Brown Rice & Lentil Salad

This is a recipe that I made off the cuff this weekend to take to a BBQ and it was a good complement to burgers.

I pre-cooked 4 cups brown, basmati rice (or any type of long grain) in my rice cooker. If you refrigerate it just put it in a bowl and break it up so there are no rice clumps.

Then I cooked 1 cup of dry lentils in enough water to cover them and added a bay leaf and clove of garlic. I cooked until they were soft enough to bite into without any crunch and had to add water periodically so they didn't burn. (You can purchase pre-cooked lentils at Trader Joe's that would work perfectly here.) I didn't end up using all the lentils that I cooked - I used approximately 1.5 cups of cooked lentils.

A few hours before I wanted to serve the salad, I added a medium-sized onion minced; approx 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegarette (Melanie's One Cup Salad Dressing); 2 TBLS of salt and 1 TBLS of pepper (add more or less to taste). Seasonings are mostly to allow the rice and lentils to grab some flavor. You might have to add more of each when you add all the final ingredients.

Before you serve, add the following; two bell peppers, minced; 1 cup chopped italian parsley. (For color I added a yellow and orange to contrast with the browns of the rice and lentils however, they are also a bit sweeter tasting than a green bell pepper.) Mix it all together and taste for proper seasoning - add more as needed.

Options: if you don't have the vinegarette made you can just use 1 part olive oil, 1/2 part balsamic vinegar and touch of dijon mustard. Also, I think this needed some scallions to add more kick and boost the greenery.

Chile Rellenos - A Labor of Love

Chile Rellenos have to be one of my favorite foods. It is time intensive to make but always worth the effort. The flavor of the Poblano Chiles and the complement of the melted Monterey Jack Cheese offset by the tomato garlic sauce makes it a party in your mouth.

When I buy produce I keep my eye out for Poblano Chiles that are on the larger size and nice and firm. Then I have to make sure when I purchase of them that I will have time within the next few days to make this recipe.

I typically purchase six to eight Poblano Chiles at a time to make it more worth the effort. In order to peel the skins nicely from the chiles, I roast them Italian-style. I set the oven to 400 degrees. Then I wash the chiles, dry them, place them on an oiled cookie sheet and rub oil on each one. I place them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes - turning them occasionally to blister them evenly. When the skins seem to be bubbling away from the chile, I remove them from the oven, place into a large brown paper bag, close it and let sit for 20 minutes.

As I wait, I start setting up the next part of the process - setting up the souffle batter and frying oil. In a pie plate, I mix 1 cup of unbleached flour, 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. I separate 4-6 eggs (depending on the egg size) and place the whites in a medium-sized bowl for beating. I keep the yolks to the side at the moment and hold off on whisking the egg whites just yet.

I empty two, 15-oz cans of chopped tomatoes into a saucepan and add half a chopped onion, two cloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons of oregano and some salt and pepper. I set this on the stove with the burner set to medium low. I will let this sauce simmer while continuing with the recipe. I set up a large, deep-sided skillet (about three inches deep) and fill it about an inch deep with vegetable oil. Lastly, I shred 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese and set aside.

With everything setup, I return to the chiles. I cut the bag down one corner and around the bottom to have a flat surface in which to peel and seed the peppers. If the peppers have roasted long enough and steamed in the bag nicely, the skins will be a thin film that can be easily pulled off each chile. As you peel the chiles, you want to be careful that you don't tear the flesh underneath or pull out the stem. When they are each peeled, you then make a slice on one side, carefully open the chile and slice away the seed ball again trying to keep the stem intact. If you have extra seeds in the chile, you can gently rinse in cool water. [Be careful after doing this to avoid touching your eyes. You never know if one of the chiles is spicy.]

I turn on the oil to get it ready to fry the chiles. Using an electric beater, I whisk the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. I stir up the egg yolks and gently fold them into the egg whites until they are well mixed. Next, I fill each chile with shredded cheese. They will be of varying sizes so I do my best to fill them equally. I sprinkle a pinch of flour over the oil and if it sizzles I start coating each chile with flour, gently coating them all over - even taking care to get it around the stem well. Next I put a chile into the souffle batter and gently placed it in the hot oil. I repeat this process fitting four chiles into the pan and cook on each side until the batter is golden brown.

