Chopped Dates in Milk

It's been an exciting time for me lately. My husband and I just bought a condo and we've been spending the last couple of weeks unpacking. I really love the new place and can't wait until we finish settling in.

There are some things that I miss about our old place, like the view from the balcony, but let me tell you, I don't miss the stove. It was electric, and really small - just big enough to fit a cookie sheet. It was the kind that has one full size burner, with three that are smaller.

And now for the exciting part. Check out our new stove!


I'm really excited to start experimenting with it.

Another thing that has been keeping me busy lately is Ramadan, the month of fasting that Muslims observe once a year. The fast lasts during daylight hours, so traditionally you wake up before sunrise to eat a meal called suhor and break your fast after sunset with a meal called iftar.

I have a lot of food related memories surrounding Ramadan, since there are certain dishes that my family makes during this time. For example, one traditional food to break fast with is dates and milk. My mom likes to let the dates sit for few minutes in the milk before eating, so the sweet flavor of the dates seeps into the milk.

I've seen variations of this that include nuts, but for me the plain version is great as is. It's the perfect refreshing snack to have at the end of a day of fasting.

Chopped Dates and Milk

(appetizer/snack for 4)

12 dates, about 3 per ramekin
4 ramekins
milk, about 2 cups
couple dashes of cinnamon, optional

Chop the dates into bite sized pieces, removing the seed. Divide evenly between the ramekins and then fill to the top with milk. Sprinkle with some cinnamon if you'd like. Allow to site for at least 5 minutes before enjoying.

Slow-Cooked Shrimp with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Remember the kifta kebab, and how I said that was my favorite meal to request when I visit my family? Well, this shrimp dish is my husband's favorite when we visit his family. The texture of this shrimp is unlike any I've ever had before. It's extremely soft and almost falls apart when you cut it. A spicy tomato based sauce really seeps into the shrimp, and the occasional olive provides a tart contrast in flavor.

The secret to achieving the soft texture of the shrimp is cooking the crap out it. This was a little bizarre to me at first, since I had always heard that you generally cook shrimp briefly. I thought anything more than a few minutes and you would end up with overcooked shrimp. However, it turns out that as with other slow cooked foods, you really can achieve a different texture in the shrimp by giving it plenty of time to cook.

Let me tell you, the first time I tried to make this at home it was a disaster. We got the recipe from my husband's mom by asking her over the phone. We didn't get it right. For example, she said to let it cook for "awhile" which we interpreted as 15-20 minutes, when in fact she meant more than an hour! We also added far too much tomato paste, which obscured all of the other spices in the dish. The shrimp turned out tough and flavorless. Let's just say that the food didn't remind my husband of home :-)

As is often the case with recipes like this that have never been written down, it turned out that the best thing to do was to wait until we visited the east coast again and watch over her shoulder as she made it. She was really excited to show off her recipe, and we all had a good time cooking together.

My husband's mom uses Adobo seasoning and Sazon Goya packets, but I wanted to be able to make it from the spices that I always have on hand at home, so I've modified the recipe a bit. Instead, I use spices that are found in those Goya mixtures in my own combination.

Also, this recipe calls for jumbo shrimp, but my husband's mom says she substitutes regular shrimp sometimes and it works out just fine.

Slow-Cooked Shrimp with Spicy Tomato Sauce
(serves 3-4)

To marinade the shrimp:
2 lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail removed, and deveined (See this video for tips on how to devein, or you can buy them already peeled and deveined.)
1 lime
1/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 tsp oregano
black pepper, several generous grinds
4 cloves garlic, mashed or finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt

For the sauce:
2 Tbsp refined corn oil, or other high heat oil
cilantro
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp achiote, (see the pinon post for information on achiote)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
handful of green olives, with pimento (optional)
broth, or water, about 2-3 cups

Put the peeled, deveined shrimp in a large bowl and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Leaving a little water in the bottom of the bowl, squeeze the juice of a full lime all over the shrimp, mixing with the water as you go. Add more water and rinse the shrimp once more. Finally, drain all of the water.

Add to the bowl the wine, oregano, black pepper, garlic, and salt. Mix everything together thoroughly. Optionally, you can let this sit for up to 30 minutes to marinade.

Put a large pot on medium-high heat and add corn oil. After the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium and prepare to spoon in the shrimp. Use a lid to cover the top as you spoon in the shrimp gradually, to prevent splattering. Finally, pour in the remaining marinade. Add a handful of cilantro, stems included. Stir the mixture to combine and cover. At this point, the liquid should be simmering/boiling.

