Arroz Con Leche - Rice Pudding Spanish Style

 

Inspired by Recipe by Albert Bevia @ Spain on a Fork

This makes about 8 servings                   Difficulty Rating - easy, but it takes lots of stirring

Ingredients                    

• 1 cup short grained rice.  I used medium grain rice because I didn't have short grained rice in the house and it was delicious.  But if you can find Arroz Bomba, or that is what you should use.  Note: This is for Arroz con Leche from Spain, the type of rice may differ depending on the country.
• 8 cups milk - I use 2% 
• 3/4 cup sugar - Note: Most recipes I have seen from Spain, and all recipes I have seen from Central/South America call for more sugar, about 1 cup, but I tried it with one cup and it was too sweet for me.  Make your own choice.
• 2 Vanilla beans or 1 vanilla bean and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 Cinnamon sticks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon powder. I like Penzy's Vietnamese Cinnamon
  
• 8 slices of lemon peel

Instructions

Place a large frying pan a medium heat and add milk, vanilla bean (and vanilla extract if using), cinnnamon sticks and sugar.  Stir so it is all mixed together.

When this begins to simmer lightly, add rice stir to combine.  It is important to continue stirring so the milk doesn't form a film.  However, it did form a film many times as I was cooking since I don't have the patience to stir every second.  The film disappeared as I stirred

10 minutes after adding the rice to the pan, lower to a LOW heat, and add the sugar to the pan, and stir.

4.      Continue to stir for another 20 minutes or until you can run run the spatula through the pan, and it makes a little path so you can see the bottom of the pan. 

5.      Remove the rice pudding from the burner and let rest for about 8 minutes

6.      Spoon the rice pudding into small bowls

7.      Sprinkle with some cinnamon powder and garnish with a mint leaf

fresh lemon peels

Mardely adding the vanilla bean to the pudding mixture

Mardely chosing which mint to use for our arroz con leche/rice pudding

Mardely clipping mint from our garden

Thai Iced Coffee - Gafea Yen กาแฟเย็น

Serves 2 or 3 depending on the size of the glass

 Ingredient:

To make 1 glass, half this recipe, to make 4 or 5, double the recipe

 

·        5 Tbsp Thai coffee (Oliang powder mix) If you can't get Thai Coffee Powder (Oliang) try it with strong coffee like espresso

·        1 1/2 cup boiling water

·        31/2  Tbsp sweetened condensed milk

·        3 tsp sugar

·        Pinch of salt

·        Fill the glasses with ice

·        About 5  Tbsp evaporated milk

Preparation:

Place dry coffee into
the Coffee into the press or strainer.  Pour boiling water into your coffee press (you can use a jar and a strainer). Stir it well.  Let it steep for about 5 minutes  Note:  Most Thai people use the cloth strainer, I prefer to use the press. It's easier to keep clean and it lasts forever.

Add sweetened condensed milk
sugar, pinch of salt into a glass
mixing cup

While you wait, get a glass mixing cup (glass so you can see through it and ensure that the condensed milk is totally mixed).

Mix together the sweetened condensed milk, sugar, pinch of salt.

Add hot coffee to the mixing cup.

Add the hot coffee to the mixing glass and stir until everything is dissolved.

When you are ready for your treat, fill the drinking glasses with ice, almost to the top and pour in your coffee leaving just enough room on the top to add some evaporated milk to taste.

Cauliflower Latkes - Gluten free, low carb, delicious

 

A food processor is used in this recipe.  You don’t have a food processor, you can use the shredding side of a grater.  It takes a little longer, but it's easy

 
Ingredients:                                                                        Difficulty Rating: Easy to Medium

·       1 medium head cauliflower 

·       1 small to medium onion depending on your taste

·       2 eggs beaten

·       1/2 teaspoon baking powder

·       1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste

·       1/2 cup almond flour (more may be needed)

·       oil – a light oil that doesn't burn as quickly as olive oil.  I use Grapeseed Oil

·       Sour cream - optional dollop of sour cream for each pancake

Beyond Beef Meatloaf - Are we headed to a replicator? I hope so!

OK, OK, OK. It's not meat and it's not perfect and it still needs work.  However, we are headed toward plant based foods to take the place of animal meat someday.  Just like on Star Trek!
"Computer, aged t-bone please" or "Computer, pizza with mozzarella di bufala and pepperoni please". Yes, we have a long way to go for that, and we have enough in the world to fix before we even head on that path, but it is coming.

If you have a favorite brand of plant based meat, substitute it for Beyond Meat.  This is what was available at Whole Foods, so this is what I used.

