Pao de Coco

After posting about pao de queijo, I wanted to play with the recipe and see what else I could make.  Tapioca went well with cheese in pao de queijo and with black sesame and soy sauce in the Korean mochi bread.  I wasn’t ready to commit to chocolate chips like Dr. Sam suggested, but I did want to turn away from savory and try something sweet so I settled on coconut.  It was actually really easy to modify the Kitchn‘s recipe for pao de queijo for coconut instead of cheese.  I swapped coconut milk for the whole milk, added a teaspoon of sugar in addition to the teaspoon of salt and swapped 1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut for the cheese.  Otherwise I followed the same recipe.  The verdict was unanimous: delicious!  Even Professor Peaches tried and loved them.

The only things I would change next time is not to double up on the sweetness: either 1 tsp of sugar and unsweetened coconut or no added sugar and sweetened coconut, but that being said, the boys of the house didn’t mind the sweetness level at all.

Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk or cream (I haven’t tried but I wouldn’t recommend using a coconut milk beverage product)
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups tapioca flour
2 eggs
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

Follow instructions from the Kitchn for pao de queijo.  And then I brush the pao with a little bit of water just before baking for added crustiness.  Yum!

Tapioca Bread

Before Fogo de Chao came to Minneapolis and introduced us all to pao de queijo and before gluten free was ‘a thing,’ Dr. Sam and I were eating round tapioca cheese bread balls that I made from a mix that went by the brand name Chebe.  Neither of us took the time to learn about the origin of the bread, we just ate it because it was gluten free and tasty, and we called it by the brand name, Chebe.  It would go something like this:  “What should we have for dinner tonight?” “Want to have Chebe?  We could have Chebe and some soup.”  Yep, like that.

Fast forward several years, after we stopped buying Chebe, after Fogo de Chao and Brazilian steak houses became popular, and after gluten free was everywhere.  Add in Dr. Sam’s new Brazilian friend and pao de queijo were practically knocking on our kitchen door, asking to be eaten.

Instead of buying Chebe bread mix again, Dr. Sam went to United Noodles for tapioca starch, the main ingredient in pao de queijo.  Instead of tapioca starch though, he came home with a Korean box mix for something that looked suspiciously similar to the pao de queijo we were trying to make.

In spite of the lack on English on the box and our inability to read Korean, these buns were super easy to make and turned out very similar to the Chebe pao de queijo we used to make, except with soy sauce and black sesame seeds instead of cheese.  And so easy: just add an egg and some water, mix and then bake.  The final step before backing is an optional spritz of water on the buns to help crisp the outsides.  As a lover of crust, I wanted to follow this step but didn’t have a spray bottle, so I used a basting brush and liberally dabbed water on the little balls, which did the trick.  I highly recommended following this step and applying water to those little guys somehow.

The next time Dr. Sam came home from the store though, it was with tapioca starch and not a box mix, but still with the same request for tapioca bread.  Luckily, we knew what the Brazilian bread buns were actually called so I could search for them by name, ‘pao de queijo,’ and not just ‘tapioca bread ball chebe things.’  I came up with a super well photographed, step-by-step recipe at the Kitchn blog.  Unfortunately, I figured since the Korean and Chebe mixes never needed additional cooking besides just baking, why cook the tapioca starch before baking this time?  Well, because they won’t turn out if you don’t cook the tapioca, as I found out.  The batter stayed so runny I had to add another full cup of plain flour just to get the dough to a consistency I could scoop onto the pan so the texture was all wrong.

The next time I made pao de queijo, I followed the instructions (though left out the cheese) and they turned out just right.  Dr. Sam’s only complaint is that they were a little bland without cheese or black sesame seeds in them.  His suggestion: put chocolate chips in next time.  Chocolate chips!?  That crazy man.  I’m sure it would be delicious and completely unorthodox to both Korean and Brazilian cuisines.  The Kitchn recipe is great and the detailed pictures really help, but I would not recommend attempting it without a stand mixer.  That tapioca gets crazy gooey.  I also brushed the pao before baking with water like I did the Korean mix.  It resulted in a thicker crust which we liked but that I wouldn’t exactly call crispy.  Maybe hard-chewy but not in a bad way.

