Mahi Mahi Tostada

So, here's the deal. Unlike my sisters and my mom, I can't cook meat. That's why I like organic chicken thighs - you basically can't dry them out. I like making pulled pork. But, it's pretty much fool-proof. Steak? ugh. I could make a filet mignon taste like a t-bone. A poorly cooked t-bone. I love pork, but I'll never make pork chops as well as Tracey. So I never try.

I think I've found an alternative protein source. Turns out, I can actually cook fish. We've been trying to eat more of it, and we are all pleasantly surprised when it turns out!

These tostadas were originally planned as tacos, but we tasted the tortillas and weren't crazy about them...so what else is there to do with food that is a bit lack-luster? Fry it of course!

I just rubbed the fish with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, oil and a little lime juice. Then cooked it in some oil for approx 4 mins per side. I topped it with this citrus vinaigrette (doubled the amount of cilantro), cabbage w/lime and cilantro, chopped tomatoes and sour cream with minced garlic.

To fry the tortillas, just heat 1/2 inch of veg oil in a shallow pan and fry until golden on each side (a minute or two per side). Drain on paper towels.

It's a tasty meal (and you don't have to stress about the main ingredient being leathery)!

Mangia~

Lora

Tortilla, Lager, and Black Bean Pie

We are celebrating one year of recipes... already!

It has been a fun year of trying to log some of the recipes we hope to remember. And sharing part of our family food history through those recipes. It's pretty amazing how a blog can motivate us to keep cooking so we have something to post on here! This coming year we hope to share more recipes from all of the great cooks in our family. *wink wink*

To commemorate this anniversary of sorts I figured we could use a bean recipe to celebrate. Since we all eat a lot of them. I am sure between us and our cousins we have eaten a virtual ton of our Grandpa's crazy-delicious refried beans. Beans are cheap, healthy, and let's face it—entertaining.

Growing up, Mama Rae also made those refried beans by the bucketful and would slather the tasty buggers between slices of thick wheat bread, topped with bean sprouts. As you can imagine, we got some bug eyed reactions from classmates in the lunchroom when we pulled one of those puppies out. Actually, friends were intrigued and I think I got more sandwich trades out of those than any others. I didn't know how good we had it.

I found this layered tortilla pie recipe several years ago in an edition of 'Everyday Food' by Martha herself. It's the type of recipe you have to hold on to for when you get a hankering for it. Thankfully, I was able to dig it up a few weeks back when we wanted it again, in all its cheesy glory.

It works well in a spring form pan, but I'm sure any pan would work; it just may not look so pretty. One nice feature of this recipe is that you can assemble it ahead of time and then bake it just before serving.

4 flour tortillas (10 inch)
1 T oil
1 large onion diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 t cumin
course salt and pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces lager beer or 1.5 cups water
1 package frozen corn or 1o ounces fresh
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream and salsa on the side if desired

Preheat oven to 400. Trim tortillas to fit a 9 inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat, add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5-7 min.

Add beans and beer to skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, simmer until liquid has almost evaporated. This may take up to 15 min. Stir in corn and scallions, remove from heat. Add more salt and pepper.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan, layer with 1/4 beans and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat 3 times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20-25 min. Unmold pie and sprinkle with scallions. Slice into wedges.


Mangia~

Tracey

And the winner was...

So...I know you're losing sleep because of the suspense.

You're just dying to know who won our Christmas Soup Simmer Competition...aren't you!!?

1. Grandpa - with his smokey, creamy split-pea?

2. Lora - with her herby chowder and garlicy oyster crackers?

3. Shawnie - with her roasted root veggies and savory sausage?

4. Tracey - with her spicy chorizo and hearty greens?

5. Momma G - with her ultra comforting clams and tomatoes?

If you know anything about our family you know there is one individual who always rises above the rest. She (sorry Gramps!) is the girl who everyone looks for at a party to make sure shes there - for two reasons; everyone loves her and everyone loves her party food. When I say everyone loves her, I mean, her friends AND my family. She's the favorite.

hehe.

Think this bias played into the final decision (Gram???)?

Her soup was delicious, AND it was an original recipe. It really was no surprise that she won. She once wrote a term paper in 4 hours before it was due, and got an A (now EVERYONE knows I didn't win).

OK, one more hint. She used to complain there were always four blue eyes staring at her...

Shawnie's Savory Winter Soup was our winner! Well deserved!

Next year?

She's headed for a world of hurt. She's goin' down. I'm going in the kitchen now to practice.

Congrats, Shawnie!

She won "What's Cookin'?", a trivia style game about all things food.

I'm already looking at recipes for inspiration for my 2011 entry... let me know if you have any ideas.

