Fiesta Rice Salad

I made up a Mexican-influenced rice salad this weekend to go with grilled St. Louis pork ribs with Two Trees sauce, savory chicken drumsticks and green salad.

Fiesta Rice Salad recipe

Cook 2 cups of white basmati rice (yields about 10 cups cooked) and spread out on a platter to cool. Put in a large bowl and mix in:

1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 15 oz. can corn, drained
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 teaspoons minced cilantro (optional)

Make a dressing with:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
black pepper
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil while whisking to make an emulsion

Stir the dressing into the rice mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

The flavor was pleasing but (intentionally) mild, so you may want to add more spice, or even some heat. I suggest you taste it and adjust as you are moved to do!

We had a lot left over, so the next night Bella added fresh tomato chunks and cheddar cheese to make it into a great one-dish meal.

Cinco de Mayo

Learned a couple of things: I thought Cinco de Mayo was Mexican Independence Day. Turns out not. It commemorates a later battle against the French. Also, CdM is not that major a holiday in Mexico.

But in the US, it's not only big among those of Mexican heritage, but is becoming totally mainstream. In that spirit, I made a successful CdM dinner for the family.

Black Bean Soup with Chicken & Chorizo recipe

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 canned chipotle, seeded and chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 15 oz. cans, black beans, drained
3 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 lb. fresh chorizo, sliced thinly
1/2 lb. chicken breast meat, 1/2" dice
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chipotle, cumin and oregano. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the beans and stock and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Coarsely crush some of the beans with a potato masher.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet. Add the sausage and cook 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until chicken and sausage are cooked through (about 3 minutes). Add the meats, lime juice and cilantro to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a few more minutes.

Serve in bowls with sour cream for optional topping.

Quesadillas recipe

1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 lb. poblano chiles, seeded and thinly sliced
3/4 lb. chicken breast meat, 1/2" dice
1/2 lb. fresh chorizo, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 9-inch flour tortillas
1-1/4 lb grated Monterey Jack cheese
3 tbsp. ranchero sauce (optional)
salsa and sour cream

Chile filling: Heat 3 tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium heat. All chiles and cook until soft, stirring occasionally and adding a few tsp. water along the way if needed. Add garlic and saute 1 minute If you can't find poblanos, use cubanelles or regular green bell peppers.

Chorizo filling: Heat large skillet and add chorizo. Cook until done.

Chicken filling: Heat 1 tsp oil, add chicken and the ranchero sauce (or salsa). Cook until done.

These fillings will make 2 each chile and chicken quesadillas and one chorizo. You can mix fillings or make some cheese only quesadillas; however you prefer. My family prefers the chicken, so you can choose to make just that by increasing the amount prepared and skipping the chiles and sausage, and so on.

Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add one tortilla. Top with 1/4 lb. cheese, spread across the tortilla. Add filling and top with another tortilla. Cook until bottom is brown, 2-3 minutes. Turn quesadilla over. Cook until bottom is brown and cheese melts, 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure you don't burn.

Transfer to cutting board and cut into 4-6 wedges. Transfer to platter. Serve with sour cream and salsa. I use two skillets to make 2 at a time.

May 5 was also my father's birthday. He was a public relations practitioner and founder of Press Agents Shining Hour, which takes place every May 5 from 3:15 - 4:15 pm local time.

Chicken Enchiladas

I've made some minor adjustments to a recipe given to me by my friend Gavin. What I like about this recipe is that it's easy, not exacting, and the result is always great.

What I mean by "not exacting" is that you can play with the measurements. Also, if you have crummy tortillas as I did last night, it really doesn't matter. They would not roll up, but immediately starting splitting and breaking up. No matter, I just covered with sauce and cheese. Rather than serving up as individual enchiladas, it was more like a Mexican lasagna -- I used a spatula and cut into squares.

Chicken Enchiladasrecipe

2 dozen corn tortillas
1 chicken (3-4 lbs.)
1 pint sour cream
2 cups grated cheddar

4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 10 oz. can Rotele tomato and chiles
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes or puree
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt

This produces a mildly spicy sauce. For more heat add 1 small can chopped chiles.

In a deep pot, cover chicken with water and boil for about an hour. Remove from water and let cool, then strip the meat and dice it. Combine with sour cream and 1 cup grated cheddar.

While chicken is boiling, get another deep pot or dutch oven, sauté garlic and onions in olive oil until soft. Stir in Rotele, crushed and diced tomatoes (and chiles of desired), oregano and salt. Bring to boil and simmer for 45 minutes

Using a glass chafing dish, dip tortillas in sauce one at a time and place in dish. Add some chicken mixture and roll up. Fill the dish. The amount of filling per tortilla is a matter of personal preference and your ability to roll it up. The number of enchiladas will of course depend on how full you fill them. I usually end up with 18-20, and it takes one 9" x 13" and one 8" x 8" dish.

Cover the enchiladas with a layer of sauce and sprinkle the remaining cup of cheddar on top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serves 8 - 10.

I generally have a few cups of sauce left over. For breakfast this morning I fried a couple of eggs, warmed the sauce and poured it over the eggs for an easy huevos rancheros.