A Collection of Our Recipes
Ingredients:
- 2-3 cups of Pinto Beans
- 1 whole white onion, peeled
- several slices of bacon, ham or other seasoning meat
Directions:
- Wash the beans.
- Put beans a large pot, put in the whole onion and the bacon and
add a few quarts of water.
- Cook for several hours adding water as necessary - but don't
get them too soupy. Beans should be tender when cooked enough.
- Cool a bit, lift out and discard the onion and bacon.
- You can serve them whole, or you can partially or completely
mash them (Don't "re-fry" them as that adds a lot of fat without much
improvement in flavor) If you mash some or all of them, drain, reserving the liquid,
mash
adding liquid to get to the desired consistency - not too dry or too soupy. I always leave
some whole beans or chunks in for more interesting texture. Do not over-mash.
Variations:
- Use black beans instead of pintos.
- Add a
sprig or Epazote (a common weed, but hard to find unless you know what you are looking
for) in the last 15 minutes of cooking. The taste it adds is a bit medicinal but
very authentic.
- Add some chopped hot green chiles at the beginning of cooking (serrano
preferably.)
Can be cooked a day or two ahead and re-heated, even in a microwave.
Ingredients:
- flour tortillas (use the large size and fold over, or use two small
tortillas and layer them)
- cheese (shredded or thinly sliced; Colby, Jack, Cheddar, or a mixture)
- butter (as needed for frying)
- Picco de Gallo
Optional ingredients:
- green onion, sliced into thin rounds
- green chile, diced or cut into strips (use frozen if you can get it, otherwise the canned
Ortegas)
- meat, thinly sliced - chicken breast, tirkey, ham, roast beef, etc.
- sour cream
Directions:
The basic recipe is to put some cheese inside one large folded tortilla or between two
small ones and fry in butter until warmed through and the cheese is melty. Serve with
Salsa Fresca and/or sour cream on the side. These cannot be cooked ahead but should be
prepared just before served. Sometimes we heat a platter in the microwave and cook them
one at a time and put them on the platter to keep them warm until the batch is ready.
As an appetizer you could add green onion or green chile. Adding meat makes it more of
a lunch meal or a main course dish.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium tomato
- 1/2 large white onion
- 1 to 4 serrano chiles (depends on desired hotness plus how hot this batch of
chilies is;
can substitute Jalapeno)
- cilantro, leaves and very small stems only (also called coriander in some parts of the
country - the fresh green kind, not the seeds!; amount depends on taste - we use a lot)
- tiny bit of salt (optional)
Directions:
- Wash all the ingredients and have them at room temperature
- Chop everything into small "salsa-sized" (1/4 inch or so
for everything but the chiles, 1/16 for them) pieces
- Combine in a bowl and add a little bit of salt.
- Make about 15-30 minutes prior to use, but no longer.
Ingredients (per cup of sauce - multiply as necessary)
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 Tbsp. flour
- 8-12 dried New Mexico red chiles
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 to 1/1/2 cups water
Directions:
- Make a roux with 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. flour for each
cup of sauce. Make all the roux at once if you are multiplying the recipe. The roux may be omitted, but the flavor
and texture change.
- Wash and remove the caps, stems and most or all of the seeds
and membranes from the dried red chiles, allowing 8-12 chiles per cup of sauce you wish to
make. It is best to wear rubber gloves for this.
- For each cup of sauce, repeat this step in separate batches:
Combine in a blender 8-12 washed and cleaned red chiles, 1 peeled clove of garlic, and 1
to 1/1/2 cups of water. Blend on high for several minutes until completely liquefied,
scraping down the sides of the blender as required. Add more water to blender if required,
but do not put in too much as the chile will not pulverize properly. The mixture in the
blender container should be rather soupy and not too thick. Whisk the blender
contents into
the pan with the roux one batch at a time. Repeat as needed for each additional cup of
sauce.
- Simmer the sauce uncovered (but with a splatter screen; or
partially covered) for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally and add water as required to maintain
the desired consistency (a thick sauce).
- Can be refrigerated for a week or so or frozen for months.
