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!

Marinara Sauce

While it’s true that you can purchase a jar of marinara sauce just about anywhere, you will be hard pressed to find one that tastes as good or better than a home-made version. A classic marinara sauce only needs five ingredients (not counting salt and pepper): tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, and herbs (typically basil and/or oregano). I, however, cannot just make a plain-Jane version so I add quite a bit of ingredients.

I’ve had a problem in the past with my sauces turning out more orange than red and I think I’ve figured out why: air. I use diced tomatoes and cook them with the vegetables and then puree it all together right before it’s done. It’s the air incorporated in the mixture while I puree/blend it that makes it turn from red to orange. If you want to avoid this, and keep a deep red color, try starting with crushed/pureed tomatoes instead of whole/diced and allow the sauce to simmer long enough to melt or disintegrate the vegetables into the sauce (typically 2-2.5 hours of simmering). Alternatively, you can puree the vegetables and then use a potato masher on the tomatoes. I don’t mind the color as long as it tastes good, so I just stick with my immersion blender method.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: You can use fresh or canned tomatoes, but make sure you remove the skin if you use fresh tomatoes. This recipe is enough to coat one pound of cooked pasta.

Ingredients:

1 14.5 oz “No Sodium Added” canned tomatoes (or 5-6 fresh tomatoes)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 medium yellow onion, diced fine
1 rib celery, diced fine
1 carrot, diced fine
2 oz tomato paste
1/2 tsp anchovy paste (optional but highly recommended)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tbsp each dried oregano and basil (or 3 tbs fresh herbs, chopped)
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
1 tsp red wine vinegar (you can substitute balsamic if you’d like)
2 tbsp red wine
2 cups water, divided in two
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (Parmesan cheese works, too)

Procedure:

Add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrot, red pepper flakes salt, pepper, and dried herbs (If you’re using fresh herbs, add them with the tomatoes) to a cold straight-sided sautee pan and place it over medium high heat. Cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables have released all their water and it has evaporated. Lower the heat to medium, add the anchovy paste, garlic and tomato paste, and sautee for 1-2 minutes longer, then add the vinegar and wine and stir until it evaporates. Stir in the tomatoes and 1 cup of water and allow it to come to a simmer, then cover, reduce heat to medium low, and let it cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Add the second cup of water and cook, uncovered, until most of the water has evaporated and the sauce is the consistency you’d like. Puree the sauce in a blender or in the pan with a stick blender, or mash with a potato masher. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese melts and incorporates into the sauce, adjust the salt if needed.

Here is what the sauce looked like prior to blending (the top picture is the finished sauce, after blending):

Buen Provecho!

Asian Braised Bison Ribs

We were walking though the Durham farmers market the other day and I found these:

With it being as cold as it it, it’s the perfect time to eat a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal that will not only warm you up but make you feel good in the process (bison is healthier than beef). Bison is quite lean, but since you’re cooking it low and slow you should still end up with tender and flavorful meat.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: None

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 10oz can beef consommé
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp each minced garlic and ginger
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
1/2 red onion, julienned
1 carrot (half diced small, half cut into rounds)
2 lbs bison short ribs
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (for garnish)
1/2 tsp flour
1 cup cooked white rice

Procedure:

Pour the soy sauce, consommé, garlic, ginger, sesame seed oil, and brown sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Check your bison ribs and make sure that you remove as much of the silver skin from the meat side as possible (mine had plenty of silver skin, for some reason). It’s OK to leave the silver skin on the bone side as this will help to keep the bones together during cooking. Place the ribs, bone side up, into your crock pot, then distribute the onions and carrots over the meat equally. Pour the whisked liquids over the ribs. You want the liquid to barely cover the meat and if the mixture you made earlier wasn’t enough to do that then you’ll want to pour the 1/2 cup of water into the crock pot as well.

Set your crock pot on high and cook for 5-6 hours or set it to low and cook for 11-12 hours, until the meat is tender and almost falls off the bone. Notice I said almost. Yo don’t want the meat to actually fall off the bone in this case.

When the ribs are done, remove 1 cup of the braising liquid and whisk in 1/2 tsp of flour. Place the mixture in a saucier or frying pan over medium-high heat and let it simmer until it reduces by half, about 5-6 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remember to remove the sauce from the heat before it gets to be as thick as you want it to be because the sauce will tighten up a bit more as it sits.