When the chiles are cooked, I remove them to a separate plate with paper towels. I puree the tomato sauce in a blender and remove the oil from the pan. I let the pan cool slightly and then quickly add the tomato sauce and pop a lid on top. There will be a whole lot of spattering so the lid helps keep the mess down a bit. When the bubbling has died down, I add each battered chile to the sauce, turn the burner to medium low and carefully turn each chile to make sure they are coated with the sauce. I let this all simmer for a few minutes while I make sure everything else is set up for dinner.

I typically serve the rellenos with steamed rice and warm tortillas. As an extra, you can also fry plantains and/or serve with beans.

Pork Chops with Fried Rice

I love buying pork chops in the Mission District because you can get them cut real thin. The thinness of the cut allows you to cook them fast but without the worry of the center being raw.

I set up the pork chops to fry them. I dip each of them in an egg wash and coat them with breadcrumbs. Then I set them aside and let them dry a bit before frying them.

For a side dish, decide to make an Americanized fried rice with some leftover rice. I also had purchased some small pale - almost white - chiles in the Mission as well. I have used them before and they have a mild flavor. I take three of the peppers; de-seed and de-vein them then cut them into small pieces. I heat two tablespoons of oil in a skillet and saute the peppers with two chopped scallions (including the green tops). When the scallions are a bit wilted, I add the rice (about two cups worth) and when it is heated through I add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of water. Finally, I add a pinch of smoked salt (a Rainbow Grocery find) and 1 cup of frozen corn, cover it, turn the burner very low and then let it steam.

Next, I heat about three tablespoons of oil in a skillet and when it is hot, I fry the pork chops so that they are crisp and brown. When fully cooked, I serve a pork chop with a bit of the fried rice. The grilled frozen corn and smoked salt add the perfect hint of smokiness to the rice. All together it took about forty minutes to cook this dinner.

Pork with Green Mole

Since I cooked green mole in the afternoon, I am going to take advantage of that for dinner and make something quick. I have some pork tenderloin spears (the package is a bit over a pound) in the freezer so I defrost those and slice them into smaller pieces; almost bite-sized.

I want to brown the pork prior to adding the mole for better flavor. (This method of browning and then finishing the cooking in a moist heat is referred to as braising.) I heat some oil in a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat and just as it starts smoking I add the pork a batch at a time but work quickly to avoid overcooking the meat. When all the meat is a browned (few signs of raw, pink meat) I add a ladle of green mole (approximately 1/2 cup); cover and let cook for about 5 minutes.

I serve the pork with steamed rice, corn and some quesadillas or just plain tortillas. In this case, we have enough leftover oven-baked rice (recipe from Fish for Dinner) that I will reheat that. However, if you have to cook the rice start it in advance since it takes about 20 minutes; 1 cup of raw, long grain rice to two cups of water or broth and bring to a boil over medium to high heat; reduce to medium low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

Fish for Dinner

After a weekend of dining out, I have decided dinner should be on the simpler side; nothing too spicy or heavy. I have defrosted some fish; petrale fillet of sole which is a thin, delicate white fish. This is a good fish to fry breaded or with a batter and if you are going very low calorie you can even steam it.

I have decided to do the fish in a light batter and serve it with some oven-baked rice and steamed zucchini. Since the rice takes the longest I will start with that process. I set the oven to bake at 400 degrees and then take a skillet that has a lid out to use for this. I melt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter and once melted I saute half a small onion. When the onion is soft, I add 1 cup of raw, long grain rice and let it cook a bit until it is translucent and slightly toasted. I slowly add two cups of broth (you can use chicken or vegetable); stir the rice and onion well; cover with the lid; and place in the pre-heated oven. It will take approximately 18-20 minutes.

Now I rinse and dry three zucchinis and set up my steamer pan with water. I cut the zucchini, place it in the steamer and turn the flame on to medium. It is now time to set up the fish. I rinse it, pat it dry with paper towels and set it aside. I put a cup of flour in a pie dish and add a bit of salt, pepper and dried thyme (a scant 1/4 teaspoon each). I then whisk one egg with a bit of water. The fish is so thin that it will cook really quickly (about three minutes) so I am waiting for the rice to be fully cooked before I start the fish.

