Congratulations to Ann and Sandy who won the “Win a Free Cookbook” raffle and each received a new copy of Beautiful Breads and Fabulous Fillings! One hundred and thirty-five people participated and at 12:01AM on March 24th I put all the email addresses in a hat and drew out the two winners. I hope they enjoy their books and perhaps send me a few photographs of what they bake. (hint, hint.) 
Being a graduate student I can’t run contests like this all the time, but fate seems to think one more is in order since I recently earned enough points at e-rewards.com to get a two-year subscription to Saveur magazine. What does this have to do with another raffle? Simply this: I’m already subscribed to Saveur so I’ve decided to give one of you a chance to enjoy my prize instead. If you haven’t read Saveur I recommend picking up a copy the next time you’re at your local bookstore. I love its engaging combination of recipes, culture, culinary history and beautiful photography. Learn more about the raffle here.
Split-Pea Burgers with Jalapeño Home Fries
The recipes featured in this post are the result of two things: my husband’s and my busy schedule and our love of good food. During the week we usually don’t get home until about 7pm and by that time neither of us wants to be working in the kitchen for a lengthy amount of time. To get around this problem we’ve developed a system by which we write a menu for the week every Friday, and do the majority of the “labor intensive” cooking over the weekend. We prepare everything up until the final stage of cooking, which means that all we have to do when we get home is finish things up and enjoy a delicious meal. Total time: on average, about 30 minutes. (No Rachel Ray reference intended.)
Caramelized Plantains, aka Maduros. Sprinkled with fleur de sel (fine sea salt).
Actually, with practice two of the dishes in this post can probably be prepared in under 15 minutes. Really. The homemade split-pea veggie burgers are one of my favorite “simple night” (which is what we call our cooking-light evenings) dishes. Although I can tolerate some of the freezer section veggie burgers I’ve never been satisfied with their taste or consistency. These burgers solve that problem with their slightly crunchy breaded crusts and rich flavor. Made with a combination of brown rice, split-peas and mushrooms, which are then spiced with cumin and coriander, these guys are about as healthy as you can get without sacrificing taste. To make this dish a “simple night” option simply prepare the mixture on a Sunday night and refrigerate. Then, when you get home, shape portions into patties, roll them in bread crumbs, and fry them in a bit of olive oil. That’s it!
As far as side dishes are concerned sometimes we go with plain old tater tots from the frozen food section - but when you factor in the time it takes for the oven to pre-heat, and for the tots to cook, it’s actually faster to make jalapeño home fries. These take about 35 minutes to make from start to finish, even less time if you steam the potatoes a day ahead or microwave them. Diced jalapeño, sauteed onions, red potatoes and pure ancho chile powder give them a fantastic flavor. Sometimes we whip these up and enjoy them by themselves, no main dish required. Another side dish option is maduros, which are popular in Nicaragua, Ecuador, Panama and Puerto Rico, to name a few places. The name simply means “caramelized plantains,” and when garnished with fleur de sel I have to tell you: they’re so delectable. When preparing maduros I prefer to use fleur de sel instead of regular table salt because its aroma and intense flavor adds a lot to a dish. “Fleur de sel” literally means “flower of salt,” and according to Harold McGee it is “the finest and most delicate… product of the sea-salt beds of west-central France.” Fleur de sel is harvested by hand and consists of the salt crystals that accumulate on the surface of salt pans when the humidity is just right. (Ordinary salt is collected at the bottom of the pans and has sediment particles in it as a result.) Fleur de sel is expensive, but since it’s used more as a condiment than a cooking salt a modest amount of it lasts for a while. Maduros are made by simply slicing and frying up a couple plantains in peanut oil. They’re not in the oil for long so the resulting dish isn’t greasy - and talk about an excellent burger accompaniment. :yum:
That’s it for now. Today marked the beginning of a week and a half off from school so you know what that means: lots of cooking and blog posting! (And yes, getting ahead on school work too, but we’re not going to talk about that.)
See you soon!
Homemade Split-Pea Burgers
The recipe for these burgers can be found here. We usually skip the bell peppers and add a little more onion instead. Also, in the future we may add diced jalapeño or chipotle chile powder. See what works best for you - experimentation truly is the spice of life!
Jalapeño Home Fries
Adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Collection Breakfast Book.
