Convent Cookies (Galletas de Convento)

This recipe was great for some afternoon tea cookies, and as I was enjoying the extremely rich and melt-in-your-mouth delights, I was thanking the ancient tradition that Mexican recipes have. You can actually taste that tradition and can only imagine with how much care these recipes were created. This one comes from the nuns, who found a way to escape from the rigors of religion by experimenting with new flavours in the Kitchen. In Mexico, it is very well known that nuns are great cooks and are big contributors to the immense sweet options we can find in Mexican Cuisine. In History of the Gastronomy in Mexico City, Salvador Novo wrote, "And when sugar arrived to this land, the fruits of this were absorbed through the delicate hands of the nuns". There is a vast selection of candies that nuns have been making for centuries, in the old days convents got additional income by selling their culinary creations as well as from teaching rich girls how to set a table and bake amongst other things. Nowadays you can still find some convents that prepare several of the sweets found in that time; especially in the state of Puebla, where every corner from the downtown area is full of Candy stores that only sell Authentic Mexican Candy.

The original recipes asks for Almonds but after getting all my ingredients ready I realized I only had pistachios, so I used them instead. OH! let me tell you it was a great substitute... absolutely amazing!!!

Convent Cookies (Galletas de Convento)

Ingredients:

1 cup of whole almonds skin on (I used pistachios instead)
1 cup of sugar Plus extra for topping
1/4 cup water
7 oz unsalted butter softened
5 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
2 egg whites
sliced or slivered almonds, for topping (whole pistachios)

Directions:

Toast the almonds until golden and let cool completely. Combine the water and sugar in a small sauce pan, wipe the edges with a wet brush and cook until it turns golden. By wipping the edges you avoid the sugar to crystallize. Once golden, add the almonds, stir quickly and pour onto a baking sheet previously greased or with parchment paper. Let cool and then grind in a food processor until it looks like sugar rocks.

Cream the butter in a mixer until pale and fluffy, then add the egg yolks one at a time. In a separate bowl combine the flour with the salt and add gradually to the butter mixture. Finally add the caramelized almonds until combined. Roll the dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness. If it is very sticky you can roll the dough to the size of your baking sheet between 2 parchment papers and then freeze it for 10 mins so it gets easier to handle. Once ready cut out 2 1/2 inch circles of dough and place on the prepared baking sheet (greased or with parchment paper).

Preheat oven to 350°F
Beat the egg whites and brush the top of the cookies. Decorate with a slice of almond and a bit of sugar. Bake until the edges begin to brown, for about 10 mins. Let cool for 5 mins and then transfer to a wire wrack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Seed Salsa for Enchiladas

When I started this blog I really didn't know what was going to be my main focus. It wasn't until I came to Toronto that I started falling in love with cooking and becoming a real "foodie", I mean I have always appreciated food but never the way I have come to appreciate it here. When I first moved to Canada, I develop a passion for cooking as I had to cook for myself all the time, it turned out I really enjoy cooking.

I know some of you understand how hard it is to move and start your life in a whole different country, and finding something you love that opens your eyes to new and different possibilities is quite awesome. Cooking here has made me realize how much amazing flavours I had back home that I never quite appreciated before. So more and more as I really immerse myself into my ancestors traditions and food culture I know that this is what I was really trying to share with you.

Sometimes I feel really bad that even though I grew up eating Mexican food, I never learned how to prepare all those flavourful recipes, that is why from now on as I am trying to tackle one of my most beloved cookbooks of all times "The Essential Cuisines of Mexico", you will see all types of Mexican recipes posted from now on in this blog. The best part of all is that most of the ingredients are available here, and even though it takes me a good hour to get there, I really enjoy the smells of that little store in the core of Kensington Market.

So... anywhooooooo..
Here it goes

Pumpkin Seed Salsa for Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 cup of hulled raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup of unhulled raw pumpkin seeds
1 to 2 chiles serranos
1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
340g of green tomatoes broiled (tomatillos asados)
1/2 cup of water, or more if needed
2 heaped tbsp of cilantro
2 heaped tbsp of white onions

Directions:

In a frying pan toast the unhulled pumpkin seeds until browned and crispy, stir continuously. Then, add the hulled pumpkin seeds and toast for another minute or so. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Meanwhile toast the chile until blistered and black brown in spots. Using a food processor, grind the toasted seeds together with the salt to a coarse powder, then add the tomatoes, chile, cilantro, water & onions and process until it has the consistency of salsa. If it is too thick add more water. Note: Add water little by little to get the desired consistency, your salsa might not need the full 1/2 cup, it depends on how thick or runny you like it.
Serve it at room temperature on top of "Taquitos Dorados de Pollo" Chicken tacos, or use as a salsa for quesadillas, etc..

Week 7 & 8 @ George Brown

Weeks keep passing by so quickly I can't believe I have only 4 more weeks to go before my first course is finished.

