Mom to Mom: Solutions for Everything from Crunch Time to Picky Eaters

October 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Sonia and her family at their favorite restaurant in New Jersey.

A Chat with Mamiverse Mom Sonia Margalef:

To say most moms are busy is an understatement to say the least.  Whether one child or more, there’s alot that moms have to contend with on even an average day.  In this new series spotlighting Mamiverse moms, we’ll hear great tips and ideas on how to bring busy families together over the pleasures of the table. We recently sat down with one of Mamiverse’s busiest moms, our own VP, Director of Marketing, Sonia Margalef, to talk about food and family.

Mamiverse Food: As a busy working Mom with a busy working Dad too, how do (or have you) managed to bring your family together over food?

Sonia Margalef: Food is one of our passions and plays such an important role in our lives. We like to combine the 4 F’s: Food, Family, Friends and Fun. Food brings us together as a family every night and and on the weekends but especially around the Christmas holidays, when we share it with friends and family. It also connects us on so many levels. My kids (11 and 8 years old) and I have so much fun cooking and baking together. We also read about different cultures and what children in other countries eat. We love to discover new foods and restaurants when we travel. With food the fun never ends…

Mamiverse Food:How have you brought out your children’s interest in food?

Sonia Margalef: I love grocery shopping and cooking with my kids. We see these activities as family adventures and a way to explore different foods, recipes and cultures. We also like to experiment with new recipes. Food can be educational too and opens our minds to other peoples and cultures so no matter where we travel we love to explore the local ingredients and cuisine. During summer and fall they absolutely love apple and strawberry picking. In general, I put a lot of emphasis into educating my kids to make healthy choices. They know the best food is natural and does not need preservatives or any artificial additives. We often talk about this and I help my kids read and understand product labels and nutritional information. I want them to know what they eat.

Marc and Victoria decorating cookies on the 4th of July.

Mamiverse Food: You shared with me your son is a picky eater – how have you worked around that to help him experience new tastes and expand his palate?

Sonia Margalef: This is a tricky one since he’s not easy to persuade. I try as often as I can to get him involved with cooking but it can get frustrating. My biggest motto is to give any new food a try so I’m thrilled when he does. Last summer we planted a vegetable garden in our backyard which made him more open to trying other vegetables. I’m happy for any advice I get from my mom friends who are in a similar situation. You’d be surprised how many of us have a picky eater in the family.

Mamiverse Food: You also shared with me how mealtimes have become a very important time for you and your children – can you talk a bit about that?

Sonia Margalef: We all have breakfast and lunch at different times and places so dinner is the only time of the day when we get a chance to sit at the table and talk. During those precious moments I realize how critical it is to reconnect as a family and share our experiences, what happened earlier in the day, and what we look forward to for the next day. The weekends are best since we have a lot more time than during the week. We’re also creating memories that we’ll cherish once they’re grown up.

Mamiverse Food: I’m sure you’ve packed many school lunches – what makes the best school lunch that’s both healthy and tasty for kids?

Sonia Margalef: I try to pack healthy nutrition and a variety of foods and snacks so school food is different every day and is something the kids look forward to. The goal is to give them a balanced mix of fruit, vegetables, protein and carbs. I’ve made a list of all the foods and snacks they like and I try to rotate them, excluding anything that is too sugary, processed or unhealthy. I stopped giving them juice boxes and pack a bottle of water. Once in a while I will pack a little something they like (but it’s not necessarily healthy) or a juice box and they know it’s just a treat. I try to make that lunch box a bit special so sometimes I also like to include a handwritten note to wish them good luck on a test, to cheer them up or just simply to say how much I love them. When their lunch box comes back home empty, I’m so happy.

The family at a seafood restaurant in Cape Cod last summer.

Mamiverse Food: I’d like to know a bit about your growing up in Spain – what were you strongest food influences as a child?  Did you cook with your mother and grandmother?   What are some of you most vivid food memories?

Sonia Margalef: I learned to cook by watching my grandma and mom, but especially my mom has been my inspiration. She’s so talented at cooking Catalan and Mediterranean style meals. I was cooking for the family when I was a teen as my mom was working and I was the eldest of four. It was a lot of trial and error at the beginning. I have great food memories, like the cookouts we’d do featuring paella (rice dish with seafood, my uncle is the best cook), “parrilladas” (grilled meats) or calcots (grilled long baby onions eaten with a typical sauce) when we’d all get together, eat and socialize. Or at Christmas when my mom would cook her famous meat canelloni and “escudella” (hearty soup with meatballs and blood sausage). And don’t get me started with all the desserts like my favorite “crema catalana” (similar to creme brulee) and cakes sprinkled with with pine nuts.

