Using turkey in place of moo cow

Since March 16, 1989, when the recipe was printed in the local Long Beach, California newspaper, I have been making this healthy and muy bueno recipe.  Actually it was as a result of reading the article, that I had the first inkling to try ground turkey instead of ground beef. 

Since that time nearly twenty-three years ago, I have stocked ground turkey in my freezer.  It's a versatile meat that is lower in fat than beef, provides nutritional protein and will taste very close to beef in flavor when used in place of ground moo cow.  Before I get too carried away with my enthusiasm about ground turkey, let me talk about the recipe.  It's a meatloaf that gets stuffed with spinach, cheeses, breadcrumbs and spices so that when it gets cooked in a loaf pan, it will have a spiral like ring of the filling inside when you slice it.  You can modify the filling ingredients by using different cheeses and spicier spices but as is, it stands up exceptionally well to a good side of garlic mashed potatoes and a steamed fresh vegetable of your choosing.  Yum.

Spinach-Filled Turkey Loaf

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1 cup soft bread crumbs

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup finely minced onion

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp salt

Optional glaze: 1/2 cup apply jelly

Filling:

2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Have a sheet of heavy duty aluminum ready

Combine all turkey loaf ingredients and blend well

On the sheet of foil, pat mixture to a 12 x 8 inch rectangle

Combine all the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl

Spread filling evenly over turkey mixture

Starting with the shorter 8 inch side, roll up jellyroll style

Place the rolled loaf, seam side down in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan

Prepare glaze:

In a small saucepan, heat apply jelly until melted, brush with 1/2 of the jelly

Bake for 55 minutes, brushing the remaining glaze over loaf halfway thru cook time

Let stand for 5 minutes, drain off excess liquids in loaf pan

Carefully lift loaf out of pan

Place onto serving plate and allow to cool an additional 8 minutes

Cut into eight 1 inch slices

De-licious!

robert

Tamale Masa hold the lard...

I was introduced to tamales from a very young age.  Like many hispanic households, they are a Christmas tradition.  My memories of my mother's sisters and cousins wearing chili stained aprons and flanking each other like a sort of motor less conveyor belt was no small event.  Some spread the tamale masa onto the corn husks, some placed the red chili pork mixture onto the masa and some folded and placed them into steamers.  Their method allowed for producing numerous dozens very quickly.  I loved the unique spicy smell of steaming tamales and then the act of peeling off the husks, revealing the tender hot reddish puffy corn masa and the delectable pork and chili within the masa.  I got to know the word Manteca even though I had no idea what it was.  I did know that it was an ingredient used when the masa was made. 

As an adult two things were ingrained into my brain, that masa had to be made with lard and that tamales were a royal pain in the butt to make, unless you did the conveyor belt method with many hands assembling the tamales.  As a result I stayed away from attempting them for many years.  When I finally made my first batch of tamales I added lard to the pre made masa mixture, soaked the corn husks, made a pork and red chili filling that did take a lot of time.  Because tamales freeze so well, I kept making them so I could enjoy them whenever I felt like it...soon I began to join the ranks of those that say tamale making is just too labor intensive. 

But I really love the corn husk wrapped delicacies and endured the work anyhow.  I wasn't keen on using lard...it's something that ads such amazing flavor, but it's not filled with amazing health properties.  Then one Christmas, a cousin of mine that lives in Santa Fe gave me some tamales that her neighbor had made.  She too loves tamales but not the consumption of lard.  She excitedly told me that these tamales were made with Canola Oil instead of lard.  I could not believe it when I tried them, the masa was delicious.  I begged for the recipe from her neighbor...it changed everything about making tamales for me!

I found out there was a tamale masa product in a bag under a brand called Maseca.  When I went to pick up the "pinkish orangish" colored bag (as she insisted) I realized I had seen this on the shelves of the Mexican Store that I frequented...but because of a horribly catastrophic experience attempting to make my own masa years earlier with a different brand, I ignored the product.  This brand, Maseca comes in two bags, the  white colored one I more commonly see at Sam's Club, Walmart and on the shelves of Mexican stores right next to the pink orange colored one which is not always available.  I tried to find out why my cousin's neighbor insisted on using one versus the other.  I was perplexed, two bags that say they are for tamales from the same company...so since I could not get an answer I called the company. Turns out, the white bag is a finer grind of the corn flour which is better for making corn tortillas versus the pinkish orange bag, which is a coarser grind and made specifically for tamale masa as the bag implies.  However, many local creaters of the delectable tamale prefer the finer grind of the white bag...oh well either works! 

I was so thrilled that the masa that I made with the same proportion of canola or olive oil in place of the lard made such delicious masa.  And because I was making it, I could alter what ingredients went in, sometimes a bit of my homemade red chili gets mixed into the masa.  I also vary the flavor using different broths, although usually I use pork broth.  I am experimenting right now with throwing in a bit of blue corn into the masa...this is very exciting for me being such a lover of tamales...the skies the limit!

