Nuestra Mesa – Empanadas de Plátano Macho*
Foto: Manuel Rivera Las empanadas deben su moderna popularidad a los colonizadores españoles y portugueses, quienes las introdujeron a lo largo y ancho de América Latina y otras colonias. En México, la selección de empanadas que forman parte del acervo culinario popular, incluye una variante de raíces inglesas: los pastes. Famosos en el estado de Hidalgo, este plato encuentra su origen en los cornish pasties, mismo que fue introducido al país por mineros británicos.Adaptadas para reflejar los sabores e ingredientes de donde quiera que vayan, las empanadas son una encarnación local de este concepto español. Hoy, el chef Aldo Saavedra, nos trae una receta para hacer unas deliciosas empanadas rellenas de México.
Rinde para 20 piezas
Ingredientes:
- 1 kg de plátano macho maduro
- 30 ml de vinagre blanco
- 4 cdtas de azúcar.
- 300 gr de harina de trigo
- Sal y pimienta al gusto
- Frijoles negros refritos
- Epazote
- Queso panela
Procedimiento:
1- Lava los plátanos, haz unos pequeños cortes a la cáscara (3 ó 4 por pieza).
2- Pon agua a hervir (la cantidad que sea suficiente para cubrir los plátanos). Agrega el vinagre y el azúcar, y los plátanos. Después de que suelte el hervor, cuenta 5 minutos.
3- Retira. Escúrrelos y pela los plátanos en caliente.
4- Machaca los plátanos haciendo un puré que sea lo más fino posible. Incorpora la harina, sal y pimienta. Mezcla bien.
5- Deja enfriar. Refrigera durante 2 horas.
6- Saca la mezcla del refrigerador y forma pequeñas bolas con la mezcla. Prensa con una prensa para hacer tortillas cuidando que la empanada no quede muy delgada.
7- Rellena con una cucharadita de frijoles, un pedazo de queso y una hoja de epazote. Cierra la empanada y pónla a freír hasta que tome un color dorado.
8. Escurre, sirve y disfruta.
* En México, el plátano macho es un plátano más grande que el común y no puede comerse crudo. En otros países se les conoce como hartón o maduro. En Estados Unidos es similar al ¨green plantain¨.
El chef Aldo Saavedra ha cocinado para huéspedes de establecimientos como el conocido Hotel Condesa D.F. y ha contribuído con sus recetas en proyectos con marcas de la talla de Larousse y Danone. En Nuestra Mesa, el chef Saavedra comparte con los lectores de La Vitamina T, su pasión por la cocina y por México.La Vitamina T Wins 2014 YolotlMetzli Award!
Thank you friends and readers for nominating La Vitamina T for the Yolotmetztli Award granted by the Binational Institute of Human Development. I feel incredibly honored and absolutely privileged to be recognized for doing what I love most: creating awareness for one of Mexico’s most delicious and fascinating treasures, its food.
The more I talk about food, the more I find it a particularly powerful element of national identity. Food gives us a common ground (we eat, therefore we exist), and while food makes us different, it also makes us the same.
Perhaps through this interactive art form, we can find understanding and love for the people who bring it to life.
To find more information about this event or to RSVP, click here.
In Mexico, Mole Means Fiesta
Photo credit: Brenda Storch Very few words say “fiesta” and “Mexico” as loud and clear as “mole” does, particularly in the countryside, where this traditional dish is served during important celebrations such as weddings and christenings. Its preparation, as much as its enjoyment, both constitute a time of bonding.
Mole has permeated the vignettes and meanings that make up our culture to such degree, that in fact, in Mexico, the phrase, “huele a mole” (it smells like mole) is used as a way to hint at the likelihood of a wedding taking place in the near future. When someone says, “eres ajonjolí de todos los moles¨ (you are like sesame seed sprinkled in every mole), it means that the person is a social butterfly.
Aside from seasoning our language, mole seasons life through its variety of executions, all just as proud and artisanal. Whether Pueblan, Veracruzan or Oaxacan, this rich sweet and spicy sauce is always as intricate and proud as the hands that prepare it.
Recently, we posted a recipe for , and today, chef Jason Rivas shares with our readers how he brings mole to life in his home in California. ¡Buen provecho!