Mamiverse Food: What have been some family favorite meals that you cook now for your children?

Sonia Margalef: I love to cook all my mom’s recipes: paella, chicken noodle soup, fricandó (meat in gravy and vegetables), potato omelet (tortilla de patatas), crema catalana, but also other meals such as cheese & vegetable quesadillas, pasta, lentil soup, and some German dishes (my husband is German) such as meatballs with potato salad, potato pancakes with apple sauce.

Mamiverse Food: What is your advice to Moms who want to strengthen their family’s bond through food?

Sonia Margalef: It’s very simple: Try to make time to go grocery shopping, cook and eat as a family and be open to different types of food and recipes. Especially for working moms finding the time can be very challenging but I assure you it pays off.

Filed Under: Featured Stories Tagged With: , ,

Mamiverse Food Welcomes Television Personality Evette Rios!

September 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mamiverse Food is pleased to announce Evette Rios has joined the company as spokesperson and Food Editor.  Rios, a lifestyle expert, writer, television host and native New Yorker, is also one of the stars of ABC TV’s The Chew where she serves as field correspondent and roving reporter bringing viewers food news and culinary trends from across the country.   Rios’s work on The Chew makes her the only Latina regular on any national daytime talk show.   She is also a regular contributing design expert and “buddy” to the Daytime Emmy-Award winning show, Rachel Ray.

Evette joins Mamiverse Food, perfectly embodying the enthusiasm and pride the Latino community has for cooking, entertaining and family.  Mamiverse editors caught up with Evette in between trips across the county for a talk about home, food and family.


Mamiverse Food: You are a native New Yorker – can you share with us a bit about your growing up and the importance of food in your house?

Evette Rios: I grew up in Brooklyn,New York in a small two-bedroom apartment with my 2 brothers, mom and dad. So for us the kitchen was one of the rooms that we could all fit in! The dining room table was not just where we ate as a family, it’s where we played games, where we did our homework, where we made pasteles and coquito.  It’s where my dad would fix his clocks and where my mom would sew. The dining room table was the epicenter of our family.

Growing up we never ate any processed food. My mom and dad would make everything from scratch. I remember staring longingly at the Pop Tarts commercial knowing that my mom would have to be dead on the kitchen floor before I would ever get my hands on one of those.

Rice and beans were a meal staple. Every day was arroz con habichuelas con (insert carne here). I remember being so disappointed with having rice and beans day in and day out. But of course as an adult that’s the first thing I ask my mom to make. She makes the rice perfectly, fluffy but still a little sticky, and the beans! ¡Muchacha! Delicious. Packed with flavor and so aromatic. I make good beans my mom makes GOOD beans.

Evette and her mother

Mamiverse Food: Who were the most important influences that shaped your love of food today?

Evette Rios:  My mom and Abuela. My mom is like a mad scientist in the kitchen, always, experimenting and substituting. The only recipe she follows word-for-word is the recipe for crepes. She started making those when I was in high school and still makes them to this day on the weekends. Her crepes are so paper thin and delicate that we eat them faster than she can make them!

My abuela taught me to make so many dulces. She uses fruit that is in season and cans them into tons of delicious preserves. My absolute favorite to this day is dulce de lechosa, or papaya candy. When lechosa are in season my abuela doesn’t leave the kitchen! Same for mangoes which are in season in Rincon, Puerto Rico, where my grandma lives in May. I planned my wedding around Puerto Rico’s mango season!

Both of them taught me that you can accomplish delicious flavor with creativity and very little money. Delicious food as well as style (my mom’s “before she leaves the house checklist”: high heels, statement jewelry, cologne, check), has nothing to do with how much money you have. It’s just about taking risks, having fun and not taking either too seriously.

Mamiverse Food:  Are there particular dishes that are particularly tied to memories of sharing food with your family?

Evette Rios: Yes, there are so many! For me one of my greatest memories was making pasteles. We would sit around our dining room table and everyone would have a station. My dad would use the guayo (metal grater) to make the masa that we used for the pasteles. My mom would cook the pork for the filling on the stove. I would spread the achiote oil and masa and my brothers would wrap them. We would make HUNDREDS and freeze them. Everywhere we went we would drop off pasteles!

