World Cup Special - USA

Hoppin' John, Collard Greens, Mushroom Gravy, and Seared Okra with Tomatoes

For sometime I wanted to try Hoppin' John; the New Year favourite of Southern cuisine.  I did not realise the deep history of this rice and peas dish.  The origins are West African where cooking rice and beans together is popular.... so via slavery this dish evolves in the south.  Read a potted history at Serious Eats which gives more information on the development to the rice and black eyed pea version today.  

Now to some choices as to the ingredients of the hoppin' john... well I left out the bacon but the smoked paprika I used may have introduced some of that bacon element.  I went with a version with black eyed peas; apparently the Carolinas version was with Cow Peas or Red Peas.  It seams that the choice of this bean was replaced in the North of the USA with black eyed peas.  So I will have to try this with Cow Peas at some point... maybe even with Carolina Gold Rice.

So we just had to serve Hoppin' John with collard greens; though we had to make a change by using savoy cabbage... a reasonable alternative.  The seared okra and tomatoes were a great accompanient and to add a little liquid to the dish I added a mushroom gravy that added that right amount of umami though not the disired colour.

Hoppin' John, Collard Greens, Mushroom Gravy, and Seared Okra with Tomatoes

Hoppin' John

Hoppin' John

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper seeded & chopped finely
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 cup long grain brown rice (I used brown basmati rice)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups water
• 2 teaspoons vegetable stock
• 2 cans of black eyed peas rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon chilli sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil on medium-high heat in a large saucepan... I used a deep sided frying pan with a lid.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, jalapeño chilli pepper, and celery, and sauté until the onion turns translucent, about 3 minutes.
3. Then add the jalapeño chilli pepper, and celery and sauté for about another 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and brown rice, and stir well to toast for about 30 seconds.
5. Add the bay leaf, dried thyme, black pepper, and water with the vegetable stock. Stir well, cover with a lid , and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook the rice for 10 minutes.
6. Add the cooked black-eyed peas, and continue to cook until the rice is tender and fluffy, about 20-25 minutes. Add more water if the mixture seems a little dry. 
7. Stir in the smoked paprika, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve hot with hot sauce, and chopped parsley.

Hoppin' John, Collard Greens, Mushroom Gravy, and Seared Okra with Tomatoes

Collard Greens

Collard Geens

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or other neutral oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 juicy ripe tomatoes diced or 1/2  can of diced tomatoes (I find that the can of tomatoes works a little better as the are no skins of the tomatoes)
• 1 large bunch of collard greens stems removed, and leaves very thinly sliced (being in Britain I used a savoy cabbage but you could use kale as well)
• sea salt
• 2 tablespoons tamari or normal soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

1. Warm the oil on medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Add the garlic, and sauté on medium-low, should take about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook until soft; about 3 minutes.
4. Add the chopped collard greens or cabbage and a sprinkle of sea salt. Give it a stir and reduce the heat to low, and cover. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes, or longer depending on your preference.
5. Turn off the flame, then stir in the soy sauce and smoked paprika. Season to taste with more soy sauce if necessary.

Hoppin' John, Collard Greens, Mushroom Gravy, and Seared Okra with Tomatoes all plated up.

Seared Okra and Tomatoes

Seared Okra with Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 celery stick, sliced thin
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
• 1 jalapeño chillie, seeded, sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 to 3/4 pound fresh okra
• 5 tomatoes, diced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Sauté the onion on a low heat in medium saucepan for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the jalapeño, celery, and garlic and sauté for about another 3 minutes.
3. While the vegetables are sautéing, mix the tomato paste, vegetable stock and vinegar until they are combined. 
4. Add to the pan with the vegetables and bring to a boil.
5. Add the rosemary and a pinch of salt.
6. Slice the okra on the bias to create diagonal pieces. 
7. Heat another pan over high heat for a minute or two and add about 1 tbsp of oil and get it almost smoking hot, which should take 1 to 2 minutes. 
8. Add the sliced okra and spread out in a single layer in the pan. Let the okra brown for at least a minute before you move them. Sear the okra for about 3 to 4 minutes.
9. As soon as the okra is done, add it to the sauce. Add the diced tomatoes and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes to keep the tomatoes firm. 
10. Take the saucepan off the heat and server with a grind of pepper.