Ingredients (per cup of sauce - multiply as necessary)
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1/4 of a small white onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. flour
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
- 1/2 cup chopped, peeled New Mexico green chile (fresh or frozen - we often
use the Bueno brand frozen green chile that is widely available)
- Finely chopped Serrano chile as needed to make the sauce hot enough
(optional)
Directions:
- Sauté the white onion in the butter until tender. Add the flour (1
Tbsp. flour for each
cup of sauce) and make the roux. The roux may be omitted, but the flavor
and texture change.
- Add the stock or water slowly in batches and stir or whisk to combine into
the roux and cook until thickened a bit.
- Add the green chile and cook a few minutes. Taste and adjust the hotness
by adding finely chopped Serrano chile as necessary until it gets hot
enough.
- Simmer the sauce uncovered (but with a splatter screen; or
partially covered) for 1/2 an hour. Stir occasionally and add water as required to maintain
the desired consistency.
- Can be refrigerated for a week or so or frozen for months.
Ingredients:
- Corn tortillas (about 3 per serving), soften over an open flame or in a pan just before
use.
- Grated cheese (cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, etc. according to your taste - we mostly use
cheddar)
- Red Chile sauce (about 1/2 cup per serving), warmed
- Chopped onion (optional)
- Shredded chicken or beef (optional), warm
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350°.
- Arrange in a baking dish in alternating layers - tortilla,
sauce, cheese, other items. Final layers on top should be tortilla, then sauce, then
cheese. Use enough sauce so that the enchiladas do not dry out during baking.
- Bake uncovered in 350° oven for about 30 minutes or until
heated through and cheese on top is bubbly.
Ingredients:
- Meat (pork or beef), well trimmed of any fat and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes
- Red Chile sauce (see above recipe)
Directions:
- Combine equal amounts of meat and sauce in a saucepan and
simmer for 2-3 hours.
- Stir occasionally and add water as required to maintain the
desired consistency (a thick stew).
Serve with warm flour tortillas or use as a burrito or taco filling (adding cheese,
beans, lettuce, chopped onions or other ingredients.) Use to top tostadas (adding cheese
and lettuce). Use to fill cups made by frying a corn tortilla in a cup shape (best done
with a special frying basket), then top with cheese and lettuce to make tostadas
compuestas, a local specialty.
Recipe adapted from published in the Orange County (California) Register.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 lime, use juice only
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 serrano chile, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon tumeric (or 8 drops yellow food coloring), optional
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 whole frying chicken cut into two portions - one with breasts and wings the other with back, legs and thighs
Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken, measure out 1/4 cup marinade and reserve for basting while grilling.
- Place chicken in a shallow glass baking dish or stainless steel bowl and cover with marinade.
- Cover with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or preferably overnight, turning at least once.
- Remove chicken from refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking time.
- Drain chicken and grill over low coals for 1 hour or until no traces of pink color remain and leg/thigh joints are a bit loose when wiggled, turning every 10 minutes.
- Baste with the reserved 1/4 cup marinade while cooking.
- Cut into pieces an serve with warmed corn tortillas and Picco de Gallo.
This recipe is similar to the fish tacos served at Rubio's Baja Grill.
Dressing
Ingredients:
- 5 parts mayonnaise
- 2 parts plain yogurt
- water as necessary to thin
Directions:
- Combine mayonnaise and yogurt in a bowl and whisk until blended. Add water a little at a time and
whisk to make a dressing of medium consistency.
- This is used to dress the shredded cabbage.
Batter
Ingredients:
- 1 - 1/1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon whole mustard seed (or 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard)
- 2 teaspoons whole cumin seed (or 1 teaspoon ground cumin)
- cayanne pepper to taste
- salt to taste
- 1 bottle beer, preferable a bit flat
Directions:
- Amounts are approximate and we vary them to taste.
- In a mixing bowl combine and mix the flour, paprika, black pepper, salt and cayenne.
- Grind the cumin and mustard seed in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Filter through a strainer into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
- Add beer slowly and stir to make a batter of medium consistency
The tacos
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of fish. We use swordfish, sea bass, Mahi Mahi or other firm white fish. Some people use cod or
pollock.
- 8-10 corn tortillas
- The dressing
- The batter
- Pico de Gallo (or other salsa)
- 1/4 of a small head of cabbage
- Peanut oil to deep fry, heated to 350 degrees.
Directions:
- Remove thick parts of the cabbage. Separate the leaves and using a sharp knife shred the cabbage into thin strips 1/8 inch or less in width and 3 inches or less in length. Put in a serving bowl. We add the dressing as we use it, but you can go ahead and combine the cabbage and dressing.
