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Cultural Cuisine Recipes
A supplement to the story that appeared in the June/July 2008 issue of Decatur Magazine.

Mexico
Mole | Caldo de Res | Mexican Rice | Tamales
Egypt
Tabbouleh | Basbusa
India
Pazham porit
Australia
Pavlova
Greece
Bakaliaro Yiahni | Horiatiki Salata
Pakistan
Biryani

Mole (O’Neill family, Mexico)

1 jar of mole poblano powder sauce mix (found in Latin food aisle or Mexican store)
1 cup chicken stock
2 T creamy peanut butter
Chocolate candy bar (no nuts) to taste

Pour about 1/2 jar of mole into a small saucepan and add small amounts of chicken stock while cooking over low heat and stirring constantly. Continue adding stock until the mole is the consistency of sauce. Next, add peanut butter and cook for about ten minutes over low heat while stirring. To sweeten, add a bit of chocolate. Serve over cooked chicken.

Caldo de Res (O’Neill family)

1 1/2 to 2 pound piece of lean beef (roast is fine), cut into chunks
1/2 head of green cabbage sliced about 1 inch thick and then in half lengthwise
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 pound of baby carrots
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 T. minced garlic
2 tsp, Nature's Seasonings
Salt and pepper to taste.

In a large stock pot, add about 3 quarts of water, meat, seasonings, 1/2 the garlic, and 1/2 the onion; cover and boil until tender, about 1 hour. Add water and skim from top occasionally. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, remaining garlic, onion and tomato. Cook until potatoes are fork tender. Add cabbage and cook for about 5 minutes until cabbage is barely tender -- do not over cook. Add cilantro, cover, and let sit a minute or two. Serve over Mexican rice with fresh lemon juice.

Mexican Rice

2 cups of white rice
3 T. canola oil or other oil
2 sm. cans of tomato sauce
1 T. minced garlic
2 T. ground cumin
3 T. chili powder
1/2 medium chopped onion
1 tsp black ground pepper
2 sm. or 1 lg. Knorr chicken bouillon cube(s)
4 cups water

Heat oil in a large pan and add rice to cook until opaque or slightly tan. Stir in the onions. Add water, bouillon, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Cover and cook until water is absorbed, stirring often.

Tamales (O’Neill family)

1 bag corn husks, soaked in hot water for an hour

Meat
3 lbs. pork roast
1/4 cup chili powder
3 T. minced garlic
3 T. cumin
½ T. salt (to taste)
2 cups water

Cook the pork roast on high in a slow cooker until tender; shred with a fork and remove bones. Move meat to a large stock pot with the remaining ingredients and simmer on low until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand.

Dough
4 lbs. Masa Arina (in Latin foods aisle)
5-7 cups of hot water
3 T. chili powder
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup shortening
1 T. salt

Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl. Add shortening, and knead with hands until incorporated. Add hot water, a little at a time, while kneading, until the dough is the consistency of Play-Doh.

Making the Tamales
Try setting up “stations” so everyone has a job:

Spreading the dough: Have a glass of warm water and a large soup spoon handy. Find the smooth, waxy side of the corn husk. Put some dough on a spoon and dip the whole thing in the glass of warm water to make it easier to spread. Start on the wide end and spread the dough 3/4 the way up the husk, about a half inch thick, adding more dough or water as needed.

Filling with meat: Take husk with dough on it and lay about 3 T. of meat in a line on the edge of the tamale as far as dough goes. Roll the husk into a log shape and fold under excess husk.

Cooking tamales: If you don’t have a steamer, then line the bottom of a large stock pot with the leftover, empty corn husks. Make a softball sized foil ball and place in the center of the pot. Lean tamales (fold-side down!) around the ball and stack layers up until the pot is full. Place a dish towel over the tamales, add three cups of hot water, cover with lid, and steam on low for a half hour. Cool and remove husks.

Tabbouleh (tomato and parsley salad; Elrakhawy family recipe, Egypt)

2 cups chopped parsley
½ cup chopped green onion
3 T. finely chopped fresh mint
3 firm tomatoes
½ cup fine bulgur
3 T. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
½ tsp salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Lettuce leaves

Place bulgur in a bowl, cover with water and soak 15 minutes, then drain well. Cut tomatoes into small cubes, and add to bulgur with the parsley, mint, and onion. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and lemon juice; stir in salt and pepper. Drizzle on the salad and toss. Serve in a salad bowl lined with leaves.