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1 pinch each salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbsp gram flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 3/4 – 1 cup almond milk
• Vegan Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Add the butter or olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add and cook onion for about 3 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, and season with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Put in the Worcestershire sauce to taste to give a little oompf to the recipe.
5. Slightly reduce the heat. Add the gram flour and whisk to coat. Cook for 1 minute.
6. Then slowly whisk in stock and almond milk 1/4 cup (120 ml) at a time, building up to desired thickness (it will continue thickening as it cooks).
7. Cook until thickened, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
8. Keep on a low heat until you’re ready to serve, adding more almond milk as needed if it gets too thick.
9. Whizz up in the blender to make a smooth gravy.

Old Fashioned

Ingredients

• 1-2 tsp of simple syrup
• 1 large ice cube
• 2 dashes of angustora bitters
• 60ml of Bourbon (I used Bulleit 10 year old)
• Twist of orange peel

Instructions

1. In a Old Fashioned glass (or lowball glass) add a large ice cube.
2. Add 1-2 tsp of simple syrup to the glass (if you do not want it too sweet just stick to 1 tsp).
3. Add 2 dashes of angustora bitters and 60ml of Bourbon.
4. Give it a stir.
5. Peel about a 5 to 6 cm section from an orange (keep the orange in the fridge for about an hour before serving).
6. Twist the peel over the glass and place in the drink

Old Fashioned without the Orange Peel

 

 

Score: England 0 USA 0

Football Score : 3 (that was for the USA team who governed the game with their verve and vigour. England were so disappointing.)

Food: 4 (lovely, delicous meal.  The hoppin' john formed a great basis for the meal with the collard greens offering a tasty side.  The real standout for me was the seared okra and tomatoes; tangy from the tomato and vinegar, and charred from the okra.  The mushroom gravy lent an extra dimension but possibly was not needed.  The only downside for me was the cooked tomatoes in the collard greens; I really did not like those skins..... so next time I will use tinned tomatoes.  

World Cup Special - Ecuador

 It is the World Cup again.  Another chance to cook dishes from other countries that, perhaps, I would not even contemplate. I could not pass up the chance to tackle a South American country; but which one?  We had already done Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica in previous World Cup cookups... contemplated Argentina but thought too meaty... so that left Ecuador.  It was perfect for the first match and a promising cuisine to experiment with

Naranjillazo

This drink is  made from aguardiente (a spirit dirived from sugar cane), cinnamon, sugar and orange juice.  The aguardiente produced in Ecuador is normally not flavoured like the Columbian version which is flavoured with anise; unfortunately I could not source the Ecuadorian version and had to substitute with the Columbian anise flavoured version.  It was still a great drink and perfect for winter; so will use up the aguardiente later over Christmas.

I had to make another replacement by using orange instead of naranjilla.  Now the naranjilla or lulo looks like an orange on the outside, a tomato on the inside and tastes like a citrus tart. The replacement with orange was as close as I could get but it has left me interested in actually tasting a lulo.  Find out more about the narajilla at the food hog.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of water
• 2 cups of naranjilla concentrate previously frozen
• 1 ¼ cup of sugar or grated panela
• 8 cinnamon sticks
• Aguardiente to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients, except for the aguardiente, in a medium sized pot.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. To make the fast or cheater version you can simply boil it for 10-15 minutes.
3. Mix in the aguardiente and serve immediately.

