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Published: November 11, 2008 11:01 pm
South of the border
Bring some Latino flavors right into your own kitchen
Bev Davis
Register-Herald Senior Editor
You don’t have to take a trip south of the board to enjoy some spicy Latino flavors.
Sawsan Galal, adjunct cooking instructor at The National Institute for Culinary Arts at Mountain State University in Beckley, recently prepared some dishes that add just enough heat to the cool late fall weather.
“I think people shy away from trying something a little bit different sometimes, especially if it’s the cuisine of a different culture, because they think the recipes will be too complicated,” Galal said. “Actually, when you look at some of these recipes, they have most of the ingredients we all have in our cupboard with maybe a few exceptions. They’re familiar recipes with just a little twist in them here and there.”
Example? Add some zip to what would otherwise be an ordinary fish recipe by making crackling fish tacos with chipotle tartar sauce.
“It’s a whole different way to think about fish,” Galal said. “The lightness of fish makes things like limes and oranges very complementary. Serving the fish in tacos is an appealing way to get children interested in eating it.”
And what better way to start the meal than with a Mexican lime soup.
“This is the time of year when soup is a really welcome part of a meal, and the spicy heat from the jalapeno chilies and the avocado make this a delicious way to start a meal.”
For the sweet tooth, sopapillas make a perfect treat at the end of the meal. Honey-sweetened fried quick bread tastes best when dusted with a touch of cinnamon sugar.
Galal adapted these recipes from the epicurious Web site.
Mexican lime soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced
6 small skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
9 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1-1/2 cups coarsely crushed tortilla chips
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, diced
3 tomatoes, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
Chopped fresh cilantro
Minced jalapeno chilies
Lime slices
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and stir 20 seconds. Add chicken and oregano to pot; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide crushed tortilla chips among 6 bowls. Ladle soup into bowls. Top soup with avocados, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro and jalapenos. Garnish with lime slices and serve.
Crackling fish tacos with chipotle tarter sauce
For the tartar sauce:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 to 2 chipotles in adobo sauce seeds removed, finely chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 scallion, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt
For the tacos:
2 pounds skinless red snapper fillets (or other firm, flaky white fish)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Eight 8-inch flour tortillas
1 cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups arugula leaves
1 cup fresh cilantro
Zest of 2 oranges
Lime wedges, for serving
Combine all the tartar sauce ingredients in a small bowl, using salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 1-inch pieces and put in a bowl with the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Turn the fish to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Place the flour in a shallow dish and toss the fish pieces in it, a few at a time, until evenly coated. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. (To see if it’s hot enough, place a small piece of bread in the oil; it should sizzle immediately.) Carefully add a few pieces of fish at a time, shaking off excess flour before placing them in the oil. Fry until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla and warm for 10 to 20 seconds on each side. Place on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel; repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Spread a dollop of the chipotle tartar sauce on a warmed tortilla. Add a few pieces of cucumber and top with 3 or 4 pieces of fish, a few arugula and cilantro leaves and a little orange zest. Serve with lime wedges and more tartar sauce on the side.
Sopapillas
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3/4 cup warm water, plus more as needed
Peanut oil, for frying
Honey or cinnamon sugar, for serving
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening and water, work them in with your hands to make a soft, pliable dough. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the dough feels too dry.
Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in a plastic wrap. Put the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour so it will firm up a bit and be easier to roll and cut. (Dough can be prepared one day ahead, refrigerated.)
Unwrap the ball of dough and put on a lightly floured surface, cut in half. With a floured rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circle, about 1/4-inch thickness. Using a paring knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into triangles as you would a pizza. You should end up with 6 or 8 triangles per circle.
Heat 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees F. in a heavy skillet or deep pot over medium-high heat. Fry a few of the sopapillas at a time, keeping an eye on maintaining the oil temperature. As the sopapillas puff up and rise to the surface, flip them over with a slotted spoon, skimmer, or chopsticks; about 2 minutes on each side. Carefully remove the sopapillas from the oil and drain on several layers of paper towels or a brown paper bag. Cool slightly. Serve hot with honey or cinnamon sugar.
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