Cooking Latin American Cocina Latina

2010-10-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

El Pavo de Navidad de Ines

Menú de la Navidad tradicional en la casa de Ricardo Gomez Campuzano e Inesita Delgado.

1 pavo
ensalada de papa con espárragos y petit pois
ensalada de frutas
arroz negro
Buñuelos con almíbar
Natilla

L a forma de servirlo es frio. Ella decía que es una receta inglesa preparada la víspera, con la pechuga rellena, porque en Norte América se sirve caliente y se rellena con miga de pan, almendras y nueces y se rellena por detrás. El relleno de este pavo es de una mezcla de carnes finas, si sobra, se prepara un molde de carne con el excedente. Es excelente. Se acompaña con salsa hecha con la asadura de la pavera (ver la receta abajo) y salsa de ciruelas pasas. En la casa de mi suegra, Ines, ella lo preparaba la víspera para que estuviera frío, más fácil de trinchar o cortar las tajadas de pechuga con relleno en la misma tajada. La mesa la adornaba con Papá Noel tirando su trineo, un modelo muy antiguo, relleno de nueces y dulces. La mesa se servía estilo ¨buffet¨ con el pavo trinchado y listo, sostenido con palillos de madera.

1 pavo de 15 lbs. fresco o descongelado, lavado, adobado con sal, pimienta y hierbas frescas picadas finas o secas (laurel, tomillo, perejil, ajo, cebolla)
4 cucharadas de aceite
12 aceitunas rellenas de pimentón
1 zanahoria grande

Relleno de la pechuga
4 cucharadas de mantequila o de acite de olivas
1 libra de carne de cerdo magra, molida (las carnes son crudas)
1 libra de carne de pollo, magra, molida
1 libra de carne de ternera, magra, molida
250 gramos de pathe, de los que empacan como una salchicha o enlatado
1 huevo
4 cucharadas de miga de pan rallado
1 lata de pasta de tomate (4 oz)
sal y pimienta

Mezclar y amasar las carnes crudas con la mantequilla, huevo, miga de pan, especies y pasta de tomate.
Refrigerar.

Preparación

El pavo descongelado, lavado y adobado por dentro con sal y pimienta.
Se abre la cavidad de la pechuga con la mano, encontrar el espacio que une la pechuga a la parte de atrás del ave y ensartar allí la zanahoria (cruda) para que el relleno no se pase a la rabadilla.

Rellenear debajo de la piel de la pechuga, cuidando que no se dañe. Meter relleno hasta la unión de las alas y la pechuga. Cuidar que la zanahoria se quede en su sitio. Si quiere,puede también rellenar la cavidad de atrás, pero esta no le dará tajada.

Una vez rellena, se distribuyen las aceitunas con relleno rojo por toda la carne del relleno.

Coser con hilo de algodón (el de polyester o nylon se derrite en el horno) la piel de la pechuga, cerrando sobre el relleno. No debe quedar muy apretado porque se abre al asarse.

Si queda relleno, se hace un molde de carne delicioso. Se puede embutir con champiñones o aceitunas.

El pavo está listo. Sazonar por fuera con pimienta, sal y aceite de olivas, frotandolo por todos lados. Proteger las pundas de las alas y de las patas con papel de aluminio.

Horno. Precalentar a 400 F

Colocar el pavo en el centro del horno (ojala en una pavera o en un charol grande). 400 los primeros 15 minutos para sellar. Bajar la temperatura a 300 F.

(No olvide bajar la temperatura!!!

Bañarlo cada media hora. Cuando comienza a dormarse, se cubre con aluminio y solamente se descubre durante los últimos 20 minutos de asado. Si no tiene termómetro, al chuzar el centro de la pechuga debe salir liquido transparente, no rosado.

Un pavo de 15 lbs se demora 5 horas a 300 F.

Dejar enfriar y al dia siguiente trinchar cortando la pechuga diagonalmente para dar tajada de carne blanca y relleno. Se reorganiza una vez trinchado con palillos de madera.

