Monday 30 July 2012

Week 4 - Nicaragua

NACATAMALES

For our first foray into the Americas I really wanted to tackle the Nacatamal, an epic breakfast dish from Nicaragua.  However, after reading through several recipes, it became apparent that this would be a good time to make our first trip out for breakfast.  Lucky for us, Toronto has an excellent Nicaraguan restaurant right downtown....


La Bella Managua, located just a little bit east of Ossington Station on Bloor Street is a great little restaurant that until now had escaped my attention.  The service was friendly, the atmosphere was fun and authentic, and the food was great!  (we weren't the only ones to think so, we caught a glimpse of singer-songwriter Feist dining here during our visit)  But this isn't a restaurant review, let's get on to the breakfast.



Breakfast in Nicaragua most typically wouldn't feature the Nacatamal.   On a day-to-day basis most people have Gallo Pinto - a very popular dish right across Central America made with rice and beans.  The Nacatamal is a dish most often reserved for special occasions like Christmas and the preparation usually involves the whole family and several hours of work.  However it is unique to Nicaragua and has such an interesting combination of flavours that I really wanted to feature it.

What is a Nacatamal?  Basically it's a mash of corn masa topped with various ingredients wrapped in banana or plaintain leaves that's then steamed or pressure cooked for several hours.







When I excitedly opened my Nacatamal I found a dizzing array of ingredients.  Besides the corn masa there was pork, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, bell peppers, capers, olives, raisins and spearmint leaves!  And it was all served with a side of tortillas and a great hot sauce.



















The filling was soft and had a strong savoury tomato flavour with a hint of mint.  Although it sounds unusual, the mint really added a great finesse to this dish.  It was such a huge mass of food with so many flavours and textures (something that would've terrified me growing up), but the mint kept it from feeling too heavy and cloying.

Here's the Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:





The Nacatamal features many difficult to find ingredients and takes hours of preparation.

For Degrees of Separation:






For Guestability:






This was a tough one to judge.   It would surely impress, but the extensive preparation needed would make it difficult to serve before lunch.


For Sustainability:






We weren't hungry for hours after this one.

Overall Appeal: 





The Nacatamal and our general experience at La Bella Managua has left me sold on Nicaraguan cuisine.  There were so many unique flavour combinations and the food felt fresh and light despite being exceptionally hearty.  It was a unique breakfast experience to say the least.

Join us next week (same breakfast time, same breakfast url) as we celebrate the Olympics with a breakfast from Greece!





Monday 23 July 2012

Week 3 - Naashta - India, Part II

Part II - POORAN PURI

I love making flatbreads at home. Unfortunately, flatbreads do not always love me back.  Nothing beats a lovely fresh Naan, Roti, Pita, Tortilla, etc. or the elation you feel when you've finally mastered the recipe.  (Or the devastation when you chew through a greasy, tough lump.)  Deceptively simple, these recipes require a knowing touch, the right kitchen conditions, elbow grease, and just a little help from the "Gods of Bread".

Our experiment with Pooran Puri was one of those times when it just didn't quite come together.  In the end it was still delicious, but not quite the tender slightly chewy goodness I imagined it could be.



Pooran Puri is essentially a flatbread filled with a sweet, cardamom-spiced chick pea filling.  Like Khichdi, it is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent with many variations and alternate names.  (Puran Puri, Holige, Obbattu to name a few.)  It's normally cooked for special occasions and I suspect, is one of those recipes that little girls learn to perfect early with their mothers.

Since we had company, I snuck out of bed quite early to try to get breakfast ready at a decent hour.  For a first-time maker these were quite intensive and I would estimate that they probably took a good hour and a half to complete.

First I created the dough out of oil, atta flour, all-purpose flour and boiling water.  Then while the dough was resting, I made the chick pea filling by boiling the chick peas until soft and mashing them in a food processor with copious amounts of sugar, cardamom and a touch of nutmeg and coconut.

Here's the tricky part - you roll the chick pea filling into small balls and then roll the dough into slightly smaller balls.   Using a tortilla press you flatten the dough ball and place the chick pea filling  inside.  Then using the tortilla press again, flatten the whole thing into its final flatbread shape.  (Not that I imagine cooks in India using tortilla presses, but I find it a handy tool!)

