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—English below—
Hay etapas en las que se anda deambulando, experimentando y cuestionando la vida, no se consigue entender en que se está, o más complejo aún, en que se estará. No se escoge el camino al destino, el destino mostrará el camino.
I encountered the gastronomic world at the beginning of this century, when while at university, on a path that intended to carve my destiny, destiny presented me with another path to follow: the wonderful world of flavors that stimulate your palate, of smells that persuade you and textures that the mouth transforms into satisfaction for your soul.
Between courses, cooking, burning, cutting, crossing the gulf, crossing the pond, getting away from family and friends, I took this path to destiny, on which I am heading towards knowing and learning more about this culinary world, always amazed at what cultures have taken from Mother Nature to satisfy and delight palates.
Me llamo Norman Roqhuett Mata, chef usando los alimentos para crear felicidad. Hoy les traigo una receta de pesto muy especial.
El pesto es una salsa de origen Genovés, Italia, a base de albahaca, que se mezcla con queso, ajo, piñones y se emulsiona con aceite. Partiendo de esta base, los cociner@s han ido modificando y haciendo variaciones a la receta original creando nuevas y originales creaciones. Pesto de tomate deshidratado, pesto de perejil, pesto de culantro, pesto de espinaca… en fin, la lista es grande en un mundo gastronómico que evoluciona día con día y pone a prueba la originalidad de los responsables de satisfacer el paladar.
En esta oportunidad quiero escribirles de una planta, nativa del sudeste de Asia, rica en vitamina A y vitamina C y perfecta para dietas que no contienen mucha leche, ya que contiene calcio y hierro.
Es una planta fácil de conseguir y de plantar, crece en los trópicos, y no requiere de grandes cuidados, se consigue en la mayoría de los viveros (su precio ronda los 2500 colones) o simplemente se puede sembrar por estaca, así que es una excelente adquisición para nuestro jardín, estéticamente, ya que es un arbusto bonito que también sirve como cerca viva y por supuesto, para cuando queramos innovar en la cocina.
Les hablo del Katuk o Maní Caí, en inglés Sweet Leaf.
Es una planta muy versátil en la cocina, ya que sus hojas se pueden consumir tanto crudas, cocidas, en sopas, ensaladas, así como salteadas, por ejemplo, en un rico omelette para iniciar la mañana. Deje volar su imaginación y anímese a explorar nuevos sabores.
Y así, tal cual, regresando al inicio de estos párrafos, les quiero compartir una receta de Pesto de Katuk, que serviremos con unas bruschettas de chorizo y jalapeño ahora que se acercan estas fiestas de fin de año. También es excelente para consumirlo como dip, en pasta, en un rico sándwich con vegetales y por qué no, en su pizza favorita.
Pesto de Katuk
Ingredients:
2 tazas de hojas de katuk
1/3 taza de maní pelado y sin sal
Un diente de ajo
1/3 taza de Queso parmesano rallado
1/3 taza de aceite, de sabor ligero preferiblemente. Por ejemplo, de girasol
Sal al gusto
Pizca de pimienta negra
Y un chorrito de limón (opcional)
Preparation:
-Escogemos las hojas más sanas de los tallos y las colocamos en un bowl grande con agua, colamos y escurrimos
-En una licuadora, o procesadora, (en caso de no tener, se puede hacer en un mortero) agregamos todos los ingredientes juntos y procesamos de forma suave para que no quede totalmente líquido, en intervalos de 2 segundos hasta lograr la consistencia preferida.
-Cortamos tres rodajas de 3 cm aproximadamente de pan baguette, las tostamos al horno o sobre una parrilla, cocinamos un chorizo a la parrilla y lo cortamos en pequeñas rodajas. Sobre cada pan, untaremos el pesto, colocamos las rodajitas de chorizo, rallamos un rico queso parmesano encima y terminamos con una rodaja en cada bruschetta de chile jalapeño, fácil y delicioso. Listo!
¡Muy buen Provecho!
Culinary Audacity: Sweet leaf pesto
There are stages in which one wanders, experiments and questions life. One cannot understand what one is into, or even more complex, what one will be into in the future. You do not choose the path to the destination, the destination will show the path.
I encountered the gastronomic world at the beginning of this century, when while at university, on a path that intended to carve my destiny, destiny presented me with another path to follow: the wonderful world of flavors that stimulate your palate, of smells that persuade you and textures that the mouth transforms into satisfaction for your soul.
Between courses, cooking, burning, cutting, crossing the gulf, crossing the pond, getting away from family and friends, I took this path to destiny, on which I am heading towards knowing and learning more about this culinary world, always amazed at what cultures have taken from Mother Nature to satisfy and delight palates.
My name is Norman Roqhuett Mata, chef using food to create happiness. Today I’m bringing you a very special pesto recipe.
Pesto is a sauce from Genova, Italy and it’s based on basil, which is mixed with cheese, garlic, pine nuts and emulsified with oil. Starting from this base, cooks have been modifying and making variations to the original recipe, creating new and original creations; Dehydrated tomato pesto, parsley pesto, coriander pesto, spinach pesto… The list is long in a gastronomic world that evolves day by day and tests the originality of those responsible for satisfying the palate.
On this occasion I want to write about a plant, native to Southeast Asia, rich in vitamin A and vitamin C and perfect for diets that do not contain much milk, since it contains calcium and iron.
It is an easy plant to obtain and plant, it grows in the tropics, and does not require much care. It is available in most nurseries (its price is around 2,500 colones) or it can simply be planted by stake, so it is an excellent acquisition for our garden, aesthetically, since it is a beautiful shrub that also serves as a living fence and of course, for when we want to innovate in the kitchen.
I’m talking about Katuk or Maní Caí, in English Sweet Leaf.
It is a very versatile plant in the kitchen, since its leaves can be consumed raw, cooked, in soups, salads, as well as sautéed, for example, in a delicious omelette to start the day. Let your imagination fly and explore new flavors.
So, returning to the beginning of these paragraphs, I will share with you a recipe for Katuk Pesto, which we will serve with some chorizo and jalapeño bruschetta now that these end-of-year holidays are approaching. It is also excellent to consume as a dip, in pasta, in a delicious sandwich with vegetables and why not, on your favorite pizza.
Katuk pesto
Ingredients:
2 cups katuk leaves
1/3 cup peeled and unsalted peanuts
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup oil. preferably light flavored, e.g. sunflower oil.
Salt to taste
Pinch of black pepper
A splash of lemon (optional)
Preparation:
-Choose the healthiest leaves from the stems and place them in a large bowl with water, strain and drain.
-In a blender, or processor, (if you don’t have one, you can do it in a mortar) we add all the ingredients together and process gently so that it is not completely liquid, in 2 second intervals until the preferred consistency is achieved.
-Cut three slices of approximately 3 cm of baguette bread, toast them in the oven or on a grill, cook a chorizo on the grill and cut it into small slices. On each bread, we will spread the pesto, place the slices of chorizo, grate a delicious Parmesan cheese on top and finish with a slice on each bruschetta of jalapeño pepper, easy and delicious. Ready!
Buen provecho!
Have questions? Ask the chef! roqhuett@gmail.com
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