Carne Molida con Papas

Carne Molida con Papas, or in English Ground Beef with Potatoes, is also know in many Latin American countries as Picadillo. To my understanding Picadillo was a seasoned shredded meat usually beef. That version of Picadillo is similar to the Cuban Ropa Vieja. I discovered this as a taco filling. I decided to make this at work.

I basically make my Taco Meat then add between 2 and 4 diced with skin on potatoes. The number of potatoes varies on the size of the potatoes. It simmers till the potatoes are tender. One cheat is to use frozen diced hash browns instead of fresh potatoes. To make it a more complete dish I have added shredded zucchini, diced or shredded carrots, corn, and whole beans. It can be served on rice. It can be a filling for taco, burritos, enchiladas, and empanadas.

Carne Molida con Papas

                                        

In Cuba it is made with raisins, capers, olives and in some regions white wine. They do not use the spicier peppers. In Cuba they serve it with black beans and rice. In Puerto Rico it is a filling for alcapurria, piononos and other fritters. They use ham, recaito, olives, capers, and raisins (sometimes soaked in rum). In Puerto Rico is it served with beans and rice.

This is a hearty dish and great for the meat and potato crowd. I like that it is a variation on another dish I make. There are various recipes for this online, but I just add potatoes to my Taco Meat.

Back Again 2018

I started the journey of coming back to cooking from scratch in 2015. In the late spring of 2016., I started a new job. The demands of the job and other issues led to me cooking less and less from scratch. February 2017 was the last thing I made at home. However I have experimented due to one of my duties at work. I now cook at work for people in a group home and co-workers. In the late summer of 2017, I had a setback with depression, which I suffer from. I took down almost every social media account I had including all three of my blogs. Many friends have asked that I bring back at least the cooking blog. So we now embark on KCC 2.0.

Sautéed Cabbage

This dish started as the result of me working with what I had. It was St. Patrick’s Day 2018. I was tasked with making Slow Cooked Corned Beef, Carrots, Potatoes, and Cabbage at work. One small problem there were no cabbages to be found in the refrigerator. However, there was shredded coleslaw. I decided to sauté it in vegan butter substitute, then braise it in the pot liquor the liquid used and or the result of the cooking of the meat) of the corned beef. The dish was a hit, so much that there were no left overs to be found.

When one cooks cut up cabbage it loses much of its volume. I suggest buying more than you think you need half again or twice the amount you planned. I prefer to use real butter, but in this case dairy products could not be used. If you are not pairing it with something that has its own broth use water. Cook the cabbage with the water is gone.

Sautéed Cabbage

I made this again at work on March 31, 2018. This time I used water instead of pot liquor. Once again it went very quickly amongst the supported individuals and the staff. This dish works very well. I prefer it to wedges of boiled or steamed cabbage. You have to pay attention to the level of liquid. Otherwise it will become scorched.

When you come from a family with some Scots Irish/ Ulster Scots heritage boiled or steamed cabbage is a common dish. Growing up we would have a it a few times a year. My mom tried to keep the vegetables seasonal. She kept cabbage in the rotation of dishes. We would also have stuffed cabbage rolls too. This is a simple easy substitute that truly hits the spot.

Chile Blanco

My Mom introduced me to Chile Blanco (White Bean Chicken Chili)over 10 years ago. It was after my parents became snowbirds bouncing between Oregon and Arizona. It seems that Chile Blanco originated in the 1980’s somewhere in the Southwest, but not Texas. My mom made the first batch I had of this dish. She got the recipe when living in Arizona. I tried various canned varieties, but I was not a fan. The times I enjoyed it were when it was made from scratch.

It tends to by Northern white beans, chicken or turkey (Duck has also been used), green chiles, cumin, oregano, onions, garlic, and jalapeños. There are variations, many call for sour cream or Mexican crema. When I first made it, I noticed the similarities in flavor to Sopa de Lima. That led me to add lime juice and diced tomatoes to mine. Among the things to add I would include shredded zucchini and/or yellow/ summer squash, roasted diced poblano chiles, nopales or nopalitos, greens (kale, chard, mustard greens, spinach, or turnip greens), cilantro, yogurt (usually instead of sour cream or Mexican crema), and white cheese (Monterey Jack, cotija, asadero, ranchero, queso quesadilla, queso fresco, Manchego, drunken/tipsy goat cheese, Oaxaca cheese, and Parmesan).

