Besitos de Coco (Venezuelan Coconut Cookies)

I love coconut in desserts. These baked coconut cookies are almost all coconut and brown sugar with a little egg yolk and flour for binding. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I made these cookies as part of a Venezuelan meal. They are bite sized cookies and it is hard to stop with just one.

I cut this recipe to a quarter and made just eight.

You will need for 8 cookies
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tbsp. butter at room temperature
1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and form a dough.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form bite size balls of the coconut dough and place them on the baking sheet.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until they are brown.

Cool on a baking rack.

Enjoy!

Salsa Carioca (Venezuelan Salad)

Salsa Carioca is a simple Venezuelan salad. It is made with simple ingredients, tomatoes, onion, hard boiled egg and avocado. It is really the salad dressing that makes the salad. It has a good amount of hot pepper sauce giving it a real kick.

We like salad in my family and we like all the ingredients that went into this one. I used tomatoes and the Serrano pepper from my garden. The hot pepper dressing took the salad to a whole new level.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
1/2 onion
1 tomato or 10-12 cherry tomatoes
1 medium avocado
1 Serrano pepper
1 hard boiled egg

For the dressing
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper

Slice the onion. Remove the seeds and dice the tomato. Remove the seeds and vein from the Serrano pepper and mince it. Peel and dice the hard boiled egg. Combine these ingredients in a mixing bowl and keep aside so the flavors blend together.

When you are ready to mix the salad remove the seed and peel from the avocado and dice it. In a separate bowl combine the ingredients for the dressing and whisk together. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Salsa carioca is ready.

Paneer Pasticho Venezolano (Venezuelan Lasagna)

When we think of lasagna we think Italian. But this version is from Venezuela. It is not a vegetarian recipe but I made it vegetarian with the use of crumbled paneer. I adapted this recipe. This Venezuelan lasagna has béchamel sauce in it which I found very interesting.

I used home grown cherry tomatoes for the filling and I think they made the dish more flavorful. It takes some time to prepare everything and put it together. To hurry things up I asked my daughter to put the last layer of cheese over the lasagna and as you can see she went crazy with it cutting up thick slices.

By the time the lasagna came out of the oven it was past lunch time. These pictures were clicked while everyone waited patiently at the table. Everything and everybody was at the table except the food. I barely had time to click pictures before it was all gone.

You will need
For the filling
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
12 cherry tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, pureed
a handful cilantro
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper
7 oz. paneer

Refer here for the béchamel sauce

To assemble the lasagna
8-10 lasagna sheets or enough to form 4 layers in the pan you wish to use
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan. Add the onion and saute until tender. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the pureed tomatoes, cilantro, oregano, salt and pepper.

Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes then crumble paneer over it. Mix well and let it cook until it dries out a little. Keep aside.

Meanwhile prepare the béchamel sauce by following this recipe. Bring water to a boil and add the lasagna noodles. When the noodles are cooked you are ready to assemble the lasagna.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare your casserole dish by rubbing a little butter on the bottom. Add a layer of the noodles ensuring they cover the entire bottom of the dish. Spread a fourth of the béchamel sauce over the noodles.

Next spread a third of the paneer filling.

Finally add the slices mozzarella. Repeat 2 more times until the filling runs out. On the last layer of noodles place the béchamel sauce and mozzarella. Thinner slices of mozzarella will work just fine.

Bake open for 20-30 minutes. If you use fresh mozzarella the cheese will not brown. You can broil the dish for a couple minutes if you like a brown top.

This lasagna tastes best when hot. You can reheat leftovers.

US American Meal

A classic American burger meal with onion rings and mashed potato on the side and ice cream soda to wash it all down. My initial plan was a native American meal using recipes I had collected years back. That was back in Arizona where prickly pear grew in my garden and I had sources for saguaro fruit jelly and all the other ingredients. I don't have that yet here in Texas. So I switched to a classic burger meal.

