Pizza Sauce Your Way

I'm gonna ask you four questions and if you answer "yes" to at least three of them, you must read on, my friend.
Do you like pizza?
Are you a bit picky about your sauce?
Ever think of making homemade pizza?
Would you agree that Kobe the Black Mamba is the G.O.A.T?

So this is gonna be real quick, which is why making your own sauce can be a regular house hold tradition.  What will one need to make a pizza sauce?
- Tomatoes - we use plum or roma as they tend to be a touch sweeter
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Basil
- Oregano
- Sugar

What I really enjoy about making homemade sauce is we can make it how we like it!  We do not take pizza sauce lightly round these parts.  We like it a touch sweet with some overtones of garlic and a fresh finish of basil.  But you, you can have whatever you like.  Start by slicing the tomatoes in half and stuffing them with garlic cloves.  Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with basil and oregano or whatever you think is cool.

Roast in the oven preheated to 400 degrees or you could even toss them on the grill for a sting of smoke flavor.  After about 45 mins get them outta there.  After they chill out for a few, you should be able to slide them right out of their skins.  Into a sauce pan the roasted goodness goes and with the help of the trusty emersion blender we have our sauce ready to spread!

You do not need a crazy recipe or any special ingredients to make kick ass pizza sauce.  All you need is some fresh tomatoes, garlic cloves, and whatever else you may look for in a pizza sauce!
Keep-on Eattin-on.

Morels oh my oh my...

Good Evening - I hope this finds you well.  Happy Mothers day to all the moms in da world!  I would like to thank my mom and my wife for being awesome mothers and I appreciate all that they have done and continue to do!  This is gonna be quick almost as quick as these treats go from being cooked to belly.  Morels oh Morels how amazing you are.  It's not often that we get the opportunity to enjoy such lovely treats but this year we did and I want to share.  Not share as in give you any but share as in show you ours...

My mom delivered the stash, take a peek:

Here's what has always amazed me about Morels!  They grow out the woods but only grow when its a certain temperature and when there is a certain level of humidity and under dead elm trees its almost like trying to find big foot...  I have never been successful hunting Morels but I would seriously think about hunting whomever is successful hunting them :)  Here is what you need for this exotic trip to the woods of central Ohio.

Skillet - cast iron if you have it, if not think about getting one they are wonderful.
butter
flour
salt
pepper

Heat your skillet over med high heat and melt your butter.  The mushrooms were delivered soaking in salt water (good looking out Mom!) which pulls out all the hidden soil.  After a quick rinse and pat down they are tossed in a flour, salt and pepper mixture.

Hot Butter + Morels = I will fight you for them...

At this point I'm totally considering telling my wife that they have been burnt or stolen so I can eat them all!

You can use any dipping sauce that you like but that would be like having a 40 dollar strip steak cooked well done!  Straight to the face with these lovely morsels we call morels!  Stay hungry my friends.  

Lasagna cupcakes

Quick look at a upcoming recipe.  Lasagna cupcakes using dumpling wraps as a substitute for traditional lasagna pasta.  Good things can come in small packages.  Stay hungry my friends

Chicken Enchiladas de Erico

We love us some enchiladas around here!  I have made these numerous times and they always turn out delicious! The best thing is it's flexibility. I can always change something up whether it's a different part of the chicken, homemade sauce or store bought or an added veggie.  Bottom line is they are always a crowd pleaser and are wonderful on the reheat.  Another great thing about this dish is you can make ahead of time, freeing up valuable time for appetizers and the necessary margarita.  Ladies and gentleman, hang on tight as we make yet another trip to the exotic land of Erico. 

What you should pack for this trip:
Chicken - breasts or thighs
little can of verde salsa
green pepper
red pepper
onion
flour tortillas
enchilada sauce - big can
green onion
cheeses - i use jack and cheddar
flour
salt
pepper
paprika
cumin
garlic
cilantro - for garnish

The day before (or at least a couple hours) before cook time, season your chicken with paprika, cumin, salt and pepper and let it bathe in the salsa verde. When you're ready to cook, get your pan hot and cook the chicken until it easily pulls apart for shredding.

While it's cooking, chop your onion, green pepper, red pepper and garlic.  When the bird is fully cooked, pull it out and set aside to cool. This will make the shredding much easier.  Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan and sweat for a few.  Toss in the remaining veggies (red and green peppers) and saute for 10 mins or so.  Shred the chicken and add to the pan along with 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce and simmer allowing all the flavors to come together as one.  If seems runny, add a tsp of flour to reach your desired thickness. I typically test ours by picking some of the mixture up with a slotted spoon to see if anything falls through the slots. 

Heat the enchilada sauce in a soup pan and get your 9x11 or other baking dish ready.  Nuke the tortillas to soften and get ready to roll.  Dredge the tortillas in the sauce, spoon the mixture in and roll them up like a doobie.  It's a good idea to put some of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish to prevent stickage.  Place the rolled tortilla in the dish and continue till full.  Pour remaining sauce over the tortillas sprinkle with chopped green onion and cover with cheese.

Home stretch my friends.  Bake in preheated oven at 350* F for 30-45 mins.

 

We like to serve our enchiladas with some homestyle Mexican pinto beans and rice!

And that there is Chicken enchiladas De Erico.  Stay hungry, my friends!

EAT - DRINK - LOVE

The Meatballs of Mexicans

My beautiful wife loves Mexican food so much that I have created, in our kitchen, a world we call Erico.  For those of you who don't understand, it's my spin on food from south of the border.

When she sent me a recipe for Mexican meatball soup, I was a little hesitant. I'd never had Mexican soup--it's always chips and salsa to lead any Mexican meal!

