Thai Style Green Curry Pork

We love Thai food.  Seriously.  We have a giant Thai cookbook on our kitchen counter.  And we have galagal, kafir lime leaf, and ginger in our freezer along with fish sauce in our fridge and powdered lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste in our pantry.  Spring rolls are a staple in our diet.  Peanut sauce has morphed into a Thai peanut salad dressing in our house.And while we go out for Thai on occasion it's usually take-out and it's usually because we're lazy. 

So, since we also usually have a can of coconut milk in the pantry as well, little green curry paste was all that we needed to do up some Thai style Green Curry Pork with Quinoa.  Most of these things can be found at a large grocery store with a good Asian/Ethnic isle.  Fresh galangal may not be available to you but fresh ginger root can be substituted.  It won't taste quite the same as galangal has that floral aspect that ginger just doesn't posses.  Same goes for kafir lime leaf.  Lime zest can be subbed but it isn't quite as sweet or perfumed as kafir lime leaf.  We're fortunate enough to live in an area with a decent southeast Asian community and a Co-op that carries a lot of Central and Southeast Asian ingredients so I stock up on the good stuff when it's available.

So this curry sauce is classic Thai flavor and you can serve this with any steamed grain you like.  We went with quinoa because it's what we had in the cupboard.  Same goes for veggies.  Onions, carrots, pumpkin, and bell peppers are all traditional Southeast Asian curry ingredients but use what you have or what you like.  We tossed in some cauliflower and zucchini because we had it in the veggie drawer. Also, we didn't do much heat in this.  This is very mild as curries go so zip it up if you like.  Slice up a jalapeño or serrano and toss it in.

So, Guttermouth goes with Thai food, right?  And this was blasting in the car around the time I made this dish.  Love me some old, raw, hardcore Guttermouth.  Never got to see em live, though.

Thai Style Green Curry Pork
Time:  
Difficulty: Medium
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup onion, sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp galangal root, grated (ginger root can be subbed if you can't find galagal)
• 2 tbsp green curry paste (in the Asian food isle of the grocery store)
• 1 Kafir lime leaf (1 tbsp of lime zest can be subbed if you can't find Kafir lime leaf)
• 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped into 1" pieces
• 1 cup zucchini, chopped into 1" pieces
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped into 1" pieces
• 1 cup carrots, chopped into 1/2" rounds
• 1 cup acorn squash, chopped into 1/2 pieces
• 1 lb pork shoulder chopped into 1" cubes
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• basil and/or cilantro chiffonade for garnish

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Toss cauliflower, carrot, and squash in 2 tbsp of the canola oil (set the remaining 2 tbsp aside for later), salt and pepper.  Spread evenly on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often.   

When onion is translucent and fragrant, stir in the galangal, the kaffir lime leaf, and the green curry paste.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often until the aromas are strong and a paste is formed.

Stir in the red bell pepper, zucchini, and meat and stir to coat with the onions and spice paste.

Add the water, coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce, and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the meat is cooked through. 

Stir in the roasted veggies, lime juice, and taste for any final salt and pepper that may be needed.

Serve with rice, quinoa, or your preferred steamed grain and garnish with basil and/or cilantro.

Warm Chorizo and Cabbage Salad

I was at the laundromat with Justin when I came up with this idea.  I'm not sure where it came from... I knew we had a pound of chorizo in the freezer and I think I was just trying to come up with some sort of "different" salad idea.

It came out really tasty!  I'd describe it as a Mexican-style mushu... or a warm slaw?  One of Justin's coworkers had gifted us with a huge zucchini, so I just scooped that out (I actually sauteed the scooped zucchini filling with my onion and poblano), rubbed some olive oil on the inside and outside, seasoned with salt and pepper and baked in a preheated 425 oven for about 17 minutes, until tender.  Then stuffed it with the chorizo and cabbage salad.  Very good!  But the next day, I just ate it in a bowl by itself like a salad.

I don't think we've used any Good Riddance with our recipes yet - "There's No 'I' In Team".  -jen

WARM CHORIZO AND CABBAGE SALAD
Time:  about 30 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:   about 8 cups

• 1/2 pound chorizo sausage (the meaty kind, not the melty kind)
• 3/4 cup onion, julienned
• 1/2 cup poblano pepper, julienned
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 3/4 cup Restaurant Style Salsa
• 3 cups cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
• 8oz (half a 14oz can) corn, drained
• 8oz (half a 14oz can) garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onion, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown chorizo until cooked through.  Remove with a slotted spoon, place in a large bowl and set aside.  Using 2 tablespoons of the sausage grease, saute onion, poblano and oregano until softened and onion is translucent.  Remove with slotted spoon and set aside in same bowl as sausage.

