Guacamole

If you ever see a recipe for guacamole which has measurements, throw it away. It's completely useless. Why? Because the flavors of the dish is completely driven by the avacodo and that can be a total crapshoot. You never know how intense the flavor of the fruit is going to be until you start making it, so everything else has to be adjusted relative to the base ingredient.

Case in point: I was making the sauce, once again, for our semi-Mexican themed holiday party. I lucked out and found ripe ones, but when I started actually preparing it, I found that the were very, very mild in flavor. Consequently, I had to be very careful with the other ingredients, particularly with the lemon juice and salt, so that they wouldn't overpower the avocado. I dialed back a LOT from the usual mixture. I generally prefer a much more intense flavor, but a delicate touch was called for here. It "sold" well, so I think I got it right. I've always done this to taste anyway, but this is the first time I've ever encountered any this mild.

Avocados (~1 per cup of sauce you want)
Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
Table salt
Yellow Onion - diced
Fresh Cilantro - chopped
Tomato - deseeded, membrane removed, diced
Jalepeno Peppers - very small dice (for flavor)
Serrano Peppers - very small dice (for heat)
Ground Chipotle Powder (from Penzey's)

Prep all of the ingredients and arrange in front of you. Mash avocados and taste to get the baseline. Add all of the other ingredients to taste, working through one at a time. The only exception, for me, is the tomato. I'm not a big fan, but I think they're needed for color. Those I add until the proportion looks right. Make sure you bite into some onion when tasting, so you account for the sweetness there.

Serve with restaurant style, locally produced tortilla chips. Using Tostitos or Doritos (do they even make the plain variety anymore?) is a sin.

Spinach Balls

Granted, these days, anything with "balls" in the name is inherently funny. Get your chuckles in now.

We were going over to our friends', Drake and Mary's, for chili and, for my contribution, I thought I should bring something green that would compliment the chili. Think about that and all of the green veggie sides you know. It's kind of hard, isn't it? So I remembered these.

I've been making these for a while for parties and they're a personal favorite. I found the recipe in the Treebeard's Cookbook and picked them because I figure you can't go wrong with spinach and cheese. What I hadn't counted on was the kick the cayenne pepper gives them. Damn. It's really a great addition.

The spice and (minimal) cheese work pretty well, I think. They're more of an appetizer, but at least it's part of the meal somewhere. I think you could probably make them larger, like a crab cake or something, and serve them as sides.

I'd been chopping the onion and grating the cheese with a food processor the last few times. this is fast, but the long strings of each aren't as nice texture-wise as they could be. Counting clean-up, I'm just as fast now with a fine dice and hand grating, so I went all manual this time.

I was a bit shy on the cayenne. Don't be. The kick is good. Also, serve them warm and keep them on a warming plate if in a party situation. They lose some flavor when they get cold.

P.S. I was very impressed with Mary's chili, especially for a Yankee :-)

Vegetable Pakoras

These Pakoras were prepared as individual pieces, like tempura vegetables. The ones I've had before are more like bundles of shredded veggies. I'll have to look into that. This batter was particularly nice.

VEGETABLE PAKORAS

For the batter:
1 1/3 cups chickpea flour
2 teaspoons melted ghee
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
8 tablespoons cold water, as needed

Cauliflower flowerets, 1 1/2 half inches long and 1/2 inch square, half cooked
Zucchini, cut 1/4 inch thick Bell peppers (red, green or yellow), sliced 1/4 inch thick
Potato or sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/8 rounds
Spinach leaves
Eggplant, cut into rounds 1/4 inch thick
Under ripe banana, cut into 1/3 inch rounds
Oil for frying

* Combine the flour, melted ghee,lemon juice, spices, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix well. Whisk in 5 tablespoons
of water slowly until batter is smooth and free of lumps. Slowly add 3 more tablespoons of water. Check the consistency, and
if needed add more water. The batter should be medium thickness, easily coating a wooden spoon. Whisk batter until smooth (a
food processor works great also)
* Cover and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
* Whisk batter again.
* Coat vegetables and fry in hot oil (355°) until golden brown.

