Boriqua Blog

Tortilla Espanola, Sopa de Pollo con Fideos, Seafood Pie with Cornbread Crust and Daisy’s Papas a la Crema

“Goblins, Alley Cats, Witches on Brooms…”

Leaves in the trees, singing scary tunes… these are the things that are heard and seen…In the dark of night, on Halloween!” That was a song I used to sing in elementary school for Halloween, my second favorite holiday in the world. Up until my family moved to Staten Island, N.Y., I have no memory of Halloween, but believe me, the idea caught on like wildfire!
Today, I am still the biggest kid in my house when it comes to Halloween, but aside from the anticipated hullaboo of October 31st, if I close my eyes and think “October”, I can smell cazuela made with sweet potatoes and spices, cooked apple perfumed with cinnamon, and pots of bubbling beans scented with smoky jamon, or salchichon. Morning chill has me reaching for the cornmeal to cook up a pot of hot cereal , enriched with eggs and milk, and made irresistible with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove (think “breakfast polenta”, Erik used to call it “creamy maiz!), and cool afternoons serve as inspiration for Abuela’s Sopa de Pollo with Fideos, and Seafood Pie with Cornbread Crust, cozy comfort food.
This past September, I visited a Colombian restaurant, Nativa, in Astoria, NY, where I was served a side dish of boiled potatoes dressed in an aromatic béchamel sauce that had been enhanced with shallots, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, and scallions, called Papas a la Crema. After the first bite, I knew that this was a recipe that was going to find itself into the Daisy kitchen, and it really fits the “cozy, comfort food” bill. At Nativa, the Papas a la Crema were served with a grilled meat platter that was unbearably delicious, but enough to feed a family of four (for an in depth blog review of Nativa, see Boriqua Blog).

Papas a la Crema from Nativa Restaurant in Astoria

Daisy’s Papas a la Crema

Armed with determination, my wire whisk and some russet potatoes, I decided that today would be the perfect day to try out this month’s exclusive recipe. The weather was conducive to grilling a London broil, which I thought would compliment the creamy side dish nicely. While, my béchamel is colored slightly more than the sauce at Nativa, I concluded that it was because I cooked the carrots in the béchamel proper, instead of blanching them apart (which I thought would sacrifice the flavor imparted by the carrots), but other than that, I thought the sauce was delicious. I decided that I would present the potatoes in the same manner that I experienced then at the restaurant, but I think in the future, maybe I’ll parboil the potatoes, slice them in rounds, dress them with the sauce, and bake them, so that the potatoes and the sauces flavors meld. Only after this, will I slide them under the broiler to bubble and brown, but for now, I think this is a good first effort, don’t you?

That’s it for this month, folks! I’m getting the house ready for Halloween, hoarding my stashes of Halloween goodies, and working on my costume, not to mention I need to start working on my Christmas list! This certainly is one of my favorite times of year, with the anticipation of the cold weather holidays, and the friendly frost outside, that makes my kitchen the most popular room in my house. I encourage you to join your friends and family in the kitchen, and cook up some memories of your own!
Happy Halloween !

Comments Off

• 3 large Idaho potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium Spanish onion, sliced thin
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 eggs, well beaten

Tortilla Espanola

3 large Idaho potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, sliced thin
4 sprigs fresh thyme
6 eggs, well beaten

Makes about 20 tapas sized pieces or 8 lunch servings

Pour enough cold water over the potatoes in a large saucepan to cover them generously. Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water comes to a boil, drain the potatoes and let them air dry while you cook the onions.

Heat the olive oil in a large (at least 12-inch) non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the onions start to color, about 10 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and cook, stirring gently, until the potatoes are coated in oil. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Spread out the potatoes and onions in an even layer. Pour in the eggs and cook a few minutes until they start to set around the edges. Push the set eggs very gently toward the center of the pan, letting some of the raw egg from the top of the tortilla run down to fill in the empty spaces around the edge. Continue until there is no more uncooked egg running from the top. The tortilla tells you when it’s ready to turn: it will slide easily across the bottom of the skillet when you shake the pan.