Mamiverse Food: You travel extensively for work, are there any particularly strong discoveries you’ve made that have influenced your taste?

Evette Rios: I have gotten a really keen sense of the “ mom and pop”  flavor. I think it actually exists! When you go to a place that has been making food the same way for years. There is a flavor to that. Food trends come and go but that mom and pop flavor sticks to your ribs and is simple delicious, and not too intellectualized. I love that.

ABC’s “The Chew” (Lou Rocco/ABC)

Mamiverse Food: Can you share with us a bit about your role on The Chew – how did that come about?  Any favorite episodes or stories that you’ve covered?

Evette Rios: I am a correspondent on The Chew, which basically means that I travel around the country to bring food stories to our viewers. It’s the best job in the world, and I am so blessed.

My FAVORITE episode was one that I shot in Houston, Texas. I went to a restaurant called Molinas that is widely credited with introducing Houston to Tex-Mex. The restaurant has been in the family for 3 generations!

On that trip I got to two-step, lasso a fake baby longhorn bull (I actually bought a lasso and routinely lasso my cat, I had a knack for it) and I bought my first pair of cowboy boots. But most important I got to meet the Molina family. All Texicans, as I lovingly refer to them. Super Texan on the outside, with thick Texas drawls, belt buckles, hats and ranches and then all Mexican in the kitchen, dishing with the kitchen staff in Spanish. As a Nuyorican,  it is something I never experienced! I loved it!!!

Mamiverse Food:  What’s the latest food trend that’s surprised you the most?

Evette Rios: Donuts! OMG, who knew??? Dunkin’ Donuts better get on it! I went to an event a few nights ago that served Foie gras donuts. Not usually my thing, I find force feeding geese to be exceedingly cruel, but who knew they would be so delicious?

Mamiverse Food: How do you think aspiring cooks and foodies can best develop their palates?

Evette Rios:  I think the biggest thing is to try everything once. Even if it is a raw ingredient that you know you don’t usually like. Try a different preparation of it. You may like it!
When you are going out for meals to, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and go to the same place and order the same thing, but fight the urge! Try ethnic foods in your neighborhood and when you go ask what their specialty is. A good restaurant whether 5 star or no star feeds their staff, so generally they know what the best dishes are. The other thing I always do is ask questions. You are not being elitist by asking to speak with the chef (you always see rich people doing that on TV), but it can be a great way to find out about how she or he prepared the dish. Chefs are generally cool people and are willing to share their tips and tricks, unless it’s something proprietary and then they keep it close to the vest!

Mamiverse Food: Aside from Latin, what are your favorite cuisines and why?  Any cuisines you haven’t explored yet that are next on your list?

Evette Rios:  OMG, what DON’T I love, but my short list is Korean (kim chi is amazing), Moroccan (I love how they combine sweet with spice, and couscous, what’s not to love), South Indian (South Indian food is fresh, fresh, fresh. They rarely use dairy and coconut is one of the main vehicles for flavor), Japanese (I could live on tempura soba soups all winter), Vietnamese (try a bánh mì sandwich, it will change you), anything in a dumpling, and Ethiopian (the bread is insane). I am dying to do a food tour of Mexico! I know that I have only tried to eat and prepare the tip of the iceberg of Mexican cooking. ¡Viva México!

Filed Under: Featured Stories Tagged With: ,

CHEF TALK A Conversation with Rick Rodgers

August 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Rick Rodgers is one of the most versatile professionals in the food business. Through his work as a cooking teacher, food writer, cookbook author, freelance cookbook editor, and radio and television guest chef, his infectious love of good food reaches countless cooks every day. He is the author of over forty cookbooks on a wide range of subjects including the best-sellers Thanksgiving 101 and Fondue, and IACP Cookbook Award nominees, Kaffeehaus and The Carefree Cook.

Rick travels the country and internationally working on his various projects.  Mamiverse recently sat down with Rick in between stops to talk about his background as a California chef and his influences from Latin cuisine.  He shares one of his favorite recipes below with Mamiverse Food.

