Dinner, Mexican, Recipes, Rice Dishes, Side Dishes

Sopa de Arroz

October 16, 2012

For ages I have searched for a good Mexican rice recipe and I have tried and discarded many.  My search ended with a Saveur magazine recipe.  The staff of Saveur travels to many different countries and seeks out all kinds of wonderful people who share their cuisine with them.  I have to admit that I have found more recipes that I love in Saveur than in any other food magazine.  Saveur articles typically feature extended stories on the cultures and people who share their wonderful recipes.  In this instance the dish was featured in a Quinceaneara feast (all over Latin America a girls 15th birthday is a major celebration).  These are usually rustic dishes that don’t call for ingredients too difficult to find.  So here is a really good Mexican-style rice recipe from Saveur.

Pulse in your food processor.

Cook rice with tomato puree.

Add broth and cook, undisturbed until liquid barely covers the rice.  In this photo the rice is almost at that stage with just  a few more minutes to go.

Sopa de Arroz

Serves 8

Adapted from Saveur magazine

Ingredients

2 cups long grain rice

About 3 small, ripe and juicy tomatoes – skin and seeds removed, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup onion – coarsely chopped

2 small or 1 large garlic clove

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon mild chili powder – optional (I use Hatch mild chile powder from New Mexico. It doesn’t add any heat to the rice however it does give a nice color).

Preparation

Rinse rice well in a fine mesh colander until water runs clear.  Drain well, set colander on paper towels to absorb excess water.  Set aside

Place tomatoes, onion and garlic in a small food processor. Pulse until ingredients are pureed.  You’ll want about 1 cup of tomato/onion/garlic puree. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large, wide heavy-bottomed pot that has a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat.  I have a Cuisinart 5.5 quart pot I use.  It’s wide and not too deep.  This is preferable to a narrow, deep pot as the rice has more surface area to cook. Once the oil is hot add the rice and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the rice is lightly golden, about 5 minutes or so.  Be sure to keep stirring and don’t leave the rice unattended, it may burn.

Remove the pot from the burner and add the tomato puree mixture.  Turn the heat down to medium low.  Place the rice back on the burner and continue to stir for about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and turn the heat up to high.  Add salt (and chile powder if using).  Give the rice one more stir and once the broth comes to a boil turn the heat down to medium – medium high (the broth should be bubbling).  Cook the rice undisturbed and uncovered for about 7 minutes or until the liquid barely covers the rice and craters appear on the surface.  Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.  Set your timer for 20 minutes.

Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and leave undisturbed (do not open the lid) for at least 15 minutes.  Take off the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

If you have leftovers, the rice freezes beautifully.

Dinner, Reviews

Ruth’s Chris Wailea – Maui

October 11, 2012

We recently celebrated two birthdays at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Wailea.  They offer an excellent early bird menu if you order prior to 6:00 p.m.  You have a choice of a Caesar salad, house salad or soup, four entrée selections including a petite filet mignon, fresh fish of the day, stuffed chicken breast or barbecued shrimp, side dishes such as mashed potatoes, broccoli, sautéed mushrooms as well as dessert.  Wow!  If you stray away and peek at the regular menu you’ll be tempted to order other items and of course, that’s exactly what we did.

Osso Buco Ravioli

Calamari

Caesar Salad

Frites

Petit Filet

Mahi Mahi with Lemon Butter Caper Sauce

Our local Costco store sells Ruth’s Chris gift cards (redeemable on Maui, Oahu, Big Island).  You pay $80 and receive two $50 cards.

Our dinner was excellent.  They improved their Caesar salad by serving whole, baby romaine leaves instead of chopped romaine.  It was crunchy and fresh and the dressing was delicious.  My dining companions raved about the Osso Buco ravioli and the calamari appetizers.  For our main course some ordered fish and others the petite filet which is what I chose.  It was well seasoned and cooked to a perfect medium rare.  The one item they could improve upon are the frites.  We’ve had them before at Wailea and Restaurant Row and Waikiki and they just don’t come close to the really good frites we’ve had in San Francisco which are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  With that being said, it was a very delicious meal with wonderful service and we’re off to Costco to buy more of the great value gift cards for another visit to Ruth’s Wailea.

Japanese, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Kobocha No Toroni

October 7, 2012

Kabocha No Toroni (Japanese squash simmered in rice wine and soy sauce) is a simple side dish that is healthy and delicious. Some cooks prefer to create a marbled effect (above) by paring off patches of the  skin.  Although this is not necessary, it makes for a beautiful design.  This is easily done with a vegetable peeler.  The skin of the squash seems very hard, however, as the squash simmers the skin softens and becomes tender and edible.

Kabocha No Toroni

Serves four as a side dish

Adapted from Japanese Vegetarian Cooking by Patricia Richfield

Ingredients

About 1 pound Kabocha (Japanese squash)

2  cups water

1 tablespoon super fine sugar

1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)

1/4 cup soy sauce

Cut the squash in half and remove seeds.  You can double the recipe if you want to use the entire squash.  The squash I purchased weighed about 2 1/2 pounds so I saved the other half for later use.  Peel off patches of skin to create a marbled effect if desired.  Cut into 2 inch cubes.

In a 3 – 4 quart sauce pan add water, sugar, mirin and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Add squash and return to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer until just tender (al dente) for approximately 10 minutes (cooking time depends upon the size of the cubed squash).  Check doneness with a thin knife, don’t over cook!