The burger buns were fresh from the oven. I did not make my foolproof sourdough buns but instead made these quick rising buns using commercial yeast. For the patti black beans wins hands down. This black bean and oats patti was moist and flavorful. The onion rings are 'fried' in the oven and were a real hit. They were so loved that I have made them a couple times already. Mashed potatoes are always welcome in our house. The ice cream soda was delicious made the old fashioned way.

I did not use any new ingredients for this recipe but the whole meal is a keeper. I had made blueberry sauce for an experimental recipe that did not go as I planned and I had plenty of sauce left over. My daughter used the blueberry sauce to make ice cream soda everyday for a week after we had this meal.

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Burger Buns
• Bean & Oats Burgers 
• Onion Rings 
• Mashed Potatoes 

And for dessert

• Ice Cream Soda

Black Bean Burgers

Black beans, garbanzo beans and rolled oats form the base for this flavorful moist burger patti. Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients. They are all thrown together in a mixing bowl. The burger buns are fresh out of the oven. I have included a link to the super easy recipe to make your own burger buns.

Black beans in my opinion are the best for burger pattis as they are so flavorful. This is my favorite black bean patti recipe.

Recipe adapted from here
For the patti (for four patti)
You will need
12 oz. beans (I used half black beans and half garbanzo)
3 tbsp. yellow onion, diced
3 tbsp. red bell pepper, diced
3 tbsp. black olives, diced
1 Serrano pepper, minced
4 oz. rolled oats
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. cilantro, minced
1 tbsp. cumin seeds
2 tbsp. bread crumbs
salt and black pepper to taste

If using dried beans for the patti soak them overnight and pressure cook the next day. If using canned or a carton of beans skip this step.

Bake either sourdough buns or buns made with commercial yeast like the ones below. You will need four buns for this recipe. You could use store bought buns too.

To make the patti drain the beans and transfer to a bowl. Combine with all the other ingredients. Use your hands to crush the beans a little without turning them to mush. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for half an hour. Prepare a ramekin by placing a rectangular piece of plastic wrap in it such that it extends beyond the sides. Divide the patti mixture into four portions. Place one portion in the ramekin over the plastic wrap and press down.

Once the patti shape is formed pull the plastic wrap to release the patti. Continue to shape the remaining three portions. Place in a refrigerator to firm up until needed. Heat a griddle pan and add a few drops of oil on it. Place one or two patti on it and brown both sides flipping over just once. Repeat for the other two.

Prepare burgers with onions, tomatoes, lettuce and anything else you like.

Enjoy!

Burger Buns

I have the perfect recipe for sourdough or homemade wild yeast burger buns here. But those buns need advance planning and sometimes you want to get the burgers ready in a couple of hours. Those are the times when this recipe is perfect.

The buns are light and fluffy and just the right size for your burger patti. This recipe makes eight buns. You can double or half the ingredients if you want more or less. I halved the recipe and made four buns. If you half the recipe always reduce water by a little more than half so the dough does not become wet. The way you would do this would be to reduce water by half and reserve a tablespoon or two of the reduced amount. Use this reserved amount only if needed.

For the buns (for four buns)
500 gm flour
3 tsp. yeast
50 gm sugar
2 scant tsp. salt
1 egg
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. butter, melted for brushing
sesame seeds for topping (optional)

To make the buns sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Mix in the other dry ingredients. Add the egg and melted butter. Add the water and form into a soft dough. Knead until the  dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and keep aside until it is doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.

Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. I halved the recipe and got 4 portions.

Gently fold over dough from all sides to the center. Pinch closed. Roll on a floured work surface with pinched side down. Cupping the dough with your finger pull towards you to create some tension in the surface. Place the shaped bun on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Repeat for the other portions. Using a plate or bowl gently flatten each bun.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise another 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375 F.

Brush the tops with half the butter reserved for brushing. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top if you like. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven and brush again with remaining butter.

Use as needed to make burgers.

Ice Cream Soda

Old style ice cream soda available at every street corner is now a thing of the past. There are a few old style restaurants around that serve up this delicious treat. But the home kitchen is always available to make this old style ice cream soda.

