this week's stovetop: bagels

I've recently been expanding my bread repertoire, from the Colombian bread I made a few weeks ago to making sourdough (I started a culture in early January).  This week, the name of the game was bagels.

I followed Joy of Cooking's bagel recipe (page 617 of the 1975 edition).  That dough is a variant of the standard white bread recipe that uses more milk and egg than most of the recipes I make. The resulting dough is soft but pliable; I made the bagel holes by piercing a finger through a ball of dough and spinning the dough around.  It reminded me a bit of tossing pizza dough.

The difference between standard bread and bagels comes in how it is cooked.  Bagels are boiled first, then coated with an egg wash and put in the oven to bake through.

Overall, I was pleased with the results--despite a thick crust and some burning on the bottom, the interior texture was good. That said, this may be my only foray into bagel making.  Unlike fresh bread, which I find calming to make, the timed boil-then-bake was stressful and the resulting bagels didn't make the process worth it.

this week's stovetop: latin soul food

I'm doing a bit of experimentation trying to recreate the wonderful bread at Alma de Cuba.  I was reminded just how good it is earlier this week, dining with my favorite Yalie and his family.  The internet claims that this wonderful bread is called 'Pan de Bono', a Columbian cheese bread made with rice and yucca (and/or tapioca) flour.  I'm determined to recreate it--figuring it out would definitely be a +1 to my cooking portfolio. I'm not there yet, but my current iteration (and comments) are below.



Here's whats on my stovetop this week:

Pollo en Salsa de Frijol Negro
adapted from http://www.tasteofcuba.com/pollosalsanegro.html

In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium flame. Add Sofrita paste (I used a 4 oz. packet of Maggi brand, although you can make your own), 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1 tablespoon oregano. Let simmer for a bit (about 5 minutes) for the flavors to develop, then add 6 oz. tomato paste (1 can) and 2 cups of broth (I used Swanson brand vegetable broth).  Stir and heat.

Meanwhile, put 3 15.5 oz. cans of black beans (drained) into a slow cooker. Rinse 3 lbs. of boneless chicken and cut into large chunks.  Add to slow cooker.

Pour hot tomato mixture over chicken.  Add 1 cup apple cider vinegar.  Cover and put on high heat for 3+ hours.  Serve over rice.

Comments: Overall, a very yummy, make again recipe.  The end result was a bit vinegar-y for my taste: next time, I'd either reduce the amount of apple cider vinegar or add it to the tomato mix and let it simmer a bit before adding it to the slow cooker. 

pan de bono, v1

Pan de bono, v1 (drier and more corn-flavored than the restaurant)
adapted principally from http://pandebono.com/2011/03/pan-de-bono-recipe/ with input from several other sites

~170g (a little under a cup) of Bom Petisco brand Queijo Fresco Leite de Vaca (fresh cheese)
1 cup maseca brand masa (corn with lime)
1 cup julia brand cassava flour (farinha de mandioca, casabe)
1 eggwater to moisten

Preheat oven to 400F. Crumble cheese by hand. Incorporate flours and egg and enough water for the dough to hold together (I did this by hand). Form into golf-ball sized spheres and place on a baking tray.  Bake for 15 minutes or until browned slightly.  Yield: about 20

pan de bono, v2

Pan de bono, v2 (this had a crust that more closely resembled the restaurant, but still had a bit too much corn flavor and wasn't as buttery in flavor.)

~170g (a little under a cup) of Bom Petisco brand Queijo Fresco Leite de Vaca (fresh cheese)
1/2 cup maseca brand masa (corn with lime)
1/2 cup julia brand cassava flour (farinha de mandioca, casabe)
1 eggwater to moisten

Preheat oven to 400F. Crumble cheese by hand. Incorporate flours and egg and enough water for the dough to hold together (I did this by hand). Form into golf-ball sized spheres and place on a baking tray.  Bake for 15 minutes or until browned slightly.