Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

6 4 oz. pork loin chops
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
oil

In a small pan heat vinegar then add brown sugar, garlic, thyme and a little salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until the sauce reduces slightly.  Set aside.
salt and pepper the pork, add 1 tablespoon of oil to hot saute pan.  Cook pork chops until browned on both sides and almost cooked through, add the sauce and cook pork in sauce for a few minutes until glazed and the pork is done to your liking.  we like ours medium well, not a follower of the cook pork until leather mind set.

Pork with Tarragon Mustard Sauce

2 pounds pork loin chops (about 6 1/2" thick chops)
Flour for dredging 
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon tarragon, tarragon can overpower the dish so be careful with it.
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon minces garlic
oil

1. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over them. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Dredge the pork chops in flour and tap off excess flour, add the pork chops to the pan and sear them, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat slightly if the chops brown too quickly.  Cook the chops in batches to be sure not to over fill the pan.  Remove browned chops and place them on a dish for later.

2.  pour off most of the fat. Add the onions and garlic and cook them on med high heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add  the wine and bring to a boil, deglazing the pan by scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the stock, mustard and tarragon and return chops to the pan. Bring sauce to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook until chops are cooked through (145°F internal temp), about 4 minutes.

Chops served here with bacon green beans and potatoes.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

My Daughter LOVES pork and for her the idea of wrapping bacon around a pork roast was as exciting as a bucket of Halloween candy.  




1 pork loin roast
Thick cut bacon 
1/3 cup soy sauce 
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper flacks 
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 

Wrap the pork loin in bacon. Place in an cast iron pan.  Combine rest of ingredients in a small bowl; stir well.   brush the sauce on the bacon wrapped loin and place in a preheated 375 degree oven.  Bake until the pork loin reaches 150 degrees inside, basting with the sauce every 20 minutes or so.  If the bacon starts to darken too quickly, tent the roast with tin foil.

once the pork has reached an internal temperature of 150 degrees remove from oven and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.   

I served this with roasted cauliflower and mashed potatoes.  

Poule au Pot - Boiled Chicken

The other day my son and I were looking trough Tastespotting and he saw some boiled chicken and asked if I had ever had it.  I told him yes but it has been years since I have made it.  He then asked if I would make it and I thought this meal was a great idea.  I had forgotten how easy this is to make and how yummy it is.  Thank you  DS for the suggestion!

~ Boiled Chicken ~

1 Whole Chicken
1 Onion cut into quarters through the root with skin removed
a bunch of peeled, whole carrots
a few potatoes.  I cut them into quarters because they were kind of big.
2 large bay leaves
a tablespoon of peppercorns
salt and/or soup seasoning with salt
cold water

Wash the chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken to a large pot along with all the other ingredients and cover all with cold water.   Place on stove over low medium heat and cook for about an hour or until chicken is 170 degrees.  while the chicken is cooking skim off any or the foam that floats to the top of the water.  Once chicken is cooked remove it from the pot leaving the potatoes and carrots in the pot because they most likely will not be done yet.  Turn the heat up to medium high and cook the potatoes and carrots until they are tender, about 10 minutes.  While the potatoes and carrots are cooking remove the skin from the chicken and get it ready to serve.

I love meals that only require dumping everything in a pot and letting it simmer for a while so you can go do other things like study.

Pork Sliders from Leftover Carnitas

One of the things that I really enjoyed while in Mexico was Carnitas. Now every once in a while I pick up some pork rump roast or ribs to make my own Carnitas and when I do this there is enough meat for 2 or may even 3 meals.  The last batch was not exception so I made sliders with that pork on day 2.

The sliders were on homemade ciabatta bread  with sliced cabbage, onion, leftover pork, and lots of yellow mustard.  they were a big hit.

To make the Carnitas meat I season to pork with salt and pepper and then brown all sides in a hot pot with a little oil.  Once the meat is brown I add cold water just to cover, a tablespoon of cumin (or more), 2 bay leaves, an onion cut into quarters, a few chilies, garlic, 1 teaspoonish garlic powder and a little more S&P.  Simmer on the stove for a couple of hours, until the meat is tender and falling apart.

Puttanesca - Inspired by Klaus, Violet and Sunny Bouldalare.