Choose a plate that is an inch or two larger than the pan or a flat baking sheet (with no sides). Remove the pan from the heat. Cover it with the plate or baking sheet and, wearing oven mitts and holding one hand on each side of the pan, invert the tortilla onto the plate. Return the pan to the heat and slide the tortilla cooked side up back into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the bottom is set, about 10 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Tortillas are delicious chilled, too.

2 Comments »

• 10 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 celery stalk, cut in half lengthwise, then into ½-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced (1/2 inch)
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 pound very thin egg noodles, like Spanish fideos or angel hair pasta
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken, reserved from making broth
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Hot chili peppers, such as Scotch bonnets, Habaneros, jalapeno or serrano

Makes 8 serving

Heat broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add celery, pepper, and saffron and cook until the vegetables are softened and the broth takes on a rich color from the saffron, about 5 minutes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Stir the chicken into the broth. Stir the noodles into the boiling water. Cook, stirring gently, until the noodles are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

I like to mash half (or less) of a hot pepper, like a Scotch bonnet, at the bottom of each bowl. You can control the heat by the choice of pepper and by removing the seeds and ribs. Divide the noodles among the bowls and ladle the hot soup over the noodles and pepper. Sprinkle some of the chopped cilantro over each.

5 Comments »

For the topping:

• 1 cup fine yellow corn meal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels, drained, optional

For the filing:

• One 1 ½ pound live lobster
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 pound sea scallops
• 1 pound large (about 20 per pound) shrimp
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ cup bottle clam juice

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Prepare the topping ingredients: Stir the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Beat the milk, egg, and melted butter together until well blended. Set aside separately.

Plunge the lobster into a large pot of boiling water. Cook 8 minutes and drain. When the lobster is cool enough to handle it, remove the meat from the shell.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook just until the onions start to wilt—you don’t want them to color at all—about 2 minutes. Add the scallops and shrimp and cook, stirring, until the shrimp turn pink, about 2 minutes. Drop in the tomato paste and stir until the seafood is coated. Do the same with the flour. Cook 1 minute, then pour in the clam juice. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in the lobster and scrape into an 11 x 11 inch baking dish.

Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients, add the corn, if using, and stir just until blended. If the batter is a little lumpy, that’s ok. Spread the batter in an even layer over the seafood. It doesn’t matter if the seafood pokes through in a few places. Bake until the edges are bubbling and the topping is golden brown in places, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

No Comments »

• 3 large boiling potatoes
• water for boiling
• salt
• 5 tablespoons sweet, unsalted butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, slightly crushed
• 1 large shallot, minced
• ¼ cup of AP flour
• 31/2 cups whole milk
• 2 bay leaves
• salt
• pinch red pepper
• pinch of nutmeg
• ¾ cup carrots, in a very small dice (bruniose)
• 4-5 scallions, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon butter

Serves 6

1. Set the peeled potatoes, halved crosswise, in salted water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook 15 minutes or until you can pierce it easily with a paring knife. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan under medium low heat, and add the garlic cloves and the shallots, stirring until fragrant and soft, but not browned. Whisk in the flour, making sure to scrape the flour up from the corners of the saucepan (use a square tipped wooden spoon if necessary).

3. Cook the flour over low heat, constantly stirring. You do not want to color the roux at all. Gradually stir in the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps forming. Once all the milk has been incorporated, add the bay leaves, the salt, red pepper and nutmeg. You will have to continue stirring the béchamel for about 15-20 minutes, when the sauce becomes glossy and thickens, and has no “raw” flour taste.

4. Add the carrots, cooking for about 3-4 minutes, and then add the scallions. Butter an ovenproof casserole, and place the potatoes, cut side down, in the casserole. Pour the sauce over the potatoes, and run under a hot broiler until bubbly and brown.

No Comments »