Saturday, April 26, 2025

GOT (NOT) MILK

 

A selection of alternative milks.

My favorite alternative milk is almond (almendra), for its nutty flavor in coffee, in desserts, in savory dishes. Soy (soja) milk, especially when it’s been frothed, barista style, has the mouth-feel of dairy milk. Oat (avena) milk has a lovely sweetness even though it has no added sugar. Rice (arroz) milk, in spite of having the highest number of calories, seems thin and bland, like skimmed milk. Coconut (coco) “milk” makes me think of piña colada and Thai curry but, nevertheless, is delicious in coffee.


In Spain these plant-based, non-dairy products are not labelled “leche.” Rather they are denominated as “bebidas,” beverages. All are sin azucar—no sugar added. They vary quite a bit in calories, protein content, and fats. Some are fortified with calcium and vitamins and may have emulsifiers and stabilizers. Besides the ones mentioned, I have also found “milk” made from rye (centeno),” peas (guisante), cashew (anacardo), and quinoa but have not sampled them.

I began experimenting with alternatives to dairy milk during a month-long “elimination diet” (more about that here). My digestive problems disappeared during the diet, so I’ve avoided returning to my usual consumption of dairy foods. Maybe I’m lactose intolerant or maybe I’m not. But I feel better without the morning yogurt, snacking cheeses, or cow’s milk in my coffee.

Alternative milks have other advantages. According to reports from the NIH (U.S. National Institutes of Health), plant-based milks are more environmentally friendly than cow’s milk. They generate roughly one-third or less of the greenhouse gas emissions of cow’s milk, and—with the exception of almond milk—they use considerably less water. 

I’m pleased that several cafés in the pueblo now offer one or two alternative milks for my morning café con leche. At home I use whichever "milk" carton is currently open. Here are other ways I’ve incorporated alt-milk in my cooking.



Ajo blanco
is a traditional Málaga cold soup, a sort of white gazpacho made with almonds and garlic. This version, which can be served hot or cold, is made with almond milk instead of ground almonds. The recipe is here




Another twist on gazpacho--this one is made with cucumbers and almond milk, although any of the alternative milks could be used for this recipe. Yogurt is an optional ingredient--look for soy yogurt if desired. 
See the recipe for Cucumber Gazpacho.




Use thin coconut milk as broth for this Thai-style fish or chicken soup. There's more information about the difference between thin and thick coconut milk in the recipe for the soup below.   



This savory timbale is made with zucchini, spinach, and soy or other  alternative milk instead of dairy milk. Although there are non-dairy cheeses, I used diced potatoes to replace cheese. See the recipe here.






Make this recipe for Creamy Rice Pudding, substituting rice milk for dairy milk. Or, go a little crazy and use almond milk or oat milk! The recipe is here




A sumptuous pudding with mango, ginger, and coconut milk. This recipe uses thick coconut milk from a can. It's every bit as rich as cream. The recipe is below.












Thai Fish Soup in Coconut Milk
Sopa de Pescado con Coco


Thin coconut milk is commercialized in cartons, usually shelved near the dairy milk. It’s only about 22 percent coconut. The rest is water. Thick coconut milk, a mix of thin coconut milk and coconut cream, has much less water, may be from 60 to 90 percent coconut. It’s usually sold in cans and placed with Asian ingredients. 

Use any type of fish fillets for this recipe. The soup can also be made with diced chicken.

For the spice blend, use jarred Thai curry paste or make a paste by blending ginger, garlic, shallots, black pepper, chiles, turmeric, and fish sauce (naam pla). 

4 cups thin coconut milk
Curry paste or spice blend
2 cups fish cut in 1-inch cubes
Vegetables such as snow peas or broccoli florets
Shrimp (optional)
Cooked rice, to serve
Lime or lemon to serve
Chopped cilantro to garnish
Red chile to garnish

Combine 1 cup of the coconut milk with the curry paste or spice blend and mix until smooth. Whisk in the remaining coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and add the fish and any vegetables. Cook until the fish is done, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp if desired. Serve the soup with rice and lime or lemon wedges. Garnish with cilantro and chile.