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon pepper flacks

1 cup katamala olives

1/2 jar capers (about 1/4 cup)

1 28 oz can chunk tomatoes

1 package whole grain angle hair spaghetti

1 teaspoon oregano

a large bunch fresh basil, cut into ribbons

salt and pepper

**Note: if not careful the dish can get over powered with salt so be sure to rinse the oloves before cutting them up and the capers.

Concord Grapes and Turkey Burgers

I very much love concord grapes and we so happy when I saw them at the store. Being the only one int he house that likes them I was lucky enough not to have to share so I had a little bunch with every meal until they were gone.

This meal was concord grapes with a turkey burger topped with cabbage and of course catchup mustard and relish on a toasted this bun.

Turkey Burgers

1/2 large onion chopped

2 sprays cooking spray

salt

1/4 cup worcheshire sauce

Salt the onions and caramelize in a pan sprayed with cooking spray over low heat. this can take a while but it is well worth it. if the onions get too dry a little water can be added to cook them down and then for the last few moments of browning spray with another spray of cooking spray to help the browning. Once the onions are browned add the worcheshire sauce and let it cook down for about 30 to 60 seconds. Turn off heat and set aside.

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk

place the panko in a small bowl and add the milk, let it set so that the bread sucks up the milk.

1 package ground turkey - about 1.5 pounds

salt

pepper

the panko

the onions

In a large bowl add ground turkey. squeeze any extra milk out of the panko and crumble into the bowl with the turkey. mix in the rest of the ingredients.

with a kitchen scale measure out 4 oz patties of turkey mixture. Place the patties into a hot pan over medium heat that had been sprayed with cooking spray. Do not mess with the patties as they cook or they will start to fall apart, just let them cook until you see that the bottom edges are brown and with a good spatula flip the patties with good aim because once they hip the pan you can not move them until they are done.

Cut some cabbage very thin to top the burgers.

If you are wondering why I added milk soaked panko bread crumbs I can tell you. Panko crumbles up evenly into the turkey better then regular and the milk keeps the burger moist. If you were to try to soak regular bread crumbs in mild it would turn into a dough ball and never evenly distribute into the turkey.

A Simple Lunch

hard boiled egg, smokey pork loin and cucumbers. So simple yet filling and delicious.

Orange Marmalade Pork

I think at one time I saw a recipe with orange marmalade on pork and it stuck in my head. The other day I had some pork loin roast that I cut into 3 to 4 ounce chops. As I looked at them the orange marmalade idea popped into my head again so I got to looking in the cupboards and sure enough there was a jar of orange marmalade so I went to work on a marmalade.

8 3 to 4 ounce pork loin chops, trimmed of fat
8 oz orange marmalade
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flacks
1 tablespoon salt
pepper to taste

put all ingredients in a Ziploc back and marinade over night or for about 8 hours

Heat the grill. pull the pork out of the marinade and put marinade in a pan and reduce. cook pork on the grill basting with the reduced marinade until done (mine took about 4 minutes a side)

I also steamed some broccoli and cut a pineapple into rounds and grilled those also.

If you are watching your weight or food intake the pork was about 2 tablespoons of marinade as 5 zucchinis

General Tso's Chicken

My husband loved General Tso's Chicken. After about a year in Mexico he was really missing General Tso's chicken, we were just unable to find it in Mexico City so I thought it would be nice to make it for him. One of the issue with making it for him was I had never eaten General Tso's Chicken so I really had no idea what I was doing or what it should end up tasting like. I had however seen it on his plate many times and I had smelled it before so I set out to read up on the dish and what people (including my husband) said it tasted like and what the texture of the sauce was like and reading many online recipes on it I moved forward with the following.
3 eggs
1/2 cup cornstarch

minced garlic
minced ginger
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
6 to 10 hot peppers
1 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 to 2 pounds chicken cut into 1 inch pieces
oil for frying

heat the oil in a pan for deep frying. mix the 1/2 cup corn start with 3 beaten eggs. dip the chicken pieces into the batter and deep fry in batches, drain on a paper towel lined plate.

mix together the soy sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch, honey, brown sugar, and rice vinegar.

add 1 tablespoon peanut oil with sesame oil to a hot wok with the chili peppers then add the garlic and ginger, mix into the oil then add the sauce. Cook the sauce until it is thick, then, and this is the tricky part you can add the chicken to the sauce and stir to coat or put the thickened sauce into dipping bowls and dip the chicken into it, that way the breading on the chicken does not get soggy.

My Hubby said that I got the sauce spot on for flavor but the chicken breading did get soggy.

Faux Gumbo

This Dish was a bit of an experiment. I like paella and gumbos and dished similar to that so I thought I would try a faux copy with chicken, plus I found a packet of paella spice I was dieing to try. it turned out very flavorful and the chicken was tender and yummy and the family loved it, that is always a big bonus with a meal.

a package of chicken legs and thighs (how ever many it takes to feed your family)
flour
salt and pepper
oil for browning
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 to 10 mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 to 2 large cans stewed tomatoes with juice
paella packet of seasoning
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
1.5 cups rice


Wash and dry the chicken. Add flour salt and pepper to a shallow bowl. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Once pan is hot add oil. dredge the chicken in the flour and place the chicken in the hot oil (laying away from you). brown the chicken on all sides and remove from pan and set on a plate and set aside. keep the pan on the fire but turn it down to a medium to medium low heat. remove all but 2 tablespoons of the oil.


add into the hot pan the chopped vegetable and cook them covered until they are soft, uncover, turn up the heat a little and saute until there is a little browning on the veggies and add the paste, cook for a few more seconds so that the paste darkens a little.

Return the chicken and all it's juices to the pan and add the tomatoes and seasoning and rice, cover and cook until the rice is done, stirring occasionally. If there is not enough liquid from the tomatoes feel free to add a cup or two of chicken stock, water or even a little white wine.

North African Lamb Stew

A few years ago I tried my first North African dish when I met my fellow food blogger and now good friend Warda over at 64 sq ft Kitchen. She served several wonderful spiced salads (vegetable dished) and a lamb soup called Harira. The Harira was wonderful so wonderful my then 3 year old daughter took the soup from me and ate it up. I have had a few lamb dished at Warda's home and now that I am living in Mexico and I am so far from her I have to try to make these dishes on my own. While mine are not nearly as tasty as Warda's I do think that my ability to cook her Algerian dished are coming along and are in their own right tasty.

For Christmas Eve I wanted to make a lamb dish, I wanted something hardy but flavorful like Warda would make so I followed two of her recipes to come up with a lamb (mutton) stew where I combined her Harira recipe and her Lamb and Vegetable Stew recipe and came up with a great and flavorful dish of my own.


2 pounds boned lamb leg or shoulder
4 onions, halved and each stuck with a clove
5 carrots, quartered
4 potatoes, quartered
4 zucchini, quartered
3 stalks celery, cut into 4 sections each
2 large tomatoes, quartered
2 cups chickpeas
5 to 8 cups water or stock
Cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cumin
one bunch cilantro, tied
2 tablespoons tomato paste
a pinch saffron
salt and pepper
oil

Cut the lamb into large chunks and brown in a hot pan with some oil. once the meat is brown add in the tomato paste and stir. Add in the vegetables and spices and stir then add in the the water then the rest of the ingredients except the chickpeas. cook stirring occasionally until the carrots are tender, about an hour, adding the chickpeas and removing the cilantro bunch in the last 15 minutes of cooking. I served this with couscous that I made following Warda's directions but with a makeshift couscous steaming pot and pita bread.

Game Hens

As the kids get older I have noticed that they are eating a lot more. A year ago DD would eat one chicken leg and DS would eat maybe a bit of a chicken leg (he has never been a big meat eater). In the last few months one roasted chicken would disappear and they would be asking for more.

One day while shopping I notice the Game hens and realized it had been years since I had made then and I also thought the kids would get a kick out of having their own little chicken. The kids did get a kick out of it and they loved the slight gaminess of the bird.

Herd Roasted Game Hens
4 game hens
a few bunches each of fresh time and rosemary
several cloves garlic
onion
lime or lemon
salt
pepper
olive oil

rinse the hens and pat dry
preheat over to about 400 - 425F
season the inside of the birds with salt and pepper
stuff inside the bird little bits of everything else
put more of your onion and herbs in a roasting dish
place the hens on the herbs
season the outside of the hens with salt pepper and a little olive oil

roast for about 45 minutes or until done

give each little person a little chicken.

Note: it did get a little messy

It's Getting Chili

I have never been good at making chili and to tell the truth unless it is just "right" I don't really like chili. The other day I was watching some videos on a site like health.com or cookinglight.com for some lite meal inspiration and one of the videos was chili and it sounded good. I figured if they can make a light chili sound good I had to try it. It turned out great! Of course I did my own version but still yum yum. The only issue I now have with it is I can't find good old American chili powder here in Mexico. My mother is mailing me some but I don't expect to see it until Halloween.
2 thick slices nice smoky bacon, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
10 ounces lean beef
5 ounces ground chicken (this is what I can find at teh stores here)
minced garlic, 2 cloves
1 bottle beer
15 oz can stewed tomatoes with juice, break the tomatoes up with a spoon (or your by squeezing with your hand)
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked chipotle powder
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
pepper
can black beans drained and rinsed (or what ever bean you like)


Brown bacon in a deep pot, once brown add in the onions and cover and let cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. add into the pot the garlic and ground meat and let it brown. Once the meat is brown add in the beer and cook until it evaporates and the meat is really cooked down, about 10 minutes. add in the rest of the ingredients except the beans, cover and cook for about 30 minutes. add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes.

Server with Cornbread

Chicken in a Cream Wine Sauce over Fettuccine

Chicken breasts, thin. get scallopini at the store or cut it yourself.
flour
salt
pepper
oil
mixed mushrooms (portobello , oyster, and button)
good white wine
cream
1 clove minced garlic
parsley
fettuccine

clean and slice mushrooms, set aside. mix a good amount of salt and pepper in a cup of flour. Set a large pan of water to boil for pasta.

Once water is boiling add pasta.

Heat a frying pan (I use cast iron) with vegetable oil. Dredge the chicken in the flour and when oil is hot (looks like it ripples in the pan) lay the floured chicken in the oil. As you lay the chicken in the oik place the chicken in the edge of the pan closest to you and and down away from you to avoid getting burned.

Brown the chicken on both sides (being sure it is done through but not over cooked). set the cooked chicken on a plate and set aside.

Drain the oil from the pan but do not clean off all the drippings in the pan. add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan and the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms the way you like them, personally I like them browned. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and add them to the chicken.

pour 1 cup wine in the hot pan and let it cook down while scrapping the bits up into the sauce. If sauce is looking too dry add more wine or water but you have to be sure the wine cooks a little to get the alcohol taste out. add the cream a half cup to a cut, you be the judge.

Once sauce comes up to just a boil add in the mushrooms and chicken to coat and heat up, finish with chopped parsley and serve with fettuccine.

Daring Cooks Challenge Number Dos

As always I am a day late and a dollar short. today is the second daring cook post date and I am whipping up pot stickers on posting day. I was worried that this was going to be a very involved long process to make pot stickers but they came together very fast and I had fun doing them with my 3 year old son. I made the dough and he kneaded while I put the filling together. then I kneaded the dough a little more for good measure.

Once the dough sat for 15- 20 minutes I cut it into little 1 inch square pieces and Luka rolled them out while I filled them. Filling 3 year old rolled, not so round, pot sticker dough is a bit of a challenge. But towards the end he had is down, making perfect little round rounds to be filled.

I chose to fry them as that is the usual method when I buy them from the store. And everyone enjoyed eating them. I would have gotten a cross section photo but Luka ate them so fast that I did not have a chance to get the camera out for that.

I was not able to follow the exact recipe given in the challenge because here in Mexico City all ingredients are available some of the time they are never ready at a whim. Napa cabbage and shitake mushrooms were nowhere to be found so I left out the mushrooms and replaced the napa with regular green cabbage.

I chopped the green onion (they were a little large) and the cabbage, sauteed them in a pan until they were soft. place in a bowl and added, chopped water chestnuts (bamboo shoots being another no find item) garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, corn starch and once cool the ground pork.

I will make these often not that I know how easy and delicious they are.

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

pork filling:

1 lb (450g) ground pork
4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced
1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced
3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce
2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (113g) warm water
flour for worksurface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in post for how to fold pleats). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

To freeze: Assemble dumplings on a baking sheet so they are not touching. It helps to rub the base of the dumpling in a little flour before setting on the baking sheet for ease of release. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Filling:
1 head bib or iceberg lettuce or any lettuce that will hold up as a wrap
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 medium carrot
6 medium button mushrooms
1 small zucchini
one can water chestnuts
2-3 green onions
1/4 cut chopped peanuts
peanut oil
sesame oil

Sauce
1 tablespoon minced ginger
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon pepper flakes, if you like it hotter.

dice the chicken into small (1/8th inch) cubes, place in a bowl and add a few dashes of soy sauce, a tablespoon of corn starch, stir and set aside. cut the carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, and water chestnuts into little cubes and put each in its own little bowl. Cut the green onion into little rounds like you would for any other Asian dish... you know just slice it and set aside.

mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Carefully pull the leaves off the head of lettuce and wash in cold water. dry the lettuce leaves and store in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that cold lettuce is crunchy and the filling will be hot and you looking for the contrast. I think keeping the lettuce very cold and adding the filling just before eating will give the best results.

