Quick Feijoada Empanadas

     Empanadas are a Spanish or Latin American pastry turnover filled with a variety of savory ingredients which can be baked or fried. They originate in Spain but many countries, including some in Asia and Africa, have their own twist on this dish. They can be different shapes and sizes and can also have different fillings in them. Some countries make them as deserts or as salty appetizers. I personally like Colombian empanadas the best because they are filled with huge pieces of chicken and potatoes, and it is served with a sauce or dressing that goes inside. The empanadas that I will be talking about today are Brazilian. They are filled with ground sausage, collard greens and beans. This filling is called feijoada which is Portuguese for beans. Beans are a staple food in Brazil and are eaten with almost every meal. The author, Denise Browning, refers to these as party starters, snacks, or even finger food for football games. These empanadas are sure to satisfy your hungry stomach after school!

Quick Feijoada Empanadas (Pastel de Feijoada)

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

Quick Feijoada Empanadas consist of small, fried empanadas filled with canned, smashed black beans, sausage, and collard greens. Great as a snack, a party starter, or finger food for sports games!

Author: Denise Browning

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Brazilian (Inspired)

Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, plus as much as necessary to deep-fry empanadas
• 4 oz (115 g) paio sausage or Kielbasa smoked pork sausage, ground
• ½ cup fresh or thawed chopped collard greens
• ⅓ can of BUSH’S Cocina Latina™ Frijoles Negros Machacados
• 30 wonton wraps

Instructions

1. In a medium non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-hight heat and cook ground sausage for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring now and then. Add chopped collard greens and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add beans and stir. Place mixture into a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Place about 15 wonton wraps on preparation surface. Fill center of each with about 1 Tablespoon of the bean mixture and brush water around the edges. Place another wonton wrap on top. Seal all edges together, pressing well with your fingers and then crimping around the edges with a fork.
3. Heat oil at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). If you don't have a thermometer to measure the temperature, dip a small piece of a wonton wrap into the heated oil. If you hear a sizzling sound, the oil is ready. Fry feijoada empanadas, a few at a time, turning them while frying so that they brown evenly on both sides. It will take about 2 minutes to fry each batch. They should be lightly golden and crispy. They will darken further while draining on paper towels. Serve hot either by themselves, or accompanied with an orange vinaigrette sauce or ketchup. Beer or guaraná soda are great drinks to accompany them.

Notes

For 15 feijoada empanadas, triple the amount of the orange vinaigrette (see link for recipe). Or, as an alternative dipping sauce, mix together ⅓ cup store-bought orange marmalade, 2 Tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and a few drops of hot sauce.

Works Cited

"Quick Feijoada Empanadas (Pastel De Feijoada) - From Brazil To You." From Brazil To You. 16 Dec. 2014. Web. 29 Dec. 2014. <http://www.frombraziltoyou.org/quick-feijoada-empanadas/>.

The Science Behind Baking Your Ideal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Have you ever wanted the perfect cookie? Well, now you can! The classic chocolate chip cookie has multiple ways of being customized- just by using a bit of science. Many people do not know the role of each ingredient in the shape and texture of cookies. The author has received help from Kendra Nyberg, a co-teacher a science and food class at the University of California, and Tessa Arias, a chef and cookbook author who writes about cookie science on her website called Handle the Heat. Relying on a few experts and the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe, you get “your perfect cookie,” (Miller, 2014). I was particularly interested in this article because when I make cookies something always goes wrong, so this information really helped me in creating my favorite type of cookie- ooey-gooey and soft- and hopefully yours too. Below are some ways to customize your chocolate chip cookie:

Ooey-gooey: add 2 cups more flour

A nice tan: Set the oven higher than 350 degrees Fahrenheit (maybe 360). Caramelization, which gives cookies their nice brown tops, occurs above 356 degrees.

Crispy with a soft center: Use 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

Chewy: Substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour.

Just like store-bought: Trade the butter for shortening. Arias notes that this ups the texture but reduces some flavor; her suggestion is to use half butter and half shortening.

Thick (and less crispy): Freeze the batter for 30 to 60 minutes before baking. This solidifies the butter, which will spread less while baking.

Cakey: Use more baking soda because, according to Nyberg, it "releases carbon dioxide when heated, which makes cookies puff up."

Butterscotch flavored: Use 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (instead of the same amount of combined granulated sugar and light brown sugar).

Uniformity: If looks count, add one ounce corn syrup and one ounce granulated sugar.

More flavor: Chilling the dough for at least 24 hours before baking deepens all the flavors, Arias found.

Works Cited

"The Science Behind Baking Your Ideal Chocolate Chip Cookie." NPR. NPR. Web. 06 Dec. 2014. 

<http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/09/04/345530660/the-science-behind-baking-your-ideal-chocolate-chip-cookie>.

