Happy Cinco De Mayo! ~ Grilled Tomato Salsa

The weather has been amazing here in the Pacific Northwest. It literally feels like the middle of summer. What a treat it's been, when typically we might be graced with a couple nice days around this time of year, we've had 2 solid weeks of summer-like weather. So in the spirit of not only Cinco de Mayo, but also the beautiful sunshiny weather, I thought I would take my salsa  recipe out to the grill.

This salsa recipe reminds me a lot of the type you get when you eat out at a Mexican restaurant. I made oven baked tortilla chips to go with. Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

Grilled Tomato Salsa

~makes about 3 cups~

What you need:

2 lbs. roma tomatoes, halved and cored (not seeded)

2 jalepenos

2 t. canola oil

3 T. finely chopped red onion

2 T. chopped cilantro

1 t. salt

1/2 t. sugar

2 T. lime juice

What you do:

1. Preheat your grill burners to high. Toss the halved tomatoes and jalepenos with the oil. When grill is heated. Place the tomatoes (cut-side down) and jalepenos on the grill. Grill uncovered for about 4-5 miuntes, or until the tomatoes get a good char of them, and turning the jalepenos occasionally to get an even char all over the outside of them. Flip tomatoes and cook until the skins are lightly charred and blistered, about another 4-5 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and jalepenos from the grill and let cool for about 10 minutes.

2. When tomatoes are cool, place them in a food processor and pulse a few times until pretty finely chopped. Stem, seed, scrape the skin and finely chop the jalepenos.

3. In a large bowl, mix all the salsa ingredients together. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Oven Baked Tortilla Chips

I can't think of a better way of using leftover corn tortillas than to make homemade tortilla chips. Whenever I make enchiladas or tacos, I always have a bunch of extra corn tortillas. The thing I especially love about a recipe like this is you can just make the amount you want to eat, so if your anything like me, you can safeguard yourself against eating more chips than you intended. 

The one suggestion I have when you make these, is that the thinner the tortilla, the better the chip. 

Oven Baked Tortilla Chips

~makes about 4 servings~

What you need:

8 corn tortillas

canola (or vegetable) oil

salt

What you do:

1. Adjust oven racks so one rack is on the upper-middle position and the other is on the lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Brush each tortilla with oil. Stack them all together and cut into 8 wedges. Divide the chips between 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and spread out evenly over the baking sheets.

3. Bake the chips for 8-12 minutes, until they start to become lightly browned. Remove from oven, flip the chips. Rotate the baking sheets so the one that was on the bottom rack is now on top and vice versa. Bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, until the chips are lightly golden and crispy.

Fish Tacos

On this eve of Cinco De Mayo I thought I'd share with you my family's own special recipe for fish tacos. It seems like fish tacos are becoming a standard in the dinnertime rotation for American families these days. Everyone has their own unique way of preparing them and I am glad to be able to share my own version here. This meal is definitely in the top 5 favorite dinners for my family.

This recipe is one that has evolved over the course of a few years. I have been tweaking it here and there to perfect the flavors and streamline the preparation. It's really, really good.

Fish Tacos

~serves about 4~

Note* I like to use tortillas that are a blend of corn and flour. You could just use corn tortillas if you can't find these, or even flour tortillas if you want to.

Ingredients:

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced

1/2 c. mayonnaise

about 2 T. fresh lime juice (or to taste)

pinch of salt

1.25 oz package taco seasoning

3 T. canola oil

1 1/2 lb. white fish fillets (I like to use tilapia)

15 oz. package (10 count) golden blend tortillas

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed

garnishes:

1 romaine heart, shredded

thinly sliced red onion

cilantro leaves

chopped avocado

lime wedges

hot sauce of your choice

Instructions:

1. Make the sauce: In a small bowl combine minced chipotle, mayonnaise, lime juice and salt. Mix well. Refrigerate until serving. In a large bowl whisk together taco seasoning and oil until smooth. Add fish and coat thoroughly (using your hands works well). Set aside. In another small bowl mix together black beans and corn, set aside.

2. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Toast the tortillas on the first side about 30 seconds until lightly toasted. Flip and cook on the second side about 10 seconds, until tortilla puffs up and browns. Stack tortillas and wrap in foil until ready to serve. Reduce heat to medium high and add fish, (you may need to cook the fish in 2 batches to keep from overcrowding the pan, if you do, wipe out the skillet between batches) cook 1-3 minutes per side of until fish is well browned and cooked through. (Time will vary depending on what type of fish you use.)

3. To serve. Take a tortilla, spread it with some sauce, top with some fish, black beans and corn, and additional garnishes. 

Pinto Beans and "Hot Sauce"

This meal right here is the reason I made homemade flour tortillas yesterday.

