Recipes
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Sorry for the lack of postings in the last few days, but works has been hectic combined with major power problems in the neighborhood bringing down the server on a regular basis. We blew up more equipment with the power surges and this is not making work any easier. I hope that the electricity company manages to fix their problems as we have had power failures daily for the last few weeks. Hopefully on my side I will manage to catch up with work on Wednesday so that we can start posting on our regular schedule.
Tonight’s recipe is a creation that I did for Valentine’s Day. Normita wanted to have a cheese fondue, and we could not find a fondue dish in time. Of course a week and a half later there was one on promotion at the local supermarket so we will have our fondue one of these days when we are in the mood again. These cannelloni are easiest to make with the type or pasta that does not require pre-cooking. If you prefer you can use the regular pasta and pre-cook it.
Ingredients
4 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 pound brown button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 pound portobellini mushrooms, sliced
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1 1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 parmesan, grated
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup gruyere, shredded
3 1/2 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped
1/3 pound sliced emmental
1 large egg
1 tsp herbes de Provence
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/3 tsp nutmeg
8 cannelloni
Preparation
1. In a heavy pan sauté the green onions and the mushrooms in the butter until the mushrooms are nice and soft. Reserve 2 tbs of the mushrooms.
2. Lower the heat and add the flour and cooked until it slightly starts taking a bit of color.
3. Slowly add the white wine and stir until very thick then add the cream.
4. Season with half the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
4. Once the sauce is nice and smooth add half the gruyere and parmesan and stir until nicely melted into the sauce. Keep warm while preparing the rest of the recipe.
5. In a bowl mix the remaining parmesan and gruyere, the ricotta and mozzarella, the egg, the remaining salt pepper and nutmeg, the herbes de Provence, and the prosciutto.
6. Fill the cannelloni shells with the mixture.
7. Place a bit of the sauce at the bottom of an ovenproof dish and place the cannelloni on top of the sauce.
8. Poor the remaining sauce on the cannelloni and top with the sliced emmental.
9. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and golden.
Some weeks ago the Padrino asked me about what cuts of meat would be best to make arrachera in his native Austria, and also how to marinate it. The thought never had broached my mind as we normally just go to the supermarket or the butcher and pick up some arrachera already marinated. For those of you not in the know, arrachera is a very tender and juicy Mexican specialty cut of meat that is normally served grilled. Arrachera meat is a muscle between the thorax and the abdominal cavity that includes the diaphragm. In other markets this cut of beef is called Boneless Beef Plate Skirt Steak. It is also known as fajita meat, inside skirt steak, outside skirt steak, hanger steak, and Philadelphia steak. My favorite cut the French ‘bavette’ is also considered skirt or flap meat, as well as the flank. All of those cuts can be substituted to make nice arrachera. The meat is cut in thin strips, flattened, and marinated. Some form of meat tenderizer is used and I tend to shy away from anything with MSG and try to use vegetal-based tenderizers mostly made from papaya extracts. The strips of meat can be used in a variety of ways from being grilled as steaks to sautéed in small bite-sized pieces and used in tacos.
Ingredients
1 pound arrachera meat cut in strips
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs Porto, Sweet Sherry, or red wine
1 lime, juiced
1 tbs vegetal meat tenderizer, or according to instructions on package
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Put the marinade ingredients in a large zipper bag
2. Place the meat in it, expel the air, and zip the bag
3. Mix the meat in the bag until well covered by marinade
4. Place in refrigerator for 2 days
5. Prepare in your favorite arrachera recipe
Lucito
Today Normita had a craving for a Mexican dish she likes a lot ‘Tinga de Pollo’. It is an easy-to-make chicken dish that is very tasty and normally it is prepared very spicy. She prefers to tone down the heat so that the flavors shine through. She first cooked a whole chicken breast bones and all, but without the skin and fat. She prepared at the same time a nice batch of her famous chicken soup and we enjoyed a large bowl first. After picking the cooked chicken into small shreds with her fingers, she prepared the Tinga. We ate it with some tostadas, so the dish became ‘Tostadas de Tinga de Pollo’. The normal way of preparing those is to put a nice coating of refried beans on your tostada (we used chipotle ones), then the tinga, then a layer of heavy cream, some ‘queso fresco’ (grated fresh cheese), top it with some pieces of avocado and it makes a succulent meal. After a few of those you will not need dessert. We did not have refried beans at hand and did not want to open a can of them just for a few tostadas, so we skipped them, and we replace the ‘queso fresco’ with parmesan as we did not have the former. It was a nice filling meal and now I think that it is time to go rest and watch some TV, but first I will go and prepare a lime pie for desert tomorrow as the in-laws are coming to visit.