Mamiverse: I understand you have some first-hand knowledge of Mexican cooking. Tell me about it:

Rick Rodgers:  I got a scholarship to the University of Guadalajara for my first college semester. At the time, I thought that I was going to be a Spanish minor, so I was eager to experience Mexican culture.  I spent more time in the markets than I did in the classroom!  At first, my host family insisted on cooking American meals for me.  Señora Macías had had other students live there who were not adventuresome eaters, so she thought everyone wanted mashed potatoes.  That lasted for about a day, and I learned many Mexican dishes at her stove.

Mamiverse:How has Latino cooking influenced your cooking?

Rick Rodgers: It wasn’t that long ago that Latin ingredients were exotic to the non-Latin cook, but now you can get chipotles at every supermarket.  When I was growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, cilantro was called Chinese parsley!  I grew up eating Mexican cooking at neighborhood cookouts, and to this day, my mom makes some pretty mean enchiladas.  When I was a kid, my family would drive 75 miles to get Pioneer Tamales in Stockton.  They are long gone, and weren’t very authentic (most Mexican tamales were small, but these were as big as a burlyman’s fist), but they allowed me to develop a taste for spices early on.

Mamiverse: What is your favorite Latino dish to cook?

Rick Rodgers: Authentic mole.  Yes, it takes some time, but i love toasting the spices, soaking the chiles, and simmering the sauce.  I always have a jar of prepared mole in my pantry, as it makes a great quick sauce for pork chops or chicken breasts.

Mamiverse: You have traveled alot teaching cooking classes in this country. Any recommendations for restaurants?

Rick Rodgers: Julia Child told me about La Super-Rica Taqueria in Santa Barbara, and whenever I am driving through there, I make a detour.  For a super-elegantMexican feast, don’t miss ¡Salpicón! in Chicago. Chef Priscilla Satkoff’s food is innovative but true to its source. (I helped her write her cookbook, and she taught me a lot about Mexican cuisine.)  When I am in my hometown of Oakland, CA, I always go to Cactus Taqueria on College for authentic (not California-ized) cooking.  In New York, I love Rosa Mexicano.  Their restaurants are slick, but the food is delicious, especially the budín de pollo.  For amazing Spanish cooking, go to one of the Socarrat Paella Bar’s three locations. (Socarrat is the crusty rice that forms on a properly made paella.)

                                                          Soft Tacos with Chipotle Carnitas

Makes 6 servings 

Pork shoulder is one of the great meat cuts.  Sure, it takes a long time to cook, but the flavorful reward is worth the time.  Here I’ve cooked chunks of it the Mexican way, simmered until they are fall-apart tender, and stuffed into hot tortillas to make soft tacos.

Ingredients:

Carnitas

3 T olive oil, divided

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch chunks

1/2 t salt

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 t dried oregano

1 t ground cumin

2 bay leaves

Chipotle Sauce

One 15 1/2-ounce can plum tomatoes in juice, drained

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 canned chipotles in adobo, chopped, to taste

1 T olive oil

1 T cider vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

  1. To make the carnitas, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300°F.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  In batches, add the pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a plate, leaving the fat in the Dutch oven.
  3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until it gives off its fragrance, about 1 minute.  Pour in 1 cup water and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits in the Dutch oven with a wooden spatula.
  4. Return the pork to the Dutch oven.  Add the oregano, cumin, and bay leaves and stir well.  Cover and bake until the pork is very tender, about 2 hours.
  5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a platter.  Boil the cooking liquid in the Dutch oven until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, make the chipotle sauce.  Puree the tomatoes, onion, chipotles, and garlic together in a blender.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the puree (it will splatter, so be careful) and bring to a boil.  Cook, stirring often, until reduced by about half, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the pork and vinegar and cook until the pork is heated through, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot, with warm tortillas passed on the side
 
Filed Under: Dinner, Family Night Faves, Featured Stories, Great Sunday Suppers, Menus, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Chef Talk: An Interview with Chef José Mendin

July 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Miami-based chef José Mendin is also an acclaimed restaurateur, food expert for Vivemejor.com—and a recent dad.  His culinary influences include classic Latin flavors from his Puerto Rican roots as well as a distinct Asian palate as well.  Recently, Mamiverse Food sat down with Chef Jose to get his thoughts on food and family.

Mamiverse: You clearly come from a culinary family with the unique luck of having your great-grandmother as a professional culinary instructor.  How did she influence your learning to cook?  Was she particularly hard on you?  Are there dishes you made together?
Mendin: As a little boy, I wanted to cook with her but I couldn’t because I was too young. However, she was able to open my mind to ingredients that I would normally as a kid not have tried. For example, I remember she had me taste beef tongue and told me it’s was steak! Another time, she gave me frog legs and told me it was chicken. I grew up enjoying her recipes and finally learned them through my mother when I was older.

