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"It's so beautifully arranged on the the plate – you know someone's fingers have been all over it." – Julia Child

Posts tagged Latin American food

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Shoes. Sweaters. Pajamas. Toiletries. Check, check, check, and check. Your overnight bag is packed and you have your directions mapped out or your train or plane ticket printed, but The Gift for people hosting Thanksgiving dinner? Ugh. What to bring to your family’s or friends’ gathering? Booze is a given, and, now, you cannot be That Person Who Brings Salad. Oh, you know what I’m talking about. And, have you noticed? It’s never even an interesting salad, with say, kohlrabi and a horseradish dressing, but the worst offender: bagged and chopped romaine with tasteless out-of-season grape tomatoes and bottled LO-CAL dressing.

You can always choose to impress with a pricey present, but a thoughtful homemade addition to the meal can be even more noteworthy.These bite-sized treats travel well and can be tucked into the desserts table, or kept in their wrappings and enjoyed by the hosts once all the party and its stresses are over.

SPICED AND SALTED HONEY-CASHEW BRITTLE
Makes 1 sheet of brittle (approx. 9- by 11 inches)

Prep note: Brittle seems daunting, but its success relies more on having equipment ready than on being skilled. Be sure to have a candy thermometer (available at most supermarkets) and that your baking sheet is prepped.

For the Brittle
Cooking spray
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) roasted and salted cashews

For the Chocolate Drizzle
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Maldon salt
Aleppo pepper
Ground cardamom

– Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat it with baking spray. Set up a small bowl filled with water and a pastry brush next to the stovetop.

– Combine the sugar, honey, and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring with a heatproof rubber spatula until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and (with the damp brush) brush the sides of the pan where the sugar mixture makes contact with it to dissolve any granules of sugar.

– Cook the sugar mixture until it registers 300¨F on a candy thermometer (hard crack stage), 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and with the spatula, stir in the butter, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the cashews and immediately pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Quickly spread the brittle out to the thickness of 1 cashew and cool completely.

For the Chocolate Drizzle: Once the brittle has hardened, melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave (try 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between zaps) or in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the brittle and sprinkle it with salt, Aleppo, and cardamom. Chill for 10 minutes, then break up into shards.

– Brittle will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week. *Refrigerate if you live in a warm place to prevent the chocolate drizzle from melting.

MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES
Makes about 42 cookies

These snowy cookies are crumbly and nutty and not too sweet. You might want to make a double batch and save some for yourself.

1 cup roasted and salted pecans
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature (about 60°F)
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus 1 cup for coating
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Orange zest for sprinkling (optional)

– Pulse the pecans in a food processor until finely ground.

– Beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, then increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the vanilla and beat to mix.

– Stop the mixer and add the flour, salt, cinnamon, and ground pecans to the butter. Beat on low until the mixture is cohesive, scraping the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed.  Beat just until a dough forms. If the dough seems too soft to handle, refrigerate it for 20 to 30 minutes.

– Adjust 2 oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

– Using a 1-tablespoon (1/2-ounce) ice cream scoop or a 1-tablespoon measure, scoop out the dough, dividing it among the 2 prepared sheets. Bake the cookies until just golden on the sides, 15 to 20 minutes, alternating the sheets’ positions halfway through baking.

– Transfer the sheets to cooling racks, cool the cookies on the sheets for 10 minutes, then cool them completely on the racks.  Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

MINI NUT PIES
Makes 24

These are a dainty alternative to classic pecan pie — try them with pecans, walnuts, or even a mixture of cocktail nuts. You’ll need a mini-muffin tin and a biscuit cutter about 2 1/4 inches in diameter.

1 package puff pastry or pie dough, thawed
All-purpose flour for dusting surface
Baking spray
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped and toasted

– Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.

– Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out 24 circles with a 2 1/4-inch in diameter biscuit cutter and press them into a mini-muffin tin. Lightly coat the whole thing with baking spray.

– Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then whisk in the sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt. Divide the mixture evenly among the dough-lined muffin tin, and top with the nuts.

– Bake until set, about 30 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool 10 minutes, then, with a wooden skewer or paring knife, gently pop the mini-pies out of the tins and onto the cooling rack. Cool completely and store, refrigerated for up to one week. You can also freeze the pies for up to 1 month and reheat them in a 300°F oven.

GINGER CAKE
This cake is moist and really spiced, packing quite a bit of fresh ginger in addition to the usual allspice, ground ginger, cloves, and cinnamon.  It’s meant to be baked in a 9-inch springform pan, but you can divide the batter among smaller vessels, filling each with batter about halfway up the sides.  When using smaller vessels, arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet for easier handling.  Click HEREfor the recipe.

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Empanadas

My mother went to university in Buenos Aires, and years later, when I was very young, we visited her friends and a very old relative, Tía Chita, whom I remember looking like a cartoon character—very old, very tall, very thin, and wearing a Victorian era gown in deep lavender.

Other things that I remember from those trips are having submarinos, warm milk in a slender glass with a stainless steel exoskeleton in which you would dip a bar of chocolate, with tiny tongs of course. Bliss! There was also steak and chinchulines —innards and offal that tasted too lovely for me to inquire about their provenance.