Cut the ribs into individual rib slices, leaving the bone on, and drizzle the reduced sauce over the ribs. Serve with white rice and garnish with the sesame seeds.

Crunchy Fish Taco with Chipotle Crema

When I think of fish tacos, I think of Fred’s Mexican Cafe.  We discovered this restaurant after diving in Maui on our honeymoon.  I asked our dive instructor where we could go to get good, inexpensive food with big portions (we were starving after two 60-minute dives) and he recommended Fred’s.  While it is a chain restaurant, we found their food to be very good and very reasonably priced.  We ended up eating there twice on our 8-day trip because it was that good (Fred’s was one of the two restaurants that we ate at more than once); we even visited the restaurant when we went to San Diego, CA (where they are based) a year later.

I wanted to make a quick, delicious dinner for us and these seemed like the right choice.  We had all of the ingredients already, so it was just a matter of putting it all together.  I did cheat on the fish, though, as I used a pre-breaded fillet that we found at Sam’s Club (wild-caught Flounder filets) that only needed to be crisped in the oven (400 degrees for 20 minutes).  Feel free to use fresh fish and batter/fry it at home or just sauté it in some butter and use unbattered fish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: If you don’t have the time to make the crema yourself, go to your local supermarket and look for pre-made mexican crema in the yogurt section.  If you can’t find it, feel free to just use sour cream or creme fraiche.  Then just blend the chipotle and adobo sauce in and you’re done.

Ingredients:

For the Chipotle Crema:

1 chipotle pepper, seeded
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp buttermilk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp adobo sauce (from the chipotle can)

For the Tacos:

3 breaded Flounder fillets
1/4 avocado, diced
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
20 pickled red onion slices
4 flour tortillas

Procedure:

I followed Alton Brown’s recipe for the crema.  Basically, pour 1 cup of cream into a jar and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute (make sure it’s between 100-110 degrees with an instant read thermometer).  After it’s heated, pour 1 tbsp of buttermilk into the jar, lid the jar, and leave it on the counter for 24 hours.  Once this time has passed, place the chipotle pepper, adobo, and salt into the jar and blend with an immersion blender (or put it all in a food processor).

As for the taco itself, cook the fish according to the package’s instructions or use fresh fish in the manner in which I described above.  After it’s done, cut the fish into strips, place on the tortillas, and top each taco with the 1/4 of the cabbage, avocado, tomato, pickled onions, and crema (in that order).  Serve with chips and salsa or some mexican rice.

Buen Provecho!

Skirt Steak Sandwich (Sandwich de Churrasco)

Inspired by the Man vs. Food episode that aired last week, where Adam traveled to Puerto Rico, I set my sights on creating a homemade Sandwich de Churrasco (skirt steak sandwich) that would rival any I had growing up.

When I was growing up in Puerto Rico, food trucks were as much a part of our culture as hot dog carts are to New Yorkers today.  There aren’t as many as there were 20 years ago, when you would find trucks selling everything from guarapo (sugar cane juice) to roasted pig on a spit to pinchos (chicken or beef kabobs), but there are still some good ones to be found.  Most of these food trucks are open late as it’s a tradition to drive to a sandwich truck at 3-5am, after leaving the bar, club, or pub, and chow down on a big sandwich to try and avoid a hangover the next day.

If you’ve ever been to Puerto Rico, then you’ll no doubt know that one of the most popular dressings on the island is mayoketchup – a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, lime juice, and sometimes garlic.  It’s a common condiment used to top everything from sandwiches to fried finger foods; sometimes, it’s even used as a salad dressing and is a very traditional ingredient in almost any sandwich.  Another traditional ingredient is potato sticks – those shoestring potato chips that usually come in a can.  Puerto Ricans love to top their sandwiches and hot dogs with them to add a layer of saltiness and crunch that would otherwise be missing.

I’m breaking a bit from tradition in this recipe by using bison instead of beef, but it’s what I had available. Also, knowing that buffalo meat is so lean compared to regular beef, I decided to add a bit of fat to the marinade to ensure the meat remained moist.  Since there is no point in adding fat if it doesn’t bring flavor, bacon fat seemed like the right choice.  I wouldn’t recommend substituting it with any other type of fat or oil, either.  If you want to leave it out, I suggest you use beef skirt steak instead.