Ingredients
2 chicken breast halves cooked, then cooled and picked with fingers into thin shreds.
1 medium red onion cut in thin slivers
2 tomatoes seeded and cut into thin slivers
1 clove garlic
2 tsp chipotles in adobo sauce puréed in a blender or to taste
2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
Preparation
1. Boil the chicken until tender and set aside to cool. Follow our recipe for chicken soup.
2. Once cooled pick the chicken apart with your fingers to create thin shreds.
3. In a saucepan put the olive oil and heat at medium-high.
4. Sautee garlic and onions until the onions are translucent.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
6. Add the chicken stock powder, the chipotle purée, and the chicken and heat through.
7. Serve as a main dish or as tostadas.
Lucito
A few weeks back, for the Chinese New Year, I created a new recipe for the occasion. I researched a bit what would be traditional, and after finding such a great variety of dishes I could not decide on a single thing. I also read that it was traditional to give kids oranges and to eat a lot of them as they are representative of the sun; so I decided to make something with oranges or ‘mandarinas’ in it, as the later are currently in season here. Normita felt like having a chicken dish so this Orange Chicken was born. It could easily be made with turkey or other types of poultry. I opted to make it with oranges as I had some very nice seedless ones, and the ‘mandarinas’ we had were full of seeds. If I remember right we probably made it with turkey breast as we had some frozen ones marinated ‘arrachera’ style. I will talk more about ‘arrachera’ in the coming weeks as the Padrino as requested a recipe and we will provide in time. Enjoy this nice light oriental dish with the chicken served on a nice bed of steamed rice…
Ingredients
1 full chicken breast skinned and deboned then cut in cubes
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp orange juice
1 egg yolk
1 tbs cornstarch
12 green onions cut diagonally into 2" pieces
1 small can of water chestnut slices
1 large seedless orange peeled, broken into segments, and with the segments cut into cubes
1 1/2 cup orange juice
3 tbs honey
2 tbs Hoi Sin sauce
1 tbs cooking sherry
1 1/2 tsp Chinese chili paste or to taste
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs sunflower oil
1 1/2 tbs cornstarch
1 1/2 tbs water
1 tsp sesame oil
Preparation
1. With your hands mix the chicken cubes with 1 tsp of soy sauce and 1 tsp of orange juice until well incorporated.
2. Add the egg yolk and mix well again.
3. Add 2 tbs of cornstarch and mix until you get a very sticky mess.
4. In a measuring cup put 1 of cup orange juice, 2 tbs honey, 2 tbs Hoi Sin sauce, 1 tbs cooking sherry, 1 1/2 tsp chili paste, and salt and mix well to make the sauce.
