Spicy Mexican Meat Pie

Spicy Mexican Meat Pie

It has been a while since I've posted any recipes in here and it's about time that I get with it again!  I'm excited over the approaching holidays and all the excitement that happens in the kitchen because of them.  It's a time for family - for friends - for hosting out of town guests.

This recipe is extremely NON-TRADITIONAL!!!   <SHOCK!>   I know! You all now that I try to be a purist when it comes to my Comida Mexicana! (Mexican Food). This time I've gone totally outside my comfort zone and still have not sacrificed flavor on bit!

I am just a simple man that loves to cook and impart or mimic the flavors I recall growing up in Corpus Christi and Laredo, Texas, and my travels into Mexico's interior. Some spices and herbs are not available here in the U.S. so I've had to adjust or sometimes wait until someone visits and brings me back some precious herbs and spices. Fortunately for me... everything in this dish is available here in the good old U.S.A.!

Now this recipe is pretty much a quickie if you work fast and efficiently. It will take approximately 30 minutes to put together and about an hour to cook with 15 minutes to rest after cooking. If you enjoy modern Mexican Food with authentic flavor, you'll enjoy this.

Set your oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Let it just sit and preheat.

KITCHEN TOOLS:

Two (2)  Medium Mixing Bowls

One (1)   Wire Whisk

One (1)  Comál (Griddle)

One (1)  Large Skillet with Lid

One (1)  Medium Sauce Pan with Lid

One (1)  9.5" X 13.5" Baking Dish

One (1)  7 inch Knife

One (1)  Slotted Spoon

Blender

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING:

Cooking Spray / Baker's Joy

1 pound Ground Beef

1 pound Ground Pork

2 Cups Fresh Poblano Peppers (Seared, Seeded, and Diced)

3 cloves Fresh Garlic (minced)

1 small Onion (diced)

1 teaspoon Salt or to taste

1 16 ounce jar of Salsa (I use Herdez Mild)

1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried Cumin

3 or 4 Dried Chile Ancho Peppers.

INGREDIENTS FOR BOTTOM AND TOP CRUST:

Two (2)  8.5 ounce boxes of dry corn muffin mix (I use Jiffy®)

Two (2)  Large Eggs

2/3 cup Milk, (divided)

8 ounces Shredded Cheddar/Monterrey Jack Cheese (divided)

8 - 12 ounces frozen Sweet Corn, thawed.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees F (175 degrees C).

Spray your 9.5 X 13.5 inch casserole dish with Baker's Joy® or nonstick cooking spray.

Put your Poblano Peppers on your hot griddle turning them until they begin to scorch.

Once they are scorched, remove them from the Griddle and set them aside to cool.

Cook and stir the ground beef and ground pork in a deep skillet over medium heat until meat starts to turn brown.

Fill a medium sauce pan with 2 cups water and add the dried poblano peppers. Cover and let them come to a boil.

Check that the meat is browning nicely and continue cooking it.

Now seed and dice the poblano peppers:

Mince the fresh garlic and dice the onion.

Once that is done, your meat should be ready.

Add the garlic, the onion, and the diced Poblano peppers to the meat and incorporate them  really well...

Now add your spices mixing really well after each addition...

Oregano, Cumin, and the jar of Salsa.

Take the Chile Anchos from the boiling water and place them in a blender with a bit of the liquid. Leave a vent in the blender top and cover with a paper towel.

Add two to three tablespoons to the meat mixture.

Cover the meat filling and set on low heat while you prepare the mixes!

In two separate mixing bowls, prepare the corn muffin mix by adding one box of mix in each bowl, one egg in each bowl and 1/3 cup of milk in each bowl. To ONE of the mixes add 4 ounces of the shredded cheese blend and set aside.

Spread the prepared corn muffin mixture without the cheese into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the corn over the muffin mix, followed by the remaining shredded cheese.

Now start spooning the meat filling over this combination:

When the meat is spread as evenly as possible (remember this does not have to be perfect.) spoon the corn muffin mix with the cheese over the meat, spread it to about a half inch from the edge...  Again - don't bother getting this exact or perfect. It's supposed to look rustic!

You are now ready to bake this in your preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown.

See how good that looks?  Let it stand and cool for about 15 minutes and then it's ready to slice...

I add a healthy tablespoon of sour cream and chives and sit and enjoy...  The meat is safely tucked away between the breading and it creates a wonderful gentle heat.

I hope you enjoy this NON-TRADITIONAL dish as much as I have!

Pollo en Tocino con Chutney de Cilantro

POLLO en TOCINO con CHUTNEY DE CILANTRO

In English, this is a plate of Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts with a Cilantro Chutney...

Not your typical Mexican fare... but it worked for me...

INGREDIENTS:

• Parchment Paper or Aluminum Foil (Large enough to hold and cover the chicken breasts.)

• Two Large Chicken Breasts (Skinless and De-boned) Make sure they are completely thawed.

• Fresh Sprigs of Garden Sage and Rosemary (to taste) (I'm generous with the sage and bit light handed with the rosemary)

• Six strips of sugar cured bacon

FRESH CILANTRO CHUTNEY:

• 1 medium jalapeño pepper seeds removed and Finely Minced.

• 2 Tablespoons Yellow Onion Finely Chopped

• Two Bunches Cilantro Course Chopped 

• 1/8 to 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (depending on your taste)

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil Non-Stick Cooking Spray (Pam Cooking Spray Works Good.)

SPICES:

• Pepper

• Poultry Seasoning

• Cumin

• Ginger Garlic Powder

NOTE: The spices are for an infusion of flavor.



PREPARATION:

Spray the Parchment Paper or Aluminum Foil with Non-Stick cooking spray.

Sprinkle the Spices onto the Paper or Aluminum Foil.

Be generous with the spices you like and enjoy.

Wrap Three slices of bacon around each thawed chicken breast.

Place them on Half the Parchment or Aluminum Foil.

Sprinkle the Fresh Sage and Rosemary on top of each wrapped chicken breast.

They should look like this:


 


Bake in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.


PREPARING CILANTRO CHUTNEY:

Place all of the ingredients for the Chutney into a Blender EXCEPT for the Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Be sure that the Blender has it's cover on.

Puree the ingredients.

Once the ingredients are a deep green color, run the Blender on stir and slowly add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

You want it to be on the lightly thick side of pourable.

Once it reaches that stage, Close the top again and liquefy for about 30 seconds.

Done.

Remove the Chicken once it's done:


 


Arrange the chicken breasts on a bed of your favorite bread stuffing and smother with the Cilantro Chutney...

You are now ready to enjoy your dinner...

NOTE: For an extra wild kick to my bread stuffing, I add a Chipotle pepper en Adobo and mix it in real well for a hot smokey flavor.






Buen Provecho!

Mexican Hot Dogs...

This is definitely a Non-Traditional recipe that has lingered in my family for many years...

I have embellished it to suit my tastes and to go along with my memories of my mother's cooking. You can spice this up a bit by adding pickled jalapeño peppers and finely diced tomatoes as part of the garnish!

I hope you enjoy this along with the preparation video!


Ingredients:

2 links of Mexican Chorizo
One Medium Onion Chopped
2 Cloves of fresh Garlic Course Chop
2 cans of Hot Dog Sauce
1 teaspoon Comino (Cumin)
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Chile Powder

8 Corn Tortillas (at room temperature)
8 Hot Dogs. (Do not get the bun size hot dogs)

1 cup Good Quality Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil

Shredded Queso Chihuahua or Monterrey Jack or Mozzarella   (To Taste)
Cilantro for Garnish or to taste.




Preparation:


Click the link below and watch the video!


This is a first attempt at making a video... Andrew and I had a blast doing it! 




http://vimeo.com/25949643




Enjoy!


¡Buen Provecho!

Cranberry Streusel Pie

Cranberry Streusel Pie

This delicious and easy to create pie has found it's way into my holiday menu and I can tell you for a fact  that it is here to stay...

It's a wonderful quick treat that you can embellish with spices or just leave it plain. It's delightful either way.

I enjoyed this today, Christmas Day, with a generous helping of whipped creme accompanied by a snifter of warm B&B.  How rich is THAT?


INGREDIENTS:


For Filling:

1lb  Fresh Cranberries (about a bag and a half)  Smash them up a bit.

1 Cup  White Raisins (Optional)

¾ Cup  White Granulated Sugar

¼ Cup  All-Purpose Flour

¼ tsp  Ground Cinnamon  (Optional)


For Streusel Crumb Topping:

½ Cup  Packed Light Brown Sugar

½ Cup  Walnuts (smashed)

¼ Cup  All-Purpose Flour

¼ tsp  Ground Nutmeg  (Optional)

1 pinch of Ground Cloves  (Optional)

1 tsp  Shortening

1 recipe pastry for a 9-inch single crust  (Pillsbury Unroll and Bake Crust works well with this.)


Are you fussy about your pie crust?  I tend to be...  So you can create your own favorite pie crust recipe OR if you are really stressed for time, use a store bought one and cheat! That's right... I said it.  CHEAT!

Okay... maybe cheat is a bit extreme... a better word is perhaps EMBELLISH!

Generously butter your pie dish. I use unsalted 100% BUTTER... Do NOT skimp on this. Unroll your pastry and put it in your buttered dish. Then melt and bring to room temperature about a tablespoon of butter, and brush it onto the top of the pastry shell and immediately put it in the refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 350˚ F (175˚ C)

Put the Fresh Cranberries in a large bowl and smash them up a bit, making sure to leave some whole. I also pierce them with a knife to help them release their juices. If you are using White Raisins, now is the time to add them to the bowl, along with the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Mix them well.

Now add them to the prepared pie crust and place the dish back in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, place the smashed Walnuts, stir in the Brown Sugar, flour, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and shortening.

Combine them with a pastry blender until the mixture looks course and crumbly.

Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the prepared sugared cranberries until it is mostly completely covered.

Bake for about 45 minutes using a pie tin or 35 minutes using a glass pie dish. Check that the crust is golden. When it is... the pie is ready!

Set on a wire rack and cool for about an hour and then let rest for 30 minutes before slicing.

Okay...

NOW you can enjoy it!


¡BUEN PROVECHO!

Red Velvet Cheese Cake... (Need I say more?)

In early December, I asked Andrew what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. He immediately said Red Velvet Cake... I was surprised. I was thinking he would have said Cheese Cake. Well this got my wheels a turning... I decided I'd combine recipes to come up with a Red Velvet Cheese Cake... and therefore create a unique cake for his birthday!

The result was an instant hit.

You will need to be organized for this recipe... Measure all of your ingredients and do your little "fussy steps" in advance.

LIST OF INGREDIENTS:

For Crumb Crust Mixture:

1½ Cups  Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumbs

¼ Cup  melted Unsalted Butter

2 Tsp  Granulated Sugar

For Cake Batter Mixture:

3  (8 oz)  packages of Cream Cheese, softened

1½ Cups  Granulated Sugar

4  Large Eggs, lightly beaten

3 Tsp  Unsweetened Cocoa

2  (1 oz)  bottles of Red Food Coloring

1 Cup  Sour Cream

½ Cup  Whole Buttermilk

2 tsp   Pure Mexican Vanilla Extract

1 tsp  Distilled White Vinegar

For Creme Cheese Icing:

1 (8 oz)  package Creme Cheese, softened

1 stick  unsalted Butter, softened

4 Cups  Powdered Sugar

2 tsp  Pure Mexican Vanilla Extract

HOW TO PREPARE CRUMB MIXTURE:

Have a spring-form pan ready and line the bottom with parchment paper. I generously spray butter flavored Crisco in the spring-form pan. I then place the parchment paper on the bottom.

Now that your pan is ready...

Organize the following ingredients:

1½ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs. I place on sleeve in a gallon size plastic bag and go over it with a rolling pin, the place it in a bowl and finish crumbling with a pestle...

Once it is crumbled enough, add 2 Tsp granulated sugar.

Mix the sugar into the crumb and then add ¼ cup melted butter and toss to make a course crumbly mix.

Put this combination into the prepared spring-form pan.

Spread this out as evenly as possible, and using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crumb mixture to the bottom and sides of the spring-form pan.

Once this is done, place the spring-form pan in the refrigerator for the crumb mixture to set until ready for the batter...

HOW TO PREPARE CAKE BATTER MIXTURE:

PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME:

Four Large Eggs, slightly beaten...

...in a bowl add Three heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa and the 2 one ounce bottles of Red Food Coloring and mix until it thickens into a paste. Set aside.

NOTE:  This step seems like it is excessive. If you have ever baked a Red Velvet Cake, you may remember how sometimes the Cocoa Powder and Red Food Coloring often leaves specks or mottling along the cake edges making for uneven coloring... This step serves two purposes to prevent this uneven coloring AND also lessens the chance of you getting Red Food Coloring all over yourself and your kitchen...  (This is a great technique that I learned from COOK'S magazine.)

In a large stand mixer beat the 3 eight ounce packages of Cream Cheese and 1½ Cups granulated sugar at medium slow speed for about a minute. A heavy duty hand held electric mixer also works well.

Add Beaten Eggs...

Add the Cocoa and Red Food Coloring Paste Mixture...

While this is mixing, add the one cup of Sour Creme and the ½ cup of Whole Butter Milk.

Now add the 2 tsp Mexican Vanilla Extract and the 1 tsp Distilled White Vinegar.

Combine the batter... push down the sides into the batter until fully combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared crust.

Bake at 325˚ F for 10 minutes; the reduce heat to 300˚ F, and bake for one hour and 15 minutes, or until center is firm. (Sometimes this requires an extra hour) watch carefully and bake in increments of 30 minutes. When center is firm, run knife along the outer edge of the cheese cake. Turn oven off. Let cheese cake stand in oven for 30 minutes. Remove the cheese cake from the oven; then cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. This cake will fall in the center. This is normal. Cover and chill 8 hours.

HOW TO PREPARE CREME CHEESE ICING:

In a large mixer bowl combine the 8 ounce package of Creme Cheese, softened and the unsalted stick of butter, softened until light.

Gradually add the 4 Cups of Powdered Sugar and the 2 tsp of Pure Mexican Vanilla Extract. Beat until very light the almost fluffy. ...about five minutes. (In the photos below you can see the step by step process.)

Set the frosting in the refrigerator and let chill for about ten minutes.

Remove cake from the refrigerator and frost the cake.

Decorate as  you would like (IF you would like...) Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Slice up... and enjoy!

( The decorated Red Velvet Cheese Cake above is on it's way to Atlanta, GA with Andrew as a present from us to his Parents and Sister and Niece! )

¡Buen Provecho!