Shrimp in Cilantro Cream Sauce

There is a special place in my heart (and stomach!) for Rosa Mexicano. As I’ve written in previous posts, my first date with my wife was at Rosa Mexicano, and we try to go on our anniversary whenever possible. I even have the Rosa Mexicano cookbook, an anniversary gift from my wife a few years ago. I was looking for some inspiration because I haven’t been cooking as much as I used to, so I turned to this cookbook and found this great recipe. I did change a few things, but the spirit of the recipe is mostly intact. The changes: I used shallots instead of red onion, added roasted corn, and used only one jalapeño pepper, instead of the two that the recipe called for (thought it would be too spicy for my wife but it ended up being too mild).

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: I served this dish with white rice and refried beans, but I didn’t take pictures of the sides.

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds peeled/de-vained shrimp (I used large, 21-25 shrimp)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup corn (about one large ear)
1 large shallot, sliced thin
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large bunch cilantro, chopped fine (stems included, no roots)
1/2 tsp each salt, ground cumin, and dried mexican oregano, plus another 1/4 tsp salt for shrimp.
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Procedure:

Season shrimp with 1/4 tsp salt, set aside.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the corn on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet (to prevent sticking), sprinkle with a pinch of salt and roast for 10-12 minutes, tossing 2-3 times to ensure even roasting. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the shallots, jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, salt, cumin, and oregano. Saute for 5-7 minutes, until the shallots are translucent. Turn heat up to medium high, add the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat, and simmer until cream is reduced by 2/3rds (about 7-8 minutes). Stir in the shrimp, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the shrimp to a bowl, then turn the heat back to medium high, add the corn, and reduce the cream sauce by half (the shrimp will release water, and this will need to be evaporated). Remove from the heat when the cream is just a little runnier than you would like and wait 3-4 minutes, then return the shrimp to the sauce and toss to combine. Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!

Buen Provecho!

Homemade Mayonnaise

Homemade mayonnaise is so simple, I can’t imagine ever buying another jar of mayo. It’s superior to store-bought in every way I can think of, and cheaper to boot! Even if you’re a person who doesn’t like mayo, I suggest you give this recipe a try and then decide. Just think of it as a hollandaise sauce, except you use oil instead of butter. You can also personalize the recipe and make your mayo unique by adding lavender, garlic, rosemary, thyme, dill, and even horseradish! All you have to do is make a flavored-oil (heat the oil with the product you want to flavor it with, let it cool to room temp, and strain it) and then use it in your mayonnaise recipe.

I use my immersion (or stick) blender whenever I make mayonnaise. I’ve written about immersion blenders before, and I highly recommend you go out and purchase one (you can get one for around $25). I would imagine that it’s possible to use a food processor or a blender, but I would drizzle the oil in slowly instead of adding it all at once.

Check out the video at the end of the post and see how easy it is to make.

Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: Zero
Difficulty: Very Easy
Notes: I suggest using a neutral oil, such as cannola, but feel free to use any oil you have on hand. If you want to use olive oil, I suggest using a “light” version instead of extra virgin, which tends to have a stronger flavor.

Ingredients:

1 cup oil
1/8 tsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar, or any combination (I like to use apple cider vinegar)
1 egg yolk

Procedure:

Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a measuring cup (or the beaker included with your immersion blender), then insert the immersion blender. Slowly pour the oil over it and wait for it to settle over the original ingredients (remember, oil and vinegar tend to not mix well, so the oil will settle on top), about 5 – 10 seconds. Blend for 15-20 seconds, then start moving the blender up and down to ensure you get all of the oil incorporated and stop when it reaches the desired consistency. The mayo will be a bit tangy at first, but it will mellow out after a few hours in the refrigerator.

Leave the mayonnaise on the kitchen counter, at room temperature, for at least one hour (two is better). Don’t worry about bacteria or spoilage, there is plenty of acid in the mayo to kill anything that would harm you. Then place in a glass jar and refrigerate for up to two weeks (mine rarely lasts that long).

Buen Provecho!

Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)

Even though this is a dish that you will find in virtually all Latin American countries, Arroz con Pollo has been adopted in Puerto Rico as a traditional dish. The difference between what you will find in Puerto Rico and in the rest of the world is that Puerto Ricans will traditionally use annato, sofrito (to include the recao plant), and pimentos or red bell pepper in their preparation. I have vivid memories (and can even smell it now) of my grandmother chopping the recao leaves to add to her version of the dish. The thought alone brings me back to the “good old days” of eating my grandmother’s cooking.

Needless to say, there is a special place in my heart for Arroz con Pollo. Most preparations of the dish call for the pieces of chicken to be left on the bone while cooking with the rice. However, I differ from this philosophy because I think the rice cooks better and more evenly if the bones are removed. This is pretty much my grandmother’s recipe (or what I can recall of it), so I hope you all enjoy it!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: About 2.5 hours, total
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: This recipe will serve 3-4 people, but feel free to double it up if you have more guests or if you want some leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp prepared Recaito or Sofrito (Goya is fine, homemade is better)
1 packet Sazón with Achiote (annato)
12-15 pimento-stuffed olives (sliced or whole, your choice)
2 chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin on and bone-in
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 oz tomato sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
Adobo, Salt, and Pepper to taste
Chicken stock or water, as needed

Procedure:

Peel back the skin on the chicken and season well with adobo (use salt and pepper if you don’t have the adobo). You should also use about half of the packet of Sazon to season the chicken under the skin. Replace the skin and season it and the other side of the chicken. Set aside.

Place a heavy-bottomed pot (preferably a dutch oven) over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once it just begins to shimmer, add the onions, green peppers, salt/pepper to taste, along with the remaining half of the Sazon packet and allow to saute until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the olives and continue cooking 1-2 minutes, then stir in the sofrito, tomato sauce, vinegar, and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has dried out, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the veggies from the pot and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the chicken to the pot, skin side down. Cover and allow the chicken to cook, undisturbed, for 30 minutes. Add the veggies back into the pot but do not move the chicken around, cover, and cook for another 30 minutes. Turn the chicken so that it’s skin-side up but make sure that it still touches the bottom of the pot, cover, and cook another 45 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the pot, and set aside to cool (about 15 minutes). 

After the chicken has cooled, remove and discard the skin and cartilage (or you can do what I do and just eat the skin while I shred the chicken).  Use two forks to remove the chicken from the bone and shred it.  Set aside.  The pot should have some liquid in it from the vegetables and from the chicken, so you will need to add enough to make about 1 cup of liquid.  In my case, I added about 1/2 a cup of low-sodium chicken stock.  Bring the liquid to a boil, stir in the rice, and allow the liquid to reduce until the rice becomes visible, about 3-5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the shredded chicken. Place the red bell pepper strips on top of the rice, cover, and allow to cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.

Buen Provecho!

Stuffed Peppers

This is my first experience making stuffed peppers. I’d only had stuffed peppers once, that I can remember, and even that dish wasn’t all that memorable. But, since I was in the mood to try something new, I decided to go ahead and experiment with this dish. However, being who I am, I have to make everything difficult and decided to use ground turkey breast instead of ground beef in order to make it healthier (and more figure-friendly).

I also decided to serve with a vodka sauce instead of a red sauce. I think the creaminess of the vodka sauce really adds a gread depth of flavor and brings it all together. It was a definite winner! This is a dish I wouldn’t mind having a few times a week.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: About 60 minutes, total
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: This is an easy “make ahead” dish. You can also freeze the meat/rice mixture and just thaw right before stuffing the peppers.

Ingredients:

4 green peppers
1 cup cooked white rice (about 1/2 cup uncooked)
1/2 lb ground turkey
6 oz tomato sauce
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp feta cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp each ground cumin and smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp toasted bread crumbs
1 cup vodka sauce

Procedure:

Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and a pinch of salt, then saute until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes. Stir in the ground turkey, along with salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika, making sure to break it up with the back of the spoon. Cook until the turkey is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and the chicken stock, then allow to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and allow to cool to room temperature (or refrigerate/freeze until ready to use).