Chile Blanco

Since this dish is traditionally paired with a variety of poultry, other possibilities include, goose, quail, pheasant, squab, and Cornish game hen. Another variation is a Seafood chili blanco. This would include any combination of shrimp/prawns, fish, clams, crab, crayfish, lobster, octopus, squid, and scallops. Cream, sour cream, or Mexican Crema would work with the Seafood variety. Beer is a common ingredient for all chilis, but I avoid alcohol.

I made it at work for the people I support on December 14, 2017. I added the lime, petite diced tomatoes, a dash of paprika, and a dash of chili powder. Due to dietary restrictions I could not use any dairy. It tasted great. The combining of the elements from Sopa de Lima were a great twist. When I make it at home, I will use homemade Mexican crema. I definitely use Fritos or tortilla chips or strips. Chile con Carne, Chile blanco, Chile Colorado, Vegetarian Chili, and Chile Verde seems to be the main variations, but that may change again with a cook or chef with the right creativity.

Creamy White Chili Recipe
White Bean and Chicken Chili
Seafood Chili Blanco

Pork in Red Onion Sauce

I was looking through Marge Poore’s 1,000 Mexican Recipes and found this interesting dish, Pork in Red Onion Sauce, Cerdo con Salsa de Cebollas Rojas in Spanish. I like red onions and onions in general. Onions are typically used in almost every Mexican, Latin, and Spanish dish I know. They are found in most Filipino dishes as well. In my family they are part of our core seasonings with garlic and paprika. Either, diced, sliced, sectioned, or in powdered form, they appear in 90% of what I cook. This was even more interesting since it was red onions as the star of the sauce.

As I said I am a big fan of onions and most of the Allium family. That includes, scallions (green onions), shallots, leeks, garlic, and chives. When I came back to cooking I was using sweet onions exclusively. I learned that unless one is making something raw, sweet onions do not work. One loses the onion flavor in the mix. That meant I started using red onions, white onions, and yellow onions. In salads, sandwiches, pico de gallo, or any uncooked format sweet onions work best.

Cerdo con Salsa de Cebollas Rojas

The dish comes in two parts the seasoned pork and the sauce. The pork is seasoned with ground Mexican oregano, salt, black pepper, and garlic. It is then roasted. The sauce is sautéed red onions, rice wine vinegar, orange juice, red jalapeño (spicy red pepper) jelly, salt, and black pepper. I made this on February 10, 2017. I felt that Mexican Red Rice was not a good fit. I paired it with Cuban yellow rice. Red rice has too strong of a flavor to go well with this dish.

This dish is sweet, sour, and spicy. This came out wonderful. The mildness of the Cuban yellow rice did not conflict with the flavors of the red onion sauce. I may pair it with a Mexican style roasted potatoes next time. I brought it to work for some co-workers to try. It was a hit there too. So far Ms. Poore’s book has not handed me a dud.

Hamburger Steaks with Brown Gravy and Rice

The dish, Hamburger Steaks with Brown Gravy and Rice, does not sound like a Hawaiian dish, but it is a staple of Hawaiian plate lunch restaurants. If you add a sunny side up egg you have the Loco Moco. I am a big fan of Hawaiian cuisine, especially with my ties to Filipino and Japanese cuisines. I like this for other reasons, too. Rice is my go to starch, I prefer it to potatoes. I discovered this when I started to go to Hawaiian Plate Lunch places back in my mid to late twenties. This became my go to dish, since many of the other dishes I make by myself at home. I have a rule at Hawaiian Plate lunch locations, if I can make it I do not order it. Sadly as of December 2016, I can no longer order it.