I let go of the thinking that I would only make them at Christmas time too.  Now I can decide to make a batch for dinner guests, without all the work.  Within a few minutes, I follow the recipe on the side of the bag which makes about two dozen good sized tamales making sure to use Canola or Olive Oil in place of the lard.  In my KitchenAid standing mixer, I process till the masa is fluffy.  Aaron now loves tamales just about as much as me. I vary the meat from pork and red chili to chicken and Green Chili or vegetarian green chili and cheese.  The making of the filling is the only time consuming part in making the tamales in my opinion.  A hot tip!  Leftover turkey at thanksgiving makes for wonderful tamale filling.  They are easily modified to vegetarian by use of vegetable broth and eliminating the meat.  I am also creating a filling with a wild mushroom, chili and cheese filling. Oh...and the best bang for your buck as far as the dried corn husks go is either a mexican food store or Sam's Club when they have em.

Delectable Pork Tamales

1 bag Maseca brand Tamale Masa flour (it will say "para tamales")

Make sure it is the Pinkish Orangish colored bag

1 package of dried corn husks

Canola or Olive Oil (follow recipe on bag for portion)

Pork Broth (created from the pork butt roast you will cook)

One Boneless Pork Butt Roast - any size..the bigger the roast the more filling you will have

(it freezes very well)

15 dried red New Mexican Chili Pods

5 large dried Ancho Chili Pods

3 bay leaves

2 tbsp dried mexican oregano

1 tbsp whole cumin seed

1 tbsp ground cumin

10 cloves garlic

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tbsp salt

The Meat

First get the meat started, this will take the longest

Place the butt roast into a large pot and cover with water

Add the bay leaves, 4 cloves of garlic - smashed slightly, 1 tbsp salt, the whole cumin seed and 1 tbsp of the oregano

Cover the pot and cook on medium low heat for about three hours or until the meat falls apart easily

Remove from pot and allow to cool and shred the pork roast with two forks

Reserve all of the broth, discarding the bay leaves, the cumin seeds and the garlic cloves

The Corn Husks

Using a tall plastic container with a lid - I use an oval shaped one that works perfectly

Place about three dozen corn husks into pitcher, standing on end, add boiling water to cover and carefully place lid onto container set aside
Be sure to soak a few more husks than you will need, to allow for a possible ripped husk or for combining two together if one is too small

The Red Chili

Be careful handling your dried chilis. I don't use gloves  but it's often suggested to avoid accidentally touching your eyes, nose or well you have heard the stories...oh and red chili has great staining properties so be careful in handling...or use an apron.  My blender is white so a soak of bleach and water does the trick ;-)

Take  the  dried  chili pods and split them open and remove seeds and stems

Place the pods onto a cookie sheet and roast at 350 degrees only for about three minutes...you don't want  to burn your chili pods

Place pods into a big sauce pot add water to 3/4 full and add in remaining garlic cloves - slightly smashed and 1 tbsp of dried oregano

Cook on medium heat for 50 minutes

Place all the chilis and garlic into blender and add about 1/3 of the chili water
Blend till smooth, add more of the cooking liquid till the red chili sauce is a good velvety smooth consistency...not too thick not too thin

Taste...add salt and pepper to taste

If you feel you need more garlic taste, add granulated garlic

Set sauce aside

When you have finished shredding the pork, place into a large pot with 3/4 of the red chili sauce to the meat

Add the ground cloves and the ground cumin, mix well

Taste and add salt and pepper to taste

Cover pot and allow to cook on low to allow flavors to blend and intensify

Follow directions on side of tamale masa bag to make a batch of tamales or double

as I often do if you want to make about 4 dozen
I find the best most efficient way is in a stand up mixer, but you can mix in a food processor too...you want the masa to have a fluffy consistency

Assembling the tamales

Create a work space on your kitchen counter where all will be within easy reach: 
a cutting board for assembling,

a bowl with the prepared masa, the container with the soaked corn husks
 (leave husks in hot water do not drain)

a bowl with the pork mixture and a spatula

Take a softened corn husk, shake off excess water

Place on board with flat end toward you and with curl face up

Place about 1/4 cup of masa onto husk and spread out evenly onto lower 2/3 of leaf

Place approximately 2 tbsp of filling on center  of tamale on top of masa

Visualise the unfolded tamale in thirds
Fold right side to center and left side to center

Fold top point down and place tamale onto a plate, seam side down

Repeat till all masa is used up

Freeze any remaining meat in airtight container or make another batch of masa and soak more corn husks

Within a deep steamer insert, stand all tamales on closed end so that open end is facing up

Make sure you have water in bottom of stock pot just below where steamer bottom sits

Cover and steam for 1 hour at medium heat

Allow to sit for 30 minutes
Take  the remaining red chili and take some of the left over pork meat and mix with the chili
Water it down with more broth it should be a bit watery in consistency
Add salt and pepper to taste
Pour over peeled hot tamales if desired

Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

Remaining tamales can sit in air tight container for three days then freeze

I find the best way to rewarm tamales is by steaming

I have a microwave steamer that works perfectly whether from a frozen state or fresh

Ahora comer los deliciosos tamales!

robert



a quickie for peanut buttter junkies

For over twenty years I have been making an amazing peanut butter cookie that only involves three ingredients and one of them is not flour.  This recipe is for those of us that love peanut butter cookies alot.  It's absolutely the easiest cookie recipe you could throw together short of using frozen cookie dough.  It's a great recipe because the ingredients are standard staples in most of our kitchens.  Aaron and I can be sitting watching a movie, and I can jump up to mix up the cookie batter and have fresh peanut butter cookies within minutes.  I had an entree earlier this month for a very healthy cookie...I can't say that about today's recipe, but it surely will appeal to us peanut butter junkies when we need a good fix.

