Sopa de Fideo - Recipe

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One of my favorite quick lunch meals is Sopa de Fideo, a pasta soup in a tomato & chicken broth. Even though this is a staple in most Mexican homes, so far only El Camino in Little Italy has it in its menu, and by the way, it's very good!

Ingredients:

1 cup macaroni pasta (in your choice of stars, letters, elbows, etc)
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp oil
1/2 can tomato sauce
4 cups of water
1 tbsp Knorr chicken bouillon (to make this recipe vegan you can substitute with tomato bouillon)
Cilantro (optional)

Steps:

1 - Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.
2 - Slightly saute garlic and pasta, stirring constantly so pasta doesn't burn. Pasta will look golden within a few minutes.
3 - Add the 1/2 cup of tomato sauce stirring until all the pasta is coated.
4 - Add the 4 cups of water, the water can be at room temperature or slightly warm.
5 - Add the bouillon, one tablespoon should be enough, but taste the broth and add more if you want a stronger flavor. At this point you can add a few sprigs of cilantro, if you have any.
6 - Let the soup simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until the pasta is fully cooked.

Once the soup is done, ladle it into a bowl and you can spice it up with hot sauce or lime, then sit back and eat while you watch a movie. It's a quick and satisfying lunch.

Fresh & Easy Holiday Cooking Event - Salad Recipes

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A few weeks ago my dear friend Darlene Horn, writer of the awesome food blog My Burning Kitchen, had me as her +1 to an invitation from Fresh & Easy to kick start the holiday season with some cooking and lots of eating with Chef Cindy Perez!

We met at Sur La Table, a place where you can find every kind of cooking tool, the staff is very knowledgeable on techniques and they also offer cooking classes right in the store! This was my first time there and I was very impressed.

The cooking area has plenty of space for the chefs and the students, no matter where you are, you will be able to see the chef either by standing near or by looking at the strategically placed camera and monitor or giant mirror on top of the prep area.

The class I attended was provided by Fresh & Easy, so when Darlene invited me I jumped at the opportunity. I'm a big fan of the grocery store and go there several times a week for their ready-made meals, they are such a time saver!

Coming in, we were greeted with a selection of fruits, cheeses and crackers, as well as our choice of white wine, red wine or beer. I choose beer and I was very impressed with it, Hopper Whitman Winter Brew, so good!

The format of the class was for us to prepare a few things (salads,pastry cream and chocolate ganache), Chef Cindy would cook and show us other things (gravy, eclairs and cauliflower gratin) and finally we would have some ready-made food to complement all the "hard" work we did.

The ingredients and recipes were all ready for us to begin cooking, and we did so while we chatted with our fellow San Diego bloggers, had some drinks, took pictures, tweeted, posted and tried to pay attention to Chef Cindy while she cooked and taught us a few tricks.

Each table had a different salad (recipes will be at the bottom) and we were able to sample them all until it was time for the big meal, with turkey, butternut squash risotto, stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes and bread. These dishes and more can be ordered in advance for Thanksgiving dinner, of course by the date of this post it is too late to pre-order, but you can still go to the store on Thanksgiving day for some last minute shopping!

Finally, the dessert table was set, most of us were way to stuffed so they provided little take-out boxes where I put my yummy desserts. 

On our way out we were given a goodies bag filled with Fresh & Easy items like chocolate, premium coffee, wine, seasonal pita chips, pumpkin pecan pancake mix, gingerbread mix, and other products. But what got me very excited was their brand of Dry Brine Rub, this promises the great tasted the brine process gives, without having to confiscate an ice chest or igloo from our significant others.

And now the salad recipes, all of them were very good, but I did have my favorites...

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette

(Favorite!!)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

                Salad

·         16 oz. package fresh&easy butternut squash, cubed

·         2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon pepper

·         6 oz. bag romaine and radicchio salad

·         ½ cup pomegranate seeds

·         ¼ cup toasted pepitas

·         ¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing

·         3 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil

·         2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

·         3 tablespoons orange juice

·         2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

·         1 shallot, finely chopped

·         1 teaspoon honey

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 400F.

2.       In a lined baking sheet, toss butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for about 30 minutes, until brown.  Remove from oven; allow to cool.

3.       In a jar, add pumpkin seed oil, white wine vinegar, orange juice, Dijon mustard, shallots, honey, salt and pepper.  Seal jar with a tightly fitting lid and shake until all ingredients are combined.

4.       In a large bowl, place romaine and radicchio salad, butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, pepitas and goat cheese.

5.       Pour dressing over salad and toss lightly.

Italian Sausage Ravioli Salad with Warm Brown Butter Dressing

(Second Favorite!)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Salad

·         1 package fresh&easy Italian Sausage Ravioli

·         1/3 cup roasted pepitas

·         1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

·         12 oz. bag fresh, washed spinach

·         ¼ cup, thinly sliced red onion

Dressing

·         4 tablespoons butter

·         1 shallot, chopped

·         1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

·         2 teaspoons honey

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

1.       Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil; salt generously.  Add ravioli and cook as per instructions on package.  Drain immediately and set aside.

2.       Place spinach in a large bowl, top with ravioli, pepitas, red onion and goat cheese.

3.       In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter.

4.       Add shallots and cook until tender and the butter turns a light brown color, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over the spinach in a bowl and toss lightly.

Wedge Salad with Pear and Blue Cheese Dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Salad

·         1 head red leaf lettuce

·         ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

·         ½ cup dried cranberries

Dressing

·         ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oilextra virgin olive oil⅓

·         3 tablespoons pear nectarpear nectar3

·         1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegarwhite balsamic vinegar1 ½

·         1 tablespoon fresh lemon juicelemon juice½

·         ½ teaspoon Dijon mustarddijon mustard¼

·         1 Bartlett pear, peeled, cored and dividedbartlett pears1

·         ½ cup coarsely crumbled blue cheesegorgonzola cheese½

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

1.       In a blender, add oil, pear nectar, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, ½ pear (diced), blue cheese, salt and pepper until smooth.

2.       Cut red leaf lettuce into wedges and thinly slice remaining ½ pear lengthwise. Place the lettuce wedges on a salad plate.  Top with pear slices, hazelnuts and cranberries.

3.       Top with dressing and serve.

Winter Fruit Salad with Honey Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Salad

·         6 oz. bag fresh&easy European Blend Salad

·         ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions

·         2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

·         1 granny smith apple, cored and diced

·         2 carrots, peeled and shaved into strips with a peeler

·         ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled

·         ¼ cup sliced and toasted almonds

·         _1/3 cup dried cherries

Dressing

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         2 tablespoons honey

·         3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

·         ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

1.       In a large bowl combine salad blend, red onions, celery, apple, carrots, feta cheese, toasted almonds and cherries.

2.       In a jar, combine garlic, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Cover tightly and shake until fully combined. 

Pour dressing over salad, toss lightly and enjoy!

When it comes to Thanksgiving Day my cousin will take care of everything, but I'll be putting my new found recipes to use on Christmas Eve.

Happy Holidays!

The cooking class, meal and product were provided compliments of Fresh & Easy. I was not compensated for my review and all opinions are my own.

Tuna Salad Recipe

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Growing up I had no inclination in learning how to cook, in high school the fanciest thing I knew how to make were pancakes and this tuna salad. I would make it for lunch during summertime - which in my hometown was 7 months out of the year. I made it a few times this summer, especially in August which was uncommonly hot in San Diego. Its an easy and fast recipe using common kitchen staples and just the perfect cool food to have during a hot and muggy afternoon.

Tuna Salad

1/2 bag elbow macaroni - preferably from the Hispanic section at the grocery store
Lettuce
1 can of mixed vegetables
1 or 2 cans of tuna - I actually use 1 1/2 cans, the other 1/2 goes to my spoiled cat
Mayonnaise
Salt, pepper and/or seasonings to taste
Saltines

1. Cook the elbow macaroni in boiling water with a touch of cooking oil to avoid them getting stuck.
2. Once the macaroni is cooked (10 - 15 minutes), drain and rinse.
3. Chop the lettuce as finely as you like, half a head should be fine for this recipe.
4. In a bowl combine the lettuce, mixed vegetables, tuna and cooked macaroni.
5. Coat everything with mayonnaise and that's it!
6. Eat with saltines.

When you taste this salad it might seem that it needs salt, I like to add pepper or seasonings like Mrs Dash, but avoid adding salt since the saltines complement the salad. But if you don't want saltines, prefer to eat it with tostadas or just plain, then by all means, add some salt to taste and enjoy!

How to Eat Cactus Fruit (Tunas)

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The season for cactus fruits (tunas) is in full swing, in a previous post I showed one way of How to Cook Nopales, this time it's all about its sweet fruit.

They do look yummy, don't they? You can find them at Mexican grocery stores in the fresh produce section. They are sold already cleaned of the little thorns, they still need to be handled with care since some of the little thorns are almost invisible, but you'll feel them. This is how they look when you buy them:

The skin is very thick and needs to be peeled off to get to the juicy pulp. The way to do it is by cutting off both ends of the fruit and make a slit across the skin.

The skin peels off very smoothly from the pulp.

And now all you do is enjoy! This fruit can be an acquired taste, the flavor is sweet and very juicy, I prefer to chill them before eating. This is one of the few fruits I don't add chile, salt and lemon to it. The weird part about the tunas is the texture, since its full of seeds you can't chew, just swallow them.

My local produce store sells them already peeled! I can almost eat all of these at one sitting, they're so good! In this picture you can notice the seeds.

Mexican Beef Stew / Caldo de Res

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A few days ago I went to my local produce store for some tostadas and noticed they were selling bags of vegetables already cut-up and ready to be cooked. The exciting thing (for me) is that these were the veggies used in the Mexican Beef Stew (Caldo de Res) I grew up with! I bought the bag, looked up the recipe my Mom gave me over ten years ago and called her to verify some details. As with all family recipes I'm sure everyone has a different way of making it, this is my Grandmother's recipe, passed on to my Mom and now I'm making it!

Ingredients / Ingredientes

2 lbs Beef Shank / 2 libras Chamorro
The veggies can be as little or as much as you like, some will be found at Mexican grocery stores:
Corn on the cob / Elote
Bell Peppers / Chile Morron
Zucchini / Calabacitas
Carrots / Zanahorias
Pear Squash / Chayote
Cabbage / Repollo
Fresh Coriander / Cilantro
Salt to taste / Sal al gusto

1. On a large pot add 10 - 12 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of salt, boil the beef shank at medium to medium-high for 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add corn on the cob and salt cook for an additional 10 minutes. My Mom used to cook the beef on a crockpot and then transfer them into a pot for the next step.
1. En una olla grande agregar 10 - 12 tazas de agua, poner a cocer el chamorro a temperatura mediana o mediana-alta for 30 minutos o hasta que la carne este tiernita. Agregar el elote y sal al gusto, cocer por 10 minutos mas. Mi Mama ponia a cocer la carne en una olla de cocimiento lento y luego los pasaba a una olla para agregar el resto de los ingredientes.
2. Add the bell peppers, zucchini, carrots and pear squash. Cook for 10 - 15 minutes.
1. Agregar pimiento morron, calabacitas, zanahorias y chayotes. Cocer por 10 - 15 minutos.
3. Add the cabbage and fresh coriander. At this point taste the broth and add more salt if needed. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
1. Agregar el repollo y cilantro. Cocer por 10 minutos.
4. Done!
1. Listo!

One thing that I love to add to my Caldo is Spanish Rice, which is cooked separately and is added when it is ready to be served.

Now this is foodie tip, or delicacy or weird thing, whatever you want to call it.....bone marrow is so good! Seriously, even Craft & Commerce in Little Italy has it in their dinner menu! The way I love to eat it is by scooping it out from the bone, smash it on a tortilla, add a pinch of salt and eat. The consistency is buttery, the only way I can describe the taste is delicate. I haven't had this treat in years, it was awesome!

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot. I also like to add Chile Buffalo, which is the wimpiest hot sauce there is (when I was a kid I used to add only 3 drops) and of course Mexican Coke has to be drink for this Caldo!

Chicken with Roasted Grapes and Shallots

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I have two dishes that I normally do when I have company and/or want to impress 'someone'. My first one is Cochinita Pibil (I seem to have misplaced the link, I'll re-post this recipe) and today I'll show you my second favorite: Chicken with Roasted Grapes and Shallots.

I found this recipe from Bon Appetite magazine and you can get to it from the Epicurious site. A small disclaimer here, I don't take pretty food pics, you should see the pics my friend Darlene from My Burning Kitchen takes, if you're a foodie that's a blog to follow!

The recipe is very easy to do and looks impressive!

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds assorted seedless grapes (such as green, red, and black), cut into small clusters
6 large shallots (about 10 ounces), peeled, halved through root end
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme plus 6 large sprigs
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 4-to 4 1/2-pound chicken, excess fat removed from cavity

Preheat oven to 400°F. Gently toss grape clusters, shallots, chopped thyme, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in large bowl to coat. Rub chicken with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle inside and out with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place thyme sprigs in cavity. Place chicken in large roasting pan; arrange grape mixture around chicken.

 Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken thigh registers 165°F and grapes are shriveled, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter; let rest 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, arrange grapes and shallots around chicken. Transfer pan juices to small pitcher; spoon fat from surface of juices and discard. Serve chicken with pan juices alongside.

<I left the chicken a little too long in the oven, so the grapes shriveled a little too much. Normally they will tasted cooked, but plump and sweeter>

The night I made this recipe a British couch surfer who was staying at my place and I invited my friend, awesome San Diego country singer, Sara Petite over. I normally have rice pilaf as a side dish, but my couch surfer offered to make Mac n Cheese, plus I made a salad. We had a great night, the three of us had second helpings so we pretty much finished off everything.

How to Cook Nopales

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I'm a big fan of nopales (edible cactus) which is a very nutritious plant containing beta carotene, iron, some B vitamins and is a good source of vitamin C and calcium. In case you don't know what I'm talking about....it's the plant on the background...Yeah! You can eat those!

It's a staple in my fridge and when I cook for friends, house guests or couch surfers, I normally make a plate of nopales so they can try something new and so far they've been a hit.

You can purchase nopales from Mexican grocery stores, even though they're available year-round, their peak season is from early spring to late fall. At the grocery store you will find the nopales already cleaned and in some cases cut in pieces.

The taste is very light so it combines beautifully in Mexican dishes or salads. There are several ways to cook them, but my favorite way is slightly pan seared.

1. Spray Pam on both sides of the nopal
2. Place them in a square griddle and season with salt and pepper
3. Turn them a few times and cook for about 10 minutes

Once the nopales are done, place them in a plate, cut them up in pieces, sprinkle some salt, a bit of lime juice and enjoy!

The consistency is a bit slimy, very similar to okra. I normally have it as a side dish with Mexican rice, whole pinto beans and Mexican sour cream - with lots of corn tortillas. It also goes great as a topping for carne asada tacos, in this case I would cut the nopales length-wise.

When it comes to unusual foods, it always makes me wonder who was the first person to think cactus could be edible!