La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

I’ve been getting some “but I don’t have that in my fridge” comments lately, and so I’ve decided to post a second blog on grocery shopping for dummies. I suggest that you first read my blog from November 7, 2005 on “Mysteries of Grocery Shopping Solved” before you read this one. That blog provides everyone a list of pantry basics and a typical grocery list I make when I go to the store.

Now that you are refreshed with a basic course in how to stock your pantry, here are some tips for grocery shopping that may help you spend your money and time wisely.

1. Plan your meals. Yes, before you head out to the store, and after you’ve stocked that pantry, you need to decide “what am I going to eat this week?” You should consider whether you like to pack lunches, and how often in a week you like to cook. I cook every night and I pack a lunch everyday. So go through this food blog and pick out 7 things you want to eat. Here is an example of a weeks worth of dinners: Pot Pie (11/28/05); Whipped Potatoes & Veg (11/30/05); Linguini & Olive Oil Trio (10/30/05); Minestrone Soup (10/27/05); Purple Potato Salad (12/01/05); Vegetarian Posole (1/28/06).

I also like to buy a big bag of salad, blue corn tortilla chips for snacking, fruit for breakfast/dessert, and I stock up on tea, coffee, and sparkling water (soda is not only harsh on your stomach, but it is filled with empty calories and rots your teeth).

2. Make a list. Now that you’ve planned your meals, go through each recipe and find out what you need to buy (remember, you should have a stocked pantry). You will be surprised by the repeat ingredients. Depending on how many people you are feeding, be sure to consider that my meals usually feed 2 for dinner with enough for leftovers the next day for 2. Compare that list with what you already have, and cross off things you don’t need.

3. Pick a grocery store. As stupid as this sounds you need to consider how much you want to spend on food. I buy most of my groceries from Whole Foods or Wild Oats, which tends to be very expensive; but I found that Safeway is now marketing cheaper organic products I like to buy. In the end, your budget will dictate whether you can splurge on quality, or confine yourself to quantity/price.

4. Expect to grocery shop once a week. Grocery shopping is fun - really! Be sure not to go on an empty stomach and try to find a grocery store you like (I like Whole Foods because they give free samples of everything while you shop; they have large aisles; they have a juice bar). The better your store, the better your experience. Going once a week will also help you budget better (you can evaluate at the end of the week how much you have spent on food). You will also waste less food (Americans toss away about %14 of groceries each year, contributing to the $75 billion dollars in food waste annually).

Labels: shopping

Chile comes in many varieties called Capsicum. Chile is native to the Americas and was first cultivated in Mexico over 5000 years ago. Chile is really a hollow fruit that encloses seeds coated with the chemical capsaicin that escapes into the inner wall of the chile and gives the chile its heat. The amount of capsaicin increases when that chile is grown in hot places with little water (like New Mexico), and decreases when the chile turn from green to red. Capsaisin suprisingly does not create ulcers, but rather, has many health benefits for the body, including increasing our metabolism, decreasing appetite preventing overeating, and inducing our body to sweat, causing us to burn more calories. So eat up!

The poblano peppers used for this dish are large, dark green peppers that require some intensive preparation. I propose that you prep them the night before you eat them so that you won't slave for hours over this dish. You can also put some beans in the crock pot the night before too (see blog post 10/18/05) and then "refry" the beans the day you want to eat this dish.

You will need: 2 c of shredded jack cheese; 4 poblano peppers; toothpicks; 3 eggs; medium skillet (castiron is best) and 3/4 c of vegetable oil for frying.

Step One: Turn the oven on broil. Place your peppers on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven. Cook these for 4 minutes, turn the peppers so each side is cooked. The skin will blister and turn black. Remove from the oven after each side is cooked and place immediately into a grocery bag or bowl and cover with saran wrap. Cover the bag or the bowl with a dish towel to retain the heat.

Step Two: After 10 minutes, remove the chile and peel the skins off. Gently make a long slit in the chile and remove the seeds.

Step Three: Stuff each pepper with cheese and close the slit by threading a toothpick into the chile. Refridgerate until you are ready to cook these.

When you are ready to cook these, start here:

Step One: Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs. Place the whites in a mixing bowl and whip or beat on high with a mixer. When the whites stiffen, then fold in the yolks. This is the "batter" for the rellenos.

Step Two: In a castiron skillet or medium skillet, place vegetable oil in pan and warm over medium heat.

Step Three: Dip the stuffed peppers into the egg mixture using your hands. Remove and immediately place in frying pan with hot oil. Cook on each side for 4 minutes or until egg mixture turns golden brown. Place each cooked pepper on a paper towel to drain off excess oil before serving.