Quick 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter  Cookies

1 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

Mix the ingredients just till mixed
Drop from a teaspoon onto a baking sheet
Flatten each mound slightly with your fingers

Bake in an oven heated to 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes

ENJOY!

I have modified this recipe several ways such as:

adding chocolate chips, chopped peanuts, cinnamon, red chili powder

Peanut Butter Junkies Unite!

robert

Hot Book's of Cook's...

My cookbook fetish is bigger than my kitchen allows for...this makes it difficult because if I want to introduce more to the kitchen, then I ultimately have to perform the difficult task of eliminating some of those books that I may have been excited about when they hit the shelves, but now, sit neglected up on a shelf over my oven, between old issues of Cook's Illustrated Magazines and an electric wine bottle opener I picked up off the Sam's Club clearance shelf...I go thru this cycle of cook book frustration now and again.  I do have foodie friends I sometimes bestow them upon...and then there is that inner fear that I am going to off load them and then renewed interest will rear it's head...and then it will be too late! 

There is something about a cook book being tangible that is desirable to me, but now you can either use an IPad, Kindle, IPhone, IPod, Kobo or a whole lot of other E Readers to read from the plethora of cook books that are out there...and there are a lot of em.  If this intriques you...the sky is the limit!  You can have a whole cookbook at your fingertips within minutes.  Sadly all too often I have been to Ross or TJ Maxx and have seen a cook book slashed to a few dollars and the book just came out half a year earlier...it's a cruel ruthless existence these book's of cook's have to endure sometimes...Have a look at these three unique and fun ones...see if any grab your fancy, you can go to your kitchen right now and see which can leave to make room for new books...unless you have a palatial kitchen...if you do...I just might despise you...  :-)


Frida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo
by Guadalupe Rivera, Marie-Pierre
Beautiful illustrations highlight this delightful treasure house of Mexican recipes and fascinating anecdotes of Frida Kahlo. Guadalupe Rivera, Frida's stepdaughter, has gathered here favorite recipes for more than 100 authentic Mexican dishes, that Frida Kalho served to family and friends over the course of her life. This wonderful collection also contains family photographs and some wonderful reproductions of her paintings. Ignacio Urguiza transports the reader, through his glorious photographs, to many of Frida's favorite places, including her blue house in Coyoacan. Urguiza's photos of exotic dishes and settings are visually stunning.
http://www.amazon.com/Fridas-Fiestas-Recipes-Reminiscences-Frida/dp/0517592355

A Painter's Kitchen-Revised Edition: Recipes from the Kitchen of Georgia O'Keeffe by Margaret Wood
The book is a fun read as well, since the Introduction allows us to learn why she liked certain foods, disliked eating out, what she grew in her large vegetable gardens and how her kitchens were laid out and what they had in them. http://www.amazon.com/Painters-Kitchen-Revised-Recipes-Kitchen-Cookbook/dp/1878610619/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296272605&sr=1-1

Like Water for Chocolate
 by Laura Esquivel
The number one bestseller in Mexico and America for almost two years, and subsequently a bestseller around the world, "Like Water For Chocolate" is a romantic, poignant tale, touched with moments of magic, graphic earthiness, bittersweet wit - and recipes. A sumptuous feast of a novel
http://www.alibris.com/booksearch.detail?invid=10463598020&keyword=like+water+for+chocolate&qwork=3946381&isbn=9780552995870&qsort=p&page=1

Oh! and a hot tip about buying cookbooks on the internet, Alibris.com is a website with a huge huge huge collection of used books and specifically cook books...check it out  http://www.alibris.com/

ooooh what a big granite mortar and pestle can do for you.....

Several years ago, I finally purchased a big heavy granite Mortar & Pestle set.  (The Mortar being the bowl, the Pestle the bat shaped tool.)  Previously I had purchased a very small marble set...it didn't do squat as far as pulverizing went.  Then one day I was watching a cooking show on Thai cooking and I saw the woman using a large Mortal & Pestle made of granite....she was quickly able to puree, garlic, ginger, chili's, fresh herbs...I knew it was time to get one.  In my Hispanic culture we have the Metate used by both ancestors and current day relatives that still use them for chili preparation and mole's.  If you already have one of these carved rock kitchen tools, you know how wonderfully "primordial" it feels to lift the Pestle and drop it over and over on ingredients to make them into a paste like consistency.  It's not a task for those that need to be gentle and quiet in the kitchen that's for sure.  It's noisy...but that's all part of the charm to me, knowing that all that pounding will end up as good eating's. 

So I often talk about ways to save money.  Jarred garlic, ginger chili pastes & cashew nut pastes can be expensive when you find them.  Making them yourself is not only cost effective, but there are no preservatives to deal with.  There are so many things you can puree quickly with these stone tools.  It is believed that when you process say your garlic in this manner versus a food processor, your allowing the essential flavorful oils to fully develop and to reach it's full boquet of flavors...sounds good to me.  If you decide to purchase one, I suggest a big one.  I found mine on the internet with free shipping!  That was a slam dunk for me in deciding whom to purchase from.  These guys are heavy and shipping costs can be astounding.  As I ready to give you one of my favorite Indian vegetarian recipes, I know just as I am thinking about this dish that this is what I am making tonight...it's been awhile...I guess I just feel like tapping into that which is primordial in me once more, sans the outdoors, pelts chants and blazing fire.

