¡arroz, por favor!

whenever my friend, aymee, from mexico, shows up for a visit every several years, i know it'll be a feeding frenzy, lots of sangria and tons of gossip. this visit was no exception but unfortunately because of a tight schedule, time was cut short. this meant little opportunity for our regular lounging around not caring about time. aymee's visits are fun because she is a great cook and knows a lot about mexican cooking both traditional and 'new'. maybe it helps that she was also trained as a professional chef de cuisine!

coming from a jewish family, many of the foods she & her family ate had to be tailored as cerdo or pork and its by-products play a big role in mexican food. a traditionally common ingredient used as a cooking fat has been lard. since this doesn't fit in with the jewish way of cooking, the natural alternative has been to use rendered chicken fat, or schmaltz, which is a good analog. this was used a lot in her family's cooking as for example in the following staple recipes.

an easy to make (side) dish, and one which is eaten regularly in many parts of mexico — even as a main dish, is arroz al estilo mexicano or mexican style rice. aymee's way of doing it is pretty much the same as what i have here which is a fusion of her way and a recipe i have used as a guideline for many years (from the art of mexican cooking).

there are many kinds of rice dishes in mexico and all manners of cooking it. the rice here is cooked like you would with a risotto and not the "american way" of dumping everything in all at once. all is done without using a lid until the final moments where the remaining liquids are drawn up by the rice, leaving you with a tasty arroz you will really enjoy.

arroz al estilo mexicano

makes enough for 6 to 8 servings

ingredients:

12 oz or 1.5 c long grain white rice

1 heaped c tomatoes, chopped
2 large cloves garlic
1/3 c chopped onion
1/4 c water + 2 tsp oil (see note in recipe)

1 dried chili of your choice (opt)
i use either an ancho or pasilla

5 tbsp chicken fat (shmaltz) or veg oil

28 oz or 3.5 c chicken or vegetable broth or water

1/2 c frozen or fresh peas

1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp or more cumin powder (opt)

method:

soak the rice for 12- 15 minutes in hot water.

while letting it drain well, continue with making the paste you will need to add to the rice. if you like, place the rice on a clean tea towel and spread it out to air dry. it should not be "wet" when you need it for the second stage of the recipe (frying the rice).

chop and measure the tomatoes, onion and garlic.

place in a blender or food processor. if using fresh tomatoes that are not very juicy then add the water and 2 tsp oil and process until it is a smooth paste which is an orangey-red colour. some tomatoes need the extra liquid, others don't. if using canned tomatoes, you won't need it most likely. (try to use fresh). add a little extra water ONLY if absolutely necessary to blend the mixture. set aside.

in a good pan, which has a lid, place the chicken fat or oil. heat it over medium heat. if using the dried ancho or pasilla chili, add it now. cook it on both sides until it softens and becomes puffed up. remove and add it to the broth for later.

add the rice and let it cook until lightly golden brown. make sure to keep stirring. if the rice is wet, chances are it will stick.

when it is ready, add the paste you made all at once. cook it until it is completely mixed with the rice and any moisture evaporates and gets absorbed by the rice. your paste may not be as thick as mine is, don't worry about it. i don't add much water to the paste when grinding it.

add the broth (with the chili if using) in 3 additions so the rice will cook through slowly:

1st addition — add about 3/4 c. don't concern yourself about being so exact. cook it until it is completely absorbed.

2nd addition — add half of what is left of the broth and cook again, stirring all the time, until it absorbs and you see it bubbling and "asking for more". add fresh peas now (frozen in next stage).

3rd addition — add the rest of the broth, stirring. add the salt, pepper and cumin (if using). add the frozen peas at this point. cook until the liquid is absorbed and there are lots of holes visible. there should still be some liquid but it will be kind of thick.

turn the heat down to a complete minimum. place the lid on the rice and cook it for about 7 to 8 minutes. take a peek half way through to see if it needs the full time. test a grain or two at this point to see if it is cooked.

remove the pan from the heat, and let it sit another 10 minutes. the rice grains need to stabilize and firm up.

stir well. taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

garnish with cilantro or flat leaf parsley. you can serve this with quartered hard boiled eggs also.

