Lomo de Puerco Enchilado (spicy pork loin)

If ever I am making a Lomo Enchilado (spicy loin), I'm usually making a Botana (snack/appetizer) with the loin which includes tomatoes, red onion and queso fresco or making a torta.. OR I'm making my favorite, tostadas!

My mom and entire family have made this spicy loin since I can remember. Usually when making tostadas. Each one is different but all extremely flavorful and spicy. I have taken my mothers recipe and tweaked it just a bit. Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients

1- 2 1/2 lb pork loin roast or 2 of the thinner loins
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of dried toasted chile de arbol (usually found in your local Mexican market or the international isle at your supermarket)
1 whole clove
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp while black pepper
1/2 tsp of Mexican oregano
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Have your loin patted dry and read in a large bowl.

In a small sauce pan, add the chili de arbol and water to just about cover them and bring them to boil on high heat. Once they boil vigorously, turn off the heat and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Take the chilies out, and set aside. Do not discard the water. In a small food processor or blender add the chilies along with the last 6 ingredients and add about 1/4 cup of the chilies cooking liquid and blend until smooth. Place a large strainer over a bowl and pour the blended chili mix inside. Let the liquid strain out. You can assist it by taking a spoon and pushing the liquid through the strainer until the blended chili becomes a paste. Taste for salt (should be more on the salty side since its being used to marinate meat) and place in a small bowl. Now time to marinate the meat...

Added 4-5 tbsp of the paste to the pork and the 2 tbsp of olive oil and coat the pork loin completely using your hands. Place the marinated pork loin on a roasting pan and cook for 45 minutes turning 1 time half way through. Once cooked, place the loin on a cutting board and let it stand and hold all it juices for about 10 minutes. Slice thin and serve!

Veggie Pita Tostada!

Today I was craving tostadas! Tostadas is a Mexican dish usually made with a fried corn tortilla, then can be topped with several different things. Later I'll get into the real Mexican tostadas, but as I was sitting obsessing about them, I started thinking of different ideas and twists on them.. One was a pita as the shell then everything else came to me instantly....

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients

4 wheat of regular round pita bread, left whole
Olive oil to brush on the pita

Brush each pita with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt, place directly on the oven rack and bake for 8-10 minutes or until crisp but not burned. Set them aside to cool.

For the hummus, I've always used the simple recipe from the Joy of Cooking cookbook as my base. I kept it simple for this and only used 1 tbsp of tahini to lower the calories. It usually calls for 3 that's 600 calories alone!

Ingredients

1 15oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp tahini
Salt to taste.
1/2 cup water

In a small food processor or blender add all of the above ingredients for the hummus and start blending. Pour water slowly through the pour spout until it blends smooth, you may not need the full 1/2 cup of water. Transfer it to a bowl, taste for salt and set aside.

Salad Ingredients

4 cups of baby arugula
3/4 cup of chopped cherry or baby heirloom tomatoes, each chopped in 4
1/4 cup res onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Crumbled feta

In a large bowl, add the last 3 of the above ingredients and whisk them together to make you dressing. Taste for salt. Then add the arugula, chopped tomatoes and onions and toss together.

Assemble the tostadas by taking one and spreading hummus on one side, then a handful of the salad on top, finally top with crumbled feta! Mmmmmmmm!! Now enjoy!

Escabeche de Jalapeño y Camaron

For this Escabeche I took most of the components of my recipe for Jalapeño Escabeche to create it. It was perfect. This will be a great light dish for spring and summer and easy to bring along on a picnic!

Serves 4-6

Part 1. Ingredients

1 lb of jumbo shrimp or large prawns, peeled and deveined with tails left on
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 Tbsp Mexican oregano
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all ingredients above in a bowl and cook for 10 minutes then set aside.

Part 2. Ingredients

2-3 large jalapeño, sliced thin in rounds
1 1/2 cup yellow onion. Sliced vertically along the grain from root to end.
1 tsp Mexican oregano
Kosher salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup carrot, peeled
3/4 cups apple cider vinegar

Have carrot ready. In another bowl, toss the first 5 ingredients of part 2 and sauté in a medium sized pan on med-high heat. Don't cook completely, just until you smell it, about 3 minutes then remove from heat.

In a large bowl mix shrimp, onions, jalapeños, carrots and vinegar together, taste for salt and let it chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Taste for salt and give it a final mix before serving.

Serve in a nice serving dish or individual dishes and drizzle with some good olive oil. Enjoy!

My Top 10 of 2012

2012 was here and now gone in a flash! I have to say I had good year of cooking, eating and learning more about different food and how to prepare it. My road to becoming a self taught chef is becoming more and more exciting each year! I'm looking forward to what 2013 will have to offer and am ready to accomplish lots more.

