Empanada from Spain and empanada from Latin and South America are similar in concept in that they are both filled-pastries. Where they differ is size. In Spain, empanada is made the size of a cookie sheet or large pizza pan and is meant to be apportioned out. South of the border, they’re made to be eaten individually. You wouldn’t want to share one!
Being half Spanish, I grew up eating the Spanish version…Empanada Gallega with a bacalao (codfish) filling. As an adult, living and traveling in NY, FL, PR and South America, I became very familiar with the handheld version usually filled with ground beef.
Here’s what happened when I melded the 2 traditions — the Spanish filling with the convenience fun of a bite-size treat.
I’ll never get an award for brand loyalty. You might say I’m commercially fickle. I fly whichever airline will get me there in the least amount of time for the least amount of dollars. I lease a car just so I can try a different manufacturer and model every 3 years. I buy whatever detergents and other staples attract my eye or are on sale. And, of course, I’m always on to the next and newest brand of anything. There are very few products that I’ve remained true to over the years — and they’re all Goya. Continue Reading
First stop on our virtual Culinary Tour and I guess I’m anxious. I arrived early.
Panama was a tough one for me. I wanted to do something challenging, but it turns out the cuisine is pretty similar to the rest of Latin America. Where it diverged from the familiar, like in carimañolas (stuffed yuca with meat), the suggested meat was iguana or gatosolo (racoon). Hell, I wanted to stretch my skills, but I just couldn’t go there…even though, living in FL, there are lots of iguanas around that I’d like to get rid of!
So, I kept looking for an idea. Then I found arroz con tities y coco. I must admit, much like a pubescent school boy, I was intrigued by ‘tities’ (giggle), but the recipe turned out to be baby shrimp and rice cooked in coconut milk. I wanted something more adventurous, so I went back to the carimañolas. Yes, I did!
While I don’t eat cod fish salad often, I always enjoy it when I do…and this week I had a hankering. I like the Italian version with oil-cured olives and tomatoes — and I equally like the Puerto Rican version with avocado and lime juice.
It didn’t take a brainstorm to come up with the idea to combine my favorite elements of each. They certainly are complementary. Two traditional ingredients to the Puerto Rican version that I forgot are hard-boiled eggs and pimentos so we’ll call them optional. 
I love using familiar ingredients in unfamiliar ways. All of the ingredients in this dish are familiar to the FOODalogue kitchen but they’ve never appeared together this way before. The idea came to me as I looked at the lone plantain (soon to turn ripe) in my vegetable bowl. Then I remembered the leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge. The wheels started turning, the cabinet doors were flung open and I started pulling out the rest of the ingredients. Continue Reading
This one is so simple! And quick. It involves 2 products and little-to-no cooking. Spaghetti Squash is an interesting vegetable, especially when you pair it with something tasty like black beans. You can roast it in the oven or – equally satisfying and quicker – microwave it as I did this time. It takes less than 10 minutes and during that time you can open the can of beans.
You know how basil, tomatoes and garlic are like the holy trinity of Italian cooking? Another combo I love is chipolte, lime juice and honey. It is definitely my ‘go to’ dressing when I’m doing something with a Mexican or Southwestern flair. And once I get started with that combo, invariably one of the finishing touches I employ is toasted pumpkin seeds. They just all seem to compliment each other so well.
This dish, like many in the FOODalogue kitchen, began with leftovers! Continue Reading
Recent Comments