Photos on Fine Fettle Kettle are originals taken by Miriam Latour and under copyright protection.
Recipes are the creation of Miriam Latour, unless otherwise indicated.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Pozolé (Pork and Vegetarian Versions)


My sister's nephew said I need to cook some yummy Mexican dishes, and he chose pozolé as his dish of choice. I've never made pozolé, so I'm not sure how authentic mine is, but my family sure loved it, and so did I. This is based loosely on a recipe I found at Food.com

Pork Pozolé

Step One:
2 pounds of pork roast
8 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 T cumin powder
1/2 large, sweet onion, peeled and chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano

Cover the pork with water in a pot. Toss in the onion, garlic, salt, pepper and seasoning. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.


Step Two:
3 dried Mexican Ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
1 1/2 cups water
Salt
2 T chopped onion
2 whole garlic cloves, peeled

In a small saucepan, cover the chilies with water. Boil for 15 minutes. Blend in blender with raw onion and garlic until smooth. Strain to remove chunks. Put aside this chilli sauce to be used as a garnish (I added about 1/2 of it directly to the pozolé.



Step Three:
Olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
1 T chili powder
Salt, to taste
Fresh, chopped oregano
Fresh, chopped cilantro
4 cups canned white hominy, drained
Chicken broth (about 4 cups)
2 4oz cans diced green chilies (do not drain)

In the bottom of a large pot, sauté the onion in the oil until tender. Cut the cooked pork into chunks, reserving the broth left over. Pour the pork broth and chicken broth over the onions. Add pork chunks. Add the hominy, chili powder, salt, pepper and green chilies. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours - 2 hours, until pork is tender. Add fresh oregano and cilantro and some of the chilli sauce, if desired.



Step four:
Pozolé is meant to be served with many garnishes. I fried up some tortilla strips and served fresh cilantro and oregano and lime juice on the side., It is often served with shredded cabbage, radishes, and lime wedges as well.

Fried Tortilla Strips


Vegetarian Pozolé
Found Here

5 cups white hominy, thawed if frozen, or well-rinsed if canned
14 cups good vegetable stock, preferably homemade
1-2 cups Hatch green chile
2-3 Tbsp New Mexico red chile powder
3-4 dried New Mexico red chile pods, shredded
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, whole
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 Tbsp miso
1 tsp Mexican oregano
salt
grated Co-Jack cheese
whole-wheat tortillas

Put all the ingredients except the cheese and tortillas into a big pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until flavors are melded. Top each bowl with grated cheese and use tortillas to scoop it up.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Individual Salsa Beans & Cornbread (Ramekin)


I'm playing around with stuff cooked in a ramekin. Part of this has to do with me being surrounded by family who all cook, and being left to cook for myself. I'm finding that it's a good way to eat less, keeping my portions small. Individual desserts are good too.

Individual Salsa Beans & Cornbread (Ramekin)
1 T butter
1 tsp sugar
1 egg white
1/8 tsp baking soda
2 T cornmeal
2 T flour
Dash of salt
2 T plain yogurt
1/4 cup re-fried beans
1/4 cup shredded , cooked chicken
2 T Salsa
Salt

In a cereal bowl combine butter, sugar, egg white, soda, cornmeal, flour, salt and yogurt. Mix until blended. Place beans, chicken and salsa (salt to taste) in the bottom of a ramekin. Top with cornmeal mixture. Cook at 300ºF in a toaster oven for 20 minutes or until cornbread is golden and done. Top with fresh cilantro, sour cream, cheese, salsa, etc.

Individual Shepherd's Pie (Ramekin)


I'm playing around with stuff cooked in a ramekin. Part of this has to do with me being surrounded by family who all cook, and being left to cook for myself. I'm finding that it's a good way to eat less, keeping my portions small. Individual desserts are good too. Also this.

3 oz ground lamb, turkey, or beef
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/4 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 cup chicken broth
Fresh oregano
Fresh sage
3 T fresh peas
1 cup mashed potatoes (salted)
2 T Cheese, shredded

In a small frying pan, brown lamb. Remove and set aside. Cook carrot, onion and garlic in oil left in the pan until tender. Return lamb to pan. Sprinkle with corn starch, and add chicken broth, stirring over heat until slightly thick. Add fresh chopped sage, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Add peas and cook until barely tender.

Divide mixture between two ramekins and top each with mashed potatoes and shredded cheese. Bake in toaster oven at 350ºF for 8 minutes.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Herb Roasted Baby Zucchini


These tiny zucchini are about the size of my finger. So sweet and yummy.

Herb Roasted Baby Zucchini

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat baby zucchini in olive oil. Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Tear fresh basil and oregano and sprinkle the herbs over the zucchini. Bake for 20 minutes.

Elijah's Creamy Garlic Shrimp over Noodles


You may have noticed that my kids are taking over my blog cooking for me, while I'm too busy with graduate school to cook/bake. Elijah is my youngest (13), and he avoids the camera like the plague, but I managed to catch him making shrimp... for breakfast. I watched and recorded what he did. This is his own recipe.

Elijah's Creamy Garlic Shrimp over Noodles

3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh basil, chopped
Fresh oregano, chopped

Saute garlic in butter until tender. Make a roux with garlic butter, and flour. Slowly add half and half and cook until thick. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh herbs, add raw shrimp and cover. Cook just until shrimp is pink. Serve over pasta.



The last photo is of Eli's butter-garlic shrimp over rice from another day. He simply sautes the raw shrimp in butter and freshly crushed garlic.

Pizza-Stuffed Bread



Pizza-Stuffed Bread
Scald and set aside to cool:
1 cup milk

Cream:
6 T butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs

Dissolve:
2 T yeast
1 T sugar
1 cup warm water

When the above steps are completed, combine them and add 6 1/2- 7 cups flour and 1 tsp salt. Knead well and place in a greased bowl. Raise until double and roll out. Spread with pizza sauce and sprinkle with pizza toppings, such as cooked sausage, olives, and cheese. Roll up and place on greased cookie sheet and allow to rise again. Bake at 375º for 40 - 50 minutes until brown and done in the middle.