Oswald Rivera

Author: Oswald Rivera (page 53 of 83)

Braising Meat (and Poultry)

One of the easiest ways to prepare meat and is by braising. But some of my acquaintances complain that they can’t get it right. For the record, according to Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary (I love that name “Funk & Wagnalls”) denotes braising as: “To cook (meat) by searing till brown and then simmering in a covered pan.” That’s it. The only caveat I would add is that you can also cook poultry the same way. It’s fairly quick and easy. And, if done right, will render a juicy cut of meat.

The other thing to remember about braising is that the cooking time varies with regard to size and shape of meat, its quality, it’s lean or fat composition, and the extent the meat has been marinated, if any. Lastly, it goes without saying that frozen meat or poultry should be thawed before cooking. That being said, follow the steps given below and you shouldn’t have any problems.

In the recipe given I use pork chops. But it can apply to steaks, lamb chops, fish steaks, spareribs, ham, chicken cutlets, turkey sections, duck pieces—whatever your heart desires. Also, I prepared the meat Nuyorican style. That is, I employ a mortar and pestle to grind fresh the ingredients, and then rub the seasoning into the chops.Finally, we dredge the meat in flour before cooking. If you want, you can skip the flour, season the meat with salt and pepper and cook in olive oil and/or butter. Your choice.

BRAISED PORK CHOPS

8 lean pork chops, 1/2-thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
12 whole black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour (I prefer barley flour)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth

1. Rinse chops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a mortar, crush peppercorns, garlic, oregano and salt.
3. Place chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound lightly with a mallet.
4. Rub seasoning into pork chops.
5. Place flour in a plate, and dredge chops with flour on both sides.
6. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan and cook over medium heat until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes per side).
7. Add chicken broth. Cover pan tightly and cook until vapor begins to escape. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until meat is tender (about 5 minutes). Remove meat and drain on absorbent paper towels. If desired, you can make a gravy by whisking in more flour to the pan, and stirring over medium heat until browned. Gradually stir in milk (making sure no lumps form). Continue cooking until thickened. If gravy becomes too thick you can thin it with a little more milk.
Yield: 4 or more servings.

Shrimp with Thyme-Flavored Cream Sauce

January 2, 2016 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Something to start the coming year, a devilishly scrumptious entrée. It harks back to haute cuisine. So, if you’re one of those skinny model types or a compulsive dieter, this ain’t for—-unless you crave something sinfully delicious. And, let’s be honest about it, we all need to indulge once in a while. What’s that famous line from the play Auntie Mame? “Life is a banquet and most suckers are starving to death.” So let’s break out the flour, milk, butter and wine. Add to it fresh raw shrimp, and all ladled over wholewheat linguini (my one crumb to the health conscious). And that’s it, let’s party! Oh, yes, for the wine I would suggest a good, classic white like a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc—-or champagne! Make it that special dinner. What a better way to start the new year?

SHRIMP WITH THYME-FLAVORED CREAM SAUCE

5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped shallots (can use onion, if desired)
1 pound saw shrimp, shelled and deveigned
1/2 cup dry, white wine
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)

1. 1 pound wholewheat linguini In a sauce pan or skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add shallots, shrimp and wine, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt the remaining butter, add the flour and stir with a wire whisk until blended.
3. Heat the milk to a boil and add it to the butter-flour mixture, stirring vigorously with the whisk until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
4. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package directions (some prefer it al dente. I prefer it tender—you’re choice).
5. Add the sauce and the thyme to the shrimp mixture and cook slowly 5 minutes longer. Pour over the pasta, and serve.
Yield: 4 servings.

Hangover Cures for the New Year: Revisted

December 29, 2015 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

“My brain is melting into my feet.”

—Mel Brooks

It’s that time of year again, kiddies. New Year’s is just around the corner; and you know what that means: the perpetual New Year’s eve hangover. Yes, New Year’s revels have been with us since the beginning, and so have hangovers cures. The ancient Romans recommended eating deep fried canaries as a sure-fire cure. The ancient Libyans quaffed a mixture of sea-water and wine. The ancient Greeks recommended eating sheep’s lungs. The ancient Chinese swore that eating horse’s brains was the cure. In the 1800s in the U.S. it was thought that soaking your feet in mustard would do it. Among our Irish brethren it was thought that burying the person up to the neck in moist river sand would generate a cure.

Today in Mexico the national cure is menudo, a broth made of boiled tripe. In Haiti, it’s sticking 13 black-headed pins in the cork of the bottle you drank from that will deliver you from the hangover. In Puerto Rico, at one time, it was said that rubbing a lemon under your drinking arm would be the cure. In Poland, it is still recommended that drinking pickle juice is a good remedy (I would think twice about that one). A more modern cure among scuba divers is taking a blast from an oxygen tank. Some say a steam sauna is the best way to get rid of a hangover. But what if you don’t have access to a sauna?

