Oswald Rivera

Author: Oswald Rivera (page 69 of 85)

Legends of Chimichanga

January 9, 2013 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

What the hell is a “chimichanga?” That’s a question I asked myself years ago when I cam upon the veritable dish on the West Coast. To me, it sounded Mexican. And I thought I was right since it’s basically a deep-fried burrito. As with most things, I was wrong. Chimichanga is an American dish. It’s of the rubric of what is known in the Southwest as New Mexican Cuisine. It’s akin to what in hailed in Texas as Tex-Mex cooking. But it’s different in that New Mexican Cuisine is a blend of Spanish, Mediterranean, Mexican, Native American (mainly the Pueblo Indian influence) and Cowboy Chuckwagon traits. As noted, in the Southwest, they love this kind of cooking.

There are numerous claims as to who invented the chimichanga. The earliest claim goes back to 1922 when Ms. Monica Flin, owner of the El Charro restaurant in Tucson, accidentally dropped a burrito into a deep-fat fryer and uttered the Spanish curse word chingada but, being in mixed company, stopped herself and said instead “chimichanga,” equivalent to “what’s-it” or “thingamajig.” Other sources claim that it was John Woody, owner of EL Nido restaurant in Phoenix, who dropped the burrito into a deep fryer in 1946. Others say that its roots are in Pima County, Arizona, and from there the dish spread outward throughout the Southwest. Whatever its genesis, chimichangas have caught on all over the place.

CHIMICHANGA

8 flour tortillas (6 inches)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground hamburger beef

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup tomato sauce

Vegetable oil for frying

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

1 cup sour cream or 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

½ cup diced tomatoes

1 cup chopped scallions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stack the tortillas in aluminum foil, wrap close, and heat in oven for 15 minutes. Or you can warm in microwave: stack in paper towels, wrap tightly, and warm on high setting 6-7 minutes per tortilla.

2. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan or skillet. Add meat and cook, stirring, until brown.

3. Add onion, garlic, chili, cayenne, cumin, oregano, salt, and tomato sauce. Cook for 5 minutes or until most of the sauce has evaporated.

4. Spoon ¼ cup meat mixture into the center of each warm tortilla. Fold, tucking in the ends to make a secure fat tube. Fasten ends with wooden toothpicks to completely secure the filling.

5. Add at least 4 inches of vegetable oil to a large pot or deep fryer; and heat oil over medium heat until very hot (375 to 400 degrees F.). Slowly and carefully lower chimichangas into oil, two at a time, and fry until golden brown, about 3-4minutes. Using tongs or spatula, remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

6. Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce, top with a dollop of sour cream or top with cheddar cheese, and sprinkle with tomatoes and scallions.

Yield: 8 servings.

Hangover Cures for the New Year: Re-visited

“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.

Sugar Cream Pie

December 18, 2012 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

The Holiday Season, whether Christmas, Hanukkak or Zwanza, is a time for sweets. Plum pudding, jelly doughnuts, sweet potato pie, are some of the traditional weight gainers during this time. With that in mind, let me offer another sweet that is not that well known outside of a certain region. What I’m talking about is sugar cream pie, a dish almost exclusive to Indiana. I don’t know anywhere else where it’s so popular.

The origins of sugar cream pie can be traced to Indiana’s Amish community in the 1850s. Other sources credit the Shaker community for its invention. The Shakers were a religious sect that migrated from England to America in the 18th century. They were an interesting lot. Their actual name was “The United Society of Believers in Christ‘s Second Coming.” So why were they called the “Shakers?” Apparently this came about due to their fervor during their religious communal meetings where they would sing, shout and dance, twitching and shaking all over the place. Apart from this shaking business, they are remembered for the quality of their craftsmanship, especially in the style know as “Shaker furniture,” which today because of its workmanship and quality is rather expensive to acquire.

The Shakers believed in frugality and good, honest labor. They also believed in celibacy—which became a sticking point since they couldn’t reproduce themselves. According to The Independent, a publication in the United Kingdom, as of December 2009 there were only three members left in the continental U.S. But, as with their Amish brethren (who don’t believe in celibacy) they left us such a delight as sugar cream pie. Both groups believed in good, hearty, healthy food. But that does not preclude their sweet tooth as exemplified by this dessert.

