German Pancakes

How brilliant is it to bake pancakes in the oven so you can crawl back into bed until they're ready instead of having to stand over a stove and flip them? Germans are awesome.


These are significantly eggier than regular pancakes, more like thick crepes. It's fun to watch them get all puffy in the oven.

German Pancakes
from Smitten Kitchen

Yields 2 9-inch pancakes (feeds two, generously)

4 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons soft butter

Heat oven to 375°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans well. (As in, 1 tablespoon per pan.) Blend eggs at low speed in blender until they become light yellow. Increase speed to low-medium, remove cover and add remaining ingredients; process until smooth. Pour into buttered pans and bake 20 minutes; then reduce heat to 325°F and bake 10 minutes.

Traditionally, these are served with lemon slices, powdered sugar, and butter, but I like them piled with fresh or stewed seasonal fruit, and most others seem to prefer maple syrup.

Salsas: Rojo, Verde, Ranchero

I'd been thinking about doing a Mexican feast for a few weeks. At this time of year, avocados and limes and mangoes are cheap and nothing local is really in season yet. Plus I'm generally sick of wintery foods and want something brighter. So I'd been toying with the idea, but didn't quite know how to get around the lack of decent tomatoes. Then, on St. Patrick's Day, the New York Times posted this article on authentic Mexican salsas. I was inspired.


Each salsa is very different than the others, and each recipe yields about 1 quart of salsa.

First, the salsa roja was a disappointment. I love cinnamon, but this was just too cinnamony for my taste. Instead of providing background sweetness, the canela dominated the dish. However, I have found a way to use it, as I'll explain in a later post.


Salsa Roja
Adapted from the NY Times

2 pounds roma tomatoes (or 1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes)
3 tablespoons light olive oil
4-8 dried chiles de arbol (or Thai or pequin)
1 small, sliced yellow onion
1 clove peeled garlic
6 whole cloves
1/2 piece Mexican canela
1/4 teaspoon salt

If using fresh tomatoes, place in a pot with water to cover and simmer 15 minutes. Drain and puree in the blender.

In a skillet, heat oil until shimmering. Add chiles, onion, garlic, cloves and canela (or spices), sprinkle with salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened and golden, about 8 minutes. Add tomato purée or canned tomatoes and simmer, stirring often, until thickened and slightly sweet, about 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed, keeping in mind that cold food tastes saltier than hot food. Puree in the blender until smooth.

Next, the salsa verde was delicious and light, and was excellent on fish a few days later.

Salsa Verde

Adapted from the NY Times

3 tablespoons grape seed oil
2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed, halved
6 to 12 serrano chilies, stems and seeds removed*
1/2 onion, peeled
1 clove garlic, also peeled*
12 whole sprigs cilantro, stems included (about a handful)
juice of 3-6 limes
Salt

*I used six and found the salsa to be well-balanced: it had enough heat to be kicky, but not so much I couldn't taste the other flavors.

*I substituted four green garlics.

1. In a wide skillet, heat oil until shimmering but not smoking. Add tomatillos, chilies, onion (cut side down) and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, turning often, until vegetables are browned, turning to black (I got distracted, and mine turned black, to no negative effect), and seared on all sides.

2. Add cilantro (and garlic greens) and purée with blender until smooth and creamy, adding a little water if needed to loosen. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. The sauce should be tart and spicy but rounded in flavor.

Finally, the salsa ranchera was the favorite. I believe it would have been excellent with huevos for breakfast, but sadly, there were no leftovers.


Salsa Ranchera

Adapted from the NY Times

1/4 oz dried guajillo or New Mexico chiles
1/4 oz dried ancho chiles
6 roma tomatoes
2/ cloves garlic
3/4 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 poblano chile, roasted, stemmed, seeded and diced*
salt

*I may have not read the recipe closely and diced my poblano without roasting it, then seared it in a dry pan over high heat. Although this meant I couldn't remove the skins and they were a bit tough at first, after a few hours you couldn't tell the difference.

Cover dried chiles with boiling water and let steep until tender, 1 to 3 hours. Drain off and reserve soaking water. Purée chilies in a blender or food processor, adding soaking water as needed to make a smooth paste. (The longer you can soak the chiles, the less water you will need and the easier this process will be.) Strain to remove skin bits and set aside.

2. In a pot, combine tomatoes, garlic, 1/2 cup onion, cumin, 2 tablespoons of chile puree, and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 10 minutes. Purée in a blender, then pour into a skillet.

3. Bring to a simmer and stir in remaining 1/4 cup chopped onion, diced poblano chili and salt to taste. Let simmer another few minutes to help flavors blend.

The Farmers' Market, Taco Night, and a New Camera

This Saturday was the first farmers' market of the year...in Boulder. In Denver, none of the markets start until May. So, I drove up to Boulder on Saturday morning. I sort-of justified it to myself by meeting my dad for brunch at Foolish Craig's, but really, this was about getting amazing food and whatever food miles I may have saved by buying local I more than compensated for by driving 30 miles to purchase.



What can I say? I *love* garlic greens.


...and fresh spinach...


...and especially fresh tortilla chips. This weekend I wanted to make tacos, and I wanted to make fresh salsa for them.


I may have gone just a wee bit overboard and made a total of four(!) salsas. But the tacos were delicious. Tacos are a brilliant food: you can eat them with your fingers, and once you understand the basic composition, they can be varied infinitely.

Start with good tortillas. The only ingredients should be corn, water, and lime. Preferably, head over to the west side (or the Boulder farmers' market) and pick up fresh tortillas...they really are worth it.

Next, you need a protein. I made carne asada.


Carne Asada

1 skirt steak (mine was small, about 3/4 lb, and fed two generously)
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons cumin

Pre-heat your grill or heat 1 teaspoon of grapeseed or canola oil over high heat. Crush and peel the garlic, then rub the clove over the meat. Rub the spices into the meat. Cook 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare. (If you like your meat well-done, then braise your meat. Skirt steak will be extremely tough if you cook it all the way through.) Let rest for a few minutes, then slice as thinly as you can.

I also made black beans.



Mexican Black Beans

1/2 lb black beans, soaked overnight
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
1/8 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt to taste

Cover the black beans in hot water to soak overnight, then pour off the liquid, rinse the beans, and cook in fresh water to avoid gas.

Heat the oil to medium-low and saute the pepper and onion until the onion is translucent and the odor shifts from sharp to sweet. Add the garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes.

Add the beans and enough water to cover by about one inch. Add the spices and bring to a simmer. Simmer 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, covered, stirring every 1/2 hour or so and adding water as needed.



Once you have your protein, you need salsa, but I'm saving those salsas for another post. In addition to salsa, you need crunch. I found some beautiful red cabbage at the market.



I added salt and lime juice and let it sit for about an hour before eating. This produced a mild version of pickling that eliminated any toughness and balanced nicely with the slight bitterness of the cabbage.

Finally, I added a little cotija cheese. The tacos were delicious! (And since I resisted my usual impulse to overload them, I was able to actually eat them with my fingers.)


Oh yeah, and as you can see, I also finally got my new camera! So from now on, pictures will be a regular feature around here.