Spring and Asparagus with bacon and cream cheese

Spring has sprung and Easter Weekend was a BEAUTIFUL start to spring break week.

Bat came out for dinner. :-) Yay!

Eater Egg hunt was fun for the kids.

At the Egg hunt

Took care of the neighbors' animals.

Billy, the neighbors' billy

They brought back some fresh asparagus from the farmers' stand for me. The neighbors, not the animals.

This fresh beautiful veggie was a perfect match for the potato crusted cod and harvest grain rolls.



A common side dish but easy and delish  What made it easier was that I could put the fillets on the same pan and cook at the same time.

It is really easy to make...

Get a bundle of fresh asparagus.

Rinse the asparagus. 

Cut off the fibrous ends and compost those tough bits. 

Cut the tops in half.


Blanch the  asparagus for about 3 minutes in boiling water/

Drain and pat excess water off with a paper towel.

Get some cream cheese and bacon.

Get 4 pieces of spear and smear about a tablespoon of cream cheese onto the asparagus.

Wrap with a slice of bacon.

Place the bundles on a lines cookie sheet and bake for about 12 minutes at 425 degrees F until bacon is cooked and lightly browned.








Thanks for the Asparagus Kellie!

Hummus with Naan and Spiced Meat

Spiced meat is awesome with hummus and the Naan provides a delightful utensil for scooping it up.
MMMMM Delish.

There are sooooo many recipe variations but here is the one my family likes best.

This dish is highly adjustable to taste preference and availability of ingredients.
You can substitute beef for lamb or any flat-bread for the Naan.

Spiced Meat

 Ingredients:

2 lbs of finely diced lamb, beef, or other meat although lamb or beef are the best for flavor.
1 large onion finely diced
1 bulb garlic finely chopped
1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1-2 tbsp Baharat Spice mix (recipe below)

My Baharat Mix
2 part each: Allspice, paprika
1 part each: tumeric, clove, nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Star anise to taste (optional but nice)
Cardamon (I used whole cardamon, 2 pods)


Method:

Preheat skillet or pot to medium high heat with oil.
In separate large bowl mix together the meat, spices and onion, garlic and flour.
Brown meat mixture in pan. When cooked through, add lemon juice and cover and simmer on low for about an hour. Mixing occasionally. You can serve it if the meat has cooked all the way but the extra cover and simmer time gets the meat nice and soft and lets all the awesome flavors blend and soak in.

Naan

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (plus some extra for rolling)
2 1/2 tsp or 1 package of instant yeast
1 tbsp sugar or honey
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 egg
1/2 cup warm water

Method

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar (or honey), and salt
In separate bowl combine egg, oil, yogurt and water.
Slowly add the wet to the dry ingredients, blend well.
Divide dough into about 24 equal pieces and let each piece rise till double.
Roll each piece into a thin disk about 1/8 inch thick.

Cook on a greased skillet over medium high heat till done on each side (about 60 seconds total).

Hummus

Ingredients

3 cans chickpeas (about 5-6 cups)
2-3 tbsp roasted sesame seeds (or about 1 tsp sesame oil)
6 large cloves garlic (about 2 tbsp crushed)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

Optional ingredients:
roasted red pepper, cayenne pepper, cilantro, pepper, yogurt


Method

In food processor, add chickpeas, sesame, garlic, salt, and process on pulse to chop the peas.
Add the lemon juice and process continually, adding oil slowly until smooth.

toasting seeds

Tips

Add or subtract the following according to your taste.

Garlic - more makes it spicy

Lemon juice - gives it tang and acidity

Sesame - a toasty aromatic flavor

Greek plain yogurt will give it more moisture, tang and smoothness




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Stinging Nettle Stuffed Ravioli

If you liked stinging nettle Linguine, you are going to LOVE my Stinging Nettle Ravioli Recipe!

Urtica dioica

I ventured out the other day to get the last of the stinging nettle in hopes for a big harvest for drying and freezing. I had 2 HUGE bags, leather gloves, wellies and kitchen snips ready to go and headed out to the nettle trail. Highly disappointing on the amount of harvest-able nettle (for food that is, I heard you can also use the grown for fiber like linen - how cool).

Anyways, the nettle was too high and much of it was severely damaged from the recent trail maintenance (hubby and string trimmer).

