Russian Peroshki

I had a hankering for some Russian food the other day and it's been awhile since I posted much of anything on the recipe blog so I snapped some pictures for you. Peroshki are meat filled pockets wrapped in a dough and deep fried. There are also ones that are baked which are probably less fattening, but I prefer the fried kind since that was the kind my mother always made for us.

You will need the following:

1 lb of 80/20 hamburger meat
4 hard-boiled eggs chopped fine
1 large onion sauteed until translucent
1 large handful of fresh dill, chopped fine
salt and pepper
bread dough (Pillsbury's hot roll mix, 1 box)

Start by sauteing the onion, add the hamburger and cook until all the clumps are separated, add the chopped egg, mix to combine, add the dill and salt and pepper to taste.
Tilt the saute pan and bunch up the meat to one side to allow to drain, remove drained meat and let cool for at least 2 hours, while dough is rising.

To make the dough you have several options. I like to use a yeast dough. You can use any white bread recipe if you like, you can even use a bread machine to make the dough up to the baking process.
If you use the prepackaged Pillsbury dough, or hand made bread down, mix and let rise. Once risen, plop down the dough onto a floured surface and divide in half. Place half into bowl with plastic on top to keep from drying out while you make the first batch of Peroshki.

Go ahead and roll out the dough to the thickness of about 1/8 or less. You will need to find something round to cut the dough into rounds. Something about 5 or 6 inches across will do fine. Something like a old juice can, ( the kind grapefruit juice use to come in before plastics) or a wide cookie cutter, etc.
Cut about 4 or 5 rounds then take one round place in your hand , you can stretch it if you like, it should be quite stretchable, be careful not to pull it too much or you will open up holes in the dough disk. Then with a 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup metal round scoop, scoop out the cooled meat and place into the middle of the dough pocket. The pull the edges up and over and pinch them together. Be careful not to include any of the filling or else the dough will not pinch close and will open when you fry it.

Take the ends pinch the dough and fold over about 1/2 inch on each end.
Put on floured tray until ready to fry.
Once your oil is ready, carefully place each Peroshki seam side down into the hot oil. You should be able to get 4 or 5 in the pan at the same time. Cook until they are dark golden brown the color of coffee. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Serve hot or warm, you also after they cool, freeze them for later , zap in microwave if frozen for about a minute or so, and they will come back almost as good as fresh.



The trick is to make the dough as think as possible without having it break open, I have seen some Russian bakeries make the dough so thick that you only get about a tablespoon full of meat. That's way too much dough.

Brased Rabbit with prunes, apples, etc

Well as a byproduct of growing several various crops throughout the year we get dinner now and then.
In the last month we have had the privilege of fresh rabbit. Our caretaker has knocked on our back door twice in the last month and handed over a nice cleaned and dressed rabbit.

Cut up fresh ranch rabbit

Last time there I didn't notice any holes in the flesh, (must have been a head shot) but this time there were a couple of penetrations on the hind quarter, I double checked to see that there were no pellets imbedded in the meat.
Well anyway, this recipe is simple and quick and if you are lucky enough to get a rabbit you can try this version.

Stuff that you will need;

Stuff you will toss into the pan

Couple of tart apples, cut into small wedges
Dozen or so, dried prunes
Juice from two oranges
2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
1 tbs hers de provance
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 cup of decent white wine


Wash and cut up the rabbit into piece, dry with paper towel, salt and pepper. Meanwhile in a 12 inch skillet put 1 TBS of olive oil to medium heat. Put the season rabbit pieces into the pan, and brown on all sides.

Browned rabbit pieces (5 minutes a side)

Once browned, add the apples, prunes, onion, garlic, herbs. add the wine and cover.
Put on medium to small flame.
After about 20 minutes, take the pieces out and turn them over.
Cook for another 45 minutes until tender.

Serve with while rice, after removing the rabbit from the skillet you can use an immersion blender puree the ingredients to make a sauce if you wish or simple use the pan drippings and softened fruit as the accompaniment.

Tossed in pan, add wine , cover and cook

Mussels, garlic linguine with white wine and chiles

One item that is hard to find in Patzcuaro is fresh mussels, so each time I get my hands on fresh sea food like clams or mussels I always will buys some.
Here is a very simple but tasty recipe you can toss together in less than 20 minutes.
You could also add chopped Italian Panchetta or even Chorizo to add additional flavors.

Linguine with Mussels, Garlic and Chilies

Yield: 4 servings as a main pasta course

• 1 pound linguine
• 1 large shallot onion, finely minced
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 5 or 6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red chilies
• 1 to 2 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed and rinsed and de-bearded
  
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped, to yield 1/4 cup

Bring six quarts of water to boil and add 3 tablespoons salt.

In a large sauté pan, sauté red onion, celery and garlic over medium heat until onion is very soft and onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Put the garlic in first and be careful not to burn it with excessive heat because it will make the garlic bitter. Bitter is bad......

Add hot chilies, mussels, white wine and butter and bring to a cover. Cook until all mussels have opened, and then set aside.Usually about 3 minutes or less. Do not overcook because the mussels will become rubbery and tough.

