Stuffing Balls Wrapped in Bacon

Happy Thanksgiving!

Since my family doesn't reallyl care for stuffing (I end up being the only one who eats it). I decided to try to make it more appealing. I was thinking appetizer... so here it is stuffing balls wrapped in bacon.

Prepare your stuffing according to package directions: basically adding sauteed onions with celery and broth. Let cool. Cut your bacon slices in half. Make a tablespoon size ball with the stuffing, wrap the bacon around and secure with a toothpick. You can make them on the stove top in a skillet or in the oven. I haven't put mine into the oven yet, waiting for the turkey to cook, but I went ahead and made a couple on the stove top to taste them and blog them for you to see.

Meatless Monday: Garbanzo Fritters and Cilantro Dip

Yes, I buy vegetable oil by the gallon. Some people may think that I'm always frying something, and I usually always am. Growing up in our Cuban household there was always a side dish of something fried, usually plantains, yuca or boniato but many times fritters.

For the Fritters:
15 oz canned garbanzo beans, drained
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 egg
1 tbsp all purpose flour

In a food processor or blender puree the garbanzo beans with the onion and garlic and egg, mix in the cumin and salt and cilantro. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the flour. Heat a skillet with about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil. Take a tablespoon of your mixture and form it into a small ball in the palm of your hand. Drop it into the oil and brown on all sides. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Do this in batches. It should yield 12-14 fritters.

For the Dip:
2 heaping tbsp mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp cilantro, minced
dash of lime juice

Mix these ingredients together.

Meatless Monday: Black Bean Dip & Yucca Chips

Black Bean Dip

I cooked a pot of black beans for this recipe (scroll to the bottom), but you can use canned black beans.

16 oz black beans, drained
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Place all the above ingredients in a food processor and blend 'til creamy. Garnish with cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with Yucca Chips (see below).

Yucca Chips

You need a fresh yucca root for this not frozen
oil for frying
salt and pepper

Peel your yucca. Diagonally slice your yucca with a knife into thin slices. Be careful! I wasn't going to fry my yucca right away so I let the slices sit in a bowl of water with some lime juice and salt. Heat a skillet on high with about and inch of oil (I don't really measure, but enough oil to fry chips). Pat dry your chips (if they were sitting in water) and drop them into the oil in batches. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper.















 To cook your black beans, wash a pound of dry beans in cold water and let soak overnight in enough water to cover 2 inches above the beans, (you can soak them in the pot you're going to use the next day). Now here is an old Cuban tip or is it a tip from an old Cuban? (sorry tia, I love you). Put a teaspoon of baking soda into the pot of beans and bring to a boil. The baking soda really helps to soften the beans nicely, but you will get a lot of foam which you will have to skim out – so have a bowl nearby and don't walk away from the beans at this point, or you'll have a big mess (look at the picture)! Once you've skimmed your beans, drop in 2 bays leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and about a teaspoon of salt (you can adjust the salt later). Bring the heat down to medium low, cover and let cook for about 2 hours. We are going strain 2 cups of beans for this recipe and you will have plenty leftover that you can freeze for another time to make soup or use in salads, etc.

Meatless Monday: Croquetas de Yuca

So, no... I did not make this up. Turns out this is quite common in the Colombian cuisine.

1 lb or more of frozen yuca (you can use fresh peeled yuca)
3 tbsp olive oil or butter
salt and pepper to taste
all purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
bread crumbs
oil for frying

Boil your frozen yuca until tender. Strain and let cool. Remove the center root piece and any other hard pieces. Cut up into small pieces add your olive oil or butter and mash it. Add your salt and pepper to taste. You can used your hands to knead it into a ball making sure the oil and seasonings are distributed evenly. (Sorry, I did not get a picture of this step).

Line up three shallow bowls. In the first one pour some flour. In the second the beaten eggs with a bit of water, and in the third your bread crumbs (I used seasoned bread crumbs which is what I had on hand, but any bread crumbs or cracker meal will do). Using a tablespoon separate a small amount of yuca and roll it into a ball and then a cylinder. Coat it with your flour, then your egg wash, and lastly the bread crumbs. Place onto a plate. Repeat this process until you've used up all your mashed yuca.

In a heavy skillet heat about 1/2 inch of oil, fry your croquetas in small batches, regulating the temperature of the oil so that they don't brown too quickly. Transfer when golden brown to a paper towel lined plate. Serve as is or with your favorite dipping sauce.... in my case, Heinz Ketchup!