¡buen apetito!

beauty is only skin deep

like they say, what counts is on the inside and not the outside.

this won't win any beauty contests, but beyond the skin of this bean lies something really good....

frijoles refritos.

another staple item used in many mexican dishes are beans of all sorts. while maybe not a number one item enjoyed by the average north american, beans provide necessary complex carbohydrates, not to mention necessary fiber in one's diet.

the following recipe is for the common bean (black) bean paste seen in virtually every mexican restaurant and home. while the final product does not exactly scream "look at me, i'm gorgeous", it is one of those things that have to be eaten to appreciate.

frijoles refritos, or refried beans, taste better a day or two after you make them. of course, the best way is to use dried black beans (or other beans of your liking) but that is time consuming and not everyone wants to go that far. if you do, don't presoak them; rather, cook them with a chopped onion and some oil or chicken fat (schmaltz) and water ~ about 3 inches above the beans until they are tender and can be squished easily between your fingers. this can take as much as 8 - 12 hours over a lower heat, depending how old the beans are. add more water as necessary but don't overdo it. the easier way is to use a can of black turtle beans which have already been cooked. follow the directions in the recipe below first to pre-prepare them for the frijoles refritos.

the finished bean paste can be frozen also with no detriment to it.


frijoles refritos — refried black beans

ingredients:

1 can (19 oz) black beans or beans you've cooked yourself
4 to 5 tbsp vegetable shortening or oil or schmaltz
salt
1 small onion, chopped

method:

if using the dried beans, see the preamble in this posting (introduction). if using the canned beans, pre-prepare them by first rinsing them completely.

place them in a pot and add 1/2 small onion and 1 tbsp oil or fat. add 3/4 of a can of water and bring to a boil. cover and let cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. add salt to taste.

to make the frijoles refritos,

place the 1/2 small onion in a pan with 4 tbsp oil or fat and cook the onion until is softened and translucent. do not brown the onion.

add half of the beans with their juices to the onions and cook over medium heat until it boils.

start to mash the beans and let it cook for about 3 minutes or so until it gets thick.

add the rest of the beans and repeat this, mashing until you get the consistency you like.

let this paste cook over medium to medium high heat until it starts to reduce.

you must stir it continually and not let it burn.

you will see it will start to reduce and your spoon will leave a division in the paste.

cook until the paste is fairly dry. you will notice the texture has changed, especially around the edges and bottom of the paste. it should still have some movement and not be a solid hard mass. taste to see if more salt is needed.

remove to a bowl and serve as desired. it will improve the next day.

keep it well covered in the fridge. freeze what you don't need for later.

reheat in a pan, with a little oil and water, especially if it is overly dry. enjoy on its own, with tortillas or tostadas, or in enchiladas or burritos.

..... can you please pass the corn chips?

salsa is just one of those things that never seems to go out of style.

always best friends with the traditional corn tortilla chips used to scoop it up, salsa can also be used as an accompaniment to a variety of main dishes, and is especially good with fish. (who knew these best-selling chips were actually an american "invention"!? errr .... well, latino-american, that is).

called salsa cruda in spanish — literally translating to "raw (uncooked) sauce" — there is certainly nothing "raw" about this spicy concoction. it is one of those things that takes almost no time to prepare and uses up tomatoes that are so abundant in the month of august and the first weeks of september (at least where i live!).

the following recipe is just a guideline for the most basic form of this quick and easy appetizer, easily tailored to one's taste with any number of additions. there are myriad recipes for making salsa and everyone seems to have his or her own twist.

so, with that said, put on your dance shoes and salsa your way into the kitchen and whip up a batch today. if you can wait, it always tastes better after a few hours or the next day.


salsa cruda

don't waste your money on store-bought, cooked tasting salsa! only a few everyday ingredients, coarsely chopped and stirred together, result in a piquant mixture which is terribly hard to stop eating, especially where corn chips are involved. as everyone has a different tolerance level for how spicy (hot) they like it, know your audience — flames coming out of one's mouth and nostrils is usually a look best reserved for dragons.

ingredients:

2 medium to large sized ripened tomatoes (firm)
1/2 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 small jalapeno pepper (seeds removed, if wanted) OR,
1 - 3 tsp hot sauce (or tobasco sauce, etc.)
several stalks of fresh coriander, leaves and soft stems

1/2 lemon or 1 small lime
1 tsp salt
a few grinds of black pepper (opt)

optional:

1 ear fresh corn, cooked OR 1/2 c canned
1/2 c diced green bell pepper

method:

chop the tomatoes into 1/4 inch pieces and place in a bowl.

mince the clove of garlic and chop the onion and chili pepper. if not using the hot pepper, add the hot sauce. place in a bowl.

add the salt.

chop the cilantro, leaves and soft stems, and add along with the lemon or lime juice.

mix well.

add corn and/or green pepper, if wanted.

chill and serve.

enjoy!