Green Chili

Okay, this is a biggie in our house. I hadn’t posted it yet (despite making it over a week ago) because it can be rather involved and I really wanted to think about each step.

If you don’t know about green chili, this is a Southern Colorado/Northern New Mexico staple. They put this stuff on everything. Green chili cheese fries and Sloppers (a burger smothered in green chili) are two popular ways of eating this dish. Green chili is pretty basic ingredient wise; roasted Pueblo green chilies and pork are the stars of the show.

Chopped hot Pueblo green chilies

Roux should be about this color

Finished green chili

Green Chili

• 10-15 roasted green chilies – hot, mild, or a mixture (please at least try to look for real deal Pueblo or even Anaheim green chilies, the ones out of a can just don’t cut it)
• 4-5 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade, makes it extra rich)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes or 2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 or 5 pork steaks or similar fatty pork cut, cut into bite sized pieces (looking for about 2 cups of pork once it’s cut up)
• Flour, enough to dredge the pork plus 1/3 cup excess
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or lard for extra pork flavor)
• Cajun seasoning to taste (sub for salt if you must)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

1. First thing, make sure your green chilies are trimmed of their stems and skin is removed
2. Chop the green chilies into pretty small pieces (dice)
3. Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or lard in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed stock pot
4. Cut your pork into bite sized chunks discarding only the pieces that are all fat (trust me on this one, I hate gooshy fat more than you do, but you have to have the fat in this recipe, the fat will eventually melt and your pork will be extremely tender and delicious)
5. Mix about 1 1/2 cups of flour with the garlic powder and at least 1/2 tablespoon of cajun seasoning such as (Tony Chachere’s or Ragin Blaze)
6. Dredge the pork pieces in seasoned flour, saving the excess flour
7. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat
8. Working in small batches, begin browning the pork – don’t worry about cooking the pork through, it just needs to be lightly browned on both sides (the pot should be hot enough that the pork sizzles immediately, also DO NOT crowd the pot-this is important because you want to brown the meat slightly, not steam it – in other words none of the pieces should touch each other while cooking)
9. Once all of the pork has been browned and removed from the pot, add 1/3 cup of vegetable oil or lard to the same pot
10. Bring the oil up to temperature
11. Add remaining flour
12. Now you’re making a roux (check out this link for better than I can do instructions, a lot of my recipes start this way)
13. Cook your roux to just a light tan color (be careful to stir a lot so it doesn’t burn)
14. Add chicken broth very slowly, DO NOT STOP STIRRING ( to get the proper consistency, add a little broth then stir stir stir, add a little broth stir stir stir, and so on) If you make gravy, this is the same thing.
15. After you have the “gravy” or the soup part of the green chili ready, bring to a slow simmer and add the green chilies, Rotel tomatoes, and pork
16. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until the pork begins to fall apart when pressed against the side of the pot with your spoon
17. Season to taste with cajun seasoning/salt

**Tips**

• My favorite way to eat green chili is in a dish I call “mush”, just a bowl of rice with a few spoonfulls of green chili and a couple spoonfulls of queso. Mush is my ultimate comfort food.
• Cover enchiliadas, make smothered burritos, cover fries and add cheese, put on a burger, eat it as soup, possibilities are endless. And you’ll need ideas if you’re only cooking for two as this is a rather large recipe.

 

Refried Beans

Ever wonder why the refried beans you eat out of a can at home just don’t compare to the ones at your local Mexican restaurant? Lard. You have to actually “re-fry” your beans with lard. Before you freak out about using lard in a recipe I would like to point out something. Fat doesn’t make you fat, overeating makes you fat. Lard makes things taste good. I don’t recommend using it in every recipe at every meal, but there are those occasions that lard or bacon grease or butter really is a necessary ingredient.  Eat a salad tomorrow.

Important:

• The best way to make refried beans is to make your pinto beans from scratch and fry those up.
• Only buy lard that has to be refrigerated. The stuff out on the shelf is full of icky preservatives.

Beans in the skillet with the melted lard.

I like my refried beans to have a little texture. Mash until they’re how you like ’em.

Finished!

Refried Beans

• 4 cups cooked pinto beans, big chunks of meat removed
• 1/4 cup lard

If your pinto beans are seasoned correctly, then these are really the only two ingredients you need.

1. Melt the lard in a cast iron skillet over medium to medium high heat
2. Add the beans with most of the liquid removed, about a 3 to 1 bean to liquid ratio
3. Break up the beans with a potato masher until you get the consistency you want
4. Keep mashing until the lard is fully incorporated into the beans, about 8 minutes
5. Simmer over medium heat until the beans are the desired thickness

You won’t go back to the bland canned beans. Trust me, these beans are worth the calories. The canned ones, not so much. Why eat anything if it isn’t worth the calories?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pico de Gallo with Avocado

Pico is good on chips, everyone knows that. But pico makes a good condiment as well. Top grilled chicken, shrimp, or fish with it and you have a healthy, summery lunch or dinner. The avocado in this recipe adds a fresh creaminess that also helps to cut the heat just a tad.

 

 

 

 

 

Huge jalapenos!!

Chop those veggies pretty small. You want to be able to fit a little bit of everything onto each chip.

It’s not only yummy, it’s pretty!

Pico de Gallo with Avocado

• 4 roma tomatoes
• 1 small red onion
• 2 large jalapenos
• 1 medium avocado
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 small lime
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon honey

1. Dice the tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, and avocado and scoop into a large bowl
2. Chop the cilantro and add to the bowl
3. Add the juice of the lime, salt, and honey
4. Gently stir to combine

**Tips**

• This will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• This can be quite spicy depending on the heat level of your jalapenos, mine were real hot!
• Dice and add the avocado last to keep from browning

 

 

Pinto Beans

When I was growing up my grandma would make pinto beans for supper about once a month or so. They were my papa’s favorite. In Texas we just eat them the way they are. This recipe is good enough to do just that. Spoon up a bowl and serve with some cornbread or over rice. These beans are spicy so they also work well with Mexican food and to make refried beans, which is exactly what I intend to do with half of them. I used a crock pot to cook these for the first time and I have to say that it worked out really well.