About chef Jason Rivas: Born and raised in California, but southwestern at heart, his passion for food started at a very early age when he used to eat snails in his backyard. Trained in classical French cuisine, while attending the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, he was able to learn a new way to apply his creative, artistic side. After graduation, Rivas spent an additional four years in Phoenix learning the finer points of southwestern cuisine, and then traveled from coast to coast before settling in the Southern California wine country. Here, he discovered the true value and impact of food and wine (in his words,”wine and food, rather”). Find more about chef Rivas on his website: dinnerbyJR.wordpress.com
Nuestra Mesa – Flores para Mamá: Dos Recetas para Festejarla
Para celebrar el Día de las Madres, el chef Aldo Saavedra nos trae dos deliciosas ideas para festejar a mamá. Estas recetas incorporan un ingrediente que heredamos de la gastronomía prehispánica: las flores.
Foto: Manuel Rivera QUIOTES RANCHEROS
El tallo comestible de la flor del maguey, y de sabor similar al pollo, el quiote es una verdadera joya, ya que florece únicamente cada quince años.
INGREDIENTES
■250 gr quiotes o flor de maguey sin pistilo
■1 cebolla pequeña picada finamente
■1 diente de ajo
■2 chiles de árbol secos
■2 huevos
■Sal de mar al gusto
■Aceite de maíz
Foto: Manuel Rivera PROCESO:
1.Pon el aceite a calentar en una sartén.
2. Cuando el aceite ya esté caliente, sofríe la cebolla y el ajo.
3.Ya sofrita la cebolla agregar los chiles picados y mueve de manera constante para que no se quemen los chiles (aproximadamente 1 min), sazona.
Foto: Manuel Rivera 4.Agrega los huevos y mueve hasta que estén cocidos.
Foto: Manuel Rivera 5. Sirve acompañado de tortillas.
TACOS DE FLOR DE JAMAICA
Foto: Manuel Rivera También usada para hacer agua fresca, esta deliciosa flor de singular textura y sabor puede aprovecharse para hacer ambos.
INGREDIENTES• 100 gr flor de Jamaica seca
• 1 cebolla morada picada finamente
• 1 diente de ajo
• sal de mar
• pimienta negra molida al momento
• 10 tortillas
• aceite cantidad suficiente.
• 1 tz crema fresca
• 100 gr queso fresco.PROCESO
1. Pon a cocer la Jamaica en agua hasta que suelte todo el color y pónla a escurrir
2. Deshebra la Jamaica y reserva.
3. Pon el ajo y la cebolla a sofreír, agrega la Jamaica, mueve constantemente y sazona.
4. Saca de la sartén, reserva y dejar enfriar.
5. Utiliza las tortillas recién hechas para hacer los tacos, o caliéntalas para que estén mas flexibles.
6. Rellena con las flores de Jamaica y enrolla.
7. Pone a calentar una cantidad considerable de aceite para freír los tacos.
8. Escúrrelos y sírvelos, acompañados de crema fresca y queso en migajas
El chef Aldo Saavedra ha cocinado para huéspedes de establecimientos como el conocido Hotel Condesa D.F. y ha contribuído con sus recetas en proyectos con marcas de la talla de Larousse y Danone. En Nuestra Mesa, el chef Saavedra comparte con los lectores de La Vitamina T, su pasión por la cocina y por México. Encuentra más información sobre el chef Saavedra en México de mis Sabores.Guest Post – Mexican Cannelloni and Happy Cuatro de Mayo
Photo credits: Alicia Ramírez Presburger. Manitoba, Canada
I found this contribution particularly appropriate. Thank you, Henry! As a newer arrival in the US, the festivities around cinco de mayo don’t resonate with me. Although proud of the Mexican victory against the French in 1862, in my case, this celebration is more closely attached to memories of parades and essay-writing.
I must confess that I am having a great deal of trouble connecting the remembrance of my country´s victory in a particular battle with images of sombreros, cacti and mustaches. I am also still wondering what to say when people wish me a “happy Cinco de mayo”. I have come to the realization that I am going to have to practice a response that is both, kind and honest.
At any rate, I recognize and appreciate the opportunity to party, as long as it is clear that this festivity has nothing to do with Mexico’s Independence day, and more importantly, that Mexico’s cultural contributions simply cannot be summed up in a few clichés.
To whom it may concern:
Mexican cannelloni began when I wondered, what would happen if I took the recipe for chilaquiles and used ground beef instead of chicken?
It was good but not earth shaking. Nevertheless, I had beef chilaquilles leftovers.
I asked myself, what if I stuffed this beef, jalapeno and tortilla concoction
into cannelloni shells and covered with Mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, and baked in the oven?This turned out to be a home run! Everyone (the wife and I) loved it. And as it happened, it was served on Cuatro de Mayo which is a Major Holiday in Winnipeg.