These beans and "hot sauce" is another recipe from my childhood. It is a recipe that came from my maternal Grandmother and my mom started making it for us when I was little. It's funny because the original recipe from my Grandma was titled "Chile Verde". I kind of wonder if somewhere along the line someone misread tomatoes for tomatillos because this recipe is basically chile verde with tomatoes instead of tomatillos.

Despite the discrepancy, we grew up just calling it hot sauce.

I changed the recipe a little from the one my mom makes. Mainly the chiles. My mom uses canned diced chiles and I opted to buy fresh Anaheim chiles and roast them under the broiler before adding them to the stew. Canned chiles are okay, but the depth of flavor and additional sweetness from using fresh is definitely worth going to the extra little bit of trouble.

Pinto Beans and "Hot Sauce"

~serves about 8~

Note* You can pretty much use any cut of pork you want for this recipe. Typical choices would be pork shoulder or butt. I have even used lean pork chops with good results. I used pork shoulder steaks here.

Note** To cut up the tomatoes, use a pair of kitchen shears and snip them up right in the can before adding them to the pan.

Ingredients:

For the Pinto Beans

1 lb. pinto beans, rinsed, picked over and soaked overnight

2 large onions, peeled and chopped coarse

2 med. or 3 small hamhocks

6 c. water

For the Hot Sauce

1 1/2 lb. Anaheim chilies

2-6 t. vegetable oil

2 1/2 - 3 lb. pork, cut into 3/4 - 1 inch cubes

8 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 serrano chilies, seeds and ribs removed, minced fine

3 T. flour

2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes, roughly cut up

1c. water 

1/2 t. salt

Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

pickled jalepenos, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. For the beans: Add all the ingredients for the beans in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until the beans are very tender and breaking down, about 2 1/2 hours. (You'll need to stir the pot more often the thicker the beans become, to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.) Remove the hamhocks and let them cool enough to handle. Remove the meat, shred and add back to the beans (there might not be very much meat at all).

2. Make the roasted Anaheim chilies: Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil, lay the Anaheims in a single layer. Roast until the skins blister all over and blacken in spots, turning occasionally with tongs, about 20 minutes total. Remove to a heat safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit 10-15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel and remove seeds from the chilies and coarsely chop. Set aside.

3. For the hot sauce: Heat 2 t. oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add 1/3 of the pork and brown well on first side, 3-5 minutes. Stir pan and cook another minute or two. Remove pork to a plate. Repeat this process twice more, using an additional 2 t. oil per batch (if necessary). (If the bottom of the pan starts to become too brown, between batches you can add a little bit of water and scrape up the fond in the pan and add to the pork on the plate, Then proceed to the next batch.)

4. Reduce heat to medium. To the drippings left in the pan add garlic and serrano chile, cook stirring constantly until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Add roasted Anaheims and tomatoes (undrained), pork, water and salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Uncover and simmer for another hour, until the pork is fork tender and the sauce thickens and darkens slightly. Serve in bowls, with beans, garnishing with chopped cilantro and pickled jalepenos. 

Tres Leches Cake

I wish I could follow the title of this post with a bunch of little hearts because I love this cake so much. Something about a cake soaked in a mixture that contains 3 types of milks (Tres Leches), sweetened condensed milk (which I could each straight up with a spoon, YUM!), evaporated milk (love it in my tea when I have it around), and heavy cream, just does something for me.

With Cinco De Mayo just around the corner, I thought I'd share this delicious cake with you.

Yum!

Tres Leches Cake

~serves 12~

Ingredients:

For the Tres Leches Mixture:

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 c. heavy cream

1 t. vanilla extract

For the Cake

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg

8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 c. 2% milk

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 c. sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

For the whipped cream topping

1 c. heavy cream

3 T. corn syrup

1 t. vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. For the Tres Leches mixture: Place the sweetened condensed milk into a large microwave safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on low power (I chose 30% power) stirring and replacing the plastic wrap every 3-5 minutes, until the milk thickens and darkens slightly, 9-15 minutes total. (you are kind of making dulce de leche.) Whisk in the evaporated milk, 1 c. heavy cream and 1 t. vanilla extract. Cover and set aside, cool to room temperature.

2. Make the cake: Grease and flour a 13x9 inch baking dish. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Heat butter and milk together in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts, set aside to cool slighlty while preparing the cake.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add eggs. Beat at medium speed for about 30 second. Slowly add in the sugar. Increase the heat to medium high and beat until very thick and glossy, 5-7 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the butter/milk mixture and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three additions, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Then mix at medium speed for 30 seconds to fully incorporate. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer cake to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Using a skewer, poke holes all over the cake at 1/2 inch intervals. Slowly pour the tres leches mixture all over the cake. Let sit at room temperature 15 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours prior to frosting the cake.

5. Remove the cake from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Beat the remaining 1 c. heavy cream, corn syrup and 1 t. vanilla to soft peaks. Spread evenly over cake. (Cake can be assembled up to 3 days ahead of when you want to serve it.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Cook's Country Magazine.

