Sauteed Achiote Chicken & Cauliflower

I have an ongoing obsession with achiote paste, which is a seasoning mix made and extracted from the annatto seed.

It is used extensively in Central American and some Asian dishes.  I developed my recipe for achiote paste based on the paste used to season Nicaraguan dishes.  I've noticed the actual achiote paste starting to populate the shelves of some mainstream supermarkets in the Hispanic foods section, so you may even be able to buy it off the shelf.  Personally, I prefer either making it myself or going to my local Nicaraguan "mercadito" (market) and buying it there.

Aside from the beautiful red color it imparts on foods, it adds a deep rich, earthly flavor to proteins (yes even tofu!). I find this is especially true on grilled meats such as chicken, pork, beef even seafood.

But I wanted to take it indoor and use it in a sauté for a quick dinner. And the results were simply put deeeeelicious! The Hub had seconds and took leftovers to work the next day.

• 1 pound sliced chicken breast** - 2" strips (like you'd use in a stir-fry)
• 2 tablespoons canola or nut oil of choice
• 1 tablespoon Achiote Paste
• Juice and zest of a small lemon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4 mini sweet peppers or one medium red or orange pepper
• 1/2 head of cauliflower broken down into florets

1. After brining** your chicken (optional), place all the ingredients except oil and onion in a zip bag and allow to marinate 8 hours or best overnight. Take out of the fridge,  Remove chicken pieces from marinade shaking off excess liquids as you remove. Set marinade aside, do not discard it. Blot chicken on paper towels and allow to come to room temperature.  
2. Heat large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil.
3. Add 1/2 the chicken pieces - do not over crowd pan - brown chicken lightly. Remove and place on plate while you cook the remaining pieces in remaining tablespoon of oil.
4. Lower heat to medium and add onions and peppers to pan. Saute for 3 - 5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
5. Add cauliflower and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
6. Place all the chicken back into the pan and stir to blend with cauliflower.
7. Add reserved marinade liquid and bring to a boil over high heat.  Allow to boil for 1 minute.
8. Lower heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or till chicken is cooked through.

Serve with fluffy white rice, sweet plantains and an ice cold beer. Enjoy!

**Recipe Notes: You can find brining instructions here or you can skip the brine step altogether. I just have a habit of brining chicken when I use breast meat. It really helps keep it juicy.

Fricase de Pollo Cubano - Cuban Chicken Fricassee

I am not a history buff by any stretch of the imagination, I leave that to my daughter. However, I've been told and have read that this dish has French origins because of a Haitian migration to Cuba during the 1800s. And so, today we have Fricase de Pollo Cubano or Cuban Chicken Fricassee. In this recipe, you'll find chicken that has marinaded in spices and sour orange juice and then simmered in a rich tomato based sauce with potatoes, olives and raisins. Hungry yet? Read on or better yet get cooking!

Fricase de Pollo Cubano

Serves 4 

Marinade:
2-4 sour oranges, enough to make 1 cup. See sour orange recipe substitute here.
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon of salt
black ground pepper to taste

8 pieces of chicken or 1 whole chicken cut up into eight pieces.
1/4 cup olive oil
3 red medium potatoes, peeled cut into chunks
2 medium or 1 large yellow onion

Cuban Picadillo - Ground Beef Cuban Style

I am going on record ... this is my absolute all-time favorite Cuban dish - Picadillo! I learned how to make this dish from my mom and on my own I enhanced her recipe, which enhanced the flavor. So much so, that my mom preferred mine to hers. To this day I take that as the highest compliment, because in my eyes, my mom was the best Cuban chef ever. This wasn't just me saying it either, everyone we knew loved "la comida de Aida" (Aida's food). Picadillo is a poor mans' dish, peasant food, because the ingredients are cheap and readily available. Because of that, the recipe varies from family to family and that goes hand-in-hand with the region of Cuba that family hailed from. I have a dear friend who says her mom added "bijol" (a yellow food coloring) to their picadillo, frankly I was appalled. But hey - to each their own!

