holy hot basil

delicious with a runny fried egg on top. excellent for dinner parties, total cooking time is ~7 minutes.

holy hot basil
[neua pat bai grapao]

10 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
8 bird's eye chilies, chopped
pinch of salt
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup stock or water
2 large handfuls of holy basil
ground pork or chopped beef
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs

Serve w/ steamed thai sticky rice [thai glutinous rice]

Preparation
Coarsely chop garlics with chilies & salt.
Heat a oiled wok over high heat, add in 2 tbsp vegetable oil, fry two eggs until just cooked & yolks still runny, spoon oil over the top to ensure top is cooked well. Lift eggs out & set aside.

Add remaining 2 tbsp of oil to wok.  Once oil is hot, add in garlic, chili & salt mixture.  Stir fry quickly, don't allow the garlic to brown.  Add in the beef or pork and stir fry until just cooked through.  Add in the fish sauce, fish sauce & sugar to your taste.  Add stock or water and simmer quickly.  Add in the holy basil, once wilted remove dish from heat.  

Serve with thai sticky rice & top holy hot basil dish with one fried egg.  

holy posole

in honor of a new year filled with spice, magic and luck, I made an extra large batch of my favorite: posole. hominy is good luck and quite possibly magic, which is why this soup represents more than just spicy. plus, it's perfect for winter eats. this might knock your socks off and burn the insides of your mouth (in a good way), but rest assured you can always cut back on the chipotle for a milder version. this recipe varies slightly from the other posole recipe that I shared previously, and is the one that i make most often.

POSOLE 2012

2 lbs pork shoulder (cut into 1-2 inch cubes)

2 bulbs garlic, peeled, smashed & diced

1 large yellow onion chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

2-3 tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (chop or blend)

1-2 tbsp chipotle chile powder

4 14 oz cans of Rotel tomatoes (blended)

8 cups chicken broth

1-2 mexican beers (tecate or corona)

2 limes (juiced)

1 30 oz can of white hominy (rinsed and drained)

Garnishes

Cabbage, sliced

Yellow onion, chopped

Cilantro, chopped

Red Radishes, sliced

Lime wedges

In large soup pot sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil.  Add in pork and chipotle chile powder, brown the pork and cook about 10 minutes.  Add in beer, chicken broth, blended Rotel tomatoes, juice of two limes and chipotle chiles in adobo. Cook for 2-3 hours, until pork is tender and broth has reduced a bit. Add in drained hominy. Serve garnished with cilantro, radishes, cabbage, onions and a generous lime wedge for added tang.   

tacos al past or tacos al present

Tacos al pastor are my number one favorite thing to order in Mexican restaurants. I've been meaning to learn how to make them at home for a while now, but when I originally looked up the recipe there was all this talk about shawarma and cooking the meat on a spit with intermittent layers of pineapple.  I'm not ready to invest in my own spit quite yet.  I was able to find a couple of other recipes that did not require such a purchase, and I blended the two recipes to make this creation.  It consists of marinating a fatty piece of pork (shoulder or butt, loin would probably work too) and then slow cooking it at low heat on the stove top or  in a crock pot.

The meat was a little spicy, but not too spicy, and had lots of different delicious flavors that combined to make one delicious flavor spread amongst many different tacos.  top each little taco with your fixings of choice: cilantro, lime, onions and even jalapenos if you have them.

and happy cinco de mayo everybody!

TACOS AL PASTOR
Marinade:
1 large white onion, chopped coarsely
1/2 can pineapple chunks and all juice from the can
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup guajillo chile powder
8 garlic cloves, halved
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 small chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the chiles

Meat:
1 2-3 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks.

For serving:
Fresh cilantro
lime wedges
chopped white onion
chopped fresh jalapenos

Blend all marinade ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Pour into a bowl with the meat, stir to cover the meat and marinate for two hours or overnight.  After the meat has marinated, place meat and marinade into a large pot on medium-low heat, add remaining pineapple chunks and cover.  Cook for about 2.5 hours or until meat is tender.

Serve on warmed corn tortillas with a sprinkling of cilantro, lime, onion and jalapenos.

rice 'n roll

This is a jazzy side dish to go with any Chinese meal. This rice is quick, tasty and requires pretty minimal ingredients. I made it to go along with sesame chicken, but it would nicely accompany many different dishes. 

PORK FRIED RICE

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 bunch scallions, roughly chopped

1/2 cup leftover pork (I used Chinese BBQ pork)

1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed (plus any leftover vegetables you have on hand)

4 cups cooked white or brown rice

4 tablespoons soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and scallions. Cook, breaking up the eggs with a spoon until they are lightly browned. Stir in the meat, vegetables, rice, and the remaining oil. Increase heat slightly and cook until the rice is crispy, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce with 4 tablespoons of water. Pour the mixture over the rice.Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid, 3 to 5 minutes.Season with the salt and pepper and serve, with extra soy sauce on the side.

luck in a bowl with a side of tortillas

Lily and Kristen G. inspired me to make this spicy, Christmasy stew with my mom last Sunday.  This red pork stew will warm you to the core, even on 20 degree Seattle days. I like this soup extra much because Kris's boyfriend, John, tells me that hominy is good luck.  And what is better than luck that you can scoop into a bowl and eat? Nothing.