Flour Tortillas

Do you ever just have the desire to open up a package of supermarket tortillas and eat one straight outta the bag?

Of course you don't.

Because they don't taste very good.

When I was growing up I was lucky enough to have a mom that made tortillas from scratch whenever we had soft tacos. They were soft and flavorful with a distinct floury texture that supermarket tortillas just can't even begin to match. These were something of a kid-comfort food for me. I still remember when I was in kindergarten and we were asked to draw pictures of our favorite foods, I drew a yellowish circle, representing my beloved tortillas and I can still remember getting my paper back with a question mark next to my drawing because my teacher couldn't make out what I drew. (Ha!) I loved to eat them fresh with butter and I even recall a time or two requesting she make them when I was sick and didn't have much of an appetite. I wonder if tortillas were even widely available in supermarkets when I was growing up (in the 80's), because it almost seems strange to me in retrospect that my mom always made them from scratch.

But I am really glad that my childhood experience enlightened me on the simple pleasure of eating homemade flour tortillas. After I was married I was eager to share this experience with my new family and begin making my own homemade tortillas.

If you are the least bit intimidated by the thought of making these, don't be. This is literally the easiest dough you can work with. It is so forgiving, when it comes to the process of rolling out the tortillas into rounds. The only thing your may have trouble with might be making perfect circles. But no worries, the rustic appearance just means everyone will see how amazing you are for making your own homemade flour tortillas.

Flour Tortillas

~makes about 14-16~

Note* When stacking the rolled tortillas on a plate prior to cooking, be sure to sprinkle flour between the layers,(then using your hand gently rub the flour to spread it into a thin even layer) to prevent the tortillas from sticking to each other when you go to cook them.

Ingredients:

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

6 T. vegetable shortening

luke warm water

vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add shortening and using your fingers, rub the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Add in water, a little at a time stirring after each addition until the dough comes together. (I used a little more than a cup of water.)

2. Briefly knead the dough until it comes together in a firm ball. Pinch off pieces of dough in the palm of your hand and roll into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place dough balls on a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel.

3. Roll out tortillas: On a floured surface, place a dough ball and flatten into a disk using the palm of your hand. Roll into a round, 8-10 inches in diameter. (Sprinkling with flour and flouring the rolling pin as needed to prevent sticking.) Place rolled tortilla on a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining balls of dough. Stack the rolled tortillas on top of each other sprinkling a little flour between the layers of tortillas (then using your hand gently rub the flour to spread it into a thin even layer) to prevent them from sticking to each other. 

4. Heat 1/2 t. vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Using paper towel, carefully wipe the oil out of the skillet (a very thin layer should be left behind). Add a tortilla and cook on the first side, until bubbles appear evenly over the surface of the tortilla and it is just browning on the underside, about a minute. Flip the tortilla and cook on the second side, about another minute. Tortilla should puff when you flip it. Remove to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (You won't need to add any more oil.) 

5. Enjoy. 

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is an oldie. I started making it about 10 years ago when I was a new mom and still kinda a newly-wed. It was fun as a new cook to throw together these kind of simple recipes. I went through a long  phase where I was always on the lookout for a good casserole. Eventually as my cooking skills improved I made recipes like this less and less. Now I rarely make these kind of canned soup concoctions.  And I didn't make this recipe in particular for at least 4 or 5 years. But it's turned out to be a perennial favorite, for my oldest son in particular, who loves it!

Let's face it, this is grub food. It's not fancy, it's not complex (and it didn't photograph very well). But it's a great recipe that can be quickly put together that will fill up the hungry bellies in your family.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

~serves 6-8~

Note* This recipe calls for 4 cups of cooked chicken. I usually use 3 large chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 lb.), which I season with salt and pepper and then poach in about 2 cups of water in a large skillet (covered) for about 20 minutes over medium heat, turning once halfway through the cooking (first I bring the water and seasoned chicken to a simmer over medium high heat). You could also use leftover chicken from another recipe or even leftover turkey.

Ingredients: 

10 flour tortillas

4 c. coarsely chopped chicken 

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (7 oz.) can chopped green chiles

4 oz. softened cream cheese

1/2 c. plus 1 c. sour cream

8 oz. (2 c.) package shredded mexican cheese blend 

Salsa, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. Move oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.

2. In a large bowl mix together soup, chiles (I don't bother draining the chiles), cream cheese and 1/2 c. sour cream. Mix in the chopped chicken. Using a half cup measure, portion out the filling between the tortillas. Roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together remaining 1 c. sour cream and the cheese. Evenly spread this over the enchiladas. Bake, uncovered 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly and slightly browned. Sometimes I will put the casserole under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the top a little more. (Careful if using a pyrex pan under the broiler.)