Boil linguine according to package instructions. While softened but still firm ( al dente), drain in colander over sink and toss into plan with mussels and stir gently to mix. This will finish cooking the pasta and infuse the sauce into the pasta. This should still be a little broth-like. Add chopped parsley, pour into warm serving bowl and serve.

Easy Leftover Chicken Salad

Ok, so what do you do with leftover chicken? You can make some tacos or perhaps mix it in your scrambled eggs, but from time to time I make a chopped salad, and today It felt like it was about time to do one.
You really can use a lot of leftovers, two nights ago I made chicken and green beans, so both of those went into the salad.



First the dressing.

Into a small food processor toss in a half of a Granny Smith Apple and puree.
Add,
3tbs cider vinegar
3 tbs H2O
2tbs Marsala or dry sherry
1 1/2 tea seasoning salt
1 tea sugar
1/2 tea paprika Hungarian is best
1/4 tea garlic powder
2 tea Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tea Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil, drizzle in while the processor is working.


This is the basic vinaigrette dressing I used today, sometimes I will add honey instead of sugar, and change the vinegar for maybe a raspberry one.....

For the salad take and chop into 1/4 or dice:

1/2 red bell pepper (seeded of course)
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/4 of red onion, place the chopped onion in water for 15 minutes first to remove the heat then drain and dry with a paper towel
1/3 cup green beans chopped to 1/2 inch
1 cup, left over chicken chopped into 1/2 cubes
1 head of romaine lettuce with outer leaves removed, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 chopped jicama 1/4 inch dice
2 hard boiled eggs

Toss in large bowl add about 1/3 cup dressing or as you like, serve with a chopped hard boiled egg on top

Fast and Easy Lemon Chicken

Photo before sliding it into a 400 degree oven.

I haven't been posting lately just because I am lazy. Half way through making something I finally tell myself I should have shot some photos and written it down....so today I did that.

This is easy because there is little prep, you toss the pan in the oven and come back in 30 to 40 minutes, plate and eat. My kind of dinner prep nowadays, I only do long complex dinners when guests come which is not as often as it use to be.....

Smash and chop fine one head of garlic, add 1/4 cup of good olive oil, let the garlic sweat for about 2 minutes, on very low heat. Add the herbs, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper, wine and let seat for about 5 more minutes on low heat.
Wash Chicken breasts, and remove any excess fat or skin, pat dry with a paper towel. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or about 225 Celsius.
Take the chicken and put into the pan, with a large spoon spoon the sauce over the chicken, toss the used up lemons into the pan, slide it into the oven.....

After 30 minutes check and see , the skin should be crispy, you can either stick a instant read thermometer and see for 155 of 160, or by touch.
Remove and tent with foil while you make the other stuff .

Tonight I made some plain Jasmine rice and steamed Green beans which were tossed with a little butter and salt.
To plate, put about a 1/2 cup of rice in the middle of the plate, place the chicken breast on top, spoon some of the olive oil sauce from the pan onto the rice....

Stuff you will need:
2 or 3 Chicken breasts, with the ribs removed. Remove excess fat or skin
1/4 cup olive oil
1 whole head of garlic, paper removed, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 tea fresh ground pepper
1/4 tea red pepper flakes
Juice of 2 lemons
zest of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Yes I know there is a thigh and leg in there....you can use all the parts of the chicken if you like!

Crusty Chicken Thighs with huitlacoche sauce

My wife doesn't doesn't like chicken too much, but if she has it she desires to have it crusty. An easy way to have crusty skin is do it on a rotisserie. That's a lot of work, sticking it on the spit etc, for a weekday dinner.

This recipe will have you super crunchy crispy skin and great taste since it uses the more moist thighs. It only takes about 20 minutes and is pretty easy, not too many items so it's something I do once every month or so.

The neat thing is that you cook this in a skillet, skin side down so the end result is a crisp, dry and nicely browned skin.

You can make any sauce or gravy for it if you like, this one is using the special fungus that grows on ears of corn. It has a mild taste and has some similarities to truffles, kind of an earthy hint.

Preparing the chicken

Take the chicken thighs and with a sharp paring knife trip any excess skin that is not directly under the meat. The take and cut meat off each side of the bone, so what you have left is the meat on one side with bone in the middle without any meat on the top or sides of the bone. So when finished you will have the thigh opened, skin side down, and the meat separated from the bone all around the bone except for the side that is on the bottom. This method leaves the bone for flavor and flattens out the meat for more even cooking. Otherwise the thigh would be too thick and not cook in 15 minutes.
You can watch a video of the chicken trimming away from the bone here.
(Hey it is my first attempt at video)

Dust the thighs with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper . ( both sides)
Preheat a non stick skillet to medium high.
Place the thighs on the skillet skin side down. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to medium.
Check the thighs after about 8 or 9 minutes , you should see signs of browning on the skin side. Do not turn the thighs. Leave them on the skin side, cover and cook for another 8 or 9 minutes.
If the browning is getting too dark after 8 or 9 minutes reduce the heat some more to low, cover and continue to cook for another 8 minutes or so.
At about 18 minutes remove the chicken and put in a warm oven, place the skin side up on a plate, do not cover, otherwise the chicken skin will soften.
(You don't want soften chicken skin)
Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan, toss in the onion, garlic and huitlacoche , and sauté over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper, about 1/4 teaspoon each, and the wine. If there are any juices on the plate in the oven from the resting chicken, add them to the juice, stir once more, on high heat to reduce to sauce consistency.