So, here you have it, my version of the sandwich de churrasco.  I wish I had some pan sobao (massaged bread) on which to build my sandwich, but I’ll have to make do with some Martin’s unseeded hoagie rolls.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5-6 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: The longer you let the meat marinade the more flavor it will have.  However, anything longer than two hours is overkill since the meat is sliced so thinly.

Ingredients:

6 oz Bison skirt steak
1 Martin’s unseeded hoagie roll
1 handful shredded romaine lettuce (about 3-4 leafs)
2 slices of tomato
1 handful of  potato sticks (or crunch up some kettle-cooked regular potato chips)
2 tbsp Recaito Goya (use the green kind, not the red)
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp bacon fat

For the mayoketchup:

2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp lime juice
1/16 tsp garlic powder

Procedure:

Combine the recaito, soy sauce and bacon fat in a bowl and whisk.  Set aside.  Cut the skirt steak with the grain into pieces that are 1-1.5 inches long, then slice against the grain into 1/4″ thick strips.  Place the skirt steak in a resealable bag and pour the marinade over it.  Allow it to marinate at least 15 minutes on the counter or 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.  Here is a picture of the skirt steak being sliced and you can clearly see the grain running vertically away from the camera lens:

Make the mayoketchup by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking together.  Refrigerate if you are going to let the meat marinate for longer than 15 minutes.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before cooking it to allow it to come to room temperature.  Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat but don’t add any oil (remember there is bacon fat in the marinade).  Once the skillet is hot, add the skirt steak and marinade and let it sit, untouched, for 3 minutes to brown and develop some color.  Stir the meat and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it’s just cooked through, then remove from the skillet and set aside.

Split the hoagie roll in half but make sure it’s still connected at the spine (i.e. you don’t have two separate pieces of bread).  Place the lettuce on the top part of the bread.  Cut the tomato slices in half and lay them on top of the lettuce (you can sprinkle them with a bit of salt if you’d like).  You can look at the first picture below to see how I placed them in a staggered pattern. Basically, I place the halves of each tomato slice so that the end of one slice is in the middle of it’s partner so that the two tomato slices cover the entire length of the sandwich. Next, you’ll want to place the skirt steak on the bottom part of the bun and top it off with half the mayoketchup (this will help the potato sticks to stay in place).  Place the potato sticks in the middle of the sandwich and use a knife to hold everything in as you close it.  Cut it in half and enjoy!

P.S. – I had a moment of clarity when eating this sandwich.  I noticed that the tomatoes (I used very ripe heirlooms) brought a bit too much moisture to the sandwich and remembered what I wrote when I reviewed Only Burger’s Breakfast Burger.  I much preferred the fried green tomato to the regular, ripe tomatoes that you normally find in a hamburger and, since the meat remains very moist, the fried green tomatoes would make an excellent substitution here.  I’ll try substituting them the next time I make this sandwich (and leave out the potato sticks) and report back once I do.

Buen Provecho!

Rigatoni with Crock Pot Tomato Sauce and Meatballs

I was searching for a hearty, comforting recipe to make on a lazy Sunday evening and decided to make an all-day tomato sauce without having to simmer it all day (or fussing over the stove).  I chose to use the crock pot because it maintains a constant heat and doesn’t have to be fussed over (like the infomercial says, you can set it and forget it).  It was a bit involved in a few steps, namely the caramelization of the onions, but it was more than worth it in the end.  The best part was the leftovers, which tasted better on the second day than they did on Sunday (most long-cooked foods, such as pot roasts, tend to taste better the second day).

This recipe is a fancied-up version of a typical American comfort food.  I chose to use caramelized onions and roasted tomatoes but you can skip those two and just use freshly crushed tomatoes if you don’t have an hour to spend before placing the ingredients in the crock pot.  Just remember to seed and peel them, or feel free to used your favorite canned tomatoes.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Actual Time Spent Cooking: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: Most of the cooking time in this recipe is taken up by the tomatoes roasting in the oven and the sauce cooking in the crock pot, which are unattended steps.  The most involved steps are in the caramelization of the onions and they are described in that recipe.

