Archive for the ‘Appetizer’ Category

Black Beans: Molletes – Mexican Refried Bean Open Sandwich

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

Black Beans Healthy Snack Easy

If you haven’t made that big pot of black beans, you’ll want to soon. They are the base for the refried beans in molletes (a Mexican antojito/snack) and other recipes coming up.

Nearly two decades ago I made my first trip to Mexico – I lived with a family in Cuernavaca and traveled around central and southern Mexico. Some of the places I visited were  D.F. (Districto Federal aka Mexico City), Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Puebla, Taxco and so many pueblitos I can’t remember their names.

This trip has a very special place in my heart since it was the first time I packed my bags to venture alone in a new country. But, more significant was that it was my first trip to my Motherland and an amazing personal journey – with much familiarity and even more that was new.

I have vivid food memories from this first extended stay, like the tacos de flor de callabaza I bought trail-side after finishing a hike near some steep ruins where the locals frequented; the just-caught, fried fish served with nopales on a remote beach near Puerto Escondido; the mole in Puebla; and the amazing mercado in Oaxaca. Also on this list are molletes (pronounced mo -YEY -tes). Refried black beans and melted cheese on crusty bread, topped with fresh pico de gallo.

This open sandwich quickly became a favorite. At the time, I was on a budget and molletes were a great anytime meal that was both good and cheap. I think I paid the equivalent of 50 cents or a dollar for two halfs when eating out. Two pieces is a full meal for this chica.

Nearly every time I’ve had them in Mexico, they’ve been served with black beans, although pinto beans are also used. Most of my travels so far have been to central and southern Mexico, and the Yucatan – places where black beans are preferred

To make molletes, you can use my Cuban black bean recipe (no, it’s not sacrilege) or your favorite home-made black or pinto beans. You can also use canned beans; but, if you do, buy the beans whole and make your own refried beans, they’ll taste much better.

Molletes are not fancy food but you’ll be glad to have this recipe in your arsenal of quick to make meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks. As I write this, I’m thinking one of these topped with bacon would be a Mexican BLT.

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Holiday: Splendiferous Cinco de Mayo Eats

Thursday, May 5th, 2011
Cinco de Mayo - History Horchata Mole Poblana Palenqueta Tacos Salsa

Traditional and unsual Mexican eats on Fork Fingers Chopsticks: (top left, clockwise) horchata, purslane tacos, mole poblano, zucchini succotash, salsa verde with tomatillos and avocado, Mexican pumpkin seed peanut brittle.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo. For those not in the know, this Mexican holiday commemorates the country’s victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Ironically, the day is celebrated more broadly in the U.S. than in Mexico (with the exception of the city of Puebla). Why? According to some academics, the impetus for American interest was the large number of Mexicans living in California during that time period. When they got word of the victory, they banded together to celebrate the success of their motherland.

Today, the holiday is less focused on the significance of the 1862 battle and is instead a general celebration of Mexican heritage and culture. Many Americans – whether of Mexican descent or not – now participate in Cinco de Mayo festivities.

Mexican eats . . .

In homage to my Mexican roots, I’m reminding you of the splendiferous Mexican eats on Fork Fingers Chopsticks. Yes, I said it . . . “splendiferous.” It’s my word of the week and perfectly describes the array of awesome recipes on my site.

I hope you prepare at least one of these dishes this Cinco de Mayo weekend.  So far, the horchata recipe is the most sought after.

Which recipe is your favorite, whether you’ve made it or not?

Apps:

Mains:

Sides

Drinks & Sweets

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Chicken Soup: Easy Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

Easy Tortilla Soup Caldo Maiz Avocado

This time of year my brown skin gets pasty. Shorter days, I’m outside less and bundled up in layers. I usually escape the winter blues on a beach in Mexico. The last few years it’s been in the Yucatan, mostly around Playa del Carmen.

Four to five lazy days at the beach is some serious R&R with no full agenda. We only take in two or three cultural or historical sites like Chitchen Itza (inland Mayan ruins), Tulum (the beachside ruins) or Coba (more ruins in a jungle setting) because the purpose of these trips is soaking in the natural beauty and chillin’ – sleeping in, long walks along the beach, and swimming/dipping in pristine waters.

