Happy Cinco de Mayo....but I am posting for Seis de Mayo! a.k.a. Hangover soup!

Menudo!

Seis de Mayo Soup-- a classic cure for hangovers.   You will see this fabulous soup around Cinco de Mayo and again on New Year's Day.  In El Paso, you can take your soup pot to almost any Mexican food restaurant and have them fill er' up for you to take home and reheat.  This recipe takes a long time to cook (over three hours.)  The flavors of the onions, garlic, Mexican oregano, red chile and coriander need time to marry.  Honeycomb tripe is the tenderest cut of the cow's stomach.  I LOVE this soup.  Taco King in Fairbanks makes a very good Menudo.  Serve this with a slice of lime, chopped white onions and some cilantro, and hot flour tortillas.

What you need:

• 3 pounds honeycomb tripe
• 9 cups water or chicken broth
• 3 medium onions, chopped (1-1/2 cups)
• 1 head garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushe
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 Tablespoons red chile powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Pequin or crushed red pepper
• Lime wedges
• chopped cilantro to top
• Flour tortillas

Put it together:

Cut tripe into 1-inch pieces. Place in a large soup pot with water/broth, onions, garlic, salt, coriander, Mexican oregano, crushed red pepper, chile powder and pepper. Simmer, covered, for 3 hours till tripe has a clear, jellylike appearance.

Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, diced white onions, and corn or flour tortillas.

Game Day? Game On! Spicy Black Bean Salsa

I wish I could get my Las Cruces Tortilla Chips.  But in Alaska, the next best thing is "On The Border" found at Sam's Club...Fred's also has a good off brand but the name escapes me.  So Super Bowl is NOT Super Bowl unless you have spicy dishes and beer to keep the viewer engaged.  I have several...this Black Bean Salsa is a go-getter!  I love it that is includes corn...something we don't see often in a salsa.....and because I come from a farming family, corn and beans combined is important!  Also on the menu is ez peel shrimp, lots of cheese and crackers, deep fried oysters, tequila lime chicken wings, and yes, this black bean salsa with chips.  The main course is a white chili soup..chicken, white beans, green chile and lots of other yummy things.


So easy....


1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
1/2 cup whole kernel corn, rinsed (Use that good stuff we canned together last summer)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 TBSP. diced jalapenos
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely diced onions
1/2 a lime, juiced
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
1/4 cup red onion, diced fine

Mix all this together and allow to marry for an hour or more before serving.


Yell for the right team!

Hubbard Squash Soup

I've been anticipating the day when I could finally use the Hubbard squash and the last of my carrots I grew in the garden this year and what better day than on Thanksgiving when we are reminded to be thankful.  I am thankful for the bounty of vegetables we grew this year. 

Most of the recipes I researched included brown sugar or maple syrup and I knew I didn't want something sweet.  Luckily I found a recipe posted by Jillian Bedell at http://www.fromaway.com.  This soup is brilliant!  I knew just from the aroma wafting from the oven door that this squash was going to be one of my favorites to grow and eat from now on.  Although I did change up the recipe a little by adding yellow curry to kick it up a notch.

Blue Hubbard Squash Soup
 

1/2 pint heavy cream (I'll use coconut milk instead next time if using curry)
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP ground sage
1/2 stick butter
3 finely chopped carrots
2 finely chopped celery stalks
1 diced onion
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cayenne
2 cups mashed Hubbard squash (NOTE:  1 squash will make 2 recipes--Freeze the other 1/2)
2 oz. brandy (I used one of those miniatures)
1/4 cup flour
32 oz. chicken broth
salt and pepper
3 TBSP yellow curry

Preheat the oven to 350F.  You don't even need to take the seeds out until after it is baked. Cut the squash in 1/2 and roast in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until tender when pricked with a fork.  Remove and allow to cool, then remove the seeds and the pulp is easy to remove from the skin.  Steep bay leaf and sage in the cream or coconut milk by bringing to a boil, then reducing the heat to as low as it can go and allow to simmer while you prepare the rest of the soup.  In a soup pot, melt butter and cook onions, carrots, and celery until soft.  Add nutmeg and cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.  Pour in the brandy and stir in squash and flour.  Add chicken stock and curry, cook for 30 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and add the cream/coconut milk.

