Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups long grain white rice (washed and rinsed well)
3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons Recaito
1/4 cup chopped pork salt

1/4 cup chopped bacon
2 tablespoons Spanish olives

1 tablespoon capers

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can green pigeon peas, drained
1 envelope sazon with culantro and achiote
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground comino (cumin)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

Directions:

Start by heating the oil in a pot at high heat, and when the oil is nice and hot, add the salt pork.

When the salt pork is cooked but not crisp, add the bacon. 

Once browned, add Recaito, (a unique cilantro-based seasoning base that enhances the flavor) onions and garlic, olives, capers, comino (cumin), oregano, black pepper and envelope of sazon. Stir fry all together for about 1 minute.

 

Add pigeon peas, tomato paste, then add the water and bring to boil.

Wash rice under cold running water until water is clear and drain. Add rice to pot, chicken boullion and stir.

 

Once the liquid has began to boil and most of the water has cooked off, lower heat to lowest setting, and stir 1 more time, top with bay leaves, then cover with tight lid.

Let this cook for about 10 minutes on a low heat setting, remove cover and bay leaves, turn rice, and continue to cook at low heat for another 15 minutes until the rice is tender. Enjoy!

Tip:  Do not stir, but turn the rice with a large serving spoon. For a variation, add some cubed ham when adding the sofrito. The best part of this rice is the crust which forms on the bottom, called the pegao!

Nuevo Leon Enchiladas

Nuevo Leon is a state in Mexico and this is one of their traditional Enchiladas recipes. The Ancho Sauce in this recipe can also be used for other recipes.

Tip: Read instructions completely before cooking.

Ingredients:

16 Corn Tortillas

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups shredded cooked chicken, preferably dark meat, such as thighs

2 cups (10 oz.) Queso Fresco

1 cup white onion, chopped

2 cups of Ancho Tortilla Dipping Sauce  (Click for recipe)

Directions:

Heat a 9" or 10" heavy bottomed skillet and add the 1/2 cup oil.  Heat on medium high. One by one, using a pair of tongs, dip the tortillas in the hot oil until soft, should only take about 4 seconds, lay on a plate and continue until all the tortillas are dipped. See photo.

Heat the ancho sauce in a pan until warm. One by one, using a pair of tongs, dip the softened tortillas in the ancho sauce and lay on a plate. See photo.

In a large baking dish, I use 2, 2 quart rectangular baking dishes, lay a tortilla and add some shredded chicken, a little onion and some cheese. Then add 1 teaspoon of the ancho sauce, roll up, set aside in pan. Continue until you have eight in each pan. Pour the remaining sauce over the 2 dishes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and onions on the dishes. See photo.

Heat the oven to 375 degree and bake for 25 minutes.

Serves 8, 2 Enchiladas each. Can be served by themselves or with rice, beans or any side dish you would like.

Tip: Queso fresco is the most widely used cheese in Mexican cooking. The firm-textured fresh white cheese. Its name translates as "fresh cheese" and is slightly salty, with a mild, tangy taste similar to farmer's cheese. Like other fresh cheeses, queso fresco is lower in fat and sodium, despite its salty flavor, than aged cheeses. It's easily crumbled to sprinkle on dishes like enchiladas and tamales, as well as soups like black bean and tortilla. It also makes a tasty addition to cold vegetable salads. And although it softens, it does not melt when heated; queso fresco is classically used in the filling for chile relleños and quesadillas. For a snack, heat some on corn tortillas and top with a dollop of salsa.

Pork Stuffed Turkey Breast

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh ground pork

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons capers

1 tablespoon pimento stuffed olives, chopped

1/4 cup Achiote Oil (Click for Recipe)

2 .5 - 3 pound whole turkey breast meat, deboned and butterfly

1/4 cup chicken broth
1 large Reynolds oven bag
1 tablespoon flour

Directions:

See if your grocer butcher will butterfly the turkey breast for you. If not, place the turkey breast meat, skin side down, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound it with a mallet to flatten it to about 1/2 inch thick. If you do not have a mallet, use a heavy bottomed flat skillet. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap. Season the turkey breast liberally with some of the Achiote oil.

In a large mixing bowl, add pork, onion, cilantro, garlic, capers, olives and 2 tablespoons of the Achiote oil.

Spread the pork meat mixture evenly across the top of the turkey.

Starting at one of the long sides, roll up the turkey, tucking the ends in, to create a rolled roast.

Tie with kitchen twine in several places to secure the filling, then brush with more of the Achiote oil.

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Open the Reynolds large oven bag and add flour. Place bag in a baking pan with opening toward wide side of pan. Use pan at least 2 inches deep.  Place the prepared breast in bag and close bag with Nylon tie. Cut 4, about 1/2 inch slits on top of bag for air to escape.  Tuck ends of bag in pan. Place pan in oven, allowing room for bag to expand during cooking without touching heating elements, walls, or racks.  

