“They call me a pig? You should see the people eating the enchiladas!”
–Elle of Elle’s New England Kitchen

Thank you to Elle for providing this photo with an appropriate (how did she know??) caption. Since I hadn’t gotten around to posting the recipe, I decided to post this photo on Twitter (@eatingoutloud) and requested caption ideas. Thank you to everyone else who answered my plea and provided suggestions!

This poor little piggy has been holding his enchilada payload for the past week. I intended to write about him sooner but somehow my last post on doughnuts cut in line. But, don’t let my delay question the good taste of these enchiladas — they are spicy and delicious.


I bought ‘piggy’ about 2 years ago when we were visiting Old Town in San Diego. I found it in a shop and it just spoke to me … he’s rustic looking and kinda ugly (his little nose is crooked), so I had to take him home with me. I’ve been known to own a 3-legged dog and cats without tails — I’m an advocate for any underdog or ugly duckling.

Piggy usually sits on my counter and holds fruits, onions, etc. He’s been a faithful addition to the kitchen since arriving. While preparing this recipe, I decided it was his day to be glorified on my blog. Sadly, piggy has a secret that I learned about the hard way.

Piggy is Pomaireware, made of lead-free clay in Pomaire, Chile. This sounds all interesting and exotic … but piggy also carries with him an unpleasant taste. He had been washed many times previously, but he tainted my enchiladas with a strange flavor, so I had to quickly place them into another container after baking. Shame on piggy. Bad piggy. Back to the counter for piggy!

Fortunately, the enchiladas were arranged in two rows with the top row never touching piggy directly. I love tomatillos which are the base for the wonderfully green sauce used in making these enchiladas. I love the combination of the tangy-spicy tomatillo sauce next to the pools of melted monterey jack cheese.

Enchiladas Verdes
adapted from Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook

12 oz whole chicken breast
6 cups water
4 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion, cut in half
salt to taste
1 carrot, cut in large pieces
4 serrano chiles, seeded
2 lbs tomatillos, husked
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped coarsely
12 corn tortillas
oil for frying
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese

In a small pot: place chicken, 6 cups water, 2 garlic cloves, 1 piece onion, 1/2 tsp salt and carrot. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until done. Reserve the stock. Place chicken onto a plate and using two forks, shred it into pieces.

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil, then add 2 garlic cloves and serrano chiles. Cook for 5 minutes and then add tomatillos. Cook for 7 minutes, then drain.

In a blender: puree the tomatillo mixture, adding the remaining piece of onion and cilantro. Add 1 cup of the reserved chicken stock. Add tomatillo mixture to a small pan and cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. If it becomes too thick, add additional chicken stock. The resulting sauce should be pourable.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add about 1/2″ oil. Fry each tortilla about 10 seconds on each side to soften. Set tortillas aside.

To prepare the enchiladas: take a tortilla and dip in the verdes sauce. Place some chicken into the center of the tortilla and roll up. Place filled tortillas in a baking dish in a row. Pour remaining sauce over the top. Cover baking dish with tin foil and bake for 10 minutes at 375F/190C. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese, then return to oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or fresh salsa.

The enchiladas are spicy which is why you should add the refreshing dollop of sour cream (or creme fraiche). It was exactly the mouth-tingling meal that I needed last week. The flavors reminded me of the 2 years I lived in Austin, TX – oh, how I miss the Tex-Mex food.

Fortunately, Joe isn’t much of a Mexican food guy and so I had the entire dish to myself which left me with a whole lot of enchiladas to eat (I’m not complaining!). I even ate the ones which piggy tainted. Bad piggy. Bad.

What’s your favorite enchilada filling? Chicken, beef, veggies? Red sauce? Green sauce?

More enchilada ideas from other bloggers:
Cheese Enchiladas – Pinch My Salt
Enchiladas – Simply Recipes
Pumpking Chicken Enchiladas – Gluten Free Mommy
Chicken Enchiladas in Salsa Verdes – Closet Cooking
Beef Enchiladas – Nook & Pantry
Black Bean Enchiladas – Delish

Slowly, I’m learning that even when the sun is shining brightly in Vancouver, it doesn’t always mean it’s warm. I’m not complaining because I actually enjoy the chill in the air and the need to wear a scarf (i.e. I love accessories). And most importantly, I love that a heavy and meaty stew is not a craving you can disregard but is instead a downright necessity in order to warm you after a brisk walk.

