Today’s Kitchen Tool is:
The Soup and Cracker Mug
One of my favorite things to eat is soup, of any kind. And of course I love to eat crackers with my soup. These mugs are PERFECT for that !!!
Tag Archives: Kitchen Tools
Navidad Venezolana | Venezuelan Christmas
4 Jan
One of the things I miss the most about Venezuela is our Christmas. We Venezuelans have a very celebratory spirit. You just give us an excuse, and we’ll make a party out of it. So Christmas is definitely a good excuse for a GRAND celebration. Usually, the entire family gathers in one place and we have a full house of 30+ people for Christmas. When I was a kid it usually took place at my great-grandparent’s house, where all the aunts, uncles, grandparents, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins, and even dogs and cats where invited. They had a pretty big house where they could fit and feed all those people. I was young and had several cousins my age that I had fun with. But there were too many guests to bring a present for each, so we usually did a gift exchange in which you give one gift to someone (picket out randomly) and then you got one gift from someone else, so basically like a Secret Santa, but sometimes it wasn’t a secret. However, within each individual family, the mom and dad exchanged gifts, and the kids all got gifts from everyone and also from Santa!
As I grew older, my great-grandparents passed away, and most of my family immigrated to the United States. Pretty soon, it was mostly my grandparents, my parents, my sister and I. Sometimes we spent it with my mom’s side of the family too, which is also pretty large (20 + people). One time I event went with my dad’s entire family to spend Christmas in Puerto Rico. Now, I have family in Venezuela, and in Florida, so the possibilities of getting everyone together for Christmas are slim. But one thing that was definitely present in every single Christmas, no matter who was there, who wasn’t and where we were, was the food!
“La Cena Navideña” (The Christmas Dinner) is something that has to be present during Christmas and New Years Eve in order for it to be considered a real celebration. No Venezuelan home can be called a Venezuelan home without the traditional Christmas dinner during Christmas, no matter where they live. Venezuelans celebrate Christmas during Christmas Eve, on December 24th. Dinner starts late, around 9-11 pm, in true Venezuelan fashion. Then people exchange gifts (like our gift exchange), and then adults have drinks, talk and dance, while the kids play and try to stay awake to see if they can get a close look at Santa. The same goes for New Years Eve, where the Christmas Dinner is also present. Another important Venezuelan Christmas tradition we can never forget about is our Christmas music. Gaitas, Aguinaldos and Villancicos serve as the perfect soundtrack to a true Venezuelan Christmas. Gaitas are the most popular music genre during Christmas, originated as church songs, and later becoming popular outside church and during Christmas season. Aguinaldos and Villancicos are based on Spanish Christmas carols and old carols.
La Cena Navideña Venezolana | Venezuelan Christmas Dinner
The Venezuelan Christmas Dinner Table is the greatest example of the miscegenation of Venezuelan Food. The different dishes served at a Venezuelan Christmas Dinner are the result of the many different culinary traditions that converged and intermingled in our country, as a reflection of the miscegenation of the country during colonization. The Hallaca is the main component of the Venezuelan Christmas Dinner, joined by Pernil de Cochino, Ensalada de Gallina, Pan de Jamón, and Dulce de Lechoza (Ham, Chicken Salad, Ham Bread, and Papaya Delicacy).
La Cena Navideña Venezolana | Venezuelan Christmas Dinner
La Hallaca/Hayaca
Pronounced Ah-jac-kah, is the most important component for a true Venezuelan Christmas Dinner. The origins of the word, the spelling, and the origins of the actual dish have been in dispute for quite some time, so I will give you the versions that I like the most. As far as the spelling goes, I like Hallaca better. As far as the origin of the name, I like to believe the word Hayaca comes from the Guaraní dialect, in which “ayua” or “ayuar” means to mix or stir something together, and “ayuaca” is the mixed ‘thing’ that you get. Then this became “ayaca”, latter “Hayaca”, and finally “Hallaca”. And as far as the origin of the dish itself goes, I like the story that back in the colonial times, the aristocrats descendants of our Spanish conquerors would enjoy great banquets and the leftovers would be either donated to the slaves or basically taken by them, and then mixed all together, wrapped in corn flour and plantain leafs and boiled. And once the aristocrats discovered this amazing dish, it was incorporated into their fancy banquets and became our popular Hallaca. The popular dish that makes an appearance only during Christmas, and brings our families together even for the preparation, which can take up to 2 days and at the very least two people to make at least 50 Hallacas. The preparation itself is a reason to come together and celebrate, and create an assembly line with positions assigned, like the chopper, the cook, the dough kneader, the wrapper, and the knot maker.