Ingredients:                                                                           Difficulty Rating: Easy

1 pound Beyond Beef
4 cloves roasted garlic (recipe included)
1 egg - room temperature
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (use gluten free if needed)
1/4 cup diced onion or 1/8 cup Penzy air dried
shallots (I prefer the shallots)
Kosher salt
Ketchup (I can't remember the last time I had
Ketchup in my house, but hey, it worked)
Frozen roasted corn
less than 1 teaspoon Olive oil

Preparation for Roasted Garlic:

Preheat oven to 400, or toaster oven to 350.
Remove 4 good sized cloves from a head of garlic and peel them.
Place on aluminum foil
Sprinkle olive oil and kosher salt over the garlic.
Loosely wrap them in the aluminum foil and place in the
oven (on a baking sheet) for about 20-25 minutes.
When they're done, they'll be soft when they are
pressed with a fork.  Press them.

Preparation for meat loaf:
Turn oven down to 325
Put the Beyond Beef in a large mixing bowl.
Add the egg and mix it together.
Add the bread crumbs, roasted garlic, shallots (or onions)
Add some  Kosher salt - a teaspoon or to taste.
Mush it together, but don't overdo it.
Place it in a baking dish and form it into a loaf.
Spread ketchup over the top.
Place in oven for about 20 minutes
Spread frozen corn around the Beyond Beef loaf and put back in oven for about 15 minutes.
When the corn is hot, remove from the oven

Let it sit for at least 15 minutes.  Eat it now, or when it cools, refrigerate it and have it later.
Yum!

Lemon Orzo Soup Recipe - Avgolemono

I usually go for thick, full meal type of soups, but this one made me rethink that. But this isn't a thin brothy soup.  The combination of the egg yolks and lemon thicken it perfectly.

Note - if you use store-bought broth and you decide not to buy low-sodium broth, at least check the ingredients to ensure that salt is at the bottom of the list. You can add your own salt as you need it, but no soup can be good with a stock made with mostly salt.


Ingredients:                                              Difficulty rating: easy

·      2 Tablespoons of olive oil

·   2 Medium carrots, diced *

·   2 Medium stalks of celery, diced * 

·      1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional)

     

·      1 medium leek, the white and like green parts only. *

o  Cut it in half lengthwise and cut the halves into ½ “ pieces

·     1 32 oz. package of organic vegetable broth 

o  Use organic chicken broth if you prefer

·      2 organic eggs

·      2/3 cup orzo or 2/3 cup white basmati rice

·      Juice and zest of 2 lemons **- plus some lemon wedges to serve with soup for people who really like the taste of the lemon (like me)***

·      Kosher salt (to taste)

·      Black pepper (to taste)

* Note - when I'm in a hurry, I don't add the carrots, celery or leek, I just depend on the vegetable broth for the taste.  Sometimes you are just cold and don't want to wait for a delicious way to get warm! Just remember, nothing beats a homemade broth.

** Note - DO NOT use store bought lemon juice.  Use real lemons, the soup depends on that.

*** Note - I like to serve it with wedges of preserved lemons if I have them.

Preparation: 
Add the olive oil into a 3 quart pot over a medium flame. 
If using the Aleppo pepper, add it now.  (When it's a souper cold night this can really warm you up)
Add the leek and stir frequently until it is translucent. 
Pour the broth into a 3 qt. pot. 
Cover and bring it to a boil.

Whisk egg and broth together

Once it boils, turn the heat down so it is no longer at a rapid boil, but to a simmer and add the orzo or rice, and cook until it is al dente (firm to the bite).  The orzo has a faster cooking time than the rice.

Pouring orzo into the broth

While waiting for it to the soup to cook, break the 2 eggs, add add the yolk into a medium bowl.  Whisk them together and slowly add lemon juice, whisking for about 45 seconds to 1 minute - until they look smooth.  This makes the soup a bit thick and silky.

SLOWLY add 1 cup broth of hot broth from the soup to the eggs, a little bit at a time and whisk.
(You don't want egg drop soup, so this should be well whisked).
This should take about 2 minutes, until there is a good froth on the top.

Incorporate this into the soup pot with the rest of the soup slowly.

When the orzo or rice is al dente (a bit firm 'to the teeth', not mushy), 

When the broth comes to a boil, uncover it pour the egg, lemon mixture in a steady stream into the broth.  

Add the lemon zest before turning off the flame.  

If necessary, add more lemon, salt and pepper.  

Put the lemon wedges or preserved lemon on the table so people can add more lemon as they chose.  I always add more lemon, because I prefer the lemony tang, but being mindful of others, I give them the choice.

Al Frank's Horseradish

Ingredients                                 Difficulty Rating: Easy (but don’t touch your eyes)

• Horseradish root
• 1 good sized, but not giant beet
• 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water - Dad used white vinegar, but I use apple cider vinegar, about ¾ cup of vinegar to ¼ cup of water, pour a little at a time.  You don’t want this too liquidy
• 2 heaping teaspoons sugar
• Kosher salt

Preparation:

Warning:  Your eyes will burn!  DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES!