This was a very basic recipe. To your mashed yuca you can add ingredients such as garlic, parsley, pepper flakes, chives, etc or if you don't want to go meatless you can add bacon bits or chopped ham. Be creative.

Sweet Potato Crab Cakes

Here I go again... frying something. I bought a a sweet potato last week. I like to make sweet potato fries instead of the regular potato French fries now an then, but I wanted to make something different this time. I guess by now you've figured that I like crab. A couple of years ago I had sweet potato crab cakes at a local food fair, and they stuck in my mind. I did a little research and didn't really find any specific recipe that appealed to me, so I went ahead and put together ingredients that I thought made sense.

1 1/2 to 2 cups worth of grated sweet potato
6 to 8 oz canned lump crab meat, drained
1/4 cup onion, minced
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (if using dried like I did use one tablespoon)
1 teaspoon salt

oil for frying
lime to garnish

Peel and grate your sweet potato or run through a food processor. In a large bowl combine all your ingredients. Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet. Form a ball with about a tablespoon of the mixture and drop into  hot oil. (You may have to press the balls in your hands to squeeze out excess liquid.) Drop balls in one by one adjusting the temperature of your oil as you go. Remove onto a paper towel lined plate. Squeeze a little lime on top if desired. Serve with your choice of dipping sauce.

(Note: you may only notice one egg in the photo. I added another one after I took the picture.)

Yucca Cheese Balls

A few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon there was an emergency on our block. We had fire trucks and police cars, ambulances and EMT's. The whole neighborhood came out to see what was going on.

A couple of ladies from the block introduced themselves as they stared oddly at me. Where are you from one asked? Miami I answered. But you have an accent and you look Hispanic. Although politically incorrect, they seemed harmless. I was born in Cuba, I replied, but considering I learned to speak in Miami, my accent is from Miami. (I think people here have an accent). They seemed very excited to have met a Cuban. Yes ladeies, there is a Cuban on your block.

This is all very strange to me. Having only lived in Miami and Los Angeles, it is difficult for me to not blend in. There are so many Hispanics in Miami, and when I lived in Hollywood there were 108 languages spoken in my high school – we were all foreign.

I guess one's comfortable with what one is exposed to. This leads me to food of course. I found a yucca root at the local supermarket the other day which I promptly put in my cart. The checkout lady inspected it and asked what do you do with this?  I replied: Well, it's sort of like a potato but starchier and thicker in consistency, you can boil it, fry it, use it in soups and stews. The girl loading my bags made a face. Have you eaten it before? I asked her. Yes, I didn't care for it.

I sigh.

When my cousins were here a few weeks ago they asked me if I had ever made yuca rellena. Like a papa rellena they explained, it's yummy. After my misadventure with alcapurrias last week, I was a bit hesitant to try something new...again, but I am quite familiar with yucca so, what the heck. I didn't want to make it like a papa rellena, meaning I wanted to simplify things and not have to make a meat filling. I came across a recipe for yuquitas rellenas con queso. 

This was a good idea but it required frying twice, and I'm avoiding the calories. I researched further and found this recipe from Emeril for carimanolas which is a meat stuffed fried yucca.

I decided to take ideas from both

2 lbs yucca root
salt
olive oil
4 ounces cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (use whatever cheese you prefer)
vegetable oil for frying

I used the following seasoning, but it is totally optional, you can season with salt and pepper or any other spices  you prefer.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning)

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon onion powder

(I didn't have the thyme or the onion powder)
Mix these ingredient together. I put it all in a bottle and shook.

Place yucca in a large pot with enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, but not falling apart. (about 45 minutes). Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Using a potato masher, mash with a drizzle of olive oil. Mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons of the creole seasoning. (You can use your hands)

Take about a tablespoonful of the yuca mixture into your hands and roll into into a small ball. Using a finger (I used a measuring teaspoon), press a deep hole into the center of each. Insert your cheese into the center of each ball and gently work the yucca dough around it to completely enclose. (I made a couple with shredded mozzarella, but it was too messy. Non-shredded cheese is best)

Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil. Add the balls in batches and cook until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot or at room temperature.

I only made a few since I was testing it (I refrigerated the rest). I found that these balls needed a cool dipping sauce. All I had on hand was ranch dressing, but I think some sour cream and chives would work well.

