Sopa seca de Fideo y Camarones

August 2, 2017 Tangie Holifield

Fideos (vermicelli) are much loved in Mexico, where they form the basis of thick, delicious soups. Usually the soups are served as a first course, but our hearty shrimp version is a meal in a bowl.

The name “sopa seca de fideo” translates to “dry soup with noodles”. It’s not soup, it’s called a “dry soup” because the noodles absorb all of the wonderful rich stock, making the noodles taste more delicious than you can possibly imagine.

Although it can be made with straight noodles, I have found if easier to make fideo with the twirled angel hair nests. It’s pretty, and easier to serve that way, one nest per individual serving.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 dried ancho or pasilla chiles*
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb. dried angel hair nests or vemicelli
1/4 cup olive oil
One medium yellow onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1/2 cup crushed canned tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 quart chicken broth
1 pound (30 to 35 per lb.) peeled, deveined shrimp, tails left intact
Kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

For Serving:
1/2 cup sour cream
Queso Fresco
Diced avocado

Directions:
Break stems off chiles and shake out seeds. In a small bowl, cover chiles with hot water and let stand until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop.

Brown the angle hair nests: Choose a frying pan with a lid in which the angel hair nests will all tightly fit in a single layer (about 9 or 10-inches wide, depending on the brand of angel hair nests you use). In the pan, heat the oil until shimmering hot. Working in batches, fry the vermicelli angel hair nests on both sides in the hot oil until golden brown in color. Remove from pan.

Sauté onions and garlic, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in chiles. Add tomatoes, cumin seeds and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to a simmer and cook angel hair nests in the broth. When broth is simmering, place the browned angel hair nests or vermicelli in a single layer in the pan, nestled into the broth. The nests should cover the whole pan. Turn them over in the broth so that they get moistened on all sides. Cover and cook until the vermicelli has soaked up the liquid, about 5 minutes.

If after 5 minutes the top of the vermicelli is dry, flip over the individual angel hair nests and cook a minute longer. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

To serve, spoon soup into wide, shallow bowls. Top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream and some avocado, if you like, and sprinkle with cilantro.

Cook’s Notes:
Vermicelli usually comes in 1 pound packages, so about 1/2 a package can be used for this recipe. If you cannot find angel hair nests at the market, you can make fideo with straight vermicelli pasta. Just break up the pasta in 3 to 4 inch long segments and cook the same way as you would the nests, browning them first in hot oil.

*Good dried chiles are soft, flexible, and smell a bit like prunes. Avoid hard, brittle specimens—they’re old and less flavorful.

How Hot Is Your Chile? To assess a chile’s heat, slice off its top through the ribs and seeds, where the heat-producing compound capsaicin is concentrated. Touch the slice to your tongue. If you want your food to be milder, split the chile and scrape out all or some of the ribs and seeds. If your skin is sensitive, wear kitchen gloves or hold the chiles with a fork—and don’t touch your eyes.

The trick to a great sopa seca de fideo is the chicken broth. If you do not have the time to make your own homemade chicken stock, you can easily use bouillon, boxed broth, and canned chicken stock. While bouillon and the boxes work in a pinch, nothing beats homemade stock for this recipe. It brings a richness that can’t be had any other way. So if you try it, I strongly urge you to use homemade stock!

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Coconut Braised Chicken

May 15, 2017 Tangie Holifield

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This perfectly braised fragrant chicken stew is a cultural transformation of Asian, Central and South American ingredients—coconut, Mexican chorizo, cilantro and lime.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons canola oil
3 whole chicken legs
3 chicken thighs
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ pound fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 dried chile de árbol, finely crushed
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 pound baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425° F.

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, heat the oil.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Working in 2 batches, brown the chicken over moderate heat, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the chicken to a large plate, and set aside.

Add the chorizo and onion to the casserole or Dutch oven and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until the onion is translucent, cooking for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the ginger, garlic and chile and cook until fragrant, cooking for about 1 minute.

Add the coconut milk, potatoes and chicken to the casserole or Dutch oven and bring to a simmer.

Cover and braise in the oven for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the lime juice and butter. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt.

To serve, spoon the braised chicken and potatoes into shallow bowls. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve with lime wedges.

Note:
This recipe was featured on the NBC TODAY Food Club webpage in November 2015.

Thank you so much!

Spatchcock Roasted Cornish Hen in a Hibiscus Rose Petal Sauce

May 17, 2016 Tangie Holifield

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This recipe is adapted from an earlier posting “Quail in Rose Petal Sauce” It is an absolute delicacy, revealing flavors you may never have experienced before. In this recipe, the combination of the anise, roses, and chestnuts alone is sufficient to offer this dish absolute distinction. I added my own twist with the addition of dried hibiscus flowers and some left over blood orange syrup from another recipe.

I could not find any fresh quail, so I opted for Cornish game hens, one is a perfect serving for two if you like to share. I used the spatchcock technique.

A spatchcock is a historical term for a culled immature male chicken, but increasingly denotes a preparation technique. The spatchcock, also known as “spattlecock”, is poultry or game that has been prepared for roasting or grilling by removing the backbone, and sometimes the sternum of the bird and flattening it out before cooking.The preparation of a bird in such a manner for cooking may also be known as butterflying the bird. The term “spatchcock” is used when the backbone is removed, whether or not the sternum is removed. Removing the sternum allows the bird to be flattened more fully.

Spatchcocking a chicken allows the bird to be flattened allowing the meat to cook more quickly and thoroughly. Don’t be intimidated by the name. There are several on-line tutorials giving you a this step-by-step guide to help you master this kitchen skill and have any type of poultry roasting in no time.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
For the Cornish Hens:
4 Cornish game hens
1/2 Tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 dried sage
8-10 sprigs fresh marjoram sprigs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil

For the Hibiscus Rose Petal Sauce:
10-12 fresh chestnuts
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced fine
1 teaspoon ground anise seeds or whole star of anise
10 edible roses with slightly open blooms, petals only,
10 dried hibiscus flowers
2 plums, peeled, pitted and chopped, or raspberries
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons fine quality honey
1/4 cup blood orange syrup (optional)
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Directions:
For the Cornish Hens:
Preheat the oven to 375 ° F.

Using a pair of good kitchen shears, take the Cornish game hens and cut alongside the backbone (from tail to neck). In a small bowl, mix together the thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Rub the oil all over the hen Rub the herb mixture all over the hen. Scatter the marjoram sprigs all over the bottom of a baking dish. Place the seasoned hen, skin up, on top of the marjoram sprigs. Wrap foil around the wingtips. Roast for about 45 minutes or until the leg bone feels loose when you tug on it.

For the Rose Petal Sauce:
Using a sharp paring knife slit an “X” into the flat side of the chestnuts. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Using a large saucepan, bring a quart of water to a boil and drop in the chestnuts. Boil, uncovered, for about 20 minutes and drain. Set aside to cool. When they’re cool enough to handle, peel the shells and the thin, papery “pellicle” away from the “meat” of the chestnut. Put them aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet, using it to sauté the garlic and anise seed until they are lightly browned. Add the hibiscus and rose petals and chopped plum and continue sautéing for a minute or two.

Place in a blender the petal mixture with honey, salt, pepper, and the cooked chestnuts. Puree in the blender while slowly adding 1 cup of chicken stock.

Strain the puree into a skillet, add the blood orange syrup (if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring constantly.

Reheat the sauce. Add the hens to the sauce, making sure they are all covered completely. Cook and stir for about three minutes.

Serve with a plain white rice to absorb the fragrant sauce, if desired.