Use any combination of vegetables you like. Keep warm in a
250° oven if necessary.

Chicharrones De Pollo

I have to say, this month's issue (September) of Gourmet is absolutely amazing. It's like a mini Latin cookbook. I usually flip through each issue, tabbing the recipes that look like winners. I average around 5 or so each time, though the May issue was a clear winner with 10 or so. This time, wow. Just about everything looks great.

I gave these chicken nuggets a shot as I wanted something comfort foodish that Channing would like while pushing a flavor envelope a bit for him. Also, in the Indian class, I realized that it had been years since I had fried anything and I'd never been very good at breading anything.

The only adjustments I made to the recipe was that I used white rum instead of dark and chicken breast instead of thighs. In the case of the rum, I was working with what I could get. It looks like half or more of our liquor is gone. I got rid of a lot when we moved, but I'm certain I kept the party staples. It's either buried in the storeroom (though I looked) or the workers going through the punch list have helped themselves. Grrrr. So, I had to borrow the rum from the neighbors. The breast substitution was because I just don't like dark meat, period.

The result? Awesome. They have a great, great flavor. I thought that you wouldn't be able to taste the marinade, but it was just perfect. The lime really comes through even after the frying.

I did have to practice a few times on the frying. I think the heat may have been a bit too high, as I was pulling them out based on color at about 4 minutes (a touch over 1/2 the recommended time). The chicken was thoroughly cooked, so that was okay, but there's an adjustment needed.

Breading went well, overall, though I have to look up the two-handed method. I ended up with a lot of the flour mixture built up on my fingers. I also realized just now that I forgot and skipped the step of patting dry the chicken before breading. Oops.

Still, this one's getting a repeat performance. BTW - Chicharrones are apparently usually seasoned fried pork rinds. Yuck. I'm inferring that the flavors are the carry-over from the original.

I'd link to the recipe on epicurious.com, but apparently not all of the recipes are up yet. So, in all of it's copyright flaunting glory, is the recipe. The recent redesign of epicurious absolutely stinks. It's a great on-line resource, but man alive it's slow. I think the direct links to recipes work pretty well, but for cruising through the site, well, you've been warned.

CHICHARRONES DE POLLO
FRIED CHICKEN BITES
SERVES 4 TO 6 (SNACK OR HORS D'OEUVRE)
ACTIVE TIME: 30 MIN START TO FINISH: 1HR

These irresistible nuggets, a specialty of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, are here made with boneless chicken
instead of the usual chicken-on-the-bone.

1/4 cup amber or dark rum
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
About 2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
ACCOMPANIMENTS: lime wedges; hot sauce

* Stir together rum, lime juice, soy sauce, and sugar in a shallow bowl until sugar has dissolved. Add chicken and stir to coat. Marinate at room temperature 25 minutes.
* While chicken finishes marinating, heat 1 inch oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
* Meanwhile, whisk together flour, paprika, and 112 teaspoon salt in a shallow bowl. Drain chicken and pat dry. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess, then transfer to a plate.
* Fry chicken in 3 batches, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes per batch. (If chicken darkens too quickly, reduce heat.) Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Bruschettas and Crostini

I completely forgot that I made these last weekend. I'm working on my Masters in Literature at Northwestern University and am now in the thesis stage. A bunch of us have started getting together to help navigate the murky adminstrative waters and motivate each other, since we no longer have the weekly class structure. These meetings have a somehow developed a dinner party component, which is fine by me. We rotate locations and the lovely Jenni Higgs was the host this past weekend. Her menu was predominantly Italian, so I went with that for making starters.

I found two recipes for bruschettas in Cucina Rustica. One based on fava beans and fennel, the other on zucchini. In addition, I made crostini, rather than just slicing up bread. Man, goodness all around. The two are a great pairing in colors, textures and flavors. The fava is lightly savory, the zucchini, lightly sweet.

Sad confession: according to the note in the endpaper, my father and step-mother gave me this book in 1993. I don't think I've ever made anything from it before. Big, big mistake. This is a great cookbook. The instructions are very clear and easly to follow with a wide variety of selections. The volume I have is out of print, but it's available through Amazon Marketplace resellers for as low as $1.48 as of today. There also appears to be a new edition.

