Inspector Gadget

If you have had kids this past decade, you might have seen a cartoon called Inspector Gadget. The main character wears a trench coat and fedora. Under all of that he has tons of gadgets to save the day. When I started my side business and I would go to a client’s house to set up for a party, I was amazed at how barren some of the kitchens were. My job is to come in an hour before the party and help the hosts set up their buffet table and the bar if they are having one and then take over the kitchen so that they can enjoy their party. I would do my best to help at the beginning but I wasn’t satisfied. I wanted to make their platters look expensive even if it were store bought goodies. So, I went to the dollar store and bought myself two small teal and yellow colored tool boxes. Aren’t they adorable?

Gadgets are fun but also efficient. Yes you can take a knife and slice a cucumber, but as I blogged about it before, a mandolin slicer makes thin, even cuts. PRESENTATION IS KEY. I have a tool to peel thin slices off lemon or lime peels to garnish shrimp. A V shaped knife to make tomato florets. I filled my tool boxes up with all the different gadgets I had at home. Cheese slicer, strainers, sharp knives, citrus fruit squeezer, pie cutter, wine openers, measurer for alcoholic beverages (a shot glass), melon baller, ice cream scoop etc, etc. Now I come prepared to help dazzle a plate.

Cooking gadgets are another one of my favorite things. Fondue pots, slow cookers, pizza stones, rice cookers, etc. But my all time favorite is a CHICKEN STAND. This stand will help you make the most flavorful, juicy chicken ever. All you need to do is drink ½ a beer and save the other half. Give a whole chicken a massage and stand it up. No, I have not lost my mind, this is for real. Below is my favorite recipe for BEER CAN CHICKEN.
But first you need to get one of these. They are sold at Wal-Mart or Bed, Bath & Beyond. The one at BB&B is a little more expensive but sturdier, but anyone will do really. I have one of each. Left is Wal-Mart, right is BB&B.

Remove the top rack in your oven. You will need the lowest rack for this. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Take a roasting pan and lightly spray it with cooking spray. Set the chicken stand in the middle.
Take a can of beer and pour ½ out into a glass. Take the can with the rest of the beer and set it in the middle of the stand. Here is an example:

Now if you are going to drink the ½, then purchase the beer that you enjoy. But, if you do not drink alcoholic beverages, then buy the cheapest brand. Keep the unused cans in your pantry. It is wonderful for cooking and all the alcohol is burned away.
To the beer in the can you are going to drop in a couple of cloves of garlic and some drops of Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.

Take you whole chicken and make sure to take out the giblets. If you have pets, place the giblets on the bottom of the roasting pan along with the stand. Great treat and no waste.
Check the chicken for any little feathers or quill stems still left on it. Pull them out. Rinse the chicken with cold water and set it on a big platter or cutting board. Here comes the massage. Take ¼ cup of olive oil and add any spices that you like. You can even add the ones already blended like Lawry’s Seasoning, or Italian Seasoning or McCormick’s has blends for all types of meat.

My chef and I use fresh herbs grown in our herb garden. Chopped sage, thyme, garlic, fresh ground pepper and olive oil. Be generous. Just watch the salt. Rub this all over the chicken, inside and out, even under the skin.. If you are squeamish about touching raw meat, wear gloves. The Dollar Tree sells a pack of disposable gloves for a dollar. Now take the wide opening of the chicken and stand it up on the can. Make sure the can is completely inside the chicken. I know this recipe sounds insane.
Now on the opening of the chicken on top, take a small onion or tomato to seal the hole. It will keep all that wonderful steam inside the chicken to make it juicy and the onion or tomato will release that entire fantastic flavor.

In another bowl, add the rest of the beer mixed with 2 cups of water. If there is any leftover rub, add that too. Now if you drank the beer, get out the bottle of wine. Add ½ cup of wine instead. Again if you don’t drink, get a cheap bottle of wine and keep it in the fridge. It is great for cooking. Wal-mart sells $2.50 bottles of white and red wine. Even the supermarkets have $5.00 ones with great flavor. If you are totally against alcohol, Holland House Cooking wines are fabulous.

