Pabellon Criollo on Crispy Fried Plantains

Jul 212011
 
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Flank steak. I have always loved it.  The slightly charred outside and the tender pink center is the only way I ever had it growing up. Having it cooked any other way then medium rare seemed sacrilege. After I moved to Chicago,  I met an Italian woman who had lived in Venezuela and Argentina and she told me about how she boils and sheds flank steak. Boils. Yes, boils in water. The flank steak was boiled about 1 1/2 hours in water. I was doubtful that this Pabellon Criollo that she described to me was good in anyway. Meat boiled in water? Seriously. She actually made some for me to try and I shockingly loved it. Okay, I was wrong, but no matter how wrong I was I just couldn’t boil my meat, so I make my Pabellon Criollo in the slow cooker. It seems to make less of a mess and makes the sauce a bit richer.  Pabellon Criollo is traditionally served with rice, black beans, and fried ripe plantains. 

So enter this great restaurant in Chicago called Belly Shack. They serve a spicy tofu sandwich on crispy plantains in place of bread. I love it and it is where I got the inspiration to use the plantains of the traditional dish as sweet salty vehicle to serve the meat on. Next, it needed a little vegetable texture added to the sandwich. My family’s coleslaw recipe was perfect for this sandwich. It is made with whipped cream, sugar and caraway. This slaw was a real favorite of many customers at the restaurant. I think the whip cream instead of mayo is a delightful surprise. This compliments the plantains and shredded beef. 

 In the end, you have a unique sandwich to serve your friends. Bonus: It’s gluten-free. Now, don’t freak out there are three recipes listed here. I know some people don’t even bother if they think there is too much work to do. This sandwich is unusual and I like to serve to it to guests. I stick the meat in the crock pot in the morning, maybe 10 minutes. I also make the slaw in the morning, also under 10 minutes. About an hour before my guests arrive, I make up the plantains and stick them in a warm oven. That takes about 15 minutes.

So in about 35 minutes spread  through out your day, you can have a great little sandwich for your friends. They arrive and all the cooking is done. Just assemble when ready to serve. My kitchen is already cleaned up and we can just enjoy each other’s company.

Serves 4-6 Pabellon Criollo :

1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 pounds flank steak 2 teaspoons creole seasonings 1 cup tomato sauce 1 cup onion, chopped 5 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2 cup red peppers, chopped 1/2 cup Spanish olives with pimento, chopped 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons smoked paprika salt & pepper

1. Heat up oil in a large sauté pan. Rub flank steak with creole seasonings. Brown flank steak on each side.

 2.In the slow cooker, place browned flank steak and all the rest of the ingredients, but do not add salt and pepper until tasting at the end. Cover and set on low for 8 hours.

 3.When 8 hours is up, take two forks and shred the meat. Mix with sauce. Taste, then add appropriate amount of salt and pepper. I find that I usually need pepper, but not much salt, if any.

4. The shredded meat keeps great on the warm in the crock pot while I make the crispy plantains. The meat also tastes great on a soft potato dinner roll.

Crispy Plantains:

2 green plantains 2 cups vegetable oil 2 cups water 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus some for seasoning

1. Peel the plantains and cut in half. Cut each half down the middle, making a oblong shape.

  2.Set up a bowl with water and salt in it by the stove. Heat up oil in a large sauté pan to 325F. Drop cut plantains into oil until slightly golden. About a minute. It may need to be turned to ensure all sides are golden brown.

 3. Pull plantains from oil with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel lined cookie sheet. When cool enough to touch, place on counter and flatten with bottom side of a plate until 1/2 inch thick. It should be in an oval like rectangle shape. Drop into salted water. Repeat with all of the plantains. Soak for 1 minute.

4. Make sure that oil is heated back up to 325F. Pat dry plantains, then drop in oil for a final fry. It will take about 2 minutes a side. Drain on paper towel and season with salt. Ask a question about this step.

5. Assemble crispy plantains with Pabellon Criollo and cole slaw. Serve immediately.

Schuler’s Cole Slaw

Serves 4-6

4 cups shredded green cabbage 1 cup heavy whipping cream 4 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds 1/2 teaspoon celery seed salt & pepper, to taste.

1. In large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form.

 2. Add sugar, vinegar, caraway seeds, and celery seeds. Mix with whipped creme.

3. Add shredded cabbage and toss in creamy mixture.

 4. Taste, then add salt and pepper to your taste. I usually like just a little pepper, but others in my family like a little salt added. Taste and make your own decision.

Okay, people. This sandwich is different and flavor packed. Funky enough that people think the Pabellon Criollo sandwich came off one of the new trendy food trucks. I can’t wait to hear what you think.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Home Brined Corn Beef

Mar 012011
 
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If you would of said to me not so long ago, “You should make your own corn beef.” I would of thought you were crazy. That just seemed like too much, but then I got seduced into it by Mrs. Wheelbarrow and The YummyMummy. Those clever ladies started a blog contest called “Charcutepalooza” . Doesn’t the name alone make you want to participate? Foodies are always up for a party or celebration. You have a new challenge very month  from the bible of cured meats, Charcuterie, by Micheal Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, over a course of a year and the best recipes made from the cured meats from a participating blogger gets a trip to Italy.

