0 Tacos de LENGUA. YES..."Tongue" Tacos

WHAT ON EARTH ???

why, yes...it is a cow's tongue.

this, by far, is the most challenging item i have cooked so far.
i've cooked Pig's Tails, Chicken Feet, Turkey Tails, Pig Ears, Snouts and Trotters, just to name a few...
but the tongue has escaped me...until NOW.
i've been wrestling with the idea for quite some time and i finally took the challenge head on...so to speak.
of course, in Southern California we have some fabulous Mexican food.  lucky for us we also have quite a few fabulous Mexican/Latino markets.  but...if you're in the neighborhood of Newport Beach/Costa Mesa i highly suggest you try a tiny little place called El Toro Bravo Tortillaria for one of THE BEST AUTHENTIC MEXICAN STREET TACOS.  it's at the end of a tiny little strip mall on 19th street in Costa Mesa.  AND as the name implies, it is also a Tortillaria factory so you are guaranteed the freshest tortillas.
portions are HUGE and prices are low...well worth the road trip, but be prepared for a hole in the wall looking place and a long line at lunch time.

back to MY tongue.  after trying the Lengua at El Toro Bravo, and loving it, i decided it was time to try my hand at it.
WHOA !!! what a monstrous chunk of ugly meat.  the texture alone is enough to scare one running for the hills.  after it's cooked it gets even worse...not until you have conquered the actual peeling of the outer layer and cutting the thing up does it get any better.  when i say put your game face on I'M NOT KIDDING.

the good news is...IT'S DEEE-LICIOUS !!!

INGREDIENTS FOR COOKING THE TONGUE

1 beef tongue (3 - 4 lbs)
2 large onions
8 - 10 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
5 - 6 bay leaves
1 Tbsp peppercorns
2 Tbsp salt
2 tsp cumin
1 heaping Tbsp Mexican oregano

FOR THE TACOS

fresh corn tortillas
pico de gallo...or fresh salsa of choice
avocado
cilantro
chopped white onion
lime wedges

COOKING THE TONGUE...

#1...put your game face on.

fill a large stock pot with water.  bring to a boil and put the tongue in for about 5 minutes.  remove tongue, discard the water and clean the pot...this is to remove any impurities.
fill the stock pot with water about 2/3 full.  add the tongue, onions, crushed garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, oregano, cumin and salt.  bring to a boil.  reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 3 hours, until tongue is soft to the touch and fork tender.

remove the tongue from the water and cool for a couple of minutes...until is is cool enough to handle.
DO NOT WAIT TOO LONG...i was busy taking the photo and not thinking it would matter, i took my time.  it is harder to peel if the tongue has sat too long.  trust me...you do not want to spend a lot of time with the tongue in it's whole form trying to peel all the outer layer off.
i found it most unpleasant to peel skin off of a tongue...,BUT i'll admit it was kinda cool.
TO PEEL...notice the light colored skin covering most of the tongue.  using your fingers and a sharp small knife, remove the covering and discard.  there is no other way to describe this step.  you just have to experience it for yourself.
NOTE...notice the rough patch of meat where the tongue would attach to the bottom of the mouth...you may remove this if you don't like the looks of it.  i kept most of it.   mine wasn't to rough and ugly looking.  i did not want to waste any of the good edible meat.

after spending all morning and most of the afternoon with my tongue, i was over it for that day.  i took a small amount out and packed the rest away.
if not using right away....slice it in 1/2 inch, or so, thick slices, cover with strained cooking liquid and store in an airtight container.  i like to strain the broth before adding it back to the product that has cooked.

TO PREPARE FOR TACOS...reheat your slices either in a saute pan with a little oil until lightly browned or you can simply reheat in it's own juices in the microwave.
dice into small cubes, mince or you can shred...check your seasoning for salt and pepper and you're ready to build your tacos.

Mexican street tacos are pretty straight forward...FRESH TORTILLAS ARE KEY...then it's just meat, onions, cilantro and fresh salsa.  in America we tend to load them up with all kinds of other unnecessary items, but go ahead and help yourself with a little extra trimmings if you need to disguise the tongue on your first try.  work your way into it.
 i'll bet if you'll be amazed at how good a tongue could taste...
some how that doesn't sound right...

so...what do you say...

ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE ???

0 Quick and Daring

The Daring Bakers' February 2012 host was DB co-founder Lisa. The lovely Lisa asked us to make a quick bread. What is a quick bread? Well, it's basically bread that is quick to make since it requires no fermentation/rise and no kneading. Quick bread is leavened not by a starter or yeast, but by baking soda, baking powder, and/or eggs.

I was fourteen when I made my first quick bread. My best friend showed me how to make zucchini bread and it was an eye-opening experience. I was amazed that zucchini could be used to make bread. I was equally amazed that putting it all together was so quick and easy.

For the challenge we were free to make any quick bread loaf, muffin or popover as long as it doesn't take more than 90 minutes to prepare and bake through. I decided to make soda bread which is pretty much "textbook" as far as quick breads are concerned. The most basic version of soda bread contains only flour, salt, buttermilk, and baking soda (hence the name). Baking soda, a base, reacts with the buttermilk, an acid, to create carbon dioxide and your loaf rises.
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0 Coffee, Beer, and Beer Coffee Cake

I am quite taken by the treats in the pastry case at Blue Bottle Coffee. It seems that their pastries are meant to be paired with coffee. I guess third wave coffee places take into account "coffee pairing". It's similar to pairing wine or beer with food, but I think there is a bit more leeway when pairing food* with coffee.

Blue Bottle has olive oil rosemary shortbread, St. George Spirit's absinthe biscotti regina, and saffron snickerdoodles just to name a few. And there are the modern art inspired desserts at the SFMOMA location. But the most intriguing of the pastries is the stout coffee cake topped with pecan and caraway streusel. So in honor of SF Beer Week, a 10-day long festival that celebrates the amazing beers from Northern Californian breweries, I offer you this coffee cake recipe.


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0 Apricot Cardamom Thumbprints with Pistachio and crushed Rose Petals

how thoughtful...some flowers...

always a welcome gift...

BUT, why not get a little creative and make your gift of flowers edible and cute...?

thumbprints are old school.  they look like little flowers, they are so versatile and you can make them fit anyone's flavor favorites.  i chose to go the Middle Eastern route with cardamom, pistachios, apricot and rose petals.  while you can't necessarily taste the rose, it sounds fancy and you know it's there.

there are a ton of thumbprint recipes out there and they are all pretty similar.  this happens to be Martha Stewart's recipe.   it's simple, it works...although a little tedious, it's well worth the effort when you see the smiles.

i say tedious because i think most cookies are time consuming......so many batches in and out of the oven and having a watchful eye to get them just right.

i wish it weren't so, but i definitely fall (fail?) in the ranks of perfectionism so my cookies take longer than the average.

mind you...my cookies don't all come out perfect no matter how hard i try...and try.

BUT THEY ALL TASTE PRETTY DARN GOOD !

MIDDLE EASTERN INSPIRED THUMBPRINT COOKIES

slightly adapted from Martha Stewart...original found HERE

1 /2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar

1 large egg...separated.

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 1/4 cups AP flour

1/4 (a little more) ground cardamom

dash of cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup pistachios, chopped fine

2Tbsp edible rose petals chopped or crushed into tiny pieces

5 - 6 dried apricots, chopped into small cubes or pieces for thumbprint

apricot preserves or jam...i like Bon Maman

put butter and 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment.  mix for 3 - 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.  add egg yolk and vanilla, mix well.  mix the flour, cardamom and salt in a small bowl...lower speed and add flour mixture.  mix until just combined.  refrigerate dough for 2 hours.

preheat the oven to 325 F

stir together pistachios, petals and 2 Tbsp sugar in a small bowl...NOTE...not sure that the sugar is necessary...i think i would have left it out because i like more nuts and petal pieces stuck on the outside.

beat the egg white in a small bowl (slightly beat, but not to a meringue).

roll the dough into 1 inch balls. NOTE...1 inch seems really small, but don't make them bigger.

dip the balls into the egg white then roll in the nut/petal mixture.

press down the center of each ball with your thumb...i tried to use my large thumb, then changed to the end of a wooded spoon for a more uniform hole.

