albondigas soup

The first time I had albondigas soup was at restaurant in San Juan Bautista called Jardines. If you are ever in area, you need to make it here. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful. I always have to get the soup without meatballs because they are made from beef. I have not ventured to this animal, and honestly I have no desire to. I have been eating so much poultry lately that at times I feel like I might get some wings. The world of poultry has opened up my cooking world to so many new dishes. I made this soup with turkey meat. Oh and also, chicken broth tastes so much better than veggie!

This recipe is from my Mama, the best cook and mother I know.

Ingredients

meatballs

1 lb ground turkey meat

1 egg, beaten

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, minced

1/2 cup cooked rice

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

pinch cayenne

1 teaspoon cumin

Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

6 cups chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 cup cilantro chopped

1 large zucchini, chopped

Directions

1. mix all meatball ingredients. roll into balls in the palm of your hand (should make about 20-25)

2. In large pot, sauté onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. cook for 3-5 minutes then add spices. Add broth, tomatoes, and cilantro. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Turn up heat and drop meatballs into soup one at a time. return to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.

4. Add zucchini and cook for 15 more minutes.

fried chicken that changed my life

Fried chicken. This was the piece of meat that all former vegetarians tell me about. For most it is bacon, but for me I knew it was going to be fried chicken. It had been nine years since I had made the decision on a road-trip with my mom that I was going to stop eating meat. I had seen a chicken truck that had cages that were 6 inches tall. The chickens were obviously on their way to the slaughter house, and I decided that I would not eat meat for a while until i knew where my meat came from. Well, nine years later I decided it was time to get some healthy chicken and start frying! I know that I will be a responsible carnivore, and urge you all to do the same. Support your local farmer (especially if you live in the bay area).

Ingredients

2 whole chickens ( each cut into 8 pieces)

4 cups buttermilk

1 bottle tobasco

conola oil (you need enough to fry chicken in 2 1/2 inches of oil)

2 cups flour

1/2 cup corn starch

1 1/2 tablespoon old bay seasoning

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

3/4 tablespoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon coriander (ground)

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Salt and pepper the chicken and add it to a bowl. poke chicken with fork and pour tobasco and buttermilk on top. Let sit for at least 3 hours, but try for overnight.

2. While the oil is heating up, Mix the flour, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, and all other ingredients in a shallow bowl.

3. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture, shaking off the access flour.

4. When the oil reaches 325 degrees, fry in batches for 10 min, or until crispy.

5. Drain on a paper towel and make sure you serve this to someone that you love (my parents)!

the best shrimp pizza you will ever have!

I have tried many different recipes to find the perfect pizza dough. But honestly, whole foods makes a pretty good one. So when you don't have the time to make your own pizza dough, head over to your overpriced grocery store and pick up some (it's under 2 dollars).

I called my Mom while I was eating it to tell her that she needed to cook it soon. She asked me who I was making it for and I told her myself. She then preceded to laugh and tell me that I needed a boyfriend to cook for. If I had a boyfriend to cook for, then I wouldn't have leftovers. Why would I ever want to do that?

This shrimp pizza is loaded with goodies, so try it out. You and the people you are cooking for will be impressed.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2-3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 pound whole large shrimp cut into 1/4 inch pieces

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 pizza dough

oregano (optional)

Directions

preheat oven top 425 degrees

1. In a small skillet, combine olive oil, parsley, and garlic. Remove from heat when garlic starts to sizzle. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

2.In a different skillet, melt butter. Add heavy cream and tomato paste, mix. Add Shrimp and cook for 5 min. Add garlic parsley sauce and turn off heat.

3. Lay out dough on baking sheet. Add tomatoes, then cheese, then shrimp sauce (make sure to get all of it). Sprinkle with oregano and bake till crisp, about 25-30 min.

butternut squash lasagna

Pasta Ingredients

3 cups 00 pasta flour

4-5 eggs

3 tablespoons warm water

Filling Ingredients

1 butternut squash, cut in half (de-seeded)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely sliced

3 tbsp fresh sage leaves

salt and pepper

2 cups grated mozzarella plus 1 cup for topping

2 cups ricotta cheese

1/2 cup parm plus 1/2 cup for topping

Sauce Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Lasagna Directions

1. preheat oven to 400.

2. lay butternut squash on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, cook for an hour.

