Showing posts with label sauce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sauce. Show all posts

Monday, May 19, 2014

Fresno Pepper Hot Sauce



Hot Sauce is a staple in our kitchen.  

The Captain loves putting it on all types of food and I'm learning how to expand my horizons, even though I have always cooked with hot peppers.  He makes our hot sauce and we will be sharing his recipe as soon as he puts it into words!

The source link goes to the episode page of Fiery Foods, which includes other recipes featured on the show.

My favorite thing she made with the pepper was the fiery compound butter she used to make a roasted chicken.  OMG, that gave me so many ideas!

Wouldn't the hot sauce taste great in a mayonnaise sauce for sandwiches and burgers?  The possibilities are endless!



Source: The Food Network
SHOW: Kelsey's Essentials
EPISODE: Fiery Foods





Ingredients


    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 8 Fresno peppers, chopped
    • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
    • 1/2 habanero pepper, chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 2 shallots, chopped
    • 1/3 cup cider vinegar


Directions

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add all the peppers, the garlic and shallots, and saute until softened and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup water and simmer an additional 4 to 5 minutes.

Place the cooked mixture into a blender and add the vinegars and salt. Blend until completely smooth and pureed. Adjust the seasoning and serve.


Monday, February 17, 2014

Cuban Mojo Marinade Recipes and Cooking Tips for Mojo



One of my greatest blessings is the kitchen aroma in my house growing up and the associated memories.

We were what is considered a "multi-ethnic european/latin family" . . . yes, ethnic groups have subgroups.  Back in the day, the mixing of those groups was frowned upon, but my generation in my part of the world seems to be one of the first to have embraced the mingling of those ethnic groups. 

Cuban cigar factories sprung up in Tampa, Florida that employed so many of the european latino and cuban immigrants that flooded the area and many grew up in the same neighborhoods and their children went to the same schools.

With the blending of those families came a blending of cooking techniques and customs.  The food that came from my childhood kitchen was italian, cuban and spanish in origin.  What a delicious combination!

In doing research for some local dishes I grew up with, I have come to realize that many are unique to this area of the world!

It is delightfully odd how writing a post about cuban mojo conjured up so many memories.  My fondest memories come from the smell of a roast pork in the oven marinaded and basted with cuban mojo and tons of onion and garlic as a bed for the pork.  Black beans served on garlicky white rice usually accompanied the roast.  When we make a roast pork, the aroma takes me back to Christmas Eve at my Godmother's house and the best black beans and rice with roast pork I have ever had! 

Ditto for the preparation of a roasted whole chicken, although the family had a strong preference for pork.


In Cuban cooking, mojo is a sauce/marinade that is made with garlic, olive oil and a citrus juice, traditionally sour orange juice.  Orange and lime juice can be used as a substitute if sour oranges are not available.

In my area, sour orange trees are prevalent since we live right on the line of the subtropical gardening zone.  When the sweet juicing orange trees would die from an occasional freeze, what grew back from the trunk was not a sweet orange, but a sour orange, much like a lemon, but sweeter.  Our house sits on a former orange grove, so the sour orange trees are still popping up from the birds scattering the seeds.  What a blessing!  I'm not even sure if they are locally sold in stores since I have never had to buy them.  I do know that you can buy bottled mojo in the ethnic section of the grocery store.

The Captain has developed quite a fondness for this concoction we call cuban mojo since we married and he was introduced to a whole new world of food and cooking.  He has become the official mojo maker, storing the mojo in old wine bottles that accompany all his other concoctions and sauces in the fridge.  He continues to experiment with the basic recipe by adding some form of hot pepper to the mix with some delicious results.

Honestly, all you need is a great mojo sauce to flavor your pork roast or whole chicken in a quick and easy prep . . . marinated and/or basted . . . cooked in the oven, grill/smoker or slow cooker does all the work.   For us, it is the most economical way for us to prepare them since we don't have to buy fancy, expensive sauces.


Some ideas for the use of mojo that we love:



Mojo is also used on seafood and beef. 



Add a splash of mojo to a shrimp scampi type of dish or baked fish with onions.


 Shrimp is awesome marinaded in mojo and grilled for a few minutes for a tasty appetizer. 



 Palomilla (a thin steak cut from the round) or cubed steak marinated in mojo and pan fried with grilled onions is awesome . . . put that steak and onions in some hot crusty bread for a sandwich that is to die for. 

 I love putting some mojo on black beans and rice for extra flavor! 

 It is one of those concoctions that can go a long way with a little imagination and creativity in your cooking.




Basic Cuban Mojo Recipe

½ cup of olive oil
10 garlic cloves, minced, but best processed in a blender with the juices  (You could use as few as 6 or 8, but in my opinion, the more garlic, the better!)
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup lime juice
¾ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp oregano
½ tsp salt (or to taste)



Process the garlic cloves with the juices until garlic is minced super fine if a blender is available.
Stir in the olive oil and spices.
You can use bottled sour orange juice available in the Hispanic foods/ethnic section of most grocery stores, however, lime juice and orange juice work just as well in a 1 to 1 formula.
The mojo can be kept in the refrigerator for three days to a week, if it lasts that long!
If you don't want to mess with making your own mojo, there are some very good varieties available in the ethnic section of the grocery store.


Monday, September 29, 2008

Roasted Pepper Sauce

Drain a 12 oz jar roasted peppers. Pulse peppers and a small clove of
garlic in a food processor until smooth. Add 1 Tbsp each balsamic
vinegar and olive oil. Process to blend. Makes 3/4 cup sauce

Spoon over grilled chicken breast or london broil

Toss with cold pasta and basil for a quick salad

Top baked, sauteed or grilled fish with it

Spice it up with hot pepper sauce and serve with shrimp

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Alfredo Fettucine

1/2 cup real butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream*
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper - to taste
1 dash cayenne pepper
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan OR Romano cheese
1 lb. box fettuccine noodles - prepared as directed
chopped fresh parsley - for garnish, optional


In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter; add cream, garlic powder, and salt and peppers; simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick.

Remove sauce from heat and stir in cheese. Do not heat sauce after cheese has been added.

Serve sauce over hot fettuccine noodles and sprinkle with parsley, if desired.


*I use low fat half and half and don't notice the difference


VARIATIONS:

The above recipe is the base for my sauce . . . I personally add sauteed green onion, bell pepper, hot pepper and garlic . . . sometimes tomato, broccoli, green beans or mushrooms . . . whatever I have on hand.

Another variation is to add crab meat, peeled shrimp . . . or both

Use different types of pasta! Also tastes awesome with white rice for a nice change.

And if I am in a rush . . . pre-made alfredo sauce in the jar . . . I like the garlic-parmesean cheese flavored one the best. if there is a big sale, like a BOGO special, I stock up because it is actually very good, fast and cheap . . . just add your own touch to it.

This is comfort food at it's best in my opinion . . . Shrimp Pasta with lots of hot peppers (without the seeds) is my favorite . . . served with rigatoni pasta.
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