Cajun Style Pork n Beans and Cajuan Spice Mix

5 med. cans Van Camps Pork and Beans
2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce
2 onions, diced
1 package hot link sausage, diced
1/4 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce (or use your own favorite)

Add remaining seasonings to taste:
Worcestershire sauce
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Cajun seasoning (I make my own, see below)
Liquid smoke
Mustard (I use Moosetard if you can get it, if not try a spicy brown or Dijon)
Brown sugar

Mix all ingredients in a crockpot and allow to simmer all day.

*HINT: I buy crock pot liners. It makes clean up so easy! Just throw away the bag, no more soaking and scrubbing.

Cajun Style Spice Mix
from Cooking Light Magazine

This rub is Excellent on any type of fish (especially catfish and Ahi tuna steaks) squirted with a bit of lime juice and grilled.

3 TBSP paprika
2 TBSP ground red pepper
2 TBSP dried thyme
2 TBSP dried oregano
2 TBSP onion powder
2 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP kosher salt
1 TBSP black pepper
1 TBSP sugar

Combine all ingredients and store in a dry container. I use a mason jar.

Turkey Enchiladas

Hate to get on the soap box....but I am going to now. Would real Alaskans be satisfied with eating pinks? I think not!!! Do you know those in the lower 48 don't know the difference? The same is true for true chile (red or green, hot or mild it makes no difference). This is a plug for you to advocate for real chile be sent to Fairbanks. If we can acquire Thai ingredients, we should be able to get great Southwestern ingredients as well.

Turkey Enchiladas

As with any great recipe, start with the best ingredients you can get. Unfortunately in Alaska we are limited. I bring home the frozen Bueno and keep it like gold. Next best substitute is to make your own red chile sauce from dried powdered. Your last, and most undesirable option is buying the canned. Please do email Bueno Foods and request REAL chile products be sent to Safeway and Fred Meyer!

Make Red Chile Enchilada sauce:
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1 TBSP flour
1 3/4 cup water
14 oz. red chile puree
1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 tsp. salt

Brown garlic and flour in oil under medium heat.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Let this come to a boil, cover and simmer on low 30 minutes.

Enchiladas:
24 corn tortillas

5 cups Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup finely diced onions
3 cups finely diced cooked turkey

Place a layer of red chile sauce in bottom of deep dish baking pan. Dip corn tortillas in hot oil until soft and drain on paper towels. Place scant amount of turkey, cheese and onion on tortilla and roll up. Place on top of chile sauce continue this process forming a casserole type dish. Top with red chile sauce and cheese. Bake at 370 for 40 minutes. Uncover for the last 10 minutes of baking time. Serve with Spanish rice and/or sour cream. A good Mexican beer like Dos Equis or Pacifico doesn't hurt!

Turkey Tortilla Soup

You NEED this recipe after consuming your Thanksgiving turkey. I have used it for over 15 years and never fail to appreciate it and neither will you.....It only asks for 2 cups of your left over chopped turkey..that is NOTHING compared to the big bird you decided to cook.

This recipe is soooooooo old I don 't remember where I got it. I'm sorry. Dang it....now my 3 hole punch is broken and pages are flipping!!....that's how old this is. You will never cook a bird again without reserving turkey for this soup......GUARANTEED!

1 tsp. Olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
1 package taco seasoning
6 cups of chicken broth or boullion
2 cups of diced cooked turkey

1 tub of frozen green chili....for my Alaska friends....4 cans (chopped (I am so sorry that you don't know the difference)
1 can (16 oz) undrained tomatoes
1 10 pkg.frozen corn
1/3 cup cilantro
1/2 cup Monetrey Jack Cheese grated

Tortilla chips to top

In a 5 qt. saucepan, over medium heat, saute onion in oil 3-4 min. or until soft. Stir in chile (more apologies to AK as you do not know what REAL chile is) Cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, stir in turkey and broth. Add corn and reduce heat to simmer......Simmer 5 minutes. Add cilantro. To serve, spoon 1 1/3 cups soup to a bowl, top with tortilla chips and grated cheese.

Gullivers' Gone Wild! and Thai Cuisine Steamed Red Curry Fish

I must stop these visits to Gulliver's Books located on College Blvd. every Saturday http://www.gullivers-books.com/. I drop $50 every Saturday morning and prance away with books for my classroom as well as feed my own literary appetite. Today I purchased two cookbooks that have been screaming from the shelves for the past month. As an early birthday present to myself I purchased Thai Cuisine ISBN: 97804-88996-094-5 $11.95. I love this book because each recipe has pictures of step by step instructions and a picture of the ingredients needed. I also purchased Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day ISBN: 978-0-312-54552-9 $27.99. I believe if I practice enough, I may eventually learn how to make bread as good as Carol Scott!

