Chicken Chile Verde with Hominy

I've been on a hominy kick lately. For those who don't know what hominy is, it is a corn kernel that has been soaked until it is soft and tender; most commonly used in Pozole, which is a flavorful soup I will be sharing my recipe to soon. Besides it tasting good in Pozole, it can work really well in other dishes to add extra texture.

I made one of my favorites yesterday, Chicken Chile Verde. I remembered I had a can of hominy left from the last time I made Pozole, so I threw it in. It made my Chile Verde that much more special! Don't get me wrong, I won't always add it to Chile Verde, but it's good to know I can change it up a bit with Hominy! I may try it in my Barbacoa next time.... another recipe I will be sharing!

Serves 6

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in in half

15 tomatillos

1 small yellow onion, cut in 4

1 large fresh green Anaheim pepper

3-4 fresh Jalapeños

6 garlic cloves 

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 tsp whole cumin, toasted

2 tsp dried Mexican oregano

1 30 oz can of white hominy, drained

1 1/2 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425

In a roasting pan, place the tomatillos, onion, Anaheim pepper, jalapeños and toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Once done, place the roasted veg into the a blender with the garlic, cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt to taste, half cup water and blend until smooth. Set aside until ready to use. 

Salt and pepper your chicken to taste. In a large Dutch oven or stainless steel pot with oil and on medium high heat, brown your chicken. About 10-15 minutes. Add your hominy and toss in the heat for 3 minutes, then pour in the chile verde and last cup of water and stir. Bring the chile verde to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add more water to your desired thickness and taste for salt. 

Garnish with lime, onion and cilantro

and eat with corn tortillas. Enjoy!

**You don't have to roast the veg if you don't want to. You can just blend all the veg together, throw it in the pot with the chicken and hominy and cook it down that way.

Be Back Soon!

Hello friends! 

And welcome to all my new ones! 

I've been away from the kitchen for a bit, but will be back very SOON to finish where I left off and with more delicious ideas and recipes to share! Thank you always for your patience and continued support!

Pan Cooked Pork Chop with Cannellini Bean Salsa

Light, clean, quick and easy is usually the route I take during the week. Combining a plain piece of meat such as pork, chicken, beef or fish with simple clean bright ingredients can make all the difference in the world. This Cannellini bean salsa gives this pork chop a swift kick and makes it a party in your mouth!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 15oz can of Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 large Roma tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup of red onion, minced
2 tbsp of Italian parsley, minced
1 tsp grated lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
4 3/4in-1in boneless pork chops

In a large bowl mix first 8 ingredients together, taste for salt and set aside.

Pat the pork chops dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In a large pan, preferably cast iron on high heat, add olive oil. Let the oil get hot. Cook the pork chops 2 at a time, 4-5 minutes on each side, remove from heat and let them rest for 5 minutes.

Plate each pork chop and top with a good amount of the Cannellini bean salsa and serve immediately.

Fresh Poached Salmon Rillettes

Poaching your fish instead of using can fish is 1 million times better, very simple to do and gives the fish a distinct flavor on its own. It's as easy as opening up that can, you just need the right ingredients. I used salmon in this recipe.

Rillettes is a French dish usually made with any meat such as pork, duck, chicken and fish. Traditionally its cooked in its own fat, then shredded or cubed and allowed to cool in its own fat until it solidifies. Its served at room temperature with crostini or crackers.

Rillettes is great for parties. I usually serve it with my crostini (small toast), but it's also great with crackers and veggies. Try it on a bagel, sandwich bread or lettuce wrap and have it for lunch! Fancy huh!

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 good sourdough baguette
2 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
1 small shallot, sliced
1 tsp whole black pepper corn
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
2 bay leaves
1 pound skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 even pieces
3 green onions, chopped fine
1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced
1/4 cup good mayo such as Hellmanns or Best Foods
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
1-2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

For the crostini (small toast)..

Slice the baguette at a bias (diagonal slices) about 1/3 inch thick, place them on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 6-8 minutes or until a light golden color then remove from oven and set aside.

For the Poached Salmon Mix..

In a large deep pan, add water, wine, shallot, pepper corns, coriander seed and about 1 tbsp of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add salmon and poach for about 5-6 minutes until it turns a pale pink on the outside. Gently transfer the salmon to a paper towel lined plate, let it cool. Remove the paper towel and put into the refrigerator until completely chilled, about 20-30 minutes.