Delicious brown bits!

While pan is still hot, add white wine and salsa, scraping up the browned bits from the pan.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5-7 minutes, until reduced to half.  Add cabbage, carrots, corn and beans, stirring to coat with sauce.  Cook for just a few minutes so that cabbage is still crunchy and not cooked all the way through.  Toss with cilantro and green onion.  Add a little salt and pepper if necessary.

Can be served as just a salad.  Can be put into zucchini boats (I halved my large zucchini, scooped it out, salt, pepper and olive oil on inside and baked for 15-20 minutes at 425 on a greased cookie sheet until tender), then stuffed with cabbage salad.  Could be rolled into a burrito, served as a taco, rolled in an egg roll wrapper and fried.  Served with rice or pasta.  Whatever!

Restaurant Style Salsa

I've been making this salsa over and over and over again the last few weeks.  We've just been plowing through it. 

Ridiculously fast to make if you need something for guests or a party or late night munchies, which is generally our case.  I'm having a hard time deciding if I like this salsa more?  Or pico de gallo more?  I think I must like them equally for different reasons.

I'm not sure why I didn't take better pictures of any of the batches I made.  All I did was take a quick pick in a plastic storage container.  We fancy.  Next batch (which won't be long) I'll try for some better pics.

Here's a band from my home state, Illinois - Blue Meanies with "The Infidelity Song".  -jen

 

RESTAURANT STYLE SALSA
Time: 5 minutes

Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:  4 cups
Need:  Food processor or blender

• 2 cans (14oz each) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 onion, rough chopped
• 1 jalapeño, rough chopped*
• 5 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro
• juice of 1 lime (about 1-1.5 tbsp)
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

*For a medium spicy salsa, leave seeds in.  For a mild salsa, remove seeds.  For a hot salsa, add a second jalapeño.

No Cook Version:  Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until desired consistency.

Cooked Version:  I prefer to actually cook the canned tomatoes in a sauce pan over a medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes, then let them cool about 10 minutes before placing in a food processor or blender with all the other ingredients and pulsing until desired consistency.  Cooking them takes away some of the "tinny" taste from the can.  I've made it both ways and they're both good!  This is just my preference.

Chorizo and Jalapeño Deviled Eggs

These Chorizo and Jalapeño Deviled Eggs came out so freaking good!  Generally, I'm not even a hard boiled egg fan, but I really wanted to dye eggs during the Giant Purple Bunny holiday, and since I don't have kids I can use an excuse, I had to use cooking as my excuse.  We'd had a lot of Mexican food on the menu, so I was in that mindset and I really thought that chorizo and jalapeño deviled eggs was a completely original idea... but it wasn't.  I see there are other recipes out there.  However, I didn't even look at them because I didn't want my idea to be tainted by what they did!  (Mmm, tainted eggs.)  And in the end, these eggs were fantastic!!!  I just ate a leftover one this morning while typing up this recipe and they're one of those foods that's even better the next day.

I'd just like to note that I had to go to four different stores on Easter Sunday in order to find an egg dying kit.  Either the people were there at 7:00am to wipe out the store for candy, or the stores had already wiped out their own holiday displays to make way for summer barbecue crap!  We put some time, energy and gasoline into these eggs, man!

I heard the holiday was about dead people rising, so Strung Out's "Exhumation of Virginia Madison" seemed to fit the bill for tunes!  -jen

CHORIZO AND JALAPEÑO DEVILED EGGS
Time:  20-25 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:  12 deviled eggs

• 6 hard boiled eggs (see how-to below)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sour cream (optional)
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/4 cup cooked Spanish-style (chunky) chorizo, minced
• 2 tablespoons green onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Peel eggs and slice in half length-wise.  Gently scoop out the yolks and place into a small bowl.  Use a fork to break apart the cooked yolks and mash them.  Add mayonnaise, sour cream, yellow mustard and lime juice - mix until smooth and combined.  Stir in chorizo, green onion, jalapeño, and cilantro.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (Some chorizo is more salty than others, that's why you have to taste it before you add salt!)

