Sweet Corn Pudding for a Mexican Feast!

I wrote this post maybe a year ago, then forgot about it! It really is an amazing side dish, sure to be a hit. 

From left: beef shank in pipian mole, tortillas, chile-lime-garlic pork shoulder, charred onions with herbs, chimichurri, salsa verde, roast chiles, corn pudding, jicama slaw, salsa roja. UTTERLY DELICIOUS.

Food's ready! 

My plate: beef with chimmi and pork with salsa verde. And charred onions on both. I went back for corn pudding afterwards. Several times.

Awhile back, Adam and I hosted out traditional "don't forget we exist" barbecue in our backyard. I think this is the second one--maybe the third? This event is to put ourselves back on the social radar of our not-in-the-ski-house friends, whom we've ignored for six months.

This year was particularly great. Some of my favorite new colleagues were there, plus two baby puppies, one adorable child, and many of our favorite people in Denver. And the food was BOMB. I went with Mexican food, because Mexican food is the most delicious single cuisine on the planet.

Here is a recipe for corn pudding, which was a huge hit. It was eaten up completely by meat eaters and vegetarians alike. It tasted rich and creamy and wildly corn-y.

Corn Pudding for Tons of People (play with the ratios feed a more normal-sized group)
Ingredients
(all the vegetarians put this in their tortillas instead of meat--goes great with the salsa)
20 ears of shucked freshcorn
2 cups of coarse corn meal
2 quarts (or so) of whole milk
1 stick of salted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
salt to taste (about a tablespoon)
Pinch of cayenne (this won't be discernible in the final dish, but will add an element of depth)

What to do:
Cut the kernels off the corn. Use the large, covered pot you plan to cook the pudding in: hold the cob vertically and cut downward, scraping as close to the cob as you can.This is annoying and will take awhile.
Add the two cups of coarse corn meal to your pot with the kernels.
Add the milk and sugar, and a heavy dash (2 teaspoons to start) of salt.
Mix all ingredients together.
Place the pot over low heat and cook, stirring every few minutes, until the corn meal has completely absorbed the milk. If it seems too dry, add more milk and continue cooking.
Add the butter and pinch of cayenne, and stir until completely incorporated. Taste for salt.
Then, look at the consistency and use your judgement--it is a pleasingly pudding-like texture? Play with the cornmeal and milk ratios until it's perfect.
Serve!


Enjoy!

Spicy, Smoky Veggie Tacos with Cilantro-Cumin "Crema"

Spicy, smoky, creamy, tangy. 

If you read this blog or interact with me in real life, you know I adore consuming excellent meat.
But--this is not how I eat all day, every day. I don't like having meat during the work day--something about it seems weird and unappetizing. Maybe it's the way meat looks under florescent lights. And it's impossible to pair your meaty lunch with a nice glass of wine or beer, which ruins it. Microwaving braised short ribs in tupperware and pairing them with tap water is disrespectful. Not to mention un-tasty. Stupid teaching job, preventing me from drinking all day.
So I made some yummy veggie taco filling to bring as lunch during the week. I made it SUPER spicy, because I love heat. Then I made a tangy, cooling yogurt sauce to cool it down. The paprika and chipotles lend a rich smokiness. Very strong flavors for a vegetarian meal.

These were delish! Somewhat sloppy, but totally tasty. Plus my students are totally used to seeing food dripped all over my clothes.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 chipotles, chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 red onion, diced
7 carrots, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped (I left the seeds in for more heat)
6 Anaheim peppers, sliced into strips
1 can of black beans, drained
salt, pepper, sugar

What to do
Saute the onion in the olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the tablespoon of paprika and the chipotles and mix around for a minute or so. Add the can of tomatoes (with juice) and bring to a boil. Add about a teaspoon of sugar. Put the carrots in, cover the pot, and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes to cook the carrots. Open the pot and add the rest of the ingredients--garlic, peppers, and black beans. Mix everything in and allow to cook for about 10 more minutes, until the peppers are just barely done.
Season with salt.
Serve with warmed corn tortillas and whatever sides you'd like (I like lime wedges, avocado, and cilantro-cumin crema).

Taco filling!

To make Cilanto-Cumin "Crema":

Blend 2 cups of lowfat plain yogurt with a bunch of cilantro, juice and zest of 2 limes, and a teaspoon of cumin.

Ingredients 

Finished "creama" 

Enjoy!

Carne Asada with Chimichurri

A delicious, juicy carne asada taco with chimichurri, guac, and salsa roja. 

