Crab Empanadas

We made these tasty savory cuban pastries as an appetizer for our Hurrican Irene party.  Moist flavorful crab, scented with sherry encased in a delicate pastry crust.  YUM.  These are like a pastry-wrapped crab cake.  They can be eaten as is, or served with a simple remoulade or hollandaise sauce.

I used whole wheat pastry flour for the dough, but all purpose flour also works well.

Crab Empanadas

serves 8

Empanada dough
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a sifter and sift into a bowl.  In the bowl of a stand mixer combine cream cheese and butter and mix until well blended.  Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and mix just until a soft dough forms.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

While dough is chilling prepare crab filling:

Crab Filling
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell peppers
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lb. lump crab meat
2 eggs
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over high heat, then add peppers and onions and saute until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Remove from heat, and add crab, gently fold into vegetables. season with salt and pepper to taste.   Allow to cool to room temperature.

Sauteed peppers, onion, garlic and crab...

Once crab mixture is cooled, combine eggs and sherry in a small bowl and whisk to mix with a fork.  Add egg mixture and bread crumbs to crab, and gently fold together.

Assembly:
Pre-heat oven to 400F.

Remove dough from refrigerator and gently roll into a log about 12 inches long.  Slice into 8 equal pieces.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each slice into an 8-inch circle about 1/8 thick (this will be rustic).

Divide crab filling equally among dough circles, then fold in half and roll edges to seal.  With your fingers make a decorative fluted edge. Transfer empanadas to an un-greased baking sheet.

Assembling the rustic empanadas...

Combine 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Brush egg wash over empanadas.  Bake 20 minutes at 400F.  Serve immediately with remoulade or hollandaise sauce if desired.


Mama Ozzy's quick and easy remoulade sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp coarse ground brown mustard
1 Tbsp hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or ramekin, mix to combine.

Arroz con Pollo (Cuban Chicken with Rice)

This has been quite a week here in Durham, NC.  On Tuesday we had a rare earthquake, and then on Friday night hurricane Irene moved in.  Though we were too far west to feel much of the impact of the storm, that didn't stop us from having a hurricane party.  If you have never been through a hurricane, let me explain what its like.  Hurricanes always bring in a mass of moist tropical air and it smells like the ocean.  We only had 30 mph sustained winds and a few 50 mph wind gusts, and only about half an inch of rain.  All in all very mild.

All that moist tropical air put me in the mood for Cuban food.  We prepared Crab Empanadas, Dark and Stormy cocktails (black Bermuda rum and ginger beer with a squeeze of lime), and this dish, Arroz con Pollo.  This is an easy dish to prepare (which is a good thing when you have been imbibing rum drinks all day) and is the ultimate in latin comfort foods.  The rice is fragrant and rich, the chicken falls off the bone, and  though it has a lot of spice in it, it's not what I would consider "spicy".

A couple notes: 1) make sure to use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, boneless skinless does not work at all; 2) Use a really "hoppy" beer like an IPA (I used Magic Hat h I.P.A.) to give maximum flavor; 3) do not skip the Bijol powder (also known as achiote or ground annato) which not only colors the dish but gives a very distinct flavor.  It can be found at any latin market and is absolutely essential to the dish ; 4) I like to serve the green peas separately because not everyone is a fan of peas, but I love the sweet burst of flavor they add.

Arroz con Pollo
Serves 8

6 strips of bacon
8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, seasoned lightly with salt pepper and ground cumin
2 cups chopped white onion
2 cups chopped green bell peppers
4 cloves of garlic. minced
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
12 oz. beer, preferably India Pale Ale (IPA)
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp Bijol powder (also known as achiote or ground annato)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 cups rice (I prefer basmati)
1 cup frozen green peas

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

In a large, heavy oven-proof skillet or paella pan, fry bacon over medium heat until crisp and fat has rendered.  Remove bacon and reserve.  Place seasoned chicken thighs in bacon fat, skin side down and increase heat to medium high.  Brown very well (about 10 minutes) before flipping chicken to brown the non-skin side.  Remove chicken from pan and reserve.

