11 November


Dessert Nachos

November 6: National Nachos Day

We blogged before about savory nachos—crispy corn tortilla chips held together with refried beans and melted shredded cheese. Sometimes they are also topped with spiced ground meat, fresh sliced tomatoes/lettuce leaves/jalapeños/onions/cilantro and creamy condiments like sour cream and guacamole.

We also enjoy sweet nachos as a dessert after our Mexican meals. The corn tortilla chips are replaced with baked flour tortilla wedges sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar. Toppings include fresh cut fruits to mimic their savory counterparts (strawberry=tomatoes, kiwi=lettuce and cilantro and mango=cheese). We also crowned our dessert nachos with vanilla ice cream to resemble sour cream. It is a colorful confection to share and indulge in, especially on National Nachos Day! 

Recipe

For the chips

  • ¼ – 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 4 – 5 soft flour tortillas, medium size
  • Cinnamon sugar

For the chips

  • Mango, sliced into thin slivers
  • 3-4 strawberries, chopped
  • 1 kiwi, skinned and chopped
  • Vanilla ice cream (see Notes for substitutions)
  • Fresh mint leaves (optional garnish)

Directions

Brush melted butter on both sides of each of the flour tortillas. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Stack the tortillas and cut them into 6-8 wedges. 

Place them on a baking pan lined with foil or parchment paper (do not overlap the wedges). Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the wedges on the other side and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the butter-cinnamon-sugar mixture to caramelize and the chips to cool to a crisp.

While the tortillas are baking in the oven, slice the mango into thin slivers and chop the strawberries and kiwi. Arrange the tortilla chips onto a plate. 

Scoop 3 rounds of ice cream in the middle of the chips. Scatter the mango slivers and chopped strawberries and kiwis on top. Garnish with mint leaves (optional). Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Choose other favorite fruit toppings for a unique dessert nachos.
  • Instead of vanilla ice cream, use dollops of sweetened whipped cream or vanilla yogurt.
  • It is optional to drizzle chocolate sauce or dulce de leche (caramel) over the dessert nachos.

Roasted Turkey Tails

November: Thanksgiving

What foods may be frowned upon in one culture may be a favorite in another! Such is the case of roasted turkey tails. The fatty butts of the big birds were once considered an undesirable part for most Americans who discarded it on Thanksgiving. Not wanting to waste the tails, turkey food companies shipped the “pope’s nose” (also known as “parson’s nose” or “sultan’s nose”) to other countries as a way to make some easy profit. Turkey tails have become a cheap delicacy in places like Ghana and Samoa. Because they are unhealthy, governments have tried but failed to ban the import of turkey tails.

Turkey tails are popular in Hawaii, too! Islander’s cousin, Roxanne, married a Samoan, Billy T. and they serve several roasted tails along with a traditional turkey on Thanksgiving. Some of her relatives also eat their turkey with ketchup in lieu of gravy (see Notes)! Remember, what tastes may be frowned upon by one person may be a favorite of another!

Try indulging in these tasty roasted turkey tails at least once on Thanksgiving! Happy Turkey (Tails) Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from Polynesia.com)

Ingredients

  • Turkey tails, raw and not smoked
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Onion powder to taste
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • Mixture of chopped herbs (rosemary, sage, etc.), optional (we leave them out)

Directions

Wash the turkey tails and pat dry with paper towels. Use tweezers to pull off any visible quill ends of the feathers. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Sprinkle with chopped herbs (optional). Place turkey tails on a rack over a foil-lined baking pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and serve with gravy or ketchup.

Notes

Khobz el Dar

(Algerian Semolina Sesame Bread)

November 17: National Homemade Bread Day

Although we mostly rely on our trusty bread machine, we sometimes try to make bread from scratch just to challenge ourselves. But sometimes thinking about all that proofing, kneading and rising ruins the mood and we get super lazy.

Then we found online a pretty picture of this Algerian semolina sesame bread and wanted to try it because the directions were surprisingly simple. Even our first effort for making semolina bread turned out looking like it came from a bakery!

Those who do not feel as experienced in making homemade bread can challenge themselves with this semolina bread recipe for National Homemade Bread Day.

Recipe
(Adapted from All Recipes)

Ingredients

• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons semolina flour
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, divided use
• 1 tablespoon sugar, granulated white
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, divided use
• 1 cup milk, lukewarm
• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons or more
• 1 teaspoon water

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the semolina flour, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, sugar and yeast.

Add salt, oil, 1 whole egg and 1 egg white (save the 1 egg yolk for the egg wash). Stir in lukewarm milk. A liquid dough should form.

Cover the bowl and let stand at room temperature until frothy (about 1 hour). Uncover the bowl and stir in the 2 ¾ cup flour and mix until a sticky dough forms. Cover again and let rest for about half an hour.

Uncover the bowl and sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of flour (or more as needed). Mix the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet and shape into a round loaf. Cover loosely with a cotton towel and let rise in a warm place for at least another hour or until doubled in size.

Beat the remaining egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water to make an egg wash. Brush this over the round loaf. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven. Cool slightly and slice.

Notes

• Smother this fresh semolina bread with homemade butter.

• Search our blog for more homemade bread recipes (both by hand or by machine).

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