Adventures in the Kitchen: Salsa Verde

Vee's Salsa Verde

So I followed a recipe I found online, but the end product was less than satisfactory. I started adding stuff that I felt it needed, like I always do. What resulted was one of the best things I've ever made IN THE HISTORY OF MY LIFE. I was so impressed with myself. Haha. Anyway. This stuff is the shit. And it goes on everything! Tacos, chicken, fries, crackers, scrambled eggs, baked potatoes...the list goes on. Please make it, and enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 Qt water
9 Whole Tomatillos (large, tomato-sized)
10 medium cloves garlic, whole
3 chiles serranos (vary according to preference for spice)
3 Tbsp + 1/2 cup white onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, with a bit of stem
3 Tbsp heavy cream
3 Tbsp chicken bouillon /caldo de pollo powder
juice from 1/2 a lime

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add tomatillos, 4 garlic cloves, chiles and 3 tbsp onion. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes and remove from heat. Drain and let cool. Meanwhile, puree remaining garlic cloves in a molcajete or food processor, adding salt to taste. Add cilantro, 1/2 cup uncooked onion, and blend. Add tomatillo mixture , cream, bouillon, and lime juice. Blend to desired consistency.





I <3 tomatillos.

Adventures in the Kitchen: Cilantro Lime Rice

Sticking with my Mexican theme...

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups rice
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 large lime (juice and zest)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a skillet, melt butter and add rice. Let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except cilantro) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes (add water if necessary). Add cilantro a few minutes before the rice is done. Fluff with fork and serve.

Good in burritos...very Chipotle-eqsue!

Adventures in the Kitchen: Poblano Soup

I love spicy things.

Cream o' poblano is one of my favorite soups, so I thought I'd try it. I altered the recipe I found, because it called for canned poblano peppers (ew) and not enough cilantro (of course). I also thought it needed cumin and garlic, so I added those too. Here be my final recipe:

Poblano Soup

Ingredients:

6 tbsp butter
1 white onion, sliced
3 fresh poblano peppers, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2-3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp cumin
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips
shredded jack cheese (to top off)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a pot; fry the onion and garlic. When the onion begins to turn clear, add the poblano. Fry for about 5 minutes. Set this mixture aside to cool. Keep the heat on and fry the tortilla strips in the leftover butter. Salt these and set them aside on a paper towel. Take the poblano/onion/garlic mixture and puree it with the chicken stock and cilantro until it's relatively smooth. Return the mixture to the pot and heat it up again. Add cream, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla strips on top! Nom.

*On a side note, you may want to wear gloves while slicing the poblano peppers. I didn't, and my hands burned for about 24 hours. You've been warned.

**On another side note, the fried tortilla strips are one of the best things I've ever tasted. Ever.

Adventures in the Kitchen: Guacamole

Now that I've graduated and am once again living at home while I wait for the TEFL ball to start rolling, I've found myself with quite a bit of free time. One thing that I did a lot at school (but not quite as much as I wanted to) was cook; now seems like a good time to start it up again. I've somehow convinced my parents to let me have a grocery budget, so I've decided to peruse the internet for fun recipes and share all my kitchen adventures. Lucky you.

This first one though, I've been making for a while and is nottttttt from the internet. A Mexican friend initially taught me how to make guacamole, and I've since tweaked it a little bit. I know it's not technically "cooking," but I've been told it's pretty good and have been asked how to make it, so here it is. Measurements are more estimates than anything, but I tried to be as accurate as possible and pay attention to how much I was using this time. So, here it is:

Vee's Guacamole! I hope you like my happy cilantro garnish.

Ingredients:

2-3 large avocados
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
1 jalapeño, diced (keep the seeds for more spice)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 large lime
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp salt (at least!)
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder


Directions:

Peel avocados and mash them with a fork. As soon as you've done this, squeeze the lime over them (this keeps them from getting brown). Mix in all other ingredients, and add more salt/lime juice if needed. Mmm tasty. Now go get some chips.