I published this podcast episode back at the end of April and I could tell you so many of the excuses I have for not having shared the recipe until now, but instead I’ll just keep it short and sweet and share the recipe.

Seriously, here you go, this is the podcast episode and the recipe below, ¡a comer! (you’re welcome)
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A pesar de que los muffins son uno de los postres más básicos para hornear, tienen un encanto y pienso que toda persona que tenga aunque sea una mínima curiosidad de crear algo delicioso en su cocina, debe probar hornear muffins.

Hace ya casi 10 años compré este libro que me inspiró sobretodo por las ilustraciones, Mad About Muffins  y aunque algunas recetas no me gustaron del todo fue buena motivación para hornear muffins en casa.  Puedo comprender que todo sea un poco abrumador al buscar recetas y no saber por cuál empezar y lo principal que recomiendo es que empiecen probando muffins de panaderías, vean videos de personas haciendo muffins y ya luego cuando sepan algúnn sabor que les fascine de allá­ buscan alguna receta que quieran probar.

Igual en este episodio les digo más de cómo queda haciendo muffins, mucho cuento y una receta que les agrego también agua, y bueno el que no quiere hornear igual acompáñame escuchando el episodio con un café y riéndote de mis locuras.

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Muffins de Fresa y Chispas de Chocolate
Receta de LittleLadyCook:

6 cucharadas de mantequilla
1/4 taza de aceite vegetal
1 1/2 taza de harina de todo propósito
3 1/2 cucharadita de polvo para hornear
1/2 cucharadita de sal
4 huevos a temperatura ambiente
1/3 taza de azúcar
1 taza de fresas picadas
1/2 taza de chispas de chocolate
cáscara de limón rallado 1 cucharada
1 cucharadita de extracto de limón
1 cucharadita de extracto de fresas (o de algún licor que vaya rico como Grand Marnier, o más extracto de limón)

INSTRUCCIONES

1. 350F grados precalentar el horno
2. Molde de Muffins para 12, liners para que no se peguen los muffins al molde y nonstick spray.
3. Cernir los ingredientes secos (harina, sal, polvo para hornear en un bol y tener listo)
4. En un bol separado batir mantequilla, cáscara de limón o de naranja y azúcar hasta que queden bien mezclado, ya sea con una batidora de mano o una manual o con el Kitchenaid si tienen uno.
5. Batir los huevos uno a uno hasta que queden mezclados y el aceite.
6. Una vez mezclado todo agregar los extractos y las fresas picaditas.
7. Agregar en 3 vueltas los ingredientes secos mezclados al bol con una cuchara o espátula agregar las chispas de chocolate (o nueces si prefieres) y mezclar hasta que todo quede mezclado.
8. Porcionar la masa en el molde, asegurarte que sea lo más balanceado posible.
9. Hornear 15-18 minutos y luego voltear.
10. Hornear 8-12 minutos, después de los 8 minutos revisar cada 2 minutos para asegurarse no sobre-cocinar los muffins, pero que te queden bien horneaditos.

NOTAS:

1. Mi extracto de fresa es este y me gusta, el de chocolate no lo he probado pero huele delicioso, este es el enlace en donde compré en Amazon:  OliveNation
2. Usé chispas de chocolate semidulces así­ que no olviden mi receta es super baja en azúcar así­ que si desean pueden ajustar el dulce de la receta ya sea con el chocolate o la azúcar.

Espero que puedan probar esta receta y me cuentan qué tal les va, coman mucho por mí­!

¡a comer!

I’ll keep this post short since I already shared some of my bread stories on my latest Podcast “How A Panamanian Fell In Love With Bread – LittleLadyCook – S2 | Ep7”

If you already listened to the podcast and how I fell in love with baking bread, awesome, if you don’t care and all you want is a recipe and some photos as a guideline, no judgement: I gotchu, but, there is probably better material all over YouTube.

As I mentioned on the podcast the reason I first got excited with making ciabatta was when I started learning how to properly bake bread at a restaurant and became a bread baking apprentice for a few months.

The feeling returned after watching Paul Hollywood go on about bread at the Great British Baking Show. I saw how practical and easy making ciabatta looked like, or so I thought before I figured about the timing with folding.