Mamiverse: It sounds like your dad is also passionate about cooking and food. Can you share any stories of cooking with your dad or how he influenced you as an early cook?
Mendin: My dad can’t cook an egg, but his passion for food made me fall in love with the industry. He is a foodie and traveler at heart and  goes 2-3 times a year to Europe just to visit his favorite food spots. When  I was growing up, every Sunday he would take the entire family to try a new restaurant. It was definitely something I looked forward to and that inspired me to become a chef. When I told him I wanted to pursue culinary school, he challenged me by getting me my first job in the kitchen of a close friend’s restaurant. It was not easy, but his passion was so influential that ever since then I wanted, and still want, to make him proud with what he likes most: good food and good service.

Quick & Easy Chicken

Quick & Easy Chicken: Knorr Chicken Milanese

Mamiverse: What are some of your favorite preparations in classic Puerto Rican cooking?  Is there anything you feel is misunderstood about the cuisine?
Mendin: If you ask me, Puerto Rican cuisine should be considered comfort food. I am Puerto Rican and obviously grew up with all its flavors, but not many people know that our cuisine comes from a mix of cultures such as African, Native Indians, Spanish and Caribbean. One of the traditional side dishes that will always be served on my table are Tostones with a mix of America’s favorite Mayo Hellmann’s® Real and ketchup, something we call mayo-ketchup.

Mamiverse:  Some of your early training involved working with Asian inspired dishes and ingredients which you successfully continue to do today in your restaurants.  What similarities do you see between Latin and Asian cooking?
Mendin: Asian cuisine has ingredients I never saw until working in Asian restaurants. Both Latin and Asian cuisines are very flavorful and I enjoy incorporating their ingredients into my cooking. However, I am very respectful of every recipe I prepare, so I only use these new ingredients to highlight its flavors.

Mamiverse:  Let’s talk about the word chef’s dislike “fusion.” Why is that an inaccurate description of the food of two or more cultures coming together?
Mendin: Sometimes I am a bit thrown off by the word fusion, because it may be used as an excuse to mix ingredients that don’t really make sense together. However, there is nothing wrong with fusion cuisine when done properly and to make the recipe better and unique. I do this a lot at my restaurant but I have years of working these ingredients, so I know how to use them the right way.

Easy Veggie Quesadillas

Mamiverse:  You have also spent time in Spain. Can you share with us what is your feeling about what is going on now in contemporary Spanish food?
Mendin: In my opinion, Spanish contemporary cuisine is going to a higher level with new ways of making traditional dishes taste better and more fun. I first encountered this food in 2002 when a restaurant called La Broche opened in Miami with students from Chef Ferran Adrià, who is considered one of the best chefs in the world. I went to eat there and was so blown away by their flavors that I knew I had to go to Spain to learn from them. La Broche closed its doors a year after opening; Miami was not ready for it yet, but in Spain, I learned how to take old recipes and make them even more flavorful with modern techniques.

Mamiverse: You are also a dad—can you share some thoughts on cooking with your son—how are you introducing him to food and cooking?  Any advice for Moms trying to do the same?  What are some ways to train a child’s palate?
Mendin: As I always say, there is the chef at the restaurant and the chef at home, and they are completely different! For instance, at home you don’t have an assistant that cleans for you, or the same time to prepare a dish. You want to be fast and effective at home, especially when cooking with your kids.

My son is not a big fan of veggies, so I’ve introduced him to fun ways to prepare them. For example, we toss green beans with a little bit of Country Crock® and toasted almonds, and he loves them! Eight out of 10 kids think veggies with Country Crock® are delicious, my son included. As a food expert for Vivemejor.com, I can recommend making it easy, tasty and fun for your kids to enjoy some of the foods they struggle to eat at meal time.

Mamiverse:  For anyone thinking about entering a culinary career, what’s your advice?
Mendin: It is very important that you love food and cooking, otherwise it won’t work out. It really takes a lot of passion to make it in the food industry.

Quick Skillet Chilaquiles

Recipes courtesy of Vivemejor.com.

 

Jose Mendin

Learn more about Chef José Mendin.

