Elote (In a Cup)

Before I get into this recipe...I need to tell you. When you are moving in less than 3 weeks...your freezer should definitely NOT look like this:

And your pantry should absolutely look NOTHING like this:

Well....if you really want to get into it. Your pantry should NEVER look like that in the first place.

I mean. It looks like a freaking slob lives in a house with a pantry like that!

And yes, if you notice...there is so much stuff that it doesn't even all FIT in the pantry and has to reside on TOP of the pantry. Ugh!

And let's not even talk about how the freezer is so full that the sorbet has to hang out in the ice bin.

Yeah...

But!

We've been making good progress in the last week. I took those pictures about a week ago. Now we have a little under 2 weeks to go until we move and the freezer looks MUCH different now.

We just won't talk about that pantry.

So, this week, you will be getting a couple recipes that we have enjoyed because of our ever pressing need to clear out that freezer and chucking as little as possible.

Not to say that we wouldn't have enjoyed these dishes anyway...we just rushed along the process a bit.

And there's NOTHING wrong with that. ;-)

So...on to the recipe!

The first time I tried elote (pronounced EEE-low-tay) was at The Hubble's parent's church Summer festival. The Hubble's dad was in charge of the beer booth so, naturally, we helped sling beer for a couple nights over a weekend.

This was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. I mean...serving beer to people who are getting increasingly drunk all the while listening to the band play.

Now, let me also mention, this was in El Paso, Texas where Mexican influence reigns king.

So...much of the time, the band was some version of mariachi music. That's fine by me.

At the end of the weekend, all the volunteer staff and church employees grabbed some beer, margaritas and cups of elote and sat around chatting and laughing.

It was fabulous!

I had never tasted anything so delicious in my life as that elote. It was corn in a cup, yes. But it was drenched in this creamy, buttery sauce, cheesy, heavenly sauce. You grab a cup, toss in as much chili powder as you can handle and some lime juice for good measure, grab a spoon and go to town!

When wracking my brain for ideas to use up the stuff in my freezer, I ran across a package of corn on the cob. I thought what better time than now to make my own elote!

I will tell you that I went heavy on the mayo and The Hubble was not thrilled. He claimed that all he could taste was the mayo. I loved the dish and think he's crazy.

However, I am pregnant and my taste buds could very well be wonky. Therefore, in the recipe I indicated a smaller and larger measurement for the mayo. You can decide from there which way you want to go.

I will also say that I like heat. When I'm not trying to convince myself I should have been born Italian, I'm telling others that I'm really an honorary Mexican. I mean...I married a half Puerto Rican, half Mexican man...shouldn't that count for something???

Anyway...to make a long story even longer by now...if you don't like too much heat, I would scale back on the chili powder and cayenne pepper. Maybe half them??

Either way, any way you make this is going to be amazing. Trust me. You know...or don't. Like I said, my taste buds could just be wonky.

But did I mention The Hubble doesn't like cheese??? I'm not really sure he can be trusted ya know??

On to the recipe!

Gather your ingredients: corn, mayo, butter, chili powder, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, lime juice and cotija (or parmesan) cheese.

Melt your butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.

Mix in the corn until it's well coated with the butter.

Mix in the mayo until well incorporated. Let it start bubbling.

Toss in your spices. Mmmm...spices. Mix them all in.

Then dump in your cheese and stir until it's all melty.

Now let that bad boy boil. Stir it occasionally. But you want those fats from the butter and mayo to separate and create this delicious sauce. Once you have that...you are golden!

Serve it up in a cup with a spoon! Toss in more cheese (and or spice) if desired. And enjoy!


Elote (In a Cup)

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole kernel corn (drained if using canned)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
• 1/4-1/2 cup mayo (depending on desired creaminess)
• 1/8 cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled or shredded cojita cheese (can sub parmesan)

Directions:

1. Grill or heat corn as desired.
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan on medium high heat.
3. Add corn and stir to coat well.
4. Add mayo, mix well. Bring to a boil.
5. Add lime juice, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. Mix well.
6. Add cheese, stir until melted.
7. Bring mixture to a boil. Allow to boil, stirring occasionally, until fats separate and a 'juice' forms; about 5-8 minutes.
8. Serve in a cup. Add extra cheese, lime or seasonings as desired. Enjoy!

