SALPICON DE RES

 

Memorial day weekend is here and of course, that means shorter short, sun, beaches and (my favorite) picnics. Salpicon de Res has been a long time favorite of mine.  Next to a great tinga tostada, a tostada de salpicon has got to be it.  Because the dish is served cold its absolutely perfect to take on a picnic, and makes for a great on-the-go snack when heading to the beach this summer.  I also love that the longer you keep it in the fridge marinating, the deeper the flavor gets. Its also great for any large gathering.  You can put out for your guests, pair it with a great green salsa, avocado, throw in a bag of chips and listo! 

Hope you are all enjoying your memorial day weekend.  I'll be at the beach eating up my salpicon left overs with Paola ;) 

xoxo

 

INGREDIENTS: 

2 lb. beef flank steak, cut into 2 equal pieces

1 white onion, thickly sliced, plus 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp. sea salt, plus more, to taste

3 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tbs. dried oregano

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

4 serrano chiles, finely chopped

2 tbsp vinegar

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 cups of shredded romaine lettuce,

radishes, thinly sliced for garnish

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced

PREPARATION:

 Put the flank steak, the thickly sliced onion, garlic, salt and bay leaves in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a simmer and skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Let simmer until the meat shreds easily, 20 to 30 minutes.

 

When the beef is tender, turn off the heat. Remove the beef from the broth and let it cool, refrigerate the remaining broth for another use. Trim off any excess fat from the beef, then finely shred the beef with your hands. Put it into a bowl with the thinly sliced onion. Stir in the lime juice, chopped serranos, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper, then toss together with lettuce and cilantro. Let rest for 30 minutes to allow the meat to marinade.

 

Put the beef mixture on the tostadas and garnish with radish and the avocado slices, shredded lettuce and finely chopped onion. Serve at room temperature. Serves 6.

 
Posted on May 25, 2014 and filed under recipes.

MOM'S GREEN POZOLE

 

Is it ever really posible to give your moms recipe justice?  Hmm, tough to say.  

I guess I always like to think I can come close to that perfection that only my mom can make, but let's be honest here, NOTHING can ever compare those beans, that mole, or the pozole only your mom can make right.  This week, in honor of mommy's day, I decided to give my moms green pozoloe recipe a try in the kitchen.  Of course, my girl Paola was there with me every step of the way and in the midst of our excitement, we decided to switch up a couple things up.   *Please note that Mom's original Pozole verde is made with shredded chicken, but us being the stubborn girls that we are, we decided to try something new and switched to shrimp.  Yes, that is correct. We made Green Shrimp Pozole and it was delicious!  

I hope all of you have fun with the recipe.  It's a simple and delicious way to surprise your mom with Mother's day brunch made from scratch.   

Enjoy! 

Apologies in advance to my moms if by any chance she hates the fact that I added shrimp to this pozole :/  Mom, I love you from here to the moon.  I promise to remake this for you next time you are in town 

xoxo

Ingredients

7 cups 2 quarts (or 8 cups) of chicken broth

3 bay leaves

2 cups of cooked hominy

2 lbs tomatillo, de-husked and quartered

2 cups of cilantro leaves

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup white onion, roughly chopped

2-3 chiles serranos, minced, deseeded 

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup sesame seed, toasted

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

2 corn tortillas

1 1/2 lbs shrimp

Kosher salt

 

Garnish

A bunch of radishes, thinly sliced

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

Dry oregano

A couple dozen tostadas

Preparation

Fill a medium stockpot with 5 cups of the chicken broth, bay leaves and hominy. Set stockpot on heat to bring to a simmer. 

Add to a blender the toasted sesame seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds, tortillas and 2 cups of chicken broth, puree until smooth and add to stockpot. 

 Prepare the green salsa by pureeing in a blender the reserved 1 cup of chicken broth, tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, onions and chiles until smooth.

 Heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the green pureed salsa and cinnamon stick until the salsa thickens, about 15 minutes. Reserve.

 Add salsa verde to the stockpot and simmer for 10 more minutes. Adjust seasonings and add salt if necessary.

 Add shrimp and cook until the shrimp start turning pink, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and serve into deep bowls, top with garnish and serve with tostadas. 

 

Also, if any of you are interested in hearing me talk a bit more about this and other of my mamas recipes.  I will be joining an amazing panel of LA food peeps this Thursday, May 8th at the KPCC Crawford Family Forum from 7:30-9pm for Make What Your Mama Gave Ya: Dishing on family eats and tradition in LA.  Hope to see you there! 

 
Posted on May 7, 2014 and filed under recipes.

DRUNKEN RICE PUDDING

 

Ever since I first tried Ancho Reyes, I was hooked!  I mean really, what’s not to like about a 40%AV Chile Ancho Liqueur.  I have been trying it in different cocktail menus all around LA (all winners) but I had ben curious to give it a try in the kitchen for sometime now.  My first instinct was to use it on a dessert, so when Paola mentioned making Arroz con Leche, it just made perfect sense to bring these two together.  We were right; it was just way too good.

I am not going to lie to you all though, having a little Chile Ancho on ice with soda water may have helped a bit, but it made our cooking time a lot more fun.  Between boy drama and family heartaches, this arroz con leche and Ancho Reyes made for the perfect ending to our latest cooking date.  Paola and I look forward to cooking with this a lot more..

 

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

 

Xo,

B

You can find Ancho Reyes at K&L Wines

 
 

Ingredients

1 cup Arborio rice

2 cups water

3 cups milk

1 cup coconut milk

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1/4 cup Ancho Reyes Liqueur plus 1/4 teaspoon for serving  

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Freshly ground cinnamon and chocolate shavings for sprinkling

Preparation

Combine the rice, cinnamon stick and water in a medium pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water is almost gone, about 5 minutes. Add the milk, coconut milk, vanilla, Ancho Reyes Liqueur, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then lower to a simmer, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Serve into bowls and pour the remaining Ancho Reyes Liqueur onto the arroz con leche. Sprinkle with cinnamon and chocolate shavings and serve. 

 

 
Posted on April 9, 2014 and filed under recipes.