Now you would think that would get me to sign up. No. I thought that it is a huge commitment. Gabriel has so many sports, home work, whine, whine, plus I didn’t think that I had the money for buying a good piece of meat and f#%&! it up. Which I knew I was capable of. It would of made  me sick to waste a good piece of meat, so I decided not to sign up.

Then I find out over 200 blogger signed up. What? That is crazy. These people are all nuts. It has gone viral. OMG, I am now feeling left out. One thing a foodie hates is to miss the party! I told myself that my reasons are still sound for not joining, but now I should push myself a bit.

So, the biggest news about brining beef is that it is super easy. Shockingly easy. I have to say the taste was great. My corn beef was tender and had a great depth of flavor. I made this corn beef for about $4.95 a lb. By the way, Katz famous deli in NYC sells their corn beef online for $19.95 a lb. I know that they have been doing it a long time, but I can not believe that corn beef is that much better then mine. Maybe they think everyone wants to reenact the famous Katz deli scene with Meg Ryan in “Harry met Sally”.

This is my interpetation of the recipe from Charcuterie read over the phone to me from my brother, who lives in LA and uses the book religiously. So it is basically how I heard it. I have since ordered the book. You all just need to buy the book.

Recipe:

7 lb. Brisket (can vary in size)
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
1 oz. pink salt (curing salt. Not Himalayan pink salt)
3 garlic cloves
2 T. pickling spice

Pickling Spice:

2 T. black peppercorns
2 T. mustard seeds
2T. coriander seeds
2 T. hot pepper flakes
2 T. allspice berries
2 T. whole cloves
1 T. ground mace
1 T. ground ginger
2 small cinnamon sticks
24 bay leaves, crumbled

Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, pink salt and half of the pickling spice. Place brisket into water make sure that is submerged. I put a plate on the top of the meat to make sure it is submerged. Place in the refrigerator for 5 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.

After 5 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to cover with water by 1-inch. Place the remaining pickling spice. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.

 Now for what I was waiting for… a sandwich. I love, love, love sandwiches. A reuben is one of my favorites. I love corn beef on pumpernickel or rye. I need lots of swiss cheese. I take sauerkraut and rinse it really well and saute’ it in some fresh cabbage, then place that on the sandwich. Finally press it as I grill it. Like a panini. When it is hot and melty goodness I serve it with mustard & homemade thousand island dressing.  Some bites I put a little mustard on, then other I use thousand island. OMG. Now I want to re-enact the Meg Ryan scene in Katz Deli. You will be so glad that you made your own corn beef.

But wait there is more….

Homemade cornbeef hash. Man, this is good. I always make extra baked potatoes when I bake them because they can be used in so many different ways. This is one of  them. I cut up one big baked potato into small pieces. Throw in a handful of green onions and lots of garlic. Cut up a slice of corn beef into small pieces. Mix it all together. Place in heated saute’ pan with olive oil and butter melted in it. Keep over medium heat until browned. Season with salt and pepper. I like a few squeezes of Sriracha as well.

My son devoured this up with berry smoothie for our Sunday breakfast. I had mine with an egg and cup of coffee. It was fabulous.

In the end, just push yourself a little out of your comfort zone and make something that you have never made before. Even if it is not perfect, you learned from it and you will do better next time. I seem to be relearning that lesson over and over.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Melting Pot Meatballs

Aug 132010
 

Meatballs, meatballs, meatballs. Love them. Who doesn’t love them? Whether it is a swedish meatball, pork meatball slow cooked in ragu, or a chicken meatball floating in a beautiful broth, meatballs are just solid comfort food. My families’ century old restaurant still has BBQ meatballs on the menu after decades of being a customer favorite. I suspect that there might even be a revolt if it were ever to be removed. I am telling you it is comfort on a plate.There is even a restaurant devoted to them in NYC. Who can resist a unctuous meatball sitting in front of them? The good news is that meatballs are not complicated and you can make them in a huge batch and freeze them to use in different ways at a latter date.

I originally dream up these meatballs to go with the large amount of Oxtail Ragu that I had frozen in the freezer. I tried to mimic the flavors of the ragu by adding some of the same ingredients to the meatball. A chef would say he is layering the flavors to add intensity. I usually bake my meatballs, but they taste great fried as well, but it is a healthier choice to bake them.


Click here for Oxtail Ragu

Makes 24

Melting Pot Meatball:

1 cup milk
1/3 cup raisins
1 cup bread crumbs
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated romano cheese
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
2 teaspoons fresh sage
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
salt & pepper, to taste

1. Heat up milk until it just starts to bubble.

2. Pour over bread and raisins. (Note: It can be a couple slices of bread or bread crumbs. Whatever you have on hand.) Make sure that all the raisins are covered. Set aside to cool, while prepping your meat.

