CookingDiva

The avocado is a versatile performer that can take center stage or play a supporting role as a flavorful accent. The unique flavor and mouth watering creaminess marry well with ingredients from mild to wild, as well it is quite enjoyable when crafting natural skin products in your own kitchen!
On June 3rd Chef Melissa was the guest Chef at Telemetro’s Tu Mañana Show. Since avocados are in season, it was a great opportunity to showcase this delicious food.

The avocado is colloquially known as the Alligator Pear, reflecting its shape and the gator skin like appearance of its skin. Avocado is derived from the Aztec work “ahuacalt”. While avocados are now grown in most tropical and subtropical countries, the major commercial producers include the United States (Florida and California), Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Colombia.

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado (aguacate), ripe
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 oz. whole milk
• 4 tablespoons vanilla ice cream
• a pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Remove skin and seeds from avocados, chop roughly. Blend the avocados, honey, milk and ice cream in a blender for 15 seconds or until becomes smooth. Serve in tall glasses with ice and dust cinnamon on top.

What appears to be the fruit of the cashew tree is an oval or pear-shaped accessory fruit or false fruit that develops from the receptacle of the cashew flower. Called the cashew apple, better known in Central America as “jocote de marañón”, it ripens into a yellow and/or red structure about 5–11 cm long. It is edible, and has a strong “sweet” smell and a sweet taste. The pulp of the cashew apple is very juicy, but the skin is fragile, making it unsuitable for transport. It is often used as a flavor in agua fresca. The true fruit of the cashew tree is a kidney or boxing-glove shaped drupe that grows at the end of the pseudofruit. The drupe develops first on the tree, and then the peduncle expands into the pseudofruit. Within the true fruit is a single seed, the cashew nut. Although a nut in the culinary sense, in the botanical sense the fruit of the cashew is a seed…Wikipedia

I grew up with cashew trees in the backyard, they were so colorful and aromatic…we couldn’t resist to climb them and get some fruit if they were too high. We saved the nuts to roast when we had plenty and the day was sunny. I remember it was always during Holy Week when the cashew trees were in season. Right now we have some still with fruit, but it gets blemishes from the rain.
When it’s in season, you can find it almost every where: sold by street vendors, at supermarkets, etc. It is not cheap, because it labor intensive to roast them and shell them. The photo-collage is from my last cashew-roasting experience at home.
Now, you can try this easy recipe of a traditional sweet from the tropics, a well loved one!

Cocada con Pepita y Canela (Cocada with Cashe and Cinnamon)

This is a variation of my original recipe Cocada con Almendra. Check out one of my delicious new creations: Cocada Naranja - Piña (Orange - Pineapple Cocada)

If you have ever wondered how to prepare patacones, this post is for you. If you have dreamed enough about a crunchy patacón and salivated while others prepare this tropical delicacy, this is your lucky day. We have prepared this pictorial, step by step tutorial that will make you the star of the kitchen. People will rave about you and your patacones! The best part is that patacones are delicious by themselves or as a side dish with your favorite meat, fish or chicken dish.

Este post se lo dedico a mis lectores que desde hace rato quería una guía para hacer patacones. Este es su día de suerte! Hoy aprenderán a preparar unos crujientes, doraditos patacones que los convertirán en los reyes o reinas de la cocina. La mejor parte es que, los patacones se disfrutan solitos o como acompañante de su plato preferido de carne, pescado o pollo.

• #1: (EN) Preparation is very simple! Get a couple of green, firm, fresh plantains. If the plantains  are large, you will get about 5 patacones from each plantain, enough for one hungry person. This is probably the most important step, selecting the plantain. If you use yellowish plantains the patacones won't be crunchy. Some plantains are really curved, that will only make the peeling of the skin more difficult, so try to get them as straight as possible. Wash them and pat them dry with paper towels.
• #1: (ES) La preparación es muy sencilla! Seleccionar platanos verdes, firmes, frescos y que no esten tan curvos pues eso solo dificultaría el proceso de pelarlos. Si los plátanos son grandes,  uno rendirá aproximadamente 5 patacones, suficiente para una persona con hambre. Para que queden crujientes, evitar los plátanos pintones o amarillos. Enjuagarlos y secarlos con papel toalla.

• #2 (EN): Heat the oil in a deep saucepan, or deep fryer. The oil has to be abundant. For suggestions on the Best Oils for Cooking read our previous post on the subject. With a sharp knife take the end tips off the plantains, then cut it in half. Make a transverse cut of the green skin, make sure it is only deep enough to cut the skin. Then, with the help of the knife loosen the skin in one side and pull with your hand in order to take it all off. Remove any remaining skin with the knife. Once you have peeled the plantains, cut them in 2 inches pieces.
• #2 (ES): Calentar el aceice en una paila, cacerola o en un deep fryer. El aceite tiene que ser abundante. Con un cuchillo filoso cortar las puntitas de los extremos del plátano. Cortar por mitad y pasar una linea transversal con el cuchillo en la cáscara. Asegurarse de que el corte sea sólamente a la cáscara. Desprender la cáscara con la mano, o con la ayuda del cuchillo desprender la misma por el corte que se hizo. Remover cualquier rastro de cáscara que haya quedado.