Green Chile Queso Blanco

November 16th, 2011
by: Blue

32 ounces white american cheese, cubed (get this at the deli counter)
8 oz shredded monterrey jack
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced green chiles (I used a cup becauce I’m nuts for green chiles)
1/2 finely diced onion
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or to taste)

Saute diced onion until soft and browned a bit.  Add remaining ingredients and cook over low heat until cheese is melty and you see the face of the Virgin Mary when tasting it.

Add more heavy cream if needed to thin it out a bit.

If you don’t have green chiles you can substitute Rotel tomatoes for the diced tomatoes and add some chopped jalapenos (saute with the onion).  Use whatcha got baby!  That’s what my Mama told me ;-)

Calabacitas con Elote

August 9th, 2010
by: Blue

I love to make this dish after visiting the farmers market for locally grown, fresh produce.

Ingredients:
3 ears of fresh corn
3-4 yellow or zucchini squash (or a mix)
2 roasted Anaheim peppers, peeled and chopped (or substitute 1 can of green chiles)
1-2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
Queso Fresco (can substitute mozzerella or monterey jack for queso fresco)
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

Directions:
Cut corn from the cobs.  Dice the squash.  In a skillet, saute the onions in the butter or oil until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the squash, garlic, and corn, and saute until the squash is tender.  Add the chiles and top with the queso fresco (or cheese of your choice).

How simple is THAT!

Ancho Sweet Potatoes

August 9th, 2010
by: Blue

I made this on Saturday for my sweetie and his dear friend.  It accompanied a Texas-flair dinner of fish tacos and and calabacitas con elote(squash and corn).  The sweet potatoes were the bomb!  I used two ancho chiles to keep the heat level low – use more if you want it little spicier.

Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes
2-3 dried ancho chiles
1/2 cup heavy cream, half and half, or milk
1 tablespoon butter
salt to taste

Directions:
Bake the sweet potatoes until soft and let them sit until cool enough to handle.  Tear the ancho chiles open and remove/discard seeds and stem.  Cut or tear the chiles into pieces.  Bring the heavy cream and anchos to a boil and immediately remove from heat.  Let this mixture stand at least 1/2 an hour; stir occasionally to make sure that the anchos are somewhat immersed in the cream.  Puree the mixture in a blender – this results in a delicious, creamy, ancho paste.

Peel the sweet potatoes and lightly mix with the ancho cream and salt.  Place into a casserole dish, top with dabs of butter, and bake at 350 until hot (about 20 minutes).

Posole

August 6th, 2010
by: Blue

I made this for Mitchell while he was home last week – he loved it and asked for me to post the recipe.  So here it is :-D   Posole is SO cussing delicious.  And it’s very forgiving.  Feel free to make substitutions or throw some other things in (black beans or some sweet corn would be yummy).

Red chile sauce:
1 1/2 cups boiling-hot water
1/4 large white onion
about 5 ounces (around 8 dried chiles), ancho, or guajillo, or new mexico red chiles
2 cloves garlic (from whole head; the rest will go into the posole)

Posole:
1 large head garlic
2 quarts chicken broth, beef broth, or water
3-4 pounds pork shoulder or butt roast, fat trimmed, and cut into chunks
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
Prepared Red chile sauce, or substitute 2-3 cans of red enchilada sauce
2 can green chiles (optional); or substitute Hatch chiles or roasted anaheim chiles)
3 teaspoons salt
2 30-ounce cans hominy, drained, or dried hominy that has been soaked overnight
1 can Rotel tomatoes (optional)

Soak dried hominy, unless you are using canned hominy (dried is better though!):
The day/night before you plan on making posole, start soaking the dried hominy in water.  You will need to use ALOT of water as the posole will soak it up and swell up big.  That’s what she said.  Generally I add enough water to the container with the posole in it so that the posole takes up 1/3 and water 2/3 of the total level…

Red chile sauce instructions:
Tear the chiles apart by hand; remove and discard the seeds and and stems.  Place the chiles in a bowl and cover completely with boiling-hot water. Soak chiles, turning them occasionally, for 30 minutes. Cut onion into large pieces and in a blender purée with chiles and soaking liquid (do not drain the chiles before pureeing), 2 cloves of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt until smooth. For a shortcut on the red chile – simply substitute 2-3 cans of red enchilada sauce.

Posole instructions:

Thinly slice remaining garlic. In a heavy skillet over high heat, preheat a couple of tablespoons of oil and brown the chunks of pork with sliced garlic. High heat results in nice crusty brown bits on the pork.  This is what you want. Remove from heat.

In a big soup pot – add chicken broth, pork, oregano, cumin, red chili sauce, green chilis (optional), salt, homony, and Rotel tomatoes (optional). Gently simmer the posole, uncovered, until tender, at least 1 1/2 hours.  Your cooking time will be longer if you started with dried hominy – taking at least an additional hour.  But this is not rocket science – simmer it until the hominy is tender and the house is fragrant with the wonderful spicy smell….and adjust seasonings to your own tastes.

Optional Accompaniments:
diced avocado
chopped white onion
cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips or strips

Chile Relleno

October 14th, 2009
by: Sue

8 long green chiles, roasted and peeled, preferably Hatch but fresh chiles from *anywhere* are good
8 sticks of string cheese
1 cup flour
6 eggs
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup oil
12″ iron skillet

Stuff the chiles with cheese, being careful to seal the cheese with the skin of the pepper. Place 1/2 of the flour in a large plate. Put the chiles on top, and sprinkle the rest of the flour on top. Pat the flour in. Place oil in skillet and turn heat to medium high.

Separate the eggs. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat the egg yolks with the salt, then fold slowly into the egg whites.

Heat the cast iron skillet until the oil begins to roll (not smoke!). Dip floured chiles into the egg batter and fry until golden brown, turning once. (I like to cook two at a time). Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Enjoy!