Plate the thighs and top the thighs wtih the sauce and serve.

Stuff you will need:

4 to 6 chicken thighs with skin on
salt
pepper
1 cup diced white onion
1.5 tbs finely chopped garlic
2 cups huitlacoche (can find in Mexican mercado and also available in a can in Mexican stores
1/3 dry white wine
1/2 cup cream* optional for the sauce.

Easy Cucumber Salad, 3 ingredients

One of my favorite salads and easy to make is the cucumber salad. You have to use the English hothouse cucs, or the Armenian ones, or any cucumber that is not used for making little pickles.
The cuc needs to be about 5 to 8 inches long.

Wash and peel the cucumber, you can test it and determine if the skin makes it bitter or just peel it, using one of those peeling gadgets, takes about 15 seconds each

I use a mandolin for speed but you can use a plain old kitchen knife. The idea is to have uniform slices. The whole thing takes less than 5 minutes

Once peeled slice the cuc into equal rounds, I cut them into about 1/8 inch or thinner pieces.
Remove the outer skin of a red onion, slice as thin as possible.

Toss in a bowl or fixture that you will store them in with a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of seasoned vinegar.
Let stand at room temp for about 30 minutes, toss again.
Serve as a side salad or top some shredded lettuce.
That's it.

Stuff you will need:

• One large Red Onion
• 2 to 3 Long cucumbers
• 6 oz seasoned rice vinegar

Summertime and the living is overwhelming

With garden squash like zucchini and great tomatoes. This recipe is a tad more time consuming, but worth the difference since you don't get an overly gloppy result at the end.

The recipe works because you remove about 3/4 to 1 cup of moisture from the veggies, which makes and concentrates a lot of the flavor in the end result. This is a vegetarians dream, except from maybe the Parmesan cheese.

Cut the squash into 1/4 inch thick rings. Cut the ends off since they will not cook evenly, remove the stem portion of the tomatoes and also slice into 1/4 rounds.

Salting the product, allows it to draw out excess moisture, in a large bowl, toss about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, use both hands to toss to be sure the squash pieces are all coated. You will see that after about 30 seconds of tossing, water will start beading out of the slices. Transfer into a large colander and put into a larger bowl to drain for at least 45 minutes. Half way through toss the cut pieces to allow more moisture to escape.

Take the tomatoes slices and places them on a paper towel ( at least 2 layers) on a cookie sheet and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt on the top side of the tomatoes, leave for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, the towel will be all wet, place two layers of paper towel on the top and with your flat part of your hand push down firmly but not with enough pressure to destroy the integrity of the slices.
Take a 12 in skillet add 1 Tbs of olive oil and caramelize the onions, this will take about 30 minutes on medium to low heat. Salt and pepper the slices onions as you toss them into the pan. You want them brown and full of carmelization, that will bring some nice sweetness to the dish. Once caramelized remove from heat for assembly later.

After 45 minutes to an hour, go ahead and also remove the squash and do the same on top of several layers of paper towels, you can use a little more pressure. Go ahead and throw away the drained liquid.

Take a 9 by 11 Pyrex dish, coat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and toss all the squash onto the pan. Arrange the cut pieces so they are somewhat even, and distributed at a even level. The take the onions and place them on top of the squash pieces. Level out a little, now take the drained tomatoes and those arrange evenly with a little overlapping of each piece. The idea is to cover the dish with the tomatoes.

Stick it in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Make the topping.

Take couple of slices of bread or a bun so that you can pulse it in a food processor to make some rough bread crumbs. Add the garlic, cheese and herbs, and oil, blend to make it even.

Remove the dish from the oven and evenly and carefully distribute the bread cheese mixture to cover the tomatoes , crank up the heat to 450 and return the dish to the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until the bread topping starts to darken and the cheese melts.

Remove, let cool for about 5 minutes , put some chopped parsley or basil on the top and enjoy

Stuff you will need;

1 lb summer squash cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 lb zucchini cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1.5 lbs ripe tomatoes ( 3 or 4 large) sliced 1/4 inch rounds.
2 yellow onions sliced, about 3 cups
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tea salt
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 shallots minced 1/4 cup
basil leaves
1 large slice of bread or bun
1/4 cup
6 tbs olive oil

I'm sorry.... a few will be OK.

While the wife's away, I get to eat food that otherwise I would not eat.

One of the ways I lost my weight was to stop eating all fast food.

I now try and eat healthy stuff, but as Julia Child said everything in moderation is ok........

I think she was saying that when she was putting in about a pound of butter into some recipe.

