I'd Rather Cook

Category: Mexican

• Spicy Red Chili – Breaking Bland

  Posted at 10:26 am by Anne Freestone

  Feb 18th

  

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  Chili is one of my cold weather go-to dishes. Chili, however, is one of those dishes that is a very personal thing, and, as such, has endless variations. But for me, if the chili isn’t spicy, it’s not worth it. I actually always carry a bottle of Tabasco in my purse for any bland food emergencies I may encounter eating out, which tells you something about me. (I also always carry a corkscrew, which tells you even more. I figure that between the two, I have all the important contingencies covered).

  Anyway, back to this chili of mine. It’s spicy, but not even three alarm, in my opinion. Of course, there are people who live in my surrounding area who would disagree. But, keep in mind that most of these people would consider ketchup spicy. (Don’t even get me started on how many small, family owned Mexican restaurants in my area whose even moderately spicy food has been “blanded down” by complaints by these folks. It’s really a pity).

  Anyway, this chili is a nod to a Mexican/Southwest style by its use of Mexican chorizo blended with ground beef, as well as a serrano pepper and chipolte pepper powder.

  This is also a very easy recipe, as it does not require the meat to be browned – the meat is simply cooked in the tomato sauce and water. Not only is this easy and convenient, but also the best way I’ve found to get that fine grained texture to the ground meat – I’m not a fan of big chunks of ground meat. (Of course, if that’s what you like, feel free to pre-brown and leave larger chunks).

  This is a nice chili to make for a quick lunch, but, as is the case with all chilis and many soups, it is actually better reheated, so it can also be made ahead and frozen.

  

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  Spicy Red Chili

  Prep Time10 mins

  Cook Time20 mins

  Total Time30 mins

  Servings: 4

  Author: Anne Freestone

  Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 6 to 8 oz Mexican chorizo, (I use El Popular)
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 serrano pepper, seeds and membranes removed, diced
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp chipolte pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 15.5 oz can pinto beans, drained

  Instructions

  • Place ground beef, chorizo, tomato sauce and water in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil while breaking up meat with spoon until it is a fine, even texture. Boil until meat is mostly cooked through. (Meat will be more brown than pink).
    
  • Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, until onions and peppers are soft, about 20 minutes.
    

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  Posted in Dinner, Lunch, Mexican | Tagged anne freestone, beef, chili, chorizo, spicy chili

• Smoky Chipotle Salsa – Food and Teambuilding

  Posted at 11:11 am by Anne Freestone

  Oct 24th

  

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  The story behind this salsa is tied to my final years in the workforce. In April of 2019, I retired from a 28 plus year career with Whirlpool Corporation. Working there got me involved in many interesting projects with great people from all over the world. I also enjoyed great benefits – not the least of which was the employee discount (which the company generously still grants me as a retiree). This has allowed me to fill my home with the world’s best appliance brands, including KitchenAid small appliances. My KitchenAid food processor figures large in this recipe.

  I have always loved the kind of salsa you get in Mexican restaurants – the fresh, finely chopped kind. I have never been a fan of the chunky, cooked type you get in jars. So, as usual, I wondered if I could create my own version at home.

  I knew that to get that fine chop in any reasonable time frame would require my food processor. I made a few trials using fresh jalepenos, serranos, etc, but somehow the flavor lacked the depth I was looking for. Then I remembered those cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Mexican aisle. Chipotles are dried, smoked jalepenos, and the adobo sauce is tangy and slightly sweet. I wondered how that would play in a salsa instead of a fresh hot pepper.

  It turned out great – but I’d made such a big batch I (double the recipe below) that I knew it would take us forever to eat at home. So I took it to work.

  The timing was right because it was during what we accountants refer to as “closing”. This is the period of time during which we make adjustments to “close” the books and produce financial statements. It takes place during the first few days of the month following the month being closed. It was also the time when we generally worked the most overtime, and, in order to “ease the pain”, it was common for people to bring in food to keep the team’s motivation up.

  The remarkable thing about this salsa is that it appealed to a very diverse group of tastes. It has some heat, which is great for hot sauce lovers like me, but even the non heat lovers in our group liked it. It became known at work as “Closing Salsa”, and before I knew it, I was bringing a big batch and a couple bags of tortilla chips in every first day of closing. This was a team tradition for several years until I retired.

  Note that since vegetables vary in size, you my have to adjust seasonings and amounts. And another very important thing – don’t skip the sugar – it’s essential to get all the flavors in balance. Also, the flavors won’t fully settle until the salsa has been refrigerated for awhile, so you may have to adjust slightly after that.

  Anyway, that’s the backstory of this recipe. Hopefully it will be a hit with your team, as well.

  

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  Smoky Chipotle Salsa

  Prep Time20 mins

  Total Time20 mins

  Servings: 8

  Author: Anne Freestone

  Equipment

  • food processor

  Ingredients

  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 4 green onions
  • 1/2 medium white onion
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo
  • 3-4 large roma tomatoes (or 4-5 small)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

  Instructions

  • Peel garlic and cut white onion, green onions and red pepper into large pieces. Place in food processor and process until finely chopped.
  • Add sugar, lime juice and chipotle pepper in adobe. Cut tomatoes into large pieces and add. Process until finely chopped.
  • Add salt and pepper and process. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  • Chill before serving.

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  Posted in Appetizer, Mexican | Tagged anne freestone, appetizer, chipotle, chipotle in adobo, food processor, KitchenAid, restuarant style salsa, salsa, Whirlpool

• Huevos Rancheros – I Love the Smell of Hot Sauce in the Morning

  Posted at 12:45 pm by Anne Freestone

  Sep 17th

  

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  I love Mexican food. I’ll take good Mexican food just about anytime I can get it, including breakfast. Huevos rancheros (literally “ranch eggs”) is an iconic dish that originated as mid-morning fare on Mexican ranches. Traditionally, the basic dish consists of fried eggs served on lightly fried tortillas, topped with, originally, a salsa fresca (pico de gallo). Common accompaniments included refried beans, rice, and guacamole. As the dish spread beyond Mexico, most versions evolved to use pureed chili sauce instead of the salsa fresca, and have added other items such as cheese, sour cream, etc.

  And that chili sauce is what led me to this recipe. Interestingly, I never had huevos rancheros until I made them myself. But what I did have was a southwest style omlette made by one of those chain restaurants known for breakfast. It had the most incredibly smoky, warm sauce on it, and it was heavenly. Of course they decided to take it off the menu after several months, much to my (and to many others’) chagrin, according to the wait staff.

  I could tell that the primary smoky note I was tasting was probably chipotle in adobo. So I set out to research sauce recipes, and soon realized that looking for sauce recipes connected to huevos rancheros was the way to go. After looking at many versions, I finally found inspiration from a recipe by the fabulous gentlemen at How to Feed a Loon. I tweaked the seasonings somewhat and used tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes, but I have to give them credit for the basics of this recipe. Then, since I had the sauce, I figured why not try making huevos rancheros?

  So, here it is…the basic recipe for huevos rancheros, along with the recipe for ranchero sauce and also a recipe for refried beans, if you care to make your own. I will say that this is something that I never try to do all from scratch, all at once – I will make the ranchero sauce and the beans a couple of days ahead, and reheat those before I cook the eggs, and then assemble.

  Do note that the sauce is geared to my heat preference – to me, it’s not fiery but just a pleasant lingering warmth. However, keep in mind that I am a woman who has won a few hot sauce eating contests, so you may want to start more slowly with the serrano and chipotle until you figure out what works for you.

  

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  Huevos Rancheros

  Prep Time20 mins

  Cook Time10 mins

  Total Time20 mins

  Servings: 4

  Author: Anne Freestone

  Ingredients

  • 2 cups ranchero sauce (recipe follows)
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • 8 Tortillas (I prefer flour, but you can use corn)
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 cups refried beans (recipe follows if you want to make your own).
  • 1/2 cup queso fresco

  Instructions

  • Warm the ranchero sauce and the beans in separate saucepans (or use microwave).
  • Heat a small amount of oil in a fry pan, and crisp the tortillas – this will only take a few seconds. A flour tortilla will puff up slightly. Drain on paper towels.
  • Add a bit more oil to the pan, and fry the eggs, basting with oil to set the tops.
  • Place two tortillas on each plate, spread a spoonful of beans over each tortilla, and top each with an egg.
  • Spoon 1/4 to 1/2 cup ranchero sauce over the eggs, and top with crumbled queso fresco.

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  Ranchero Sauce

  Prep Time10 mins

  Cook Time20 mins

  Servings: 6

  Author: Anne Freestone

  Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small serrano pepper, diced, seeds and membranes removed
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 chiplotle pepper canned in adobo sauce, diced
  • 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp adobo sauce from canned chipotles
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

  Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the serrano, onion, garlic and chopped chipotle and cook until softened.
  • Add tomato sauce, adobo sauce, chili powder and cumin to saucepan, and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until reduced by about 25%.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.

  

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  Refried Beans

  Prep Time1 hr

  Cook Time1 hr

  Total Time2 hrs

  Servings: 6

  Author: Anne Freestone

  Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried pinto beans
  • water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2-4 tbsp pork lard, bacon fat, or olive oil (pork lard is the most authentic and gives the best flavor!)
  • ground cumin, to taste
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

  Instructions

  • Rinse beans, place in pot and soak overnight. Or use quick soak method – cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and let sit for one hour.
  • Drain beans. Cover with fresh water, add bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until beans are soft. (Watch as beans simmer and add more water if needed). Remove bay leaf and drain, reserving about a cup of the liquid.
  • Heat lard, fat or oil in large frying pan, and saute onions and garlic until translucent.
  • Add beans to pan, and mash with a potato masher them as you cook them, adding some of the reserved liquid if they are getting too dry. Season to taste with cumin, salt and pepper.

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  Posted in Breakfast, Mexican | Tagged anne freestone, huevos rancheros, ranchero sauce, refried beans

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