I could go sentimental explaining how of a great influence he has been in my life but then that would be boring, predictable and corny, and in the kitchen we take blood, sweat, fight, anything but corny! not even when pastry folks do the sweetest prettiest desserts, we eat them like a man!

Now these pics you see here he sent me over a year ago and I am finally organizing some labels & filters on my email and found them, I  only added few colors touchings depending on how each pic made me feel.

I was going to write a story for the all the photos but I think it will be more fun if you the reader write below whatever story you feel like… more fun or am I just lazy?  ha! either way the point is Who says you can’t have fun with your food?

Stalk Chef Andy on Twitter @ChefAndyBennett

The things one can do with a Ricer â¥

The main reason I’d suffer if I went on zero carb diet: no yuca

A yuca memory of mine: Dad asks my mom “Yilla when are you cooking yuca?”(she did every few weeks).  

Mom is stirring a pot of Cow’s Foot soup, in a 98F kitchen, with no fan, no A/C, with my brother and sister playing Nintendo, and me reading a book.  She yells back (louder than was necessary) “Anytime, but you have to peel it…I’m not doing that!” –

Mom walks out of the kitchen to look for my dad.   He is already outside, getting in the car and yelling back at her: “Heat up 2 pots, I’m bringing back about 8 pounds!” 

She walks back in the kitchen, shakes her head, and smiles and continues to stir the soup.

The story above is a testament to the toughest part of preparing yuca, peeling it.  Yes, you can buy peeled yuca but only frozen (that’s the only way I’ve found it in DMV area, back in Panama you can get fresh peeled yuca in sealed packages).

Here is a good instructional video for peeling Yuca made by a Yuca exporting company out of Costa Rica (click here)

…Just Kidding! I would never expect anyone to use a Rambo machete/knife and slice yucca that way… but that was pretty badass!

Here is a video demonstrating a more regular method: (peeling action starts at 2:40 click here)

The video actually shows a different peeling method than the one I use, but the yuca available in this area has some sort of wax coating (thicker than what I’ve seen), so it’s safer to peel it like the man on the videp: slice off the skin with a knife.

Once you have peeled the yuca, cut into equal sized pieces. Fill up at pot with cold water  and place  the cut yuca inside. Bring everything to a boil, add salt to taste.

You can stuff the carimañolas with any savory filling. Traditional Panamanian carimañolas are stuffed with ground beef, but boohoo I’m vegetarian (not anymore, but I still make them vegetarian update: 10/07/2013) now so, yes, I will make something different and delicious (of course purists will say, it’s not called carimañola anymore! But, guess what…? I don’t care!!!) **smiles lightly and walks back to the kitchen’s sink to wash her hands, eyes still locked on the camera** (yes i’m pretending I’m filming…OK? hehe)

Enough babbling, here is the recipe:

Vegetarian Carimañolas (yuca empanadas)

Yields: 20 carimañolas

4-5 lbs of yuca (Protip: Always buy more than the recipe calls for. The yuca is not always good underneath the waxy peel).

Tip: You can substitute non-stick spray or just flour instead of oil so the carimañolas don’t stick. 

Filling

(Make sure your filling has cooled off before you even start boiling the yuca, this makes the empanadas easier to fill)

—

Instructions
1.  Heat up a pan with 1 tbs of oil (until hot, near its smoke point)
2.  Saute all the veggies, add the garlic, seasonings, mushroom, crushed tomatoes and the juice you got out of sauteing the mushrooms.
3.  Lower the heat to simmer, add ketchup and soy sauce, taste. If you want to add some heat, go ahead and go wild with sriracha, chillies, tabasco, etc.
4.  Cool off before cooking the yuca.

1. Boil the yucca until it almost breaks apart.  Strain and remove the hard root in the middle of each yuca. Some roots will fall but some will still be stuck on the yuca. Put aside the hard pieces and save them to fry later on since you won’t be able to mash them properly.
2. While piping hot, pass the boiled yuca through a ricer.
3. Have your bowls ready with filling, grated cheese & oil, and a flat oiled plate or cookie sheet to place the carimañolas once you shape them.
4. Oil your hands a bit and grab about 2 tbs of the mashed yuca, place it in your palm and make a rectangular shaped ball. Push the middle in a bit and add 2 tps of the filling with some cheese on top. With your fingers push the filling in and close back the ball.  If it becomes difficult to seal, you can add extra mashed yuca to close them completely.
5. Keep prepared carimañolas in the fridge until you are ready to fry them. Good news if they didn’t seal so well on your first try, you can still enjoy them: just saute them on butter! (Doesnâ€t that make everything better?) This way they won’t split open in the middle of frying.  Besides, I just like adding fat to this already fatty deliciousness.