Place the roasting pan with the chicken in the oven. Pour the beer diluted with water into the bottom of the roasting pan. This creates more moisture in the oven as the water evaporates. Cook for approximately 1 ½ hours to 2 hours. This depends on how big your bird is. Always check chicken for doneness. Best place to check is in between the thigh and breast.

When your chicken is done, you can cut it directly into pieces off the stand or you can get someone to help you hold the bottom of the stand, while you lift the chicken off with tongs. Since the oven is already on, I take potatoes and roast them to serve with the chicken and either green beans or corn on the cob.

I hope you have fun with this dish. Crazy but absolutely wonderful.
Cheers.

RESTAURANT HIGH

I just came home from working at the restaurant. I waited tables tonight. In spite of all the hard work and the HOT kitchen, I really enjoy restaurant work. I am a people person. I can talk to anyone. I am honestly interested in where people are from and how they arrived in Waxhaw (Charlotte). I love seeing the expression on their faces when I set their plates before them and they take that first bite. I can see the pleasure written all over their faces. Since I am a hyperactive person, the intensity of the restaurant is like a drug for me. I get a high when I see food being cooked in the saute pans and tongs flipping. The flames of the grill leaving all the wonderful charred marks on the steaks and fish is art. I love a steak that is burnt on the outside and mid-rare on the inside. It is call Pittsburgh style. The dance of the plates going in and out of the kitchen is a beautiful thing. The kitchen of a restaurant is like an orchestra. All the different sections have to be in sync, if not the song is off key. The audience comes in expecting the best the conductor can perform that evening. Come visit us some time at Rippington's Restaurant at Waxhaw.

But it can also be an insane and frantic place. I honestly believe that grease is addictive like cigarettes. Once you work in a restaurant, you NEVER forget it. You might not sniff the grill smoke anymore, but the memories are for life.

Unfortunately there are those folks that go to a restaurant and treat the wait staff as the subservient class. But thank God the majority of the patrons are fantastic. And I remind myself that I will leave with cold hard cash to pay bills. That is a blessing in itself.

My ultimate dream has been owning a restaurant and working with my husband. He would handle the back of the house and I handle the front. But we need $100,000. Anyone out there lending?

My husband and I met in a restaurant. It was when I had a chance to work with him side by side that my life changed. And for the MUCH BETTER. I will share that story some day soon. FUNNY.

Today we did some prep work together. Crazy as it seems, it was so romantic. We wrapped some sweet onion wedges with bacon and drizzled them with this fantastic brown sugar, balsamic vinegar sauce and grilled them. They were to be served over a grilled ribeye steak. YUM. The special sold out tonight.

I ask myself why is food so important in our house besides the need to work a job. And the answer is love. Jesus broke bread at the last supper and told us to break bread in His remembrance. We celebrate a new life by bringing food to the new parents. We celebrate the passing of a life to heaven with food for the family for comfort. The centerpiece of a wedding is the bride and the cake. CAKE! People travel far and wide to have family reunions with grandiose picnics. And Thanksgiving. It is my all time favorite holiday. Besides going crazy trying to get home via train, plane and automobile, imagining that golden brown turkey in the middle of the table is enough to make the layovers well worthwhile. And all for love.

I still make sure that we have dinner together as a family in spite of the rat race. Sometimes we eat at 10pm, but we slow down and enjoy each other.

Plan to cook together as a family, or as a couple or even if you are by yourself. Look at a carrot or a piece of celery and marvel at God's wonderful creation.

Visit us at Rippington's Restaurant in Waxhaw, NC

Black As The Night

Blackened steak or pork, blackened fish or blackened shrimp. The zing of spicy cajun flavor teases the senses. I never ate blackening spice until I married a chef. Now I'm hooked. And I had only seen cooking on a cast iron skillet on TV. The combination of both black elements create a taste sensation. You sear with love.

Despite stereotypes, all Latinos do not eat spicy food. I started eating spicy food as an adult. I needed training wheels. Any bit of spice and my mouth was on fire. But now I can handle the heat. And how wonderful the warmth is.

My hubby mixes his own blackening spice for the restaurant, but you can purchase some good brands. Our favorite store bought brand is Paul Prudhomme's Blackening Spice. He has a blend for meat or fish.

