Chile Verde

As you may have surmised from previous posts, I'm Danish, but I grew up in Canada.  Also and luckily for me, my mother was a great cook, she loved to try new stuff, as well as the old tried and true.   So when we moved to Canada, she cooked mainly Danish dishes, but would also branch out and make Italian food, or East Indian curries as well as some more mainstream Canadian foods.  But thanks to her willingness to try new foods, myself and all of my sibs cook pretty much internationally.   I make dishes from my Danish childhood, some Chinese, some east Indian, many very American foods, and also Mexican.     Pretty much whatever floats my boat and tickles the taste buds of my husband.    

I was introduced to Mexican Cuisine after meeting my husband to be, I had always wanted to try it, but in my hometown, eating ethnic was pretty much either Chinese food or Canadian.   (I did say I was Danish, so to me Canadian food was ethnic).    I look back now and laugh, (I laughed that day too, but...), the day my then boyfriend, now husband,  and I met his sister and her boys for dinner at a Mexican Restaurant, and I watched as they shoveled Salsa onto tortilla chips and ate them like they were starving.   As they munched away, they made little happy sounds and said stuff like, "Ooh this is so good' as they were shoveling the chips and salsa in so I wanted to try it too.      I copied them, scooped a nice big chunk of salsa onto a chip, and popped it into  my mouth and started to chew, just as they warned me to take a smaller bite, but WHOOO WEEE    They had warned me, but I was like, "gee, I like spicy food, how hot can it be'?.   Well, the tears started running down my face, I had trouble catching my breath, my lips and tongue were on fire, and but, wow, was that good stuff.    After downing the contents of my glass of water, and that of my DH's, I was ready to try it again.    The next time, I was a little more cautious of the salsa, but I have to say, it was still pretty darn awesome.    And I don't think I've ever had salsa that good or hot again, lol.    Seriously, I fell in love with Mexican food, and have continued to enjoy it whenever I can.   Luckily for me I used to live in a place where there were some good, some great and some fantastic Mexican restaurants on almost every corner.   Sort of like the Chinese restaurants were when I was growing up.     Along the way I also started to learn how to cook some Americanized versions of the Mexican dishes I liked.     After all, a person can't go out to eat all the time.   

I now live in an area that doesn't have a lot of Mexican restaurants, and those that we do have, don't have the dishes we are used to.   So, now if we get in the mood for Mexican, I go ahead and make it.    One of our favourite dishes is Chile Verde, a pork stew made with Anaheim Chile's,Jalapeno's and Tomatillo's. 

When I make it, I make a lot, it freezes well, and is also the basis for my version of Huevo Ranchero's.  
Start with a good cut of pork, slice it up into chops, I buy my pork at Sam's Club and generally get a whole loin at a time.   It works out cheaper that way per pound and I know what I'm getting.

Brown them in a little olive oil, or if you're being really bad, some rendered lard (that you just made from the fat trimmings).

Brown them well on each side, sprinkling a little salt on them after turning them once.    After removing the chops from the pan, cut them in bite size pieces and dump them into a large pot.

  Add some fresh Tomatillo's, some Anaheim chiles,a couple of Jalapeno's,  a little salt, maybe a 1/2 tsp. or so, cover and let simmer for a couple of hours.   If you can't find fresh tomatillo's, then add some canned salsa verde or even some canned Tomatillo's.    Quite frankly, either method works.
After simmering, let cool and put it in the fridge overnight.    The next day, pull it out, heat it up and check for seasonings, this is when I add a couple (well three or more) jalapeno's, finely minced,  (we like it hot), and to finish it off, a can of Stokes Green Chile sauce.    If you can't find some Stokes, then add a small can of green enchilada sauce at this point.   Simmer for about an hour and serve with fresh hot homemade tortilla's.

I love Chile Verde, it is the most versatile meal.   We like it in a bowl with the tortilla's on the side.