Also you can’t even play much this dough, which is such a drastic contrast from enjoying baking challah. The challah dough is so yummy to touch and shape, but the ciabatta only likes rough touching or none, oh all the terrible puns and jokes I’m thinking, I can’t even lol.

I have baked this bread now 13 times at least, you can see some photos on my Instagram story highlight and some of my struggles during winter (it takes longer to raise unless you have a neutral temperature in the house). Now that it is warmer, I’m having a blast baking it.

(video clips I put together of several of my ciabatta baking days)

Ciabatta might just be my favourite bread, when it gets proper raising and folds creating beautiful pockets of air and I now I finally get to do a lovely baking getting the prize of a crispy crust and a perfect touch of chewy dough.

Paul Hollywood’s recipe works just fine if you find yourself craving ciabatta bread and not wanting to wait until the next day to create a starter (Poolish), but I highly prefer a Ciabatta with Poolish and so this is the recipe I recommend if you want to bake a delicious ciabatta at home.

This is the basic recipe that I’ve tested from the ‘Advanced Bread and Pastry” cookbook by Michel Suas.

You can use a google calculator to change from weight measures to cup measures, but if you’re planning on continue to bake breads I suggest investing in a scale at least, not because of “perfection”, but because you will regret the day you finally make the bread of your dreams and you can’t repeat the recipe.

On the book there is a lot of explanations from Poolish, percentages of fermentation, temperature, etc. But if you’re in my blog you are most likely just like me an enthusiast and a beginner, so don’t let that overwhelm you, I baked before even learning what ‘folding’ meant, sometimes making mistakes that take you through a different path, just enjoy the process and worst case scenario if you screw up the bread, as long as it is not raw, use it for bread pudding and try again another day.

CIABATTA WITH POOLISH (notes from Michel Suas Cookbook)
Makes 2 Ciabattas 1lb each, or 6 rolls.

Poolish Recipe
6.75 oz  Bread Flour
6.75 oz  Water (room temp)
1/8 tsp Instant Yeast

Mix in a bowl with a fork for a minute, cover with plastic wrap, set timer 12 hours don’t wait more than 16 hrs, your Poolish might die. Keep in place that’s not colder than 65F nor hotter than 71/72F.

12-16 HOURS

Ciabatta Recipe
10.9 oz Bread Flour
6.8 oz Water
1/8 tsp Instant Yeast
0.2 oz Salt
0.5 oz Oil
Poolish

Put flour + salt in the stand mixer (hook attachment)
Add water to your poolish bowl and softly mix/folding with silicone spatula
Add poolish + water combo to the flour bowl, add oil and yeast
Mix in med-low speed until combined, stop at times and use your spatula to make sure all the flour is mixed in.
Mix another 2 more minute in medium speed
Placed in a greased bowl (I use a square one to maintain ciabatta square shape, but use whatever you have)
Cover with clean kitchen towel and let it rest 3 hours
DURING THESE 3 HOURS 2-3 folds (this video shows well, I do my folds every 35/45 minutes and let the longer rest for the end).

NOTE: if you don’t have a stand mixer, this guy’s method looks pretty legit (click for video).

UPDATE WHOLE WHEAT CIABATTA: I’m still testing whole wheat ciabatta. I’m doing the Poolish with whole wheat flour (same amount) increased water so using 7oz of water for the Poolish. So far I’ve only tested at 12 hours and there’s not a lot of bubbles on top, but yes at the bottom of the poolish, plus it is growing just the same.

The regular recipe I testing first 75% whole wheat and 25% bread flour. The second test is happening as I’m typing this which is only 2 oz of Bread Flour in the recipe. I’ll come and update and hope to continue testing. I’ll share photos too.

