By nando, on May 2nd, 2011%
I grew up in my grandmother’s kitchen. Since my family used to gather at her house for all holiday meals, I usually got to see/help with these dishes. One of my grandmother’s most famous dishes is her French Onion Rice. It’s basically French onion soup, beef consome, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and rice. Yeah, that’s it! Most recipes I’ve found do not include the mushrooms, but my grandmother always added them so my rendition of this dish will include them. The beauty of this dish is that it’s made from pantry staples that are easy to find, inexpensive to purchase, and keep for a relatively long time in your cupboard. MMMmmm…
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: About 35-40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: I call for butter in my recipe, but I’ve also seen it done with bacon/bacon fat. Feel free to experiment.
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-12oz can each, French onion soup and beef consomme (I use Campbells)
1 8oz jar sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cups white rice
1 tbsp butter
Pinch of salt
Procedure:
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot (I use a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and allow them to sweat until they’re softened . . . → Read More: Arroz con Cebolla (French Onion Rice)
By nando, on April 25th, 2011%
The first time I made this dish I called it “Mexican Mac and Cheese.” However, after tasting it, I realized it was more reminiscent of the American Southwest (from Arizona to Western Texas) than of Mexico, so I changed the name. The inspiration came to me while trying to put a Mexican spin on traditional comfort food in honor of Cinco de Mayo. In a way, I guess it’s fitting that the dish is more American than Mexican since Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the U.S. than in Mexico (with the exception of Puebla).
I chose to cook my own beans, and to roast the peppers and the corn myself, but feel free to purchase canned versions if you’re interested in saving some time. The corn and the peppers can easily be roasted in the oven together (25-30 minutes at 400 degrees, tossing/turning as needed), and if you start with canned beans, it will only take you 20-25 minutes to simmer them with the correct spices (I used my recipe for Cuban black beans, but feel free to use canned).
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: About 30 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Notes: You can cook the bacon while the water . . . → Read More: Southwest Mac and Cheese
By nando, on November 16th, 2010%
It’s fall, so every food blogger and their brother is probably posting something similar, if they haven’t already. So, why am I doing it if I know it’s been done a million times already? Because there are few things in this world that I like more than (roasted) Brussels sprouts, and because it’s my blog. What’s going to sound weird is that I only like them one way: roasted. I do not care for them if they’re boiled or steamed (though I haven’t tried grilling them) because it’s the mild bitterness from the charred leaves that whets my appetite.
This recipe can be made several ways; for one, you can use any kind of lubricant you’d like, including bacon or duck fat. I suggest olive oil (or other vegetable oils) with this recipe unless you want to play around with how much salt you should add.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: None
Ingredients:
1 lb Brussels sprouts
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
3 slices bacon, cut into small strips and cooked
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Remove the outermost leaves from the sprouts and discard, then cut a bit off from the stem part . . . → Read More: Roasted Brussels Sprouts
By nando, on November 11th, 2010%
I like the simple things in life and there are few things better than sitting down to watch a football game with a hamburger and a beer. Of course, the hamburger will need a side and you can’t always go for french fries. I was trying to figure out a side that was not only not fried, but was different from the “normal” hamburger sides I normally make. I decided that combining a loaded baked potato with potato salad would be a good change of pace; and that’s how this recipe came to be.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: None
Ingredients:
2 russet potatoes
3 tbsp sour cream
1.5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 ounces)
6 bacon slices, cooked then diced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp chives, chopped fine
Procedure:
Dice the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes,leaving the skin on, and place them in a pot with 4 cups of cold water (make sure the water covers the potatoes by about an inch). Add the salt, cover, and place over high heat until the water boils. Let the potatoes boil for 7-10 minutes, until they’re just cooked through but not falling apart (you can test . . . → Read More: Loaded Potato Salad
By nando, on October 28th, 2010%
I can understand if you don’t think that blue cheese, apples, and coleslaw go together. At first, I really didn’t think it would, either. But, being the eclectic person that I am (my wife can tell you the story about the time I served her a breakfast sandwich on a blueberry bagel with chipotle mustard), I like to combine ingredients that you normally wouldn’t see together and see if they work. This combination definitely works!
I’m not a coleslaw lover. In fact, I spent most of my adult life trying to avoid the overly sweetened versions, with twice as much mayonnaise as they should have, typically found in both fast food restaurants and supermarkets alike. The inspiration for this particular recipe came to me after trying to improve on some coleslaw that I tasted at a local BBQ restaurant (slaws are a typical NC side with BBQ). The chef used apple cider vinegar and that gave me the idea of not only using it, but apples as well (apples and apple cider vinegar go well together, go figure). The acid in the vinegar will prevent your apples from turning brown and will add a hint of sweetness without adding sugar or calories. . . . → Read More: Blue Cheese and Apple Coleslaw
By nando, on October 21st, 2010%
I’m a meat-and-potato type of guy, and I think that there are very few toppings that go better with a baked potato than bacon. I was thinking of making a baked potato as a side one day this week but I changed my mind when I walked by the fingerling potatoes in the grocery store. The minute I saw them I pictured them wrapped in bacon and I just had to bring some home and try it out.
I made sure to pick the smallest ones I could find, and tried to ensure that they were all about the same size; to ensure even cooking, I picked potatoes that were between the size of a nickel and a quarter, and they worked out great. They just needed to boil for 10 minutes and spend about 20 minutes in the oven to ensure a crispy exterior and a nice, fluffy interior.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: You could use regular potatoes, cut up into small cubes (about 3/4″ squares) if you can’t find small fingerlings. Also, don’t use colored toothpicks as the food dye will bleed into the potato as it cooks (definitely not pretty).
Ingredients:
12 small fingerling potatoes
4 strips of . . . → Read More: Bacon-Wrapped Fingerling Potatoes
By nando, on August 20th, 2010%
I’ve seen my share of tuna burgers on restaurant menus for years now. I’ve never ordered one because I’m not a huge fan of seared tuna steaks and I was afraid that the non-steak burgers were made from canned tuna (which I don’t really care for, either). I’ve also seen cooking shows where they use either tuna steaks or canned tuna to make burgers but I usually change the channel as it’s something I never thought I’d be interested in. However, I was inspired to do something different after watching an old episode of Iron Chef America where Morimoto took a large piece of tuna and chopped it up with two knives into very small pieces and than created a beautiful tuna tartar out of it. My thought process was as follows: “Why can’t I take small pieces of tuna and mix them as I would a crab cake, then make a burger/slider out if it?”
It’s been a few weeks since I saw that episode and had almost forgot about it until I was looking through the sale items in my local Harris Teeter and saw that sashimi-grade Tuna was on sale for $7 a pound. I usually try to stick . . . → Read More: Ahi Tuna Sliders
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