I have 2 favorite dishes using blackening spice. One is Tuna Bites, an appetizer and the other is Blackened Pork Tenderloin, an entree. I will share the Tuna Bites with you today. Make sure the tuna is fresh and has a deep bright burgundy color.

Tuna Bites w/Horsey Sauce
Tuna steak cut into chunks. Pat dry with paper towel.
Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic seasoning
Salt

Take a cast iron skillet and spray with non-stick spray. Make sure the skillet is really hot.
In a bowl put the tuna chunks and sprinkle with the blackening seasoning and toss to make sure the chunks are completely coated. Now you have to eyeball the amount of seasoning you add. The more seasoning you sprinkle on, the spicier it will be.
Add the chunks into the skillet. Make sure there are not too many chunks at one time. It will smoke so be careful not to inhale the spice. I've been told it is like snorting cocaine. Those cooks at the restaurant have a sick sense of humor. The seasoning will turn black in about 1 to 1 1/2 minute. Turn to the other side. Do not overcook though or else your chunks will dry out. Tuna is best cooked on the outside and red on the inside.

Take the chunks out and put them on a plate that is lined with paper towel. Finish cooking all the rest of the tuna.

To serve, line a plate with some curly lettuce and pile on the tuna bites. Serve with a side of horsey sauce.

Horsey Sauce
Sour Cream - 1/2 small container
Horseradish - 1 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce - couple drops
salt and pepper - to taste
Take a small bowl and add all the ingredients except for the salt, and mix well.
Add salt a little at a time to your liking. Amount of saltiness is personal.

Now if you want you can add more horseradish, the more you add the more of a zing your nose will feel.

Enjoy with cold beverage.

I will share the Blackened Pork Tenderloin soon.

I FELL IN LOVE TODAY!

I went to Marshalls to look for a blouse today, but the trauma of trying on clothes is too much to handle. So I put all my picks back on the rack and went to the home goods section instead. And there, right before my eyes were the Cuisinart skillets on sale. The most beautiful, 12" non-stick skillet with cool handle that can go into the oven. And only $30.00. Cuisinart normally retails for twice the amount. Marshall's has the pots that go along with my new baby. I see a yard sale coming up to come up with the funds. They also have a great assortment of spice mixes, flavored olive oils and marinades. You don't normally imagine Marshall's or Ross as a place to stock your kitchen, but they hide wonderful goodies. At Ross they sell woks that say commercial grade, and believe me, they really are. Now, Ross doesn't have them all the time. You just have to check periodically. My hubby picked the wok out. That is how good they are, they have his stamp of approval. His spatulas just can't touch any ol' pan. I know it sounds crazy to be so excited about a skillet, but it really does matter when it comes to cooking. You want even heating, no hot spots. And you want it to really be non-stick. Once you find that special pan, treat it with TLC. No dishwasher!! No harsh scrubbie thingys or scouring powder. No metal spatulas! And if you do not have a hanging pot rack, buy some inexpensive kitchen towels and keep them where you store your pans. Have them handy to put between each skillet if you have to stack them. It is not OCD, it is money saving. They will stay looking brand new and last you for many, many years.
GO SHOPPING!!!

To Sear With Love

Her breasts slammed hard against the iron plated shield. Immediately the white hot heat was burning her skin. She couldn't do a thing to stop it. And just when she thought it was going to burn her beyond recognition, he turned her around and her back was against him. And again the burning began. Yet, her insides were melting. She felt a warmth run through her body and it made her feel wonderful.

How sexy is that for cooking a chicken breast. When my husband is cooking, I watch the way he massages any protein he is cooking with olive oil and seasonings. I even told him one time I wish I was a steak to get rubbed like that :-)

I wasn't the best cook of meats. Any steak or pork chop I cooked always turned out to be shoe leather. Tough and dry. If we were to eat red meat, I always asked my husband to cook it and I would watch him. Whether it was pork chops, tenderloin, or even tuna steak he would sear the meat. And the best part is that you sear the spices into the meat for great flavor.

So why sear. It seals in the juices. Plain and simple.