Ingredients: Makes 4 Servings
- 5 red potatoes, about 1 1/4lb total weight, scrubbed and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder (see notes) *
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Fine sea salt
Pour water to a depth of 1 inch into a large pot and bring to a boil. Put the whole potatoes into a collapsible steamer basket and set over the boiling water. (The water should not touch the potatoes.) Cover and steam until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small knife. 15-20 minutes, depending on their size. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch cubes.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the oil. When the butter has foamed and the foam begins to subside, add the jalapeño and the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are glossy, about 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes and cook, without disturbing them, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. With a spatula, turn the potatoes over in several large portions (don’t mix too much) and cook, turning (not stirring) only twice during the cooking time, to achieve the optimum crust and browning, about 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle with the chile powder, paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir together to blend in the spices, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve at once.
A note about chile/chili powder: Pure chile powder is not the same as chili powder, which is a commercial spice blend that usually combines dried chiles, cumin, oregano, garlic, cloves and coriander. For the best chile flavor, seek out pure ancho chile powder, which has a good level of heat and excellent flavor. Chile powder varies in strength, and will lose its flavor over time, so purchase it in small quantities from a store with a good turnover and replace it after six months.
Caramelized Plantains, Aka Maduros
Reproduced with permission from “The Cook’s Book” by Jill Norman.
Ingredients:
- 2 very ripe plantains. Their skins should be extremely dark, almost black.
- Canola or peanut oil. Enough to fill a large skillet to a 1/4 inch depth
Peel the plantains, then slice each one on the bias (at an angle) into eight to ten ovals each, about 1/2-inch thick. Pour 1/4 inch depth of canola or peanut oil into a large skillet and set over high heat to heat the oil.
Add the plantain slices to the hot oil, several at a time, leaving yourself room to flip them, and cook until they are golden with black edges, 1 - 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot.
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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2007 by Ariela and is filed under Main Dishes, Side Dishes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
33 Comments.
1. Asha | March 29th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Jalapenos sold me Ari!;)) Looks fabulous.I must try that.Thank you.
2. Lydia | March 29th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Oooh, those caramelized plantains look amazing. I adore plantains and don’t make them often enough. Thanks for the reminder!
3. Ruth L | March 29th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Mouth watering photo again, Ari
Even though I am not a vegetarian, now I am tempted to be one at least for a day after seeing your Split-Pea Burger.
I’m thinking the jalapeno home fries and carmelized plantains make wonderful separate snacks too. Yum.
4. Susan | March 29th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Looks delicious!!
5. kerri | March 29th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
just looking a tthe poictures is making me SOOOO hungry!
6. kerri | March 29th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
apparently unable to spell as well….
7. Gourmet | March 29th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
This looks delicious!!!!!!!!!!! mmmmmmmmmm… i love it…;-D
Bye!!
G
8. Monika Korngut | March 29th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Wow, I love these recipes. I’m not a Vegetarian but I love eating healthy and that burger looks and sounds delicious…. And that picture of plantains is so seductive… I wish I had some at home to make it right away.
Take care,
M.
9. peabody | March 29th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
I love plantians…and never make them…thanks for the reminder and the recipe.
10. eliza | March 29th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
hooray for spring break!? split pea burger is so different! though plantains are familiar to me, but i usually make them for desserts.
11. Josefina | March 29th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Hola! I am curious about the maduros. Are these the kind we call in Mexico “platano macho” ?
You are almost converting me into a vegetarian. So far this is only in my mind. Your dishes sound so tasty sometimes I can smell the aroma.
Keep up with this. You are an inspiration even if I never change.
12. Rosa | March 30th, 2007 at 6:50 am
That looks very tasty! Such kinds of vegetarian dishes are always very interesting…
13. Cris | March 30th, 2007 at 7:56 am
So, plantains are like bananas… hum… living and learning… and also I use “fleur de sal” a lot here, I have flavored, with basil and plain. So you have a spanish background it seems from your posts, where from? Have a great weekend, I am not going to that mall this weekend, but I am hoping to be posting some interesting pictures from there soon. Take care!
14. Bradley @ Sauces and Stuff | March 30th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Ah I love plantains. Where I live there are a lot of Brazilian restaurants and it is always easy to get some fresh. Though these are not deep fried it is another good reason to get that fryer for father’s day!
15. Cate O'Malley | March 30th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Everything looks so good, hard to know where to start … oh yes, wiping drool off keyboard.
