My mexican fiesta!

So I'm pretty obsessed with Tomato rice.This place I love named "La Palapa" has the best red rice I've ever had and I never stop trying to find that recipe somewhere. Here's another attempt.

How Mine looks:

Tomato Rice:

INGREDIENTS – Serves 2
• 1 cup long grain rice, soaked in water for 10 minutes (I use Basmati Rice)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 Jalapeno chile (remove ribs and seeds if you can’t handle the heat)
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (or as per taste)
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups vegetable stock (or water)
• salt to taste
• few sprigs of cilantro to serve
• juice of 1 small lime (optional)

Method

• Process the tomatoes and onion in a processor until pureed.
• It should give you about 1 cup worth of puree. Set aside.
• Meanwhile in a skillet, heat 1 tsp oil (you can use upto 1 tbsp). Add the drained rice to the oil and saute until rice is golden and translucent.
• Add garlic and jalapeno and cook for another 1 minute.
• Add the pureed tomatoes, 1 cup of vegetable stock along with tomato paste and salt. Depending on the rice quality you might need 1/2 or 1 cup more of water. I use totally 2 cups of 1 cup of Basmati rice to get that perfect cooked yet separate rice texture instead of mushy.
• Close with a tight fitting lid and cook for 10-15 minutes (stirring halfway), or until the rice is tender and cooked completely.
• Garnish with cilantro and squeeze lime juice (if using) You can otherwise serve lime wedges to be squeezed on individual plates as per taste.

Re-fried Pinto Beans:


Ingredients:

• 2 cups pinto beans
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 bulb of roasted garlic, approximately 6 or 7 cloves
• 2 - 3 tsp seasalt, depending on how much salt you like
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 finely chopped tomato, vine ripened or home grown
• 4 quart pot

Method:

• First pour your beans out on a table or cutting board. Sort through them and discard any rocks or shriveled beans. This shouldn't take but a couple of minutes to do.
• Put the beans in a colander and rinse them under cold water. Pour the beans into a pot.
• Add 8 cups of cold water and the bay leaf.
• Put the stove burner on high and cover partially with a lid. As soon as the beans start to boil, lower the heat a little but still continue to boil.
  
• Cook for 2 hours and keep adding water as it cooks away. Stir occasionally. Keep the water level at 2 inches above the beans.
• After two hours of cooking, the beans should be soft and darker brown in color. If not cook
  them another 20 to 30 minutes. Then add the oil, salt, tomato, and roasted garlic.
• You can slide the roasted garlic out of it's sleeve in the bulb, right into the beans.

• To get the best flavor, simmer your beans 1- 1 1/2 hour or as long as you can with all the spices and oil. The longer these pinto bean recipes simmer, the better they will taste.

• After 1 to 1 1/2 hours, it seems like all the beans want to do is stick to the pot. This is the point where you turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and mash them with a potato masher.

Ingredients

• 12 chicken thighs
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place flour in a shallow plate or bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Put the bread crumbs in another shallow plate or bowl and beat the eggs in another bowl.
3. Dredge the chicken piece by piece in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs, until all pieces are coated. Pour the oil into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add the chicken to the dish and sprinkle with paprika to taste. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn pieces over and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and drain on paper towels. Enjoy!

I MAKE SALMON!

Ok, so my fave fish is Salmon, but I'd never made it before, and I was all "Naoms, why don't you make salmon?" That was an excellent question and so Salmon was made, by me.

How it's supposed to look:


How mine looks:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 jalapenos, cut into rings
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• 1 cup apricot preserves

Directions

4 (4 by 4-inch) pieces parchment paper

• 4 cedar plank pieces, food service quality
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned and boned
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (3-inch) fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 lemon, zested

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small saute pan over medium heat, heat oil. When hot, add jalapenos and saute until caramelized. Add garlic, and before it begins to brown, deglaze with white wine. Next add mustard and apricot preserves and bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes and let completely cool.

Place parchment paper on planks, add salmon, lightly salt and pepper, place a rosemary sprig on each fillet, and liberally apply cooled apricot mixture.

Place cedar plank on gas burner. When plank has begun to smoke, place into preheated oven.

Cook salmon until medium-rare; remove from oven and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes until serving. Garnish with lemon zest.

Conclusion;

Did not use cedar plank, cuz I don't have that. I also did not lemon zest it, because, quite frankly I don't see the point of "garnishing" anything. It was delicious. The first night, i was like hmm, fishy, so I left it in the oven a little longer and the second night I was like an animal, consuming it all uncivilized. Make this!

Stuffed Manicotti

I don't have a "mine" pic, but I made this last week and I want press for it.

I mean, this is basically how it looks...(SIKE) I wish, it did not look this good. But it was delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh spinach, stems trimmed and well washed or a 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
• Kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 12 manicotti shells
• 3 cups marinara sauce, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (about 1 pound)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or a mixture of half Pecorino and Parmesan
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt, as well. Boil the spinach, uncovered, until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, (do not drain), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop.

In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta shells until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain and pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cover the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch ovenproof baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, evenly combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the eggs, and the spinach. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shell and line them up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining sauce. Scatter the remaining cheese on top and dot with the butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

• MARINARA SAUCE
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree, (one 28-ounce can), roughly chopped
• Sprig of fresh thyme
• Sprig of fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use now, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Conclusion:

LOVED IT!

Garlic Chicken with Stir-Fry Rice

So, I am in love with chinese food. Of course I'm from NYC, so chinese food is all over the place, but I wanted to see if I could pull it off, and I have to say I did.