Daring Cooks March 2011: Papas Rellenas

One day this past summer, my older sister called me to rave about this fantastic new dish she had tried.

My mother had thrown a housewarming party for her new house and the guests brought some dishes to the party.

One of the dishes was ceviche.

My older sister told me how delicious this dish was. It was light and fresh. Citrusy from the lime juice with the perfect amount of heat from the jalapeno. It was soft and delicious served atop a crunchy tortilla chip.

The whole family loved it and made it several times over the course of the summer...calling me each time to tell me that I needed to make this as soon as possible.

I drug my feet. I asked them to send me the recipe. I never got around to making it.

Then comes this month's Daring Cooks challenge:

Kathlyn of Bake Like a Ninja was our Daring Cooks’ March 2011 hostess. Kathlyn challenges us to make two classic Peruvian dishes: Ceviche de Pescado from “Peruvian Cooking – Basic Recipes” by Annik Franco Barreau. And Papas Rellenas adapted from a home recipe by Kathlyn’s Spanish teacher, Mayra.

Sounds great right??? The perfect opportunity to make the dish that had been on my "to make" list for at least 6 months.

Unfortunately, my dreams of ceviche came to a screeching halt when I remembered that whole 'being pregnant' thing.

I posted on the Daring Cooks site asking if it would be safe for me to eat. After all...it's "cooked" right??

I held my breath when I read the researched response to my query. The answer I received was that it is safe as long as you have a reputable fish source. Great right??

Wrong! I live in the Middle of Nowhere Midwest. Where am I supposed to find a reputable fish monger?

Yeah...I'm not.

Fortunately, Kathlyn thought ahead and offered up an alternative Peruvian recipe for the vegetarian and vegans in the Daring Kitchen. This recipe allowed me to actually participate this month. Woohoo!

That being said, The Hubble would never allow a meatless meal in our home (while he's around anyway) so I put my own spin on the recipe provided to us.

I did a "Southwest" themed papa. And let me tell you...these were awesome! They were relatively easy to make (just a bit time consuming) and super delicious. I can totally see how these would make a wonderful handheld street food to Peruvians.

I love texture, so the crunch of the outer shell followed by the tenderness of the potato and meat filling was out of this world.

As we sat around the table eating these handheld delights, we talked about the different fillings we could stuff these with. Needless to say, we WILL be making these again.

Thanks for the fantastic challenge Kathlyn! These will be a staple in our house from now on!!

And now you can make this treat in your own home. Let's get cooking:

You will need: potatoes, ground turkey, minced garlic, onion, jalapeno, green bell pepper, Southwestern corn, chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, cornstarch, bread crumbs, eggs, all purpose flour, salt, pepper and seasoned salt.

Boil the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, until tender when poked with a fork. Drain and allow to cool.

While the potatoes are cooling, we can start on our filling. Heat some oil in a large skillet. Toss in the onions and caramelize them for about 5 minutes.

Toss in the jalapeno, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until the bell pepper and jalapenos are tender, about 3 minutes more.

Now toss in the ground turkey. Cook that bad boy up until it's not longer pink and it is totally cooked through.

Now add the corn, paprika, chili powder and ground cumin. Mix it all in until well combined.

Stir in the cheese until it is melted. Take the mixture off the heat and set it aside to cool.

Now let's head back to our potatoes. They should be cool by now so peel them and toss them back into the pot you cooked them in. Mash them up then add the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Knead and mix it all until the seasonings are thoroughly mixed through. Don't be afraid to taste it to make sure the potatoes are seasoned to your liking.

Now that we have our filling and 'dough' made we are ready to start preparing. Throw some oil in a pot to heat to about 350-375 degrees F.

You need three shallow bowls. One with flour, seasoned salt and chili powder. One with the eggs mixed with water. And the third with the bread crumbs mixed with salt (I know it seems like a lot of salt but you want these things seasoned well or they will be bland).

Take about 1/12th of the potato mixture and flatten it into your hand. Make an indention in the center.

Spoon a generous portion of the filling into the indention.

Close up the potato around the filling.

And roll them into potato shaped forms.

Now take them and roll them in the flour...

Then the egg...

Then the breadcrumbs.

And fry them up until they are golden brown. This took me about 2-3 minutes on each side.

When they are all fried up, drain them on paper towels and keep warm while frying the rest.