In Week 7 we made Choux paste. The secret to make perfect hollow balls is to melt the butter or shortening completely in the water before adding the flour, also make sure you stir constantly to prevent any lumps. Oh! and when adding eggs you have to do it one by and make sure it is well incorporated before adding the next one. Just keep in mind this and it will really help you bake the perfect Eclaires or profiteroles.

Last Saturday we made Piped Spritz Cookies, I have to say I do need a lot of practice with my pipping technique as honestly it is not the best! Anywhoooo.. The important thing to remember when doing these cookies is that in order for them to be buttery you really need to beat the butter for at least 4 - 5 mins before starting adding the rest of the ingredients. By beating it for a while it will become super light and will help you get the right consistency which is "buttery melt in your mouth" cookies. If you want to test the butter to know if it has the right consistency, once beaten, you can put a tiny piece of butter in a glass filled with cold water, if it floats, you've got it!

You can pair these buttery soft cookies with an "Aromatic Sweet Coffee" or "Café de Olla" to keep warm in these cold winter days.

Pork in Prune Sauce

I have been adapting to Canadian festivities and this year's thanksgiving wasn't the exception. I know I am coming with this post somewhat late, but nevertheless wanted to share this delicious recipe with all of you because it was pretty amazing. I didn't go the traditional route this year, which all of you know is TURKEY, but instead I prepared this very special meal as the flavours are just out of this world. It is a very well known recipe in Mexico and sometimes used for fancy special dinners, at my sister's house we have had it for Christmas. This is the type of recipe you probably would stay away from any regular day, as it takes a long time to prepare, but as I wanted to cook something special for Thanksgiving.. and this was the perfect opportunity to try something fancy and laborious other than Turkey..... well I ended up prepping and cooking for 2 days, and it was WORTH IT!..

Some of you would prefer having Turkey for Thanksgiving but if you want to try something new once in a while and surprise your guests.. please try this one!! I don't even know what else to say to persuade you into cooking this recipe, but please do!!.. it is so good you will just want to eat the entire thing by yourself!.. And before you hesitate saying something like .. ohhh I would try it but I don't like prunes.. let me tell you .. I don't like them either .. but all the flavours melt together in this recipe, so .. don't be afraid to try it!

Pork in Prune Sauce

Ingredients:

750g Pork
The juice of 2 limes
5 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of Chile ancho (grounded)
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
salt to taste
1 white onion (chopped)
250 ml of chicken stock
12 tomatoes (chopped)
12 prunes
1 tsp sugar
a pinch of grind cinnamon
a pinch of pepper
a pinch of cumin

Directions:

Combine the pork, lime juice, garlic, chile powder, salt and half the oil and let marinate for a whole night. You can do this using a plastic bag such as ziploc bags. Preheat the oven at 350°F, meanwhile remove the pork from the sauce, dry it with a paper towel and sear it on both sides in a high heat oven proof pot, reserve the sauce. Once the meat is evenly fried on both sides, add the sauce, chicken stock and onion. Put the lid on the pot and place in the oven for 2 to 3 hours or until the pork is tender. Remove the pot from the oven, with a spoon try to remove as much fat as possible, then add the tomatoes and bake for 20 mins more. Then add the prunes, sugar, cinnamon, cumin and pepper, rise the temperature to 400°F and bake for 20 more mins or until the pork is super super tender and the sauce has thickened. Serve with hot tortillas or serve as is with some veggies.

Café de Olla (Aromatic Sweet Coffee)

Winter is here.. again, and for these cold days there is nothing better to warm up than a "Cafecito de Olla" or Aromatic Sweet Coffee. This specialty Mexican hot drink is made from freshly ground dark roast coffee which has to be toasted in ceramic plates and ground afterwards in metates which are stone tools use to grind seeds; at least, that was the way it used to be in the old days before roasters existed. Small towns in Mexico still prefer to hand grind their beans, which I find awesome, but for me the easiest thing is just to go buy it. The exact translation for this Coffee would be Clay Pot Coffee, as it is typically prepared in a big clay pot with a narrow neck which helps cook the coffee beans, cinnamon stick and piloncillo the proper way to achieve its particular flavour. Unfortunately, I don't have one at home, which by the way I am dying to buy, but still I used a stainless steel pot and it worked OK.

Drink it hot with some "Garabatos" Scribble cookies and enjoy a warm cozy afternoon on any winter day!

Café de Olla (Aromatic Sweet Coffee)

Ingredients:

3 cups of water
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 ounces of piloncillo or... 2 1/2 tbsp of firmly packed dark brown sugar + 1/2 tsp of molasses
1 little strip of orange zest (avoid cutting the white stuff, you want only the orange skin)
2 tbsp of freshly ground dark roast coffee

Directions:

Combine the water, cinnamon stick, piloncillo, cloves & orange zest in a clay pot or stainless steel pot and cook over medium heat until the piloncillo is dissolved. Add the coffee and stir. Continue to simmer for about 5 mins more, strain and serve hot.