Se decora con un ramo de perejil crespo.

Bon apetit.

Ricardo’s mother’s Christmas Turkey

1 large turkey without giblets, washed, seasoned to taste inside and out

4 tbsp oil

12 pepper stuffed olives

1 large carrot whole

Turkey is served cold.

Allow enough time first, to thaw, then, to cool after roasting before carving and serving.

I bake it the day before.

Stuffing for the breast:

4 tbsp soft butter OR olive oil

1 lb ground chicken meat

1 lb veal or pork ground meat

¼ lb pâté, liver or any commercial pâté you like

¼ tsp ground or fresh thyme

l egg

4 tbsp breadcrumbs

Tomato paste (4 0z)

salt and ground pepper

Mix and wedge well all these ingredients

Procedure:

Stick the large pealed, whole carrot from inside the breast towards the back, closing the connection to the back cavity of the turkey

Fill the breast. Then

Insert the olives, distributing them in the meat filling, don’t push the carrot out.

If this happens, stick it back in place or start filling again.

Sew with cotton thread the skin, checking the stuffing is not too tight inside

If any stuffing is leftover, it makes the best meat mould.

Re-season the outside with your favorite seasoning herbs and rub oil all over it.

Preheat oven to 400, for first 15 min, then lower to 300F (moderate) (don’t forget to lower temp!)

Place turkey in a roasting pan in center of oven; baste with liquid from the pan two or three times. To check for doneness, stick skewer in the thickest part of thigh; if liquid is clear, it is done; if pink, leave ½ hour more.

A 8 to 10 lb. turkey takes 2 ½ to 3 hours;

A 12 lb takes 4 hours

A 15 lb one takes 5 hours.

Carve cold, slicing the breast diagonally in order to have white meat and stuffing in the same slice.

Bon Apetit!

You may find more about carving, selecting, cooking turkey and sauces at
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/primers/turkey

2010-09-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Fritata, para la cadena de internet de recetas, esta es la mía: Fritata para 4 personas

2 cucharadas de aceite (de oliva o de canola o el que te guste)

sal, pimienta

6 huevos

queso parmesano o del que tengas rayado

Picar

1 cebolla

1 zuccini o calabacín

1 diente de ajo

1 zanahoria

1 taza de ahuyama pelada y picada (si te gusta. A veces le tenemos fobia sin saber que es rica, nutritiva, barata y versatil)

Puedes agregar cualquier otra verdura, como:

2 cucharadas de alverjas frescas (enteras, no las piques!!!) espárragos, hongos, tomates secos o frescos pelados y sin semilla, puerros...

papa cocinada en cubitos... lo que tengas a la mano.

En un sartén que no se pegue, poner el aceite con el ajo, cebolla, zanahoria y ahuyama.

Dorar hasta que estén cocinadas, como 10 minutos

Agregar el calabacín y cuando esté transparente, cocinado, 3 a 5 minutos, agregar los huevos batidos con sal y pimienta .

Dejar a fuego medio sin tocarlo, cubierto. Debe cocinar lentamente, que no se queme!

Cuando ¨cuaja¨ lo pones al horno con el queso por encima en ¨broil¨o con el calor por encima por 2 o tres minutos.

Para proteger el mango del sartén, si es de pasta o con plástico, se envuelve en papel de aluminio.

Si tu sarten es bueno, debe desmoldar. Si se pega, lo sirves en el sartén. Se puede comer frío. Se corta como ¨pie¨ o como tortilla, en cuadritos.

Es fácil y funciona cuando llegan amigos inesperadamente. Se puede hacer con la verdura que tengas a la mano...

Bon Apetit!!!

Copiaré otras recetas que me lleguen de esta cadena...

2010-09-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Receta recibida en una cadena de intercambio culinario,

por Diana Duchamp

Ojala te guste esta receta que hago desde hace muchos años.

A todo el mundo le gusta y es facil y rapida.