Baked Spicy Cauliflower (Gobhi Mussallam)

3 cups cauliflower florets, frozen or fresh

1 tsp Turmeric

Salt to Taste

3 bay leaves

3 tbsp canola oil

4 whole cloves

4 whole green cardamon pods

2 tsp ginger/garlic paste

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp garam masala

1/8 tsp red chili powder

1/8 tsp white pepper

3 tbsp cashew nut paste

2 tbsp plain yoghurt

3 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup cream or whole or reduced fat milk

If you have a mortar & Pestle make your ginger, garlic and cashew pastes or you can purchase from an ethnic speciality food store

Add cauliflower to a large pan, add water to cover and bring to boil

Add Turmeric, Bay Leaves and slightly more than a pinch of salt

Allow to cook till cauliflower is 3/4 done

Remove from heat and drain and discard water and bay leaves

Place cauliflower into an ovenproof casserole dish

Mix the garlic and ginger paste in 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl

Mix the cashew paste with the yoghurt and 1/2 cup of water in a small bowl

Over medium heat pour the canola oil in a pan and add the cloves and green cardamon pods (hit them with the flat side of a knife to slightly open them)

Saute just till they begin to crackle and then add in the garlic/ginger paste

When the water has evaporated, add in the butter and the garam masala, the red chili powder, the white pepper and about an 1/8 tsp of salt

Turn the heat to low and add in the cashew paste mixture

When it begins to boil, add in the tomato paste, cover and cook for 5 minutes

Add in the cream or milk and then pour over the cauliflower in the casserole

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

Serve with Basmati rice.

Ugh!

robert



How it's done in Tuscany

A few weeks ago, I talked about the Italian ladies of Tuscany that come here to conduct cooking classes each year.  I gave the recipe for a fantastically flavorful salad I learned to make at the class...it's now my favorite salad to make.  I also make a mouth watering risotto that we enjoyed that night.  It is absolutely delicious and easy to make, but like any risotto recipe, it's just a matter of being patient enough to stand over the pot constantly stirring and adding hot broth until the mixture turns to rich creamy risotto with such wonderful flavor. It nearly stands on it's own as a meal all by itself but boy does it partner well with the salad those women from Tuscany taught us to make, in the event you feel like making both...let me tell you this is one pairing that will more than satisfy and impress...I could see this scoring major points as a first time meal for a sweetheart...hey maybe I should've used this for Valentine's Day.
http://foodolicious.blogspot.com/2011/01/wild-mamas-of-tuscany.html

Risotto alla Zucca (pumpkin)

1 lb Arbol rice

Pumpkin or Butternut Squash*

I glass good white wine

1 onion thinly sliced

Olive Oil, Butter

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

7 cups Hot Broth

Cut the small pumpkin or squash in half, place face down onto foil covered cookie sheet

and back at 350 till a fork inserted through outer skin easily pierces through

Scoop out meat and set aside

Saute the onion in a small amount of butter and olive oil

Over medium heat, add the pumpkin to the onion and stir in arbol rice till thoroughly coated

Pour in the glass of wine and allow to evaporate

Add in one cup of the broth and continously stir till broth is worked in and evaporated

Continue to add in broth, one cup at a time till the risotto is soft but not mushy

Just before serving, add in the Parmigiano and a spoonful of unsalted butter

Add salt and pepper to taste

*The name of this recipe, Risotto alla Zucca (Zucca means pumpkin) was made by the ladies with cooked pumpkin, but they also mentioned you could use Butternut Squash...I love that type of squash, so I always use it in place of the pumpkin, to me it's even better this way...but don't get me wrong the pumpkin makes this dish phenomenal if you want to use it instead of the butternut.

buon appetito!

robert



Unplanning your dinner tonight

I love to be spontaneous when it comes to planning dinner.  If I am having guests over...that's a different story, then I put on my proverbial chef's hat and go out to the store with my prepared grocery list on my Droid X (I run into people I know at the store that can't get over that).  That mode is smart and safe, usually I am making a dish that I know will knock the guests socks off.  More than not though...I make dinner planning playful.  There are several ways I do this, one being just pulling up a google search screen and typing in an ingredient that comes to mind such as Asparagus.  Usually, something will pop up that doesn't take three days of marinating and three days of hanging outside your back porch.  Another good way to search google is to type in "the best recipe for ___________), I have pulled up some amazing recipes that way.  It is quick and easy, as long as you are the type that can make a quick decision, go with it and boom 9 hours later, dinner is served!

Another fun way is the cook book game...(my fetish for cookbooks will be an entree one day I am sure)  I grab one of the multitudes of cookbooks I have, trying to make it one I have neglected for a long time...this can be highly adventurous (don't be afraid to let out a good guttural "yee haw" if the mood strikes you during this mode) and whether it's this way or the google way, make sure you do this early enough to allow for enough time to go out to the store or stores and get anything that recipe calls for.  If you are feeling like really letting your hair down and becoming a mad cook in your kitchen tonight, purposely grab your African cook book or something far from mainstream Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens, but be ready the only rules are: 

1)No matter what you close your eyes and open up to, commit to making it even if it means frantically searching for frozen Ostrich Claws...