Ingredients:

2 lbs Roma tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced fine
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced fine
2 large white onions, caramelized (recipe here)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp honey
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (reserve some for garnish)
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 lb rigatoni
8-10 meatballs (recipe here)
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Procedure:

Cut the roma tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Place them in a cold oven and turn the oven on at 350 degrees. Roast for one hour then remove them from the oven and wait 15 minutes for them to cool down. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins (they should peel easily) and stem tips, then crush them with your hands and place them in the crock pot.

While you’re waiting for the tomatoes to cool, place 1 tbsp olive oil in a sauté pan and heat it to medium-high. Sauté the green and red peppers for 4-5 minutes, until softened, then add the garlic and sauté another minute. Place the veggies in the crock pot.

Once the crushed tomatoes, garlic, green and red peppers are in the crock pot, add the basil, oregano, 1/2 the caramelized onions, wine and chicken stock, stir to combine. Turn the crock pot on high (make sure you cover it) and allow the mixture to cook for 3 hours. Remove the bay leaf and blend the sauce with a stick blender. If you don’t have a stick blender then you can put the sauce in a food processor until smooth (don’t use a regular blender as hot liquids and blenders don’t mix!).  Here is what it should look like after you blend the sauce (the deep red color comes from roasting the tomatoes):

Add the other half of the caramelized onions and the honey, stir to combine.  Place the meatballs in the sauce and cover the crock pot.  Allow to cook on high for one more hour.  You’re going to want to start boiling the water for the pasta about 30 minutes before the sauce is done.  After the meatballs have been in the sauce for 30 minutes, place the pasta in the boiling water (along with 1 tsp salt) and cook until al dente, about 10-12 minutes.

Remove the meatballs from the sauce, drain the pasta, and place it in the crock pot with the sauce, tossing to combine.  Place about 1/4 of the sauced pasta on a plate along with two meatballs.  Garnish with the grated parmesan cheese and some chopped basil.

Buen Provecho!

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

So, I thought I’d show off my immersion blender with whisk attachment for today’s post.  It makes my life in the kitchen so much easier that it deserves a mention here as an indispensable kitchen tool.

This post is for those of you out there who haven’t enjoyed home-made eggs Benedict in a while because you think Hollandaise is too hard to make.  Sure, there are packets out there that you whisk together with milk to form the sauce, but they’re flat-out disgusting compared to the real thing.

Interesting facts about Hollandaise:

Hollandaise sauce is nothing more than an emulsion (just like Mayonnaise), and is one of the French Mother Sauces.  They are called  Mother Sauces because they can be used as a base for other sauces, such as a Bearnaise sauce is a variant of our beloved Hollandaise.  The two most important things to remember when creating an emulsion are that you need constant agitation (mostly via whisk) and you need to add the fat (in our case, the butter) into the mixture very slowly.

Ingredients:

Hollandaise sauce uses very simple ingredients that most people will have in their homes at any given time.
These are:

1 egg yolk
1/2 stick of butter (4 Tbsp), melted (I place it in a measuring cup and microwave it)
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

The sauce is very easy to scale up, too.  Just remember that each egg yolk will need 4 Tbsps of butter and 1.5 tsps of lemon juice for a proper emulsion.

Preparation:

First things first, use every tool you have that makes your life in the kitchen easier.  In this case, I suggest using the microwave or an electric kettle to boil some water (about 3/4 of a cup).  You will use the water to “thicken” the egg yolk and form sort of a custard.  Our goal is to cook the egg yolk gently so that it doesn’t scramble.  The classical way is to use a double boiler, but they can be cumbersome and most people just end up scrambling the egg anyway.  My solution is to boil some water and set it in a bowl and then dip a glass or plastic measuring cup (whatever you have handy) containing the egg yolk, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper into the water so that it comes to temperature slowly.  I use the plastic measuring cup that came with my immersion blender and I dip it into the hot water for 15 seconds, then pull it out for 10 seconds, and repeat until it reaches the right consistency.  Make sure you whisk it continuously so that it heats evenly (I pulse with my immersion blender whisk since it works better this way).  In about three minutes, you will have a thickened egg that looks like a custard.

