Spring is finally here.  I swear if I see that groundhog, I’m going to wring his neck.  Well not really, because I’m non-violent.  But the extra six weeks of winter literally almost pushed me over the edge!  These fresh caprese salad crostini are a perfect appetizer or make a great addition to a light and simple dinner.  I served them with Chicken Breasts, Roasted Broccoli and Black Beans.  Caprese Salad just tastes like spring to me, and served this way transformed a wintry meal into a burst of freshness.

My fresh mozzarella came from the Dallas Mozzarella Company, a local factory making fresh handmade cheeses of truly exceptional quality.  I’ve been meaning to take their Hands on Cheese Making class for at least five years and just haven’t made it happen yet.  Trust me, I look hot in a hair net.  And the class includes a factory tour, a wine and cheese tasting, and take home samples of your own creations.  I think that’s a description of about my perfect day!  I’ve had a fascination with factories ever since I worked in a service company who sold things via service, but didn’t actually produce anything.  Apparently, the grass is always greener.  It’s a shame I never managed to tour 3M in college when I had the chance.  At that point, of course, endless lectures on the processes, software, and plants involved in making Scotch tape were hideously boring to me.  In any case, the Hands on Cheese Making Class is on my Bucket List.  I can knock out a factory tour and food creation in one fell swoop!

Caprese Salad Crostini

Baguette

1 clove garlic

olive oil

1 /2 lb ball fresh mozzarella

3 vine ripened tomatoes

12-15 basil leaves, halved

Garlic Balsamic Vinagrette

Preheat oven to 425.  Cut baguette into half-inch slices – or approx 25-30 pieces.  Smash garlic with a large knife, peel and break into two halves.  Rub top of each baguette slice with one of the pieces of garlic, as it disintegrates, switch to the other piece.  Using a brush, paint the top of each slice with olive oil.  Place each slice on a cookie sheet and bake 5-7 minutes until your crostini are lightly browned.

Slice mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices, then half or quarter as necessary to fit onto crostini.  Slice tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices, then quarter.  Top crostinis with mozzarella, then basil, then tomato, then drizzle with Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. water

1.5 tbsp fresh garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Murray River salt

8 turns fresh ground pepper

For the vinaigrette, combine vinegar, oil, water, garlic, salt and pepper.  Whisk together then let rest for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to combine.  Whisk again before serving.  Keep remainder in fridge for up to two weeks.

This super easy dinner is a tribute to the much anticipated arrival of extraordinary spring weather that’s sure to be followed by lots of sunshine and less time in the kitchen.  Generally, I braise pork chops.  Braising ensures a very moist texture, but is time and heat intensive.  For this evening’s meal, I fired up the grill, threw on some seasonings, and sliced a few lemons and oranges.  It really doesn’t get anymore simple than that!  The jerk seasoning gives the chops a teeny bit of kick and the citrus adds a light and buoyant flavor welcoming you right into early spring.  If you have extra time, I’d try marinating the pork chops in either this citrus marinade featured at LE’s birthday party or Mama Houdyshell’s Chicken Marinade.  The pork chops were very nice without a marinade, but I’m sure either of these style marinades would compliment the pork nicely.

Jerk Seasoning comes from Jamaica and principally includes allspice and hot peppers, in combo with garlic, salt, cinnamon, and other spices.  Add a little of the islands into your backyard and enjoy with a cool Red Stripe!

Grilled Jerk Pork Chops

Bone in Pork Chops

Caribbean Jerk Seasoning

2 oranges halved

2 lemons halved

Season Pork Chops surface with Caribbean Jerk Seasoning.  Preheat a gas grill on medium high heat with lid closed for 15 minutes.  Turn heat to lowest setting.  Grill Pork Chops over direct heat for 5 minutes with lid closed, then turn.  Grill lemons and oranges on upper rack.  Check temperature of pork chops after another 5 minutes.  Cook to an internal temp of 155, then let rest on the counter for 5 minutes before serving.  Squeeze half a roasted lemon and half a roasted orange just before eating.

This post should be labeled the very best chocolate cake in the entire world.  Or cake that will change your life.  Or cake that will single-handedly cure seasonal depression and a very crummy day.  And perhaps, cake that will destroy your diet.  I don’t fall victim to sweets all that often, but serious chocolate is a true weakness of mine.  I’ve been working on a variety of dark chocolate cake and frosting recipes this year, but hadn’t  found the one to bring me to my knees, yet.  I saw this Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream and Dark Chocolate Ganache Recipe on the Foodbuzz Top 9 in early February as featured on MyBakingAddiction.com.  Chocolate + Coffee + Buttercream + Ganache = my own personal heaven.

I bookmarked the site and made a mental note to make a run to Central Market for the Instant Espresso Powder.  I assume they carry that, though I generally run screaming from anything with the word “Instant” in the title.  Anyhow, I keep forgetting the powder, so yesterday, I just decided to figure something from my regular grocery and make it work.  I no longer have an espresso machine, it broke years ago and has yet to be replaced.  The grocery only had instant coffee not instant espresso, but it did have an impressive selection of ground espressos.  From my high school days working in the coffee shop, I know the two things central to espresso – the grind of the bean and the pressure.  The grind of the bean is central, you want it extremely finely ground.  The pressure can only be duplicated by an espresso machine.  I ran mine through my regular coffee maker, since that’s what I have.  If you have the means,  I’d suggest making a regular cup of espresso, then adding 2 tbsp instead of the 4 tbsps of coffee strength espresso I added to the buttercream.

Today is a lucky day for my DFW area readers.  If you would like one of these cakes, leave a comment in the comment section.  I’ll use a random number generator – unless there’s only one or none of you of course, and I’ll deliver one of these cakes to you just for helping me.  I’d like to experiment with the ganache.  I have another Chocolate Ganache Cake recipe which calls for a Ganache simply of cream and chocolate, no butter.  In my memory it pours much much more smoothly, and I’d like to try it on this cake.  However, I’ve already laid out so many sweets recipes for our family, we’ll all roll into a sugar coma if I run all the experiments several ways.  So, the only catch is, I’ll deliver your cake, minus 1 piece (for photographing and tasting) so I can check to see which ganache I prefer.

Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream and Dark Chocolate Ganache

(adapted from Oprah.com)

1 and 1/2 c. sugar

1 and 1/3 c. flour

2/3 c. Valrhona unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp kosher salt

2 large eggs

3/4 c. milk

6 tbsp canola oil

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 c. very hot water

4 large egg yolks

3/4 c. sugar

2 sticks butter, softened

2 tbsps ground espresso

10 oz water

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 tbsp butter, softened

1 c. heavy cream

1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease bottom and sides of a Nonstick Half Sheet Pan (18″ x 13″ x 1″) – the original recipe called for a jelly roll pan (15 1/2″ x 10 3/4″ x 1) but I don’t have one of those, so I’d imagine you can use either with good results.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Turn on lowest setting and mix until combined.

In a medium sized bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Whisk until combined.  Turn stand mixer to medium, then add wet ingredients gradually and mix until well blended, about 5 minutes.  Change speed to low again and pour in hot water in a stream.  Mix until combined.  Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake about 20 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.  Let cake cool.

In bowl of stand mixer, use whisk attachment to whisk egg yolks until a full 2-3 shades lighter and ribbony when you lift the whisk, about 5 minutes.  I couldn’t find a good picture on the Internet of the ribbon stage, so I’ll update with photos of what mine look like when I make the giveaway cake.  In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1/4 c. of water.  Cook over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until mixture starts to bubble.  Raise heat to high and boil until mixture reaches 238 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer.  With stand mixer on medium, pour sugar syrup in a slow stream into egg yolks.  Leave mixer on medium, and beat until outside of the metal bowl feels room temperature and the frosting is fluffy, about 10 minutes.  In a coffee pot, brew 2tbsp of espresso with the 10 oz of water.  Pour into a cup and microwave for an additional minute, to concentrate.  Add butter small amounts at a time until all added.  Add 4 tbsp of brewed espresso to buttercream, and beat until blended.

In a large bowl, combine chocolate and remaining 4 tbsp of butter.  In a small saucepan, bring cream and sugar to a boil.  Stir, then pour cream over chocolate mixture.  Let rest a minute, then stir occasionally until ganache is smooth.

Invert cake onto a large wooden cutting board.   Use a ruler to divide evenly into thirds, and slice accordingly.  On your cake plate, cover edges with strips of waxed paper, then place bottom cake layer on waxed paper so no plate is showing.  Frost first layer with half of buttercream, add next layer**, then frost with remaining buttercream.  Add third layer, then gently and slowly pour ganache over the top of the cake, as evenly as you can around the sides and top of cake.  Refrigerate about 20 minutes, or until ganache is firm, then gently slide the waxed paper pieces out to reveal a clean cake plate.

Note  ** I had a little trouble on my first cake with the layers slipping and sliding around.  If you have the time and the patience, I’d advise frosting the first layer, placing the second layer, then refrigerating cake for 10-20 minutes before frosting that layer, then again refrigerate 10-20 minutes before pouring ganache.  If you do it this way, just be sure not to start your ganache until you’ve refrigerated the second layer so you it will still be liquid enough for pouring.

Enjoy!

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I’ve altered my Flaky Southern Style Biscuits Recipe to include a Stand Mixer Recipe as well as some method adjustments. The first recipe uses a rolling pin and kneads the dough by hand. I think it’s personal preference, but I have really loved my results with the stand mixer and find hand patting the dough to give me the greatest rise. Check out how fluffy those biscuits are! I’ve also added my homemade buttermilk recipe to my new FAQ page.

If you find yourself sitting around coveting a fabulous stand mixer, biscuits and cakes and frostings dancing through your head, DoughMessTic has a contest running through midnight this Tuesday where you can win one!  Hope over there, make a comment in the comment section noting you were sent there by dinnerandconversation.  If the random number generator picks your comment number, you can with a Stand Mixer in a color of your very own choosing!  While you’re at it, you can become a fan of DoughMessTic on Facebook and my site!  Just search for doughmesstic or dinnerandconversation.com in your facebook, then click Become a Fan of!

The very very very best way to make Southern Style Biscuits requires White Lily Flour.  Really.  All other flours yield a biscuit though delicious, lacking a delicacy and levity unparalleled.  If you’re in Dallas, you can pick up your White Lily Flour at Central Market.  And if you’re lucky enough  to be in Austin, you can pick it up at almost any HEB.  Otherwise I hope you live in the southeast or you’ll be paying exorbitantly to ship 5 lb. bags of flour from either the site above or another you google.  Quality ingredients are worth the shipping.  Just ask me about my shipments of Heinz Genuine Dill Pickles.  At the end of the day, my pickles cost over $10 a jar.  That’s almost enough to make me hide them from my children.  But who am I kidding, I can’t blame them for their highly refined palates ; )  And at least I’m no longer buying them from the Piggly Wiggly, who gracefully managed to pack them so that at least 1/3 of my shipment broke every time.  Sigh.

Southern Style Biscuits Stand Mixer Recipe (makes about 14 biscuits)

Earlier this week I tackled the Fried Stuffed Avocados I’ve been wanting to try all winter.  Several unfortunate batches of avocados have gone bad while patiently waiting for me to get my act together to no avail.  This recipe takes a little  bit of prep, and does involve frying which is sort of an ordeal, but the presentation is quite impressive.  To balance out your efforts, the chicken was so tasty, I worked an additional dinner of chicken nachos from it, then finished off the remainder snacking it straight from the bowl!

The inspiration for this recipe came from my mamas group back in Austin.  I’d sent a request to the group looking for new ideas in the form of, “If you could order anything from any restaurant tonight, what would you pick?”  The answers were inspiring and unbelievably international.  Stuffed Fried Avocados were recommended by a couple friends, it seems they are the newest food fad in South Texas. They are found stuffed with a variety of fillings from shellfish to chicken to beef.  Mine are stuffed with a spiced chicken and Monterey Jack cheese.  The chicken is very easily spiced with a Cutters Cross Tex Mex Dry Rub Seasoning.  I received my first batch of these spices as a gift five years ago, and highly recommend you get a set of your own.  I was so pleased with the way this chicken turned out I sent a set to my sister, Amelia, because I just had to share.

If you’re feeling slightly less adventurous, but want to try out the flavor combo, try serving the chicken topping on a bed of avocado wedges.  A foodie friend Shizuoka Gourmet had posted an article on fried avocado back in January.  You could skip the relleno batter and just fry the straight avocado then serve the shredded chicken and cheese on top.

Chicken and Monterey Jack Stuffed Fried Avocados (serves 3)

3 ripe avocados – they work best if they are just slightly on the firm side – ripe but not squishy

flour for dusting

3/4 c. flour

2 egg yolks

3/4 c. beer

2 tbsp canola oil

1 and 1/2 tbsp kosher salt

2 egg whites

3 large chicken split breasts

2 tsp Cutters Cross Tex Mex Dry Rub

1 tsp kosher salt

Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

Two hours before you want to eat, halve the avocados and remove seeds.  Use a spoon to scoop out a little of the flesh making a larger hollow for stuffing.  Peel skin from outside, then dust in flour.  Wrap each half in Saran wrap and place in freezer.  In a large bowl, add flour followed by egg yolks, beer, canola oil, and salt.  Whisk together to combine.  Let batter rest for about an hour and a half.

In a large saucepan, cover chicken breasts with water and add 1 teaspoon kosher salt.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour and fifteen minutes.  Remove chicken from broth using tongs.  Remove skin and bones and discard.  Shred chicken using two forks into a clean bowl.  Return shredded chicken to broth and simmer another 30 minutes.  At this point, turn high heat on sauce pan containing frying oil.  After the 30 minutes has elapsed, strain chicken from broth, then season with Tex Mex Dry Rub and salt.  Set aside.

About 15 minutes before you want to eat, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks.  Delicately fold egg whites into batter.  Remove avocados from freezer, unwrap and use a slotted spoon to gently dip in batter then place in heated oil.  Fry until lightly browned, then stuff with spiced chicken and top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese.  Serve immediately.

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Awhile back, my sisters and I dined at the Lark Creek Steak Restaurant.  It happened to be Allison’s birthday, so our over enthusiastic waiter brought us each a butterscotch pudding for dessert.  We all enjoyed it, and I decided to attempt a version for Thanksgiving.  One of my favorite things about eating out is trying something at a restaurant, then endeavoring to make it at home.  The two rules I try to follow when attempting this are to A) Never wait more than a month to try the recreation or you will forget the flavor and B) It’s much easier if you had others taste what your choice to discuss and tweak your efforts!

My Internet research on Butterscotch Pudding led me to a recipe by David Lebovitz, whom I saw speak this fall.  His recipe calls for cassonade sugar.  It seems that cassonade is a french version of very slightly refined raw sugar, while Rapadura is the evaporated, pressed juice from sugar cane.  I’ve trolled hundreds of sites in both french and english trying to figure out the difference between the two, and that was about as much info as I could come up with on the two.  SMIL brought me a brick of Rapadura from Brazil this fall, and I tried out this recipe using it.  Thanks, SMIL!  I love trying out new ingredients!

The Rapadura originally comes in a brick, which you’re then supposed to heat in a 200 degree oven where it melts, then you can break it up into small pieces and run it through a cuisinart to granulate it.  Here’s a pic of mine melted.

Mine didn’t turn into crystals in the Cuisinart, instead it turned into a big sticky mess so I just kept it in broken toffee like chunks.  I just popped a bit back into the cuisinart tonight to find it’s less sticky now, though I still think the chunk application will work better for me.  Here’s a pic after processing.

The flavor was perfect for the recipe.  If you don’t have either of these sugars on hand, try a panela, jaggery, or a demerara sugar from a specialty foods store, or just regular old dark brown sugar.

Butterscotch Pudding (adapted from David Lebovitz’s recipe)

serves 8 small or 5 large servings

4 tbsp butter

1 and 3/4 c. stacked, broken pieces of Rapadura, (mine are large leaving lots of empty space in measuring cup, if you’re using crystals or dark brown sugar, only use 1 c.)

3 tbsp cornstarch

2 and 1/2 c. 2% milk

2 eggs

2 tsp Jack Daniels

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a sauce pan, melt butter on low heat, add rapadura and stir occasionally with a wooden spatula, heating until sugar melts and is a bubbling mixture.  Remove from heat.

Mix cornstarch and 1/4 c. milk with a whisk until smooth.  Add eggs and continue to whisk.

Add remaining milk  1/4 c. at a time to melted rapadura, whisking continuously, integrating without hardening the sugar mixture by adding too much cold liquid at once.  Follow with the cornstarch mixture.

Return pan to medium high heat and bring to a boil, whisking continuously.  Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook another minute, whisking continuously.  Remove from heat when thickened to a ketchup consistency.  Quickly whisk in Jack Daniels and vanilla, then pour into ramekins.

Refrigerate for at least four hours, then top with whipped cream and chocolate chips.

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Awhile back my dear friend Emily sent me an email saying, “Do you have any recipes that call for a massive amount of turkey broth?  I am not kidding, I have a TON.”  Which was hilarious and awesome.  Anyway, she brought me 2 frozen quarts to our eggnog taste off.  (Yes the taste off was super fun.  Emily’s family recipe was great.  For future reference, drinking more than 1 glass of eggnog in a row takes some serious skill and dedication.)  Last night I broke out one of the quarts to use in my Turkey Scallopini.  I’ve blogged a version this recipe before with chicken breasts, but the way I really prefer it uses turkey cutlets.  My sister has had a long standing battle with turkey cutlets, namely that they’re nowhere to be found.  I find them frequently at the Tom Thumb on Lovers and at Central Market, and freakishly all Albertson’s seem to carry them.  I don’t really shop at the Albertson’s near my house, because I only like beautiful grocery stores, or at least attractive.

Yes. I’m a grocery store snob, and I know it.  And if I could get my food budget under control, we’d have an entirely different life.  Of course, where would the fun be in that?  Food is meant to be delicious and attractive, so it’s really hard for me to get inspired wandering a grocery store that’s run down and old.  Anyway, if you find the turkey cutlets where ever you shop, this is a great recipe and a super crowd pleaser.  And I’m still not sure how Emily wound up with *massive* amounts of turkey broth, but next year after your Thanksgiving turkey, if you don’t make turkey soup, at least make broth and keep it in your freezer!  This recipe tastes great with chicken broth as well, just in case Emily didn’t stock your freezer!

Turkey Scallopini

4 turkey cutlets

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

shallow bowl of flour

olive oil

3 and 3/4 c. turkey broth

juice from 3 lemons

4 heaping tablespoons capers

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 package capellini

Season cutlets with salt and pepper.  Dip in the flour on each side, shaking off excess.  Heat a huge skillet (I think mine is 16 inches) on medium high heat.  If you don’t have a huge skillet, you can cook them two at a time.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and heat until fragrant.  Brown cutlets on both sides, then remove to a plate.

Add broth to skillet and deglaze the pan, stirring in the brown bits.  Cook for about five minutes, then add lemon juice and capers.  Cook another 2 minutes, then add butter a tablespoon at a time, stirring in with a wooden spatula.  Add cutlets back to sauce and continue to cook uncovered for 5 more minutes.  Sprinkle in the parsley, then stir and gently spoon sauce over the cutlets – heat 1 more minute and serve on top of cooked capellini.

I write frequently about really involved recipes as the cooking *process* is the part in which I’m really interested.  That said, I do have a few meals I’ve acquired over time that are super fast and easy, as well as really yummy.  I learned this one from my mother (thanks Mommy!), and I think it’s great addition to any family’s repertoire.  My family loves it, it’s inexpensive, and most of the ingredients are often found on hand.  Growing up, my mother made this using Campbell’s Beef Consommé which is a beef broth condensed soup with tomato and gelatin added.   I think it adds superior flavor over beef stock, but I’ve made it both ways, depending on what was on hand, with good results.  I’ve also added the really really thin strips of egg noodles, which is a much more filling dish, but somewhere in the Atkins era, we started skipping those and never added them back.  If you’re a noodle fan, I’d recommend cooking them separately then adding the cooked noodles to the soup.  Let simmer five minutes with the added noodles then serve.

Hamburger Soup Recipe

2.5 lbs ground chuck

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cans stewed tomatoes (14.5oz)

4 cans Campbell’s Beef Consomme (10oz)

1 can water

12 turns fresh ground pepper

In a large stock pot, brown ground beef on medium high heat.  When you can see no more pink, use a spatula to push beef to one half of the pot, then add the diced onion to the other.  Spread out your onion and stir each half every thirty seconds.  Continue until onion is soft and beef is very brown.  Use spatula to push beef and onions to one side, then tip pot to drain fat to the other side.  Remove fat with a spoon and discard.  Add tomatoes, consomme, water, and pepper to pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer 25 minutes, then serve and enjoy!

I’ve been wanting to try my own homemade tamales for ages.  A couple of things scared me off initially.  One, I don’t have a single friend who makes his/her own tamales (speak up if I’m wrong).  Two, Lard.  Three, I’d heard they’re complicated and  labor intensive.  And Four, I didn’t own a large enough steamer to get this process going.  I love a challenge, so I’ve been determined to try these despite these concerns, and make them my own.

To address the first issue, I decided to read recipes where ever I could find them.  On the corn husks package (which p.s. is frightening, what in the world would I do with 25-30 DOZEN tamales?), on the lard package, on the masa package, and from my all time favorite resource, Google.  All the recipes I came across seemed fairly similar.  I knew I wanted pork filled tamales, so I built my recipe using the techniques and methods from my chimichanga meat, enchilada sauce, and a hybrid of the things that are required to create a tamale: dough, husks, and a filling.   As for issue number two, I never remember lard in my kitchen growing up.  I think of it as some sort of frightening, old-fashioned, and quite unhealthy ingredient.  That said, I’m also scared of crisco and very skeptical of the Spectrum Palm Oil Shortening substitute one can find at the Whole Foods.  I’m going to give it a shot, but I figured I’d try the original on my first batch.  I’ll let you know my results.  As for the quantity used, it’s about a tablespoon per tamale, so I’m not going to sweat it too much.

Three, complicated -yes and time-consuming – yes.  This one is legit.  An assembly line, might make this more do-able, but unlikely tamales are ever going to appear on a 30 minute meals show.  As for issue Four, Williams-Sonoma had a crazy sale on the All-Clad Multi-pot I’ve been craving for ages.  So I’m now a proud owner of a very large steamer.  And a 12 quart soup pot.  Just imagine how happy that makes me.

At the end of the day, these tamales were insanely delicious.  For a first time out of the box creation, Cory and I were ecstatic with the results.  I encourage you to try them if you’re feeling ambitious.  And if you’re not, arrange a tamale making party with friends so you can all take some home at the end of assembly.  Or come to my house for my upcoming spring tamale event.  However you get them, do.  They are so worth the work and the calories.  Yum.

Tamale Dough – (makes about 6 dinner size tamales, serves 3)

1 c. maseca instant masa

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 c. chicken broth, lukewarm

1/3 c. lard

In a bowl, combine masa, baking powder and salt.  Add in chicken broth, then stir with a spatula to combine.  In a stand mixer, beat lard until creamy, then add masa mixture.  Continue to beat dough until surface bounces back like a sponge, without sticking to your fingers. Refrigerate dough for one hour before assembly.

Pork Tamale Filling (makes a ton, probably enough to make 30 dinner size tamales – but freezable I’ve never seen a smaller pork roast, I guess you could cut it in half before hand, I’ve not tried that yet)

2.5 lb pork loin roast

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

paprika

1 tbsp olive oil

Rinse pork loin and pat dry.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika on all sides.  Heat a heavy stock pot with olive oil on medium high, then brown pork loin on all sides.  Cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours.  Check with a fork to see if pork shreds easily.  If not, continue cooking and test again in half an hour.  When able to very easily shred, remove pork to a bowl and shred using two forks.  Reserve broth for sauce use.

Tamale Sauce (also makes a ton – enough for ~30 tamales, also freezable)

4 c. water

5-6 large ancho chiles

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 ladles pork broth

10 oz can tomato puree

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

Bring water to a boil.  Add chiles and remove from heat, soaking for an hour.  Cut off stems and rinse chiles under water to remove seeds.  Place chilies in a food processor, then add 1 and 1/2 cups of the soaking water.  Turn on and run until you have a fine puree.

In a skillet on medium heat, warm olive oil.  Add onion and saute 8 minutes.  Add garlic,  oregano, and salt, saute another minute.  Add 3 ladles of broth from cooking the pork.  Cook 1 minute, then pour into a blender to puree.

Return the pureed garlic and onion mixture to skillet.  Add ancho puree, tomato puree and sprinkle surface liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Simmer for 5 minutes then check seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste.  Reserve one and a half cups of sauce for serving and dipping.  Then add shredded pork to remainder.  Stir, then cook another 10 minutes.

Tamale Assembly and Preparation

6 corn husks

water

Soak corn husks in warm water for about 2 hours.  Rinse.  Spread 75% of the husk surface with a thin layer of tamale dough.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of tamale filling in a vertical line.  You want this to be centered in the tamale with just the edges free of filling.  Roll long edges in to center.  Use right side to squish tamale dough around filling creating a tube with left side of dough, then fold both edges of husk over to form a packet.  Fold bottom edge up, then top.  Place seam side down in a steamer basket.  Repeat.

Cover tamales with a wet dishtowel.  Steam over 2 inches of boiling water, with a tightly fitting lid for an hour and 10 minutes.  Check after 45 minutes to make sure you still have enough water, then check again at one hour.  To check tamales, remove one and gently unfold.  Dough should not stick to husk and should be a very moist, but not wet,  cornbread-like consistency.  Serve two per person, with additional sauce for dipping if desired.  Enjoy!

Turkey Chili is new to my repertoire this year, but it has been extremely well received by both family and guests.  I like that this one serves equally well as leftovers both in taste and presentation.  Plus the bonus of it being a one pan, one dish meal.

Chili, like tortilla soup, seems to be a dish that means different things to different people.  I started to enter a contest earlier this year where part of the instructions required a smooth consistency of meat to gravy, containing no identifiable vegetables at all.  And some people think of chili only being a dish served so spicy it demands several beers in rapid succession to keep your taste buds from being destroyed.  This turkey chili with black beans recipe is not very spicy – you can adjust the amounts of cayenne and chili powder to increase the intensity to your desire.  You also could add half of a minced jalapeno in with the garlic, similar to the method I use in my tortilla soup.  I prefer to spice mine at serving with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.  Enjoy experimenting!

Turkey Chili with Black Beans

2 tbsp olive oil

2.5 lbs ground turkey

1 large white onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic

5 tomatoes on the vine, chopped

1 and 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 and 1/2 tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

12 turns fresh ground pepper

1 and 1/2 tsp ground cumin

4 c. chicken stock

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Toppings: shredded cheddar jack cheese, diced onion, and crushed red pepper

Heat a heavy bottomed stock pot on medium heat.   Add olive oil and saute onion and bell pepper 8 minutes.  Add ground turkey, increase heat to high and brown thoroughly.  Add garlic, cook another minute.  Add tomatoes, spices and stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.  Add black beans, simmer another 30 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!