Never fear about finding those ingredients you need to complete the meal. If you live in Fairbanks, go to the Asian Market located on Aurora Blvd. behind Randy Smith Middle School. They are very helpful and will have everything you need including frog legs, brown sticky rice, kaffir, seaweed, banana leaves for poaching salmon, Thai style curry, dried mushrooms, exotic veggies and everything else under the sun.

The halibut is thawed and ready to skin. Here is the recipe from the Thai Cuisine for Steamed Curry Fish.

Steamed Curry Fish

1 lb. fish
1/2 lb. medium shrimp
1 TBSP oil
2 TBSP red curry

Sauce:
14 oz. coconut milk
3 TBSP fish sauce
2 TBSP sugar
5 kaffir lime leaves

Green and red bell pepper slices and kaffir (lime leaves) for garnish.

Clean fish and cut into pieces. Heat frying pan with oil and fry curry 1/2 minute on medium heat. Combine remaining sauce ingredients. Place fish in sauce and heat to slow boil. Cover and bring sauce to a slow boil again. Ladle the sauce over the fish during cooking. Simmer about 20 minutes and serve over jasmine rice. OMG....my mouth is burning right now and I LOVE it.

Brocolli Lasagne and Tiramisu

Each month the FEA Board meets on a Tuesday evening and shares a meal before and during the meeting because they generally run long. Last month I was feeling terribly guilty about not offering to provide the evening meal and have only been on the Board a few months. Generally speaking, people usually bring chili, sandwiches, salads and yummy things. I was at a loss as to what to bring and suggested to the other member who I am coordinating with "Lasagna". I mean it's a relatively easy dish to make and everyone loves pasta. Then I thought of the Broccoli Lasagna recipe that I have been using for over 20 years. Broccoli, carrots and mushrooms! What a wonderful blend. I got this recipe from my good friend Sandy Ball when we worked together at Los Alamos National Laboratory way back in 1990. Her husband was allergic to tomatoes, didn't like garlic, and couldn't have the traditional dish. It's a truly good recipe but requires quite a bit of prep-work. You will make this one again and again. I promise! Even the most discriminating "Meat-Eater" will enjoy this dish. But just in case, I've also made the traditional meat one for those who must have their meat-fix.

Broccoli Lasagna
2 10 oz. cans condensed Cream of Broccoli soup
1 10 oz. package frozen, chopped broccoli
olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 large yellow onion, diced
3/4 lb. sliced mushrooms
12 lasagna noodles
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
15 oz. ricotta cheese
2 large eggs

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine cream of broccoli soup and frozen broccoli. Heat until broccoli is thawed. In a 10" skillet over medium heat cook carrots and onion in 1 TBSP. olive oil until lightly browned. Reduce heat to low and stir in 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until very tender. Remove contents to a bowl.

Using the same skillet over high heat cook mushrooms in 3 TBSP olive oil. Cook until lightly browned and liquid has evaporated. Stir in the carrot/onion mixture.

While the veggies are cooking, prepare noodles as directed (do nothing if you are using the no-boil noodles and move onto the next step).

In a bowl, mix the mozzarella, ricotta and eggs.

Preheat the oven to 375. In a 9 x 13 dish, spread 1 cup broccoli sauce, arrange 1/2 of the noodles over the sauce, top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture; then all the carrot mixture and 1/2 of the remaining sauce. Top with remaining noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce. Bake lasagna 45 minutes or until hot. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 10 servings. (No Kidding!)

Next up.....Tiramisu! I ask myself, "What the devil did you get yourself into?" So, I'm shopping for ingredients for the Broccoli Lasagna and think, "You can't have lasagna without garlic bread", so I stroll through the bakery and find but what.....LADYFINGERS! I must have been out of my mind when I instantly thought "Tiramisu for dessert!!! This will be perfect after lasagna!" I've only made it once before and do not know how it came out because it was gone before I could sample it. Who better to get the recipe from than Giada De Laurentiis? C'mon, she's beautiful, a chef and ITALIAN!