Crab Cakes Made With Angel Hair Pasta

So I was looking at a recipe for Salmon Patties at The Tiny Skillet, and I remembered this recipe for crab cakes.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 oz canned lump crab meat
• 1-2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 heaping tablespoon of mayo
• 1/4 lb cooked angel hair pasta
• salt and pepper
• a dash of hot sauce
• oil for frying
• fresh lime juice to taste
• Cocktail sauce for dipping

Boil your pasta. Angel hair pasta cooks very quickly so don't walk away. Drain and let cool.  Open your can of crabmeat and drain. Pour your crabmeat in a bowl and add your chopped parsley. Add your pasta and mix together. Add your egg and stir. Add your mayonnaise. Your pasta should not be long, so you can cut it up before you incorporate it into the bowl, or if you forget, as I did, cut it up already mixed in.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Separate a tablespoonful of your mixture and form into a small ball. Drop into the heated oil. Repeat this process browning your fritters on all slides with a slotted spoon. Makes 12.

Well, I guess my mind has been a little frazzled lately since I omitted sauteed onions which I had intended to add, but no one complained. I kept my mouth shut.

Frituras de Malanga: Malanga Fritters

  
First let me start by thanking Pris for mailing us a box of five very large malangas. Yay Pris! Thank you.

Malanga is a root vegetable popular in the tropics and South America. There are actually two different malangas: Malanga blanca considered the true malanga, which grows on dry land. The other is malanga amarillo which grows in wet bog-like areas. Malanga are about the size and shape of a regular white potato; the outside skin of the malanga is brown and somewhat hairy. It generally weighs 1/2 to 2 pounds, but can be heavier. The interior has an extremely crisp texture and can vary in color from cream, yellow or pink. 

For Pris: Malanga Recipe #1: Malanga Fritters

These are the proportions
for about 3 cups of grated malanga
add
1 teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
2 tablespoons parsley, chopoped

Vegetable oil for frying
Lemon wedges

Peel malanga and place in cold water. The spots that arise are okay, just make sure you remove all the skin and rinse under cold water. Using a hand grater, shred coarse; there should be about 3 cups. My malanga was so big, I only used half of it. Add garlic, salt, egg and parsley. Blend together with a fork until eggs has coated the whole mixture. In a frying pan, bring your oil to medium high heat. Form malanga mixture into loosely packed balls in the palm of your hand, using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture for each. Drop into the hot oil and brown well. Do not crowd fritters while cooking. If the fritters are browning too quickly lower the heat, as we want them to cook thoroughly. Keep in a warm oven as you fry all remaining. Serve with lemon wedges and parsley garnish. (I didn't have lemon, so I sprinkled with a little lime juice, some of you may want to sprinkle with hot sauce as well.)

Please note: One of our readers has left variations of his malanga fritters recipe that you can view here and a sweet dessert variation here.  Thanks Nathan.

Cangrejitos de Jamon: Ham Stuffed Pastry

Okay, so I felt bad that my camera wasn't working the other day when I made these with crab, but I wasn't going to repeat the crab, so I made them with the more traditional ham.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

I used Pillsbury buttermilk dinner rolls. Flatten each individual dough roll with a rolling pin on a floured surface, and drop 1 tablespoonful of ham mixture (Click here)  into each, rolling the dough into a crescent shape.Place on a greased baking dish and brush the tops with a beaten egg. Bake for about 20 mintues (keep your eyes on 'em). Remove when golden brown. (As an experiment I added one teaspoon of sugar to my beaten egg, to give it an ever so slightly sweet flavor).

Cangrejitos de Cangrejo: Crab Stuffed Pastry

 

Let me start off by apologizing for not having photos of the steps I took to a make these pastries. The technology is just not cooperating today. The battery in my camera died, and I couldn't put off the baking until it recharged.  To make matters worse, I've been having trouble since last night uploading pictures to blogger, so I had to ask my daughter to upload for me from her computer.

Okay, so I was thinking of Cangrejitos. Cangrejo means crab, thus the name for these crab shaped pastries. Although usually filled with ham, I thought how cool would it be to fill them with actual crab! Cangrejitos are not something that are normally baked in Cuban households as they are readily available in Cuban bakeries, and are a staple at parties. Now remember I'm in the Midwest, so this is a variation of cangrejitos. 

