Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Rounding out my El Comidista meal of Summer Lasagna, Roasted cauliflower and carrots with orange, and Quinoa salad with avocado and lima beans, I decided to divert from the theme a bit and make Arroz con Leche.  It’s a super easy, tasty dessert which won’t break the bank to make (especially important to me now in Chile).  The only thing I might have to worry about is super picky arroz con leche eaters, though I confess I don’t have too many Latino friends here who might be offended by my less than perfect arroz con leche.

While still a cold dish for my Comidista meal, I found this recipe not on Mikel López Iturriaga’s blog, but in my stash from the cooking school I had gone to in Madrid and from which emerged other delicious Spanish foods like, Tortilla de Patata.  I made this dish earlier in the school year for my first cook in my coop and not really been happy with the result, so I decided to make it again for this cook.  I also wanted to surprise my friend who loves arroz con leche.  While I was still not entirely pleased with the result (I need to make it a bit thinner for it to be true arroz con leche) I was glad to see that my friends really enjoyed it.

However, in order to find the desired consistency next time, I plan to follow the advice of Smitten Kitchen.  She suggests you cook this until a certain amount of liquid has been absorbed, I’d say all but 20 percent, and as it cools it will thicken.  This is especially true when you cool it in the fridge, which I recommend doing along with making it the night before.  That way, the arroz con leche has time to both thicken and cool down so the next day you're not waiting to serve your dessert.  As a final tip, I suggest using a very large pot for this recipe so the milk doesn’t accidentally boil over while the lid is on.  Just a piece of advice which I learned from experience...

Arroz con Leche or Rice Pudding (adapted and translated from Cocina Cayena)

Ingredients:
1 cup arborio rice (or other short grain rice)
5 cups of whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup of sugar
1 lemon peel
1 orange peel
1 cinnamon stick
ground cinnamon (for garnish)

Directions:
1) In a large pot, heat the milk, cream, sugar, the lemon and orange peel, and the cinnamon stick.
2) Once the milk boils, add the rice and let it simmer for about 20 minutes with the lid on, until the rice is tender.
3) Remove the lid and allow the rice to cool and absorb the rest of the milk and cream
4) Remove the lemon and orange peel, and cinnamon stick. Divide into individual bowls or cups. Top with ground cinnamon and serve.

Roasted carrots and cauliflower with orange

It’s not summer here in Chile (in fact it’s quite cold with none of the buildings having central heating) but I wanted to continue my stream of delicious summer dishes for everyone back in the U.S.   As such, this entry features yet another dish from my Comidista summer dinner, which I introduced with previous entry of Summer Lasagna.  Having free reign to choose whatever recipes I wanted for this meal, I decided I needed to have a theme to narrow down my choices of what to make. Looking over my list of recipes to make, I realized I had a ton of from, my favorite Spanish food blogger, which I’d never had the chance to prepare.  Seizing the opportunity to experiment, I decided my meal theme would be cold foods (for our hot summer weather), using healthy, fresh produce, and recipes from Mikel López Iturriaga’s blog, El Comidista.

One of the side dish recipes I settled on were these roasted carrots and cauliflower with orange. Great for a summer day, these have a zesty flavor and can be served warm or cold.

Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower with Orange (adapted from El Comidista)

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
2 small heads of cauliflower (one white and the other green or purple or both white if you can’t find other colors)
4-8 carrots, depending on their size
1 large orange
1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of spicy paprika
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Fill a large pot with water, salt it, and put it to boil over high heat.
2) Peal the carrots and cut them into pieces. Cut off the trunk of the cauliflower leaving only the florets and break it into pieces. Set aside.
3) Preheat the oven to 445ºF.
4) Boil the carrots in the pot of water for 5-10 minutes or until they’re a bit soft, but not cooked all the way. Remove the carrots from the water. Add the cauliflower to the same water and boil for a minute. Rinse both carrots and cauliflower. Drain well.
5) Cut the orange and the lemon in half and set aside one half of each. Juice the other two halves and mix the juices.
6) In a small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons of the juice with the cumin, paprika, 2 cloves of garlic, crushed, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.
7) Place the cauliflower, carrots, and unsqueezed halves of lemon and orange on a baking sheet. Cover with the marinade, using your hands to mix, making sure the carrots and cauliflower are evenly coated. Place in the oven for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft and golden. If it’s browning too quickly, put some aluminum foil over top.
8) While that’s in the oven, mix the combined orange and lemon juice with 8 tablespoons of olive oil, the brown sugar, salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the roasted carrots and cauliflower and serve. If you’d like it a bit bitter, you can add the juice from the roasted orange and lemon to the dressing.