Mango-Coconut Mousse
Pudín de Mango y Coco


All of the alternative milks are plant-based. However this recipe uses gelatine, which is an animal product. For a vegan diet it could be made with agar-agar or cornstarch as thickener.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

¼ teaspoon cold water
3 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1 ½ cups thick coconut milk (canned)
1 ½ cups chopped mango (1 large mango)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sugar or sweetener to taste
Toasted coconut to garnish

Combine the water and gelatin in a small bowl and let sit 5 minutes.

Place the ginger and ½ cup of the coconut milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the gelatin until completely dissolved.

In a food processor puree the remaining coconut milk with the mango and lemon juice. Add the gelatin mixture from the pan and blend. Add sugar or sweetener if desired. (Very sweet mango may not need sweetening.)

Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate 3 hours until the mixture is very thick. Remove the bowl from the fridge. Use a chilled beater to whip the mixture until fluffy. Spoon it into 4 to 6 dessert cups. Chill the mousse at least 4 hours. Serve garnished with toasted coconut.

Toast shredded coconut.

(To toast coconut: Place unsweetened grated or shredded coconut in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Stir frequently until it is golden-brown. Cool before storing in an air-tight container.)


Saturday, April 19, 2025

A LENTEN DISH THAT’S GOOD ANYTIME

 
Good combo--clams with beans.

Lent, Cuaresma, when it's customary in Spain to eat fish and shellfish and abstain from meat, is nearly over. Easter (Pascua de Resurección) (and, at my house, roast lamb) is only hours away. But this dish of beans and clams that I cooked on Viernes Santo (Good Friday),  is so good you can serve it any time of the year.


For my Good Friday meal I wanted coquinas, those tiny wedge-shelled clams that have such a delicate flavor. But the market only had small almejas, clams. No problem. You can use any small to medium-sized clams or berberechos, cockles. Cultivated Manila clams are fine. You could use fresh shucked clams, but you would miss the fun of hands-on eating.

Made with fresh clams and jarred beans, the dish is quick to put together.

A topping of breadcrumbs, garlic, and parsley adds crunch.

Clams are hands-on! Serve with bowls for the shells and paper towels for hand-wiping.

Beans with Clams
Alubias con Almejas

Use any sort of cooked white beans—tiny navy beans, fat fabes, cannellini, baby limas. I used a 660-gram (23-ounce) jar of pochas, cooked shelling beans, drained and rinsed. The quantities given make 3 servings or 4 small dishes, but the recipe is easily doubled—two jars of beans, two pounds of clams. (If you’re starting with dried beans, soak them overnight and cook in salted water with aromatics (onion, celery, bay leaf) until beans are tender before proceeding with the recipe.

Serve the beans and clams with bowls for discarding the clam shells and paper towels for hand-wiping. 

Serves 3.

1 pound small to medium clams
½ cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons diced carrot (optional)
2 cloves garlic, 1 chopped, 1 minced
Red pepper flakes
½ tablespoon flour
¼ cup white wine
1 cup fish stock or water
Salt to taste
1 bay leaf
2 ½ cups rinsed and drained cooked beans
¼ cup chopped parsley, divided
2 tablespoons crushed croutons



Open clams and save broth.


Soak the clams in salt water for 1 hour so they disgorge sand. Carefully lift them out of the water and place them in a deep pan with ½ cup of water. Place on high heat, covered, until the clam shells open. Remove the pan from the heat and scoop out clams with a slotted spoon. Discard any that do not open. Pour the clam broth through a fine sieve over the clams and reserve them.



Wipe out the pan. Heat the oil in the pan and poach the onion, carrot, and 1 clove of chopped garlic on medium, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Regulate the heat so that the onion does not brown. Add the red pepper flakes. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook 1 minute. Stir in the stock, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and add the beans. Do not stir, but gently swirl or shake the pan to mix the beans with the stock. Cook 10 minutes. 

While beans are simmering, combine 2 tablespoons of the chopped parsley with the crouton crumbs and minced garlic. 

Add the clams and their broth to the beans. Swirl to combine beans and clams. Cook on medium-low until thoroughly heated. Immediately before serving sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley. 

