Happy Mother's Day, 2012! / Felíz Día de las Madres, 2012!

Today is Mexican Mother’s Day. I know some readers are not Mexican but I want to share this holiday of my roots with you.

I am not a mother but I have great admiration for all women holding the title of “Mom”.  That is a big job and it takes strong, caring and beautiful people to take on such a great responsibility. All of you are that and more!

These flowers are for you, as a token of my appreciation for taking care of our children and for doing your best to ensure they become great people like yourselves.

Have a wonderful day and a very happy Mother’s celebration!

Homemade Yoghurt / Yoghurt Casero

Do you want to prepare yoghurt without any special equipment?

Here is a recipe:

Quieres preparar yoghurt casero sin ningún equipo especial? 

Aquí esta una receta: 

 Se necesitan frascos limpios con sus tapaderas.

Un frasco lleno de agua hirviendo.

Calentar 1/2 galón de leche hasta que alcance una temperatura de 180°F. Después dejar que la temperatura baje hasta 125°F y agregar  3 cucharadas de yoghurt comercial sin sabor. Revolver bien para combinar.

Llenar los frascos con la mezcla de leche y poner en una hielera portátil junto con el frasco de agua caliente (esto es para mantener la temperatura).

Cubrir con una toalla de cocina y cerrar la tapa.

Colocar la hielera en un lugar libre de vientos y dejar sin disturbar por toda la noche.

Tendrás un hermoso yoghurt por la mañana!

Refrigerar por 3 horas antes de servir.

Not Exactly The Same / No Exactamente Lo Mismo

Güerito and Cuaresmeño (jalapeño) Chiles

Sweet Baby Bell Peppers

A few days ago my blogger friend, Nora from ¿Gusta Usted?, posted a recipe for Chiles Cuaresmeños Rellenos de Queso. This is not the common chile relleno dish which is usually prepared with poblano peppers, this one is prepared with jalapeño peppers. The procedures are almost the same as with the poblanos; filled with cheese and covered in a eggy batter. However, these take the extra step of rapidly being cooked in boiling water and, beware, they are very spicy! 

I don't know about you but, every time I make chiles rellenos, I end up with extra egg batter and, even though I add some to my caldillo (a tomato broth I make for my chiles), I unhappily have to throw some away. Not any more! Nora also gave us a tip on what to do with the extra egg. She made a torta de ejotes, a green bean frittata if you will. 

I read her post in the morning, with an empty stomach. The chiles rellenos sounded and looked very appetizing for dinner so I decided to prepare some for us.  However, when going over my ingredients, I found out I had some chiles, cheese and green beans. Not exactly the same as Nora's but my recipe was inspired by hers. 

If you want an inspiring recipe follow the link to Nora's blog.  Or for another version, here is mine:

Sweet Rellenos with Green Beans

12 sweet baby bell peppers

1 lb. green beans, cleaned and cut in half

6 cups water

salt to taste

for the filling:

1-2 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 lb.  mushrooms (any kind you like), finely chopped

1 leek, halved and finely sliced (a small sweet onion would work well)

1 garlic glove, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Queso Fresco (if queso fresco is not available use a mild feta)

1-2 cup grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes, quartered)

Extra virgin olive oil to finish the dish

On a dry cast iron griddle, over high heat, roast the peppers for about 3 minutes on each side. Peppers should have some black spots in places but should still be firm. 

Meanwhile, prepare the filling; in a skillet, heat the oil and saute leeks, garlic and mushrooms for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool. When cold, add crumbled cheese and stir to combine.

In a deep pot, bring water to a rapid boil, add salt and cook green beans to desired  tenderness, I like mine with some crunch so I only cook them for 3 to 5 minutes. When cooked, remove beans from the hot water and place them in a bowl filled with ice water so the cooking stops and beans maintain their green color. When cool, drain and set aside.

Add chiles to the same water you cooked the beans in and cook for only 1 minute or 2. Remove from hot water and place in a cold bath as the beans. At this point the peppers should be a little soft but not overcooked. Drain, remove the black skin, cut a slit along each pepper until all are done. These peppers don't have many seeds so don't bother to take out the very few seeds in them.

To assemble the dish, fill peppers with mushroom mixture. Place on a dish alternating pepper and green beans. decorate with grape tomatoes and sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil. 

This is a very satisfying vegetarian dish that can be eaten cold or at room temperature. If you like, it can be served to accompany grilled fish or chicken. Like I said, not the same as Nora's but her recipe inspired this delicious chiles rellenos.

This Morning Market / El Mercado

Kale

I went to the farmer's market this morning and found an abundance of colorful produce. Everything was so fresh and bright, with vivid colors, it was just wonderful!

I wanted to buy everything; tomatoes, cabbage, purple cauliflower, everything! However, with only two people in my household, all I could do is buy a few vegetables and take some pictures. I'm sharing my findings and a simple recipe for pickled beets.

First the recipe:

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. She prepares it with red beets but the golden beets were so pretty at this morning market, I decided to use them instead.

