My husband loves paella, especially the kind with lots of red sauce- he is crazy about anything with red sauce.

I made this paella with arborio rice since it is creamier than the regular one. I cooked it like a risotto but didn’t stand in front of the stove, stirring constantly. Instead I added most of the broth at once and let it cook. It resulted in a very delicious and perfectly cooked paella.

To start the process, I crumbled up the leftover chorizo and cooked it with the onions and garlic. I added rose wine because that is what I was drinking. Tomato sauce and chicken broth later, I had a yummy dish. By adding the frozen peas, I had a one pot meal.

A neighbor and my daughter’s friend stopped by and joined up for dinner. They both ate up the paella and complemented on the taste.

Next time you have leftovers- make a paella!

• 4 to 5 leftover jumbo shrimp, cut in small pieces
• 2 chorizo links, cut in small pieces
• 1 large white onions, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• ½ cup white or rose wine
• 1½ cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth, heated
• Salt
• Juice on one lemon
• 1 cup frozen petite peas

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the sausage pieces and sauté on medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the wine, scrape any bits stuck at the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Add the Arborio rice and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir well. Place the lid and lower the heat to medium low. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally making sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. Take the lid off and add the tomato sauce and stir. Place the lid back on and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Take the lid off and check for doneness and seasonings. Add salt and lemon juice. Sprinkle the frozen peas and chopped shrimp and cover on low heat for 5 minutes. Take the lid off and mix well and serve.

My favorite kind of sausage is the chorizo which has tons of flavor and a bit of a kick. It is a pork sausage with paprika and garlic and it is absolutely delicious. If health was not a consideration, I would eat chorizo everyday!

I bought some fresh chorizo and a pound of shrimp. I decided to make a simple cilantro garlic sauce to marinate and baste the shrimp and the chorizo with. That is all there is to this meal.

I made some garlic bread and a salad and I was done! We enjoyed everything on the deck and were not able to finish everything- perfect leftovers for another meal tomorrow!!!

• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, placed on skewers
• 1 pound fresh chorizo (about three large links with skewers through them)

Garlic Cilantro Sauce

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of two limes
• 2 teaspoons salt

Mix the garlic, cilantro, oil, lime juice and salt in a bowl. Mix well.

Place the shrimp skewers and sausages on the grill. Brush with the cilantro garlic mixture. Grill till the shrimp turn pink and the sausages are cooked inside.
Serve with grilled corn.

We recently cleaned out our grill- I actually was trying to convince my husband to buy a new one since this one is about nine years old. He was not convinced, since it had never given us trouble. After we changed the grates and cleaned the inside- really well- it was like new again.

I digress-as usual… the idea was to talk about these fabulous lamb burgers. I wanted to post something different for Memorial day and instead of beef or turkey burgers, I decided to use lamb- and lamb made me think of Moroccan food. So, I started doing some research and came up with this fabulous burger recipe. It has garlic, shallots, cilantro, cumin and harissa- which is a Moroccan hot sauce. It was a big hit- super flavorful. I paired it with a sun dried tomato and herb mayonnaise- it is a great combination. I also decided against the regular soft buns and bought a very crusty sour dough bread- a match made in heaven!

Definitely make these for the upcoming long weekend- your family and friends will love you.

• 1½ pounds ground lean lamb
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large shallot, grated
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons harissa sauce

Put the lamb in a mixing bowl and add the paprika, salt, cumin, garlic, shallot, parsley, cilantro and harissa. Mix well and divide into 8 patties. Keep aside.

Grill the patties on high for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Sun Dried Tomatoes Mayonnaise

• ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes (in oil), chopped
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Juice of half a lemon

Mix the sun dried tomatoes, mayonnaise, cilantro, parsley, salt and lemon juice into a small bowl. Mix well and refrigerate till serving.

To Assemble

• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• Baby arugula
• 2 baguettes, sliced and cut into 4 pieces each

Place a burger into a sliced piece of baguette. Spread some mayonnaise and add a tomato, some onion and arugula.

I had the Mexican pork chili in the fridge and wasn’t in the mood to cook a whole new meal. I always have all kinds of tortillas and cheeses in the fridge. So, I immediately thought of enchiladas. I had enough to make 3 to 4 enchiladas which was perfect for my husband and I. A big salad with the enchiladas was perfect for a healthy, delicious dinner.

I separated the meat from the sauce and then shredded the pork with my fingers. I then placed the sauce in a flat platter so I can dip the tortillas in there to make them soft and pliable. I stuffed the tortillas, placed them in a shallow platter and then topped the whole thing with a mixture of Mexican cheeses- how easy was that!

This method can be used for any kind of leftover. Even if your leftover has no sauce, you can use a jar of your favorite salsa or tomato sauce and bake your enchiladas to perfection.

Dinner was delicious and didn’t look like old, boring leftovers…

• Left over Mexican chili- about a cup
• 4 corn tortillas
• ¼ cup queso fresco
• ½ cup mixed shredded Mexican cheeses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Separate the pork from the tomatillo sauce and shred. Pour the sauce on a flat platter and dip each tortilla on both sides to make them pliable. Stuff each tortillas with a ¼ cup of shredded pork. Top with one tablespoon queso fresco. Roll like a cigar and place seam side down in a small ovenproof platter. Repeat for the remaining three tortillas and top with the shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.

I have this memory of a cousin cooking this dish and I remember it taking a long time. Since then I have thought this goat preparation to be extremely difficult and time consuming.

Well, it isn’t really true- at least the version I made- sure, it has a few more steps than what I normally post but the end result is totally worth it.

The meat is marinated in yogurt and a few very aromatic spices including cloves, cumin, fennel and asafoetida. The combination of these spices remind me of a Kashmiri restaurant- they all smell delicious…

The meat is then cooked in chicken broth and ginger powder. There are no onions, garlic or tomatoes in this dish but the spices used lend a delicious aroma and taste to this stew like preparation.

Rogan josh tastes delicious simply with some naan or homemade rotis. I can’t get enough of this delicious dish. Everyone loved it including my daughter. The only problem was- there were no leftovers- we ate up the whole thing in one sitting….

• 2 pounds goat meat cut into small pieces (Chicken thighs, lamb or beef stew meat)
• 1 cup full fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• A pinch of asafoetida

Grind the cloves, cumin seeds and fennel seeds in a coffee grinder and add to the yogurt. Add the salt and asfoteida and marinate for 2-3 hours.

• 4 tablespoons extra light olive oil (or ghee)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped

In a heavy wide and deep pan, heat the olive oil or ghee. Add the meat with the yogurt marinade. Cook on high heat stirring occasionally, about 7-8 minutes or till the liquid has evaporated. Add one cup of chicken broth and mix well. Add the ground ginger, turmeric, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes or till the broth has thickened and reduced. Add one cup of chicken broth and lower the heat to a low medium and place a lid on the pan. Cook for 2-3 hours if using mutton or any other stew meat (if using chicken- it will take about an hour). Stir every 15 minutes and check if more stock is necessary. Once the meat is cooked, take the lid off and cook on high heat till the gravy reduced by half and thickens into a creamy sauce. Adjust seasonings and add the cilantro.