Boriqua Blog

The day after my birthday, we left for Toledo, Ohio where I had been invited to the Toledo- Lucas County Public Library where I would discuss my cookbook and the road that has led me here today, and have a booksigning. Of course the first thing we did when we got to Toledo was ask what food made Toledo famous. The answer was unanimous: Tony Packo’s Cafe, established 1939. Apparently, MASH actor, Jamie Farr, who was from Toledo, actually mention’s Tony Packo’s on the show, making the little cafe that features Hungarian comfort food, sausages, meat, meat, and more meat, instantly famous. Okay, so we can’t leave Toledo without going to Tony Packo’s…what else have you got?

It was the definate opinion of our driver from the airport, that we should go to his favorite haunt Fat Freddy’s Sticky-Q. Now usually, that doesn’t exactly sound like the kind of place where Migui and I would go by ourselves, so we say, “okaaaaaay, what is it exactly that we can’t miss at Fat Freddy’s?”, whereby our chaffeur begins to wax poetic about the barbeque there, and how it prides itself on being Great Lakes BBQ, a genre all on its own, which uses a mixture of charcoal, and wood, thereby cutting the total cooking time to 3-31/2 hours. But the best part, says our gastronomic driver, is this apparatus that they called a Beer Bazooka!! “What’s that?”, asked Migui and I in unison. “I can’t really describe it”, says he, “you’ll have to go and see it for yourselves”. Never have I taken a challenge so seriously. Migui and I were there for dinner that evening.

Migui in front of Fat Freddy’s Sticky-Q

Daisy in the entrance of Fat Freddy’s (with Rocky!)

The first thing we did when we were seated was to order the bazooka. Well….let me tell you, Migui’s eyes actually widened when we saw the monster before us. It is a long column filled with beer, and the column has it own spigot, so that you can refill your own glass. Then, the waitress drops a plastic frozen “bullet” to keep the beer deliciously cold. Behold!

Needless to say, there was no way that we were going to be able to finish all that beer between the two of us (I think it holds 96 ounces!), but I can honestly tell you that Migui gave it the old college try! We decided to try and be as good as we could possibly be, in a place like this, so we ordered the chicken wings with medium hot sauce for Migs, and “call the fire department sauce” for me. The chicken wings were the hottest, crispiest, juiciest wings I have ever tasted! I am here to tell you that I could have easily made a meal of those wings and that beer, but I’m here to blog, so I had to take one for the team!

After loosening our belts a bit, we decided to share a sampler platter called the Triple Play Pork, which includes 1/4 rack of baby back ribs, a pork chop, and pulled pork (my fave!) along with two sides and Texas toast. I ordered some cole slaw on the side. Dude! I was sure I had died and gone to heaven!

The baked beans were tasty, and smokey-sweet, the beans and rice were meh, but who are you talking to about rice? The coleslaw, however was tangy and creamy, and met with my seal of approval. The ribs were tender, falling off the bone good, and Fat Freddy lived up to his Sticky-Q promise.

My mouth was watering for that pulled pork, because ever since I went to Chapel Hill, I’ve become a pulled pork snob, and I was anxious to see if it met with my standards. It did so, unequivocally!! Vinegary, smokey, mustardy, and juicy (my mouth just watered!) it made the trip to Fat Freddy’s worth the cabfare!

Dessert, you say? Noooooo, thank you very much! Everything was delicious, but you know me and my lack of a sweet tooth. I think I’ll wait another 36 hours before I have anything else to eat, thank you very much.

As for Migui and I…let’s just say that these two New York transplants had a great time their first night in Toledo!

Fat Freddy’s Sticky-Q
Toledo, OH
www.getsticky.com

I’ll be back to give you the low-down on Tony Packo’s later!

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On the day of my actual birthday, I was invited to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Polanco, Sr. for brunch. They are the parents of my ever fabulous, but sadly, long suffering assistant Migui (who is getting so popular that she’ll be needing to have her own blog soon!). When I arrived at the home of Migui’s sister Margaret, who was hosting the brunch, I was treated to a big “SURPRISE!”, and found the Polanco’s had thrown me my first surprise party ever! They even sang “Las Mananitas”, and “Celebro tu Cumpleanos” in Spanish!