2)Start early in the morning to give you plenty of time to get organized...you might have to shop at several stores

3)Stay positive in your new culinary vision for the day.  It might be some way of food prepping you never even knew existed, but try to stay with it...it will only become overwhelming if you let it!  And remember Julia and her glasses of wine...but remember the Dan Aykroyd skit too...don't be a drunk cook for safety reasons...

4)Buy some Stouffer's frozen macaroni and cheese - one box for each family member just in case a fiasco brews and compels you to throw your creation down the drain in despair

So with the cookbook method, you open the book and place your finger on a page without looking and choose a meal.  If your collection is minimal, take yourself to your public library stand in front of all the cookbooks, close your eyes and reach out and touch one...(just be careful not to touch old man Grayson, or old lady Gertrude while your eyes are closed!)
One fun way I really enjoy is to either use the vintage cook book handed down from your grandmother's mother or perhaps you have one from an estate sale.  I acquired a collection of those Betty Crocker cards with pictures that were advertised all over the airwaves back in the early seventies...that can be fun.  Not necessarily healthy but fun.  You're assured of creating an ultra comfort food type dish with those. 

Ok, you can play it safe and open a cookbook's table of contents or open your fridge and see what ingredients you find but that's just that...playing it safe.  Taking a walk on the wild side could broaden your culinary horizon, it could make your mate salivate in ecstasy at the Moroccan lamb stew you conjured up, it might even be the start of a whole new you...who knows!  The skies the limit!  Heck you might even rent Julie & Julia again and debone the duck! 

bon appetit!

robert

When Rubbing your Pork Loin is a good thing.....

Five years ago, I was looking for a new way to prepare pork loin.  I was tired of the  recipe I was using...marinating then grilling over open flames.  It is delicious when cooked properly but a few minutes too long and you might as well take the longish piece of rubberized meat and place it at the bottom of your front door to keep the drafts out.

I was watching a program about dry rubs on ribs used in a Texas barbecue contest, and that gave me the idea to search the internet for a good rub for a pork loin.  The first one I settled on was more than impressive.  When I sliced through the meat, the juices that flowed, made me think it wasn't done, but it was.  It was so tender and the spicy and sweet outer crust from the rub was absolutely a fantastically new and delicious way to enjoy pork loin.  I wont tire of this recipe because the rub is so tasty and alive with flavor...a perfect way to dress up a pork loin.  A great robust white or red wine partners perfectly with the intense range of flavors the rub infuses into the meat.  Oh and as far as saving money, there is almost always a market somewhere every week that has pork loin on sale...buy a few and freeze em!

Pork Roast with an out of  this world rub

2 to 2 1/2 pound boneless pork loin

1 1/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

2/3 cups granulated sugar

3 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper

2 tbsp kosher salt

2 tbsp ground ginger

4 1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 1/2 tsp onion salt

1 tbsp dry mustard

1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (cayenne)

1 1/2 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp paprika

3/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed

Mix all above dry ingredients together very well in small bowl

Heat oven to 325 degrees

Take half of the rub mixture and sprinkle evenly  on all sides of the pork

Using your fingers to rub into pork

Place roast on rack in a shallow roasting pan

Roast uncovered until internal temperature is 150 degrees

Depending on on your oven this can take between 40 minutes and 1 hour

Remove from oven and immediately cover loosely with foil

Let stand 15 minutes before slicing

You can store the other half of the rub in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three month

May your day be filled with spicy sweetness!

robert

When White Corn and Green Chili marry and make amazing Salsa

Maybe I am wanting warmer weather already.  Here in New Mexico, we still have about three months before it gets here but I can hope and visualize and just sit with knowing that it will be here soon enough.  I bring this up because today I am sharing a recipe I make all through the summer months.  I grow a big crop of sweet white corn - Silver Queen, so that we can enjoy fresh corn on the grill and share fresh cobs with friends and still have enough to blanch, remove from the cobs, seal with a Food Saver and freeze.  I think I have about 45 cups worth in our standing freezer right now..and then I can make dishes with sweet white corn anytime I feel like it.   My point?  Well we aren't exactly in the season of freshly shucked corn yet, but fresh frozen does just fine in making this amazing Corn and Green Chili Salsa.  This salsa dish is easy and so full of lively zest that you will find it an easy addiction...a really heathy one.  You can get creative with the salsa too and serve it over grilled chicken or fish, but it's stupendous served with good chips.  Sometimes, I have even tossed it into a green salad.  With the first bite of this spicy deliciousness, it will  take you to the warm winded days of summer even though spring hasn't even knocked on our doors yet.

Corn and Green Chili Salsa

Three ears of white sweet corn (about two cups) or the equivalent using frozen

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

4 tbsp diced onion

1 lb fresh New Mexico Green Chilis (8-10) roasted, peeled, seeded and finely diced

or you can use frozen if you have access or substitute canned chopped spicy green chilis

5 oven roasted roma tomatoes

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp roasted oregano, rubbed between the fingers

(place the oregano into a small dry saute pan and stir over medium heat about 2 minutes)

and don't forget about all the healthy anti-oxidants in oregano!

