CookingDiva

My dearest friend, Beau, from "BasicJuice" tagged me for a great meme: The Ten Buck Gem, and to tell you the truth I couldn't resist!It was a delicious coincidence that yesterday was the first day of the two day wine event at my favorite wine store in Panama City, Felipe Motta Wine Store. You can take a look at the invitation here. You would be amazed of how many great gems you could get for $10 or less here!

Just to make sure I was going to write about and cook something delicious with a wine that Beau had not reviewed, I went through her list of South American vinos, and was thrilled NOT to find the one I had in mind.

We chefs have the eye to find other chefs, so...the first person I recognized at the event was my friend and colleague Rafael Julio Ciniglio, from the "Vino Club" and Trattoria de America. I didn't purchase the $20 passport that allowed me to taste all the wines, ... because I was driving and had to cook lots once home. So I had to make sure I returned in one piece and with all the wine and specialty meats and dessert ingredients! BUT, we are planning to go back there today, purchase a $20 passport and enjoy!

I talked to many of the vendors from all over the world and specially had a long and educational conversation with Paula Hernandez, the On-trade Manager L.A. for Concha y Toro from beautiful Chile. Did you know they have a new line called TRIO? I tried them sometime ago when I first saw them at the shop, ...I am always after trying a new wine and better if it comes with a beautiful label.

So, yesterday I purchased one of each TRIO variety wines and finally decided to feature the Trio Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Cabernet Franc 15%, and Shiraz 15%. The price for each variety is $6.95 per bottle. Nice.

South America is one place I love, one of the reasons is because we share the same blood. Once we were part of the same -country-: La Gran Colombia (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama y Granada). Now, we are all over the place, but we still share the same blood and the love for food. That is why you sometimes find the same type of dishes with variations from north to south.

Today, the fantastic wine we are featuring is from Chile, a perfect member of the $10 buck gem society. So, in honor to the country of origin, I am preparing "Empanadas Chilenas" with chimichurri sauce from Argentina. Empanadas are perhaps, one of the dishes persistent in the diets of most of the South American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Brasil, Colombia and Panama. In every country you will find variations in the ingredients list of the filling and the method of cooking. Some of them are baked, others are fried. In general, "empanada" is a Spanish term meaning pie or turnover. It is used in referring to the final filled culinary creation. These flaky meat pies are a much loved snack. Although they can be filled with anything from fish to fruit, a meat filling is most common.

Why does this wine go perfectly with my empanadas?  Well, we needed a wine that could stand up to the body of this dish that consists of almost 90% seasoned meat. For this reason I recommend, the one TRIO with a solid structure to the palate, combining Cabernet Sauvignon and the Shiraz that has fruity touches blended magicaly with earthy aromas. Its smooth and ample tannins marry perfectly with the multiple tastes of the queen empanada.

Now, la receta deliciosa!

Empanadas Chilenas con Salsa Chimichurri

Prep. Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8-10 large empanadas
Ingredients for the dough (**See TIP below):

Place in a large bowl or food processor:

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix with a fork or pulse until combined. Then add:

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces

  Cut the butter add shortening into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or pulse in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If using the food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Then, drizzle over the top:

• 11-14 tablespoons ice water

  Mix gently with a fork until the flour mixture is dampened enough to gather into a ball. Shape into a flat disk, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 45 min.

  (**)TIP: To save time you can purchase "frozen pie crusts" and use it to make the empanadas dough. You can also use canned refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, or my favorite PUFF PASTRY dough. In any case follow directions to shape empanadas - below.

Ingredients for the filling: Heat in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

  Add:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

  Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Then, stir in:

• 1 pound lean ground beef

  Cook until the beef is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Then, stir in:

• 1 cup diced peeled potatoes
• 1 large tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins or chopped prunes (optional)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted green olives (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 

  Cook covered, over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. ncover the pan, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook briefly stirring constantly to evaporate any pan juices. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
  Pre-heat the oven to 400 F.

To Shape Empanadas:
Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly fluored surface. Make sure that is thin, it makes for a better empanadas. Cut 6 inch rounds from the dough (you'll have to re-roll the scraps to get the 10-12 rounds). The plastic top from a #3 coffee can makes a good cutter. Right away spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling onto one side of each round. Moisten the edges of the rounds with water, fold each round in half, and press the edges together to completely enclose the filling. Press the tines of a fork around the perimeter of the empanada to decoratively seal the edges. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Brush the following mixture over the tops of the empanadas:

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• pinch of salt

  Bake until nicely browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly on a rack and serve warm.
  ***If you're using canned refrigerated buttermilk biscuits: separate dough into 8 biscuits. Press or roll each to form 5" rounds. Spoon 3 slightly rounded tablespoons meat mixture in center of each round. Fold dough over filling; press edges with fork to seal. Place on greased cookie sheet. Brush with beaten egg. BAKE at 375 F for 11 to 16 minuts or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm.