The traditional dough is made with 1 1/2 cups flour, 8 oz cream cheese and 1 stick of butter. It's a relatively simple recipe that, although time consuming, is relatively easy to make, and I will make it another day.  

For these cangrejitos I pulled out a roll of Pillsbury butter dinner rolls. I flattened each individual dough roll with a rolling pin on a floured surface, and I dropped 1 tablespoonful of my crab mixture into each, rolling the dough into a crescent shape.

For the crab mixture I chopped 1/4 of a medium sized onion and satueed it in olive oil, I added about 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, and one can (6 oz) of lump crab meat, drained. I let this cool and added 1 beaten egg to hold it together.

You can brush an egg wash on the tops to give them a glaze. Into a pre-heated oven for about 20 mintues (keep your eyes on 'em). Remove when golden brown. They weren't "traditional" but they were yummy.

Croquetas de Jamon: Ham Croquettes

Today my adventures lead me to croquetas de jamon – ham croquettes. Although commonly served at parties, these appetizers are consumed at any time of day. They can be served at breakfast, prepared in a sandwich at lunch, as an appetizer at dinner or as a midnight snack. Croquettes are difficult to describe if you've never tasted one or even heard of them. Basically they are made of ground ham, formed into small cylindrical shapes, lightly breaded and fried. This is a time consuming recipe, and few modern-day Cubans bother making them at home since they are readily available in Cuban bakeries, cafeterias, restaurants, and even packaged frozen; yet, I cannot find them here. So, if I really want them, I must make them myself.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups ham (ground or finely chopped in a food processor)
• 1 small onion (finely chopped in a food processor)
• 2 cloves garlic (pressed or chopped in a food processor)
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cups milk, scalded
• salt and pepper to taste

For the breading:

• flour
• 1 large egg, beaten
• very fine bread crumbs or cracker meal

vegetable oil for frying

In a large skillet melt the butter and whisk in the flour, gradually add the milk whisking until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Add the remaining ingredients and continue cooking over low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Place the mixture into a bowl and let it cool thoroughly. Refrigerate. It's best to work with this mixture when it's completely cold. Okay, now to form the croquetas. First, you will need to sprinkle a light layer of all purpose flour onto a work surface. Line up to 2 shallow bowls. In the first one beat an egg (you can add a little water to it), and in the second, pour the fine bread crumbs. Scoop up 1 tablespoon of the ham mixture and roll it on the floured surface to form a cylinder about 2 inches long and 3/4 inches in diameter. Dip it in the beaten egg and then in the bread crumbs. Repeat this process over and over renewing the flour/egg/crumbs when necessary. At this point you can freeze those that you will not consume right away.

In a large heavy-bottomed skillet bring 1 to 2 inches or oil to medium high heat. Fry 5 or 6 croquettes at a time until golden on all sides, turning with a slotted spoon. Transfer them to a paper-towel lined platter. Keep in a warm oven until you have fried all that you desire.

Yields 30.

Bocaditos: Finger Sandwiches

We've all arrived at our present destination via the decisions we've made in life.  It's astounding how two simple words led me on a thirty-year-long path of sleep deprivation, physical flagellation, mental debilitation, moral degradation and artistic suffocation.  Those two words were I do.  No, no, it wasn't the answer to that question. The question was "Do you want a job in advertising as a graphic designer?"  I do.

When I started out, I didn't have a car.  Working in Miami Beach and living over 20 miles away, I had to make two bus transfers followed by a mile walk to get home.  My boss would sometimes give me a ride to my halfway point.  As has always been the norm in downtown Miami, there are countless of homeless people who live under the overpasses of the expressways.  My boss would point and say, "That's what happens to old ad men."  I would chuckle, but believe me, ad men (and women) really are madmen.  It's the relentless deadlines and the unreasonable, inconsiderate, narcissist demands of the clients, and more importantly the biting of ones tongue that brings us to our demise.

But this blog is about food. So where am I going with this? For those of us who cannot speak our minds for fear of losing our income, I suggest we present those who annoy us and make our lives so impossible with the subliminal finger... the Finger Sandwich, that is.

To make a traditional finger sandwich make sure you choose thinly sliced bread of a tight grain. (Unlike what I used in the picture which was a soft white). Cut away all crusts, apply your spread and cut each sandwich into thirds to ensure that fingers alone can perform the task of lifting to mouth.

