Latin Flare

Wedge Salad

2011-05-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Wedge Salad

Very nice if your having a dinner party.

1 head of iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup of bacon (fry it real crisp and crumble)
1 diced tomato
1/2 medium red onion diced
1/2 cucumber diced
Balsamic Vinegar

Most people have this with blue cheese dressing, but I like ranch. You can use any type of dressing

Make sure you squeeze the iceberg lettuce pick one that's real firm. Remove top layer and cut into 4 wedges. You can dice the red onions, cucumbers and tomato ahead of time. The bacon can also be done ahead of time. I like all my veggies dices neatly and small.

Chill small dishes in freezer for about 15 minutes or longer.

Pour about 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar on plate and place wedge directly on top.
Pour a generous amount of salad dressing on lettuce and then nicely spread cut up veggies on top, add crumbled bacon. This is so easy and good. When you start getting to the middle of the wedge that has very little dressing some dressing drips down and gets mixed with the balsamic. Delicious!

Quick and Easy Mozzarella Chees Sticks

2011-05-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

Quick and easy mozzarella cheese sticks

1 bag of string cheese (individually wrapped)
1 package of spring roll wrappers (if to big cut down)
oil for frying
Marinara sauce

Wrap each cheese stick with a spring roll wrapper. You can cut wrapper in 2 pieces depending on the size you buy. Heat up the oil in a heavy sauce pan, drop only a few at a time in the oil, otherwise they don't fry properly. When brown remove with a slotted spoon, if you leave the cheese stick to long in the oil the cheese will start oozing out.

Serve with marinara sauce.

Peanut Noodles

2011-03-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Peanut Noodles

1 box of Spaghetti or Fettuccini
3 TBS of peanut butter

1 bunch of cilantro chopped without big stems

4 or 5 scallions chopped with green

2 cloves of garlic

2 tsp of sesame seed oil

1 jalapeno or 1/2

1/2 cup of water

1 English cucumber - diced small

1 red or green pepper chopped small

Roughly chopped cilantro for garnish

Lime wedges

Boil pasta per box instructions.

Place cilantro, peanut butter, scallions, garlic, jalapeno, sesame oil in food processor. Pour water slowly, don't make it too thin use judgment.

Place pasta in a pot and pour peanut sauce to heat everything through. If it begins to stick, turn heat off or add a few drops of water.

Serve pasta and add diced cucumber, pepper, cilantro on top of the pasta and garnish with a wedge of lime. Delicious.

Orzo

2011-01-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

Baked Orzo

I made this the other night it was so good. I almost ate the whole thing.

1/4 box of orzo
5 cups of chicken broth, or water with chicken bouillons
2 Tbs butter or a little more
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven 450, then turn down to 400
Bring broth to a boil. Pour orzo in a casserol dish, add boiling broth, salt and butter. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes.

After 35 minutes open and check, if it needs to dry up a little just leave it open, or if it's hard cover again. After 10 minutes it should be done.

GYRO

2011-01-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

Best Gyro I've had in a long time...

1 Lb or ground hamburger 90%

2 teaspoons of cumin

1 teaspoon of Adobo

1/2 bunch of chopped mint leaves about 1/2 cup

1 good size onion chopped

1 Jalapeno (optional)

3 Pitas cut in half wrap in foil, makes 6 gyros

1 cup regular Greek yogurt. Sprinkle with salt to taste and mix in a bowl.

Lettuce shredded
Slices of tomato

Raw onions if you like (optional)

Mix ingredients meat, cumin, adobo, mint leaves. Make into 4 or 5 patties. Heat oil and brown patties, turn on both sides and remove quickly, place on paper towel. If you like them well done, don't worry too much because you are going to cook again. Slice meat patties into 5 or 6 pieces.

Add chopped onions to pan and fry for a few minutes, then add meat slices.

Heat oven to 450 and place pitas wrapped in foil.

Assemble:

Open pitas, add meat, lettuce, tomato, and yogurt sauce. Wrap with foil again just leaving top opening.

Another option is to leave pitas whole and just add ingredients in center and wrapp again with foil so that filling doesn't fall out.