Basbusa (sweet, dense coconut cake, Elrakhawys)

2 cups cream of wheat For sugar syrup: 2 cups sugar
1 cup sugar 1 cup water
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut 1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup butter
½-3/4 cup plain yogurt
Almonds, whole or sliced

Make syrup first, as it must be at room temperature before used. Dissolve sugar in water in a pot over medium heat – boil for 15 minutes. Once it starts to thicken to the consistency of honey, add lemon juice and boil for another 5 minutes.

For the dough, bring all ingredients to room temperature. In a large bowl, mix cream of wheat, sugar, and coconut. Mix in the butter with your hands until well blended. Mix in the yogurt with your hands until it is smooth like pastry dough. (Add more sour cream if needed.) Pat dough into a buttered 13x9 pan, then slice into 2”x2” squares. Press one almond or several almond pieces onto the surface of each square. Bake at 350 on the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Finally, spoon cooled syrup over each warm square.

Pazham porit (Batter-Fried Bananas; Nair family recipe, India)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 T. sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 large egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Vegetable oil for deep frying
6 sweet plantains (firm yellow bananas can be substituted)

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together egg and vanilla with ½ cup of the water, then pour this into the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. (It should be a thick batter that coats a spoon.) Heat about 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees in a large wok and prepare a plate by lining it with a paper towel. Peel the plantains/bananas, slice them in half lengthwise, then cut in half crosswise. When the oil is hot, dip banana in the batter and slip them into the hot oil to fry for 5-6 minutes until they are golden brown -- turning occasionally. Remove and place onto the plate to drain. Serve promptly.

Pavlova (meringue tarts, Ellis family recipe, Australia)

4 egg whites
Pinch of salt
¾ cup caster sugar (or granulated sugar further refined in your food processor)
¼ cup sugar
1 T. corn flour
1 tsp. lemon juice
Kiwi peeled and sliced, or crumbled mint chocolate

Beat eggs whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add caster sugar gradually, beating well and dissolving sugar completely. After combining the sugar and corn flour, add mixture to the meringue with the lemon juice.

Spread Pavlova into 8-inch diameters onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, raising the sides of the circular dessert about ½-1 inch at the edges. Bake in a slow oven at 200 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Allow it to cool in the oven. Top with kiwi or crumbled mint chocolate.

1 lb. cod or halibut fillets
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lg. sliced onion
1 minced clove garlic
1 tsp salt
½ cup fresh parsley
¼ tsp pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
½ tsp marjoram
½ cup dry, tart wine (optional)

Heat olive oil in saucepan; add garlic and onion, and cook until soft. Add and cook remaining ingredients (except fish) for 20 minutes over moderate heat. Add fish (thawed and drained) to pan of sauce and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove fillets; thicken sauce over heat as needed before pouring over fish. Serves 4.

Horiatiki Salata (Greek Salad, Chiligiris family, Greece)

4-5 lg., ripe tomatoes, cored and chunked to bite-size
1 lg. red onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
1 cucumber, cut into ½-circle slices
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into rings
¼ lb. feta cheese, sliced or crumbled
Oregano
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
1 dozen kalamata olives
Pickled pepperoncini hot peppers (optional)

Lightly salt the tomato chunks, then combine the vegetables in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with oregano, drizzle with olive oil, and toss. Just prior to serving, place the feta cheese on top and toss in some olives. Sprinkle the cheese with oregano and black pepper. Garnish with hot peppers if desired.

Biryani (Khan family recipe, Pakistan)

[Note: Pakistani and Indian food products can be found at Linton Indian Grocer on Route
51 on the north edge of Forsyth.]

1 - 1 ½ pounds cubed beef, chicken, or mutton
3-4 cups Basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes
5 medium onions, finely sliced
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled & halved
2” piece ginger, chopped
1 T. garlic paste
1 cup plain yogurt, whipped
1 – 1 ½ cup oil
One packet Biryani seasoning mix

Fry the onions in hot oil until golden, then add tomatoes and fry until the oil separates. Add meat, garlic, ginger, potatoes, yogurt, and seasoning mix, and fry for another 15 minutes. Add 1-2 cups water and cook on low heat until meat is tender. Next, increase heat and stir fry until oil separates from gravy. In a separate pot with about one gallon of water, add 3 T. of salt and the soaked rice, and boil until the rice is more than half-cooked. Thoroughly drain water. Spread the cooked meat mixture over rice in two layers in the pot and cook on low heat until rice is fully cooked and tender. Mix before serving. Serve with fresh salad.

This is an online supplement to an article which originally appeared in the June / July 2008 issue of Decatur Magazine.
It may not be reproduced or redistributed in whole or in part without the publisher's consent.
© Copyright 2008 Decatur Magazine - First String Productions. All rights reserved.