I wasn't able to find fava beans at the Jewel, but I called Channing for his web connection and he was able to find that butter beans are an acceptable substitute. Also, in looking at the recipes today, I realized that I accidently put sun-dried tomatoes that should have been on the zucchini on the fava instead. I actually think it works better that way. The tomatoes add some color and that makes for better presentation. The zing of flavor is also a better fit with the savory bean mixture. The zucchini has a great smoothness that I think would be comprimised by the tomatoes.

Bruschetta al Maccit
Grilled Bread with Fava Bean Puree Serves
4 to 6 as a luncheon dish, or 10 to 12 as an appetizer

Maccu is an ancient Sicilian soul food made of dried fava beans and wild fennel. If you are lucky (as we are in Los Angeles) to find a hillside carpeted with wild fennel, a delicious edible plant, pick some of the feathery tops to chop up and add to the recipe. The tops of the wild plant are more pungent than those of the domesticated bulb fennel that is widely available.

1 16-ounce can fava beans
1 fennel bulb
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Salt to taste
6 thick slices good-quality country bread or 12 thin slices baguette or other thin loaf
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled

Drain the fava beans and place in a bowl. Carefully remove the dark outer skin of each bean. Do not be concerned if the beans break up. Set aside the shelled beans. Carefully wash the fennel and discard any woody outer layers. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion. Cook the onion over low heat until it begins to wilt. Add the sliced fennel. Continue cooking the onion and fennel together until they are both very tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until it gives off its characteristic aroma. If using wild fennel tops, add them at this stage. Add the fava beans and 1/4 cup water. Cook all ingredients together over low heat at least 15 minutes, or until the beans are soft and the flavors blend. Add salt to taste and remove from the heat. In a food processor with a steel blade or in a blender, briefly process the bean mixture to a coarse puree.

Grill or lightly toast the bread slices. Rub with garlic cloves, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve the Maccu warm or at room temperature mounded in the center of a platter and surrounded with small Crostini (see below).

La Place, Viana and Evan Kleiman. Cucina Rustica. New York: Harper Collins, 1992, p. 44.

Bruschetta con Zucchine Sfrante
Bruschetta Topped with Zucchini Puree and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Serves 4 to 6

In this dish, the zucchini is cooked with onion and herbs until it completely falls apart and becomes a rough puree. Then the puree is spooned onto well-toasted sturdy bread and topped with thin slices of sun-dried tomato.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 medium zucchini, washed, ends removed, and coarsely sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
6-8 fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 thick slices good-quality Italian bread
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled
Extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, cut into strips

Gently heat the olive oil in a small saute pan. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent. Add the zucchini, garlic, and herbs. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until zucchini falls apart completely. Add salt and pepper to taste. Grill or lightly toast the bread slices. Rub each with the garlic cloves and drizzle with olive oil. Spread
the rough zucchini puree on the grilled bread. Garnish with the sun-dired tomatoes.

La Place, Viana and Evan Kleiman. Cucina Rustica. New York: Harper Collins, 1992, p. 41.

Crostini
Appetizer Croutons
Serves 8 to 10

We often serve Crostini instead of bruschetta at large gatherings or cock­tail parties. Crostini are smaller, less filling, and more delicate. Either use a baguette-type loaf that has a small diameter, or cut bread slices in halves or, if necessary, in quarters.

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 loaf good-quality baguette or other thin loaf, cut into thin slices
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or left whole
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and parsley, and gently cook over low heat until the garlic releases its aroma. Add the slices of bread and fry until golden on one side, then turn each piece and fry the other side. Alternatively, brush both sides of bread with olive oil, lay slices on a cookie sheet, and place in a preheated 400F oven.

If desired, sprinkle parsley over the bread slices. Back until bread turns golden. Remove from oven and lightly rub the whole peeled garlic close on one side of each bread slice. Crostini can be made in advance and served at room temperature.

La Place, Viana and Evan Kleiman. Cucina Rustica. New York: Harper Collins, 1992, p. 45.