Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Tinga Poblana

I have a much used and loved copy of Rick Bayless's cookbook Authentic Mexican. I have loved everything I have made from this book, but this recipe is my favorite and I decided to post it in my blog in case I lose the book I will still have this recipe. I am even taking three cans of chipotle chiles with me to Malaysia much to my sisters amusement, "yes I know you can ship stuff to me"...but just in case...
I was living in Seattle for six months and I left the book here in LA, so when I was craving this little slice of epicurean nirvana and didn't have the recipe...yes you'd think I would have memorized it by now, but since hitting forty....hard, I can hardly remember where I've parked my car. 
During a cold slightly snowy weekend I wanted to make this, and to my dismay I didn't have the book, so I scoured the web. I use to believe you could find anything on the Internet, until I could not find this recipe. I found many close to it, and the one I picked just wasn't it.
So here in my never to be humble opinion is the best Tinga recipe, which I am sure is divinely inspired. (and slightly tinkered with...)
Yield: 4 servings (yeah right, so whadda you gonna eat?)
  • 1 pound lean, boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
  • 1/2 teaspoon mixed dried herbs (thyme, marjoram,)
  • 3 Bay leaves
  • 2 medium (about 10 oz) red potatoes quartered
  • 1 1/2 pounds (3 large) ripe tomatoes, roasted and peeled OR one 28 oz can
  • 4 to 6 ounces of Chorizo (hmm bet I wont find that in KL either so I will add that recipe as well)
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 onion diced (medium)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 of the chiles chipotle from the can seeded and chopped
  • 4 tsp of the Adobo sauce from the can
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
Que music "this is how we do it"....
  1. The Meat. Bring about a quart of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add salt then the pork, skim the grayish foam that rises to the top during the first few minutes of simmering, add any of the dried herbs and bay leaves. Partially cover and simmer over medium heat until the meat is tender about 50 minutes. If you have the time let the meat cool in the broth, remove the meat, strain the broth, de-fat it and reserve 1 cup. when meat is cool enough break it up the bigger pieces.
  2. The potatoes, tomatoes and chorizo. Boil the potatoes in salted water to cover until just tender approx. 15 minutes; drain, and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Dice tomatoes (if not canned diced). Fry the chorizo (in oil if needed it can be pretty fatty) in a large heavy skillet over med heat. ( this is where I deviate, I leave the chorizo in and brown the pork and onions all at once) Stir in the garlic and let get fragrant.
  3. Finishing the stew. Pour in the tomatoes (sort of de-glazing the pan) add the potatoes, oregano, the chopped chiles, adobo sauce and the reserved broth and stir and simmer for 10 minutes or so to blend.
  4. Serve garnished with avocado slices, fresh cheese like queso fresco, any other soft style cheese...or just eat it.
I will add pictures the next time I make this.....ahhh, te amo....te qiero
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CELTA in Malaysia

I started this blog to write about my journey from a martial arts instructor in Los Angeles, to an ESL teacher in Asia, and of course my first two posts had nothing to do with that.
Once I made the decision to take the leap, I had to decide if I wanted to get a teaching certificate. There are several certificates out there; TESOL, TEFL, CELTA, TESL and are mostly all the same. I could go to China as a "foreign expert" being a native English speaker, but I think I would have better opportunities (and better pay) with a teaching certificate. I liked the CELTA it seemed to be the most widely accepted, and recognized...as well as the most difficult to get.
Now, where should I go to get this award? I met a Malaysian woman in Bangkok in conversation she suggested the British Council in Kuala Lumpur. When I returned home to the US I looked into the school and Malaysia, I decided to visit this new friend and experience KL and look into the course. Malaysia, to most Americans is not widely know, and when I told people I was going to live and work there, responses varied from "Wow...to Where? or Why Malaysia...?"My friend told me she would be happy to be my guide in KL, so I went. I liked Malaysia the people were really friendly, I think their culture is unique with the Bumiputras (indigenous Malays) the Chinese and Indian immigrants all trying to coexist, while mixing cultures and holding on to their identities at the same time.