Oh well, I had a great time in the great weather teaching my daughter how to harvest nettle and we came back with a decent amount.

This time I took my own advice and harvested by leaf and tip, only carefully picking the best so no dangerous sorting had to be done in kitchen. Great advice! All that was left was a cold water soak, triple rinse and in the pot they went. I did save a bit for the experiment of drying.

Drying nettle (what I did):
Not wanting to heat up the oven for my few leaves, I placed the rinsed leaves in a single layer on a paper towel and placed on the middle rack in the toaster oven. Set to bake at 150 degrees with the door half open, it took about 30 minutes to dry. I crumbled them up (they don't sting anymore) and put in a snack baggie. Now to find ways to use them over the summer.

Our Sufficient harvest

Stinging Nettle Tea: I tried stinging nettle tea. I did not like it at all - and I love teas of all sorts. This tasted like spinach water. If that is what you like - go for it. I will pass.

I got about 1 cup of nettle mush from my harvest and chose to freeze it till i figured out a new recipe.
Freezes great! Just place mush with enough of the nettle water to cover the mush in a freezer container size of your choice and freeze. I chose a small one cup size. This may be too big. Many folks use ice-cube trays and make little convenient ice-cube sized portions - brilliant!

Later that evening it occurred to me to make ravioli.

Here is my ravioli recipe YUM!

Stinging Nettle Ravioli

Ingredients

Filling:

1 14oz container of ricotta cheese
1 cup of shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp course sea salt
1 egg
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup stinging nettle, boiled, squeezed of excess liquid and chopped

Pasta:

3 cups flour (can be semolina but i just used regular unbleached white all-purpose)
3 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt

Extras:

• about 1 cup flour extra for pasta rolling

• about 1 tsp salt for water boil (optional)

• 1 egg all mixed up in a bowl for egg wash for sealing the pockets

• a fancy pasta cutter/sealer for the edges (I just used a roller from my daughter's play dough accessories kit - works great because it is not too sharp so it seals the layer and makes a fancy squiggly design at the same time).

Equipment:

• large pot for boiling pasta

• stand mixer for pasta if you don't want to use hands too much

• rolling pin or if you are so blessed to have a lasagna pasta roller on your stand mixer  - lucky you!

• pasta strainer

Method:

mix all the pasta ingredients together in the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook (or a large bowl by hand) till a smooth dough ball forms. Depending on the size of your eggs, you may have to add a tiny bit of water if the mix is too dry.

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes or so.
While it is resting you can make the filling and get a pot of water on the stove to boil.

In a medium bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together until well mixed.

if rolling pasta by hand:
Divide dough in half and roll out 2 similar sized sheets about the size of a cookie sheet.
on one sheet, paint the top side with the egg wash.
place 1 tbsp of filling, about 1/2 inch from the edge and continue placing balls of filling in straight rows leaving about a 2 inch space between each ball.
Place the 2nd dough sheet on top of the balls . Using the cutter of your choice, cut and seal the space between each row and column to make a ravioli.

if using pasta roller:
make sheets of the lasagna pasta and seal a tablespoon of filling between 2 sheets of pasta.

When water is at boiling place enough ravioli carefully into the pot to leave enough "wiggle room" between the raviolis. Overcrowding the pot created boil over and stuck together and popped open pastas.
I had to do mine in 4 batches. I just transferred the raviolis from the pot to the strainer via slotted spoon.
Fresh pasta only takes 5 minutes to cook.

I served this with Bertolli's 4 cheese rosa sauce and it was a perfect match.

the little toy roller works great

I will again reference the University of Maryland Medical Center for health benefits.

NOTE: My hubby got stung this weekend and says that he felt a slight sting but it was not really painful. It lasted for about a minute or so and then dissolved into a prickly sensation. He described the sensation as similar to a topical analgesic or a product like icy-hot and it lasted for several hours.









Some ads for products you may find useful for making this recipe (and some attachments for the KitchenAid would make lovely gifts. Ahem & wink ;-) :





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Hungry for Tex-Mex!

Tex Mex Week!


The Pacific Northwest has a lot going for it! Sadly... Tex-Mex is NOT one of those things!
After returning from Texas spring break and missing the opportunity for some good Tex-Mex, I went on the prowl for a Tex-Mex menu ~
Results following.