 

 

 

Be sure to cover the beans with enough water!

Satisfying, hearty meal. Just serve over rice or with cornbread.

Pinto Beans (Spicy)

• 2 pounds dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed
• 3-4 jalapenos, halved lengthwise
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 1/3 cup pickled jalapeno juice
• 1 smoked ham hock or smoked pork jowl (can also use ham or bacon)
• salt or Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, to taste (it takes quite a bit)
• Enough water to cover beans up to two inches

1. Pick over beans for rocks and debris, then rinse
2. Soak beans overnight in cool water (cover with about two inches as they will soak up a lot of the water)

If using crock pot:

1. Put all the ingredients into the crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours
2. That’s it!

If using stock pot on the stove:

1. Put all the ingredients in the pot over medium high heat
2. Bring to a boil
3. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer on low heat for 4-6 hours
4. Stir occasionally

 

Homemade Salsa with Cilantro

Forgive me if this post is short and to the point. My husband began his 110 mile drive to work today and his alarm clock went off at 3:45 this morning, so I didn’t get much sleep last night. That combined with working all day, then coming home and cooking for a few hours has me plumb wore out. I will keep the whining to a minimum though.

This salsa recipe is a favorite of my friends and family. If you like cilantro, you’ll like this salsa. If you don’t, stay tuned. Later in the week I’ll be posting the other favorite, this one without.

Homemade Salsa with Cilantro

Yield: about 4 cups

• 1 can hot Rotel, drained (save the juice!)
• 1 can regular Rotel, drained (if you’d rather have mild salsa (why?) use two cans regular)
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1/2 an onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. Put all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until desired consistancy.

(By the way, I do make food other than Mexican. Just be patient.)

 

 

Margaritas!

This week is Mexican week at our house and that means margaritas! (Not that it has to be Mexican week for us to drink margaritas.) This recipe isn’t different from a regular margarita recipe other than I make a homemade mix to go in the drinks. The premade, store bought, bottled stuff just isn’t very good. Any margarita I would make just for myself would just have lime juice, but Mike likes his a little sweeter. I have many variations on this recipes including a mango habanero drink (AMAZING!) that I will share soon!

Klamm House Margaritas

Yield: 1 drink

• 3 measures (jigger or shot glass) margarita mix
• 2 measures tequila
• 1 measures triple sec
• 1 slice of lime and juice
• kosher salt (for glass rim)
• ice

1. Run the slice of lime around the rim of the glass
2. Dip rim of glass in the kosher salt
3. Squeeze lime into glass
4. In a shaker with ice, mix the margarita mix, tequila, and triple sec
5. Pour into salted glass

Margarita Mix

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup lime juice concentrate
• 1 cup sugar

1. Mix well
2. Store in fridge for up to 1 week

Mexican Shredded Chicken

Cooking in a crockpot is kinda new for me. I have to say I am actually enjoying the convenience it brings to my daily routine by allowing the bulk of my waiting to be completely cut out because whatever I’m cooking cooks while I am at work. Makes my evenings so much easier!

This recipe for shredded Mexican chicken is one that I use for several Mexican style dishes, tacos, enchiliadas, and flautas to name a few. I used this for my Taco Bar Potluck this past week. It is super simple and can help you put together a weeknight meal very quickly. Check it out below.

Shredded Mexican Chicken

Yield: enough for 10-12 tacos or 2 pans enchiliadas

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (can also combine with thighs for a richer flavor)
• 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes (use one hot and one regular for some spice!)
• 1 teaspoon Tony’s
• 1 tablespoon mined garlic (or 2 teaspoons garlic powder)

1. Just put all of the ingredients in the crockpot and set on low for 6-8 hours
2. Chicken will be tender enough to shred with just a pair of tongs when it is done
3. To save even more time, put all the ingredients in the crockpot the night before, store in the fridge, then in the morning take it out. and go from there.

Mexican Rice

The biggest cooking rule that Mike and I try to stick with is to use as few preservatives in our diets as possible. We don’t buy boxed rice or pasta meals and stuff like that. What I’ve found is that you really don’t need to. It is just as easy to make most things from scratch. Next time you are having Mexican night at your house, don’t buy the boxed “Rice-a-Roni” junk, just make this recipe instead.

 

 

 

 

 

I told you bacon grease has many uses!

See how the rice is opaquely white, even a little browned in the edges? This is what your rice should look like right before you add the liquids.

Finished rice. Nice and fluffy and flavorful!

Mexican Rice

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 cup white, long grain rice
• 1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped (if you don’t like onion, leave it out)
• 1 tablespoon bacon grease, vegetable oil, or butter
• (a little less than) 1 3/4 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade (I’ll post a super easy recipe soon)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric (gives the rice that traditional yellow color)

1. Melt the fat of your choice over medium heat
2. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent
3. Add the rice and saute over medium heat until opaque (Most important step: this is what causes the rice to have that Mexican restaurant, fluffy, unique texture.)
4. Strain the Rotel juice into a measuring cup
5. Add as much chicken broth as you need to bring it up to about 1 3/4 cups of liquid (the tomato juice adds a great fresh, tangy flavor)
6. Add the Rotel tomatoes and tumeric when the broth is added
7. Bring to a fast simmer
8. Cover and reduce heat
9. Cook on low for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked through and the bottom of the pan is dry

Fluff with a fork and serve. You won’t be disappointed!