A bumper crop of Jalapeños

With the torrential rains of a couple of weeks ago came another huge harvest of jalapeño peppers from the garden. Having already "put-up" much pickled peppers and salsa, it was time to find something new to do with all those peppers.

This soup is inspired by the recipe from The Reata restaurant located in downtown Fort Worth's Sundance Square. As always, I have made it my own by experimenting and tweaking.

Cream of Jalapeño Soup
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-1/2 cups fresh jalapenños, stemmed, veined and seeded (8-10 peppers), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
2 cups chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes (3 large tomatoes)
8 cups half-and-half
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat the butter and oilive oil over medium heat. Add the jalapeños, onion and garlic and sauté, stirring, until they are softened (not browned).

Off the heat, stir in the avocado, tomatoes and half-and-half. Lower the temperature and return pan to heat, stirring frequently so the cream does not separate. Bring the soup slowly back to a simmer and cook for about 35 to 40 minutes to reduce by one-third. Continue to stir occasionally to prevent scorching.

Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro, reserving some for garnish. As it stands, the soup is rustic with chunks of vegetables. I like to get out my immersion blender and whip it to a creamy texture.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro.

A few notes:
Peeling and seeding tomatoes is a piece of cake. Bring about 6" of water to a rapid boil, use your paring knife to cut out the stem. Then slice a shallow X in the bottom (blossom) end. Plunge the tomato into boiling water for about a minute or so (til you see the peel begin to separate from the flesh), then plunge it into a bowl of iced water. This will stop the tomato from cooking and further loosen the skin. Remove the cooled tomato and peel away the skin. Cut the tomato in quarters and with your thumbs push out the seeds.

How hot this soup ends up is all about how you prepare the jalapeños. The heat is in the veins and seeds. So, if you leave only the green flesh, the soup will be nice and spicy but not too hot. If you use all the seeds and veins, the soup will be very hot.

Most recipes for this type of soup call for heavy cream. I have chosen to use half-and-half which makes it have a lot less calories and also makes it a lot lighter (cheaper too!). I prefer it this way but if you want a classic cream soup, by all means substitute the heavy cream for the half-and half.

Enjoy!

Grilled Tomato Salsa

This recipe was inspired by a recipe I received via e-mail from Weber grills. As always, I have tweaked it as I see fit to make it my own. I hope you enjoy it!

A few things: I like lots of cilantro so you may want to adjust those to taste (original recipe called for two tablespoons). Also, if you use both whole jalapeños seeds, veins and all, this salsa will be really hot. A whole one and one cored and seeded will yield medium. Both cored and seeded and you'll get mild. The heat is in the seeds and veins.

Here we go:

5 medium tomatoes, firm but ripe, halved and cored
1 small white onion, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 medium minced jalapeño peppers
1/2 of a lime's juice
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
sea salt to taste
pepper to taste

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F). Brush the cooking grates clean.

Lightly brush the tomatoes and onion slices with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill with the lid closed as much as possible, until lightly charred all over, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Remove from the grill, finely chop, and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining salsa ingredients. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

This stuff is good as soon as you make it while it's still warm or you can refrigerate before serving.

Let me know what you think!

Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

Those of you that know me, know that I am a big fan of rice. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my Cuban heritage where a meal is not a meal unless it has rice in it.

The very first time I had risotto, I was hooked. The combination of its creamy texture and wonderful taste is truly amazing.

Once you know how to make it, and it is a little tricky, there are myriad ways of making it. The recipe below has its beginnings on the "Barefoot Contessa" television program. I have experimented with it and tweaked it to my liking. I hope you enjoy it.

I think I may have this for dinner tonight!

Ingredients
1 butternut squash
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

48 oz chicken stock, preferably low sodium

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1/2 small red onion, minced
1 clove garlic,minced
1-1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into bite sized cubes. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until tender. Set aside.

Heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan to a simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter and sauté red onions on medium-low heat until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or so. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes or so. Off the heat, fold in the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Serve.

Maybe I should move to Mumbai

Well, I've been playing around with another Indian recipe and I think I've finally got it the way I want it. This may not be exactly the Chicken Korma that you get at an Indian restaurant but it is a version I like. So, since this is after all my blog, you get what I like here.

So, here it is, my version of...

Chicken Korma
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 heaping Tbsp of finely grated fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic, minced
6 oz container of plain yogurt
1 large onion quartered
1 Tbsp ghee or olive oil
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp cayenne (may want to use less if you like it milder)
1 tsp garam masala
Chicken broth
2/3 cup coconut milk
Salt to taste
2 heaping Tbsp finely ground almonds
Chopped Coriander(Cilantro) leaves for garnish
juice of 1/2 lemon

Cut the chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. Mix the chicken with the ginger, garlic and yogurt. Cover and marinade in the fridge for 12 hours or overnight.