The Sonoma County Fair started this week and one of the items I have always enjoyed has been the Hot Dog on Stick.

Being in Mexico I haven't been able to fetch one of those puppies in a few years, so this was a perfect opportunity to check out the fair and to grab a dog or two.

The first thing I wondered is how much were they going to cost. The last time I had been at the fair, they were $1.75 and $2.00 dollars.

You paid a premium of a quarter if you bought one on the main walkway. If you went to one of the other walkways you would have the same item but a tad less.

Anyway, I read that senior day was Tuesday so that would save me 10 dollars, so with the parking and a few bites, I could get away for less than 20 bucks.

The cord dogs are now $ 5 dollars and 4 dollars respectively.
So in less than 10 years the prices have doubled.

I had one of the dogs, and about half way through I peeled off the corn coating and just ate the hot dog. The coating was actually thicker than the size of the meat.....
I guess that's one way to keep the profit margin up.

I came home disappointed and decided to make my own.

Here is an easy recipe and they taste good. I wish that Mexico would have decent sausages, but their idea of good hot dogs is pretty sad.

So here you go,

Stuff you will need.

• 1 cup Flour
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp bacon drippings
  
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 lbs hot dogs ( buy the best you can get, usually I get either Nathans or Hebrew National
  
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• wooden sticks ( you can use chop sticks, or thick bbq wooden skewers
  

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour , cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in melted bacon drippings. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, buttermilk and baking soda,mix until everything is smooth and well blended. ( kind of like making pasta)
   
3. To make things much easier pour the batter into a tall drinking glass. This will make it easier to dip the hot dogs.
4. Pat the room temperature hot dogs dry. Insert wooden sticks into the ends. Roll in cornstarch, tap off excess (helps the batter stick to the hot dog). Dip the hot dogs in the batter one at a time, shaking off the excess. Deep fry a few at a time in the hot oil until they as are brown as you like them (2-3 minutes) Drain on paper towel & serve. You can hold these in a 200 degree oven until you finish the whole batch.

If you have any batter left over, cut up some zucchini or carrots, so you will at least feel someone healthy eating fried food......

A big party means

Having lots of fun items to feed people with.

We use to have lot of parties years ago. As the time went on , people seemed to get less time to stop and enjoy the better things in life.

Family, Friends and Food.

We run into people and it's "we need to get together"
Well we did just that this week.

My wife birthday was last week and I was able to put together a surprise birthday party for her, which many of our friends from Northern California and her family could attend.

La Senora ( Marlin ) loves piggies.
So I ordered a 25 lb suckling pig, a full prime rib roast, Two bags of Washington Oysters, a box of white corn and her birthday cake, her favorite, Tiramisu cake.

Having cooked about a dozen pigs in my life time, this one was special. This one was small in relationship to the others.

There are a few ways to cook a whole pig, one is on a spit, the other is in a ground oven like a Imu, like the Hawaiians do, or like I did this time is simply slide it in the oven. m( The Imu is a pain to do...trust me, unless you want the show aspect of it....)

I have cooked a few in the ground and quite frankly there is not much difference in the taste or the texture of the meat as it falls off the bones.

Here is what you need:

One small piggy.
1/2 cup granulated garlic
1/2 cup granulated onion
1/2 cup Lawrys seasoning salt
1/4 cup course ground pepper
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 ground sage
1 cup olive oil


Mix the items together and with your hand rub the mix first on the inside cavity and then on the outside.
Place a small piece of wood or a lemon, into the mouth to keep it open.
take some aluminum foil and cover the ears and tail
Slide into a 300 degree oven
Place a large piece of foil on top of the pig and remove the last 30 minutes to crisp up the skin.

After about 2.5 hours check the temperature with an instant read thermometer in to the thigh.
It should read about 150-155.
Remove the foil covering the top and roast for another 25 -30 minutes, remove let sit covered for about 10 minutes
The let the guests devour the beast.

The difference between .......

Many friends that I enjoy cooking for, sometimes ask why the food tastes so good. Is it the meat?
Or where do you get your ingredients?

Well let me share a little secret.

It's spicing the food, folks?

There are other things that will effect food other than salt and pepper.
Why is it that people are so afraid to toss some spices on their food?

Oh.....tooo spicy?

What's too spicy?

Spice it to your liking......figure out what you like and enjoy something besides unseasoned bland food.

Here is a little very simple seasoning that I use about 50% of the time. You can add or subtract to the basic mix depending on your liking. But at least try......eh? Will ya?

Dry Adobo rub

In a heavy 12 inch skillet toss in 3 Tablespoons of Cumin Seeds and on medium flame, heat until they start releasing their aroma. Keep the skillet moving so that they do not burn......Burn Bad!
As soon as you start smelling the aroma, about another 30 seconds more and that is about done. Take off the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
In a container, ( I use a zip lock bag for this) toss in the following:

4TBS of garlic powder
4 TBs of onion powder
1 TBS salt
1 TBS fresh ground pepper
1 TBS red chili pepper flakes.