Continuing on with my recent desire to recreate Mexican foods, I decided combat the cold weather and make ‘lentejas con frutas’ or ‘lentils with fruit’. It’s not a dish that I would immediately associate with Mexican food and for this reason it intrigued me.

I intentionally overlooked the amount of meat in the recipe and tried not to think about the porky combination of chorizo, smoked pork chops, and bacon. I convinced myself that the healthy lentils would compensate and unclog any arteries filled in by the fatty meat.

Lentils with Fruit
adapted from Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook

2 cups dried green lentils
8 cups water
1/2 lb. bacon, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb. chorizo, casing removed and chopped
1 cup chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 plantain, peeled and sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bunch green onions
4 smoked pork chops

Place the lentils and water into a large pan, bring to a boil. Cover pan, lowering heat and reducing to a simmer for 40 minutes (add water if needed during the cooking). Drain the lentils and reserve the liquid for later use.

In a large pot or dutch oven, saute the bacon for 2 minutes. Add the chorizo and cook covered for 3 minutes. Add the lentils, pineapple, plantain, salt and pepper. Cook covered for 10 minutes.

Add 2 cups of the lentil liquid. Chop green onions into 4″ lengths and add to the dutch oven. Cover and cook at a low simmer for 30 minutes.

While the dutch oven is simmering, heat a skillet with a tablespoon oil and fry the smoked pork chops for 3 minutes on each side. Once the dutch oven has simmered for 30 minutes, add the pork chops and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

It takes a good 2 hours from beginning to end and does use a good amount of meat. But, it also tastes like it’s simmered for 2 hours and it has all sorts of spicy-smokey flavor. I think it’s worth making on occasion, especially on a cold day.

I’ll admit that during the simmering of the meat and fruit, I didn’t much care for the smell of it. I’m not sure what it was but I feared having to eat it. Surprisingly, it tastes delicious and is of course even better the following day (it took us 3 days, lunch and dinner to finish off the pot).

This isn’t a pretty dish by any means. I tried my best to pretty it up but it remains an ugly duckling, albeit a spicy and delicious ugly duckling. My only complaint would be the plantain … I just don’t get plantains (I only enjoy them fried). I would rather replace it next time with potato or some other root veggie.

And, for all the folks following me on Twitter (@eatingoutloud), this is the dish that caused me to mention bones in my chorizo. It’s likely the fact that I buy chorizo from places like Safeway but I always get at least one bite containing a piece of ground up bone. It’s rather disturbing and can ruin a meal. This round of chorizo did not disappoint and the largest piece found was about the size of a pea.

The next time I attempt this stew, I’ll find a quality chorizo from a better source and see if I have the same issue. The chorizo makes this dish by imparting a wonderful spiciness.

More lentil ideas from other bloggers:
Sweet/Spicy Lentil Sauce with Chicken – What’s cooking?
Sweet Potato, Lentil & Raisin Stew – The Perfect Pantry
Spicy Lentil Soup with Lime – Nami-Nami
Green Lentil and Red Pepper Salad – Kalyn’s Kitchen
Red Lentil Salad with Dried Fruit & Toasted Pine Nuts – EatingWell

Today kicks off a series of much-needed Mexican recipes. Since moving to Canada, I find myself missing my former ’south of the border’ food. And now that Mexico is two borders away, I miss it tremendously. I dusted off my sole Mexican cookbook and decided to explore a few recipes I hadn’t yet tried. This one is for a spicy-sweet salad featuring crisp jicama and juicy pineapple.


Before we know it, Summer will be here once again and I want to be prepared with easy picnic ideas. With several parks within walking distance, I have it in my mind that we’ll picnic more often than we did in California. It’s possible that I’m the only one who shares in this idea .. but for now, let me assume there are picnics in my future.

I’ve tried jicama before and found it interesting – extremely crisp and refreshing with little flavor of its own. I think of it as equivalent to tofu, since it’s more the texture of jicama and the flavors it will absorb. Jicama works perfectly in this recipe and is a nice contrast to the juicy pineapple. You should be able to find jicamas easily in both Asian and Mexican grocery stores. The root vegetable is tan, smooth, and round.