Posole is very spicy folks, so unless you want a gutbuster, shy away from adding more than the recommended half can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

The homemade tortillas are perfect for dipping and their mildness cools your mouth as you eat.

POSOLE
(from nincomsoup)
5 lbs. of bone in shoulder pork, cut into 4-5 pieces
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped course
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 can of stewed tomatoes, 14 oz can, sliced
1/2 can of chipotle chiles in adobo, half the sauce and half the chiles
1 tsp. dried oregano
6 cups chicken broth
1 large can of hominy (28 oz)

GARNISHES
2 limes, cut into quarters
1/4 red cabbage, sliced thinly
1 small onion, chopped finely
cilantro, roughly chopped
5 radishes, sliced thinly

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat a large pot to medium high, add vegetable oil and onions. Stir frequently until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Add the pork, and brown on all sides. Once browned, add tomatoes, broth, oregano, and chipotle chiles. Bring to a boil then cover with a lid and place in the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender, about 3-4 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven, remove the meat from the pot and shred the pork until smaller chunks (not too shredded). Return the pork to the pot, add the hominy and simmer for another 30-45 minutes until all of the flavors have melded together.
 
 

FLOUR TORTILLAS
Two cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk. Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed. Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)

After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.

In a dry iron skillet on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done. Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.

Makes eight tortillas.

Muy Picante Chile Verde!

When my cousin Tanna was in town she made a deliciously spicy pork green chile, that she was kind enough to share the recipe for and photograph.  She works for an Oregon winery, Van Duzer, and loves cooking tasty meals and finding great wine pairings.  My mom, sister and I had the opportunity to visit her this summer and attend one of the wine dinners that Van Duzer hosts. She was in charge of the entire event for over 150 people and brought in her favorite chefs from Denver to cook the meal. It was great to see her talents at work and how much she loves her job, it's really a perfect fit and we are very proud of her. 

Mom and Tanna loving life at Van Duzer winery this past summer.

The cool thing about Tanna is that she is as talented at home as she is at work. Although, we won't tell her boss that she recommends serving her chile verde with cerveza, specifically BUD LIGHT, not Van Duzer wines. 

This is one of my cool and calm Uncle Tommy Max's favorites, he eats it with a side of flour tortillas. Here it is, the much awaited Pork Green Chile recipe.

the ingredients.  ready for cooking.  shameless Van Duzer product placement.

chile verde, finished. 

CHILE VERDE
1-2 lbs. pork (whatever's cheapest), fat removed and cubed

1 onion, chopped
2 anaheim peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno, fresh, chopped
3 cans of Rotel tomatoes (this is key, Rotel's are unparalleled by any other brand)
1 small can diced green chiles
additional roasted poblano peppers if available
salt and pepper to taste
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
Olive oil
Beer (bud light or yellow beer if you choose to use)
Flour or corn starch
 
Brown the pork in a couple tablespoons of olive oil with chopped onion, jalapeno, anaheim chiles, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin. After this is browned and tender, add the cans of Rotel. Add one small can of diced green chiles, any brand. Then fill the Rotel cans with water and put about 2-3 cans of water or chicken broth in the pot. You can also throw in a can of beer. Make a slurry with flour or corn starch. Keep cooking down, say all afternoon, adding spices and liquid until you have the consistency and flavor you want.
 
This is typically eaten in our family as a “smother” for a good homemade burrito. But cool and calm Uncle Tom likes to eat as a soup with a flour tortilla on the side for dipping! This can be made as hot as you want. This can also be made with chicken.

Serve with cerveza! Muy picante!

"sounds like dinner number two to me. did we not feed you enough chili dogs?"

Kristin and Elof moved into a loverly new loft. It is very nice and comes with rooftop access. Rooftop access includes such highlights as: a magic, gas-burning fire pit filled with brown glass beer bottle shards, various owl decoys, free (probably) basil and thyme herbs, one seagull (not scared by the owl decoys) that poops in the corner, three BBQ grills for which to make chili dogs and a view of the entire Puget Sound. You must bring your own novelty-sized bottle of wine. Thanks for sharing your chili, dog.

The KEXP BBQ was free this year with the headliner Dinosaur Jr. I had never heard of them, but they played a nice cover of The Cure's Just like Heaven. Lily said, "this is the only song of theirs I know." Samesies, but only because it's not Dino Jr., it's The Cure.

After the show we went to Tavolata and enjoyed a boatload of pasta dinner and accompaniments. Everything we had was delicious, salumi platter, yellow beet salad with gorgonzola, oxtail pasta, clam pasta, lamb pasta and squid pasta with prawns and anchovies, my most favorite of all was the squid pasta. if you count the salami, during that meal we consumed seven different animals. way to go everybody.