Hearts Of Palm Ceviche

Ingredients

• One can of whole hearts of palm
• Half a small red onion, cut into small pieces
• One extra small red  pepper, cut into small pieces
• One large tomato, cut into small pieces
• One to two chilies, cut into small pieces and deseeded for milder heat
• 10-12 green pitted olives, cut into small pieces and to taste
• About ¼ of a bunch of coriander, roughly chopped including the stems
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 3 large limes or 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt, to taste 
• Half an avocado, sliced into small pieces

Instructions

1. Drain the hearts of palm and rinse them under cold water.
2. Chop all of the ingredients and measure out the juices.
3. Add nori or salt with seaweed to the hearts of palm and give a mix around. I just added about 3/4 of a tsp of the salt with seaweed as it was powerful flavours.    
4. In a large bowl combine the hearts of palm, onion, bell pepper, tomato, chilies, olives and cilantro until well combined.
5. Next drizzle in the orange juice and stir to combine, then add the lime juice and stir again.
6. Add the olive oil and mix, then the salt if needed and give it a good mixing. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
7. After marinating in the fridge give the ceviche a taste, and if needed add more salt or lime juice if needed or desired.
8. I served on small plates on a bed of the sliced avocado.
9. It is great if you serve with corn crisps or tostadas. I did that the following day and had a lovely fresh and zingy lunch.

Llapingachos

Ingredients

• 5 large potatoes about 3 lbs, ensure you use a potato that is good for mashing

• 2 tbsp sunflower or avocado oil

• ½ cup finely chopped white onion

• 2 tsp ground achiote (also known as annatto)

• 1 cup grated quesillo or mozzarella cheese (the vegan cheese I used was pre grated so easy to integrate into the dish)

• Salt to taste

Serve with sides of salsa di mani (peanut sauce), onion, chilli and tomatoe salsa, avocados, and chorizo style sausages (vegan of course).

Instructions

1. Bake the potatoes in the oven (I pre cooked the potatoes in the microwave so you do not have to keep the potatoes in the oven for so long).  You are looking to get the potatoes crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. 

2. Heat the oil over medium high heat to make a refrito. Add the onions and achiote; cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. My version of achiote was in a paste form so if you are using this sort spend some time trying to integrate it in with the onions so you do not get unmixed blobs of the achiote.

3. Scoop the potatoes out of their skins and into a fairly large bowl.

4. Mash the potatoes (it is worth spending some time getting all the lumps out, mix in the onion refrito and salt to taste.

5. Cover the potato dough and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour.

6. Make slightly larger than golf size balls with the potato dough.

7. Make a hole in the middle of each ball and fill with the grated or crumbled cheese.

8. Shape the dough into thick patties and let rest in the refrigerator for about ½ to 1 hour. This lets the potatoes firm up and make it easier to fry.

9. Cook the patties on a hot griddle until browned on each side; they were quite delicate so be careful when trying to turn the patties.  

10. Serve with a fried egg (if you are not doing a vegan version), salsa di mani (find the recipe down below), salsa of onions, chillies, and tomato, avocado slices and some chorizo style sausages (chorizo style vegan sausage that worked perfectly.) Added some sliced lettuce and tomatoes.

Salsa de Mani or Peanut Sauce 

Ingredients

• ¾ cup peanut butter unsweetened
• 1 cup milk (can use almond milk for a vegan version)
• ½ cup finely diced white onion
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground achiote
• 2 tbsp peanut oil or butter
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
• 1 aji or hot pepper finely minced (optional)
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix the peanut butter with ½ cup of milk to help dissolve the peanut butter.
2. Heat the butter or oil to prepare a refrito, add the onion, achiote, cumin and salt, cook until the onions are soft.
3. Add the peanut butter and milk mixture, as well the remaining ½ cup of milk. If the mixture is thick put in a little more of the milk you are using…. Mine turned out quite thick and you could not pour the sauce over the potato cakes.
4. Stir well and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Add the coriander, and aji.
6. Whizz up in the blender to have a smoother version.
7. Serve warm.

Score: Qatar 0  Ecuador  2

Football Score : 3 (Qatar could not quite keep up with Ecuador but still quite a tense and exciting game. Great start to the World Cup).

Food: 4 ( The Llapingachos were a trimuph.  So good with the peanut sauce, avocado and the tomato, onion and chilli salsa.  I will be definately doing them again.  The hot toddy like drink, Naranjillazo, was disappointing but due to too much sugar - a mistake on my part.  I still have some Aguardiente left so will try again after the World Cup and put in the correct amount of sugar this time. )