I missed last month’s ñoquis del 29 post due to technical difficulties. I was in the middle of trying this recipe for bread and spinach gnocchi for the first time when a friend called after months of phone tag. Thirty minutes later, we’d finally caught up but I had a too soft mass of spinach flecked dough looking despondent in a mixing bowl. Having mis-measured, I made some adjustments so that they could be shaped but wasn’t hopeful that they’d stand up to boiling water. Continue reading ‘Second Chances’
Archive for the 'Main Course' Category
Second Chances
Published 29 July 2010 Main Course , Vegetarian , Ñoquis del 29 5 CommentsTags: bread and spinach gnocchi, Gnocchi, gnocchi di pane e spinaci, Noquis
Masitas de Puerco
Published 28 July 2010 Cuba , General , Main Course 3 CommentsTags: masitas de puerco, fried pork chunks, congri, Miami restaurants
Whenever I think of eating at home, my mind extends to the Cuban restaurants that dot Miami. The tables were filled with people you knew, the waitresses treated you like a grandaughter, affectionate but critical, and the food was definitely home cooking. Masitas de puerco were my order from the first time anyone thought to ask me what I’d like, possibly because I knew exactly what I was getting. A few rounds of “guess what you just ate?” with my grandfather making me nervous about venturing to far from the safe and familiar (typical answers: pig’s brains and blood pudding). It may have been a game but I didn’t always feel like playing.
Continue reading ‘Masitas de Puerco’
Arroz con Quimbombó
Published 14 July 2010 Cuba , General , Light Lunch , Main Course 1 CommentTags: A Taste of Old Cuba, Arroz con Quimbombo, Creole cuisine, Maria Josefa Lluria de O'Higgins, okra, rice with the okra
I missed my kitchen. While there’s been plenty to post, It’s mostly been food that was blended or frozen, steamed or fried, quickly. In and out, I’ve avoided recipes that would force me to spend too much time in the warmest part of my hot apartment in my sweltering city. Though I couldn’t stand the heat, I wasn’t staying out of the kitchen much longer. Continue reading ‘Arroz con Quimbombó’
Grilled Tuna Steak with Roast Tomatoes
Published 18 June 2010 Fish , General , Light Lunch , Main Course , Spain 1 CommentTags: Jose Pizarro, Seasonal Spanish Food, tuna steak, roasted tomatoes, Kalamata olives, summer grilling
I wish I had the ability to just stroll over to the farmer’s market, grab a couple of beets, some Swiss chard, and an apricot and turn it into a feast by finding inspiration in the season laid out under tents and weighing down tables. But that would mean giving up the planning, the list, and the check off which I also love, especially the list. Continue reading ‘Grilled Tuna Steak with Roast Tomatoes’
Ricotta Gnocchi with Pea Puree and Jamón Serrano
Published 29 May 2010 Argentina , General , Light Lunch , Main Course , Ñoquis del 29 2 CommentsTags: Cuisine a Latina, Gnocchi, jamon serrano, Michelle Bernstein, Noquis, peas, ricotta gnocchi, ricotta gnocchi with pea puree and jamon serrano
I’d been waiting for spring to try these ricotta gnocchis with pea puree and jamón serrano. The ñoquis del 29 are meant to attract prosperity, so a little extra green can’t hurt. Continue reading ‘Ricotta Gnocchi with Pea Puree and Jamón Serrano’
What’s Left?
Published 2 April 2010 Fish , Main Course 1 CommentTags: Joanna Pruess, Leftovers, Mod Mex, Pipian Verde, Pumpkin Seeds, Salmon, Salsa verde, Scott Linquist, Tomatillo, Tomatillo sauce
I’ve always hated the word leftovers (though it’s invisible to anyone reading this, I’ve written that first sentence three times to avoid using that word to no avail). I love the feeling of having bought, made and served just enough. Though I dutifully store away the smallest amount that remains of any dish or ingredient, I resent it. As someone who often cooks at home with an ongoing game of tupperware jenga going on in her refrigerator, it was time to reconsider how I used the (ugh) leftovers that were piling up. My attitude started to change last week when I was making papas en salsa verde. The recipe suggested serving them with refried beans. With bags of frozen beans periodically jumping at me from the freezer, crashing to the floor, and threatening to knock out one of my yorkies, I decided to defrost some of the black beans I’d already made rather than start from scratch (too late) or open a can (too bland). Having congratulated myself on completing a second recipe from my initial batch of beans, I decided to use the remaining salsa verde to try a third one for pipián verde, a tomatillo sauce combined with toasted pumpkin seeds. Perfect for the last Friday before Easter, I decide to make it again tonight to end the Lenten season. I still don’t like leftovers but I’m starting to like the idea of one dish becoming another and then another and then another… Continue reading ‘What’s Left?’
Frida’s Fiestas
Published 25 March 2010 Appetizers , Basic Techniques , Light Lunch , Main Course , Mexico 3 CommentsTags: Fijoles Refritos, Frida Kahlo, Frida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo, Guadalupe Rivera, Marie-Pierre Colle, Papas en Salsa Verde, Potatoes in Green Sauce, Tomatillos
A few months ago a friend recommended Frida’s Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo. Written by her step-daughter Guadalupe Rivera and Marie-Pierre Colle, it’s part cookbook and part food memoir. Organized by month, each chapter centers on the holidays and seasons as they were celebrated in the Blue House in Coyoacán. Describing a trip with Frida to the pyramids of San Juan Teotihuacán, the author writes:
After offering us the traditional refreshment of agua de chía, doña Rosa invited us to eat. She had prepared a number of Lenten dishes typically served throughout the central Mexican plain, where the gods that Frida invoked in her paintings had once upon a time resided. As it turned out, doña Rosa and don Tomas extended their hospitality to us for three more days, days in which reality was inseparable from magic. Continue reading ‘Frida’s Fiestas’
Butifarrón Sabroso
Published 8 March 2010 Main Course , Puerto Rico 2 CommentsTags: Butifarron Sabroso, Caribbean Meatloaf, Carmen Aboy Valldejuli, Meatloaf, Puerto Rican Cookery
I hadn’t thought of meatloaf as Latin food until recently. Butifarron, carne fria, albondigas, it was all there I just didn’t make the connection to the heavy cafeteria slices we’d get at school or the bacon wrapped loafs served at a friend’s house. When I found this recipe for butifarrón sabroso in Puerto Rican Cookery, I couldn’t wait to make it. Last week I gathered all of the ingredients and put it together quickly. I ended up with a smooth loaf floured and ready to…fry? Continue reading ‘Butifarrón Sabroso’