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Okay guys, I promised you to catch up on the insanity that has been this month, and I am true to my word, so here we go.

Violette and Paul decided to jump start my birthday celebrations by inviting me for a fabulous Cinco de Mayo brunch on, well, May 5th, the day before my birthday! Pal decided on Dos Caminos SOHO which I had never been to, but will certainly revisit (looking back on the blog I noticed that I only post restaurants that I like…restaurants that I don’t recommend do not make it to the blog). Paul quickly ordered frozen margaritas to put everyone in a festive mood. That boy sure knows how to throw a party (with a lot of help from Violette!).

Violette invited all of the Sofrito Girls, but what with everyone’s crazy busy schedule, we managed to have a very small, intimate party.

Loni and Violette

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May has been a whirlwind of activity (I’m sure I will bring you all up to speed sooner than later), and I really have not had a lot of time for relaxing and getting together with friends. Last night, Miggy and I took steps to remedy that situation, and met our good friends Chris, Joe, Will and David for tapas at ALTA, a charming restaurant in the West Village. We wasted no time in ordering some refreshment, but were completely and utterly surprised at the fact that you cannot order Sangria by the pitcher, only by the glass…but what a glass it was. It was fruity and delicious, not cloyingly sweet, and oh so refreshing.

The boys let me take charge of the ordering, and I have to admit I love to do that when we are doing tapas. I started out with The Philadelphia Truffle Surprise, little phyllo purses filled with a dollopof delicious truffle scented cream cheese. I’m not sure I’d find this in a tapas bar in Barcelona, but it was really delicious.

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Wow! What a week and a half its been! Not that I’m complaining, of course, but talk about cramming every living second full of fun! The run started a week ago last Friday, when I was invited to a jewel of a Peruvian restaurant, right off the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (you can actually see it from the highway) in Williamsburg, called CHIMU Peruvian Cuisine and Steakhouse. Now, you guys are probably quite familiar with my affinity for the marvel that is Peruvian cuisine, but let me very very clear when I say that this is the real thing!

Miggy and I took advantage of the opportunity to visit CHIMU and catch up with good friend Lynda Dias, and Miggy’s little sister, Margarita. We quickly got the ball rolling by ordering some delicious Pisco Sours, that most Peruvian of cocktails!

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I decided to make this month’s exclusive recipe (I try to provide one every month) a Conchita favorite. While the idea of brunch is not one that I was familiar with, while growing up, it certainly caught up with me once I had children of my own. Serving brunch for Mami leaves us free to all go out for dinner as a family , and I managed to combine one of my favorite breakfast/brunch foods, hash, and interpret it for Mami’s palate. What I came up with was a Crab/Maduro/Longaniza Hash served with Poached Eggs, accompanied by a light green salad it makes a lovely, delicious meal that includes all of my Mami’s favorite flavors, crab, sweet plantain, and Dominican longaniza (chorizo works really well in this recipe, but has a much more assertive flavor than the longaniza). If you cannot find longaniza, use an Italian sausage ring, or breakfast sausage., First, lets start with the ingredients:

1 1/2 cup longaniza (about 7 ounces)

1 pound crab meat
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 sweet red bell pepper, medium dice
1/2 large Spanish onion, medium dice
1 scallion, sliced thin
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large red wax potato, medium dice
1 ripe plantain , medium dice
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons flour
salt and fresh ground pepper
1-1 1/2 teasponns canola oil
1 tablespoon unsweetened butter, cut into bits

I start the longaniza in a pan with the water and canola oil, cooking over medium high heat until the water evaporates and the sausage browns on both sides.

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Makes about 1 quart

• 1 ½ cups of water

• ¾ cup sugar

• One 14-ounce package pureed mango.

• Juice of 1 lime

• ¾ teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Dissolve the sugar in the water. Stir in the mango puree, lime juice, and ginger.
Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Scrape into a container, seal tightly and let firm up in the freezer for about 3 hours before serving.

