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Dear Friends of Sabrina's Latin Kitchen,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

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Buen Provecho !


Sincerely,
Sabrina Rongstad de Bravo

Me on Break Thru Radio talking about Spanish and Latin Cuisine

Happy Thanksgiving!

 This week it's a special part two segment with last week's guest Sabrina Rongstad de Bravo, who in addition to The London Diaries is also the voice behind Sabrina's Latin Kitchen, the focus for this week's podcast! Sabrina will talk you about the origins of some classic latin dishes like Paella, and focus on the way food connects disparate cultures and beliefs.http://b-t-r.co/1wP6lLS

Chicken Mole

This recipe was made with our homemade mole. However, you can go ahead and make this with store ought if you want. Here is what you need to do for 4 people:

3 cups mole sauce
2 cups shredded chicken or 8 cooked chicken thighs or legs
3 TBS sesame seeds

Place the chicken and the sauce in a pan. Bring it to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, dry toast the sesame seeds for about 6 minutes.

Sprinkle the seeds over the cooked chicken and serve with white rice. Enjoy!

Spanish Meatballs- Albondigas

Spanish meatballs, can be eaten with other tapas or as a main course. The meatballs are made with finely julienned carrots on inside. It is served with a delicate saffron Tomato sauce, this is definitely for the more sophisticated palette.  

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 500g/1lb 2oz minced beef or pork (or a
  

  
  

  mixture of both)
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 3-4 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
• 1 free-range egg, beaten
• plain flour, for coating
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil

For the sauce

• 2 carrots, quartered into batons, thinly sliced
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp paprika
• generous pinch saffron
• salt

Directions

1. For the meatballs, Put the minced meat in a bowl with the onion, garlic, parsley and breadcrumbs. Mix with your hands until well combined, add the beaten egg and mix until well combined. Shape the mixture into small meatballs.
2. Sprinkle some plain flour onto a plate, and roll the meatballs in the flour to coat lightly.
3. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a frying pan and add a few meatballs to the pan. Fry gently, turning frequently, until golden-brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining meatballs, cooking them in batches until they are all cooked. Top up the oil as needed during the cooking process.
4. Once the meatballs are cooked, make the sauce. In the same pan as the meatballs were cooked in, fry the carrots, onions and garlic over a medium heat until the onions are soft and lightly coloured. Add the parsley, paprika and saffron, and pour in 300ml/½pt water. Bring to the boil, simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken, season with salt to taste, and then add the meatballs to the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes to warm through before serving.

Papas Rellenas - Stuffed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 lbs large potatoes (peeled and cut into quarters)
1 lb picadillo (seasoned ground beef)
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup dry bread crumbs
4 eggs
1 tsp salt

Directions

Add salt to a pot of cold water, and boil the potatoes until they are soft. Drain the potatoes, and then mash them, then set aside to allow them to cool. Separate the egg yolks from the whites in two bowls. Mix the egg yolks into the mashed potato mixture, whisk the egg whites for a minute.  Take a 1/4 of a cup of the mashed potatoes, and form it into a ball. Make a dent in the ball, to give it more of a bowl shape. Fill the indentation with a tablespoon of picadillo, and then reseal it. Reshape the potato as a ball again. Dip the ball in the egg whites, then roll the ball around in bread crumbs until it is coated. For a better coating, or for a crunchier texture, you may dip the ball into the egg whites again and coat it with another layer of bread crumbs. Refrigerate the potato balls for at least four hours before frying.To fry, pour enough oil into a skillet or frying pan to cover half of the balls, the oil should be at least 350°. Place several balls into the frying pan and cook on each side until golden brown, usually 2-3 minutes, taking care not to overcook. Drain the stuffed potatoes on paper towels, do not stack them. The other cooking method is to deep fry the papas rellenas at 375° until golden brown, they cook best deep-fried when they are frozen.

Ingredients

To Make the Picadillo:
1 lb ground meat
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
Pimiento stuffed olives
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown the ground meat, onions and garlic. If meat is not too lean, pour out whatever fat you render.turn heat down to medium low. Add the tomato sauce and wine. While it simmers, chop up the pimiento stuffed olives and add to meat mixture, it is ok to add a little bit of the brine, if you wish. Adjust the seasonings per taste.

Turkey Pumpkin Enchiladas

This Fall season is all about the pumpkin and foods that bring warmth and cheer. I combined the succulence and heartiness of Turkey with the delicious coziness of pumpkin. You can either use marinated Turkey or not, it's up to you. I have a recipe on how to marinate Turkey later. You may also use Pumpkin Spice  in the Pumpkin Puree for more added flavor.

Ingredients

3- 4 Turkey Legs shredded
1 Can of Pumpkin Puree
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Spice
1 Can Enchilada Sauce
2 Scallion Onions
8-10 Tortillas ( Blue Corn from Trader Joe's is Best or Artisanal Tortillas are good too)
2 Cups Shredded Cheese ( Cheddar, Jack, and Monterey are best, but anything like that will work too)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine Turkey and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.  Use Mexican Rub for Turkey Drumsticks and cook until well done.