\Now that the seeds have cooled, either grind them in your spice grinder, You do have a spice grinder don't you? or toss them in a molcajete and grind down to a fine power.

Toss into the bag and shake or mix well until thoroughly mixed.

This dry rub works great on pork, chicken, beef steaks, fish and almost anything you can thing of.....


Here is an easy beef steak recipe.
You can use pretty much any cut of steak that you like.

Take two steaks, run about 1 Tbs of the rub thoroughly on each steak, put into a shallow glass dish.
Squeeze the juice of a few limes on the steaks, then add about 1 cup of cider vinegar to the dish, after about 15 minutes turn the steaks so that the other side is in the liquid.

After 30 minutes remove, dry and toss on the grill and cook to your liking. After you remove from the grill remember to let the meat rest for at least 4 minutes otherwise the juice will flow out of the meat as soon as you cut into it.

Enjoy!

Capirotada , well almost, Bread Pudding

Ah, Bread Pudding. Some people say that it's origins are from British Cuisine. Maybe so, what a better way not to toss out your old bread. You could make Kvass, which is a old Russian alcoholic beverage that uses old bread, some yeast and sugar..... that's another post.

Capirotada is the Mexican version that uses cheese combined with the bread and sometimes nuts, etc. My friend Mexico Bob has the complete history and a recipe for an more authentic Capirotada on his blog site. Go to : Capirotada to check it out and get a great history lesson to boot!

I made this for a dinner last night and failed to take the picture before we served it, so my apologies for not showing the play by play of making it, but after you read this you will see it is so easy that the remaining shot of the pudding in the bowl will still convey the story.

My bread pudding uses everything. Old bread, but it is best when using old sweet bread. Take anything you can find, old donuts, bear claws, snails, crullers, conchas, orejas, any danish pastry and even old regular baguettes etc and chop them up into about 1 inch cubes.

Take a bowl and place all of it and coat with about a half a cup of milk mixed with about 1/4 cup of your favorite booze.

I use rum or brandy.

In another bowl combine 4 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, cinnamon and combine until totally Incorporated. You can use a hand mixer if you like, sometimes it is just as easy to just whisk it, than finding the mixer and the after use cleanup.
Once you have the custard ( yep that is what it is at this point) pour it on to the bread and place it into your dish that you are going to bake it in.

I will sometimes add about a 1/2 cup of raisins soaked in rum ( overnight ) into the stuff at this point.

Place into a 350 degree oven for about an hour. Check it after about 45 minutes and see if the center is jiggly. It should just be leaving the jiggly stage, pull it out and let it cool. ( I love the word jiggly)

That's it!

Oh, there is one thing you can add that makes it really good. Actually two things. Before you slide it in the oven cut about half a cube of butter into 1/2 inch cubes and put them in between a few of the bread pieces in the dish, before putting it in the oven. The added butter will richen up the dish ( Like it needs more richness )

The second is..........
Whiskey or Booze sauce which you drip on generously on the pudding as you serve it.
To make the sauce, melt 1 cube of butter, in a sauce pan, add 1 cup of confectioners sugar and whisk it to incorporate it into the butter, and carefully ( as not to spill it and cause a fire) add about 1/2 cup of rum, or whiskey or brandy, and whisk it in,
that's it, spoon over the pudding and tell everyone what a low calorie dessert this is.



Stuff you will need:
Old bread , donuts etc, to fill a 8 cup measuring cup.
1 cup of milk,
1 cube of butter* optional
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins.

Whiskey sauce
1 cube of butter* not optional
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1/2 whiskey or booze of your choice.

I have made this for large crowds, 200 people or more and it is an easy make ahead, pretty inexpensive and with the addition of the Whiskey sauce a killer dessert. You just need to be carefull about the quantity of butter.... well you can try......

How about an Arugula Salad?

It's pretty difficult to get Arugula or Rocket ( as it is called in Europe) in Mexico.

I got use to it as a nice peppery green for use in a nice light salad along with other baby greens.

A few people have mentioned an interest in growing it, so here it is again. I have done a lot of my salad greens in boxes. This one is made from 3 boards, filled with dirt, and seeded. As you can see the Arugula has sprouted and is about a 1/2 inch high. I have taken the 7 ft long box and run two rows. The first 3rd of the box is Arugula, the middle is red leaf lettuce and the last is
romaine.
I run two rows, and will plant about 3 to 4 boxs for the season, seperated by about 3 to 4 weeks. This will allow a constant supply of delicious greens for salads and gifts to others who appreicate these tender "weeds".

It is easy, this time I bought some casters and put them on a board the same size as the wood for using the box. This will allow me to move the boxes to catch the sun or to move it away if it gets too hot or bright in direct sun when the plants are not ready for the direct sun.

Planting lettuce now is a great time since if it get too hot it will bolt . You can plant it for a hot climate , you just will have to harvest the leaves right before they bolt, otherwise they can become bitter.

This batch was planted last Tuesday, even with it raining for two days, this is what the result is in just 5 days!

Have fun!

