Celebrate the Holidays a lo Salvadoreño!

Pavito Salvadoreño!

Tired of the same-old dry, flavourless turkey? Why not change it up this year and try this delicious Salvadoran turkey, packed with lots of flavour and sure to be a holiday hit!

As a little girl, my favorite time of the year was without question Christmas. However, not for the obvious reasons of presents and vacation, but rather because of the delicious food! I knew that my mom was going to make one of my favourite dishes in the world...Pavito! I remember waking up to the tantalizing aroma of turkey in the oven and the sounds of my mom chopping veggies to make escabeche! These delicious aromas were almost too much for me and I would quickly find myself with a watering mouth. Now with these delicious memories in mind, I always wondered why so many of my friends complained that "turkey sucked" and that Thanksgiving was an excuse to eat flavourless food. It was only until I was a lot older and I actually tried several different "turkey" dishes that I finally understood the disappointment. These turkeys were just popped in the oven and left to cook, the results were less than stellar--dry, bland and unimpressive without the gravy. After thanking my lucky stars that I didn't have to eat that on special occasions I decided it is time I share my family's yummy recipe. Below is my mother's famous pavito which is sure to be a hit this holiday season.

Pavito Salvadoreño Recipe

What you will need for the overnight marinade:

• 1 turkey (we always use fresh, but if it's frozen make sure its thawed out before you start)
• 1/2 cup of mustard
• 2/3 of a cup of margarine
• 2 packages of Sazon Goya (there are different flavours of this to choose from, select either the "Con Cilantro y Tomate" or the "Con Culantro y Achiote") 
• 8-11 cloves of crushed garlic
• 1 or 2 bottles of beer....yes, beer!! (2 bottles if you have over a 17 pound bird)
• 1/2 cup of minced onion 
• 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine the margarine, mustard, crushed garlic cloves, onion and 2 packages of Sazon Goya. Add salt and pepper to taste, about 1/2 tsp of each I find works well. Once you have the mixture well mixed, with clean hands apply the mixture to the raw turkey. Make sure to get the mixture under the skin of the turkey as well, this step ensures the turkey is well marinated. Pour the bottle/s of beer over and inside the turkey =) Cover your turkey and place in the refrigerator over night. 

Overnight marinade - mustard, margarine, onions, garlic, sazon goya, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper

Fresh Turkey

Turkey covered in overnight marinade mixture

Turkey Day!

• a can of crushed or whole tomatoes
• a bag of toasted "Relajo"
• "Relajo" can be found at speciality Latin American food stores. If you are unable to find these stores, relajo can be made at home by toasting:
• 1/3 of a cup of sesame seeds
• 1/3 of a cup of roasted pumpkin seeds - these may be labelled as "pepitas"
• 6-10 bay leaves
• 1 dried chile guaque
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 large onions

Optional:

• one bottle of pitted green olives (I am not an olive fan, so I omit this step)
• once the turkey is fully cooked add 2/3 of the bottle to the gravy at the bottom of the turkey.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Celsius.

In a small dry pan (no oil) add the relajo mixture over medium heat. Lightly toast the mixture, depending on your range this can take one minute or five minutes. Nothing should look or smell burnt. Remove the spices from the pan and save for use later.

In a blender, combine the can of whole/crushed tomatoes, roughly chopped bell peppers (both green and red) and roughly chopped onions. Add your toasted spices into the blender. Blend until the mixture is no longer chunky and is a smooth consistency.

Take your turkey out of the fridge and pop in the oven. For a 20 pound turkey keep in the oven for about 2 hours until lightly golden. After about 2 hours, pour your tomato mixture on top on the turkey. Cover turkey in aluminium foil. Place turkey in oven, every 30 mins or so, ladle tomato gravy over the turkey, don't forget to cover it with foil again.

Depending on the size of your turkey that will determine how long you must keep it in the oven. Once it is done pour the delicious sauce into gravy bowls and enjoy this delicious bird!

Delicious Taste of Summer: Guacamole!

Quick and Easy Guacamole!

Have a few ripe avocados lying around and you don't know what to do with them? Why not make this delicious guacamole that you can pair with tortilla chips, toasted bread or even as a side for barbecue!

What you will need:

• 3-4 ripe avocados
• You know they are ripe when their skins are dark/black and they feel firm but not hard. They should not feel squishy, those are over ripe avocados.
• 1/2 a cup of chopped cilantro (also known as coriander)
• 1/3 of a cup of very finely minced white onion, it should look almost slushy
• 2-3 limes (depending on juiciness)
• salt to taste

Cut the avocados in half --> Cut the avocado lengthwise with your knife, but do NOT go through the seed....that would be almost impossible. Once you have run your knife 360 degrees around the seed, with your hands twist the avocado. You will now have the one half of the avocado with the seed and the other without. To remove the pit, CAREFULLY tap a sharp knife into the pit so your knife becomes lodged into the pit. Twist your knife and the pit will easily come out. If you are a little weary of trying this method, merely scoop out the pit with a spoon...much safer :)

Make little cubes of avocado by making slots into the avocado first horizontally and then vertically. Scoop out the avocado with a spoon and into a bowl.

Add the chopped cilantro and onion into the bowl with the avocado. Squeeze some lime juice and add some salt. Combine mixture well. Taste the guacamole and add salt if it needs it or lime juice if it needs it.

Tip of the day: Put one or several of the avocado pits back into your guacamole to prevent the guacamole from browning!

You are done! Enjoy this yummy treat =)

A Little Taste of Winter: Osso Bucco

Looking to impress a significant other with your fine culinary cuisine? Why not try this delicious Osso Bucco! It is perfect for those cold winter days when all you want to do is stay at home and watch holiday movies all day long.

I was first introduced to this scrumptious dish by my boyfriend, the foodie of all foodies, who wanted to prove he could also cook delicious food and not just eat it! :P After one bite I was counting my lucky stars for having a great guy who not only enjoyed food but could actually make it too!

Here is what you will need:

• 4-5 beef or veal shanks (veal shanks take less time to cook and are more tender)
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 4 cups of chicken or beef stock (whatever you have on hand)
• 2 medium sized onions diced
• 3 large carrots diced
• 4 stalks of celery
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 2/3 cup of flour

Step 1:

Liberally salt and pepper each side of each shank. On a plate, spread the 2/3 of flour and lightly coat both sides of each shank. Tap off excess flour.  In a hot skillet/pot add 2 tablespoons of oil.  Once the oil is almost smoking add each shank and brown both sides of the shanks. They will not be cooked by any means, the point is just to get the sides brown. Brown = flavour later on ;) Remove from skillet and put the shanks aside for the time being.

Step 2:

In the same skillet/pot where you have all your brown bits, lower your burner to medium heat and add the diced carrots, onions and celery. Salt your vegetables. You want them in there long enough for the onions to turn translucent and the carrots and celery to soften. Once this has occurred, about 8-10 mins, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and stir. Add 2 cups of stock and reduce it by half. Put your shanks back into the pot and add another cup of stock so that they shanks are almost fully covered by stock or at least three-quarters of the way submerged. Add 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning. Reduce the heat to low and put the lid on the pot. Every 15-20 minutes flips your shanks over (this is not necessary but I like to make sure even heat distribution).

Step 3:

After about 3 hours of cooking, you should be left with fall off the bone deliciousness =) Take your shanks out and reduce the sauce even further on medium heat for a thick rich sauce. Douse the shanks with this reduced sauce and serve with warm bread or on a bed of rice.

Enjoy!