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Year 2007

Entries 5 Total

Cilantro-Stuffed Red Snapper Fillet with Asian Salsa

Dec 5, ’07

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was waiting for my coffee inside Starbucks on Crosby and I noticed this man next to me. He looked very familiar. I didn’t realize I was staring at him. I looked away and left with my coffee. I knew he was a chef, but my mind was drawing a blank. A few minutes later, while in the middle of starting my morning, his name came to me: Jean-Georges Vongerichten. I was staring at Jean-Georges! In Starbucks! That was almost five years ago.

I was reminded of that day when the new Jean-Georges cookbook arrived in the mail last week. Like with any new cookbooks, I saved some quiet time at home to leaf through the pages and look at the beautiful photographs of food. After perusing, I started over, this time armed with small Post-Its to mark the dishes that I would like to make someday.

Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges is a culmination of what the chef learned from the year he was sent to Bangkok to be the chef de cuisine at Louis Outhier’s restaurant in the Oriental Hotel to his own kitchen adventures in opening Vong, 66 and Spice Market in New York City. I’ve never been to Bangkok, but some of the recipes easily reminded me of summers in the Philippines with plenty of sweet and sour flavors in our food. There were green mangoes dipped in fish sauce and shrimp paste; grilled fish drizzled with ginger and chiles; pieces of deep-fried pork belly tossed in vinegar and shallots. I could go on, but my mouth is already watering with the memories of enjoying a meal while wiping the sweat off our brows. It’s the taste that David Chang and his Momofuku empire have been presenting the last year to the many New Yorkers who are now asking themselves, how come I’ve never tasted this flavor before? It’s always been around: in Chinatown and in Flushing, and at Vong back in 1997. It may have just taken a funky Japanese name for people to realize that they’ve been eating and tasting the same flavor all along.

One recipe that stood out was Jean-Georges’ “Barbecued” Red Snapper, Thai Style on page 128. I wanted to eat fish after a quick trip to Asia Food Market on Mulberry. I bought the fresh herbs I needed and my pantry is already stocked with the usual Asian condiments, so this recipe was easy to re-create. All I really needed was fish fillets from the market.

The original recipe suggests using a food processor to make the cilantro mixture and the tomato salsa. I didn’t because I like chunks in my food–the texture actually made this dish less intimidating and look more homemade.

Ingredients:
3 red snapper fillets
1 bunch of cilantro, thoroughly washed
1 small can of crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 shallot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Thai fish sauce, or nam pla
fresh lime juice
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 stalk of scallion, chopped
1 fresh Thai chile, seeded, chopped
grape seed oil

1. Prepare a bowl with water and ice cubes. Boil some water in a pot, then add cilantro. After less than a minute, drain and transfer to the ice bath. Squeeze water off the cilantro with your hands and roughly chop. In a bowl, toss cilantro with half of the garlic and a jigger of fish sauce.
2. Stuff fish fillets with cilantro mixture by making small slits in the fish using a sharp knife. Put on a plate, cover and keep in the fridge until ready to cook.
3. In another large bowl, make tomato salsa. Combine tomatoes, sugar, shallots, lime juice, vinegar and a couple more jiggers of the fish sauce with the remaining garlic. Add more fish sauce to adjust taste. It should be sweet and sour with just the right amount of saltiness. Set aside.
4. When ready to cook the fish, heat some oil in a large skillet. Fry the cilantro-stuffed fillets on one side for about 4 minutes. Using a heat-resistant spatula, gently flip and cook the other side for another 4 minutes. Remove to a serving plate. Serve with tomato salsa and sprinkle with scallions and chile.

Related post/s:
Get your own copy of Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges
Marinated cucumber with orange zest is a good match

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Marinated Cucumber with Orange Zest

Dec 5, ’07

I’ve changed the name of this dish from Jean-Georges’ original recipe, Cucumber Marinated with Orange Peel, because I only used the orange zest to sprinkle on the dish before serving. What I kept was the marinating juice, Chinese-style. This was a great appetizer to another Jean-Georges recipe using fish.