I wanted to figure out the ingredients that made the Korean version less labor intensive, but a search of the internet has not yielded good results.  After some internet investigating, I found that the Korean bread balls generally go by the English name Korean mochi bread so I suspect there is some sweet rice flour in the mix as well tapioca which makes sense because sweet rice would give a similar texture but cooks a lot quicker than dried cassava.

So what have I learned?  Pao de queijo, Korean mochi bread, tapioca bread, whatever you call it: we like it.  And mix or homemade?  Both have their advantages.  Its nice being able to control the amount of sugar and salt and gluten that go into the bread, so I like that about making the bread from scratch (the Korean mix contained all three).  But the convenience of the mix also has its draws.  It literally takes 10 minutes to get the bread in the oven when using a mix and only requires one dirty bowl.  Now I just need to get to Brazil and so I can try real pao de queijo… and samba dance… and go to the beach… and just be in Brazil.

Cabbage and Turmeric Root Curry

This recipe came about for two different reasons.  First, I stayed home and took a snow day today because sometimes, in Minnesota, we wake up in April and it looks like this outside.  

Second, there was a bunch stuff in the refrigerator that needed to be eaten: a head of napa cabbage, a bag of whole turmeric roots, and a huge batch of cooked whole wheat berries that Dr. Sam made, threw in the fridge, and never looked at again.  I’d never cooked with whole turmeric root before and was initially turned off by their uncanny resemblance to creepy finger Halloween decoration.

But I didn’t want the whole bag to go bad from neglect and turmeric powder makes great curry, so I decided to make a curry.  Curry is definitely the best dish I know for dealing with old vegetable remnants and is so versatile.  I spice it with curry powder, curry paste, or any number of other spice combinations.  I make the sauce from coconut milk, stock, or water (I even used a combination of cow milk and sour cream one time which I though was going to be weird but turned out just fine).  I add whatever vegetables and proteins are on hand.  And I serve over some carbohydrates (usually rice but also, pasta, toast, naan, mashed potatoes).  Yum.

Skipping school seems to be about the only way I have time to cook or blog right now.  Between trying to get the basement remodel to a point where we can move down there AND getting Pretty Boy ready for the impending racing season AND making the decision about where to go to school for my PhD AND still working at school to get my Master’s finished, life is just so crazy and not well-balanced right now.  At least I’m still eating.

Anyway, back to the curry: once the turmeric root is peeled and sliced, it’s much less intimidating and looks like a mix between carrots (the color and shape) and ginger (the texture):

A warning: after the flesh is exposed, this stuff will stain everything it comes into contact with including cutting boards, dish towels, and fingers.  At least its a pretty color (actually, cooking with turmeric made me want to do some experimenting with natural dyes.  The colors are so pretty… right, like I have time for that crafty business).  If you can’t find or don’t want to seek out turmeric root, it can be omitted or substituted with another root or powdered spice of your preference.  I filled out the rest of the flavor base with onions, carrots and ginger.  While I wish I would have had garlic too, this curry definitely turned out well balanced and had enough spice.

The wheat berries are not normally anything I’d make special to put in curry, but they worked quite well in this.  The starchiness helped thicken the sauce, and they added a slight chewy texture and some protein.  I think chopped, roasted cashews would be a great tasting protein in this as well.  The wheat berries can easily be omitted, similar to the turmeric root, if you don’t have them, don’t want to cook them, or don’t want to bother.  If you do omit the berries, you might need something else, like a little flour or cornstarch or potatoes or beans or something to help thicken the sauce.  Or just have runnier sauce (I love curry!  Just can’t go wrong!).

So really, the moral is: use whatever you have, fry it up, and use salt to help wilt leafy veggies.

