What I want to make now...

http://www.danlepard.com/recipes/2010/04/2474/tamarind-coffee-cupcakes-with-fudge-frosting/

"Chicken & Rice" for Dinner

I decided to use recipes from the blog when meal planning last week.
I made a frittata, potato soup, Ecuadorian lettuce salad, and winter squash. Now that the week is done I can report that all the recipes were a success.
EVERYTHING came out fantastic! The soup was just as good as I remember it and made enough for 3 nights, the frittata was as fast as promised and very tasty, and the winter squash was stunningly delicious!
It was fun to try cooking from our own family recipe book. Isla was able to eat everything and loved it all too!

Mayonnaise Magic!

I found this video on YouTube from a cook who goes by "foodwishes." He is a wish come true indeed! He has a mayo method that will blow your mind. Click here for the original video.

But wait! I tried it at home! And now I am attempting to show you the video.

Did that work? Did you see that? It was totally cool and totally easy.

Here are a few notes:
This is a pretty tangy mayo. If your tastes run less tangy, use a bit less of the lemon juice and vinegar and maybe add a tad more sugar. Also, as I mention in the video, even with 1/2 cup olive oil, the taste comes through. I actually really like it, but if your olive oil is strong, you could use less. As I also mentioned, it is very thick, but that is kind of neat as well. I imagine, though, that you could start with a cup to a cup and a quarter of oil and then just add more if it isn't thick enough. If anyone tries that, let me know. Finally, I think I was overly timid. I could have started moving the blender and letting it run for longer bursts much sooner in the process, believe it or not! Very neat trick.

Magic Mayonnaise Recipe (courtesy of "foodwishes"):
Add to container:

• 2 egg yolks
• juice of one half a lemon (approx. 1 Tbsp.)
• 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar (I just used white and it was fine)
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. mustard (he suggests Dijon, I used Gulden's--whatever floats your boat!)

Then pour right in:

• any combination of oils totaling 1.5 cups

Let everything settle for a minute, so the oil and yolks are totally separated. Then place the mixer straight into the container so the blade cup is resting against the bottom. Begin mixing in short pulses. I almost instantly began to see lava lamp-esque blobs and pillars of mayo rise up from the bottom. When you build up a bottom layer, begin to blend continuously and slowly rock and lift the blender up through the remaining oil to combine. Yum!

Maple Chocolate Walnut Scones

I'm really tempted to call these something like, "Hot Diggitty Dog Off the Hook Out of Control Wonder Scones" but I'm afraid I'm a bit of a Diana Berry when it comes to creative names, and even that kooky name doesn't do these justice.
These were inspired by a recipe I read on Bakerella for Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls. The scone recipe was inspired by the Red Plaid Wunder Cook Book.
Dough:
2 C AP Flour
2 T Sugar
2 t Baking Powder
1/4 t Baking Soda
1/3 C Butter or Pressed Palm Oil
1 Egg
1/2 C buttermilk or sour milk/coconut milk (1/2 C milk plus large splash of lemon juice)

Filling:
Toasted chopped walnuts
Chocolate Chips / Chopped Chocolate Bar

Glaze: ()
1/4 C? Maple Syrup (I suppose for a stronger flavor you could add a bit of mapeline)
A few T Hot Strong Coffee
Powdered Sugar
Tiny bit of vanilla

Preheat Oven to 400
Combine dry ingredients well and cut in butter / shortening until crumbly
Beat egg and add butter / sour milk
Stir in wet ingredients until just combined.
Turn out dough on floured surface and knead 12 times.
Divide in equal halves and roll or pat each into 8 inch circles.
Place one circle on the parchment & sprinkle with walnuts and chocolate
Cover with 2nd round of dough and seal edges by pressing gently together
Cut into 12 scones with a floured dough scraper. It is not necessary to seal the sides of each slice
Push pieces apart about 1/2 an inch or less
Bake approximately 15 minute or until golden in 400 Farenheit on a light aluminum pan with parchment paper.

