Spanish Rice

|
By
|
8 comments

This rice has been a favorite in our house for a couple of years now. I got it from my good friend Stephanie, who is a California native, and a wonderful cook. It comes together in under a half an hour, allowing you that time to make whatever main dish you may be making. It goes with anything Mexican of course, but we’ve also had it as a side with grilled chicken. Absolutely love it inside a burrito.

I struggled with rice on the stove top for quite some time when I started cooking. It was always mushy, and clumpy. I hate to admit it here – but, for years my preferred method of rice cookery was the microwave. Finally I picked up the tip to sauté the rice in a bit of butter or oil before adding the water. After that, morale improved considerably. I haven’t tried it with brown rice yet, so if you do…please let me know. I’d like to start incorporating more of it into our diet, and I think it would be a relatively easy swap out. I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does. It’s a great side dish to have in your recipe box!

Spanish Rice

1 cup white rice
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup salsa
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup black olives, roughly chopped
1 tsp chicken or vegetable bullion (powder, cube, or base)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers to the pan, and sauté until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add rice to the pan, and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

Add cumin, black pepper, olives, salsa, chicken bullion, and water. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove cover and fluff with fork before serving.

Source: Mrs. Stephanie Burke

Rustic Roasted Tomato Salsa

|
By
|
42 comments

Isn’t it amazing that salsa is the #1 condiment in the United States? We love salsa in our house. Whether it’s a chunky pico de gallo, or a smoky salsa verde – we have yet to meet one we diddn’t like. This recipe is no exception. When I came across it on my friend Josie’s site, I knew it was going to be a winner. First of all, it’s Rick Bayless. The man moved to Mexico for 6 years to better learn the cuisine. He knows his salsa, folks.

I also loved the addition of fire-roasted tomatoes as the base. I like using good quality canned tomatoes for the restaurant style salsas that I’ve made in the past, so I knew the flavor could only be amplified by using the fire-roasted variety. The store only had fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic on shopping day, so I adjusted my recipe by reducing the amount of fresh garlic in the recipe by a couple of cloves. My changes are reflected below. The tomatoes lended a smokey sweetness, and the cilantro and lime juice just made it so bright and fresh. Made a nice sized batch that stored in the refrigerator wonderfully for a few days!

Rustic Roasted Tomato Salsa

2 fresh jalapeno peppers
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic, in juice
1/2 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro
1 lime, juiced
Salt and Pepper

Heat a small skillet over medium heat, and dry roast the peppers and garlic, until soft and blotchy in spots.  The peppers will take about 10 minutes, and the garlic will take about fifteen.

Meanwhile, rinse the onion in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water.  Shake to dry, and set aside.

Stem and peel the jalapenos, and scrape out the seeds and membranes (or leave them if you want the salsa extra spicy)!  Peel the garlic, and transfer it to a food processor, along with the jalapenos.  Pulse until they are finely chopped, then add the tomatoes (with their juice), and pulse a few more times to make the salsa as smooth or as coarse as you want.  Pour the mixture into a medium bowl, and add the onion, cilantro, and lime juice.  Stir to combine, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and refrigerate, or serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from Mexican Everyday

Mushroom Brie Bisque

|
By
|
19 comments

Did you know that September is National Mushroom Month? I didn’t. It seems as if every day of every month is a different National Food  Holiday.  I figured with the slight chill of Fall in the air… what is a better way to welcome it than a delicious soup?

There is this fabulous little carryout place here called Sea Star Cafe. The owners are there, everyday, churning out wonderful sandwiches and homemade soups. They are very small, but take a ton of pride in what they offer. Most items are cold sandwiches. There’s usually one “special” that is a hot sandwich, their Cuban is to die for! And, there is usually 2 or 3 soups that rotate on a daily basis. One of my favorite soups is mushroom-brie bisque. I’m not a huge fan of mushroom (love the flavor, hate the texture), so I stayed away from it for years. One day my girlfriend had gotten it with her lunch, and I stole a bite. I was hooked!

I was also pregnant at the time, so as luck would have it, I developed a craving for this soup. Sea Star closes for a few months in the off-season, and I had to come up with a version I could make at home. I’ve played around with a couple of batches since last fall and think I’ve finally got it!

This soup is rich, silky, and delicious. It’s also a breeze to make. I made it for a lunch date with a girlfriend. Even with an infant and a toddler to look after, I didn’t break a sweat getting everything ready. So easy! I  think the wedge of brie, as opposed to the small wheel, is better for this application. It seemed to melt down better. Next time around I might try a Camembert cheese, switch things up a bit! I hope everyone is as ready for Fall as I am. Enjoy!

Mushroom Brie Bisque

2 shallots, minced
6 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned and chopped
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups heavy cream (or half and half)
8 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed and cubed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water to mix with cornstarch

Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots, and sauté until most of the water has cooked out of the mushrooms, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the heavy cream, as well as the chunks of brie cheese.

Simmer the soup, whisking until the cheese melts down. Make a “slurry” with the cornstarch and water, and whisk into the soup to thicken. Bring to a soft rolling boil and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dilly Beans

|
By
|
10 comments

We always plant a garden in our backyard in the summertime. The tomato and pepper harvests seem to vary from year to year, but the one vegetable I can always count on to have an over abundance all season long is green beans. They’re easy to grow, easy to take care of, and they just keep giving and giving. Will enjoyed plenty of them in his baby food this summer, and we love to enjoy them simple steamed or sautéed with a bit of olive oil and garlic. Even with eating them two or three times a week with dinner, I STILL always have more than I know what to do with. Enter the dilly bean. I started canning them 2 or 3 years ago now, and they’re always a favorite around our house. While we’re fans of pretty much anything pickled in this house – dilly beans really stand apart from your “standards”. They are packed with wonderful dill flavor. So crispy and delicious. You can also pig out on the whole jar, and don’t have to feel that guilty about it. Try them as a garnish for your next Bloody Mary, instead of a boring stalk of celery!

Pickled items are a great introduction to canning because you don’t need a ton of special equipment, and due to the high acidity of the brine – it’s virtually impossible for any bacteria to survive. Things like botulism, I hear they are not so good. At any rate, feel free to play around with the spice combinations. The only thing you want to adhere to for certain would be the water/vinegar/salt ratio.

Pickled Green Beans (aka “Dilly Beans”)

Yields 5 pints

2 pounds green beans, washed and trimmed
5 chili peppers, halved length-wise (I like jalapenos or serranos)
5 springs fresh dill
5 cloves garlic
3 tsp dill seed
3 tsp whole coriander
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup pickling salt

Prep your canning pot by inserting a rack to keep your jars off the bottom of the pot, place pint jars in and fill it with water. Bring to a boil to sterilize jars while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.

Wash and trim your beans so that they fit in your jar.

Combine vinegar, water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. While it’s heating up, pack your beans and into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace (distance between the tops of the beans and the rim of the jar). To each jar, add 1 sprig of fresh dill, 1 chili pepper, 1/2 tsp dill seed, 1/2 tsp coriander, and 1 clove of garlic.

Pour the boiling brine over the beans, making sure to leave that 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims and apply the lids and rings. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Let the beans hang out for a least two weeks before eating, to thoroughly develop their flavor. Best when served chilled.

Source: adapted from Food In Jars