Add chopped peppers and onions and saute until onions are translucent, then add minced garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes.  Add bijol, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and saute 1 minute.  Add rice and stir briefly.  Add beer and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add tomato sauce and chicken stock.  Crumble bacon into pot and then return chicken thighs to pan.  Bring mixture just to a boil, then cover with a heavy lid, or aluminum foil, and place dish in the oven.  Bake 45-60 minutes until rice has absorbed all the liquid.  Serve with cooked green peas.

Before baking, the Arroz con Pollo looks soupy.

Bánh Mì Sliders with Blueberry Chutney (Vietnamese Barbecue Pork Mini-Sandwiches)

 

I have been craving these spicy little sliders for the last several weeks and yesterday I couldn't stand it anymore and caved in and made them for dinner.  This is one of the most delicious things to come out of my kitchen in quite some time.  Bánh Mì are Vietnamese barbecued pork sandwiches.  They represent the classic fusion of southeast Asian and French cuisine (remember Viet Nam used to be part of the French colonial empire of Indochina until receiving independence in 1949).  You can taste the french influence in the pate and bread, and Asian influences in the spicy pickled vegetables and the fragrant barbecued pork.

Bánh Mì are classic Vietnamese street food.  There are probably as many different recipes for Bánh Mì as there are people who like to scarf them down. Traditionally they are served on a crispy french baguette that has been cut into 4-inch lengths, however I have "Americanized" them into slider form and like to serve them on soft potato dinner rolls.  The inclusion of pate is entirely up to you and I have listed it as otional since not everyone is a fan of pate, and these sliders are perfectly delicious without it.

The pickled carrots and radishes are absolutely essential to this dish because their tangy crunchiness is the perfect foil to the sweet velvety pork.  Even people who hate carrots and radishes love these vegetables and they couldn't be easier to prepare.

I also like to serve these with a schmear of Mama Ozzy's blueberry chutney which enhances the sweetness, fragrance and spiciness of the sandwich.  It is totally optional, but if you are trying to impress, make the chutney, you won't go wrong.

 Doug maniacally wolfing down a Bánh Mì slider

If you have a special guest coming to your home this summer and want to serve a really show-stopping meal without all the fuss, may I suggest the following menu?

Bánh Mì Sliders with Blueberry Chutney 

Cold and Spicy Thai Noodle Salad (See variations in Pot sticker Salad)

Dark and Stormy Cocktails (Black Bermuda Rum and Ginger Beer over ice with a wedge of lime)

Lemon Sorbet and fresh fruit

Bánh Mì Sliders with Blueberry Chutney  

makes about 12 sliders

Pork:

1,  1.5 - 2 lb. pork tenderloin

3 Tbsp fish sauce (found in the asian foods aisle)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 walnut-sized piece of ginger, minced

1 scallion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Slice pork tenderloin into medallions about 1-inch thick.  Place 4 medallions in a large Ziploc bag, and with the bag unsealed, gently pound them to about 1/4 inch thick.  Repeat with remaining pork.

 

 

Gently pound the pork medallions flat in a plastic bag

In a medium bowl combine the remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed.  Pour marinade into plastic bag with pork, remove all the air and seal the bag.  Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight (the longer these marinate, the more intense they will be flavored, but be careful not to go too long because the fish sauce is EXTREMELY salty... I find 3 hours is about perfect).

While the pork is marinating, make the pickled vegetables:

Pickled Vegetables:

1/2 lb peeled baby carrots

1/2 lb radishes (I prefer white Icicle [baby daikon] radishes, but any kind will work)

1 large chunk of peeled ginger

1/2 cup water

1 cup cider vinegar

3 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp salt

Cut the carrots and radishes into matchstick sized pieces.  Cut the ginger into very thin slices.  In a medium saucepan combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt.  Bring just to a boil and remove from heat.  Add carrots, radishes and ginger to hot vinegar.  Cover and allow to cool for 30 minutes before  transferring to refrigerator to chill.  Drain immediately before serving.

When the pork is done marinating, preheat your grill or a large non-stick skillet to high.  Cook the pork until it is well browned and caramelized.