3.To make the pasta, Mound the flour in the center of a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs. Using a fork, beat the eggs together and then begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well, and add warm water. Mix with hands and knead for 5 min. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using. Use pasta maker to create long strips.

4. remove from oven and peel skin, puree in food processor with sage leaves.

5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, boil pasta noodles for three minutes (or you can use lasagna sheets from the store :( )

6. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and saute 2 minutes. Add flour and whisk to combine; cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook, stirring regularly for about 5 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low.

7. Mix mozzarella, ricotta, and parm together.

8. Lower oven to 350

9. Spread about 3/4 cup of white sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Top with lasagna noodles, then another 3/4 cup of sauce. Pour in butternut squash puree and 1/4 of the cheese mixture,repeat three times. Add the remaining mozzarella and the parm. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and golden brown.

bacon, cheddar, and chive popovers

A few months ago I became obsessed with popovers. I wanted to make every variation of popovers I could find. So I went to William Sonoma on my lunch break and bought a 20 dollar popover pan. You can use a regular cupcake tray, but the popover pan makes the real deal popover. My first recipe was cheddar chive. They were good, but I wanted to make a popover for all my carnivourous friends who unlike myself get to enjoy one of life's best flavors, BACON. The key to a good popover is not peaking into the oven during baking. Be patient, they are worth the wait.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups milk
4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 large eggs
4 tablespoons melted butter

5 strips bacon cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons chopped chives

1/2 cup grated cheddar

Directions

Break the eggs into a bowl and beat well. Add the milk, flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat until just blended. Add bacon, chives, and cheddar, mix. Use bacon grease to grease popover tins. Fill tins 3/4 cups full with batter. Place the pan on the center rack in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes without opening the oven door (don't open the door!)

pizzoccheri alla valtellinese

This is an italian dish, and like most italian dishes, there is lots of butter and cheese. There is also an assortment of greens, which makes this dish a win-win meal. I made it with my Mom, and she tried to only put 3/4 of the butter in. Luckily I was there to put the rest in! I was worried because the Taleggio is a very sticky cheese, but at the end when i was looking at an empty bowl, the cheese complimented the dish perfectly!

Ingredients

buckwheat pasta

2-3 potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups shredded swiss chard

3 cups shredded cabbage

1 stick BUTTER

4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed

8 fresh sage leaves

1/3 cup pasta cooking water

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup Taleggio cheese cit into 1/4 cubes

1 cup parm

Direction

turn the broiler on

boil large pot of water. Add potatoes and boil till tender. Remove potatoes. In same water, blanch chard and cabbage for 2 min and remove, then boil pasta.

In a large stainless steel pan, melt butter, garlic cloves, sage leaves and 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Melt slowly over low heat, do not boil. after a few minutes remove garlic and turn off heat.

Add the pasta and vegetables to the butter sauce and coat. Finally, add the Taleggio cheese and 1/2 of the parm. Top the rest with parm and broil for about 5 min.

-Devin

homemade flour tortillas

another thing other than eating meatless twice a week in my house is that we have to eat mexican one night a week. thank the lord above i already have a boyfriend because let me tell you, mexican can catch up to you and your backside. mmmhmm.

my bf is from san antonio. every time we go, which is normally once or twice a year, i pig out on some mexican cuisine. i'm talkin' burritos, enchiladas, queso, chips, salsa, might as well just give me spoonfuls of lard. why not? i also learned from dating a texan, that if you slap some butter on a fresh flour tortilla you can see the pearly gates to heaven. ohmygosh-it's SO good. no surprise though right? butter and bread is the best combo everrrr! but you don't put butter on a store bought ( <--key word here) tortilla. no good!

so what am i suppose to do then when i head back home after spending a week in texas? just buy store bought tortillas? so i asked my live-in texan what i should do. he's reply.."just make 'em." ummmm...no? how about i have a full time job, a side gig with devin, in charge of cleaning house, have a social life, and don't have t-i-m-e. turns out i was wrong. i have the key to the pearly gates! and it only takes 30 mins. soften your butter now, you're about to have a fresh tortilla to slap it on...

whatcha need:

2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp veggie oil

3/4 c. warm milk

whatcha do:

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.
While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.
Makes 8 tortillas.

*thank you to the homesick texan- check out her blog!*

-andi