My experience with hangovers comes from my wild and misspent youth when I was known for more than my share of imbibing. The following remedies are what I consider to be tried and true options, as far as the primordial hangover is concerned.

1. Drink plenty of fluids. Booze dehydrates you. Replenish your system with fruit juices and water. Orange juice with its vitamin C content is especially good.

2. Take a hot shower. This relaxes constricted blood vessels and tense neck muscles.

3. Avoid caffeine. It dehydrates you more. Drinking black coffee will probably make you sicker.

4. Tray good ole Alka Seltzer the next morning. Avoid aspirin, Tylenol or Ibruprofen. Aspirin is a blood thinner, and just like alcohol it can intensify the affects of a hangover. Tylenol (acetamoniphen) can adversely affect the liver. Ibuprofen can cause stomach bleeding.

5. Sweat it out. Exercise the toxins out of your system. But beware that too strenuous exercise may dehydrate you more. I do a series of breathing exercises from our Kung-Fu Wu-Su system called 8 silk weaving. This is marvelous for easing a hangover.

6. Pop some vitamins. B vitamins (especially B6) help the body metabolize alcohol. B vitamin supplements also provide a boost of energy. Vitamin C helps detoxify the body naturally, reducing the affects of the poisons in your system.

7. Ginkgo Biloba (ginkgo seeds) is considered a good herbal remedy since ginkgo contains an enzyme that speed up the body’s metabolism of alcohol.

8. Drink skullcap tea made from an herb (skullcap) that eases withdrawal from the alcohol. It can be found in capsule or tablets in health food stores. I like skullcap tea sweetened with pure, raw organic honey. Believe me, you’ll feel better in an hour or so.

9. Another good tea drink is peppermint. The mint contains antioxidants which is a natural stomach soothener and digestive aid.

10. Ginseng tea or ginseng root (steeped in hot water) soothes the stomach and helps with stomach troubles (endemic to hangovers). I prefer Korean Panax ginseng tea (which contains fructose).

11. Which leads us to the next cure, fructose (or fruit sugar), which speeds the body’s metabolism of alcohol by 25%. Or try putting some raw honey in your tea (it’s more than 40% fructose). Recall that among old time bartenders the favored hangover remedy was just honey in hot water.

If nothing works you can always try the time honored “Hair of the Dog.” That is, having a shot on booze, preferably gin or vodka. Something about the blood stream dealing with the new alcohol and thus ignoring the old alcohol, and the hangover in your system. For the record, I have never tried this, and I don’t think I ever will. And then there’s offering prayers to Saint Viviana, patron saints of drunkards and, concurrently, hangovers.

But my best hangover cure of all is simply, rest, peace, and quiet. Just sleep it off.

Roast Cornish Hens

December 19, 2015 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

For a holiday dinner, instead of the usual turkey, how about a Cornish hen roast? The warming spices in this treat will be a pleasant compliment to Christmas cheer. Here you have such staples as cumin and coriander to add an exotic twist to a classic dish. The hens are cooked in a glaze of honey, orange and ginger; then served over couscous. You family, friends and acquaintances will marvel at your ingenuity.

ROAST CORNISH HENS

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 basil leaf, plus 1 tablespoon chopped
2 tablespoons honey
4 Cornish hens
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
2-3 cups cooked couscous
2 tablespoons melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. First, make the glaze: combine cumin, coriander, orange juice, ginger, orange zest, garlic, and basil leaf in a small pot or pan. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Discard garlic and stir in honey. Reduce heat and simmer gently about 2 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, rub hens all over with oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and chopped basil. Place hens, breast side up, in a roasting pan (I prefer cast-iron) and place in oven.
5. Roast hens until skins begin to crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and generously brush with warm glaze. Return to oven and continue to roast until meat is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and generously brush with glaze again, Return to oven and roast until glaze browns, about 3 minutes.
4. While hens are roasting, cooked couscous (according to package directions). When done, place in a bowl and toss with melted butter. Serve with each hen atop a mound of hot couscous.
Yield: 4 servings.

Tembleque (Coconut Custard)

December 11, 2015 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Tembleque (pronounced “Tem-Bleh-Keh”) is the chief custard-based dessert in our repertoire. It’s been around in Puerto Rican cuisine for as long as anyone can remember. And it makes sense since coconuts are so prevalent in the island of Puerto Rico. Let me add that tembleque makes a fine dessert for the holidays, be it Hanukkah or Christmas. Something sweet to liven up this time of year.