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees when you’re ready to make the peppers. Cut the tops off the peppers and set aside while you remove the seeds from the inside. Stuff the peppers about half-way up with the turkey/rice mixture, then place one Tbsp of feta into each pepper before topping off with the turkey/rice mixture. Place the tops back on the peppers (this will prevent the rice on top from drying out) and cook in the oven for 35 minutes. Once the peppers are cooked, place 1/4 cup of vodka sauce on the bottom of the plate, then place the pepper on top, and top with some toasted bread crumbs. Serve immediately.

Buen Provecho!

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!

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

I’ve been out of the “game” for a bit, so I thought I’d come back with something bold: a grilled cheese sandwich that tastes like a jalapeño popper. I’m sure most of you have ordered jalapeño poppers at a restaurant, or bought some frozen version that you can bake/fry at home, so the flavors and textures should be familiar. Most poppers are cheddar and/or cream cheese-filled jalapeños that are then breaded and baked/fried, some of them even have bacon. I decided to roast the peppers before placing them in the sandwich because I thought the crunch of the bread would be more than enough crunch for the sandwich. To roast the peppers, just toss them in some olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and roast them in the oven (400 degrees for 30 minutes, turning as necessary). You can then peel, seed, and slice them.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 plus 7-8 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: Feel free to add some bacon, if you wish.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter (melted)
Cream cheese (just enough to smear on one piece of bread)
2 Slices Cheddar cheese
2 Jalapeño peppers, roasted and cut into strips
2 Slices Sourdough bread (or your favorite type of bread)

Procedure:

Build the sandwich by smearing the cream cheese on one piece of bread, place the jalapeño slices over the cream cheese, then cover with the cheddar and top it with the other slice of bread. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Coat the skillet with some of the melted butter, then place the sandwich in the skillet. You can place a weight over the sandwich if you’d like (a brick, panini press, or a heavy skillet will work), but this is optional. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip once the bread is toasted to your liking, about another 3-4 minutes (just butter the skillet right before flipping).

Cut in half and enjoy!

Arancini

Arancini (Italian for “small orange”) are small rice balls, usually stuffed with mozzarella, that are breaded and deep fried. I’ve also seen them called Suppli al Telefono, due to the long strands of mozzarella resembling telephone cords (no joke!), but that is more of a northern-Italian name. Traditionally, cooks would use left over risotto to make the arancini because, try as you might, it’s impossible to get reheated risotto to taste as good as when it’s just been made. I guess you can say they were invented more as a way to enjoy the leftovers than by a stroke of genius (though some may argue that point).

I was first introduced to arancini in the winter of 2000, when I spent four months in Sicily as part of a military deployment. We stayed in a town called Motta Sant’Anastasia, and there was (literally) a hole in a wall in town where you could walk up and get whatever the cook (an old Sicilian woman) had made that day. Though the menu varied daily, she always had arancini ready to be flash-fried and served piping hot! I found arancini all over Sicily, but I never had a better version than these. Most places would serve a side of tomato sauce with their arancini, but the old Sicilian woman would place both the mozzarella and the sauce in the center of the arancini, which made them divine!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Notes: I suggest you only stuff the arancini with the mozzarella and serve the marinara sauce on the side, as it tends to get very messy if you try to stuff both in the risotto balls. Also, don’t use shredded cheese, as this will make it almost impossible to stuff into the arancini.

Ingredients:

2 cups left over risotto
4 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4″ cubes
1/2 cup marinara sauce, warmed

For the breading:
2 eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp of water
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Canola oil for frying
Salt

Procedure:

Place enough oil in a heavy-bottomed pan so that it will reach about half-way up the arancini and heat it to 350 degrees. While the oil comes up to temperature, use an ice cream scoop and divide the risotto into portions, then roll each portion into a small ball (they should be about the size of a golf ball). Take one piece of cubed mozzarella and place it in the center of each ball, then re-shape them if necessary.

Prepare your breading station in an assembly line. Roll the arancini in the flour (removing any excess), then in the egg (making sure to let the excess drip off), then in the bread crumbs; set aside until all the arancini are breaded. Once the oil reaches 350 degrees, fry the arancini in batches (3-4 at a time) for 3-4 minutes, moving them around so that they brown evenly. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels for draining and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Serve hot with the marinara on the side.

Buen Provecho!