In a bowl add poached salmon pieces, green onion, parsley, mayo, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and gently mix the ingredients. Break up the salmon pieces while mixing, but be careful not to over mix or it will turn into a paste. Taste for salt.

Serve along with crostini. Spoon some of the mixture on the crostini and enjoy! :)

Fire Roasted Red Pepper Crostini

Now that it's grilling season, taking advantage of flame when cooking is a must. Like fire roasting peppers for a very simple yet bold flavored antipasti to put on crostini (little toast). I topped the crostini with the red pepper mix alone, but you can spread creamy brie, goat or cream cheese on the toast first then top it with the mix to give it a balance.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 good sour dough baguette
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 red bell peppers, fire roasted on a grill, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

For the crostini (small toast)..

Slice the baguette at a bias (diagonal slices) about 1/3 inch thick, place them on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 6-8 minutes or until a light golden color then remove from oven and set aside.

For the Red Pepper mix..

Combine the last 7 ingredients into a bowl and mix. Serve with crostini. Spoon some of the mix onto the crostini and place in mouth. :)

Pea and Arugula Crostini

Looking at this crostini reminds me spring is here, summer is coming and PICNICS! Fresh herbaceous arugula mixed with sweet peas, lemon and nutty cheese turn this spread into a vibrant pesto and the perfect topping to a crunchy crostini (small toast). I used peas, but you can substitute for fava beans or edamame.

Serves 6-10

Ingredients

1 good sour dough baguette
2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
2 cups baby arugula
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
4 red radishes sliced thin

Preheat oven to 400.

For the toast..

Slice the baguette at a bias (diagonal slices) about 1/3 inch thick, place them on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 6-8 minutes or until a light golden color then remove from oven and set aside.

For the spread...

In a food processor or blender, coarsely pulse the peas. Transfer half of the pulsed peas to a bowl and set aside. Add 1/3 cup olive oil, arugula, cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper to taste and blend until smooth. Add to the bowl with the rest of the pulsed peas, fold together and taste for salt. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over it an serve along with crostini

Spoon the mixture onto the crostini and garnish with 2 thin slices of radish.

Escabeche de Jalapeño

Escabeche...any cooked meat or vegetable that has been marinated in something acidic like any vinegar or citrus. I will be sharing a few different kinds of escabeche but one that I know at least a Mexican household can't go without a can/jar of is pickled jalapeños or Escabeche de Jalapeños. I know my household didn't. We went through 2 cans per week! Eating them alone, with your meal or adding a jalapeño to a salsa or dish to spice it up. Once I learned how to make this, I stopped buying the cans or jars. When you make them, you can pretty much use them right away. I like waiting a day or 2 after to let it marinate more. The flavor is fresh, crisp and delicious.. my mouth is watering just talking about it! I like making it in bulk and sharing them with my mom and friends. It's just too inexpensive and easy to not do yourself! Hope you enjoy this recipe

You will need about 5-32 oz Kerr self sealing mason jars to be safe. You may only use 4.

Ingredients

2 lbs of fresh jalapeño peppers, chopped anyway you like. Some sliced in half and some left whole, all sliced in half with the stem left on, or sliced in circles. What ever way you do it, do not seed them.

10 carrots, peeled and chopped 1/4 inch thick at a bias.
2 white onion, chopped in larger pieces
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tbsp of Mexican oregano
3 cups of apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar
3 cups of water
5 bay leaves
3 tbsp of kosher salt or to taste
1 tbsp whole black pepper

In a large pot over medium-high heat add the oil. Once hot, add the chopped onions and cook until you can smell them, just a few seconds. Add the oregano, jalapeño and carrots and cook stirring often to cook evenly for about 5 minutes. Next add the vinegar, water, bay leaves, salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes..should come to a soft boil, then remove pot from flame. With a large slotted spoon, start filling the jars with the jalapeños, carrots and onions distributing them evenly between the jars. Let the cooking liquid cool just a bit but not all the way then pour it evenly to each jar making sure an even amount of spices go into each jar as well. Finally seal them. The Jars should seal themselves with the warmth. Refrigerate immediately.

You can eat them right away, but best if left to marinate for a day or 2.


Note:
You can do more carrots and onions or just more carrots versus jalapeños if you prefer it less spicy.

You can also add garlic to the mix.