Step Four: Serve the rellenos (stuffed peppers) with a side of refried beans. You can use the beans you cooked in the crock pot (see blog post 10/18/05) and simply place them in a skillet with 3 tbslp of hot vegetable oil. Let the liquid cook off and mash. Add salt to taste and serve.

Labels: cheese, eggs, fried, pasilla peppers

I've been baking this banana bread since I discovered my mother's Menonite cookbook buried in our kitchen cupboards when I was 8. My Aunt Lilly sent my mother, many years ago, the "Christian Home Cookbook," a cookbook with recipes assembled from Menonite colonies across the country, and has recently sent us a new edition printed a few years ago. There are four banana bread recipes and I have baked all of them. From these, I have combined what I thought were the most essential ingredients to make my own AnnaBanana Bread. I share with all of you a sure fire recipe for this delightful morning treat.

You will need: 3 ripe bananas; 3/4 c sugar; 1/4 c butter slightly melted; 1/2 tsp of baking soda dissolved in 1tsp water; 1 egg slightly beaten; 1 tsp of baking powder (add 1 more if at 6000+ feet in altitude); 2 c flour sifted.

Crockery: Bake these in small loaf pans or even muffin pans because high altitude prevents the middle of this bread from baking all the way through without burning the outside. Butter and flour the pan.

Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees Celsius).

Step Two: In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork until runny. Add sugar, baking soda, and butter. Mix these ingredients with a wooden spoon (don't blend with a mixer, ever ever). Beat egg and incorporate into mixture.

Step Three: Sift flour and baking powder into wet mixture and stir in until completely incorporated. Pour into 3 mini loaf pans and bake for 20-27 minutes or until golden brown on top. Turn off oven, leaving bread in there to cool down. Serve hot with butter, or eat the following morning with your coffee. MMMMMM.

Tip: You can flavor your banana bread with grated ginger, spices like nutmeg or cinnamon, fresh walnuts, frangelico, rum, or any other spirit you like.

Labels: banana, bread, dessert

Using the 1-2-3 of artichoke prep from post .February 28, 2006, you can make this beautiful pasta. If you are a gluten free eater, I suggest gluten free penne rigate from Bionature foods sold at Wild Oats, Co Ops, and Whole Foods.

You will need: prepared chokes (see post 2/28/06); 3 cloves minced garlic; 1/2 c white wine; 1 c halved grape tomatoes; fresh grated parmesan; 1/4 c olive oil; thyme, salt, pepper, chile piquin and fresh chopped Italian parsley to taste.

Step One: Cook pasta according to directions, drain, and set aside.

Step Two: In a saute pan, combine olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and chokes. Cook over medium heat until tomatoes start to wrinkle. Add wine to cool down, and cook for another 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step Three: Add pasta to veggie mix and grate about 2/3 c parmesan (Reggiano is good) over dish and mix with spoon. Serve hot with spices and parsley tossed in.

Once again, the basic red chile (see post 1/18/06) saves the day. Huevos rancheros provide an amazing Saturday morning breakfast. I suggest that you cook this when you have some time and if you or a guest are very hungry.

You will need: 1 potato, rinsed and diced; eggs; red chile (see post 1/18/06); corn tortillas; cheese (I prefer jack); refried beans; chorizo sausage.

Step One: Begin cooking this dish by frying up the potatoes in about 3 tbsp of vegetable oil. You should have about 1 cup or more of potatoes for 2 people. Fry over medium-high heat until golden brown.

Step Two: Using beans you made in the crockpot (see post 10/18/05), or a can of pinto beans, make refried beans by pouring them into a skillet with 3 tblsp of vegetable oil. Let liquid cook off and mash with a fork. Salt to taste and set aside.

Step Three: Reheat red chile (see post 1/18/06) in the microwave or over the stove and set aside for service.

Step Four: In a saute pan or comal (round castiron pan with no edges) heat up corn tortillas (traditionally you fry these for this dish but that is a lot of fat for one day). Place two tortillas on a plate and add a scoop of beans on each, cheese, and then an egg cooked to your liking (for poached eggs, see post 10/23/05). Smother this in red chile. Eat with a side of potatoes you just fried or if you like sausage, I recommend chorizo. Eat it up.

Labels: breakfast, corn tortillas, eggs, potato, red chile

Did you go out and buy that random can of white kidney beans, a.k.a. cannellini beans? I sure did, and boy am I glad I bought 2! These delicate little beans make a delightful simple soup when combined with whole peeled tomatoes. I served these beans with a side of spinach and walnut salad, and Clotilde's Herb Muffins (see post from February 5, 2006 and Clotilde's link on the side bar).