To make the syrup cook a handful of berries with just a couple tablespoon of sugar. If the berries are sweet skip the sugar. In summer use fresh berries to make the syrup. I used blueberries. When the berries are cooked and mushy strain through a strainer. If you like clear syrup add a half cup of water and do not push the berries against the strainer while straining. If you like thick syrup and do not mind the seeds skip the water and the straining. Instead mash the berries with a masher. For ice cream soda we like the syrup thick so I use the whole berry and do not discard anything.

Either way chill before using.

You will need
1 tbsp. blueberry syrup
2 tbsp. cream or half cream + half whole milk (you can use lighter milk if you like)
1/4 cup chilled carbonated water or seltzer
2 scoops vanilla ice cream

Place the blueberry syrup at the bottom of the glass. Add the milk and cream. Stir to combine.

Add the chilled carbonated water and combine. Add two scoops of ice cream and let it sit for a couple minutes. The melting ice cream thickens and sweetens the soda. We like to dig in when most of the ice cream is gone.

Enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes and potato salads are a favorite in my house. My daughter loves potatoes. When I decided to make a classic burger meal I had to include mashed potatoes as a side. This is the simplest most basic mashed potato. I have another creamier version here that I make every year for Thanksgiving.

I used just one medium sized potato but you can increase the quantity by doubling the amounts.

You will need
1 medium yukon or similar potato
1 tbsp. cream
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. milk
salt and pepper to taste

Wash, peel, cut the potato into quarters and place in a pan. Add water to just over the top and bring it to a boil. Never add potatoes to boiling water, always heat the water with the potatoes in it for evenly cooked potatoes. When the potato is fork tender drain the water and return the potatoes to the pan. Add the cream and butter. Mash the potato with a spoon if you like it chunky. Use a masher if you like it creamy and smooth. Add in the milk and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until just combined. Potatoes tend to get gluey if over mixed. Mashed potatoes are done!

Turkish Meal

Today I am presenting some of the popular dishes from Turkey that I put together as a meal. My family enjoyed this meal thoroughly. The Pida was without doubt the most favored by my daughter while my husband loved the bulgur pilaf.

I found so many wholesome vegetarian recipes from Turkey it was hard to pick and choose. I chose the bulgur pilav instead of rice as we all like bulgur in our house. I had white beans left over and this white bean recipe seemed like a nice way to use them up. Red lentils are extremely flavorful and it was raining the day I cooked this meal so I made soup. I made the cacik as a Turkish variation of cucumber salad. I decided to keep the dessert simple and chose a rice pudding. This Turkish style pudding is a lot thicker than any rice pudding I have had and I flavored it with Mastic, the Mediterranean edible gum. But the star of the meal was the Turkish pida. I decided on the pida as I wanted to add a yeast bread to the mix. I converted the recipe to use my homemade wild yeast starter. Spinach, feta and onions on overnight fermented dough. Those didn't last long.

As it turned out red pepper paste and tomato paste seemed to be the common ingredient in all the dishes that I chose except the cucumber salad. I did not have any red pepper paste so I made my own. I used red bell pepper as I could not find red banana pepper. The authentic recipe calls for the pepper to be cooked in water, peeled, de-seeded and then the pulp cooked to a paste. I roasted the pepper and covered it in aluminium foil for 15 minutes. The skin peeled right off the pepper. I then removed the seeds, cut it into pieces and ran it through the blender. As for tomato paste I had a can of organic tomato paste but it smelled of citric acid so I pureed a handful of cherry tomatoes and used that where ever tomato paste was called for. The fact that the tomatoes in the paste were not cooked did not make much difference to us.

The new ingredient I used in this meal is banana pepper. The bulgur pilaf recipe called for banana pepper but did not specify the color. I found a green sweet banana pepper and used that.