- Heat the tortillas over an open gas range flame or in a pan. Stack in a warmed plate and cover with aluminum foil.
- Cut into fish into taco size pieces (about 1 to 1/12 inches square, or into 2 inch strips).
- Dip the fish in the batter and cook in the peanut oil until browned and done. Remove and drain.
- Serve the fish nuggets, tortillas, Pico de Gallo, and cabbage with dressing and allow your guests to assemble their own tacos. We star with a layer of cabbage, then dressing, then several pieces of fish and top it with the Pico de Gallo.
Baresa means a recipe in the style of or from the area of Bari, a city in Southern Italy in the region of Puglia. In this recipe, tubes of rigatoni hold the tomato sauce, giving
a burst of creamy flavor with every bite. Use either hot or mild Italian sausage, depending on your preference. A Chianti Classico
is a good wine to serve with this dish. Makes 4 large servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/4 pounds (a typical supermarket package of 4 or 5) mild or hot Italian sausage, casings removed (eggplant, broccoli, and other "chunky" vegetables or ground meats can be substituted)
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped (about 1 medium onion)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup dry white wine (add more during cooking if the liquid evaporates too much)
- 4-5 fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped (substitute 1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (from a 15-ounce can)
- dash of salt
- fresh-ground black pepper (3-5 turns of the pepper mill)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup light cream (optional - the sauce is good but different if you leave this out)
- rigatoni to serve the number of people needed, about ¼ pound per person (substitute farfalle (butterflies), small shells, penne or fusilli; but not a flat pasta such as spaghetti or linguine)
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
Directions:
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into small chunks, until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pan. Discard all but 1-2 tablespoons fat.
- Reduce the heat to moderately low. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and tomatoes (if using fresh tomatoes) and cook until reduced, about 10 minutes. Add more wine as necessary. Stir in the sausage, tomatoes (if using canned tomatoes), pepper and salt. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the parsley and cream (optional).
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni until just done, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce if serving together, or serve separately. Serve with grated Parmesan.
This recipe is adapted from one published in the New York Times Cookbook
Ingredients:
- 2 cups small white beans, dried
- about 1 ½ quarts (48 ounces) of chicken stock (1 large can)
- 2 slices bacon, diced
- 1 whole onion, peeled and studded with 3 cloves
- a bouquet garni (2 celery stalks, each cut into 5 or 6 pieces; 1 clove garlic, sliced in two; several sprigs of parsley; two sprigs (4 " long each) fresh thyme; wrap in cheesecloth and tie)
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 smoked pork hock, whole
- 1 duck breast (can substitute chicken breast), boneless, cut into several pieces
- 2 boneless pork chops or 2 boneless country style pork spareribs, cut into several pieces
- 2 or 3 polish sausages, cut diagonally into slices 1/3 inch thick
- 1 to 2 cups white wine
Directions:
- Combine the first 6 ingredients in a casserole. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 2 hours on the top of the stove on low heat. Add wine as needed to replenish the liquid.
- Remove the bouquet garni, carrots and the
onion. Add the meat and 1 cup of wine.
- Cook in the oven for 1-2 additional hours.
- As a crust forms on the top, break it up and stir it back into the dish. Do this at least every 20-30 minutes.
Adapted from the New York Times Cookbook. Makes 1/2 cup.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (such a Gray Poupon)
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly group pepper to taste
- 1 glove garlic, minced
Directions:
- Put the vinegar and mustard in a bowl and stir with a wire whisk.
Gradually add the oil, stirring rapidly with the whisk.
- Stir in the salt, pepper and garlic.
Makes enough to coat most of a whole frying chicken (less the back pieces).
Ingredients:
- 3 cups crisp rice cereal (not flakes)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin (or less, to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs or equivalent egg substitute
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or one whole frying chicken, cut up. less the backs
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place cereal in plastic bag and roughly crush with rolling pin. Transfer cereal to large bowl and mix in cheese, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Beat egg until frothy in medium bowl. Dip each piece of chicken into egg, then into cereal mixture, pressing to coat.
- Arrange chicken pieces, not touching, on prepared baking sheet and bake uncovered until well done in center-about 30 minutes.
