Quick Sopaipillas

Sopaipillas are a traditional dessert I discovered while living in the American Southwest.  I first tried them at the El Rialto Restaurant in Las Vegas, New Mexico, a few miles from where I lived.

These treats are sometimes referred to as little pillows, since they are puffed and hollow in the center.  The word means ‘little bread soaked in oil.’  This is a quick version made from tortillas; the original is made from fresh dough.

Fried dough is a treat in many cultures—including donuts in America, puri in India, mandazi in East Africa, and churros in Mexico.  Fried dough is sometimes dusted, dipped, or filled; other times it is served in its unadorned golden splendor.

For me, the hardest thing about frying is making sure the oil is at the correct temperature.  If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by dropping in a small amount of dough.  It should produce vigorous bubbles and reach a golden brown color in 60 seconds.  If it browns too quickly or slowly, adjust the temperature accordingly.

Ingredients

4 8-inch wheat tortillas

vegetable oil (preferably canola or corn), for frying

powdered sugar or cocoa (optional)

honey, for serving (optional)

Directions

1.     Heat 1/2 to 1-inch oil in a deep and small pot on medium-high heat.  Let the oil heat for 5-10 minutes before testing it.  The oil should be 350F.

2.     Cut tortillas into wedges or strips.

3.     Fry tortillas pieces in batches for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, flipping once.  Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. 

4.     Dust with powered sugar or cocoa.

5.     Drizzle or dip into honey to serve.

Chocolate Coconut Haystacks

Makes 3 dozen

These treats are perfect for those with limited time and talent for complicated holiday baking.  They can even be made on Christmas Eve with minimal effort!  Haystacks are also ideal for cooking with children.  Since they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, they can be made before the holiday madness begins.

My mother-in-law fell in love with haystacks on her travels, and she asked me to make them for Hanukkah.  After some web sleuthing, I developed the following recipe.  Other versions contain dry chow mein noodles or pretzel sticks instead of coconut.  They can also be enhanced with roasted nuts of any type (peanuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans), marshmallows, butterscotch chips, and sea salt.

Ingredients

6 cups sweetened coconut

1 pound semisweet chocolate chips or vegan carob chips

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1/2 cup almonds or other nuts (optional)

Directions

1.     Toast coconut on a large rimmed baking sheet at 350F.  Check it regularly and remove when it is fragrant and has turned slightly brown.  Do not leave too long or it will burn.  Remove and set aside.

2.     On the same baking sheet, toast almonds for 10-15 minutes until brown and fragrant.  Remove and set aside.

3.     In a large glass bowl, melt chocolate chips in the microwave.  Heat for 60 seconds and stir, continue heating for 15 seconds and stirring until the chips have melted.  Mix in almond extract.

4.     Add toasted coconut to the chocolate and mix well using a spoon or your hands.

5.     Line the baking sheet with parchment and make haystacks with 2 teaspoons of batter each.  Top with an almond.

6.     Refrigerate for 20 minutes until firm.   Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Lemon Sorbet

One of summer’s greatest gifts is ice cream.  I rarely eat ice cream during the rest of the year, but in the summertime I consume it several times a week.  When I was young, my parents used to buy one gallon tubs or boxes of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or Neapolitan ice cream.  Grocery store ice cream choices have expanded significantly since my childhood, and the exotic flavors that were only available at ice cream parlors are now sold at grocery and convenience stores across the country.

I had not made ice cream until a few years ago when my friend Yvonne showed me her recipe for Thai tea ice cream.  Since then I’ve been dreaming of owning an ice cream maker; my wish recently came true through a gift from a friend.

We inaugurated our new ice cream maker with this refreshing lemon sorbet.  Sorbets are frozen sugar water flavored with fruit or alcohol.  Unlike ice cream, they do not contain milk, cream, or eggs.  Sorbets are sometimes served as a palette cleanser between multi-course meals; more often they are served as a dessert at the end of a meal.

The word ‘sorbet’ either comes from the Latin sorbetto meaning a mixture of solid and liquid food or the Arabic sharbat meaning drink or juice.  There are many stories about the origin of sorbet.  Some claim that it was invented by Roman Emperor Nero and others suggest that Marco Polo brought back a sorbet recipe from China.  Whatever its origin, sorbet is an increasingly popular summer treat.

Watch this space for other inventions enabled by our new ice cream maker!

Ingredients

1 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 6 lemons)

2 1/2 cups water

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

Directions

1.       Juice the lemons and set aside.

2.       In a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup water and all the sugar.  Grate the zest of two or three lemons directly into the mixture.

3.       Heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently.  Remove from the heat and transfer to a glass dish.  Add remaining water and lemon juice.  Mix well.

4.       Cover and cool in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.  The colder the mixture, the more likely it will produce an even texture in the ice cream maker.  The mixture may be kept in this state for several weeks.

5.       Prepare sorbet in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

6.       Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container to ripen for several hours.  The mixture should still be soft when you do this; resist the desire to over-churn as it will produce a dry and fluffy texture.  Do not serve directly from the ice cream maker.

7.       Serve as a palette cleanser or dessert.  Best served with other sorbets or topped with a drizzle of limoncello.

Valentine Borscht

Borscht is a peasant soup popular in Central and Eastern Europe. The word comes from the Slavic word borshchevik which means hogweed, a vegetable once important to the Slavs. Today the defining ingredient in borscht is beet root although there are some versions that do not contain beets. For more information about beets read my post from last year about a summer beet salad.

In the Ukraine, where borscht is likely to have originated, it is the national soup and was sometimes eaten multiple times a day as a main meal. It is also served as the first course of a traditional Polish Christmas meal. In other places, it is generally consumed before the main meal.

There are two key types of borscht – hot and cold. The hot version is often chunky, made with potatoes, vegetables and sometimes beef. The cold version is sometimes strained before serving and thus has a thinner consistency (similar to gazpacho). Variations abound and recipes have been known to include dried mushrooms, parsley, dill, lovage, green onions, basil, beans, pickled apples, plums, cherries, eggplant, olives, prunes, ham, mint, ginger, leeks, tomatoes, bell peppers, tarragon, paprika, oregano and sausage.

Many versions require the addition of an acid to sour the – this can be achieved through the addition of lemon, vinegar or citric acid. Some recipes call for natural fermentation which requires the soup to be made several days in advance. Borscht is often served with sour cream, yogurt, cream or a local dairy equivalent.

In North American borscht is closely associated with Ashkenazi Jewish traditions. The term ‘Borscht Belt’ refers to the swath of summer resorts in upstate New York that were popular with New York City Jews between the 1920s and 1960s.

As a humble and quotidian dish, I’ve never heard of the soup in conjunction with Valentine’s Day. However, it seemed perfect as a bright red starter on a cold winter day. It freezes well but will stain plastic containers so we opted to use one gallon freezer bags.

Serves 10-14

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/2 pound russet potatoes (about 2), peeled, chopped into small cubes
1/2 lb carrots, sliced
small cabbage or half a medium cabbage, thinly chopped
6-8 cups vegetable (or meat-based) broth
15 ounces diced tomatoes
4 large beets, peeled and chopped into small cubes
5 bay leaves
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (balsamic or other)
1 bunch of dill, finely chopped
salt and pepper
sour cream, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Sauté for 10 minutes.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, beets and bay leaves. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add red wine vinegar and 1/2 dill. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Flavor with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and remaining dill.