Maize-A Prehistoric Food / Maíz-Un Alimento Prehistórico

Corncobs

Maize, or corn, started as a wild grass. History tell us that the domestication and development of corn was done in diverse areas of southern and central part of México. This was a result of the creativity and wisdom of the indigenous people that occupy this soil since prehistoric times. Its domestication dates back between 5,000 and 10,000 years B.C.

My cousin Rosa, who owns a huge farm in Jalisco, México, told me corn can be cultivated in almost all climates and almost all soils. She grows corn in her farm in Mexico and she also has grown corn here in the back yard of her San Diego home. My dad also used to grow corn in our back yard. I loved to grab an ear from the plant when it was very tender, I would eat it raw...mmm, so good!

Corn grows quickly, it is easily stored and keeps well for a long time; its preparation is simple and does not require complex equipment to be consumed. There is only one species but corn has a large number of varieties which differ widely from each other. This is reflected in the size of the plants, in the number of leaves and the number of ears, in the size of these, the quantity, the color (white, yellow, red and blue or black) and type of grains. There are as many dishes that can be prepared with corn as there are varieties of it (tortillas, tamales, pinole, sopes, pozole, etc.), even more! I love corn and the many delicious foods I can prepare with it. Pozole is one of my favorites.

This pozole is an unconventional one. It was inspired by a recipe from the book, Al Calor del Sabor, but I use my own sauce and prepared my own nixtamal with blue corn. Using chanterelle mushrooms instead of meat makes this pozole a treat that even my vegetarian husband can enjoy. 

Chantarelle Pozole


1 lb. blue or white nixtamalized corn (I made my own nixtamal from dried corn but it can be bought already made; it is called hominy or pozole)

1 medium white onion

5 garlic cloves

2 sprigs fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano)

Salt to taste

3 guajillo dried chiles

5 red New Mexico dried chiles

3 garlic cloves, with peel

1/2 medium white onion

1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp. cumin

Salt to taste

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 lb. chantarelle mushrooms, cleaned and coursely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

For garnish:

Sliced radishes (I used black radishes but any kind will be good)

Shredded green cabbage (or iceberg lettuce)

Chopped red onion 

Lemon juice

Hot Sauce (your favorite)

Clean the nixtamal, place in a large pot and cover with water. Add onion, garlic, fresh oregano and salt. Slow cook for approximately 2 hours or until the corn has grown in size and has become soft. Add water as needed to keep corn covered.

In the meantime prepare the sauce. Clean the dried chiles, cut in half and remove the seeds and veins. In a dry cast iron skillet toast the chiles about 3 seconds on each side until aromatic. Take care not to burn them or they will be bitter. Soak the chiles in a bowl of boiling water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile roast the onion and garlic in the same skillet until they are blackened, about 3 minutes. Peel the garlic. Transfer the onion and peeled garlic to a blender, add the oregano, cumin and salt. With tongs lift the chiles from the soaking water and add to the blender. Taste the chile water, if is not bitter add 1/2 cup of this water to the blender plus 1/4 cup of plain water. If the chile water is bitter just add 3/4 cup of plain water. Purée to a smooth sauce. Pass the sauce thought a strainer or a food mill into a bowl and set aside.

In a large dutch oven heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and mushrooms until well caramelized. Add the sauce and cook for a couple of minutes. Removed the onion, garlic and sprigs of oregano from the nixtamal and discard. Add the cooked nixtamal with its water to the mushroom mixture. Correct seasoning and cook together for about 10 more minutes until all flavors had incorporated. 

Serve hot topped with desired garnishes.

Unexpected Spuds / Hallazgo Inesperado

I love growing potatoes because when it's time to harvest, it is like digging out a buried treasure; I never know how many potatoes I will find, it is always a big surprise! 

I started growing potatoes by accident. A couple years ago around Thanksgiving I bought sweet potato to make a pie but I had one too many. I stored the extra potato in a cover in my kitchen and forgot about it. A couple weeks later I found the forgotten tuber sprouting some leaves. Its leaves looked kind of nice so I decided to place it in water and let it grow on my kitchen counter. Later I transplanted  it into one of my flower beds and, again forgot  about it. But when I saw it blooming I started watering regularly and taking care of the plant. The foliage of a sweet potato plant is beautiful! The leave have a very nice green color and the flowers are white with a purple center. I never grew potatoes so I didn't know what to expect as far as  food but I was happy just having the plant as an ornamental one. 


Several months went by and my sweet potato plant kept growing and producing beautiful flowers that eventually died and the plant started to look not so beautiful. I read about cultivating sweet potatoes and learned that it was time to harvest. What a great surprise! Rich and I started digging expecting to get three or four potatoes but we couldn't believe our eyes when we kept getting potato after potato to sum about 25. What a great feeling!

After that year, I started growing other kinds of potatoes; fingerling, purple, red and new potatoes. Some of which I planted myself and some just started growing on their own (because we bury our kitchen scraps all over our garden). This year I have several potato plants going and I have already picked a few potatoes. 

Potatoes are some of my favorite foods. I like them cooked any way but lately, I have been making potato pizza. Sometimes I make the pizza dough, sometimes I buy it at Mona Lisa,  my favorite Italian store, and sometimes I use flat bread. 

Indian flat bread brushed with avocado oil. Topped with new potatoes, asparagus, blue cheese and sprinkled with parmesan cheese and more avocado oil. 

Precook the vegetable in the microwave for 2 minutes on high. Arrange on the bread with other ingredients and bake in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.

Pita bread brushed with olive oil. Topped with a layer of fontina cheese, purple potatoes and sprinkled with shredded parmesan cheese and more olive oil. 

Precook the vegetable in the microwave for 2 minutes on high. Arrange on the bread with other ingredients and bake in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.

