Roasted Poblanos with a red bell pepper sauce and stuffed with cheeses and shrimp

• Cheese- and Shrimp-Stuffed Roasted Poblanos with Red Bell  Pepper Sauce
  BON APPÉTIT DECEMBER 2002     YIELDMakes 8 servings
  INGREDIENTS
  
  
  Notes. 
  1. Chavrie is the only goat cheese I don’t totally dislike but it is too salty so I cut it with about 1/3 Creamy smoked  gouda.
  2. I didn’t want to make almost 2 1/2 cups of Red Pepper sauce to use only about 6 tablespoons so I substituted a A red bell pepper minced and cooked with some oil until soft, then I added a small can of Salsa Casera (Tomato salsa) and added some garlic and shallots and jalapeno.  The recipe below does not use any tomato but I have seen recipes that do.  I think it turned out OK.
  3. I cut the recipe in half for the two of us. One poblano each was enough though.
  • 8 large poblano chilies* (each about 3 ounces)
  • 8 ounces peeled deveined cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped
  • 2/3 cup soft fresh goat cheese (about 4 ounces), room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (packed) grated Panela cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • Red Bell Pepper Sauce
  • Fresh basil leaves (optional)
  Char poblano chilies over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag 10 minutes. Peel chilies. Using small sharp knife, carefully slit chilies open along 1 side. Remove seeds, leaving stems attached.
  Mix shrimp and next 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill chilies with shrimp mixture, dividing equally. Pull up sides of chilies to enclose filling. Place stuffed chilies on baking sheet. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
  
  
  Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake chilies uncovered until heated through and cheeses melt, about 15 minutes. Spoon 3 tablespoons Red Bell Pepper Sauce onto each of 8 plates. Place 1 stuffed chili atop sauce on each. Garnish with basil leaves, if desired, and serve.
  Red Bell Pepper Sauce
  BON APPÉTIT DECEMBER 2002  YIELDMakes about 2 1/3 cups
  INGREDIENTS
  • 2 large red bell peppers
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped shallots
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 serrano chili or jalapeño chili, seeded, minced
  • 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
  
  
  PREPARATION
  • Char bell peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop bell peppers.
  • Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and chili; sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer mixture to blender; add bell peppers and chicken broth. Puree until smooth. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)
  
  

Cornish Hens with honey, orange juice and soy sauce.

GAME HENS WITH ORANGE, HONEY and soy sauce

 Serving Size: 4

2 Cornish game hens split

1 cup orange juice

3 inch strip orange zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 inch ginger peeled and sliced

1 clove garlic peeled and split

3 green onions, sliced 1-inch thick

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/4 cup triple Sec

2 teaspoons corn starch dissolved in 1T. water 

orange slices for garnish

Mix all ingredients except hens, cornstarch and water. Mix well to combine. Reserve 1 C. marinade and store, covered in refrigerator.

Add remaining marinade to hens and marinate overnight, covered in refrigerator.

Remove hens from marinade, cut off tiipa and cover tips of leg with foil to prevent burning. Place in shallow baking dish and pour marinade over chicken. Bake at 350º for 50 minutes, raise temperature to 400º to brown finish browning. Baste every 15 minutes. 

Thicken reserved sauce with cornstarch and water and serve on the side. 

Kalbi

Dinner tonight was Kalbi, laver, rice and kimchi

Kalbi (Korean Beef Short Rib BBQ) 

Note: Marinade a min of 10 to 12hrs

• Beef Short Ribs (3 to 4lbs)

• 1/2 cup SOY SAUCE

•  1/4 cup SESAME OIL

• 6 Tbsp  Brown SUGAR

• 5 Tbsp WATER

• 4 Tbsp SWEET RICE WINE aka Mirin. 

• 3 Tbsp CORN SYRUP

• 2 Tbsp GARLIC

• 1/4 tsp GINGER

• Chopped GREEN ONIONS (about 1 cup)

• Dash of PEPPER

• 1 Asian Pear

• Instead of the pear, you may substitute Jumex Pear Flavored Nectar or any sort of pear concentrate, You may also try other fruits, such as apple juice Charlie usually adds some Coke the marinade.

