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ot the wonderfully healthy black beans to go with it lechon fat cap removed and pulled apart into the marinade it was awesome moros y cristianos yes that does in fact mean moors christians black beans white rice get it it s all about the multi cultural love baby so if that lechon was easy the moros as we can say for short is even easier especially with a crock pot you want bag of black beans onions green peppers honey bacon optional cumin salt pepper garlic you get the drill the night before soak your beans in twice the water it takes to cover them i throw in half an onion and half a pepper too now some say to discard the water and add fresh to start cooking but as i ve already rinsed my beans and picked out the stones oops i forgot to say do that first i see no need in fact i ve been known to turn on the pot low from the start and just go to sleep but because we ll be eating late i soaked then turned the pot on early this morning then left them alone for hours peppers and onions smells so good in olive oil and garlic so here s how you finish them first once they ve softened up i add salt pepper cumin and the secret ingredient about a tablespoon of honey to the pot then just keep em cooking over low can you overcook them sorta but soupy beans are yummy about an hour or so before you want to eat sautee the following in a couple tablespoons of olive oil a chopped onion a chopped green pepper about 4 6 cloves of chopped garlic and some cumin you can also include bacon or pancetta here but i ve found it is just as good without and makes this a bit healthier and vegetarian for your more high maintenance friends add that sautee to the pot let it simmer for a while later season to taste black beans simmering cook some long grain white rice i m going to tell you how because i ve seen more people boil and strain rice like pasta and it makes me mental no matter what anyone or any box tells you ever here is how to make rice 2 cups water boil add 1 cup rice or 3 cups water 1 5 cups rice always 2 1 boil the water add the rice cover turn heat to lowest setting and walk away and do not lift the lid for 20 minutes that s the basics now you can do things like add some butter or olive oil or spice or substitute half the water for stock or white wine you also want to be aware of your stove for instance my burners stay so hot i need to turn mine off rather than low but that s the basics on how to cook rice you re welcome serve up a scoop of rice and drown it in some beans yum leftovers put your beans and rice in skillet and cook em together yes you can even add lechon double yum also you can add your raw rice to your beans at the cooking stage but that s a bit crazy for beginners so try it the separate way first yuca con mojo cassava root is ugly it is a long brown waxy thing that look inedible but when you peel it it reveals a lovely white flesh which you chop into large chunks and boil like a potato just boil until soft when tested with a fork in fact that s kind of what it tastes like a starchier stringy potato some don t like it because of the stringy bits which is found at the centre but you can remove the larger ones it isn t as bad as it sounds but here is what makes yucca really yum the mojo of course cassava not pretty now i make mine a little differently for this i slice an onion half then slice so you get half rings and simmer it in about a cup or so of olive oil yes that s right a cup or so maybe even 2 cups with garlic a little cumin and some lime juice you are basically making a hot tangy infused olive oil simmer til the onions are soft and try not to burn the garlic mojo for yucca when this is done put your strained yucca in a bowl use tongs to top with the onions then spoon a lot of that olive oil over the top but don t drown the yucca in oil reserve the oil that is left you ll use it tostones y maduros plantains are like big hard bananas but do not eat them raw they are starchy and yuck also unlike bananas they are best cooked unripe green and overripe black the yellow is just an inbetween stage tostones green plantains are for tostones crispy savory fried plantains peel the plantain by trimming each end then gutting a long slice down the skin these are tougher to peel than bananas once you ve peeled then cut them into about 1 5 inch chunks heat some canola oil in a pot or pan you want about 3 inches or so fry each piece til it is just turning golden on each side turned if the oil doesn t cover it remove with a slotted spoon to a dish with paper towel to soak up the oil let them cool remove the oil from heat and set aside once they have cooled enough for you to handle them you want to smash them into disks there are special devices you can buy for this and if you live in miami you might have one but it is just as easy to do with a mallet place them on a cutting board and cover with cling film or i simply place it on the board and press with a bottom of a cereal bowl they will be soft inside