1 pound of lean sausage
2-3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne (optional)
3 tablespoons of oil
1 bean recipe (replace black beans)
1 white rice recipe
Cut the sausage into 1/4 inch slices. Cut it on the diagonal if you feel fancy. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large sauce pan and brown the sausage. Keep in mind that the sausage is already salty so avoid salting it further. Add the spices, water, and cook for one minute more.
Combine beans with sausage and heat through. Pour over white or brown rice and enjoy. My toddlers go nuts over beans and sausage.
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Easy Black Beans - Latin Style
Ingredients
2 cans of black beans
6 cubes of Sofrito ( See my Sofrito recipe)
2 teaspoons of cumin (optional)
2 teaspoons of Olive oil
1/4 cup of water
Place the oil in a medium sauce pan on medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer place add the sofrito and cook until the cubes melt. Add the cumin and cook for 1 more minute. Add the beans and water and bring to a boil. Once the beans come to a boil cover and simmer for about 10 minutes and serve.
By the way, to make black bean soup, add a one cup of chicken broth in addition to the water. Cook as directed, blend half the bean mixture, recombine and serve.
2 cans of black beans
6 cubes of Sofrito ( See my Sofrito recipe)
2 teaspoons of cumin (optional)
2 teaspoons of Olive oil
1/4 cup of water
Place the oil in a medium sauce pan on medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer place add the sofrito and cook until the cubes melt. Add the cumin and cook for 1 more minute. Add the beans and water and bring to a boil. Once the beans come to a boil cover and simmer for about 10 minutes and serve.
By the way, to make black bean soup, add a one cup of chicken broth in addition to the water. Cook as directed, blend half the bean mixture, recombine and serve.
Perfectly Easy White Rice
ingredients
2 cups of white rice (long grain)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups of water
Cooking rice is very easy if you adopt the appropriate technique and tools. I use a pot with a rounded bottom that you typically find in Hispanic or Asian grocery stores. However, you can use a standard pot as well. You'll also need a spatula or wide spoon to turn the rice over on itself during the latter stages of cooking.
Place your pot on medium-high heat. Once hot, add one tablespoon of oil, 2 cups of rice, and a teaspoon of salt. Stir well to coat the rice with oil, about 1-2 minutes. Next, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. The minute your rice is at a boil bring to medium-low heat and wait for the water to reach the same level as the rice. Once the water evaporates to the same level as the rice, bring to low heat and cover. I line my pot with a piece of foil large enough to cover the mouth of the pot and then place the lid on the pot creating a tight seal.
Let cook for about 20-25 minutes on low heat at which point you will uncover and turn the rice over on itself using a large spoon or spatula. To turn the rice over on itself simply dig deep and flip the rice over on itself one spoonful at a time. Please resist the temptation to stir your rice any more than necessary to avoid gumming it up. Cook for another 10 minutes on low heat and serve.
Goes great with the my bean recipe. My toddlers love beans and rice.
2 cups of white rice (long grain)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups of water
Cooking rice is very easy if you adopt the appropriate technique and tools. I use a pot with a rounded bottom that you typically find in Hispanic or Asian grocery stores. However, you can use a standard pot as well. You'll also need a spatula or wide spoon to turn the rice over on itself during the latter stages of cooking.
Place your pot on medium-high heat. Once hot, add one tablespoon of oil, 2 cups of rice, and a teaspoon of salt. Stir well to coat the rice with oil, about 1-2 minutes. Next, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. The minute your rice is at a boil bring to medium-low heat and wait for the water to reach the same level as the rice. Once the water evaporates to the same level as the rice, bring to low heat and cover. I line my pot with a piece of foil large enough to cover the mouth of the pot and then place the lid on the pot creating a tight seal.
Let cook for about 20-25 minutes on low heat at which point you will uncover and turn the rice over on itself using a large spoon or spatula. To turn the rice over on itself simply dig deep and flip the rice over on itself one spoonful at a time. Please resist the temptation to stir your rice any more than necessary to avoid gumming it up. Cook for another 10 minutes on low heat and serve.
Goes great with the my bean recipe. My toddlers love beans and rice.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Chicken Fricassee - Latin Style
Ingredients
3 pounds of chicken pieces, trimmed
6-8 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 cup of sofrito
4 oz tomatoe paste
1 cup of green olives with pimentos
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of capers
2 cups of carrots chopped 1-inch thick
2 cups of Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup of red wine
1 cup of water
1 cup of chicken broth
My initial attempts at chicken fricassee were doomed from the start because many recipes use, in my opinion, too much oil. My family and I prefer a clean recipe with relatively little fat. I came up with my recipe via trial and error.
Start with about 3 pounds of chicken thighs and/or drumsticks. Keep the skin on but trim the fat and excess skin from each piece of chicken to reduce the total fat. In a large dutch oven, heat about 3-4 table spoons of oil to a shimmer. Brown your chicken on both sides on medium to medium-high in batches and set aside. Once you place the chicken in the pot, don't move it until the skin lets go. If you try to move the chicken before it's ready, you'll just tear the skin. Be patient and let it brown. If you brown in batches, then add enough oil to cook the next batch.