After looking at several recipes on the enternet, my nerves settled and a journey began.  Some of my favorite journeys are those short ones that go by so quickly so you don't even remember it - you are just there!  After going back and looking at the recipes, I couldn't find where it said to start with 3 shots of tequila, but it was a great start to the evening... 

Recipe, adapted from Real Simple magazine

What one will need to gather:

Ground turkey 1 lb. - or any other ground meat

Tortilla chips

Cilantro

Salsa

Avocado

Green onions

Bread crumbs

Vegetable stock

Egg - not pictured

Cumin

Paprika

Salt and pepper

Ok, I really didn't have 3 shots of tequila but this soup is so easy that you could!  We start by making some mini meatballs.  Get a large bowl and toss in the meat, chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, egg, bread crumbs and season with salt, pepper, cumin and paprika.  Mix it all up and make little meatballs.

Get your large soup pan and pour in the salsa along with two to three cups of the broth.  I blend this up a bit with my handheld blender because I can.  I really like that blender!  Get it going over med-high heat and add some cilantro.  While that is cooking, heat some oil in a skillet and brown the mini balls.  Might have to do a couple batches, but just don't overcrowd the pan. 

After browning, add the meatballs and pan drippings.  I really think that the drippings from the skillet add some depth to this soup.  Continue to cook until heated, garnish and dive in.  We like to top with sour cream, green onions, avocado and a couple chips.

My wife loved this soup, but then again she loves anything with cilantro in it!  Really, it is a very simple soup that you can make yours.  Personally, that's the reason I like to cook - you can make whatever you like however you like it! Real Simple is real nice, Clark, real nice.

Eat - Drink - Love

Meatless Monday Presents: Eggplant Parmesan

This is my first attempt at eggplant parmesan.  I had one word for my lovely Wifey when she presented the idea of "Meatless Monday," WHY?  I quickly understood as she explained to me the benefits of this idea.  The health benefits of doing this is easy for me to wrap my head around, but the environmental benefits were a little more confusing...  Think about it for a minute and it makes sense. By eating less meat, we are eating lower on the food chain, ultimately reducing the amount of energy consumed in the process of manufacturing food. I would explain it in more detail, but I don't have all day here people!  Back to the kitchen and eggplant environment-saving parm.  What one will need for this adventure:

eggplant - one big fella
mushrooms
mozzarella - fresh
Parmesan
onion
diced tomatoes - 2 cans
tomato sauce - 1 can
garlic
flour
bread crumbs
eggs - 2
salt
pepper
basil
oregano
butter
sugar
olive oil
pasta

First, we have to get the sauce going because the longer it cooks the better!  Melt about a half a stick of butter and some chopped garlic and mushrooms.  I let it saute for about 10 mins then added some chopped onion, basil and oregano.

I gave the onions about 7 to 10 mins to cook, then added the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar.  If you had some red wine layin' around you could toss some of that in too.   Let everything get nice and hot then reduce heat and simmer for as long as you can.  I continue to stir, tasting as I go.  I think tasting the sauce is one of the most important parts of this journey.  Now on to the eggplant.

    

You can see above that the eggplant has been sliced and is awaiting its pilgrimage to the hot oil in that skillet.  First, it gets dredged in flour then a nice dip in the battered egg on to the breadcrumbs and finally the pan!  The pan should be hot, allowing the eggplant to get nice and crispy.

 
Next, you will want to get a baking pan ready.  Also, slice some mozzarella and grate some parm.  Take some sauce and cover the bottom of the pan.  Add the crispy eggplant, top with the mozz, add some more sauce and top with the parm!

Preheat the oven to 350 and slide that pan in.   Set the timer for 30 mins or so and get movin' on the pasta.  We enjoy angle hair pasta but any will work. Also, I believe that one should celebrate the close of a Monday.  A good bottle of Chianti is a wonderful match. 

When everything is done, put it on a plate and eat it!  Meatless Mondays - saving the environment one meal at a time...  

Jambalaya Curry Style, but without the Curry...

The seasons are changing and the evidence is everywhere.  Jackets--not "The Mt.Vernon High Jackets" but the ones that shelter you from the wind--have resurfaced.  The days are getting shorter and flip flops are migrating to the closet. 

The end of summer also marks the beginning of flu season, and it's likely common cold will visit you or someone close within the next few months. But being sick does have benefits. Look at it this way, the summer is going, so you might as well let it take that beach body with it.  Let's feed the cold, drown it in comfort food.  Sometimes that pesky cold can dull the taste buds so we are upping the flavor battle.  Jambalaya to the rescue my friends.  Yum yum yum.

What will y'all need?
Chicken - thighs on this day cut into 1 inch cubes
Andouille sausage- 2 links precooked works great
Shrimp - 10 or so
rice - 1 to 2 cups
Celery - 2 stalks
Onion - chopped
Green Pepper - chopped
chicken broth
Crushed red pepper
cumin
smoked paprika
olive oil
salt and pepper
Green onion - garnish
Bread - rolls work well

Put chopped chicken in a large zip lock type bag and add the spice mixture (salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper and paprika).  Place in the fridge for an hour or more.  Heat oil in large pan (med high) and cook the chicken cubes.

Remove the chicken and place on paper towels.  Add onion, celery, green pepper and garlic sweat for 7 -10 mins.   Add chicken, andouille, broth and rice.  I usually precook the rice to reduce the cooking time.   Increase the heat and bring to a boil for a few mins.  Reduce heat to low cover and cook for 20 - 30 mins. Occasionally stir and add additional broth as needed.  Add shrimp for the final 5 mins by now your house should be smelling real nice.

 And that there is jambalaya Curry style!  Scoop in a bowl top with sliced green onion and eat that cold away. 

BTW also really nice if you don't have a cold.  Eat - Drink - Love.