Published by mel on February 17, 2010 in entree and recipe.
Yeah – I have no business whatsoever calling this Chicken Cordon Bleu. It’s more like Spanish-style stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in ham and cheese. But that’s not the most eye-catching title. Whatever you call them, these chicken breasts are pretty amazing. Also, pretty simple to make.
Just butterfly some chicken breasts and stuff them with spicy Spanish chorizo and Piquillo peppers (roasted red peppers work too). Close them up, wrap them in ham and cover with a slice of provolone cheese and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Into the oven for a bit, and out comes a one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever made.
Tom says that only a Cuban would come up with the idea of chicken stuffed and wrapped in pork. And he’s kind of right – we do think pork makes everything taste better. (Sorry vegetarians!)
Continue reading ‘Chicken Cordon Bleu (but with chorizo & piquillos)’
Published by mel on December 15, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Is there anything better than a big pot of bubbly soup on a Sunday afternoon? Yesterday, I made some classic Spanish Comfort Food — Caldo Gallego. The name translates to Galician Stew, and the soup originates from the Northern Spanish region of Galicia, which also happens to be where my great-grandparents were born and raised.
This traditional white bean soup comes in many versions. With chorizo and without, with turnips and without, with bacon and without. My version uses slab bacon and a lot of smoked ham hock to create a smoky, salty ham stock. Add cannelini beans, potatoes, onions and lots of collard greens for soup full of flavor, texture and healthful goodness. Sop everything up with a fresh baguette and you’ve got comfort food at its best.
Make sure to make a whole bunch because it tastes even better the next day. You can also freeze individual portions for easy portable lunches or emergency week night meals.
Continue reading ‘Spanish Comfort Food: Caldo Gallego’
Published by mel on July 7, 2008 in breakfast, dessert, entree, recipe and sides & bites.
The 4th of July just might be my favorite holiday. Especially when it lands on a Friday and the rain clouds stay away. We wake up early, pack the food, the coolers and the Bocce set and head to the beach. We set up 3 tents, tons of chairs and a buffet for our friends and family. We open our first beer before noon and we eat empanadas, roast pork and tamales with our toes in the sand all day. The barge with fireworks makes it’s way over to our beach, parks right in front of our party and we drink champagne while they burst over our heads. A perfect day.
I bring the empanadas, which means that I turn my kitchen into an empanada factory the eve of 4th. This year I managed to churn out 80 empanadas in 3 varieties – Guava and Cream Cheese; Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Feta; Ham, Cheddar and Green Apple. They were all gone by 3pm, which means that next year I’ll somehow have to make more. I think my favorite was the ham, cheddar and green apple, though the guava and cream cheese were the first to disappear.
Just like arroz con pollo empanadas differ regionally. Cubans generally deep fry their empanadas, creating a flaky, bubbly crust. While these are quite delicious, I just don’t deep dry at home. Too messy. I baked them in batches of 20 – 30 and they emerged golden and delicious.
Empanadas are fairly easy to make and great for large crowds. They’re also hand-held and portable which make them perfect for a BBQ or beach picnic. And they were just perfect for my perfect 4th of July.
Continue reading ‘empanadas three ways’
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