Far and away, the best food location I've ever lived in was the Rio Grande Valley. With the possible exception of Cajun food, I think it's the best regional eating in the whole country. The valley-dweller cannot help but encounter phenomenal food everywhere she goes. Never have I had a more wonderful breakfast than the Breakfast Tacos at the gas station down the road from the high school where I was teaching--the flour tortillas were made right there behind the counter (flour, water, salt, lard--patted translucently thin) and you could choose from about 10 different fillings--from Chorizo-Egg-Potato to Egg-Nopale to Egg-Chile-Chicarron. So fabulous. I often bought two and had one for breakfast and the other for lunch and was usually wishing for a third around 3 pm.
The Valley has a ton of dishes you rarely see elsewhere: carne guisada, for instance, I haven't seen on a menu anywhere since. Or the Papa Fuerte--a baked potato busting with meat, cheese, and salsa roja. Tortillas made with black or red corn. Cabrito en salsa (ok, that's everywhere, but I had it first in the Valley).
But: the best thing to eat down there is the CARNE ASADA. Every taco stand seemed to have the best steak you'd ever had. If you went to a sit-down restaurant and ordered the Parriada, a pile of smoking, succulent, charred-yet-juicily-rare, deadly-delicious meat would appear. It came with grilled jalapenos, peppers, onions, and the ubiquitous, ever-heavenly house tortillas. Corazon! That's still my Last Meal--accompanied by copious canned Tecates.
So: this is not that. Not even close. But since I ever lived in the Valley, I have been obsessed with finding or creating the best carne asada I possibly can.
So while this carne is not Valley--it's really, really good.

Cooking Carne makes this Valley girl nostalgic.

Carne Asada Recipe

Ingredients

Chile powder

Salt

Black pepper

Skirt steak, boneless chuck steak, or beef: at least 4 lbs but you could do more. 

1 head of garlic 

2 jalapenos

3 limes 

2 oranges or other sweet citrus 

1 red onion 

1 can of cheap beer. Tecate or Dos Equis are the best, but any crappy-type Pilsner will work.

What To Do

First, go buy some meat. I like either skirt steak or boneless chuck steaks for this. But any kind of thin-sliced beef will work. Look for something with fat in it--too lean will get tough. You will want leftovers so get a lot. 

Then, grab your meat (heh) and RUB IT! (heh heh). Sprinkle both sides of the meat with salt, chile powder, and black pepper. Place the meat in a tupperware and leave it while you make the marinade. 

Sprinkled-with-spices meat, ready for rubbing in.

Peel all the cloves of garlic and put them in a food processor or blender. Toss in the jalapenos. Juice the limes and oranges on top. Blitz it up!

Before! 

After! 

Now, pour the marinade over the rubbed meat. And dump in the beer! 

Unfortunately I only had PBR. 

Then squish everything around so the marinade touches every meat-surface. Slice up a red onion and toss it in. Cover the tupperware and put it in the fridge. Leave it from anywhere between overnight to three days (done both--always good!).  

Then, take the meat out and grill it!

Neighbors = jealous. Yummy smells...

So, to go with this I made chimmichurri, salsa roja, guacamole, and some warmed-up corn tortillas. I also made a pot of chorizo and potatos in the interest of copious leftovers.

So, chimichurri: this is not a Valley condiment--I first found it in an Argentine restaurant in Managua, and have LOVED it since then. We had chimichurri on the steak at the wedding (nowhere near as good as mine).

Ingredients 
1 bunch parsley
4 garlic cloves
3 TB red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp honey
juice of 2 limes
1 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
dash of salt

What to do
Put the garlic in the food processor and blitz them up into teeny little specks. Then, add the parsley and pulse a few times: you want the parsley chopped but chunky.

Place in a container and add the vinegar, oregano, lime juice, honey, and oil. Season to taste with salt and cayenne.
Serve at room temperature. Dribble over steak (or veggies. Or fish. Or chicken. Anything)

We ate this on the back porch and it was GREAT.

Eating juicy meat made Eric feel like this.

Mexican food is awesome. 

Enjoy!

Megan's Enchiladas!

Spicy, tangy, creamy, salsa verde; sweet, chili-spiced chicken; bubbly cheese. This is the ultimate comfort food.  These enchiladas are SO GODDAMN GOOD. 

This recipe comes courtesy of my friend Megan. She invented it and has been making it for years. These enchiladas are TO DIE for. They use a creamy chile-verde enchilada sauce, which plays perfectly against sweet, tomatoe-y chicken filling.

Meg and I met in high school and became friends through a shared love of cheap vodka, the Berrybender novels, stupid puns, skipping class to go swimming, and games of Who Would You Rather Bone? all through civics.

Then! Me, Meg, Claudia before prom. 2000

High school girlfriends back in Chico for my bachelorette. 2013

Meg is an AMAZING cook. She gets it from her mom and her Nana, who are both incredible, too.