 

Cilantro-Cheesy Yuca Balls

NOTES:
–  I like to make a double batch of the filling or fry an egg, and serve these carimañolas with a side of fruit and queso fresco for breakfast.
–  If you have leftover boiled yuca, it keeps fora few days in the fridge. Same deal with the carimañolas, many people freeze them and just fry as needed.
–  If you have leftover mashed yuca and don’t feel like making any more carimañolas, just add some cheese and chopped cilantro like I did on that pic with the balls, and fry them also…breading them would work well too… carimañolas schnitzel!!!! OK, I have to chill out now… Just cook with yuca! Deal?!

Rest of the pictures on FB click here 

¡a comer!

SpanishFeast.com has relaunched their website!

This morning I woke up, tired, I’ve only worked 3 nights this week at the restaurant, but in a row, plus I’m 30, plus I haven’t worked out in like forever (don’t kill me Vivek!) and I’m sleeping less and less.  Anyways I woke up, only thing I could have, water, Siggi’s Yogurt, then green apple salad, I stumbled on a box and almost passed out.

Loved the box & packaging! <3

I called *The* boy: “Hey what’s with the box?”

He responds: “JC you told me you were getting a box with goodies from some Spanish place, some guy you keep mention that he is sweet, Kali or something”

*I dropped the phone, went for my lovely knife (I got it in Oregon) and stabbed that box out*

The boy on the line: “JC? Hello? I guess you opened the box” – chuckles and hangs up.

Queso Tetilla from Galicia

The box arrived in great conditions, as I open, I see cheese, chorizo, oil, vinegars, fig sweets, tuna, did I say chorizo?  I pushed the damn salad I was eating, and was about to go wild opening all the goodies, then decided this deserves Spanish wine as well, but’s only 1 pm right? but I’m off and it’s a Friday right?

No I am not going to eat all by myself (I guess) haha! I will bring them goodies and prepare a mini-feast at my sister’s house in Chantilly, with the family, I can’t wait to try the tuna on a salad or with pickled veggies, and the cheese, and… I go check email “…JC we forgot to ship the turrons!” *I clean my tears” (you know christmas and hannukah are coming, whatever of which you celebrate you can send… I don’t mind turrons laters! (hint) *coughs* =P

Ortiz Bonito del Norte Tuna in Olive Oil

Herdade do Esporao Portuguese Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chorizo Cantmipalo by Revilla & Crismona Pedro Ximenez Wine Winegar

So I shall write with more time after I tried all of these lovely food goodies I run for a shower, my friend Diana is about to pick me up, we got a baby shower babeh! and Greek is the theme, hopefully they will let me do pictures and I shall share with you my simple Ladopsomo Recipe! (waves to Athens in Panama!).

Thanks Kalimar!

¡a comer!

—

The Seville Orange Marmalade was inedible; the taste was as you were eating pure orange peel with the worst sourness you could imagine.  I checked the expiration date and it seemed fine, I must admit I bought it for half the original price at a Marshall’s, but in the past I have bought other marmalades that were just fine.  For now I will keep on my quest of the best orange Marmalade anyone can buy.

La Mermelada de Naranja de Sevilla fue casi imposible de comer; sabía a cáscara rancia con un amargor espantoso.  Revisé la fecha de expiración y estaba bien, debo admitir que compré esta mermelada por mitad del precio original en un Marshalls, pero en el pasado ya había comprado mermeladas en esta tienda que han salido bien.  Por ahora seguiré en mi búsqueda por la mejor Mermelada de Naranja que se pueda comprar.

—-

OK, I am not a Burrata expert, I have just probably tasted 3 types in my life, and I really want to try the one Pizzeria Orso offers on their pizza but I will find out first which burrata they get before I add a $5 topping to my over $10 pizza.

I feel I’m entitled to judge a product if I pay for it and this was by far the worst of the 3 burratas I’ve tasted, remember industrial Belgioso (reference click), or the one the Italian Store have sold in the past.

I drove so excited to Screwtop Wine Bar to buy it and even saved a piece of this burrata (Caseificio Maldera) to share with Chef, he confirmed to me it was awful and that’s not how it’s supposed to taste so my guess is that it didn’t do well while route from Italy, I really hope that was the reason because after this experience I’m not sure if I would dare to take another $14 risk for a piece of cheese that would make the infamous Yellow American cheese tastier on your toast.

Lo acepto, no soy una experta en Burrata, y solo he probado tres clases de este queso, (además me muero por probar la que ofrecen en Pizzeria Orso, primero quiero saber quién hace esta burrata antes de pagar $5 extra por este ingrediente en mi pizza que desde ya tiene un precio de $10).