After about 18 minutes, I carefully remove the covered pan from the oven. Now be very careful with this pan and cover it with potholders because it is easy to forget how hot it is if you need to move it suddenly. Luis and I have both had the experience of grabbing the pan barehanded accidentally - not very pleasant. When you remove the lid, the rice should be fluffy and there should be no liquid left.

In another, larger skillet I heat a small pat of butter with a bit of olive oil (in this case I have some lemon-infused olive oil to use to enhance the flavor). When the oil is hot, I coat each fish with the flour mixture first, then dip it in egg and then add to the oil in the pan. It should long take about 60-90 second per side of each fillet so everything else should be cooked and ready to serve.

For more flavor, you could add a light tomato sauce (similar to the albondigas sauce) or some green mole. In this case I unfortunately don't have either handy so our meal with be sauceless but by no means flavorless.

Albondigas - Translation; Mexican Meatballs

This recipe for albondigas was taught to me by Luis. Every once in awhile he suddenly remembers some dish from childhood and calls his mother for the recipe. This is one of those meals that actually is best if you can prepare a day in advance because the flavors enhance when it is set aside and reheated the following day. Still it is a meal that takes about 90 minutes overall to prepare and is good for a group of about six.

In the morning, I set aside about a cup and a half of pinto beans (or black beans) to soak for the day. The water should be almost 3 inches above the beans because they will expand as they soak. Additionally, if you have a curious cat like we do I suggest soaking them in a plastic container and setting it in a corner that discourages investigation. I learned my lesson once when Zorro pushed a glass bowl with a lid off the stove just because he was sure there was something he could eat in it.

Cooking your own beans is optional really; you can use canned pinto beans, black beans or even refried beans. Bean tacos are also a nice alternative; you spread a heaping soup spoon of beans lenghwise on a corn tortilla, roll it and fry it in oil. You have to be careful with vegetarian refried beans because the water in them causes the oil to pop.

So later in the day about an hour before I want the meal to be prepared, I drain the beans, rinse them and put them in a pan with water to cover them plus about an inch. I then turn the burner to medium and let them cook until soft. One way to test for doneness with pinto beans is to remove a bean or two from the water and gently blow on them; if the skin peels back with your breath they are done.

As the beans are cooking, I fill a large pan with water and turn the burner on high. I need this to boil the albondigas before cooking them in the sauce. I then take a package of ground beef (the one I used was 1.29 pounds), two eggs, and 3/4 cup of raw white, long grain rice. Additionally, I added a bit of salt, pepper, chili powder and nutmeg for flavor. I am still working on the balance and with the final product didn't notice any significant impact - good or bad - of these additions. I will update with appropriate amounts when I figure it out. I mix these ingredients in a bowl with my bare hands until I feel the mixture go from sticky to smooth and well-blended. I now form the mixture into small balls - about an inch in diameter. I ended with 30 albondigas. The water started boiling as I was just starting to form the albondigas so I can now gently drop each one in the water. I am going to cook them until they start floating to the surface; about 10 minutes.

As I wait for the albondigas to cook, I start on the sauce. I add two cans of cut tomatoes, half a medium onion and two cloves of garlic to a blender and quickly puree and set aside. The albondigas are already floating so I bring the pan over to the sink. I carefully pour about four cups of the water into a measuring cup because I will need some of this for the sauce. I drain the rest of the water and return the albondigas to the pan, with the tomato puree and just enough of the reserved water to get the sauce just over the top of the albondigas. You might need to thin the sauce as it is cooking so keep the reserved liquid just in case. You can always just add water as well but it isn't as flavorful. Finally, I add a bay leaf and turn the burner to medium and let these cook for 30 minutes.

If you are using whole beans for this meal, to serve you simply put a ladle of beans on the bottom of a bowl and add some albondigas and sauce on top. You can serve with quesadillas or plain tortillas. A nice avocado salad or just plain sliced avocado is also a nice side.