Sunday

 

Chorizo de Rez y Huevos

Egg and Beef Sausage Skillet

Ingredients
Chorizo de Res
1/4 cup of following, diced: onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper
5 eggs, scrambled
Cotija cheese.
Corn tortillas.
some butter for frying the tortillas (about 1 tbsp)

In large skillet on medium heat, cook chorizo.
Add diced vegetables and cook till onion become slightly soft.
Push cooked meat mixture to one side of skillet. Add eggs to other side of skillet and cook till done.
Mix the eggs and meat mixture. Take off heat.
Lightly fry corn tortillas in a thin layer of butter in a skillet on medium heat. They only need about 30 seconds on each side - just so they get soft. Store tortillas in a tortilla container or on  a plate and cover with towel until ready to serve.
Serve egg sausage mix sprinkled with cheese. One may eat with or without tortilla.

Enchiladas Suizas

 

Sorry for terrible pic - It tastes so much better than pic looks.

Ingredients:

3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion finely chopped
1/3 each of the following finely chopped: green bell, red bell, yellow bell and orange bell peppers
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4oz) can diced green chile peppers
1 cup fresh, finely chopped cilantro
4 tsp cumin powder
12 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth

I modified this recipe from Allrecipes found here.
I ended up having to bake for 45 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered to cook all the way.
I let it sit for 15 minutes to cool.

Monday

 

Flan

 

Ingredients:

8 eggs
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
You will need a kitchen towel, a 9 inch pan for the flan and a larger pan for the water bath (I used a 13x9 inch casserole dish) and a heavy sauce pan for the caramel sauce.
 Blend the eggs, vanilla condensed mild and cream till well incorporated.
Heat the saucepan on medium heat and add the sugar. Do Not stir the sugar or it will crystallize. when almost melted, you may push the liquid around carefully with a spatula in order to melt all the way. Take off heat and pour into the waiting flan pan and coat the bottom evenly. do not touch the liquid sugar as it WILL Burn you! Be careful not to over-cook or burn the sugar.
Pour egg mix over the sugar.
line the large pan with the towel, place the flan pan on the towel and carefully fill the larger pan up to halfway up the flan pan.
Bake 60 minutes or till knife inserted in center comes out clean. Be careful not to over-cook the custard.

1st Flan Fail

Remove flan pan from water bath and set aside to cool completely.
Run knife along edge of flan to loosen.
Place serving dish on top and carefully and quickly invert.
serve warm or cold.


A few things I learned about Flan...
The caramel sauce is difficult. It takes a while to melt but once it starts it goes pretty fast. It helps to have a heavy saucepan so that it heats more evenly.

caramel sauce fail = yummy candies

The custard can be made creamier with the addition of ... cream.
The 1st flan I did not use cream and it came out much like scrambled eggs. I found a recipe that added heavy cream. I tried it and it seems the more cream the more custard like it becomes.
It is easy and not good to over cook the custard. Keep an eye out toward the end of the cooking to be sure not to over-cook it.
I made many mistakes in the sauce - one of them turned into caramel candies.

The photo of the good flan has candied sugar on top because of the sauce fail. But, my hubby said it made it extra delish and liked the crunchy  texture with the smooth custard. Hopefully next time I make flan I can replicate the oops.


Missing a few days? Yup, busy week with the kid getting orthodontics and other appointments. But, we had PLENTY of leftovers!

Wednesday

Caldo De Res

Beef Stew

Ingredients

1lb beef stew meat
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
1 finely chopped onion
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups beet broth
1 cup water
2 carrots chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 potatoes diced
2 ears corn, husked and cut into thirds
1/2 head cabbage chopped
1/2 bottle beer (shiner bock) optional

In large pan, brown meat in oil with salt. Add onions and cook till soft. Add can of tomato, beef broth and water. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add carrots, potatoes, cilantro, corn and cabbage and beer (what you do with the other half is up to you ;-) & simmer for an hour or until potatoes are cooked and meat is soft. Serve warm.

The whole family thought this soup was great! We served with cornbread.
The whole ears of corn look cool but, to make it easier to eat, I would substitute it for about 1cup of off-the-cob corn.