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, peeled, cut into strips
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 fresh Thai chile
orange zest
2 tbsp salt

1. In a bowl, toss cucumber, salt and sugar, and let stand for 20 minutes.
2. Toss in the vinegar, sesame oil and rice vinegar, and marinate for another 30 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with orange zest before serving.

Related post/s:
Get your own copy of Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges
This was a great match with fish, Jean-Georges style

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Subanik, Guatemalan Stew

Dec 2, ’07

Who’s in the kitchen? I asked the bartenders in La Lancha restaurant after only my second meal during my trip to Guatemala. Ezekiel, they said. He’s been the chef here at La Lancha. I wanted Ezekiel to know that I liked what he had been serving the past two days. While traveling Central America, I’ve had the same fried fish, roasted chicken, rice and plantains in every country. There’s nothing wrong with an honest meal, of course, but it was refreshing to eat something traditional that was executed so well. I was checked-in a resort, but the food did not taste like something for a corporate meeting and the menu certainly did not come with the word “fusion” in it.

I’ve had Ezekiel’s rolled-up tortilla with ground pork and beef and smothered with tomato salsa. I’ve had his chiles rellenos, or stuffed peppers; his fish fillet with coriander sauce was equally tasty and flavorful. It was during the third night that I ordered what Guatemalans call subanik, also known as “God’s meal” in the La Lancha menu, simply because it is a bowl of everything. It was the perfect bowl of hot reddish-orange broth, made better with the rice I mixed in. I couldn’t help but order it again for my last night’s dinner.

When I checked out of my room the next morning, the man himself, Ezekiel, stepped out of the kitchen with the recipe written on a piece of paper. I translated his notes out loud to make sure I understood and he showed me how the peppers that are crucial to the subanik broth look like. He showed me a large dried black pepper and a skinnier one that was dark red. They looked familiar to me because I have seen them in the Spanish aisle of my neighborhood supermarket. I couldn’t wait to buy them and try the recipe at home.

Back in New York, I found and bought guaque and ancho chiles in $1.50 packets. Guaque chiles are larger than jalapeños but have the same level of spiciness. Poblano chiles are slightly spicier than bell peppers and become the more familiar ancho, or wide, when dried because of its new shape. I had some leftover dried pimento peppers in the cupboard, so I decided that adding a third variety can’t hurt. They key to subanik broth is to simmer the chiles with tomatoes and tomatillos, those green tomatoes that come with an onion-paper skin. Toasted sesame and pumpkin seeds only add to the smoky flavor of the soup.

Feel free to add almost anything to your version. For my first, I used chicken and leftover turkey meat and skipped the vegetables. For my second, I skipped the meats entirely and just added the vegetables towards the end. I’ve tried both kaffir and mint leaves and found either worked well, as long as you have fresh lime juice to serve.

Ingredients:
2 dried ancho chiles
2 dried guaque chiles
2 dried pimento peppers
4 tomatillos
5 red tomatoes
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 zucchini, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 pieces of chicken breast, sliced in small chunks
1 cup of stewing beef chunks
1 cup rice
fresh lime juice
half a bunch of cilantro leaves
mint leaves
salt

1. In a large Dutch oven, boil 10 cups of water with the chiles and the tomatoes. When the water boils, turn the heat down to a medium simmer. Add the cilantro, mint leaves, sesame and pumpkin seeds and cook for about an hour, uncovered. The tomatoes will swell and eventually soften. Gently smash them with the back of a spatula. The broth will be almost black when it’s ready.
2. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the chiles and tomatoes into a food processor and purée. Strain the remaining broth to another container to remove the chile seeds. Return the strained broth and the purée to the Dutch oven and continue to simmer.
3. Add the rice to the tomato-chile broth. Stir occasionally to cook the rice. After about 10 minutes, add the carrots, celery and chicken. When the vegetables are halfway done, add the beef and the zucchini. Cook until zucchini is tender. Ladle into bowls and serve with a squirt of lime juice and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Related post/s:
Another travel-inspired recipe using dried pimento peppers
Guatemala travel stories

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Reflecting on Tikal, Guatemala

Dec 1, ’07

Jesus Antonio told me to look down and walk slowly right behind him. We were on Central Acropolis in Tikal and my guide was getting ready to show me his biggest surprise yet. Now, look up. I raised my head and was immediately in awe.