  For the Chimichurri Sauce, whisk together throughly in a small bowl:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

  Stir in:

• 1 small onion
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• 4 cloves garlic, finelly chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste

  Cover and let stand fro 2-3 hours before serving to allow the flavors to mature.
  This sauce will keep for up to 2 days (covered and refrigerated).

Que lo disfruten!

Chef Melissa

Tags: wine, cookingdiva, empanadas, panama, chef

Garlic joy..., that is what I feel right now! Oh my garlic..., Oh my delicious roasted garlic... There is nothing better than a fresh roasted head of garlic to have with a still warm loaf of French bread. And I say loaf, because when you start would be very difficult to stop!

Now, I am going to present you a list of reasons why this recipe is a MUST for your life:

1. It is so easy to prepare, always a good thing to have in the fridge ready. A delicacy like this is very expensive to purchase already prepared..., just take a look at the gourmet shop near you, or at the supermarket..., and you will see what I mean.
2. The health benefits of the garlic are widely known, including the fact that is considered a mosquito repellent (that in my case would be of great help, because they LOVE me!). It is believed that if you eat a large amount of garlic then it actually seeps out through the pores of your skin. Any intelligent mosquito which finds you will think twice before taking a bite. You can read more on the health benefits of eating garlic HERE.
3. There are so many scrumptious recipes you could prepare with roasted garlic, why do not you try now?

The Ingredients:

4 heads of garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 500 F. Trim the stems of the garlic heads by 1/2-inch.
2. Place the garlic heads, cut side up, in a small baking dish and drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then add the water to the baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the garlic is golden brown on top.
3. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the garlic cool completely. Then, squeeze carefully the garlic out from the skins.
4. Serve with slices of French bread and garnish garlic with little olive oil and parsley on top.

Enjoy! Melissa

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Tags: garlic, recipes, cookingdiva, personal chef, panama, ajo

This is my non-entry for the Paper Chef February 2005, second recipe…contest. Specially designed for Owen. No point on asking for the -bonus points- because I am 1 day late---but anyways, I prepared this for lunch today, using the 4 extra ingredients: tamarind, chorizo, stale bread and broccoli. Hope you like it!

Yuca , cassava or mandioca (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) is a root originary from Brasil and Paraguay. It is an annual tuber crop grown widely in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It thrives in sandy loam soil low organic matter and can tolerate low rainfall and high temperatures. It is therefore a cash crop cultivated by smallholder farmers within the existin farming systems in many countries.

Ingredients for Croquettes:

1/2 lb (8 oz) yuca, peeled, cut in chunks and boiled for 15 mins

4 oz chorizo (I am using Panamanian chorizo from Las Tablas)

2 oz broccoli, cut, steamed and drained

Stale bread, grinded and seasoned with dry herbs

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Once yuca is cooked, drain and pulse in the food processor until dough is uniform.
2. Chorizo comes heavily seasoned most of the time, so there is no need to add spices to the filling this time. But, if you want to be sure…go ahead, taste and adjust seasonings to your liking
3. Take two tablespoons of yuca dough aprox., make a ball and then flatten it to a disk. Put one layer of chorizo and one layer of broccoli in the middle and top with a second flattened disk of yuca dough. Seal the edges. Wet your fingers and rub the surface of the croquette with your hands to make it even and seal edges. It has to be smoth and beautiful.
4. Roll over some bread crumbs (ground stale bread seasoned with herbs)
5. At this point you have to choices: you can deep fry, or oven fry the croquette.
6. Oven fry directions: after spraying them with some canola oil …I`ll oven fry these beauties for 15 minutes (350º pre-heated oven)
7. While they are baking, prepare the sauce:

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, then add

1/4 cup red onion, chopped (or shallots),

1 tablespoon sugar

sautee until caramelized.

Then add 3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate

1/4 cup orange juice, and simmer for 3 minutes, or until it`s reduced to 1/2.

Adjust seasonings, and serve with croquettes!

Enjoy!

Chef M

Tags: yuca, cassava, cookingdiva, chef, panama, recipe