Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos are awesome! This is the second time I've used this recipe for tacos. They come out delicious every time. Used my own spice mix from some random dried chiles I had laying around (toasted in the oven and ground with my spice mixer), and I fried my own taco shells, which is a must for delicious tacos. The meat just fell apart after 3 hours of braising. Served it with shredded cabbage and T.J.'s authentic salsa. The side is a mexican corn and black bean salad. I fried the corn in my cast iron skillet with some of the extra spice mix to blacken it up a little bit. Very tasty stuff.

MEXICAN POT ROAST TACOS

Ingredients:
• 2 pounds beef shoulder
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 bay leaves
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 6 fresh medium corn tortillas
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups finely shredded white cabbage

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Add the onion and allow to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, plus 1 tomato can of water, spices, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender. Let meat cool in the liquid. Shred meat and set aside.

Heat a large pot of oil over medium heat. When oil reaches 350 degrees F, fry the corn tortillas 1 at a time. Place the tortilla in the oil and wait about 30 seconds. Then use the handle of a wooden spoon to press down into the center of the tortilla and fold it in the middle. Hold down for a few seconds waiting for the tortilla to form into taco shell and then drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

Serve with shredded cabbage, salsa, guacamole, or whatever toppings you like on your tacos.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Saw this recipe on thekitchn.com during last weeks "soup week." I made it a little healthier by using skim milk, light sour cream, light cheese. It was still awesome.

Baked Potato Soup With Bacon, Onion & Cheddar
6 to 10 servings (depending on how hungry you are!)

2 cups cooked and diced bacon crumbles
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
8 cups milk (whole milk, if possible)
2 cups sour cream
1 large bunch green onions, diced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
5 large potatoes, baked and cubed
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

If you are using sliced bacon you'll need to start by preparing it. You can save the grease and reduce the amount of butter accordingly for a richer taste. Storebought bacon crumbles will also do just fine (Costco carries a large bag that comes in handy!).

Melt the butter in the bottom of a large pot over medium high heat. Add flour and stir to combine until thickened. Add milk and whisk to combine until mixture is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and allow soup to heat over medium, stirring occasionally until cheese is melted. You will want to keep an eye on the bottom of the pot so it doesn't burn, but since all the ingredients are already cooked, you're really just waiting for things to warm up instead of coming to a specific temperature.

Serve when warm and enjoy!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/soup/recipe-baked-potato-soup-with-bacon-onion-cheddar-136303

Baked Calamari

On Christmas, Beth and I made some baked calamari as an appetizer. This healthier version turned out pretty well. I really wanted to get some fresh squid, but after going to 4 separate specialty markets in Columbus, I found its not "in season". So, we used a frozen package of pre-cleaned calamari from Giant Eagle ($3.99) and it was still pretty good. The key here was roasting our own red peppers for the dipping sauce. I always thought it was okay to use jarred roasted red peppers (especially if you are using them in a recipe and not eating them by themselves) however after making this recipe and tasting how sweet they were, I will be roasting my own from now on.

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray
2 red bell peppers
7 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 habanero chile, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste
1/4 cup whole wheat panko
1/4 cup medium stone ground cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
fresh ground black pepper
1 egg
1 lb cleaned squid tentacles and bodies
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedge for garnish

Process:

1. Turn broiler on to high and place oven rack about 8 inches from heat source. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Cut sides of bell peppers away from cores so you have 8 flat pieces; discard core and seeds. Place on baking sheet, skin-side-up, and broil until skin is completely black, 10-12 minutes. Transfer bell peppers to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap for about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel all black skin away from peppers and chop.

2. Turn off broiler and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil and mist with cooking spray. Gather up edges of foil and pinch together at top. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Open foil packet and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Squeeze garlic out of their skins and add cloves to a blender. Add bell peppers and habanero, and puree until smooth. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and season to taste with salt.

4. Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. In a gallon sided ziploc, combine the panko, cornmeal, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Slice squid bodies into about 1/2 inch pieces. Pat squid dry with paper towels. Dip a quarter of the squid in egg, shaking off excess, and add to bag with panko mixture. Seal bag and shake well to coat. Spread squid on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat with remaining squid. Bake for 13-15 minutes until squid is opaque and slightly firm. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with cilantro, dip in sauce and eat it up.

Roasted Vegetable Chowder with Bacon

I didn't take a picture of this one, but it was really good. Romer had a bowl while we bottled our most recent homebrew. By the way, who has tried my homebrew? Anyway, I really enjoyed this soup, and am becoming a huge fan of roasting veggies to bring out there flavor. The squash brought some sweetness to the table and I hadn't used parsnips before but I liked the flavor a lot.

ROASTED VEGETABLE CHOWDER WITH BACON
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
From Columbus Dispatch Robin's Picks

Makes 4 to 6 servings

While the veggies take a while to roast, they don’t require your attention while they do. And once they’re roasted, the soup takes little time to get to the table. Serve it with crusty bread and a green salad. To make the soup vegetarian, leave out the bacon and use vegetable broth.
1 medium-size butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, cut into chopped
4 bacon slices, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Spread the squash, onions, parsnips, carrots and bacon in a deep roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and brown and the bacon is crispy, about 45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the garlic, wine and sage. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents to a Dutch oven.

Add broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables begin to break apart, about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.


PER SERVING: 222 calories; 5 g protein; 32 g carbohydrates; 7 g fiber; 8 g fat (1 g saturated); 6 mg cholesterol; 734 mg sodium

Cubano

I know Simpkins is a fan of Cubans, and I'm not talking cigars or women here. I'm talking sandwiches. Even though I hate communists, the Cuban sandwich is one of my favorites. It is the perfect combo of oozy cheese, crunchy pickles and bread, salty ham and delicious pork tenderloin. Here is my version............

Calzones!

So I made some Calzones the other night. Turned out quite nice, first time I've made calzones since I've been working with these improved dough skills. Used a dough recipe very similar to my pizza dough. Kristin's was filled with Mozzarella, romano, goat cheese, fresh spinach, cremini mushroom, sundried tomato, and red onion. Mine was filled with Mozzarella, romano, pepperoni, mushroom, and green pepper. I baked them on by stone setup at 550 degrees for 10 minutes or so. After the came out I brushed them with a little butter and sprinkled on some parm. Served with some homeade pizza sauce of course!

No reservations Columbus Style

Not sure if you Columbus fools ever watch Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations, but he did an episode where he stopped in Columubs. Here are the places he stopped at, an awesome looking chinese place, and a bar that serves up some pretty dank looking pizzas.

Kihachi Japanese Restaurant

Tony and Michael Ruhlman sit at the sushi bar, while Chef Mike Kimura serves his traditional Japanese cuisine.

2667 Federated Blvd., Columbus, OH 43235

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ACTIVITIES

Clever Crow at Circus

Tony visits the Clever Crow at Circus where a young entrepreneur, Gary Robinette, serves up innovative pizzas.

1227 North High St., Columbus, OH 43201