We’ve been walking through Tikal National Park and we’ve seen Complex Q and Group G. I was already impressed, but nothing prepared me to the sight of the Great Plaza from the top of Central Acropolis. Temple 1, also known as the Temple of Ah Cacao or Temple of the Great Jaguar, was on my right, Temple 2, or the Moon Temple, on my left. Right in front of me were structures I’ve only seen in books and magazines. Antonio showed us a dated postcard of Temple 1 to show how it looked before most of the excavations began–how amazing would it have been to follow the reports about a few protruding bricks, and then digging and discovering that they were at least 60 meters deep (that’s 200 feet up if you work from the bottom) and as old as the 4th century. And imagine that only a fraction have been excavated after decades of archaeological work!

Everything was covered by brush and trees then, except for the tops of the towers because vertical structures did not support the local plant growth. Tikal is so different from Mexico’s Teotihuacan, where there is no tree in sight to shade you from the sun. From Tikal’s Temple 4 and Temple 5, we sat on the platforms and saw the tops of the other buildings, as if floating among green clouds.

I climbed around Temple 1 and 2 to take photos of well-preserved stairs and view the excavated masks. The entire site had been estimated at 23 square miles. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this largest of the ancient ruined cities of the Mayan civilization protected 100,000 to 200,000 people. It gave me goose bumps when I was there, and it’s giving me goose bumps as I write this now.

The Lost World, Mundo Perdido, was equally stunning, with its three-stairway pyramid now off-limits to traffic.

We saw coatimundis roaming around digging for food as we walked through the causeway in the forest. Howler and spider monkeys played with each other on tops of tall trees. A couple of toucan birds sat above us as we ate a La Lancha-prepared lunch of chicken sandwich, fruits and chips and salsa outside the visitors’ center with a cold bottle of Gallo beer I requested before we left the hotel.

I remembered that it’s Thanksgiving Day back in New York City. I know I have so much to thank for–being at Tikal, being in Guatemala, being able to travel on my own.

Related post/s:
Tikal National Park photos on Flickr
Ixpanpajul Skyway Bridge photos on Flickr
Biking and hiking in Cerro Cahui, Guatemala

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Killing Me Softly in Cerro Cahui, Guatemala

Nov 27, ’07

The knock was soft, but it woke me up. I pulled the curtains away from the door and peeked my head out, Gracias por la llamada.Thanks for the wake-up call. I started to walk away but the guy started to talk in halting English, Es eight o’clock. I turned to him and ask for the time again just to make sure I heard correctly. Es eight o’clock. Ah, shit, fucking howler monkeys woke me up in the middle of the night; I guess I passed out after that. I am not quite sure of the time difference, but frankly, I haven’t cared much the last two days. All I know is that I missed the tour to Tikal, which left, well, at eight o’clock this morning.

I quickly got ready to talk to front desk and see how I missed the morning tour, but I slowed down when I realized I’ve had three glasses of wine on my porch while typing yesterday’s entry, and another one during dinner. Oh, okay.

I was still groggy from the wake-up call that I turned down breakfast and just chose to have a cup of coffee. Evelyn showed me the tour book to let me pick my activity for the day. I remembered that my stay included free use of their mountain bikes, so I opted for that and went for a ride to Cerro Cahui alone. A very long ride.