3 HOURS

Add generous Flour surface
Add generous Flour long Kitchen Towel or bread cloth if you have
Invert your ciabatta container on top of the floured surface and let it slide softly, tap on top a little if needed, but it should be pretty smooth at this point.
Pastry cutter or a sharp knife cut as you prefer, two loaves or 4 or 6 rolls and place each on floured cloth, move as little as necessary your dough, if it’s your first time you might be clumsy and that’s fine, just make sure you get it all separated on the towel and cover with another towel. (see pics).
Preheat Oven at 450F with large cast iron or baking sheet inverted inside so it gets pretty hot, it helps for bottom crust, etc.
Let it rise again 30-45 minutes
Get water boiling a few minutes before you plan to bake your bread. and place in a small baking pan inside of the oven (unless you have a fancy steamer oven). Also save a few ice cubes and if you have a mist spray bottle, fill it up with warm water before baking the ciabatta.

30-40 MINUTES

This part is tricky, I use a pizza peel with parchment paper on top and place the bread in there and just slide in oven.
If you don’t have that, don’t be afraid, it’s going to get hot, but you are going to have to work quickly: use your oven mitts/towel and place the EXTREMELY HOT inverted baking sheet on top of your stove, place parchment paper on top and quickly place the bread on top of parchment paper (carefully so you don’t lose any air in that dough).
Spray once or twice the warm water on top of the dough and quickly place inside of the oven that already has boiling water inside of a pan on the rack below. Throw in one or two ice cubes and spray a few times, and close the oven door carefully.
Bake 30-35 minutes depending on how you cut your dough and on how baked you like your bread, try different times every time and take notes.

30-35 MINUTES

After the bread is baked, let it rest, some people wait hours or the next day, I wait until it is just a touch warm because I like warm bread with butter, but once it was cooled off completely you can wrap in plastic and place in freezer if you have to much bread, you can thaw overnight inside of the fridge another day and toast in oven at 375F for 2-3 minutes before serving it.

This post is going to be super short because I have already written about Patacones in the past, I’ll make sure to film the process the next time! I know you can find it on YouTube, but I think my terrible joking and awkward comments will make your frying plantains experience much more interesting… I think =)

I will also share my experience of doing this whole season, 6 episodes of my Food Podcast, crazy amount of hours and so much learning.  I’m happy and proud because if technology has given us something, it has been the resources to share our voices and at least archive it. A non-scholar latina, panameñita Podcast lady, ha!

And though for now I haven’t been invited to any podcasts, nor have my ideas been accepted for me to be a guest, I will continue to study, learn, and share everything I can on this journey. Hopefully a lot of Patacones will be part of the adventure.

—– listen to podcast here —–

—– end of podcast —–

These are other photos of patacones as I mentioned how we eat it with fried fish, ropa vieja, but I don’t have the most common one you can find at any fonda probably: patacones with salchichitas, maybe I should make this for brunch this weekend!

RECIPE on this older blog post (click here)

I’m not recording a new podcast episode for this week, I’m taking a break and it was good timing: I really needed it this pause.

In regards to Patacones, I shall have a whole episode only on my research of plantains in general, but my main wish is for you to plan to give them a try soon and let me know when you do, they’re incredible delicious and I hope we can enjoy a lot of them in 2019.

¡a comer! ahem… ¡a comer PATACONES!

I grew up eating a lot of offal, animal organ meats and their non-popular parts. I never thought much about which part of an animal I was eating until someone pointed it out: “How can you eat that?” Ew. I have encountered this reaction many times in my life: back in Panama when I first joined a private school, some cousins who consider themselves “picky eaters”, and then when I first moved in to the US, almost 11 years ago.

I mentioned on the podcast I don’t judge people who react negatively to something I’m eating because I myself don’t love eating just anything and everything. If you listened to my first podcast on food trends, you’ll hear me talking about not being very interested in eating bugs and/or dishes made out of waste and by waste I don’t mean eating from nose to tail because THAT I have been already doing it all my life.

Listen to the podcast here:

I’m almost finished with a book called ‘The Power Of Habit’ and on one chapter Charles Duhigg mentions how in order for housewives to cook some offal (chicken livers, etc) during the war (I or II can’t remember), they released some recipes for them to try at home, adding it to meatloaf and whatnot since their husbands already had the habit for their to eat such dishes.

It makes you realize and accept that most things we eat have to do with familiarity, yes, I’m sure there are tons of exceptions and I’d love to do more research on the palate and its development, but this is more of a psychological and scientific approach and I think it’s going to take me longer before I can make a full episode on this subject.

