Enchiladas

Previously, I blogged about making salsa (post titled, "Easy on the Habaneros...").  My adventures left me with about a half-gallon of salsa.  Oh, boy.  I wound up finding an enchilada recipe to use up some of it.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
2 chicken breasts
2 tsp cumin
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 C homemade salsa*
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
3 Tbsp ketchup
Olive Oil
1 package wheat tortillas**
1 lb shredded cheese

Begin by seasoning the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and cumin, and cooking them in a pan with about 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Allow to cool, and then shred the meat by scraping/pulling it with forks.

Sauté the onion and garlic in the same pan you used to cook the chicken (mmm, flavor!).  Remove the pan from the heat and add the salsa, canned tomatoes, and ketchup.  A quick note:  if you're using salsa made with vinegar, skip the ketchup and use tomato paste.  You may even need to add a bit of sugar to counter the acidity of the vinegar.  Using ketchup adds a bit of tangy-ness and acidity.  If the resulting sauce seems thick, add about 1 C water.  Stir everything and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9x13-inch pan with about 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Take 1 tortilla, cover about 2/3 of it with cheese and the shredded chicken, roll it up, and place it in greased pan, seam-side down.  Repeat until you have filled the pan.  (You should use about half the cheese for this.)  Pour the sauce over the tortillas.  They should be mostly covered; if not, add a bit of water to stretch the sauce.  Cover the pan with the remaining cheese, and bake the enchiladas until the cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream and cilantro.



Some more Notes:
*I highly recommend using the drunken salsa recipe I blogged about previously.  Not only is it vinegar-free, but the beer flavor gives the enchiladas a little extra something.  For me, it was what made this recipe a keeper.

**I used wheat tortillas, because that's what my family likes.  The original recipe called for corn tortillas, which are generally what one uses when making enchiladas.  Apparently they're a bit tougher to work with, and need to be lightly warmed prior to use-- put a bit of oil in a pan over medium heat, place the corn tortilla in there for about 30 seconds, and repeat for all tortillas prior to filling and rolling.  I suppose you could do this for wheat tortillas, too, to bring out the flavor of the wheat, but it's not necessary.

One last fun fact: What most people call cilantro is actually coriander leaves.  It is distinct from, but similar in flavor to, culantro.  We garnished our enchiladas with the latter, which has a stronger flavor.  Culantro is native to Mexico, widely used in Thai food, and makes a better marinade ingredient than a garnish (we discovered) because the leaves are barbed.

Mango Chiffon

Recently I checked out of my local library a book of pie recipes.  I had told myself not to check out cookbooks, and had even talked myself out of the soup cookbook.  But I LOVE pies.  I love eating them, I love baking them, talking about them, and finding new recipes.  So the book got checked out.  And then I came home, flipped it open, and the first thing I saw was a recipe for mango chiffon pie.  Oh, yum.  And mango season is just getting started!  That's either very happy coincidence or fate.  Either way, I was making a pie.  And the best part?  Chiffon pies don't really bake, so my less-than-reliable oven was not going to mess me up!

Start by making a Crumb Crust
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs

2 T Sugar

pinch salt

½ C unsalted butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 325 F (or thereabouts).  Combine the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a bowl (or directly in the pie dish you'll be using) and mix thoroughly.  Add the butter and stir until blended.  Press the mixture against the sides of a 9-inch pie pan, as evenly as possible.  Bake for 8 minutes, so the crust is set.  Allow the crust cool as you start on the rest of the pie.

Mango Chiffon

2 large, ripe mangoes (or 3 smallish ones)

¼ C water

1 envelope (1T) unflavored gelatin

5 eggs, separated

2 T fresh lemon juice

½ C sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp salt

Begin my removing the mango flesh from the pit and skin.  There are a few ways to do this.  You can peel the mango and start cutting away the fruit (I feel like I'm going to lose a finger whenever I try this), invest in a mango-slicer, or try this method:

1. Insert a knife at the stem-end of the mango, aligned with the pit's edge.  (Basically the fat part of of the mango should be aligned with the blade.)  Drag the knife down, around, and back to the stem, keeping the tip of the knife in contact with the pit at all times.  
2. Use a spoon (not a knife) to separate the flesh from the pit.  Insert the spoon into the cut you've made, and sort of drag/scoop along the pit until you've freed a half of the mango. 
3. Carefully cut the mango flesh in a tic-tac-toe pattern, skimming but not cutting the skin with the tip of the knife.  
4. Turn the mango skin inside-out, and slice off the resulting cube-ish pieces.