I leave you with this thought- when it comes to cooking, let your imagination go. You never know what you will discover!
—
HenryComida de Reyes – No te Pierdas la Entrevista con el Gastrónomo Mexicano, José Bossuet
Foto: José Bossuet Este sábado 26 de abril en “Sazón, Razón y Corazón”, los atendemos a cuerpo de rey: les tenemos la entrevista con el distinguido chef Jose Bossuet Martinez, miembro de la prestigiosa asociación gastronómica “Club de Chefs de Chefs”. Este grupo admite exclusivamente a los chefs de cocina que sirven a reyes, reinas, príncipes, jefes de estado y de gobierno.
Bossuet fungió como Chef Ejecutivo de la Presidencia de la República al mando de la cocina del ex-presidente Vicente Fox, en donde tuvo a su cargo la comitiva del avión presidencial, viajando con el presidente en la giras internacionales.
Hoy, ya no es necesario ser funcionario o aristocracia para comer como si lo fueramos. ¿Estás en San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato? Pues estás de suerte. Visita al Chef Bossuet en su Café Contento y próximamente en Valle de Guadalupe, Baja Californa en Lozhka Bistrot (junio del 2014).
Amigos, ustedes que nos leen, seguramente recordarán que José Bossuet, junto con nuestro amigo y colaborador Aldo Saavedra, recientemente representó a México en el World Congress of Culinary Traditions en Rumania. ¡Estamos de manteles largos! Escúchanos en punto de las 9:00 CT aquí: http://player.streamtheworld.com/_players/nextmedia/?callsign=WKRSAM
Watch Premios Billboard with us and Enter to Win a Galaxy Tab 3 Courtesy of Sprint!
La Vitamina T has proudly accepted the invitation to host a viewing party courtesy of Sprint, the exclusive wireless sponsor of Premios Billboard de la Música Latina. Sprint brings music lovers everywhere closer to the artists and music they love.
And just because food brings friends and family together, we have asked the one and only chef Atzimba Pérez to create an authentic Mexican menu to delight a few of our closest friends.
The menu features all-time hits including:
Cochinita Pibil Tostadas: A Yucatán pulled-pork staple, served with black refried beans, pickled habanero chilis with purple onion and orange.
Mexican Crab Tacos: Served with avocado and tomatillo salsa.
Sinaloan Chilorio Sopes: Served with pinto beans, julienned panela cheese and poblano peppers. Great with norteño music.
Huitlacoche and Epazote Quesadillas: Served with chihuahua cheese, tomatillo and chile ancho and morita salsa. ¡Ajúa!
Dessert:
Tres leches cake with strawberry or peach.
Ricotta canutillos, cheese-stuffed pastries and chongos zamoranos, a curdled milk delicacy with agave nectar and piloncillo.
Sounds delicious? Don´t be left out! We will be tweeting and posting photos of the party on Twitter @lavitaminat and on our Facebook page.
You too can join La Vitamina T and Sprint in the music festival celebration! Tune in from home and join the conversation on Twitter. As a La Vitamina T friend and reader, you can win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablet. Galaxy Tab 3s will be used to announce the award winners throughout the show, and now are available at all Sprint stores free when you join a Framily plan and buy a new Samsung Galaxy S5.
All you need to do to be eligible to win is:
1. Follow La Vitamina T on Twitter @lavitaminat and Facebook (If you already do, please let me know)
2. Follow Sprint Latino on Facebook
3. Tweet or post on Facebook photos of you and your friends watching the show to @lavitaminat using the hashtags: #Billboards2014 #Framily (must be used together). Each new tweet is an extra entry! Please tag me on Facebook when you post so that I can see your entry! Only tweets or posts with images posted on Thursday, April 24 2014 between 6:00 pm and 11:59 CT will be eligible to win. Tweets need to be sent to the right handle and Facebook posts must include the correct tag and hashtags.
The winner will be randomly selected and announced on www.lavitaminat.com on Monday, April 28 at 10 am ET. Must be 18 or older. Valid only in the continental US.
Premios Billboard 2014 airs on Telemundo on Thursday, April 24th at 7 ET/6CT.
UPDATE: The winner of the Galaxy Tab 3 is… Illya Samko! Thanks to all of La Vitamina T readers for participating!
This post, party and giveway are sponsored by Sprint.