There are tons of articles online that talk about offal and recipes in general, this is why on this episode I focused on Panamanian food, and of course other Panamanians would have chosen other dishes that would be instead of my top 10, but for now I can only write about what I have learned and experienced so here you go:

10 Panamanian Dishes With Offal

These are my favourite offal Panamanian dishes, and not so favourites, but that I grew up eating and would probably eat mostly when cooked by mum!

1. RABITO DE PUERCO CON POROTOS: pigtail bean stew

Recipe (click here)

2. SAO – SAUS: pickled pig’s trotters

Recipe (click here)

3. CORAZON DE RES FRITO: fried beef heart
I’m planning to work on this recipe and will update this list :)

4. PICADILLO DE BOFE: cow lung semi-stew

This recipe isn’t as traditional for what I grew up eating, but until I write one myself, here you go (click here).

5. DOMPLIN DE BOFE: cow lung fritter
My sister says she will make it, share photos, and perhaps a recipe, coming soon!

6. GUACHO DE RABITO: pigtail rice stew 

Recipe (click here)

7. SOPA DE PATA DE RES (cow’s feet soup)
My mum says she will make it, share photos, and perhaps a recipe, coming soon!

8. BISTEC DE HIGADO ENCEBOLLADO (beef liver & onions)
My mum says she will make it, share photos, and perhaps a recipe, coming soon!

9. MONDONGO: beef tripe stew

Recipe (click here)

10. HUEVOS DE PESCADO FRITO: fried fish eggs
My sister promised to rescue me with this dish by finding a recipe to share on the blog, or at least taking a photo and sharing the name of a spot in Panama where you can find this non-popular dish.

OTHER DISHES WORTH MENTIONING:

Pajarilla (fried spleen), Testículos de Toro (bulls balls), Mollejas Fritas (sweetbreads), Buche (tendon, cartilage, pig ears), intestines (we mostly use it ot stuff chorizo, but I love the yakitori (japanese grilled style), but the last time I had it I almost died with an allergy and no tasty food is worth the suffering I went through that night so I either better get a shit ton of limes the next time I eat that, or I’ll refuse to eat it unless I’m next to a hospital and the restaurant is paying my medical bills, thank you!

Don’t make that face, you can get sick even eating lettuce, ahem, so just make sure if you’re cooking animal parts, meats, vegetables, anything you’re going to eat, make sure it’s properly clean, unless of course your stomach is stronger than mine.

Will you be eating offal anytime soon? Let me know in the comments! Also let me know how you liked this episode!

¡a comer!

He also mentioned how for him it doesn’t matter if you pass the sugarcane through the Trapiche on the same day, in his experience the sweetness remains the same even if you process the caña the next day to make raspadura.

La Raspadura, our Panamanian Gold: hopefully you will fall in love with it as much as some of us have.

Así­ que ya saben, cuando me escuchan hablando en este episodio de acelgas, me refiero a la Col Rizada, es que no me gusta mucho la letra ‘Z’ y esa es mi excusa de mi mala traducción. ¿Me la aceptan? Bueno, sigamos.

1. Hablé del coliflor que por cierto aquí­ les paso la receta de los fritters que les conté: ‘Tortitas de Coliflor’ y también esta otra receta se ve buení­sima Coliflor Entera Asada con Crema & Setas.

2. De mi queridísima cebolla la receta que les comentaba esta que me vi por YouTube es un poco diferente, pero me gusta porque pueden ver una presentación más linda además de que pueden hacer 4 cebollas a la vez. ‘Cebolla Morada Asada’

3. Mi querido KALE, que no es acelga, sino COL RIZADA, que pena tengo todavía de durante todo el episodio referirme a esto como acelga jaja. Les comenté de una receta que hice parecido a los collard greens que se hacen en Thanksgiving y aquí­ les va: Braised Kale y solo que recomiendo cocer la col rizada hasta el punto que prefieran y como mencionaba en el podcast, cortar el tallito y cocerlo antes del resto de las hojas porque es más fibroso.

