Tuesday, November 10th

I’ve been remiss about writing this entry since I’ve been far too busy with my paid work for the last couple of weeks. It’s been nearly three weeks since I enjoyed this meal, and I’ve really wanted to blog about it even though my memory certainly does not get better over time. In any case, here goes my belated review, sadly less lucid and detailed than I would have liked…

November 10th was our Guest Chef Night in this offbeat month of November. My longtime friend, Roxanne Andersen, was at the helm, and she chose to create a mini-version of her 40th birthday party, which was in turn a maxi version of a typical night at Frugal Foodies. The theme for her party and for the night here was international finger foods or sort of like vegetarian tapas, California cuisine style. While at her party we made 7 or 8 dishes, at this Frugal Foodies we only made 4, though all of them were quite involved with the one non-party dish being the biggest hit. Here’s what we made:

Sopes—this dish is relatively new to me, a new twist on the soft taco if you will, and one that I really quite like. What’s nice about them is that they are thicker than tacos but then they’re loaded up with some of the same yummy toppings as my beloved tacos on the streets of Morelia. I’m not a huge fan of cabbage but in this dish it really works in combination with the black beans, queso fresco, and avocados. I think that this was my favorite of the entrée-type dishes and I remember enjoying them the next day as well. I give it a score of 6.5 bucks.

Pakoras—I’m normally a huge fan of pakoras—one of my favorite Indian dishes actually—but these ones fell short for me. Lots of people really liked them—especially with the mint chutney that was included (but is not being reviewed here)—but for me they were way too small. I’m not sure how they’re made as large as they are in the restaurants, but these came out tiny, more like Indian-style tempura—mind you with nearly diced vegetables—instead of the golf ball size treats that I’m used to. Perhaps it was that we didn’t have a deep-fryer like we had at Roxanne’s party, or maybe the batter was too thin but something didn’t work quite right for me. Still, anything battered and deep fried can’t be bad, so it still gets a score of 4.5 bucks, but it could have been so much more.

Summer Rolls with Citrus Vinaigrette—this was another dish that didn’t come together quite as well on this night as it did at the party. The thing about spring rolls is that they have to really be rolled well—that is to say, tightly—in order to hold together for the first bite, and then for subsequent bites. And that’s a function of what’s in them and how carefully they’re rolled. These were not rolled perfectly so they tended to fall apart, making them hard to dip in the sauce. Furthermore, I didn’t love the innards nor the dipping sauce. I much prefer a peanut sauce to a citrus sauce. Again, not bad on the whole, just not what they could have been, so I also give them a score of 4.5 bucks.

Apple-Quince Turnovers—this was the new recipe on the scene and it was fantabulous! The dough, the filling were pretty much perfect. You’ll see in the recipe below that the dough was made with butter and cream cheese, two of my more favorite ingredients for life, and it wasn’t too sweet. Flaky, moist, creamy, buttery, really outstanding. I think that the only thing that kept this dish from getting a perfect score was that for me the dough was rolled a bit too large and so the turnovers felt a little empty or too flat or just too something for them to be perfect. But still, I can’t give them anything less than a score of 7.5 bucks.

Overall—so that means that this meal gets an overall score of 23 bucks, lots more than the masses paid to enjoy it. That’s called “Return on Investment”, something that I strive to offer each and every week at Frugal Foodies. Now for the recipes…


Sopes

Adapted from the Guest Chef Night of Roxanne Andersen

Ingredients
6 cups masa harina
3 cans refried black beans
1 lb queso fresco or goat cheese, feta, or Monterey Jack cheese
Green cabbage, ¼ head, very finely sliced
6 avocados, very thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves plucked from stems
6 tomatoes, finely diced
6 limes

Instructions
1. Follow directions on package to mix together 6 cups masa harina.
2. Roll masa into balls about 1 ¼ in diameter. Keep balls covered so they are moist.
3. Place a ball on a piece of plastic wrap and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Pat down with your hands while rotating the dough until it is about ¼ in thick.
4. Heat a large griddle on medium heat, and lightly oil it. Cook in batches of about 6-8 on the griddle. Cook first side for about 2 minutes until the bottom has light brown speckles and then turn them over and cook the other side for another 2 minutes. Remove from the griddle and carefully pinch the edges to form a ridge. Return to the griddle and cook until firm throughout, about 2 more minutes. You now have your sopes ready to be topped with whatever you want.
5. While the sopes are being made, heat the refried beans and prepare all the vegetables.
6. Once the sopes are ready, spread the refried beans on first and then layer with the other toppings, just a little of each. Then slice open the limes and sprinkle a little lime juice on each one.