As they say in Turkey, afiyet olsun!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Ezogelin Corbasi (Red Lentil Soup) 
• Ispanakli Pide (Turkish Boat Shaped Spinach Pizza) 
• Bulgur Pilav (Pilaf) 
• Kuru Fasulye (White Beans) 
• Cacik (Cucumber Salad) 

And for dessert

• Sutlac (Turkish Rice Pudding)

Ispanakli Pide (Turkish Spinach Pizza)

Turkish pida is a boat shaped bread very similar to Italian pizza. It is made with dough that is leavened with yeast. The recipe I liked used commercial yeast. To enhance the flavor of the dough I converted it to use my homemade wild yeast starter. The pide did not disappoint. Spinach, feta and caramelized onion on slow fermented dough was delicious.

I found fresh baby spinach leaves in a bunch at Whole Foods. I used Whole Foods brand feta cheese and King Arthur flour. To make the red pepper paste, roast a red bell pepper, cover in aluminum foil for 15 minutes, peel the skin off and remove the seeds. Puree the pulp without adding any water.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
For the dough for 4 pide
90 gm water
115 gm starter (80% hydration)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
125 gm whole wheat white flour
100 gm all purpose flour
1 tsp salt

For the topping
1/2 red onion
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 tbsp. red pepper paste
salt to taste

To make the dough mix the water with the starter. Add the sugar and olive oil. Sift in the flours and salt. Mix just enough to form a ball of dough with no visible dry flour. Let it rest for half an hour. During the next hour and a half fold the dough every half hour. Folding is a technique where you pull the dough on the bottom with wet hands and place it over the top. Turn 90 degrees and repeat until you have gone all round the bowl. Cover and let it rest for an additional 3 hours.

The dough should have risen considerably. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide into 4 portions (I made a double batch). Shape each portion into a round ball and place on a floured baking sheet. Cover the sheet and place in the refrigerator to proof overnight.

The next day prepare the topping. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion. When it is tender and translucent add the garlic and saute for a couple minutes. Turn off heat. Julienne the spinach and add it to the cooled onion mixture along with the crumbled feta cheese and red pepper paste. Season with salt and keep aside.

Preheat the oven to 475 F. Place a parchment paper in a baking sheet and keep aside. Place a couple portions of dough from the refrigerator on a floured work surface. There will not be much difference in the size overnight. Roll each portion into an oval using a rolling pin.

Place a fourth of the prepared topping on the rolled portion of dough.

Now fold in the edges long the long sides. Squeeze the edges together at the end and twist to seal.

Bake on the middle rack for 10-15 minutes.

Cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack.

The pide tastes great when it is hot but it also tastes really good when cold.

Kuru Fasulye (White Bean Stew)

Bean stews make great side dishes when served with rice, poli or bread. This one is made with white beans. It has the classic flavors of the red pepper paste along with the tomato paste. The combination makes a very flavorful gravy.

This dish would work very well with rice or roti all by itself.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
1 cup dry or 1 can white beans (I used great northern beans)
1/2 cup onions, diced
1 tbsp. butter (salted or unsalted)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. red pepper paste
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. red chili pepper flakes (I used paprika)
salt to taste

If using dry beans soak in water overnight and pressure cook for 10 minutes the next day. I used canned beans. If using canned drain out all the juice and use the beans.

Heat oil and butter in a pan. Add the onion and saute until tender and translucent. Add the red pepper, tomato paste and the beans. Cook until combined.

Add 1/2 a cup of water and bring to a boil.

Let it simmer on medium low for 15 minutes.

Turn off heat.

Cacik (Turkish Cucumber Salad)

This is the Turkish version of the cucumber salad flavored with dill. The eastern countries use cilantro, as you move west they use mint and further west all the way into Europe they use dill. The salad is a great side irrespective of how it is flavored.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
1/2 cucumber, diced fine
1 clove garlic, minced (I left it out)
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup water
salt to taste
dill to garnish

Whisk together the yogurt and the water to form a creamy liquid. Add in the cucumber and salt to taste. Serve with rice or pilaf.