Evenly distribute the filling back into the egg whites using a spoon or piping bag.  (I just used a quart-size zip bag like a piping bag, cutting off the corner.)  Serve immediately or keep refrigerated.

How to Hard Boil Eggs:
Place eggs in single layer in a sauce pan or stock pot.  Cover with 1" of cold water.  Bring to a boil.  Then cover and remove from heat and set aside for 8 minutes.  Drain and cool in very cold water/ice water.  Hard boiled eggs can last for a week refrigerated if their peel is left on. 

Falafel

We were both craving some falafel not too long ago... we probably saw something on tv that made us think of it.  Where we live, there's only one Greek place and it's really just a gyro joint - gyros, falafel, fries, dolmas, kebabs... and it's in the next town over, so we don't get there often.  Might as well make our own!

Going with a little hardcore for this recipe with DFL's "Society's Pressure". 
   

And speaking of hardcore...  this is a video I caught of a guy that walks through our neighbourhood, usually growling out hardcore.  I love it!!!  -jen

FALAFEL
Soak Time:  Overnight
Prep Time:  15 minutes - then refrigerate 1-2 hours 
Fry Time:  10 minutes
Difficulty:  Medium
Makes:  about 20
Need:  Food Processor

• 1 cup dried garbanzo beans
• 1 cup onion, rough chopped (1/2 medium onion)
• 1 tablespoon garlic, rough chopped (3-4 cloves)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, rough chopped
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Place garbanzo beans in a large bowl and cover with 2-3 inches of water.  Cover loosely with foil and let sit overnight.  Beans will double in size.

Drain and rinse soaked garbanzo beans.  Place in a food processor and add all remaining ingredients.  Pulse until mixture is about the size of couscous and just beginning to turn into a paste.  Test consistency by forming a small patty (about 2 tablespoons).  If patty is loose, try pulsing the mixture just a little more.

Refrigerate mixture for 1-2 hours.

Form patties with 2 tablespoons of falafel mix.  Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet until ready to fry.

Heat 1" of oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat.  Fry in batches - do not over-crowd your skiller.  When oil is hot, use a metal spatula to gently place falafel patties into skillet.  Fry 2-3 minutes on one side, then use the spatula to flip and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Falafels should be browned and crispy.  Drain on papertowels.

Serve with a side of tzatziki (Greek cucumber-yogurt sauce).  You can find Cooking To Die For's tzatziki recipe here! 

 

Pozole Verde de Puerco (Green Hominy Soup with Pork)

Maiz blanco (white maize/hominy)

Pozole... a Mexican soup with a history of human sacrifice.  If that doesn't make you want to eat it, I don't know what will! 

According to Wiki, "...pozole was made to be consumed on special occasions...on these special occasions, the meat used in the pozole was human.   After the prisoners were killed by having their hearts torn out in a ritual sacrifice, the rest of the body was chopped and cooked with maize. The meal was shared among the whole community as an act of religious communion. After the Conquest, when cannibalism was banned, pork became the staple meat as it 'tasted very similar', according to a Spanish priest."

Pozole garnish

Pozole is made with corn (maiz) that is treated in an alkaline solution, a process called nixtamalization.  Wiki also says, "Maize subjected to the nixtamalization process has several benefits over unprocessed grain: it is more easily ground; its nutritional value is increased; flavor and aroma are improved; and mycotoxins are reduced.

Justin decided to go with pork instead of long pig for this recipe and it was delicious!  Garnishes for pozole vary - we used cabbage, radishes, green onion, cilantro and lime.  I've also had it with salsa and/or sliced avocado.

Sticking with the theme of eating people, let's listen to this cover of a song I knew growing up - The Meteors covering "Little Red Riding Hood" (originally done by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, and I think it was titled "Li'l Red Riding Hood"?)  Anyway, I dig this cover.  Eat pork, not people.  Unless you really want to - I'm not the boss of you.  -jen

POZOLE VERDE DE PUERCO (GREEN HOMINY SOUP WITH PORK)
Prep Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  about an hour, including simmering
Difficulty: Medium
Makes: about 2.5 quarts

• 1 pound country-style pork ribs, cubed to bite size
• 1 teaspoon salt 

  

  Pozole ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 3/4 cup onion, diced (half of a large onion)
• 1/2 cup celery, diced (about 2 large ribs)
• 3 large fresh tomatillos, diced
• 1 large jalapeño, seeded, de-veined and diced
• 1 large green onion, diced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tbsp)
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 12 cups (1.5 quarts) pork broth (or chicken broth if pork isn't available)
• 28oz can pozole (hominy), drained
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Garnishes:

• shredded cabbage
• thinly sliced radishes
• green or white onion, chopped
• cilantro, chopped
• lime wedges

Country-style pork ribs

Put cubed pork in a large Ziplock bag and add salt, black pepper, paprika and cinnamon.  Massage bag to distribute seasonings evenly over meat.

