 Hola!
Comfort foods are familiar, simple foods that are usually home-cooked or eaten at informal restaurants that warm our hearts. This month I'll share my thoughts on comfort foods and my mother's recipe for Lengua and flour tortillas. We would also love for you to share your comfort food story with us.
Wow, it's that time of year again were we starting preparing for Tamale season. (I can't believe it's already November, Baseball is still on TV and it was 80º yesterday!) Our NBC11 & CasaQ's 5th Annual "Best Darn Tamale" Contest is coming up and we are looking for someone to help us taste tamales on air. Read the details below and send us your information.
Cheers!
Darlene
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Comfort Foods that Warm the Heart
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It was my brother, Chris' birthday this past month and every year my mother lovingly prepares a Lengua (beef tongue) dinner for him. Yep, it's true... it's what he wants, every year. It's his comfort food.
 So, right now you are either smiling or gagging. For people who are not familiar the culture, it's almost like a dirty secret when you admit to eating and enjoying menudo (cow stomach and pig's feet), chicharrones (pork skins), sesos (brains) and a number of other interesting parts of an animal's body. Kinda gross, right? Actually they're all quite tasty when cooked and spiced just right.
Have you ever watched an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern who travels the globe eating different country's homegrown dishes? Sometimes I think what they are happily munching on is strange. Then a minute later a segment comes on with something I eat and I think, what's so bizarre about that? Everyone's idea of a comfort food is different.
My grandmother, Mama Luz would come by our house armed with large thick gloves and a machete to attack our cactus tree. She would hack away at our 10 foot giant removing the cactus leaves and tunas (prickly pears) then retreat to the kitchen to cut, pick and peel. Hours later she would emerge with fresh and canned nopales which were used for Ensalada de Nopales (cactus salad), Nopales con Huevos y Chorizo (cactus & sausage omelette), Nopales con Carne de Cerdo (pork meat with cactus). All served with fresh warm tortillas, of course making a couple of little fat tortillas called "gorditas" for us kids to slice in the middle and slip some butter inside. I loved my gorditas! As a child, I could barely wait for them to be done, sitting at the side of the table while entranced with the comforting rhythm of her rolling pin.
 Sometimes even the most simple foods seem strange in another setting. When I was living in Spain, I was craving a simple bean burrito. No big deal, right? Except refried beans and tortillas are not readily available there, like California where I can grab a taco on any corner. So I had to make everything from scratch. Luckily my family is from northern Mexico where we make flour tortillas, otherwise it would have been impossible locating corn masa.
So here I was in my apartment with my roommates looking on. I just finished making the tortillas and cooking the beans in the pot. I tossed the beans in the skillet with some lard and start mashing it together. My roommate Encarni looked at me with horror in her face that I was smashing perfectly innocent vegetables with animal fat. Which never really seemed strange to me, up until that very moment. Mind you, it did not keep me from eating my now revered burrito, that I had spend so much time and effort to make. And might I add, it was worth every second spent.
It was my comfort food and made me feel at home.
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What's your Comfort Food Story?
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 Comfort foods warm our hearts and remind us of comforting childhood
memories or special moments in our lives. For most of us, these foods
are far from gourmet and generally are home-cooked, good old-fashioned
grub. Calorie and carb counts should not even cross your mind. From
Meatloaf to Menudo, Chile Rellenos to Chili Cheese Dogs, or Peanut Butter Cookies to Pan Dulce. Share with us
your warm fuzzy food story and the memories behind it. And if you have
the recipe even better!
Share Your Story Now >
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| Tamale Taster Needed! |
Be an official tamale taster on CasaQ and NBC Bay Area's 5th Annual
Best Darn Tamale Contest. Two (2) winners will be chosen to appear on
NBC Bay Area's Comunidad Del Valle show airing on Sunday, December 20, 2009 to judge the best darn tamales around! Send your entry to info@casaq.com with the subject title "I wanna be on TV" and let us know why you or someone you know should be the judge.
All entries must be received by Friday, December 4, 2009 at 5:00pm PST.
The Small Print: Winner must love tamales and be available for taping
at the NBC Bay Area studio in San Jose, CA on Thursday, December 17th
between 5-8pm. Winners will be chosen by the sole discretion of NBC Bay
Area's Comunidad Del Valle
and CasaQ representatives. Tasters must not have any dietary
restrictions and be able to consume pork, beef, cheese and any and all
other ingredients used. Panel of four tamale tasters will judge tamales
made in commercial kitchens and available for purchase by the public.
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Costco Members Only Discount
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Mijo's Lengua
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Beef Tongue is a very soft beef that can be used in many dishes. This is my mother's recipe for the Lengua dinner she prepares for my brother's birthday every year. She told me this off the top of her head so feel free to play with the measurements of the ingredients, as I guessed what they might be as best I could.
INGREDIENTS:
1 2-3 Lb Beef Tongue
1 Large Onion (half chopped)
1/4 cp Cilantro
1 cp Sliced Mushrooms
2 Tbls Chopped Garlic
1 14oz can Stewed Tomatoes
1 14oz. can Tomato Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
Red Wine (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Wash fresh tongue and place in 6 quart pot, cover completely with water and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 onion, salt and pepper. Place on simmer and add more water as it evaporates, keeping the tongue covered until no longer pink, about 45 minutes per pound of tongue. It will be done when it can be easily pierced with a fork.
Remove from water and let rest until
cool enough to handle. Peel the skin off the tongue, trim the fat,
and cut into 1/2 slices
In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute chopped onions, garlic, mushrooms and cilantro. Add stewed tomatoes and oregano with a little flour to thicken. Add 1/2 cup or more of tomato sauce to make enough to serve over meat. Add 1/3 cup red wine to sauce if desired. Simmer for 5-8 minutes.
Places slices on plate with rice, beans and serve with salad.
!Buen Provecho!
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Spain, Puerto Rico, Cuba and other Latin American countries |
Tortillas de Harina
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 This recipe for Tortillas comes from Texas Rolling Pins. It looks like how we make them at home, but of course we don't go by a recipe, so I'm "borrowing" this one to share with you. Check out their website at www.TexasRollingPins.com where you can purchase everything you need to make homemade tortillas. INGREDIENTS:3 cups unbleached flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 4-6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or lard about 1 1/4 cups warm water INSTRUCTIONS:Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetable shortening or lard. Or use a combination of half lard, half shortening. Use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening or just do it the old fashioned way and use your hands. Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do not need very hot water. Knead the dough for a few minutes. Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like. This is a good time to heat up the comal.You will want to set it at medium to high heat. If it is too hot the tortillas will cook too fast. Now you can roll out the dough with your tortilla rolling pin or palote. It is a good idea to dust each ball with a little flour just before you roll them out. Lay the palote in the center of the dough ball and roll up, center and roll down. It is good to lift the dough and turn it. Again, rolling pin in the center and roll. Roll them out fairly thin. Lay your tortilla on the hot comal. It takes just a few seconds to cook. Flip to the other side. When they are done it should have lots of nice brown speckles. Place them in a towel. If you would like you can use a tortilla warmer to keep them warm longer. They are ready to be served! | |
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