Rethinking Food from the Ground Up!
Ah, good ole’ tomato sauce. Undeniably delicious. But also a little basic and after a while, ehhh, you need something more exciting. If you’ve been stuck in a rut when it comes to sauce, red bell pepper, tomato’s relative, makes a delicious alternative! My local …
It’s a good thing Popeye didn’t live in Texas. Spinach was brought over from cool European climates, so it’s not a fan of Texas summer’s blistering heat and parching drought. Our soaring temperatures do a good job of incinerating any hopes of a summertime spanikopita. …
What food isn’t better when it’s fried?
Why, none of course!
Naturally, this goes for nopalitos as well.
Let’s talk history for a minute.
Deep fried fritters were introduced to Japan in the 1500’s by Europeans, namely the Portuguese. The Japanese added their own influences to this battering and frying technique thus creating….
(drumroll, please)
Tempura!
(okay, so maybe no drumroll was necessary since “tempura” is in the title… but humor me)
Yes, tempura is fried, but it gives foods an amazingly light, crispy, airy coating that it doesn’t feel like you’re eating something heavy or greasy at all.
Many vegetables are downright delicious with tempura batter, including but certainly not limited to squash, aubergines (fancy-guese for eggplant), mushrooms, and green beans. The latter of which actually inspired me to try tempura frying nopalitos.
Flavorwise, nopalitos actually taste quite a bit similar to green beans. Texturally, I would say that they’re most similar to okra.
Both of these veggies are great fried, so I figured I’d give it a shot!
Let’s get into it,
First off, you need to process your nopalitos so they’re ready to cook with. If you haven’t learned how to get noplitos ready for cooking yet, then check out my article here. Alternatively you can buy them from the store. If you’re using store bought, I would recommend salting them like I did in my guide.
Next up: Shrimp.
First off, off with their heads!
(You can skip this is you bought them with their heads already removed)
Next thing you want to do is to peel them completely, except for the tail end leave that attached (because it looks cool, duh.)
Next up: devein them. I’m not going to go into this too much, if you look online there are a gazillion guides, videos, articles, poems, interpretive dances etc. that will show exactly how to do this. Another guide on deveining shrimp would just be internet noise.
Or you could, you know, just buy them already deveined.
Obviously that’s something a trained bona fide chef such as myself would never ever even dream of doing… heh.
Anyhow, you’ve got your shrimp all peeled and pretty. What I did next is I took some little skewers and threaded the shrimp onto the skewer so that when it fries it stays all straight and pretty, like so:
Got those ready? Great, let’s talk batter.
The tempura batter recipe that follows is what I came up with after a few experiments. I think it’s pretty darn good. I don’t claim it’s the best, and I certainly don’t claim it’s the most traditional; Japanese cuisine is not my forte. However, if I may reiterate, I simply say: it’s pretty darn good.
Here we go:
Begin by beating one egg, like so:
Next up, seltzer water. Aka carbonated water, aka soda water aka club soda.
Don’t mix this up with the tonic water you use to make your gin and tonics because tonic water is something different – it has sugar in it, which you don’t want. It also contains an alkaloid called quinine, which can be used to treat malaria. But that’s an article for another day.
A cup of seltzer water goes in with the egg and give it a whisk It’s gonna foam so make sure your bowl isn’t too small). At this point you can also add an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, if you so choose.
Grab your sifter and sift in one cup of All Purpose flour, henceforth referred to as AP flour, (yes, I’ve dying to use the word “henceforth,” in case you were wondering) as well as two tablespoons of corn starch, also known as corn flour in other English speaking locales.
Give your batter a quick whisk to incorporate and use it quickly! All those bubbles from the seltzer water won’t last forever.
I gave the shrimp and nopalitos a quick dunk in the batter, and then used chopsticks to pull them out.
They then went into 350 degree oil until G.B.D.
G.B.D. is a very technical acronym used in the culinary field that stands for “Golden Brown and Delicious”
I then gave these guys a quick little plate up with some of the nopal cactus flower petal, homegrown cherry tomatoes, and ponzu glaze.
A what glaze?