SUGAR CREAM PIE

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup lightly packed brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon butter

8-inch unbaked pie shell

1. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg.

2. Gradually add cream, vanilla, and butter; and stir until smooth.

3. Pour into pie shell and bake 35 minutes at 450 degrees F., or 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature before serving.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Photo: Courtesy of Food Frenzy

Jelly Doughnuts

December 5, 2012 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Hanukkah (or Chanukah) celebrates the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days during the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over pagan Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. Legend has it that the victors had only enough oil for one day but, miraculously, it lasted eight days. The Jewish Menorah commemorates this. My father, who held all religious symbols suspect, would often quip as to what kind of oil they were using: was it Progresso olive oil or Goya? Be it as it may, since oil is the cornerstone of the holiday, fried foods are often served during this time, the most popular being latkas, or potato pancakes. But one of my favorite treats at Hanukkah is sufganiyot, or jelly-filled doughnuts.

Jelly-filled doughnuts has an interesting history. They are variously called Berliners by German and paczki by Poles. No one really knows where or how they originated. Although some trace it to a 1485 cookbook, Kuchenmeisterei (Mastery of the Kitchen), which gives a recipe consisting of jam sandwiched between two rounds of yeast dough bread and deep-fried in lard. Then, sometime later, someone got the idea of injecting jelly into deep-fried doughnuts. In the upper Midwest jelly doughnuts are called “jam busters, and are extremely popular. If you’re fan of any kind of doughnut, these suckers are delicious.

JELLY DOUGHNUTS

2 envelopes (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting baking sheets or surface

1/3 cup butter, softened

5 cups vegetable or canola oil for frying, plus more for coating a bowl

1 (13 1/2 ounce jar) strawberry jelly, fruit jelly or jam

Powdered sugar (as much as needed)

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for about 5 minutes or until foamy.

2. In a large bowl, combine yeast mixture, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. mix ingredients until smooth and soft but not sticky. If using a mixer, mix on low speed for a few minutes until a shaggy dough forms. Add butter, increase speed to medium, and mix until dough is smooth.

3. Grease another large bowel with oil. Form the dough into a ball. Place dough in the bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Set aside in a warm spot and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Lightly flour a baking sheet or surface (a large wooden square block is perfect for this). Turn the dough onto the floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll out until about 1/2-inch thick. Using a lightly floured 2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible (should have 25 or more). Place on a lightly floured sheet or surface, spacing them apart. Again, loosely cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes.

5. Heat oil in a deep fryer, large skillet or large pot to 350 degrees F. Using a flat spatula, carefully slide the dough rounds into hot oil and, working in batches to avoid overcrowding, fry until they rise to the surface, then turn over and fry until puffy and golden brown (2-3 minutes). Drain on paper towels.

6. When doughnuts have cooled, using a paring knife, cut a small slit in the side of the doughnut and fill this center with jelly (about 1 tablespoon), using a pastry injector, syringe, piping bag, or small spoon. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Yield: 25 or more jelly doughnuts.

Caption: courtesy of petemonico.com

Coquito , A Puerto Rican Holiday Drink

November 22, 2012 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

A Puerto Rican Holiday Drink similar to Eggnog, or egg nog.
Available in my book: Page 255. https://www.amazon.com/Puerto-Rican-Cuisine-America-Nuyorican/dp/1568582447

The Reuben Sandwich

November 3, 2012 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

The famed Reuben Sandwich claims many fathers. One account states that Reuben Kulakofsky, a grocer from the Dundee neighborhood located west of midtown Omaha, Nebraska, invented the sandwich. Another version holds that it was created in 1914 by Arnold Reuben, owner of Reuben’s Delicatessen in New York. Still another version says that it was Alfred Scheuing, Reuben’s chef, who created the sandwich for Reuben’s son, Arnold Jr., in the 1930s. I first had the sandwich when I traveled to Indiana years ago, and discovered its popularity in the Midwest. Today, the Reuben Sandwich is ubiquitous from coast to coast.