Sesame Encrusted Tuna Steak

2 tbsp of olive oil or roasted sesame oil if you want a more oriental flavor
One tuna steak per person.
Sesame seeds
Fresh coarse ground pepper
Kosher Salt
Teriyaki sauce or soy sauce

Take the tuna steaks and pat it dry. Sprinkle them with salt to taste.
Take the sesame seeds and put them on a flat dinner plate.
Grind the pepper on top of the sesame seeds.
Take a tuna and place it on the sesame seeds and press down. Try to coat the one side of the tuna. Turn over and do the same with the other side.

Have the pan heated up to a medium high heat. Add the oil and spread around.
Take the tuna steak and place it in the pan. Don't put more than 2 tuna steaks at once. You want the liquid to evaporate immediately. Cook the tuna a couple of minutes and flip. Cook the other side. The sesame seeds will have been encrusted and toasted into the tuna. Tuna is best rare inside. But if you liked it cooked all the way, have the oven preheated and place the tuna in the oven to finish cooking slowly.

To serve, drizzle with either the soy or teriyaki sauce. White rice and steamed snowpeas are great. Want it even healthier? Serve it with basmati brown rice. The nuttiness of the rice complements it wonderfully.

Here are a few tips:
I like to get the white and black sesame seeds and mix a couple of tablespoons together. I love the way it looks on the cooked tuna.

Try different salts. There are so many different salts that give subtle flavor changes. Pink salt, grey salt, fleur de sel. Some salts can run a bit expensive, but you can get the small packets for around $2.00 to sample them. World Market is a great place to buy little packets of salts and spices.

Tomorrow - Black as the Night

Plantain Nachos

I love my mandolin slicer. Above is a picture of the one I purchased at the Southern Christmas Show about 4 years ago. Brand: Borner. You can purchase it online, or go to the home stores. Just search for mandolin slicer. There is a wide variety of brands. It is portable, so I take it with me to any party I am working. And I use it at home all the time. But DO NOT use it without the safety guard. Believe me I know, I have the scars to prove it. Those little blades are SHARP!
Anyway, to make the plantain chips, you need green plantains. Peel them and then rinse them.
Dry them off with a paper towel. Use the slide that makes thin slices. Cut the plantain in half. It is easier to handle and slice them.

Have a plate with several layers of paper towel ready to absorb the oil of the cooked chips.

If you have a deep fryer, use the temperature recommended for potato chips. If you don’t, fill a frying pan with about an inch of vegetable oil. Heat the oil. To test the temperature, add one slice of the plantain. If it sizzles, it is ready. Add the chips a handful at a time. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan. Turn the chips around with a slotted spoon every minute so they do not stick to each other. Once the are golden brown, scoop them out. It doesn’t take long. Let the oil drain over the pan a few seconds and transfer on to the paper towel.
Continue this until all your plantains are cooked.

Now, I can’t tell you how many plantains to use. Latinos always cook for an army even if only 2 people are going to show up and I inherited that trait. For nachos, best bet is to have at least one plantain per person if you are having this for tailgating. As an appetizer at home, ½ of a plantain per person should be enough. And in reference to temperatures, I eyeball it.

Toppings – the sky is the limit. Here are a few ideas.

CAROLINA NACHOS
Put the cooked plantain chips on a platter. Add shredded barbeque. Top with vinegar based cole slaw. The sweetness of the plantains complements the barbeque sauce really well. Now, for you northerners like me that means barbequed pork. I had to learn this terminology. Whenever they would invite me out to eat barbeque, I would ask, “Barbeque what?” Everyone would bust out laughing. Only pork is barbequed down south, all else is grilled.

CARIBBEAN NACHOS
Top the plantain chips with shredded cooked chicken. Add black beans and sprinkle with Mojo sauce. Mojo sauce contains olive oil, garlic and sour orange juice or lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper. As you can tell already, I love GOYA brand foods. The major supermarkets are carrying them here in Charlotte now. Go to the international foods section and Goya is there. Mojo comes in a bottle. Don’t worry about having leftover sauce. You can use it as a marinade.

Be creative. Let your food juices flow.

This ends the Going Green series. Coming at this blog near you,

“To Sear with Love”

Stay tuned.

I am finishing up my Green Series. I hope you have learned about different ways to eat foods that you are familiar with, but green.
The majority of the recipes I have shared with you are lower in fat and calories. But every now and then you have to splurge. And this recipe will totally surprise you. You can eat them as an appetizer, a side dish or a snack. That depends on how you cut and shape them. They are fried though no matter which way you slice them.