Thursday

Barracho, Charra, Cowbow Beans

Frijoles Charra

1 lb dry pintos
1 head of garlic, peeled (and chopped optional)
1 tsp salt
2 cups bacon ends and pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 large fresh diced tomato
1 - 2  large fresh jalepenos, chopped
1 cup of fresh chopped bell peppers (any color or combination)
1/2 bottle beer (optional)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Go through beans and remove any rocks or yucky beans, rinse, place in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and boil for 20 minutes. Take off heat, add water to cover if necessary and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse beans and set aside.
Return empty pot to heat and cook the bacon till cooked but still tender. Add the onions & peppers and cook till almost soft - about 10 minutes. Add all other remaining ingredients and beans. Mix and cover beans with water. Cook on low heat for 4 hours or till beans are soft. Keep an eye out on the water level and add water as needed and stir occasionally.

Refried Beans

The musical fruit LOL

Oh, I bought a HUGE bag of beans. Enough to fill my big slow cooker for the Charros and enough to fill a big pot for re-fried.
I started them both the same by boiling, rinsing and then simmering with whole cloves of garlic and salt.
For the re-fried I just dumped them after cooking for hours on end, into my food processor and gave them a-whirl till super smooth. Oh, you have to put some of that bean water in there too. It's OK if they are soupy. You are gonna get a big iron skillet hot over medium-hi heat with about 2 tbsp of oil (we are going healthier here but, you can go old school style and use lard). Then I pour the soupy bean mush in and stir occasionally till it is cooked down to the re-fried consistency that you like.
MMMM so good! Add salt to taste.

Friday

 

Tres Leches Cake

This is my most favorite cake EVER! This is the 1st time to make it myself and I decided to go with a pro...
My foodie crush...
Alton Brown.

Here is the link to his recipe. You will need a scale for his recipes.

The only thing I did different was increase the vanilla to 2 tsp 'cause I LOVE VANILLA!
 Oh... and I added slices strawberries on top because it is just yummy!

I'm in a sugar coma!!!!!

Review:
Oh Alton :-( ...
Your cake is WAY TOO SWEET! I am going into sugar coma!
 I am pretty sure I will be cutting the sugar dose in HALF next time and it will be ok!
HOLY MOLEY ... 2  MucH  sSuggRr! (my sugar coma talking).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beef Enchiladas  - white-trash-tex-mex style

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper powder
1 tbs paprika powder
1/2 cup Velveeta - the white kind

2  14oz cans enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 corn tortillas

Supplies:
large skillet - about 12 inch x 2 inch deep, food processor, oven-safe casserole dish - about 8x11 inch

Method:
In large skillet, brown beef, add onion & garlic & cook till onion is soft.

grind it up real fine like dog food

Place mixture in food processor and blend till meat is fine texture. Return mixture to skillet on low heat and add spices and cheese and 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce. Mix till combined and cheese is melted.
Pour 1 can of sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish & evenly coat bottom.
Distribute the meat mixture evenly to fill each of the 12 tortillas. Roll the mixture up in each tortillas and place evenly in the dish.
Pout the remaining sauce over the tortillas and cover with the shredded cheese.
Bake @ 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes till heated through.

This time I didn't use the Velveeta because I cant find it here easily so I used about 6oz of queso fresco and 1/4 cup shredded Monterrey jack instead.

Each time I make this it always seems a bit better after it has sat in the fridge overnite.

Saturday

Huevos rancheros

Ingredients

sauce:
1 onion diced
1 cup diced tomatos, fresh
1/2 cup diced fresh tomatillos
1-2 jalepenos, diced fine
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

3-5 eggs depending on appetite
6-10 corn tortillas
1 or more tbsp oil for frying the tortillas
 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija

Method:
fry tortillas one at a time in a thin layer of oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Place tortillas in a tortilla keeper or on a plate on and under a kitchen towel.
reduce heat to medium and fry the onion in remaining oil till almost soft and add jalepenos. Cook for about 5 minutes then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Cook and stir occasionally until tomatillos are soft and a sauce thickens in pan.
Fry eggs separately sunny side down.

Serve warm by placing one tortilla on serving plate, top with a fried egg, top with sauce and sprinkle of cheese and top with second tortilla.


I will try to get a photo but, I keep eating it all b4 I think about snapping a shot. It's so yummy!





There were more recipes that I din't get to:
1 - the week was a busy one
2 - there was alot of food and I don't keep alot of storage containers around anymore.
Happy eating 'yall!

some ads for items you may need for Tex-Mex cooking:
I LOVE my lodge cast-irons!