Flock to the Shepherd -The Charismatic Taco al Pastor #NationalTacoDay
Photo courtesy of: El Califa, Mexico City 
RUTA MEXICANA
Whenever I visit Mexico, there is an additional ‘layover’ between the airport and my parents’ home in a suburb of Mexico City. Stopping for tacos al pastor or ‘shepherd-style’ tacos has become somewhat of an unspoken ritual. Luckily, no matter the time or day of the year, my sister is always prepared with a roster of recommendations that she has carefully curated in my absence. Count on her to rattle off an impressive selection that includes taquerías open on Christmas Day.
Despite the fact that taco stands abound, not all tacos are made equal. Ask any local. Finding the perfect taquería is almost a rite of passage for defeños*, one that speaks to the way we connect with our city and beyond- a Mexican’s relationship with their pastor is emotional… personal.
Photo courtesy of: El Califa. Mexico City, Mexico When Enrico came with me to Mexico for the first time, he joined me in our recently established ritual. We visited a corner taquería where my family knew Chucho*, the taquero. Enrico was a little nervous as he eyed the cilantro and the onion piling over the tender marinated pork meat and pineapple. As a tourist who visits Mexico for the first time, Enrico asked me if the food was safe to eat. Trying to leverage whatever I could think of to reassure him, I said, “You will be fine. The taquero’s name is Jesus!”
He was an instant convert.
I have yet to find a perfect spot in Chicago to have tacos al pastor. Recently, I was crushed to find that some places serve them with cubed meat. I am on a mission to find a place I can recommend!
In the meantime, if you have the good fortune to be in Mexico City, you must check out El Califa. Aside from their outstanding customer service, they are famous for the way they serve the meat and for their freshly-made tortillas.
You will see why I think that this taco is king.
* Defeño is a Citizen of Mexico City (D.F.)
**In Mexico, Chucho is short for Jesús, which is a fairly common name
Gorditas de Masa Como Solo en Jalisco
Foto: Manuel Rivera Muchos disfrutamos las gorditas como un antojito, pero en Jalisco, estas delicias son parte del desayuno cotidiano y se acompañan con champurrado. Manuel Rivera, de México de Mis Sabores, documentó esta joya. La receta le fue compartida por la señora Teresita Jesús Guerrero de La Cañada, Jalisco.
- 2 tazas de harina de maíz
- ½ cdta sal
- ½ cdta de polvos para hornear
- 2 tazas de agua
- Suficiente aceite para freír
Procedimiento:
- Mezcla la harina de maíz con la sal y el agua hasta formar una masa suave y homogénea.
- Forma bolitas pequeñas con la masa, aplánalas un poco para hacer las gorditas
- Pónlas a freír hasta que estén bien cocidas.
- Al servir, pellizca el centro, añade queso fresco, lechuga y salsa
¡Ajúa!
Aldo Saavedra: One of Three Chefs Representing Mexico in Romania
Chef Aldo Saavedra La Vitamina T congratulates its very own friend and contributor Chef Aldo Saavedra, for his upcoming participation in the World Congress of Culinary traditions, an initiative to promote cuisine and culture, organized by the Romanian National Authority for Tourism, the Cultural Association Euro East Alternative and the World Association of Chefs Societies.
Saavedra, along with celebrated chefs José Bossuet and Paola Ramírez Campero, are part of the select group representing Mexico at the event to be held in Bucharest, Romania, March 13-17.
Chef José Bossuet Bossuet held the position of Executive Chef for former Mexican President Vicente Fox, while Ramírez Campero has an impressive list of 5-star hotels under her belt, including the Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons.
Chef Paola Ramírez Campero Each participating country will present a dissertation of its culinary traditions and will make a starter, main course and a dessert. The dishes will be included in the first edition of the “Encyclopedia of World Culinary Traditions” to be published later this year in Luxembourg according to the event´s site.
The group won´t be traveling light- During a recent interview, Saavedra shared that the team has decided to cook a very traditional menu, for which folk tools are needed, including stone metates and molcajetes.
We will closely follow the event and will report on the work of these talented representatives of Mexico through the most delightful of its cultural treasures: its cuisine.
El chef Aldo Saavedra ha cocinado para huéspedes de establecimientos como el conocido Hotel Condesa D.F. y ha contribuído con sus recetas en proyectos con marcas de la talla de Larousse y Danone. En Nuestra Mesa, el chef Saavedra comparte con los lectores de La Vitamina T, su pasión por la cocina y por México. Encuentra más información sobre el chef Saavedra en 