I am talking about GREEN PLANTAINS. Plantains are in the banana family, and just like bananas they are not as sweet when they are not ripe. As the plantain ripens the sweeter it gets, just like the banana..

ALL Latino specialty stores have green plantains. It is a staple in Caribbean cuisine. In doing research I found out that Africa eats them a lot too. Go to Wikipedia and enter the word Tostones and it will list the different countries enjoying tostones.


Here is how I learned to cook tostones, and I actually taught my chef how to cook them too.

TOSTONES- also called Patacones or Caras de Gato (Cat Faces) in other Latino countries.

Wash the unpeeled plantain. Take a knife and cut off the ends. Then with the knife score a cut down one side of the whole length of the plantain. Try not to cut into the fruit, just the skin. Flip it over and do the same with the other side. With your fingers start peeling the skin off. It is not like peeling a banana. The peel is thicker, hard and sticky. Once you have peeled the plantains, wash your hands and rinse the plantain to remove any sap residue. Dry the plantain with a paper towel.


On a cutting board cut the plantain into 1 to 1 ½ inch thick chunks. You can make then 1 inch for appetizer size. On the same cutting board, pour a little bit of oil on the board and spread it around. You will use this spot to squash the plantains. Also get a flat bottomed coffee mug and coat the bottom with some oil too. This is the tool you will use to squash the plantain chunks.

Have a frying pan with canola or vegetable oil deep enough to cover ½ the plantain . Heat the oil but don’t let it smoke or else you food becomes bitter. Put the chunks into the oil. When you see that one side has turned golden brown, flip the piece and brown the other side. Take one piece out and put it one the cutting board, take the cup and smash the plantain until it is flat. If it sticks to the cup, just take a fork to loosen it up. Put it back into the frying pan. Fry it until it is golden brown all over and crunchy. Transfer the tostones to a plate that is lined with paper towel to absorb the oil.

To serve as a side dish, sprinkle a little bit of salt. I know this is not 100% latino, but I love sour cream on them. My chef makes a vinegar mixture to sprinkle on them. Mix 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, one little envelope of Goya Sazon seasoning and a few dashes of tobasco, pour a few teaspoons on top. Or he makes a black bean salsa. Serving tostones with pork chops, black bean salsa and white rice is YUM!!

For an appetizer you can do it 2 ways, but not good for a big party since it is better to serve warm. This is great to impress a few folks though.
1) Cook as above. Take a piece of mozzarella cheese and put it in between 2 tostones while they are warm to form a sandwich. The cheese will melt and fuse together. You can top each one with the green salsa I posted earlier.
2) Once you squash the cooked chunk, take it in your hand and form a cup, or find something rounded to form the cup. Be careful, it might be hot, but this is when the plantain can be molded. Put the plantain cup in the oil and cook until crunchy. Transfer to the paper towel to drain. Fill each cup with some shrimp, topped with chopped onions and cilantro. Shredded chicken or ground beef topped with shredded parmesan cheese.

And if you have some Latinos friends over for dinner, make sure you have some salsa song playing and for sure you will end up dancing. Food and dancing runs through our veins more than blood.

Tomorrow I will show you how to make plantain chips to make Plantain Nachos.
Football season is here and we need new tailgate foods.

GO PANTHERS!!!

Going Coconuts over Green

You put the lime in da coconut an' drink em all up!! Green coconuts! They are fabulous. They have a lot of wonderful juice, normally called coconut water.

Coconut water is medicinal and healthy.

• Low in carbs
• 99% fat free
• low in sugars

It is supposed to help pass kidney stones, and detoxify and fight viruses. It raises your metabolism and promotes weight loss. The water inside a green coconut is not thick like the coconut used for Pina Coladas, or making desserts. It is opaque white, it is not clear. The meat inside of the coconut is paper thin. You can scoop it out with a spoon.

The challenge is opening a green coconut. It has a thick light brown husk around it. In a ripened coconut it turns dark brown. I have only seen them opened with a machete (a big long knife). They take the knife and slowly slice away and open the top of the coconut. They leave a hole big enough for you to drink the water directly out of the coconut and later to be able to stick a spoon in it and eat the pulp. AWESOME!

