curry

In my attempt to venture into a culinary world unknown and expand my horizons, curry was on my to-do list. 
Curry seems very foreign to me and very challenging. 
Anyone else feel this way??
But I started off slowly....looking at a few different recipes (and mostly weeding out those whose ingredients I did not have and could not find, in my tiny town) and decided to go with this one: 
Lamb Curry ala Peter
Tada! 
But alas, no lamb at the commissary :(
So, I pulled out some beef and chicken and set off.
And what resulted was a very good rendition of curry....albeit maybe not so authentic.  But tasty all the same!

Curry

Serves 8ish.

2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1/2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 clove
2 cardamom pods
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled
2 tennis-ball sized red onions, peeled
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 fresh jalapenos, with seeds
1 bunch cilantro

2 tablespoons butter
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 14oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cups stock or water
3 1/2 lb lamb, chicken, or beef, cubed
1 handful of chopped mint and cilantro
1 cup plain yogurt
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Lime, to taste

Preheat your oven to 350*.
Lightly toast the first seven ingredients in a dry saute pan over a gentle heat and set aside.
Chop the next five ingredients roughly.
Add all the prepped ingredients to a food processor and puree.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, fry this mixture with the butter until golden, stirring often.  Add tomatoes, stock or water, and bring to the boil. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours to let the flavors meld.

Meanwhile, saute the protein in a little olive oil until golden brown and then add to the curry sauce and simmer for about an hour, until tender.

Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and mint and stir in the yogurt. Season to taste and add a squeeze of lime juice.
Serve atop basmati rice and peas.  And enjoy!!

homemade marshmallows

What is more tempting than homemade marshmallows?  I think the actual definition of homemade marshmallows is:  better than anything you can buy in a bag.

Super vanilla-y and more fluffy than you can imagine, they absolutely melt in your mouth. 

Problem is, and can I just be honest here? they are a huge pain to make.  Not so much in the making but in the cutting.  Oh boy.  What a pain.  They are super sticky and it takes a good 1/2 an hour to get out of the pan, but if you happen to be able to get over that, you will be rewarded.  Take that 1/2 an hour, you'll get the hang of it, and you'll be repaid with more marshmallows than you know what to do with.

And they really are the best.  So, just try it once, okay?

Homemade Marshmallows

Makes a ga-zillion.

Stores in a tupperware container forever and a day.

Three 1/4-oz. envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin
2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar; more as needed

Pour 3/4 cup cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water.

Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment.
Clip a candy thermometer to a 3-quart saucepan; don’t let the tip of the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan. In the saucepan, boil the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 3/4 cup water over medium heat without stirring until it reaches 234°F to 235°F, about 10 minutes.

With the mixer on low speed, pour the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin in a slow, thin stream.

Add the vanilla, carefully increase the speed to high, and beat until the mixture has thickened and cooled, about 5 minutes (the bottom of the bowl should be just warm to the touch).

Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Sift 1 Tbs. of the confectioners’ sugar into the bottom of the pan, then pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan and sift another 1 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar on top.

*snow, right???*

Let sit at room temperature until set, at least 2 hours.
Use the foil overhang to lift the marshmallow from the pan. Using a knife that has been dipped in cold water, cut along the edge of the marshmallow to release it from the foil. Transfer to a cutting board and remove the foil. Put the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the marshmallow into cubes of different sizes, from 1/4 to 3/4 inch (you will need to continue to dip the knife in cold water as you cut the marshmallows). The marshmallows will be very sticky—dip the cut edges in the confectioners’ sugar to make them easier to handle. As you work, toss a few cubes at a time in the sugar to coat, then shake in a strainer to remove the excess.

Store in a tupperware.
Or use to top a really decadent chocolate cake :)

carnitas and happy cinco de mayo!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!
Being from Texas, we will take any opportunity to celebrate a Mexican holiday!
Mostly, for the food, to be quite honest. 
So, let's have carnitas!!

