Fricase de salpicon cubano -- Cuban Meatballs in Creole Sauce

I love good Cuban food.  When I lived in Miami, I tried lots of different dishes and tried to re-create them at home.  One of my favorite take-out dishes was chicken fricassee (fricase de pollo cubano).  Fricase de pollo was chicken braised in a delicious creole sauce, a tomato-based sauce with tomato sauce, green peppers, onions, and plenty of garlic!  This yummy dish included a variety of veggies like cubed potatoes, carrots, green olives, capers, and raisins fort the perfect touch of sweetness.  After trying so many different dishes and learning to cook them myself, I even used some of those delicious Cuban flavors--the tomato, the cumin, the pork, the capers, the oregano, and lots and lots of garlic-- to create my own flair.  This dish is a new spin on the traditional Cuban fricase creole sauce combined with my take on Cuban meatloaf, salpicon, but turned into meatballs.  I give you fricase de salpicón!  You'd be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't love this one.  It's an easy, home-run-of-a-dish!  Enjoy!

Fricase de salpicon cubano

1 onion, diced

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

2-3 cloves garlic - sauce

1/4c raisins

1/8 cup green olives

1 TB capers (optional)

tomato sauce - ~ -1-1/2 cups

3 cubitos maggi

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp paprika

1 or 2 bay leaves, depending on size

~1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp adobo

2 TB naranja agria or bitter orange* (or mix orange and lime juice)

salt to taste

pepper generously

 frozen peas

*found on international aisle of supermarket or in Latin market.  I recommend Badia or Goya brand.

salpicon

1.5 lbs ground turkey

1/2c oatmeal (processed a bit in spice grinder until it resembles bread crumbs)

1 egg

6 slices crisp bacon, crumbled (reserve bacon fat)

3 TB tomato sauce

1 heaping tsp dried onion (or do the work and chop 1/4 onion)

3 cloves garlic

Goya adobo to taste (the blue capped bottle)

1/2 tsp bijol

1/2 tsp paprika

salt (about 1 TB)

generous amount of pepper

Procedure

1. Form flat meatballs or mini meat loaves using the salpicon ingredients.  Be sure not to overwork the meat mixture, or you'll get touch mini meat loaves.

2. In bacon fat over medium heat, brown meat on all sides until almost cooked

3. Remove from pan and set aside

4. Sautee onions and peppers bacon fat until translucent

5. Add in garlic until fragrant

6. Cook sauce over medium heat until thickened, 10 mins or so.

7. Add in meat and frozen peas cook until meat is done and peas are thawed.  Do not overcook peas.  They should still be firm and vibrant in color.

8. Serve with white rice and, if you fancy, twice-fried green plantains or fried ripe plantains.

Tropical Cobb Salad

Tropical Cobb Salad
1 large ripe mango, cut into chunks
1 medium-sized ripe avocado, cut into chunks
1 whole chicken breast, marinated, grilled, and chunked
feta, goat cheese, or blue cheese, crumbled (I used Loralie blueberry goat cheese with vanilla)
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced into chunks
5 slices of bacon, crumbled
a mixture of red lettuce, spinach leaves, cilantro (stems removed), chopped and washed thoroughly
light, tangy dressing of choice

Tangy Citrus Vinaigrette
1-1/2 TB white balsamic vinegar
1 TB fresh orange juice
1 TB fresh lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon
zest of 1/2 orange
1/2 garlic clove, grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 rounded tsp salt
10 shakes of cayenne pepper
9 TB grape seed or olive oil

Chicken Marinade
3 green onions
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 onion
1/2" piece of ginger
1/4 habanero pepper
1/4 tomato
1 heaping teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1 TB olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme, stems removed

Procedure
1. Allow chicken to marinate for at least an hour.

2. Grill or bake chicken.  I used my Foreman grill.  Cut into chunks.

3. When serving, toss desired portion of greens in light amount of dressing.  Top with a few chunks of the following: eggs, avocado, mango, and a good portion of chicken.  Top with crumbled cheese and bacon.  Drizzle a little dressing.  Enjoy :)

Mmm, Breakfast Time!! Sweet, Salty, and Deeeelish!

