Fire Roasted Beef Stew

Fire Roasted Beef Stew

It’s that time of year again…time for Super bowl Sunday!  A great time for gathering all of your family and friends for yet another feast, and this Stew is perfect.  I would go ahead and make it on Saturday let it simmer for a few hours and refrigerate over-night, letting all the flavors melt together.  I try to get as much cooking done as possible the day before, I’m a fan too and don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen game time.  So this week’s offerings will be simple and quick, so no one will miss any of the action on the field.

Thank You

Paulie

Ingredients

Serrano’s- 3

Garlic- 6 (cloves, Unpeeled)

Stew Meat- 3 pounds

Flour- ½ cup

Olive oil- 3 tbsp

Bacon fat- 2 tbsp

Onion- 3 cups (medium dice)

Celery- 3 cups (medium Dice)

Carrots- 3 cups (medium dice)

Red wine- 1 cup

Tomatoes- 2 cans 15 ounce (fire roasted)

Roasted red Peppers- ¾ cup (medium diced)

Beef broth- 10 cups

Cilantro- 3 tbsp (rough chopped)

Method to the Madness

1)      In a sauté pan add the Serrano and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, until they have black spots on them. While the Serrano’s and garlic are cooking combine the flour with the stew meat season with sat & pepper and mix well. Remove the Serrano’s and garlic from the pan and let cool. Toss them in a food processor and mince.

2)      In a large sauce pot over medium high heat add the bacon fat, brown the stew meat on all sides. Remove from pan. Add the olive oil and add the Serrano’s, garlic, celery, carrots and onion cooking until onions become soft and translucent. Deglaze the pan with the wine and scrape up all the brown bits, simmer until all liquid evaporates. Add the tomatoes, red peppers, and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for at least 3-4 hours. Let cool and refrigerate overnight if possible.

3)      Reheat; bring the stew back to a boil for 30 seconds and let simmer until ready to enjoy. Add to your favorite soup bowl and garnish with the cilantro.

4)      ENJOY!!

Fire Roasted Beef Stew

Time for some Changes

Hello everyone!  Well our Mexican adventure is coming to an end, this is the second to last post I will be doing on the subject for awhile.  I will be going back to my recipe cookbook, all my tried and true favorites.  As I look back over the last month’s posts, I really did learn some things and I hope you all did as well.

Mexican cooking is not easy; it’s labor intensive and time consuming. Many of the ingredients we used were roasted prior to use and many sauces had to be made ahead of time.  Not exactly user friendly for the work week.  I introduced us to new ingredients that I may have been familiar with but have never really dived into.  I discovered a Mexican grocery store in my neighborhood, that I knew was there but never gave it a try.  It was a delightful experience, and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

There are BIG changes on the way for our little blog, most of which are design and functionally.  I am trying to make the new site much more user friendly, all in hopes of making it a more enjoyable experience for all of you.  If you have ANY suggestions please feel free.  I would like the new blog to be all about you all and all your needs.

Thank You

Paulie

Tacos de Chorizo con Papas y Hongos~ Chorizo, Potato and Mushroom Tacos

Ingredients

Chorizo- 12 ounces

White onion- 1 medium (sliced ¼ inch thick)

Mushrooms- 6 ounces (Shiitake, sliced ½ inch thick)

Red-skinned potatoes- 3 medium (Grated through the grater’s largest holes)

Cilantro- ½ cup (chopped)

Corn Tortillas- 12 (warmed)

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa- ¾ cup

http://www.pantryblogger.com/2011/01/two-salsas-for-price-of-one-post.html 

Method to the Madness

1)      Lay the chorizo in a large skillet (12 inch) and set over medium heat. Cook, breaking up the clumps, until some of the fat starts to render, about 4 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

2)      Sprinkle in the potatoes; cook stirring frequently until the potatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. If the potatoes start to brown and are not becoming soft, reduce heat. Taste and season with salt if necessary.

3)      Place the mixture into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve with the warm tortillas, salsa and some hot sauce.

4)      ENJOY!!

 Recipe courtesy of Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday
http://www.rickbayless.com/cookbooks/mexicaneveryday.html

Two Salsa’s for the price of one post

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Rustic Roasted Tomato salsa

Salsa de Tomate Verde Asado ~ Roasted Tomatillo Salsa  

Ingredients

Tomatillos- 8 ounces (husked, rinsed and halved)

Garlic- 2 cloves (peeled)

Serrano’s- 2 (steamed and chopped)

Cilantro- 1/3 cup (chopped)

White onion- ½ small (finely chopped)

Salt- to taste

Method to the Madness

1)      In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, lay the garlic and tomatillos cut side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the tomatillos are well browned, then flip and cook the other side the same way.

2)      Scrape the tomatillos and garlic into a blender or food processor and let cook for 3 minutes. Add the chiles, cilantro and ¼ cup of water. Blend to a course puree. Pour into a salsa dish.

3)      Scoop the chopped onion into a strainer and rinse under cold water. Stir into the salsa. Taste and season with salt if necessary.

4)      Serve with your favorite chips or your favorite tacos, and ENJOY!!!