Siento que tengo todo el derecho de juzgar un producto si he pagado por el mismo, y esta es la peor burrata que he probado de las tres que he comprado anteriormente, recuerdan la industrial de Belgioso (enlace de referencia), o la de la Italian Store.

Yo conduje hasta el Screwtop Wine Bar para comprarla e incluso salvé un pedazo de esta burrata (Caseuficio Maldera) para compartir con el Chef, él me confirmó que sabía muy mal, y que así no se supone debe saber este queso.

Puede ser que este sabor tan malo fue resultado del viaje de importación desde Italia, y en verdad espero sea esa la explicación porque luego de esta experiencia no me veo gastando $14 por otro queso que te haría ver al inpopular Queso Amarillo (americano) como una mejor opción para tu tostada.

I read parts of the index “Burning Issues” and I can see an article on fish and Peru getting my attention.

Then the specialties of the House is the second part of the index and as usual the “Whisk around the world”, events say Cheese and Recipes Technique articles I highlight in my mind.

Interesting topics on the Pilot Light by the editor in chief bringing up Ferran Adria’s announcement of closing “El Bulli”, just when I was about to make a reservation for the year 2020.  It’s also very interesting the take on food related careers.

The Front Burner starts with an interview of Dario Cecchini who loves poetry and has passion for it along with beef.  He has three restaurants and a butcher shop.  On this article they interview him in Los Angeles at a lunch of Dim Sum and I’ve fallen for this butcher after reading his comments.

Someone that says that the best way to show respect for an animal you intend to eat is to eat all of it, not just the “filet mignon” and that’s why I want to learn how to cook properly some parts, starting with the beef’s tongue, heart and pig’s feet, all those recipes will be coming soon.  Cooking animal parts is a very common argument I have with people but that’s topic for another day.  This is by far one of my favorite interviews, a butcher who recites Dante and would rather go to Hell than to Paradise just to avoid puritans, that’s how I pictured a butcher.  Great job Merrill Shindler.

A Cook’s Atelier is a website by Marjorie Taylor a chef/partner for “Ruby Beet Gourmet” who packed her knives and moved to Beaune, France. (I googled this place and I am not sure if it is still open).  She moved to Beaune with no idea what to do.  Renting an apartment in town, conducting market tours and cooking classes, boy what I would do to try something like that, maybe I will in Washington DC, why not.

On Birth Announcements Washington DC Juliet Glass mentions “Ris Lacoste” opened on last December and dishes that caught my eyes are “Pan-fried Sardines with pine nuts, sweet onions, vergis and golden raisins”, Cider-glazed pork chops, apple/cornbread pudding and the pear potpie with rum raisin cream.  I really want to try all of this!

Whisk around the work –> London is my main European target, it could be my platonic affair with Marco Pierre that makes me crave for English food and of course if you can add the thirst for discovering good Indian food on the streets of London.

April 12-14 is the 12th Annual Food Safety Summit www.foodsafetysummit.com  I’m planning to go next year.  I do hope Panama Gastronomica adds their event to this section, I can’t wait to visit Panama during this festival!

The Say Cheese segment takes me back to the question about who is the main target of this magazine.  It is a section covering many events, perhaps it\s just me and people actually really care for reading this type of articles.

Overall this March Food Art is much better than January/February’s, you should check out the Beer article on page 31, all in Washington DC!  If you jump to the page 35 the CIA immersing in Food sustainability and the Fish Four Ways on page 56 the photography is outstanding.

Yes buy it!

I love to read the Deep Dish section and imagine I can travel to all these cities and visit new restaurants and the restaurants that have had Chef changes. Also visit a place right before it closes and assist to the unveiling of a new one, I guess I day dream a lot sometimes wishing my last name was “Reichl”.

The ads on this magazine also bother me a little, but if I compare the 6 dollars I paid for this magazine in comparison with “Gastronomica” that is almost $14 I shouldn’t complain.

One of my favorite segments is the “Whisk around the world”.  This time Julie Mautner takes me to cities and countries I really want to visit someday: Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Antigua, Sardinia, Barcelona and New Zealand.

Of course the events section is amazing, for example I wish I could go to the Boston Seafood Show, but maybe one day I will be able to pick just anything from this magazine, get a ticket and go.

The drink arts is my least favorite section I am a very simple person perhaps and when it comes to drinks vodka, lime and ice is fine, the rest is extra. However, Kara Newman presents a drink by “Merino” names “Rose Angel” that looks just like the perfect drink for this hot/humid Spring day, the drink has strawberries, cucumber, vodka, basil and then the fancy ones arrive, black Hawaiian lava salt, St. Germain Elderflower queen, yes sure of course I have some of that in my pantry.

Yes for the magazines options on January and February I would have bought it.