I'm not the type of person to sit down and eat a slice of bacon, but there's just something about that touch of saltiness that crumbled bacon lends to so many dishes.  In this particular breakfast dish, the salty and slighlty sweet flavor of the jowl bacon balances the sweetness of the syrup.  The fluffy texture of the waffle with the crunchy bacon and the velvety soft yolk of the egg is simple and easy to make, but oh so delicious!!

*Just as a note, I'd caution against substituting with a store bought waffle in this dish.  The flavor is not nearly good enough to make this dish shine.*

Ingredients
1 fluffy and crisp waffle
2 eggs, fried easy over
1 slice of jowl bacon, cubed and fried

Procedure
1. Take the freshly prepared waffle and drizzle lightly with syrup  (I do my syrup with just vanilla and butter flavoring, no maple flavoring)

2. Top with easy over fried egg (don't go greasy, all you need is a nonstick pan and a spray of Pam)

3. Sprinkle with crispy fried jowl bacon

4. Enjoy the sweet and salty, fluffy and crunchy goodness!!  Mmm, mmm, mmm!!

The Absolutely Perfect Omelette

Mmmm, look how thick and fluffy!

I'm not much of a eggs and bacon breakfast type of girl, so I never actually tried to make an omelette until now.  I tried out a recipe this weekend and once I got to the second omelette, everything turned out wonderfully.  Just the same, I wanted to perfect the recipe tonight.  I decided to see what adding half sour cream would do to the texture.  It did just what I expected--my omelette turned out super soft and fluffy and oh so delicious!!  Try it for yourself.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Omelette:

3 eggs

1 TB heavy cream

1 TB sour cream (or plain yogurt, use heavy cream if you have neither of these--2 TB of either of these in lieu of heavy cream could also work)

salt to taste (about 1 tsp or so)

pepper to taste

a shake of garlic powder

 1 TB of butter and a drizzle of oil (the oil raises the smoking point of the butter and prevents burning)

Filling:

1 tsp finely chopped green pepper

1 tsp finely chopped onion

1 TB sliced black olives

1 TB chopped tomatoes, excess moisture removed

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 large handful of washed fresh spinach, lightly salted (or desired amount of thawed frozen spinach), sauteed with excess moisture squeezed out)

1 slice of jowl bacon, chopped and fried (regular bacon is fine too, you want the end result to be about 1 tsp of chopped bacon)

shredded cheese, desired amount (I like about 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup and I like to put cheese on the top and bottom of the other fillings to hold them in place)

Procedure:

1. Place omelette ingredients in a blender for one minute, allowing the mixture to become foamy

2. Melt butter and heat oil together over medium low heat in an 8" skillet (this smaller pan will ensure optimal fluffiness)

3. Pour blended egg mixture over the pan and allow edges to set just enough to lift them with an oiled spatula

4. Lift the outside edges of the omelette and allow egg mixture to flow beneath the set eggs.  Do this for all edges and smooth out the omelette with spatula to even it out

5. Continue this process until the omelette is nearly set

6. Once the omelette is nearly set, sprinkle toppings evenly across one side of the omelette and fold the other side of the omelette on top of it

7. Cover the pan and allow the omelettes to set and the cheese to melt

8. Slide the omelette out of the pan and onto a plate and enjoy :).

Don't laugh but my boyfriend will not eat his omelettes without ketchup, and I finally tried it...I must say, if you drizzle just a little good ketchup over the top, it sure is yummy.

Rich, Warm, and Comforting Tomato Soup

Okay, for those of you who are skeptical about any dishes with its flavor based off of just about nothing but veggies, try this recipe. I promise this dish will make a convert out of any meat-a-tarian out there. It's nothing like the ketchup-y Cambell's version of so-called tomato soup, so just erase that comparison from your mind altogether. This is my mom's recipe that I've have tweaked slightly by adding basil, thyme, and fresh cayenne pepper for extra kick. I absolutely LOVE this stuff! It's comfort food at it's best that's actually somewhat healthy (if you take out the fact that heavy cream is obviously full of fat :P!). This recipe is so rich and creamy, you almost have to have a new word besides soup for it--there's nothing thin and watery here, just lots of rich flavor! Meat-a-tarians, I especially want you to try this one out and get back to me. I made a convert of one of my biggest meat-loving friends, so I'm confident you'll change your mind to.