now from the cooking this part can be done in advance first fry of plantains i didn t get a picture of the finished ones as we ate them too fast you want to serve these hot so finish them right before you want to eat they can accompany the meal but i like them as a starter you are now going to fry the smashed discs again til they are golden drain on a plate fresh towel and salt them when they are all fried transfer them to a dish and top with some of that leftover garlic oil from the yucca and squeeze some lime over them divine maduros these are sweet and make a great side dish for your lechon y moros instead of slicing these plantains in straight chunks you ll notice they are more ripe too slice them at an angle so you get nice long thin pieces shallow fry these in some fresh vegetable oil 2 or 3 minutes per side til the get tinged in dark but not burnt some recipes will tell you to coat them in sugar first but they are sweet enough on their own i think there you have it your cuban feast flan makes an excellent desert btw but i think we ll be too full for that 2 comments filed under cuban difficulty sous chef dinner long but worth it meat mediterranean spanish winter by lady of lochhaven august 6 2011 6 40 pm weekend breakfast staple on the weekends i generally enjoy preparing a breakfast that is more complex or unusual than what i would normally serve to my family during the work week today i decided that i was in the mood for eggs benedict the key ingredient is the hollandaise sauce hollandaise is also extremely delicious over asparagus which by the way i also enjoy for weekend breakfasts occasionally green beans mixed with cooked pasta and stir fried veggies of any type or perhaps over fried green tomatoes and crispy bacon rather than share the full recipe for the eggs benedict i now share with you the sauce recipe get creative spice it up put it over meats as well as vegetables or whatever you enjoy the recipe i find myself using over and over is a simple one adapted from the recipe created by alton brown of food network and good eats fame ingredients 3 egg yolks 1 teapsoon water 1 4 teaspoon sugar 12 tablespoons 1 1 2 sticks unsalted butter chilled and cut into small pieces 1 2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 8 teaspoon cayenne or black pepper more or less to taste directions pour 1 inch of water into a large saucepan over medium heat bring to a simmer once simmering reduce the heat to low place egg yolks and 1 teaspoon water in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until mixture lightens in color approximately 1 to 2 minutes add sugar and whisk for another 30 seconds place the mixture over the simmering water and whisk constantly for 3 to 5 minutes or the mixture coats the back of a spoon remove the bowl from over the pan and gradually add the butter 1 piece at a time and whisk until all of the butter is incorporated place the bowl back over the simmering water occasionally so that it will be warm enough the melt the butter add the salt lemon juice and pepper bon appetite eva leave a comment filed under uncategorized by ceejay writer july 17 2011 9 19 pm game day this is my first contribution to virtual victualists so please indulge me with a bit of introduction i was born and raised a city girl but have lived in the mid michigan farmlands for about 15 years now i have come to love the earthmomma lifestyle we grow a huge vegetable garden every summer and also have apple trees from this bounty i preserve literally hundreds of quarts and pints of green beans tomatoes relishes jellies applesauce and salsas i also dehydrate many foods i really love my dehydrator i also grow many of my own herbs garlic oregano rosemary sage chives marjoram lemon thyme and whatever else strikes my fancy and then there are the teas i grow and dry chamomile chocolate mint spearmint catnip poppy borage raspberry leaves lemon balm oh and i am a forager i roam the back fields and come home with serviceberries wild strawberries blackberries and various oddities my cooking background is pretty diverse back in seattle i was married for a time to a chef and learned many techniques from him here in michigan i picked up plenty of tricks from those who lived through the depression on how to preserve food primarily from my mother in law who left us a week ago and to whom i dedicate this blog entry thanks for all the inspiration and common sense momma caribou now be warned i do not cook formal foods my stuff isn t snobbish it s hearty cosy comforting everyday food it s also very flexible and you are encouraged to bend my suggestions to suit your own tastes i merely provide a start point and guidelines so then that s enough about me let s cook some dinner i ll be working with venison steak but any cut of red meat will do heck try ostrich i did it s yummy the method i use is great for taking a cheap piece of meat and ending up with fall apart tender carnivorian bliss in a saucepan large enough to comfortably hold everything toss all of