Filed Under: Chef Cocina, Jose Mendin Tagged With: ,

CHEF TALK: Doreen Colondres

June 10, 2012 By 1 Comment

Doreen Colondres, a sought-after personality in the “Cocina Latina” movement, wants to revolutionize the way Latinos approach food, cooking, and eating.  She maintains a wide-reaching media platform, including her show “Boricuas” and two daily cooking segment “Hola Martin” and “Tu Vida Más Simple” on Fox’s Utilisima Network which airs in over 16 countries. She contributes monthly features as the Food Editor for the renowned national magazine Siempre Mujer and continues to inspire people from all walks of life to cook healthy and delicious Latin foods using wholesome ingredients—and to have fun doing it.

Recently, Mamiverse Food caught up with Doreen for a conversation about food and family. 

Mamiverse: Here at Mamiverse Food, we want to encourage families to cook together – can you share a few of your childhood memories of learning to cook?

Doreen Colondres: The moments that were etched in my mind were those before dinner. I enjoyed going to the garden to get herbs, fruits, and vegetables, and helping my grandmother in the kitchen. I didn’t play with dolls but instead with the pots and pans into which I put earth, flowers and grass.  I remember sitting on the floor playing while my grandmother was cooking and drinking coffee and my grandfather was playing an instrument to create an atmosphere for the occasion. At home it was natural to eat everything fresh and to use what we or our friends had planted. One day when I was 9, without planning it, I wanted to surprise my mother so that when she came back from work, dinner was ready. I made a whole garlic chicken stuffed with vegetables, which neither my grandmother nor she had ever prepared. I loved being creative in the kitchen. Since that day I started cooking at home.    Viandas Soup with Boricua Sofriti

Mamiverse: Your platform is “no fear in the kitchen” What do you think most home cooks, of any level, are afraid of and what is your best advice on conquering that fear and starting to cook?

Doreen Colondres: Most people think that cooking is difficult, boring and time consuming. What is missing is the love, confidence, creativity and knowledge of easy recipes that take you back to your roots. Those memories can make you fall in love with the kitchen. We need to go back to cooking more at home with fresh ingredients that keep us healthy. Cooking unites the family. It is a legacy of health and tradition to our children. It must be seen as something fun, a therapy for our body, so that you can fall in love with that time in the kitchen. So let’s play music, relax and share it with everyone at home!

Mamiverse:  You have truly been a world traveler – what cultural traditions do you find have influenced your cooking?

Doreen Colondres: I inherited the love of traveling and trying new things from my family.  When I travel and I find an ingredient that catches my attention, I take it back to my own kitchen and try to make it my own.  I love Spanish food because it influences all Latin cuisine.  Mexican food fascinates me because of the tremendous variety among all the regions of the country.  And Peruvian food is so interesting and has become so popular.  Even though there are differences, what people don’t realize is that there are similarities.  You go to Ecuador, for example, and taste a “carne colorá” which is similar to the “cochinita pibil” from Mexico.  The “tortilla de bacalao” from Cadiz in Spain and the “Bacalaito” from my country Puerto Rico are the same and then, the typical Caribbean sweet pepper is a must in the Venezuelan kitchen!  There are as many similarities as differences – equal but different.

Mamiverse: What non-Latin cuisines intrigue the most – and why?  Is there one cuisine you particularly want to delve into more – and why?

Doreen Colondres: I just started with “a bite” of the African continent. I was recently in several cities in Morocco and I find the cuisine has some strong similarities to our Caribbean cooking.   I’ve loved Italian cooking since childhood and even in Greek cuisine, I find a lot of similar herbs and tastes.  There will certainly be among my next destinations to explore but in the end, it’s really all about fresh ingredients and simple, traditional preparations.  My kitchen will never lose that charm.

Mamiverse: You have been influential in your approach to cooking and teaching people about food – if you could change anything, what would you most want to change in people’s feelings and attitudes about food?

Doreen Colondres: I want to get everybody in love with the kitchen!  Processed or fast foods and foods high in fat and salt aren’t good choices for our bodies and our lives.  Preparing your own food and respecting fresh healthy ingredients is the best.  And after all, “the kitchen doesn’t bite!”   Crunchy Jicama and Avocado Tuna Salad

Mamiverse: What’s your best advice for a cook that is just starting out someone that is unsure of tools and techniques in the kitchen?

Doreen Colondres: You have to get organized! Something as simple as organizing all your ingredients before you start to cook is so important in making your life easier.  Also, believe it or not, a good sharp knife and a good cutting board make all the difference in helping you cook more efficiently.

