Potato Masa Cakes With Spicy Pork Food

MIDDLE EASTERN SPICED POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the potatoes to a pot and cover with 6 cups water. Season well with salt. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and cook the potatoes until easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 9 minutes. Drain and cool, about 10 minutes. Peel and set aside.
• Combine the granulated garlic, 4 teaspoons salt, the black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, fenugreek, turmeric and nutmeg in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
• Once cooled, crush the potatoes gently; the texture should be course and crumbly. Place into a bowl.
• Thoroughly combine the egg, scallions, 1/4 cup of the flour and the spice mix in a bowl. Add to the potatoes and stir to combine. Season the remaining flour with 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Form the potatoes into 2 1/2-ounce patties. Sprinkle the tops and bottoms with the seasoned flour.
• Set a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons oil. Once hot, fry the patties, in batches if necessary, on the first side until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and place into the oven until crispy on both sides and hot through, another 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
• To serve, arrange the patties on a serving dish. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lemon wedges.

CRISPY POTATO CAKE

Steps:

• Clarify the butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer.
• Shut off the heat and allow it to sit a minute on the stove. The milk solids should start to sink to the bottom. Slowly pour the butter into a bowl, keeping as much of the white milky liquid as possible in the saucepan. Discard the milk solids. These are prone to burning and by clarifying the butter, the potato cake will be less likely to overbrown. Keep the butter warm on the stove.
• Prepare the potatoes: Using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, cut the potatoes into thin 1/8-inch-thick slices. Transfer them to a bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper, cover with all but 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and toss to coat.
• Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the bottom of an 8-inch nonstick skillet and swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides. Add the thyme and a pinch of salt. It will start to crackle a little. Cook until it is no longer crackling, about 5 minutes, then remove the thyme from the butter and let cool slightly, about 1 minute. Strip half of the thyme leaves from the stems into the bowl with the potatoes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Assemble: Remember that the bottom layer will be the top when you unmold this cake so it should be done with extra care. Beginning in the center of the skillet, layer the potatoes in an overlapping circle following the edge of the skillet. Continue with the remaining potatoes, switching the direction and adding some salt and add a few spoonfuls of the potato liquid in between each layer. Gently press down on the potatoes as you're layering to make sure they stick together and form a cake. Pour any remaining potato liquid on top.
• Cook: Place the skillet on high heat and cook until the water starts to release itself from the potatoes and you can see the edges browning, 10 to 12 minutes. Place the skillet on a baking sheet, transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook, undisturbed, for 15 minutes.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully pour off any excess butter from the skillet into a bowl; save. Carefully line the hot baking sheet with parchment paper, then flip the skillet onto the sheet in one deft motion. Lift off the skillet and pour the reserved butter over the cake. Return the baking sheet to the oven to cook until the top of the cake is golden brown and crispy and the potatoes feel completely tender in the center when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes.
• Serve: Carefully transfer the cake to a cutting board, season with salt and cut into wedges like a pie. Serve with roe or creme fraiche if desired.

NEW MEXICAN RUBBED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH SWEET POTATO TAMALE AND PECAN BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan, over high heat. Season pork with salt on both sides. Dredge pork in the spice rub and tap off any excess. Sear the pork on both sides until golden brown. Cook in the oven to medium doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Let pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 12 slices. Plate 3 slices per plate. Drizzle with the Bourbon-Ancho Sauce. Place a Sweet Potato Tamale, topped with Pecan Butter next to the slices of pork.
• Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the bourbon and cook until completely reduced. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until reduced by half. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, return mixture to the pan, and cook to sauce consistency, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of bourbon and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt.
• About 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, clean the husks under running water. Soak them in warm water for 2 hours, or until softened.
• Puree the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock in a food processor. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and cut in the butter and shortening. Using your fingers, mix in the cornmeal, honey, and salt and pepper until there are no visible lumps of fat. Fold in the sweet potato puree, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and maple syrup. The mixture will be a lot looser than you think it should be, but when the tamales are steamed it will dry out.
• Remove the cornhusks from the water and set aside the best 20 husks. Drain and pat dry. Tear the remaining husks into 1-inch wide strips to be used for tying. Lay 2 husks flat on a work surface, with the tapered ends facing out and the broad bases overlapping by about 3 inches. Place about 1/3 cup of masa mixture in the center. Bring the long sides up over the masa, slightly overlapping, and pat down to close. (If the masa drips out a little at the seam, that is no problem.) Tie each end of the bundle with a strip of cornhusk, pushing the filling toward the middle as you tie. Trim the ends to about 1/2-inch beyond the tie.
• Arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover tightly with foil, and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes. To Serve: slice a slit on top of each tamale and push both ends of the tamale toward the middle to expose the masa. Top each with 1 tablespoon of Pecan Butter.
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Scrape into a ramekin and refrigerate until solid, about 2 hours.

30-MINUTE SPICY PORK AND SWEET POTATO STEW

Steps:

• Puree the tomatoes, onions, garlic, chipotle and adobo sauce in a food processor until completely smooth.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Add the pork in a single layer, season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, undisturbed, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the pieces and cook until brown, about 1 minute more. Dust the meat with the chili powder, and add the tomato puree, sweet potatoes, chicken broth, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and gently simmer until the meat is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the toppings: Chop the jalapenos, and whisk together with the yogurt in a small bowl. Shred the cabbage, cut the avocado into chunks and cut the lime into wedges.
• Ladle the stew into large, deep bowls. Top with the yogurt mixture, garnish with the cabbage, avocado, lime and cilantro and serve with the tortillas.

SPICED PORK & POTATO PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Boil the potato until tender, drain and mash, then leave to cool. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add the mince and onion and quickly fry until browned. Add the garlic, spices, stock, plenty of pepper and a little salt and mix well. Remove from the heat, stir into the potato and leave to cool.
• Roll out half the pastry and line the base of a 20-23cm pie plate or flan tin. Fill with the pork mixture and brush the edges of the pastry with water. Roll out the remaining dough and cover the pie. Press the edges of the pastry to seal, trimming off the excess. Prick the top of the pastry case to allow steam to escape and glaze the top with the beaten egg.
• Bake for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve cut into wedges with a crisp green salad. Leftovers are good cold for lunch the next day, served with a selection of pickles.

PUPUSAS CON CURTIDO (MASA CAKES WITH SPICY SLAW)

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, sugar, oregano, chiles, carrots, onions, and cabbage in a bowl. Season with salt; toss; let chill.
• Put masa harina and 1 3⁄4 cups water into a bowl; stir to form a dough.
• Pinch off a 1 1⁄2 oz piece of dough; roll it into a ball. Pat dough into a thin disk.
• Squeeze 1 1⁄4 oz cheese into a ball. Press cheese into center of dough; cupping dough, stretch edges of dough around cheese and seal.
• Pat dough to form a 3 1⁄2" wide disk. Repeat to make 12 pupusas in all.
• Heat a 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 3 batches, cook pupusas, turning, until golden, 10-12 minutes. Serve hot with slaw.