Red and golden beets

Pickle Beets

4 medium size beets (gold or red)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon whole allspice

1 Tablespoon whole cloves

Golden beets

Trim beets leaving about 1/2 inch stem, scrub and cook them in water until desired tenderness (I like mine a little crunchy). Once cooked, drain and set aside.

In a saucepan, mix together remaining ingredients and cook until sugar dissolves and the mixture boils, about 10 minutes.

When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel and slice them. Place slices in a a previously sterilized jar and cover with boiling vinegar mixture.  Cover the jar and let cool completely.  They will be ready to eat as soon as they cool, but they are better after a couple of days in the vinegar. Store in refrigerator.

Now the pictures:

Mushrooms

French cabbage

Purple Cauliflower

Savoy Cabbage

White radishes

Tomatoes

Kale 

Asparagus

Heirloom tomatoes

Green and purple cabbage

Black History Month

We are celebrating Black History Month throughout the country. Last week we had a small celebration in the office. Since we have black people from different parts of the world working in the office, this was a very nice and interesting exposition of cultures, music and food.These are some of the things I learned from my coworkers who came from the Virgin Islands, Somalia, Ethiopia and also my African-American coworkers. I'll share some interesting facts about each one of their cultures.Virgin IslandsThe population in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) is largely made up of Caribbean people whose ancestors were Africans and Europeans. People from the Virgin Islands are called Virgin Islanders and based on the island of residence are called St. Thomian, St. Johnian, Crucian and Water Islanders respectively. 

Florence wearing one of her traditional outfits from USVI

Some of the food eaten in the USVI is based on African sources.  Seamoss is a popular drink made of seaweed that is boiled until it dissolves and then is mixed with milk and spices. Killaloo is a stew made with local greens and fish and includes okra.

Source: USVI

We enjoyed samplers of Caribbean flavors and a nice exposition of books and artifacts.SomaliaThe name Somali originally came from the two Somali words of SOO and MAAL that means, “Go and milk it”. That shows that the Somali people were rural and herders, who move from place-to-place seeking good grazing lands.The Somali customs and traditions are similar to those from Arab and other Islamic cultures, as far as marriage, clothing, family and food. But there are still some local traditions which Somali people practice once a year in certain parts of their country - DABSHID ( fire burning): it is an annual festival in Lower Shabelle region, which the local people burn a big fire and dance around it. 

Omar representing Somalia

Men wear western pants or a flowing plaid ma'awis (kilt) western shirts, and shawls. On their heads they may wrap a colorful turban or wear a koofiyad (embroidered cap).

Women usually wear one of the following dresses:

Direh, a long, billowing dress worn over petticoats.

Coantino, a four-yard cloth tied over the shoulder and draped around the waist.

Toob, commonly worn throughout Africa.

Hijab, and head scarfs are very common.

Source: The Customs of Somalia

Omar shared with us different pieces of traditional clothing men and women wear. He brought a couple of urns in which women burn incense to perfume themselves in preparation for intimate relations with their husbands.Ethiopia

The Ethiopian traditional costume is made of woven cotton. Ethiopian men and women wear this traditional costume called gabbi or Netella. Women often wear dresses (Kemis) and netella with borders of coloured embroidered woven crosses, but other designs are also used.

Helen wearing her traditional costum

The Ethiopian national dish is called wat. It is a hot spicy stew accompanied by injera (traditional large spongy pancake made of teff flour and water). Teff is unique to the country and is grown on the Ethiopian highlands. Helen shared with us this traditional food, which I really enjoyed. The bread is delicate with a very unique flavor and texture.                   Source: Ethiopian Treasures
African-American

 

America is rich in black history and has many reasons to celebrate Black History Month. Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday is probably one of the most celebrated holidays among African-Americans. However, there is another celebration that has been taking an important place among African-American citizens  and one that I found very inspiring - Kwanzaa.Kwanzaa (Quansa) is a holiday celebrated by many African-Americans. It is held December 26th through January 1st. It was started in 1966 by Doctor Maulana Karenga, Professor at California State University, Long Beach, California.The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" in Swahili. Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but celebrations often include songs and dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading, and a large traditional meal. Kwanzaa also has seven basic principles which represent values and concepts reflective of African culture.

Seven principles of Kwanzaa:

Umoja (unity) to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia (self-determination) to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (collective work and responsibility) to build and maintain our community together and make our sister's and brother's problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (cooperative economics) to build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses together.

Nia (purpose) to make our collective vocation the building of our community to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (creativity) to do as much as we can to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (faith) to believe with our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Source: Kwanzaa

Kim was one of the representatives of the African-American community in our office and she is wearing a beautiful attire. 

Overall, we had a beautiful celebration for Black History Month in which I learned a lot and enjoyed a great sampling of wonderful food and artifacts from each region. 

Many thanks to my coworkers for taking the time to organize this event and sharing with the rest of us their cultures and traditions.