Mexican Birthday Party (cont'd)

Our main dishes included a Taco Bar & Chili con carne.... We did serve the chili with sweet corn muffins but the recipe needs some tweaking so I'd rather not post it...

Our Taco Bar included the following:

Soft Tacos
Hard Tacos
Ground beef
shredded chicken
bell peppers
tomatoes
lettuce
sour cream
cheddar cheese
onions
olives
jalapenos

Chili Con Carne

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 lb ground beef
12 ¾ oz can of crushed tomatoes (400g)
1 cup beef stock
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsps of sugar
2 tbsp tomato paste
12 ¾ oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (400g)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pan and add onion. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the garlic, chilli and cumin, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the meat and cook for 5 minutes, or until browned, breaking up any lumps with a fork as it cooks.

Stir in the tomato, stock, oregano and sugar. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the tomato paste and beans and season. Cook for 5 minutes to heat the beans, then serve with cornbread to mop up the juices.

Heat the oil in a large pan and add onion. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the garlic, chilli and cumin, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the meat and cook for 5 minutes, or until browned, breaking up any lumps with a fork as it cooks.

Stir in the tomato, stock, oregano and sugar. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the tomato paste and beans and season. Cook for 5 minutes to heat the beans, then serve with cornbread to mop up the juices.

Day After Thanksgiving

My cousin has recently gave birth to twins and after having celebrated Thanksgiving with 2 turkeys she was at a loss as to what to do with all the leftovers. So during a recent visit, I thought I'd help out by using those leftovers and leaving behind a quick meal. So I made the following:

Thanksgiving Soup

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small bag of baby carrots, roughly chopped (340g)
2 stalks celery trimmed and chopped
1 medium onion peeled and chopped
900 ml (reduced sodium) chicken broth
2 cups roasted turkey diced
2 tbsps of hot pimento paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon juiced

Directions

In a heavy saucepan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and add carrots, celery and onion; cook until soft and golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add chicken broth, turkey, and pimento paste; bring to a boil. Simmer soup uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Before serving squeeze in the juice of a lemon.

You can also add leftover rice, corn or any fresh vegetables you have on hand to this basic soup recipe.

Enjoy!

Pasta and Vodka...yum!!!

Desperate to cook something without having to go to the grocery store to pick up anything, I had all of the ingredients at home to make the following dish...

Fettucine alla Vodka

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon hot pimento paste
200 grams frozen cooked shrimp
2 cups of diced tomatoes (with ¼ cup of liquid)
Garlic salt
1/3 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
340 grams whole wheat fettucine (1 package)
Salt to season
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are light golden around edges, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp (or ½ cup of diced sausage)

Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove pan from heat and add vodka. Return pan to medium-high heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Stir in cream and cook until hot, approximately 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and fettucine. Cook for 9 minutes (al dente), then drain pasta (reserve ¼ cup of pasta water). Add sauce to pasta and toss over medium heat until pasta absorbs some of sauce, 1 to 2 minutes, adding reserved cooking water if sauce is too thick.

Divide among pasta bowls. Sprinkle with basil and parmesan cheese.

Serve with a Caesar salad and garlic bread.

Enjoy!

This was a really good recipe. Next time I’d like to try this recipe with 1 cup of diced chouriço instead of the shrimp…hmmm... now I'm looking forward to another chilly weekend :)

Comfort Food on a chilly Saturday

The chill is settling in the air ever so slightly and as a result, today I'm all about the comfort food. I'll start with a Portuguese Caldo Verde - a potato and vegetable puree. Very traditional and you've probably tasted it as the first course at a typical Portuguese wedding.

Caldo Verde (Creamy Portuguese Potato & Greens Soup)

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
2 large onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
250 grams spicy chouriço (or spanish sausage)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved (750 grams)
8 cups chicken stock
1 tsp of salt
2 cups of finely shredded collard greens
4 cups water

Directions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add all the ingredients except the water and collard greens. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 45-50 minutes.

In a separate pot, combine water, 1 tsp of salt and collard greens. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Drain greens and place in a pot.

When the potato mixture is cool enough to handle, remove chouriço, slice it thinly and set aside. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and purée. Return to the pot. Add the greens and combine well. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Enjoy!