Boriqua Blog

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving, a day supposedly for giving thanks, but notorious for gastronomic overindulgence. In the spirit of family and thanksgiving, I put everyone to work in the kitchen this year, to help in the preparation of our Thanksgiving Day feast. The menu would be a blend, as most things at Casa Daisy. My friend Esmeralda Santiago, and her family would be my guests, and we all looked forward to a quiet (by Daisy standards) and cozy holiday. I wanted to put out a nosh table for when my guests arrived. Esmeralda would be accompanied by her husband, Frank Cantor, a noted filmmaker, and her son and daughter, Lucas and Ila, both brilliant guitarists. Caprese salad with some nice crusty bread and Serrano ham, smoked salmon with garlic and herb Boursin cheese, chunks of Parmesan cheese and red seedless grapes, made a pretty spread on the coffee table.

The kids reallly got into the spirit of things, rolled up their sleeves, put on their aprons, and dug in. Dinner would be interesting. I wanted to start out with a Crab and Corn Chowder, followed by a salad of fennel, jicama, celery root, artichoke hearts, Granny Smith apples and arugula.

The base for the chowder.

Marc hones his knife skills.

“This is how you peel a jicama.”

All hands on deck.

The salad would be followed by the main event. The big bird, the pasteles I made with Mami and Papi last week, orange glazed carrrots, truffled shaved Brussels sprouts, stuffing, bakes sweet potatoes, arroz con gandules, and braised escarole.

Daisy puts the finishing touches on the stuffing.

Erik preps the escarole.

Jerry does the honors!

Friends and family take a moment to give thanks.

We finished things off with pumpkin pie and pecan pie, a menu which reflects a blend of cultures and traditions…a clear reflection of this wonderful country we call home: the United States of America.

Happy Thanksgiving, and a blessed holiday season!

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Their recent video production…*sigh*…where did I go wrong? *shakes head*

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As I stated in my last entry, this weekend has been a whirlwind of activity! Last night I was invited by my good friend and editor,Will Schwalbe, and his partner, David, to one of their favorite restaurants in Chinatown, Ping. Will had also invited another dear friend, and collaborator, Chris Styler and his partner, Joe, who brought along friends of theirs, Renee and Craig. With Jerry, Migui, and Angela in tow, we made for quite a festive table!

Angela, Renee, and David

Jerry, Miggy, Chris and Daisy

Daisy, Will, Joe, Craig, and Angela

Everyone at that table is a foodie, so, deferring to Will’s and David’s culinary knowledge, we eagerly awaited the kitchen’s treasures. We were not disappointed! Plate after plate of mouth watering dishes washed down with wine, made for a wonderful evening for catching up with friends.

The first platter to come out was devine. It consisted of deep fried, crispy chicken bits (think chicharrones de pollo), a chinese pate, fried calamari, and skinny little shrimp rolls that were so good, that I dared Angela to have just one! The surprise was served in the center of the plate: delicious, slighty salty ribbons of jellyfish, garnished with beautifully amber colored century eggs. A perfect Peking duck was next on the agenda (I got so excited, I ate it before I remembered to get the picture!), and the evening was off to a great start!

Click on the link below to read more! 

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Friday evening I had the pleasure and honor to be invited to the annual scholarship fundraising dinner sponsored by El Comite Noviembre, which is an organization deeply committed to Puerto Rican issues. Education and leadership are at the head of their roster, and needless to say, I was flattered beyond belief when they invited me to attend, not just in the capacity of spokesperson, but as an honoree as well. The event was held at the New York Hilton on W53rd Street and Avenue of the Americas.

It was really special for me, not just because I was being honored (which was wonderful enough!) but my parents were in town, and they have never attended any of these functions with me, so it was a really new experience for them. Jerry, Angela, and my oldest son, Erik, were also in attendance, making this event unprecedented for me!

Angela makes an entrance escorted by Papi

Papi, Daisy and Mami

The affair was very well attended. The other honorees at the event were Lynda Baquero, Anchor for News4 New York, Luis Fonsi, international producer and recording artist, and Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU. There was a silent auction held to raise money for the scholarships, and there were several recipients of the scholaships there on hand, as well, to take part of the festivities.

Click on the link below to read more. 