Goya brand has coconut water in individual cans for drinking. Buy the unsweetened water. It is a refreshing summer drink. It has the pieces of coconut pulp in it. I add a squeeze of lime juice and serve it over ice. Add a straw and drink it all up.

I just love coconut water, but I actually don't have any personal recipes, so I did a little searching. Go to http://www.goya.com/. Look for the recipe section and enter the word coconut water. Amazing recipes show up. I am going to give one to my chef and see what he comes up with. I'll let you know. I hope you enjoyed the information and maybe you will try a new drink.

Tortilla Chip Encrusted Chicken with Green Salsa

I don't like recipes that are too complicated. When I married a chef I learned a few tricks to make dishes seem like I spent a whole day in the kitchen. This will wow your family or dinner guests. To coat this chicken you are going to use tortilla chips. Yes that's right, like the kind you use for eating chips and salsa. You can even use corn chips. Have you ever had someone leave a bag of chips open and they lost their crunch? My kid named "Not Me" is always leaving things open. Don't throw them away! Turn them into crumbs to use for coating. This goes for potato chips too.


Now, this is not an authentic Mexican recipe. It is just an homage to tomatillos.

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of Tortilla chips crumbed
• Cooking spray
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese (get the skim milk low fat kind to save calories).
• Diced tomatoes
• Green Salsa (see recipe on blog entry date 07-Aug-09)
• Cooked white rice. (Whole wheat Basmati rice is a healthy choice and just as good).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.


Take 3 different bowls.
In one bowl add the flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork.
In the 2nd bowl mix the buttermilk and the egg. If you want to save some more calories you can separate the egg and just use the egg white.
In the third bowl add the tortilla chip crumbs.


Spray a sheet pan with the cooking spray and set aside. If you have an oven safe saute pan you can skip this.



Take the chicken breasts and remove any little pieces of fat that are still attached. Run then quickly under a bit of cold water to rinse, then pat them dry with paper towel. Discard the paper towels. Take a breast and dip it in the seasoned flour to lightly coat, then dip it into the buttermilk/egg mixture, then coat the breast with the crumbed tortilla chips. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with each chicken breast.

Wash your hands after handling the chicken to avoid salmonella contamination.


Take a saute pan and add the olive oil. Heat to medium. Take a spatula and transfer each breast into the pan. Cook for approximately 5 minutes to brown each side. If you have the oven safe pan, place it in the oven. If not, transfer the browned chicken breasts to the sheet pan and put into the oven. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. You want to make sure there isn't any pink in the middle. Cut into the center of the biggest breast to check for doneness. If it is not done, check every 2 minutes. You don't want to dry out the chicken breasts. Once the chicken is done, turn off the oven. Take out the chicken and sprinkle it with the mozzarella cheese and return to the oven just to melt the cheese.


To serve:

Place a chicken breast over a bed of rice. Top each breast with the green salsa and the diced tomatoes. You get that red, green and white color of the Mexican flag. Serve with a side fresh steamed green beans, or your veggie of choice.


My chef calls his version Southwest Chicken because he blends smoky chipotle chilis into his buttermilk mixture with a hand held blender. And for an even spicier punch, he uses Monterey Pepper Jack cheese instead of mozzarella. Give it a try too!

Remember the potato chips? Use potato crumbs instead of the tortilla chips, top with shredded cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce, and a couple of jalapeno slices and you have a TexMex dish. Serve with oven-roasted potatos and corn. A totally different meal.


Please let me know if you liked these recipes. Enjoy!