Peel the horseradish - you may have to use a knife because it is not easy to peel
Scrub the beet and clip off the top and bottom.
Cut horseradish and beet into very small pieces. 
Add all the ingredients, a little at a time, to a blender and grind
If it's too strong, add more vinegar, water, salt or sugar to taste - make sure you don't  make it too liquidy.
Put in glass jars, with very tight lids, in the refrigerator. Make sure the lids are tight or everything in the refrigerator will have a slight bouquet of my dad's horseradish.
 

Hurricane Sandy Skillet Apple Crisp

Ingredients                                        Difficulty Rating:  Easy

·         7 - 8 apples -  I like to use a variety of sweet and tart, like 2 Fuji, 2 Granny Smith, 2 Gala, 2 Delicious. Just be sure they are crisp apples

·         2 cups of granola – On Hurricane Sandy night I used Kashi Go Lean Crisp! – Cinnamon Crumble.  It was delicious.  You can use any store bought granola you want, but this had just the right amount of sweet and cinnamon. 

·         3 tablespoons unsalted butter.  They only had salted butter here the night of the Hurricane, so I used that and it was OK.  Use what you have

·         3 tables flour

·         ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar

·         1 teaspoon cinnamon.  I like to use a good cinnamon.  At home I use Penzy’s Vietnamese Cinnamon.  At Meryl’s house during Hurricane Sandy I used her Moroccan Cinnamon, it was great. 

·         1 ½ tablespoons  fresh lemon juice.

Preparation:

Peel and core the apples.  Quarter the apples and then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 slices.  You want the pieces to be a good size so they don't get to smooshy when you cook them. 

Put the apples into a bowl and sprinkle with about ¾ Tablespoon of the lemon juice and put aside. 




 

In a skillet that is oven proof (I like cast iron), melt the butter then add 2 Tablespoons flour and 1 Tablespoon sugar – stir until there are no lumps.

Add the granola or Kashi – and stir until it’s coated and nicely toasted – just a few minutes.  Be careful not to over toast because it can burn quickly. Pour the granola into a bowl and put the skillet back on the stove.  

Add the apples, the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, the remaining 1 Tablespoon of flour and the cinnamon- carefully toss. 

The skillet will be super full before the apples start to cook down.  Cook long enough for the apples to macerate (get juicy) a bit and start to get soft, but not enough to get them super soft.  Remember, we aren’t making apple sauce, This should take about 5 or 6 minutes.

When the apples are ready, add the granola (or Kashi) back into the pan.  I usually do it by handfuls, sprinkling it over the top.

Put the skillet into the 350 degree preheated oven for about 35 or 40 minutes – until it bubbles. 

 Let it cool for about 1/2 hour - if you've got some ice cream - Yummmmm.
 

Butter - Easy, Fast, Delicious!

Ingredients:                                           Difficulty Rating:  Super Easy

·       1 pint heavy cream

·       Pinch Kosher salt (optional – no more than ¼ teaspoon)

Tools

·       Either a, b, or c below

a)     Food Processor (with bottom metal blade only)

b)    Mixer (with whisk attachment but regular beaters will work too)

c)     Jar – clean and dry

·       Strainer

·       Cheese cloth (optional – if you don’t have it, just use the strainer)

·       Bowl to hold the strainer

·       Ice water (you can throw in some ice cubes if you want, because it has to be very cold)

·       Butter containers – you can use ramekins, small bowls with lids, butter molds – be creative, but if you want to store it for up to a week, make sure your container has a tight lid.

If you use a jar, the time increases from about 4 or 6 minutes to about 15-30 minutes,
but if you have kids, it’s a great family project.

Preparation

Step 1:

Using a jar:

Pour in the cream.

If you’ve got a couple of kids working with you use a couple of jars and
divide the cream evenly.  Shake, shake, shake!  Keep shaking the jars
for about 15 to 30 minutes until chunks of butter start to form.

Using a mixer or food processor:

Pour in the cream

Process or mix until you pass the point of whipped cream.

In the food processor: When the butter turns into little balls pour in
about ½ cup of the ice water (it won’t hurt if the cubes go into the food processor)

With a mixer: When the butter separates from the liquid – it will gather around

the beaters or whisk attachment.

Step 2:

Transfer the butter mixture into the strainer over a bowl – the liquid that is strained
out is buttermilk

If you’re using cheese cloth, put the butter into the cheese cloth – pull it together into
a ball and squeeze to get the liquid out. Unwrap the butter, putting it back into the
strainer.

If you’re not using the cheese cloth, just skip that step and press the liquid out of the
butter using a rubber spatula or your clean hands. 

Rinse with ice water until it runs clear, kneading the butter and folding it into itself. 
The rinse step keeps the butter from turning sour.

Once it is rinsed, if you want to add ¼ teaspoon of Kosher Salt – this would be the
time to do it.  You might even want to add some cut up sundried tomatoes or herbs. 
Get creative if you’d like! 

Step 3:

Although it is best to refrigerate the butter overnight, sometimes the wait is just too
difficult.  You can get creative here too.  You can:

• put it in a jar that can be tightly sealed
• put it in a butter mold
• put it in waxed paper or plastic wrap and roll it into a log