2014 Top Ten Recipes at The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon

In just a few short days, on January 5th 2015, The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon will be back up and running.  It's been a long 4 months without a computer.  Frankly, tablets and mobile phone just don't cut it for me when it comes to writing a post.  I find myself taking short cuts and hurrying up a post.  In the end that affects everyone especially my awesome followers, supporters and fellow bloggers. Since we are closing out the year I wanted to share the top ten recipes at The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon, so with further ado ...

#10
Simple Creamy Leek Soup
http://goo.gl/eWQG0Y

#9
Mini Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Chicken, Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomatoes
http://goo.gl/9EWpqM

#8
Drunken Tres Leche Cupcakes
http://goo.gl/lNOevA

#7
Potaje de Garbanzo / Cuban Chickpea and Chorizo Stew
http://goo.gl/n6jzA7

#6
Nicaraguan Cabbage Slaw or Ensalada de Repollo Nica
http://goo.gl/lVtSCg

#5
Garlicky Tequila-Lime Grilled Shrimp-Kebabs with Cilantro-Garlic Aioli Sauce
http://goo.gl/9DyvJO

#4
Cuban Meat & Potato Stew - Carne con Papa
http://goo.gl/O3JL2U


#3
Make Your Own Cuban Sazon Completa / Adobo Seasoning
http://goo.gl/3hp39a

#2 
Stuffed French Bread with Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar and Caramelized Onions
http://goo.gl/89sHQf

and the Top #1 Recipe  ...
          Baking Soda as a Tenderizer
               http://goo.gl/JS6yVW

Grilled Achiote Skirt Steak - Churrasco Nicaraguan Style

Grilled Achiote Skirt Steak, served with shoestring french fries
 and Spicy Tomato Jam (recipe coming soon)

Most folks think of churrasco (CHEW-ROSS-COE) a.k.a skirt steak as a purely Argentinian dish, but I can tell you it is not. I had never eaten skirt steak (churrasco) until I met The Hub, who is Nicaraguan. Nicaraguans are big on grilled meats, especially beef and particularly churrasco, which is skirt steak. This is my take on blending the spices used in Nicaraguan grilled cuisine. The achiote powder, which also goes by the name of annatto, is one of my favorite spices in this cuisine and it has an earthy, sweet peppery flavor. My spice blend does not cover up the beefy flavor of the skirt steak but rather enhances it. Achiote can be found in the hispanic or asian section of the supermarket. And, if you can't find it locally, remember there is always Amazon or eBay.

Note: You'll notice that I don't specify amounts for the spices and that's because I literally just dust it over each piece of meat.  Use generous pinches of each spice and sprinkle over top.

Serves 2 - 3

Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Achiote Powder
1 1/2 pounds of skirt steak cut into steak sizes portions

With a fork piece the surface of each steak on each side. Generously dust each side of the skirt steaks with the salt, pepper, onion, garlic and achiote. Rub into the meat. Place into a zip bag or a lidded container and let rest in the fridge over night or 2-4 hours before grilling.

Fire up your grill on high (if using gas) or over direct heat with hot charcoal. Make sure you lightly oil your grill racks to get nice grill marks. Place steaks on racks and grill 3 - 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from grill onto a platter, tent with foil and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with your favorite sides, like shoestring french fries, and ice cold beer.  Enjoy.

Simple Boiled Plantains

You may be wondering what a plantain is, or perhaps you've seen them at a market and didn't know what they are or what to do with them, or maybe you bought them thinking they were a regular sweet banana only to find they weren't.

Plantains are a member of the banana family, they are starchy and low in sugar and must be cooked before they are eaten. They are uneatable in their raw bitter form. Plantains are a big part of Hispanic cooking, as well as, in Caribbean, African and even Indian and Southeast Asian cooking. Plantains can be cooked and eaten at different stages of ripeness and will produce vastly different flavors. And if you are wondering plantains are packed with good for you nutrients and benefits, like vitamin A, B6, C, potassium (more than bananas), fiber, are a good source of carbohydrates and decreases homocystine levels (which cause coronary artery disease).

When cooked when the outsides are green they are savory. When cooked when the outsides are green and tinted with hues of yellow, they are somewhere in between savory and sweet. when cooked when the outsides are yellow and almost blackened they are very sweet. Think of them as the biscuit of southern cooking, the naan of Indian food, the tzatziki of Greek food, I think you get the picture. Plantains are not quite a side dish and not quite a dish on their own. Generally, they are more of an accompaniment to food. They are there to complement the food, they complete the flavor profile of a meal. For example, I can't imagine having Cuban Picadillo without fried sweet plantains, or Nicaraguan Carne Enchorizada without boiled plantains. That is not say you can't use them as a main dish or as an appetizer, it's just that on a day to day basis, this is how they are used. So next time you are in the market and you see a plantain, pick up a few and give them a try, I think you might be surprised at how good they are.

2 plantains, green to yellow ripeness, ends removed, cut in thirds, leave skin on
6 cups of water
2 pinches of salt

Zesty Mojo & Sour Orange Chicken

A Two for Tuesday Recipe:

I thoroughly enjoy cooking, but there are days where I take out chicken breasts and have no idea what to make. Chicken breast or chicken in general are like jeans... there are endless possibilities to "style" jeans, the same with chicken. You can dress it up or down, make it fancy or casual, simple or intricate, the list goes on. So, one afternoon as I stared at the chicken breast, I made up my own recipe, to "style" the chicken as I wished. I personally butterfly my chicken breast to get more out of them and my new thing is to use a meat mallet to make them flatter, thus quicker cooking time. My recipe is inspired by Hispanic flavors that were in my pantry and

I hope you enjoy ... because at least in my house there were no left overs!

Serves 2-4

1 lb Chicken Breast, butterflied

1/4 cup Naranja Agria (Sour Orange)* or you can make your own. Click here for the recipe.

3/4 cup Mojo* Sauce or you can make your own. Click here for the recipe.

3 teaspooons Adobo Seasoning or make your own with my post Make Your own Cuban Sazon Completa / Adobo Seasoning 
2 teaspoons garlic powder

salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, sliced in half rings

2 garlic cloves, minced 

White wine to deglaze

1 tablespoon butter

Ham and Potato Spanish Tortilla

There are days when you don't plan ahead or something comes up that changes what your plans were for the day. Dinner time is just a few hours away and you don't know what you are going to make. One of my "go to" meals is a Spanish Tortilla (Tortilla Española). This tortilla has nothing to do with tortilla chips or the Mexican flat bread known as a tortilla. It's nearest equivalent is an Italian frittata. This recipe is mostly my moms with a few tweaks from me. It's loaded with sweet onion, potatoes and ham and is perfect for an easy weeknight meal or Sunday brunch.

Ham and Potato Spanish Tortilla 
Serves 2-4

8 ounces ham 1/4" thickness, cubed into 1/2" dice
1 large Spanish onion
2 medium russet potatoes
6-8 beaten eggs*, sprinkled with 1/2 teaspoon of  sweet Spanish paprika, 1/4 cup of milk or water and a pinch of salt.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
Salt to taste