December 24, 2011: New Mexican Chalupas Recipe

Here’s another perfect winter dish that feeds a lot of people and fills them up quickly. The best part about this recipe is that you can throw the ingredients together in the morning and let it cook all day long, until the meat and beans are melt-in-your-mouth tender. Served with a salad and flour tortillas, it’s a complete meal with little fuss and muss.

Chalupas

One 3-pound pork roast (any variety; even tough cuts become tender)

1 T. vegetable oil

1 small white or yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. oregano

1 T. ground cumin

1 t. salt

1 16-ounce can tomatoes

2 14-ounce cans chicken broth

2 small cans green chiles (or 1 cup fresh/frozen chiles, diced)

1 pound dry pinto beans, rinsed

¼ t. powdered red chile

6 quarts water

Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, black olives and salsa for garnish (any or all optional)

Trim and discard excess fat from pork. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven to medium; add pork and brown on all sides. Add onion and garlic and sauté for a couple minutes. Add remaining ingredients (up to garnishes). Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 6 hours, stirring often (you can also placed the covered pot in a low oven for the same amount of time).

Before serving, remove pork roast and shred into bite-size pieces. Return to pot. Spoon pork mixture onto tostada shells and top with garnishes, or serve with flour tortillas or corn chips on the side.

Serves 12 – 16

November 11, 2011: Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Who doesn’t love spaghetti? Spaghetti, with or without meatballs, is a old-time favorite with families everywhere. And what’s not to like? It’s a dish that’s filled with the good homey flavors of garlic and tomatoes, it’s an economical dish, and it’s easy to make a large quantity to feed lots of hungry diners.

Next time you make spaghetti, try making it in a pie plate or quiche pan instead of serving the usual way and see what your family thinks.

Spaghetti Pie

6 ounces spaghetti

2 T. butter

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. dried parsley

1 eggs, well beaten

1 cup cottage cheese (optional)

½ lb. lean ground beef

½ lb. pork sausage

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped Bell pepper

1 8-ounce can tomatoes, chopped

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 t. sugar

1 t. dried oregano

½ t. garlic salt

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Sir butter into hot spaghetti; add Parmesan cheese, parsley and eggs. Spread spaghetti mixture in bottom and up the sides of greased 10-inch pie plate or quiche pan to form crust. Spread cottage cheese, if using, over the top of the spaghetti crust.

In skillet, cook ground beef and pork sausage until browned. Drain; add onion and peppers and cook an additional two minutes, until vegetables are softened. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and spices; heat through.

Spread meat mixture over prepared spaghetti crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes longer, until cheese I s melted.

Serves 6

August 20, 2011: Short Ribs in Molé Sauce Recipe

Okay, I have to admit it – I watch the Food Network and shows about food (absolutely anything with Gordon Ramsey) in order to get new ideas for dishes I make. Sure I’m pretty good at putting ingredients together but sometimes even I need a little something to stir my creative juices.

Such is the case with the following recipe. I watched the finale of Master Chef Tuesday night and Adrien made a similar dish. It sounded really good so I pulled out my The Spicy Food Lover’s Bible cookbook to get a general idea of how to make the molé sauce and went from there. I made some pretty big changes but I think it came out really tasty. Try it and tell me what you think!

Pork Short Ribs in Molé Sauce

2 pounds pork short ribs

1 T. vegetable oil

Heat a slow cooker to high. Add the oil and the ribs. Brown on both sides (or use a saucepan on the stove if your slow cooker doesn’t have a high enough temperature).

My mortar and pestle (it has a puppy face on the front!) made out of volcanic rock from Mexico.

Molé Sauce

1 T. Especias Mixtas (this is a Mexican spice blend that contains mustard seed, cumin seed, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cloves, allspice, bay leaves and dried red chiles)

1 T. sesame seeds

2 T. roasted pumpkin seeds

½ t. cinnamon

2 cloves garlic

½ medium-sized white or yellow onion

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

2 T. craisins

¼ cup hot red chile powder

2 canned chiles in adobo sauce + 1 t. adobo sauce

1 (14.5 ouce) tomatoes with green chiles

1/3 cup chicken stock

1 bay leaf

Combine the Especias Mixtas, sesame seeds, and pumpkins seeds in a mortar or spice grinder; crush into a coarse powder. Add this to the bowl of a food processor and process by itself, if necessary, to break up any remaining large chunks. Add the cinnamon, garlic, onion, and chocolate and process until crumbled. Add the chile powder, adobo chiles, adobo sauce, tomatoes, and chicken stock. Process until fairly smooth. Pass through a sieve, if desired, for a smoother sauce.

Pour half the sauce over the ribs in the slow cooker and add the bay leaf. Cook on low to medium-low heat for six hours, until pork is tender.

Serves 3 – 4

Tip: Use the leftover molé sauce to make enchiladas, thinning with a bit of chicken stock, if necessary.

May 20, 2011: Guest Post Bachelor Chili Recipe

Today I welcome fellow writer, cook, and guest poster, AJ Best. She shares with us a recipe she calls Bachelor Chili. Take it away AJ!

I, for the most part, am lazy. If there is a cheap or easier way to do something, I’m going to do it. This is especially true when it comes to cooking. I love to cook, and eat, but I don’t want to spend an eternity doing it.

I developed this chili with myself in mind, and when telling people about it realized that it was so easy even a man could do it. You have to understand my dealings with male cooks, never good. My first husband burned Jello.

So I say:

If you can brown meat, open a can, and a jar, you too can make chili.

A guy could cook this for a date and really impress her. Here we go!

1 pound ground meat (go crazy with this beef, venison, chicken, turkey, bison, etc.)
2 12oz cans of kidney beans (white, red, or dark red) DO NOT DRAIN
1 16 oz jar of salsa (you decide heat level, mild, medium, hot)
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes

In a stock pot at medium high heat, brown your meat of choice until it is brown throughout. Drain off excess fat, return to pot. Reduce heat to simmer. Add full UN-DRAINED cans of kidney beans, and tomatoes, stir. Add jar of salsa to pot to complete meal.

This can be eaten as soon as it is warmed through, or you can let it simmer for a couple of hours to allow it to soak the flavor into the beans more. Add cheese or sour cream to taste.

See, even a bachelor could cook this. Do you have an easy recipe you would like to share with me?


AJ Best
www.ajbestwrites.com
ajbestwrites@gmail.com
A touch of real life in every story.

May 11, 2011: Red Ham and White Beans Recipe

Did you save the bone from your Easter ham? Now is the perfect time to use it – or at least I thought so since the weather has been rather crummy, cool and windy. Yesterday was a good day for a hot meal and this recipe fit the bill perfectly. It cooked most of the day on a slow simmer, making the house smell great, and my husband and I both enjoyed a hot bowl of this stew-y concoction plus the last of the leftover bolillos.

Red Ham and White Beans

½ pound bacon, cut into small pieces
1 medium-sized white or yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ham bone
1 can peeled, diced tomatoes (14.5 – 16 ounces)
1 large container chicken broth (32 ounces)
1 pound dry, small white beans, picked over and rinsed
2 cups water
2 t. oregano
2 t. cumin
2 t. garlic salt
1 t. cayenne pepper (or less if you don't want a very spicy dish)

Simmering on the stove

In a large Dutch oven, fry the bacon pieces over medium heat until partially cooked. Add the onion and garlic, cooking until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 4 to 5 hours, until beans are soft. Remove the ham bone with a slotted spoon; cool. Remove any pieces of ham, dice if necessary, and add them back to the bean pot.

Serves 12 – 16.