Mangia~

Lora

Entry #5: Mama Rae's Italian Sausage Clam Chowder

This is a family favorite. Mama Rae used to make a triple batch of this unbelievably good soup for family picnics when we were small. We have dreams about it.

3 lbs ground sweet italian sausage
1/2 lb ground hot italian sausage
1 "huge"can of chopped clams from BJs (you'll have to ask her for the actual size!), reserve juice
2 large onions chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 "small" can chicken broth (see above)
2 large containers sliced mushrooms (see a pattern here?)
2 heads of garlic chopped (that one is for real!)
3-20+ oz cans of crushed tomatoes
3 cups hearty burgandy wine

Brown sausage and then add mushrooms, chop them up into meat as they cook. Add a little water or broth to prevent mixture from sticking. Once mushrooms are browned and tender remove meat mixture from pan. In same pan saute onions, garlic, and pepper, over medium heat until sweated.
In large stock pot combine both mixtures. Add cans of tomatoes and rinse contents of cans with chicken broth and empty into pot. Drain clams and set aside. Add clam juice to soup. Add 1 cup of wine and simmer soup for 25 minutes. Add another cup of swine and continue to simmer.
15 minutes before serving add clams and the last cup of wine.

Entry #4: Tracey's Chorizo and Potato Soup

Adapted from Emeril's Kale and Chorizo Soup

I added many more potatoes and much less kale than the original recipe. I like soft but hearty potatoes in my soup, and lots of them. I thought more kale than what I used made the soup too bitter and took away from the great flavor of the broth.

2 T olive oil
1 pound chorizo sliced in 1/2 inch slices, if I make this again I will use fresh chorizo
1 large onion chopped
4 large cloves garlic chopped
5 large white potatoes peeled and cute in bite sized pieces
3 quarts chicken stock
2 cups chopped kale, stemmed,
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt/pepper to taste
parmesan for topping

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chorizo and onions. Saute the mixture for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and potatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock and kale and bring the liquid up to a boil. Stir in the bay leaves, thyme and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and skim off any fat.

Entry #3: Shawnie's Savory Winter Soup

Shawnie's original recipe entered into our Christmas Soup Simmer Competition.

1 large carrot
1 large sweet potato
1 large parsnip
olive oil, salt and pepper
garlic powder
fresh rosemary
2 packages baby bella mushrooms
butter
3 chicken and spinach sausage links
3 green onions
1 link smoked chorizo
2 cups small cooked pasta
3 quarts chicken stock

Slice carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Coat veggies with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and a dusting of garlic powder. Then sprinkle with fresh rosemary. Roast at 450 for 15 min, then flip on tray and roast for another 15 min. Set aside.

Slice mushrooms into thick chunks and saute in a bit of butter and olive oil combined until browned. Set aside.

Add about a tablespoon of olive oil into saute pan and cook chicken sausage 7-8 min on each side. Let cool and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Set aside.

Chop 3 green onions and smoked chorizo into small bits. Set aside.

If using home made stock (see Shawnie's recipe below), then take stock out of fridge and skim the fat from the top. Place fat into a large frying pan and begin to warm. Once bubbling add 1/4 flour stirring until smooth. Add 2 cups stock, whisking until smooth and thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

In separate pot warm chicken stock and add gravy to thicken and stir. Add all the roasted veggies, sausage, and onions. Heat through. Add 2 cups small cooked pasta, (tubetti, orzo, etc.) right before serving.

Chicken Stock

1 whole chicken
2 celery stalks
2 large carrots
4 cloves garlic
1 large onion
10 peppercorns
1 sprig rosemary

Put all ingredients into a large stock pot. Fill pot with cold water until it just covers the chicken. Simmer uncovered for two hours or until chicken falls off the bone. Strain out chicken and vegetables. Cool stock in the fridge.

Christmas Dinner 2010: Soup Simmer

Grandma Romero

2010 Soup Simmer Judge & Jury

As we mentioned last year, our Christmas dinners are usually made up of hearty, soul-warming foods that carry some ancestral significance. This year...we went crazy...threw out the books...threw in a dash of competitive spirit...and dusted off our crock-pots.

For Christmas 2010 - our family had an inaugural Soup Simmer. It was a competition. And it was phenomenal.

That's right. No roasted side of beast, no football field-sized lasagnas or tamales steamed to perfection (sniff). Everyone arrived, armed with a crock-pot filled with deliciousness...but... you're going to have to wait to hear who our winner was...

Although the men-folk initially found our idea for a soup cook-off a bit lack-luster, we all agreed that the result was just as satisfying and much more entertaining. And, as it turns out, our idea of a non-traditional holiday meal actually has some deep family roots. As we were swapping stories around the dinner table my Grandpa spoke about how our Little Grandma (Great Grandma Romero) always had a pot of soup simmering on the stove. Gramps says she didn't consider her children fit for exiting their home without a serving of warm soup to fuel them. So in a way, this dinner paid homage to her; a little lady, with a huge heart and a gift for making a delicious pot of something out of not much.