Remove the squash to a serving bowl, reduce the sauce a bit then drizzle it on the kabocha just before serving and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds.

Beef, Dinner, Italian, Recipes

Ragu alla Bolognese

October 5, 2012

Here is a recipe I adapted from Saveur magazine.  It’s a rustic dish I think your family and friends will really enjoy.  Once you add all the ingredients to your pan, the meat sauce will simmer for 2 1/2 hours and you’ll have time to tidy up the kitchen before your guests arrive.

A mirepoix of celery, carrots and onion.

Ragu alla Bolognese

6 – 8 servings

Adapted from Saveur Magazine

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small onion peeled and finely minced (about 1 cup)

1/2 medium carrot finely minced (about 1/2 cup)

1 large celery stalk finely minced (about 1/2 cup)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I use lean ground sirloin)

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup hot milk

1 cup beef or chicken broth

1 28 oz. can tomato purée (I use Muir Glen)

salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat oil in a large sauce pan (I use my 5 1/2 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven) over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until soft and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the celery and carrots and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add the ground beef to the pan and season with salt and pepper.  Start with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Break up the meat and cook just until the meat is still slightly pink.  Do not fry or brown the meat.  Add the wine and cook, stirring until it has evaporated, about 3 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the hot milk stirring the meat mixture occasionally until the milk has evaporated, about 8 – 10 minutes.

While the meat is simmering in the milk, heat the broth and tomato purée together over medium high heat until hot.  Add this to the meat once the milk has evaporated.

Reduce the heat and gently simmer uncovered for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Season to taste with more salt and pepper before serving.

It is equally delicious served on spaghetti, wide pasta noodles such as pappardelle or short pasta shapes like rigatoni.  A generous sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano completes the dish.

***The sauce freezes well.  Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and heat gently before serving.  The meat sauce makes a delicious filling for lasagna.

 

 

Mexican, Recipes

Salsa Fresca

September 27, 2012

With lots of Big Beef tomatoes in the garden now, we have sliced and layered them on toasted homemade country sourdough bread. I’ve made Green Beans with Olive Oil & Tomatoes, fresh pasta sauce and big, big bowls of salsa fresca.  Fresh salsa is nothing like the bottled salsa you find on the grocery store shelves which many times seem too “tomato pasty.”  Since fresh salsa is best consumed within a day or two, we have eaten many meals that highlight the salsa; tacos, quesadillas, tostadas and tamales.  A simple Sunday breakfast of scrambled eggs with a bit of extra sharp cheddar and topped with a good serving of salsa fresca is the perfect way to start your day.

I don’t follow a specific recipe because there are just 6 ingredients.  You can add as much cilantro, onion and jalapeño as you like.  The best suggestion I can offer is to use good juicy tomatoes (plum tomatoes seem too dry) and taste your jalapeños to see how hot they are since their heat varies considerably especially if using fresh jalapeños.  I prefer to used nacho jalapeño rings that John grows and cans each year. They are hot (!) and I can judge just how much I will need for each salsa recipe.  You can buy jarred jalapeños at the grocery store or canned, chopped jalapeños such as Ortega.  These will work fine.

These containers of salsa were sold to co-workers.  I will donate the monies collected to the 2013 Visitor Industry Charity Walk which is an annual event that helps hundreds of local charities throughout the state.

Salsa Fresca

Fresh tomatoes, cut into small dice with seeds removed

Maui onion or sweet onion finely diced

Chopped cilantro

Minced jalapeño

Fresh lime juice

Salt

This is so easy since there’s no specific measurements for each ingredient.  Once you chop the tomatoes you decide how much of the other ingredients to add to suit your taste.  Some of you may not care for cilantro so you might choose to leave it out, but I highly recommend you give it a try.  It adds a bright color and fresh flavor to the salsa.

It is best to eat the salsa the day you make it.  If you have leftovers use it within two days.

Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Green Beans with Olive Oil & Tomatoes

September 24, 2012

This recipe comes from The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.  I bought this book many years ago  (published 1994) and it sits on a low shelf where I can easily reach it.  Though there are many recipes in the book I have yet to try, I found a few favorites, this being one of them.  What’s so special about this recipe?  It’s easy to make with only few ingredients that are easily found at your local grocery store.  It’s ready in an hour.  It is simply delicious.

Fresh green beans cut into 1 1/2 – 2 inch lengths.

Green beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic and olive oil simmer for 40 minutes.

Green Beans with Olive Oil & Tomatoes 

Serves four as a side dish

Adapted from Nancy Harmon Jenkins ~ The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

Ingredients 

1 pound green beans, ends trimmed and cut into  1 1/2 – 2 inch lengths

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 1/2 cups peeled and finely chopped tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Wash the green beans and cut into 1 1/2 – 2 inch lengths and rinse in a colander.

In a saucepan large enough to hold the beans, cook the onion in the olive oil on medium heat for about 8 minutes.  Once the onions begin to brown, add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the green beans and stir them into the onion mixture.  Add the tomatoes, sugar and salt and mix the ingredients together.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the pan.  Check the heat after a few minutes. If it seems too high turn the heat down to low.  Let the beans simmer, covered for 40 minutes.  The beans should be soft but not falling apart.  Stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt if necessary.

Though the beans lose their vibrant green color after simmering, their flavor is not compromised.  In fact the  tomatoes, onions, garlic and olive oil provide a luscious sauce that is very satisfying with an accompaniment of brown rice.

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