Chile Verde

The following discussion outlines the basis for making the base Green sauce, then traditional Chile Verde (with pork), followed by a method for creating a Creamy Chile Verde that can be stacked on the previous procedures.

Chile Verde (from scratch)

10 - 12 tomatillos
2 - 3 red tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 - 2 clove(s) garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 - 4 jalapenos

Method:

BOIL: tomatillos until cooked (tomatillos will turn light green).

ROAST: the tomatoes, and jalapenos until charred and soft.

BLEND: all ingredients EXCEPT the cilantro to desired texture. Be careful not to blend too hard as you don't want the sauce to turn frothy.

BLEND: Last, blend cilantro into the mix until it reaches a rough chop.

Taste for salt as you may need a bit more.

The Basic Green Sauce (cheat method)

Ingredients:

• 2 - 16.7 Oz. bottles of La Costeña Green Mexican Salsa (or 2 lbs of fresh tomatillos boiled)
• 1 – 8 Oz. can of tomato sauce
• 2 Fresh ripe tomatoes
• 2 Fresh Jalapenos (optional)
• 2 Tbs. Chicken Flavored Bouillon by Knorr
• 2 Tbs Oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ onion diced
• ½ bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. ground cumin

Char, or Grill:

Fresh tomatoes, Jalapenos, and Garlic.

In the blender:

Blend the La Costeña Green Mexican Salsa, Knorr bouillon, charred tomatoes, Jalapenos, garlic and fresh cilantro into a sauce.

In a medium to large pan:

Sauté Oil, onion, and ground cumin until onion has become somewhat translucent and earthy aroma of the cumin starts to rise. Once flavors are incorporated add the salsa from the blender into the pan and bring to a simmer for about 10 to 15 min.  This will allow all the flavors to blend together.

Chile Verde (pork)

Ingredients:

•          4 lbs. of rough cubed pork butt
•           1 ½ Tbs. corn starch
•          1 C water

Sear 4 lbs. of 1 to 2 inch cubed pork butt either in a pan with grease, or on the grill.  Do not cook all the way through, this is just to get color and texture on the meat.

Add the seared meat to the sauce and stew, or braise on low for 2 to 3 hours until meat is tender.

In a small bowel mix the corn starch with water until incorporated.  Remove the meat from the sauce.  Slowly add the corn starch liquid into the sauce while mixing vigorously in order to thicken and combine the pork drippings with the sauce.  Continue stirring until thickened to about the consistency of gravy.  Once complete add the meat back into the sauce.

Creamy Chile Verde

Ingredients:

•           1 - 10 oz. can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
•          1 – 8 oz. bar of Cream Cheese

Remove meat from the Green Sauce and add 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup and bring to a simmer.  Once simmered pinch piece by piece the entire bar of Cream Cheese into the sauce and mix until completely incorporated.  Once the cream cheese is completely melted then add the meat back in, cover, and continue to simmer on low until meat is heated through.

Neiman-Marcus Cookies

 NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES
 
 2 cups butter
 24 oz. chocolate chips
 4 cups flour
 2 cups brown sugar
 2 tsp. soda
 1 tsp. salt
 2 cups sugar
 1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
 5 cups blended oatmeal
 4 eggs
 2 tsp. baking powder
 2 tsp. vanilla
 3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
 
 Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine
 powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and
 vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking
 powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar, and
 nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a
 cookie sheet.
 
 Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112
 cookies. 

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs

Meatballs

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1 5 oz. can of evaporated milk

1 cup oatmeal

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped onion or 1 tbsp dried onion flakes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

**Mix together and shape into 1 1/2-2 inch balls and place in baking pan.

Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

2/4 c. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

**Mix together and pour over raw meatballs.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve with rice.  Sauce can be increased if desired.