Put the mango in a blender and purée.  You should have about 1 1/2 C of purée when you're done.  Set it aside.  

In a small cup or bowl, combine the water and gelatin.  Make sure to stir the gelatin into the water, or you'll wind up with a clump of powder surrounded by hydrated gelatin that will be almost impossible to work with.  Allow the gelatin to sit for a few minutes and hydrate/soften.

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and 1/4 C sugar in a saucepan.  Continue whisking as you cook the mixture over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until it is thickened and foamy.  Do NOT let it boil.  Add the softened gelatin and whisk for about 30 seconds longer on the stove.  Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the mango purée and ginger.  Stir everything together, then put it in the fridge to chill.  Take it out and stir it occasionally, until it mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon.

Beat the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form.  Add the remaining 1/4 C sugar and continue beating until the whites are stiff.  Gently fold the egg whites into the mango purée, fill the cooled pie crust with the mixture, and place it into the fridge to chill for several hours before serving.

Note:  In case you didn't notice, the egg whites in this recipe never get cooked.  This is unlikely to cause any problems, but it is generally recommended that you don't serve such recipes to "at-risk" individuals-- people who are either quite old, very young, pregnant, or may have compromised/weak immune systems.

Back to the pie:  

This was delightful.  Everyone agreed that the mango flavor was wonderfully intense and sweet.  I would have liked a bit more ginger myself, but I measured skimpily on that one, so that's my fault.  I also thought it was fantastically light without being airy.  My mother was not overly impressed with the texture, but she remembered as she started eating that she's always felt that way about chiffon pies.  I guess you can't please everyone all of the time.  But seriously, if you like mangoes, give this a try.

Easy on the Habaneros-- a salsa recipe

Does anyone else ever find produce just too beautiful to leave behind?  Maybe it's just my family (but not just me!).  Recently we came home from the farmer's market with a bunch of GORGEOUS roma tomatoes.  They were larger, redder, and meatier than the ones I am able to find in the grocery store.  What to do with tomatoes?  We don't eat that many sandwiches...  how about salsa?  So I became appointed salsa maker.  When it came time for pepper selection, my dad brought in a handful of habaneros from the garden.  I have often questioned why my family grows a habanero plant; we're not really a spicy-food family.  I was told I didn't need to use all the peppers.  (No kidding.)  I still managed to use too many.  We'll get to that later.  In the mean time, here's a recipe for salsa, correctly adjusted for future use.

Step1: Place in boiling water for 30s

Drunken Habanero Salsa

8 large Roma tomatoes

1 habanero pepper 

1 bottle Corona*

1 onion
1 green onion (scallion)

1 glove garlic

lime juice

Step 2: Plunge into iced water

Begin by peeling, seeding, and cutting the tomatoes.  (See photos, right).  A tip for cutting out that weird stem section:  rather than trying to gouge it out, slice the tomato in half, then in half again, each time making sure that the cut is just to the side of the stem.  This will leave one quarter with the stem in the corner of it.  Just whack that corner off and move on with your life.  I don't have any tricks for getting the seeds out.  I started with a knife, and ended with my fingers.  Whatever floats your boat, really.  After seeding, cut into bite-sized chunks.

Step 3: Slit skin and peel

Cut up the habanero next, and do so carefully.  Those little guys are loaded with capsaicin, a natural irritant that causes the sensation of heat when you eat them.  It will also burn your eyes and skin.  While we're on the topic, capsaicin is even added to nautical paint, because it burns the little barnacles and things that try to attach to boats.  Wow.  So, wear gloves.  When you're choosing peppers, try to handle them by the stems.  Wash your knife and cutting board (don't just rinse) right after you're done.  (I may be overly cautious, but I somehow still managed to get capsaicin on my skin!)  As with the tomatoes, discard the stem and seeds.  Chop up the habanero.