5. Put 2 tbs cornstarch and 2 tbs water in a small bowl and mix well together with finger.
6. In a large wok on high heat place 1 tbs of oil and heat 30 seconds.
7. Stir-fry the chicken cubes until they are well cooked. Around 5 minutes depending on the heat of your fire.
8. Reserve the chicken.
9. Add the other 1 tbs of oil and place on high heat to stir fry.
10. Add the green onions and water chestnuts, and stir fry for 1 minute.
11. Add the prepared sauce, the orange cubes, and the reserved chicken, and bring to boil covered.
12. Add the cornstarch in water to the mix and bring to boil to thicken.
13. Add the 1 tsp sesame oil to give a nice shine to the dish and mix well and serve while still hot.
Lucito
You have probably noticed that posting had been somewhat light in recent weeks. This was due to many factors, both Normita and I were swamped with work, and the Padrino was away on a business trip. To make matters even more fun Normita had a very bad cold a few weeks back and then, as a gift of love, gave it to me. So, a few weekends back, I ended up making several batch of her chicken soup. I love this chicken noodle soup and it is very simple to make. It really helps you when you have a bad cold, and I find it extremely tasty for all occasions. She adapted the recipe from the way they traditionally do it here in Mexico. The standard ‘sopa de fideos’ or noodle soup is normally made with a chicken and tomato broth, but I personally prefer the plain version without the tomatoes. It can be served with or without chicken meat in it, and my preference again is with lots of noodles and no meat. The soup tastes much better if you prepare it with chicken bones. We either make it with drumsticks, or with breast meat. We normally buy our chicken at the tianguis and they prepare it to our taste. When we buy breasts to make soup we normally have them remove the skin and bones, and we keep the bones separately and freeze them to make soup. The recipe bellow calls for cooking a deboned breast with some bones for flavor, and you can dice the meat when cooked, place it in the serving bowl and ladle soup over it. You can also keep the cooked chicken to make a salad or sandwiches the next day. Either way it will make a wonderful soup that will likely cure all of your troubles…
Ingredients
1 large chicken breast half skinned and deboned
1 bones from chicken breast
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 a medium onion
1 chile jalapeño
2 1/2 tbs powdered chicken stock
5 ounces vermicelli or the type of soup pasta you prefer
2 1/2 quarts water
Preparation
1. Place the chicken and bones in a medium sauce pan.
2. Place the half onion and the clove of garlic with it.
3. Make a slit the length of the jalapeño and place in the pot with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Add chicken stock powder and water to the pot and place on stove at high setting.
5. Reduce fire to simmer and cook for around 30 minutes until reduced by 1/3.
6. Remove from fire and skim the surface of the soup and remove and discard the bones, the onion, the garlic and the jalapeño.
7. Reserve the chicken for other use, or cut in pieces and place in soup bowls.
8. Return the pot to the fire and bring to boil then add the noodles.
9. Cook until noodles tender and serve.
Lucito
Yesterday I prepared my adapted version of Szechuan Orange Beef that does not have too too much in common with the traditional version. I like both versions very much and will post the traditional recipe at a later date. I came to create my version when we ran across some beef dish that we liked a lot at a Chinese buffet restaurant in Québec years ago. I looked into adapting one of my recipes and the one that came the closest to the style was orange beef. This recipe can be done with beef tenderloin, but I normally prefer a cut of meet that is stringier in nature like flank or ‘bavette’ (bottom sirloin butt or flap meat). Yesterday I prepared it with extremely tender marinated ‘arrachera’, a juicy staple of Mexican cuisine. To achieve the desired texture to the meat I prepare a tasty coating and then deep fry it first until the outside is crispy and the inside is still nice and tender. This is followed by stir frying before serving. To easily make strips of the orange skins use a sharp vegetable peeler and cut long strips of the orange skin, cutting just into the orange colored part, without cutting into the white flesh. Yesterday we served the dish with a nice rice dish with vegetables, or you can add some snow peas or other vegetables to the meat if you wish. We really like this dish, and last year we had a vegetarian acquaintance over for a meal and she ended up eating two plates of the stuff. I guess that says enough about how good it is…
Ingredients
1 1/2 pound beef tenderloin or flank cut into short thin strips with the grain
1 tbs Hoi Sin sauce
1 tsp Chinese chili paste
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp orange juice
1 egg yolk
1 tbs cornstarch
2 cups sunflower oil
Skins of two medium oranges without the white par cut into strips
8 chiles de arbol or thin red chilies
1 cup orange juice
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs Hoi Sin sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs cooking sherry
1 1/2 tsp Chinese chili paste or to taste
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs sunflower oil
1 1/2 tbs cornstarch
1 1/2 tbs water
1 tsp sesame oil
Preparation
1. With your hands mix the beef slices with 1 tsp of Hoi Sin sauce, 1 tsp of chili paste, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil, and 1 tsp of orange juice until well incorporated.