Let it cook like this, covered, for about 45 minutes to an hour, but make sure to check it regularly and add broth or water if the liquid starts to dry up.

After cooking for 45 minutes to an hour, push all the shrimp to the sides making space in the middle of the pot. Add the onion, red and green pepper, coriander, achiote, and tomato paste. Let that cook for awhile in the center, stirring occasionally. When the onion starts to become translucent, stir everything together and add olives if desired.

Add another cup and a half of broth or water and cook for another 15-20 minutes. At this point, you can uncover and let the sauce dry up a bit, to the desired consistency. The sauce should be relatively thick. Don't forget to check your seasoning too.

Enjoy the shrimp over a bed of rice. I, of course, like to garnish with cilantro too. :-)

Mini Banana-Peach Cakes

Let me just start out by saying that Alton Brown is a genius. I don't necessarily think he's the best chef out there, but he knows how to teach about cooking in a way that grabs your attention and sucks you in. His show Good Eats is unique, fast paced, and full of interesting information about food. The depth of his food knowledge is also demonstrated weekly when he hosts Iron Chef America. He's got to be the smartest person on the Food Network today.

There are also things about his philosophy on food that resonate with me. For example, let me share my favorite Alton Brown quote with you:
"You know we fixate on the food so much itself: 'Oh, the ultimate brownie or the ultimate this or that' -- well, let me tell you something: It’s all poop in about 12 hours, okay? The real power that food has is its ability to connect human beings to each other -- that’s the stuff right there and, to me, everything else is secondary to that."
Amen. I have to agree that this is exactly why food is such a powerful thing.

Anyway, back to the recipe. This cake is based on Alton Brown's Individual Peach Upside-Down Cake, a recipe that I picked up from an episode of Good Eats. I like it because it's really easy, but it looks great and it's pretty healthy for a dessert. Each cake is an individual serving, cooked in a ramekin. After baking, the ramekin is flipped upside down, and the vibrant orange of the peach makes for a pretty top to the dessert.

The juicy peach sits on top of a fluffy vanilla flavored cake. In my version, I added banana as a second layer of fruit under the peach, to add a bit more variety. I also used cinnamon instead of candied ginger, since its an ingredient I'm more likely to have around the house.

Another substitution I made was using yogurt and milk instead of buttermilk. I rarely use buttermilk in my cooking, and it's always annoying to have to buy an ingredient just for one recipe. So, after a little searching online I found that yogurt, thinned with a bit of milk can be a buttermilk substitute. I had some yogurt leftover from making pancakes so I decided to give it a try. It made the batter a little thicker, but worked great!

I like to eat the cake by itself, but it would also be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Mini Banana-Peach Cakes
(makes 4 cakes)

Fruit layer:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 peach, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch slices
1/2 tsp cinnamon, or enough to generously sprinkle each ramekin
1 banana, sliced into 1/3 inch thick rounds

Cake layer:
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 Tbsp milk
5 Tbsp yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Divide 2 Tbsp. of the butter evenly between 4 ramekins, cutting into small pieces to cover the bottom. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the butter, dividing evenly between the ramekins.

Lay peach slices on top of the sugar, forming a layer of peach on the bottom. Remember that the peach slices will shrink when cooked, so make it a generous layer, overlapping as necessary. On top of this, sprinkle some cinnamon into each ramekin. Then add the banana on top, forming another layer.

For the cake, in a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl (I usually just use a liquid cup measure), mix together sugar, melted butter, milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. At this point, the batter should be relatively thick, but thin enough to pour. If it seems too thick, add some more milk until it's the right consistency. Pour evenly into the ramekins, filling just up to the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is beginning to brown and juices are bubbling. Warning: be sure to put something under the ramekins, since they are likely to leak fruit juice. I like to use a piece of tin foil on the rack below.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the outside edge to loosen and flip upside down on a plate. Enjoy alone, or with ice cream.

Pinon: Carribean style beef and plantains

My husband's family is from the Dominican Republic, so plantains were a staple when he was growing up. When we started cooking together, I was introduced to plantains, and they quickly became a regular part of our cooking. However, I only know a limited number of ways to cook with them, most of which feature the plantain as the main ingredient. This recipe on the Food Network site caught my eye because it includes plantains, but incorporates a lot of other ingredients and flavors.