REUBEN SANDWICH

8 slices dark rye bread

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup Thousand Island dressing or Russian dressing

8 slices Swiss cheese

8 slices corned beef, sliced thin (about ¼ pound)

1 cup drained sauerkraut

1. Preheat a large skillet or griddle on medium heat.

2. Lightly butter one side of bread slices. Spread 1 tablespoon Thousand Island dressing (or Russian dressing) on the other 4 bread slices. Follow with a layer of 1 slice Swiss cheese, 2 slices corned beef, 2 tablespoons sauerkraut, and an additional slice of Swiss cheese. Top with the buttered bread slices, buttered side up.

3. Grill both sides of sandwiches until bread is slightly toasted and cheese begins to melt, about 4 minutes per side. Serve with sweet or dill pickles.

Yield: 4 servings.

Sweet Potato Pie

October 22, 2012 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

My uncle Phillip, of late memory, had a lady friend, Margie Jones, who made the best sweet potato pie I ever tasted. When I was a youngster, we would trot over to her place in Harlem and feast on this delicacy. Uncle Phillip, who was a lady’s man extraordinaire, apparently appreciated the many attributes Miss Jones brought to the table, including her delicious pie. At the time I didn’t know that it was a traditional southern dish. I knew I just loved the dessert.

2-3 sweet potatoes, about 1 pound

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup milk

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup whipped cream.

1. Boil sweet potatoes whole in their skin for 40-50 minutes, or until done and tender. Run cold water over the potatoes and when cool, remove skin.

2. Place in a medium bowl and break apart with a fork. Add butter and mix well. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla. Combine and mix well until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into pie crust.

3. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes, or knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a soufflé, and then will sink down as it cools. Serve garnished with whipped cream.

Yield: 6 servings or more.

Photo: courtesy of photobucket

Ham Hocks and Beans

October 11, 2012 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Back in my Marine Corps days one of the most memorable persons I met was Staff Sergeant Hollins. He was a warrior and lifer grunt who loved two things: the Marine Corps and ham hocks and beans. He would rhapsodize about the dish and how it was his favorite meal from boyhood onward. We knew that in the southern U.S., whether you were white or black, ham hocks and beans was, and is, a rite of passage. When I discovered how tasty it was I also became a fan of the dish.

I’m pretty certain Staff Sergeant Hollins would approve of the recipe given below. With a beer or, if you prefer, a hearty red wine such as a Cabernet or Chianti, nothing could be better.

1 pound dry pinto or navy white beans

4-6 smoked ham hocks (about 4-5 ounces each)

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 bay leaves

1. Soak beans in cool water for about 45 minutes. Drain, picking out any bad ones, gravel or rocks.

2. Place beans, ham hocks, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and bay leaves in a large Dutch oven or pot. Fill with water until an inch to cover beans. Bring to a boil, cover with lid and simmer on medium-low heat for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally, adding more water if needed. Remove ham hocks when they are tender and meat fall off the bones. The longer you simmer the thicker the broth will become.

3. Remove ham hacks from the broth, and allow to cool so they can be handled. Remove meat from the ham hocks, discarding fat and bones and return to the stockpot. Remove bay leafs, adjust seasonings to taste, if necessary, and serve (I prefer it with steamed rice).

Yield: 4 servings or more.

Photo: Courtesy of heatherchristo.com

Southern Fried Chicken

September 24, 2012 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Almost every country has a fried chicken dish. But, in America, it’s southern fried chicken that takes the crown. First of all, why does it have to be southern and why is it called so? For this you have to go to the Scots. They liked frying their chicken rather than boiling and baking the bird like their English counterparts. When the Scots settled in the American south they brought this style of cooking with them. African-American slaves quickly adapted the method to plantation life since they were often allowed to raise their own chickens. This contributed to the dish becoming a traditional southern favorite. Let us note that it did not become popular in the North until well into the 19^th century. Today it is ubiquitous all over the U.S. My mother would make her own version of it in our Spanish Harlem neighborhood. And that is the recipe given below. With an ice cold beer or a bottle of pinot noir, nothing could be better.

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

1 whole chicken (about 3 pounds), cut into pieces

4 cups water

3 teaspoons salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

2 eggs

3 cups light cream or half-and-half

2 cups vegetable oil

1. Wash chicken pieces; then soak chicken in water and salt for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

2. In a large shallow dish, mix together the flour, salt, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and cream.

3. Dredge chicken pieces in cream mixture, then in the seasoned flour until well coated.

4. Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan or skillet (I prefer cast iron) until it’s at least 360 degrees F.