The reason why it does not sound Hawaiian to many people is on face value, it does not seem East Asian in origin. Remember Hawaii is a state in the United States of America. It is their interpretation of meat and potatoes with gravy. They of course substitute rice for the potatoes. It is also similar to Salisbury steak. It is also traditionally served with a serving of macaroni salad. With my feelings about pasta, that part of the dish is usually avoided. I usually ask for a larger amount of rice at the Hawaiian plate lunch places.

Hamburger Steaks with Brown Gravy and Rice

One of the things holding me back was gravy. I never made brown gravy from scratch. With my experiences with various sauces and Hungarian Paprika Gravy, I decided to tackle this. I however did not make it at home first. I made it at work. It was a big hit. I used beef broth, hamburger drippings, and Imagine Foods’ Portobello Mushroom soup as my bases. I also used garlic, paprika, onion, and mushrooms to make the dish. The Portobello mushroom soup is a perfect replacement for cream of mushroom soup. First it has stronger mushroom flavor. Second no milk and no wheat/gluten. Third it is organic.

On January 27, 2017, I made this at home. First step was to fry the hamburgers on a skillet. Then I removed the hamburgers and added onions and garlic to be sautéed in the hamburger grease. Then the mushrooms were added. Finally half beef broth or stock and half mushroom soup. I added the hamburgers back to the dish. I added other seasonings. I simmered for 30 to 45 minutes. A thickening agent was added to the dish, this part is up to the cook. I served it over rice. To get a Loco Moco add a sunny side up egg. There is not exact recipe for this. This is all on the fly and by taste. This is an improvisational dish.

I may try making Loco Moco next time. In the past I avoided ordering Loco Moco. I am not a fan of egg whites; to the point of all eggs must be scrambled. I have watched several dishes on various cooking shows using sunny side up eggs or poached eggs, where the yolk was used to add to the richness of the dish. March 17, 2017. I had Portuguese sausage and eggs on rice at a local Hawaiian plate lunch place. The eggs were sunny side up. I loved it. My aversion to egg whites is not as strong as it used to be.

Mexican Arroz con Pollo

In my twenties, I started really experimenting with what I ate at Mexican restaurants. My go to dishes of the chile relleno-enchilada-tamale combination, chile verde, chorizo & eggs, chile Colorado, taquitos, nachos, fajitas and carnitas had become old. I discovered Mexican arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), most of the versions I have had included mushrooms. It became a regular dish. It typically is chicken, rice, onion, tomatoes, peppers (spicy and mild), and mushrooms. There is a sauce that is somewhat between a ranchero sauce and an enchilada sauce.

I call this Mexican Arroz con Pollo, because almost every Latino/ Hispanic culture has a version of this dish. It is a descendant of the Spanish Paella. Unlike Paella, Arroz con Pollo and its related dish Arroz con Camerones (rice with prawns/shrimp) only have one protein. Paella has multiple varieties of seafood, chicken, chorizo (the Spanish variety) and sometimes ham. The main difference in the Mexican variety versus others is the use of the spicier varieties of chiles or peppers. 

Arroz con Pollo Mexicano

On June 19, 2016, I finally made this from scratch. I had a few substitutions. I used chipotle powder instead of cayenne and at a slightly less amount. I had some left over piquillo peppers that I used instead of red bell peppers. Piquillos are typically pickled and are sweet. I also did not have nor could afford the saffron it called for, so used my annatto oil. Annatto oil is a typical substitute for saffron found in Latin American cooking. I also added some fresh chopped jalapeños. I topped it off with Mexican blend cheese.

I did cook it a little too long, but other than that is was great. Like the Pollo con Crema, I am going to try to make this at home rather than order this at a restaurant again. It had a bit of a kick in the finish. If I wanted less kick I would use Ortega mild green chiles or Anaheim chiles and a milder chile powder, like ancho or a mild guajillo. With my job cooking as an in home caregiver, I am learning how to tone down dishes for people unable to eat spicier foods. Overall this was a great experience.

Arroz Con Pollo

Mexican Arroz con Pollo: Chicken and Rice