Tamales

This is my favorite thing to make out of my leftovers from pulled pork tacos.  It's very time-consuming, but I love tamales.  It's worth the effort!

Equipment:

--large pot (typical stock pot)

--steamer basket

(or you can use a steamer appliance, whatever)

Ingredients:

--About 3 cups of filling (I use the pulled pork but you can use whatever you want)

--3 cups masa harina (regular or the stuff specifically for tamales - both work well)**

--1 tbsp ground oregano

--2 tbsp chicken bouillon

--2 tsp cumin

--1 tsp garlic salt

--1 tsp cayenne pepper

--1/2 tsp chili powder

--1-1.5 cups oil

--2-4 cups of water, as needed

--1 pkg corn husks

**This amount of masa harina will generally make enough tamales to cook one batch in the stock pot, about 30 tamales, give or take.

1.  Soak the corn husks in warm water for long enough to soften them up.  (They're impossible to work with if you don't soak them well.  Chop the filling up so there aren't large pieces of meat.  Place the steamer basket in the stock pot and fill with water to just below the steamer basket. 

2.  In a large bowl, combine the masa harina and all the seasonings (oregano through chili powder).  Mix this well with a fork.  Add the oil and mix well.  The mixture should be sort of crumbly.  Add water about a cup at a time and mix it with your hands.  This is the tricky part - getting the right consistency - the dough should not really stick to your hands much, but you want it to be thick like peanut butter.  So creamy sort of, but not too wet and sticky...

3.  Tear a few corn husks into thin strips; you'll use these to tie up the tamales, so be sure they are long enough to wrap around. 

4.  Lay down two corn husks, overlapping them by an inch or so at the widest point.  Take about a golf ball sized amount of dough and press it onto the husks, making a thin layer in the shape of a rectangle.  (This should leave a few inches of husk on the ends, enough to fold over.)  I like a thin layer (as opposed to a thick layer) because you can taste more meat, so press it as thinly as you like.  I use the heel of my hand and my fingers to get it in the shape and depth I prefer.

5.  Layer the filling along the center of the dough, leaving a little space on either end (to close up the masa). 

6.  Take the husks and fold up the top and bottom to close the masa around the filling.  (Make sure you have enough masa to cover it all; if not, take out some filling.)  Pinch the husks just above the masa and roll it up, fold the ends of the tamale across it, and tie it with a husk strip.

***This is hard to explain without pictures!***

7.  Heat the water in the stock pot to boiling; while it's heating, place the tamales in the steamer basket, standing upright.  

8.  Turn the heat down to medium-low.  (Just low enough to keep making steam, like maybe around a 4 setting.)  Cook the tamales for at least 2 hours and 15 minutes; I usually check one around 2 hours and see how the masa is cooking.  If it's not done, keep cooking it.

There are tricks to the masa, too - I don't really use them, but you can try to float a ball of masa in a cup of water to make sure you have enough oil in the dough.  If you have trouble with the dough and it won't cook, then you can finish them off in the oven; that will help dry the masa out.  They don't taste as good, but it does dry the dough out so they stick together.



Pulled Pork Tacos

A twist on my favorite carnitas recipe!  You can use either a slow cooker or a pressure cooker (or a pot, if you want) for this recipe.

Two main components - the pulled pork and the slaw with dressing.  I'll break them down separately:

For the pulled pork:
--2-3 lbs of pork (I use tenderloin because it's lean and easy to cut, but shoulder/roasts work fine)
--28-oz can of tomatillos (similar to canned tomatoes)*
--28-oz can of Rotel*
--1/2 a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 3-4 oz)
--Cumin
--Chile powder
--Garlic powder or salt
--~2 tbsp Mexican oregano
--Black pepper
--3 tbsp cooking oil
*If you can't find this stuff, improvise - use fresh ingredients, or just use the same amounts of red and green enchilada sauce.

1.  Cut the pork into large chunks, approximately 3" square.  Season all sides of the pork with the spices (cumin, chile powder, garlic powder, pepper).  Take liberty to add what you want here (cayenne, etc.).  I don't over-coat the meat, but put enough because then you don't have to add much seasoning later on.

2.  In a skillet, heat oil over medium-med. high heat.  When oil is ready, brown the pork on all sides; set aside.  (Pork will still be raw in the middle.)

3.  Place the tomatillos, Rotel, and chipotles in a food processor.  Blend until well-mixed.

4.  Place the browned pork on the bottom of the cooker; then pour the tomato mixture over the top.  Add the oregano.  If using a slow cooker, cook on high for about 6 hours or until the meat starts to come apart.  For a pressure cooker, I used the high pressure setting for 1 hour, then quick release.