Bake for 2 hours or until internal temperature is 170 degree. 

To serve, carefully cut open top of oven bag. Don't cut too far to the end of the bag, or the sauce can run out. Fold back the open pieces of the bag. Lift the breast out and stir any sauce left in the bag until smooth. Always support bag with pan.

Discard the twine and cut the turkey into 1/2- to 3/4-inch slices. To serve, arrange the slices on a platter.  Serve hot, warm or cold.

Tip: Achiote seeds, which are also referred to as annatto seeds, from the Annatto tree. A deep brick red in color, it has a intensely rich flavor. Achiote is available at Latin American markets and on the international aisle of some larger grocery stores.

Guacamole Salsa (Taqueria Salsa)

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

3 large, tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon, baking soda

1 small bunch, fresh cilantro, bottom of bunch cut off, thoroughly rinsed

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 small, white onion, chopped coarsely

1 fresh Serrano or jalapeño chile, sliced in half, seeds removed

½ freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup, chicken broth

1 teaspoon, sea salt

2 large, ripe Mexican Hass avocado, halved and pitted

Directions:

Put the tomatillos into the small pot filled with about 3 cups of water, add baking soda. Simmer for 5 minutes, until soft.

Drain and remove tomatillos. Set aside and let cool.

Once the tomatillos have cooled add them to blender. Then add the cilantro, garlic, onion, chile, lime juice, chicken broth and salt.

Blend until very smooth. Scoop the avocado flesh with a spoon into the blender jar and blend until smooth. Add if necessary a little more chicken broth to have a pourable consistency.

If necessary, depending on your taste, you can further season with additional line juice, salt and jalapeño chilies for a spicier salsa, then blend once more. Enjoy!

Servings: Approximately 2 cups

Tip: The salsa will taste best the day it's made, but the acidity from the tomatillos will keep it from discoloring as quickly as most guacamole. Delicious the next day if you store it in the refrigerator in an air tight container. Let it come to room temperature before you stir then serve it.

Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas

Tip: Please read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

2 lb ground hamburger meat, 80/20

12 corn tortillas

1/4 cup canola oil (vegetable is fine)

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cups grated cheddar cheese (Monterrey Jack or Colby)

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (see below)

3 cups beef broth

3 large garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds (comino)

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 Mexican oregano (regular oregano is fine)

2 allspice berries

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat a small skillet or frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot simply add the cumin seeds, no oil, all at once. Shake the pan to keep the cumin seeds moving and cook, shaking pretty much constantly - until they darken slightly and you can smell the earthy aroma of toasted cumin seeds through your kitchen, about 1 minute. As soon as they are toasted, transfer the cumin seeds to a molcajete (or mortar and pestle) so they cool and stop cooking.

To the molecajete (mortar and pestal) add the garlic, peppercorns, allspice, oregano and grind into a paste. Once ground into a paste, Add 1/2 cup beef broth to loosen all the spices from the molcajete and set aside.

To make the enchilada sauce, in a large skillet, over medium heat, lightly brown the hamburger meat, remove with ladle, being sure to drain as much oil as possible back into the skillet when removing, and once all the meat has been removed, set aside.

In the same skillet, make a light roux by adding the flour to the fat in the skillet and stirring with a whisk constantly, cook a few minutes until the flour has browned lightly

Add the chili powder, add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of beef broth, liquid and paste from molcajete and salt, and continue to quickly stir using a whisk and cook until mixture has thickened and smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

 

For the Enchiladas, you will need a 9x13-inch Pyrex dish, set aside on prepping area. Preheat your oven to 375°F degrees.

Chop the onions, grate the cheese, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a second skillet. Have the corn tortillas ready. Pick up a tortilla with tongs and place it into the hot oil for about 15 seconds. This first step is to soften the tortilla.

Remove the tortilla from the oil, letting the excess oil drip back into the skillet.

Set up your area with all the ingredients you will need to prepare the enchiladas.

Place a tortilla in the 9x13-inch Pyrex dish, add about 1 heaping tablespoon of grated cheese, 2 tablespoons of hamburger meat and sprinkle of onions on the center of the tortilla, add 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce and roll it up.

Place the rolled tortilla flat-side-down as shown below in Pyrex dish.

Repeat the process with the remaining 11 tortillas. The pan should be full.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas.

Sprinkle the enchiladas generously with the remaining meat, grated cheese and onion.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Serve at once. Enjoy!

Servings: Makes four servings of three enchiladas each.

Tip:  Garnish with Creama or sour cream, salsa, Pico de Gallo. Ideas for on the side, dishes, serve, chips and hot sauce, Mexican Rice or Refried Beans.