this in no particular order meat pieces no larger than 4 in length one quart of tomatoes or tomato sauce or peeled fresh tomatoes really any form of tomatoes you can get your mitts on tomatoes add flavor and color but most importantly they break down the fibers of the meat causing it to be fall apart tender one diced onion any kind garlic to taste i used four cloves because i have a lot of them but you can use any form you like diced bell peppers any and all colors optional splash of worcestershire sauce salt pepper any other herbs that appeal red pepper flakes are fun a bay leaf adds depth tomatoes venison veggies and herbs get it all up to bubbly heat add a bit of water if needed so the meat swims nicely turn the burner down to a simmer and put the lid on forget about it for a few hours go do something fun once the fun is done come back and lift the meat out of the pot set it aside on a plate now you have a potful of veggie goop laced with meat juices let it cool just slightly then pour it into your blender if you don t have a blender improvise with whatever will puree the goop in a pinch i ve used a potato masher whirr up the veggie goop till smooth return it to the pot and get it back up to boiling mix a few tablespoons of cornstarch with cold water in a cup then drizzle it into the goop while stirring energetically viola you now have vegetable gravy and really that s it now you can cook any budget piece of red meat and end up with fall apart yumminess this is a good recipe for gamey meat too as the tomatoes and herbs help mellow the flavor i am lucky enough to get venison literally from the fields behind our home where the deer feed on apples and corn no gamey taste whatsoever accompaniments oh deer tonight i decided on baked herbed potato spears rather than plain baked potatoes grease a cookie sheet with your preferred oil and preheat the oven to 350 degrees scrub your potatoes slice them in half then into long fat sticks lay them out skin side down on the cookie sheet brush on more oil or in our case due to a lowfat diet we spritz with a can of olive oil cooking spray now you get to have fun what do you like on your taters precious i sprinkle mine with salt pepper crushed oregano parsley and garlic flakes rosemary is also lovely go for what you like are you getting the hint that my recipes are totally flexible and adaptable to your whims good when i make this with baked potatoes i ladle the gravy over the open burst potato tonight since we did roasted potato spears i served the veggie gravy in au jus bowls on the side for dipping next time i ll talk about sourdough and pancakes the photos are my own taken with my phone i make no claims to being a visual artist just wanted to show you what i make leave a comment filed under uncategorized by lady of lochhaven april 23 2011 9 06 pm conchiglie con langostinos un pomodori secchi salsa di mornay last evening as i wondered what to make for dinner i decided to head to the local market for some inspiration i was so very pleased to find that our local fish monger had gotten some langostinos in from chile my mind began humming how would i choose to prepare these tonight there are some favorite answers for those familiar with langostinos scampi mock lobster casserole or bisque little appetizers however i was feeling the need for comfort food since the weather was cold and rainy and well on its way to stormy i decided to cook what is essentially a very tasty gourmet mac n cheese but lady eva first things first what are langostinos langostinos are commonly referred to as langostino lobsters but in reality are not actually lobsters at all also called squat lobsters the mind wanders thinking about the classic b 52s song rewritten as squat lobster but i digress these tasty creatures are actually crustaceans of the families galatheidae chirostylidae and kiwaidae and are most closely related to crabs langostinos rinsed and thawed and now the recipe admittedly i merely added things to taste so not everything has measurements for you ingredients for the saute 8 ounces frozen or fresh langostinos rinsed 4 cloves of garlic sliced thinly extra virgin olive oil sun dried tomatoes julienned pignoli fresh basil for the mornay sauce 2 tablespoons of butter 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour 1 cup heated milk kosher salt white pepper 1 2 cup grated white cheddar worcestershire sauce 12 oz conchiglie fresh or dried conchiglie pasta directions prepare the conchiglie according to package directions and set aside with a drizzle of oil to coat meanwhile prepare the mornay sauce melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat add flour and stir until mixture is well blended gradually stir in hot milk cook over medium heat stirring constantly until sauce begins to boil and thickens simmer stirring frequently over very low heat for 5 minutes stir in white cheddar cheese and continue to stir over low heat until cheese is melted season with salt and pepper to taste for the langostino saute...