Serve the clams and beans accompanied by the parsley-garlic-crumb topping. 


More recipes with legumes and shellfish:





Monday, April 14, 2025

WHAT'S COOKING FOR BEN'S BIRTHDAY

Cordero asado--lamb roasts over an almond and olive wood fire. Red peppers and eggplants for making escalivada cook right in the coals. 


To celebrate his 50th birthday, Ben invited his friends to a party.   

The lamb, weighing about 40 pounds, was a gift from a friend who raises sheep on his finca (farm) in the Montes de Málaga. Ben removed the liver and kidneys to cook separately and opened the lamb out to be trussed onto a metal frame.

The butterflied lamb is secured with wire on an asado cross, an upright iron rod with crossbars, and angled over hot coals. The plan was to get it started about 10 a.m. to serve by late afternoon. Rain delayed the start time by several hours!   

Ben adds more wood to the fire to keep it going over 5 to 6 hours. After turning the lamb skin-side to the coals, he brushed the meat with a salmuera (brine) with rosemary, thyme, lemon, and garlic.  Kibbitzers came and went, some declaring the lamb was done. Ben ignored them, slow-roasting the meat to the perfect degree of tender juiciness. It was nearly 10 p.m. before we served it. 

While the lamb was roasting, the party was in full swing on the terrace. Ben erected a tarp against intermittent showers. Plenty of chips, dips, sausages, beer, wine, and more.   

And music! DJ Nikita kept the sounds coming way into the night.




Friends brought racks of ribs, chicken, and sausages to cook on the gas barbecue. Josh kept a steady supply of foods coming all 
afternoon. 

I put out home-cured olives that had been picked from the tree we were dancing under. A big bowl of hummus with tahina and pita crisps for scooping it up. And my favorite eggplant dip, zeilouk, a spicy Moroccan salad. It's good with endive leaf dippers or regañás, crunchy crackers. 

To accompany the lamb I made tzatziki (Greek dip of cucumber, yogurt, garlic, olive oil, and chopped mint (Ben doesn't like dill); mojo verde (spicy herb sauce, the Canary Island version of chimichurri), and harissa, a lemony chile sauce. Guests brought two or three versions of spicy salsa. One with pineapple and chile was especially enticing. I had a salad of marinated broccoli, cauliflower, and beets with feta cheese. Another salad appeared on the table--sliced cucumbers and strawberries with sprigs of fresh basil. A pile of pita breads awaited for those who wanted to sandwich the lamb and salads in wraps. 

Biding their time (while a small pack of 10 to 12-year-olds awaited) were the birthday cakes--always the same carrot cake since Ben was a kid. No, he didn't want to have cake before the lamb was ready. The bowl of strawberries disappeared however.

Garlicky hummus with pita crisps and endive leaves for scooping.





Ben (right) celebrating with childhood friends from Mijas, Job and Ananda.



The lamb was superb. We devoured it. 


Happy 50th, Ben!

Saturday, April 5, 2025

FROM GARDEN TO TABLE, cont.

 
From the garden to my table.

The winter-to-spring garden—a plot of not much more than 125 square feet, fenced against wild boar intrusion—continues to produce. I am now picking small broccoli florets that the plants produce after the large, center heads have been cut. These cook in about 3 minutes. The cute “baby” cauliflowers and cabbages are a perfect size for a small household. 


The chard goes on and on. The favas and peas are nearly finished. A second round of lettuce arrived to remind me that I won’t be eating soup forever. Here are some of the dishes that have been on my table this week. 




On a sunny spring day, my favorite lunch salad, straight from the garden: lettuce, raw cauliflower, and peas embellished with sliced cooked potato, egg and canned tuna. A sprinkling of (garden) green onions. Dressing is simply extra virgin olive oil and Sherry vinegar. (There soon will be new potatoes from the garden plot.) Another cauliflower recipe: Moroccan Cauliflower Salad with Olives. And a recipe with broccoli Fettucine with Broccoli and Blue Cheese.