Unfortunately for me (and you), this year I didn’t have a Venezuelan Christmas, and I didn’t have any Hallacas. So I do not have a personal recipe to share with you. I can only hope, and promise you, that next Christmas I am surrounded by enough family members to help me make my own Hallacas, and the rest of the Venezuelan Christmas Dinner Menu, so I can share my very own recipe. I do however, have a GREAT collection of photographs of the complicated process of making Hallacas, that my awesome uncle Fernando took for me, while my beautiful aunt Gaby (the designated Hallaca maker and personal gourmet inspiration and influence) was making Hallacas this year. And also a couple of links of good Hallaca recipes:
- From Adriana Lopez and Pica Pica with VIDEOS and complete Recipe Booklet!
- From one of my favorite sites Hispanic Kitchen.
And now the photos!
Venezuelan Hallacas Ingredients
Venezuelan Hallacas Ingredients
Venezuelan Hallacas Ingredients
Venezuelan Hallacas Ingredients
The Making of Venezuelan Hallacas: El Guiso | The Stew & El Aceite Onotado | Annatto Oil
The Making of Venezuelan Hallacas: La Prensa | The Press
My beautiful Aunty Gaby super ready to make Hallacas
The Making of Venezuelan Hallacas: La Masa | The Dough
The Making of Venezuelan Hallacas: Las Hojas de Plátano | The Plantain Leaves
The Making of Venezuelan Hallacas: Prepping the Dough
The Making of Venezuelan Hallacas: Adding the Filling
The Making of Venezuelan Hallacas: Wrapping the Hallaca
The Making of Venezuelan Hallacas: Tying & Cooking
*A very special thank you to Gaby Ojeda and Fernando Sucre for the beautiful images, that still make my mouth water! (I LOVE YOU GUYS)… and guardenme mi Hallaca!
¡Buen Provecho!
Cool Tool Thursday
15 DecToday’s Kitchen Tool is:
The Stainless Steel Index Cutting Board
The Stainless Steel Index Cutting Board
You can never be too organized in the kitchen… and you definitely don’t want to serve a hot plate of Salmonella to your guests!!!
Cool Tool Thursday
1 DecToday’s Kitchen Tool is:
El Tostador de Arepas | Tostiarepas | Arepa Toaster
Yet another great Venezuelan cooking tool. I have written about it before, but I thought this ingenious tool should be featured on a Cool Tool Thursday post as well. The Tostiarepa was invented not too long ago, and it was a relief for all Venezuelan areperas (arepa makers), including my mom. Arepas usually take a bit long if you make them using the original technique and the budare (another Cool Tool featured here). However, this great new invention was created with the purpose of making arepas cook a lot faster and easier. You might think that this tool is too specific, because it was literally created with only one purpose in mind. However, for us Venezuelans who eat an Arepa at least once a day, this is an essential tool in the kitchen.
The first Tostiarepa were made out of aluminum and you still needed to use the stove to heat them up on one side, and then turn it and heat up the other side. Latter, came the electrical Tostiarepa, which you only have to plug, fill, wait 7 minutes, and done!
A lot of companies that specialize in kitchen appliances make their own version of this arepa maker, arepa toaster, Tostiarepa, tosty arepa, tostador de arepas, or whatever you wish to call it. Some of these brands include Brentwood, Bene Casa, Miallegro, Oster and of course Imusa. And you can find these in stores like Amazon.com, Overstock.com, Sears and Target. Some even have different sizes of Tostiarepas to make either 2, 4, or even 6 arepas at once.
Cool Tool Thursday
3 NovToday’s Kitchen Tool is:
La Tostonera
One of those tools that you only use once, when making something in particular. Unless you can find some other use for it. However, this Venezuelan cooking tool or utensil is perfect for making Venezuelan Tostones. All you have to do is place the plantain slices in the pre-cut whole inside the Tostonera, and it will flatten them to the famous Tostones shape without pressing too hard. Also, it is very popular as a Mother’s Day gift. I remember making one at school for her. The school provided the wooden components and we assembled it, stained it and decorated it to give to our moms on Mother’s Day.
The Hispanic Houseware Brand IMUSA sells Tostoneras (Wood Plantain Press), and I have seen them at several Publix stores hanging in a display close to the plantains. You can also find IMUSA Bamboo Tostonera at Macy’s on sale for $6.99. At Kmart for $4.99.
