Mojito Madness!

I've already made my feelings about mojitos known. So, last week I was feeling in a Cuban mood again. I made a nice pot of black beans (the same recipe as in the link above) and cooked up some brown rice. Then, I decided to get creative with some tofu I had lying around.

Now, I do love tofu. But I love flavorful tofu. Tofu marinated and grilled. Tofu sauced and baked. I like interesting tofu. But, I rarely take the time to make it interesting. But this recipe for a Mojito Marinade in one of my cooking magazines from earlier in the summer had lingered in my memory. See, I get a lot of cooking magazines. And while I love flipping through them, to be honest it is a good month when I actually cook something out of one. But often a recipe sticks in my mind and all of a sudden, it MUST be made. I couldn't tell you what else was in the article on marinades that I read all those months ago, but the Mojito Marinade stuck out. So I tried it.

The marinade was easy to assemble (the most time consuming step being grating some lime zest), and after a whir in the food processor - it was done. And, minus the shallots which are not usually an ingredient found in any mojito I've come across, the marinade looked almost good enough to drink. I split the marinade between the tofu, and some sliced vegetables (peppers, zuchini and the like) prepared to grill. After a about a half hour's wait, we were off to the grill.

I really liked this marinade on tofu. The tangy sweetness of the marinade carmelized on the grill, and complemented the somewhat bland taste of the plain tofu. The flavor did not come out as well on the vegetables, however I don't think that I had quite enough marinade for the amount of vegetables I prepared. With more marinade, the flavor might have come through better.

Sadly, my pictures of this meal did not come out well. I forgot to take a picture while plated, and the lighting in the kitchen was poor when I remembered to photograph. But, I plan to make this marinade again in the future and when I do so, perhaps I'll have more photographic luck.

Frijoles Negros

One of the biggest perks to a childhood spent travelling the globe has been the introduction of varied types of food into the family repetoire. An invitation to dinner at my house might mean tandoori chicken , risotto or Chinese stir-fried noodles. A sleepover might mean waking up to pancakes, arepas or chocolate chip waffles. My parents, globe-trotters themselves from the point at which they met in West Africa during the 70s, have absorbed bits of culture from each country we've lived in. Our family culture is a patchwork of all these bits and bobs which have assembled into what our family experience has been, none the least of which has been the food. The black beans and rice I made tonight is a perfect example of this addition to our family culture that has now adapted to being a "homey" and comforting dish.

Before we moved to Cuba, the complimentary nature of black beans and rice was simply not in our family's vocabulary. But once you spend time in Cuba, it quickly becomes so as it is an economic staple, and often all there is. In fact, my parents once walked out of the Moosewood restaurant in Ithaca, NY simply because one of the four choices that evening was black beans and rice! And they just couldn't have any more black beans and rice, being fresh off the plane from Cuba. I personally have yet to reach that point, as black beans and rice is one of my absolutely favorite combinations. I can eat it day and day out with little complaint. But, as a vegetarian I do prefer to make it at home (or eat it at a very trustworthy restaurant). One of my least favorite parts about eating beans and rice in Cuba was finding little ham or pork bits swimming in the creamy black legumey goodness.

This recipe is from a book I bought at some point during college when I was no longer spending much time in Cuba, but missing the food. Called Memories of a Cuban Kitchen (by Mary Urrutia Randelman and Joan Schwartz), I think I've made a grand total of three of the more than 200 classic recipes the book contains. This particular recipe takes some time to prepare, however the recipe yields a tremendous amount from such few ingredients. This batch will be our brown-bag lunches for the week!

I made a couple changes. The recipe calls for 2/3 of a cup of olive oil, I used 1/3 and actually subbed some canola oil as I didn't even have enough olive oil left to make 1/3 of a cup. I roasted and chopped some poblano peppers, and threw them into the sofrito since they needed using up. And, I quick-soaked my beans. I brought them to a boil for 2-3 minutes, and let them sit for an hour. I then continued with the recipe, although I found my beans didn't require the 2 hour softening time the recipe called for (which was a good thing as we would have been eating at 10 o'clock if they had). And, as much as I'd like to have my act together enough to soak the beans the night before, its just not happening.

I served the meal with my version of light tostones. Tostones are twice-fried green plantains. They're absolutely delicious, but not something I like to cook too often. So, I've found that by browning the sliced green plantains in some cooking spray once, adding water to ensure they actually cook, removing to paper towel and salting before re-browning in cooking spray, I can create a passable "light" tostone. I keep tinkering with the concept, however this batch was the best yet. Along with the "light" tostones, we had roasted golden beets, and the chopped garlicky beet greens . Imagine the empty space to contain a bowl of beans and rice, and you've got the idea. I also like a little 2% cheddar cheese sprinkled on my black beans and rice, however that is entirely personal preference and up to the chef (and the consumer).