Makes 30-40



Pakoras

Adapted from The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking

Ingredients
2 2/3 cups chickpea flour
4 t melted ghee or vegetable oil
2 T lemon juice
½ t cayenne pepper
1 t turmeric
2 t garam masala or 1/2 t each cardamom, cumin, cinnamon and cloves
4 t ground coriander
2-3 t salt
1 cup plus 2 T cold water, or as needed
2/3 t baking powder, optional
Vegetable or vegetables from list below:
• Underripe banana, cut into rounds 1/3 in (1 cm) thick
• Cauliflower flowerets, 1 inch by 1.2 inch
• Yam, peeled and cut into rounds 1/8 inch thick
• Bell peppers, red and yellow, sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick, seeded and ribbed
• Zucchini, cut on the diagonal ¼ inch thick
• Spinach, medium-sized leaves, stemmed, washed and dried
Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions
1. Combine the flour, melted ghee or oil, lemon juice, spices and salt in a bowl and mix well. Add ½ cup plus 2 T of water slowly, beating with a whisk until the batter is smooth and free of lumps. Slowly add 6 T more water to beat until well mixed. Check the consistency and if necessary slowly add remaining water until the batter resembles the consistency of heavy cream and easily coats a wooden spoon. Cover batter and set aside for 10-15 minutes
2. Prep all the vegetables.
3. Beat the batter again for 2-3 minutes to further lighten. Stir in the baking powder at this point if you prefer a cake-like crust.
4. Heat 2 ½ - 3 inches of oil in a wok or deep frying pan until the temperature reaches 355 degrees. Dip 5-10 of your selected ingredients in the batter and, one at a time, carefully slip them into the hot oil. The temperature will fall but should be maintained at between 345-355 degrees. Fry until the pakoras are golden brown, turning to brown evenly. Leafy greens may take as little as 1 or 2 minutes per side, while potatoes may take up to 5 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
5. Serve immediately, or keep warm, uncovered, in a preheated 250 degree oven until all the pakoras are fried.


Makes 50 – 70 pieces



Summer Rolls with Citrus Vinaigrette

Adapted from The Millennium Cookbook

Roll Ingredients
24 rice paper sheets (extra good for mistakes)
2 red onions, cut crosswise into thin slices
2 carrots, shredded
2 fennel bulbs, cut crosswise into thin slices
8 cups shredded red cabbage (1 small head)
6 T rice vinegar
2 T umeboshi vinegar or tamari soy sauce
4 T minced fresh cilantro
6 T finely shredded mint leaves
6 T finely shredded Thai basil or sweet basil leaves
2 mangos, cut into ¼ inch slices
6 T unsalted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients
1 cup water
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 T sugar
½ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup champagne or rice vinegar
3 T tamari soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ t red pepper flakes
1 T minced fresh mint
2 T minced red bell pepper (optional)
1 t grated fresh ginger
Salt and pepper

Instructions
1. In a large bowl, combine the onion, carrot, fennel, and cabbage with the rice and umeboshi (or soy sauce) vinegars. Let sit for 15 minutes, or until the cabbage softens. Stir in the cilantro, mint, and basil.
2. The Citrus Vinaigrette is served as a dipping sauce. Whisk together water, fresh lemon juice and sugar until well blended. Add orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, minced fresh mint, minced red pepper, ginger, salt and pepper. Whisk until well mixed.
3. Fill a shallow bowl or pie pan with warm water and taking one wrapper at a time, immerse in the water just until pliable. Remove quickly and lay on a work surface. Place 2 T of the cabbage filling in the center. Top with a few slices of mango and chopped peanuts. Fold and roll up like a burrito. Repeat.


Makes 24 rolls



Apple-Quince Turnovers

Adapted from Everyday Greens

Dough Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups fine cornmeal
6 T sugar
1 t salt
4 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 lb natural cream cheese

Filling Ingredients
2 T unsalted butter
1 cup plus ¾ cup sugar
1 t fresh lemon juice
4 large granny smith apples peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes, about 3 cups
2 cups unfiltered apple juice
1 cup water
2 2-inch cinnamon sticks
4 large quince
5 T tapioca starch
2 egg yolks
4 T milk
1 T ground cinnamon

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and set the oven rack to the middle position.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl and cut in the butter until the pieces are pea-size. Add the cream cheese and work until just combined, being careful not to overmix. There will still be white streaks of cream cheese striating the dough. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes
3. Melt the butter in a pan, add 4 T sugar, the salt and lemon juice, cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and bubbling, 2-3 minutes. Add the apples and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and set aside to cool.
4. Combine the apple juice, water, cinnamon stick, and ½ cup sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the quince, and simmer until tender, 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
5. Drain the quince, add the apples, and toss the fruit with the tapioca starch and the remaining sugar.
6. Whisk together the egg yolks and milk as a pastry egg wash. Mix the cinnamon and 1 cup sugar as a sprinkle for the top
7. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface. Roll the dough into 8 inch rounds about ¼ inch thick. Place 1/3 cup of the fruit in the center of the round and brush the edge with the egg wash. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon. Seal and crimp the edges with the back of a fork. Brush the turnovers with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar.
8. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden, about 25 minutes.


Makes 16 turnovers