NOTE...you will see cracking around the edges.  some look cute that way and some i pressed back together, closing the cracks.  depending on how thick your jam is you might have seepage.

bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.  lightly re-press the hole with the end of a wooden spoon.

at this time i put in a piece or a few pieces of dried apricot and a small dollop of apricot jam over the piece...then back into the oven until golden brown...about 8 - 10 minutes.

let cool on wire racks.

NOTE...if you put the jam in before the second baking they seem to hold up and travel better...easier to give away.  you may chose to put the jam in after all baking is done.

0 Nutella Rugelach Bar Cookies

February 5th is World Nutella Day. American bloggers in Italy, Sara and Michelle, began the holiday in 2007 to celebrate and eat that wonderful chocolate hazelnut spread called Nutella.



I participated in that very first World Nutella Day in February 2007 by baking Nutella Cheesecake Brownies and again in 2008 with my Valentine's Day inspired heart-shaped Hazelnut Nutella Sandwich Cookies.

It's been far too long since I've used Nutella. So for this 6th annual World Nutella Day I am showing some chocolate hazelnut spread love with these Nutella-filled rugelach bar cookies. I found the recipe on Hungry Rabbit and he calls them "rugetella" since it's a combination of rugelach and Nutella.

I'm not sure what my problem is but I always have trouble rolling out and making the traditional crescent shapes when making rugelach. I mean, I can do it, but I seem to always end up with some very irregular shapes and sizes. So baking the cookies in a pan and cutting them into fingers/rectangles was so much easier for me. Same great taste and less work!

Since it's supposed to be all about Nutella, a chocolate HAZELNUT spread, I embarrassingly admit that I didn't have any hazelnuts and substituted walnuts in my cookie. It was a decent last minute substitution, but next time I will definitely use hazelnuts. My sincerest apologies to Nutella for this little faux pas.

All that cream cheese and butter definitely makes a very rich and extremely flaky dough. That's the beauty of rugelach dough. And it was a great showcase for Nutella, but I can see that a sour cherry jam or bitter orange marmalade would be great as well.


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0 Braised Pork Belly... Asian style with Coca Cola

                            

let's face it...you can't go wrong with Pork Belly.

any way you cook it, it will be delicious...it will be rich...it will be fatty.  it will be unctuous and it will be worth every melt in your mouth delicious guilty morsel you find shoveling in your mouth.   most likely you will have porcine butter dripping down your chin as you polish off your plate and find yourself wanting more.

 i have cooked quite a few pork bellies in the past year and my favorite go-to recipe has been Jamie Oliver's Crispy Skin  Roasted Pork Belly. if you have never cooked a belly before i highly suggest giving it a go.  Jamie's recipe is too easy not to try.  

for a good laugh click HERE for pork belly with "extra bits"...and HERE for a roasted pork belly seared and served with maple dipping sauce

this time i wanted something different.

 i wanted that soft pillow-like little nugget of meaty fatty goodness.

BINGO...a slow braise with Asian aromatics.

i was looking for something like a Red Cooking or a Chairman Mao style recipe with that caramel looking glaze, but instead i went for a simple flavorful braise.

BUT...to change things up a bit i decided to add a coca cola.  when reduced i think coca cola has a caramel effect....it worked.

did it make a huge difference?   i have no idea.  i didn't get the "mahogany" glaze, BUT i did succeed in making beautiful little porcine packages swimming in a delicious light, well rounded...almost, dare i say, 

UMAMI-ish subtle broth.

for this recipe i combined ingredients and techniques from 2 great bloggers (links below).  please check out their blogs and refer to them as i did.  being this is the first time i attempted an Asian braise with pork belly, they were quite helpful.

Asian Dumpling Tips...and... Apple Pie, Patis and Pate

this is what i did for...

ASIAN STYLE BRAISED PORK BELLY with COCA COLA

2.2 lbs pork belly

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 star anise

1/3 cup dry sherry ( you should use Shaoxing wine if possible)

1 1/2 inch(approx.) fat stub of fresh ginger sliced, thick - 5 or 6 slices

5 scallions, cut into 3 inch sticks

1 3 inch cinnamon stick

2 arbol chili, whole...optional

1/3 cup soy sauce

4 cups water

1 can coca cola

boil some water in a stock pot big enough to fit the whole slab of belly.  par boil the belly for 3-4 minutes.  this removes any impurities that might be lingering.  discard the liquid and clean the pot if using the same one for cooking.  when cool enough to handle cut into approximate 2 -2 1/2 inch squares.  tieing isn't necessary, but it looks cute and it will keep the belly pieces from separating during cooking.  tie them tight because they will shrink.

