Huevos Rancheros (Ranch Style Eggs)

Huevos Rancheros

Some things are just made better at home. Huevos Rancheros is one of those things. With few exceptions, whenever I order Huevos Rancheros in a restaurant, it almost always come weakly covered in a salsa - the same salsa they bring with the totopos (tortilla chips) That's unacceptable.

Huevos Rancheros should have some substance to it, some bite to it. It can be made with or without meat. It's easy to make and all the ingredients can be adjusted to your taste. 

I keep it simple: Green chilies, yellow chilies (chile gueritos), canned tomatoes (preferable to fresh), onion, garlic, water, salt & pepper and a good quality Monterrey Jack Cheese. Chop and or mash all the ingredients in a bowl, add water just to cover and mix. Pour some cooking oil in a small sauce pan and fry the chile and tomato mixture for about 20 minutes and then add (whatever amount you want) diced Jack Cheese.

Meanwhile, lightly fry a corn tortilla - about 30 seconds on each side - plate the tortilla and top with two over easy or sunny side up eggs,. ladle some sauce over the top and serve with some fried potatoes. If you prefer rice and beans, go for it but I prefer potatoes.

This was the way my father would make Huevos Rancheros. It was and is one of our family's comfort food and it can be eaten, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Addendum: Roast the chilies and remove the skin before mixing with the other vegetables.

A Simple Beef Stew

Simmering on the Back Burner

The Finished Product

With the cool and wet weather and all, Jeri and I were craving something warm and rib sticking. What could be better than a simple beef stew. It warms the inside. Nothing could be easier to make. It's a classic "one pot dish". 

We prefer to make a medium dark roux rather than a slurry. I think it adds a better taste and gives the dish character. We browned the meat - in this case I actually used both beef and pork -added onion and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper, Thyme and Rosemary, added some tomato paste and beef broth to cover the meat, simmered it for two hours, added potatoes, carrots, parsnips and more onion. Let it simmer until the vegetables are all done. We added about a cup a frozen peas and let that cook for five minutes.  It was delicious!

Tacos and Beer

Tacos and beer for lunch today. My wife Jeri was getting in touch with her San Antonio Tex-Mex roots today. Five is my limit. I can't eat six anymore and I won't eat four. They were absolutely delicious! (So was the beer! I think Pacifico has become my favorite beer!)

Regarding the ongoing debate on Hard Shell tacos vs Soft Shell: I could care less! each has a time and place. It's okay to like both. At home hard shell is my preference. This is what I have eaten my entire life. 

New Mexico Posole Verde

Sometimes my wife and I just eat dinner, other times, like tonight, we dine. We made Posole Verde tonight. If you don't know what Posole is (also spelled Pozole), it is a pork and hominy soup. It is more commonly made with red chile but I think I prefer the green. We used New Mexico green Chile. This is perfect winter food.

In New Mexico, and in much of the American Southwest it is spelled Posole with an "S". The Mexican version, is spelled Pozole with a "Z'. It is essentially the same soup but New Mexicans are adamant about using New Mexico chile, red or green, and the Mexican version of Pozole may have Tomatillos in it. Still, it is the same soup.

Chuletas en Chile Colorado (Pork Chops in Red Chile)

Today's lunch/ early dinner at Casa De La O: Pork Chops with Red Chile, Steamed white rice and grilled peppers. We used medium hot New Mexico red chile with a light roux to give it a gravy like consistency. It was delicious!

New Mexico Red Chile Stew

In keeping with our tradition of cooking and eating all things New Mexico, my wife Jeri and I made Red Chile Stew this evening. We used both beef chuck and pork shoulder for a much deeper flavor. We added pinto beans, large chunks of corn on the cob,  carrots and Yukon Gold potatoes of course onion and garlic. We made the red chile sauce and blended it with tomatoes and the water that the chilies soaked in.We seasoned the stew with comino (cumin), Laurel bay leaves, and oregano, salt and pepper I don't use a recipe and really, it's up to you to decide what and how much of anything that you use.

We browned the meat in batches to avoid steaming the meat. We wanted a good crust on it. We returned all the meat to the pot and added a dew heaping tablespoons of flour to make a roux. We made sure all the white was gone from the flour. Then we dded chicken broth, a cup of strong coffee, the red chile sauce, some soaking liquid, onions and garlic and seasonings. We brought it to a boil, lowered the heat and let it simmer for two hours. after two hours of simmering we added the carrots, potatoes, the corn and beans /We let that simmer for another forty five minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through. We served the stew with corn tortillas. The best part of the meal was having the kids home for dinner.

Pinto Beans, Ham Bone and Smoked Sausage

We put that ham bone, left over from the ham my daughter Meranda made for Thanksgiving, to good use today. We cooked up some pinto beans, with the ham bone, smoked sausage, serrano chiles and a few other things. Served it over white rice and we were good to go. Perfect for the cooler weather. It was good!

Brunch

Brunch today at Casa De La O: Huevos con Chile Verde, a la ranchera (ranch style), with potatoes and tortilla. Made with New Mexico Sandia hot green chile. The first bite had a good kick to it and then it was smooth sailing! Jeri said it was too hot but she finished her plate!

Tomato & Basil Omelet

This morning's breakfast: A simple three egg omelet made with olive oil, tomato, basil, Italian flat leaf parsley and provolone cheese. It was delicious. No sides were needed.

Waste Not, Want Not.........