Really Really Really Quick Bread

Awhile ago I listed a recipe for sourdough bread that was easy, well this one is easy and fast. Let's say someone shows up unexpectedly and you want some appetizers or bread with dinner.
This bread will be ready to serve in 15 minutes or less.

You don't believe me?

Try it, you may like it!


In a medium bowl, Mix, flour, salt, baking and water together to make a gloppy dough. Be sure all the flour is incorporated, not hard since the dough should be the consistency of peanut butter.

Once mixed, scrap it out of the bowl, onto the 10 inch non stick skillet to which you have added about a tablespoon of olive oil.

Turn up the flame to medium.

With an rubber spatula that you have dipped in the excess olive oil that the bread plopped into, so it doesn't stick, spread out the dough so it is as evenly spread out in the skillet, thickness wise.
By this time the olive oil should be starting to sizzle the bread.

Add two tablespoons of water onto the oil, try to get it on to the skillet not on the bread. If you do get some one the bread, it is not a big deal.
Immediately cover the skillet with a cover.
Walk away for about 8 minutes.

Take the top off and with a non stick utensil life up one edge of the bread and see how it is doing.
It should be a nice golden brown.

Now , if you are a somewhat seasoned certified skillet tosser, you can flip the bread in the skillet to the other side.
If you are not, just use two spatulas.
Immediately cover the pan.
Let cook another 7 minutes or so.
Take a look see after 7 minutes and check to see, or thump the bread and it should sound hollow.

Remove, set on a wire rack for about 5 minutes or if you want, cut right away and serve
Do not leave it on a flat surface since it will come soggy.

Now.......if you want to add a twist to the recipe, use sesame oil instead of olive oil and it will have a nice flavor.
Or, put some chopped onion on the skillet (remove the bread before turning it) and put the uncooked bread on top of he onion, and just keep checking it so it doesn't burn....and your result will be an onion bread.

Pretty easy!


Enjoy!

Stuff you will knead.
(No kneading involved)

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda.
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
1 cup water
2 TBS of olive oil.

With your coffee....

My wife has to have something to nosh on with her morning coffee.
We usually will buy some conchas, and I started buying the orejas, for myself.

The orejas just seem a little lighter, nothing to do with the butter in between all those layers of pastry....Ok, they are only a 1/4 of an inch thick so they have to be less fattening than those big conchas.

For those of you who do not know what I am talking about a concha is a Mexican sweetbread made to look like a sea shell, usually enough for about two days worth of coffee. The orejas is a puff pastry which is some times called elephant ears or Palmiers

Well, anyway back to the story here, Lots of times the bakeries do not have fresh conchas or orejas so I started making the Italian Biscotti. They last almost forever and are great for trips on the road. If you buy your coffee at a Starbucks, Biscotti are usually about $1.50 each....unless you get the one dipped in chocolate, those are 2 bucks.

I love them, since they can be made pretty easy, you can add health thing into them like almonds, or other nuts, plus raisins, and the zest of lemons or oranges.
Here is a easy recipe for my orange almond Biscotti. I usually make a double batch, the photos are of a double batch. They are also called twice baked and some people dip them in their coffee sometimes.....

Orange zest Almond Biscotti.

Preheat your oven to 350.
Take the almonds and toss on a cookie sheet and toast them for about 10 minutes, let cool, set aside.
In a large bowl put in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix to incorporate.

In a smaller bowl, mix the sugar and melted butter until smooth, then toss in the eggs, ( out of their shell) add the almond and vanilla extra, mix. ( You can use an electric hand mixer to froth up the mixture if you like)

Now add the wet to the dry bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until all mixed. You might, just might have to add a little water or milk if your flour is real dry. No more than about 2 TBS of liquid.

Add the almonds then flour your hands and work surface. Mix and knead the mix until it is one whole glob.
It should hold together but almost crumbly. Not like bread or cake dough.
Divide the glob into two parts. Shape it into a 12 inch long by 1 1/2inch log. put on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and once on the sheet push down a tad so it is about 1/2 inch high.

Slide it in the oven
In about 15 minute it should be starting to be gold brown. Remove and lit sit for about 2 minutes.
Take a serrated bread knife and slice into 1/2 inch diagonal pieces, separate on the cookie sheet and put it back in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and prop open the oven door about 2 or 3 inches so they will cool slowly.
When totally cool, put in a zip lock bag and they will last about 3 weeks or until scarfed up!

If you double click on the photo you can see the strands of Orange zest in each cookie.

Enjoy.

Stuff you will knead.

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almonds, roasted, not salted
1 cup sugar
4 TBS butter melted or softened
2 eggs beaten with 1 tbs of water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest from a large orange or two small ones, chopped medium
2 -3 TBS milk, enough to moisten dough

Bread of the Magi

If you arrived here from our other site, then you need no explanation otherwise, go to: http://ranchocanyon.blogspot.com/2010/01/dia-de-los-reyes.html

For the whole story on Rosca de Reyes Bread!

To get started.

