Tuna Rillettes

I am late in my post for French Friday's With Dorie but I am glad I took the time to make this delicious tuna spread.   This recipe comes together very quickly and it is so easy. Basically you put canned tuna, a shallot, curry powder, a pinch of ground allspice, heavy cream or creme fraiche, salt and pepper in a food processor.  You process the ingredients until they are smooth.   Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

I served these Tuna Rillettes on crackers topped with a thin slice of jalapeno.    They were delicious.  I loved what the curry did for the flavor of the tuna.  

This recipe can be found on page 28 in "Around My French Table."

Southwestern Layered Beef Casserole

Happy Cinco  de Mayo

Today, I have an easy delicious casserole to make that is perfect for any Cinco de Mayo Celebration or an easy and delicious dinner.   I have made different variations of this casserole but I was anxious to try this recipe I found in Cook's Country magazine.    I was intrigued by this recipe because you started with toasted rice and added some very flavorful herbs to the casserole.   I felt this probably would kick the recipe up a bit.

Instead of putting cooked rice in the casserole, you toast the rice and then put it in the casserole dish and stir with some Ro-tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies and some chicken broth.   You brown the ground beef and add some onion, bell pepper, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic, cumin and coriander.  The beef mixture is then spooned on top of the rice layer followed by beans, Monterey Jack cheese and corn.  Cook for about 60-70 minutes.  Let the casserole cool for about 10 minutes and serve with some sliced scallions.

The taste of this casserole is delicious and full of wonderful flavors.   It is a no-fuss casserole that is easy to prepare and makes a wonderful dinner for your family.  This would also be great for pot lucks.


Southwestern Layered Beef Casserole
From Cook's Country Magazine

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup long-grain white rice
1 (10-ounce) can Ro-tel Tomatoes & Green Chilies
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper, stemmed,seeded, and chopped fine
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
3 scallions, sliced thin on  bias

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 8-inch square baking dish.  Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until deep golden, about 5 minutes.  Transfer rice to prepared dish.  Stir tomatoes and their juice, broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper into rice.
2. Wipe out now-empty skillet with paper towels.  Add beef, onion, bell pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to skillet and cook over medium heat until beef is no longer pink and vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chili powder, garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in tomato sauce and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
3.  Add beef mixture to dish and spread evenly over rice.  Layer beans, then Monterey Jack, and finally corn over beef.  Spray 12-inch square of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray and cover dish tightly with foil.  Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 60-70 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with scallions, and let stand for 10 minutes.  Serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Tamarind Agua Fresca

Agua Frescas are very refreshing and very delicious. Today, I decided to make some agua fresca using fresh tamarind pods. This agua fresca is a little more labor intensive than  some of the other the fruit ones I have made.    You use fresh tamarind pods that you boil.

Fresh Tamarind Pods

After you boil the pods you have to remove the pulp from the pods.  This is kinda of messy and somewhat time consuming.  A  fun job for kids if you want to enlist their help.

Boiling Tamarind Pods

Pulp (front) Seeds (left) Pods and Fibers (right)

I found this recipe on the Saveur website.  I kept the ingredients the same, but I modified the directions. Instead of of removing the pulp from the pods right after I boiled them, I let them sit for about 2 hours.   Letting the pods steep for a while made the liquid a little richer and the pods cooled.  I couldn't imagine removing the pulp of hot pods.  The next modification I made was adding sugar to a quart of boiling water and making a simple syrup.  Being that I let the pods cool a bit the syrup was cooling at the same time.

After you have removed the pulp of the tamarind pods you process them in a blender with 2 cups of the tamarind liquid.  Strain the puree and add to the tamarind water.  Add your simple syrup and stir.   Pour the drink over some ice and you have a delicious sweet drink that is slightly tart.  Perfect for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations or whenever you need something cool and refreshing to drink.


Tamarind Agua Fresca
Adapted from Saveur

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh tamarind pods
3 quarts water
1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Rinse tamarind pods.  Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a medium pot; add pods.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until just tender and the water is brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the heat, uncover  and  let the pods steep for about 2 hours.
3. Boil the remaining 1 quart of water in a small saucepan.  Stir in 1 cup of sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Let the syrup cool.
4. Remove the pods from the water.  Strain the water through a fine sieve into a 3-quart pitcher.   Remove and discard skin from each pod.  Using your hands, place as much pulp as possible from the softened fruit in a blender, discarding the seeds and fibers.  Add 2 cups of the strained tamarind liquid to blender; puree until smooth.
5. Strain puree through a sieve into a pitcher.  Add the syrup to the pitcher.  Stir well.  Serve over ice.

Makes 3 quarts

White Chili

I love this Chili.  It is the best chili ever.  Each spoonful is delicious and loaded with beans, chicken, green chili, spices, in a delicious thick broth.  The broth is flavored with chopped onions, garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and white pepper.  I add a big handful of Mexican cheese to my chili, but others prefer some sour cream, chopped onions, along with the cheese.  To make a this bowl of chili complete, I serve it with a warm flour tortilla.  Now this is what I call a good and satisfying  dinner.

This chili takes a while to cook so start early.  It is well worth the time it takes to cook it.  Most of the cooking time is spent  cooking the beans - about 3 hours.  Once the beans are cooked the remaining time is about one hour.  

White Chili

Ingredients:
1 pound dried Great Northern Beans
6 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped (divided)
1 tablespoon Olive oil
2 (4-ounce) cans diced green  chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
Salt
White Pepper
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Flour Tortillas, warmed
Cilantro, garnish
Diced onions, garnish
Sour Cream, garnish

Directions:

1. Combine the beans, chicken broth, garlic, and half of the  chopped onions in a Dutch Oven and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer until the beans are very soft - 3 hours or more.
2. In a skillet heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until soft.  Add  the green chilies, cumin, Mexican oregano, paprika, and cayenne pepper and mix well.  Add the onion mixture to the beans.  Add the chicken and half of the jalapeno pepper unless you like your chili hot then add then add all of the pepper.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
3. Check seasonings and add remaining jalapeno pepper - if needed, salt and white pepper.  Cover and simmer an additional 30 minutes.
4. Ladle into bowls and top with the shredded Mexican cheese.  Garnish with cilantro, diced onions, and/or sour cream.  Serve with a warmed flour tortilla

Makes 8 servings

Beef Kebabs

The weather has finally cooperated with me to do some outdoor grilling.  I have been marinating some beef in my fridge for a couple of days.  No matter - it will taste delicious.  I love making kebabs because they are easy to do, you can customize them for family members, they are quick, and relatively budget friendly.

I start by marinating some beef sirloin in a marinade that has some garlic,  paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt,  pepper, vinegar, and olive oil.   This marinade recipe is from Alton Brown.  Usually, I marinate the meat for about 4 hours.  However, longer doesn't hurt.  After the meat has marinated, I thread the meat on some metal skewers with a variety of  veggies - bell pepper, some pearl onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or just meat on the skewer.  Some family members are not that fond of veggies.  I leave space between the the pieces of meat and veggies so everything cooks.

The grill is preheated to medium-high heat.   I place the skewers on the grill, and cook about 3 minutes on each side for a total of about 9-12 minutes total cooking time.  Remove from heat and serve.

Dinner is ready.  I usually serve the Kebabs on a bed of Jasmine rice. Delicious, quick and easy.

Beef Kebabs
From Alton Brown (Marinade)
Special Equipment: 6 Metal Skewers

Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 pound boneless beef sirloin
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Pearl Onions
Bell pepper
Mushrooms
Cherry Tomatoes

Directions:
1. Cut the beef into 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch cubes and place into a large mixing bowl.  Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor combine the garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar.  With the processor running drizzle in the olive oil.
3. Pour the marinade over the meat and toss to coat.  Place in the refrigerator in an airtight container or a sealable plastic bag and allow to marinate for 2 to 4 hours or longer.
4. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.  Thread the meat and veggies of your choice onto the skewers leaving about 1/2-inch in between the pieces of meat and veggies.  Place on the grill and cook, with lid lowered about 3 minutes per side, 9-12 minutes total cooking time.
5.  Remove Kebabs from grill and let rest 3 minutes.  Serve.


Makes 6 servings

Strawberry Cucumber Refresher

The weather is turning warmer theses days.  It is getting to the place where a nice cool drink is required. Today, I made a blender full of a delicious beverage that uses fresh strawberries, half of an English cucumber, sugar to taste, ice, and some Red Zinger Tea.  This beverage hit the spot while I was working in the garden.  So good, cool, and refreshing.

To begin making this beverage brew your tea and let it cool.  Once the tea has cooled, hull and quarter some fresh strawberries until you have 2 cups.  Next peel half of an English cucumber and cut into chunks. Place the tea, strawberries, and cucumber chunks into a blender.  Add some sugar  and 2 cups of ice.  Blend until smooth.  Taste and add more sugar if necessary.

Serve immediately.


Strawberry Cucumber Refresher

Ingredients:


2 Red Zinger tea bags
2 cups boiling water
2 cups quartered fresh strawberries that have been hulled
1/2 of an English cucumber, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon sugar - more to taste if necessary
2 cups ice cubes

Directions:

1. Brew tea and let cool.  Remove tea bags before putting tea in the blender.
2. Put the all of the ingredients in the order listed in a blender and  blend until smooth.
3. Taste and add more sugar if necessary.  Serve Immediately.

Makes 6 cups

HAPPY EASTER