In a large stock pot, heat butter over medium-high and add seasoned pork, browning on all sides.  Remove and set aside. 

In the same pan, using the pork drippings, add onion, celery, tomatillos, jalapeños, green onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper.  Saute until vegetables are tender and translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Once vegetables are cooked, add broth and hominy and the browned pork.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer about 40 minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in 1/3 cup cilantro.

Serve hot with cabbage, radishes, green onion, cilantro and lime juice on top of each serving, or serve on the side for folks to add their own.

Pork Pot Stickers (Chinese Dumplings) & Dipping Sauce

I've been having a serious craving for good Chinese food and unfortunately, there's no Chinese food
restaurants in our little town that we like.  We had our wedding catered in '08 by a friend who owned the best Chinese restaurant in town, but the building burned down a few years later and she never reopened it.  We've been without good Chinese food in town and the solution to that - make it ourselves.

While these are mildly time consuming, they're actually fairly easy to make.  If two people can get together and make them, it makes it much faster.  One person can be chopping vegetables while the other is adding them to the pork with the wet ingredients.  Then during assembly time, one person can be scooping the mix onto the wraps while the other pinches and seals the dumplings.  Team work!

We always have a ton of vegetables in our house, so we actually had a lot of the ingredients already and it didn't cost us much at all.  If you have to buy all the vegetables and end up with leftovers, just chop it all up for a salad - we eat cabbage and vegetable salads all the time.  Or soup would be another good option for the leftover cabbage, pepper, onion, carrot... man, you could make a killer soup!  

I went old school for tunes with this recipe and pulled out X's "Nausea".  I got to see them a few times in Chicago.  I always think of John Doe (bass player) in the movie "Great Balls of Fire" as Winona Ryder's dad.  I love that movie.  It's so terrible and cheesy and awesome. -jen

PORK POT STICKERS (CHINESE DUMPLINGS)
Prep Time:  about 45 minutes
Rest Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  6 minutes
Difficulty:  Medium
Makes:  about 80

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 cup cabbage (Napa or green), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded

  

  We've been buying poblano peppers instead of bell peppers because
  they're significantly cheaper and similar in flavour!

  
  

• 1/2 cup green onions, finely diced
• 1/3 cup bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Sambal (Asian chili paste)
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce 
• 1 teaspoon Chinese mustard (or Dijon mustard)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (plus extra for dusting)
• about 80 round pot sticker/wonton wrappers
• oil for frying (vegetable, canola, peanut, etc)
• water for sealing and steaming

Pork and vegetable mix

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except the wonton wrappers, oil and water) until well mixed.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (but you can refrigerate longer).

Sprinkle a baking sheet lightly with corn starch and set aside.  Have a small bowl of water for your assembly.  I worked with 9 at a time on a cutting board, keeping the unused ones covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.  Place 1 teaspoon of filling into center of wrapper.  Wet edge of wrapper and fold over, crimping/pinching edges together to seal.  Place pot sticker on the corn starched baking sheet.

 (If you don't want to cook all 80 pot stickers, you can freeze them uncooked on the baking sheet for about an hour, then put in a freezer bag and freeze for later.)

In a large skillet (that has a fitted lid), heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over a medium high heat.  Add pot stickers to pan, one at a time, in a single layer. (In our 11" skillet, we could fit 18-20 at once.) Do not over-crowd.  Fry for 2 minutes until light golden-brown.  Add 1/3 cup of water, cover and steam for 2 minutes.  Remove lid and continue to fry for another 2 minutes.  If you do a second batch, just add more oil to the pan and let it get hot before adding your second batch and repeat.

Serve hot with dipping sauce (see recipe below).