Recipe: Venezuelan Churros
26 OctOne of the warmest memories of my childhood are crispy hot churros. It was custom for my family to have Sunday lunches at our Grandparents’ house, and sometimes even go for a treat afterwards. My grandparents live near a cute little park called Parque Agustín Codazzi in the Prados del Este development in Caracas, Venezuela… and sometimes I was good enough to be taken to the park after visiting the grandparents. But as we would drive towards the park and try to find a parking space, I was exited to go to the park, sure… but mostly I was scanning the place for a big white truck… the “Churros Truck”. Sometimes it wasn’t there, but when it was, we were sure to get some churros to-go, before we left the park. It was just so exiting to wait in line (because there was always a line) and grab your brown baggy of delicious goodness. They were the best churros in the world to me. Then as time went by and people saw a potential business venture in these churros, several shops started popping up here and there, a fast-food version of churros (like Churro Mania). They came in different shapes and sizes, and even toppings. But to me there is nothing like the Churros from the white truck at the Codazzi Park. So here I am telling my husband this story and I decide I have to make some myself, because now the Codazzi Park isn’t exactly right around the corner.
Ingredients for Venezuelan Churros
What you need:
- 1 1/8 Cup water
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 3/4 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Cup flour
- 1 ½ Eggs
- Vegetable oil (enough for frying)
- ½ Cup sugar
- Pastry Bag with the largest star-shaped tip you have
- Toppings: Chocolate Fudge, Condensed Milk, Dulce de Leche (optional)
- Brown Paper Bag
Preparation:
1. In a large saucepan add the water, the butter and the salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer just so that the butter melts and the ingredients are mixed in well.
2. Reduce the heat to low, add the flour and mix in well using a wooden spoon. The mixture will begin to form a ball and it should break away from the sides of the saucepan.
3. Let the mixture cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
Let It Cool Down
4. In the meantime, you can begin to heat up enough oil either in a deep fryer or large enough saucepan at about 350ºF.
5. Add the eggs one by one to the dough and mix in well with an electrical mixer with a dough attachment for about 5 minutes (or mix by hand with wooden spoon).
6. Spoon the dough into the pastry bag, and squeeze out the churros right into the oil. You can make them as long as you wish, but not too long that they don’t fit in your frying container. I made them about 3” long, but they are usually about 6” long.
Spoon Mixture Into Pastry Bag
7. Use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut between churros as they come out of the pastry bag. Cook until golden, about 6 minutes. But don’t do the entire batch at once; do as many as they fit in your fryer without being to close to one another so they don’t stick to each other.
Squeeze Right Into The Oil
8. In order to coat them with sugar you can do two different methods. One is to put the sugar inside a brown paper bag, and as soon as they come out of the fryer, place them in the bag and shake the bag. The other is (the one I tried here, because I did not have a paper bag handy) to place a layer of sugar on a paper towel and toss them on top as they come out of the fryer and roll them on top of the sugar, or just sprinkle sugar on top. They will get coated with sugar either way.
Coat With Sugar
9. You can eat them just like that, with the sugar. Or you can get creative and add some delicious toppings like Chocolate Fudge, Condensed Milk or Dulce de Leche.
Add Toppings
Venezuelan Churros with Chocolate Topping
Venezuelan Churros with Dulce De Leche Topping
Venezuelan Churros with Condensed Milk Topping
Tips
- If you like this recipe (and so do your kids) I suggest you get a “Churrera” or a churro making machine or gun. It will make it a lot easier. Some even have the capability to have the topping on the inside of the churro.
Old School Churrera - Photo By Cesar Astudillo (Flickr)
Churro Pastry Gun from La Tienda
*This recipe makes about 20-25 churros.
*Also, please forgive my “mini-churros” pictured here. I did not have a large enough tip for my pastry bag.
Cool Tool Thursday
20 OctToday’s Kitchen Tool is:
For those of us who think food not only has to taste good, but look good… or perfect… whichever.
Cool Tool Thursday
8 SepToday’s Kitchen Tool is:
This apron is great if you’re like me and you don’t want to break out the calculator to figure things out. It has conversion, weights, measurements and even cooking guides, tips and glossary. It is specially helpful if English is your second language… or if cooking is a foreign language for that matter.
Cool Tool Thursday
28 JulI don’t know why, but when it comes to kitchen tools, I simply must have them all. I think one of the reasons is because when I was little, my aunt used to have all the coolest kitchen tools, and I would love to look at all her cookbooks’ pictures and see how she used every single tool.
Every now and then I will share one of these cool kitchen tools with you. Perhaps they are not essential, or even necessary, but I would definitely love to have them all.
Today’s Kitchen Tool is:
El Budare (Comal or Round Cast Iron Griddle)
El Budare
I figure since we where in the Arepa theme, I would post a good kitchen tool to have when making arepas.
This tool is commonly known in Venezuela as “El Budare”. Initially I think the native Indians used large stones that they leveled and shaped as circles in order to cook many things including arepas, Cachapas and casabe. Most places still have large circle or square budares in order to cook more arepas at a time. However, since we probably don’t have the kind of space in our home needed to place an original budare to cook, we can still make delicious arepas using a basic round cast iron griddle like the ones sold by Lodge Logic.
Here are some links to great images I found online of original and even improvised budares:
