Sunday, December 25, 2011

Salsa Verde hot or not

Finding good tomatillos in the Big Easy is NOT so easy! So when I find those little suckers I whip up a jar of the green goodness that lasts about 3 days in this house. This sauce can be eaten with anything. We enjoy it with eggs, enchiladas, chips, anything that can use some flava! Its vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free.

You need:
1 lbs tomatillos
2-3 serrano peppers
1 large white onion
1.5 cup vegetable broth
1 large clove garlic minced
Juice of one lime
One Bunch of cilantro
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Large pot
Blender


Fill your large pot with about quart of water and place tomatillos (husk removed) into the water
Boil these little guys for a about 10-14 mins. They will start off this bright green color and when ready they will be a light army green. Spoon them out of the water set aside.
I have a gas stove so I roast my peppers over flame till they are charred. I do this while boiling my tomatillos they take about the same time.

(I CAREFULLY de-seed them  according to how hot I want the sauce. Normally I'll use one seeded pepper for a whole batch but peppers are tricky depending on season and where you get them they can be HOT HOT HOT even with out the seeds.)






Mince your garlic, Chop onion into small chunks. Set other half of onion aside. Juice your lime, Chop half the bunch of cilantro. Measure out the broth.


In a blender add all your saucy ingredients and blend on chop or a low setting Till everything is the texture you like.Add salt and pepper, taste it with a chip.

In a pot add your sauce and the other half of the onion and simmer for 10 mins. This will marry all the flavors together, and can make the sauce HOTTER, so if the sauce is hot enough DO NOT cook it.
Cooking the sauce can make it  thicker so if you like your sauce loose add more broth. Use the rest of chopped cilantro as garnish.


enchiladas verdes

 WANT A COOL FRESH SAUCE WITH HEALTHY FATS?
 Add half an Avocado, a pinch more cilantro, and a little more lime juice to 1 1/2 cups of sauce........WOW you have a fresh addictive creamy sauce you can eat with chips, toss pasta in, or dip veggies in.


Sunday, December 18, 2011

Pão de Queijo/Brazilian Yuca bread/ Evil balls of Goodness

I had these little devils in Austin at a Rio Brazilian restaurant. They came in three lightly crispy flavors basil, roasted red pepper, and plain. For dipping was a malagueta sauce which is a sweet and spicy almost creamy sauce that is indescribably perfect. I searched the net for recipes and found one @ http://www.laylita.com. So here you go. Enjoy them with people since they bring everyone to the kitchen as if you were doing the samba at carnival in a tiny bikini!


2 ½ cups yuca flour(tapicoa starch)
4 cups grated mozzarella cheese(or mexican blend or cheddar)
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 stick of butter, room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs
Parchment paper
cookie sheet


Preheat oven to 500
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper

Make sure your cheese eggs and butter are really room temp. Its make it easier to knead together

Pour out your flour add salt baking powder on a large cutting board or clean flat surface. 
 Add an egg to the flour then a 2 cups of cheese
 Add 3-4 pieces of butter
 Knead is all together

The texture should be pretty flaky and not dough like I'll post pics soon

Add the next egg and rest of cheese and butter
Keep kneading and mushing dough together

You will find after about 5 minutes you get a ball of smooth almost play-dough textured dough
 Make little balls and place on cookie sheet 
Bake for 5-7 mins till little golden spots are on top of the bread
Eat immediately...... ok maybe not right away cool or a minute then devour.  

Ive also put pieces of pepperoni in these little guys, red pepper flakes, roasted jalapenos flavor them how you like. Its cheese you cant mess it up.
 






Thursday, December 15, 2011

Pozole, an Abita beer, and the Mexican girl in New Orleans

Oh Louisiana you're killing me! It was so humid today I had to dry myself with a damp towel. AGH! If its not obvious to anyone I know, I miss Texas. I would like to be cuddled up watching movies with a bowl of caldo and a diet big red. This is my first holiday away from the familia :(. So I decided to make some comfort food. Pozole is a pork and hominy soup that my family never made but I liked since it wasn't as fatty as menudo. I searched for recipes all over and combined a few since not one really stuck out to me.  I played some Micheal Salgado as loud as I could, danced around and got to cooking.

1 lb pork tenderloin cubed
1/2 large white onion cubed
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin(maybe a little more if you like cumin)
almost 1 table spoon oregano
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 can of white hominy
1(32oz) box of beef broth( i used kitchen basics unsalted)
2 cups chicken broth
2-3dried guajillo chiles( fiesta brand California chiles, they are mild and don't have a lot of heat)


Garnish with
Red cabbage
Red onions
Avacado
Clintro
fresh squeezed Lemon or Lime juice
Makes 6-8 servings

Ok my dears. Here we go!
Take the chiles and boil them in med high for about ten mins in about 4-6cups of water

Cut up your garlic and onion set aside
Cube your tenderlion
Heat a pan with a little olive oil
Season your pork with salt and pepper
Cook in pan till pork is cooked through

Remove chiles from water. toss the water
Chop the tops off chiles rinse out the seeds( don't scrape)
Places chiles in blender with 2 cups of beef broth
Turn on and blend away till a red frothy liquid forms
pour into a large cooking pot
add in pork

Open can of homany rinse and add to pot
add rest of broth onion garlic and spices
taste.
(I added a dash more pepper cumin and salt after i cooked it for 20 mins then maybe a 1/2 cup of water just to give a little more broth. )
Cover and Let simmer on med low for an hour.
The house should smell like a Mexican restaurant.

Warm corn tortillas, slice red onions, cabbage, avocado, lemon/limes, cilantro

Open up your pot after an hour and bam!!!get smacked in the face with the smell of  abulitas kitchen on a rainy day.
Serve in a bowl  and dress up with your sides.

 hope someone enjoys this recipe and leaves a comment. Questions email me:P