Recipes for Cook

Showing posts with label con. Show all posts

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Chorizo Con Huevos y Nopalitos Eggs with Chorizo and Cactus

Hello all! Rick here with another dish from my childhood. As many of you may already know, Im half Mexican (yes, I know I dont look like it) and I love the food my mom used to make. I fondly recall the smells of her cooking nopales with eggs and chorizo in our kitchen when I was a boy. It was a dish we didnt have often but was a real treat when we did. Our dog Teddy liked it, too! I remember sneaking bits of it to him under the dining table, and I think he used to smile to me when I did! Chorizo Con Huevos y Nopalitos can be served as a main dish for tacos or as a side. Nopal is Spanish for "cactus." Very edible, the young "leaves" are cut off from the main plant and the needles carefully trimmed off, much like scaling a fish. But be careful, these ones bite back! Or you can do it the easy way and buy it at the Mexican market already cleaned! Once "cleaned," rinse the cactus leaves well. You may slice or dice, depending on your preference. Either way, enjoy Chorizo Con Huevos y Nopalitos folded inside a tortilla for a taco or rolled with beans inside a burrito. Its a great way to enjoy this desert delicacy!

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

- 2 nopales cactus, cleaned and diced

- 1 tbs. manteca (lard)

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- quarter of a red onion, sliced
- 1 pinch of salt

- 6 ounces of chorizo

- 3 eggs, beaten

- queso fresco cheese, for garnish

- 1/8 cup of cilantro, chopped

- 1 medium tomato, diced

This is what nopales look like. You can find them at your local Mexican supermarket. Its usually already cleaned of its thorns and ready to cook.

1. Cut nopales into bite-sized pieces. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, then add nopales. Boil nopales until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.

2. Over medium heat, heat manteca in a medium skillet.

Add sliced red onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Then add minced garlic, and cook for another
30 seconds.

3. Next, add cooked nopales. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add 6 ounces of chorizo to the skillet.

Smash and break up the chorizo with a spoon so that it is fully heated through and incorporated with other ingredients. Saute for about 3-5 minutes. Dont let it burn.

5. Then pour in 3 beaten eggs.

Cook the mixture like you would scrambled eggs, about 7 minutes or no longer runny.

6. Then add diced tomatoes. Mix thoroughly.

Next, the chopped cilantro goes in. About 1/8 cup, but its up to you. Mix thoroughly.

Then take the skillet off the heat.

Garnish with crumbled queso fresco cheese. Serve as a side or in heated corn tortillas for tacos. They make awesome tacos. We hope youll like this recipe!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Pinto bean chilli con carne recipe

Vegan chili con carne recipe

Once you have tasted Chefs vegan pinto bean chilli con carne recipe you will never need to add beef to a chilli recipe ever again.

Chef uses dry soaked pinto beans that are freshly cooked using a pressure cooker and then added to a pan of chilli and vegetables.

A combination of garlic, spices and herbs give the vegan chilli con carne a tasty Mexican flavour which along side the hearty pinto beans and fresh sweet soft crunch of the sweetcorn makes it simply not necessary for there to be any meat used.

This pinto bean chilli con carne recipe is a very filling meal that can be eaten fluffy white rice or even just some fresh crispy bread.

Ingredients for chilli con carne

2 cups Dry pinto beans
1 Onion (diced)
1 large Zucchini (diced)
3 Flat mushrooms (chopped)
3/4 cup Frozen sweetcorn
1 large tsp Garlic puree
3-4 Green chillis chopped with seeds (or to taste)
1 large Tbsp Tomato puree
Rice bran oil
2 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Paprika
Pinch Dried oregano
1/2 tsp Dried parsley
Pinch Dried chives
Salt to taste
Pinch of Cumin powder
Pinch of Parsley
1/4 tsp Garlic paste
Water

Spoon this tasty pinto bean chili onto plates and watch everybody smile.

How to make a vegan chilli con carne recipe

Soak the pinto beans in fresh boiled water for 3-4 hours.

Rinse the beans and place into a pressure cooker.

Cover the pinto beans with cold water approximately 1-2 inches, do not fill the cooker past half way with water.

Securely place on the lid and bring to full pressure - turn the heat on lowest setting and cooker for 30 minutes.

Do not add salt to the beans or else it will harden the pinto beans.

After 30 minutes run cold water over the pressure cooker and release the pressure, drain beans and leave until the chilli sauce is ready.

On a medium heat fry the onions until they start to soften. Add the chopped green chillis and 1 large teaspoon of garlic paste.

Stir well and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the zucchini and stir well. Add the tomato puree and all herbs and spices. Pour in half a cup of water or enough to just slightly cover the zucchini.

Simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until the zucchini starts to soften. Stir occasionally.

Add salt to taste.

Add the mushrooms keep stiring and simmering for 5 minutes.

Add the 1/4 teaspoon of garlic paste and the pinch of cumin and parsley, stir well.

Add the frozen sweetcorn stir well and simmer until the sweetcorn is cooked.

Add the drained pinto beans one large spoonful at a time.

Any left over beans can be used for bean burgers or re fried beans as the pintos have been cooked from fresh.

Check for salt.

Serve with white rice or bread.

If desired sprinkle fresh coriander leaves over the chilli.

Enjoy Chefs vegan pinto bean chilli con carne recipe.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Foccaccia con Olive

I fancied making some bread yesterday, something nice to go with soup at lunchtime. So a quick flick through my favourite bread book Bread by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferringno from Dorling Kindersley (great photos!) and I found a recipe for Foccaccia con Olive, my version is a variation on this.

I didnt have any olives left, but what I did have a tub of Olive Pate which my SIL had brought with her at Christmas. It was ideal to smear all over the top of the foccaccia. I also made my dough in the bread maker but cooked it in the oven, best of both worlds in my opinion.

Foccaccia con Olive (Hearth Bread with Olives)

Ingredients

2 tsp easy blend yeast

500g (1lb) strong white flour

1.5tsp salt

75ml (2.5floz) olive oil, plus additional olive oil to finish

75ml (2.5fl oz) dry white wine (I just used more water)

200g (7oz) pitted black olives (or half a tub of olive pate)

2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

Put all the dry ingredients in the bread machine, add the water and olive oil and set the machine to dough.

When it has finished turn it out onto an oiled baking sheet and press into a round, spread the olive pate onto the dough and leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped underneath. Sprinkle with additional oil if required. Cool on a wire rack.