Forum Activity for @ken-hulme

Awwww, man! I love wild sockeye! Orange sesame oil sounds about right; although I like both sticking a steak with whole cloves before grilling; or dusting with dill as well.

Are Honduran tamales steamed, or baked? Since we have banana leaves everywhere here, I make the Oaxacan style giant baked tamales (6" diameter x 2+ ft long) called zacahuile.

Thanks, for your efforts, Folkfan.I had indeed spent a lot of time searching the web and never found a Honduran cookbook, though you might have noticed that Ken H did indeed find me one. I like your idea of making one of my own. The fact is that my mother-in-law isn't quite as coherent as she once was, so she can't really follow a recipe. Finding a Honduran cookbook was really just a way to show her that we value her background.I've ordered the bilingual cookbook Ken H found and hopefully we'll have some nice family moments recreating some of those recipes. I think I mentioned elsewhere that around the holidays we all make Honduran tamales together (they are larger than Mexican tamales and wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks). Maybe we'll be able to add some other Honduran recipes to that festivity.With my wife's mother from Honduras, her father from Colombia but of Lebanese descent, my mother of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, and my father of Scots Presbyterian/French Huguenot stock, we can spend all our time trying to honor the various ethnicities, cultures, and religions that represent our ancestry and never really satisfy everyone. Maybe we'll just develop some kind of family gumbo that has a little of everything.

If I ever get out to the"other" West Coast, I'll take you up on that!

Speaking of cookbooks, has anyone come across a Honduran cookbook? Perhaps even a Central American cookbook?

Several years ago I bought my wife an expensive and beautifully produced cookbook entitled The Taste of Colombia . She was really excited, as was her Colombian father. But her Honduran mother then replied, "Well now you should find her a Honduran cookbook, too." As silly as it seems, she really felt that her side of the family was being ignored.

But I have been unsuccessful at placating my mother-in-law by fulfilling her request. A Honduran cookbook? I am afraid there is no such beast.

Ah, but the beast just lieth in hiding! I discovered that there was the definitive Honduran cookbook written in 1997 and a second edition produced in 2002. It is 312 pages of bi-lingual, Honduran Spanish and English recipes, food history and more.

Thanks DT;

I was actually moderately serious. Lisa takes beautiful food photos, and a collaboration could produce a really great project whether aimed at the dulcimer community or the world at large.

I have written and self-published a couple of cookbooks in the past. Those were without photos although I did have illustrations in one of them. No matter how good the recipes are, what really sells a cookbook today are the photos. But that is also the mega-expensive part of publishing a book - quality color photo reproduction. Self-publishing on-line; where the purchaser gets a .pdf or similar file would be the simplest, least expensive option. Electronic books are becoming all the rage.

Lisa - you and I need to collaborate on a cookbook. My recipes and your photos. Maybe a dulcimer-focused cookbook. I'm a trained photographer, but you have "the eye" for food photography!!

We could self-publish online with a paid download for the whole illustrated book.

Ken Hulme said:

Lisa - you and I need to collaborate on a cookbook. My recipes and your photos. Maybe a dulcimer-focused cookbook. I'm a trained photographer, but you have "the eye" for food photography!!

Yeah, sort of like 'your brains and my looks'. lol! 

We've been mostly eating various kinds of salads fresh from our garden this past month.Here was last night's dinner straight from the backyard, left to right: purple kohlrabi, romaine lettuce, scallions, and butterhead lettuce. I added some fresh mozarella slices, and dressing. Cold and crispy, nothing else was needed except the iced tea!

Mandarin Orange Muffins
Although the recipe calls for canned mandarin oranges, you can also use fresh tangerine or clementine orange wedges, or even loquats for an equally tasty treat. I usually make a double batch, either as muffins, or baked in a 9x13 pan to make a fruited bread.


1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup milk

Topping:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350F. Place muffin papers in muffin tins or spray tins with vegetable oil. Drain oranges and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Whisk together egg and milk. Pour into flour mixture and stir with a fork just until combined. Do not over-mix. Carefully fold in mandarin oranges. Add a little extra water if the batter seems too stiff.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until centers test done and muffins are lightly golden. Alternately, spread mixture in a lubed 8x8 pan to make a fruit bread.