Place the habanero and tomatoes in a saucepan, and add the beer.  It should be enough to cover the veggies (if they didn't float); if it isn't, add a bit of water.  Bring the salsa to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.  

Slicing the stem

Roughly chop the onion, green onion, and garlic, and place in a food processor.  You will add the tomato mixture to this, but you may need to let it cool a bit first.  You also will need to decide how much liquid you want in your salsa.  I prefer a chunkier, less soupy salsa, so I would drain my tomato mixture a bit, too.  Anyway, put everything in the food processor and pulse until everything is mixed and the desired texture is attained.  Season with salt, pepper, and lime juice.

 If you want a spicier salsa, by all means, add another habanero. But I would taste the finished product first, then add a diced up habanero and let it sit for a bit.  The heat won't be as awesomely distributed, but I definitely that this is a case of better safe than sorry.  I was sorry.  I started with 2 1/2 habaneros.  I tasted the salsa, decided it was yummy, ate a couple bites more, and spent the next 10 minutes trying not to breathe fire.  If this should happen to you, start cooling your mouth with dairy (the fat compounds will interact with the capsaicin and remove it more effectively than just water).  Sour cream is a great anti-heat food.  Also, getting out your toothbrush and scrubbing at your tongue (with toothpaste, of course) can help a lot.

Capsaicin, in case you were wondering

If you should wind up with salsa too hot for you to handle, do not despair.  Dilute! Find more tomatoes and another bottle of beer.  Make another batch of salsa with no hot peppers, and combine it with the first.  (This is what I had to do.)
*The recipe is probably best made with Corona, but we didn't have any, so we used a pale ale.  Still turned out great.
The beer is what I really like about this salsa.  While the majority of the alcohol is going to have cooked off, the beer flavor is still present.  It gives the salsa a depth of flavor that one doesn't usually encounter.  It's delicious, and it makes it a great salsa to cook with (I'll be posting another recipe soon for enchiladas).

Small Potatoes

I've probably said it before, and I'll almost certainly say it again:  I have a cookbook problem.  I just find them irresistible.  Especially when they look pretty.  Or have a neat concept.  Roots, by Diane Morgan, is such a cookbook.  It features 28 sections, each themed around a particular root vegetable, ranging from the familiar (carrot, potato) to the exotic (arrowhead, salsify).  There are sadly few photos of the recipes themselves, but each section is introduced with a stunning photo of the root in question. Each section also begins with an introduction on the cultivation, storage, and nutritional content of the roots, which is probably my favorite thing about this book.

When I found a bag of multi-colored small potatoes, I knew I would have a perfect recipe for them in Roots.  And so I made "Grilled Fingerling Potatoes with Crumbled Blue Cheese Sauce."  I'm generally not a fan of bleu cheeses-- the flavor's rather strong, and I'm not wild about the crumbly texture.  But I love a steak with bleu cheese on top, so I decided that I'd serve steak along with my potatoes. For the steak, I referred to another fantastic cookbook, Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures & Glazes, by Jim Tarantino.  I don't own this one personally, yet.  But it's pretty impressive-- a range of techniques, charts of how to apply them to various meats and vegetables, basic recipes that can be easily adapted to taste and more complex recipes that already have been....  I used a recipe for "Basic Mixed Peppercorn Rub for Beef" on a London Broil.

Steak
2-3 Tbsp mixed peppercorns (I used a 5 pepper blend with black, white, rose, and green peppercorns plus allspice)
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coarse salt
London Broil

Coarsely grind the peppercorns into a bowl.  Crush or grind the mustard seeds and add them, along with garlic powder and salt to the peppercorns.  I used my salt- and pepper mills for their respective contents, and a mortar and pestle took care of my mustard seeds.  I suppose if you need to, you can use ground mustard.  I would not use ground pepper-- the coarseness is key to this rub.  The recipe suggested throwing all the ingredients in a single grinder and going about it that way, but I don't really have a grinder that I can empty, clean, etc. that quickly.  Rub the mixture onto your steak of choice and allow to sit for 1 to 2 hours for best flavor.  Use all the rub; crustiness, while not essential, is good.


