Beef (Turkey) Empanadas & Steffie Salsa

I made what were supposed to be Beef Empanadas, but I made them with turkey. The recipe is from Bon Appétit.  The one with that insufferable creature named Gwyneth Paltrow on the front.  (If you are confused about her insufferable qualities and don't mind bad language, may I recommend some reading materials.)

Empanadas Ingredients
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 lb. ground beef (turkey was tasty)
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste
1. tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt & pepper
1.5 packages frozen puff pastry (3 sheets), thawed
3 large egg yolks, beaten (for glaze)

Dipping Sauce Ingredients & Directions
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup sour cream
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded, chopped, divided
2 large scallions, chopped, divided
salt & pepper

While the empanada filling is cooling (see below), purée beans and sour cream in a blender until smooth.  Transfer to a medium bowl.  Stir in half of tomatoes and scallions.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle remaining tomatoes and scallions over.

Empanadas Directions
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add beef (turkey) and garlic; cook, stirring often and breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until beef is cooked, about 3 minutes.

Add tomato paste, cumin, and cayenne. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring often, to let flavors meld (I personally prefer when they marry), about 4 minutes.  (Look how much better it looks with colorful spice on it.)  Add cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper.  Let filling cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Cut each pastry sheet into four 4.5" squares for a total of 12 squares.  Lightly brush edges of squares with glaze.  Spoon filling into center of each, dividing equally.  Fold edges over, forming triangles, and press to seal.  Crimp edges with tines of fork.  Divide triangles between prepared sheets.  Brush tops with glaze. 

Bake until tops are puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Voilá!  Steffie's Salsa in on the far left, and is in the Gracewood Cookbook, but also listed below.  All in all, I thought it was tasty and not hard to make.

Ingredients:

•2 medium tomatoes chopped

•1 red bell pepper chopped

•1/4 cup diced red onions

•1 Avocado sliced (optional)

•1 tsp minced jalapeño (optional)

•1/3 cup cilantro chopped

•1 can black beans rinsed

•1 can corn rinsed

•1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)

•1 tsp salt

Cooking Instructions:

Mix ingredients together :)

Chicago

Day 2, Part 1 of Chicago

We got up bright and early (going by Estephania's time) and headed to the Art Institute of Chicago. We took some time out from our cultural edification to take goofy pictures in the Modern Wing.





We capped our cultural experience by being materialistic Americans. There was a sale--what can I say?




The awesomeness of this picture probably makes it difficult to read the card. It is a Frontera Grill business card. Rick Bayless' restuarant! I love Rick Bayless. I heard he's a regular reader of this blog. We love you, Rick!




For appetizer, we had queso. It was delicious melted cheese with grilled onions and chorizo. Scrumptious. (It's almost as good as when I melt the Kraft Mexican Blend over Tostitos in the microwave.)




Lindsay and I split an appetizer platter. On the left are two gooey quesadillas. Going clockwise, we have some sort of chicken taco-like thing, chips, guacamole, and ceviche. In the middle is a jicama salad. I loved it all. Lindsay did not care for the ceviche.






Steff got this, but I can't remember the name. Starting at the left, we have scrambled eggs, plantains, and chicken in a mole sauce. It was all so good!

Theme Cooking - Tortillas

I really need a professional food photographer to help me out here. This theme cooking is based on the book Barefoot Heart about a girl who grew up in a migrant working family. Her mother made homemade tortillas three times a day, every day for a family of eight. I'm willing to bet her tortillas were prettier than mine. I recommend the book. In addition to giving an interesting glimpse into the life of a migrant worker, the book is told in two different voices. Most of it is told from her perspective as a child. The end is told from an adult perspective, and the story is a shade different.

The tortilla recipe is the one Steff gave me here. The carrots and mushrooms are not Mexican, but it's what I had around the house. The carrot recipe is here.

Guacamole

I made homemade guacamole to go with the tortilla stack. I also made it last night for the super bowl with a few substitutions, and both times it was good.

The main thing I learned is I need to get more avocados than I required because I don't know how to pick out a good avocado. When I made it last week, one of the avocados was so hard I could not smooth it out. I thought it seemed nice and soft at the store, but I was mistaken. When I made it yesterday all my avocados were soft but not brown on the inside, which made a smoother dip.

I didn't use the same proportions or all the same ingredients when I made it yesterday, so I think a recipe may be a bit of overkill. However, because I like following rules, I must provide you with a recipe.

Ingredients
2 ripe avocados (I used 3 yesterday)
1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 a cup)
1 - 2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed to lessen the heat. I would start with about 1/2 a pepper to make sure it is not too hot. (The second time I made it I used a can of diced chiles because I was out of the fresh)
1 T fresh cilantro, minced
1 T lime or lemon juice
1/2 t course salt (I used regular and more than 1/2)
A dash of freshly ground pepper
1/2 ripe tomato chopped (I used salsa the second time around)

Directions
1. Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out and put in mixing bowl.
2. Mash avocados.
3. Add everything but the tomatoes (and hold off on some of the peppers until you taste it).
4. Mix everything together.
5. Add the tomato right before serving.
6. Store in an airtight container. I used foil the first time, and it went from mint green to brown green in an hour. I used tupperware yesterday, and it stayed mint green.

Comer con gusto!

The Long Awaited Tortilla Stack

It's the Monday after the superbowl, and I just finished teaching. Instead of jumping right into work, I thought I could post my chicken tortilla stack I made last Sunday. (Actually, by jumping right into work I mean I didn't want to jump right back into work after surfing the web for 20 minutes).

My mom makes this for me when I come home to visit. So as I made it, it brought fun feelings of board games, movie nights, and neglecting "real life" for a few days. Of all the things I posted, I think chicken tortilla stack is one of my favorite. I just love it... I am thinking of home right now, and how fun it is to cook at my parent's house because there is no constant threat of dog hair ending up as a secret ingredient.

Ingredients
1 can bean dip (I use re-fried beans)
2 T sour cream (I use a lot more)
1 T taco seasoning (I use 3 or 4)
2 cups chicken
1 med red bell pepper (I used some green pepper because I didn't have a whole red pepper)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 8)
3/4 cup olives (I don't use)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (my mom never uses this part, but I did because I heart cilantro)
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese ( I use more)
5 (10 inch tortillas)
2 med plum tomatoes (My mom doesn't use, but I used about 1/2 a tomato on sprinkled on the top)

Directions
1. Cook chicken in pot of water (The water should just cover the chiken and then cook about 20 - 30 minutes)
2. Shred chicken with fork,
3. Sprinkle with 1 or 2 T of Taco seasoning
4. Combine bean dip ( I use about 3/4 can of beans) with 2 T sour cream (I use more) and 1 T taco seasoning (I didn't measure the seasoning)
5. Chop pepper, green onions, and some of the cilantro and then mix with chicken
6. Layer tortilla , beans, chicken then cover generously with cheese.
7. Repeat until you run out of stuff. (I like to make 3 layers, which is 4 tortillas) and then make another one. They are too tall if you make it 4 layers high.)
8. Spray the top tortilla with Pam.

9. Bake in an 375 oven for 25 min or until hot all the way through.
10. After baking, I lightly topped it with a sour cream bean mixture and then added cilantro and tomatoes.


You can notice the homemade guacamole in the picture as well. I will post that soon.
:)