Salsa is going green

When you say that you are Latino, the first question you immediately get is, "Are you Mexican or Portorrican?" There is nothing wrong with being from Mexico or from Puerto Rico, but everyone forgets that there are so many other Latin American countries. Our cuisine differs from one to another. I come from a background that does not eat spicy. The hot sauce is put on the side. We have a more Caribbean influence, with a Mayan Indian twist.
So in order to eat Mexican style, we go to the Mexican restaurants like everyone else. My husband always orders the tacos with green salsa. It reminds me of the time I had the pleasure of traveling to Mexico and tasted the authentic thing. I went to Torreon, Mexico and I was invited to a Bar-B-Que. They were grilling the most fabulous steaks, grilled corn that was smothered with a mix of lime juice, chili powder and butter, and hand made tortillas. We were served our food and these ladies were serving homemade sauces to top the steaks. She had this green salsa in a clay bowl. I knew what red salsa tasted like, so I wanted to try something new. She poured a small ladle of sauce on my steak. I took the biggest mouthful of steak and sauce. Within a few seconds my mouth was ON FIRE!!! My eyes started watering. It was too spicy for me, but the undertone of flavor was fabulous. I asked the lady for the recipe and I have memorized it ever since. The one and only thing that I have changed is the kind of hot pepper I use. The nuclear kind she used is not allowed by Homeland Security in the USA.
So what is the ingredient that makes this sauce so special? Tomatillos. It is not a funny way of spelling tomatos, they are just related. The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk. When you peel the husk, it leaves a sticky feeling on your fingers and on the surface of the tomatillo. But this washes off easily. So here is a recipe that just consists of boiling water, chopping a little and using a food processor.

• 2 lbs tomatillos
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut in quarters
• 1 garlic clove. 2 cloves if they are very small.
• Juice of 1 lime.
• 2 tbsp of roughly chopped cilantro (if you put it whole, it might not be blended as needed.)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, cut off the stem if it has one. Take out the veins and seeds if you want to tone down the heat. USE GLOVES!! The oil of the pepper even burns the skin of your fingers.

Peel and wash the tomatillos to get rid of the stickiness. Chop the onion. Put the onion and tomatillos in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and continue cooking for 5 more minutes. The tomatillos should be soft. Drain the water.
Chop the cilantro and put it in the food processor. Also add the garlic and jalapeno. Turn on the processor and roughly blend. Add the tomatillos and onion and blend some more. Before you add the lime juice, taste the sauce. Tomatillos are acid by nature, and the lime juice is just to enhance the flavor. If you feel it needs some acidity, slowly add the lime juice a quarter at a time while the food processor is on low speed. Taste the sauce after you add each quarter of the juice just to make sure. Add salt and pepper. Adjust to taste. You can blend as little as you want to have a chunky salsa, or add a little water and blend more to have a smooth salsa.

Quick Meal Idea: Make some authentic Mexican tacos using leftovers. Get some corn tortillas. Use up leftover chicken or beef heated up. Use 2 tortillas per taco you are going to make, one stacked on top of each other on each plate. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds. Take the tortillas out of the microwave and top with the meat, chopped cilantro and chopped onion. Then drizzle the green salsa over the taco. Grab it with your fingers, eat and enjoy.
Authentic Mexican tacos do not have shredded lettuce or shredded cheese on them. But that is the beauty of food, if you want cheese on your taco, then sprinkle away.

Sunday I will post on how you use Green Salsa chef style.

No Monkey Business Here

Have you ever purchased bananas that are not totally ripe on purpose? I do. I want them to ripen slowly so we can enjoy them at their peak. Bananas are picked green anyway and are allowed to ripen off the tree in order for them to sweeten. If they were left to ripen on the tree the starch in the banana would make them bland, it would not turn into sugar. But what I would love to know is who took the green bananas and said, "Let me cook them and see what happens."?
I am glad they did though and this knowledge has been passed from generation to generation in the tropical Latin countries. So I want you to try bananas that are totally green. And I mean bananas, not plantains. I will talk about plantains another day. I'm talking about the kind of bananas that monkeys love. The teenage monkey in my house loves them. Green bananas are eaten like a starch, a side dish. And they are the easiest thing to cook. I know it sounds strange, but give them a try. Since bananas are sold by the pound you can buy just one banana to try the recipe below. Pick bananas that are very firm and have a nice bright green color. You have to buy these at the Latin Specialty stores. The bananas in the supermarket are too ripe already.

