Ahhhh Summer, one of my favorite times of year. The smell of fresh cut grass and bbq's in the air. This past weekend we had a cookout for Mother's Day, well a cook-in since the weather didn't cooperate. I had a craving the whole week for salsa and when asked if I was bringing anything to the party I figured, what the heck, I'll bring some salsa! There is just no comparison between homemade salsa and store bought, the freshness factor just makes it so much more flavorful. The best part?? It literally takes 10 min to make, win-win in my book!
Ingredients
1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes w/ Juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel, diced tomatoes & green chilies
1/4 cup Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 whole Jalapeno, sliced
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 cup Cilantro
1/2 Lime, juiced
Direction
This is quite a large batch of salsa, which is great for a party. Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl (I actually charred the outside of the Jalapeno's first with a blowtorch to give it some smokey-ness, this is of course optional). Transfer with a spoon to a food processor bowl, depending on the size of your food processor you'll have to do a few batches. Pulse 10-15 times until you get a nice consistency. Transfer to a container and repeat until you have used all the mixture. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving or can it for delicious salsa all year long!
**Note: If you want your salsa to be less spicy, remove some of the jalapeno seeds and membrane...that's where all the heat is**
Song of the Recipe
I have always loved Pearl Jam and when Eddie Veder released this solo album, it definitely made me curious. But, it's an awesome album and made me fall in love with the Ukulele. This whole album is perfect for patio sitting & margarita drinking!
Did you know that Lasagna may in fact be British and not Italian?? The Forme of Cury is the oldest cookbook written in English. It was compiled about 1390 by the master cooks of King Richard II. Researchers studying it made a surprising announcement in 2003 - the book contains a recipe for lasagna. The dish, called loseyns in Old English (prounounced "Lasan"), consists of noodles rolled as flat and wide "as paper," cooked in broth, layered with cheese, and baked. This recipe predates any Italian reference to the dish, which leads to the surprising conclusion that lasagna may be British. You learn something new everyday! :)
The recipe for Loseyns in The Forme of Cury
Ingredients
2 containers (15 oz ea.) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
4 oz. diced prosciutto
2 jars of your favorite sauce or sauce recipe below
1 lbs ground beef
Lasagna noodles, fresh or dry
1/2 lbs Mozzarella, shredded
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
In a small saute pan, saute prosciutto until crispy, about 5 min. In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and prosciutto; set aside.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown ground beef. Add in your jar sauce of choice and let simmer until your ready to assemble lasagna. If you're using the sauce recipe below, disregard that last step and follow the directions there. In a large pot, boil salted water and cook pasta noodles as per box directions. I usually buy store bought fresh lasagna noodles, you can usually find them in the cooler section. Cooking time for fresh is about 4 min, cooking time for dried about 10-12 min.
In a 13x9 inch baking dish. Spread about 1 cup of the meat and sauce mixture on the bottom. Top with lasagna noodles, then add 1/2 of the ricotta mixture and another cup of sauce; top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese; repeat. Top with remaining noodles to cover, add another cup of sauce and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove tin foil and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until bubbling. Let stand for 10 min before serving. Garnish with fresh basil.
Sauce Recipe (optional)
Ingredients
1 3/4 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Directions
In a Dutch oven, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
This is a great red sauce in general, you can make a large batch of this and can it or freeze it for quick meals.
Song of the Recipe
I've been in love with Incubus for awhile now and seeing that this is a Food blog, I figured the title would be appropriate :)
As some of you know, I am not the only cook in my house. Lee, my girlfriend, is very good at it as well. One of her must-haves when we have Chinese is Hot n' Sour Soup. She has been saying for awhile how she wanted to make her own, which brings us to the next post. Delicious Hot n' Sour soup with homemade egg rolls!
4 ounces firm tofu, well drained and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon chili paste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablesppons cold water
sliced green onions for garnish
Directions
Combine chicken broth, chicken/pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, venegar, soy sauce, chili paste, pepper and garlic in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 3-4 hours or on high 2-3 hours or until done.
Stir in tofu/ Combine cornstarch with water; mix well. Stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until thickend (about 10 minutes).
Garnish with sliced green onions.
Pork Egg Rolls
Ingredients
1 pound ground pork
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 quart canola oil for frying
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
4 cups coleslaw mix
8 (7 inch square) egg roll wrappers
Directions
Season pork with ginger, garlic and garlic powder and mix thoroughly. Heat mixture in a medium skillet, stirring, until pork is cooked through. Set aside.
In another large skillet heat oil to about 375 degrees F. While oil is heating, combine flour and water in a bowl until they form a paste. In a separate bowl combine the cabbage, carrots and reserved pork mixture. Mix all together.
Lay out one egg roll skin with a corner pointed toward you. Place about a 1/3 cup of the cabbage, carrot and pork mixture on egg roll paper and fold corner up over the mixture. Fold left and right corners toward the center and continue to roll. Brush a bit of the flour paste on the final corner to help seal the egg roll.
Place egg rolls into heated oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or rack.
**A really interesting video on the history of American Chinese Food**