While dough is baking heat maple syrup (1/4 C?) in a sauce pan. Add a few tablespoons of hot very strong coffee and stir in powdered sugar. Add each of these ingredients as needed while heating to create a thin glaze. Simmer down until glaze will harden when cooled. (Don't you love home made recipes - Where's Julia's cookbookery when you need it?)

When the scones are done place them on a plate, brush glaze on each scone and pour the remaining glaze over the scones (the scones will absorb the glaze on the bottom creating a slightly crunchy crazy yummy deliciousness).

Dunk in coffee!

Brunch With an Ecuadorian Flavor

My friend Jennifer wanted to see the

Galapagos photos, so I invited her over

for an Ecuadorian brunch. I feel really

good about how it all turned out!

Menu:

scrambled eggs

strawberries

fried tiny red bananas

potato patties

steamed puddings (quimbolitos)

Santa Fe flamingo cocktail

cafe' con leche

The steamed puddings (quimbolitos) are not

something we actually had in Ecuador.

I found them on the Ecuadorian recipe

website and was intrigued. I've made them

twice now and this time, with some slight

modifications, they turned out much better.

Still in the parchment

Ready to eat

Here is the recipe that I slightly

adapted from the website:

Steamed Puddings (Quimbolitos)

4 Tbs. butter

6 Tbs. sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup corn starch

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup raisins

2 Tbs. cognac or light rum

Soften the butter to room temperature.

Cream together the butter and sugar

until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add

the eggs mixed with the milk. Sift together

the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder,

and stir into the batter mixture. Stir in the

cheese, raisins, and cognac or rum.

Cut either kitchen parchment or aluminum

foil (though you will want to grease the foil

because the batter will stick) into 8x8-inch

squares. Drop a scant 1/4 cup of the

mixture into the center of each, and fold

up into an envelope. (Parchment paper

worked great, but I did find that a staple

or two held the envelope closed.) Arrange

in a steamer and cook over boiling water

for 45 minutes. Servehot, with or without

cream. (They are yummy plain, but

honey-yogurt was good too.)

In Ecuador the Quimbolitos are cooked in

achira leaves, the leaf of the taro plant,

perhaps better know as dasheen or yautia.

however, nothing seems to be lost by

cooking them in parchment.

Santa Fe Flamingo

This is a guesstimation of the Welcome

drink we had in the Galapagos, on our first

night aboard The Daphne.

Here's my recipe:

Place all ingredients in blender and "liquify"

- 3 or 4 "golfball sized" chunks of cantaloupe

- 3 or 4 ice cubes

- 1 1/2 oz. light rum

- 1/2 oz. grenadine

- 1 tsp. sugar (if melon isn't very ripe)

Potato Patties

In Ecuador we had potatoes at

nearly every meal, including breakfast.

However, I have no recollection of eating

what we would call hash browns or country

fried potatoes.

I do remember having for breakfast

what seemed to be browned patties made

from seasoned (and/or jazzed up with

veggies) mashed potatoes. Or there would

be a whole casserole pan of something

similiar.

Didi's Equator Style Breakfast Potatoes

-yellow-skinned potatoes, peeled & sliced

(1 medium per serving)

-butter & milk as needed

-mild red pepper, finely chopped

-purple onion, finely chopped

(apx 1 Tbs. of each per serving)

-salt & pepper to taste

-dash of hot sauce

Boil the potatoes until they are cooked.

Mash well and add a wee bit of butter and

milk to moisten. Saute' the pepper and

onion. Add the cooked vegetables to the

potatoes along with a dash of hot sauce,

also salt & pepper to taste.

Shape the potatoes onto patties that are

about 3 inches in diameter and no more than

an inch thick. Brown on each side in just a

tiny bit of oil or butter. Serve hot. *Needless

to say the addition of cheese would not hurt!

Fried Red (Baby) Bananas

In Ecuador the banana is right up there with

the potato in its ability to appear at every meal!

