Frida Kahlo's Zucchini Salad

This recipe is from Saveur magazine. I think it's a really good recipe. It was a little different than the usual zucchini recipe and the avocado added great texture. The word avocado comes from a word that means "testicles".  The last comment says the article is incorrect and explains the mistake the article makes. I don't really know if any of it is true, but it's funny to think about either way.

SERVES 6-8
Ingredients
8 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
½ tsp. sugar
6 small zucchini, sliced
2 ripe avocados, sliced
3 oz. crumbled queso añejo or parmesan
2 tbsp. cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions

Shake 6 tbsp. olive oil, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a glass jar until emulsified; set aside. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high; cook zucchini until golden, 10–12 minutes. Let cool slightly and overlap on a serving platter with avocados. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with the vinaigrette; garnish with queso añejo or parmesan and cilantro.

Arroz Con Gandules

This recipe was submitted by Yasmin Hernandez to cooks.com. I went to Colombia and was inspired by the rice dishes. They have lots of wonderful rice dishes many of which have a real paella vibe to them. Since returning home I have tried several one pot rice dishes not all of them from Colombia. This one is Puerto Rican and it's very good. 

I imagine that other people have figured this out before me, but I felt some pride at substituting brown rice successfully. To use brown rice instead of white rice, cook the rice for about half the time (20-25 mins) prior to putting it in the recipe. Since you have already used the 5 cups of water for the rice, you must add at least 1 cup and up to 2 cups when you put the rice into the dish to finish cooking. 

2 1/2 cups long grain white rice
5 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons sofrito (jarred or make your own by dicing onion, bell pepper (any kind), garlic, cilantro and tomato)
1/4 cup chopped bacon
1/4 cup chopped ham or sausage
2 tablespoons spanish olives
1 can green or dry pigeon beans, drained
1 envelope sazon with annato
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon tomato paste
salt and black pepper to taste

Start by heating the oil in a pot at high heat, and when the oil is nice and hot, add the bacon. When the bacon is cooked but not crisp, add the ham/sausage. Once that has browned, add the Sofrito. This must stir fry all together for about 1 minute.

After that has been done add the water, then the peas, the olives, the tomato paste, and all the spices, including the envelope of sazon.

At that point, add salt and pepper to taste. Bring this up to a boil then stir in rice.

Once it has began to boil again, lower heat and stir 1 more time, then cover. Let this cook for about 30 - 40 minutes on a low heat setting, stirring occasionally (every 10 minutes) until the rice is tender. Serve.

Pork and Green Chile Stew

I went on a green chile stew binge and made a couple different recipes. This one is by Grace Parisi from Food and Wine. Again, it was very tasty, but it wasn't exactly right if you want authentic New Mexican style green chile.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds trimmed boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 pound mild green chiles, such as poblanos and Anaheims—halved lengthwise, cored and thinly sliced
3 serrano chiles, seeded and thinly sliced (keep some seeds for spicier flavor)
6-8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
Lime wedges, warm corn tortillas and rice, for serving
oregano

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until almost smoking. Season the pork cubes with salt and black pepper (don’t be shy) and add them to the casserole. Cook the pork over high heat, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, green chiles, serrano chiles and garlic and oregano. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer the stew over moderately low heat until the pork is just tender and the broth is reduced by about half, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the 1/4 cup of cilantro and season with salt and black pepper. Garnish the stew with cilantro and serve with lime wedges, corn tortillas and rice.

MAKE AHEAD The stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Green Chile Stew

I found this recipe at the kitchn. (No that's not a typo.) I like this recipe but my wife who is from New Mexico thought it was not as good as it could have been. She admittedly is a New Mexico green chile snob, but even so, I think she has a valid point. Nevertheless, I still think this recipe has merit and if you use real Hatch chiles, you will get good flavor. I used the Hatch/ancho (1.5 lbs. of Hatch plus 1 large dried ancho chile) combination rather than the long hot/chilaca combination.

Serves 8
1 - 1 1/2 pounds fresh green chile peppers (See Recipe Notes)
8 ounces tomatillos, husks removed
2 tablespoons bacon grease, lard, or canola oil, for browning
3 1/2 - 4 pounds pork shoulder, excess fat removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped
5 - 6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano (See Recipe Notes)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 cups chicken stock, plus more as needed
3/4 pound russet, yukon gold, or white potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooked white rice or warm tortillas, for serving
Fresh cilantro sprigs, for serving

Place an oven rack a few inches from the broiler. Arrange the peppers on a sheet pan and cook, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides,15 to 20 minutes. Wrap the peppers tightly with aluminum foil in three to four bundles to steam.

While the peppers are steaming, arrange the tomatillos on the sheet pan and broil until charred, flipping once, 5 to 10 minutes. Peel and remove the skins, stems, and seeds from the peppers. Chop the peppers and tomatillos and set aside.

Heat a few tablespoons of bacon grease in a large Dutch oven over high heat until sizzling. Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working in three to four batches (do not crowd the pan) cook pork until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Continue browning the remaining pork.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves and stir to incorporate, about 1 minute. Add cider vinegar to the pot and increase heat to high to deglaze the pan; scrape up any leftover browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Pour in the chicken stock and reserved peppers and tomatillos. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the pork is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (It can also be cooked in a 325°F oven.)

Peel and dice the potatoes. Add to the stew and cook until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Season stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cooked white rice (my preference) or warm tortillas.

This recipe gets better after one, two, and three days, so make in advance if possible.

Recipe Notes

I used a mix of long hots, chilacas, and poblano peppers, which together pack a lot of (good) heat. You could also use milder peppers such as New Mexico (Hatch) chiles and Anaheims or hotter peppers such as anchos.

Dried Mexican oregano can be found in Latin markets and well stocked grocery stores. It has a smoky flavor that dried Mediterranean oregano doesn't have.

Smashed Potatoes with Leek and Garlic

This is a great recipe by Alison Roman published at Bon Appetit. This recipe is a hit and I know this because my wife loves potatoes. If she dislikes a potato recipe, it's not good.

SERVINGS: 8

Ingredients

2½ pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes
⅓ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 leeks, dark-green parts discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 green garlic bulbs, white and pale-green parts only, or 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation
ACTIVE: 1 HRS
TOTAL: 1 HRS 15 MIN

Steam potatoes in a steamer basket in a covered pot filled with 2" water until tender, 15–20 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a plate; let cool. Press with your hand to flatten until skins split and some flesh is exposed (a few may fall apart).

Heat half of ⅓ cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add half of potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until potatoes start to brown, 8–10 minutes. Add half of leeks and garlic; cook, tossing, until potatoes are brown and crisp and leeks are golden and soft, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with remaining oil, potatoes, leeks, and garlic.

Add lemon zest and juice to potatoes and toss well; season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with more oil.

Gnocchi

I have tried this recipe with gluten free flour two times now and both times have been less than amazing. I have a good gluten free flour mix that I have used for ravioli but it's just not the same. The second try, I added 1 T xanthan gum per 1 c of flour and it still doesn't work. The gluten free flour doesn't hold together well enough, it doesn't have enough elasticity, and the potatoes overwhelm the texture.

16 russet potatoes

eggs

flour

Roast peeled potatoes at 450F for 1 hour.
Cut the potatoes in half and rest until they stop steaming.
Using a potato ricer, mash the potatoes and let cool for a bit.
Add 2 egg yolks for 1 pound of potatoes.
Add just under half a cup of sieved flour (depends on the potatoes).
Gently work the dough until it comes together and stops sticking to the work surface. (Be careful not to overwork it).
Roll and cut the dough to desired size gnocchi.
Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface plus 20 seconds.
Heat olive oil in a pan and pan fry the gnocchi until they have nice crisp burn marks. (Use flavored oil or add garlic if desired.)

Cucumbers with Scallion Chili Oil

I really like this recipe from Chris Morocco and published at Bon Appetite. In my opinion, the resting with the salt is really the important step. I think cutting them works just as well if you don't want to get a rolling pin dirty just for a quick salad. ;)

SERVINGS: 4

Ingredients

1 pound Persian or English hothouse cucumbers
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
3 scallions, sliced
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Chili oil (for serving)

Preparation
ACTIVE: 10 MIN TOTAL: 20 MIN

Gently smack cucumbers with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pot until they begin to break apart. Tear into bite-size pieces. Transfer to a colander; toss with 1 tsp. salt. Let sit 10 minutes to drain excess liquid.

Transfer cucumbers to a medium bowl and toss with scallions, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Drizzle with chili oil.