Ponzu is a Japanese condiment using a specific type of citrus called the yuzu. You can find ponzu in the asian foods section of the grocery store.
Here’s what I did:
I put the following into a small saucepan:
1 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoons mirin
2 Tablespoons ponzu
2 Tablespoons orange juice
And a few grates of ginger root
I heated everything up to a simmer on medium low heat, and then added some slurry until it was thickened to the consistency I wanted
What’s a slurry? Is that like when you drink too much sake?
A slurry is just a mixture of cornstarch and COLD water, usually at equal ratio. Mix them together and pour a fine stream into your sauce while whisking.
Careful not to add to much slurry early on, you can always add more if it isn’t thick enough. For this recipe a tablespoon worth of prepared slurry should get you about where you want to go.
Also, here’s a fun little tidbit I learned while I was working in professional kitchens: tomato flowers!
Make a shallow “X” in the bottom of a cherry tomato with a sharp knife. (careful not to cut yourself like a dingus, “X”s on your fingers isn’t a good look)
Drop the tomato(es) in the fryer for about 5 seconds, and pull up the basket and let them cool down a bit.
Then you can curl up the skin of the tomato like petals! Cute, right?
If you’ve read this far then chances are that you’re probably either my mom or my girlfriend, but in any case thank you for reading!
Nopal season is over in Texas, so for my next post I’ll either breakdown and buy them from the store for another nopal recipe or just move on to the next featured plant!
Alright! So maybe you’ve read my article about nopales, and you want to broaden your culinary horizons and give those those prickly paddles a chance. And why wouldn’t you? They’re full of fiber, low in calories, and contain many vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A …
Have you ever tried eating a cactus? Sounds like you might end up with a mouthful of spines, doesn’t it? But people from cultures all around the world eat cacti, and you should give this drought tolerant edible a chance too! Know it: Cacti are …
Ah, pizza. Arguably the most beloved food of the 21st century thus far. What’s not to love? Crust, cheese, and of course toppings offer practically unlimited creative expression. But there is one great pizza debate that threatens to create a schism among pizza lovers everywhere.
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Hawaiian pizza (although actually invented in Canada) is the most contentious pizza choice, at least in my experience. Some people love it, while others just can’t wrap their head around why anyone in his or her right mind would put fruit on pizza.
I’m just going to say it, or type it rather. I’m Pro-Pineapple! The classic combination of sweet and salty is really a one-two punch of delicious. The saltiness of ham and the sweetness of pineapple just work. Why don’t you ask trendy salted caramel, classy prosciutto and melon, or heck, even trail mix!
If you’re still not a fan of fruit on pizza after all of those fine examples, well then I don’t know what else I can do for you.
Anyway, as much as I love pineapple, it’s not exactly something that you find growing by your doorstep in most of the US. Pineapples have to be grown far away and resources and pollutants have to be expended in order to bring them here.
Ordering pizza out all the time can get pricey, especially if you’re looking for a slice above the average nationwide pizza franchise.
And most of the premade frozen pizza is just… not the same. Either the crust is too thick, doughy, and bread like, or the toppings are skimpy and sparse. All around a disappointing experience.
The remedy is simple. If you want something done right, do it yourself!
And I’m not talking about taking the easy way out and getting one of those pre-baked cardboard Frisbees, either.
I’m talking making your own pizza dough.
“M-making dough? Isn’t that like… really hard?”
It’s really not. However, the secret to making pizza dough, or really any bread, is time. It’s not something that you can whip together 30 minutes before dinner. But with a little planning ahead, you’ll have beautiful pizza dough ready to go for Friday night. And you wont have to spend hours and hours kneading anything, either.
One technique you can employ is called retarding the dough.
“Wait… are you allowed to call it that?”
All it means is putting the dough into the refrigerator. The cold temperature slows the yeast down, allowing more flavor to develop.
One day I was making pizza and thinking about adventurous new toppings and I had an idea. Loquats on pizza! They’re sweet and similar in acidity to pineapple so I figured I’d give it a try! I think it worked out really well!