6 egg yolks
3 TBSP sugar
1 lb. mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cups strong espresso, cooled
2 tsp. dark rum (I don't drink rum, but the girl in the liquor dept. directed me to Myer's Dark Jamaican )
24 ladyfingers
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings for garnish (I got nothing less than the best Ghiradelli)

In your KitchenAide large bowl or electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale--about 5 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. Add 1 TBSP of espresso, mix until thoroughly combined.

In a small shallow dish, add remaining espresso and rum. Dip 12 ladyfingers into espresso for only 5 seconds. Letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. Place the soaked ladyfingers on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Break them in 1/2 if you have to in order to make them fit.

Spread evenly 1/2 of the mascarpone mix over the ladyfingers. Arrange the remaining 12 soaked ladyfingers on top and top that with the remaining mascarpone mixture.

Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

Top with bittersweet chocolate shavings before serving.

Alaskaladas revisited

The original recipe comes from the "Best of the Best from ALASKA cookbook"
I hate to override a recipe, but being from New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment...I don't mind when it concerns my green chile or any ingredient that I feel I personally own. This dish is formally titled, "Alaskaladas"....it's a retake on a quick and easy enchilada casserole using moose (which I love). Bake at 350 for 1 hour....let it st for 10 minutes before cutting.

1-2 lbs ground moose
1/2 onion chopped (I like yellow)
1 TBSP garlic minced
2 small cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can stewed diced tomatoes ( I used RoTel)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 8 oz. can diced green chili.( I confess...I used this and another 3 TBSP of the sacred Gallup Green Chile that I hoard)
1 cup cubed Mexican Velveeta (don't bother looking for it....Fairbanks doesn't carry it...just add 2 TBSP of good chile flakes or southwest seasoning if you carry that)
1 tsp. garlic salt....I LIKE garlic and make it a good rounded amount
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
12 corn tortillas, softened in oil

The original recipe calls for mozzarella cheese to top and put in between layers.....No DECENT native of the southwest would approve of this combination. Although I live in Alaska and respect this state and Grannie Annie's Cookin ' at the Homestead (where this recipe comes to you from)...I cannot allow this combination of flavors----YUK! Get some Mexican cheese to repace this, or Montery Jack. Mozzarella and green and red chile should only be combined with pizza, crepes or quiche.....NEVER an enchilada-style dish! And, I have NEVER used Velveeta in a dish....will have to report the success or failure thereof. It is in the oven as we speak.

Spruce Grouse McNuggets and High Bush Cranberry Ketchup

My good friend and colleague Chris Pastro gave this wonderful recipe to me several years ago. During Spring Break, I cleaned out the freezer and found 3 lovely spruce grouse just begging to be cooked and consumed. After a frantic search for this quick and easy recipe I am on my way to making a great appetizer. I serve this wonderful delicacy with my own High Bush Cranberry Ketchup. In the fall I collect these stinky-feet smell berries from my own backyard and literally jar and can dozens of pints and half-pints of homemade ketchup to be given to friends and used throughout the year. This is a extraordinary dipping sauce for anything you would use ketchup. The recipe for this comes from the cookbook "Cooking Alaskan by Alaskans" ISBN:978-0-88240-237-6. The recipe can also be found in the cookbook, "Alaska Wild Berry Guide and Cookbook" ISBN: 978-0-88240-229-1. Ha ha, I just noticed I have both these books! The only change I made to the ketchup recipe was to add 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce.

Spruce Grouse McNuggets

Cut grouse into chicken tender sized pieces
Soak for at least 2 hours in milk in the refrigerator.
Drain milk, but don't rinse the meat.
Sprinkle pieces heavily with coarse-ground pepper
Roll in a mixture of equal amounts flour and Parmesan cheese
Bake in a 350 oven until brown and crispy

Highbush Cranberry Ketchup

6 lbs. highbush cranberries
1 1/4 pounds sweet white onions (2 large)
3 cups water
3 cups mild vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 TBSP cloves
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 TBSP allspice
1 TBSP kosher salt
2 TBSP celery salt
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Cook berries and onions in the water until soft. Put through a sieve and return the pulp to saucepan. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until thick and ketchup-like in consistency. Stir frequently to keep from sticking. Pour into sterilized canning jars and seal immediately. Process for 5 to 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

***Note: Do not crush the cranberry seeds. They are toxic.