Please note two things before attempting this recipe — the amount of serranos and salt. Use your own discretion when using these two ingredients and tailor it to suit your tastes. I used 2 serranos, removing both the pith and seeds to reduce the level of heat. I used a full teaspoon of salt as the recipe suggested. The salt is prominent in this dish and reminds me of the salty rim on a margarita — there is a strong rivalry between the sweet and salty components of the salad. It surprised me at first but I enjoyed it.

Jicama-Pineapple Salad
adapted from Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook

3 cups cubed, pineapple
3 cups cubed, jicama
2 serrano peppers, finely diced
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

The salad is quick to make — simply toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl and allow to chill for at least 15 minutes before serving. It makes a great appetizer, just provide toothpicks or other skewers. Delicious!

I served the salad in my favorite piggy bowl which I bought a couple years ago at Michael Chiarello’s NapaStyle store in Berkeley. According to the Chinese zodiac, I am a pig and during the Year of the Pig in 2007, piggy bowls were everywhere so I bought this and one other (coming later this week).

Ok, time to share another behind the scenes look at how this post comes together. I was so excited by the salad and using piggy that I kinda made a mess while taking the photos. Before I knew it, toothpicks were flying all over the place:

I’ve been wanting to make watermelon agua fresca for the longest time. Although it sounds wildly exotic, it’s quite simply watermelon juice. But don’t let the simplicity fool you – it’s wonderfully good. A few restaurants have it here in San Jose however it is my laziness that hasn’t allowed me to make it at home.

I wish I could say there was a recipe for this but it’s just pureed and strained watermelon. If you wish to sweeten it, you can add a bit of sugar or honey. You can also add a squeeze of lime for a few bruised mint leaves for added flavor.

I don’t have a food processor so I once again turned to my trusty stick blender. It makes the process take a lot longer and ultimately it was so very, very messy. By the time my pitcher was full of watermelon juice, my t-shirt needed to be wrung out :-)

I ended up adding about a cup of water in total during the blending process. The water helped the blender to get the magic started. After you puree the melon, strain it through a fairly fine mesh sieve. I have a very small one so this didn’t help speed things along either. You’ll find that there is quite a bit of pulp. The remaining juice is a vibrant deep pink color, so beautiful.

Serve icy cold and enjoy. For the adults, maybe add a splash of vodka as well :-)

Now that summer is nearing an end, the prices of watermelons are very cheap. I purchased a gigantic one for $3.48 and I used it for every recipe I am publishing this week (plus there is still a piece in the fridge). So, grab a melon while they last and try your hand at agua fresca!

Last night, dinner wasn’t planned and in all honesty I anticipated reheating leftover pasta. As I finished up my work day, a StumbleUpon friend from Uruguay twittered that he had just eaten spicy empanadas. My stomach grumbled as my eyes lit up. I pinged him for more information. He pointed me to a recipe and I set to work making them :-)

I’m not sure why I am so ’shoot from the hip’ with my cooking lately. I haven’t been in the mood to plan or think things out, so seem to make whatever strikes me as interesting at a particular moment. I am totally disregarding my bookmarked recipes and am following a stream of consciousness approach. Not sure where this will lead me, but today it brings empanadas.

Every culture has a meat-filled pastry and so far I’ve made pirojki and my home state favorite, the pasty. Empanadas are common in Spain, Portugal, Caribbean, Latin America, and the Philippines. Each region creates its own version, some are fried while others are baked. The filling can consist of any type of meat and vegetable mixture, some even have sweet fillings. In all honesty, I’ve never met a pastry I didn’t like.

The empanada is surprisingly easy to make, consisting of a simple dough and filling. I used a dough recipe which had high reviews from other users. Instead of making it by hand, I used my mixer to blend the ingredients and to knead the dough. In a matter of minutes I had a beautiful soft dough. The dough must rest for 1 hour before using and will amke ten 6″ empanadas.

From the same site with the dough recipe, I found a beef picadillo filling that caught my eye. I searched around to understand what exactly constituted a picadillo — basically, beef, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, spices, sometimes raisins, sometimes olives. Even Rachel Ray made a 30-minute version. Fortunately I had everything on hand. I adapted a recipe into the following:

Beef Picadillo

1 lb. beef, cut in 1/2″ cubes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, diced
1/2 jalapeño, finely diced
2 tablespoons pimento, diced
1/2 c. water
3/4 c. tomato sauce (8oz can)
1 large potato, diced
1/4 c. chopped green olive
1/2 c. currants
salt/pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, green pepper, garlic, pimento and jalapeño. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Add beef, oregano, cumin, water, and tomato sauce. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 15 minutes.

Add potato and cover again, cooking an additional 15 minutes or until potato is cooked through. Remove cover and stir in chopped olives and currants. Boil until liquid is evaporated and mixture thickens. This took only 2-3 minutes, but the time will vary based on your cooking conditions. Season to taste. Set filling aside and allow to cool completely before using.

I removed the dough from the refrigerator and cut into 10 pieces. I rolled each piece into a 6″ circle on a floured surface. The dough is soft and extremely easy to roll. Place 1/4 cup or so of the mixture onto one side of the circle. Fold the empty side of the circle over the top. Moisten the edge of the dough with a wet finger, then press the edges together. Using a fork, press down on the edges to crimp and to give them their trademark look.

Place empanadas onto a baking sheet and into a preheated 425 degree oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a baking rack.

The empanadas did not disappoint. The crust is thin, yet firm and tastes similar to a calzone dough. The filling is the star though, spicy and savory, with just a hint of sweetness from the currants. The garlic and bit of olive provide plenty of flavor to the tomato base. I couldn’t have been happier and promptly ate a couple (or so) empanadas.

Fortunately, we had plenty left over so I just had one for breakfast with my coffee — they are good at any time of the day!

This year is destined to be the year of the Tres Leches Cake. Its name literally translates to ‘3 milk cake’ and is infused with condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. More bakeries are carrying a version of this cake and I’ve noticed it appearing more often at work functions and weekend dinner parties.

The Tres Leches Cake is commonly attributed to Mexico, however Nicaragua also claims it as their own. Each country puts their own spin on the ingredients, sometimes including coconut milk or rum. Regardless of the true orign, I love whoever invented it. This cake is rich, creamy, and insanely good!

Feeling a little frugal, I decided to try making it instead of spending $27 on one from the local market. It only took a few web searches to find a broad spectrum of recipes with which to start. Wikipedia informed me that the cake is butter based allowing the cake to hold up to being soaked with the 3 milks. I disregarded any recipe that didn’t include butter in the cake batter. Fortunately, I came across a particularly interesting (and authentic looking) recipe from the Central Cafe in El Paso, TX.

Warning: you should not be watching your calories if you seek to make this cake. You’ll immediately notice the number of eggs and cups of heavy cream required. I could feel my arteries seize up while I read through the recipe, but with a cake like this you can’t skimp on the recommended ingredients. My only variation was to use two 9″ round cake pans and baked them for 30-35 minutes. The cake turned out well with a slightly firm texture with which to hold the milk. Because the cake is served chilled, it makes a great summertime dessert. Here is the recipe I used:

Tres Leches Cake
from Central Cafe, El Paso TX (as published in Texas Monthly Nov. 1999)

Cake

9 Eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
12 Tablespoons Butter (softened)
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate egg yolks and whites, keeping whites at room temperature. In bowl of an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter together until pale yellow and fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat until fluffy again, 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder. In a third bowl mix milk and vanilla. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter mixture (a fourth at a time) until all are combined. Beat until smooth after each addition.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form and, using a large spatula, gently but thoroughly fold into flour-and-butter mixture. Grease bottom of a 9- by 13-inch metal baking pan. Pour in batter and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool.

Three Milks

2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 Five-Ounce Can (5/8cup) Evaporated Milk
1 Fourteen-Ounce Can (7/8cup) Sweetened Condensed Milk

Stir the milks together thoroughly; do not beat. Do not refrigerate canned milks before using.

Cream Icing

2 Cups Heavy Cream
1/3 Cup Sugar

Whip cream and sugar together until stiff. When cake is cool, slice or peel off the thin top crust. Ice sides first, creating a small lip on top to catch milk mixture. Pour milk mixture evenly over top of cake (if necessary, poke holes in cake with a knife or toothpick to facilitate soaking; you will probably need only 3/4 of mixture). Finish icing top. (If using an 11.5- by 17.5-inch pan, cut cake in half to make 2 equal pieces. Soak first layer, ice top if desired, and place second layer on top of it. Proceed as above.) Chill cake immediately and allow to set for 2 hours (or overnight) before serving. Serves 12.

Here are some other Tres Leches recipes to try:
Pastel de Tres Leches Cake – Not Quite Nigella
Tres Leches Cake Goes One Better – SF Gate
Tres Leches Cake Recipe – Fun & Food Cafe