Here’s what I did:
I started out with the pizza crust of course. Here’s my recipe:
Ingredients:
9 oz warm water (1 cup and 2 TBSPs)
0.2 oz honey (about a tsp)
0.3 oz active dry yeast (1 TBSP)
1 lb bread flour (3 ¼ cup)
0.3 oz salt (2 tsp)
1 oz olive oil, plus more as needed (2 generous TBSP)
For the pizza dough:
Dissolve honey in warm water. Add the yeast and proof until the yeast wakes up and the mixture starts to get foamy, about 5 minutes.
Combine olive oil and salt with the flour. You can do this in a stand mixer or a large bowl. Once the yeast mixture is ready, pour it into the flour mixture. If making by hand, mix dough together with a spatula until it comes together, and then knead by hand for 5-6 minutes. If using a stand mixer, mix at low speed for 3-4 minutes, and then on the next speed for another 5 minutes or so.
If you want to use the dough the same day, place into a bowl coated in olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and give it about 8 hours to ferment in a warm place. It will expand. A lot.
If you want to retard the dough (recommended!) place into a large Ziploc bag coated in olive oil and keep in the refrigerator about 24 hours to 2 or 3 days before using.
Okay, so now you’ve got your dough. I like to make individual mini pizzas because I think they’re easier to deal with.
Okay, put on your sauce, put on your cheese. Here’s where I added some quartered loquats all over the pizza.
Followed by some pieces of prosciutto or jamon iberico.
What I do now is I put my pizza on a pizza peel (or a large cutting board) and slide it onto a preheated pizza stone and bake in a 500 degree oven. What I like to do it put the stone in the oven before I turn it on. If you don’t have a pizza stone, I’ve seen tons of guides and hacks on the internet for this — you can get creative with a tile or flat rock. I haven’t tested it myself so I can’t attest to its efficacy, but worth a shot!
Keep your eye on it! Every oven is different but it’ll only take a few minutes!
Top with some fresh arugula and enjoy!
I’m a big fan of chile peppers in general, but habaneros have a special place in my heart (or… stomach?) Anyway, they’re probably my favorite chile, and I especially love them when used in a spicy/sweet combination. Habaneros have a distinctly fruity, floral taste that …
Okay, so maybe you’ve read my article about loquats, and you went out and picked yourself a big basket of them. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a tree with sweet fruit that you can eat fresh. Maybe you aren’t, and you’ve got a lot …
Everybody likes to be in-the-know about fresh, local, and healthy ingredients. But how many people know about this underappreciated fruit, one that might be growing right outside your doorstep?
Know it
The tree that I’m talking about is called the loquat in English and nispero in Spanish, although it has many other common names in both languages (and many others). It’s also known as Chinese or Japanese plum, or Japanese apricot. If you want to get fancy with the Latin binomial nomenclature, this plant’s name is Eriobotrya Japonica.
Despite what the loquat’s common names –and even the Latin name “japonica”– suggest, most botanists don’t think that this tree is native to Japan. Most literature suggests it is native to southeastern China, although it was brought to Japan many centuries ago and has naturalized there. Today Japan is the largest producer of loquat fruits worldwide.
Speaking of names, don’t get confused by the “quat” suffix. Loquats have no close relation to kumquats, which are a citrus fruit. Loquats are actually related to fruits like apples, pears, and stone fruit. Like many other fruits in the rose family, the loquat fruit is what botanists call a “pome.”
Loquats have now naturalized in many warm places throughout the world such as the Mediterranean, Australia, India, and the southern United States. Where I live, in south-central Texas, loquat trees are everywhere. They are planted in many places as ornamental trees and many just grow from seeds distributed by animals . My own backyard has three loquat trees that just popped up by themselves!
These trees can be very beautiful, in my not-too-humble opinion, with large tropical looking leaves and a rounded form. They can grow up to 20-30 feet tall and can be quite a stately looking specimen tree, or could be pruned to keep them small. They could also be planted as a privacy hedge as they are evergreen and grow densely.
