A New Way to Eat Lasagna

"The ear tests words as the palate tastes food." -Job 34:3

New Chefs has been riding high on the 'learn a new word' and the 'bananas are awesome' themes recently, so for this post I'd like to bring the two together. Introducing...

the Pastelón!

"Heavens to Murgatroyd!" you might be saying. But fear not, readers! The pastelón is your friend. And what a friend it will be...

New Chefs' discovery of pastelón came about when my dear friend Chelsea noticed that plantains were being sold 10 for a dollar at a store in my neighborhood. I was quite hesitant at first. I mean... have you seen what a ripe plantain looks like?!

(the ones on the left there)...

Ripe plantains look alarmingly like rotting bananas. Well...Cavendish bananas...since plantains are technically bananas too. And if I had a banana that ripe, I'd be making banana ice cream out of it as a last resort!

Yet as it turns out, when plantains do get this black, they're quite acceptable for cooking- as are the green plantains. It all depends on which flavor you want. When the plantain is green, it's starchy and works well with savory flavors. When the plantain is black, the taste is much sweeter.

So we had an abundance of plantains... (By the way, plantain season runs from May to September, so you'll have an abundance too.) What we decided to do, thanks to a recipe found on Food Gawker, was make pastelón.

The pastelón, in the simplest sense, is like lasagna- but with plantains instead of pasta. Honestly, I would tout this recipe as the best to hit the site yet. This pastelón has such a unique flavor- perhaps because I don't traditionally eat Puerto Rican cuisine. It's sweet...and yet savory...and the colors, oh, the colors! Whatever the case, I insist you give this a try. Other than the plantains, you've probably got most of the ingredients in your kitchen!

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Pastelón

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small green pepper, minced
• 1 small orange pepper, minced
• 1 c chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp adobo
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 envelope sazón seasoning
• 8 green stuffed olives, quartered
• 1/2 c raisins
• 1/4 c diced tomatoes
• 4 plantains, peeled and sliced into strips (try and get them when they're very black)
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 cups shredded white cheese
• vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 9 pan with cooking spray or butter.
2. Mix beef, onion, peppers, garlic, cilantro, adobo, oregano, vinegar, and sazón in a bowl.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and add meat mixture. Cook the mixture until the beef is brown and the juices bubble clear. Add the olives, raisins, and tomatoes. Mix and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a large frying pan, heat up enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom. Fry the plantain slices for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden and a bit crispy. Place cooked slices on a plate with paper towel to drain.
5. Piece together the pastelón in the square pan. First, make a layer of plantains. Cover this with half of the meat mixture, then a fistful of cheese. Make a second layer of plantains and cover with remaining meat mixture. Add another handful of cheese and one final layer of plantains.
6. Beat eggs and milk together. Pour over the pastelón and give it a minute to soak in. Add more cheese here if you like!
7. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and enjoy :)

What Are...Curds?

"Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey..." -Traditional nursery rhyme

Do you know what curds and whey are?! Because nobody ever really told me, and it was because of a recipe (after the jump) that I learned something new. Read on...

So....I wanted to make a lemon meringue pie dipping sauce, but really just the yellow part of the pie. This got me to thinking: what is that yellow stuff called? My first thought was meringue, but as it turns out, that's the white stuff on top! But it's not just lemon....hm.

I turned to Lord Google to investigate the name of that delicious yet elusive goo between the meringue and crust of these delectable pies. The answer? Fruit curd.

A la Lady Wikipedia, I learned that fruit curd is "a dessert spread and topping usually made with lemon, lime, orange or raspberry. The basic ingredients are beaten egg yolks, sugar, fruit juice and zest which are gently cooked together until thick and then allowed to cool." I was quite pleased to have learned a new word, but then I started wondering about Little Miss Muffet and her curds and whey.

The question was this: Why had I always imagined curds and whey to be something akin to very soggy, plain oatmeal? And if it tasted anything like fruit curd, then why the heck haven't I had it before?!

Back to Lady Wikipedia... "Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet..." You know those chunks you get in your milk when it sours? Those are "natural curds." And what's rennet you ask? Well rennet is an enzyme produced in mammals' stomaches, and the rennet often used to make curds is gathered from cows. Now, I'm an adventurous eater, but this goes a bit beyond my tastes even. Plus my recipe called for neither milk nor rennet. So what makes a curd a curd then?

A bit more reading revealed this: fruit curd is similar to traditional curds in that it is the result of proteins being globbed together. In a fruit curd, eggs are substituted for milk. Since both are heavy in protein, both can be used to produce that gooey consistency. And instead of rennet, an acidic fruit juice is used. The acids work similarly to the rennet to cause those proteins to clump together.