I thought I'd look back at my posts of 2012 and share with you my top 10...the most viewed of the bunch. Try them and enjoy!

Ensalada de Nopales Asados

Grilled Achiote Chicken Salad

Green Eggs and Ham

Carnitas

Habanero Mango Salsa

Roasted Shrimp Salad

Shrimp and Sausage Cioppino

Ceviche de Camaron

Crisp Chicken Wings with Thai Chili-Lime Butter

Salsa de Uña

Simple Roast Chicken

There is nothing better then a good, simple, beautiful, whole roast chicken. Just something about it I cant explain...

Sundays is usually the day I choose to make it, this way I have leftovers during the week for a good chicken salad or chicken sandwich...but its a perfect family meal to end the week with.

I prefer roasting my chicken standing or propped up using a beer can chicken holder, which can be purchased at your local hardware or kitchen store. I feel using the holder gives the bird a good golden roast all the way around.  I also recommend roasting the bird with whatever root veggies you like, they hold up a lot better with long roasting periods. And on this recipe, I used dry herbs but fresh herbs are just as good!

I made it last with my Kale and Cannellini Bean Ragout. It was the perfect combination. Enjoy! =)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 5-6 lb whole chicken for roasting
5 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
A good amount of kosher salt and pepper
1 lemon cut in 4 wedges
1 red onion cut in wedges leaving some of the root ( this way, the wedge stays together)
1 yellow onion cut in wedges leaving some of the root
1 1/2 lb of fingerling potatoes


Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Have a large roasting pan and beer can chicken holder ready. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse and scrape the chicken with a knife to clean it inside and out. Pat dry and set aside on the roasting dish.

In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and whisk together well. Use 3/4 of the olive oil mix to rub on the chicken. Make sure to cover all areas of the chicken inside and out. Stuff the chicken with the lemon wedges and place on the beer can chicken holder in the middle of the roasting pan. In a separate bowl, toss the rest of the olive oil mix with the onions and potatoes and place in the roasting pan around the standing chicken. Salt and pepper chicken and vegetables more if you feel its necessary.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until your meat thermometer has indicated it is done or juices have run clear. Remove the chicken and cut it into pieces. Place the chicken pieces on a platter with the vegetables and serve right away.

Kale and Cannellini Bean Ragout

My last recipe of 2012! Time flies when your having fun! And of course, we will end it with another perfect comfort food. Lets just call this a Ragout!

A ragout is usually a stew of meat and veggies or if you want,  just veggies. It can be served alone or as a side dish. Either way, it is a complete comfort food that will make you feel warm inside and out...perfect for this time of year.

This Ragout is vegetarian, but you can most definitely add sausage, chicken or ground turkey to it. If you do add meat, add it after sauteing the onions and garlic..Hope you enjoy!


Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp red chili flakes (optional)
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
1 10oz bag of chopped kale
2 15oz cans of white cannellini beans
1 15oz can of small-diced tomatoes and juices
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Directions

In a large saute pan or small pot over medium-high heat, heat Olive oil. Add onions, garlic, chili flakes, bay leaves salt and pepper and heat until onions start to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Add kale, salt and pepper and cook for another 3 minutes. Finally add the cannellini beans, can of tomatoes and stock. Stir well, then cover and cook until the kale is wilted and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Make sure to taste for salt.

Serve alone or as a side dish.

Crimini Mushroom Risotto with Peas and Bacon

Eating Risotto, is like going to your happy place. If you have never tried it or made it, you will love it and your guests will love it.  It's a creamy, comforting, Italian rice dish that can be eaten alone or accompanied by any meat. It's also a dish that requires you to baby sit it and stir constantly so be ready.

There are several versions of it. This version is the favorite from the ones I will be sharing with you. Hope you enjoy! And remember, just keep stirring, just keep stirring, just keep stirring...


Ingredients

5 strips thick cut bacon, finely chopped
6 cups chicken broth
10 oz Crimini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp, set on paper towel to absorb the oil and set aside. It will continue to crisp as it sits.

In a large dry pan over medium heat, toast the rice evenly for about 6 minutes, shaking the pan and mixing the rice constantly so it doesn't burn then set aside.

In a medium deep sauce pan, bring the broth to a simmer then turn the heat to a very low heat to keep it warm.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add tbsp of olive oil then add 3 tbsp of the butter then melt it. Add the onions salt and pepper and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute until the mushrooms are tender about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the rice then add the wine. Cook until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Now start with the broth. Add 1 cup of hot broth and stir until liquid absorbs, about 3 minutes. Repeat this step until all the broth has been used. Cook until the rice is just tender (aldente) and the mixture is creamy, about 28 minutes. Stir in the last tbsp of butter and the peas then mix in the Parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top.