For the spread we start with a  base of
8 oz. cream cheese
3 - 4 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise
1/2 cup pimento stuffed olives, chopped

Add
6 - 8 oz canned
ham  or deviled ham or tuna or salmon or chicken

Mix all ingredients until smooth

The Cuban bocadito sandwich which one orders at bakeries for parties is made with small sweet rolls (I substitute the Hawaiian sweet rolls found at any grocery) and ham spread.

Pastelitos de Carne: Meat Pastries

My mother taught me that throwing away food is a sin. You could only toss it out if it had spoiled or was inedible (i.e. tasted so bad that God would forgive us). I have no problem eating dinner's leftovers for lunch the next day, but someone in my household frowns upon leftovers. Little does he know that the leftovers are served to him in disguise.

If you recall last week I made picadillo. The next day I took leftover picadillo and made papas rellenas.  I still had picadillo leftover which I quickly froze until today. We shall use the remainder of the picadillo to make Pastelitos de Carne.

This is a meat pastry that is sweet.  Sounds like an oxymoron.  Meat in the middle and sugar on top... is it the main course or dessert?  Uh ... let's call it a snack.  Live a little; it's good.  Here we go....

1 package of Pillsbury puff pastry sheets

seasoned ground beef or picadillo

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

Non-stick cooking spray

Click on picture above to enlarge.

Defrost your pastry sheets and unfold onto a clean surface

Heat oven to 375 F

Slice each sheet in three along the fold lines.

Cut each of these strips into 2 (traditionally meat pastelitos are round, but we don't want to waste any pastry dough, so we'll make them rectangular)

Beat your egg with 2 tbsp of water

Brush the edges of your pastry rectangles with your egg wash

Place a couple of tablespoon of beef in the center of one rectangle and top with another

Press along the edges to seal

Repeat this process.

Grease a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray or butter.

Place your pastelitos on the cookie sheet

Brush the top of each pastelito with the egg wash.

Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes.

In the meantime, in a small sauce pan heat the 1/2 cup water with the 1/2 cup sugar stirring frequently until syrup consistency, keep it on warm until the pastries are golden

Remove the pastelitos from oven and brush with the sugar syrup. Return them to the oven for another 3-5 minutes.  Let cool.  Enjoy.

You can divide these in half for a party size portion.

Papas Rellenas: Meat Stuffed Potatoes

I've been cooking all week. It's Sunday and even though it would be only temporary, I'd like to leave the kitchen spotless. My husband has been bugging me for papas rellenas for a while now. He loves this ... it's meat and potatoes, duh! Unfortunately, this is one of those recipes with which you could make a really big mess. You have been warned, but I'm going to try to make this as simple as I can.

We'll start with instant mashed potatoes. Figure on 1 serving = 1 papa rellena. I'm making enough for 12 (to make it worth my while). Follow directions on the box. You want these mashed to be firm not creamy, so you may need to add a little more potato flakes than called for.  Refrigerate the mashed potatoes for a couple of hours.

Take out the potatoes and sit them on the counter. Remember that picadillo from yesterday? Take that out and sit it on the counter. Grab 3 bowls and line them up: in the first, pour all purpose flour; in the second, beat 2 eggs, add 2 tbsp water; in the third, pour bread crumbs. Wash your hands well, this is a hands on project.

To form a papa rellena, take a large tablespoon (or serving spoon) of mashed potatoes and put it in the palm of your hand. Make a dent in it. With a slotted spoon (we don't want the liquid from the picadillo) take some of the picadillo and press it into the dent. Now take another tablespoon of mashed potatoes and put it as a lid on top. Seal the sides with your fingers to form a ball. Set it down into the flour bowl, roll it around to coat all sides. Dip it in the egg wash (you can use a spoon for this). Gently roll it around then pass it into bowl #3 with the bread crumbs. Coat on all sides. Wash your hands and do the next one.

Repeat this process until you've used up all the mashed potatoes. At this point you can refrigerate them, to fry at a later time or you can freeze them for another day.

To fry, fill your fying pan with about 1/2 inch vegetable oil. Bring the heat up to medium high, Place the papa rellena in the oil. Let it brown on one side (if it's browning too fast, reduce the heat) then roll it, and then roll it, etc. Place on plate with paper towel. Don't fry too many at one time you need enough space to freely roll the papas in the oil.

That's it. They're ready to eat or you can make these in advance and warm them later in the oven, and my kitchen is now clean ... at least until dinner!