Frijoles Negros
Mom's Black Beans
Memories of a Cuban Kitchen by Mary Urrutia Randelman and Joan Schwartz

Author's notes- My mother's black beans are rich and thick with a smooth opaque broth. My family judges Cuban restaurants by their beans - in other words, are the frijoles negros as good as Mom's? Very few have even come close.

1 pound dried black beans, rinsed in cold water, picked over and soaked overnight in cold water to cover by 1 1/2 inches (remove any beans that float to the top)
1 bay leaf
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut into quarters

For the Sofrito
2/3 cup pure Spanish olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2-3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons cider vinegar, optional
1 teaspoon finely chpopped seeded aji cachucha or green chile
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. The next day, check that the water is still covering the beans by 1 1/2 to 2 inches, and add more water if needed. Pour into a large saucepan, add the bay leaf and the pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and cook uncovered until the beans are tender and they have almost cracked open (about 2 hours). Check the beans while they are cooking, and if they need more water add some hot water.

2. To prepare the sofrito, in a skillet heat the oil over low heat until it is fragrant. Add the garlic, onion and bell pepper, and cook stirring until onion is transparent (8-10 minutes). Add cumin, vinegar and chile pepper, and mix well.

3. Add the sofrito to the beans, mix well and cook over low heat covered utnil beans crack open (30-40 minutes). Season to taste and serve

Serves 8-10

Florida Adventures part 1

Well, here I am in the wilds of Coral Springs, Florida. It's really not wild at all. Just lots of straight roads, flat roads and housing developments as far as the eye can see. Yes Toto, we're not in Brooklyn anymore.

Not too much has been happening. I managed to arrive the day before all air travel descended into chaos, so that was a definite plus. Granted I had a horrific experience with Delta just getting on to my plane - it was apparently time for a shift change when checking in so the women behind the desk ignored the growing line full of desperate people twenty minutes away from missing their flight. Good times, good times. But then as a reward for my anguish and having to pull my determined New Yorker personality out of the back-pocket where I tend to keep it behind good manners ("Ma'am, my plane leaves in twenty minutes. I need to be checked in now. And I'll stand right here until that happens. Thank you. And no sir, I'm very sorry that you arrived at the airport just as your minor daughter's flight arrived instead of arriving early. But you may not cut in front of me to get your permission slip because I've just waited on line for an hour, and I'm not missing my flight when the check-in lady just assured you your daughter would be taken care of.") But at least I was rewarded by discovering that the actual plane was a Song plane, so I got to watch TV on my way to Florida. And, they actually passed out free snacks! I didn't think anyone did that anymore. Watching TV, eating a snack-sized bag of Sunchips - life was good once I got on the plane.

And now I'm here. I've watched the birds visit my parents' bird-feeder, I've watched the ducklings clamber through the fence and come up and demand bird seed while Mama duck watches anxiously. My mom and I went shopping at our favorite outlet mall yesterday, where I managed to find some clothes that will help me start the school year in New York. It always amazes me that I do well shopping for reasonably priced fall clothes for NY in FLA, but hey - whatever works.









As part of my love of cooking, I always try to introduce my mom to recipes I've tried and liked. Tonight, I tried to introduce my mom to an "oldie", but one I remembered being a "goodie". I haven't made Corn and Poblano Empanadas in a while, and remembered the recipe as being impressive and fairly easy. Last night we had black beans and rice to eat up and I thought they'd add something special to an otherwise "leftover" to meal nicely. And they would have, except that the masa flour I used was unexpectedly greedy and moisture grabbing. So the dough was way too dry, and unable to be used for making empanadas. So, my mom saved the day by turning it into a Corn and Poblano Tamale Pie. She put the filling in a pie plate, managed (after adding a ton of water) to roll out the dough into a circle big enough to cover the pie plate. We brushed it with the egg and water that the recipe called for, and then baked for about 30-35 minutes. And it was quite tasty! The cheesy-corny filling is addictive, and despite the changed appearance of the dish, it was a success that we couldn't stop stealing pieces of filling from long after we weren't really hungry anymore.


Corn and Poblano Empanadas

Cooking Light's Notes -Masa harina--used to make corn tortillas and tamales--yields a more richly flavored and textured dough than that made with flour alone.