I make my own Tortilla's as well, it just adds something to the whole experience.    And I'm not too proud to say that a good tortilla mix is not a bad thing at all.   I like Quaker Harina Preparada para tortilla mix.

Divided and ready to roll out.

Ready to go into a nice hot pan.

See that butter pooling on top?

It's also great served over Mexican style rice, or rolled up in a burrito with some fresh made Refried beans.     And if there's any leftovers, well, let me put it like this, Huevo's Ranchero's.  I'll share the how to's on that later this week.

Recipe:  Chile Verde

You can adjust this for heat, we like it on the mouth searing side, just short of volcanic hot.
2 lbs. pork roast, loin, or shoulder doesn't really matter what cut of pork, cut into cubes.
olive oil for browning
Tomatillo's about 8 or so (mexican tomatoes) husk removed and cut into quarters.
Canned Anaheim or Hatch Chiles about 6 of the 4 oz. cans or one large can chopped or...
fresh Anaheim chiles, roasted and peeled, roughly 6-8 fresh ones per 2 lbs of meat.
 1-4 whole jalapeno's for heat, thrown in whole to cook down. 
Green Enchilada sauce or
Stokes Green Chile Sauce with Pork or
the new Verde Salsa put out by Pace I just tried it and it works great.

Brown the pork and place in pot, with chiles, tomatillo's, jalapenos and enough water to cover, set over low heat and simmer for 2 hours or until meat is tender. Cover and refrigerate overnight and the next day add one large can green enchilada sauce or 1 large can Stokes Green Chile sauce or the Pace Verde Salsa and simmer for half an hour. The chiles should have cooked out and will help to make the sauce. If you like you can make a roux out of 1 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp butter to stir in to thicken the liquid.
Serve with fresh warm tortillas and or Mexican rice.

 

Home Made Spaghetti Sauce

Have you ever looked at the labels on commercial Spaghetti Sauce?   Next time you're out shopping, pick up a can or jar of it and read the label.    Notice the presence of sugar in there, whether it's in the form of sugar or high fructose corn syrup or something else that means sugar.    I don't know about you, but I try not to buy anything with HFCS in it and quite frankly, why do you need so much sugar in something that is basically just tomatoes and herbs?

I started making my own spaghetti sauce years ago and we like it much better than any of the commercial brands out there.    I also use it as a base for lasagna, so when I make sauce, I make a lot.   I figure if I'm going to be spending time in the kitchen, I am going to make it count for something.     If you have your own home canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste, I applaud you.  I don't so I go to the store and buy tomatoes in several different forms.   

As you can see from the picture, I open cans, and then add it to the browned meat, and after that, correct for seasonings.   And I only use the No Salt added tomato products.   We don't need the salt and certainly don't miss it either in this recipe.    Check out how much sodium is in those other cans of tomatoes.  I'm waiting.      Surprised?  Now add that to the sugar in prepared sauce, yuck, right?  

  I freeze the remainder and pull it out when we're in the mood for Spaghetti or Lasagna.

yield: 6-8 ServingsAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cookingprint recipe

Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

prep time: 30 MINScook time: 1 hour and 30 MINStotal time: 1 hours and 60 mins

This spaghetti sauce is no salt, no sugar added. It's suitable for not only pouring over spaghetti, but also as a base for Lasagna or even Meatball Sandwiches. This is a great sauce to make ahead of time and freeze.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1lb. lean ground beef (feel free to use Ground Turkey instead)
• 1 lb. Italian sausage, removed from casing, crumbled
• 1 lg. onion, diced
• 2-5 Cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced or 2 small cans mushrooms
• 3 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 2-3 8 oz. cans tomato sauce, or 1 lg. can, no salt added kind
• 3 6 oz. cans regular tomato paste
• 1 can tomato paste with Italian herbs added (6 oz.)
• 1/4 tsp. (or more) red pepper flakes to taste.
• 3-4 tbsp. Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs, or 1-2 tsp. dried Italian Seasoning.
• 1-2 tbsp. Amore Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
• 2-4 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
• 2 finely grated carrots
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil for browning