5.  After the meat has cooked, shred it with a fork (just tear it all apart).  Leave it in the juice and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Slaw Topping:
--Bag of cole slaw (undressed) or make your own shredded cabbage, about 5-6 cups
--1 cup milk
--1 cup sour cream
--1 package ranch dressing mix
--1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (adjust as you like)
--1/2 cup pickled jalapenos (adjust as you like)

1.  Place everything but cabbage into a blender and mix well. 

2.  Toss this dressing with the cabbage; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Assembly Ingredients:
--Refried black beans, heated
--Quesa fresca, crumbled
--Avocado, cubed

I served them as follows:
--Start with Laurel's homemade corn tortillas
--Spread some warm refried black beans on the tortilla
--Layer the pulled pork in the center
--Top the pork with the cabbage mixture
--Crumble some quesa fresca on top

This can make a pretty thick taco, so you may need to make those tortillas a tad larger!

This amount of pork will feed about 4-6 people.

Horizontal Tastebud Tango

I am already regretting my innuendo stupendo of a post title buuuuut here it is! Another great conquest, so great that it has taken me over a month to post the recipe online!! ;-) Seriously though, these empanadas turned out wonderful -- although I do recognize that it’s not something you would make on a daily basis. Do keep them in mind for those special occasions where you might want a flakey, savory appetizer treat with a South- American flare. :-)  I paired them with an avocado salad for a main meal. My boyfriend Shane happened to be in town when I made these so he did me a solid by snapping some really profesh pics with his SLR camera… my advanced apologies for the gratuitous amount of pictures! Makes me want to make them all over again yummmmmm

Argentinean Pork & Thyme Empanadas with Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients

Chimichurri Sauce

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

3 garlic cloves

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Empanada Filling

¾ of a whole Butternut squash, small cubes (~1 inch)

Small yellow onion, diced finely

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 lb ground pork (I love Whole Foods’ spicy pork sausage filling behind the meat counter)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus small sprigs for topping

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, plus more for working

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and ground pepper

Empanada Dough

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons each minced fresh sage and thyme

¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 ¼  cups ice water

1 large egg (for egg wash)

 Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Chimichurri Sauce

Place all ingredients in food processor/ Magic Bullet and blend until smooth

Filling

Spread cubes of squash on cookie sheet and lightly brush with a few splashes of olive oil. Roast in the oven for ~25 minutes or until caramelized. Remove and let cool.

While squash is roasting: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 5 to 7 minutes. Raise heat to high and add pork, thyme, and sage; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until pork is no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, until blended, about 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons water; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in squash and pine nuts. Season filling with salt and pepper and let cool.

Dough

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Add minced
fresh sage and thyme; mix well until combined. Keep mixing while adding pieces of butter. Add 1 cup ice water; mix until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (add up to 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed).
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead just until dough comes together, 4 to 5 times.

Empanada Construction

Preheat oven to 400, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a floured surface, divide dough in half and roll each piece to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 6-inch cookie cutter or plate as a guide, cut out 8 circles. Place 1/4 cup filling on half of each circle, leaving a ½-inch border. Brush edge of dough with water; fold top half over filling. Press edges to seal, then crimp firmly with a fork.

Transfer empanadas to two baking sheets lined with parchment. In a bowl, beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush empanadas with egg wash and top with thyme sprigs. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

Valentine's Dinner

I have a LOT of "favorite" recipes, as you may notice.  This is one of them.  I started making this when I got my Cooking Light cookbook, and I am still soooooo in love with it.  It's reasonably healthy, but a bit more of a splurge than, say, baked fish.  :)  I included my serving suggestions below as well.  Enjoy!

Pork Saltimbocca with Polenta and Green Beans



For the pic, I sliced the pork chop so you could see the stuffing.



Ingredients:

--1 pkg thin-cut pork chops (about 8 pieces)

--1 pkg fontina or fontinella cheese, grated (8 oz or so)

--1 pkg sliced prosciutto (to match the 8 chops)

--4 oz sage leaves

--Flour (I use whole wheat) to dredge chops

--4 tbsp olive oil

--Salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Trim fat from chops.

2.  Lay chops flat.  Layer a slice of prosciutto across the pork chop.  Top one-half with crumbled or chopped sage leaves, then a tbsp of cheese.  Fold the chop over and secure with toothpicks.

3.  Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.  Dredge stuffed pork chops in flour.

4.  Heat oven to 350 deg F.  Grease pan.

5.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet; when hot, brown 4 stuffed pork chops on all sides.  Repeat with remaining 4 pork chops.  When browned, place on pan and into preheated oven for 20 minutes to finish cooking.

For the side dishes, this is what I do while the pork chops are baking:

Green beans:

--Trim the beans and thinly slice the shallots.

--In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil.  Add shallots, green beans, and salt/pepper to taste; saute until tender.

Polenta:

--Add 3 cups water and 2 cubes chicken bouillon to pot.  Heat to boiling.

--Add 1 cup uncooked polenta; stir constantly until thick.  Be careful not to burn on bottom of pot. (Note - there is pre-cooked polenta in a little tube you can buy; if you do this, just follow those directions.  This is for raw polenta in a bag.)

To serve, ladle a spoonful of polenta on plate; add 1 or 2 pork chops on top.  Finish with a serving of the sauteed green beans.