If the fronds in the bottom of the pot burn, then it's better to continue the cooking process with a clean pot, than to continue on to the next steps. Once you brown the chicken set it aside and turn the heat down. Add the sofrito, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Saute until just fragrant. Next add the green olives with pimentos, bay leaves, and capers.
Layer the chicken in the pot and then evenly layer the carrots and potatoes . Combine the chicken broth with the water along with good white wine. Remember, you're braising the chicken so the top half of the chicken and all of the carrots and potatoes should remain exposed . Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
Serve over plain white rice and enjoy.
3 pounds of chicken pieces, trimmed
6-8 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 cup of sofrito
4 oz tomatoe paste
1 cup of green olives with pimentos
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of capers
2 cups of carrots chopped 1-inch thick
2 cups of Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup of red wine
1 cup of water
1 cup of chicken broth
My initial attempts at chicken fricassee were doomed from the start because many recipes use, in my opinion, too much oil. My family and I prefer a clean recipe with relatively little fat. I came up with my recipe via trial and error.
Start with about 3 pounds of chicken thighs and/or drumsticks. Keep the skin on but trim the fat and excess skin from each piece of chicken to reduce the total fat. In a large dutch oven, heat about 3-4 table spoons of oil to a shimmer. Brown your chicken on both sides on medium to medium-high in batches and set aside. Once you place the chicken in the pot, don't move it until the skin lets go. If you try to move the chicken before it's ready, you'll just tear the skin. Be patient and let it brown. If you brown in batches, then add enough oil to cook the next batch.
If the fronds in the bottom of the pot burn, then it's better to continue the cooking process with a clean pot, than to continue on to the next steps. Once you brown the chicken set it aside and turn the heat down. Add the sofrito, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Saute until just fragrant. Next add the green olives with pimentos, bay leaves, and capers.
Layer the chicken in the pot and then evenly layer the carrots and potatoes . Combine the chicken broth with the water along with good white wine. Remember, you're braising the chicken so the top half of the chicken and all of the carrots and potatoes should remain exposed . Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
Serve over plain white rice and enjoy.
Sofrito - The Foundation
If you are of Spanish or Italian decent, then you instantly recognize the fragrance associated with your mother's or grandmother's cooking. Much of that smell is likely the result of the Sofrito that forms the foundation of many recipes. The French boast a Sofrito they call Mirepoix, a mixture of onions, celery, and carrots; Cajuns call it the Holy Trinity. Whatever you call it and whatever the ingredients, the herbs, vegetables, and fat combine to develop a complex and utterly Pavlovian smell that instantly sends your salivary glands into overdrive.
Sofrito, then, means a lot of things to a lot of people and I'll be the first to agree that no two recipes are alike. In it's basic form sofrito is any combination of vegetables, herbs, spices, and fat that you saute to form the base of a recipe. Traditional Spanish ingredients include onions, green peppers, red peppers, garlic, and cilantro.
The good new is that few things culinary are easier to make and preserve for later use. If you can operate a food processor and a spatula, then you have all of the requisite skills to consistently add multidimensional flavor to your cooking that your family will grow to appreciate and ultimately love.
My version of Sofrito goes well with just about any thing, especially beans. Ill show you how. Roughly chop and add the following ingredients to a food processor and puree to a smooth but thick consistency.
Let's try it! Get you hands on one can of red or black beans. Saute three frozen cubes (roughly 1/4 cup) of Sofrito at medium heat in two teaspoons of oil and two teaspoons of cumin until melted and fragrant. Add the can of beans and simmer until slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes. Pour beans over my white rice recipe and enjoy. If the beans become to dry, then reconstitute with a splash of water. Even the pickiest eater will find the beans and rice irresistible. My wife and toddlers love it.
Sofrito, then, means a lot of things to a lot of people and I'll be the first to agree that no two recipes are alike. In it's basic form sofrito is any combination of vegetables, herbs, spices, and fat that you saute to form the base of a recipe. Traditional Spanish ingredients include onions, green peppers, red peppers, garlic, and cilantro.
The good new is that few things culinary are easier to make and preserve for later use. If you can operate a food processor and a spatula, then you have all of the requisite skills to consistently add multidimensional flavor to your cooking that your family will grow to appreciate and ultimately love.
My version of Sofrito goes well with just about any thing, especially beans. Ill show you how. Roughly chop and add the following ingredients to a food processor and puree to a smooth but thick consistency.
- 1 large Spanish onion,
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 1 head of garlic (yes, an entire head minus the papery skin)
- 1 large green pepper (preferably a Cubanelle)
- 1 large red pepper
- 1/4 cup Spanish olives, pitted (with or without pimentos)
- 1 tablespoon of capers
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 tablespoon of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
Let's try it! Get you hands on one can of red or black beans. Saute three frozen cubes (roughly 1/4 cup) of Sofrito at medium heat in two teaspoons of oil and two teaspoons of cumin until melted and fragrant. Add the can of beans and simmer until slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes. Pour beans over my white rice recipe and enjoy. If the beans become to dry, then reconstitute with a splash of water. Even the pickiest eater will find the beans and rice irresistible. My wife and toddlers love it.
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