I like to put the veggies in,
then pour the wet ingredients over them

POT STICKER DIPPING SAUCE

• 1 tablespoon green onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon Sambal
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce 
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce

In a small bowl, add all ingredients.  You can use immediately, but if you make it before you start assembling your pot stickers and stick it in the fridge to let the flavours marry, it tastes way better!

Asian Cabbage Rolls & Cucumber-Tomato Salad

Justin's made an Eastern-European style cabbage rolls a few times and we have a recipe for them here.  But ever since he did, I was thinking of other things we could stuff cabbage rolls with... and I instantly craved an egg roll-type pork filling.  Today I finally remembered to make it, along with a chopped vegetable Asian style salad.

Wow.  I first posted this using a song we already used.  That was smooth.  Let's go with something different.... and angry.  Paint It Black doing "Labor Day".  Because sometimes... it feels like a nine to five death march.  -jen

ASIAN CABBAGE ROLLS
Prep Time:  15-20 minutes
Rest Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  35 minutes
Difficulty:  Medium
Makes:  About 12 rolls

• 1 pound ground pork
•  whole Napa cabbage leaves
• 1.5 cup Napa cabbage, chopped fine
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts, chopped
• 1/3 cup green onions, chopped fine (2-3 medium onions)
• 1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 small jalapeño, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sambal (Asian chili paste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

On a large cutting board or your counter, use a rolling pin to flatten the whole cabbage leaves, one
leaf at a time.  This will help with the rolling process.  Make sure to break down the ribs.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.  Drain off any excess juice.  Lay two cabbage leaves out, slightly overlapping with the stems nearest you.  Measure 1/4-1/3 cup of the meat mixture and place in the center of the leaves.  Starting with the stems, carefully roll-up over meat, tucking sides in as you go.

Place rolls seam-side down in a 9x13 baking dish.  (Line with foil for easier clean up!)  Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, until pork is cooked thoroughly (160 degrees).

Serve with Asian Dipping Sauce (recipe below).






ASIAN DIPPING SAUCE
(It's like pot sticker sauce!)

• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons green onion (1 medium onion)
• 1/4-1/2 cup dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Sambal (Asian chili paste)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

CUCUMBER-TOMATO SALAD
Time:   15 minutes
Difficulty:  Easty
Makes:  about 4 cups

• 1 to 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (about 16)
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped (3 medium onions)
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Split cumbers in half length-wise.  Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.  Dice cucumbers.  Add remaining ingredients and toss.  If you can make this ahead of time, the taste improves after it rests a while. 

Spicy Mexican Pepper Soup

This soup came out a little like a cross between tortilla soup and a Mexican minestrone... way tasty!  I was pleased with it.  Just enough heat to hit, but not enough that you break a sweat because your tongue is on fire.  I made mine tonight with the beef broth leftover from our Slow Cooker Chile Colorado.  But if you don't want to do two nights of awesomeness, well... I guess you can just add some store-bought beef broth.    I did, however, also use the leftover chile sauce from that recipe... so really, why not just make the Chile Colorado first, freeze your broth, and make this soup when you run out of Colorado!?

I chose a little ska in Spanish for my recipe with Sublime singing "Chica Mi Tipo".  -jen

SPICY MEXICAN PEPPER SOUP
Prep Time:  10-15 minutes
Cook Time:  40 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:  about 2.5 quarts

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 large Anaheim pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large poblano pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large jalapeño, seeded and diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 can corn (14oz)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14oz)
• 2 quarts (8 cups) beef stock
• 1 can black beans (14oz)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
• juice of 1 lime (about 1-2 tbsp)
• 2 tablespoons chile sauce (either CTDF's chile sauce or look for Herdez' Guajillo or Pasilla sauces)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup masa harina (*optional)
• 3 cups hot water

 *If you're trying to watch carbs, you can totally eliminate the masa harina and the soup will just less like a tortilla soup and more like a minestrone.

In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium-high.  Add diced onion, Anaheim, poblano, jalapeño, carrots, mushrooms and garlic.  Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and onions are translucent.  Add corn and tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes.  Add the beef stock, beans, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, lime juice, chile sauce and cilantro.  Bring to a boil.