Pollo a la Naranja y Curry con Couscous

1 o 2 naranjas grandes
2 pechugas de pollo sin hueso ni piel
1 Cda. de aceite de oliva
2 a 4 cucharadas de curry
1 cebolla blanca grande
1 taza de jugo de naranja fresco
1 cucharadita. de sal
Perejil
1 taza de couscous precocido

Una hora y y media antes de servir: Pele con un cuchillo pequeno y afilado la naranja en una tira larga y continua, tratando de no dejarle mucha piel blanca. Guardar. Corte los gajos de la naranja, quitandoles la piel blanca.

Corte la pechuga en tiras largas y cocinela en el aceite de oliva en un sarten caliente, revolviendo hasta que pierda el color rosado. Agregue el curry y cocine 5 minutos mas. Agregue la cebolla cortada en juliana delgada, el jugo de naranja, la sal y deje hervir. Reducir el fuego y tapar, dejar cocinar a fuego lento unos 15 minutos, revolviendo de vez en cuando, hasta que el pollo este blando. Picar el perejil, agregarlo junto con los gajos de naranja. Dejar calentar la naranja y servir.

Al mismo tiempo dore con un poco de aceite el cous cous, en un sarten caliente, cuando este dorado agregue caldo de pollo y un poco de mantequilla, segun las instrucciones de la caja. Separelo con un tenedor.

Para servir, ponga el cous cous en el plato, luego el pollo arreglado en forma de abanico y decorado con la naranja. Decore con perejil y haga una rosa con la cascara de la naranja envolviendola para formar los petalos y sosteniendo el final con un palillo.

4 porciones

2010-09-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hacer pan...lo mejor para la creatividad en la cocina!!!
bread making is the best for creative cooks!

un placer de fiesta que amerita pintarse las uñas de ROJO
It is pleasure that invites me to have RED finger nails

la masa se prepara, amasa y se puede dejar en la nevera en un recipiente hermético por varios días
The dough may be prepared, wedged and it keeps refrigerated for a week

entonces se va usando para panes grandeo o panecitos, pizza, empanadas, pan italiano o focaccia.. lo que la creatividad inspire.

En ¨epicurious.com¨ hay muchas recetas de pan y de toda clase de platos ricos, es gratis, fácil de usar y puede uno archivar sus favoritas.

So you may use the dough for different breads, pizza, focaccia, whatever comes to your creativity.
At ëpicurious.com¨ you find good bread and cooking recipes. You may keep there your favourites an it is free.
Happy baking!

2010-04-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Corazones de Alcachofa RioFrio

Alguien me pidio la receta de las alcachofas que preparé durante varios años en RioFrio.
Bueno, reconstruyo la receta de memoria, para el que quiera ensayar y prepararlas o hacer conserva en vinagre.

Las alcachofas las preparaba en un proceso semi industrial, así:

Lavar, cocinarlas con 3 cm de tallo y todas las hojas. Después estas se retiran y se pude hacer sopa o crema de alcachofas con los tallos y las hojas exteriores.
se cocinan 20 minutos, de pende del tamaño. Se sabe porque se separa la hojita exterior facilmente, pero no se ablandan.
Pelar las hojas exteriores, cortar, dejar los corazones solamente.
Empacar en frascos esterilizados
Llenar con vinagre sazonado con eneldo, sal y pimienta o tomillo
Tapar.
Colocar los frascos en una olla grande con tapa, o una marmita (olla a presión) con 5 cm de agua y subir la presion durante 8 minutos o hervir tapada la olla durante 1 hora. Tener cuidado que no se quede sin agua. De esta forma las alcachofas quedan esterilizado dentro del frasco.
Dejar reposar, hasta que este tibio, sacar de la olla y sellar, o sea apretar la tapa.
Colocar etiqueta.con fecha de preparación. Tiene una duración de 6 meses, sin destapar.
Una vez abierto un frasco se debe refgrigerar.

Se sirven solas o en ensalada, como pasabocas sobre tostadas.