When I was growing up back on the block, it was a family favorite. And in those days it was a hell of a bother to prepare.This was long before coconut milk began arriving on store shelves. We used genuine coconuts to extract the coconut milk required in the dish. First you took 2 large ripe coconuts, pierced them with a screwdriver, and drained their liquid into a small bowl. Then you split the coconuts and removed the inner white meat from the shell; and then separated the brown skin from the coconut meat. Next, you broke the coconut meat into pieces, rinsed them under cold water, and grated them finely. You placed this in a bowl; and added enough water to reserve coconut liquid so that it measured 3 1/2 cups. You boiled this liquid and added the grated coconut. You drained this liquid in a colander or strainer, pressing with hands to extract the coconut milk into a bowl. Next step, you heated 1 cup water, adding the same coconut shreds as before and again strained it into the bowl that held the coconut milk. Finally, you discarded the shreds. And this was the coconut milk that formed the basis of the tembleque.

The above method is interesting but time consuming.Today you can just go out and buy a couple of cans of coconut milk in any store. No need for any of the mess and bother described above. Which, by the way, is the original recipe I give in my cookbook Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Avalon Books, Running Press). So, try out this fine dessert. It will leave you hankering for more.

TEMBLEQUE
(Coconut Custard)

2 cups coconut milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ground nutmeg
Ground cinnamon

1. In a large pot or saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in coconut milk, a little at a time, and blend well.
2. Cook on moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir until mixture boils.
4. Remove from heat and pour into a slightly wet mold, or 6 small molds, or round pan.
5. Let cool, and refrigerate until firm. Invert into molds or serving dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon and serve.
6 servings.

Roasted Turnips

December 2, 2015 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

We Puerto Ricans love root plants, or what some would call root vegetables. We’ve got plantains, yuka (cassava), yame, malanga, yams, you name it. When my family got to the mainland a couple of generations ago, we discovered winter root plants; and a whole new aspect to our cookery evolved. In the mainland you had such things as beets, rutabaga, artichokes, parsnips, radishes. We learned that you could cook these vegetables the same way as our forebears had done forever in the Caribbean. Boiled, fried, with a little olive oil over it . . . And we got recipes from our Anglo friends. This made us experiment even more.

The recipe given below follows in this vein. It’s roasted turnips. But you can substitute any good, firm, winter root vegetable. I’ve discovered that one of the best methods to enhance these tubers is to caramelize them using honey, sugar or, my favorite, maple syrup. The recipe is easy, but the result is a toothsome, tender veggie that makes a welcomed side dish to you next roast, chicken dinner, or juicy steak.

ROASTED TURNIPS

4 large turnips (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons maple syrup (can substitute brown sugar, honey, or molasses)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, toss the turnips with the olive oil, salt, pepper, sage and thyme.
3. Drizzle with the maple syrup.
4. Place in a baking pan or dish (I prefer cast-iron). Bake for 45 minutes or until tender.
Yield: 4 servings or more.

Papas Rellenas – Stuffed Potato Balls

November 23, 2015 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Papas rellenas, or stuffed potato balls, makes a great appetizer or side dish for the Thanksgiving table. Yes, that venerable holiday is upon us again. So how about giving that potato dish a unique take. Tired of the old potato salad? Then papas rellenas is it. You family and friends will say, Wow! C’mon, liven up that Thanksgiving turkey. Make papa rellenas a part of your tradition. You won’t be disappointed.

This recipe calls for sofrito, the Puerto Rican seasoning that is ubiquitous in our cooking. A recipe is readily available in my posting of November 8th 2015. If that’s not good enough for you, you catch my video of July 10th 2014 on how to make sofrito, step-by-step. Otherwise, you can get it store bought in almost any supermarket—but it won’t the same as the genuine product.

By the way, this recipe, among many others, is from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America, which is now in its third printing (Running Press, Avalon Books)

PAPAS RELLENAS
(Stuffed Potato Balls)

1 pound Idaho or Maine potatoes, peeled
2 quarts (8 cups) water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound lean ground beef (can substitute ground pork, chicken or turkey, if desired)
2 tablespoons sofrito
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Vegetable oil for frying

1. Rinse potatoes under cold running water and pat dry.
2. Place in a pot or medium saucepan. Add water and boil on moderate heat, covered, until tender (about 30 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, for filling, heat oil in a skillet or fry pan. Add meat and stir-fry over medium heat until meat losses its color. Add sofrito, tomato sauce, oregano and salt. Mix and sauté 3-4 minutes.
4. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Drain potatoes, place in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher.
6. Add butter, egg and one teaspoon cornstarch. Mix well and let cool.
7. Spread some of the potato dough mix in the palm of your hand (keep palms wet while doing this). With fingers makes small nest in the center of palm, and stuff with a spoonful of the filling. Cover the filling with more dough mix and shape into a ball. Brush lightly with cornstarch. repeat until filling and mix are used up.
8. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Yield: 6 to 8 stuffed potato balls, depending on size.