Place a heavy bottomed pan or wok over high heat for about a minutes add about 2 to 3 tablespoons peanut oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil and let it heat until the oil starts to ripple. Add in half of the chicken quickly stir it around and once it is browned all over remove and set aside in a clean bowl. Repeat with second half of chicken. Add another tablespoon of peanut oil and a tablespoon of sesame oil into the hot empty pan and add the carrots. cook stirring for about a minute then add the mushrooms, cook for another minute to 2 minutes and then add the zucchini and water chestnuts then add in the cooked chicken and sauce and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute or until the sauce thickens a little add the green onion and peanuts and serve.

This dish was a huge hit with the family. it was a little difficult to get the kids to try it because they thought it looked bad. But once they took a bite they could not get enough. Next time I make it I will have to double the batch.

if you would like to keep this vegetarian I think that little cubes of tofu could easily replace the chicken and I do plan to try it that way next week when I make this dish again. I am also thinking celery would be a nice element too.

Chicken Flautas

These were one of the first big hits with the kids after we moved to Mexico. Flautas are very common here and they are also fairly easy to make, that is if you pick up the fresh corn tortillas from the store that is. Trust me 8 pesos for 50 warm tortillas is a steal.You will need:
1 chicken breast
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
cumin
salt and pepper
corn tortillas
vegetable oil
sour cream
salsa Verde
lettuce
Chilies (optional)

To make the chicken filling:
in a medium sauce pan add chicken and enough water to cover and boil chicken until done, about 25 minutes. lay chicken on a cutting board and shred into little pieces with to forks. Set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat saute onions in 1 tablespoon oil until translucent. add in reserved chicken and diced tomatoes and cook until tomatoes break down, add in the cumin salt and pepper. If you like spicy or your not feeding little ones feel free to add some chillies or jalapenos the chicken mixture. Set mixture aside.

in a large deep skillet fill half way with oil and heat.

The Tortilla:
To be able to roll the tortillas they need to be heated or they will break and crack on you. I heat a pan of water and put my spatter cover over the pan and set the tortillas on that so they heat enough to roll but no too hot or too wet. I have read that you can put the tortillas in the hot oil for a few minutes to heat them but I feel that why add another step of oil to the meal and I would rather not mess with hot oil that much with kids around. I mean I am already deep frying them as it is.

Wrap and Fry:
take a warm tortilla and add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling in and wrap as tight as you can into a cigar. place the cigar in the hot oil seam side down so that it will not unroll. when that side is done I turn with a pair of tongs and cook the other side. I give each side 2 to 3 minutes or until they are nice a crisp and light brown.

once the flautas are done they can be covered in either salsa verde and lettuce, sour cream and lettuce or just go crazy and cover with all of it, that is how I like it.

these are now one of the foods that we have to make about once a week and I make a large batch of filling and freeze it so that it is super quick and easy to make.

No Gas but Lotsa Tacos

On the way to Toluca from Santa Fe to get furniture, while going over the mountain we ran out of gas. Hey, I was not the one driving and.........apparently in a Nissan Tiida when the light comes on telling you are getting low on gas you are not low you are out and have about 1.3 miles to find a gas station. Did I mention we were driving over a mountain and gas stations are scarce in the mountains. The lucky thing was we had just crossed; therefore, we could coast a long way...did I tell you that gas stations are scarce in the Mountains, but food stands are not.

We were able to coast to a nice little row of taco stands. you can get tacos, quasadillas, bread, soda (they drink a LOT of soda here) and fried eggs.

So While the driver (who will remain unnamed) hunted down a taxi to take him (or her) another 3k to the gas station and back the kids and I got cozy at the Taco stand and had ourselves some taco.