And that's what I learned today! Now reward yourself with this delicious dessert:

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Ricotta Fritters with Lemon Curd

Ingredients for Ricotta Fritters:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups ricotta (about 1 pound)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Corn or canola oil
• Cinnamon
• Brown sugar

Directions

1. Beat the eggs, ricotta, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl. Sift the flour, sugar, and baking powder on top, and fold the mixture together until it is a homogenous if not entirely smooth batter.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Bring 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a wide skillet. Add tablespoon-sized lumps of batter to the oil, working in batches as necessary to avoid crowding the pan. Fry the fritters for about 4 minutes, flipping them once mid-fry to ensure that each side turns a deep golden brown.
3. Remove them to a paper towel-lined sheet pan and put the pan in the oven. Let the oil return to temperature (375 degrees) before you fry the next batch. Put your serving platter in the oven to warm before adding the last of the batter to the pan.
4. Toss fritters in a bowl with some brown sugar and cinnamon to lightly coat them.

Ingredients for Lemon Curd:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 egg yolks, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter.
3. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture.
4. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat and let cool.

Original recipes can be found at Sunday Brunch and AllRecipes.

Seasonal Soups: Sweet and Spicy Gazpacho

"Cold soup is a very tricky thing, and it is the rare hostess who can carry it off. More often than not the dinner guest is left with the impression that had he only come a little earlier, he could have gotten it while it was still hot." -Fran Lebowitz

Ah, soup! Who can resist the first cheesy bite of French onion soup? Or how about the hearty aroma of minestrone? Have mercy on the kid who suffered a sick day without a sip of chicken noodle!

'Tis oft overlooked-

That kaleidoscopic group

Of foods we call 'soup.'

Karl had a brilliant idea recently- let's celebrate soup in all of its glory! Here's our goal: one year...four seasons...and twelve seasonal soups. And it begins with this post!

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Sweet and Spicy Gazpacho

A gazpacho is a tomato-based soup, hailing from the southern region of Spain called Andalusia, containing raw vegetables and served cold. This particular gazpacho combines the sweet flavors of apple and cinnamon with the spicy kick of chili pepper and cayenne powder. The most difficult part of this recipe was waiting for the soup to cool before eating it! Or perhaps the realization that pureeing vegetables in a blender is considerably more difficult than in a food processor.

Ingredients:

• 5 large ripe tomatoes
• 2 medium red-skinned apples, quarted and seeded
• 1 chili
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fennel seeds, chopped
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 leek, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 sticks of celery, diced
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• cinnamon, to taste
• cayenne pepper, as desired

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg F.
2. Place the tomatoes, apple, and chili onto a baking tray, lightly drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with fennel seeds and brown sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes are beginning to brown and the apples soft. Remove from oven and cool.
3. After they have cooled, pulse in a food processor (or blender) along with pan juices until smooth.
4. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a large pot. Fry the leeks over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then add the carrots and continue to cook for a further 3-4 minutes. (The carrots are going to retain their crunchiness.)
5. Add the celery, stock, and pureed tomato mixture. Turn the heat up to high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Continue to simmer for 25-30 minutes, adding cinnamon to bring to desired sweetness. I would also recommend adding ~2 tsp cayenne pepper here to bring out the spiciness, but make sure to bring it to your desired heat.
6. Soup can be eaten hot, but believe me- if you can wait long enough to serve it cold (as in make it a day early and refrigerate it overnight), it will be well worth it!

Special thanks to our guest chefs, Petra and Chelsea!

Let's Start a Food Revolution!

"Hungry men think the cook lazy."

-Anonymous

So think about this. When was the last time you went out to eat? What did you order? How much did you pay? Now ponder this: could you have made it yourself?

The sad truth is that most of us go out to eat because it's more convenient than doing the cooking ourselves, and then we end up paying an embarrassing amount of money for something pretty simple. CNNMoney.com reported in 2005 that an average meal in New York City runs $37.61! And San Francisco clocked in at a close second- $35.52! This point hit me pretty hard when I ordered a Buffalo Chicken Wrap from TGI Friday's a few weeks ago and ultimately paid $10 for what could have been a $3 meal.

Well enough is enough! I, for one, am sick of getting ripped off every time I eat out. So in honor of all of you readers who are smart enough to stay in and take the time to cook, here's an easy but delicious recipe.

Bon appetit!

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Black and Bleu Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• lettuce leaves (4-6 large leaves will do)
• 1 lb beef rounds
• 2 1/2 tbsp cajun seasoning
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 green bell pepper, julienned
• 1 small red onion, julienned
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp bleu cheese, crumbled (or more if you really like bleu cheese!)

Directions:

1. Julienne vegetables and saute in olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until tender and onions clear. Remove from heat and cool.
2. Wash and separate lettuce leaves. Store in an airtight container and cool as well.
3. Place rounds in a plastic bag and add cajun seasoning. Seal bag and tenderize meat liberally, making sure to cover the meat with the seasoning as you do so.
4. Pan sear the rounds to desired doneness. Karl and I seared the rounds over a high heat for a couple of minutes on each side (flipping as little as possible). Remove rounds from heat and cut into thing slices (cutting against the grain).
5. In each lettuce leaf, place a serving of sauteed vegetables, a few slices of beef, and some bleu cheese. Serve with bleu cheese dressing to dip!