This was where my Puran Poli went slightly askew.  My dough wasn't strong enough and when I flattened it the final time with the Tortilla Press, chick pea filling squirted out all over the place.  We ended up frying the less than beautiful Puris anyways and they still tasted great.  (Kudos to Jon for his super skills frying these up.) We served them with fruit and yogurt but traditionally they're served dipped in ghee or coconut milk and spices.  They tasted super sweet, had a very strong cardamom flavour and were a hit with our house guests who said that they preferred them over the Khichdi.



The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:






These were really tricky and required a team effort.

For Degrees of Separation:






For Guestability:





For Sustainability:






Overall Appeal:






Both items we tried from India this week were very labour intensive.  Between the two, I preferred the Khichdi but I do think the Puran Puri has the potential to be outstanding.  Perhaps it's a recipe to come back to another day.

Next week we dine out!  Join us as we explore the breakfast of Nicaragua....

Friday 20 July 2012

Week 3 - Naashta - India

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that Indian food is one of my favourite cuisines.  Like the country itself, it's epic!  Which is why this week's entry is a two-parter.  With such a diverse field of options, who could pick just one?

We were lucky to be joined in this week's breakfast project by Jon's gracious and adventurous parents.  I feel very lucky to have such a supportive family surrounding me in this endeavour.  Hat's off to Janet and Gregg for being so patient as we worked our way through these recipes and for all of their excellent feedback on the results!

Part 1 - KHICHDI

Khichdi, (also spelled khichri, Khichdee, khichadi, khichuri, khichari, and adapted in England as Kedgeree) is a prime example of why I'm loving this project.  It's a dish I've never heard of before and certainly have never seen offered in a restaurant.  But just a short google search showed it to be a classic recipe throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  In these countries it's a homey food not only served for breakfast but also to babies as their first solid food and to people with upset stomachs.  People described it with nostalgia and each claimed their mother had perfected the best version.

But what is Khichdi?  Basically it's a porridge of lentils and rice.  Other common ingredients include all manner of vegetables, spices and sometimes meat.  For our breakfast I settled on a simple recipe using split red lentils, basmati rice, potatoes, spinach, onion, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, turmeric, ghee and some garam masala.
























Well, maybe not so simple and the recipe definitely involved more effort than I'm used to expending in the morning.


But the results were straightforward - it was soft, buttery, had just a hint of spice and produced a general feeling of well-being after a heaping bowlful.



















Here's the Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:





From the soaking of the rice and lentils to the prep work involved with all those ingredients, this recipe probably took a good 90 minutes to prepare.

For Degrees of Separation:







Khichdi is miles away from my daily bowl of Cheerios.

For Guestability:







This depends on your guests, ours were awesome and ate it up readily, but I bet they would've been happier with some delicious Torrijas.

For Sustainability:






After a couple of bowls of this we weren't hungry again until suppertime.

Overall Appeal:






This is a breakfast that has a definite time and place.  I can see making a huge pot of this on a cold wintery Sunday morning and enjoying it for the rest of the week.  But for a beautiful Saturday in July, not so much.

Stay tuned for Part II, coming later this weekend....

Monday 16 July 2012

Week 2 - Morocco

BEGHRIR & AMLOU

Welcome back!  From our adventures last week in Spain we travel across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco.

I love Moroccan food, but I have to admit that it doesn't make it to my table very often.  Perhaps I feel intimidated by the slow process of cooking a proper Tagine, I'm not sure.  I do know that after experimenting this week with their interesting combinations of sweet and savoury I'll be making an effort to learn more about Moroccan cooking.

Moroccan breakfast centres on sweet flavours ("hurray", says my Lucky Charms-loving sweet tooth), and usually consists of an assortment of breads served with various spreads.  For the sake of time (and to make sure we eat breakfast before the sun goes back down) I decided to focus on Beghrir served with Amlou, Honey-Butter, and Orange Marmalade.




Beghrir are similar to pancakes with a few small distinct differences.  Instead of baking powder, yeast is used as a leavening agent which results in the thousands of small holes Beghrir is famous for.  Another difference is that the batter uses semolina flour in addition to a small amount of conventional all purpose flour and is only cooked on one side.  The result is a light, tender flatbread that is a cross between a crepe and a pancake.  The thousands of tiny holes are perfect for catching the flavour of whatever you put on it.