Cuban Picadillo

Serves 2-4

1 lb. ground chuck, 85/15 is best but 93/7 works well too.
**Seasoning for the meat:
   Juice of 2 limes** + the grated zest of the limes. Use 3 limes if they are especially dry.
   1/2 tablespoon ground garlic powder
   1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
   1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
   1 teaspoon salt

Nicaraguan Cabbage Slaw or Ensalada de Repollo Nica

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Cabbage is one of those vegetables that I think gets overlooked a lot.  It's pretty darn versatile and lends itself to so many different uses.  Here's a vinegary cabbage slaw that is a Central American staple at meal time.  Each country has its own take on it. This recipe, given to me by my father-in-law, is the Nicaraguan version I am most familiar and totally infatuated with. 

I can tell you it is great on just about everything. From grilled meats, chicken, and seafood to cheese and plantains - versatile is it's middle name.



Serves 4

1/2 a head of cabbage, cored and outer leaves removed, thinly sliced.
1 large red tomato, coarsely chopped.
1 medium carrot, julienned.
1/4 cup white vinegar*.
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar*.
1/8 cup of water
1 lime juiced.
1/2 generous teaspoon of salt.
Pepper to taste.

Mix all the ingredients together. Place in a storage bag or lidded container so that you can mix up or shake every so often. It is best after sitting a few hours in the dressing, even better overnight.  Store in fridge.
Serve with meats, cheese, tortillas, just about anything goes great with this simple but delicious slaw.

*Adjust vinegar levels to your liking.

Beef & Pork Marinade Version 1 & 1.1

The Hub and I are having a few friends over for a BBQ tonight. The weather is just right ... a nice, cool 65°F. I definitely wanted pork - the last BBQ was all churrasco - time for a change. 

So yesterday I prepared the marinade the pork would sit in until grill time.  I use this marinade for beef or pork.  It's a bit robust, really compliments and stands up to these heavier cuts. You may have noticed that the title to this post shows version 1 and 1.1 for the marinade and that's because when I grill pork, I add one extra ingredient ... achiote paste! I love how it enhances the flavor of the pork and it gives it a nice reddish tone which looks awesome once it is grilled!

Version 1.0 

Ingredients:

Version 1.0
4 green onions, use all of it, white and greens
1/2 of a large onion
1 red sweet pepper
4 garlic clove
6 tablespoons white vinegar or cider apple vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pepper to taste

Ground Beef Nicaraguan Style - Carne Enchorizada Nicaraguense

This recipe is a Nicaraguan dish. The name is deceptive - (enchorizada = sausage) because there is no sausage in the dish, it just looks like crumbled cooked sausage. 

I had this dish at my in-laws when I first started dating then boyfriend, and now my husband, back in 1980. It looks similar to my favorite Cuban dish ... Picadillo. Notice I said looks, the taste is completely different, not that there is anything wrong with that!
A few notes about the ingredients. I know what you are going to ask when you read the recipe, why the 85/15 ground beef? Simple ... taste, tradition and you will need the juices the beef expels as it cooks. You can use the leaner cut 93/7 but it will be drier and in my opinion not as rich in flavor.
One particular ingredient used in this dish, that you may not be familiar with, is Achiote paste. Achiote paste is made from the the seeds found inside the pods of the achiote bush and is a common ingredient in Nicaraguan dishes. Here's a link so you can see what the bush, pod and seed look like: 
http://twomenandalittlefarm.blogspot.com/2011/07/lipstick-tree-or-achiote-bush.html. 
In some cultures it is also referred to as annato. Achiote paste is made by grinding the seed with spices, garlic, vinegar and few other ingredients into a thick paste. It is used mainly for color but I personally love the taste it gives to food, especially grilled meats. If you can't find it, skip it! If you are feeling adventurous you can make your own, read my post on Achiote Paste!

2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
Salt and pepper
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 generous teaspoons of yellow mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium or 1 large onion, chopped
2-3 potatoes, peeled, 1/4" dice 
2 carrots, peeled, 1/4" dice 
7 ears of baby corn, sliced,1/4" coins
1 teaspoon achiote paste (optional)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup beef stock