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I
Meet it:
So you’ve never seen a loquat in a grocery store? Neither have I, although they do pop up occasionally at farmers markets if you live in a place with a warm climate. The dearth of loquats in supermarkets is mostly because they have an extremely short shelf life, are too delicate to ship, as well as due to a lack of demand; people just don’t know about them.
Actually, many delicious fruits and vegetables that have been enjoyed for centuries have faded into obscurity because modern supermarkets and Big Agriculture aren’t able to capitalize on them. There is so much variety in flavor, nutrition, culture, and history of these plants that it’s a shame to let them remain unknown! What’s bad for a commercial grower is often not a concern for a home grower. For instance, the short shelf life of loquats isn’t a big problem if you’re going out to your tree and picking them right before using.
You can grow your own tree in most of the US actually, from USDA hardiness zones 7 to 10. However, these trees flower over the winter so if you live in a place that has hard frosts, your trees won’t ever make fruit. Loquat trees themselves can handle temperatures down to 12 degrees F (-11 for you Celsius types), but their flowers drop at about 25 degrees (-4 C).
If you’re lucky enough to live in a warm place, congratulations! Plant yourself a tree or two. Be aware that there are some named, improved loquat cultivars, or you can take a gamble and buy or plant a seedling tree. The named varieties of loquats have bigger, tastier fruit, but grafted trees are often more expensive and harder to find. Seedling trees might not produce as large or tasty fruits but have their own advantages; they usually are stronger trees and better adapted. Don’t worry too much– I’ve tried the fruit of many seedling trees, and while the flavor varies from tree to tree, I’ve never had a bad loquat!
If you don’t have space or time for a tree, fear not. Many cities in the southern and west coast states have tons of loquat trees where you can pick free fruit. Just use common sense and be sure it’s alright with the owner of the tree.
Grow it:
Planting these trees isn’t really too different from planting other trees. They are adapted to many soil types, as long as it drains well so their roots can breathe. They can grow in sand, loam, clay, and even limestone. Where I live, in the Texas hill country, the soil is notorious for being rocky and shallow. You can’t sink a shovel into it without hitting a big rock or caliche (a naturally formed kind of cement that is common in alkaline soils). But loquats can even grow here, and don’t seem perturbed at all. They do need some soil though, so if you’re planting them you might want to break up that caliche or use a raised bed.
These trees are very drought- and heat-tolerant, handling the baking Texas sun and temperatures up to 100+ degrees. It almost never gets that hot here in early spring when the fruits mature. I have read that extreme heat can damage the fruit, but I’ve never seen that happen. I’ve seen them growing in both full sun and part shade, and I’ve seen some growing quite well in the deep shade cast by large oak trees.
Where I live, loquats tend to ripen in April. They have a fairly short season of a few weeks, so make sure you get them while you can! They’re delicious fresh but also offer many opportunities for culinary creativity.
Eat it:
What do loquats taste like? Well, I could blather on about how they taste like a blend of apples, peaches, and pineapple with floral overtones but I’ve always found such descriptions a little silly. Loquats mostly taste like… well, loquats. I will say that they do share certain flavors in common with their related fruits, apples, pears, and apricots. When ripe, they are juicy and never mealy, as fresh apricots can be sometimes. Their skin is a little tougher and less delicate than an apricot and they have a little lower fruit to skin ratio. They can be quite tart due to their malic and citric acid content, so if you like sweet and sour things you should enjoy them. I do!
Remember, though, every loquat tree grown from seed is going to taste different, depending on its genetics. Just as there are huge differences between granny smith, red delicious, and honeycrisp apples, there are huge differences in loquats. If you dont like how one particular tree’s fruit tastes, just move on to the next one.
Loquats can of course be eaten fresh, but they’re high in pectin as well, which makes them great for jams and other preserves. Pectin is a special carbohydrate that plants use in fruits. Think of it as a kind of molecular glue that keeps everything bound together, like a jelly. Without pectin you would just have plain old juice.
Loquats contain potassium, iron, and vitamins A, B and C, and fiber, as well as many other nutrients.
Next time, I’ll show you how to process and cook with loquats, as well as share a few recipes!
If you’re interested in learning more, check out these links!
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html