop 1 large onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. Mash the potatoes with the sauteed onions and 4-8oz of grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want your pierogies), adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some fresh parsley, bacon bits, chives, or other enhancements if you desire. Let the potato mixture cool and then form into 1" balls.