Proof the yeast by adding it to the warm water and let sit for about 10 or 15 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast water, flour, sugar, eggs, butter, salt, cinnamon, anise seed and vanilla extract. Mix until a dough forms. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then cover and let rise in a warm area until dough is doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Punch dough down and shape into a wreath. You can do this by simply rolling it into a log shape then bending the ends around to form a circle, or you can make three thinner strips and braid them, then put the ends together. The wreath should be about 12-14 inches in diameter. Lift up one area and insert the toy by pushing it up through the bottom. Smooth out any lumps or tears.

Add the dried fruit by laying it across the top and pressing it in slightly. Let it rise until doubled. Brush top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake for approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

If you want to make it look real good, put something in the middle of it to keep the dough from getting misshapen during cooking. I usually have either a metal 1 cup measuring cup or a sutable ring mold ( metal ) that I put in there to keep it's shape while cooking. DO NOT put anything plastic or nylon in there, since it will melt......

Stuff you will knead

• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 packet of yeast
• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon anise seed
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• A small figurine or toy ( preferable something resembling the Christ Child) and something that will not easily melt!
• Candied Fruit (about 2 cups of assorted fruit cut into strips such as figs, orange, lemon, mango or cherries)
• 1 egg beaten (egg wash)
• 1/3 cup sugar (topping)

Enjoy!

Some nice cold Mexican Chocolate

I use my frozen dessert machine for lots of stuff, but Margaritas in December is just a tad too cold. But a Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream with some nice Hot Chocolate is a great dessert. You would be surprised on what you can toss into the machine and have it make in about 15 minutes. This one has a special taste because of the Ibarra chocolate.

Stuff you will need;

9 oz of Ibarra Chocolate, chopped in small chunks
One vanilla bean
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
3 cinnamon sticks
6 egg yolks
1/2 sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt



Take the vanilla bean and split it down the middle, then scrap out the seeds, in a small saucepan on medium bring the milk, cream and chocolate to a simmer. Toss in the vanilla seeds and the bean and add the chocolate.
Let simmer for about 5 minutes, stir now and then remove from heat and let steep for about half and hour.
Meanwhile, toss the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a mixer and whisk at medium to high for about 3 minutes until the sugar has incorporated and the mixture looks a pale yellow. Or if you have Mexican chickens, a nice yellow color.
Strain the milk/cream mixture through a fine strainer and remove the bean. Discard the cinnamon sticks. With the mixer running on medium, slowly pour the cream into the egg mixture. Be sure that the milk has cooled otherwise you will have some nice scramble eggs......
Pour the mixture into a saucepan and return to the low heat. Mix with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens up a tad...and the temperature reaches 170 . Do not overheat.
Remove from heat, pour mixture into a cold bowl, and stick it in the fridge. Every 10 minutes or so, stir it around so it doesn't form a skin on the top After it has cooled , (1 hour ) cover with plastic and chill for another hour, or at this point you can keep it in the fridge for a day or so, until you are ready to make CHOCOLATE Ice Cream!

When ready, process the mix in your ice cream maker, once done, place in freezer to harden up more.
That's it!

Feedback with a photo

It is nice to get feedback on some of the recipes I post. Today I got one from a reader and this time they sent a photo.
The reason I am posting it, is because the photo and the end result seems better than mine!
Bravo!
There is nothing better to see that someone has taken the recipe and put their signature on it!
That is what cooking is all about!

Here are his comments:

Great recipe! We had left over cornish game hens which was enough to make six enchiladas; we each ate three.

Chili sauce was great and easy to do. I reduced all by 1/4 to match quantity of meat and I used the last 5 minutes on broil to get the cheese browned a little.

Recipe is a keeper.. Great with margaritas and Pacifico.

Chicken Enchiladas with Chili Sauce

I usually do not like dishes with gobs of sauce because first they are high in calories and second they can sometimes mask the flavors in the main ingredient. Therefore most of the time I will simply make a vinaigrette type or stock reduction with some other ingredients tossed in for effect.
But not this time, I had a hankering for some enchiladas swimming in a nice tasty thick sauce.
This recipe is pretty simple , basic Bechamel sauce shredded chicken and cheese, bake let cool and eat.

Béchamel is one of your basic sauces to which you add lots of things to , so if you do not know how to make it, here it is. ( I think I am repeating myself in a previous listing ) 6- 8 oz of unsalted butter 2 cups chicken stock 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup all purpose flour Take the butter toss it into a 4 qt pan, melt it, when melted stir in the flour until totally coated. In another pan heat milk and stock until almost boiling. When ready ladle in the liquid while whisking it in, until all is accepted. Stir more to be sure there are no clumps or lumps. ( I just had to say that, kina ryhmes) Once all incorporated, let thicken and reduce flame to low simmer and let it bubble away for a few minutes. Be sure you stir it now and then to keep it from burning. After 5 minutes remove from heat and set aside.


Now depending on the flavor you like the best, chili wise, roast up a couple. I used the Poblano Chili and roast on the open flame of the eye of the stove. Turn to roast evenly

After the chili is totally blistered ( about 5 minutes ) remove from heat, put in a paper bag and seal, wait about 10 minutes, it will steam in the bag. ( Good thing )

Remove from bag, remove with your fingers the charred skin, cut it open in half, remove the seed and the top of the pepper.

