Arroz con Cebolla (French Onion Rice)

I grew up in my grandmother’s kitchen. Since my family used to gather at her house for all holiday meals, I usually got to see/help with these dishes. One of my grandmother’s most famous dishes is her French Onion Rice. It’s basically French onion soup, beef consome, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and rice. Yeah, that’s it! Most recipes I’ve found do not include the mushrooms, but my grandmother always added them so my rendition of this dish will include them. The beauty of this dish is that it’s made from pantry staples that are easy to find, inexpensive to purchase, and keep for a relatively long time in your cupboard. MMMmmm…

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: About 35-40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: I call for butter in my recipe, but I’ve also seen it done with bacon/bacon fat. Feel free to experiment.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-12oz can each, French onion soup and beef consomme (I use Campbells)
1 8oz jar sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cups white rice
1 tbsp butter
Pinch of salt

Procedure:

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot (I use a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and allow them to sweat until they’re softened and transluscent (about 7-8 minutes). Add the garlic and the mushrooms and cook another 2-3 minutes, then remove the onions, garlic, and mushrooms from the pot.

Increase the heat to high and add the cans of French onion soup and consomme. Once they come to a boil, add the rice, reduce to medium-low, and stir for 1 minute. Return the onion/garlic/mushroom mixture, stir, and cover. Let it cooked, undisturbed, for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. Fluff with a fork and serve!

Buen Provecho!

Southwest Mac and Cheese

The first time I made this dish I called it “Mexican Mac and Cheese.” However, after tasting it, I realized it was more reminiscent of the American Southwest (from Arizona to Western Texas) than of Mexico, so I changed the name. The inspiration came to me while trying to put a Mexican spin on traditional comfort food in honor of Cinco de Mayo. In a way, I guess it’s fitting that the dish is more American than Mexican since Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the U.S. than in Mexico (with the exception of Puebla).

I chose to cook my own beans, and to roast the peppers and the corn myself, but feel free to purchase canned versions if you’re interested in saving some time. The corn and the peppers can easily be roasted in the oven together (25-30 minutes at 400 degrees, tossing/turning as needed), and if you start with canned beans, it will only take you 20-25 minutes to simmer them with the correct spices (I used my recipe for Cuban black beans, but feel free to use canned).

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: About 30 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Notes: You can cook the bacon while the water boils and the pasta cooks, or you can use some leftover bacon from this morning’s breakfast.

Ingredients:

3 ounces bacon, cooked and cut into pieces (about 3 thick slices)
2 Anaheim peppers (or two small cans fire-roasted green chiles), roasted and chopped
6 oz prepared black beans (or 2/3 of a store-bought can)
6 oz corn (about one ear of corn), roasted
8 oz Macaroni pasta
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
5 oz evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk)
1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup panko
1 handful cilantro, chopped

Procedure:

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, render the bacon in a sillet placed over medium-low heat, stirring as needed (about 15 minutes). Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and place it back in the same pot and place over low heat. Add the evaporated milk and stir to combine. Wait about 5 minutes for the evaporated milk to come up to temperature, then add a handfull of the shredded cheese at a time and stir until it’s combined. Once all the cheese is incorporated, stir in the beans, corn, and peppers. Cover and set aside.

Melt the butter in a clean skillet over medium-low heat. Toss in the panko and toss to coat. Stir the panko every 30 seconds until the butter is absorbed and the bread crumbs are toasted. Remove from the heat and set aside. Plate the mac and cheese, then top with toasted panko, chopped cilantro, and bacon pieces. I forgot to top the plate with bacon before taking the picture, but I did add it before eating it (believe me, it’s much better with the bacon).

Buen Provecho!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

It’s fall, so every food blogger and their brother is probably posting something similar, if they haven’t already. So, why am I doing it if I know it’s been done a million times already? Because there are few things in this world that I like more than (roasted) Brussels sprouts, and because it’s my blog. What’s going to sound weird is that I only like them one way: roasted. I do not care for them if they’re boiled or steamed (though I haven’t tried grilling them) because it’s the mild bitterness from the charred leaves that whets my appetite.