16. Nazca | March 30th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
I’ll eat anything with the name burger in the title. I’ll even eat plantain or bananas when thinly sliced and fried (i.e. don’t taste like normal!). Imagine your burger in my bread… oops, i’ve just drooled all over my keyboard!
17. Ariela | March 30th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Asha - We’ve been on a bit of a jalapeno kick lately. It’s hard to turn down their spicy flavor!
Lydia - My pleasure. I wish we used plantains around here more often too, but usually we get distracted by other dishes.
Ruth L - They do make yummy snacks on their own. Heck, sometimes we even skip the ketchup (which is a big deal when you consider what a ketchup fiend my hubby is, lol.)
Susan - Thanks!
Kerri - No worries, I often make spelling mistakes when I comment on blogs too. It happens to us all!
Gourmet - Thank you, I’m glad you like it!
18. Ariela | March 30th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Monika - Thanks, I was really happy with how the plantain photo turned out because I only took one shot before we gobbled them up, lol.
Peabody - You are most welcome.
Eliza - Yay! Definitely! I really needed a break. These burgers are different but they also quite tasty and I love how easy it is to modify the recipe according to you own preferences. And plantains desserts eh? Now you have me thinking….
Josefina - Maybe! How are platanos machos made?
Rosa - They are, I think it’s because you have to be so creative to compensate for the lack of meat. At least, that’s how I feel. I need my burgers to have some body!
Cris - Yes, my family is originally from Mexico. Odd background for a Jewish girl, I know, but heck, life is a complex creature!
19. Scott at Realepicurean | March 30th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
I haven’t had plaintain in such a long time. Plantain chips are great with Mexican food, but my local shops don’t seem to play along.
20. Ariela | March 30th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Bradley - You are so lucky to have restaurants like that nearby. Good ethnic cuisine is hard to come by in Connecticut (but lucky NYC is nearby!)
Cate - Hehe, glad you like it.
Nazca - Oh yes, homemade bread would have made this dish even better!
21. Ariela | March 30th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Scott - Our local shops don’t play along either. Grr! That’s where the kitchen comes in.
22. Nancy | March 30th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
I would spend so much less money if I planned my menus. Instead of going to the grocery store everyday. Those burgers look good. My DH would never eat them.
HAve a great week off from school.
23. C | March 30th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
I’m making everything in this post. Yummy!
24. Naomi | March 30th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Everything in this post looks so yummy, which is hard to believe since it also seems to be pretty healthy too! I never knew what fleur de sel was, same with the differences in chili vs chile. Go fig!
25. Paz | March 30th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Congratulations to the winners!
Love your plantains, they’re looking mighty tasty. The whole me looks mighty tasty!
Paz
26. caitlyn | March 30th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
The split pea burger and jalapeno home fries look delicious! I must go wipe the drool off my computer now.
I hope you enjoy your break — I can’t wait to see what you cook and bake this week!
27. Rose | March 31st, 2007 at 12:05 am
I love split peas but I didn’i know that we can turn them into burgers. This is one good culinary discovery for me. It looks fabulous.
28. Ariela | March 31st, 2007 at 12:22 am
Nancy - Planning a menu does save a lot of money. We’ve literally cut our food expenses in half since we started doing it. It’s much harder to waste food when you’ve planned how everything you’ve bought is going to be used and on what day.
C - Cool!
Naomi - Just because it’s relatively healthy doesn’t mean it can’t taste good.
Paz - I wish I could have given all of you free cookbooks!
Caitlyn - Hehe, I just baked up something pretty tasty. I’m posting it tomorrow evening.
Rose - I didn’t know either until Alton Brown made this on his show. I’m glad you liked his recipe and the others I posted!
29. Tali | March 31st, 2007 at 12:31 am
These recipes look great!
30. Andi | March 31st, 2007 at 12:33 am
I loooove plantains. In fact, I had grilled ahi tuna with a spicy crawfish sauce for dinner tonight, and it was all served on a bed of plantains. It was lovely…really cut through the spice nicely.
31. Ariela | April 2nd, 2007 at 9:17 am
Tali - Thanks!
Andi - You’re right in that plantains are a great compliment to spicy dishes. That meal you had sounds great, I wish I could have sampled it too!
32. Sara | April 2nd, 2007 at 10:35 am
Wonderful! I can’t wait to give these a try.
33. BikerLady | April 5th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Oooo, this looks really good too……