So, over the next few posts, we will be sharing the soups that collectively created our Christmas meal. They warmed our hearts, souls and bellies. We hope the same for you and yours!

Happy New Year, and cheers to NEW Holiday traditions!

Entry #1: Grandpa's Smokey Split Pea & Ham

1 bone-in ham

Fixings for making ham broth (see below)

1 lb dry split peas

4 diced carrots

2 cups diced ham

2 tbs fresh dill

salt and pepper to taste

Non-fat Half and half

So, as my Grandpa says, if your broth is tasty - you'll have good soup.

This recipe makes amazing broth.

First step is to eat a bone-in ham. ;)

After most of the ham has been consumed (reserve 2 cups chopped) - cover the ham bone with water (about 8-10 cups) in a stock pot, and add 2 onions, 4 carrots, 3 bay leaves and 10 cloves of smashed garlic. Simmer for two hours and then skim SOME of the fat off. You need to leave some fat...that's where the flavor lives.

Strain the broth and place into a soup pot, bring to a simmer.

Add dry peas and cook until al dente.

Add sliced carrots, chopped ham, salt (sparingly), pepper and fresh dill.

When peas and carrots are desired texture, turn off heat and add 1 cup half and half.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Entry #2: Lora's New England Clam Chowder

This is actually an adaptation of Tyler Florence's New England Clam Chowder recipe.

I'm not a fan of thick chowder, so I drastically decreased his amount of flour and shhh...I used canned clams and clam juice in lieu of steaming two batches of clams. I really love this recipe though, and the parmesan oyster crackers are a new favorite snack in our house.

• 3 tbs butter
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Leaves from 10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tbsps all-purpose flour
• 1 large box organic vegetable stock
• 1 bottle clam juice
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cans chopped clams
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 littleneck clams, scrubbed well
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Parmesan Oyster Crackers, recipe follows

Heat butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon, onion, celery, garlic, and thyme and cook until the bacon renders its fat and the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well. Pour in the broth, clam juice and bring to a boil. Add the cream,milk and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down a little. Add the chopped clams and season with salt and pepper.

Now add the 16 clams in their shells. Cover and simmer to open the clams, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve hot, with crackers.

Parmesan Oyster Crackers

2 cups oyster crackers

2 cloves garlic minced

1/4 c olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/4 c shredded parm

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Toss all ingredients together and bake until golden and cripsy - 25-35 mins.

Stay tuned for the remaining entries!

Mania~

Lora

Christmas Biscotti

One day before Christmas, my mom and her friend Kathy would stay up all night baking. I remember they used to lay clean tablecloths all over the kitchen and living room and every surface would be covered with mexican wedding cakes, chocolate pinwheels, pizzelles, rosettes, oatmeal raisin and thumbprints.

My mom had these tin canisters that she'd line with wax paper, fill to the brim and hide in closets until Christmas parties started. Of course, we all knew the hiding spots. We snuck one at least three times a day. By the time Christmas came, I didn't want to see another cookie for at least a week.

I've never gone to the extreme that my mom has, but I did get into holiday baking a few years ago. The most I made were 3-4 different varieties.

Well, every year it seems there is less time for cookie making, and my list has shrunk accordingly. This biscotti outlasted them all, and it's my favorite treat to give away (and eat by the bag full) for a few reasons...

- Unlike most biscotti I've tasted, this has a buttery flavor and a cookie-like texture

- Biscotti, by nature, is a durable cookie, and seems to have a longer shelf life than its counterparts

- You aren't stuck at the counter rolling out countless dough balls

- The word biscotti means twice baked. I like this recipe because if (when) i'm in a hurry, the cookies taste just fine if they are only baked once! I actually only baked one** of my 8 batches twice this year...shhhh...technically, I guess I make uni-scotti

- This recipe has almond extract....mmmmm...

**I tried a new spin with one batch and added crushed candy canes to the dough (just removed the dried cranberries) and then sprinkled the cut biscotti with more crushed candy canes and baked a second time. Sooooo goood.

~Mangia & We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Lora

Adapted from Epicurious.com

White Chocolate & Cranberry Biscotti

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
• 6 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1 egg white
  

preparationPreheat oven to 350°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, 2 eggs and almond extract in large bowl until well blended. Mix in flour mixture, then dried cranberries. Divide dough in half. Using floured hands, shape each piece into 2 1/2-inch-wide, 9 1/2-inch-long, 1-inch-high log. Transfer both logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly. Whisk egg white in small bowl until foamy; brush egg white glaze on top and sides of each log.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, 2 eggs and almond extract in large bowl until well blended. Mix in flour mixture, then dried cranberries and choco chips. Divide dough in half. Using floured hands, shape each piece into 2 1/2-inch-wide, 9 1/2-inch-long, 1-inch-high log on baking sheet. Whisk egg white in small bowl until foamy; brush egg white glaze on top and sides of each log.