Remove the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife if using fresh

Place in a saute pan with the water and cook for three minutes over medium heat...the water should just be evaporated

Transfer to a mixing bowl

Heat the oil in the pan and saute the onion over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until translucent

Add to the mixing bowl along with the remaining ingredients and combine well

Refrigerate the mixture till chilled

Warmer months will arrive soon!

robert

One heck of an amazing burger

Today for lunch, my partner and I were running around Santa Fe and we were both very hungry so we decided to treat ourselves to Bob Cat Bite...it's a small little adobe building with the cutest, shortest little counter that has been in business since the 50's.  It was a trading post prior to that, but they are famous for their amazing 10 oz burgers.  Food programs have come here to focus on Bob Cat Bite as one of the best burgers in America on several occasions.  I for one believe them.  http://www.bobcatbite.com/ Today's blog isn't one of those versatile recipe's where I say substitute this or that and make it vegetarian.  This is a pure one-hundred percent beef day.  if you have been to Bob Cat's you know exactly what I mean and what caliber of burger we are talking about.  Two suggestions if you go;  make absolutely certain that your stomach is empty so you can allow yourself the full intensity of the experience including the phenomenal flavors of the meat and second, do cut the 10 oz burger in half unless you have the ability as I do, to pretend I am disengaging my jaws and have that first bite be almost impossible...(but it is possible)...just ask for extra napkins. 

Years ago, when I first experienced Bob Cat Bite, I read the history of the restaurant and also how their burgers are made...they boast using a high quality chuck roast that they fine grind to make their burgers.  Well since we live 45 minutes north of Santa Fe, and the restaurant is on the opposite outer skirts of the Capitol...it's not a quick drive...worth it yes, but I figured I would just grind up some chuck roast in my Kitchen Aid standing mixer using the grinder attachment...I ground the chuck twice and then formed the meat into 10 oz patties that were about two inches tall...just like they do.  I only used salt and pepper on a very hot grill and was pleasantly surprised at the results...It's like the king of burgers as far as I am concerned...the chuck has just enough fat so that when it's all ground together...you have the makings for a mouth watering burger...I mentioned this wasn't an entree for the vegetarian readers...nor is this an entree for the ultra health conscious...

So if you get a hankering for a real good juicy, delicious hamburger that you will not forget...try Bob Cat Bite if you live here...or plan on visiting Northern New Mexico...or make your own burger...it doesn't take rocket science to make an amazingly delectable burger...Whimpy would quiver!...I would like to see what that would look like on his face.  :-0

Yum and drips from the edges of your mouth!

robert

Delicious Asian Noodle Soup in a Flash!

Sometimes, food pangs strike at the oddest times.  Like when the local Asian restaurant is closed and you didn't really feel like going out anyhow since you're already vegging in PJ's...but you can't get your stomach's mind to stop thinking about a bowl of hot udon or pho noodle soup.  I get that craving quite a bit.  I think it's linked to my parents often taking me to their favorite Chinese restaurant in Montebello, California.  These huge steaming bowls of soup with noodles and pork and chicken and vegetables all topped with sliced boiled egg, would arrive at the table...I remember coming to love this soup early on , it became a comfort food for me...I recall those weekend nights just like it was yesterday. 

Today, I often enjoy a good bowl of asian noodle soup whether it's from a Vietnamese, Chinese or a Japanese restaurant.  So somewhere between experimenting with the flavor packets that come inside a fifty cent package of ramen noodles (eeek turbo MSG!) and trying to figure out what sort of spices go into the restaurant variety and catching a British woman's food program about asian soup one snowy winter afternoon...I came up with a very simple and fast way to make a good tasting soup.  I especially love this during our cold month's but I have been known to make this in August too. 

Fast Soul-Warming Asian Soup

1 package of Udon or any other asian noodles found in the international section of your grocery store

Within each package, normally there are smaller individually wrapped portions.  I am referring to one of those portions, not the whole package

3 cups Chicken, Pork, Beef or Vegetable Broth

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 star of anise

1 tbsp brown sugar

1tbsp soy sauce

3 cups Chicken, Pork, Beef or Vegetable Broth

Baby Bok Choy or Napa Cabbage or both - chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce

Salt, Black Pepper and White Pepper to taste

2 boiled eggs - sliced

1 stalk green onion - chopped

In a deep sauce pan, pour in the broth, the star of anise, the grated ginger, the brown sugar, the soy sauce and the spices to taste...if you want a spicier soup use more white pepper

Allow broth to come to boil and add in the vegetables only allowing to cook for a few minutes

Add in the noodles and allow to cook in boiling liquid for about 7-8 minutes

Add in chopped green onion
Discard Star Anise

Serve in bowls topped with the sliced boiled egg

There are so many variations to this soup, this is my basic way I throw it together 
You can add in raw shrimp at the last minute, or chicken or pork or other vegetables such as mushrooms like straw or button
The international refrigerated section in your market usually even has fish cake

You can add Chinese red chili sauce or small chopped Thai Chili's to make it fiery hot...whatever your food pang is craving or whatever you happen to have in your pantry and refrigerator...oh and for whatever reason, the dried noodles seem to have way less sodium than the fresh...important if you make this soup on a regular basis  ;-)

Here's to a satisfied Pang!

robert

Very interesting food tidbits......