My notes - although the recipe calls for mozzarella cheese, I made it with half 2% cheddar and half mozzarella and found that combination especially flavorful and tasty.


3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup masa harina
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 poblano peppers
Cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 500°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, masa harina, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and chili powder in a food processor; pulse 3 times. Add water and butter; pulse until mixture forms a loose ball. Remove from processor; knead until ball completely forms. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each dough portion into a ball; flatten each ball into a 3-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Cover and chill 30 minutes. (Stack dough portions between pieces of wax paper.)

Place poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 500° for 20 minutes or until brown and blistered, turning once. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel poblanos; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes, and finely chop. Place in a medium bowl.

Reduce oven temperature to 425°.

Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and corn; sauté 3 minutes. Add to poblanos; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cheese.

Roll each dough portion into a (5-inch) circle. Working with 1 circle at a time (cover remaining circles with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon 3 level tablespoons corn filling into center of each circle. Moisten edges of dough with water; fold dough over filling. Press edges together with a fork or fingers to seal. Place empanadas on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Combine egg white and 1 tablespoon water. Lightly coat tops of empanadas with egg mixture. Pierce top of dough with a fork. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 empanada)

CALORIES 156(27% from fat); FAT 4.7g (sat 2.5g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 5.2g; CHOLESTEROL 11mg; CALCIUM 58mg; SODIUM 277mg; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 1.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.8g
Cooking Light, AUGUST 2003

Technorati Tags: vegetarian, corn, poblano, empanadas, Cooking Light Magazine

A variation on a classic.....

Mojitos have become quite the "it" drink in the past few years, at least here in New York City. At first you'd only find them at specific bars or restaurants but now you'd be hard pressed not to find a bar or restaurant with some form of mojito on the menu. I first encountered the mojito about ten years ago when my family was living in Havana, Cuba. My father works for the State Department as a foreign service diplomat, and so my family has travelled from country to country during my childhood/teenage years. We moved to Cuba in time for my senior year of high school (which I spent in boarding school) but I visited Havana on vacations. At first I wasn't much interested in mojitos (not being a drinker yet) but as the years went on they became more and more appealing.

Imagine my surprise a few years later when they exploded onto the New York bar scene, and people everywhere began talking about this hip new drink. And it was nothing but the little old mojito.

You have to hand it to the Cuban people. Living in an (often) horrendously hot tropical paradise, they created a drink that is refreshing in its minty soda watery goodness, but also provides a kick enough to get conversations flowing and proverbial parties started. M. and I are big fans, and have tried a variety of recipes. This one hails from PJWine Drinks - a magazine we receive from a large wine warehouse that M. often orders wine from. Since we live in New York City without a car, ordering things like wine which are heavy to carry can be a challenge. And since both M. and I took a class all about wine during college - tasting wine is important to us. M. found this warehouse with a suitable selection, and will order a couple cases from time to time so as to keep his oenophile taste buds happy. And, a little perk is this magazine which arrives seasonally but has yielded some gems of recipes for both drinks and food.

Ultra Mojito
Makes 1 drink

A great Mojito has to be the definitive fresh mint cocktail. In this double-mint-enhanced version, fresh mint leaves are first muddled, then classic ingredients and a mint-infused syrup are shaken in.

2 sprigs fresh mint
3/4 ounce Mint Syrup (recipe below)
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces Bacardi Limon rum
Splash chilled soda water

Tear mint sprigs and drop into a cocktail shaker. Add syrup and muddle well. Add lime juice and rum. Filla a large glass with ice, and then transfer ice to shaker and shake vigorously. Pour entire contents into the large glass and top with a splash of soda.

Mint Syrup
Makes about 3 cups (enough for about 30 drinks)

1 cup coarsely chopped mint sprigs with stems
2 cups sugar
2 cups boiling water

Place mint and sugar in heatproof container. Pour boiling water over mixture and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Let steep 30 minutes, then strain. Store refrigerated until needed.



M. was the mojito maker yesterday. He ended up upping the lime juice to suit our tastes. And the proportions of the mojito components (syrup, mint etc) are certainly adjustable depending on the customer. Also, I would think (unless you're having a party) perhaps halving the mint syrup recipe might be a good idea. Our fridge is now stocked with several containers of syrup (one of which spilled a little - that syrup is so sticky!) and it would seem apparent that mojitos are going to be the house drink for some time to come, or at least until that syrup is all gone.

I guess there are worse things...


Technorati Tags: mojito, mint, cocktail