Chocolate, Cherry, and Hazelnut Biscotti

As I’m embarking on my trip to a new job, (in the New York airport right now in fact), I’d like to use this recipe to reflect on last summer. 

One of the wonderful things about any good job is great co-workers. Last summer, I had many of them since I had two jobs. However, a truly awesome co-worker is one who, among other things, also gives you tasty recipes.  The office manager at Kingston Family Vineyards, is one of those people. A wonderful cook, Barbara gave me some great recipes last summer, many of them which I have not even had the chance to try yet. However, in my last cook ever at my co-op, I decided to try something totally new and make one of Barbara’s recipes. It did not disappoint.

Though I was somewhat nervous about trying my hand at making biscotti for the first time ever, on such an important occasion, I decided to do it. It wasn’t the easiest dessert to make, but it certainly wasn’t one of the most complicated I’ve made either. It also, unsurprisingly, went over well with my co-op mates. Now that I’m over my fear of making biscotti, I’ll probably be making this, and other kinds, again soon. Thanks, Barbara!

Chocolate, Cherry, and Hazelnut Biscotti (adapted from Donata Maggipinto)

Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup port or other sweet red wine
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (I didn't have any and it didn't seem to be missing anything)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) Place hazelnuts baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring once. Turn nuts out onto a towel. Roll up towel; rub off skins. Chop nuts.
3) Pour wine in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 1 minute. Add cherries, and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Drain well.
4) Place sugar and chocolate in a food processor; process until chocolate is finely ground.
5) Place vanilla, egg, and egg yolk in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended (about 1 minute). Add sugar mixture; beat 1 minute.
6) Combine flour and remaining dry ingredients. Stir with a whisk. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, beating until blended. Add hazelnuts and cherries; beat just until blended. (The dough will be very stiff.)
7) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly several times. Divide dough in half; shape each portion into an 8-inch-long roll. Place rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; pat each roll to a 1-inch thickness.
8) Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on a baking sheet for 10 minutes.
9) Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
10) Cut each roll diagonally into 12 slices. Place, cut sides down, on baking sheet.
11) Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Cool completely on wire rack.

No-Bake Summer Lasagna

Finally, time to write. It’s been another several weeks since I’ve been able to post anything and my excuse is: graduation. I can’t believe it’s all over so quickly, and my extra week in California too, but now, I’m on my way back home for a short visit. After that, it’s off to Santiago, Chile to start my life in the real world.

While I’m sad college is over (though don’t get me wrong, I’m soo happy to be done with writing research papers) I’m excited to be moving on to something new and a whole new world of food to explore. Even though most people tell me that Chilean food is nothing to write home about and Santiago is simply not their favorite city, I’m determined to like it. I think it will be adventure to try some of the local cuisine and take advantage of the fresh produce. I was reading on Liz Caskey’s blog, Eat Wine, that she has never seen anywhere with such great fresh produce other than California. As such, when I get to Chile (even though it won’t be summer) I’ll probably be making this no-bake lasagna to make use of the tasty produce. And now that it’s summer in the States, I hope you’ll try it too.

I made this lasagna for my co-op thinking that it would be nice to have a cold meal on a hot summer day and hoping to finally try out some of the recipes on my favorite Spanish food blog, El Comidista. His recipes did not disappoint and had everyone complimenting our food.  If you'd like to see the Spanish version of this recipe, simply scroll to the end or click on the "Para ver la receta en español, haz clique aquí".

No-Bake Summer Lasagna (translated and adapted from El Comidista)

Yield: Serves 4 people
Ingredients:
12 sheets of lasagna pasta
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 zucchini
150 gr. of dried tomatoes in oil
100 gr. of ricotta cheese
50 gr. of grated parmesan
50 gr. of hazelnuts
1 handful of basil
1/2 lemon
White vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Directions:
1) Using a mandolin, a peeler, or a Salad Shooter like the one my co-op bought near the end of the year, cut the zucchini into super thin slices. Mix the lemon juice, with a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. Then, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the zucchini with the lemon juice and allow it to marinate at room temperature for about half an hour.
2) In a blender, combine the hazelnuts, basil, a tablespoon of vinegar, and 150ml of olive oil. Add the grated parmesan cheese and blend again. If the mixture is very thick, add a bit more olive oil until it’s about the consistency of pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. 
3) Peel and cut the tomatoes into thin slices (I didn’t peel my tomatoes and it was still fine). 
4) With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the ricotta cheese with a bit of olive oil until it is creamy. Salt to taste. 
5) Following the instructions on the package, cook the sheets of lasagna until just al dente. 
6) In a deep dish, begin assembling the lasagna. In the first layer, place four pieces of lasagna side by side and cover with half of the ricotta cheese. On top, place half of the zucchini, tomato, and sun dried tomatoes in pieces. Drop a bit of the pesto sauce on top in small dollops. Cover with another layer of lasagna sheets and repeat the above steps. Finish with a layer of lasagna sheets and cover with more pesto and some sun dried to tomatoes. Serve at room temperature.