The stir-fry recipe is actually MINE! I just changed it up every single time I made, it added in ingredients and taking out ingredients till I figured out the way I like it! My secret ingredient? SUGAR!

How mine looks:

Fried- Rice:

How it's supposed to look:

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 2 habanero peppers
  
• 2 Jalapeno peppers
  
• Asparagus, cut in 4s
  
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 tablespoon of sugar (my secret ingredient)
  

Method

1. Preheat large skillet or wok. Add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce to the beaten eggs. Add one teaspoon sesame oil to the preheated wok, and scramble eggs until set. Remove from wok and set aside.
2. Add the tablespoon each of sesame oil and olive oil to wok. Add onions, green and red peppers, snow peas, and celery to wok. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes longer.
3. Add cooked rice and carrots. Sprinkle in the 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Add more olive oil if necessary. Cook the rice for about 5 minutes, until heated through.
4. Add cooked eggs and green onions, and cook for 1 minute more before serving.
5. Sprinkle tablespoon of sugar and then stir.

Garlic chicken:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ piece fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
4 green onions
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp peanut oil

Marinade:
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp sherry
1 egg white
1 tbsp cornstarch
½ tbsp stir fry oil

Sauce:
1 ½ tsp chili paste
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp sherry
2 tbsp soy sauce

1. Cut all the fat off of the chicken and cut it into thin strips about 2 inches long. Place them in a bowl to be marinated.


2. The marinade works best when applied in the following steps. First sprinkle on the salt, then add the sherry and stir thoroughly.


3. Next add the egg white and gently stir to coat each piece. Be careful not to “froth” the egg or it will make the chicken hard when it is cooked.


4. Sprinkle on the cornstarch, coating each piece. Then add the oil, stir, and let the strips marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.


5. While the chicken marinates prepare the other ingredients. Cut the skin off of the ginger and then mince it into tiny pieces and set them aside.


6. Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a knife. Peel them and cut off their ends. Then mince them into tiny pieces and set them aside.


7. Rinse the green onions under cold water and dry them with paper towels. Cut off the bases and about an inch or so of the green tops and discard. Then slice the remaining stalks into small pieces on a diagonal and set them aside.


8. In a small cup, mix the cornstarch with just a little water to dissolve and set it aside.


9. In another large cup, thoroughly mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce and set it aside.


10. Once the chicken has marinated, cook it following the boiling method of the velveting process. To do this, bring a pot of water plus one tablespoon of the peanut oil to boil.


11. Once the water boils slowly add the meat to the pot and cook it for just one minute. Then remove it with a slotted spoon, making sure to drain it thoroughly and to not pick up any of the loose egg that may have floated up to the top of the pot. Place the meat in a bowl or on a plate and set it aside. You may place it on a paper towel to soak up the remaining water.


12. In a non stick pot or wok heat the remaining tablespoon of peanut oil on high. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for just 1 minute.


13. Add the chicken and stir fry for 1 more minute. Then add the sauce and the green onion and stir until slightly thick.


14. Serve over white or fried rice. Makes 3 servings.

Conclusion:
An excellent meal! One of the best I've made, I'm super impressed with myself. Have to say.

Stuffed Chicken Siena

I haven't written in a long time! I know, I know. It's because my camera broke and I figured if I couldn't show pictures, who would believe I made it. Anyway, I'm going to post a bunch of recipes I managed to get images of...just know I cooked a LOT more over the last few months.

How it's supposed to look:



How mine looks:

Stuffed Chicken Siena

Prep Time:	30 minutes
Cook Time:	30 minutes
Serving Size:	4 8 12

Ingredients
CHEESE FILLING/CHICKEN:
½ cup mozzarella, shredded
2 Tbsp Parmesan, grated
½ cup smoked Gouda, chopped
¼ cup Fontina cheese, shredded
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp black ground pepper
1 Tbsp green onions, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg
2 Tbsp heavy cream

CHICKEN:
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (6-8 oz each), butterfly cut

FOR SIENA SAUCE/PASTA:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup green olives with pimiento, chopped
¼ cup small capers, rinsed
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup tomatoes, diced
29 oz can tomato puree
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 medium red bell peppers, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp sugar
2 fresh sweet basil, chopped
1 lbs pasta (your choice), cooked according to package directions

Procedures
Pre-heat oven to 450ºF.

CHEESE FILLING:

1. MIX all cheese filling ingredients in a mixing bowl until well-blended. Divide into 4 portions; refrigerate until ready to use.

PREPARATION FOR CHICKEN:

1. PLACE chicken on a cutting board and split to open. Spread cheese filling evenly on both sides.
2. FOLD one side over to the other and repeat with other breasts.
3. PLACE chicken in baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450ºF for 20 minutes or until juices run clear.

SIENA SAUCE:

1. HEAT olive oil in a small sauce pot; add garlic and sauté for one minute (do not brown). Add bell peppers and sauté until al dente. Add olives and capers and stir. Add red wine and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients except basil.
2. BRING to a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Add basil to sauce and stir well; remove Siena sauce from heat.
3. PLACE one chicken breast and drained, cooked pasta on each plate. Evenly distribute Siena sauce over chicken and pasta. Garnish with chopped basil.

Conclusion:

I was not at all a fan of so many olives with my pasta. It was interesting, but after a few bites, I lost interest, lol. It was cool to try, lots of ingredients and steps.