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Begin by chopping up a large onion, I like a fairly fine dice. Throw it in the pan with some olive oil and cook it till it just starts to change color, then add a couple or three crushed and chopped cloves of garlic. Put in as much garlic as you like here. Cook for just a minute or so, and then remove from heat, and reserve in a separate dish. If using fresh mushrooms, throw them in the pan and just let them cook just for a minute before you add your meat to the pan, brown it and cook until it is no longer pink. Break it up a little with your spatula and then add the onions and garlic to the meat, let it cook for a few minutes more, then add the Italian herbs to the meat mixture. I just found a great product called Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs blend. Check the link out here, http://www.gourmetgarden.com/us/ It comes in a tube and you can find it in the refrigerated section of the veggie section in your grocery store. It is a little pricey, but well worth it for the fresh taste. Or you can add some dried Italian seasoning to the meat as you're browning it, this seems to help open up the flavour of the dried herbs. While the meat is browning open up those cans of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. If using canned mushrooms, go ahead and add them with the tomatoes. Dump the tomatoes into a large pot, mix it up with your spoon until the tomato paste is incorporated and when the meat is ready, add it to the pot. Add in a couple of finely grated carrots at this point as well. Taste it here to help correct the seasoning, and if necessary add more herbs. You can also add a rich full bodied red wine at this point, just a cup or two. Add a few tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese and then simmer for about an hour over low heat, stirring from time to time. (If you have the rind or heel of a piece of Parmesan or Romano cheese, throw it in.) Cook up your favourite pasta, whether it be spaghetti, linguine, or angel hair and serve the sauce over the pasta or however you like to serve it. And it makes a lot.
2. HINT: If using plastic dishes to freeze in, line them with some plastic wrap, this keeps the sauce from staining, plus when it's frozen, throw that block into a plastic bag, and save the plastic container for something else. Or just spoon the sauce into a ziploc bag, squeeze out the excess air and freeze flat. If I'm making Lasagna, I add an additional can of diced tomatoes and then layer it with cheeses and noodles. This is also a very company friendly dish. You can stretch it with a couple cans more of tomatoes, a tad more seasoning, cook up lots of spaghetti and serve with a green salad and a loaf or two of garlic bread.

Created using The Recipes Generator

  

You can also add a couple of cups of a good red wine to the sauce, my DH doesn't care for the taste, but it does add a richness that can't be beat.  

Menu's and Meal Planning

Do you do meal planning?  I mean sitting down and writing down what you are going to make over the next week or two?

 I do.  I've found it helps to keep food costs down, makes it a lot easier to get a meal on the table, and gives me some flexibility to go out to dinner last minute as well, which I like to do.  Hey, if I know what we're having and making it can be put off a day or so, why not go out?  I mean I love to cook, but sometimes having someone else cook and clean up, priceless. 

I've written about this before, and probably will again, but a chance conversation with a person last week brought the subject to the forefront again.

One thing I did for years,  was have a list of the meals I could prepare with ingredients on hand posted on my fridge and I'd see what my DH wanted for dinner that night.  I was a home bound short order cook.   And since we used to live a lot closer to grocery stores, it worked.  But now,  when I have to drive 7 miles one way to a limited choice grocery story or 30 miles to better stores, well, I try to plan meals a little differently.  Never mind the cost of gas to get there, it's also the time involved to come and go.   I also make a lot of food ahead.  Actually I always did.   I used to have a huge freezer, and could lose food in there very well.   I now have a much smaller freezer and I can still 'lose' food when it migrates to the bottom of the freezer.

Which is why I have a list written of what's in there (and sometimes I even update it).