50% of U.S pizzas are sold with pepperoni on them.

Bananas aren't fruit! They are a type of herb.

Canola oil is actually grapeseed oil but the name was changed for marketing reasons!

Heineken beer is designed to 'foam' for exactly five minutes.

In Spain, it is common to pour chocolate milk on cereal for breakfast.

Pretzels were originally invented for Christian Lent.

Strawberries have more vitamin c than oranges.

To burn off one plain M&M candy, you need to walk the full length of a football field.

A company in Taiwan makes dinnerware out of wheat, so you can eat your plate!

Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from producing tears.

Is bottled water worth it? 'Evian' spelled backwards is 'naive'.

The 7-Eleven Extreme Gulp is 50% bigger than the volume of the human stomach!

A hardboiled egg will spin; An uncooked or softboiled egg will not.

Chop-suey is not a native Chinese dish, it was created in California by Chinese immigrants.

It takes 100 pounds of rain water to produce a single pound of food from the earth.

The average American/Canadian will eat about 11.9 pounds of cereal per year!

A coffee tree yields about one pound of coffee in a year.

Among older men, vanilla is the most erotic smell.

Bananas contain a natural chemical which can make a person happy; This same chemical is also found in Prozac.

Cashew nut shells contain oil that is extremely irritating to human skin.

During your lifetime, you'll eat about 60,000 pounds of food, that's the weight of about 6 elephants.

Honey is used sometimes for antifreeze mixtures and in the center of golf balls.

Instead of a birthday cake, many children in Russia are given a birthday pie.

Nachos is the food most craved by pregnant women.

Pumpkin rule of thumb: the darker the shell, the longer the pumpkin lasts.

The 'Big Dipper' is known as 'The Casserole' in France.

The Number One Selling Snack in the US is potato chips

Tomatoes were originally thought to be poisonous.

15 million gallons of wine were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

By recycling just one glass bottle, the amount of energy that is being saved is enough to light a 100 watt bulb for four hours.

In its ancient form, the carrot was purple, not orange.

Spinach consumption in the U.S rose 33% after the Popeye comic strip became a hit in 1931.

A one ounce milk chocolate bar has 6 mg of caffeine.

Coca-Cola was the first soft drink to be consumed in outer space.

It takes about a week to make a jelly bean.

The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the time he/she graduates from high school.

By partially filling saucers with vinegar and distributing the saucers around a room, you can eliminate odors.

In India, pickled ginger, minced mutton, and a cottage cheese like substances are popular pizza toppings.

Smokers eat more sugar than non-smokers do.

Worcestershire Sauce is basically an Anchovy ketchup.

A peanut is not a nut; It is a legume.

An apple, potato, and onion all taste the same if you eat them with your nose plugged.

Bacteria that cause tooth decay, acne, tuberculosis, and leprosy can be cured with cashews.

Coca-Cola's 'Super Pure' Dasani bottled water is just filtered tap water!

Each year, the average family uses about 18,000 gallons of water just to do its laundry!

Grapes explode when you put them in the microwave.

It takes twelve years of corn to make a tablespoon of corn oil.

No 2 cornflakes are identical!

Pound for Pound, hamburgers cost more than new cars!

The average chocolate bar has 8 insects' legs in it.

The powder on chewing gum is finely-ground marble.

There is more real lemon juice in Lemon Pledge furniture polish than in Country Time Lemonade.

A pound of potato chips costs 200 times more than a pound of potatoes.

Coconuts kill more people in the world than sharks do; Approximately 150 people are killed each year by coconuts.

It takes up to four hours to hard boil an ostrich egg.

The average coach airline meal costs the airline $4.00; The average first class meal: $50.

By 3,000 B.C there were at least six different types of beer in Egypt.

In ancient China, people committed suicide by eating a pound of salt.

Rubber is one of the ingredients in bubble gum.

Quick! I need something for the potluck tomorrow!!!!

So your sitting at your desk frantically trying to finish the report for this afternoons meeting, and the pain in the behind "office coordinator" suddenly shows up with a sign up sheet for tomorrow's potluck and a smile you have seen over and over again.  You got so many dirty looks last time for bringing napkins that you decide to turn over a new leaf.  But how and when?!  You have a tae bo workout right after work, you promised you would take the kids to the latest 3-d movie and the dry cleaners called about your forgotten load of cleaning you dropped off two weeks ago.

Fortunately for you, today's blog is about quick and easy pot luck favorites that will make you shine at the one hour office bonding ritual, and make other's envious at how you managed to find the time with such a frantically busy life outside of your cubicle.  This trio of recipes are so easy and yet taste so good, they are the items that vanish first...just you watch.  No one says it's absolutely necessary that you give away your culinary secrets either...which will make the office cronies even more envious!

Amazingly simple and delicious Swedish Meatballs

One large package or two small of frozen meatballs

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of cream of asparagus soup

1 small container of sour cream

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp black pepper

In a large bowl, simply mix all the above ingredients, making sure that the meatballs are still frozen

Place into a crock pot on low for 6 hours

You will not believe how good they are and how fast they vanish
This is also absolutely delicious served mixed with pasta of your choice..the meatballs are saucy enough for this!