Yesterday's dinner becomes today's lunch and yesterday's pot of beans became today's refried beans mixed with chorizo and becomes a filling for my lunch time carnitas burrito. Some times a good meal is better the second time around.

Tacos de Carnitas

Jeri and I were getting in touch with our roots today with some homemade carnitas ,pinto beans and pico de gallo. We made soft tacos or "Tacos de Carnitas". It was an outstanding meal. I went back for seconds and got my fill. It was time consuming but definitely worth the wait.

Also, the plate in the photo is one of two that was purchased by my mother in the mid 60's. It's at least 50 years old. The other plate is green and with a different pattern. I rarely use either one but made an exception today.

Kale Soup with Pearled Barley, Navy Beans and Chicken Sausage

I have cooked with kale once before, in the delicious Portuguese soup Caldo Verde with linguicia but it has been a while. Kale is considered a Super Food by nutritionist because of the many health benefits and I have been trying to find some way to reintroduce it into my regular diet again.  

Last night, off the top of our heads, we made a Kale Soup with pearled barley, navy beans and chicken sausage. We sauteed carrots, onion and celery (mirepoix) and garlic in Spanish olive oil along with fresh bay leaves and seasoned with salt and pepper. 

We browned the sausage and then added the beans, kale and barley in that order allowing the beans to completely cook before adding the kale and barley and then seasoning one more time. The whole process took about 2 1/2 hours and was really delicious.

Looking back I should have browned the sausage first, both for color and added taste, then the mirepoix. Next time!

Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup

Homemade Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup for supper tonight. It was delicious and satisfying and the meat was falling apart tender. Browning the beef - I used stew beef and boneless short ribs - as well as the onions gave the broth a rich and delicious texture.

Carne Asada

Jeri scored a knockout tonight: A carne asada steak with peppers and onions, topped with a good hot salsa!! You know I'm happy! 

Caldo de Pollo (Chicken Soup)

Caldo de Pollo

 It's that time of the year again, the weather in Southern California is changing and winter is underway, not the winter of the mid west or back east, perhaps, but still, it is changing. That change means soup, large pots of soup to warm a body up.

Last night as the rain was coming down I was inside watching "Lassie Come Home" on Turner Classic Movies and enjoying a hot bowl of Jeri's Caldo de Pollo, or Chicken Soup, if you prefer. It was perfection in a bowl. "Lassie Come Home" is still the definitive Lassie movie, or dog movie for that matter, and Chicken Soup is still the definitive cold weather soup.

Chicken soup, like almost any soup does not so much require a recipe as it does timing. Other than the chicken, the ingredients are  a matter of taste. What is important is that you time your ingredients so that they all done at the same time, and after reaching a hard boil, lower the flame and let it simmer.

Red Chile Gravy and Carnitas

I made a small batch of carnitas/chicharrones to be combined with homemade New Mexico red chile. This is the base for red chile gravy. We will also be having traditional giblet gravy. My ethnic contribution to an otherwise traditional Thanksgiving. We all have something to add. What is your ethnic contribution?

The chile looks a little orange in the photo but it's a deep red. It has a good kick to it too.

Caldillo

Caldillo is New Mexico comfort food. Depending on where you are in New Mexico, it can also be called green chile stew. There is no right or wrong way to make this and every household has their own recipe. We make ours with lean ground beef, either chuck or sirloin, potatoes, tomatoes, squash, onion, chopped green chile (use New Mexican green chile if you can get it), garlic, and salt and pepper. You can use either water or stock. I use a combination of both. It's easy to make. Just keep it simple.  

I always like to use fresh vegetables when I can but the one exception is tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are always picked at the peak of ripeness. If you do use canned tomatoes, make sure to add the juice too.

A Bowl of Pozole

 

The Dog Days of Summer are behind us now and the cooler weather is coming. Over the last decade or so, Fall has become my favorite season. It spells relief from the heat. It's easier to find comfort.

Fall also means soups and stews. My wife will show her Texas roots by making a Tex Mex Guisado, a beef stew Tex Mex style (the leftovers make good a burrito filling). Caldo de Pollo, Cocido, Chile Verde and Chile Colorado are also perfect for the season. At the top of the list is Pozole - in New Mexico it is spelled Posole - and that is what we made last night. Pork shoulder,pig feet (optional), hominy and red chile (We use New Mexico Red Chile). The proper condiments are cabbage, radishes, onions, cilantro, and lemons or limes. This is comfort food. It does't get any simpler or any better than this.

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

A recent meal at our house. As much as I love Mexican cooking, I do enjoy other types of food. Shrimp Scampi is one of our favorites and is actually pretty easy to put together.We also made Bruschetta with tomato and basil. We almost always top it with feta cheese but I forgot to buy it at the market. It was still very good but it lacked that extra zing that feta cheese gives it. next time I'll write it down!

I was a cook at JoJo's Restaurant in Ontario, California in 1977, the first time I tasted Shrimp Scampi. There has an older cook - I don't remember his name - that was at one time a promising chef but he was down on his luck working as a short order cook. He would make lunch for himself and it was always something that was not on the menu. Shrimp Scampi was one of those things he would make. A food memory.

Short Ribs in New Mexico Red Chile

Tonight's dinner: Short Ribs in New Mexico Red Chile with baby gold and red potatoes, carrots and onions. This can also be made with flanken style short ribs but I prefer the English cut. They hold up much better during a long braising. I'm not going to lie. It was delicious!