2. Add the egg yolk and mix well again.
3. Add 2 tbs of cornstarch and mix until you get a very sticky mess.
4. In a measuring cup put 1 of cup orange juice, 2 tbs sugar, 2 tbs Hoi Sin sauce, 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs cooking sherry, 1 1/2 tsp chili paste and salt and mix well to make the sauce.
5. Put 2 tbs cornstarch and 2 tbs water in a small bowl and mix well together with finger.
6. In a large wok place the 2 cups of oil and heat until ready to deep fry.
7. Deep fry the beef strips in batches until the outside is very crisp and the inside is still tender. Separate the strips as they cook, and drain them well after they are ready.
8. Clean up you wok and add 2 tbs of oil and place on high heat to stir fry.
9. Add the beef, the orange skins, and the chiles and stir fry for 3 minutes.
10. Add the prepared sauce mix and bring to boil covered.
11. Add the cornstarch in water to the mix and bring to boil to thicken.
12. Add the 1 tsp sesame oil to give a nice shine to the dish and mix well and serve while still hot.
Lucito
Last weekend I was cleaning up the refrigerator of leftovers, both fresh and frozen, and ended up making one of our favorite stand-by. I have been preparing this great Szechuan recipe on a regular basis ever since I first learned it while taking Chinese cooking classes at the Chen School of Art in Montréal close to 25 years ago. It is very easy to prepare and I have cooked it with chicken, pork filet, beef filet mignon, scallops, or shrimps since then. It is normally served on a bed of stir-fried spinach, but I have rarely made it like this as I normally serve it with mixed stir-fried vegetables. The recipe I am presenting today uses what I had on hand in the refrigerator last Sunday, but could be made with a wide variety of vegetables. I also experiment a lot with the sauce’s ingredients to make it even more versatile. On Sunday I replaced the chicken with a medium-sized pork filet, that I had frozen since before the holidays, cut in 1/4" thick diagonal slices, but any meat or seafood can do in a pinch. I hope that you enjoy this quickly prepared recipe as much as we have done over the years.
Ingredients
1 pound chicken breast meat cut is bite-sized cubes
1 tsp soy sauce
1 egg yolk
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs sunflower oil
1" piece of ginger peeled and chopped finely
3 cloves of garlic chopped finely
2 green onions sliced thinly
1/2 pound broccoli florets cut in bite-sized pieces
1/2 pound cauliflower florets cut in bite-sized pieces
1 medium cucumber peeled and seeded cut in bite-sized pieces
1 small can of sliced peeled water chestnuts
1 can of baby corns cut in bite-sized pieces
1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
2 tbs sunflower oil
1 1/2 cup of chicken stock (can be made with powder)
3 tbs sugar
3 tbs sherry vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs cooking sherry
1 1/2 tsp Chinese chili paste or to taste
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs water
1 tsp sesame oil
Preparation
1. Mix the chicken cubes with the egg yolk and the soy sauce with you hands.
2. Add the cornstarch and mix until the mixture clumps together.
3. Chop vegetables and mushrooms, and put in a large bowl.
4. Chop ginger, garlic and green onions and put in a small bowl.
5. Put chicken stock, sugar, sherry, vinegar, soy sauce, and chili paste in a measuring cup and mix well together.
6. Put 2 tbs cornstarch and 2 tbs water in a small bowl and mix well together with finger.
7. Heat a large wok over high heat and add 2 tbs of oil.
8. Stir-fry chicken until firm and no longer pink in center. The chicken will easily unclump when cooked. Put it back in its bowl when cooked.
9. Put another 2 tbs of oil in the hot wok and add the ginger, garlic, and green onion followed by the vegetables and mushrooms.
10. Stir-fry until cooked but still a bit crunchy.
11. Add sauce mixture and bring to boil covered.
12. Add the reserved cooked chicken and bring to boil again.
13. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to thicken and bring to boil while stirring.