3. In a large shallow bowl, place the meat and all the rest of the ingredients in the bowl. Mix together.

4. Mix the milk mixture now that it has cooled. Raisins should be plumped up and milk soaked up in the bread. Add to meat mixture and blend well.

5. Form into balls. Size can vary depending on personal preference. I like them about the size of a plum.

6. Place on a ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes in a 350F oven. (I like baking my meatballs. Easy clean up, browns from oven. Brown adds flavor. Can freeze them and vary the sauce to suit the dish I am cooking at the time.)

Now for the explaination of “Melting Pot Meatball”… A couple of days have passed and longing for comfort food, but more ragu and meatballs are not going to hit the spot. No way am I going to the grocery store at this hour. Oh yes, I can change the sauce that I put over the meatball and satisfy my need for something different. Asian influenced..yeah, that’s it. With some heat…yes.

So I pull meatballs out of the freezer and defrost in microwave. Start the sauce cooking, then toast the bread for my meatball sandwich. Oh, I have some dinner roll size ciabatas in the freezer, so it looks like I am going to have Meatball sliders. Oh, now I am getting hungry. Lettece, jalepenos and some pickled cabbage are placed on the bread for the base of the slider. I toss the meatballs in the finished sauce and place on top of the base. Top it and serve…OMG. I usually have the handy bottle of Sriracha on the dinner table for the people that want more heat. I am one of those people. Love spicy heat.

Tangy Asian sauce:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons water
3 ginger, large slices
2 scallions
3 slices jalapeno
3 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1.Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan and heat over low heat until cooked down slightly. Approx. 15-20 minutes.
2.Strain sauce through sieve. Use on meats or veggies. Will store well in fridge for about 10 days.

Hope that you can see how you can stretch your food dollars and your time with a little prep and forethought. I got several meals out of few recipes. Plus, meatballs are just the best.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Feta Dressing on Lemon Thyme bread

Jun 242010
 

I have a tendency to cook less in the summer and just let the fresh summer ingredients speak for themselves. I like how refreshing and tangy this chicken is with the feta cheese dressing. Pizza dough is the base for the bread, but lemon and thyme are the star of this meal. I use the same marinade for the chicken and bread. Do not limit yourself to just chicken. I have used an assortment of vegetables, steak, or fish. I have also use whole wheat pizza dough.

Serves 4

5 Tablespoon of freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
2/3 cups of olive oil
2 gloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
handful of fresh thyme
4 chicken breasts, pounded down slightly or thinly sliced
1 pound pizza dough

1.Mix up marinade in a jar with a lid:lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, s&p, and shake well.

2.Place chicken in a shallow dish and cover with marinade, leaving 1/3 of the marinade in the jar to brush on the bread later. Then place thyme on the chicken and toss well.

3.Pizza dough is at room temperature and the grill/ grill pan is set on medium. Form bread rounds into your desired thickness and shape. Brush one side of marinade. Place marinade side down on grill.

4. When bread is done cooking on one side, brush the top with marinade and place thyme leaves on the bread. Press in the leaves into the bread. (I have used dough from my bread machine or store-bought.)

5.Flip bread over and cook until it reaches desired crispness. Finish all bread and set aside.

6.Grill marinated chicken until cooked until cooked through on both sides. Pull of heat.

7.Assemble sandwich as desired and top with Feta dressing (see recipe below)

Feta Dressing:
1 ounce feta cheese
2 T. buttermilk
3 T. greek yogurt (I usually use the 0%)
1 1/2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t. fresh thyme leaves
s&p to taste
sesame oil, a few drops

1. Mix together and served chilled.

I make a variety of this with goat cheese or blue cheese. It is a good creamy dressing with a bit of tang. It is low in calorie, fat and carbs. It really is a go to dressing for a lot of things.

Kids and adults both like this meal. I actually crave the dressing against the tang of the lemon. Enjoy.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Ham and Sweet Potato Sandwich

Jun 082010
 

I can get somewhat emotional about sandwiches. I love them. I am always dreaming up my next favorite sandwich and this one has been on the top of the list for quite a while. The saltiness of the meat with the sour dough bread, then throw in the sweet potatoes and the peppery crisp of arugula… OMG, then the creaminess of the brie cheese. This is heaven.

I like it either warmed up like a panini or just assembled cold. It depends how hunger I am, if I can wait to heat it up, I eat it ASAP with some dijon mustard.

For the perfect sandwich:

2 slices of sour dough bread
2 slices of ham, crisped up slightly in some butter
2 slices of brie cheese
handful of arugula
sweet potato fries, see note
dijon mustard

Note: Cut sweet potato in french frie style. Skins and all. Lightly toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Put on a baking sheet and stick into a preheated oven of 400F, tossing a few times, until crisp. Approximently 30 minutes. I alway make extra fries, so I can make this sandwich the next day.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth