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Newsletter for August, 2006
Good eats………………… for very little money Now that it’s about time to hang up my apron – I’ve been thinking a lot about money and how much it’s gonna take to live a reasonable life-style without a restaurant cash register at hand. It’s a little scary. It looks like I’m gonna have to cut way back on the fast cars, fancy women and designer drugs. I’m committed to giving up the $200 24 year old single malt scotch and going back to Thunderbird. I’m also committed to eating good food and spending very little money while doing it. As long as I have all these great recipes that cost very little to make I might as well share them with y’all. You don’t have to be embarrassed to serve these dishes to guests they are all really good. I’ve been cooking all of them for years and many have made it on to my restaurant menu. There are so many recipes I want to share that they won’t fit into a single newsletter – so I’ll divide them up and send some out every couple of weeks or so. Newsletter Part one (this newsletter will cover a bunch of inexpensive dishes using ground meat) Here’s a list of recipes you can expect to receive over the next few weeks. Chili and beans – gringo style Chili and Pasta or over rice My mom’s ‘Spanish’ Rice Meatloaf Swedish meatballs Albondigas – Mexican Meat balls Meatballs and Peppers (a great open-faced sandwich) Spaghetti and Meatballs Salisbury Steak Picadillo Chicken stew/pie Bistek Ranchero Chilequiles Potato Pancakes Beef Shanks and Noodles Egg Noodles Pork and Green Chimichangas Flautas – Taquitos – Tacos Dorados – Rolled Tacos Macaroni and cheese Red Beans and Rice Cuban Style Black Bean Soup Ham Hocks and Beans Split Pea Soup BBQ Chicken Braised Short Ribs Braised Pork Shanks – ‘Mexican’ Osso Bucca Barbacoa de Borrego –braised Lamb with mint sauce Real Mexican Green Salad Cucumber and Onion Salad Italian Style Salad Before I load you down with a bunch of recipes I’m gonna warn you about a couple of things. First, it’s been so long since I’ve shopped in the states there is a good possibility that some of these real inexpensive ingredients have gotten so popular with the yuppies that they are now considered rare and expensive items. If so, skip over them. Second, I’m not gonna have room for a bunch of detailed instructions. Don’t worry about it – if you just follow them in a general way it’s gonna be great. You can add or skip most ingredients without hurting the recipe. If any ingredient is absolutely critical I will let you know. Remember ‘COOKING IS FUN AND COOKING IS EASY – IF IT WERE HARD OR TOOK ANY BRAINS AT ALL, THE HUMAN RACE WOULD HAVE DIED OFF CENTURIES AGO”
BULLETIN: Uh-Oh………..We interrupt this newsletter to bring you up to date on hurricane John. John is now a force 3 hurricane and we’re looking right down the barrel. Sustained winds in excess of 125 mph with gusts to 155 mph. John is expected to make a direct hit on Cabo in 12 to 14 hours. We’ve had multiple hurricanes every year since I arrived in Cabo (1990) but we’ve dodged the bullet every time. I’m just an old ‘go with the flow’ hippie, but I have a bad feeling about this one. Keep a good thought for us. I’ll let you know how it all turns out A good ol’ bowl of red………………….. …………………………….Gringo style chili and beans Some times there’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned bowl of chili and beans topped with chopped onions and grated cheese with some pickled jalapenos or They tell you – do not under any circumstances use ground meat because it is not authentic! What a bunch of B.S. I’ve got news for them - There is no such thing as authentic Mexican Chili and Beans! So forget everything any chile ‘expert’ ever told you. Here’s a quick and easy way to make some absolutely great chili and beans and it’s almost impossible to screw up. Make a bunch and freeze some up – it’ll be microwaveable. Parts List 1 lb Ground beef……………………..you don’t want to use the most expensive because it probably won’t have enough fat – nor do you want to use the real cheap junk hamburger because the special economy pack usually have too much fat and maybe some over the hill meat. If your butcher or market lists the fat content – you want about 18-22 % fat. A couple medium onions……………chopped to the size you want in your chile - I like to see the onions in the finished product so I cut them into pretty large pieces. You can use any kind of onion - red, white, or yellow – it doesn’t really matter. Tomatoes………………………………..I heartily recommend you use canned tomatoes unless you have access to some really yummy ripe home-growns. I’ve even used canned stewed tomatoes and they worked great. Chopped garlic………………………… You know how much garlic you like – I like a lot. Remember the strong garlic taste will cook out so be generous. Dried red chile powder………………. Watch out – many canned chile powders also have cumin and other ingredients. Your chili will be better if you add