4. Col De Bruselas, tengo esta receta que lleva nueces (y si le agregan tocineta también queda genial), pero no la subí en español, si alguien quiere probarla y le cuesta traducirla me escriben y con gusto les ayudo. Es muy rica hacer una olla entera de esta receta y servirla con un pollo frito o como acompañamiento de una pasta. Receta aquí­: Roasted Brussel Sprouts Salad with Balsamic Vinegar & Walnuts.

5. Les platiqué un poquito acerca de los Hongos mencioné una receta que llevo aquí­ de Mushroom (hongo) Schnitzel. Es una receta de mis días como vegetariana, un reto que me lo gocé hasta llegando siendo ser vegana, pero fue una experiencia buena y feita, de repente les hablo un día en el podcast de las distintas dietas que he practicado. En fin, la receta les va aquí­: Schnitzel de Hongos.

6. Zanahorias es un vegetal que encontramos en tantas recetas, pero ¿cuántas veces es la estrella de la mesa? Aquí­ les paso dos recetas, una de mi blog y otra que me encontré de un bizcocho, pero hecho con levadura, me intriga mucho a ver si me lo pruebo uno de estos días. Receta para el bizcocho: Bizcocho de Zanahorias. Y una receta que me compartio una amiga como guest post: Glazed Roasted Carrots.

7. Apio, por dios el apio. Aquí­ está el podcast que les comenté que me convirtió en seguidora del apio a ver si este año aprendo más de este vegetal y lo cocino más que en solo caldos. El Podcast, lastimosamente en inglés, aquí­ va: When Celery Was More Special Than Caviar. 

8. La bella Alcachofa, a ver si sigo comiendo más este año y es uno de esos vegetales que no requiere mucho que agregarle porque solita con un poquito de aceite, sal, pimienta y limón queda genial. Esta receta muestra cómo las hierven sencillamente: Alcachofas Hervidas. Y esta otra receta que me vi en otro blog en donde dan recomendaciones para evitar que se pongan negras al oxidarse (en lo personal no me importa si se oscurecen, pero por si las, aquí­ les va: Alcachofas Cocidas Al Horno.

9. La suculenta y sexy Remolacha mamasita, bueno este querido vegetal no es favorito de muchos, yo la adoro a tal punto que la agrego a platos que me encantan que traigo a algunos picnics y no quiero compartir mucho, siempre hay varias personas que no soportan la remolacha así­ que yo feliz como una lombriz, sí­, ya sé que soy de lo peor, no tienen que recordármelo =P. Este artí­culo en el periódico panameño, La Prensa, está buenísimo y lleva una receta de nuestra popular ensalada de papas con remolacha. Receta: Ensalada de Feria.  Por allá en esos países como Rusia y Ucrania también usan mucho la remolacha, recomiendo que busquen recetas de esas cocinas para inspirarse, por ejemplo me encanta mucho la sopa fría y calientita (me las han ofrecido en ambas temperaturas), es una delicia para el verano o el invierno. Aquí­ les va el famoso Borscht.

10. Y el último vegetal, que si no como más vegetales este año es porque soy masoquista por dios! Tatatatannnnn ¡el Pepino! Existen sopotocientas recetas con pepino como ensalada, pero como les decía en el podcast, que hay que probarloen sopa  Y esta es una receta sencilla que aunque está en inglés el video está tan bueno que se comprende todos los pasos a seguir: Thai Stuffed Cucumber Soup.

Y ya los dejo respirar de tanta habladera de vegetales. Mi último comentario es mi clásico consejo al cocinar, busquen los ingredientes que más aman, y que son saludables, como los vegetales, y busquen recetas de otros países, vegetarianos, frugales, de todo, y verán que les ayudará a encontrar inspiración y a tragar más verde, que por lo menos a mí­ siempre me hace falta agregar más a mi menú.

Bueno ciao, y si no has escuchado el Podcast, suscrí­bete y escúchame llamando al KALE (col rizada), acelga, y escucha mis enredos de panameñita en el Episodio 2 de LittleLadyCook (dame 5 estrellas, no seas pilinqui!)

¡a comer!