This recipe can be made several ways; for one, you can use any kind of lubricant you’d like, including bacon or duck fat. I suggest olive oil (or other vegetable oils) with this recipe unless you want to play around with how much salt you should add.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: None

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels sprouts
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
3 slices bacon, cut into small strips and cooked

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the outermost leaves from the sprouts and discard, then cut a bit off from the stem part so that it’s clean. Slice them in half, lengthwise, and place in a bowl. Toss them with the olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes, then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sprouts have softened and some char has appeared on them, turning once during cooking. Remove from oven and place in a bowl, top with bacon, and serve immediately.

Buen Provecho!

Loaded Potato Salad

I like the simple things in life and there are few things better than sitting down to watch a football game with a hamburger and a beer. Of course, the hamburger will need a side and you can’t always go for french fries. I was trying to figure out a side that was not only not fried, but was different from the “normal” hamburger sides I normally make. I decided that combining a loaded baked potato with potato salad would be a good change of pace; and that’s how this recipe came to be.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: None

Ingredients:

2 russet potatoes
3 tbsp sour cream
1.5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 ounces)
6 bacon slices, cooked then diced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp chives, chopped fine

Procedure:

Dice the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes,leaving the skin on, and place them in a pot with 4 cups of cold water (make sure the water covers the potatoes by about an inch). Add the salt, cover, and place over high heat until the water boils. Let the potatoes boil for 7-10 minutes, until they’re just cooked through but not falling apart (you can test them with a toothpick; if it slides in and out easily, they’re done). Drain the potatoes and toss them in a bowl with the butter and allow the butter to melt slowly over the hot potatoes. Once the butter is melted, add the sour cream, mayonnaise, pepper, and chives. Fold the ingredients together gently so that they mix well but the potatoes don’t break apart.

Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Fold in the bacon and cheese and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Buen Provecho!

Blue Cheese and Apple Coleslaw

I can understand if you don’t think that blue cheese, apples, and coleslaw go together.  At first, I really didn’t think it would, either.  But, being the eclectic person that I am (my wife can tell you the story about the time I served her a breakfast sandwich on a blueberry bagel with chipotle mustard), I like to combine ingredients that you normally wouldn’t see together and see if they work.  This combination definitely works!

I’m not a coleslaw lover.  In fact, I spent most of my adult life trying to avoid the overly sweetened versions, with twice as much mayonnaise as they should have, typically found in both fast food restaurants and supermarkets alike.  The inspiration for this particular recipe came to me after trying to improve on some coleslaw that I tasted at a local BBQ restaurant (slaws are a typical NC side with BBQ).  The chef used apple cider vinegar and that gave me the idea of not only using it, but apples as well (apples and apple cider vinegar go well together, go figure).  The acid in the vinegar will prevent your apples from turning brown and will add a hint of sweetness without adding sugar or calories.  The slight acidity will also add a great bite and help to keep the cabbage and apples crisp for a few days.  Now, how’s that for a great ingredient.

The blue cheese, well, that just came to me.  My wife doesn’t like blue cheese (it’s a migraine trigger for her) so I didn’t have anyone unbiased to give me their opinion until I took some with me to a cook out.  At the end of the day, the regular slaw (made without the blue cheese and only using mayonnaise) was almost untouched while the blue cheese version had people coming up for thirds.  If you’re even a moderate fan of blue cheese, this recipe is definitely for you.

I know there must be some people reading this recipe that think as I once did: that coleslaw is not for them.  If you are one of these people, I suggest you try my version (with or without the blue cheese) and report back.  The beauty of this recipe is it’s simplicity.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: None
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: You can make a regular version of this by using only  mayonnaise (3 tbsp) and leaving out the blue cheese and the salad dressing.  You also might have to add a pinch of salt, as the blue cheese brings that element to the original dish (don’t add more than 1/8 tsp).  Feel free to chop your own cabbage if you’d like, but it’s easier to buy the coleslaw mixture (without the dressing) and it costs about the same.

