Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Party Menu

Next week is my birthday and I have decided to invite some friends over for lunch. I still haven't decided on the menu yet, whether to cook something sophisticated like pesto red pepper cheesecake and a simple version of boeuf bourguignone or something simple like meat empanadas and a veggie quiche. Of course, the piece de resistance will be the desserts. I am planning on making a flan, pineapple upside down, carrot cake with frosting and raspberry muffins (or capucchino ones, I haven't decided yet).

So beforehand I am going to start testing the recipes so that I won't be cooking something new that day. This turned out to be a good thing, because I added potatos to the pot (the recipe does not talk about potatoes). It was not the best idea since after cooking for a whole hour, the potatoes were not done; they were done after almost two hours of cooking. However, the red wine sauce was absolutely delicious.



Ingredients for Beef in Red Wine sauce or a light version of Boeuf Bourguinon:

2 tsp flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pound beef
1 cup red wine (full bodied one)
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 onions, cut in fourths
salt, pepper
optional: mushrooms

Mix flour, salt and pepper and sprinkle it over (and under the beef). Then cut up the beef into 1 inch cubes.

Cook the beef in butter about 1o min, until brown. Do it in batches so that it will brown up nicely.

Add the wine, water, onions and garlic. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and cover and simmer for 45 min to an hour.

You can also add mushrooms cooked in butter almost at the end of the cooking.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Creamed spinach


My girls don't like spinach, obviously since it's a green vegetable, which for them translates into "something to avoid eating at all costs". However, my younger one helped me with the white sauce, so after I blended it, she agreed to taste it and amazingly she liked not. Her sister decided to pass this time.

My recipe for the white sauce (bechamel) is an easier and healthier version on the traditional recipe. Instead of making a roux, I put everything in the pot together and just stir. Of course, you have to constantly stir until you get a smooth and thickened sauce. I have a friend in France, who had a bechamel making machine (which would do the stirring for you), unfortunately I don't have one so this one is done with the help of my daughter.

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh spinach (without the stems)
2 cups milk
2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
salt, pepper, 1/2 bouillon cube (optional)

Boil the thouroughly washed spinach in very little salted water for 3 min over high heat. Drain it and then squeeze it in order to drain it some more.


To prepare the white sauce:

In a pan, add the butter, cold milk, cornstarch and seasonings and stir until all the cornstarch has disolved. Then for the next 10-15 min boil in very low heat, stirring constantly.

In a blender, add the white sauce and the cooked spinach and blend. You can also add grated parmesan cheese if you want a stronger flavor.

Tips for the white sauce:

If you get lumps, just stir vigorously until they disappear.

If it's not thick enough, in a cup, add 4 tablespoons cold milk with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and stir until it has disolved. Then add it straight to the pot and keep on stirring (at low heat) until it thickens.

If you don't have cornstarch, you can substitute for all-purpose flour.

Arroz con leche (Rice Pudding)

Mi mejor amiga, Hortensia, vive en Orlando, FL pero le encanta cocinar comidas latinas ya que le hacen acordar a su niñez, cuando sus abuelas y tías le cocinaban. Está casada con un americano al cual también le encantan las comidas con sabor latino. Aquí va su receta, textual, con acento cubano.

Ingredientes:
1/2 taza de arroz Arobrio o Valencia
4 tazas de agua
1/2 cdita de sal
6 tazas de leche
2 tazas de azucar
1 ramito de canela

Se cocina el arroz con el agua y la sal en una cacerola destapada a fuego lento. Cuando blando (aproximadamente a los 10-15 minutos), se le agrega la azucar y la leche con la canela. Se cocina por 1 hora mas hasta cremoso, revolviendo periodicamente para que no se queme. Sacar la canela en rama.
Cuando hecho se pone en fuentecitas de media taza y se espolvorea con canela
.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Fondue de queso (suave)

En la familia, hemos comenzado una nueva tradición: los sábados a la noche, cuando volvemos del supermercado, comemos fondue, ya que es muy fácil y rápida de preparar.

Como las chicas no comen quesos muy picantes, aquí va una receta para fondue suave.

Ingredientes:

200 g de gruyere
200 g de queso mantecoso
1 copita de vino blanco



En una cacerola, derretir el queso gruyere con el vino a fuego mediano, revolviendo constantemente. Luego agregar el queso mantecoso. Cuando esté bien mezclado pasarlo a una fuente para fondue.

Se puede servir con pan (cortado en cubitos), con champignon, con zanahoria, con jamon cortado en cuadrados, o con lo que gusten.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Creamy carrot soup

Last week when I went to the supermarket, I bought some carrots without checking my fridge first (which, as you guessed, was full of carrots ...) So I started thinking of carrot recipes and decided to make a carrot and leek soup. This soup is really creamy and even a little sweet tasting. Without telling my girls what the soup was made of, I had them taste it and even though they didn't love it, they didn't hate it either. Next time, they might even eat it!

Ingredients:

3 medium carrots
2 leeks (you can also subsitute with onions)
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper
1/2 cream


In a pot add the sliced carrots, the chopped up leeks (or onions) and the chicken broth. Boil for 10 min or until the carrots are tender.

Wait for the soup to cool and then pure it, either with a hand blender or a conventional one.

This next step is the most important one. When you add the cream to the soup, you have to stir vigorously.
Then heat it and serve it to your guests and they'l love it!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pineapple Upside Down o Queque de Piña o Torta de Ananá


En el espíritu futbolero de la época, esta en una foto de mi gato alentando por el equipo de Argentina, mientras miraba el partido ayer.


Cuando mis amigos o mi familia me invitan a almorzar siempre llevo un Pineapple Upside Down, ya que en Argentina no la conocen y a todos les gusta, mismo a mi hija que no le gustan las tortas.