I remember the day I first tasted Meg's enchiladas. We were all about 22.  It was the spring break of my first year of teaching, and I'd gone to California to visit my HS friends. I was teaching high school English in a tiny town at the bottom of Texas, and my friends were doing stuff like working at Hooters, finishing college, waiting tables at cool restaurants. Compared to them, I was already middle aged--we would leave the apartment at 11pm to go to a club--they would dance, and I would fall asleep with my head on a loudspeaker. All the Redbull and Vodkas in Southern California couldn't bring back my vanished youth.
So when Meg suggested a movie night, I was like "Fuck yes" We watched Harold and Maude and she made these enchiladas at her apartment in Long Beach.
They were the best enchiladas I'd ever had. I got her to email me the recipe and I've been making them ever since.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: 

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (breasts are ok, but thighs taste better)

1 16 oz jar of salsa verde

2-3 jalapenos ( I used 2 and mine were really spicy)

1 cup fresh cilantro

1/3 cup ranch dressing

1/3 cup sour cream

1 red onion, diced

2-3 garlic cloves

20 tortillas  (I used multigrain flour tortillas. Corn tortillas work too)

2 chipotle peppers from a can

1 TBS Chipotle chile powder

1 TBS cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp all spice

3-4  TBS tomato paste

1 TBS honey

4-6 cups grated cheddar

Salt and pepper to taste.

What to Do: 

1.) Put chicken in pot of water with a dash of salt, a few garlic cloves, the chipotle peppers, and some salt and pepper. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is just barely cooked. Don't cook too long or it will get dried out. Remove chicken to cool on plate. Reserve the water with the garlic and onions for later.

Chicken simmering.

2.) In a blender or food processor, blend salsa verde, jalapenos, cilantro, ranch and sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Creamy salsa verde enchilada sauce!

3.) Shred chicken with your fingers or a fork, if it's too hot. Dice the onion up.

4.) Heat oil in a skillet and add the the onion. Cook until soft. 2-4 minutes

5.) Add chicken, tomato paste, honey, and all of the spices, along with all the garlic and some of the water (1/2 cup?) reserved from the pot (this is to keep the chicken from drying out-- add more water if needed-- the chicken should not be too saucy either.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for only a few minutes. turn off heat.

Chicken filling

6.) Put a little bit of olive oil in large skillet. Heat to medium high and cook tortillas (get the oil on both sides-- just enough to coat lightly-- you should not be frying them in oil), until they are slightly golden. This will keep the tortillas from breaking when you dip them in the sauce and roll them. 

7.) Dip cooked tortillas in green sauce to coat. Roll with chicken and a little cheese (they should be fairly full), and place in a large baking dish (You will probably need at least two of these for all the enchiladas.) This part gets messy. 

8.) Top with any remaining sauce and cheese. 

Before baking.

9.) Cook in preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until cheese starts to brown on top.

Oh yeah

Sloppy and delicious

These are fabulous! Enjoy!

Chorizo Black Bean Soup

Perfect dinner for a snowy night.

This has been a go-to recipe in my life for years (ever since I moved back to the US and lived somewhere with temperatures low enough to permit the consumption of hot soup). This is essentially a bean and vegetable soup or stew, with chorizo functioning as a seasoning. It is rich, spicy, complex and totally delicious. You would never guess from tasting that the vast majority of the soup is vegetables.

Ingredients

For this recipe, I prefer the dirtiest kind of chorizo: the mushy Mexican brand in a plastic tube, not the fresh kind from the butchers or the classy cured Spanish kind. This one tastes the best and blends smoothly into the broth, rather than forming chunks. I know it's made if nitrates and pig bungholes, but whatever. Buy one of the kinds with an offensive racial stereotype as the logo.

Recipe

Ingredients
1 package of pork chorizo
3 cans of black beans, drained
2 red onions, diced
4 carrots, split lengthwise and chopped
4 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped (leave seeds in if you want spicy, omit seeds for more mild)
1 cup chicken stock (or water)
3 TB cumin powder
1 TB chile powder
1 TB paprika
1 cup orange juice
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp salt
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Optional garnishes: avocado slices, cheddar cheese, sour cream, hot salsa

What to do:
1. Add a small amount of oil the bottom of a large pot. Add the onion, carrots, and chorizo. Saute, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes, until greasy and fragrant and the chorizo oil has coated everything.

That chorizo looks like a turd....

2. Then, add the spices: cumin, chile, and paprika. Let the spices fry a bit in the chorizo fat for a few minutes to release fragrances and enhance the flavor.

3. Then, add the peppers (both red and jalapeno) and tomatoes to the pot. Cover and let cook for about ten minutes, stirring every few minutes.
4. Add the stock (or water), black beans, and orange juice to the pot. Cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.
5. Then, use a slotted spoon and scoop about half the solids into a blender. Blend up, then add back to the pot.

6. Simmer for about ten more minutes.
7. Taste. Does it need salt?
8. Turn off the heat and stir in chopped cilantro and lime juice.

9. Serve with garnishes!

This is a delicious everyday recipe. Enjoy!