in a pot big enough to hold the pork belly pieces in one layer (i used a 5 1/2 qt. cast iron-enamel) add the brown sugar, cold water, sherry or Shoaxing wine, ginger slices, cinnamon stick, scallions, arbol chilis, soy sauce and coca cola.  STIR to combine and add the pork belly pieces, skin side down.  at this time i removed about 2 cups of the liquid because you want the liquid to just cover the pork belly.  depending on the size pot you choose you will probably need to remove some liquid...save it in case you need to add some back in during cooking.  the pork should not be just floating around in the pot.  they need to stay skin side down then later skin side up.  bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, cover pan and braise for 30-40 minutes.

after 30-40 minutes, turn the pork skin side up, cover and braise for another 2 - 3 hours.  a knife should easily pierce the pork when done.

NOTE...my broth did not reduce to 1/2 as one of the recipes said.  i did not get the mahogany color on my pork belly...i was hoping for a deeper thicker braising liquid.

BUT... i did end up with a light, smooth Asian flavored broth that was a lovely compliment to the unctuous fatty pork belly nuggets.

for the broth i used a fat separator, then strained the liquid through cheese cloth...do it twice if necessary for a clean-clear broth.  check for seasoning...you might want to add a touch of salt.  your looking for savory, but with a touch of sweet.

as shown in the photos...serving it plain and simple with a bit of the braising broth really let the pork belly shine on it's own.

0 Dump Pound Cake

HI...HI...HI...HELLOOOO...

sorry i took so long to get a post out.

i have been so darn sick...

my caviar for New Years is still in the fridge and i never had my black eyed peas.  not to worry, i know i'll get to it.   i need all the luck i can get.

meanwhile, i could not stay out of the kitchen even sick as a dog...

come to think of it...how sick can a dog get?...

so...i'll have a few tasty interesting things posted soon, but in the meantime i thought this "Dump" pound cake was pretty good. i think i'm a new fan of dump cakes...

dump everything in a mixer, let'er rip and start in a cold oven...

an absolute NO BRAINER...i think that's what we all need after the holiday baking extravaganza.

it's too easy not to give it a try and it's a simple recipe to have on hand for those unexpected visitors that expect homemade baked goods when they "pop by for the weekend".

pound cakes in general can be the perfect vehicle for so many treats.

for instance...

use it as french toast for Sunday brunch.

cut into lady fingers and make a quick fresh fruit Triffle.

how about a dessert panini with chocolate, peanut butter and bananas...or marshmallows.

cut into cubes and toast as you would croutons then layer in a parfait with vanilla cream and berries.

slice and saute with brown butter and serve warm with a cold scoop of ice cream and ooozing warm caramel sauce.

or...just a simple slice and a cuppa afternoon tea.

  

i think there should always be a pound cake in the freezer or a Dump Cake recipe in you repertoire.

ELAINE'S DUMP POUND CAKE

recipe and comments found here at About.com

many thanks to the submitter, Carol Pellegrinelli, but i wish i could also give some props to "Elaine"

thanks Elaine's where ever you are...

2 cups flour (i used 2 1/4 due to the comments on original)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 pound butter (1 cup), softened

2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs, room temp.

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

note...i added 1/3 tsp lemon and 1/3 tsp lavender extract

plus 1 rounded tsp lavender buds and a little lemon zest

put ingredients in bowl of stand mixer.  MIX FOR 20 MINUTES.  coat tube pan ( i used an Angel Food Cake pan) with vegetable spray.  put batter in pan and place in a COLD OVEN.  set oven to 350 F degrees and bake for 1 hour.  check with toothpick...i think mine could have used just a few more minutes.

by the way...this is one of many pound cakes i have tried recently and i was pretty pleased.  like i mentioned...it's just too easy not to try.  this one had the perfect texture and was nice and dense, not cakey...
i don't want cakey with something called a POUND CAKE !
one thing i might add is that it could use a little more flavor...i was a bit shy with the lemon and lavender...i think vanilla bean would add a nice touch if going for plain or add some mini chocolate chips?...