En español se podría llamar: Queque de Piña o Torta de Ananá

Ingredientes:

1 lata de anana/piña de 500g (reservar el líquido para la masa)
25 g de mantequilla
1/2 taza de azucar morena
1 1/2 taza de harina con polvos (o leudante)
100 g de mantequilla
3/4 taza de azucar
1 huevo
1 cdita de extracto de vainilla

La preparación consiste de 2 partes: primero la parte del fondo del molde (que luego al darla vuelta será la parte de arriba de la torta) y la masa.

Comenzar derretiendo los 25 g de mantequilla y mezclarlo con 1/2 taza de azucar morena y una cucharada del líquido de la lata de piña. Ponerlo en el fondo del molde y arriba apoyar las piñas. Si les gusta, y queda muy lindo, se puede poner una cereza maraschino dentro de cada rodaja de piña (pero a mis hijas no les gusta, entonces va sin cereza).

La preparación de la masa es muy fácil, se mezclan los 100 g de mantequilla (a temperatura ambiente) con el azúcar. Luego se añade el huevo y la esencia de vainilla.

Tamizar la harina sobre la mezcla y alternar con 3/4 taza del líquido de la lata de piña. Siempre terminar con harina.

Llevar a horno moderado (175°C aprox) durante 35 minutos o hasta que se dore y un palillo salga seco.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Broccoli soup

Even though it's really hot in the US, here in South America, it's winter (this is the view from my kitchen window), so yesterday I cooked a broccoli and potato soup.



All my recipes are child friendly and geared towards how to make picky eaters eat vegetables. I have two picky eaters who are not into green or red vegetables, so I always look for recipes where I can sneak in some veggies. This soup tastes creamy but is actually very healthy and low-fat.

I like to cook ahead of time and usually look for recipes that take very little cooking time but might take a cooling period. This recipe will only use one pot where you boil the soup, puree it with a hand blender and then reheat it.

Ingredients:

4 medium size potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste


In a soup pot, add all the ingredients. If you need, either add more milk or more broth since the veggies need to be covered. Boil in medium heat for 20 minutes, until the potatos are tender.


Wait for the soup to cool completely and then use a hand blender to puree it. And enjoy!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Tips for cooking

I have just finished reading "My Life in France" by Julia Child and her nephew Alex Prud'homme. It is really an amazing book and even though the movie "Julie and Julia" accurately depicted Julia's life, it goes into all the details that the book left out. For example, Julia and Paul were living in France after the war on a government's salary, not an ambassador's salary but she never complained about not having enough money. And for an American, life is not easy in Paris, especially one that didn't speak the language since French people are snobbish towards others who don't master their language. But she just LOVED life, anywhere where she was posted. So today's post is really about miscellanous cooking tips:




Muffins
:

When adding blueberries or raspberries to your muffins, you don't want them to go to the bottom of the muffin. So what you should do is dust them lightly with flour, this prevents the berries from falling to the bottom.

Carrot cake:

When measuring the grated carrots, do not pack the measuring cup. If not you'll have a very carroty tasting cake.

Chocolate Chip cookies:

Always add the chocolate chips last and stir lightly, do not overmix.

Usign silicone muffin bakeware:

When baking muffins, you can either use traditional muffin bakeware and line them with liners or use the new silicone bakeware where there's no need for the liners nor for them to be greased.


However, when you unmold the muffins, you should first cool them completely and then turn the mold upside down.


Sunday, June 20, 2010

Muffins de frambuesa y chocolate

Feliz día del padre a todos los padres! A pedido de mi esposo, hoy voy a cocinar Muffins de frambuesa y chocolate. Esta es una versión de muffins que usa mantequilla (o en Argentina sería manteca) que si bien es fácil de cocinar, un rato antes de comenzar hay que poner en un bowl la mantequilla y esperar a que se ablande para poder batir. El tiempo que tarde en ablandarse depende del día, la temperatura, la humedad ...









Si bien mi receta usa el método americano de medir con taza (1 taza equivale aproximadamente a 250 cm3), voy a tratar de usar el sistema métrico para ciertas cosas (como la mantequilla).

Ingredientes:

1 taza de azúcar
100 g de mantequilla
2 huevos
2 tazas de harina con polvos (leudante)
3/4 tazas de leche
1 taza de frambuesas (congeladas o frescas)
100 g de chocolate chips (o chocolate cortado a cuchillo)
1 cda de extracto de vainilla

Comenzar mezclando la mantequilla a temperatura ambiente con el azúcar. Agregar los huevos y el extracto de vainilla, y batir a mano rapidamente.









Luego añadir la harina pero revolver suavemente alternando con la leche. Por último, se agrega el chocolate y las frambuesas y se llenan los moldes de muffins.










Se lleva a horno moderado, a 175° C por 20 min o hasta que estén dorados. Dejar enfriar y desmoldar.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Easiest carrot cake

I find myself living in Chile after spending 15 years in Argentina and everywhere I go people ask me for my recipes for American style cakes. I love to cook blueberry muffins, carrot cake, pineapple upside down and people in South America love the tast but can't find the recipes for it. So I'm going to start with a very simple recipe, which is a carrot cake.

These are the instructions for the cake which is really fast to make, prep time is only assembling the ingredients and mixing for 3 minutes:

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar (I prefer to use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1/2 cup oil (I use a little less)
2 egss
1 teasponn cinnamon
1 and 1/2 cups shredded carrots
Preheat your oven to 325° F and in a bowl combine all of the ingredients together. With an electric mixer beat for 3 minutes at fast speed (start at slow speed
then go up).

Pour into a greased and lightly floured 9 x 1 1/2 round baking pan. Bake for 40 min (although mine is ready sometimes at 30 minutes so check with a toothpick)