2009-08-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Bread

It is a joy to make bread.
So simple, easy, a treat for all.
You may mix almost any flour you like, make it as simple as for pizza or as sophisticated as Brioch bread... may keep your sourdough for years, may do bread from any culture... we have been making and eating bread since we learned to grow corn, wheat and other grains. Just make it into flour, add water... and there, in the low fire...
I have made bread for years. Here I will include some of my favourites, Fernando, thinking of you...

Basic white bread.
Good for empanadas, pizza or plain breakfast bread, any shape.

6 cups of white, unbleached flour
1 teaspoon fresh bread Yeast or 2 teaspoons of dry yeast. Check the date is ok
1 teaspoon of any sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
warm water, about 3 cups.

In a bowl place 1/4 cup warm water with the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top
let it stand for 10 minutes, while you get the flour ready

Flour. May be all unbleached white flour, or 2/3 white and 1/3 whole wheat.
Or 2/3 white and 1/3 rye, rice, corn flour.

Mix well with salt, and add the yeast and some of the water. Mix in the bowl, once it has blened well, place it on the table and start kneading. If necessary, add bits of water, if sticky, add a tablespoon of more flour. It should end up being not sticky, elastic, maleable. Let it rise for a couple of hours, cut in pieces, form the pizzas or small breads, let rise again.

Pizza: flaten the dough, as thick or thin as you wish. paint each with olive oil. Place fresh or dried or mixed tomatoes and your favourite garnish, add a bit of cheese.
cook in a hot oven (450 F) for 6 to 9 miniutes.

For breakfast bread: Cut into small balls, as a golf ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Let them rise. These ballas may be shaped into sticks, flattened, made into any shape. If you srinke them with cornmeal and put some on the cookie sheet, they will not stick and have a nice crust.
Bake a cookie sheet of small bread at 375 for 8 to 10 min. or until cooked. You know the bread is done by looking at the sides, you see the growth of the bread an see it is cooked. Otherwise it looks stick or raw. Place it back in the oven for a few more minutes.
If you like the bread look golden, shiny, paint the bread with beatten egg mixed with a bit of water. no drops on the cookie sheet, they may burn.

Next time, try a loaf of bread, making the same dough, adding 1 egg and 4 tbspoons of soft butter when starting to knead. This dough is grat and you may do many types of bread with it. Once you feel confortable with this mix, try changing some of the flour, add dryed fruit, herbs, nuts, almonds, pinenuts, sesame, poppy seeds. Let me know...

2008-10-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

Empanadas
Empanadas are made in most cultures with diverse names...In Chile they are special, big and tasty. Calzones are made by Italians, inside a square sheet of dough. Ours may be fried made with corn dough, or with wheat, baked. Yesterday I made a batch of empanadas, here are some tricks:
Dough, may be bread or pie pastry or commercial, frozen flake pastry. thinned with roller pin and cut in round shapes, any size. Mine are 10 to 20 cm in diameter.
Filling. Anything is great inside an empanada, make filling saucy but not runny.
Favourite emapanada fullings are:
Cooked chicken breast mixed with sweet peas, white sauce and capers;
ground meat in a good tomato sauce with finely chopped potato and slices of hard boiled egg
Chopped sausage, ham or cooked pork or veggie ground meat mixed with rice and finely chopped vegetables (zucchini, leeks, carrots, sweet peas, sweet potato) and with stir fried tomato and onion
Cooked rice cooked fish in white or bechamel sauce with chopped rosemary or dill.
Place a spoonful of filling on each dough circle, wet the dough outside the filling, fold half of it over and seal with fingers of with fork. You may decorate the seam.
Have a beaten egg at hand to ¨paint¨ the top outside of each empanada for a golden color when baked.
Bake on cookie sheets for 25 minutes at 350 until golden
Serve hot with a great salad.
Left over empanadas may be refrigerated (2 or 3 days) and warmed to serve.

2008-09-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Empanadas with Emilia

She is 14, learning... well almost everything!
She came to cook with "abuelos" *grandparents...
So we made 12 meat EMPANADAS.

