Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Today is our fourth May post for our Kitchen Matrix Project, named after Mark Bittman's  Kitchen Matrix  cookbook. You can read about the year-long project:  here . This month, I chose the recipes and went with a Latin theme. So, we have worked with masa; we made salsa; we braised carnitas. And so on...you get the idea. This week I chose Mexican soups, but wasn't really inspired by any of the recipes listed. Darn it. But I will try his tortilla soup and pork soup soon. Just wasn't feeling it this week. Sorry. The #KitchenMatrixCookingProject Mexican Soups An InLinkz Link-up Albóndigas de Frailes  (Friars' Meatball Soup) Albóndigas soup is a traditional Mexican soup featuring spicy meatballs offset by the fresh flavors of vegetables and herbs. This wasn't one of Bittman's recipes under 'Mexican Soups', but it's one of my family's favorites, so I'm sharing it anyway! And, yes, this has my California twist include...

Back in 2011 - when R was in fourth grade - I chaperoned his field trip to the Cooper Molera Adobe in downtown Monterey. I know that all California fourth graders study the state history, but I have always appreciated hands on learning. It was so neat to see these kids do all of these things... Making Rope Embroidering Churning Butter Grinding Corn Pressing Tortillas and Branding Leather When we went into the adobe gift shop at the end of the trip, R found a cookbook -  Encarnación's Kitchen: Mexican Recipes from Nineteenth-Century California, Selections from Encarnación Pinedo's El cocinero español * - and asked if I would get it for him. Of course I did. And we used it as inspiration for our very non-traditional Californio Thanksgiving dinner that year. We made her  Ensalada de Remolacha (Beet Salad) ,  Almendras Sopladas (Almond Puffs) ,  Ensalada de Pepinos (Cucumber Salad) , roasted quail with  Almendrado (Almond Sa...

Ingredients bittersweet chocolate water sugar pinch of salt cinnamon sticks for serving Procedure Using a sharp knife, break up the chocolate into smaller pieces. In a saucepan, combine the chopped chocolate, water (or milk), sugar, and salt over medium-low flame. Heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and liquid is very hot, but not boiling, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and froth the chocolate milk with a molinillo . Divide the hot chocolate among mugs and serve with the cinnamon sticks as stirrers.

My marinated quail was such a hit last year for Thanksgiving that I decided to do it again. This year, to stick with the Californio theme, I served the birds with an Almendrado (almond sauce). I also used more of my chardonnay molasses. Delicious! Ingredients 4 crushed tepin chilis 2 bottles of birch beer or root beer 1/2 C balsamic vinegar 1 t ground cumin 2 T fresh oregano 2 T fresh thyme 1 t sea salt 1/2 C chardonnay molasses 1/2 C olive oil 2 T fresh, rough-chopped cilantro Procedure Whisk all marinade ingredients together and marinate quails for at least 6 hours. Grill over hot coals. Thanks to my grill-master husband for making this so easy.

I wanted a simple treat to serve with a strong coffee for our Thanksgiving dessert. No pumpkin pie on our table today. Encarnacion included a recipe for Almendras Sopladas in her cookbook: "Finely chop a pound of almonds, then add them to egg whites and twelve ounces of powdered sugar, beat them to snowy peaks, then spread them on sheets of white paper and put them in the oven." No more details than that. I figured my recipe for Italian amaretti were close enough, so I made those. 2 egg whites 1 C organic granulated sugar 2 C ground almonds Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gradually beat in sugar, again, forming stiff peaks. Gently fold in ground almonds. Spoon mixture onto parchment paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake in a 375 degree oven till the cookies are firm and the tops cracked, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place baking pan on a rack to cool. When cool gently peel cookies from parchment.