My first pair of ballet flats — unfettered from Mary Jane straps! — in red. And, of course, empanadas.

 

EMPANADAS ARGENTINAS
Makes about 12

Fear not! This dough is very, very easy to handle.

For the Dough 
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the counter
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons lard
1 cup warm water, plus more as needed

– Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl.  Cut the lard into small pieces and work it into the flour with your fingertips. Add the water about ¼ cup at a time, incorporating into the flour with a rubber spatula. If the dough is too dry and shaggy, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once all the water has been added, dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and coat your fingers with flour, too.

– Turn the dough out on the surface and knead it just until it forms a smooth ball.  Cut the dough in 2. Dust the work surface with flour once again, and, with a floured rolling pin, roll it out into a thin circle.  Using a 5 ½ to 6-inch round cutter (if you don’t have cutters, find a bowl or vessel of about the same size in diameter), cut out rounds.  You should get about 12 total from the 2 balls.

 

For the Filling

I call for cooked pork in this recipe because I tend to make roasted pork loin or braised pork shoulder fairly often—empanadas are a great way to use leftovers. If you don’t have leftovers, make a quick pork (or beef base): heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 1 small onion, finely diced, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 2 garlic cloves, minced, and cook for 1 more minute. Add ¾ pound ground pork or beef, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. A dash of Maggi seasoning or Worcestershire sauce are welcome. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until browned and slightly crisp.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
12 ounces cooked pork, finely diced
Cholula or other hot sauce, to taste
½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 waxy potato, cooked and diced
1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and diced
½ cup raisins ½ cup pepper-stuffed olives, sliced

– Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, sugar, oregano, and cumin and cook until tomato paste is darkened, about 2 minutes. Add the pork and cook, stirring to combine. Season with hot sauce, and add the broth. Bring it to a simmer, and cook until mostly evaporated: the intention is to make a moist, not soupy, filling.

– Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the potato, egg, raisins, and olives.

 

For the Assembly 

2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream

– Adjust 2 oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a2 baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

– Place about 2 tablespoons of pork mixture just off the center of each circle. Dampen your finger around the edges of the dough and fold over to make half moons. Press down on the edges and twist the edges to fully seal.

– Whisk the egg yolks and cream in a small bowl.

– Arrange the empanadas on the prepared baking sheets and brush them with egg wash. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the empanadas on the sheets for about 10 minutes and serve. You can also enjoy them at room temperature.

– Serve with your favorite hot sauce and chimichurri, if desired.

 

CHIMICHURRI

I always have leftover herbs in my fridge, and chimichurri is one of the most delicious ways I can think of to use them. Take a bunch of parsley and cilantro and very finely chop them. If you have fresh oregano on hand, add it as well. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper. Add a teaspoon of dried oregano and 2 finely minced garlic cloves. Stir in about 1/3 cup red wine vinegar and 2/3 cup olive oil. If you can, let it sit at room temperature for a day or two, the flavors grow much more robust.

 

Tostones

Tostones

Tostones

Tostones

 
I will never turn town a potato chip or a French fry, the starch, the grease-slicked fingers, the lips split by the salt as if they had enjoyed a long night of kissing…but a fried plantain can be a scene-stealer. Fried until crisp in long, thin strips until the color of marigolds, they look like sleek surfboards. Cut into chips, they become edible coins from a slot machine, completely addicting. And of course, the double-dip method in which the plantain is fried twice is a favorite preparation.

Tostones begin by being cut into thick pieces, fried in vegetable oil, then flattened with a tostonera (see image) or the back of a small skillet, and returned to the frying pan. When finished, tostones resemble an exploding gold bloom. Seasoned with salt and served as an accompaniment to many meals, tostones can also be served as a “boca” or “botana” (appetizer) with crumbly or creamy Latin American cheeses like cotija and quesillo, refried beans, and vinegary cabbage slaws.

This is a basic method for making tostones. On average, each plantain will yield about 10 tostones; make as many or as few as you’d like. I’d recommend making more because the crunchy exterior and starchy, satisfying bite of the interior of the tostón calls for gluttony.

TOSTONES

Fun fact: plantains in Mexico are called “plátanos machos”!

Green plantains
Vegetable oil
Salt

– Cut off and discard the ends of each plantain. Cut the plantain crosswise into 4 pieces. With a paring knife, score the skin, cutting just enough to reach the flesh of the plantain. Use the knife to pry off the skin. Cut each plantain quarter crosswise into 1- to 1 ½-inch pieces.

– Line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering and reaches 350°F. The oil should be about ½-inch deep in the skillet.

– Fry a batch of the plantain pieces (don’t overcrowd the skillet) until golden, turning once halfway through frying, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer pieces to prepared baking sheet and repeat procedure with remaining plantain pieces.

– Using a tostonera or a small skillet, press down on the plantain pieces until they are flat. Fry the tostones once more, until crisp and golden, turning once halfway through frying, about 3 minutes per side.

– Transfer tostones to prepared baking sheet and immediately season with salt. Serve immediately.

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