Karens Pepper Poppers
These really are SUPER--SUPER easy and SUPER delicious!
Servings 16 appetizers
Equipment
- Jalapeño corer optional
Ingredients
- 8 large jalapeño peppers washed, cored and cut in half lengthwise
- 1 3-oz pkg cream cheese softened
- ½ cup finely shredded cheese Pepper Jack and/or Mexican blend
- ½ tsp Cajun seasoning or to taste
- 3-4 slices Bacon cooked, drained and finely chopped
Instructions
- If you don't have a jalapeño corer, cut jalapeños in half lengthwise and remove seeds and center membranesIn a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and Cajun seasoning. Mix until evenly combined. Mix in shredded cheeseStuff about 1½ teaspoons full of cream cheese mixture into each pepper half.Sprinkle with bacon pieces and place on wire rack in a shallow baking pan.Bake uncovered at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, depending on size of peppers.
Lomo De Puerco En Salsa Verde (Tomatillo-Braised Pork Loin)
This recipe is modified from Rick Bayless' cookbook, Rick Bayless Mexico One Plate At a Time. He uses a pork loin roast in his recipe, but I prefer using pork tenderloins. The little medallions make a nice presentation and I think they have more flavor. Also, instead of braising the tenderloins in the verde sauce, I sear the pork tenderloins and then place them in a sous vide for 3 or 4 hours and then sear them again on a hot grill when finished cooking. By doing it this way, the pork is perfectly cooked, juicy and has a nice crust with beautiful sear marks.
Servings 6
Equipment
- Sous Vide (optional)
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp bacon grease or vegetable oil
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin approximate weight for 2 tenderloins
- 1 lb tomatillos (10-12) husked and rinsed
- fresh hot green chiles to taste 3 serranos or 1 jalapeño, stemmed
- 1 medium white onion sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1-2 sprigs cilantro plus extra sprigs for garnish
- 1½ cup water
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1¼ lbs small red-skin potatoes scrubbed & halved or quartered, depending on size
Instructions
BROWNING THE PORK
- Generously season the pork with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a medium (4-5 quart) Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a tight fitting lid, heat the bacon grease or oil over medium-high heat. When hot, lay in the pork tenderloins, (they are usually packaged in two pieces, don't crowd them or they will stew rather than brown). Brown well on one side, about 5 minutes, then turn over and brown the other side. Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the pork to a plate; set the Dutch oven or pot aside to use for the sauce.IF COOKING PORK SOUS VIDEPlace browned pork tenderloins in individual vacuum seal bags along with a few sprigs of fresh oregano and a small pat of butter. Vacuum seal the bags and place in a sous vide water bath, pre-heated to 130°F, and cook for 1-4 hours.When ready to serve, pat tenderloins dry with paper towels and quickly sear them on a hot grill. Place them on a cutting board and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing into ¼-inch slices.
THE SAUCE
- Roast the tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet 4-inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted, even blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast on the other side--4-5 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatillos and chiles that are soft and cooked through. Cook, then transfer everything to a food processor or blender, being careful to scrape up all the delicious juice that has run out onto the baking sheet. Process until smoothly pureed.Set the pork-browning pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook a minute longer. Raise the heat to medium-high and when the oil is really sizzling, add the tomatillo puree all at once. Stir until noticeably darker and very thick, 5-10 minutes.Add 1½ cups water and the cilantro. Taste and season with salt, usually 1 teaspoon. Stir everything thoroughly.
BRAISING THE PORK (IF NOT USING A SOUS VIDE)
- Heat the oven to 325° F. Nestle the browned pork into the warm sauce, cover the pot and set in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes.Nestle the cooked potatoes into the sauce around the meat, re-cover and cook until the pork registers about 145° F on a meat or instant-read thermometer, 5-10 minutes longer. The meat will feel rather firm (not hard) to the touch and cutting into the center will reveal only the slightest hit of pink.
POTATOES AND SERVING THE DISH
- While the meat is cooking, simmer the potatoes in heavily salted water to cover until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.With a pair of tongs, transfer the pork to a cutting board. Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes. Taste the sauce and season it with additional salt, if you think necessary. Spoon the sauce and potatoes onto a warm deep serving platter.Cut the pork into ¼-inch slices and arrange them over the sauce. Decorate the platter with cilantro sprigs and enjoy your fabulous meal!
Notes
Learn more about SOUS VIDE COOKING
Chicken and Beef Fajitas
I have perfected this recipe over the years. My final tweak was to cook the flank steak in a Sous Vide bath before searing it on a hot grill. Squeezing fresh lime juice over the grilled and thinly sliced steak and fresh lemon juice over the sliced chicken breasts will take this plate of deliciousness over the top!
Equipment
- Sous Vide (optional)
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 3 whole chicken breasts OR 1 flank steak 1½-2 lbs
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade. (I use a food processor to make quick work of it)Cover and marinade chicken and/or beef, (using separate containers if you are doing both), for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.**If using a Sous Vide: set temperature to 135 degrees F for beef and 146.3 degrees F chicken. Seal meat in a vacuum seal bag and place in the sous vide when the water has come to temperature. Cook beef for 2-4 hours, chicken for 1½-2 hours.**Give meats cooked in the sous vide a quick sear by draining a drying off the meat before placing on a hot grill. If not using a sous vide, cook beef and chicken on hot grill until cooked to desired temperature. When cooking chicken, use the juice of one lemon when you take it off the grill and for steak, use the juice of one lime. Serve with tortillas, stir fried or grilled sweet onions, bell peppers, salsa, sour cream, black olives, etc. (I also like to add grilled Anaheim and/or Jalapeño peppers to the mix)
Fish Tacos
I am a late-comer to the delights of fish tacos. For some reason, the idea just didn't appeal to me. I am now a believer! These are fast, easy, fresh and scrumptious.
Ingredients
- 24 small soft white corn tortillas
- 1 lbs fresh cod fillets
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Fish Taco Sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup good mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp lime juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1+ tsp Sriracha or to taste
Taco Toppings
- red cabbage finely sliced
- red onion diced
- fresh cilantro chopped
- Cotija cheese crumbled
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Combine seasonings in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil in a baking dish, large enough to accommodate the filets. Place the cod in the dish, sprinkle half the seasoning mix over the top. Flip the filets and sprinkle the remaining seasoning over top. Dot each filet with the butter and place in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes or until done.
- Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix until blended.Warm tortillas in a lightly buttered cast iron skillet over med-high heat.
- Assemble tacos by placing a warm tortilla on a plate. Place some pieces of fish on the tortilla and squeeze some fresh lime over top. Top with red onion, cabbage, cilantro, taco sauce and Cotija cheese.
Turkey Tostadas
Toss your leftover turkey with Coriander-Lime Vinaigrette and fill a fried tortilla with it. Add a little more heat and interest with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.
Servings 6
Ingredients
Turkey Tostadas
- Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette recipe follows
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 flour tortillas 6-8" in diameter
- 1½ cups cubed cooked turkey meat
- 3 cups romaine lettuce shredded
- 1 cup Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese grated
- 1 cup canned black beans rinsed
- 1 small red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, cut into ½" pieces
- 1 small yellow bell pepper stemmed, seeded, cut into ½" pieces
- Guacamole, salsa, and sour cream for serving
Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
- ½ cup fresh cilantro minced
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Vinaigrette
- Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl. Let stand at room temperature.
Tostadas
- Make vinaigretteHeat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla and cook 45 seconds, then turn and cook second side until tortilla is crisp and golden, about 30 seconds. Remove and drain thoroughly on paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas.Combine turkey, lettuce, cheese, beans, and bell peppers in large mixing bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Place tortillas on plates and top with turkey mixture. Serve at once with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.
Salsa Fresca
This recipe is quick, easy, fresh and delicious!
Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 lbs Roma tomatoes diced
- 3-4 jalapeño peppers (stemmed) seeded and cored for less heat (optional)
- 1 large sweet onion minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons
- 4 tbsp cilantro chopped
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and enjoy!