 When I make a pot of Spaghetti Sauce , I make enough for 3 or 4 meals, (this works cause there's only the two of us),

Chile 

And if you have Chile in the freezer, make some Navajo Taco's

or ladle some over a hamburger for a Chile Burger or a Chile Dog or, just have a p

Chile Verde

And if you have Chile Verde in the freezer, make some smothered burrito's, or  maybe add a little salsa to it, and have Huevo's Ranchero's. 

There are so many meals you can make ahead.  After all, if you're going to be browning a pound of ground meat, why not brown two pounds and freeze the second pound, by doing that, you're that much further ahead on a meal.    Let me give you a couple of examples:

We like Taco's, so if I'm going to use the stove to brown and make the meat for Taco's I make enough for two meals.  That way if I get into a time crunch I can get the cooked taco meat out of the freezer, and assemble a meal in just a few minutes.  By the time the meat is thawed and warmed, I've got the tomatoes and lettuce chopped.  And the oil heating to cook the tortilla's.   Or you can use ready made tortilla shells.   Or you can use the cooked and seasoned taco meat to make a quick meal of Nacho's.    And I just realized I've never shared how I make Taco's.   I will remedy that in another post.   There you have it, two meals, one cook time.

Easter Dinner with friends

Just wanted to tell you about the awesome Easter get together we had at a friends house.   She really is the hostess with the mostess (is that a word?). 
She asked me to bring a green salad so I did, but I also had a Savoy cabbage languishing in my veggie bin, so I also made an Asian coleslaw with it.  Well, that's what I'm calling it.  And since I saw some people go back for seconds I guess I'll share the recipe here, with you, at a later date.

I didn't take my camera in with me, that's just beyond tacky, well, it was pretty crowded with food and people and we were there to have fun, so I whipped out my phone and took some pictures with that.  Which is why the pics aren't all that great but I had to share about some of the food.

We had everything.  Lamb, Turkey, Ham, biscuits with pork gravy, scalloped potato's, potato's au gratin, desserts galore, even some hard cooked eggs for 'egg picking'.  

 From the lower left corner, going counter clockwise.
Squash Dressing, scalloped potato's, lamb gravy, lamb,
ham, and turkey, redneck caviar, au gratin potato's, sweet potato, green salad...

 Ham, turkey, redneck caviar, beans, salad, biscuits, gravy.

 Dessert table, pie, cakes and the piece de resistance...

German Chocolate cake, complete with birthday candles in strawberry holders.  We had a couple of birthday people there.










Again, a great time, we had fun, the people were fantastic and the food, well, apart from the poor quality of the pictures, the food, out of this world.   

Review: Jar Key, my newest toy, tool.

I'm so excited, had to share this with everyone.   

I get gift certificates to Amazon and tend to bank them up until I get enough to buy something off of my wish list. 

I had been looking for these Jar Key's for a long time in stores, and for some reason didn't think of looking on Amazon for them until a couple of weeks ago.  One of the reason's that I'd been looking for them,was that my cousin's husband invented them,  and they sell them all over Europe.

Here's their link if you want to check them out,  Brix Design   And I was curious as well.  

So I ordered one, got it, used it and then bought some more to use as gifts.

This is amazing.   You use it to lever the lid til the lid pops the vacuum seal, then just unscrew the jar.   And...
The jar is resealable. 
No more tapping the lid, or whacking it, or trying to find someone who has strong hands to open that jar.  (and no more broken jars cause you hit the counter just a tad too hard and the jar slipped out of your hand and shattered in a sticky mess on the tile floor. No idea how that one happened.)

Nope, just pop and it's done.  

And these little guys come in colors as well.   My first one, was white, but then I found a red one, and orange one and a yellow one and another orange one, giggle.  

I'm just going to show the picture of the white one here, and then go look for some more jars to open.  
Well, at least I'll keep the Jarkey handy.

It's going right there with some other essentials in my kitchen, like, the corkscrew and can opener and .....

  I'll be reviewing the other toys, tools as well soon.   
 **updated to add:  The current Jarkey I have is a pretty red one, cause a friend admired the white one and I in the nature of generosity gave it to her.