You may now begin to slowly pour in the melted butter.  You want to do this in a very thin, constant stream so that your sauce doesn’t break.  Once about half of the butter is incorporated, you can add it a bit faster (just not all at once).  Here is a video of what the sauce consistency should be when you finish.  Click on this Hollandaise link and the video will play.  By the way, it’s the first time I’ve used my iPhone camcorder so I apologize for the resolution and size.  I will re-record it the next time I make hollandaise and upload an updated video.

If, for some reason, the sauce ends up being too thick, feel free to add a few drops of the hot water you used to temper the eggs with (add 3-4 drops and whisk to combine).  This should thin out the sauce just enough.  If you’re not using it immediately, the best thing to do is to store it in a thermos that  has been primed (i.e. you fill it with boiling water, put the lid on, and let it sit for about 2 minutes).  If you do this, your sauce should remain warm for up to 90 minutes.

And, of course, one the best use for your Hollandaise is to make eggs Benedict:

Buen Provecho!

Anaheim Jack Chicken

I entered this recipe in a national recipe contest, the Ted’s Montana Grill Secret Ingredient Showdown, and received an honorable mention in it.  I’m quite proud to say that it’s only the second recipe I’ve ever submitted to a contest and I did well enough to at least get mentioned in the top 5.  Here is a screen capture of the webpage with the announcement:

I can’t help but think that if I had paid more attention to the presentation of the dish (i.e. used a clean, white plate and been careful about how I laid out the sides), I could’ve won the competition.  I watch enough cooking shows on TV to know that presentation often carries a lot of weight; after all, you don’t want to eat something that doesn’t look inviting and appetizing, right?  Now I know (and knowing is half the battle).

Update: I received an email from Ted’s Montana Grill just a few moments ago.  They informed me that I would be receiving something from them “once they finalize my prize package.”  I don’t know what I won, but I guess it was a bit more than just an honorable mention.  I will post another update (and a picture of me with the prize package) once it arrives.

Update 2: My winnings were a Ted’s Montana Grill apron and a $50 gift certificate.  Here is a pic of me with both of them:

So, here is the recipe for my Anaheim Jack Chicken.

Ingredients:

3 Anaheim Peppers
1 Chicken Breast (butterflied into two equal pieces)
1 cups bread crumbs
1 egg
2 Tablespoons of Buttermilk
1 12-14oz Canned Diced Tomatoes
1/2 Medium White Onion (diced fine)
1 clove of Garlic (minced)
2 teaspoons of honey
2 teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
Olive oil
1 cup of Vegetable Oil
Monterey Jack cheese

Procedure:

Roasting the Peppers: Toss the Anaheim peppers in olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on a sheetpan and into a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.  After they are roasted, remove them to a plastic zip top bag and let sit 15 minutes.  Remove the peppers and peel them.  Discard the skin and seeds, then dice two of the peppers finely (reserve one pepper split in half, but seeded).

Making the Tomato Sauce: Heat a straight-sided skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and wait 1 minute.  Add the diced yellow onion and one pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes.  Stir in the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.  Stir in the diced Anaheim peppers and sauté for 1 minute.  Add the can of diced tomatoes and allow to come to a simmer.  Once it’s bubbling, add ½ teaspoon of salt, the 2 teaspoons each of honey and red wine vinegar, and ½ teaspoon each of cumin and dried oregano stir to combine.  Allow to simmer for 1 hour and then blend smooth with a stick blender (a regular blender or a food processor would work, too).

Preparing the Chicken: Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet to 350 degrees.  Take the split chicken breast and pound it out to 1/8” thick.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Beat the eggs in a dish along with the buttermilk.  Place the breadcrumbs in another dish.  Dip the chicken in the egg wash and then thoroughly coat with bread crumbs (if you want it extra crunchy, repeat the process once more and double-bread the chicken).  Set aside for 5 minutes (this is important as it allows the breading to stick to the chicken and not come off in the pan).  Pan fry the breaded chicken for 2:30 a side, then remove to a cooling rack for 5 minutes and allow to rest.

Cover each half of the chicken breast with half of a roasted Anaheim pepper, 3-4 tablespoons of the smooth tomato sauce, and Monterey Jack cheese.  Place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes (until cheese is melty and bubbly).  Serve with your choice of sides.

Here is what the finished product looks like:

Buen Provecho!