Hello Recipe Club,

A Week of Recipes from the Vanilla Queen, Patricia Rain.

Some of you may already know about The Vanilla.COMpany as this is our third season to participate in the Chef2Chef Holiday Recipe Guide. This week we are excited to share with you some trivia and food tidbits from our new book, Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance, the first book ever dedicated to the history of vanilla from early Mesoamerica to the moment! While the book is more about vanilla's fascinating history than about recipes, each chapter does include recipes that represent the time period or the different countries or cultures that cultivate vanilla worldwide. We hope that you will find the diverse ways that vanilla can be used interesting enough to whet your appetite for more. You'll find lots of additional recipes at our site, Vanilla.com, along with the finest quality vanilla products available to flavor your holidays with the comfort of hearth and home. And if you would like our site recipe book, The Vanilla Chef, you can also find that in our store. One dollar from the sale of each copy of The Vanilla Chef is helping to outfit a Red Cross outreach unit in the vanilla growing region of Mexico.

STOP THE PRESS! Good News! I just got word that Patricia is going to be giving away two copies of her book, Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance and 4 copies of The Vanilla Chef. I have a copy of each and I am NOT lending them out, If you would like a chance to win, send the Vanilla Queen and I a note with your email address so she can notify you if you win a copy. Do so by Clicking Here  The winners will be notified January 1, 2005

Monday:

Interestingly, with the notable exception of infamous Chocolatl, served to Cortes by Moctezuma, as well as a few other ritual beverages, vanilla was used as incense and as a medicine, but never as a flavoring in foods. Times change, and the Europeans began to use vanilla in more than just beverages by the early 1600s. As vanilla is a flavor of the Americas, we will begin the week with recipes from Veracruz Mexico, the heart of the Mexican vanilla industry and the popular birthplace of vanilla.

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Dominga's Vegetable Soup

Dominga has cooked for over twenty years for the Larios family, vanilla growers and processors in Papantla, Veracruz. She's famous for her soups, most of which are made with local vegetables and then puréed. Dominga uses chayote and other squash, carrots and a blend of root vegetables. I also make it, using asparagus, spinach, or artichokes. Most root vegetables benefit from the addition of vanilla in the soup, as they are naturally sweet. Potatoes can be used to thicken the soup and soften the flavor. I also like to add fresh herbs from my garden. Here are the basics, the variations are many.

Ingredients:

2 -1/2 pounds vegetables
8 cups rich vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 to 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
salt and white pepper to taste

Optional Additions:

fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, thyme, marjoram, cumin, basil, or cilantro
avocado cubes
nutmeg
lemon or lime juice
liquid pepper sauce
sour cream, yogurt, or Mexican crema for garnish

Preparation:

Clean vegetables and steam until cooked, or cook in broth. Peel, de-seed if necessary, and cut into cubes.

Using a food processor or blender, purée vegetables with broth. As some vegetables will have more moisture content than others, add broth a little at a time until the soup is the consistency desired.

Add vanilla, seasonings, and herbs, if desired, and heat until hot but not boiling. Taste and then adjust seasonings, adding lime juice or hot sauce at this time, or place optional flavorings and dairy products for garnish at the table.

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Pollo con Chile Seco

Gloria and her husband Victor have a vanilla plantation outside of Papantla, Vera Cruz. The native - and hot - chilitepin chiles grow wild on their property. This is one of her favorite recipes.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 large chicken cut into serving size pieces
1 cup water or chicken broth
1/4 cup or to taste large dried chilitepin chiles (or substitute other dried chile)*
1/4 cup mild cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lard or butter
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
juice of two oranges
2 vanilla beans, split open
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place the chicken and water into a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil, then cook, uncovered until the water has evaporated and the chicken is cooking in its fat (about 20 minutes for a supermarket chicken). Continue cooking until the skin is lightly browned on all sides.

Once the chicken is cooking, place chiles in a heavy skillet over low heat. Toast, stirring constantly, for about 10 to 15 minutes. They should be slightly darkened, but not burned. Let cool slightly, then grind to a fine powder.

After chicken is browned, remove excess fat, then return to heat. Sprinkle chiles, salt and pepper over the chicken, turning to coat evenly. Add vinegar, lard or butter, garlic, orange juice and vanilla bean, and cook until the vinegar has mellowed and chicken is well cooked.

Serve with rice, beans, tomatoes and tortillas.

* You can substitute pre-ground Mexican chile or cayenne.

Tip: The entire vanilla bean - not just the seeds - has flavor, so do not discard the bean after scraping out the seeds. Put the bean into your sugar jar.

Courtesy of Dona Gloria Casarin de Vallejo

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Natilla

While Natilla most likely originated in Spain, it was adopted into Veracruz homes as their own invention at least 150 years ago. It's delicious!

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups milk
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark rum or 1/4 cup additional milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins

Preparations:

In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk cornstarch into 1/2 cup of the milk. Let rest for 1 minute, then whisk again. Whisk in egg yolks.

In a medium saucepan, combine remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar, rum and vanilla extract and bring to a scald over medium heat. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle the hot liquid into the egg mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until tiny bubbles boil up for 10 seconds.

Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl. Fold in the raisins. Divide the pudding among 6 dessert bowls. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

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Rompope

One last very Mexican tradition during the holidays is Rompope. The recipe was brought to Mexico by Yolanda Arzani's grandmother when she came from Italy.

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cans (28 ounces) water
1 Mexican vanilla bean, sliced open
5 egg yolks
1/4 cup grain alcohol (or vodka, rum or brandy), or to taste

Preparation:

In a saucepan mix the milk with the water, using a wooden spoon and heat over medium-high heat until it boils. Reduce heat and add the vanilla bean. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let it cool completely.

When cool, stir together the egg yolks and strain them into the milk mixture. Return the saucepan to low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to boil. (Some of the mixture will stick to the wooden spoon at this point, which is another indication that it is done.) Remove from heat and let it cool.

When it is completely cool, gradually add the alcohol, stirring constantly. Strain the mixture into clean bottles and refrigerate. Rompope can be kept in the refrigerator for about six months.

Use chilled or at room temperature as a beverage, or as a sauce for cake or ice cream.

Tip: You can use vanilla beans more than once. Rinse the vanilla bean, pat dry, and store in a cool, dark place.

Courtesy of Yolanda Arzani