If you do not have to run it under water so much the better, but if you wish and need to , rinse with a little water as possible ( Flavor goes with some of the water ) then slice into strips.
( This is what is called Ristras )
Toss into a blender, take about half of the Bechamel and put it in the blender. Now, you can do one of two things here.
Keep going or add another flavor.
For this recipe I added Spinach. I have also used Watercress (Berro) Wilted Chard, Sauteed Leek Whites, If you want corn flavor you could add a corn, etc....You get the idea?
I added a large handful of washed Spinach, into the blender and blend away for about 2 or 3 minutes until it is all blended up!
Return to the Bechamel pot, stir, and season.
Ok, what do you mean season?
You are the one who is going to eat this, so how would you like it?
I would put in about a teaspoon of Kosher Salt. About a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or maybe some Cayenne.
If you don't want it too salty, omit the salt, keep the pepper,
If you don't like it to spicy, omit the pepper, keep the salt.
Got It?

Ok,

Take the chicken and be sure it is shredded, ( stringy) This is great for chicken leftovers. Or if you are doing this without chicken a Deli Rotisserie Chicken is perfect.
Discard about half the skin ( unless you like fattening delicious skin)
Put into a bowl and add about one cup of the Green Sauce.
Mix to cover well.
Take a 9x12 ovenproof dish. Take about a cup or so, to cover the bottom of the pan with the Green Sauce.
Take and warm some corn tortillas, in a oven so they are pliable, or if you have fresh tortillas direct from a tortillaria, this is when I usually make this so it eliminates the warming step.
Take the open tortilla, spread about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture and roll up the tortilla and place the seam end down on to the bed of delicious green chili sauce.
After you have roll up about a dozen of these big cigars, you should be finished with the chicken. If not, make yourself a chicken taco.
Put the rest of the sauce on top of the formation of rolls, spread the sauce to be sure it covers all of them.
Now, if you like, this is optional, take about a 1/2 to 1 cup of cheese and top all along the top with cheese, slam it into a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling or the cheese is totally melted and starting to brown.
Remove , wait until you can eat it without burning your mouth.
Enjoy.


Stuff you will need:

2 or 3 Poblano Chilis ( Chili Negro in some areas, Pasillo in the states )
1 Cup packed greens ( Spinach, Watercress, Cilantro )
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
6 oz butter
1/2 cup flour
Salt and Pepper
4 cups shredded chicken, or one whole small, Pollio Rostizado)
12 corn tortillas
4 garlic cloves smashed and sauteed in the butter.
Hand full of shredded cheese, like Asadero or Chihuahua, or Monterrey Jack.
Cilantro and Green Onion for garnish.

Turkey leftovers , one more idea...

Turkey Vegetable Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings

I usually will make a nice savory soup, with bits of turkey, rice, celery and maybe even the stuffing in a nice chicken stock, but.....here is a nice variation of what to do with some leftover turkey.

If you like a spicier broth, stir in a little sauce from a can of chipotle chile en adobo (chipotle chiles in sauce)

To start by

preheating broiler. On a foil-lined baking sheet, broil the tomato and poblano chile until blackened and blistered all over and softened.

Let cool. Meanwhile have a glass of wine or a shot of your favorite libation. 10 minutes while the chili and tomato blackens....

Then,peel, core and seed the tomato, then puree in a blender. Peel and seed the chile, then dice.

Heat the oil in a large pot over moderate heat.

Add the onion and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute briefly to release it's overpowering smell of a Italian restaurant.

Add the oregano, crumbling it between your fingers, then add the tomato. Saute, stirring, for about 5 minutes to develop the flavor.

Add the carrots and the broth. Bring to a simmer.

Simmer gently 5 minutes, then add the zucchini, chard, poblano chile and turkey. Remove from the heat while you prepare the dumplings.

For the dumplings:

In a bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter and egg to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and stir just enough to moisten all the dry ingredients.

Return the soup to moderate heat and bring just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Drop spoonfuls of batter about the size of a walnut onto the soup's barely simmering surface, spacing the dumplings evenly and leaving room for them to double in size. You should have enough batter to make at least 12 dumplings. Depending on the diameter of your pot, you may run out of space before you run out of batter. Cover and adjust heat to maintain a bare simmer; you do not want the soup to boil. Cook 20 minutes. Divide broth and dumplings among warm soup bowls.

Stuff you will need

1 large ripe tomato
1 large poblano chile
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
2 carrots, diced
2 1/2 quarts Day-After-Thanksgiving Turkey Stock (see recipe above)
2 small zucchini, diced
3 large chard leaves, ribs removed, in 1/2-inch ribbons
2 cups shredded cooked turkey

Cornmeal Dumplings:
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/8teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt you could also use crema

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 large egg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

This makes about 4 healthy, hefty servings or about 6 normal servings

Enjoy!