Indoor Baby Back Ribs

I call them “indoor” ribs because they’re braised in the oven instead of cooked in a smoker or on an outdoor grill. They aren’t smoky but, what they lack in smoky flavor is more than made up by the tenderness and the great porky flavor that you get after a long, slow braise in the oven. I don’t say baked because even though no extra liquid is added, the ribs will release plenty of liquid on their own (thanks to the rub) and that liquid will help them braise when wrapped up in foil (I poured almost a cup of liquid from the foil pouch after cooking).

The key is to let the seasoned ribs sit in the refrigerator at least 8 hours prior to cooking. This will allow the salt to denature and firm up the meat. What results is a tasty meat that retains texture even though it’s so tender. One thing you do not want in ribs is for the meat to fall off the bone, so cooking them more than what I suggest will result in ribs that won’t hold on to the bone long enough to make the trip from the plate to your mouth. What you do want is tender meat that pulls away cleanly from the bone yet retains texture, and that’s exactly what you’ll get from this recipe. Once you try these ribs, you won’t want to eat the ones from that place with the awful rib song ever again.

I would normally cook the St. Louis style ribs (baby backs are St. Louis ribs with the ends trimmed off) because I like the extra meat and fat, but they didn’t have any at my local grocery store so I went with the baby backs. If you want to use this recipe for St. Louis style ribs, you should probably add 20 minutes to the braise time.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: Use whatever BBQ sauce you like the most. I prefer Dinosaur BBQ sauce because of the lack of HFCS, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Also, if you think you’ll miss the smoky flavor, try adding 1/4 tsp of liquid smoke to the BBQ sauce before basting the ribs with it.

Ingredients:

One rack of Baby Back ribs
1/3 cup barbecue sauce for basting

For the rub (enough for two racks):
2 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp oregano

Procedure:

Build the rub by placing all the rub ingredients together in a bowl and mixing thoroughly. Place a double layer of Heavy Duty aluminum foil on a sheet pan. Place the ribs on the foil, bone side up, and take a sharp knife and cut some shallow cross hatches into the bottom membrane without cutting into the meat (just make a few diamond shaped cuts). Place some of the rub on the bone side of the ribs and rub it in. Turn the ribs so that they are meat side up and apply enough rub to completely cover the meat. Wrap the ribs up tightly and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Here is what your ribs should look like after rubbing:

Remove them 45 minutes before placing in the oven. Place them in a cold oven and then set the temperature to 250 degrees. Let them cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes, then remove and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the oven reaches 350, open the ribs and baste them with 1/3 of the BBQ sauce then place them back in the oven, uncovered for 10 minutes (you don’t have to baste the bone side more than once). Repeat this step twice more, until the ribs have a nice BBQ glaze on them. Here’s what mine looked like right before I cut them:

Buen Provecho!

Baked Buffalo Wings

It’s NFL Playoff season and everyone knows that nothing says football more than buffalo wings and beer (especially during the Superbowl!). Buffalo wings are normally fried to ensure that they have a crispy enough skin to hold up to the sauce they are then drenched in. Most baked wings become soggy because by the time the exterior gets crispy enough the wings are overcooked and dry. I’ve found a way to bake them and get them just as crispy as fried wings but without adding any oil, which ensures that the wings are nice and flavorful, yet never greasy. This recipe allows you to enjoy your wings and not have to feel guilty about eating fried food.

The key to getting them crispy in the oven is to dry them out and to coat them in a bit of baking powder to ensure the skin blisters when baked. The easiest way to dry the wings is to first pat them dry, then season them and place them in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 4 hours (overnight is best). I guarantee you will never fry your wings again!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: You can make your own buffalo sauce by combining equal parts melted butter and your favorite hot sauce.

Ingredients:

12 chicken wings
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Procedure:

Remove the wings from their packaging and pat them dry with paper towels. Toss the wings in a bowl with the salt and baking powder, then lay them on a cooling rack, placed over a sheet pan, and set them on the lowest shelf in your refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 4 hours. Remove 30 minutes prior to baking.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to ensure the wings don’t stick. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees and place the wings on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and then into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, flip the wings over, and bake for another 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your wings. Remove them and toss with your favorite buffalo wing sauce. Serve with blue cheese dressing.

Buen Provecho!