PS I made a second, half batch, added about a quarter cup of Dr. Pepper and boiled in for a couple minutes, cooled to room temperature,  then poured the extra over the ribs after they were cooked. 

1.Wash rubs, pat dry, and set aside.

Due to the way the ribs are cut, which is through the bone, there may be tiny shards of bone (usually happens when butcher's blade has not recently been sharpened). 

2. Run all ingr. except green onions through a blender then mix add green onions and  ribs, together in a large ziplock bag. Put bag in large dish with sides (in case bag leaks). Refrigerate overnight, grill until done and have some grill marks, serve. 

BBQ salmon, smashed potatoes grilled peach

Pepin Potatoes {aka Smashed Potatoes}

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Jacques Pepin 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 lb. baby Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• salt and pepper
• fresh parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Place potatoes in a single layer in a heavy bottom pan. Dot with butter. Add enough chicken broth to come half way up potatoes. Season with salt & pepper.
2. Simmer covered over medium-low heat until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove lid and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
4. Using a ladle or back of a large spoon, crack each potato. Brown potatoes on each side, adding butter if needed.
5. Remove to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Salmon was grilled to 140º with a sweet bourbon glaze and the peaches were grilled with honey, vanilla and cinnamon. It was supposed to be topped with melted strawberry jam but I didn't have any so I used melted vanilla ice cream.

Cheddar Chicken & Bacon Pasta

Cheddar Bacon  Chicken Ranch Pasta

July 12, 2017 by Sabba Rahbar

Our new favorite pasta obsession! Without a doubt!

PREP TIME15 MinutesCOOK TIME20 MinutesDIFFICULTYEasySERVINGS4

INGREDIENTS

• FOR THE CHICKEN
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• FOR THE PASTA
• 1 box penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. 

2) In a deep skillet over medium high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Add bacon to skillet and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set chicken and bacon aside. 

3) In the same skillet, make your sauce. Melt 1 tablespoon butter; whisk together with flour and ranch dressing mix. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly until combined. Simmer for 5 minutes. 

4) Add cheddar cheese and stir until cheese is completely melted. Stir in chopped parsley. Remove from heat. 

5) Add cooked pasta to cheese sauce, mixing until the pasta is fully coated. Add chicken and bacon. Stir to combine. 

Mussels in wine sauce and shrimp scampi

Mussels in White Wine Garlic-Butter Sauce

by dishinanddishes on December 28, 2009 in Fish, Main Courses

Prep: 10 mins Cook: 10 mins Level: Easy Serves: 2

Mussels cooked in a white wine garlic-butter sauce served with sliced crusty bread for dipping. My husband’s favorite meal for two!

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• ½ whole Onion, Chopped Fine
• 3 whole Garlic Cloves, Minced
• 1 cup White Wine
• ½ teaspoons Thyme, Dried
• 1 pound Mussels
• 1 pinch Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 loaf Crusty Artisan Bread Of Choice

Preparation

Melt butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add white wine, thyme and mussels. Stir and cover the pot for about 8-10 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels. Season with salt and pepper.

While mussels are cooking, place the bread on an oven rack for 8 minutes. Slice. Dump the pot into a bowl. Place bread around the outside edge. Serve and dip bread into the broth. Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi

We urge you: don’t skip the marinade step—it really gives the shrimp lots of garlicky flavor and sets this apart from other scampi recipes. b

INGREDIENTS

• 4 garlic cloves, 2 grated, 2 thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Warm crusty bread (for serving)

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Whisk grated garlic, salt, and 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium bowl. Add shrimp, toss to coat, and chill, uncovered, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
  
• Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium and cook shrimp mixture, being careful not to let shrimp or garlic brown, until shrimp is pink but still slightly underdone, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil in pan as possible. Add sliced garlic and red pepper to skillet and cook, tossing, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and lemon juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add butter and cook, stirring and swirling pan

ham Hocks

The store had some meaty looking ham hocks today, so that decided dinner. I cooked them with navy beans.  I could not get any collards so used bok choy which I cooked separately and added when the beans were done.  Beans were cooked with the hocks for a couple hours with some brown sugar and ghost peppers that the neighbor gave us. I also made some cornbread muffins. I usually forget to cook cornbread when we have this meal.   Dessert for me was a Tim Tam cookie crumbled over vanilla ice cream.  I don't know what Charlie will decide for dessert because I got all of the last of the ice cream and the last cookie. He will probably raid the Halloween candy bowl.

pork from the smoker

A few days ago I needed 3 pounds of pork shoulder for a recipe but the smallest one I could find was a little over 4 pounds, so I cut part of it off and put it in the smoker today.  Smoked with apple wood. I am almost out of wood. I need to remind myself to get some more. The batteries went dead on both of my Thermapens today too. 

Emanadas again

At Charlie's request, I made empanadas again. It is a recipe that he found and sent to me.  I got some egg roll wrappers to deal with the left over filling.

PUERTO RICAN PICADILLO 

Prep time10 mins  Cook time20 mins  Total time30 mins

Puerto Rican beef hash seasoned with sofrito. Great with rice, or as a filling for empanadas, papas rellenos and tacos!

Author: Rebekah | Kitchen Gidget

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 heaping tablespoons sofrito
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) canned tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons Spanish olives, chopped
• 1 teaspoon adobo
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Dash of dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed small

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large frying pan, brown ground beef over medium heat. Add sofrito and sauté for a few minutes.
2. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, adobo, garlic powder and oregano. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper. The flavors should be robust.
3. Add potatoes, reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

January 16, 2014 By Rebekah

EMPANADAS

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe for Picadillo
• 1 package empanada shells, thawed (I use Goya Discos found in the frozen section)
• OR you can make your own empanada dough
• Oil, for frying

Directions

Separate empanada shells and roll over with a rolling pin. Fill half of disk with about 2 tablespoons of  picadillo, leaving a half-inch rim around the edge. Fold dough over filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal well. Fry in hot oil a few at a time, about 3-4 minutes per side, or until crust is golden brown and bubbly.

Yield: 10 empanadas

EMPANADA DOUGH

 Prep time15 minsTotal time15 mins

Make empanadas at home from scratch with this easy empanada dough recipe! With just a few ingredients, this post will show you how to make empanada dough, which is ideal for frying with sweet or savory fillings. It can also be frozen like Goya empanada dough discos for use at a later time.

Author: Rebekah | Kitchen Gidget

Serves: 10-12

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 cup ice cold water

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the shortening until the flour resembles chunky sand.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour and add vinegar and about 3/4 cup of the water. Stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Add remaining water a tablespoon at a time if all the flour has not been moistened.
3. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead into a smooth dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days if not using immediately.
4. Divide dough into 2-10 pieces (whatever is easiest to work with) and roll out to 1/8-inch thick. Cut into rounds using a cookie cutter or tracing a bowl with a knife.
5. Discs can be filled immediately and cooked. If not using immediately, stack on top of each other with a piece of parchment or wax paper between each pastry. Place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for 1 day or freeze.
6. If using from frozen, allow to thaw at room temperature for about 10-20 minutes before proceeding to recipe.

NOTES

The amount of empanadas will vary depending on size. This dough will produce about 10-12 5-inch discos.

Sofrito

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds plum tomatoes 
  
• 2 red bell peppers 
  
• 2 medium yellow onions 
  
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 
  
• 1 bunch cilantro, large stems trimmed 
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

DIRECTIONS

• 1. 
  Coarsely chop tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Combine with garlic and cilantro. In batches, pulse mixture in a food processor until finely chopped. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced, 25 to 30 minutes (reduce heat if browning at edge). To store, let cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container; refrigerate, up to 2 weeks, or freeze, up to 6 months. 
  

Here is another sofrito  recipe I am posting just FYI. I have not tried either yet.  I have substituted two tablespoons of restaurant style Pace salsa with about a tablespoon of garlic and cilantro added.