During the day, when the sun is blazing we grub on fish tacos or ceviche and swig down a few cold cervezas. Once the sun has set and the coastal winds pick up,  hot soup is more inviting. A bowl of chicken tortilla soup is the perfect appetizer or main course for a soup lover like me.

Over the years, I’ve eaten so many versions of tortilla soup I can’t count. Some had cream, others were thick, and some were so skimpy it was more like consume.

I made this chicken tortilla soup the other night needing some comfort food after a long day at the gig and a single-digit day in Denver. Since I’ve been hobbling about in this medical boot, I come home tired and famished, craving something to assuage the hunger and physical discomfort.

This is one of the best tortilla soups I’ve had. My husband says it’s moved to his list of favorites – it’s that good. It’s easy to make and layered with flavor. This is a smoky version that does not require roasting or dry toasting chiles  – only a little jalapeno and chipotle – staples in my kitchen.

Whether you’re at the beach, in the mountains or in the city, I encourage you to try this one. As for me, I doubt I’ll get to beach it this winter, but, at least I have a damn good bowl of tortilla soup.

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Apple: Charoset – Jewish Apple Dried Fruit Nut Salad

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

Apples are not only tasty and good for you, over the thousands of years that they’ve been around, they’ve grown to have cultural and religious significance.

For instance, this Jewish apple salad – charoset is eaten during the Jewish Pesach (Passover) festival. Charoset is also spelled “charosset,” “charosses” or “haroset”  and pronounced ha-ROH-ses or ha-ROH-set.

Depending on the provenance, the salad ingredients and texture will vary.

In the Ashkenazi (Eastern European) version, ingredients traditionally include apples, nuts, cinnamon, sweet red wine and honey – in a finely chopped salad spread over matzos. For the Sephardim (Mediterranean), the salad generally includes dates, other dried fruit, and spices like ginger – pureed into a paste and sometimes rolled into sticky balls eaten with sweetmeat throughout the holiday.

Charoset recipes are typically family recipes that also reflect an ethnic influence. Some recipes add bananas, pine nuts, chiles, cilantro or other local ingredients.

However, whether the salad is finely chopped or paste-like – it symbolically represents the mortar used by Hebrew slaves to build ancient Egypt and the salad is one of six items on the Sedar Plate along with bitter herbs.

Since I’m not Jewish, I’m inclined to eat this salad throughout the fall and winter months, when apples are at their peak and dried fruit is abundant. This version is more tart than sweet, made sweeter with the sweet red wine. However, I think the salad would also be lovely using olive oil in lieu of sweet wine and adding some fresh parsley and cilantro for a more savory salad. Or, I may make it simply using orange or apple juice and eat the leftovers in my oatmeal.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about apple salads or your family’s charoset version.

Tidbits on Apples:

  1. There are over 7,500 known varieties of apples.
  2. In some cultures, an apple is a symbol of immortality, love or sexuality. For example, throwing an apple at a person’s bed was an invitation for something racier than apple pie in ancient Greece.
  3. Some folklore credits apples with increasing a woman’s chances of conception.
  4. Apples have also been rubbed on skin to remove birthmarks.
  5. The proverb an apple a day keeps the doctor away, has some truth to it primarily because it helps aid digestion.

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Pumpkin Seeds: Mexican Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

As you know Fork Fingers Chopsticks just celebrated its 1 Year Anniversary. There are new things in the works – one in particular is my marketing campaign. To spread the word and create more Web love and buzz for this site, I’m taking on more opportunties – like this recent guest post at my friend Pamela’s blog My Man’s Belly. I met her at Campblogaway, a food bloggers conference last May. She’s very creative in the kitchen and as an extra beni – she gives relationship advice.

Check out my recipe for Mexican Pumpkin Seed Pesto. Use it over melted queso for an extra special appetizer, as a spread on bread or tortas (sandwiches), or as a base for a sauce to accompany your favorite meats, veggies or pasta.

I’ll be posting more pumpkin seed recipes after I finish a few more apple posts. Stay tuned – Moroccan Chicken with Apples coming soon.

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Salsa Wars – Recipes for Roasted Tomato, Beet & Tomatillo Salsas

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

Salsa Wars Finalists

Over the years, I’ve become a bit of a salsa virtuoso. I point to my Mexican roots for precipitating the fondness for chile-based condiments.