Process the chopped onion until smooth. Heat the ghee/oil in a pan. Add the ground coriander, cayenne, turmeric and garam masala and stir fry for about 1-minute over a low heat.

Turn up the heat, add the onion stir fry for 10-minutes until it begins to brown. Add the chicken and the marinade and continue to stir fry for another 10-minutes. Add the coconut milk and enough chicken broth to cover the chicken. Bring to a slow simmer and stir in the ground almonds.

Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is tender (30-40 minutes). Remove from the heat, add lemon juice and salt to taste. Stir well. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Serve with rice.

What I'm bringing for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the holiday for which my entire family chooses to gather. I think we decided many years ago that everybody had something going on during Christmas and so Thanksgiving became the gathering holiday. For years we got together at my aunt Margot's and then we moved over to my cousin Poly's house. She cooks the main dishes and everybody else brings a side or dessert. I always try to bring something different, some dishes are more successful than others. This year I am going to bring my "Many Bean Salad".

Strangely enough, this recipe developed because a couple of years ago we had a bumper crop of Sage. Now, I knew that Sage was a main ingredient in sausage and of course stuffing (dressin' for you southerners). But that was about it. And when I say a bumper crop, I'm not kidding. We had a huge, beautiful Sage bush in the middle of the herb garden.

So, I did a bit of searching on the internet and found out that Sage went well with beans (who knew?). It was then that I decided to construct the recipe contained here. It has always had black and kidney beans and chick peas. The corn came later when I decided it needed that unique crunch and sweetness that it brings to the party. There have been several iterations. I think I'm happy with the current one. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Many Bean Salad
Ingredients:
1 15oz can black beans
1 15oz can kidney beans
1 15oz can chick peas
1 15oz can navy beans
1 15oz can pinto beans
1 15oz can whole kernel corn
1/2 medium red onion (about a cup) diced

Vinaigrette:
¾ cup vegetable oil (canola, peanut, corn)
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
4-5 fresh Sage leaves (about a Tbsp) finely chopped
4-5 fresh Basil leaves (about a Tbsp) finely chopped
2 sprigs of fresh Thyme (about 1/2 Tbsp) finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt

Drain and rinse beans, peas and corn in a colander under running water. In a large bowl, combine beans, peas, corn and red onion. In a separate bowl whisk oil, vinegar, garlic and salt. Add the herbs to the oil mixture. Pour over beans. Fold gently as to not break up the beans. Refrigerate for at least two hours (over night is better).

Green eggs, yum, not.

I went to a somewhat fancy restaurant in Lakeland, Florida a few weeks ago and ordered a Chef's Salad. It was presented to me with two halved hard-boiled eggs. Upon further examination, the area where the yolks and the whites meet had that lovely gray-green film. The eggs were overcooked.

I fully believe one of the reasons why hard-boiled eggs are overcooked has to do with the name. People think that you have to boil the crap out of the eggs for 10 or 15 minutes to get them right. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Hard-Cooked Eggs
Put the eggs in a pan large enough to hold them in a single layer with some room to spare so that they don't bang into each other and crack. Pour in enough cold water to cover them by about an inch. Heat over high heat just to boiling. Remove from burner and cover the pan. Let the eggs stand in hot water about 15 minutes for large eggs. Cool completely under cold running water or in bowl of ice water. Peel and serve.

By the way, if you have issues peeling the eggs, check this out (it works, I do it all the time): Peel a Boiled Egg in a Glass of Water

As easy as that. Perfect yellow yolks and no green ring.

Frijoles Negros, out of a can, really?

This is my variation of Cuban black bean soup. Black beans are a part of practically every meal in Cuban cuisine. I remember my Mom making hers and from her recipe comes this one.

If you want to be a  purist, feel free to use a pound of black beans and follow the package instructions to soak them over night and get them ready to cook. Add the beans and 3 cups of water instead of the canned beans.

However, before you do all that, try it with canned beans. Trust me.

A word about canned beans. I usually try to find the "organic" ones because they are made with little if any salt. Regardless, you want black beans NOT black bean soup. The can should contain beans, water and maybe salt. Period.

Frijoles Negros
Olive oil, for sauteing
1/2 white onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced (optional)
3 cloves garlic, finelly diced
3 15 oz cans black beans
2 Tbsp ground cumin (or more - to taste)
1 Tbsp oregano (or more - to taste)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

In a sauce pan, saute onions in olive oil until they are translucent. Add the garlic and  green pepper and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the beans, then the cumin, oregano, olive oil, sugar, and vinegar. Stir. Season with salt to taste. Simmer covered for about 15 minutes.

Traditionally served with rice.