You will need: 1 can of cannelini beans; 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes; 1 large piece of shallot diced; 1 bunch of basil thinly sliced; 1 tbsp of tomato puree; handful of chopped italian parsley; salt & pepper; olive oil; 3 cloves of garlic; chile piquin crushed.

Step One: In a stock pot, add garlic, 3 tbsp of olive oil, shallots, and chile piquin. Saute on medium heat until translucent.

Step Two: Add those beans, liquid and all, and more olive oil if necessary. Cook this for about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, crushing them with your hands, and tomato puree. Bring to a slight simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in basil and parsley and serve hot.

Hint: I used 2 leftover parmesan rinds in my soup for added flavor. I also cooked a side of tubetti pasta and added right before serving (cooking it in the pot only makes it overcook, so boil this separately and add as needed).

Labels: cannellini bean, herbs, soup, tomatoes

I recently attended a potluck brunch and decided to bring a portable dish that mingling folks could carry in their hand while sipping mimosas. For the most quality burritos, you need top quality tortillas. These tortillas are made by Ms. Romero in San Luis, Colorado. My coworker loved them so much she had them sent in the mail. The next time you are driving to Taos, NM, be sure to stop at the local Philips Gas Station and buy a dozen of these tortillas. You will never taste a tortilla quite like it.

For 1 dozen burritos, you will need: 6 eggs; 3 medium sized russett potatoes diced; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 6 green chiles diced; salt and pepper to taste; 1 c shredded jack cheese; 1 dozen tortillas.

Step One: In a saute pan, heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat. When hot, add diced potatoes, salt & pepper. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Stir potatoes around so they don't burn.

Step Two: When potatoes are done, add all six eggs, tomatoes, and green chile into the pan with the potatoes, stirring around until cooked. (about 4 minutes) Potato and egg mixture should be covered while you reheat the tortillas.

Step Three: In a large skillet, griddle, or comal, reheat your tortillas - NEVER REHEAT TORTILLAS IN THE MICROWAVE! this is an insult to the tortilla - it's like reheating bread in the micro - it turns hard and gross. Place the tortillas on a plate and cover with a towel to retain heat.

Step Four: In each tortilla, place potato egg mixture and sprinkle cheese over it; roll it up and wrap each burrito in foil. Eat up.

Labels: breakfast, burrito, cheese, chorizo, eggs, green chile

This recipe is a follow-up to the Saffron Shrimp and Pea risotto posted on 1/8/06. This version contains no meat and is perfect for the fungus lover among us. This post also features a step-by-step demonstration of the cooking stages for risotto that will help the cooking impaired better grasp the steps for cooking this dish.

Risotto, as I mentioned previously, is made in Italy from native medium-grain varieties of rice that can tolerate the rigorous method of cooking that removes the starch from the rice and becomes the thickening agent of the dish giving it the creamy texture that makes it famous.

You will need:

- 2 c of dry risotto (don't buy a oartially cooked brand)

- 1/4 c of minced shallots or white onion;

-3 cloves of crushed garlic;

- 1 c of chopped cremini and chitake mushrooms;

- 1 small handful of dried porcini mushrooms;

- 3 tsp of truffle oil;

- 3/4 c of grated parmesan (fresh!);

- 1 c of sweet peas (optional);

- olive oil; salt.

For the broth: 1 washed and halved potato, 1 quartered zuccinni; 1/2 white onion; 1 carrot. Substitute this broth for 3 c of chicken stock, 3 cups of vegetable broth, and 1 c of water.

Step One: In a stock pot, combine 6 cups of water, 1 c of white wine, and potato, zuccinni, carrot and onion. Bring to a boil.

Step Two: In a separate large saute pan, combine risotto, onions, garlic, and 3 tblsp of olive oil over high heat. Stir constantly for 2 minutes.

Step Three: ladle in 2 cups of liquid from boiling cup of broth. Stir until liquid is absorbed by rice. The rice should slowly thicken from this repetative process. You will repeat this step for 18 minutes, being sure to only ladle in a cup or two at a time until it is absorbed, and stir constantly. In total, you will have added about 6-8 cups of liquid, depending on your high heat temp on the stove and altitude.

Step Four: Add mushrooms and peas. Cook for another 4 minutes.

Step Five. Remove from heat, place in a large mixing bowl and add cheese and salt. Stir in truffle oil. serve over spinach.

Labels: mushrooms, risotto