Bake logs until golden brown (logs will spread), about 35 minutes. Cool completely on sheet on rack. Maintain oven temperature. Transfer logs to work surface. Using serrated knife, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same sheet. Bake 10 minutes; turn biscotti over. Bake until just beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Transfer biscotti to rack.

Or skip the second baking and do a taste test to see if it's a good texture. ;)

Tortilla Snowflakes

I bought this present for my niece, Violet. We flipped through it before wrapping it up and stumbled on these little gems. Clipping tortillas into snowflakes, what a grand idea! I think I will make some small cookie-sized tortillas and turn this into a new Christmas tradition.

Whether you use store bought or homemade, all of your work is mostly done. Just fold the tortilla into quarters and clip shapes on the edges with kitchen shears. Line baking sheets with the number of tortillas you want and brush lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle with colored sugar or raw sugar and bake at 350 until lightly brown. Douse with powdered sugar.

A month or so ago I was looking for a flour tortilla recipe with leaven and read about these on the homesick texan blog. They puffed up a little more than my great-grandma's recipe. Shhhhh. But they were equally as tasty, of course.

And check back for a corn tortilla post soon. Lora bought me a tortilla press!! Think that was her oh-so-subtle way of leaving that task up to me.

Texas Flour Tortillas (adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)
Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes.
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.
While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.
Makes eight tortillas.

Mangia

~Tracey

Soup Stock

Hardly anything is more satisfying (or better smelling) than a big pot of something simmering on your stove. Sauce, stock, soup, stew…

That reminds me.

I saw a commercial this week that really got my goat. It promoted Lean Cuisine's latest brainchild, Market Creations. Have you seen it? It starts of with the sound of a knife chopping against a cutting board and goes on to dismiss the idea of using cooking to de-stress after a long day.

Seriously?!

There is nothing more relaxing for me than cooking. OK, honestly? A massage would probably beat chopping in an arm wrestle… But come on!! Can advertisers dumb up the American public any more?

I think the eras of convenience (enter the 50's and 60's) ruined most American home cooks. Ads shouted at our moms and grandmas, "Hey, you! Yeah, you lady! Don't get stuck in the kitchen a minute longer than you have to! Leave it up to the professionals." Yeah, the guys in lab coats who crafted condensed soups, tv dinners and who now genetically engineer our food. Those professionals.

We all know we are smarter and more capable than any commercial portrays, but we are consistently inundated with messaging that claim otherwise.

Cooking CAN be a stress-reliever and cathartic. Cooking puts you in touch with the ingredients that enter your body. It allows you to care for yourself, and offer nutrition to those you love. And it results in deliciousness! Yes, it can take longer than "a few minutes" (the time-frame Lean Cuisine claims your dinner will be ready), but it probably won't take longer than 30-40 mins.

I made stock for the second time this weekend. It brought me full circle. Creating stock empowers you. It shows you that you can take a raw product and create several delicious, healthy meals with your two hands with no pre-conceived spice packets or powders.

We are all busy, and we all deserve time-savers. But our society has robbed us from one simple truth: We can cook healthy, flavorful meals at home, and they do not take hours to prepare (after the two hours on Saturday afternoon when you simmered your stock, of course :).

It's easy and worth the time. Dare I say, it feeds your soul.

Do you agree? Disagree? I'd really like to know what M&M readers think (use the comment section to post your thoughts).

Well, here's Tracey's recipe if you have (or plan to have) a turkey or chicken carcass hanging around.

Miss out on the turkey remains? Roast a chicken! ;)

~Mangia

Lora

Stock

1 chicken or turkey carcass (don't ya love that word?)

Any veggies you might have roasted with the bird (and reserved)

And/ or some fresh veggies, like: halved onions, celery stalks, carrots, smashed garlic

Herbs. I used dried rosemary, thyme, and sage.

Bay leaves

Peppercorns -0r just some ground black pepper

Healthy sprinkling of salt

Cover everything with water

Bring to a boil

Lower to a simmer and cover

Pour a glass of wine

Put your feet up

After 1 or 2 hours (whenever you feel the broth has a rich color and flavor) turn of heat and let cool

Strain then pour into multiple containers and refrigerate or freeze.

P.S. Since I'm currently obsessed with chipotles in adobo, I added one when I made turkey soup (pictured above) using this soup recipe today. I just used shredded turkey meat instead of meatballs and the homemade stock. The chipotle added the appropriate kick in the pants. Highly recommend it.