Map image
After visiting the school, I decided to get the Cambridge English Teaching Award from the British council in Kuala Lumpur.
So far so good, I have made the decision to completely change my life, I decided where I will go, I've decided to get a certificate and where to get it (I passed the entrance exam and interview for the British council), Now where will I work? I don't know yet... There are a lot of resources on the web, and one of the things I discovered is I can't really get a job until ( well first I must get the certificate) I am in Malaysia. So I will have to take it on faith that I will find a position, and if I can't I can always go to China, Vietnam, Thailand or pretty much anywhere to teach.
All of this has occurred over the last three or four months, and now it's down to six days before I leave. I have given away, sold, or stored (thanks mom) most of my possessions, shipped the stuff I felt I couldn't live with out (do they have books in Malaysia?) which was an interesting exercise in itself, not to mention buying a one way ticket.
So to keep the folks at home informed and entertained I am now blogging about this foray into expat-hood.
More to come...

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Short Ribs?

My girlfriend has been bugging me. . . I mean, urging me to write a second post, she even suggested topics. First, she suggested the place we stayed when I visited her in Singapore. We went to the Malaysian island Pulau Kapas, to a beautiful property called Turtle Valley. I thought yes, I would like to write/review that place

Turtle ValleyThen last night we were talking while I was cooking dinner for my mom and sister and she asked "what are you making?" I replied "Beef short ribs" . Mmmm she said, "You should write the recipe and post it in your blog, yeah!!.... and you could take pictures and...don't touch it before you take a picture!!...

Ok ! ok ! I replied and took the pictures, not knowing if I would write about them or not.

She is right,...this is one of the reasons for this blog and it's name "Mouthful" writing about things which interest me like cooking, eating, travel, living well, and of course my transition to ESL teaching expat.

I don't have a recipe for beef short ribs, Nor have I ever cooked them....That's how it all got started, I asked my mom if she'd ever cooked them before, and how to do it... she hadn't really either. A few days later she went to the local grocery and brought home short ribs.

So I jump online to scour the Food Network and Cooks Illustrated, oh and Chow.com for short rib recipes. Hundreds of ways to cook short ribs, from simply putting them in a slow cooker with a jar of barbeque sauce to complicated Korean style, Zinfandel glazed or honey vinegar concoctions.

Each recipe had some ingredient I didn't have or a laborious technique I wasn't prepared to endure. That's one of the reasons I like the social networking/foodie sites like Chow.com or Allreciepes.com, people post simple recipes or just the technique to cook it.

So I looked through the recipes and checked them against the fridge and pantry and I decided on a red wine braise.

I had;

  • 2 pounds of beef short ribs
  • 1 Onion (chopped)
  • 3 Celery ribs (chopped)
  • Red wine (about 2 cups)
  • Boxed Chicken stock (about 1 cup)
  • 2 Carrots(chopped)
  • Garlic (minced in a jar)
  • Canned fire roasted tomatoes
  • Olive oil
  • Russet potatoes (cubed)
  • Salt and Pepper

Heat the the oven to 350 degrees F. ( I always wonder about pre-heating, how do you heat before you heat...)

A lot of the recipes read just like a pot roast, so that's how I would treat the ribs. I seasoned the ribs and let them sit and come to room temperature, I put some olive oil in a hot large skillet, then browned the ribs in batches. I let them brown real well to develop a good fond (that caramelized brown gunk left behind) that's braising gold. I took the ribs out, threw in the onion, celery and carrot and let them cook...I wanted to build some great layers of flavors, I didn't have any fresh herbs like Thyme, that would have been really nice. But I had some dried Oregano and Cumin.

After the root veggies cooked down a bit I tossed in the garlic about 6 cloves let them cook a little then deglazed with the canned Tomatoes and their liquid, then added the Wine and Stock to the party. I cooked it all on high for just a few minutes to heat through and combine, reduce and generally just get yummy.

I added the ribs, let everyone get acquainted, put a lid on and put it in the oven to cook low and slow for about an hour and a half. I was going to roast the potatoes but decided to mash them instead, to make a nice fluffy bed for the ribs and a sponge for the lovely sauce which would develop. Short ribs

Now we wait....I know I know it will be worth it, but I am all about instant gratification..

IMG_0685

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Hey, I'm blogging!

So...... my first post. What do I write?
I created this blog to write and share thoughts, ideas, experiences... and then nothing.....The introversion is  reasserting it's self again, telling me I've nothing to say....hmmm I beg to differ.
So I will use my first post to tell you, the hoards of people who are reading.... no devouring my every word who I am.
So...that means I should know right? I guess that's one of the multitudes of reasons to do this.
I am a soon to be ex martial arts instructor from the Los Angeles area of California to become ESL teacher in Malaysia.
I will write about that transition and hopefully share things that people will find enjoyable to read.

Whew! take that introversion I have just written my first blog post!! huh? yes..I know it's short...wadda ya mean vague? So what, I've started....Hey I'm blogging!