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 entrée 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.
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 jícama 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.
Carne Asada Tacos with Salsa Verde
8 corn tortillas
1 1/2 lb skirt steak
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1/2 can of cola
1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 bunch cilantro
Mix garlic, half of the onion, cola, soda and oil and pour into a zip lock bag with the steak to marinade (at least one hour and preferably overnight). Heat a grill pan until smoking. Dry off the steak with paper towels and grill until desired finish. Let rest for 4 minutes and slice. Heat tortillas on a grill until warm. Top with sliced steak, salsa verde, chopped cilantro and diced onion.
Salsa Verde
2 unripe tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro
Half jalapeno seeded
2 limes juiced
Salt to taste
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Churros
1 1/2 cup of water
1 1/2 cup of flour
1/2 lb butter
4 eggs
1/8 cup of salt
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 Cup Canola Oil for Frying
Preheat the oil in an appropriate pan. Add butter and water to a large pot over medium heat until boiling and add flour, salt, sugar, stirring vigorously to make a batter. Remove from heat and slowly add the eggs, folding them in (be cautious not to overmix). Pipe from a pastry bag into 350 degree oil (each churro should be about 3-4 inches long) and and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Coat in cinnamon and sugar while hot and top with your favorite chocolate sauce.
So, how did Ken do in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?
CHILLED CLEARN TOMATO SOUP
Tomatoes $10.00
Cherry Tomatoes $3.50
Basil $2.50
Jicama $2.25
TOTAL $18.25
CARNE ASADA TACOS WITH SALSA VERDE
Corn Tortillas $1.39
Skirt Steak $9.00
Garlic $.50
Onion $1.00
Cola $.60
Cilantro $.99
SALSA
Tomatoes $2.00
Jalapeno $1.00
Limes $.50
TOTAL $16.98
CHURROS
Eggs $1.50
Canola Oil $.3.00
TOTAL $4.50
Grand total: $39.71
Ken got in under the $40 wire, but didn't make our Leaders Board:
1. Bill Telepan $37.01
Telepan
2. Marc Murphy $37.11
Ditch Plains
3. Amanda Freitag $37.17
The Harrison