2.In a blender or Mocajete, puree pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 1/2 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth (hold top firmly as blender will be quite full). Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dish.

In Mocajete you can smash up the spices for the Mexican Rub or Pumpkin Spice

3.  Lay tortillas on work surface; mound chicken mixture on half of each tortilla, dividing evenly. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

4.Pour remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with cheese. Place dish on a baking sheet; bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Instructions: Bake in Oven for 30 minutes on 350 degrees.

A Nice accompaniment for this dish would be the Coffee Flan topped with Espresso Bean.
Please check out My Coffee Flan recipe with Espresso Beans coming soon

Butternut Squash Soup

Chicken Livers with Sherry Glaze Tapas

Chicken Livers With Sherry Glaze is a tapa is eaten all over Andalucia, Spain. Chicken livers are full of B Vitamins You can also make this with onions. Jerez is a nice accompaniment.  

1 pound chicken livers
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons fino sherry wine
2 shallots, chopped finely
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt and pepper
Finely chopped parsley to garnish

Directions

1. If necessary, trim the chicken livers, cutting away any ducts and gristle, them cut them into small bite size pieces.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom skillet. Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes, or until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the chicken livers to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring all the time. Cook until they are firm and have changed color on the outside but are still pink and soft in the centre. Using a slotted spoon, lift the chicken livers from the pan, transfer them to large, warm serving dish and keep warm.
3. Add the sherry to the skillet, increase the heat, and let it bubble for 3 to 4 minutes to evaporate the alcohol and reduce slightly scraping and stirring all the bits on the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Season the sauce to taste with salt, pepper, vinegar, thyme and honey.
4. Pour the sherry sauce over the chicken livers and sprinkle over the parsley. Serve piping hot accompanied by chunks or slices of crusty bread or toast to mop up the sherry sauce.

Cuban Arroz con Pollo - Chicken with Rice

Cuban Arroz con Pollo - Cuban Chicken with Rice

Arroz con Pollo is one of the most popular Latin American dishes. It's a derivation of Paella, the traditional Spanish dish, it has a lot of the same ingredients: safron, white whine, chicken, red bell pepper and peas. Arroz con pollo recipe can require annato seeds and oil to give it that vibrant yellow color but it's entirely optional. I have cooked Arroz Con Pollo without Annato seeds and still comes out delicious. I cook the rice with a bit of beer instead of water and it gives a nice Cuban touch. This recipe serves about 4-6 people.

Recipe:

For Chicken:

1 large chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into 8 pieces.
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Sofrito and broth:
2 olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small tomato, seeded and diced
3 cups water (*)
1 cup dry white wine
1-1/2 cups beer*
1/2 tsp annatto seeds, or 1/4 tsp saffron threads
1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 -1 cup of Raisins to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
-Wash the chicken and blot dry with paper towels. Mix the oregano, cumin, white pepper and vinegar in a large glass bowl. Add the chicken, turning the pieces to cover with the mixture. Let marinate at least 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a large heatproof casserole. Brown the chicken pieces all over, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a platter and pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.

For sofrito:

 Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the oil in the casserole, cook over medium heat heat until soft but do not brown, about 1 or 2 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for one more minute. Return the chicken to the casserole with the sofrito and cook for about 1 or 2 more minutes.

Rice:

Add the water, wine and beer(*), saffron (if you use it instead of annatto oil), tomato paste and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, place annato seeds in small saucepan with 1/4 cup of the chicken cooking liquid. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Strain mixture back into the chicken. Thoroughly wash rice swishing with your hands, and drain off the water. Continue doing this until water runs clear.


Bring chicken mixture to a boil, stir in the washed rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. If it starts to dry out and rice is still al dente, add more liquid. If it gets too soupy, uncover during the last 10 or 15 minutes of cooking. Just before it is done, stir in half of the peas (petit pois),raisins and pimientos. Garnish with Red Peppers. I usually roast mine first to give it a smoky taste.

Nota Bene: Making it with Beer is a nice Cuban Touch and gives it a nice tangy flavor. I adjust the quantity to the total needed for cooking.

Sopa de Garbanzos

Sopa de Garbanzos 
  Ingredientes: - 1 taza de garbanzos secos
- 1 litro de caldo
- 1 cebolla picada
- 2 dientes de ajo
- 5 cdas. de aceite
- 1 taza de acelga cruda (picada gruesa)
- 3 tomates (pelados y en trozos)
- 1 pizca de pimienta
- 1 cdita. de pimentón
- 1 cda. de albahaca
- 1 taza de puerco o beicon frito
- 1 hoja de laurel
- 2 chorizos colorados

Prodedamiento:
Colocar en remojo toda la noche los garbanzos. Luego cocinarlos en el caldo. Calentar aceite y rehogar cebolla, ajo hasta que todo quede transparente. Agregar acelga, tomates y los chorizos pelados. Añadir los garbanzos, el caldo, pimienta, pimentón y laurel. Llevar a fuego lento 20 minutos, espolvorear con albahaca y daditos de pan frito.

This article was written by Sabrina Rongstad-Bravo

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