While soup is heating to boil, mix masa herina and hot water in a medium-sized mixing bowl with a wire whisk until masa harina is fully incorporated.  With the wire whisk, whisk into soup and bring back to a boil.  Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Enchilada Casserole

Enchiladas are one of our favourite dishes to make and it took us a few years of trial and error
with technique and ingredients before we got it right where we want it.  We really didn't think we could make it better...until a few weeks ago.  We had left over shredded pork that we'd made in the slow cooker, and I decided to go the "lazy" route and try an enchilada casserole.  I'd never had one, never made one, only heard of 'em.

Shockingly... we liked it better than our enchiladas.  Justin nailed it when he said it's like a lasagna.  The ratios were great.  We loved the way all the flavours came together.   And it took a lot less time to make than enchiladas because there wasn't the frying process or the rolling process.  Just layer up the dish and go.

For this round, we decided to try ground beef instead of the shredded pork.  I think we liked the shredded pork better, but the ground beef was still great (and we figured we'd go with it for the recipe because it seemed more accessible and quicker).  Shredded chicken would probably be bomb, too!  I think the corn and beans really make the dish - corn adds a nice crunch, beans add a great creaminess.  We made our salsa verde extra spicy, so we didn't add jalapeños to it, but they would also be great amongst the layers.  And since it heats up so well as a leftover, we made the recipe huge so we could have lunches to take to work for the next few days. 

We were thinking we hadn't pulled out much old punk in a while.  So Justin suggested some Suicidal Tendencies, and one he said he liked.  "Memories of Tomorrow".  -jen

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
Prep Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  45 minutes

Poblano chiles

Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:  10-12 large portions

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 poblano chile, diced
• 2 packets taco seasoning
• non-stick cooking spray
• 4 cups salsa verde (make your own quick and easy with CTDF's recipe here)
• about 15 corn tortillas
• 1 can (14oz) black beans, rinsed
• 1 can (14oz) corn, rinsed
• 1 cup chopped cilantro 
• 4 cups shredded cheese of your choice (go for 6 cups if you like it cheesy!)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add diced onion, diced chile and ground beef to pan.  Cook until vegetables are soft and meat is thoroughly cooked, stirring intermittently.  Drain grease from pan, add about 2 tablespoons of water and taco seasoning.  Cook until water has cooked off.  Set aside.

Coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with non-stick spray.  Spread a thin layer of salsa verde on the bottom of the dish.  Lay out two layers of corn tortillas over the salsa verde.  (I found I could get two whole tortillas in, and then broke up a 3rd one to fill in the holes for a single layer.)  Sprinkle half of the seasoned meat over the tortillas.  Add half of the beans and corn.  Spoon another thin layer of salsa verde on top.  Add half of the cilantro and one third of the shredded cheese.  Repeat another double layer of tortillas, followed by a repeat of meat, beans, corn, salsa verde, cilantro and cheese.   Finish with a single layer of tortillas.  Top tortillas with a thin layer of salsa verde and then add the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes, uncovered.  Remove and let rest 5-10 minutes.  Cut into squares and serve. 

Mexican Four Bean Salad

We'd gotten all the ingredients for Mexican dinner tonight - taco and/or enchilada stuff, ingredients for fresh guacamole, fryin' up some corn tortillas for fresh chips.  But lunch time rolled around, we'd skipped breakfast, and I decided to make 3-bean salad for lunch.  Looking in the fridge, I was staring at all the tasty Mexican ingredients and decided to do a spin on my salad.  It rocked!  I think we're going to use some of it in our tacos or enchiladas tonight!  Way better than refried beans!

Just learned about this band and kind of digging their sound - think I'll check out more.  Latterman singing "We Work the Night Shift".  -jen

MEXICAN FOUR BEAN SALAD
Time:  15-20 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Serves:  4-6

• 1 can (15oz) garbanzo beans
• 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans
• 1 can (15oz) white beans
• 1 can (15oz) green beans
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon (4 dashes) green Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions (about 4 medium sized) 
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1/2 a pepper)
• 1/2 cup chopped green olives (or black if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 
• 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño (fresh or canned)
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic

Combine all four cans of beans in a colander.  Rinse, then set aside to drain.

In a large mixing bowl, combine lime juice, vinegar, and mustard.  While whisking, slowly drizzle the olive oil in until combined.  Whisk in oregano, cumin, celery seed, Tabasco, salt and pepper.  Add the drained beans to the dressing.  Add green onions, bell pepper, olives, cilantro, jalapeño and garlic.  Toss to coat.  Serve at room temp.