This is an excellent cooked tomato sauce made from canned tomatoes. The recipe is adapted from one
from the Food 911 show on the Food Network.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 3 lbs, 3 oz (1/2 of a 6 lb, 6 oz can) crushed tomatoes (we use Hunts Angelia
Mia brand and freeze the unused portion)
- Pinch sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat.
- Sauté the garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs for 2 minutes until the herbs are fragrant and garlic is golden
but not overly brown.
- Raise the heat to medium, add onion and carrot with a bit of salt to draw out some of their juices.
(Adding some salt reduces the amount of oil needed.)
- Cover the pan except when stirring cook for 5 minutes until the onions and
carrots break down and are soft.
- Deglaze with the red wine and reduce to evaporate the alcohol.
- Add the canned tomatoes with a pinch of sugar to cut down on the acidity.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Let simmer for at least 30 minutes, uncovered, but you can cook the sauce
much longer if desired. We usually cook for several hours if time is
available, adding wine or water to replenish the liquid as required and
reducing the heat to the barest simmer.
This is an excellent simple and fresh tomato sauce that we serve often. The recipe is adapted from one
from Tomato Sauce III in Marcella Hazan's book The Classic Italian Cook
Book.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds fresh rip tomatoes, preferably plum tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons butter (the original recipe calls for 1/4 pound; we find
that reducing that amount reduced fat while sacrificing little taste)
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved (do not chop up as it is removed
after cooking!)
- pinch sugar (if desired)
Directions:
- Cut the tomatoes into chunks (quarters for the smaller plum tomatoes;
eights for larger standard tomatoes) and cook in a covered non-reactive
saucepan for 10-20 minutes, or until softened. Add a bit of water if needed
to prevent sticking.
- Puree the tomatoes in a food processor and return them to the pot.
- Add the butter, onion and sugar and simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered,
stirring each 10 minutes or so to prevent sticking.
- Remove the onion with a slotted spoon.
We developed this recipe as an appetizing and quick way to serve shrimp. It
can be adapted in many different ways.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of 41-60 count cooked shrimp, tail on (can substitute almost any
cooked or uncooked shrimp)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4-6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1/2 or more of a good white wine (we often use the same wine we will later
drink with the meal)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Prepare the shrimp by washing and removing the tails. If using
uncooked, shell-on shrimp, peel and de-vein.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan.
- Add the garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the
butter and garlic are lightly browned.
- Add the wine and the shrimp and cook uncovered until the shrimp are
warmed through (if using already cooked shrimp) or cooked (if using
un-cooked shrimp).
- Remove the shrimp to the serving dish with a slotted spoon to prevent
over-cooking.
- Turn the heat up to high and reduce the sauce by 1/2 or more.
- Pour the sauce over the shrimp and serve.
Adaptations:
- Use more butter and wine to make more sauce. Add cooked pasta into
the sauce, stir to coat and warm.
- Use more butter and wine to make more sauce. Serve with freshly baked
French bread and use it to sop up the extra sauce.
- Add some chopped green things to the sauce (parsley, cilantro, green peas
or green onions). You can also add cooked mushrooms.
We developed this recipe after we saw a tomato bisque recipe in a newspaper. It
can be adapted in many different ways.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 white onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or a fish based stock if available)
- 8 plum tomatoes, roasted (see directions, below)
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/2 pound crab meat (we buy refrigerated, canned meat in the fresh fish
section of the local market)
- a few tablespoons balsamic vinegar, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
- Roast the tomatoes by slicing each in half lengthwise, placing each cut
side down in a broiling pan, and roast for 15-20 minutes until cooked.
Finish under the broiler to char the skins.
- Puree the roasted tomatoes in a blender or food processor in small batches
adding water as required. Reserve.
- Sauté the herbs for a minute or so in the olive oil.
- Add the onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until softened, about 3-5
minutes.
- Add the stock, pureed roasted tomatoes, and tomato sauce and cook for at
least 10 minutes.
- Add the crab meat and cook until warned and blended.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add balsamic vinegar, to taste.
Adaptations:
- A fish stock can be made by cooking shells of shrimp or crab in boiling
water to cover until the water is reduced by 1/2.
- Minced shrimp or lobster can be used instead of crab.
Steve Carson
0084 Oro Grande Drive #123D
Keystone, CO 80435
+1-970-262-1429
E-mail: carson@gscassociates.com
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