If you haven't see the latest Saveur Magazine, it

has a great article on banana varieties.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Techniques/5-Banana-Varieties

Last week at the Co-op I found some tiny

bananas that the produce guy (I love produce

guys!) said were from Ecuador! According to

the Saveur article and some other web exploring

I've done, these little bananas are either called

"Baby" or "Red."

This photo shows a bunch of the bananas

that are not yet ripe. The ones I cooked had

no more green showing, and were maroon and

black in color, and looked pretty beat up. They

were very sweet when cut in half long-ways and fried.

FYI - Here is a size comparison between the tiny

bananas and a fairly small plantain.

Okay team, that's enough from me!

This blogging can become as big a time-suck

as computer solitaire (though probably with a

bit more redeeming value.) May is just around

the corner -- ENJOY the warmer weather and

of course the GOOD FOOD! XXOO

Easy Delicious Winter Squash

Winter squash season is fast coming to a close. We have been having warm weather and I am thinking more about planting winter squash, than fixing it. I think I will save the space in my garden and enjoy the many types of delicious winter squash that will show up in our Farmers Market this coming fall.
However I recently made this easy & tasty version of winter squash; which I wanted to share with the C&R gals. It is a change from the standard brown sugar & butter version I've always made. The recipe features thyme & garlic, two of the best friends a veggie can have.

Here is all you do:
Cut winter squash into serving size pieces; drizzle each with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Drizzle a baking dish with more olive oil. Make small piles of fresh thyme springs and peeled whole garlic cloves and place a squash piece upside down on each pile. Bake until tender in a 350 degree oven, (about 45 minutes.)
Serve right-side-up with the thyme & garlic on top. You will be surprised at how much the flavors blend.

With that I say "so long" to winter cooking and roll out the Bar-B-Que!

The Cuisine of Ecuador Comes Home

Installment #1 - POTATO SOUP (LOCRO)

One of the tastiest and most common traditional

foods that I enjoyed in Ecuador was potato soup.

I already knew that potatoes originated in South

America, but have since learned that they came

specifically from the highlands of Ecuador and Peru.

In my quest to recreate foods of Ecuador I did

some exploring on the web. The best site I found

was:

http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/ecuador.html

Here is my adaption of the Potato Soup (Locro)

recipe from this site.

4 tablespoons butter or oil

1 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 cups water

3 pounds potatoes, chopped into small cubes

2 cups milk (You can use any milk substitute)

1/2 pound munster cheese, grated

Avocado wedges

tomato, skin removed and quartered

salt & pepper

In a large, heavy saucepan melt the butter and stir

in the paprika. Add the onion and saute over

moderate heat until the onion is softened. Pour

in water and add potatoes. Bring to a boil and

then lower to a simmer. Cook over low heat,

uncovered, stirring occasionally. When the

potatoes are almost done, add the milk and continue

to cook, stirring more regularly, until the potatoes

begin to disintegrate. You may now want to use a

heat defuser. At this point you can decide to blend

the soup (Great use for that awesome hand-held

blender!) or leave the potatoes chunky. Season

to taste with salt & pepper and serve immediately.

Place an avocado wedge and a tomato quarter

into each bowl of soup. Sprinkle on grated cheese

or serve it on the side. ENJOY!

Additions to my previous post:

1) All cafe' con leche in Ecuador is served with heated

milk. It is wonderful, and even without a microwave

I have been heating the milk for my coffee most

mornings since I returned home.

2) I forgot to mention our second dinner in Quito. That

night we ate at our hotel, Rio de Amazones. The hotel

had two restaurants, one quite posh and the other an

Ecuadorian Denny's (actually called La Canoa.) This

is where we had supper after our trip to the cloud

forest. Again I went for "traditional food", so I had the

goat stew (seco de chivo.) The quality of the food at

this place was a cut below anywhere else we ate, but

this stew was quite good. I have seen seco de chivo

recipes on line, so now I just need to find a source

for goat meat.