Pasta + Noodles + Rice – Page 7 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Subanik, Guatemalan Stew

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 jalapeÃ±os 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 purÃ©e. Strain the remaining broth to another container to remove the chile seeds. Return the strained broth and the purÃ©e 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.

Risotto Taleggio Cakes

As with my other worldly possessions, I get obsessed with kitchen and food-related items until I run them down. With Nigel Slater’s cookbook, I’ve marked a lot of the photos with scraps of paper to remind myself that there is another recipe that I must try. One of the best photographed dishes in the book is of the taleggio and parsley cake on page 366. I’ve been using taleggio lately–what with the grilled press I picked up on a whim–and wanted to continue before the smell of autumn turns into the smell of winter without warning.

I’ve changed the name of this dish because I also cooked my first-ever risotto. I didn’t have white wine in stock, so I used Japanese sake instead. I’m not quite sure if I made the risotto Lisa’s Italian father would approve of, but it was perfectly fluffy for these cakes. I couldn’t believe how presentable they looked after the small effort I put into making and frying them. I would love to make smaller versions for the next dinner party I throw.

Ingredients:
1/4 pound of taleggio cheese, sliced, rind discarded
a handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped
a small block of Parmesan cheese, grated

For the risotto:
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup sake
chicken broth
1 small white onion, roughly chopped
1 tbsp butter
oil

1. Make the risotto. SautÃ© onions in olive oil and butter. Add rice and stir with a spatula. Add sake, 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and salt. Keep stirring. Cook until all liquid is absorbed. Continue to add stock in 3/4 cup increments and cook until each successive batch has been absorbed, stirring constantly until rice mixture is creamy and al dente.
2. Mix in parsley leaves and cheese when risotto is cool enough to handle. Scoop out a spoonful, pat a chunk of taleggio cheese on it, and then pack it in with another spoonful of risotto, making a small ball.
3. Using a large skillet, heat some butter and oil. Fry risotto cakes over medium heat. Using a heat-resistant spatula and a large spoon for support, gently turn over to cook the other side.

Korean Bulgogi and Bibimbap

What possessed you? the Dr. asked as he cleaned off his bowl of bibimbap. I’ve always done Korean kalbi at home but have never done bulgogi, so I guess it was just about time. I haven’t had Korean food in a while and I was craving that sweet meat flavor.

In Korean, bulgogi is “fire meat” because rib-eye or sirloin is traditionally grilled. Bibimbap is translated as “mixed rice.” A bibimbap bowl consists of warm white rice topped with sautÃ©ed vegetables, the bulgogi and a fried egg. Kochujang, a spicy Korean condiment made of fermented soy beans and chilis, is served with it. You mix everything together just before eating.

The Dr. said my version tasted “just like the real thing.” I even think it looked like the real thing! I think I deserve some points.

Ingredients:
1 small carrot, julienned
1 bunch spinach, thoroughly washed
4 shiitake mushrooms, dirt rubbed off using a dry paper towel
1 egg
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 tbsp sesame oil
Korean kochujang paste

For the bulgogi:
1 pound rib-eye boneless beef steak, sliced in 1/4-inch thick pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Asian pear, grated with juices
2 tbsps finely chopped garlic
1 small white onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks scallions, roughly chopped
1 small knob ginger, peeled, grated
2 tbsps light brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsps sesame seeds, toasted
2 tbsps sesame oil
a pinch of ground red pepper
black pepper

1. Whisk together all the bulgogi marinade ingredients in a large baking dish. Add the thinly sliced beef and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. When ready to prepare bibimbap, heat a stove top grill to high. Grill marinated beef for 1 to 2 minutes per side without overcrowding. Remove to a plate.
3. In the meantime, using a frying pan, heat some peanut oil and sautÃ© spinach. Season with some salt. Remove to a plate. Using the same pan, add the mushrooms and sautÃ© by adding in sesame oil. Remove to the same plate. Keeping the same frying pan, add a little more peanut oil and fry the egg over easy. Remove to the same plate.
4. To serve, put a serving of cooked rice in large slightly shallow bowl. Place bulgogi on top to one side. Cover the rest of the rice by adding the vegetables and mushrooms. Put egg on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with kochujang paste on the side. To eat, mix well.

Orzo Citrus Pasta with Orange Oil

Lisa emailed to ask me where she can buy fregola pasta. I wondered why on earth an Italian would ask me that. It turns out that even her father didn’t know what it was. She couldn’t find it in her supermarket either. Fregola is a North African pasta used often today in Sardinia. It’s made with semolina and then rubbed to form small pellets and then toasted. It’s crumbly, almost like couscous. After I called Di Palo’s and confirmed that they had the pasta in stock, I sent Lisa to pick up a box before they closed.

I was intrigued that she needed the exact pasta, so I did some research and looked for a substitute. Orzo, and even couscous, were suggested. I have both at home but I decided to go for the orzo. My mother has plenty of grapefruit and oranges she uses as our coffee table centerpiece, so I ended up stealing a few to give the orzo a summery taste. The fennel was a bit of a surprise here–it gave a toasted smell and taste. You can make this meatier if you add some half-cooked peeled shrimps.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of orzo
1 orange
zest of that same orange
half of a pink grapefruit
chicken broth
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 stalks of scallion, white parts only, chopped
a handful fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
a pinch of fennel seeds, lightly toasted, grounded
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Make orange oil for dressing. Soak the orange zest in some olive oil using a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a pot, bring the chicken broth to boil. Add orzo pasta and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain and remove to a baking sheet. Spread to a single layer to avoid sticking and clumping.
3. In the meantime, cut the skin off the orange and the grapefruit, and slice flesh into smaller pieces over a serving bowl to catch the juice. Add the onion, scallions and the orzo. Toss with the mint, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Drizzle with orange oil before serving.

Pasta with Baby Octopus

This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Babbo Cookbook, from one of my favorite chefs, Mario Batali. He used bavette, a thin, ribbon-shaped pasta, but I substituted spaghetti instead because it was all I had handy. He also used jalapeÃ±o pesto, but I doubled the amount of red chili flakes from what I would normally add to give it that kick without the hard work. I did make my own basic tomato sauce though, because, well, I usually do.

If you can’t find fresh baby octopuses, you can certainly used the frozen ones. Those are already cleaned. If you buy the fresh ones, all you have to do to clean them is to turn the head inside out and wash the entrails. Then pull out the eyes and remove the mouth which is found at the center of the octopus where the tentacles meet the head and body. It’s as easy as cleaning fresh squid. If you can only find large octopus, cook that longer until it’s tender and just slice it in smaller pieces before tossing with the pasta.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of baby octopuses, cleaned, washed, drained
1 bundle of spaghetti
2 cups basic tomato sauce
12 fresh mint leaves
3 tbsps red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
red chili flakes
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. Using a large pot, cook pasta al dente in boiling salted water for about 8 minutes. Remove and drain. Set aside. You will cook the pasta more later.
2. While cooking the pasta, cook the octopuses. In a large saucepot, combine octopuses with the red wine vinegar and just enough water to cover. Cook uncovered and immediately remove from heat as soon as the octopuses change color. Drain and set aside to let cool.
3. In a large skillet, heat some olive oil. SautÃ© the garlic until golden brown. Add the tomato sauce and chili flakes and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Add the octopuses and the pasta. Toss over high heat for about a minute with the mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper.