Robb + Jessie Married & in the Badger State

Posts Tagged ‘Daring Cook’

Daring Cook’s Challenge: Stacked green chile and grilled chicken enchiladas

By Jessie on Sunday, 16 May 2010 with Comments Off

Better late than never!

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

I was so excited about this challenge. Robb and I (both born in California) grew up with an unquenchable hunger for really, really good Mexican food. For instance, when we went to visit Robb’s family in San Clemente, we went to his parents’ favourite hole in the wall, Lucy’s, where we had the most amazing wet burrito –- ever. (We seriously still dream about it). Recently, some friends refered us to another hole in the wall here in Madison: Taqueria Guadalajara Mexicana. Also, delicious. Moving on.

I intended to get this done much earlier, yet with exams, papers due, presentations and finals (that was all for one class and happened within the last three weeks of school) I hardly got around to doing laundry. (In fact, Robb did a months worth of laundry yesterday!) But now that the hardest semester is over, I was able to spend all of yesterday afternoon in the kitchen making the most delicious meal. I am happy to report that Robb and I will probably have this again, soon. And that I am now going to invest in a real tortilla press (smashing with a cast iron pan was too much of a workout and gave inconsistent results…). Anyway. hope you are also inspired to follow suit!

Stacked green chile and grilled chicken enchiladas

Ingredients

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) 24 ounces 678 grams - roast, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely. Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size!)
7-8 ounces Tomatillos (about 4-5 medium) 212 grams - peel, remove stems
4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces/920 grams)
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)
¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)
Hot sauce, your favorite, optional
2 Boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs)
3 tablespoons olive oil or other neutral vegetable oil (use more as needed)
Kosher salt and pepper
12 small corn tortillas (5-6 inch/13-15 cm). (you can also use wheat tortillas or other wraps)
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack, 170 grams
Cilantro for garnish, chopped and sprinkled

Directions:

Roasting Fresh Chiles

1. Coat each chile with a little vegetable oil. If you are doing only a couple chiles, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster.
2. Lay the oiled chiles on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chiles so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered.
3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool.
4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it.
5. Do not rinse!

Green Chile Sauce

1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft.
2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor.
3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes a side for boneless chicken breasts.
3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred.
4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately.
5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most).
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done.
8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce.
9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup (4 ounces/112 grams) of sauce over the tortillas.
10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and 1/3 of the grated cheese.
11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese.
12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese.
13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks and sprinkle with cilantro, if you wish. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes.

Corn Tortillas (from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen)
Makes about 15

1 3/4 cups masa harina
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water

Pour hot water over masa harina, cover and let sit 30 minutes. Add (additional) cool water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. Divide the dough into 15 balls and cover with plastic wrap.

Heat a large (two burner) ungreased griddle or two large skillets, one on medium-low and one on medium-high.

Put a ball of dough between two sheets of plastic. If you don’t have a tortilla press, press to a 5-6” circle using a heavy frying pan or bread board or other heavy, flat object. Put the tortilla into the cooler pan or cooler end of the griddle. The tortilla will probably stick, but within 15 seconds, if the temperature is correct, it will release. Flip it at that point onto the hotter skillet/griddle section. In 30-45 seconds, it should be dotted with brown underneath. Flip it over, still on the hot surface and brown another 30 seconds or so. A good tortilla will balloon up at this point. Remove from heat and let them rest while cooking the remaining tortillas. Use quickly.

Daring Cooks’ Challenge: Risotto

By Jessie on Sunday, 14 March 2010 with 6 comments

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

One of the first fancy dates Robb and I went on was to the 35th St Bistro in Fremont on 16 August 2006. That was probably the first time I had ordered a meal that cost more than a year’s subscription to Cooks Illustrated. Not to mention, the first time either of us had asked a waiter to recommend a wine pairing for our meals.

Robb ordered an Ahi tuna steak and I ordered risotto. The rich, creamy and depth of flavors that permeated my first bite swept me off of my feet. And like that first bit of tiramisu, I was hooked. Bite after bite I kept discovering new flavors which still make me smile to remember. (I especially loved those fresh peas!) For some reason I wasn’t smiling in this photograph, but maybe it was because I had food in my mouth when Robb snapped the photo! Or maybe it was because I hadn’t tasted that delicious Italian comfort food yet.

This brings us to this past months’ Daring Cooks’ challenge. I have made risotto several times since my initial discovery. I am not sure if you could say that I cheated on this challenge since I ended up pulling from the freezer several quart-sized bags of turkey stock I made shortly after Thanksgiving. As a busy graduate student, this time saving measure (three hours!) allowed us to enjoy an early weekend dinner without much preparation. I adapted the risotto base to our tastes (and what we had on hand) peas and bacon! Though, I wish I had browned the rice in the bacon fat instead of olive oil… A good note for next time.

Risotto Base (used for Pea and Bacon Risotto)

Ingredients:

olive oil 2 fluid oz 60 ml
1 small onion, diced
rice 14 oz 400g
Any type of risotto rice will do. I use Arborio but the recipe itself says Vialone Nano. Another to look for is Carnaroli.
white wine 2 fl oz 60 ml
chicken or vegetable stock , simmering 2 pints 1 L

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Fry for a few minutes to flavour the oil.
Add the rice and stir for a few minutes to coat each grain of rice with oil and toast slightly.

Add the wine and let it bubble away until evaporated.
Add enough stock to cover the rice by a finger’s width (about an inch or two). Don’t actually stick your finger in, it will be hot. Just eye it off.

Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until most of the stock has been absorbed.
Repeat Step 5 making sure to leave aside approximately 100 ml. of stock for the final step. .
Repeat, save 100ml for the final stage.
Once you are at this point, the base is made. You now get to add your own variation.

While the risotto absorbs the stock, fry the bacon until crispy.

Before adding the final 100ml of stock, stir in 1/3 cup frozen peas and allow to cook through (about 2 minutes).

Now, add the remaining stock and:

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Then top with the crispy bacon (yum).

Put your feet up and enjoy with a nice glass of white wine. (Well, that is at least what we did.)

In conclusion:
What a great challenge. It’s so great to get back to the basics and remember that a delicious home cooked meal always tastes better when it’s made with lots of love and time.

Daring Cooks’ Challenge: Mezze

By Jessie on Sunday, 14 February 2010 with 2 comments

The 2010 February Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

I was excited when I saw February’s challenge! Hummus and pitas (especially the Trader Joe’s Pitta Chips = yum!) is one of Robb’s and my favourite appetizers. I was really please with how the pita bread turned out. Even though several of my pitas didn’t puff up like I had hopped, the rest of them turned out perfect. Regardless, they were delicious! I allowed my sponge to “rest” for one hour before making the dough. I think that was perfect.

Yet, I was not so pleased with the hummus. The lemon flavor was overpowering. I even diluted it with an extra can of chickpeas, but it didn’t help. I will provide you with my usual recipe and hopefully you can try that! I always add a healthy amount of parsley to my hummus, that is why it’s a nice green colour.

Pita Bread

Recipe adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Prep time: 20 minutes to make, 90 minutes to rise and about 45 minutes to cook

2 teaspoons regular dry yeast (.43 ounces/12.1 grams)
2.5 cups lukewarm water (21 ounces/591 grams)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (may use a combination of 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose, or a combination of alternative flours for gluten free pita) (17.5 -21 ounces/497-596 grams)
1 tablespoon table salt (.50 ounces/15 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil (.95 ounces/29 ml)

Directions:
1. In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.

2. Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

3. Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).

4. Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.

5. Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn’t puff up, don’t worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

This recipe is our stand-by for hummus. Adapted from Gourmet | August 1994.

Hummus

Ingredients:
2-4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
a 16- to 19-ounce can chick-peas, rinsed and drained
1/3 (or less) olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions:
In a food processor blend together garlic, chick-peas, lemon juice, oil, and cumin, scraping down side, until smooth. Add parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and pulse until just combined. Hummus may be made 2 days ahead and chilled. Makes about 2 cups.

A Daring New Year

By Jessie on Thursday, 14 January 2010 with 2 comments

This year, despite a heavy course and work load (and the kind prodding from friends to post more often), I decided to challenge myself by joining the Daring Kitchen; I am now both a Daring Cook as well as a Daring Baker. What exactly are these designations? Simply put, in 2006, two bloggers challenged each other to bake homemade pretzels separately but using the same recipe. They patted each other on the back congratulating their success in their first challenge and proposed several more challenges over the coming months. The idea, their “little baking group”, began to spread until it became the official Daring Bakers. Each month, one of the daring bakers (and now cooks) choose a recipe for the Daring Baker/Cook community to follow and then on a specified reveal date, post their success on their blogs.