Meat Ring with Chili Sauce

November 12, 2015 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

This is one of those fancy-dan recipes when you want to impress the crowd. It calls for a ring mold, and that could be metal, copper, ceramic or other. I use a 6 cup Bundt mold. Be it as it may, the recipe is quite simple. Note that for the meat part, you can use beef, pork, chicken or my choice, ground turkey. Also, I finish the whole thing in a microwave. Now, I don’t usually cook with a microwave. My experience has been that a microwave is great for heating up stuff, and that’s about it. I’ve yet to cook a passable rice dish with it. Much as I’ve tried, it never comes out right. But in this recipe I was strapped for time so, rather than bake the thing in an oven (which would have taken longer than I anticipated), I finished it off in the microwave. And, guess what? It came out pretty good. For the chili sauce part, you can make your own, or store-bought is just as good. I’m not a purist in that regard.

MEAT RING WITH CHILI SAUCE

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey, chicken, pork, or lean ground beef
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
2 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon mustard
Ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup chili sauce

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add ground meat and cook over high heat until it loses its red color.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, add onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, oatmeal, eggs, milk, mustard, black pepper and oregano. Cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes.
3. Pack into a greased ring mold; and microwave on high for 10 minutes or until meat starts to pull from sides of mold. Invert into a serving platter, top with chili sauce, and serve.
Yield: 4 or more servings.

Creamed Spinach with Baked Eggs

November 4, 2015 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

This recipe is my take on a Mediterranean favorite. Spinach with bake eggs is a popular dish in Spain, where they serve the eggs and spinach in individual ramekins or small cups. I’ve also seen it in Greek cuisine. In my version, the spinach is cooked with various seasonings and heavy cream. Then the eggs are baked on top. For the baking part you can use a reliable baking dish. But my preference is always for cast-iron. It’s a family thing. My mom cooked with cast-iron and so do I; and that goes for the baking part as well.

This recipe makes a great brunch dish. But it can also be served as a dinner entrée. With dinner, I serve it along with a grain, be it rice, couscous, or even kasha. A good crusty loaf of bread, a light wine, and you can’t go wrong.

CREAMED SPINACH WITH BAKED EGGS

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into thin rings
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 bunches fresh spinach leaves, about 1 1/4 pounds, coarsely chopped
2 clove garlic, finely minced
1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat butter in a heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent.
3. Add spinach and cook, covered, stirring a couple of times, until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove lid, add garlic. Cook, stirring, until most excess liquid is evaporated, 2-4 minutes.
4. Add cream, salt, pepper, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Crack each egg into a section of the pan. Place in middle of oven and bake until eggs are set, about 15 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings.

Scallops with Parsnips and Honey-Sage Sauce

October 31, 2015 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Winter is coming. And one of my favorite winter veggies is parsnips. Parsnips comes from that line known as root vegetables, i.e turnips, rutabaga, beets, radishes, etc. For some reason or another, in my group, no one likes parsnips (or turnips, for that matter). And I can’t understand why. Properly prepared, they can be heavenly. As in the dish given bellow. I happen to be a fan of scallops, be it sea scallops or bay scallops. And this dish combines scallops with parsnips (puréed), in what is called a honey-sage sauce, or in French, a honey sage jus. I know, the thing sounds highfalutin, but it ain’t.

One last note: this dish goes great with chenin blanc, one of my favorite wines. It combines a hint of sweetness that matches well with this entrée. What I like about chenin blanc is that you can smell the flavor of the grapes; it’s like a whisper of tropical fruit that makes a wonderful pairing. So, wanna impress your dinner companions? Lie, and tell them you slaved over a hot stove whipping up this classic, and serve with the wine. Make it sound impressive: jus (like jooze—puckering up your lips like some maītre’d at some fancy restaurant).

SCALLOPS WITH PARSNIPS AND HONEY-SAGE SAUCE

1 pound parsnips
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 to 16 scallops, about 1 1/4 pounds, tough tendon removed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
12 sage leaves, washed and julienned (cut into thin strips)

1. Wash parsnips under cold running water, place in a pan with water to cover and boil until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain, peel, cut into chunks, and purée in a blender or food processor.
2. Place in a small dish or saucepan, season with salt and pepper. Stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil. Cover and keep warm.
3. Rinse scallops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet until very hot. Add scallops and sear on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn over (they should be golden-brown), and lower heat.
4. Add butter to pan in bits. Raise heat to medium-low. Stir in shallots and cook, basting scallops with pan juices until shallots soften and scallops are just cooked (1-2 minutes more). Transfer scallops to a warm serving platter.
5. Add honey and vinegar to skillet. Whisk to deglaze the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon a mound of parsnips purée into the center of serving platter. Place scallops around it, spoon pan sauce over scallops, and scatter sage on top. Serve to the admiring glances of all your dinner mates.
Yield: 4 servings.

Author, Warrior, and Teacher