So far I have found that all taco stands offer the same assortment of fillings. Chorizo, green chorizo, mushrooms, mashed potato, pulled pork, peppers and onion, some kind of greens, a cheese and peppers mixture (much like ricotta cheese) thin slices of what I think is beef, queso (cheese) and a few other I am not sure about. At some locations these mixtures can be cry or wet some looked dried out and some fresh. you can guess we went with dry and fresh. No gut rot here!

All these taco stand make blue corn tortillas ( I have to say I like them much better then the yellow corn tortillas). I have tried cheese, pulled pork and cheese, chorizo both red and green. We have had them as quesadillas and tacos where tacos are topped with cactus leaves (they are yummy) avocado a little cheese with a lime on the side and a red or greed salsa. Yum yum yum.

we have also had tacos at a few other stand and I have included those photos in this post too.

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna - Daring Bakers March 2009 Challenge

ok, I know that I have been missing in action on the Daring Baker circuit for far too long. I have good reason though, we moved. We did not just find a new house we moved from Detroit Michigan to Mexico City. Moving to a new country takes a lot of time, effort and focus leaving very little time for such things as the monthly Daring Baker Challenges.

I am happy to be back this month with Lasagna. Yes The month of March was dedicated, in the Daring Baker world, to Lasagna made with fresh pasta, regu and bechamel. To tell the truth this is very close to the Lasagna that I make on a regular basis so there was not a lot new for me but it was still very fun. One new thing was making spinach pasta by hand. I have made pasta lots of times but always in my KitchenAid, sadly my kitchenaid is taking a vacation in a storage unit in Michigan so my little man Luka and I had ourselves an afternoon of kneading green dough and taking photos...and, well, having a blast.

I made my own standard ragu because I could not bear the idea of going to the market and trying to figure out how to tell the butcher that I need veal shoulder, pork loin, and beef chuck steak all ground up. No Hablo Español here, at least not yet.

My Ragu

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot grated
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
28 oz crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

In a medium to large sauce pan over medium low heat add olive oil and onions, slowly cook onions until they are light brown and very sweet.
Add the ground beef to brown. As the beef is browning break it up into little pieces with a spoon. When the been if about half browned add the carrot.

once the beef is brown move it to one side of the pan and add the garlic and tomato paste to the cleared area in pan. cook until the paste develops a dark color, maybe about 1 minute then add the tomatoes and water (use the water to rinse the rest of the tomato sauce out of the jar). use the tomatoes and water to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

cook the sauce for about 5 minutes then add the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and cook for another 10 minutes. Taste to be sure that the sour, sweet salt in the sauce is balanced. At times, if the onions or carrots are not very sweet, a teaspoon of sugar may be added to the sauce to offset the acid of the tomatoes.

this was the Regu that was posted for the Daring Bakers. I am very happy that there was an option to create our own sauce, as mentioned before...

Country Style Ragu’ (Ragu alla Contadina)

Preparation Time: Ingredient Preparation Time 30 minutes and Cooking time 2 hours

Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (45 mL)
2 ounces/60g pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced
1 small carrot, minced
4 ounces/125g boneless veal shoulder or round
4 ounces/125g pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces/125g mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)
8 ounces/250g beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference)
1 ounce/30g thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
2/3 cup (5 ounces/160ml) dry red wine
1 &1/2 cups (12 ounces/375ml) chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
2 cups (16 ounces/500ml) milk
3 canned plum tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Working Ahead:
The ragu can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. It also freezes well for up to 1 month. Skim the fat from the ragu’ before using it.

Browning the Ragu Base:
Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch (30cm) skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together, including the prosciutto, in a food processor or meat grinder. Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. Turn them into the saucepan and set over medium heat.

Reducing and Simmering: Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside.

Stir ½ cup stock into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup stock. Stir in the last 1/2 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.

Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

Ok I will let you catch your breath now..........

Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:

Equipment

A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.

A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.

A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.
Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.

Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.

A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.

Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.

Mixing the dough:
Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading:
With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning:
If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

Bechamel

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
2&2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time

10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)#1
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)#2
1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)#3
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Method
Working Ahead:
The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of bé

chamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Assembling the Ingredients:
Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Oil or butter a 3 quart (approx 3 litre) shallow baking dish.

Cooking the Pasta:
Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Assembling the Lasagne:

Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.

Baking and Serving the Lasagne:
Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely

tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

Thank you to Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge for hosting this month