The dough:
6 cups flour (we used half whole wheat and half white)
1 cup cold water with one cube of ice
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 lb cold butter
1 teaspoon salt

For glazing the empanadas:
1 beaten egg to be used after they are filled, sealed and placed on a baking dish.

The filling:
1 1/2 lb ground beef
5 cloves of garlic chopped fine
2 yellow or white onions, chopped fine
1 pepper, red or greed, chopped fine
5 potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
1 cup of cilantro (or parsley if you prefer) chopped fine
2 cups chopped tomatoes (can or fresh)
salt and pepper, chili powder or jalapeño, optional
1/4 cup oil
optional 1 or 2 pitted olives for each empanada

Making the meat filling:
Saute the garlic, onions, chilis, peppers with the oil
add potaotes cook 10 minutes
add ground meat, season, stir in the tomatoes
Add 1/2 cup water, continue mixing until potatoes and meat are cooked.
Set aside for filling the empanadas. Remove grease with a spoon or a paper towel.

Making the dough:
In a bowl beat vinegar, eggs and egg whites, salt and cold water.
cut the butter with two knifes or a pastry cutter until the butter looks like greated cheese
Make a hole in the middle of the flour and pour the liquid ingredients in. Mix with a fork and turn on a floured surface, knead until it is incorporated and smooth. Don't over knead, it warms up the dough.
Place un a plastic bag and refrigerate 1 hour.

Cut the dough in 4 and with a rolling pin stretch it until it is very thin.
Cut circles about 15 cm.

Fill each circle with 2 tbspoons of filling, add 1 or 2 olives
wet the edges, bend over the filling half of the dough and with a fork seal the edges.
The shape should be like half a circle. It improves after making 2 or 3.
Place the empanadas on a baking dish and paint the dough with beaten egg.

Cook in oven at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes, until golden, depending on size.
Serve warm with a good salad!
Bon Apetit... Salud!!!

2008-04-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

TAMALES adapted for Canada

Ingredients for 10 or 12 tamales, according to size:

12 squares (30 x 30 cm) of banana leaves

(sold frozen in Latin American or Asian food stores, I found from Thailand!)
If leaf is broken, add another piece on top to mend it. these should be washed and pat dried.
String to tie each tamal, they end up like a package (see photo below)

For the dough:

corn flour (I use yellow, some cooks use white) Tortilla flour as Maseca gives a strong ash taste, I do not use it. I prefer "pan" cornflour from Venezuela or "Areparina"; do NOT use corn starch, must be corn flour. 1 kilo for 10 - 12 tamales
meat or chicken stock, 2 or 2 1/2 cups per kilo of flour
1/2 squash, spaghetti squash, 2 cups pealed. seeded and pureed in the blender with more chicken stock, about 2 cups per kilo
salt to taste

For the filling
"guizo" sautee 4 large tomatoes, garlic and chopped onions with your own spices (chili powder, pepper, thyme)
meat, 1 tablespoon chopped meat per tamal
chicken 1 tablespoon chopped chicken per tamal o (or 1 boned chicken thigh for 3 tamales)
pork ribs, cut small, 1 for each tamal
bacon, cut, cooked or fried and dried or de-greased (2-4 bits per tamal)
Spanish Chorizo, 1 thin slice per tamal
Other vegetables: chopped carrots, celery, onions, drained chickpeas, 1 tablespoon of fresh coriander and parsley)
other tasty garnishes: 3 pitted olives and 3 capers per tamal, vinegar removed
optional (I do not include these but some cooks do) a slice of cooked potato 1/4 hard boiled egg in each tamal.

TAMALES May be prepared in two stages: cooking meats and broth and making them next day

First wash, cut, condiment or marinate meats of your choice.

If you have leftovers after making the tamales, they are become a great pasta sauce.

Stirfry with 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic, coarse chopped onions, carrots, celery and peppers (green, yellow, red, mild and one chili pepper all chopped). Add water to make 1 litre of broth, cook for 15 minutes, cool, degrease. May be prepared 1 day ahead.

