nonsense!

19 Mar 2010

Coconut milk risotto

In my efforts to successfully complete the great no meat challenge 2010 I’ve been trying out some new meat-less recipes to eat at home (eating out on a no-meat challenge is hard, so say the least). Last week I prepared a coconut milk risotto that turned out fairly good, so I decided to share the recipe, in case a brave soul decides to risk it all and try out something I recommended:

Ingredients (makes for 2 big portions)

1 cup of Arborio rice
1 14oz can of unsweetened coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen’s)
1/2 14oz can of diced tomatoes (or two finely chopped fresh tomatoes, seeded)
2 tablespoons of chopped shallots* (eyeball it)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
A handful of fresh cilantro
A handful of julienned carrot (optional)
Chili paste (optional, but everything really tastes better with chili paste)

How to

Put a pan on medium heat, coat it with the olive oil
Once the olive oil is hot (but before it starts smoking) put the butter in the pan
Once the butter is melted add the chopped shallots and cook until they are transparent
Toss in the rice, moving it around the pan until everything is evenly coated with oil and the rice starts to brown (this is very important!)
Once the rice is starting to brown, incorporate about a quarter of the coconut milk and the tomatoes (feel free to use the whole can if you prefer a more tomatoey flavor)
Stir the rice until the milk has been absorbed (the rice will start to take a creamy consistence)
Repeat 5 and 6 until you incorporate all the milk (I only added ¾ of the can as the coconut was too sweet, but feel free to go all the way)
Let the rice cook through for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until rice is tender (feel free to try some rice to test for tenderness, just don’t eat the whole thing)
Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the heat.
Wait for a couple of minutes for the rice to cool a bit, and stir some more
Add chili paste to taste (I recommend adding a bit even if you don’t like chili, it really improves the overall taste of the risotto)
Garnish generously with the cilantro and the julienned carrot and serve while it’s still hot

Extra points

I haven’t tried this yet, but adding some chopped peanuts or cashews sounds like a great idea (as they go really well with the whole Thai theme). Let me know how that goes if you give it a try.

Hope you like it!

* Feel free to replace the shallots with garlic or onions. I just like shallots a lot.

28 Feb 2010

The great no-meat challenge 2010

Ash Wednesday represents the beginning of one of the most important celebration for Catholics around the world, Lent. Tradition dictates that during Lent one should make a sacrifice in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. While I’m not a devout catholic (heck, most of the people who know me will be surprised that I even consider myself a Catholic ;)), I’m a big fan of constantly challenging myself, so every year I use Lent as the perfect pretext for some good old self-denial.

This year I’m taking the challenge to the next level, and I’ve decided I’ll give up eating meat* for the whole 40 days of Lent (Feb 17 to April 3). While I already made my challenge public through a couple of tweets I’m also writing this post as a way of giving myself some extra motivation ;) (the power of facing public shame FTW).

Here’s for a few weeks without meat! Be sure to check back from time to time for my updates on how the challenge is going (tips and well wishes most welcome).

- Ramiro

*Note: I’m giving up red meat. I’m allowing myself to eat fish, and some chicken every now and then.

12 Feb 2010

Less face and more book

I love this ad, from Gandhi, a chain of libraries in Mexico:

The ad translates to: “Less face and more book” :D.

31 Jan 2010

Seattle from the Space Needle

Ramiro Berrelleza

Click here to download:

Seattle_from_the_Space_Needle.zip (6295 KB)

21 Jan 2010

Mexican quesadillas

In commemoration of the National Cheese Lover's day I'd like to share with you the recipe for the father of the mexican cheesy dishes, the Quesadillas*.

Ingredients (makes for 12 - 16 quesadillas)

2 cups of tortilla flour (you can buy it on the supermarket or in Mexican stores)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/4 cups of water
Tortilla press (optional, but very helpful, you can get it in Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, Williams-Sonoma and similar stores)
1 medium ziplock bag

1/2 to 1 pound(s) of grated cheese (Asadero is the typical cheese, but Jack, Colby or Mozarella works well too)
Hot Sauce (optional)

How to

Pour in a mixing bowl the tortilla flour, the salt and the water
Mix thoroughly (your hands are the best tool for this) for about 3 minutes, until everything is incorporated and the dough resembles cornmeal. If the dough is too dry, add water to the mix (a teaspoon at a time)
Once the dough is ready, split it into 16 parts (or less, if you want bigger tortillas), and knead each part into a round ball.
Heat up a griddle (or a pan) on medium.
Split the ziplock bag in two, and place one part of it in the tortilla press.
Center one of your dough balls in the tortilla press, and put the other part of the ziplock bag on top
Close the press and well...press.
Carefully peel off the tortilla and put it on the hot griddle
Wait for about a minute, and then turn the tortilla (normally we would cook for a bit longer, but for quesadillas this should be enough)
Turn the tortilla again, and put enough cheese on it to cover half of the tortilla
Bend the tortilla over the cheese.
After about 30 seconds, flip the quesadilla
Wait until the cheese melted (but before the tortilla burns) to remove from the griddle.

To Serve

If you're not going to serve the quesadilla as soon as it's done (which I recomend), you can put them in a tortillero, or just cover them with a towel, to keep them hot.

Extra Points

While the quesadilla is a fine dish by itself, I normally complemented with some extra filling. This can go from simply putting "salsa" or "pico de gallo" in it, to something more complex, such as chorizo, ajillo mushrooms or your favorite taco filling.

*Note: This recipe is for the (much better) kind of quesadilla that you would eat a Mexican's house for dinner, not the deep-fried variation you normally get at Mexican restaurants in the US.

Hope you like it!

Ramiro Berrelleza