Dylan, my little bread monster, insisted that we have dinner rolls for our Thanksgiving lunch...and offered to make them. We opted for a red quinoa yeast roll. He did a great job! They were delicious. Ingredients 1 C cooked red quinoa (cooked with bay leaves and cinnamon sticks) 2 C hot water 3 tsp smoked salt 2 T active dry yeast 1/4 C chardonnay molasses 1/4 C ginger syrup (or use honey) 3 C white whole wheat flour 3 C dark rye flour butter Procedure Place the hot water in a large mixing bowl, sprinkling the yeast on top. Let bloom for five minutes. Add chardonnay molasses, ginger syrup (or honey), and salt. Add the cooked quinoa and flours. Blend until well combined. Knead for 3-5 minutes until it is smooth and soft. Oil the dough and the bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot for 35-45 minutes. Once it has risen, punch it down again and shape handfuls of dough into balls. Place the balls in a buttered baking dish, cover, and le...

I made Encarnacion Pinedo's recipe for cucumber salad though I had no idea what malpica is...I'm not sure she even knew what it was! The ingredients sections reads: "an otherwise unidentified salad herb." Not too helpful, so I took some liberties and used a combination of fresh thyme, fresh oregano, and fresh mint. sliced cucumbers sliced tomatoes chopped poblano chili fresh herbs smoked sea salt freshly ground pepper olive oil balsamic vinegar This was a nice, refreshing course between the main dish and the desserts.

Encarnacion Pinedo includes a recipe for Almendrado , almond sauce, in her cookbook, suggesting it's a perfect complement to either roasted birds or meat. Sounded like a perfect accompaniment for my marinated, grilled quail. I made a few adjustments to include my prized chardonnay molasses, but, for the most part, I stayed true to her sauce. caramelized onions and fennel oregano ground almonds ground cloves ground cinnamon ground ginger ground nutmeg capers red wine chicken broth balsamic vinegar chardonnay molasses raw turbinado sugar Mix all of the ingredients in a large, flat-bottomed pan. Let the sauce thicken before serving with cooked poultry or meats. Can't wait to serve this tomorrow for our Thanksgiving feast!

Riley has really embraced adding unique flavors to our Thanksgiving feast. Case in point: his recipe for a prickly pear-cranberry sauce. We started with whole prickly pears and made prickly pear juice, substituting that for the water in our usual cranberry sauce recipe. To make the juice, peel the fruit, dice, and add to a pot with one inch of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, push the pulp through a strainer and reserve the liquid. 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 C prickly pear juice (or water) 4 C (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries orange zest, optional Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil prickly pear juice and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst. At this point you can add all number of optional ingredients. We typically mix in a few strips of orange zest. You can also add a cup of raisins or...

Riley wanted to make corn tortillas - "just like we did at the Cooper-Molera Adobe on our field trip!" - for our Californio Thanksgiving Feast. That meant two things: we needed a tortilla press and I needed a recipe. Check. But I wanted to do a test run before Thursday's lunch. Check. These were delicious...and will be perfect for Thanksgiving.   2 cups masa harina 1 1/2 to 2 cups water 1 T olive oil Start by putting 2 cups of masa flour in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of very warm water and a splash of oil to the masa flour (according to the directions on the package, some brands may call for different amounts of water). Mix in and let sit for 5 minutes or so. Begin working the masa with your hands to make the dough. Knead the dough for several minutes. If at any point through the tortilla making process the dough seems too dry or too wet, add a little more water or masa to the dough.   Take a piece of the masa dough and shape it into a ball the size of a...

When I chaperoned Riley's field trip to the Cooper Molera Adobe and the Custom House last week, we ground corn, learned to embroider, branded leather and so much more. I also picked up a cookbook with Mexican recipes from nineteenth-century California, the Californio period. I figured I could support his study of California history by creating our Thanksgiving feast around foods that would have been eaten during that time. What fun! Riley has been busy embroidering our placecards, but, somehow, I thought I had more time to prepare. With Thanksgiving a week from tomorrow - yikes! - I hammered out our menu. Look for photos and recipes next week. Alb óndigas de Frailes Friars’ Meatball Soup Pancitos de Quinoa Quinoa Dinner Rolls Codornices en Almendrado con Puntas de Es á prragos Quail in Almond Sauce with Asparagus Tips Pescado Relleno y Empapelado Stuffed Fish Wrapped in Paper Alcachofas Artichokes Arroz guisado a la Española Stewed Spanish Rice Tres Ensaladas: de...