McDonald's Food You can't get Here

            You are on vacation in Indonesia and you see the well-known golden arches. “Mm mm, the sweet taste of home.” All fired up for a number one (Big Mac) with a large order of fries and sweet tea, you find that your well known number one has been replaced with Burbur Ayam (chicken porridge). McDonald’s has more than 35,000 restaurants in more than 119 countries, and it is also the largest fast food chain in the world. Hence, they have had to revise their well-known menu to win the hearts of many other countries. For example, when my family and I went Costa Rica, we noticed that they gave my brother pineapples instead of our accustomed apples with our happy meals. We thought, maybe they made a mistake and gave him apples instead, or they might have run out of apples. But then I remembered that apples are not grown in Costa Rica- pineapples are. Upon my research, I also found that instead of fries you can get Empanadas in Chile, or Gazpacho, a tomato vegetable soup, in Spain. You don’t even have to travel far to find such food choices. When I used to live in Miami, my mom would order plantains as a side in McDonald’s. However, many restaurants have diffused around the world, and have had to reinvent their menu to match local cuisine. KFC is one of them. There, you can order Gallopinto (black beans and rice) along with a leg of not-so-greasy fried chicken. I’m actually kind of jealous that we don’t have these foods in our local McDonald's or other fast food restaurants, because most of them look really good and tasty.

Works Cited

"McDonald's Food You Can't Get Here." Chicagotribune.com. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.            <http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-mcdonalds-food-around-the-world- photogallery.html>.

When Asian and Latin Food Collide: Spicy, Tasty or Confused?

            Asian and Latin foods have more in common than you think, and are now colliding in interesting new ways. Indian-American cookbook author, Anupy Singla, and Mexican-American chef, Pati Jinich, say that Asian-Latino food combinations have a rich history. Jinich explains that Asian influence in Mexico started in the 1560’s. After the Spanish conquered Mexico, they had been looking for the ‘Spice Islands’, and found the Phillipines, which is where they also found the spice they had been looking for.  Jinich states, “In Mexico we have Chinese cafes, and Chinese coffee shops, and Chinese restaurants galore. And the funny thing is if you go into a Chinese restaurant, you will find enchiladas alongside chop suey, and you will find forks, chopsticks are optional.” Singla says to work inside the box and learn the rules, then break them. When I was little, my mom used to make Cuban fried rice. She made it with Cuban spare ribs, bean sprouts, peas, soy sauce, and many other yummy ingredients. She also made me Cuban stir fry with Cuban steak, bean sprouts, white rice, and steamed veggies. I love the way Asian-Latino food tastes and I hope to have more of it very soon. 

Green beans with peanuts and chile de arbol

Works Cited

"When Asian And Latin Food Collide: Spicy, Tasty Or Confused?" NPR. NPR. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

Cool and Comforting Ceviche

If you are looking for the perfect light summer dish, then ceviche is the one for you. It is not summer in the United States anymore. However, it is in Central and South America. Originating in Peru, ceviche is a popular South and Central American dish, containing fish or shrimp, cilantro, lemon or lime juice, bell peppers, and many other delicious ingredients. This meal requires no cooking because the citrus juice “changes the structure of the proteins in the fish much in the same way that heat does” (Gershenson, 2005). The author describes ceviche as an informal dish that invites variation. You can pretty much combine any fruit or vegetable with this meal, and still make it taste wonderful. On a recent trip to Costa Rica, my dad’s cousin and her family invited our family to have dinner at a local restaurant. That is where I was introduced, and fell in love with ceviche. Since returning from my trip, one of my favorite places to order ceviche is at La Frontera, Tex-Mex Grill, in Stockbridge. This restaurant offers the traditional ceviche consisting of lemon juice cured tilapia, with tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garnished with jalapeños and grilled tostadas, as well as the tropical ceviche which adds the sweet taste of mangos.

Costa Rican ceviche-made with fish, avocados, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lemon juice.

Works Cited

Gershenson, Gabriella. “Cool and Comforting Ceviche.” NPR. NPR, 3 Aug. 2005. Web. 19 Oct.

            2014.

Cooking in a Latin-Jewish Melting Pot

It can be said that not all cuisines are exclusively rooted from their country of origin.  For example, during World War II in the late 40’s, many people migrated to Latin America to flee Jewish persecution thus, taking with them their cultural practices including dietary influences to their new home land including “Argentina, Cuba, Peru, Panama, and Uruguay- and finally heading north for the U.S. in the next generation”(Schmidt, 2013). Alex Schmidt, the author of “Cooking in a Latin-Jewish Melting Pot” explains that being from Mexican and European- Jewish decent, most of his meals incorporated the integration foods and flavors from both cultures. He also states that it was not until he was grown that he pondered on the mixing of his traditions. Schmidt quotes “Our time in Latin America- or wherever Jews happened to alight- sometimes constrained our diets, but also pushed us to be creative with the new ingredients at hand.”

Saffron-matzo ball soup. Saffron is used in many Spanish dishes, and Matzo balls are used in traditional Jewish meals.

Works Cited

Schmidt, Alex. "Cooking In A Latin-Jewish Melting Pot." NPR. NPR, 26 Dec. 2013. Web. 28 Sept. 2014.

Welcome to the World Pantry!

     Hello, and welcome to my blog! This blog is all about foods from all around the world. It showcases many of the delicious recipes that my mom makes for my family and I, including yummy deserts and meals.
     My passion for cooking started when my mom let me bake a batch of cupcakes on my own and from scratch. Ever since then, my passion for cooking grew more each day. I am very excited to share these recipes with those who also have a passion for cooking, or maybe just want to try them out.
     From my kitchen to yours, happy cooking!