It wasn’t even 9am when I left, but I was already drenched in sweat after the second hill. Before I reached the closest village, the road was unpaved and I realized that a stone-covered road gets very taxing after, oh, 15 minutes. I said my holas to cars which didn’t slow down upon spotting me on my bike and to children walking with logs of trees on their shoulders. One of the kids I biked past did the construction-worker whistle. Nice, I thought, start them off early. I spotted an old man with almost no teeth on the side of the road with a machete, clearing the tall brush, and I stopped to ask where the hell Cerro Cahui was. Señor, donde esta entrar para Cerro Cahui? because I’ve seen the bienvenidos sign a few pedals back but not any gates. He rambled an answer in fast Spanish. I nodded as I tried to decipher what he said. All I understood was four kilometers and two doors. Fuck, isn’t four kilometers, like, three more miles? Whatever it was, I knew I had a long way to go. I pedaled on.

I finally arrived at the pearly gates–well, more like rusting metal–and was very thankful. The security guard helped me with my bike up the steps and I paid my 20 quetzales to enter. He showed me the snakes preserved in glass jars which made me look down at my pants and hike my socks up. Great, serpientos in the fucking trail. He showed me the map, explained that there are two trails: one will take an hour and a half, and the other, three hours round-trip, and asked me which one I would do. Yo no se, I said, because after that bike ride, I seriously was not in the mood to walk more than six miles to the lookout points.

So I walked. And I walked. The trail is clearly marked and surrounded by old tree roots. It rained yesterday, so the path was a little damp and slippery. After catching my breath, I felt very calm and relaxed. I had the forest all to myself except for the ubiquitous howler monkeys. Birds, squirrels and a possum-looking orange thing moved around me. I wasn’t alone, but felt like I could scream and no one would hear me. I was short of breath again after a few steep climbs and I stopped at some rock to sit and rest. I only brought a small bottle of water with me and have drank most of it during my bike ride. I realized I could pass out right there and no one would know! My knees were hurting but I kept on.

When I reached the end of the short hike, I debated with myself if I should keep hiking to reach the mirador because I was so tired. I did anyway, thinking in that Cia proud way, I’m here already, so why not? The view of the lake from the lookout was beautiful. The sky was open and I could see soft ripples on the lake from the light breeze. I continued on to the second lookout point, and after I reached that, I just felt there was no reason to stop hiking the long way. (Well, except not having a drop of water to drink but, you know.) I felt a little woozy and I stopped several times before I gathered enough energy to continue.

After what seemed like another hour, I was back where I started. The guard smiled at me and said, Dos horas y media. Muy bien. Two and a half hours, but where’s my reward? There was no drinking water. I spotted a faucet near the toilets, but I didn’t dare drink it without making sure it was purified. If there is one thing worse than being dehydrated, I think it would be sick to my stomach because of unsafe drinking water.

I rested on the steps and watched two guys pay the fee and enter the park. Boys, I hope you have drinking water, I thought, but I realized the car outside was theirs–at least they didn’t have to bike to get there. Their driver saw me looking, stepped out of the car and walked to sit next to me. He introduced himself as Alberto, made small talk and offered to drive me to the nearest restaurant after he heard my stomach growl. I politely told him, Necessito volver en La Lancha to say no, and I said what I needed was water. He motioned for me to come with him, took my empty bottle and filled it with his water from the trunk of his car. Drinking water! I thanked him, short of giving him a hug, and I picked up my bike to go.

What transpired next was a very difficult hour. When I left, the guard told me that it was 15 minutes to one. When I returned to La Lancha with jelly legs, it was two. I fell to a chair, unlaced my boots and steadied my hands. Carlos was serving a family that just arrived, so I had to wait before I got some ice water. He served me cold lime juice because he knew I was tired. Not only did I look it, he told me that he knew I left at 9am and I was out the entire time. I ate my lunch of chile rellenos, roasted peppers stuffed with ground meat, hungrily.

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool reading. I took a break only to order coffee upstairs so that I don’t fall asleep. Dinner last night was a civilized salad of lettuce and cucumbers, with fish caught from the lake drizzled with coriander sauce. Tonight, I will order the steak. If I’m going to Tikal tomorrow, I will need all the protein I can get.

Related post/s:
Cerro Cahui, Guatemala photos on Flickr
Me, Myself, and I in La Lancha, Peten, Guatemala

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