Grilling the Steak:  We have a gas grill, so the intstructions here are for gas burners.  Start with the burners on full, to get the grill and the grill rack nice and hot.  To give the food some smokey flavor (because that is why we grill, isn't it?), place some damp food grade wood chips over the flame to smolder.  Right before putting the steak on, reduce the heat/flame to a medium-high setting and grease the grill rack.  Put the steak on the hot rack to sear.  After about 30 seconds, turn the steak 90 degrees to give it that beautiful hash-marked surface.  Close the lid to cook the steak for about 5 minutes (for a thick London Broil-- figure about 2 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness).  Flip the steak, greasing the rack again to prevent sticking.  Give it about a minute, turn the steak again, and finish cooking with the lid down.  You can do this at the same time that you are grilling the potatoes (see below), in which case you may want to reduce the heat a bit more (which will result in a more evenly cooked steak anyway).

Potatoes
1- 1/4 lb fingerling or new red potatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

It's this easy:  poke the potatoes a few times with a fork, and place them in a bowl.  Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes, and toss them with salt and pepper.

Grilling the potatoes:  Heat the whole grill, but before putting the potatoes on, create a cool spot by turning off one of the burners.  Directly above the unlit burner, grease the rack with a bit of oil, and spread the potatoes there to cook in indirect heat.  (This allows all sides to cook at a relatively similar rate, so there's no need to rotate or flip them.)  After about 18-20 minutes, they should be soft enough to be poked with a knife or fork.


Bleu Cheese Sauce
1/2 C plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 C mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
3 oz. bleu cheese, crumbled

Whisk together the yogurt, mayo, mustard,, sugar, and pepper.  Gently fold in the remaining ingredients.  This sauce will keep for a while in the fridge.  If you make it in advance, you may want to let it sit at room temperature for ~30 minutes before serving.

I thought this meal was delicious-- the seasonings are rather minimal, which allowed the flavors of the meat, potatoes, and cheese to really stand out.  For the same reason, everything was very cohesive; it all fit together.  This is the kind of meal that rises to all occasions-- simple, yet elegant.

Asian-inspired Pasta Salad

Several people have taught me how to cook.  While I was in college, I had the opportunity to learn from a wonderful woman named Barb, who decided to teach a cooking class at the church I attended.  The class was a great experience.  I had fun cooking with my friends, I was introduced to new foods (like quinoa), and got some rather practical advice and recipes.  One of the first things (if not THE first) we made was pasta salad.  Pasta salad is a great thing to start with.  It's pretty fast and easy, and as Barb demonstrated, more flexible than you would think.  Barb had us make three versions of pasta salad, using different dressings to impart different flavors: Italian-, Greek-, and Asian-inspired.  Here's my take on the latter, prepared for a large group:


Asian-Inspired Pasta Salad
1 box penne pasta (or any pasta you like, really)
Chicken pieces (whole bird, breasts, whatever floats your boat)
Carrots, julienned (slivered)
Celery Sticks, chopped
Snow Peas, chopped
Peanuts
Green Onion (Scallion, Spring Onion, whatever you want to call it), chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 C Soy Sauce
1/3 C Sesame Oil
1 tsp Ground Ginger
3 Tbsp Peanut Butter
Pepper
Sesame Seeds

Begin by cooking the pasta-- boil it, drain it, and give it a cold water rinse to prevent it from sticking to itself too badly.  While that's boiling, cook the chicken:  Trim and discard any non-yummy bits off, and chop the chicken into bite-size pieces.  Sprinkle Salt, Pepper, Ground Ginger, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder over the meat.  Cook in a pan with ~1 Tbsp oil until just browned, stirring regularly.  When finished, set aside to cool.  This is the point where I actually start my vegetable prepping.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, carrots, celery, snow peas, peanuts, and green onions.  (Yes, I realize I have not included numbers or measurements.  In this case it really is a matter of preference and not much else.)

In a smaller bowl, combine the garlic, soy sauce, oil, ginger, and peanut butter.  Whisk or beat together, and season to taste with pepper.  Check seasoning, and adjust as you see fit.  (And this doubles, halves, or otherwise adjusts quite easily.)  Pour over the pasta mixture, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and stir around.  Allow to sit for a few hours for optimal flavor, stirring occasionally.  Serve cold.