http://cocineira.com A blog about the food I like to serve my family and friends and great ways to make them feel at home. Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:00:57 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://cocineira.com/?p=3717#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=3717#comments Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:00:57 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=3717 [/caption]
A couple of years ago I had this revelation that I should be drying the figs on my very productive fig tree instead of spending five-bucks on 8 ounces of dried figs at the market. Sadly the figs I have dehydrated are never the quality that I have been able to purchase at Trader Joes. But in a wonderful turn of events I found that dehydrating is an incredibly easy and fulfilling way to preserve fresh fruit, herbs and vegetables. I regularly dehydrate excess produce from my garden or fresh finds at a local farm. I will someday get the results I am looking for with figs but until them I am satisfied with my results drying herbs, onions and garlic. I always keep herbs in the garden either in my vegetable beds or in pots outside my kitchen door. Fresh herbs are wonderfully delicious and very good for you. I start every recipe with herbs, spices and chilies. After the dish is created and it taste nearly perfect I sprinkle coarse salt on it to bring the flavors together and bring out the fullness of flavor found in herbs. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=3717 0 http://cocineira.com/?p=4168#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=4168#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:00:07 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=4168
Roger and Sharon visited the coast recently, it was a pleasure to spend some time with them. While here, Sharon said she would like to learn to make Pâte à choux, essential for Cream Puffs and a host of other treats like éclair, profiteroles and Croqembouche. Pâte à choux, properly made, yields a delicate and unique pastry. Pâte à choux breaks the rules in baking, you mix it a lot, develop the glutens, make it wet don't use leavening; and amazingly you will have an awesomely light and delicate pastry. Cream Puffs are only the beginning, there are wonderful treats both sweet and savory that are based in this delicious dough. Pâte à choux uses four ingredients and is remarkably easy to achieve great result with just a bit of care. Essential to success is to measure, use fresh ingredients and be patient. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=4168 1 http://cocineira.com/?p=3578#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=3578#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:09:20 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=3578
Delicious, fresh Ricotta Cheese is extremely easy to make and taste much, much better than premade cheese. Fresh Ricotta is a wonderful treat; pile atop pasta with red sauce, stuff canneloni or serve with pistachios and a drizzle of vanilla syrup. Fresh Ricotta is mild and smooth and can be served in many of the same ways cottage cheese can be served. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=3578 0 http://cocineira.com/?p=3848#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=3848#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:00:44 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=3848
I was in San Luis Obispo recently and my friends Barkev and Tzolig gave me a package of Tahini Bread to try. It was delicious! Of course, this carbaholic loves anything bread so it was almost a slam dunk but the fact that the bread had both a familiar taste and feel and yet was mysteriously unlike any bread I had ever tasted made it all the better. Mia said it kinda reminded her of Rugelach and I thought it reminded me of Palmiers but I think that was only because they loosely resembled them. A cross between the flaky Palmier and the chewiness of the Rugelach and add tahina and we are close. A delicate bread wrapped around a rich, nutty filling would be great but the texture of this treat was of a laminated pastry and for me all the better. I decided to hit the net and found several entries for tahini bread from the middle east, some Turkish and others Armenian. The recipes resembled one another but the manner in which the bread were finished varied somewhat. For example the Turkish bread used almost the same ingredients as the Armenian bread but the Turkish resembled more of a roll than the "cookie like" flat bread I had eaten. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=3848 1 http://cocineira.com/?p=3573#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=3573#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:00:42 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=3573 [/caption]
Oh the treasure of vine-ripened tomatoes! I get so excited when tomato season arrives and we get to enjoy these wonderful treasures in salads, sauces, as a side dish, on sandwiches and so much more. Incredibly, in our wonderful Mediterranean climate we are fortunate to enjoy fresh tomatoes from as early as March and sometimes all the way through January. I love tomatoes nearly anyway I eat them. One of my favorite ways to use tomatoes is to make Fresh Tomato Sauce. Juicy tomatoes, simmered for just a bit with herbs and spooned over tender pasta. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=3573 0 http://cocineira.com/?p=3280#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=3280#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:00:10 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=3280
A couple of years ago I purchase Tortas de Aceite from an online purveyor of Spanish Food and they were wonderful! I thought the tortas would arrive stale and dry as they were imported from Spain. I was wonderfully surprised by the and unique and delicious crump and the combination of savory and sweet. Sterling was immediately enamored of these wonderful treats. Tortas de Aceite or Oil Cakes are from Spain or more closely Seville. Because tortas are made with Olive Oil instead of other types of fats they are a very healthy, light alternative dessert; the ingredients are simply flour, water, yeast, olive oil and the crispy cakes are finished with sugar and a variety of seeds or herbs. I like a sweet and salty combination that wraps its way around the tongue in a complex way that a singular flavor set could not. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=3280 0 http://cocineira.com/?p=3844#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=3844#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:00:14 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=3844
Summer is in full swing and that means it is salad season. This salad is full of fresh Summer ingredients like tomatoes, basil and oregano and hearty with shrimp. Chilled and served with warm, crusty bread this salad makes a satisfying lunch or dinner entree. As the flavors are dependent upon the fresh ingredients it is important to use only the best and only the freshest ingredients you can find. Vibrant lemons, minty basil and earthy oregano come together in a Mediterranean inspired salad and surprise the taste buds with sweet shrimp; top it off with salty onion pickles for a unique flavor sensation. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=3844 0 http://cocineira.com/?p=4101#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=4101#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:00:44 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=4101
Sterling turned 21 on July 26 and I planned a large meal for the celebrations. Admittedly, I grew tired and chose to make cupcakes rather than an elaborately decorated cake. Keeping in mind that Sterling likes his cake frosted gently rather than with excess I chose the simpler, classic standby butter cream rather than the more elaborate cream cheese frosting I usually like to pile high upon a cake. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=4101 0 http://cocineira.com/?p=3605#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=3605#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:15:11 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=3605
I don't purchase mixed seasonings such as rubs, dressing mixes or Italian seasoning as I prefer to mix them to my taste. Mixed seasonings almost always have a salt rather than seasoning base. By mixing my own seasonings I can adjust the ratio to our preferences, eliminate the sodium and experiment with new flavor sensations. Spices are also a lot less expensive if you mix the seasonings from bulk spices rather than purchasing the small supermarket jars. I buy bulk spices from the restaurant supply to mix all my blends, rubs and to make salad dressings. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=3605 1 http://cocineira.com/?p=3320#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://cocineira.com/?p=3320#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:00:34 +0000 Ron Rose http://cocineira.com/?p=3320
A few days ago, right after Mother's Day, Mia and I were really tired and headed off to the Olive Garden for lunch. We normally skip restaurant meals as they are usually high in sodium but lack of energy prevailed and the Olive Garden won! I was surprised when Mia ordered Chicken Parmesan; she said "what's not to like? fried chicken and pasta!" — typical Mia. Chicken Parmigiana is an American revamp of a classic dish from southern Italy based on eggplant usually made by breading and frying chicken breast, covering with sauce and cheese and baking in the oven. While I have made Chicken Parmesan through the years, I never really liked it left-over, and needed a new approach! I needed to find a way to make this a part of a healthy, week-night dinner and give it legs. [...]]]> http://cocineira.com/?feed=rss2&p=3320 0