14. Add sesame oil and stir well to add shine and taste to the mixture.
15. Serve on warmed plates.
Lucito
While we were in Canada we attended a wide variety of holiday-related meals and as usual one of the most appreciated hors d’oeuvre was my Aunt Michèle’s ‘Croutes Bernard’. They are delicious hot canapés that the entire family adores and if you are not careful you could eat the equivalent of a whole meal of them alone. For us the holidays would not be the same without enjoying them at least at one party. Try them and let us know how you like them.
Ingredients
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped finely
3 slices of bacon cut in small pieces with scissors
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup gruyère cheese, grated
1 cup medium cheddar, grated
1 egg
1 tsp butter
Slices of bread
Preparation
1. Sauté in the butter the mushrooms, bacon, and onion.
2. When the bacon is cooked add the wine.
3. Simmer until the liquid evaporates.
4. Cool the mixture and add the cheeses and the egg and mix to a sticky paste.
5. Roll the sticky paste in sheets of waxed paper and tie the ends.
6. Freeze the rolls. It should yield two 7" rolls.
7. To serve, cut circles from the slices of bread with a glass and place on a cookie sheet.
8. Cut thin slices of the frozen mixture and place on the bread circles.
9. Put in the oven under the broiler until the mixture is bubbly and golden.
10. Watch them disappear quickly when you serve them.
Lucito
It is strange to be back home after a few week’s of traveling. Especially since I managed to catch a bad cold over the weekend as the weather has been very cold here, and the new apartment freezing as it is not heated or insulated. I guess that I will have to stay active and wear warm clothes inside for the next month or so until the warm weather returns. As with most people, over the holidays, we managed to overeat more than a little bit. Combine that with a general lack of exercise and we both feel horribly bloated these days. Yesterday we mostly picked some fresh veggies and fruits at the tianguis for the week, and we will eat lightly and exercise a lot to get back in shape. Normita is starting her regular daily exercise regiment at the gym today and I will be taking long walks to go everywhere, so things should be back to normal in a matter of weeks. Today, to give some zest to a simple salad, I am offering a simple recipe of a tasty salad dressing that gives a lot of flavor without adding to many calories. That, of course, is if you do not use too much of it or munch on too many ‘nuez garapiñadas’. Have fun trying it and let’s start the New Year in style and try to keep our resolutions for more than a few days.
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
3 tbs orange juice
2 tbs whole grain mustard
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs honey
1 tsp sesame oil
2 limes, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Belgian endives
1 package of mixed baby greens
1/2 cup nuez garapiñada cut in half (sugar-coated walnuts)
Preparation
1. In a bowl put the ingredients up to, but not including the endives, and whisk together.
2. On individual serving dishes, place some Belgian endive leaves and add some mixed baby greens on top.
3. Sprinkle some of the nuez garapiñadas on top and drizzle a few tbs of the dressing over the prepared salad plates.
Lucito
Hi, this time I am writing from Canada because we came to celebrate the Holidays with the family. I have prepared a nice "cocktail de camarones y ostiones" (Shrimps and oysters cocktail) that everyone has loved so I decided to share the recipe with you. This can be the first course for a nice meal.
Ingredients
1 pound of shrimps
1 pound of oysters
3 Italian tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 avocado, cut in small pieces
1 chile jalapeño, chopped
1 or 2 limes, juiced
3 tbs olive oil
200 ml ketchup
Cilantro (coriander), chopped
Salt to taste
Salsa Valentina (Louisiana hot sauce, Tabasco, or any hot sauce to taste)
Preparation
1. In a bowl put the chopped onion, tomatoes, chile jalapeño, cilantro and the avocado.
2. Add salt to taste.
3. Add the lime juice, the olive oil, and the ketchup.
4. At the end add the shrimps and the oysters.
5. Mix all the ingredients smoothly.
6. Serve in small bowls and decorate with a slice of avocado and a leave of coriander. Everyone adds the hot sauce to taste.
Normita