Rick Bayless Making Carnitas

Restaurant Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• 1/4 cup Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• 1/4 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• 1/2 whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions

Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like---I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Mexican Style Rice

The trick to making good Mexican rice, is to let the rice soak in warm water to remove the starch. This will produce a rice that is not sticky and very flavorful.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup oil
2 cups Rice
1/3 cup tomato, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. caldo de tomate (tomato flavored bullion)
2 tsp. caldo de pollo (chicken flavored bullion)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups water, hot

DIRECTIONS:
Soak rice in warm water about 20-30 minutes, to remove starch, then drain.

Heat in a 10” sauté pan:
1/2 cup oil

When oil is hot, add:
2 cups rice
Brown until color of “sugar ants”

While rice is browning dice:
1/3 c. tomato
1/4 c. onion
2 garlic cloves

Place in a bowl with a small amount of water and add:
1 tsp. caldo de tomate
2 tsp. caldo de pollo
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup hot water

When rice is nicely browned (You may need to drain any extra oil from the browned rice) add veggies with their liquid to rice and cover immediately (it will boil aggressively.) When the rice has subsided, add about 1 cup of hot water and cover. Maintain medium to medium high heat and cook until rice is tender, about 10 minutes.

When rice is tender, remove from heat. If rice is not done, you may need to add more 1/2 cup hot water cook an additional 5 minutes. (This is usually necessary for mine!)

Serve warm.

Makes about 4 cups

Frijoles al la Charra

INGREDIENTS
2 bacon strips, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 seranno pepper (to taste or 1/4 cup green bell pepper)
1/2 tomato, diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. Caldo de Pollo (chicken bullion)
1 can pinto beans, unseasoned
1/2 can (bean can) of water
1 hand fresh cilantro (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
In a sauce pan saute
2 strips of diced bacon until fat is rendered and crisp (bacon will soften when liquid is added later)

Add and saute until clear:
1/2 onion, diced
1 serrano pepper, cut up (or 1/4 cup green bell pepper)

Add and cook briefly:
1/2 tomato, diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. caldo de pollo

Add and bring to a boil:
1 can of pinto beans, unseasoned
1/2 bean can of water
While boiling beans, smash a few beans against the side of the pan to thicken the bean liquid. Boil the beans strong for a few minutes and taste for seasoning.

Turn off beans and remove from heat.

Add:
1 hand of cilantro, chopped.

Cover and let rest until cilantro has wilted.

Serve warm.

Omelet with Spinach, Tomatoes and Ricotta

Need a quick lunch? This omelet with a nice simple mesclun salad and cold glass of iced tea will do the trick. This will serve 2 persons 

EQUIPMENT
10” skillet
Omelet pan or non -stick skillet
Medium bowl
Heat proof spatula

INGREDIENTS
¼ small onion, chopped
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. fresh thyme
3 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
3 large eggs, whipped
1/8 cup milk
2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 Roma tomato, diced
¼  cup ricotta cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Heat in the skillet over medium high heat:
   1 Tbs. olive oil.  

Add and cook until nicely brown: 
   ¼ small onion
   2 tsp. fresh thyme 

Add:
   3 oz. spinach
   2 tsp. fresh lemon juice.
   Salt and pepper to taste Cook, stirring, until spinach is almost wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. 

In the bowl whisk until well blended:   3 eggs
   1/8 cup milk
   Salt to taste 

Heat the omelet pan over medium heat and melt and add:
   2 tsp. butter. 

Add: 
   3 eggs
   Salt and pepper to taste Stir the center of the eggs with a heatproof spatula to prevent sticking. Lift edges to allow the uncooked egg to run under the cooked egg. 

When the omelet is almost set add:    
   Spinach mixture   
   1/4 c. Ricotta in dollops
   Diced tomatoes (reserve a few for garnish)

Fold omelet and garnish with diced tomatoes.

Hummus bi Tahini

I found this recipe at Kevin Weeks Seriously Good blog. It is a basic hummus recipe. I like this because I can add ingredients without changing the basic taste. Also, it is easy to prepare with basic ingredients and a blender. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

INGREDIENTS
1 can of garbanzo beans (drained, rinsed and skins removed)
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves of garlic
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 c warm water (more may be needed)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend, scraping down the sides and blending to the desired consistency. Refrigerate for a few hours to meld flavors.

Spread in a flat bowl and top as desired:

Additional olive oil
Chopped kalmata olives
Roasted red peppers

Serve with pita chips or pita bread wedges.

Enjoy

Brown Sugar Snowflake Cookies

This sugar cookie is a nice change from the usual holiday cookie. Instead of the usual plain iced cookie, these use brown sugar giving them a bit more flavor and a traditional feel. These are more like grandma would make.

My grand-daughter Sonia made these for me and now they will become part of my holiday cookie collection. She found this recipe in the 2009 Betty Crocker Christmas Cookie Magazine. Sonia also used the Betty Crocker icing recipe for decorating.


INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packaged brown sugar, I used light
1 egg
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal(R) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until blended. Then mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Divide dough in four parts (if dough doesn't look rollable don't add flour it will harden in fridge). Shape each fourth into a disk (about 1 1/2 inches thick). Wrap each disk separately in plastic wrap refrigerate for about 2 hours (I did 1 1/2, though).

Heat oven to 350 degrees(F). Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. on floured surface, roll one disk at a time to 1/4 inch thickness (keep remaining dough refrigerated). Cut with snowflake cookie cutters (you can use others if you like). Place on cookie sheets. Reroll scraps and reuse.


Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until light golden. Cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet then cool completely for 20 minutes.