This is a dip pan pizza made with store bought pizza dough and topped with rainbow chard, onions and new potatoes.

Sauté the vegetables in a little bit of olive oil, season with salt and any spices you like. I used curry powder and a mix of a Middle Eastern spices that have cinnamon, cumin and cardamon. Shape the dough into a cast iron skillet and top with vegetables. Cover with a mix of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with olive oil and bake in a 475°F oven for 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

The Colors of Glass

This year the Salk Institute is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an exposition of Chihuly's blown glass sculptures. They called it Chihuly At The Salk. 

Rich and I visited the Salk Institute this week and took a guided tour of the exposition. It was spectacular!  We have been fans of this artist for quite some time so we were very happy to know that his art was going to be here in San Diego, we couldn't miss it. This is the first time I have been on the premises of the Salk Institute. The site itself is so beautiful! Knowing that there are so many genius people working there makes the atmosphere wonderful and just being there made me feel smart! The architecture of the Salk Institute is so simple but at the same time so perfect and such an amazing landmark for San Diego. And on top of that, experiencing Chihuly's art was the icing on the cake. I'm so happy we got to see this incredible art in this incredible setting!

To know more about the Salk Institute and about Dale Chihuly I encourage you to click on the links. The information about both is fascinating.

After seeing the exposition I remember a recipe that I  created a while ago. The colors of my beautiful peppers from the Farmer's Market where the same as Chihuly's amazing sunburst.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Sauce and Fresh Pasta

1 lb. sweet baby bell peppers

1 medium tomato

2 garlic cloves

1 Ts. olive oil

1/4 c. cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb. lasagna sheets, cut in strips (or your favorite pasta)

Parmesan cheese

On a cast iron griddle at medium heat, roast the peppers, tomatoes and garlic until blackened. Place vegetables in a blender with salt and pepper and purée to a smooth sauce. In a big pot bring salted water to a rapid boil, add pasta strips and cook for 1 to 3 minutes (fresh pasta cooks very fast but follow the direction for the pasta that you are using).

In the meantime, in a large pan, heat the oil, add the sauce from the blender and heat for 1 minute. Add cream and 1/2 cup of pasta water. Correct the seasoning and cook for a couple more minutes. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss to coat. Serve immediately and top with shavings of parmesan cheese.

Enjoy with bread and a glass of Pinot Noir or your favorite wine.

Treasures from the Farmers' Market

Basil, Fresh Garlic, Leeks, Green Tomatoes, Broccoli, Zucchini, Carrots, Oranges and Strawberries

Chanterelle Mushrooms

Baby Artichokes, Asparagus, Portobello and Shiitake Mushroom, and Serrano Peppers

Watermelon

Avocado Oil, Oranges, Kohlrabi, Cheese and Butter, Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Strawberry, Potatoes, Micro-Sprouts and Fuchsia Flowers

Pink Lady Apples

Mix Greens, Kumquats, Tomatoes, Serrano Peppers, Red and Yellow Onions, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Asparagus, Oranges, Lemons, Strawberries and a Bouquet of Lettuces

Black Radish

Tomatoes and Sweet Baby Bell Peppers

Eggplant and Cucumber

Easter Capirotada

It is funny how one's palate changes over time. I remember how much my mom used to try to get me to like Capirotada, a Mexican bread pudding she prepares during Lent time. I never liked it! Or, at least that 's what I thought. 

Capirotada is a dessert made with weird ingredients. I was reading in an old cook book called "Nuevo Cocinero Mexicano en Forma de Diccionario" a recipe for Capirotada that calls for tortillas, onion, garlic, tomatoes and cheese - how weird is that? This book was first published in 1888 (my copy is from 2007) so new versions of Capirotada had emerged since then. My mom never used garlic but I remember one of her versions with onions, tomatoes, cheese and tortillas. In the last years, to make it more appealing to her grandchildren, she dropped the onion and tomatoes but she kept the cheese and tortillas. I still didn't like it. The only thing I ate from her dish was the tortillas; they always tasted good to me.

People in my family look forward to Good Friday and Easter Sunday because this is the only time Capirotada is made in our homes. This week I was reading about the syrup made for this dish. It is made with water and piloncillo and it is very simple but very good. This got me thinking and I decided to make my own version of this Lenten food. I came up with two recipes that my family liked and I will be able to enjoy in years to come. You can find a more traditional recipe in this link but here is one of my not so traditional recipes.

Easter Capirotada

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon ground Mexican canela (ground cinnamon)

8 ounces piloncillo (can be substituted by 1 cup of brown sugar or maple sugar)

3 1/2 cups whole milk

1 stick of Mexican canela (cinnamon stick)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 french bread sliced and toasted

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon maple sugar

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup slivered almonds

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a large bowl beat the eggs with the ground cinnamon and set aside. In a deep saucepan place the piloncillo, milk and cinnamon stick. Heat slowly until all the piloncillo has melted creating a syrup.  Simmer for a few more minutes stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching the milk. Turn off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool to room temperature and add to the eggs.

In a greased baking dish, spread half of the toasted bread in a single layer. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with 1 tablespoon of maple sugar and spread the mixture on top of the bread. Arrange the dried fruit and nuts on top of the cheese. Top with a second layer of bread, dried fruit and nuts. Pour the egg and milk mixture evenly over the surface. Cover with plastic wrap and, with your hands press bread gently to soak the liquid. Cover with foil and let rest overnight or at least three hours in the refrigerator.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350°F, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 35 minutes covered with foil. Reduce the temperature to 300°F, brush the melted butter on top of the pudding and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes longer or until the bread is completely set. 

Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. It is good warm or at room temperature.

Happy Easter!