Pass me the Pasilla... Chile that is.

Sometimes two basic and simple ingredients are all you need to make a phenomenally delicious dish.  This happens to be one of them. 

It takes a few steps, but it's smokey, it's rich, it's soft, it's delicate and most of all it's... everyone together now... YUM!!!!! 

Pasilla con Queso

6 Pasilla Chiles

1/2  Package Cotija Cheese

1/2  Package Queso Fresco

Smoke your Pasilla Chiles either over the BBQ or if you want the easy way out, throw them directly over your gas cooktop and char away!!! Make sure you get a black char on the outside... don't be afraid... the smokier/ more charred the better!!! 

Place in a plastic grocery store bag and tie it in a knot.  Let them sit for 15-20 minutes... (this is a really important step! Don't skip it!)  

Crumble both cheeses together and combine well. 

Remove the charred skin from the Chile on the outside.  Cut a slit down the middle and make an opening.  Remove the inner seeds completely. 

Stuff with a fair amount of the cheese blend. 

Cook in the oven on 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 

**sidenote** 

The purpose of putting the Chiles into the plastic bag and knotting it is to allow the pepper to steam... the steam will do 2 fold, it will #1, help the Chiles to cook and soften a bit more with out making them soggy so they still have that "bite" and #2 most importantly the steam will help release the skin and char from the outside easily so that when you go to peel it the skin will just fall right off! 

Summertime Salad

This salad just screams "HELLO I AM SUMMER!!!!" 

It speaks for itself... it needs no major intro... other than just to say my three favorite words... YUM YUM YUM! 

Summertime Salad

1 Container Fresh Mozzarella 

(I use Buccatini)

1 LB Mini Heirloom Tomatoes

1 Jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts 

1/2 LB Fresh Arugula

3-4 TBS Fresh Basil Chopped

3 TBS Balsamic Vinegar

2 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 -1 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Salt & Pepper 

Drain Mozzarella & Artichoke Hearts, Combine all ingredients in a bowl and give it a good toss.... refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. 

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Sometimes late at night as I'm flipping through t.v. I get a hankering... (yes, I used the word hankering) for something crispy, fried and well... fattening!!!!  Yes... we all know where I'm going with this one... I want GREASY FRENCH FRIES WITH LOADS OF SALT!!!!  So here I was tonight, caught in this unfortunate predicament and let's face it... I didn't wanna go there!  I wake up the next morning feeling like crapola cause I did something BAD BAD BAD!  Well I don't think so... NOT TONIGHT!!!! 

I got creative!!!! 

SPICY SWEET POTATO FRIES!  You can send me the thank you notes tomorrow morning!  Oh, and try the dipping sauce too... it's THE BOMB! 

Spicy Sweet Potatoes

1 or 2 large Sweet Potatoes cut into 1/2 inch thick batons 

1 tablespoon Olive Oil or Peanut Oil

In a bowl combine: 

1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1/4 tsp. Hungarian Paprika

1/4 tsp. Ground Cumin

1/4 tsp. Coarse Sea Salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

Place the cut sweet potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with the Olive Oil.  Sprinkle the seasoning mix on top of the fries and using your hands, dig in and give them a good toss coating them evenly. 

Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes.  

Garlic Lemon Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons mayo

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 small garlic clove minced

1/4 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika

Salt & Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and place in the refrigerator until the fries are done. 

This has 1/2 the calories and all the satisfaction... ok... I'm guessing it has 1/2 the calories... I don't know, it's late, they were good... I'm just thankful I didn't go for the "FRIED" French Fries!!! Give them a try! So good! 

Tomato... Tomahto... Tabbouli... Tabbouleh

Some food questions are super easy to me… for instance… Manicotti is my favorite Italian dish.  Szechuan eggplant is my favorite Chinese dish.  Tacos are my favorite Mexican dish… and HANDS DOWN my favorite Middle Eastern dish is Tabbouleh!  I just love it!  I’ve always loved it.  I love the crisp green flavor of the parsley… the tang  from the lemon juice, the sweetness from the tomatoes and the earthy nutty flavor from the bulgur.   I had you up until bulgur right? 

Bulgur? What’s bulgur  you say? Bulgur (also known as bulgar, bulghur, and burghul) is whole wheat that's been parboiled, dried and crushed (or cracked). The outer bran layer is then rubbed off by hand and then sometimes ground again to achieve a particular grain size. Bulgur is sometimes referred to as cracked wheat….

It’s used in a lot of Armenian, Lebanese and Persian cuisine.  It is pretty much a staple in any Middle Eastern home… it always was in ours. 

Other than making sure you wash your parsley thoroughly this summertime salad is a perfect side dish any night of the week!  It’s healthy, it’s fresh and it’s good!

Remember, a good Tabbouleh salad isn’t all about bulgur, the parsley and the tomatoes are the real stars of this dish… somehow when you go to buy it premade in stores it’s all bulgur and no parsley… while that’s tasty too, it isn’t the true way Tabbouleh should be made.  Juicy, crispy, lemony, yummy!!!

Tabbouleh

2 Bunches Parsley (flat leaf or curly, I use curly)

4-6 Green Scallions chopped

3 Medium Sized Tomatoes Diced

¾ Cup Fine Bulgur

¼ Cup Fresh Mint Finely Chopped

½ -1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (optional)

½ Cup Olive Oil

Juice of 1 or 2 Lemons

Salt & Pepper to taste

Romaine Lettuce to use as garnish

Rinse thoroughly and dry the parsley and remove all sand and dirt from it… trust me, parsley is pretty gritty.  Place on paper towels to dry.

