Scrumptious Spanish Fare, on a Budget
New Jersey native Ken Oringer began his career humbly, as a dishwasher in a local restaurant as a teen.
But he's come a long way.
Oringer is a talented James Beard Winner (Best Chef in the Northeast), whose Boston restaurants -- Clio, Uni, La Verdad, KO Prime, and Toro -- are widely known as five of the best eateries in the Northeast.
He's an Iron Chef America Winner, having beaten Cat Cora by four points with a secret ingredient: coffee.
As "The Early Show on Saturday Edition"'s "Chef on a Shoestring," Ken sought to prepare a three-course fiesta dinner for four that's easy to make and full of traditional flavors - all on our slim budget of $40.
For this week, the entr?e viewers voted for is Carne Asada Tacos.
Ken designed his meal around the Spanish theme, adding chilled tomato soup as an appetizer and Churros for dessert.
"Early Show" recipes galore!
Ken was also automatically entered in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition, in which the "shoestring" chef with the lowest ingredients total will be invited back to whip up the feast for our year-end holiday extravaganza!
And -- viewers have a role in our "shoestring" segments! Vote on the main course you'd like to see our chef make next week by clicking here. Your choices for next week: Vegetable Risotto, Butternut Squash Curry or Bass with Cilantro Salsa.
FOOD FACTS (Source: Wikipedia)
Jicama: Jicama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, oranges, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish and soy sauce. It can be cut into thin wedges and dipped in salsa. In Mexico, it is popular in salads, fresh fruit combos, fruit bars, soups, and other cooked dishes. In contrast to the root, the remainder of the j?cama plant is very poisonous; the seeds contain the toxin rotenone, which is used to poison insects and fish.
Skirt Steak: The term skirt steak refers to a cut of beef steak, from the plate. It is a long, flat cut that is prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. Sometimes a flank steak is used interchangeably with a skirt steak, but it is a different cut of meat. Skirt steak is the cut of choice for making fajitas ("little belts" or "sashes" in Spanish), Northern Mexican arrachera, Cornish pasties, and Chinese stir-fry. To minimize their toughness skirt steaks are either grilled or pan-seared very quickly or cooked very slowly, typically braised. Because of their strong graining skirt steak is sliced across the grain for maximum tenderness. To aid in tenderness and flavor, they are also often marinated. The skirt steak is sometimes called Roumanian Tenderloin or Roumanian Strip in New York deli restaurants and steak houses. It is commonly grilled or barbecued whole and often served with fried onions and potatoes or baked beans.
Cilantro: All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most commonly used in cooking. Coriander is common in Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Mediterranean, Indian, South Asian, Mexican, Texan, Latin American, Chinese, African and Southeast Asian cuisine. The leaves have a different taste from the seeds, with citrus overtones. Some perceive an unpleasant "soapy" taste or a rank smell and avoid the leaves. The flavours have also been compared to those of the stink bug, and similar chemical groups are involved (aldehydes). Belief that aversion is genetically determined may arise from the known genetic variation in taste perception of the synthetic chemical phenylthiocarbamide; however, no specific link has been established between coriander and a bitter taste perception gene.
Churros: Churros, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, are fried-dough pastry-based snacks, sometimes made from potato dough, that originated in Spain. They are also popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, Morocco, the United States, Australia, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands. There are two types of churros in Spain. One is thin (and usually knotted) and the other, especially popular in Madrid, is long and thick (porra). They both are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate. Churros, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, are fried-dough pastry-based snacks, sometimes made from potato dough, that originated in Spain. They are also popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, Morocco, the United States, Australia, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands. There are two types of churros in Spain. One is thin (and usually knotted) and the other, especially popular in Madrid, is long and thick (porra). They both are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate.
RECIPES
Clear Chilled Tomato Soup with Jicama and Cherry Tomatoes
10 tomatoes
Salt to taste
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch basil
1 small piece of jicima, peeled and diced.
Puree tomatoes with salt in the food processor. Line strainer in cheese cloth or kitchen towel and place that lined strainer over a larger bowl. Pour in liquid and refrigerate for 3 hours. Take the clear liquid at the bottom of the bowl (that has sat under the strainer) and pour into a martini glass with halved cherry tomatoes, diced jicima and chopped basil.
To see Ken's recipes for Carne Asada Tacos, and Churros, to go Page 2.
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved. But he's come a long way.
Oringer is a talented James Beard Winner (Best Chef in the Northeast), whose Boston restaurants -- Clio, Uni, La Verdad, KO Prime, and Toro -- are widely known as five of the best eateries in the Northeast.
He's an Iron Chef America Winner, having beaten Cat Cora by four points with a secret ingredient: coffee.
As "The Early Show on Saturday Edition"'s "Chef on a Shoestring," Ken sought to prepare a three-course fiesta dinner for four that's easy to make and full of traditional flavors - all on our slim budget of $40.
For this week, the entr?e viewers voted for is Carne Asada Tacos.
Ken designed his meal around the Spanish theme, adding chilled tomato soup as an appetizer and Churros for dessert.
"Early Show" recipes galore!