Salsa de Molcajete ~ Rustic Roasted Tomato Salsa

Ingredients

Serrano’s- 4

Garlic- 3 cloves (unpeeled)

White onion- ½ cup (finely chopped)

Diced tomatoes- 1 – 15 ounce can (fire roasted)

Cilantro- 1/3 cup (roughly chopped)

Lime juice- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Method to the Madness

1)      Set a small skillet over medium heat. Lay the chiles and garlic in the skillet and dry roast until soft and blotchy black in spots. 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 for the garlic.

2)      While the chiles and garlic are roasting, scoop the chopped onion into a strainer and rinse under cold water. Shake off the excess water and pour them into a bowl.

3)      Pull the stems off the chiles and peel the garlic. Scoop them into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tomatoes with their juice re-cover and pulse for a course texture.

4)      Pour the tomato mixture into the bowl with the onions. Add the cilantro and stir thoroughly. Thin with a little water if necessary to give the salsa an easily spoon-able consistency. Taste and season with the salt and lime juice. If not using within an hour or two, cover and refrigerate.

5)      ENJOY!!!

Note: If you’re not planning to use the salsa within a few hours, wait until you’re ready to serve to add the onions and cilantro.

Recipes courtesy of Rick Bayless Mexican Everyday.

 http://www.rickbayless.com/cookbooks/mexicaneveryday.html

Tacos de Huevos Revueltos a la Mexican~ Mexican Scrambled Egg Tacos

 I’m not sure I told any of you this…but I love breakfast.  By far it is my favorite meal of the day in particular eggs; I would eat them every morning if only the cholesterol meter would let me.  I usually find myself having egg-white omelets or cereal during the week, saving up for a “treat” on the weekends with my wife.  We usually for-go the “rules” one day a week, and that day is almost always Sunday.

This recipe is perfect for those leisurely Sunday mornings.  It took me a total time of around 20-25 minutes, with little clean up.  Two pans one for the eggs, one for warming tortillas, and finally your blender or food processor.  Perfect; I do not like to start the day with a big cleaning project, or for that matter I don’t want to clean anything on Sunday.

Ingredients

Garlic- 3 cloves (peeled)
Serrano chiles- 2 (steamed, cut into 3-4 pieces)
White Onion- 1 medium (medium diced)
Bacon Fat- 2 tbsp (butter, lard, olive oil is all fine)
Eggs- 8Salt- to taste
Cilantro- ½ cup (chopped)
Avocado-1 (cubed, ¼ inch pieces)
Tortillas- 12 (warmed)
Tomatoes- 1 pound (cored, chopped) I did not use tomatoes.

Method to the Madness

1)      With a food processor running, drop in the garlic and chiles one at a time, letting each piece get finely chopped before adding the next. Stop the food processor and add the onion, then pulse until most of the onion pieces are no larger than ¼ inch thick.

2)      Heat the oil (or whatever you are using) in a large skillet (12 inch) over medium heat. Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring regularly, until starting to brown 4-5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high add the tomatoes cook, stirring frequently, until all liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes.

3)      While the tomatoes are cooking, crack the eggs in a mixing bowl add a tsp of salt and whisk.

4)      Add the eggs to the skillet and cook, slowly stirring and scraping up the cooked eggs from the bottom of the skillet- until eggs are as done as you like. Scoop them into a serving platter and sprinkle with the cilantro and avocado. Serve them with the warm tortillas and salsa or hot sauce for making soft tacos.

5)      ENJOY!!
P.S. Go Bears!!!!
Recipe courtesy of Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday
http://www.rickbayless.com/cookbooks/mexicaneveryday.html 

Ensalada de Hongos Asados con Espinacas y Chorizo ~ Roasted Mushroom Salad with Spinach and Chorizo

Roasted Mushrooms…I love them. I first had the delicious fungi at Capital Grill back in 2000, and still to this day they were the best roasted mushroom I have ever had.  The mushrooms in this salad are a close second.  This salad was hearty, and simple it took me a total of 20 minutes from start to finish; it really works for the weeknights. 

Spinach mushrooms and the chorizo blended perfectly.  The sweetness from the red onion balanced out the spicy chorizo, and the lime juice gave it a great fresh tasting kick.  As simple as this salad is, it really packs a powerful punch in the flavor department.

 

Ingredients

Chorizo- 8 ounces

Mushrooms- 8 ounces= 4 cups (sliced, shiitakes, oysters, chanterelles are great options)

Red onion- 1 large (sliced ¼ inch thick)

Spinach- 8 ounces= 8 cups (stems removed)

Vegetable oil- 3 tbsp (optional sub: Olive oil)

Lime juice- 2 tbsp (fresh)

Oregano- ½ tsp (Mexican if you have it, if not no worries)

Salt- to taste

Method to the Madness

1)      Heat the oven to 425. Break up the chorizo into small clumps on a baking dish with sides. Sprinkle the mushrooms and onion over the chorizo. Slide them in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Stir, breaking up the clumps of chorizo, mixing everything well. Bake for another 10 minutes.

2)      While the mushrooms are roasting, add the spinach to a large mixing bowl.

3)      In a small microwaveable container, combine the oil, lime juice, oregano, salt and two tbsp of water. Heat on high in a microwave for 30 seconds.

4)      When the mushrooms are ready, sprinkle them over the spinach. Drizzle the warm dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve right away.

5)      ENJOY!!!

Recipe courtesy of Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday

 http://www.rickbayless.com/cookbooks/mexicaneveryday.html