Ingredients:

7 oz pre-chopped coleslaw vegetable mix (about half a bag)
1/2 Granny Smith apple
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 oz crumbled blue cheese (Gorgonzola, if you can find it)
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tbsp blue cheese dressing

Preparation:

The first thing you’re going to want to do is peel and dice the apple.  The easiest way I found to do this is to slice it thin until you reach the seeds.  Discard the outermost slice, place the slices in a pile, then run your knife down the exterior of the pile to remove the skin.  Now you can just chop the apple and place it in a large bowl.  Pour 1 tbsp of vinegar over the apples and stir to coat.

In another bowl, whisk together the blue cheese dressing, mayonnaise, and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (this will help it incorporate better).  Place the coleslaw vegetables in the bowl with the apples and toss to combine.  Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the coleslaw and toss to combine.  After it’s been mixed well, add the blue cheese crumbles and fold them in (be gentle, you don’t want to break them up too much).  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to marry.

And, there you have it.  A simple side dish that brings tons of flavor but won’t hurt your waste line.  This recipe will serve 4 people at roughly 115 calories a serving, thanks mostly to the light mayonnaise (trust me, you won’t be able to taste the difference).

Buen Provecho!

Bacon-Wrapped Fingerling Potatoes

I’m a meat-and-potato type of guy, and I think that there are very few toppings that go better with a baked potato than bacon.  I was thinking of making a baked potato as a side one day this week but I changed my mind when I walked by the fingerling potatoes in the grocery store.  The minute I saw them I pictured them wrapped in bacon and I just had to bring some home and try it out.

I made sure to pick the smallest ones I could find, and tried to ensure that they were all about the same size; to ensure even cooking, I picked potatoes that were between the size of a nickel and a quarter, and they worked out great.  They just needed to boil for 10 minutes and spend about 20 minutes in the oven to ensure a crispy exterior and a nice, fluffy interior.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: You could use regular potatoes, cut up into small cubes (about 3/4″ squares) if you can’t find small fingerlings. Also, don’t use colored toothpicks as the food dye will bleed into the potato as it cooks (definitely not pretty).

Ingredients:

12 small fingerling potatoes
4 strips of bacon
1 quart water
1 tbsp white vinegar
1.5 tsp salt

Procedure:

Place 12 toothpicks in a bowl and pour some water over them. Let them soak until the potatoes are ready to be wrapped in the bacon (this will prevent them from burning in the oven).

Wash the potatoes and place them in a medium pot and add one quart of room-temperature water, one tablespoon vinegar and one and a half teaspoons of salt. Make sure that the water covers the potatoes by at least one inch. If you don’t have enough water to cover them by that amount, add more water/salt/vinegar until they are covered by an inch. Cover the pot and place it over high heat until it comes to a boil, then set your timer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and place the potatoes on a plate or cutting board to cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut four strips of bacon in thirds. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, wrap each one with a strip of bacon and secure the seams with a toothpick. Set on a sheet pan and place in a cool toaster oven, then heat it to 400 degrees. Wait about 12 minutes and then turn the potatoes so that both sides have a chance to crisp up. They should be ready 5-6 minutes after flipping, but you can leave them in a little longer if you like your bacon a bit crispier.

Note: I used a toaster oven, which heats faster than a regular oven. A big oven will take a bit longer to heat up so you might have to add 5-7 minutes to the initial timer, before turning the potatoes over.

Buen Provecho!

Ahi Tuna Sliders

I’ve seen my share of tuna burgers on restaurant menus for years now.  I’ve never ordered one because I’m not a huge fan of seared tuna steaks and I was afraid that the non-steak burgers were made from canned tuna (which I don’t really care for, either).  I’ve also seen cooking shows where they use either tuna steaks or canned tuna to make burgers but I usually change the channel as it’s something I never thought I’d be interested in.  However, I was inspired to do something different after watching an old episode of Iron Chef America where Morimoto took a large piece of tuna and chopped it up with two knives into very small pieces and than created a beautiful tuna tartar out of it.  My thought process was as follows: “Why can’t I take small pieces of tuna and mix them as I would a crab cake, then make a burger/slider out if it?”

It’s been a few weeks since I saw that episode and had almost forgot about it until I was looking through the sale items in my local Harris Teeter and saw that sashimi-grade Tuna was on sale for $7 a pound.  I usually try to stick to more sustainable fish like Basa, trout, and tilapia (US Farmed only) but we don’t have many options around North Carolina when it comes to tuna (this particular one came from the Philippines but you should look for US or Canada line/pole caught if you can find it).  If you’re interested in finding out what type of seafood you should look for and which you should avoid, I suggest you go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s website and download their PDF here.

