Recipe and Menu help sought.
 

Hi
I have a special guest coming for dinner tomorrow night and I've found a
recipe for Chilli & Orange Duck in one of my Mexican cook books.

I would appreciate some assistance from the knowledgeable with what I plan
to do.

First, the Chilli paste bit requires Achiote paste. I do not know what that
is as I can find descriptions of it but can't work out what makes it. E.g.
"a brick-red paste that imparts a red-yellow colour and a citrus-saffron
flavour".
Can anyone tell me what I could use instead if I can't find this. I must
admit I have never in my life seen it. It may not be important as the
recipe only asks for 2 teaspoons.

Second, can anyone suggest accompaniments for this? The picture in the
cookbook (I only have cookbooks with pictures) has the dish itself
surrounded by some of those fat black dried chillies and some halved
oranges, so it's not giving me any hints here. Potato chunks of some kind?
Some sort of Mexican rice dish?

I told this person that we would have Indian but then changed horses
midstream and have come unstuck a little with my change of plan. There is
ego at stake here!

Some suggestions would be welcomed.

Hoges in WA
PS - I done gone bought the duck and it's defrosting right now.

Recipe and Menu help sought.
 

On Jul 11, 6:21 am, "Hoges in WA" > wrote:
> Hi
> I have a special guest coming for dinner tomorrow night and I've found a
> recipe for Chilli & Orange Duck in one of my Mexican cook books.
>
> I would appreciate some assistance from the knowledgeable with what I plan
> to do.
>
> First, the Chilli paste bit requires Achiote paste. I do not know what that
> is as I can find descriptions of it but can't work out what makes it. E.g.
> "a brick-red paste that imparts a red-yellow colour and a citrus-saffron
> flavour".
> Can anyone tell me what I could use instead if I can't find this. I must
> admit I have never in my life seen it. It may not be important as the
> recipe only asks for 2 teaspoons.
>

If have a nearby Latin market, you should be able to buy achiote
paste. The brand I buy comes in a yellow & green cardboard box, and
the paste is wrapped in foil inside. I'm not at home at the moment so
I can't tell you the brand name.

If you don't have a Latin market nearby and do have an Asian market
nearby, you may be able to buy annatto seeds and make your own achiote
paste. Look up a recipe on the net. (One such recipe is at
http://www.chow.com/recipes/10554.) Annatto is used in many types of
cuisine and is used to make food a reddish orange color. (Cheddar
cheese is sometimes colored with it.)

Although achiote does have a distinct flavor, I'm betting it's main
purpose in your recipe is for color. You'd lose something, but you
could probably get by without it if your really can't find either the
paste or annatto seeds. It's a seasoning worth experimenting with. I'd
order some on-line for future use.

I would think that a green rice (arroz verde) made with poblano
peppers would make a good side. Again, you can look up recipes on
line. (One example is at
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...-POBLANO-15367.)

Enjoy!

Recipe and Menu help sought.
 

On Jul 11, 3:21�am, "Hoges in WA" > wrote:

> First, the Chilli paste bit requires Achiote paste. �I do not know what that
> is as I can find descriptions of it but can't work out what makes it. �E.g.
> "a brick-red paste that imparts a red-yellow colour and a citrus-saffron
> flavour".
> Can anyone tell me what I could use instead if I can't find this.

Red food coloring?

I have a package of annatto seeds in my spice rack. The seeds are used
to impart a lovely red color to sauces.

From Wikipedia:

Recado rojo or achiote paste is a popular blend of spices from Mexico.
Originally a Mayan blend, it is now strongly associated with the
Mexican cuisine of Yucatan.

The spice mixture usually includes annatto, Mexican oregano, cumin,
clove, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, garlic, and salt. The annatto
seeds dye the mixture red, and this gives the meat or vegetables it
seasons a distinctive red hue.

Annatto, sometimes called Roucou, is a derivative of the achiote trees
of tropical regions of the Americas, used to produce a red food
coloring and also as a flavoring. Its scent is described as "slightly
peppery with a hint of nutmeg" and flavor as "slightly sweet and
peppery".

Annatto is produced from the reddish pulp which surrounds the seed of
the achiote (Bixa orellana L.). It is used in many cheeses (e.g.,
Cheddar, Red Leicester, and Brie), margarine, butter, rice, smoked
fish and custard powder.

Annatto is commonly found in Latin America and Caribbean cuisines as
both a coloring agent and for flavoring. Central and South American
natives use the seeds to make a body paint, and lipstick. For this
reason, the achiote is sometimes called the lipstick-tree.

In Venezuela, annatto (called locally 'onoto') is used in the
preparation of hallacas, perico, and other traditional dishes.

In Brazil, both annatto (the product) and the tree (Bixa orellana L.)
are called Urucum and the product itself may also be called Colorau.