This dish is so warm and comforting and it always makes me think of fall. Just when it starts to get chilly, around October or November, my mom usually makes a huge pot of this stuff and I'm so nostalgic for it now!! I can't wait to get home and get a nice, warm bowlful!

Here's the recipe. It's nice and easy for those of you who may not be comfortable in the kitchen. Try your hand at this one and be prepared to wow your friends and family with your culinary skills!

Oh, and before I get into the recipe, let me say that the quality of your tomatoes is important in this dish as they are the principal ingredient. If you can, try to go for something like Hunt's Natural. You'll taste the difference.

Creamy, Flavorful Tomato Soup

1 28 oz can organic crushed tomatoes

½ cup heavy cream

1 onion diced

2 cloves garlic (3 if they’re small)

2TB butter

1 carrot (peeled and diced)

1 celery stalk diced

1 slice crispy, thick-sliced bacon

About 2-1/2 cups chicken broth (as long as its not too watery – I don’t know exact measurement)

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 bay leaf

1 pinch thyme

About a thumb’s length of fresh cayenne pepper

- could probably be substituted with 1/8 cup orange bell pepper and cayenne powder to taste

Salt, seasoned salt, and pepper to taste

I would add a bit of white wine (a couple TBs or so) too if you have it. I couldn’t find mine, so that’s the only reason I didn’t add any.

Put the celery, carrot, onion and garlic (and orange bell pepper, if you’re using it, not fresh cayenne) in pan w/ olive oil and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, bacon, fresh cayenne pepper (if using) chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. If using cayenne pepper, peel off skin and place 1/3 of pepper in soup and discard rest (don’t want it too hot). Add basil and cream. Puree in blender until smooth.

ENJOY!

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Shrimp - Celebrating Charcoal Grillin and Summertime!

So everyone loves some a good grilled meal, but this one is quick, easy, and super tasty! But before I begin, I have to start a short rant--can anyone please tell me why you think a gas grill is better than charcoal. If you're grilling on a gas grill, why not just cook inside? You miss out on the nice, smokey charcoal flavor and literally 3 minutes, you can get sooo much more out of your meal. I've heard the argument "a gas grill is just so much easier," but seriously, people. I had never started a grill myself until 3 days ago and the first time I tried, it took me 3 minutes at the very most. All you do is pile your charcoal, pour on the lighter fluid, and ignite...easy as pie! Just let the coals turn mostly gray and let the flame calm down and you're ready to grill. So tell me your thoughts on the gas vs. charcoal summer battle. I'm curious.

So here's my recipe for bacon-wrapped bbq shrimp. It was adapted from a recipe by Sunny Anderson of the Food Network show Cooking for Real. The difference is that I did a homemade BBQ sauce that was totally different from what she had and, of course, the fact that I grilled mine on the charcoal grill as opposed to indoors.

Ingredients:

hickory flavored bacon

extra jumbo shrimp

bamboo skewers (soaked in water for a couple hours to avoid burning and sticking)

homemade BBQ sauce

Preparation:

Remove shell from shrimp and devein. No need to salt or flavor in any way; the bacon and bbq covers that. Puncture the shrimp through the thicker end with the pointed end of a skewer and slide skewer through while straightening the natural bend of the shrimp. Once on the skewer, the shrimp should be straight. Place two shrimp to each skewer and wrap each one in half a slice of bacon. Slather with bbq and place on a hot grill over punctured foil to allow heat through. Let cook about 10 minutes on one side or until bacon is crispy (the shrimp will not be rubbery at this point, despite what you might think). Slather both sides with more BBQ and let cook 10 more minutes or until bacon is crispy on other side. ENJOY!