I thought long and hard about what to serve it with.  Being as I was going to fry them, I didn’t want to serve it with another fried side, such as fries, and was interested in keeping to an “Asian” theme.  I decided to make some coleslaw with some Asian flavors blended into the mayonnaise and was very happy with my choice.  The sauce I created to mix in with the mayonnaise is something I came up with as a stir-fry sauce and have been planning on posting it for a few weeks but never got around to it.  Just know that if you want to make some stir-fry, you can just use the sauce I made here instead of your normal store-bought sauce.

Prep Time: 60 minutes (including a 35-40 minute wait)
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Difficulty: Medium (but almost Easy)
Notes: I pan-fried my tuna burgers and found that they cooked all the way through. If you want your tuna to be a bit on the rare-to-medium-rare side (and why spend the money on sashimi-grade tuna if you don’t), I suggest you deep-fry them for 2.5 minutes instead and you should end up with a nice medium-rare center.  Also, feel free to use canned tuna (packed in water, not oil) if you don’t want to cut up fresh tuna.

Ingredients:

8 oz tuna steak
2 tbsp scallions, chopped fine (about 3/4 of one scallion)
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup panko
1 tsp lime zest
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup peanut oil
4 slider buns

For the Stir-Fry Sauce:
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1.5 tsp honey
1/4 tsp garlic (grated with microplane)
1/4 tsp ground Chinese 5 Spice
1/4 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/4 tsp chili paste (Sriracha), OPTIONAL

For the Coleslaw:
1 cup pre-cut coleslaw mix
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp stir-fry sauce

Procedure:

Prepare the stir-fry sauce by combining all the ingredients except the corn starch in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the corn starch and whisk until it has been incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 60 seconds, then remove and whisk it. Place it back in the microwave for an additional 30 seconds and whisk it again upon removal. Set it aside, uncovered, and let it cool and fully thicken (about 15 minutes). The reason you want to microwave it is because the corn starch won’t thicken the mixture until it has come to a simmer.  Here is what the sauce should look like:

Look at the tuna steak and identify the grain (it should be easy to find):

Slice the tuna thinly (about 1/8″) against the grain (in this case you would go horizontally). Once you’ve sliced the entire steak, take the slices and cut them into small 1/8″ cubes. Alternatively, you can do a Morimoto and take two knives and hack away but I find that to be dangerous and best left to the experts (i.e. probably not anyone reading this blog).

Once the tuna is cubed, place it in a bowl with the chopped scallion, lime zest, mayonnaise, bread crumbs, salt, and 1/2 the beaten egg and mix to combine (use your hands). Divide the mixture into 4 2-ounce portions and form them into slider patties. Place on parchment paper (to avoid sticking) and put them in your freezer for 35-40 minutes or until they begin to firm up but not long enough to freeze (this way they won’t fall apart when you bread them later on).

The stir-fry sauce should be cool enough now so combine 2 tsp of it with 2 tbsp of mayonnaise and whisk to combine. Pour it over the coleslaw mixture and toss to combine. Refrigerate until the tuna burgers are done (about 35 minutes) so that the flavors have a chance to marry.

After 35-40 minutes, remove the tuna from the freezer. Place the peanut oil in a frying pan (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Add 1 tbsp of water to the remaining 1/2 beaten egg and whisk to combine. Place the panko into a bowl and place it next to the egg wash (creating a dredging station). Dip the tuna burgers into the egg wash (on both sides) and then into the panko, ensuring you shake off the excess breading without breaking the burger.

Once the oil reaches the right temperature, place the tuna burgers in the skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side (or deep fry for 2 minutes and 30 seconds). Meanwhile, use the cooking time to toast your buns if that is how you like them. Remove the tuna burgers to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Serve them plain or with your choice of lettuce, tomato, and/or avocado and a bit of mayo on the bun (feel free to use some of the mayo you made for the coleslaw).

Buen Provecho!