Ken was also automatically entered in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition, in which the "shoestring" chef with the lowest ingredients total will be invited back to whip up the feast for our year-end holiday extravaganza!
And -- viewers have a role in our "shoestring" segments! Vote on the main course you'd like to see our chef make next week by clicking here. Your choices for next week: Vegetable Risotto, Butternut Squash Curry or Bass with Cilantro Salsa.
FOOD FACTS (Source: Wikipedia)
Jicama: Jicama is often paired with chilli powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, oranges, red onion, salsa, sesame oil, grilled fish and soy sauce. It can be cut into thin wedges and dipped in salsa. In Mexico, it is popular in salads, fresh fruit combos, fruit bars, soups, and other cooked dishes. In contrast to the root, the remainder of the j?cama plant is very poisonous; the seeds contain the toxin rotenone, which is used to poison insects and fish.
Skirt Steak: The term skirt steak refers to a cut of beef steak, from the plate. It is a long, flat cut that is prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. Sometimes a flank steak is used interchangeably with a skirt steak, but it is a different cut of meat. Skirt steak is the cut of choice for making fajitas ("little belts" or "sashes" in Spanish), Northern Mexican arrachera, Cornish pasties, and Chinese stir-fry. To minimize their toughness skirt steaks are either grilled or pan-seared very quickly or cooked very slowly, typically braised. Because of their strong graining skirt steak is sliced across the grain for maximum tenderness. To aid in tenderness and flavor, they are also often marinated. The skirt steak is sometimes called Roumanian Tenderloin or Roumanian Strip in New York deli restaurants and steak houses. It is commonly grilled or barbecued whole and often served with fried onions and potatoes or baked beans.
Cilantro: All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most commonly used in cooking. Coriander is common in Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Mediterranean, Indian, South Asian, Mexican, Texan, Latin American, Chinese, African and Southeast Asian cuisine. The leaves have a different taste from the seeds, with citrus overtones. Some perceive an unpleasant "soapy" taste or a rank smell and avoid the leaves. The flavours have also been compared to those of the stink bug, and similar chemical groups are involved (aldehydes). Belief that aversion is genetically determined may arise from the known genetic variation in taste perception of the synthetic chemical phenylthiocarbamide; however, no specific link has been established between coriander and a bitter taste perception gene.
Churros: Churros, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, are fried-dough pastry-based snacks, sometimes made from potato dough, that originated in Spain. They are also popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, Morocco, the United States, Australia, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands. There are two types of churros in Spain. One is thin (and usually knotted) and the other, especially popular in Madrid, is long and thick (porra). They both are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate. Churros, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, are fried-dough pastry-based snacks, sometimes made from potato dough, that originated in Spain. They are also popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, Morocco, the United States, Australia, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands. There are two types of churros in Spain. One is thin (and usually knotted) and the other, especially popular in Madrid, is long and thick (porra). They both are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate.
RECIPES
Clear Chilled Tomato Soup with Jicama and Cherry Tomatoes
10 tomatoes
Salt to taste
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch basil
1 small piece of jicima, peeled and diced.
Puree tomatoes with salt in the food processor. Line strainer in cheese cloth or kitchen towel and place that lined strainer over a larger bowl. Pour in liquid and refrigerate for 3 hours. Take the clear liquid at the bottom of the bowl (that has sat under the strainer) and pour into a martini glass with halved cherry tomatoes, diced jicima and chopped basil.
To see Ken's recipes for Carne Asada Tacos, and Churros, to go Page 2.
- no previous page
- next
1/2
- Sword-Wielding Porn Star Falls Off Cliff Play Video
- How to stop junk mail - forever
- Dad Punishes Daughter with Free Babysitter Ad Play Video
- Legit Work-from-Home Websites - and the Scams
- Lorena Bobbitt, 15 Years Later
- Dying teen leaves touching YouTube video
- Best Wheeled-Luggage for Your Budget
- Best Low-Tech Cell Phones Suitable for Seniors
The ingredient list for the meat includes soy sauce, but the instructions say "soda" (after already having listed the cola). This is typical of a computer translation from Spanish to English, since soy sauce is often called just "soya" in Spanish, and an editor who didn't know this, or was in a hurry, could have thought it was a misspelled reference to the cola and, so, changed "soya" to "soda."
Another oddity with the ingredient list is the inconsistent usage of units. For the soy sauce, it says "tbsp," but for the oil, it says "tablespoons."
With the Salsa Verde, the recipe says "unripe tomatoes" and Chef Oringer said "green tomatoes," but (although they weren't shown very closely or for very long) the "green tomatoes" in the prep bowls on the show appeared to be tomatillos. Salsaa Verde is usually made from tomatillos, which are called "green tomatoes" in many parts of Mexico (again, this appears to be the kind of thing that arises from a faulty translation).
Also, not all of the ingredients used in the recipes are listed in the $40 accounting. Is there an exception to the $40 rule for "pantry" items, such as soy sauce, flour, butter and sugar (none of which are in the cost breakdown)?
FInally, the title of this week's show was "Scrumptious Spanish Fare, on a Budget," but Carne Asada Tacos would be from Mexico, not Spain.