Assembling the Banh Mi Sliders

1 dozen 2-inch square potato rolls

mayonnaise

lettuce leaves

pate de campagne (country-style pate) *optional

blueberry chutney *optional

Sriracha hot sauce

Cut open a roll and spread both sides with a small amount of mayonnaise.  Place a slice of pate on the bottom half and spread with a small amount of blueberry chutney.  Top with a lettuce leaf, a slice of barbecued pork and pickled vegetables.  Season the top bun with Sriracha if desired.  Serve immediately.

Peach Dessert

It's late July and fresh peaches are in season.  I picked up some real beauties at the Durham farmer's market and used them to make my familiy's all time favorite dessert.  Something we just call "Peach Dessert".

How do I begin to describe this dish?  It's the kind of thing you would expect to see at good church potluck dinner.  It's not a pie, it's not a cake, it's not a torte or a trifle or a pudding.  I think the closest thing to categorizing this is to call it an ice box cake.

This recipe comes from Joyce Dekker and the 1983 congregation cookbook from Bethany Reformed Church in Sheboygan Wisconsin.  The dessert consists of crushed Oreo cookies, a rich buttercream icing, loads of fresh peaches and Cool Whip.  It may sound like a strange combination of flavors, but trust me , this is absolutely crave-able and will call you in the middle of the night for just one more tiny spoonful.

 

Bethany Reformed Church, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Now, a word about Cool Whip.  If you know anything about Mama Ozzy, it's that I love real whipped cream.  I have never been a fan of Cool Whip, but in this particular dish, there's nothing that can compare.  I have made this in the past and used real whipped cream, and it wasn't nearly as good.  I think it's because this dessert must chill overnight before serving, and definitely gets better and better the longer it sits in the refrigerator.  Real whipped cream gets runny and funky sitting this long, Cool Whip on the other hand remains stable and fluffy.  Go with the Cool Whip, just do it.

Peach Dessert
serves 8

4-6 large peaches, peeled and pitted.
1/2 lb. crushed Oreo cookies
1 1/2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
8 oz. Cool Whip

Peel and pit the peaches.  To peel peaches simply drop them in a pot of boiling water for 15 -30 seconds.  Run them under cold water and then the skins will easily just slip off.

Crush Oreo cookies in food prcessor until fine.   In a 9x9 square pan or a 7 x 11 rectangular pan, place a layer of the crushed cookies (reserving 1/2 cup for topping).

Line the bottom of the dish with crushed cookies

Combine butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl and beat until sugar is incorporated and mixture is fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and continue beating until very light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and mix in.  Drop large spoonfuls of buttercream on top of Crushed cookies in pan, and then carefully spread mixture to the sides.

Place large dollops of buttercream on top of the cookie layer...

...then gently spread to corners with a spoon.

Top with sliced peaches, then cover with Cool Whip and sprinkle with reserved crushed cookies.  Cover and chill overnight before serving.  (This dessert must be kept refrigerated because it contains raw eggs.)

Cover buttercream with sliced peaches...

...then cover with Cool Whip and crushed cookies.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Corn Risotto with Saffron and Lemon Thyme

Happy Birthday to Mama Ozzy's Table!  It's hard to believe, but one year ago today this blog was born with the post Turkey Meatball subs.  Here's to a year of good eating!  In that time over 11,000 people have visited my table.  Bring on year two!

My daughter Rachel has been visiting in Durham for the last week, which meant it was time for me to cook up a storm.  Since Rachel likes to only eat meat on special occasions we decided it would be fun to do an all vegetarian weekend.  So, on Saturday morning, in 100 degree weather, we went to the Durham farmer's market to look for inspiration for the weekend's menu.

I am a big fan of the Durham farmer's market.  Everything is grown and produced locally and everything is organic.  There are no "super vendors" with enormous stalls that look more like the produce section at the grocery store than an organic mom and pop farm.  Most stalls at the Durham market are one or two tables and the vegetables and fruits are absolutely fresh and beautiful.  We bought sweet corn, heirloom tomatoes, basil, tiny potatoes, a growler of sweet potato lager from Fullsteam brewery, cantaloupe, and so much more.

