Salsa Verde - Mexican Green Sauce

Salsa Verde

I was inspired to take on this challenge when a recipe showed up in my "in box" with the word Basic in front of the words Salsa Verde. The recipe was from one of my favorite food bloggers - Kenji . I read through the 4 ingredient recipe and thought... is that all it takes to make bowl of GREEN sauce. I'm in!

Spanish Black Beans and Rice

Spanish Black Beans and Rice

This is a delicious twist on rice and beans. It can be a simple meal in itself or the perfect accompaniment to any Spanish or Mexican meal. 

I served this with Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken and Salsa Verde. The trio was a match made in heaven.

Caldo De Res - Mexican Beef Vegetable Soup

Caldo De Res

I’m a huge fan of clear broth soups and this has quickly moved up the list as one of my favorites. It’s easy to make and incredibly satisfying.

A few bones and an abundance of fresh vegetables transform into a soup that is a meal in itself and screams for a repeat as soon as the pot is empty. That's the kind of soup that I need to have cooking in my kitchen!

Guacamole Salsa Stew

The first time I tasted this green colored sauce was at a food stand in Puerto Vallarta. It was served in a bowl along with a couple other salsas, chilies and limes. I hesitantly dabbed a little on my taco, took a bite – smiled – then proceeded to spoon it on like gravy. I could not get enough of it and needed to find out what this delicious green stuff was.

Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew

This easy one pot meal is a definite keeper.  Hearty pork and hominy together in a flavorful broth that is neither thick nor soupy.  We sopped up the broth with a stack of homemade corn tortillas.  Delicioso!

Cilantro Rice

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Tonight I’m cooking up a Mexican themed dinner with my favorite easy “go to” meal of carnitas and refried beans. I prepped all the ingredients for the carnitas the night before and placed them in a pot in the fridge.

Then I let the slow cooker cook the pinto beans overnight so they would be ready when I woke up the next morning leaving very little work to finish the beans. I place my creamy refried beans in a casserole then topped it with cheese and put it in the fridge along with the carnitas.

All I had to do when I got home was place the pot of carnitas on the stove, bring it to a boil, lower the heat and let it cook itself until it was tender. Then heat up the oven to 300 degrees for about 30 – 40 minutes to reheat the beans and let the cheese melt.

My husband suggested that I cook up a batch of cilantro rice to go along with our dinner. It was easy enough considering I had the rest of my dinner ready. It seemed like a perfect match.

Chile Verdes

Chile Verdes with boiled potatoes

The delicious fork tender chunks of pork swimming in a bath of spicy green tomatillo sauce is truly an addiction for me.

My not so secret to this recipe is a can of Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce jazzed up with onions, garlic, chilis and oregano. My favorite way to eat chile verde is simply with potatoes and cheese. A spoon in one hand and a tortilla or a quesadilla in the other. I'm a simple woman.

I also like to wrap the chile verdes, potatoes and cheese in flour tortillas, burrito style and grill them in a lightly greased non-stick pan so they get crispy. And if you have leftovers, pre-wrap burritos and freeze them for a quick microwave meal.

CHILE VERDES

2          pounds            pork butt or shoulder, cubed small

¼         tsp.                  dried oregano

1          tsp.                  kosher salt

¼         tsp.                  black pepper

1          large                onion, chopped small

2          cloves              garlic, minced

1 -3      large                serrano chili, minced

28        ounce can       Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

1. Cut the pork into small cubes.  Chop onions and mince garlic and Serrano.
2. Heat a heavy bottom pot over med high heat and add 2 Tbsp. oil.  Brown meat on all sides and season with oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Add onions, garlic and serrano.  Cook until onions are soft and fragrant.
4. Add green chile sauce; bring to a boil; cover and let simmer for 1 hour or until pork chunks are fork tender.  Uncover and let cook for another 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken.

NOTES:

•  If you are serving this with potatoes - cube up 3-4 medium sized russet potatoes and boil in salted water for about 8 minutes. Drain and add to your pork or place potatoes in a bowl and spoon chile verde over. Any potato will work but I prefer russet potatoes because they are dryer and flakier which makes them thirsty and ready to soak up the spicy green tomatillo sauce.
• Depending on what your spice meter can handle will determine how many serrano's you need to add to this dish. One medium serrano chili will give you a mild finish, two will give you a medium spicy, while three will defiantly give you a fiery finish. I prefer to remove the seeds because I have a wimpy spice tolerance, but if you like it HOT, leave the seeds in.

Refried Beans

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I was in the mood for Mexican and had everything in my kitchen to make up a well rounded meal.  The first thing that I had to get cooking was the pinto beans.  Sort, rinse and cover with water.  Turn on the stove and check the water level every once in a while.  The beans would pretty much cook themselves in about an hour and a half which was fine since I still had to put together the rest of my meal.  This whole cooking of the beans could be eliminated if you chose to use canned pinto beans, which I have and it works very well.  Two 14 oz. cans rinsed and drained will be exactly what you need to have almost instant refried beans.

Puerto Vallarta Inspired Carnitas

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Last year Kono and I were invited to our friend Dave’s place in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.  It was right on the beach with a priceless view conveniently located next to an abundance of amazing restaurants, many of which we had the pleasure of dinning at.

Guacamole Sauce

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When I was in Mexico they served a guacamole sauce as a condiment with their tacos or at least that is what I understood it to be.  This is my attempt at recreating this condiment for my carnitas tacos and fresh corn tortillas.

Fresh Corn Tortillas

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After getting back from Mexico I decided to try my hand at making corn tortillas.  I have purchased many corn tortillas in my life, however, this will be my first attempt at making them.

Carnes Asada in Mojo Marinade

Cuban mojo marinade with the addition of cilantro is an inspiration from Tyler Florence.  How can something so simple taste so good?

The fresh bright flavors of the lime and orange juice blend perfectly together with the garlic, serrano, and cilantro, each ingredient adding its own distinct layer of flavor to make this an amazing go to marinade anytime of the year.

Easy Green Chile Chicken

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I needed a quick dinner that was hearty and satisfying, which got me thinking about my favorite breakfast burrito-filled with chile verde (a slow cooked pork stewed in a tomatillo sauce), potatoes and cheese.  Yummers!!!

Dave's FCD Black Bean & Sirloin Chili

This recipe was shared with me from my friend Dave who passed it on from San Francisco’s Fog City Diner. I appropriately call it Dave’s FCD Chili.

Pacific Broiler Seafood Burrito

Linda requested a recipe that took me back in time almost 22 years. I hope this is what she remembers. Open a bottle of white wine to keep you company while you are putting this together. But make sure you save a splash or two to put in the finished product especially if it is a bottle of Macon Villages.

It’s 1988 and Kono is creating the menu for the Pacific Broiler. One of the specialty items is the seafood burrito. A giant flour tortilla filled with sautéed jumbo shrimps, scallops, enchilada sauce and succotash. It’s pretty easy to put together if you have all the parts ready. Below you will find directions to the best of my memory.

Spanish Short Rib Stew

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My girlfriend Connie requested a recipe for Spanish Short Rib Stew that my dad used to make at his restaurant years ago. It is a tomato based stew flavored with thinly sliced onions, bell pepper and black olives. I don’t have a recipe but will give some simple directions to the best of my memory.