I have made these without the sauce and they are still super tasty. Let me know how they are with spaghetti. :)

New York Style Pizza

New York Style Pizza

Ingredients
22 1/2 ounces (about 4 1/2 cups) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
.35 ounces kosher salt (about 3 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
15 ounces lukewarm water
1 batch New York Style Pizza Sauce
1 pound grated full-fat dry mozzarella cheese (about 4 cups), placed in freezer for at least 15 minutes

Procedures

1 Combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in bowl of food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times until incorporated. Add olive oil and water. Run food processor until mixture forms ball that rides around the bowl above the blade, about 15 seconds. Continue processing 15 seconds longer.

2 Transfer dough ball to lightly floured surface and knead once or twice by hand until smooth ball is formed. It should pass the windowpane test. Divide dough into three even parts and place each in a covered quart-sized deli container or in a zipper-lock freezer bag. Place in refrigerator and allow to rise at least one day, and up to 5.

3 At least two hours before baking, remove dough from refrigerator and shape into balls by gathering dough towards bottom and pinching shut. Flour well and place each one in a separate medium mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise at warm room temperature until roughly doubled in volume.

4 1 hour before baking, adjust oven rack with pizza stone to middle position and preheat oven to 500°F. Turn single dough ball out onto lightly flour surface. Gently press out dough into rough 8-inch circle, leaving outer 1-inch higher than the rest. Gently stretch dough by draping over knuckles into a 12 to 14-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to pizza peel.

5 Spread approximately 2/3 cup of sauce evenly over surface of crust, leaving 1/2 to 1-inch border along edge. Evenly spread 1/3 of cheese over sauce. Slide pizza onto baking stone and bake until cheese is melted with some browned spots and crust is golden brown and puffed, 12 to 15 minutes total. Transfer to cutting board, slice, and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining two dough balls, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.

Prime Rib Roast

• Prepped with coat of EVOO, kosher salt, ground pepper, rosemary, and dibbits with garlic.
• Start the cook between 450-500 for a sear.
• Gradually bring the temperature down to 350 or lower until internal temperature reaches 135.
• Remove the roast and let stand for 15 min covered with a foil tent.
• If needed place roast back in a low cooker (around 200 or below) to keep warm. May leave it for up to an hour or two, but monitor temp with a meat probe.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup Crisco butter flavored baking sticks
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1 cup Premium Kraft Caramel Bits



Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in oats  caramel bits and raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool slightly, remove from sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Five-Spice Shanghai Short Ribs

FIVE-SPICE SHANGHAI SHORT RIBS WITH SHANGHAI BARBECUE SAUCE

Source: Adapted from Raichlen on Ribs by Steven Raichlen (Workman, 2006)
Method: Indirect Grilling
Serves: 4 to 6
Advance
Preparation: 4 to 6 hours for marinating the meat
Category: Meat

Ingredients:
3 to 4 pounds beef short ribs, bone-in

For the rub:

2 tablespoons Chinese 5-spice powder
1 tablespoon teaspoon fine grained sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground white pepper

For the Shanghai Barbecue Sauce:

1 cup hoisin sauce
1/3 cup Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing) or dry sherry
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar, or more to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peeled, minced ginger
2 scallions, white and green parts minced

Other Items Needed:
1-1/2 cups wood chips or chunks, soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then
drained

Directions:
Make the rub: Combine the 5-spice powder, salt, sugar, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Make the barbecue sauce: In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the hoisin sauce, wine, soy sauce, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and scallions. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens (5 to 10 minutes).

Generously sprinkle the ribs on all sides with the rub. Cover the ribs with plastic wrap and refrigerate them while you set up the grill.

Set up a charcoal grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. Place a large drip pan in the center of the grill. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the ribs in the center of the grate over the drip pan and away from the heat. Toss half of the wood chips on each mound of coals. Cover the grill and cook the ribs until they are well-browned, cooked through, and tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. When the ribs are done, the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about 1/4 inch.

Just before serving, brush the ribs on all sides with the Shanghai Barbecue Sauce and move them directly over the fire. Grill until the sauce is sizzling, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Watch carefully so the sugars in the barbecue sauce dont burn. Transfer to a large platter or cutting board and let rest for a few minutes. Serve with the remaining barbecue sauce on the side.