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It’s official! We commenced the holiday season’s festivities today at Casa Daisy by making 100 Pasteles de Hoja (click for December 2006 recipe), which will be shared by friends and family, starting next Thursday, on Thanksgiving Day. The fact that my mom and dad were on hand to help, made things much easier on me, not to mention how great it was to spend time in the kitchen with them again!

For anyone familiar with this process, you know that it’s a herculean effort, similar to the Mexican “tamalada”, where family members come together in the kitchen to get the task done. We started out in the kitchen quite early, 8:30 AM, with everyone fitting right into their usual roles: Mami at the stove preparing the meats and the broth from the pork bones, and Papi, peeling the viandas (root vegetables, plantains, green bananas and calabaza).

Click on the “Continue Reading” link to learn how to make Pasteles!
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If you missed it, we just posted all new recipes on DaisyMartinez.com for Thanksgiving. Buen Provecho!

Last month’s recipes can be found here (click)

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Here’s a link to the NY Times Talk panel that I did with Dave Leiberman and Rachael Ray…let me know what you all think!

NY Times Podcast with Daisy and Rachael Ray (click to download MP3 file)

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Last Monday, October 23, 2006, I did an event at DeGustibus in Herald Square. This cooking demo is unique in that the performing chef has the opportunity to prepare a 4-5 course meal for the audience. The meal is then paired with wines, and the audience has the opportunity to ask questions and interract with the chef. It is really one of my favorite venues, and being that before I cooked professionally I was a DeGustibus fan, it truly works out to be one of theose “full circle moments” we keep hearing about!

I showed up about 2PM with my brother, Chef Peter Martinez, and Chef Tagere Southwell, and her assistant Myra. We were cooking for about 80 people and I wanted to make sure that we had all our ducks lined up just so, which of course will facilitate things at time of service.

Chef Pete preps in the kitchen

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• 1 small (12- to 13-pound) turkey
• ¾ cup Wet Adobo
• 1 large Spanish onion
• 1 large carrot, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot or 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water

Remove the bag of giblets and neck from the turkey. Discard the liver and whack the remaining giblets and neck into large pieces with a cleaver or heavy knife.
Wash the turkey, pulling out and discarding any large pockets of fat from the body cavity as you do. Pat the turkey dry, and set on paper towels on your cutting board. Work your fingers between the skin and flesh of the turkey, working carefully and slowly to prevent tearing the skin. Once you have separated the skin from the breast, thigh and as much of the leg meat as you can, rub the wet adobo into the flesh and inside the turkey. Truss the turkey with kitchen twine. (See instructions for trussing a chicken on page 000.) Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Scatter the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and reserved neck and giblet pieces into a roasting pan. Pour in 2 cups water. Place the turkey breast side down on a roasting rack (preferably a V-shaped one) and roast the turkey 13-15 minutes a pound, until the juices run clear, not pink, from the thickest part of the thigh when poked down to the bone with a paring knife. About 30 minutes before the turkey is cooked, turn it breast side up to give the breast a lovely color.
Remove the turkey from the rack, and let it rest on a cutting board. Add water, if necessary, to make about 2 cups of liquid in the pan. Skim fat from the liquid and place the pan over high heat. Cook, stirring up the bits from the bottom, and bring to a boil. Strain through a fine sieve, discarding the solids, and return the liquid to the pan. Stir the arrowroot and 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl until the arrowroot is dissolved. Add to the gravy, and stir over medium high heat, until the gravy is slightly thickened and glossy. Check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary.

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• 2 pounds tiny white-skinned potatoes—the smaller the better
• Fine sea or kosher salt
• Olive oil
• ½ cup Sofrito
• One 8-ounce can Creole-style tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and pour in enough cold water to cover them completely. Throw in a handful of salt. Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat and scoop the potatoes with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Roll them around to dry the skins.
Pick a skillet or other pan that will hold the potatoes comfortably in a single layer. (A paella pan works well.) Pour in enough olive oil to fill about ¼ inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until rippling. Add the potatoes and cook, shaking the pan so they cook evenly, until the potatoes just start to brown in spots. Don’t worry about getting the potatoes crispy, because they are going to simmer in sauce.
Add the sofrito, bring to a boil and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Season lightly with salt. Adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering gently. Cover the pan and cook until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Taste the sauce and add a little salt if you think it needs it. Sprinkle the cilantro over the potatoes and serve.

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