Plantains have a bit of a dual personality. When they are not ripe, they are green, hard, and taste similar to potatoes. However, when they ripen they turn yellow/brown, soften, and have a sweet flavor, like bananas. It always amazes me that you can get such a wide range of textures and flavors from a single ingredient!

Some traditional uses of green plantains include mangu, which tastes similar to textured mashed potatoes, and tostones, which are basically french fries made from plantains. Platanos maduros is a dish where the ripe plantains are fried and is reminiscent of banana flambe.

This recipe calls for semi-ripe plantains, which means that they are yellow, with brown spots. Usually you can find both green and ripe plantains for sale. However, if you can only find green plantains, you can also keep them on your counter until they ripen. While I haven't done this myself, this site says that keeping them for a week in a paper bag will do the trick.

This interpretation of pinon is like a lasagna, with plantains instead of noodles, and Spanish spices that heighten the flavor. The ground beef is spicy and contrasts with the sweetness of the raisins and plantains. (Did I mention that one of my favorite flavor combinations is spicy and sweet??) The Parmesan cheese in this dish is definitely an Italian inspired addition, and makes it feel more like a lasagna. As far as I can tell from poking around online, this recipe is based on a traditional Puerto Rican omelette, but it takes some diversions from the authentic version.

One ingredient in this recipe that was new to me was achiote, a spice commonly used in Latin American cuisine. I picked some up when I first made this dish and I have found that it is generally useful in other things that I make. However, if you don't feel like getting any, I think a good substitute would be paprika. It has the same bold color and mild smoky flavor.

One thing that I would like to experiment with next time I make this is baking the plantains, instead of frying them. I suspect you could get pretty much the same flavor, and it would be a lot healthier, as well as less time consuming.

Here is what it looks like:


And here is the recipe, based on this Food Network recipe:

Pinon: Carribean style beef and plantains
(serves 5-6)

Ground beef filling:
1.25 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp pepper, to taste
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground achiote
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1 16 ounce can whole tomatoes, drained (juices reserved), and chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup raisins
1.5 Tbsp red wine vinegar

For the lasagna layers:
4 semi-ripe plantains, yellow with some spots
olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of a pan
2 eggs
2-3 Tbsp. milk, or water
1/2 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
cilantro, optional for garnish

Note that you can make the ground beef filling in advance and store in the fridge until you are ready to make the rest.

Also a tip on cooking this for 2-3 people. Instead of just cutting the whole recipe in half, usually I cook all of the ground beef filling and save half of it for the next day. Then I halve the ingredients used for the other lasagna layers. For example, only 2 plantains, 1 egg, etc. A loaf pan works perfectly for the halved recipe.

Cook ground beef in a large pot over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the onion, red and green bell pepper, bay leaves, and spices. Cook for a few more minutes until the onions and peppers begin to soften.

Add all remaining ingredients to the beef, including the chopped tomatoes and reserved juice, tomato sauce, raisins, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and let the flavors combine for 10-15 minutes. At this point, taste and adjust the spices to your liking.

Set the beef aside to cool while you prepare the plantains.

Peel the plantains and cut diagonally into 1/4-1/3 inch thick slices. (Tip for peeling a plantain: the skin is a little thicker than bananas, so you'll want to cut one end off and slice through the skin lengthwise three times, spaced evenly around the plantain. Then the skin will peel off easily.)

Heat a large pan on medium heat and lightly coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. When the oil is hot (bubbles when you add a small piece of plantain), add enough slices to cover the bottom of the pan. When the bottom is browned (after a couple minutes), flip to cook the other side. Remove when both sides are lightly browned. (Note the dark brown color on some of the plantain slices in the middle of my picture - that's probably a little too brown :-))

Remove slices to a paper towel to drain and repeat the process for the remaining plantain slices. Add more oil if the pan gets dry in some areas.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly oil a large rectangular baking pan (3 quart capacity). Combine eggs and milk in a bowl and lightly beat. Add half of the egg mixture to the bottom of the pan. Follow with a layer of 1/3 of the plantains, 1/2 of the beef mixture, and 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat another 1/3 of the plantains, remaining beef, and remaining cheese. Top with a layer of plantains. Finally, pour the remaining egg mixture evenly over the top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until hot and bubbling. If you started with freshly cooked beef (not out of the fridge), usually all the ingredients start warm and you only need to bake for 30 minutes. However, starting with cold beef, you really need to bake for about an hour to heat through.

Remove the foil, sprinkle with cilantro, and enjoy!