While muffins are baking, place melted butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon.

When muffins are done, dip each hot muffin first into the butter and then into the cinnamon sugar. For bread version, brush melted butter one top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Let cool.

Yield: 12 large muffins or 24 mini-muffins.

Looks and sounds real good. I'm more used to Moros y Cristianos being mixed up together, though. Yours seems more like Hoppin' John, but with black beans.

This week Ken's Kitchen is featuring Black Beans and Yellow Rice - not only a beautiful, but a tasty pairing. Cultures all over the world combine beans and rice. This is my take on Moros y Cristianos - the Cuban version. The Moors are the black beans... get it?I use a pound of dried black beans. Don't bother to soak overnight; it makes virtually no difference in the cooking time - trust me.Pick them over real good so you're not cooking any rocks. Put them in a big pot with a couple quarts of water and a pound or so of smoked pig shank, neck bones or similar smoked pork. While that's coming to a rolling boil, dice up an onion, some celery and maybe a red bell pepper and add that to the pot.Now add a little paprika, a tablespoon of dried thyme, and a touch of chile powder. Anytime you cook beans add thyme it's the perfect herb for any bean.Reduce the heat and simmer for about two hours, until the beans are done and creamy textured.While the beans are finishing, making a pot of long grain white rice - 1 cup rice and two cups water; bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes (actually I use a rice cooker - best money I ever spent). No brown rice need apply. No short of medium grain rice, either. To that rice water add a Sazn Tropical packet.Sazn is a brand of spice mixes found in the Mexican food section. Tropical is a particular blend of spice. Not hot at all, just wonderfully flavorful. Can't find Sazn? Use a teaspoon of turmeric and a 1/4 tsp each of onion, garlic and chile powder. As it cooks the rice absorbs those wonderful flavors and turns bright yellow.When the beans are done, I strain out any leftover liquid. Then I pull the wonderful bits of meat off the bones and add that back into the beans. Plate a big scoop of rice, top with a scoop of beans, and you have a tasty, healthy dinner!

Ken, that looks mighty good. Think I'm gonna have to try this.

Blueberry ClafoutiTraditionally a French dessert using cherries, clafouti [Klah-foo-tea] is neither a fruit-filled pancake; nor a fruity egg custard but half way between. It is a very easy and healthier alternative to berry pie.Cooking Spray or Butter for the pan16 ounces fresh Blueberries, Black Berries, or Red Raspberries*, drained3 large eggs1/3 cup sugar3/4 cup whole milk1 teaspoon vanilla extract3/4 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon cinnamonPreheat oven to 400F. Spray or butter the bottom and sides of a 12 cast iron skillet**. Spread the fruit to cover the entire bottom of the skillet.Whisk together the eggs and sugar until frothy and lighter in color. Add the milk, vanilla and flour, and whisk to combine. Pour the batter over the fruit.Bake on the middle rack, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until golden brown and a knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Remove from oven and dust with cinnamon while still warm and soft.Cool for 30 minutes before removing from the skillet, slicing and serving. Serves 4-6.* Wrong season for fresh berries? Use frozen berries thawed in a colander and discard the juice.** Dont have a cast iron skillet? Any 10-12 oven-safe skillet will do. If all else fails, use a large pie pan. Do Not use a plastic-handled or non-stick lined skillet, as they can produce unhealthy vapors at oven temperatures and cooking times.