Mamiverse: Whom do you most admire among other chefs, cookbook writers, media personalities and why?

Doreen Colondres: Oh, that’s hard since I admire so many chefs around the world. Certainly Gastón Acurio since he put the Peruvian kitchen on the map, the way Jose Andrés did with Spain. I love the work of Diana Kennedy, who fell in love with Mexican cuisine at a young age and then dedicated all her life to promoting it around the world. I admire the work of Eric Ripert and Jean-Georges Vongerichten – their work is amazing.   Junior Merino from Mexico is the best sommelier I’ve ever met in my life. I also like the work of Johnny Hernandez in San Antonio, Texas because he has done an amazing teaching job authentic Mexican cuisine.  Also, Angel Leon in Spain, who’s incredible with seafood and Martin Berasategui, the father of traditional cuisine – there are so many others, too!

 

 

To learn more about Doreen Colondres click here.

Filed Under: Family Night Faves, Featured Stories, Healthy Options, Low-Calorie, Lunch, Menus, Recipes, Sides, Soups & Salads

CHEF TALK: A Talk with Sandra Gutierrez

May 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s fiesta time, y’all!   Chef, journalist, and teacher, Sandra Gutierrez is the author of the recently published The New Southern-Latino Table (University of North Carolina Press, 2011), an exceptional new collection of recipes blending the cuisines of more than twenty Latin countries with the beloved food of the American South.  Gutierrez’s natural talent as a teacher shines through in this book, as she offers experienced and novice cooks tips, ideas and techniques to create an array of 150 original and delightfully tasty dishes that represent the best of both cultures.  Mamiverse recently sat down with Sandra for a chat on food, family and culture.


Mamiverse:  What were your first cooking memories?

Sandra Gutierrez:  I discovered the joy of feeding others very early on. I got my very first cookbook at the ripe old age of six—a Betty Crocker’s Girls and Boys cookbook that I keep to this day. I tackled my first recipe and made open-faced sandwiches with cheese and ham cut-out shapes. My little brothers were so impressed! I have a clear recollection of baking jam-filled cupcakes for my Dad, when I was nine years old. I remember setting a special table for him, placing the still warm cakes in a basket lined with a pretty napkin, and waiting eagerly for a sign of approval. The fact that he ate a second and then a third cake was approval enough for me and at that instant, I was hooked on cooking. To this day, nothing makes me happier than seeing others enjoy my food.

 

Mamiverse:  Can you share any stories of cooking with your mother?

Sandra Gutierrez:  My mom didn’t cook when I was little but my Tia Maria was a very well-known caterer in Guatemala. We had great chemistry and I loved her very much. She discovered my knack for cooking and around the time I turned twelve years old, she took it upon herself to teach me culinary technique. She taught me how to use knives, how to select ingredients, and the basics of cooking and baking. When I grew a bit older, she would invite me to spend afternoons at her house where we would get busy garnishing miniature hors d’oeuvres and baking cookies for her events. Let’s just say she had plenty of advice to give me about cooking and about life. I treasure the memories of afternoons spent together in her kitchen talking, cooking, and sharing.

 

Mamiverse: How did you introduce your own kids to food and cooking?

Sandra Gutierrez:  I introduced my daughters to cooking at a very early age. Cooking was a great way to keep them distracted on rainy or cold days when playing outside was not possible. I soon learned that little hands are good for rolling meatballs, great for stirring batters, and ideal for stamping cookies. It’s incredible what little ones will eat when they’ve had something to do with the food preparation.

I found learning opportunities at every juncture. Alessandra learned about patterns by helping me make small lasagnas when she was a mere two years old. I could set the sauce, cheese filling, and cooked pasta in bowls before her and watch her assemble each lasagna dish with precision. Nikki was rolling gnocchi dough into ropes by the time she was three. It didn’t take long before they were both cutting them into pillows and imprinting the ridges into gnocchi with forks. I always knew it was time to call it a day when the dough would start getting shaped into bears and snowmen instead of little gnocchi, but by then, we often had two or three baking sheets full of dumplings.

 

Mamiverse: Do you cook together as a family now?

Sandra Gutierrez:  Even my husband got into the action and for years, he would join us to decorate Easter cookies, wrap tamales for Christmas dinner, and crank the pasta machine so we could shape noodles at top speed. In fact, come holiday time, when our family is together, we still gather in the kitchen to prepare our celebratory meal. We each have our own specialties and all of them make it to the table.