When you see this icon with one of my posts,
it will be referring to a challenge post.

This brings me to today.

The first challenge I participated in was hosted by “Cuppy” of Cuppylicious who chose a Thai-inspired recipe for Pork Satay from the cookbook 1000 Recipes by Maratha Day.

One thing I enjoy about these challenges is that they can easily fit into both our budget and our schedules. While some are bound to be more time intensive, for me nothing is as relaxing as following a recipe (exactly as written) and anticipating its outcome. Robb and I both agree, this first challenge recipe will probably be a “keeper” in our recipe collection. The following is the recipe as well as my notes and photographs. Bon appétit!

Chicken Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce

Satay Marinade

Ingredients
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 T ginger root, chopped (optional) (2 cm cubed)
2 T lemon juice (1 oz or 30 mls)
1 T soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp ground coriander (5 mls)
1 tsp ground cumin (5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (2-2.5 mls)
2 T vegetable oil (or peanut or olive oil) (30 mls)
1 T fish sauce
1 dragon chili I substituted sriracha sauce as I fogot to buy the chili!
1 pound of chicken breast pork (loin or shoulder cuts) (16 oz or 450g)

Method
If you have a food processor or blender, dump in everything except the pork and blend until smooth.

Cut chicken pork into 1 inch strips.

Cover chicken pork with marinade. You can place the pork into a bowl, cover/seal and chill, or place the whole lot of it into a ziplock bag, seal and chill. For chicken marinade 4 — 12 hours.

If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak your skewers in warm water for at least 20 minutes before preparing skewers.

Gently and slowly slide meat strips onto skewers. Discard leftover marinade. (If you’re grilling or broiling, you could definitely brush once with extra marinade when you flip the skewers.)

Broil or grill at 290°C/550° F (or pan fry on medium-high) for 5 — 7 minutes or until the edges just start to char. Flip and cook another 5 — 7 minutes.

Accompanying sauces
While your meat is marinading, you can eaisly prep the sauce(s). The required sauce was the peanut one, but since I like multiple options I decided to do each of the three sauces.

Peanut Sauce

3/4 cup coconut milk (6 oz or 180 mls)
4 Tbsp peanut butter (2 oz or 60 mls)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 Tbsp soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp brown sugar (5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground cumin (2.5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground coriander (2.5 mls)
1-2 dried red chilies, chopped (keep the seeds for heat)

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add soy sauce and lemon, mix well.

Over low heat, combine coconut milk, peanut butter and your soy-lemon-seasoning mix. Mix well, stir often.

All you’re doing is melting the peanut butter, so make your peanut sauce after you’ve made everything else in your meal, or make ahead of time and reheat.

Pepper Dip

4 Tbsp soy sauce (2 oz or 60 mls)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp brown sugar (5 mls)
1-2 dried red chilies, chopped (keep the seeds for heat)
1 finely chopped green onion (scallion)

Mix well. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Tamarind Dip

Ah, but here is where we met the only challenge of the day. I went to Woodman’s on New Years Day with the intentions of procuring all of the ingredients for the challgene. I was still very sleepy from our trip to Milwaukee and either I could not find the tamarind paste in the humungous Asian-food section because my eyelids were attempting to sabotage my shopping trip or it was seriously not there. Unwilling to give up, I discovered (thanks to the handy iPhone) that I could indeed make my own tamarind paste. It is apparently quite simply if you can find the tamrind pods. Lo and behold, I had spied some of these beauties in the produce section while procuring my dried chillies. After some research I discovered that the pods needed to be soaked in water for about an hour and then the seeds (pea-sized little “rocks”) could be removed and what remained (the pulp) could put processed in a food mill. This is what I produced:

Not bad!

4 Tbsp tamarind paste (2 oz or 60 mls)
1 Tbsp soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 finely chopped green onion (scallion)
1 tsp brown or white sugar, or to taste (about 5 mls)

Mix well. Serve chilled or room temperature.

All in all, I should say this challenge was a delicious success!