Amlou is a traditional Moroccan spread made with almonds, argan oil, and honey - sort of a delicious sister to peanut butter.  My family can attest to my love of peanut butter, so it wasn't shocking that I loved Amlou.  Honey and almonds are a great combo that should be enjoyed together more often.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any argan oil in time for this week's breakfast (I did notice it not even one day later at the amazing Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws) but olive oil served as a suitable substitute.

I also whipped up a delicious Honey-Butter spread (really just some microwaved butter with honey) which I've been enjoying ever since this breakfast on all manner of fruits and vegetables.

And finally, I purchased some Seville Orange Marmalade at our local grocery store.  The authenticity of the orange marmalade I wasn't too sure about, but jams are popular with Beghrir and oranges are popular in Morocco, so I decided to put two and two together and give it a shot.

When it came to how it all paired together, I have to say that the Beghrir really shone the most with just the drizzled Honey-Butter.  The semolina lent them an interesting whole wheat flavour that deserved to be noticed outside of the decadent Amlou.  (not that I would omit the Amlou entirely)

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:







The Beghrir themselves were simple to prepare, but it was time-consuming to create both Beghrir and Amlou from scratch.


For Degrees of Separation:


For Guestability:





These were delicious and would be great fun to eat with guests.

For Sustainability:  





The protein from the almonds added a little extra energy that lasted well until lunch.

Overall Appeal:






Beghrir were definitely fun and Amlou may make it into my regular rotation.  But we're hankering for something a little bit more outside the box.  So join us next week as we tackle India!

Saturday 7 July 2012

Week 1: El Desayuno - Spain

TORRIJAS


Let's begin our journey in Spain!

I know you may be wondering, "Spain, what a curious first selection?"  Well, here in Toronto you couldn't help but become swept up in Euro Cup 2012 fever.  So why not celebrate Spain's decisive win with some delicious breakfast?

In Spain, breakfast or El Desayuno, is usually the lightest meal of the day and most times will feature a sweet pastry of some sort accompanied, of course, by Cafe Con Leche (coffee with milk).

For our inaugural post we will be featuring a breakfast sweet most commonly seen during Lent - Torrijas.  First off, what a great word - Torrijas!  (the "j" is pronounced with a "y" sound)  Say that a couple dozen times before breakfast (go on, you know you want to) and you are ready to start your day with some verve.

What is a Torrija?  Basically it is the older cousin of French Toast/Pain Perdu.  Probably invented as a way to use up old, stale bread, the concept is simple:  take day old crusty bread, dip it in milk, then egg, fry, coat in cinnamon sugar and serve with syrup.

Before anyone complains that this is not exactly "outside the cereal box" stuff here, let me explain.  It was the details that really drew me.  The milk is boiled with a selection of spices (for our experiment we chose cinnamon, brown sugar and cardamom) and instead of merely dipping the bread you soak it - for up to 1 hour!  It was this step that really added that special something to this sweet pastry.  The added soak time infused the spicy sweet goodness of the milk right into the bread and gave the inside a soft custardy texture that contrasted beautifully with the crispy fried outside.



The syrup was a fun change from our old stand-by maple syrup and it was extremely simple to make as well.   While the bread was soaking, I boiled down a couple of cups of water, sugar and some spice until the desired sweetness and consistency had been reached.  I chose star anise and cinnamon to complement the Torrijas.

And just for fun - Torrijas Borrachas or "Drunken" Torrijas:



This variation on the Torrijas uses sweet wine in place of the milk mixture.  The colour on these was unbelievable, however, wine before 10 am might just be an acquired taste....

Jon and I deliberated and here is our verdict on Torrijas (all ratings are out of 5):

For Ease of Preparation: 






For Degrees of Separation (from our regular breakfast food):





For Guestability (appeal for visitors):





For Sustainability (how long until we were hungry):






Overall Appeal:






We enjoyed the Torrijas a lot.  They were easy to make, looked and smelled great, and best of all were delicious.  An excellent beginning to what I hope will be a long journey....  Join us next week as we continue south to Morocco.