Cabbage and Turmeric Root Curry:
4+ tbsp cooking oil
2-3 finger sized turmeric root pieces, peeled and sliced
1 tsp – 1 tbsp crushed red pepper, depending on prefered level of heat
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh ginger
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, sliced into thin disks
1/2 head of napa cabbage, roughly chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 can of coconut milk or cream (I usually have cans between 12-14 oz)
2 tsp sugar
1 cup cooked whole wheat berries
pepper to taste

1. Heat cooking oil in a wok or deep frying pan.  Add turmeric root, red pepper, curry powder, and ginger.  Fry until fragrant.

2. Add onion and carrots.  Fry until onions and carrots have slightly softened.

3. Add cabbage and sprinkle with salt.  Fry until cabbage wilts.

4. Add coconut milk, sugar, wheat berries, and pepper.  Stir until combined.  Once mixture is bubbling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes then serve over rice.

The rice pictured at the top of this post is a Korean “mixed grain” rice blend.  I usually make my own blend of sticky and regular rices, brown and blacked colored varieties, sometimes with beans.  We got the Korean blend from United Noodles, and it contains brown rice, brown sweet rice, barley, black sweet rice, green peas, and peeled and split, yellow mung beans.  Its pretty good except for the peas.  I’m not a fan of the texture of the peas.  

Happy Snow Day!

Savory Apple Onion Tarts

The Kingfield Farmer’s Market apple bake-off was this past Sunday, and I almost didn’t do it.  Last year, my natural entry was apple pie, and I am really happy how that turned out.  This year though, I wasn’t sure about entering because I wasn’t sure what to make.  All I knew as of two weeks ago was that I definitely didn’t want to do apple pie again.  Something about growth and change and taking risks in life.  But that meant I need another inspiring apple recipe.

After research, I found three potentially exciting apple recipes for apple sage cake, huguenot torte, and apple onion tarts and tested each of them.  The apple sage cake was heavy on baking soda which made it seem salty and more like a soda bread than a sweet cake but was good with whipped cream.  The recipe would need some work and glaze or frosting or something to make it really special.  Sage is a hard herb to pair with sweet flavors, but it had potential.  The huguenot torte was delicious.  I made it with apple pieces and toasted pecans and served it with whipped cream.  I wanted to make it for the bake-off but I wasn’t sure about its mass appeal and the torte really needed the whipped cream to make it a standout.  I will definitely make it again and probably add twice as much apples and pecans, possibly try it gluten-free (so much potential!), but the logistics of serving it at the market without whipped cream deterred me.

So that left the apple onion tarts. 

Kingfield Farmers Market Veggie Bake-Off

Earlier in the week, Bettie Beware emailed me about the veggie bake-off at the Kingfield Farmers Market this weekend.  Kingfield Farmers Market, in south Minneapolis, holds monthly themed bake-offs in which local bakers are invited to showcase a seasonal ingredient, help raise money for the market, and put their best baked goods up for critical and public judging.  Last year, I entered the apple bake-off.  I hadn’t thought about entering any bake-offs this year until Bettie’s email piqued my interest.  Baked veggies… that could be interest.  I assumed there would be carrot cake or zucchini bread, some variants like that.  And maybe sweet or savory corn bread.  What else?

It was an interesting enough question that I decided to enter but needed a baked item.  I don’t have any special recipes for carrot cake or zucchini bread and I wanted to push the baked-veggie category a bit by making something more unconventional.  I started brainstorming about veggie casseroles, some kind of potato au gratin dish, then I got really excited about the idea of a veggie quiche because it would showcase my pie crust, which lead me to the obvious (and room temperature stable) choice: veggie pasties.

I make pasties rather often, though I usually call them baked sassy pies on the Menu.  I use the same crust as I do for my traditional pies and stuff them with all manner of different sweet and savory fillings.  Its a great way to use leftover vegetables, meat, and scraps of pie crust.  I chose a straightforward mix of vegetables in a curry gravy for the bake-off and am excited to say that I again won both the critic’s choice and public vote.  The other entries were veggie corn bread and zucchini chocolate cake.