Here's the way to cook them:
Do not peel the banana, just cut off the ends, then cut the banana in half (not lengthwise). Put the bananas in the pot. Fill the pot with just enough water to cover the amount of bananas you are cooking. Add a bit of salt and a splash or olive oil. Turn the heat on to medium. Let the water come to a soft rolling boil. As the bananas cook, the skin will turn brown. To check for tenderness, take the tip of a knife and test on the center of biggest cut end. If the knife enters easily into the middle of the banana, then the banana is done. The skin might split open on its own, and it will be very easy to remove. If you were to peel an uncooked green banana, it would be very sticky and the skin would be very hard to remove. It sticks to the banana. Take the bananas out of the water and let cool for a few minutes. Remove the banana peel and serve.
Once the banana is on the plate, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. I like it this way to keep it low calorie. You can also have sour cream to spread on the banana. I have eaten these a lot lately in lieu of potatoes. I hope you enjoy this new way of going bananas.

Goin' Green

When you live in certain countries of Latin America, you realize there is a lot of poverty. But since there is a lot of need, there is also a lot of inventiveness. Whomever came up with eating certain fruits and vegetables 'green', and making them taste good is a genius. Today I am tackling GREEN MANGO. Mangoes in the United States are light green in color with a nice touch of red, but if you squeeze them, they feel soft. The more you let them sit, the riper and sweeter they get. But in this case, we want them totally unripe. In Spanish they are called Mangos Verdes. They are a deep green and very hard to the touch. You can't peel them the way you peel a ripe mango. You either have to peel them with a paring knife, or a potato peeler will do. Green mangoes are sour. Some are very, very sour. The seed is smaller than in a ripe mango.

So what do you do with a GREEN MANGO? Well, in Honduras you can buy them in baggies from the street vendors, peeled cut in strips. They douse them with a mixture of vinegar, spices (Cumin, pepper and salt) and hot sauce upon request. You buy a beer along with the mango and take it into the stadium to watch the weekly soccer game. Absolutely awesome in the hot tropical weather.

But let's spice it up a bit, chef style. My chef takes a green mango and dices it to make a Green Chunky Mango Pineapple Salsa to put it on grilled chicken or fish. Or you can dress your tacos up with this chunky salsa instead of that bottled stuff.

So here is a recipe:
Green Chunky Mango Pineapple Salsa.
1 green mango washed, peeled and finely diced. Discard the pit.
1 small can of pineapple in chunks (unsweetened) drain the liquid and save it. Finely dice it some more.
1 small yellow Spanish onion finely diced.
1 medium sized jalapeno.
If you want the heat, keep the seeds and veins. HEY, use gloves before handling a jalapeno or else.
Juice from 1 lime.
1 tsp of chopped cilantro.
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix in a bowl and let the flavors explode together for 1 hour, or overnight. This can be prepared ahead of time for a party. As you double or triple the recipe, adjust the spices to taste. That is the great thing about Latin cooking, grandma has her special touch, I have mine and you will have yours.

For watching your weight, this is low in calories and great in flavor. You can top grilled chicken or fish for a great hot summer meal. Remember that pineapple liquid you saved? Make it into a marinade for the chicken or mix with apple cider vinegar, canola oil and fresh ground pepper for a salad dressing. Money saving and fresh.

Where do you find green mangoes? In the Charlotte, NC area there are a lot of Latino markets that have opened up. My favorite is Compare Foods that are scattered around the area. But the best one is on the corner of Independence Boulevard and Idlewild Road. Be prepared to be assaulted by the variety of produce offered. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I go there. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Why Married A Chef?

Hello Friends,
My life has been influenced by food, and even more so when I married a CHEF. He is not a graduate from some fancy culinary school, but I would peg him against any fancy schmancy chef. I hope you enjoy my stories, food tips and recipes. Maybe I can get you to try a new ingredient? My posts will all be related to the fun ups and downs of having a CHEF in my life and how I view food now. So come along for the taste!
I was born in New York City which is a haven for international cooking with every ethnic group in the world represented there. The food is insanely good in New York City. My family is from Honduras, Central America. They are immigrants that arrived in NYC in the 1950's. But America is home for all of us.
Out of all the international cuisines I have tasted so far, Latin cooking for me is tops. Now I reside in North Carolina. I have added southern food to my repertoire. My husband is American as apple pie. Meat n' potatoes it is for him. And I have a teenage kid who won't eat leftovers. So pleasing all these pallets in one sitting is an adventure. So this week I am going to share about "Going Green". Join me tomorrow