Leek and Aspargus Soup

2011-01-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

Leek and Aparagus Soup with Crostini on the side

This soup is delicious, we had this two nights ago. My daughters BFF called and said she wasn't feeling well could I please make her some soup. I made it after I put the boys to bed at 10:00 PM and it was delicious.

2 small leeks or 1 large leek, rinsed well and sliced1 bunch of asparagus, cut into small pieces
2 large russet or Idaho potatoes or just baking potatoes, cut in small cubes
2 or 3 chicken bullions or you can use the powder bullion to taste

Olive oil

1/2 light cream, or you can use half and half and just add some milk

6 cups of water

Pepper to taste

Sauté the leeks in olive oil. Remember leeks have a lot of sand so rinse them well or soak for a few minutes. Add asparagus and sauté for about 4 minutes. Add about 6 cups of water chicken bullion, simmer for about 15 minutes. Let cool for about 45 minutes, then put in blender, in batches. Remember if still warm it can spray or lid can be blown off so put a towel over lid and hold tight. If you're blending soup while it's hot be even more careful, im very impatient and usually do this, but I have a good blender that releases the steam. I still put a town over lid and hold tight just to make sure.

After all is blended continue simmering and add potatoes. When potatoes are soft try to mash them with a potato masher or just with a fork. Pieces can still be whole it still tastes good. Add cream, if you want a thinner soup you can add milk, or add half and half and milk. Finish with pepper.

You can slice french bread, spray a little butter and place in oven. Delicious...

Amazing Brisket

2010-12-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

Amazing Brisket

Marinade

2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of onion powder
2 teaspoons old bay seasonings
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 package of sazon goya
3 tablespoons of Adobo
2 tablespoons of vingar for Marinade
3 tablespoons of vinegar for rinsing brisket
1 cup of white wine (any wine), if you don't have wine you can use 1 can of beer
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 carrots cut up
1 medium onion chopped

1 reynolds baking bag, like the one used for baking a turkey

1 brisket about 4 or 5 pounds

Rinse brisket with vinegar and water, place in bag
Add all above ingredients in a bowl, mix well and pour in bag. Tie bag and let marinate over night or for a few hours.

Heat oven to 350 F
Bake for 3 or 4 hours, preferably in a dutch oven.

The Best Chilean Sea Bass - The best fish I've ever tasted $$$$

2010-11-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Fried Chilean Sea Bass with Peppers

4 servings

4 slices or fillets of sea bass
2 limes
Adobo
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
Fresh ground pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove - I use garlic press, because I don't like large pieces of garlic

1 sliced yellow pepper
1 sliced orange or red pepper
2 tbs olive oil
Fresh ground pepper
1 tbs of crushed red pepper flakes (less or more)
1/2 tsp vinegar
salt

Panko bread crumbs
Fresh ground pepper
Salt or adobo
2 eggs slightly beaten add a little water
1 cup of all purpose flour
oil

I rinse fish, coat fish with olive oil, squeeze 2 limes, add pepper, adobo, garlic and cilantro, mix well making sure fish is well coated. Marinate for about 1 or 2 hours. Don't leave overnight, because of the lime, it may fall apart, or add all other ingredients and marinate over night and add lime a little before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400 f.
Set out a plate with the egg wash, one with the flour and then another with the panko bread crumbs, season panko with pepper, adobo or salt.

Heat up oil in heavy base frying pan, dredge fish in flour slightly, dip fish in egg wash, then in panko make sure the panko sticks to all sides and place in frying pan, do this to all 4 pieces of fish.

Fry for a few minutes maybe 3 or 4 minutes, on each side making sure it gets golden brown, then place in heat proof pan or aluminum pan and finish cooking in oven. The amount of time frying depends on how thick the slices of fish are. The idea is to get fish to a golden brown, it can finish cooking in the oven. I made this a few days ago and I got fish steaks, which are round instead of fillets and they were pretty thick so the frying was a little longer.

Heat up 2 tbs of olive oil, add red pepper flakes fry for a minute or so, then add peppers, and season with pepper and salt, lastly add vinegar. Fry for a few more minutes until peppers soften. Plate dirty rice, fish and colorful peppers over fish. In picture peppers have been blended in food processor and fried a little more, but I like them better just fried.