 

Mamiverse:  Any special family meals together?

Sandra Gutierrez:  If there was one thing that was not negotiable at our home, it was the fact that we always sat together for dinner. Even if my husband was away traveling, the girls would still gather around the table and honor our mealtime.  To this day, family dinner is paramount.

The heart of our home is without a doubt our kitchen. That’s where we build memories, where we discuss important issues, where we make plans for the future, and where we feed our souls.  I strongly believe that a family that eats together, stays together.  I look to the future with hope that someday our kitchen table will gather a new generation of cooks.

 

 

 

 

 

To find out more about Sandra Gutierrez click here.

Filed Under: Chef Cocina, Featured Stories

CHEF TALK: Aarón Sanchez

May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Food Network personality and executive chef of New York’s Centrico restaurant, Aarón Sanchez is unquestionably one of the country’s leading contemporary Latin chefs.  Son of celebrated cooking authority, Zarela Martinez, Aarón has been cooking most of his life. The author of the recently published Simple Food, Big Flavor (Atria Books, 2011), Aarón now gives his enthusiasm, creativity and amazing tastes and aromas to home cooks.  Mamiverse recently caught up with Aaron who shares his story and inspiration for our readers.

 

 

MAMIVERSE:  Could you share an early childhood memory of cooking with your mother?  Any particular dishes you learned to make as a child? How did you mother teach you to cook?

 

Aarón Sanchez:  When I was younger, in our first apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, my mom and I were trying to make mole. We were toasting the chiles and accidentally triggered the smoke detectors. Everyone in the building ended up outside thinking there was a fire, and my mom was like, “What’s the big deal, we’re just making mole!” My mom taught me the fundamentals for everything that I know. Cooking together with her grew out of love – it was an opportunity to spend time together. Our favorite thing to cook now is the turkey at Thanksgiving.

 

MAMIVERSE: Simple Food, Big Flavor is organized by presenting a key paste/puree/salsa that’s then used in a variety of dishes – is that part of your philosophy of cooking?  For example, being able to use several key ingredients in a variety of ways?

 

Aarón Sanchez:  It’s not so much my philosophy as it was my wanting to create a book and recipes that made Latin cooking easy and accessible for a wide audience. I think that by giving the readers the pastes, purees and salsas first, which are easy to make, then showing them how they could use them for other, more complex dishes, it helps to demystify the complexities of Latin cooking. By approaching cooking this way, it makes it easy and fun to cook the foods that I love.

 

MAMIVERSE: With your New Orleans experience, your food influences and inspirations came actually from many cultures, not just Mexican – can you talk about that?  Do you see any similarities between Cajun and Creole cooking and classic Mexican?

 

Aarón Sanchez: I’m a huge proponent of New World ingredients, meaning ingredients that were here prior to European influences. Like Mexican food, Cajun and Creole foods incorporate so much from their native cultures. Mexico is a melting pot for so many different cultures, which is reflected in the food.

 

MAMIVERSE: Since Mamiverse Food is focused on moms providing and teaching about good food for their children and families, do you have advice for moms to introduce cooking to children?

 

Aarón Sanchez: The best advice I have for moms is for them to take their kids to the source of their food. By taking their kids to their local butcher shops and farmers markets, it shows them that food does not come from supermarkets and helps show them the evolution of their food, where it comes from, and who it comes from. If getting them interested in the process doesn’t work, you can always incentivize them. To get dessert, you have to eat your vegetables!

 

MAMIVERSE:  Today many home cooks are returning to the kitchen to learn to cook better for themselves or to learn more about food and the pleasure of eating and cooking together for their families – do you have any advice for a cook just starting out?  There’s so much to learn, what’s the best way to start?

 

Aarón Sanchez:  The best way to start is to really think about the foods and cuisines that you like to eat. Identify those foods and start exploring them, either online, in cookbooks, or at restaurants. Finding good sources for your ingredients is also a great way to start – an artisanal butcher or cheese shop – that you can explore and learn more about the food from. At the end of the day, you have to grow with the food, you may not have the best results the first time around, but if you keep on trying, you’ll prevail.

 

To find out more about Aarón Sanchez click here.

Filed Under: Aaron Sanchez, Chef Cocina, Featured Stories