your own cumin. If you’re into grinding your own dried red chiles I recommend a mix of Guajillos(for the bright red color), anchos, pasillas and if you want it real hot – some chiles de arbol, but that’s a lot of work and I use packaged chile powder. Ground cumin………………………….. ground cumin is absolutely indispensable in this dish. It’s a little pain in the butt, but if you have the time you should buy whole cumin seeds and toast them in a dry pan over low heat until they start to smell real good and they start to pop a little. You can then grind them in a coffee grinder or even a blender or even just crush them. Cooked beans…………………………. I usually use pinto beans but I have made it with small red beans, kidney beans, white beans and black beans and they were all great. So use whatever you got handy. If you want to know how I cook the beans go to my web site www.felixcabosanlucas.com and click on recipes. If the truth be known I usually use canned beans and so can you. A can or two of tomato sauce………. chopped fresh jalapeno chiles……… optional - if you want it real hot
Cooking it up………………………. First, you have to brown the meat and that’s not always as easy as it sounds. If you put the ground meat in a coldish pan and start stirring it around it may never brown - it may just ooze a bunch of liquid and turn a funny grayish color and we don’t want that – do we? The meat tastes a lot better if it’s well browned and the chili tastes a lot better if it’s cooked with well browned meat. Here’s how I do it. I put a little oil in a big frying pan over medium heat and get it pretty hot. I break the ground meat up into pretty good sized chunks and drop it in the pan. Don’t stir the meat -- as a matter of fact don’t bother it at all. Just let it cook without touching it until it is good and brown on one side, then turn it over and brown the other side. If it’s not cooked in the middle that’s okay because it will cook for a long time in the broth. When it’s good and brown turn off the stove and take the well browned meat out and set it aside. Add a little more oil to the pan you cooked the meat in – over medium to high heat toss in the onions and garlic and some chopped jalapenos (if you want the real hot version) cook for a couple of minutes – then toss in the tomatoes(if you’re using whole canned tomatoes break or cut them up), and the liquid from the can and scrape up all the browned bits from the meat (if you opted for fresh tomatoes you might have to add some water, or better yet some beef or chicken stock). Toss in the chile powder - give it a stir let it cook for a minute then taste it. If it’s not hot enough – keep adding chile and tasting until you got it right. Then do the same thing with the cumin – remember the cumin taste will get stronger as it cooks (I think) so be careful. When you’ve got it tasting about right, dump the meat back in (if the meat is in chunks too big for you - break them up with a spoon or fork or something)and turn it down to a low simmer and add however much beans you want. I like the beans so I add enough to make the chili 25-50% beans now add enough tomato sauce to cover the whole mess – put a lid on it and let it simmer slowly for at least an hour – stirring occasionally. I serve it in a bowl with crackers, chopped onion, and grated cheese on the side. Chopped cilantro too, if I have any. If I make it with black beans I call it Cuban style and put out some parmesan. With a big bowl of salad and some garlic toast you have a cheap meal that’s kinda special. Chili and pasta or over rice
This is great over left over spaghetti or especially pasta shells or rigatoni or penne - instead of chopped onion and grated cheese sprinkle it with chopped parsley and parmesan. Also good over rice. Chili Size I don’t know where the name came from but they served chili sizes all over Till it’s golden, top it with a hamburger patty and cover the whole mess with the chile. Serve it with a simple green salad and you’ve got yourself another good cheap meal. Hey, I just remembered, I didn’t make a salad that night – that’s probably why I had the stupid stroke. So, don’t forget the salad! Come to think of it my son had the same thing and did not have a stroke – so you’re probably okay with this one. My mom’s Spanish rice Not at all authentic – my mom was Lithuanian from Make it the same way a the chili but instead of chili powder and cumin use fresh or dried basil and a little oregano and when you add the onion also toss in a couple/three green bell peppers cut in strips. Serve over white rice with some sprinkled parsley or cilantro.
BULLETIN: #2 Well, it’s the next morning and still no hurricane. Since the first bulletin ‘John’ has dropped to a force 2 then back to a force 3 – predicted to make a direct hit on Cabo at about 2pm today. Banks and most businesses are closed and boarded up, shelters are open and we’re all a little nervous. I’ll keep you posted. (ooops it’s back up to a force 3 and comin’ right at us).
Ahhhh……….meatloaf
I love meatloaf and I think everyone else too. I’ve never met a meatloaf I didn’t like. I’ve never had a bad home-made meatloaf. Hell, I even liked those weird meatloaves they served in my junior high school cafeteria. I’ve spent many hours trying to make the perfect meatloaf. I’ve tried mixes of ground beef and ground pork –beef and lamb, beef, pork and veal – even tried some ground turkey. For a while I settled on ground beef with some chopped bacon. They were all good. I’ve topped them with tomato sauce, toato chile salsa, barbecue sauce, sun dried tomato puree and nothing at all and they were all good. I’ve added bread crumbs, soaked bread in milk, corn flakes and Quaker oats and they were all good, but my favorite is my mom’s basic meatloaf, it’s yummy, quick and easy to make. I can get a meatloaf ready and in the oven in less time than it takes to make a tuna sandwich. Just about the only thing I like better than a hot home-made meatloaf dinner is the meatloaf sandwich the next day. Since I know the meatloaf is going to be good I am more concerned about having one that I can slice for sandwiches the next day. I do not want a crumbly meatloaf and here’s how I make it: Parts List 1 lb Ground beef……………………… I no longer have a big family so I make a small one. One pound will make a dinner for four normal appetites. As long as I’m making it I make two and stick one in the fridge for sandwiches. If you want to make a bigger loaf just increase all the ingredients proportionally. 1 medium onion……………………… chopped. I chop it pretty small because big pieces of vegetables make it harder to slice evenly the next day. A couple of garlic cloves…………… chopped. The garlic taste will mostly cook out so you can use less or more or none at all 1 cup of bread crumbs……………….. if I have plain breadcrumbs I use them. If I have seasoned packaged breadcrumbs I use them. If I don’t have any I soak 4 or 5 sliced of white bread in milk, squeeze the milk out, break them up into small pieces and use them. I can’t tell the difference. This recipe calls for more bread – breadcrumbs than most others because I think they make the left over loaf easier to slice. 1 egg……………………………………... I always use a chicken egg but if you raise ducks or guinea hens – go for it, but if you’ve got quail or ostriches you’ll have to adjust the amount Chopped parsley………………………. At least a couple of heaping tablespoons. I ever actually measure but I use a lot. I think this is the secret ingredient – don’t leave it out! Salt and pepper………………………… not too much and if you add chopped bacon you can cut back on the salt. Don’t worry about this because you’ve got salt and pepper on the table Cooking it up……………………… First, wash your hands because you’re gonna mix it up with your fingers. Put the meat in a big bowl and break the chicken, duck or guinea hen egg into it. If you’re going with quail you’ll need 5 or 6 if you’ve got an ostrich egg beat it up and use the equivalent of one chicken egg and make a yummy ostrich egg omelet with the rest. Okay, put your clean hands into the mess and squish it around till that egg is all through the meat. Now dump in the bread crumbs or squeezed out soaked bread – sprinkle the parsley over the top and get your hands back in the mix. Knead it very well - getting the crumbs, egg and parsley evenly distributed. I have a friend who swears that great meat loaf or meat balls depend a lot on kneading it like bread. I don’t know if that’s true but she’s a better cook than I am so I spend some time working the mix. Okay, that’s it. Form it into a loaf and stick it in a 350 degree oven. A one pound loaf will take about 40 minutes or so. A two pound loaf a little over an hour. I usually make it in a toaster oven so I don’t have to deal with the oven – I tend to leave it in the oven until I smell it burning. You can also cook a small meatloaf on top of the stove over low heat in a heavy cast pan with a good lid. I really urge you to try this method at least once to see just how easy it is. Next time you can try adding other stuff. Cooked diced potatoes, chopped cooked carrots or celery, chopped red or green peppers, sun dried tomatoes, a can of corn kernels even cooked mushrooms. You can fool around with Worcestershire,
FINAL HURRICANE BULLETIN: John is now a force 3 hurricane about 50 miles out, headed right toward me. They say it will be the biggest storm to hit Baja since they’ve started keeping records of this stuff. I’m outta here! Packing up my dogs the C-5 and the Uzi’s and heading to a friend’s whose house is sturdier and less exposed than mine!…………………………………Well, I ’m back home and all I can say is “Ho-H um, what hurricane ? John made landfall about 30 or so miles east and left us virtually unscathed – no wind, a little rain and we’re up and running.
I mentioned up above that I make two meatloaves – one for dinner and one to stick in the fridge for sandwiches – that wasn’t exactly a 100% true. I mix up enough to make two but when that first one goes in the oven I look at the mix I’ve got left and usually decide to make meatballs. I make a bunch of different kinds of meatballs depending on my mood. Sometimes I go ahead and make a big batch of Spaghetti sauce w/ meatballs divvy it up and freeze it. Sometimes I make Albondigas (Mexican meatballs) or Swedish meatballs or something I call meatballs ‘Stroganov’ or maybe just some meatball and pepper sandwiches. They’re all real easy to do and real good too. So if you’d like to make some great meatballs with the rest of the meat you didn’t use for the meatloaf – read on Italian Meatballs Albondigas 1 tbsp. oil Heat oil in large pan. Cook onion and garlic until soft. Stir in broth and tomato sauce. Simmer 10 minutes. Add meatballs and carrots. Simmer 20 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.
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