In Cuba and other Caribbean islands, both fruit and tree are popularly
called Bija (pronounced bee-ha) instead of Bixa.

In the Philippines, it is called "atsuete" and is used as food
coloring in traditional dishes.

It is a major ingredient in the popular spice blend "Saz�n" made by
Goya Foods.

Recipe and Menu help sought.
 

"redietz" > wrote in message
...
> On Jul 11, 6:21 am, "Hoges in WA" > wrote:
>> Hi
>> I have a special guest coming for dinner tomorrow night and I've found a
>> recipe for Chilli & Orange Duck in one of my Mexican cook books.
>>
>> I would appreciate some assistance from the knowledgeable with what I
>> plan
>> to do.
>>
>> First, the Chilli paste bit requires Achiote paste. I do not know what
>> that
>> is as I can find descriptions of it but can't work out what makes it.
>> E.g.
>> "a brick-red paste that imparts a red-yellow colour and a citrus-saffron
>> flavour".
>> Can anyone tell me what I could use instead if I can't find this. I must
>> admit I have never in my life seen it. It may not be important as the
>> recipe only asks for 2 teaspoons.
>>
>
> If have a nearby Latin market, you should be able to buy achiote
> paste. The brand I buy comes in a yellow & green cardboard box, and
> the paste is wrapped in foil inside. I'm not at home at the moment so
> I can't tell you the brand name.
>
> If you don't have a Latin market nearby and do have an Asian market
> nearby, you may be able to buy annatto seeds and make your own achiote
> paste. Look up a recipe on the net. (One such recipe is at
> http://www.chow.com/recipes/10554.) Annatto is used in many types of
> cuisine and is used to make food a reddish orange color. (Cheddar
> cheese is sometimes colored with it.)
>
> Although achiote does have a distinct flavor, I'm betting it's main
> purpose in your recipe is for color. You'd lose something, but you
> could probably get by without it if your really can't find either the
> paste or annatto seeds. It's a seasoning worth experimenting with. I'd
> order some on-line for future use.
>
> I would think that a green rice (arroz verde) made with poblano
> peppers would make a good side. Again, you can look up recipes on
> line. (One example is at
> http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...-POBLANO-15367.)
>
> Enjoy!

Thanks for the tips!
Hoges in WA
(who thinks it highly unlikely to find Achiote in deepest darkest South West
Australia but now has Annato to chase down at the local Phillippino store.)

Recipe and Menu help sought.
 

"Hoges in WA" > wrote in message
...
> Hi
> I have a special guest coming for dinner tomorrow night and I've found a
> recipe for Chilli & Orange Duck in one of my Mexican cook books.
>
> I would appreciate some assistance from the knowledgeable with what I plan
> to do.
>
> First, the Chilli paste bit requires Achiote paste. I do not know what
> that is as I can find descriptions of it but can't work out what makes it.
> E.g. "a brick-red paste that imparts a red-yellow colour and a
> citrus-saffron flavour".
> Can anyone tell me what I could use instead if I can't find this. I must
> admit I have never in my life seen it. It may not be important as the
> recipe only asks for 2 teaspoons.
>
> Second, can anyone suggest accompaniments for this? The picture in the
> cookbook (I only have cookbooks with pictures) has the dish itself
> surrounded by some of those fat black dried chillies and some halved
> oranges, so it's not giving me any hints here. Potato chunks of some
> kind? Some sort of Mexican rice dish?
>
> I told this person that we would have Indian but then changed horses
> midstream and have come unstuck a little with my change of plan. There is
> ego at stake here!
>
> Some suggestions would be welcomed.
>
> Hoges in WA
> PS - I done gone bought the duck and it's defrosting right now.
>
A great combination would be Mexican fried red rice and beans along with a
salsa made from fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic and whatever chile you can get
your hands on. Of course corn tortillas are essential. End up with a flan
for desert.

Recipe and Menu help sought.
 

"redietz" > wrote in message
...
> On Jul 11, 6:21 am, "Hoges in WA" > wrote:
snipped

>>> If you don't have a Latin market nearby and do have an Asian market
> nearby, you may be able to buy annatto seeds and make your own achiote
> paste. Look up a recipe on the net. (One such recipe is at
> http://www.chow.com/recipes/10554.) Annatto is used in many types of
> cuisine and is used to make food a reddish orange color. (Cheddar
> cheese is sometimes colored with it.)
>
> snipped

HA!
I remembered that there's a small shop in Bunbury called Cynthia's Asian
Market and she's from the Phillippines.

I then remembered the post down below about the links between Mexico and the
Phillippines.

Looked up your Annato recipe, saw it had a Tagalog word which was almost
identical to the Mexican and rang Cynthia's, She has it under Achuete.

On my way into town now (7 miles away)
Hoges in WA