Place the chicken in the pan, trying not to crowd the pieces. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Check the chicken. When it’s golden brown, turn pieces, cover and cook for the next 5 minutes.

5. Remove cover and cook uncovered, turning occasionally, until cooked through (about another 20 minutes). Watch carefully to make sure the pieces don’t get too dark. If it’s frying too fast, reduce heat slightly. The key to this is to cover the pieces at the beginning to start the cooking process inside the chicken. Then uncover during the last part of the cooking time to get a nice and crispy golden brown finish.

Yield: 4 servings.

NOTE: These days, some prefer to place the seasoned flour inside a gallon ziplock bag, then coat the chicken in the bag a few pieces at a time. Use whatever method suits best or is more convenient.

The Joys of Garlic

September 12, 2012 / Oswald Rivera / 0 Comments

Let me say it up front. I am a serious, confirmed garlic-lover. Where people hold up their noses and scowl when garlic is mentioned, I embrace the bulb with the passion of a devout believer. I come from a culture where garlic is king. Count Dracula would have a hard time attacking us. Garlic (Latin name: Allium sativum) is a member of the onion family. It has been used throughout recorded history for both medicinal and culinary purposes. It is native to central Asia and has been around for 5,000 years. The ancient Egyptians were the first to cultivate it and it played an important role in their culture. The builders of the ancient pyramids were said to eat garlic to enhance their endurance and strength. Roman emperors were particularly fond of garlic. They used it an an antidote to poisons—something very popular at the time if you wanted to get rid of the top dog in the empire. The Spanish conquistadors used it as a preservative.

Garlic has great medicinal properties. It promotes the well being of heart function and helps maintain healthy blood circulation. One of its great health benefits is that it enhances the body’s immune cell activity. It helps regulate the body’s defenses against allergies; and helps loosen plaque from arterial walls. It also aids in regulating blood sugar levels. Not only that, it helps regulate the body’s blood pressure. So, if you have problems with high or low blood pressure, garlic can help to equalize it. The reason is that garlic contains the compound allicin, which not only lowers blood pressure, but also assists in regulating proper weight control. Garlic also reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Studies have shown that two or three cloves a day have cut the risk of subsequent hearty attacks in half of heart patients. But most important of all, garlic contains germanium, an anti-cancer agent. Garlic had more of it than any other herb. Think of garlic as an anti-cancer food. All taken together, one can say that garlic is a powerful perfect natural antibiotic. As such it is effective against many bacteria, fungi and viruses. Back in the Middle Ages it was though to ward off the plague.

All the medicinal benefits aside, garlic is a wonderful seasoning. It adds aroma, taste and nutrition to foods. There is nothing better to give a dish that extra “oomph.” Yet for maximum flavor and nutritional benefits, always buy fresh garlic. Avoid garlic flakes, garlic powder and garlic paste. They ain’t as good culinarilly or otherwise. Buy garlic that is plumb and has an unbroken skin. Then simply squeeze the bulb between your fingers to check that it feels firm and is not damp. Avoid garlic that is soft, shriveled, moldy, or that has begun to sprout. Always store garlic in an uncovered or loosely covered container in a cool dark place. These days you can purchase garlic storage pots made of clay or marvel. They are perfect for this function. It’s not necessary to refrigerate garlic. And freezing raw garlic will reduce its flavor and change its texture.

The following is one of my favorite garlic recipes. It call for twelve cloves—that’s right: 12 cloves. Its an easy chicken dish for all us garlic fanatics out there.

CHICKEN WITH GARLIC SAUCE

1 broiler fryer chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut up into serving-size pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
12 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced finely
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium-size skillet or frying pan (I prefer cast iron). Add chicken pieces and stir-fry until brown on all sides.
2. Add garlic and cook for about 3 minutes more. Add sesame oil, soy sauce and chicken broth.
3. Cook 5 minutes more, then lower flame to low simmer, cover, and cook 10 minutes more. Serve with steamed rice, pasta, or crusty bread.
Yield: 4 servings.

Author, Warrior, and Teacher