Amazing Crescent Dough Wrapped Cream Cheese

2 cans of crescent dough rolls

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese

1 beaten egg

Dried Dill Weed

Open the cans of crescent dough and roll out the perforated triangle shapes, but do not pull apart

with your fingers, mush together the perforations so it is one piece of continuous dough

You will have two sheets...one is the top and one is the bottom

Take your two fresh out of the refrigerator cream cheese squares (do not soften) and using a sharp knife, lay one of the cheese blocks down flat wise and slice thru it horizontally

Sprinkle the dill weed onto the now exposed insides of the cream cheese

Put the cream cheese squares back together

Put them side by side long wise onto the bottom half of the crescent dough sheet

lay the top dough sheet onto the cream cheese and get creative!

You need to seal the top to the bottom, semi form fitting around the two blocks

You can make fancy crimps, you can make sort of twists around the cheese, just make sure that the perforated areas are now solid.

Brush the beaten egg onto all exposed areas of the dough
I have my best results baking this on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet but you can use a cookie sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray

Bake according to crescent roll directions, temperature and time wise...normally I have to add a few minutes making sure that dough is golden brown in color and cooked thru

Serve alone or with fancy crackers. 

Watch how quickly this one vanishes...
Oh and thanks Nat for this one many many many years ago <3

Salmon Log Dip

One tall can of good quality salmon

1 8 oz block of cream cheese

1 tbsp liquid smoke

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Dried Chives

Place the first four ingredients into a food processor and mix till smooth

Taste the processed mixture and decide if you want more lemon or more liquid smoke.

 On waxed paper, form the salmon mixture into a rounded log

Sprinkle dried chives all over outside

Wrap the loaf in wax paper

Refrigerate

Serve with fancy crackers

Here's to no more signing up for napkins!

robert

A cookie that is good and good for you

In Long Beach, California, like 15 yrs ago, I lived in this big two storied craftsman style house that had been sectioned off years earlier into individual living spaces.  My little attached apartment, was once a carriage garage for the dwelling.  This huge house and fenced in yard was the perfect environment for holiday and lazy summer afternoon block parties where we shared great food amongst each other, we shared recipes too...oh yeah, and between all of us occupants we had a combined total of 14 cats at the time! One of the tenants was a woman that often cooked and baked healthy meals.  She had a pet bunny in the back courtyard area and each morning, as she would feed the furry critter and clean his cage I could hear her having chats with the rabbit, named Mr. McGregor...it became a ritual each morning to listen for the conversation...well, not from Mr. McGregor...at least I never heard him answer back...hmmm.

One day, Mr. McGregor's mother had made a batch of cookies and I loved them so much, I asked her for the recipe.  I was thrilled that they were healthy cookies that tasted so good.  I make them when the urge to bake cookies surfaces and when chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies don't win out.  They are simple to make and usually I have all the ingredients on hand to throw a batch together.  Sometimes it's nice to enjoy something sweet on the tongue that ends up being nutritional for the body.

Mr. McGregor's Mother's Healthy Cookies

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup soya granules*

 http://www.amazon.com/Fearn-Soya-Granules-2-Pound-Canister/dp/B001EO5KAG

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp flax seed meal

1/2 cup real maple syrup or molasses

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix all the ingredients and bake in a 375 degree oven for 9-11 minutes

2/3 cup canola oil

*The Soya Granules can be purchased at Whole Foods or any health food store or on line.  They are toasted soy beans
that have been granulated.  Very nutritional stuff!

 

Garlic paste you will not believe

When I lived in California, one of my regular food outings was to Zankou Chicken.  I have mentioned this place on another blog entree, but it's worth mentioning again http://www.zankouchicken.com/  If you have experienced the place then you know how wonderful the garlic paste is.  It is fantastic lemony garlic intensity that as a dip for juicy flavorful rotisserie chicken bites (Zankou Style) and wrapped in pita bread will not be forgotten...I dare you to try it if you live in Southern California!  I left the land of sunshine well over a decade ago but my cravings for Zankou Chicken did not end there.  I didn't know what to do...So I started surfing the internet to see if there was anyone that had successfully made the garlic paste recipe.  I found a person that was actually visiting on holiday from Germany.  She got hooked on the chicken and the potent paste while in California.  She shared with me what she had found on the internet and that she had made the garlic paste successfully and ate it back in Germany with roasted or barbecued chicken.  I was more than excited, and began making it myself to satisfy the Zankou Chicken urge when it comes up.  You really have to be a garlic lover to appreciate it because you will relive it for hours after consuming it.  I am starting to salivate just writing this...I miss Zankou Chicken.

Potent! Potent! Potent! Garlic Paste

3 small russett potatoes - peeled

1 whole head of garlic (about 12-14 cloves) cut into quarters

1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 tbsp salt

Boil the potatoes in water till soft then mash and allow to cool

Place the garlic into a blender and puree with the salt and lemon juice and about 2 tbsp of the oil

With the motor running, slowly pour the remainder of the oil thru the blender lid opening

Begin to add the mashed potatoes about two tbsp at a time till the consistency is thick and creamy

Refrigerate this potent dip of mighty flavor for several hours

Serve with a pre cooked store bought rotisserie chicken and pita bread

Note:  This is a highly addictive concoction...just be forwarned...but it's a good addiction

Make certain that those that you love also consume it at the same time...or else your asking for trouble  :-)



Sensual garlic dreams to you!

robert