“Spanish” rice and Sausage

2 posts in 1 day? Mon Dieu!

I’ve been trying to shake off a rut of making the same things I always make (and eating out too much).  I also don’t make many good rice dishes, especially ones that reheat well.  So I got the idea I’d like some hearty “Spanish” rice.  I have no idea who I would offend if I took away the quotes, but it came out pretty great.  H/T to Martha (and Lu) for getting me started. Here ya go.

Calorie Estimate: 2300

Ingredients

• 3 T cooking oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, diced 1/4″
• 1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced into bite-size rounds (“fully cooked” hot links or andouille, (or kielbasa, portuguese, lop cheong(?)….))
• 1 1/2 cups rice (white, light brown)
• 2 cups chicken broth/stock
• 2 cups water
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 t ground red pepper
• 2 t white (or black) pepper
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1.5 T dried oregano
• salt to taste
• (You should also keep at least 2 cups of water near a boil in case the rice is slow to cook, especially if not using white rice.)

Preparation

1. In a large (12″, walls at least 2.5″ high) skillet, sautee the onions and garlic in the oil.  Add a small pinch of salt to start releasing the water.
2. After a few minutes, add the sausage rounds and diced bell pepper.  Sautee until the sausage starts to brown.
3. Add in spices and seasoning and cook the spices for a couple minutes.
4. Add in the tomato sauce and cook a few minutes.
5. Fold in the rice.
6. Mix in broth and 2 cups water. Lower the heat to a simmer (between 1 and 2 on my stove), stirring occasionally.
7. Simmer until the rice is cooked.  If it’s starting to dry out before the rice finishes, add water a half-cup at a time like a risotto until it’s done.  Salt to taste (although I doubt you’ll need more).

Note: I used a light brown Thai rice (brand Aroy-D Extra Quality AAA) and needed to add about 1.5 cups of water from the hot water pot.  Somehow this took 90 minutes from start to finish.  I should consider using a covered cooking vessel next time.

Chili Verde

Hey Blog, I still remember your password!  After an excellent ski trip and a lackluster restaurant chili verde, I ask myself: “why don’t I make my own?”  Problem solved.  H/T everydaypaleo for providing an easy recipe to start from.

Serve with: rice, corn tortillas, or whatever else you want with a Mexican stew.

Calorie Estimate: 1400

Ingredients

• 2 T cooking oil
• 1 lb. pork shoulder cubed for stew
• 1 lb. fresh tomatillos
• 3 Anaheim or poblano chiles or other mild peppers with a “smokier” flavor
• 1 jalapeno
• 2 cups chicken broth/stock
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bunch cilantro
• juice from 1 lime
• 1/2 t smoked paprika (or red pepper powder or whatever you like)
• 1 T cumin
• 1 t black pepper
• salt to taste (don’t add more than a pinch or two until toward the end of cooking, as it cooks down)

Tool I don’t normally use

• Food processor or blender or stick blender and large bowl

Preparation

1. (See also step 4!) In a heavy stew pot or dutch oven, brown the pork over the oil (5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and be careful not to burn the stuff that might stick to the pan).  When browned, remove the pork and set aside.
2. Add the onion and garlic with a little more oil if necessary and sweat (5 – 10 minutes).
3. Add the spices and cook them for a few minutes, then add the chicken broth. Be sure to dissolve all the bits off the bottom of the dutch oven.  Add the pork back to the pot and lower the heat if you’re not ready to finish step 4.
4. Peel and wash the tomatillos and seed the peppers (but otherwise leave them intact). In a dry skillet over medium/high heat, char the tomatillos and peppers, turning often. When charred, blend the peppers, tomatillos, and cilantro until smooth.  (We’re charring for flavor and not to remove the skins, but I suppose if you want the skins removed, after roasting, put them in a paper bag to cool and then peel.)  Add the green puree to the dutch oven after you’ve completed step 3.
5. Simmer uncovered for a least 2 hours until pork is tender and the sauce has thickened (reduce about half in volume). Toward the end, add the lime juice, salt to taste, and enjoy!

Notes

This was my first attempt.  It turned out good but was maybe a little too sweet (especially the next day).  Next time, I’ll remember the cilantro (oops!), try another pepper, a couple fewer tomatillos, and char for longer (I wasn’t that patient).  Otherwise, it was better than the typical chili verde I’ve had a random restaurants.

Sardines and Potatoes

I’ve been trying to incorporate more sardines into my diet for awhile now.  If you get reasonably good ones, they are very tasty,very healthy, environmentally sound (low on the food chain, plentiful), and rather affordable.  Just when I’d grown weary of using them as salad protein, Edward Schneider to the rescue.

Make whatever potatoes you like: home fries, hash brown, mashed, steamed, roasted.  Doesn’t matter.  I went with some home fries this time.

Calorie Estimate: 800

Ingredients

Homefries

• 1 T butter
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1/2 lbs. potato, 1/4″ slices
• 2 anaheim peppers, seeds removed, 1/4″ crosscut strips
• salt and pepper to taste

Fish and finish

• can of sardines packed in olive oil or (butter if you can find it)
• splash olive oil (from the sardines if tasty, otherwise drain and use new)
• squeeze of lemon juice

Preparation

1. Boil a little water.  Take it off the heat and put the unopened can of sardines in to warm them.
2. To a skillet over medium heat, soften the onions in butter for 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes, salt and pepper.  Toss the potatoes so that they get pretty good contact with the skillet.  Cook 7-10 minutes, tossing occasionally.
4. Add the peppers.  If the pan is dry, splash a little water in and toss.  Cover and cook 8-10 more minutes.
5. Adjust salt, plate the potatoes.
6. Take the sardines out of the can.  If there oil is tasty and not too fishy, dump the sardines and oil over the potatoes.  Otherwise, drain the sardines first and then splash dish with a little olive oil to freshen.
7. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top and dig in!

Aglio e Olio a la Brad’s Swingside Cafe

I highly recommend Brad’s Swingside Cafe – it’s the small, homestyle Italian restaurant across and down Fremont a bit from Paseo.  I had their aglio e olio on my only visit, and it’s fantastic.  It is very unique – it has roasted peppers, anchovies, and hazlenuts.  This was my attempt at it, and it came out pretty good.  I didn’t add the anchovies, but maybe next time.

Aglio e Olio with Peppers and Hazlenuts

6-8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large shallot, minced

1/2 c. roasted red peppers, diced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 c. lightly toasted hazlenuts, finely chopped

3 Tbs olive oil

Heat the oil on medium low and add the garlic.  Saute for about 1 minute and add the shallot.  Turn the heat to low and saute for about 5-10 minutes, until the shallot is translucent and the garlic is a nice golden color.  Add the peppers and red pepper flakes and cook for at least 5 minutes, and just leave on very low heat until ready to use.  Add the toasted hazelnuts a couple of minutes before using.  The sauce is good tossed with small pasta and some Parmesan cheese.  It would go great with some sausage, salami, or CasCiappo Brothers pepperoni (if only it still existed…).