Reuben-esque Thighs
6 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 lb Sauerkraut (drained)1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced thin2 Tbsp White Wine (or water)1 Tbsp Brown Sugar1 Tsp Caraway Seed6 Tbsp Thousand Island Dressing3 slices Swiss Cheese, cut into stripsBrine the thighs 30-45 minutes. Drain, Pat dry. Spray or oil 12 non-stick skillet. Heat to med-high. Brown meat on both sides, 5-7 minutes per side. Remove from skillet. Add sauerkraut, green pepper, wine, sugar caraway and 2 Tbsp dressing. Top with thighs. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 25-30 minutes. Spoon remaining dressing over chicken and top chicken with cheese strips. Cover and cook another 2-3 minutes until the cheese melts.Serve with: Grilled Cole Slaw 1 head Red Cabbage, cored and cut into 8 wedges3 Tbsp Olive oil, for brushing4-1/2 Tbsp Mayonnaise4-1/2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar3 Pickled Peppers (jalapeo, banana, or Italian) seeded and minced2 tsp Pickling Liquid from the pepper jarSalt & Pepper to tastePreheat the grill. Dont want to fire the grill? Use your ovens broiler with the rack set to the highest mark.Brush cabbage wedges with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill cabbage until it starts to char and blacken - about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a work surface. When the cabbage is cool enough to handle, finely slice it crosswise with a sharp knife.Whisk together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, and pickling liquid. Toss with the shredded cabbage. Season with salt and pepper and toss again.

They are easy to do and so good tasting!

So... When are you serving them??? Enquiring minds and all that...

Chourio or Chouriso is the Portuguese/Spanish spelling. It's a relatively 'hard' sausage. You can also use Andouille, the wonderful tangy Cajun sausage, or Linguisa.

Chorizo is the Mexican sausage, which is very loose and used more as a flavorant than a bite of protein. Start cooking slices of chorizo and it melts apart.

FF - you can make this with fried ring bologna and it would be pretty good too!

Are those chorizos? Might be the same sausage, but I would like to make sure. (Should there be a cedilla under the c, as in chourio, I'd be more sure.)

Are those chorizos? Might be the same sausage, but I would like to make sure. (Should there be a cedilla under the c, as in chourio, I'd be more sure.) Ken Hulme said:

Since "sumer is icumen in", I thought y'all might like to try this gourmet sandwich recipe for your next bike trip, boat ride, or day playing dulcimers in the park. I won first place in the Boating TV "Best Boating Sandwich" with this version of a Nawlins' Po Boy. Gaspar Sausage was the co-sponsor. I won 25 pounds of their very good chourico and linguisa. The chourico is nice for those who don't like much spice. You could also substitute any of the Hillshire Farms style ring sausages...

Shrimp & Chourico Submarine
The perfect boat sandwich is submarine of course. In this case a New Orleans style Po Boy sub with traditional hard crusty baguette bread, not a soft hoagie type roll. Hard crusty bread can stand more time at sea before becoming mushy and soft. Po Boys can be undressed or dressed.

Undressed:
1 fresh French Baguette, about 24 long
1/2 lb Shrimp, 16-20 count, peeled & deveined
1/2 lb Gaspar Chourico or Extra Hot Chourico
1 Tbsp Creole/Cajun spice blend, to taste
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips
3/4 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted (or regular pitted Black Olives)

Dressed:
All of the above, plus
1 large Dill Pickle sliced into thin strips
2-3 Roma Tomatoes, sliced into rounds
1-2 long leaves of fresh Romaine lettuce
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise mixed with 2 Tbsp Lime juice
1/2 Red Onion, sliced thin
Salt & Pepper to taste

Slice the bell pepper and roughly chop the olives. Set aside.

Slice the chourico diagonally to make long oval pieces about 1/8 thick. Saute the chourico in a splash of oil on medium heat to brown it and bring out the flavors. Remove from pan and reserve. Toss shrimp with spice blend and saute them in the same skillet, adding more oil if necessary. Cook just until the shrimp turn pink, remove from pan and cool.

To assemble the dressed sandwich:
Slice the baguette lengthwise, but leave it hinged. Brush the insides of the loaf with the lime-mayo. Fold the romaine leaves lengthwise along the center rib. Place in the baguette, with the lettuce ribs running along the bread hinge. Inside the folded lettuce, arrange slices of chourico, the shrimp and red pepper strips. Top with slices of tomato, pickle, onion and additional shredded romaine if desired. Add a dash of salt & pepper and serve.

Can be assembled and wrapped in plastic wrap ashore; or the individual components can be placed in zip top bags and stored in the cooler until lunch time, and then assembled. Serves 2-4 hungry boaters.