Orange Ricotta Cookies with Dark Chocolate

Ahh! I have completely broken my promise to myself to post once a week this quarter! I can hardly believe the time has flown so quickly though! I have now cooked so many things that I have a backlog of recipes. No promise I’ll post once a week until the quarter ends, but here’s a super tasty cookie recipe after a long hiatus.

Several weeks ago, when my co-cook, Laura, and I started planning a menu for our previously mentioned picnic meal, I knew that I wanted to make Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes as my centerpiece. For dessert, I also knew I had to make something delicious and portable because, after all, you're more likely to take a cookie on a picnic than a rack of cupcakes or a pie.  So I dug up my list of cookies to make and ran across these amazing Orange Ricotta cookies with dark chocolate drizzle.  Just the name of these cookies was enough to elicit oohs and awws from the people who passed through the kitchen.

What's more, I was able to use local ingredients to make them. And when I say local, I mean outside our front door. Fortunately for me, my house boasts both an orange tree and a lemon tree simply laden with fruit this quarter. It was an awesome resource for our entire picnic meal and especially great for these light, summery cookies. As an aside, this recipe is great for a crowd, in fact just one recipe made enough cookies for my entire house of 40 so if you’re making for fewer people I suggest halving this recipe. Also, this recipe works with all kinds of citrus fruits so if you don’t have oranges but have lemons or grapefruits, don’t sweat it, just use those instead!

Orange Ricotta Cookies (lightly adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod)

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 orange, zested

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 375º F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk until ingredients are combined. Set aside.
3) In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, combine butter and the sugar.  Beat the until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.  Add the ricotta cheese, orange juice, and orange zest.  Beat to combine.
4) Stir in the dry ingredients. Spoon the dough (about 1 tablespoon for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Orange Glaze
Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup chopped dark chocolate, melted

Directions: 
1) Combine the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
2) Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread.
3) Let glaze harden for about five minutes. Using a plastic bag with a small hole cut in the corner or a pastry bag, drizzle cookies with dark chocolate stripes.

Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I'm aware that I'm really terrible about posting recipes other than desserts but I want people to know that I actually do eat things other than cupcakes and cookies.  This blog might suggest otherwise, but I swear it's true and here's the proof.  I would attribute my lack of real food dishes partly to the fact that it's extremely difficult, at least for me, to take pictures of non dessert items.  As it is, my dessert pictures don't always turn out.  One day I'll get photography lessons and have a kitchen made for food blogging like this one.  The kitchen has special nook in which to take pictures of your culinary delights and lighted circles within it so you don't even need plates to photograph the food!  Completely ridiculous, yet so awesome!  And since I don't have this kind of kitchen yet, for me it's easier to save dessert items and photograph them later.  Other stuff not so much, especially when it's quickly scarfed down by my hungry co-op mates.

However, I finally made a non dessert item and remembered to photograph it, because it's really worth making.  Especially if you're trying to make a good impression.  When I made this pasta salad for my house last week I got rave reviews, which is saying something because our menu was for a “Picnic Dinner” and included pasta salad and burgers.  Sounds boring, right?  That's what my friend thought, at least until until she tasted this pasta salad.  It's more of a gourmet side, or something along those lines, pasta salad just makes it sound so dull.  And this pasta is anything but, with ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil.

Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes (adapted from Ina Garten)

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 pound fusilli  pasta (spirals)*
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

For the dressing:
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained                             1 garlic clove, diced     
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar                                   1 teaspoon capers, drained
6 tablespoons good olive oil                                        3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt

 Directions:
1) Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool.
2) Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. 3) For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.
4) Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

* We didn't have any spiral pasta but I would use it because the spirals look prettier

Butterballs (also Mexican Wedding Cakes or Russian Teacakes)

At the end of last quarter one of my friends was having a pretty hectic cook in our co-op and I decided to help him out a bit by making dessert.  Knowing that we didn't have a lot of ingredients left at the end of the quarter I decided to go for a super simple cookie which would be quick to make.  So I made these.  It seems to have been a pretty great decision.