Tag: latin cuisine
Cranberry & Pineapple Salsa
Great take on cranberry sauce!
- 16 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1½ cups pineapple juice
- ¾ cups brown sugar
- 1½ cups fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
Add the cranberries, pineapple juice to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, fresh pineapple, salt and paprika. Cook on low heat for ten minutes until the sauce is thick. Check for seasonings and let cool. Can be frozen at this point for up to a week. Add the cilantro and green onions right before serving.
Shrimp in Poblano Sauce
- 3 poblano peppers, seeded and cut in half
- 3 green tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 large yellow onion, cut in half
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup chicken broth
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Transfer the vegetables onto the sheet and drizzle olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper and roast for about 30 minutes until the peppers and onion are soft. Let cool and carefully take the pepper skins off. Place in a blender with the cilantro and broth. Blend till smooth. Keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, deveined and shelled
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a large saucepan with olive oil. Saute the shrimp on high heat for 30 seconds on each side. Take out and sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika. Add the blended sauce and sauté on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the half and half and broth. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp. Cook on medium heat for just a few minutes till the shrimp are done- careful not to overcook. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro. Serve with fresh polenta.
Corn and Tomato Salsa with Steak Quesadillas
- 2 cups grilled corn (frozen from Trader Joes)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo sauce with chopped pepper if you want it spicy
- Juice of one lime
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt
- 2 green onions, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Add the corn, tomatoes, chipotle in adobo, lime juice, honey, salt, green onions and cilantro in a medium bowl. Mix well and let sit for at least half an hour. Serve with steak quesadillas.
Steak Quesadillas
- 1 cup leftover steak pepper and onion mixture, chopped
- ½ cup avocado crema
- 1 cup shredded cheese (any kind)
- 6 corn tortillas
- 3 teaspoons extra light olive oil
Heat a non-stick pan and add one teaspoon oil. Add one tortilla and spread crema. Add a third cup of cheese and a third cup steak mixture on top of crema. Add the second tortilla on top and cook on both sides until golden brown – about 4 minutes each side on medium heat.
Serve with corn salsa and rice.
Latin Style Roast Chicken
- One 4 to 5 pound whole chicken
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Zest and Juice of a Navel orange (save the oranges)
- Zest of 1 Lemon (save the lemon)
- 3 garlic cloves, mined
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons Mexican rub (or smoked paprika)
- Salt
Mix the butter, zests, juice, garlic, salt and the rub in a small bowl. In the meantime, place the chicken in a roasting pan on a roasting rack. Spread the butter mixture on top and under the skin. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper inside the cavity as well as outside.
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 yellow onions, sliced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour the chicken broth at the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the sliced onion. Place the juiced orange and lemon into the cavity. Tie the chicken legs together and tuck the wings in. Roast the chicken until the dark meat registers 160 degrees F. Take the chicken out and cover with aluminum foil.
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Take the onions out and keep aside to serve with the chicken. Take the liquid out and get rid of excess fat. Heat the roasting pan on the stovetop and add the olive oil and the flour. Stir and cook the flour on medium heat for a minute and add liquid and orange juice. Bring to a boil and let the liquid thicken. Check for seasonings and serve on top of the sliced chicken and the onions.
Chilean Sea Bass with Smoked Paprika with Corn Risotto and Avocado Salad
- 1½ pound Chilean sea bass, cut into 3 to 4 filets
Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix the spices in a small bowl. Rub the fish filets all over with the spice rub. Marinate for 2 to 3 hours in the fridge.
- Olive oil
- Salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the fish filets on a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle oil and sprinkle salt on each of the filets. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of the filets.
Corn Risotto with Avocado Salad
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin, powdered
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ears of corn, off the cob
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 3 to 4 cups chicken broth, warmed
- Salt
- 1/3 half and half
- ½ cup queso fresco, grated
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil. Add the cumin and sauté for a minute on medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn and the rice. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium low heat. Gradually add the broth one ladle at a time, stirring the rice in between. Add the liquid as it cooks out. The risotto should take about 20 minutes to cook. Add the half and half and cheese. Mix well and check for seasonings. Add salt. Serve with avocado salad on top and fish on the side.
Avocado and Tomato Salad
- 1 large Hass avocado, cut into ½ inch pieces
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Juice of half a lime
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Mix the avocado, tomatoes, lime juice, salt and cilantro in a medium bowl. Mix well and serve on top of the risotto with the fish on the side.
Grilled Shrimp with Cherry Salsa
I love this recipe- very simple and very much in season. Grab those cherries while they are still around and make a delicious salsa!!
- 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Place the shrimp in skewers and sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika. Marinate for two hours in the fridge.
Cherry Salsa
- 1 cup red or white cherries, pitted and chopped
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- Juice of a medium lemon
- 1 serrano chili, chopped
- Salt
Transfer all the ingredients to a bowl. Mix well and let marinate for an hour or two.
Grill the shrimp till done and serve with salsa on top.
Scalloped Potatoes with Roasted Poblano Sauce
I am very proud of this recipe. I combined a bunch of peppers, garlic and onion and roasted them till they became soft and deliciously nutty. I then blended the veggies with cream and milk- I basically made a cream sauce to be used to make scalloped potatoes. I bought a reasonably priced mandolin. Usually they are quite expensive and not worth the money. They are handy to have around- as they make slicing the potatoes a cinch. I was done in no time. The whole dish took me hardly any time to make.
I would recommend making the cream sauce ahead of time if you are planning a big Thanksgiving dinner. You could even freeze the sauce and take it out a day ahead and assemble the potatoes the morning of and then bake them right before eating. They are simply delicious…
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 anaheim pepper
- 1 head of garlic with the top sliced off with a drizzle of olive oil and wrapped in aluminum foil
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup cream
- ¼ cup milk
- Salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the peppers, wrapped garlic and onion onto a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the peppers and onion with the oil and massage with fingers. Roast in oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until the peppers are charred on the outside. Let cool. Take the skin off the peppers and squeeze the garlic out of the skins.
Add the roasted vegetables into a blender with cream and milk. Blend till smooth and add salt. Keep aside. This can be made two days in advance.
- 2 pounds red skinned potatoes, sliced thin about 1/8 inch
- ½ cup queso fresco, shredded
Divide the potato slices into three batches. Add the first to the bottom of an ovenproof dish (9X9). Spread a quarter cup of green sauce. Repeat till you have the third and last bit of potatoes. Pour all of the sauce covering all the potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Take the foil off and add the cheese. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or till the cheese is golden brown.