Making the dough and Filling the Tamales
In a large bowl mix 1 kilogram of corn flour with 2 cups of pureed or processed in the blender (liquefied) of spaghetti squash or "calabaza", or any squash of you choice cooked with skin and seeds removed; mix and add warm broth slowly until it reaches the consistency of pancake or cake mix, thick, not runny, not hard. Add salt to taste if needed.

Filling the Tamales
Place the washed banana leaf square on a plate, drop 1/4 cup dough or "masa" in the center.
Add meats and vegetables, capers and olives, cover with 1/4 cup dough.
Wrap or fold the left and right sides on top, turn over and fold again the top and bottom sides making a square. Tie with string ( hemp or cooking string, not plastic)
Once all tamales are tied and ready, place in large pot with a mesh or some leaves at the bottom so the bottom ones don't over cook or stick. An aluminum pie plate with punched holes works well.
Cover with hot water, bring to a boil, simmer for 1 1/2 hours, drain and serve.
May be refrigerated for 2 or 3 days and reheated.

2007-02-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

PAELLA
A good paella needs love, time, patience, a large pan or "Paellera" to cook rice along with any combination of vegetables and meat, seafood or chicken, as you prefer. Each cook has it's own creation.
I will give you the basic recipe, for a seafood paella we made last Saturday with Lysanne and Alejo, and both families together.
Once you have tried it, you may be as creative as you wish... Bon Apetit!!!
Basics. paella may be served with a good bodied red wine. We like Torres, a great Spanish wine.
For 8 servings:
4 cups rice. *I like brown, Ricardo likes long grain, my son likes parboiled rice... they all work.
8 cups seafood or chicken broth, or canned consomme.
1/ teaspoon of saffron *hidrate in 1/4 cup water or broth, set aside.
Salt, pepper
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 large Spanish onion, finely cut
2 Tablespoons (Tbs) finely chopped parsley, and a bunch of fresh parsley for garnish, at the end
2 cups of chopped Vegetables: carrots, green beans, broccoli, snow peas, petit pois, your choice.
2 cups chopped, seeded, peeled tomatoes or 1 kg can of chopped tomatoes
1 red sweet pepper, cut in strips or 1/2 cup of peeled cut red peppers in brine *without the liquid
1 yellow or 1 green pepper, cut in strips
1 cup sweet peas
Add any combination of the following:
For Meat Paella:
8 chicken skinned breast pieces
8 skinned chicken thighs
8 pork ribs, cut in small pieces
1 lb lean beef or pork, cut in squares
For mixed meats Paella:
Your choice of meats, 2 cups of diced meat (pork, veal, chicken, beef)
100 g sliced Spanish chorizo, Italian sausage (mild or hot, up to your taste)
100 g sliced chopped pancheta or bacon, fried and dried
For Seafood Paella:
1/2 lb skinned, of red snapper, yellow grouper or any fish you like*check for no bones,
1 lb. mixed frozen seafood
1 lb. of any of the following: calamari rings, or clean fresh calamari cut in pieces;
1 lb medium size shrimp
16 large shrimp to garnish on top
Other possible additions:
lobster tails, large shrimp. Add them at #6.
Or 100 g. chorizo, thinly sliced
Preparation
1. Start with the oil in the paellera and add garlic and onions until golden color, not brown, burned
2. Heat broth, add the saffron, set aside. Keep hot.
3. Add carrots, tomatoes, mix, add the rice. Mix and boil 2 or 3 minutes and when boiling add the hot broth. Mix.
4. Add meats or chicken if you have chosen this type of paella.
5. Let boil without stirring for 10 minutes.
6. If the paella has seafood, now add it along with the medium size shrimp, salt and pepper, taste.
(save the large shrimp with strips of red pepper for last, before covering the paella)
7. Add the rest of the vegetables. Mix softly, stirring evenly.
8. Let it boil down until no water is on the surface in mediun heat. Stir once, mixing everything, then add the garnish on top: large shrimp and pepper strips decorating the top of the paella. Add chopped parsley. Then cover with aluminum foil, and / or lid.
9. Lower heat to medium-low, checking that it continues boiling softly but will not burn.
10. Let it cook hands off, for 15 minutes. Watch the steam. No steam, it is starting to burn!
When the paella is ready, all the rice is evenly cooked.
Un cover, let stand 5 minutes and serve.
Leftover paella is even better the following day! Salud.