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Makes 6 servings For the sauce:

• 1 ½ pounds tomatillos

• 1 medium Spanish onion, cut into 1-inch chunks

• 1/3 cup (loosely packed) mint leaves

• 1 bunch cilantro, stems and all, very roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

• 1 jalapeño, cored and seeded

• 4 cloves garlic

• 2 teaspoons, or as needed, fine sea or kosher salt

• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken, turkey, pork, beef or whatever makes you happy

• Ten 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into 2-inch wide strips

• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

• 1 cup grated Parmesan, manchego or cotijo cheese

Remove the papery covering from the tomatillos and cut out the cores. Cut the tomatillos into 2-inch or so chunks.

Blend the tomatillos at low speed until liquidy. Add the onion and blend until smooth. Add the mint and cilantro and blend until the herbs are finely chopped. Finally, add the jalapeno and garlic and blend until smooth. Pour the liquid into a heavy, medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering.

Cook until the sauce is thickened slightly about 20 minutes. Set aside ½ cup sauce and stir the shredded chicken into the remaining sauce. Add 2 teaspoons salt or salt to taste.
Heat the oven to 350° F. Pour about ¼ inch of vegetable oil into a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Dip a corner of one of the tortilla strips into the oil; when it gives off a lively sizzle the oil is ready. Add as many of the tortilla strips as fit without overlapping to the pan. Fry the tortillas, turning once until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining tortilla strips. Butter a deep (at least 2 ½ inches deep) 9 x 11-inch casserole/baking dish. Make a layer of the fried tortilla strips over the bottom. It doesn’t matter if the layer is perfectly even or not, just be sure to cover the bottom. Spoon half of the sauce and chicken over the tortillas. Top that with 1/3 cup each of the jack and Manchego or Parmesan cheese. Make another layer of the tortillas, sauce and cheeses. Top with another layer of tortillas and spread with the remaining sauce. Top with remaining cheeses.
Bake until the edges of the casserole are bubbling and the top layer of cheese is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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Makes about 2 quarts (8 servings)

• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded

• 1 large red bell pepper, roasted , cored and seeded or 1 large bottled “fire-roasted” pepper

• 1 English (hothouse) cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and seeded, then cut into 1-inch chunks

• ½ cup roughly chopped Spanish onion

• ½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 clove garlic

• 2 cups bottled tomato juice

• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• ¼ cup olive oil

• Freshly ground pepper

Process the tomatoes in the work bowl of a food processor until chopped. Add the roasted pepper, cucumber, onion, cilantro, and garlic one at a time and process until you have a thick soupy puree. Add the tomato juice, vinegar, cumin, and salt and pulse the processor until incorporated. With the processor running, slowly add the olive oil. Chill.
Check the seasonings and add salt, if necessary and pepper to taste. Serve in chilled mugs or bowls. You can make this the day before you plan to serve it. The flavor will only get better. Store it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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YAY!

It’s May!!! Gone are the clumsy fleeces, hats, coats, and gloves that I’ve lugged around for longer than I care to. I welcome the warm, sunny weather, and the riot of color in my garden with wide, open arms. Go pansies, and crocus! Up, grape hyacinth and daffodils! I am embracing my pretty, sleeveless dresses, and open toed sandals, and of course, I’m headed to my local market to scour the produce section for fiddleheads, artichokes, and blood oranges. Soft shell crabs, anyone? Sign me up!!!
I adore May for a few other, selfish reasons, too. First, there’s May Day, and I like to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (not because I’m Mexican, but because it’s a great excuse to make Mexican food and Margarita’s), then, my birthday on May 6th, and I celebrate Mother’s Day with my family. I have mentioned, haven’t I, that nobody loves a party like a Puerto Rican, right? Well, this Boricua is standing right in the front of that line!
For this month, I’d like to mix it up, and keep it festive. How about we start out with chilled Gazpacho, garnished with grilled shrimp and avocado? We can follow that up with some spicy, cheesy Chilaquiles, and Arroz con Gandules, and we can end the menu on a light, refreshing note with some Mango Sorbet, yes?…(Or maybe birthday cake!). All of these dishes can be made well ahead, so that you are available to enjoy your family and friends, and at the end of the day, that’s really the best part of a party, isn’t it? For this month’s exclusive recipe, go on over to Boriqua Blog, where I’ll show you how to make a delicious Crab/Maduro/Longaniza Hash with poached eggs, for your Mother’s day brunch!

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