Carnitas literally means "little meats."  It refers to shredded braised or roasted pork that usually ends up wrapped in a warm tortilla and smothered with some sort of yummy salsa.  Traditionally, the pork is heavily seasoned and braised for 10 hours at a low temperature, shredded, returned to a shallow pan with the rendered fat and roasted for another hour to get all caramelized and crispy. 

Folks, I can't usually wait that long. 
So, I just season the pork, roast for a few hours, shred and serve!
Either way, it's so worth it so let's get started!

Carnitas

Serves 4, if you are using the leftovers for tamales and nachos and etc (coming soon!) 

or 12, if you are eating it all at once!
Adapted from Bon Appetit

3 1/2 ounces achiote paste (about 1/2 package) OR 3 1/2 ounces achiote seeds, pulverized
8 garlic cloves, peeled 
2 jalapeño chiles, chopped
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar 
3/4 cup orange juice 
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup fresh lime juice 
2 1/2 teaspoons salt 
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
5-7 pounds boneless Boston butt pork shoulder
20 corn or flour tortillas
Salsa verde (recipe coming soon!)
Chopped tomatoes
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 300°F.
Puree first 10 ingredients in blender until smooth. 

Arrange pork in large roasting pan. Add achiote puree; mix to coat pork. Get your husband to rub the puree into the pork.

Cover pan tightly with foil. Roast pork until very tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 1/2 hours. Cool slightly. Coarsely shred pork. Mound pork in large bowl; add enough juices from roasting pan by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten as desired. Season with salt and pepper.

Wrap tortillas in paper towels or clean kitchen towel. Microwave on high until heated through, about 1 minute. Fill warm tortillas with carnitas. Top with tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream and enjoy!

  

  

  

 

mini frittatas

Mini frittatas:  perfect for snacking, perfect for tea parties, perfect for appetizers.
And these are super easy.  All done in a blender.  All done in under 15 minutes.
So, go!  Make these!  You'll be in egg heaven shortly.

Mini Frittatas

Makes about 40 minis.

8 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper
4 ounces cooked bacon, crumbled
1/3 cup Parmigianno Reggiano, grated
2 tablespoons basil, chopped

Preheat your oven to 375*.  Blend the eggs and milk in a blender. 

Add everything else and blend for just a few seconds to combine.  Pour into cooking-sprayed mini muffin tins.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until set.  Remove with a spatula and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

chile rellenos casserole

Mmmm....
Again, you should know by now that I'm from Texas.  And we Texans love chile rellenos.  Chile Rellenos, at least Tex-Mex style, is a poblano pepper, stuffed to the max with cheese, dredged in egg, and fried up till it's nice and crispy! 
But, I'm trying to steer clear of fried things.  So, let's redo.  Since breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day, (besides dessert, naturally.) I wanted to find something that has all the same flavors but none of the greasy, heaviness. 
Voila!  Thank you, once again, Pioneer Woman!  You have saved me!  I tweaked her recipe, served it with warm corn tortillas, and here it is!  Enjoy!

Chile Rellenos Casserole

Serves 4.

6 canned, whole, roasted, peeled, and seeded green chiles (Old El Paso canned whole green chiles)
1 1/2 cups grated cheese, either Monterey Jack or Colby Jack
2 extra large eggs
1 cup whole milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne, to taste
Warm corn tortillas, for serving

Preheat your oven to 350*.
Drain the chiles, remove any seeds remaining, and cut them in half, longwise.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Set aside.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne.

Lay a single layer of the chiles on the bottom of an 8x8" baking dish.
Top chiles with half of the grated cheese.
Repeat with another layer of chiles and another layer of cheese.
Pour egg mixture all over the top.

Place casserole into a larger baking dish or baking sheet.  (an 8x8" dish will fit very well into a 9x13")
Pour in 1/2 inch of water into the larger dish.
Bake for 45-60 minutes until no longer jiggly in the center.

Cut a slice or square and put in a warm, corn tortilla and enjoy!