Dirty Rice

2010-11-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

Dirty Rice

2 or 3 ribs of celery finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped

1/4 cup of green pepper or if you like it spicy, 2 jalapeños finely chopped

1 garlic clove

1 cup of sausage or chorizo or Kielbasa
1 cup of chopped chicken livers and or gizzards (the "dirty" part of the rice)

2 slices of chopped bacon

2 teaspoons of capers

2 teaspoons of olives, with or without pits

oil

salt

Cilantro leaves just a few slightly chopped

I usually cook the chicken gizzards in my pressure cooker with salt and water. When they are tender I take them out and chop them finely, I'm not crazy about chicken livers, so I only add a few finely chopped, before chopping I rinse and put a little lemon and adobo. (they do give the rice lots of flavor)

I heat up approx 5 cups of water and set aside. I add oil in a pot, cook bacon till crisp, add chorizo or sausage, when pretty well cooked I add onions, garlic, celery, peppers, capers, olives, cook for a little then add chicken gizzards and livers, now I add 3 cups of long grain rice. I add hot water stir and add salt to taste. Let it heat up just so that it all mixes well, then I pour everything into an aluminum tray, not to shallow cover tightly with foil paper and place in a preheated oven, probably 400 f.

Cook in over for about 35 minutes, open and stir lightly, if not done close up again and wait a few more minutes.

Arroz con gandules / Rice with pigeon peas

2010-10-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Arroz con Gandules/Pigeon Peas

4 cups of rice (I use Jasmine rice, but you can use long grain rice)
1 can of gandules any brand

2 Tbs olives and capers mixed by Goya or any other brands (I like the ones with the pit)

1 package of Sazon Goya
3 slices of bacon or small piece of fatback (optional)
1/4 cup of oil
6 cups of water
Salt
3 Tbs of sofrito
1/4 bunch of cilantro with stems
4 large cloves of garlic
1/2 large green or red pepper cut in pieces
1 small onion cut in large pieces
Rinse and put everything in blender, use what you need and store the rest.

Add oil to a heavy bottom pot. Fry bacon cut up in little pieces or fatback once crisp, add olives and capers, gandules, sofrito, and sazon envelope, fry for a few minutes without burning. Add rice and mix well, salt to taste, then add 6 cups of water, stir and let simmer on high, when water evaporates but still real moist, place a piece of aluminum foil over pot, cover and put flame real low. Cook for about 15 minutes then open stir rice gently and cover again for another 5 to 10 minutes

Optional: If your not an expert at making rice and want better texture, try this: heat oven to 400 f, cook rice as above, add water, simmer for 1 or 2 minutes until water is hot, then pour entire pot contents to aluminum baking pan. I use the disposable kind not too shallow. Cover pan with aluminum foil tightly and place in oven. Check after 20 or 25 minutes, if rice still to moist cover and leave a few more minutes. Rice comes out perfect.

My version of chicken marsala with my latin flare

2010-10-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Chicken Marsala

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin and pounded

1/4 cup lemon juice or lime juice

1 Cup of Flour

1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp oregano

2 tsp Goya adobo

1/2 dices onion

olive oil

1/2 or 1/4 stick of butter (your taste)

1 12 oz package of sliced portabella mushrooms, the small ones

1/2 cup of Marsala wine

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro (my latin flare)

Mix flour, pepper, garlic, onion, oregano, 1 tsp of adobo.

Dredge chicken cutlets in flour and shake well.

Heat up oil and fry cutlets, do not crowd pan, once chicken is browned place on paper towels. Make sure oil is not to hot to burn. Add butter and cook onions, add mushrooms, stir and add chicken pieces back in pan, add Marsala wine, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
When you see gravy thicken a little and wine reduced, taste season with salt and pepper if necessary. Turn off burner, add cilantro and cover for a few minutes. Delicious.. Serve with white rice or pasta.

Marinade chicken in lemon juice with 1 tsp of adobo for about 10 or 15 minutes.