2007-01-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

SANCOCHO
This is our typical exquisite soup, something like a "pot au feu"
It is made with the vegetables available locally.
This is an adapted version for Canadian cooks that enjoy and wish to try Latinamerican food. It may be made with meats or fish.
And it is exquisite.

Ingredients for 6:
6 pieces of chicken (legs and thighs or 1.5 whole chickens)
Optional: 6 pieces of pork loin, italian sausage or hot sausage, chorizo, or tender beef meat
1 buch of cilantro or fresh coriander, divided in two
2 or 3 yellow medium size or Spanish onions,
2 very green, hard plantains
6 medium size whole potatoes (yellow and/or red)
6 pieces of squash (any kind you like)
3 corn in the cob cut in pieces
3 carrots medium size fresh
1 "yuca" or mandioca root
1 sweet red pepper and 1 green pepper
optional, any of the following: 1 mild hot light yellow pepper
1 red chilly pepper, or 1 jalapeño pepper

Preparation:
Stir fry chopped onions and garlic. Set aside
In a large pot place 3 to 4 litres of cold water, 1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro and meats. Add salt, pepper, onions and garlic.

When boiling, add:
the 2 plantains, peeled, cut in bite size pieces. (to peal plantain: cut ends, make a superficial slice lengthwise, peel using a wooden spoon, not your fingers or knife)
the 6 whole potatoes with skins
the squash, peeled, cut in bite size pieces
the 3 carrots, peeled, cut in half
the "yuca" or mandioca, peeled, cut in pieces
the peppers, washed, cut in pieces, no seeds
Boil slowly until potatoes are tender, watch that the yuca does not dissolve.
Stir softly. Add salt and chilli pepper to taste.

Serve the broth in a soup bowl, garnish with chopped cilantro;
meats and vegetables on a large dish.
in 3 side platters place finely choped cilantro, jalapeño peppers and slices of avocado.

2007-01-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

AJIACO
This is our typical potato soup, adapted to Canadian vegetables.
Single dish, we prepare it for Sunday Lunch or special occasions.
6 - 8 servings.
Broth (Soup base) 3/4 cup per person if already prepared
In a large pot make a broth with:
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped,
4 carrots, peeled cut small,
3 corn in the cob, cut in 4 pieces each
1 medium size chicken or 4 breasts cut in pieces
1 cup water per serving
salt, pepper.

Soup ingredients and preparation:
6 medium white potatoes, 6 red skin potatoes and 6 baking potatoes or yellow ones
peeled and chopped.Set aside in cold water. Rinse. Add to the broth.
Since here there is no "papa criolla" I add 1 cup of peeled and chopped butter-nut squash, you may use any squash you like, to give the soup color and thick texture.
When the chicken is tender, take it out from the broth, remove skins and bones, cut in medium size pieces.
Remove any grease floating on the broth.
Add salt to taste.
Add all the chopped ingredients. Boil slowly for 30 to 60 minutes.
When almost done, add 1 cup of chopped spinach; this replaces the "guascas" we use.
If you like the ajiaco thicker (we do) you may either place in the blender 3 to 5 peeled , chopped cooked potatoes or 1/2 to 1 cup of ready mashed potato flakes.
Stir, boil slightly and serve.
If any is left over, it is even better the following day.
Serve in soup bowls.
Decorate the table with beautiful ceramic dishes with:
chopped avocado mixed with finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
or sliced ripe avocado
10% cream
capers (with no vinegar)

Bon apetit!