Steak, Peach, and Red Onion Kabobs with Mojo Sauce

Hey Good Looking, What you got cooking?

Cooking Club 5/28/08 – Summertime

Beef, Peach, and Red Onion Kabobs with Mojo Sauce & Carmelized Carrots
with Mango Salsa & Chips

Cut 4 top sirloin steaks into small chunks. Put in Ziploc bag with these seasonings to marinate.
Marinade:
1 T red wine vinegar, 1 T brown sugar, 1 t hot paprika, salt, pepper, ½ t Cumin, ½ t turmeric, cayenne pepper, 1-2 teas garlic powder or fresh garlic, ½ t ground ginger, juice from two limes.
Mix ingredients for Mojo Sauce in a mini food processor or blender til smooth. Spoon over the kabobs on the grill. Be careful because the olive oil may catch fire.

Mojo Sauce:
1/2 cup cilantro leaves 1/2 cup mint leaves 3 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 3-6 garlic cloves
Slice red onions and peaches
Use wet wooden skewer. Put the skewers under the running water for a minute or you could soak it. Skewer meat, onion, and peaches.
Grill on low turning once or twice for 12 -15 min total. Watch carefully.

Cous Cous
Mix 1C. boiling water, 1C. Cous Cous, 1 T butter, and salt in covered bowl. Wait 5 minutes.

Carmelized Carrots
Cut mini carrots lengthwise into quarters. (Slice in half and then each half again.) You’ll need about four cups of carrots. Put 2 T sesame oil and 1 T butter in pan. Add carrots. Add 1 T brown sugar. Fry the carrots on med low heat, stirring frequently til carrots are tender and the sugar is carmelized.

Mango Salsa
In food processor, mix:
Handful Cilantro, Half an onion to whole onion, 2 cans sliced mango (Pour half of each can of mango juice out and include the rest.), 2 pickled jalapeños (pinch stems off), 3-5 roma tomatoes, 3 limes.
If you like it spicy, add more jalapeños, some juice from the jalapeno jar, or hot sauce.
Blend in food processor briefly.
Serve with chips.
Enjoy.

Best Ever Chicken and Potato Enchiladas (& Empanadas)

Hey Good Looking, What you got cooking?
Best Ever Chicken and Potato Enchiladas (& Empandas)
5/25/08- Summer. Cathy’s excited about the book. Jenn and Molly are coming to visit later tonight. Ben is deep into Don Quijote.
Best Ever Chicken and Potato Enchiladas with a New Twist – Green Chili & Cilantro Cream Sauce.
o Chicken breasts (4 or So)
o 4 potatoes chopped
o 2 bags of Taco Seasoning (I like the generic Kroger brand for 33 cents)
o 1 or 2 Limes
o Hot Sauce
o Butter
o 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
o 1 C sour cream
o 2 cans green chiles
o 1 handful fresh cilantro plus more for garnish
o ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
o 1 to 2 teaspoons Garlic (Powder or fresh)
o 2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Put chicken breasts (chopped or whole) and chopped potatoes in pan. Fill with water to cover. Put in two bags taco seasoning. (If you don’t have taco seasoning, you can add 1T gr. Cumin, 2T garlic powder or fresh garlic, and spiciness to taste.) I add a couple big slugs of Tapatio Hot Sauce, because I like it spicy. Squeeze the juice from one lime and throw in the peels. (You’ll take them out before serving.) Simmer on medium. If you added the chicken breasts whole, you’ll want to break them apart with a metal spatula or spoon as they become more tender. Breaking them apart will help them cook more quickly and will also give you a good idea of the tenderness and doneness of the chicken. You will want to simmer the chicken, adding water if necessary, until the chicken is almost ready to flake apart. This time, the chicken was done just as the water was absorbed into a thick sauce. Perfect.
Meanwhile, I had preheated the oven (working now J) to 350. In the oven I had preheated the sauce for the enchiladas. In a 13*9 glass casserole dish, put 1 T butter, 1 can Cr of Chicken soup, 1 C sour cream, ½ t gr cumin, 1or2 teas garlic (powder or fresh). In a mini food processor or blender, mix 1 handful cilantro and 2 little cans of green chiles till smooth. Pour this into the casserole dish. Heat it in the oven.
Shred about 2 C cheddar cheese.
Spoon chicken and potato mixture into flour tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, roll tortilla in your hands and slide into sauce. Turn halfway to cover with sauce. Repeat till pan is filled. It’s fine for the enchiladas to press up tight to each other. Spoon the sauce from the sides over the tops of the enchiladas to cover them. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese down the center, then 2 chopped roma tomatoes. If you love sour cream you could add a spoonful or two down the center. Bake till cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Maybe 15 minutes. Sprinkle chopped cilantro down the middle.
Yum.
And with the leftover filling…
Chicken and Potato Empandas
I had leftovers of the chicken and potato filling. Ben found an amazing Mexican store called “El Mate” on 24th street. (You might have to ring the doorbell to get in.) They are very nice and have the most magnificent frozen empanda dough. It’s like flaky filo pastry already shaped into semi-circles about as large as the palm of your hand. You just put a big spoonful of filling on the dough and fold it over. Press it together by pushing the tongs of a fork into the dough along the edge. (I did it on both sides.) Bake on a greased pan at 350 or 375 degrees turning once until golden on both sides. Delicious.
If you don’t have empanda dough, no worries. Just put it in flour tortillas and make quesadillas.