Rinse and soak the bulgur in water for about 10-15 minutes, drain and squeeze out all excess water. 

In a large bowl place chopped parsley, scallions, tomatoes, mint, bulgur and seasonings. Give a good mix and then add the lemon juice and olive oil.  Adjust the taste as you like it.

Serve in a large bowl or platter and surround it with some extra chopped tomatoes and line the bowl with the hearts of romaine… you can use them as scoopers to eat the salad with.

This salad MUST go into the refrigerator for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving. The colder the better.

On a hot summer day, this salad is sure to hit the spot as an appetizer or side dish.

** sidenotes**

If you can find some Persian Cucumbers or even an English Cucumber, dice it peel on and all and throw it in there for some extra crunch!

If you want to make your salad more plentiful and feel the taste of the parsley alone is too strong, shred some Romaine Lettuce and toss it in there with the salad. 

Pepper Steak... I've got this covered!

Pepper Steak.  I got an email today from one of my favorite followers… (ok you’re all my favorites…) but she asked me for a recipe for pepper steak and was sure I’d be a lifesaver and have one for her.  So as not to let her down, I immediately wrote her back and said “NO PROBLEM! I GOT THIS COVERED!”

So I started going through all of my recipes, cook books, magazines, the dusty memory, as not to let her down and found out that I have about 17 different recipes for Pepper Steak and none of them are the same!   There’s traditional, there’s au poivre, there’s Chinese, there’s Hungarian… you get where I’m going with this!  There’s a lot!  So what’s a girl to do… well, I’ll tell ya what I did… I’m going with my old faithful, easy tried and true delicious recipe that I got from… you guessed it… MOM!

We probably ate this a couple times a month and let me tell you, no one made it like my mom… well until I started to that is… I’ve varied it a bit from how she used to make it, but it’s simply delicious and some pretty darn good Pepper Steak if I do say so myself! 

So this one’s for you Toni… thank you for following and I hope this recipe replaces the one you misplaced! 

Pepper Steak

1 ½ lbs beef top round steak or flank steak (I use flank)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon heavy cream

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon butter

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

2 whole tomatoes, petite diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/3 cup cold water

Slice the beef into strips on an angle- about 2- 3 inches- (it might help if the beef is slightly frozen to slice easier)

In a large skillet heat olive oil and add the peppers and the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the garlic and celery and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes on medium heat.

Remove from skillet and set aside. 

Add beef and cook until brown… a little caramelization is ok on the beef.  Remove and set aside. 

Add chicken broth, soy sauce, pepper, peppercorns, Worcestershire, butter and heavy cream and make sure to scrape up all the goodies from the bottom of the pan.  Cook for about 5 minutes and add beef and pepper mixture.  Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes. 

In a small bowl combine the cornstarch with the water and stir into the pan stirring until the sauce thickens… should a take minute or two.

Serve over butter rice… spooning the sauce over the top. 

Michelle's BBQ Marinade

Michelle's Marinade:

1 bunch of curly or flat leaf parsley 

4-6 cloves of garlic 

1 whole or 1/2 large onion 

1 whole green bell pepper 

1/2 red bell pepper

1 tbs red pepper flakes

1 tbs garlic powder

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup oil (can use olive oil, canola, corn)salt & pepper 

OPTIONAL:Fresh Cilantro, Fresh Rosemary, Fresh Jalepenos Wash and roughly chop parsley, peppers, onion and other fresh herbs. 

Put all ingredients into the blender and pulse until everything is emulsified. Pulse to desired consistency. I usually blend it into a puree.

Pour onto your meat, fish or chicken and marinate for at least an hour. The longer you marinate it the more intense the flavor will be. Can marinate overnight for best flavor.

Italiano Heaven Manicotti

When I was a kid and we’d go to an Italian Restaurant… my staple dish that I ordered with out fail was always Manicotti.  It didn’t matter how many other delicious things there were on the menu, all I wanted was Manicotti. 

Those delicious little tubes of al dente pasta filled with soft creamy ricotta cheese & spinach topped with a light pink cream sauce… truly my idea of Italiano heaven!

Well my life seems to have come full circle, because my oldest boy follows in his mama’s footsteps!  Manicotti is now his all time fave and I aim to please!  So here is my family recipe for Manicotti that’s sure to become a favorite in your home!

Manicotti

1 Box Manicotti Shells

-cook according to directions on the box

Cheese & Spinach Filling

1 Container Ricotta Cheese

½ Package Frozen Chopped Spinach (thawed & drained)

1 clove of garlic minced

1 egg

2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil (finely sliced)

1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

½ Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Sauce

1 Can Tomato Sauce or Puree

1 Teaspoon Butter

½ Cup Light Cream

2 Tablespoons Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic

½ Onion

3 or 4 big leaves of Fresh Basil

Salt & Pepper to taste

4 Slices of Mozzarella sliced in half

In a large bowl combine all ingredients for the Cheese & Spinach Filling.  Spoon into a large Ziplock bag and cut a corner off of the bottom… this way you can use it as a piping bag… (fun trick)  Place in refrigerator.

Combine all ingredients for the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove onion, garlic cloves, & basil.

Pipe cheese mixture into each manicotti shell.  Fill one end, then fill the other… don’t try to fill the whole thing in one pipe… it won’t work and your shell will tear in half. 

Arrange in a single layer in a pyrex dish or casserole dish that’s been sprayed with non stick spray or a drizzle of olive oil. 

Spoon over the top a few spoonfuls of the pink sauce over the center of each filled Manicotti shell. 

Cover with aluminum foil and and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and add slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the Manicotti and put back in the oven for an addition 5-10 minutes until the cheese is ooey gooey and melted on top!