Boriqua Blog

I’ve never blogged the same restaurant twice, before, but last night I met some friends for dinner, and I suggested we go to Palo Santo, in Park Slope; the meal was so great I felt compelled to share it with you. Since I’ve blogged the restaurant before, I won’t repeat myself as to the decor and the chef (the fabulous Chef Jacques Gautier), but I’ll dive head first into the food (the waitress informed us that the menu changes slighty almost daily).

Miggy, Daisy, Silvana (on the far left), and Christina

We started out by ordering a fews apps for the table to share. We ordered the Red Snapper Tacos, the ceviche of the day (Grouper Ceviche), the Cranberry Bean Soup with pork and black kale, and the Avocado ( an avocado half, dressed with a little lime, olive oil, and red onion, served with the cutuest little homemade tortillas I’ve ever seen in my life! Chef Jacques graciously sent over a sampler plate of pickled chiles for us to enjoy with our appetizers.I’d say we were off to a good start!

Snapper Tacos with Guacamole and Daikon Radish

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I happened to mention to Migui, the other day, that I had a willy for some Colombian food, and she told me she had just the place, so we headed out to Jackson Heights, to Natives Restaurant. The meal that was to follow was nothing short of rapturous, delightfully seasoned, served piping hot, and attractively served.

We started out with some Colombian empanadas, which had a crust similiar to the catibias that I tasted in the DR this past summer, and then we had the Picada Paisa which brings carne frita, chorizo, chicharron, tostones, yuca, potato, arepita, celery, carrots, and blue cheese (whew!). This was enough for a party of six, and that is not an exaggeration.

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• 8 ears fresh corn
• Salt water for boiling
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon achiote seeds
• 1 cup sofrito (onion, garlic, tomato, cubanelle pepper, cilantro)
• 1/4 cup alcaparrado
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup frozen baby lima beans
• 2 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and medium dice
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• Fresh chopped cilantro

Serves 8

Set the salt water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, add the corn and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Gently heat the olive oil in a small frying pan, and add the achiote seeds, until you achieve a beautiful sunset color.. Strain the oil into a larger saute pan. Discard the seeds.

Heat the large saucepan and the achiote oil at medium low and add the sofrito, the alcaparrado, the cumin, and the bay leaves (I like to add a little bit of brine from the alcaparrado). While the water cooks out, scrape the kernels off the cobs into a bowl, and separate the kernels with your fingers.

Add the corn to pan, along with the baby lima beans , and the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Lower the heat to simmer, cover, and cook 13-15 minutes or until the baby lima beans are tender and cooked through.

Sprinkle the guiso de maiz with the fresh chopped cilantro, stir, and serve.

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• ½ pound white hominy (maiz trillado blanco/posole)
• 6 cups of water
• 1 ham hock
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ cups leek whites, sliced into 1/4 inch
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 celery stalks, from the heart
• 10 ounce basket of white mushrooms, sliced thin
• 8.75 cooked chestnuts (available at specialty stores in vacuum packs or cans)
• 3 tablespoons sweet sherry
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 can evaporated milk
• salt and fresh white ground pepper

Serves 8

Set the posole in a large saucepan with the water, the ham hock , and the bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to simmer for about one hour, or until it is tender.

While waiting for the posole, heat the olive oil over medium high heat, in a Dutch oven, and add the leek whites, the celery stalks, and garlic, stirring until well wilted. Stir in the chestnuts and the mushrooms, raise the heat, and when the mushrooms start to release their liquor, add the sweet sherry, and cook out until 2 teaspoons..

Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool for at least 30 minutes, then transfer to a blender or a food processor to puree completely. Process in batches to avoid getting burned. Can be made ahead up to this point.

Gently bring the soup back to the simmer and stir in the condensed evaporated milk. Drain the posole, and add to the soup. Discard the ham hock and the bay leaves. Adjust the seasonings.

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• 1 pound chorizo, andouille or any smoked, garlicky sausage, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into ¼ inch slices
• ½ cup Sofrito
• ¼ cup alcaparrado or coarsely chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons fine sea or kosher salt
• 4 cups long grain rice
• Water as needed (about 5 ½ cups)
• 4 fresh culantro leaves or ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• Piece of banana leaf, optional

Put the chorizo into a cold 4 to 5-quart heavy pot and set the pot over medium heat. When the chorizo has rendered some of its fat and is sizzling, stir in the sofrito. Cook until the water is evaporated and the sofrito begins to sizzle. Stir in the alcaparrado or olives, cumin and salt. Cook a minute or two, then stir in the rice. When the rice is chalky, pour in enough water to cover by the width of two fingers. Bring to a boil. Cook until the level of liquid meets the rice.

Drop the culantro leaves over the rice (or sprinkle the cilantro over it). Give the rice a big stir, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.

Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir the rice and serve.

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Finally!!

It seems that autumn refused to show up this year, but this week has finally brought cool temperatures and pretty foliage at long   last! Once Halloween is over El Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated on November 2 in Latin America (but with special festivities in Mexico). My friend Francisca tells me that she would always get   very excited about this holiday when she was a little girl, because her parents would buy her and her sisters new outfits, and they  would go out for churros and chocolate in the zocalo. If you are in Portland, Oregon, make sure you stop in to Sahagun Chocolates,  and visit my friend Liz Montes and pick up a few of her special Dia de los Muertos chocolates!
  So, for me, the holiday season has officially started. Thanksgiving is a few weeks away, and right after that begins the Christmas festivities (not that I’m rushing things!). This past month has been chock full of events that were way too much fun. I was honored at Brooklyn Borough Hall by

Click for  a larger view

Click for  a larger view

BP Marty Markowitz during Hispanic Heritage month, and had the opportunity to meet some lovely people. It’s always nice to get recognition, but I love any chance I can get to meet and mix with fans. Marty was the perfect host and featured Latino restaurants from Brooklyn who put out a nice spread and mariachis for our entertainment.

I also have some great news! Esmeralda  Santiago has invited me to co-author a short story with her that will be read over the air on Christmas Day on NPR!! This is  so exciting for me; not only am I a great fan of Esmeralda, but I am fortunate enough to be able to count her as a good friend.
  So tune your radios to NPR on Christmas Day (as if you don’t already have enough to do!).

  The FDNY invited me to a Firefighter Chef Taste Off in the FDNY Museum down town, and that was a lot of fun. I ran into some old friends while I was there (shout outs to the Blum Family, and Chef Tom Hurley and Rescue 1), and made some new ones as well. God, I love those guys! They can invite me over to the firehouse to cook, anytime!

Miggy and I also went up to Rochester, NY to visit our friends, the Latinas Unidas, but I will be blogging about those events over  at Boriqua Blog, so you can all check it out there! In closing, let me leave you all with heartfelt wishes for a happy, healthy  Thanksgiving, in the company of all of those that you love… that’s where you’ll find me!

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!

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