It was so much funny, and I was happy to hang out at the market watching people try the bake-off entries with Bettie and Dr. Sam supporting me.  I also wondered over to the frame shop (Frame Ups) across the street from the market and discovered a ridiculously tempting array of local cards, jewelry, yard, and bags.  I am super grateful to the Mojo Monster who watched me almost freak out in the kitchen the morning before the bake-off as I was running late and struggling to figure out how I was going to transport all the pasties to the market.  She offered me many cooling rack options and a ride which prevented all meltdowns and got me to the market only a little late.  Love the market, love pretty things, love produce and other tasty food, love my people!

And here’s the winning recipe (makes six pasties):

Crust:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed and chilled (or 1 stick butter and 1/2 cup lard.  I usually use a lard-butter mixture but went with an all-butter crust for the bake-off pasties.  All-butter crust is harder to work with and sometimes does not produce as tender of a crust but benefits from a stronger butter flavor.)
2/3 to 3/4 cup ice water

Place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor.  Process for three short pulses.  Add butter and process for three long pulses.  Pour in water and process for three medium pulses.  Dough will not come together completely.  That’s ok.  Dump dough and crumbs into a bowl and knead just until almost all of the crumbs are incorporated.  Err on the side of less kneading.  When the dough is refrigerating, it will come together even more.  Form into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm.  I used Hope Creamery butter for the bake-off.

Filling:
4 tbsp butter (or chicken drippings.  I make my own chicken stock from leftover chicken pieces, bones, and vegetable ends which usually yields a layer of rendered chicken fat on top which make excellent gravy.)
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 large head of garlic, minced
1/2 large white onion, diced
1 medium heat banana pepper or 1/2 spicy banana pepper, minced
1 cup chicken stock (vegetable stock or coconut milk would also work well)
1 tbsp curry powder
salt and pepper
1 cup potatoes, cubed
1 cup kohlrabi, cubed
1 cup carrots, cubed
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced

1. Make a roux by melting 2 tbsp of fat (I used chicken drippings for the bake-off pasties because I had some in the freezer but I typically use butter) over medium heat.  Whisk the flour into the fat to make a paste and cook the paste for 5-10 minutes until it smells nutty and darkens slightly in color.  Set aside.

2. In a large pan, saute the garlic, onion, and banana pepper in the remaining 2 tbsp of fat until translucent (5 minutes over medium heat).  Increase the heat, add the stock and curry powder, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat back to medium, add the roux, and stir until well blended.  Cooking for 5-10 minutes until the gravy has thickened.  Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Steam the potatoes, kohlrabi, and carrots in the microwave or a steamer until they are half cooked (they will cook the rest of the way in the oven).  Time will vary depending on the size of your cubes and strength of your microwave.  Steam the bell pepper in a similar manner.  I steamed the potatoes, kohlrabi, and carrots for five minutes in the microwave and the bell pepper for two.  I used a mixture of yellow, red, and purple fingerling potatoes and a mixture or orange, purple, and white carrots for the bake-off.  All the produce I used for the bake-off with the exception of the garlic came from either the Centennial Lakes Farmers Market or Minneapolis Farmers Market.  Combine the steamed vegetables and mix into the gravy and refrigerate.

4. Once completely chilled, divide each dough disk into thirds and press into a ball (six dough balls total).  Roll each ball of dough to about 8-10 inches around and 1/4 inch thick.  Place a scope of cold filling into the center of the dough round and avoid the temptation to over-fill otherwise the dough will stretch and tear (I know.  I am a chronic over-filler.  Over-filled pasties will be tasty enough, but all the gravy may run out while baking or make a mess in the oven).  Fold the dough round in half and seal edges together decoratively with a fork.

5. Bake at 425 degrees in a preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until desired golden brown, crispiness is achieved.  Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack and serve warm or cool completely and serve at room temperature.  Yum!

Pronunciation note: a pasty or pasties (pronounced with a long ‘a’ like in ‘bad’) are not the same as pasties (pronounced with an ‘a’ like in ‘paste’) but either makes me smile!  Shimmy, shimmy, shimmy 🙂