Avocado Salsa

September 29th, 2009
by: Sue

This recipe was developed because all the ingredients were sitting on my kitchen counter. We love this salsa with breakfast, and it’s a flavorful way to get your vegetables with the first meal of the day. It’s especially good to give flavor and texture to accompany things that tend to be a bit on the bland or textureless side.
It doesn’t carry over well so you need to eat it pretty soon after making it, no problem at my house

2 ripe avocados
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (or lime)
3 Roma tomatoes, diced (if using other type of tomatoes, drain off excess juice)
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
Chopped cilantro to taste
1 medium hot fresh jalapeno, diced (or roasted green chili)
salt & pepper
olive oil

Halve the avocados, remove the seeds and remove the peel. Finely dice the avocado and sprinkle on lemon juice to prevent it from darkening. Add the diced tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeno and gently toss together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Drizzle olive oil over top.

We love this salsa with grits, eggs, tamale pie, and on on a tostada. Serves 2 at my house. If you don’t have fresh peppers, canned jalapenos are good, too. Frozen Albuquerque Tortilla Company Autumn Roast chiles are also heavenly.

Green Chile Chipotle Rice

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

While this is not really a Mexican influenced dish, I like to serve it with enchiladas. The green chile and peppers bring the heat and flavor of New Mexico to it, and I will probably continue to tinker with it. I think I’m going to try sprinkling some chili powder on top of the cheese next time, can’t wait to see what that does.

1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups chicken broth, unsalted
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Cook rice in broth for 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork. Stir in:

1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup roasted green chile
2 chopped chipotle peppers

Place in oven proof glass casserole dish (1.5 to 2 quart) Top with

1 -2 cups Fiesta grated cheese (Mexican blend)

Bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serve with enchiladas and beans, or any other main dish.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

This casserole qualifies as comfort food at my house. One of my “go to” recipes that will serve 4 to 6 guests and may be prepared ahead of time. I like to use the pre-cooked rotisserie chickens that are so readily available and the other ingredients are always in my pantry. The casserole can be prepared in around ten minutes, and you can make it a lower fat version by using Pam on the tortillas and microwaving them instead of frying them in oil. Low fat or no fat cheeses further reduce the calorie and fat content.

1 can cream of mushroom soup, low fat
1 can cream of chicken soup, low fat
1/2 cup reduced fat milk
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 cans chopped green chilies, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cups (1 pint) reduced fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon cumin
12 corn tortillas
3 cups grated Jack or Cheddar cheese
2 medium tomatoes (do not use canned tomatoes)

Put about 4 tablespoons oil in a skillet; fry tortillas, one at a time, until soft and pliable (about 30 seconds on each side, adding more oil if necessary). Drain tortillas on paper towels. After all are fried, saute onion in skillet until soft and golden; drain off excess oil. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except tortillas and cheese. Spray Pam on 10″ X 14″ casserole; place 4 tortillas on bottom of casserole, tearing as necessary, to fit into a single layer. Spread about one third of mixture from bowl over the tortillas, then spread cup of cheese over the mixture. Repeat layers twice. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese browns and bubbles. Remove from oven; let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

To lower calories, cottage cheese may be substituted for sour cream; blend with 1/2 cup milk called for in recipe until texture is like sour cream.

Grandmother Mitchell’s Tamale Pie

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

My Grandmother Mitchell is a legendary cook in my family. She made blackberry cobblers I still dream about, and her turkey and dressing set the standard for holiday fare for us. Grandmother taught my Mom most of what she knew about cooking, and most of the things that Mom did really well were a product of this training. Tamale pies came on the scene during the depression. Using only 3/4 pounds of hamburger, this dish will feed a lot of people! I must confess I usually splurge and use a whole pound of hamburger. We love tamale pie for Christmas Eve dinners, and serve it with beans and rice and salsa. It’s a good way to prepare for the holiday season and a nice change from the usual holiday fare. The cornmeal mush that is the base for this recipe is a “polenta” and we love it! Thanks, Grandmother, now if you had only left us the recipe for your cobbler.

1 cup cornmeal
3 cups water (or chicken broth for extra flavor)
1 teaspoon salt

Place three ingredients in a large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until you have a stiff cornmeal mush. Line a greased large baking dish with the mush, reserving enough to drop by teaspoons on top of casserole before baking the pie.

Filling:
1 large onion
3/4 pounds hamburger
1 cup tomatoes
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 chopped green peppers
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and meat in skillet; add remaining ingredients and pour over the mush. Drop remaining mush over the casserole, top with grated cheese if desired, and bake at 400 degrees until browned. Slice into squares, and serve with fresh salsa and beans. Serves 5 or 6 people.

Hint: I like to add crushed red pepper flakes to this filling . I also like to use chicken broth for the mush instead of water, and moisten it with some butter stirred into the mush to make a richer taste. I think Grandmother would approve.

Aunt Ellen’s Mexican Luncheon

April 17th, 2009
by: Blue

Move over Hamburger Helper, I’m about to rock your world! This is a dish that I can remember having as a kid, one of those fallback family recipes that’s always fantastic and fast. Sue included this in her “From Our Mother’s Hands” recipe collection – all of those recipes will be added to Blue Cooks over time.

1 pound ground beef
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced bell pepper
8 ounces macaroni (2 cups) macaroni, uncooked
1 one pound can tomatoes, undrained
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt

Brown hamburger. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until soft. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer at low temperature for 20-25 minutes.

Variations:

Sometimes I like to use Rotel instead of tomatoes, it kicks up the spice a bit. 1/2 cup of sofrito (thrown in when you add the macaroni) is also a great addition. And in my kitchen Hatch Green Chiles often make an appearance in this dish, go figure.