Serve and enjoy!!! We enjoyed our with salsa and sour cream.

Papas Rellenas de Carne
Adapted from The Daring Kitchen

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Ingredients:

For the dough

• 5 pound bag russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the filling

• 2 Tablespoons oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• 1-2 jalapenos (depending on preferred heat)
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 (14 ounce) can Southwestern corn
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

For the final preparation

• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• salt (to taste)
• chili powder (to taste)
• seasoned salt (to taste)
• oil for frying (2 inches worth)

Directions:

For the dough

1. Boil unpeeled potatoes whole until tender when poked with a fork. Drain and let cool.
2. When potatoes are cooled, peel and mash them (or force them through a potato ricer).
3. Add cornstarch, salt and pepper. 'Knead' dough until all ingredients are mixed through and evenly distributed.

For the filling (best prepared while potatoes are cooling)

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Caramelize diced onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add garlic, diced jalapeno and diced bell pepper. Cook until jalapeno and bell pepper are tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Add ground turkey. Cook until thoroughly cooked through.
4. Add corn, ground cumin, paprika and chili powder. Mix until well combined.
5. Mix in cheese until melted.
6. Set aside to cool.

Final preparation

1. Use three small bowls (or shallow containers) to prepare the papas. In one, combine flour, seasoned salt and chili powder. In the second, combine egg and water. In the third, combine bread crumbs and salt.
2. Heat oil to about 350-375 degrees F.
3. Flour your hands and scoop up 1/12th of the potato mixture. Flatten the mixture in your hand like a pancake and make an indentation in the middle for the filling.
4. Spoon a generous amount of filling into the center and roll the potato closed, forming a smooth, potato shaped casing around the filling. Continue with the rest of the potato and filling (you should have 12 papas).
5.  Dip each papa in the three bowls to coat: first the flour, then the egg and finally the bread crumbs.
6. Fry the papas (in batches) until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
7. Drain on paper towels and keep warm while frying the remaining papas.
8. Serve with salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!!

Santa Fe Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Do you know what I find to be completely ridiculous?? The fact that it's the end of September and it's still 90 degrees outside! I mean...does that happen? Really?? Well, obviously!

The problem is that I spent the last 5 or so years in Upstate New York. It is a different country up there for sure. Up there they have four seasons like the rest of the world except the seasons are different. Upstate New York's four seasons are: winter, deep winter, still winter and construction.

So being in a new state that has a lengthy summer is incredible to me. But I will make do with what I have and continue to enjoy yummy summer foods.

I am a lover of salsa. I have my go to salsa recipe for every day use. But sometimes there are occasions that call for something a bit more special. Enter in this Santa Fe Corn and Black Bean salsa. My mother in law found this recipe a while back and shared it with me. I believe it came from a Costco magazine. I'm sure many people have their own recipe but this is the one I use. So let's make some.

Ingredients: 1 can black beans, 1 can whole kernel corn, 1 can diced tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro and not pictured here: garlic salt.

First up! Drain and rinse your black beans...

And toss them in a bowl.

Drain the corn...

Toss it in the bowl with the black beans.

Drain the diced tomatoes...

And toss those in the bowl as well.

Dice the onion...

And toss it in the bowl with the rest.

Chop up the cilantro.

And, you guessed it! Toss it in the bowl!

Dice up your bell pepper.

Toss that into the bowl as well.

Now it's time to prepare the jalapeno, if you're into that kind of thing. Chop off both ends of that bad boy and slice it in half.

Take a spoon and scrape out the seeds and membranes from inside the jalapeno.

Now dice up the jalapeno...

And throw it in the bowl! Opa!!!!

Cut the limes in half...

And squeeze the bajeebus out of them and let all that juice rain down on the veggie mixture.

And finally! Take a spoon and mix it all together. Right before serving, add the garlic salt to taste.

Taste you say?? I don't mind if I do. Enjoy!

Santa Fe Corn and Black Bean Salsa

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Ingredients:

• 1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained.
• 1 (15 ¼-oz) can whole kernel corn, drained.
• 1 (14 ½-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained.
• Juice of 2 limes.
• 1/4 cup diced red onions.
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro.
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced.
• 1-2 Tablespoons minced jalapeno (to taste).
• Garlic salt (to taste).

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, salt to taste.