When we got everything home and unpacked we had to decide what to make with our treasures and settled on making a squash and sweet corn risotto with herbs from the garden.  This dish was really delicious and the flavors of the squash and fresh sweet corn were amazing together in the saffron infused rice.  We garnished the dish with fresh lemon thyme, but I think even dried thyme would have been excellent!


Butternut Squash and Sweet Corn Risotto with Saffron and Lemon Thyme
serves 6-8

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into small (1/2-inch) cubes
3 ears of sweet corn (I used silver queen), kernels removed with a large knife
1 shallot minced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups vegetable stock, heated to a simmer
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of saffron
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp fresh lemon thyme leaves.

Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet.  Add shallots and saute 20 seconds.  Add rice to pan and stir to coat rice until covered with oil.  Fry rice over medium high heat until it begins to turn opaque (about 5 minutes).

Add Squash, salt, saffron, cinnamon, garlic and white wine.  Cook until liquid is absorbed almost completely.

Begin adding hot stock to rice one ladle at a time, stirring constantly until the mixture is nearly dry before adding another ladle of stock and continue this process until all the stock has been used (about 30 minutes) stirring constantly.

When all  but the last ladle of stock has been added, add corn kernels to pan and stir in with last ladle of stock.  Stir until almost dry.  Add butter and stir in.  Add parmesan cheese and stir in.  Garnish with lemon thyme leaves and serve immediately.

Sweet Corn Pancakes

July means fresh sweet corn, even for breakfast!

While Rachel was here last week, we decided to have an all vegetarian weekend.  Having an enormous pile of beautiful silver queen corn from the Durham farmer's market, I decided that fresh corn pancakes might be a delicious breakfast item.

These were great!  They were super easy to make and packed a wollop of sweet crunchy corn flavor.  We served them with honey and maple syrup and a side of bacon (I know, bacon isn't a vegetable, but we used it as a condiment).  In the future I think crumbling the bacon into the pancake batter would be excellent!

Sweet Corn Pancakes
makes about 16  4-inch pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 ears of sweet corn (I used silver queen), kernels removed with a large knife
1 1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

In a large bowl combine flour, corn meal, sugar, baking power and salt, whisk to combine.  Add corn kernels and mix to thoroughly coat corn with flour mixture.  In a large measuring cup, combine milk, oil and egg and mix with a fork to combine.  Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until everythng is just combined and no dry patches remain. DO NOT OVERMIX.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-medium high heat.  Add 1/4 cup batter to make three pancakes.  When bubbles appear on the surface and the edges appear dry, flip pancakes.  Repeat until all batter has been used.  Finished pancakes can be placed on a baking sheet, covered with foil and kept warm in a 200 F oven.  Serve with lots of butter, honey and maple syrup.

Raspberry and Blackberry Cobbler

Back in the day when I was in graduate school, one of my fellow grad students Melissa taught me to make this cobbler.  Melissa was from Mount Holly North Carolina and was a country girl through and through.  This recipe was her late mother's recipe and I was so honored when she agreed to give it to me.  I have been making it ever since and I always raise a spoon to the memories of berry picking in the Tenessee summer and coming home to make this dish.

This is hands down the easiest cobbler I have ever made and it is also the most delicious.  It is one of those 6-ingredient wonders that tastes like so much more than the sum of it's ingredients.

It can be made with virtually any fruit, blackberries, cherries, peaches, strawberries and rhubarb, plums, blueberries etc.  The batter is scraped into a baking dish and the fruit dumped on top.  During the baking process, the fruit sinks to the bottom of the dish and the batter froms a crisp, dense cake-like cobbler topping that is completely addictive.  Serve with ice cream and you have the ultimate in summer desserts!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!  Cobbler goodness...

Raspberry and Blackberry Cobbler
serves 6-8

1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk
2.5 - 3 cups raspberries and blackberries mixed
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) salted butter

Preheat oven to 400F.  Place butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish and melt butter in dish in oven.  Remove baking dish from oven.  Mix dry ingredients in a bowl until well combined.  Add milk and mix to form a batter.  Pour batter into prepared baking dish, spreading to corners.  Top with fruit.  Bake 35 minutes until puffed and bubbling and golden.  Serve hot or warm with vanilla ice cream.