Salsa, which means “sauce” in Spanish, originates back to the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas in Mexico and Central America, where sauces were made using tomatoes, chiles and a variety of other ingredients including seeds and berries, depending on availability and location. They encompassed sauces that were cooked and smoothed and those that were chunky and raw.

Growing up, salsa was on the table at every meal, right next to the salt and pepper. Whether it was my dad’s hot roasted green chiles mashed to perfection in the molcajete with garlic or my momma’s impromptu fresh pico de gallo with garden-fresh tomatoes, cilantro and jalapenos – salsa was the choice condiment for everything from tacos to eggs to pizza.

Today, salsa still reigns. Although my definition of it has expanded beyond Mexican and Latin American cuisine.

So, when I got the chance to be a judge at Salsa Wars, Denver Public Library’s salsa recipe contest, I jumped on it. The event was part of DPL’s Street Food series in July, which highlighted food from Peru, Brazil and Mexico.

As a judge, I had the pleasure of tasting the six finalist salsas, and the task of picking my favorites. I was torn . . .

Do I vote for the more traditional Salsa Jefe with roasted chiles and tomatoes or the roasted tomatillo-based Garlic and Lime Green Salsa – both of which I could eat leisurely with chips while I have a cold beer or margarita? Or, do I vote for the Salsa Puttanesca with capers and anchovies that would be great on fish, but I wouldn’t touch with chips? Then, there was that darn Caramelized Onion Salsa that tasted divine but called for an hour plus to caramelize onions?

There was also the lure of ingenuity with the roasted beet Red Square Salsa – tasty but more of a side dish than a salsa? And, a green tomato salsa that appealed to the gardener in me.

Ultimately, I channeled some Iron Chef judiciousness. Along with two other judges – Chef Shellie Kark of Kitchen cue and Jesse Ogas of Encantada Catering, we selected the winners:

1st Place:  Salsa Puttanesca-Salsa Italian Style – by Beth Hewlett

2nd Place:  Salsa Jefe – by Rocio Rowland

3rd Place:  Caramelized Onion Salsa – by Laura Kark

Other Finalists:

Red Square Salsa-Salsa Russian Style – by Beth Hewlett

Garlic and Lime Green Salsa – by Katherine Linder

Coleen’s Amazin Green Tomato Salsa – by Coleen Walsh

Below are recipes and pictures for half of the finalists. I cooked up the three (in bold) and made a few notes in italics. The remaining three recipes can be found on Chef Kark’s blog and her Facebook page.

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Parsley: Deviled Eggs with Italian Salsa Verde

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Deviled Eggs Italian Salsa Verde_ForkFingersChopsticks.com

Until last week I was not a deviled egg fan.

I admit to frowning when someone showed up to a party with a plate of ho hum deviled eggs – you know the ones – mashed yolks flavored with too much mayonnaise. Pretty BLAH.

Call me a food snob, but to me, it’s just a notch above bringing cheap hotdogs. (Fear not, I’m gracious and appreciate the thought.)

My attitude changed last week when I made these deviled eggs with Italian salsa verde.

As you know from my last post, Italian green sauce is a fresh herb condiment traditionally paired with boiled eggs – either as an ingredient in the sauce or as a topping for eggs. Thinking about the two, I was inspired to replace the mayo in deviled eggs. The result – deviled eggs that would be a welcome appetizer at a party or summer barbecue.

I was not planning to write this post, but these deviled eggs are so good I had to share. The texture and assertive flavors of the Italian salsa verde make these eggs stand out.

Enjoy!

If you have a particular use for Italian salsa verde, please share. Or, tell us about your favorite deviled eggs.

Tidbits on Deviled Eggs:

  1. Spicy stuffed eggs date back as far as 13th century Andalusia. In a 15th century Italian text, stuffed eggs included raisins, cheese, parsley, marjoram and mint.
  2. In the 18th century, the name “deviled eggs” was termed. “Deviled” is used to connote spicy or fiery, reflecting the seasonings used to flavor. The first recipe for deviled eggs dates back to circa 1786.

Source: FoodTimeline.org.

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