Oven-baked brown rice casserole with broccoli and cauliflower. I learned this technique of cooking rice years ago when experimenting with Macrobiotic cooking. The rice grains are toasted before baking. It remains one of my favorite ways to cook brown rice (arroz integral), although I have varied the ingredients considerably. The dish makes an excellent vegetarian main dish or a side with meat, chicken or fish. (Recipe is below.)




Broccoli and cauliflower al ajo arriero, or "muledrivers' style. Different from the typical muledrivers' preparation, these vegetables are cooked crisp-tender.

1 ½ cups cauliflower florets
2 ½ cup broccoli florets
¼ cup olive oil
Bacon slivers (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic, sliced
Red pepper flakes, to taste
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pimentón (paprika) to garnish

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook 1 minute. Add the broccoli and cook 3 minutes. Drain the vegetables and refresh them in cold water. Place in a serving bowl.

In a small skillet heat the oil. Add bacon strips, if using, garlic, red pepper and cumin. Fry until the garlic turns golden. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Immediately before serving pour the dressing over the broccoli and cauliflower. (Lemon juice will darken the broccoli if allowed to macerate in the dressing.) Sprinkle with pimentón. 



The cabbages are small but they go a long way. A quarter of a head is perfect for a stir-fry for two with strips of pork. I've made potaje de coles, a sturdy Andalusian stew with chickpeas and sausages (recipe is here). This week, with prayers for peace in Ukraine, I am making borscht, a Ukrainian soup with beef chuck, carrots, celery, turnips, potatoes, beets and cabbage. (Only the cabbage is from the garden, although there are carrots yet to come.) I finished the soup with a squeeze of sour-orange juice instead of usual cider vinegar. More soups with cabbage: Pork and Vegetable Soup (Garbure Navarro) and Mallorcan "Dry" Soup with Cabbage (Sopas Mallorquinas)



Cabbage from the garden is both tender and crisp, a delight to eat raw. So, coleslaw. My version with grated carrots and onions as well as cabbage has a dressing of olive oil, Greek yogurt, jarred mayonnaise, and Sherry vinegar. 





Only a handful of fava beans and peas. I made a small tortilla with them plus a diced cooked potato and diced serrano ham. More recipes with favas Fava Beans with Ham (Habas con Jamón)Fava Bean Puree (Porra)Chopped Salad with Favas (Machacao)Cuttlefish with Fava Beans (Chocos con Habas)

Baked Rice with Vegetables
Arroz al Horno con Verduras

Use either medium-short grain (Spanish) or long grain brown rice for this recipe. The vegetables can be varied according to what are available in the garden or farmers’ market. Miso (fermented soybean paste, white or black) adds meaty umami to the dish, but if not available, just omit it. Neither pepper nor herbs were included in the original version of baked rice, but they are fine additions, to taste. 

Serves 4 as a main dish or 8 as a side.

1 ½ cup brown rice
Boiling water or vegetable stock
4 cups broccoli and cauliflower florets
Salt
1 tablespoon miso (optional)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped chard
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Chopped herbs such as oregano or thyme (optional)
Toast rice without oil.
Place a heavy skillet on medium-high heat and add the rice. Do not add any oil. Toast the rice grains, stirring frequently, until they are golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the rice into an oven-safe casserole. Add ¾ cup of boiling water or stock and stir well. Leave the rice to soak.

In a small bowl combine the miso, if using, with ¼ cup boiling water or stock and stir to dissolve the miso.

Mix vegetables with rice and bake the casserole.
Add the broccoli and cauliflower to a pan of boiling salted water. When the water returns to a boil (30 seconds) remove the pan from the heat, drain, and refresh the vegetables under cold water. Stir the broccoli and cauliflower into the rice in the casserole.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium and sauté the onion, carrot, mushrooms, and chard until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the miso-water. Add the sautéed vegetables to the casserole with 3 cups boiling stock or water. Season as desired with salt, pepper, and herbs. 

Cover the casserole with a lid or foil and place in the oven. Lower oven temperature to 375ºF. Bake the rice until tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the rice sit, covered, 5 minutes. Serve hot or room temperature. 

Brown rice baked with vegetables.