Fideo con Pollo

Fideo con Pollo (Sopa de Fideo con Pollo) is a traditional, Spanish soup made with roasted chicken, fresh tomatoes, stock, garlic, onions and cumin with fat-fried vermicelli..

Fideo con Pollo

half of a small roasted chicken
3-4 cups homemade chicken stock
2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat
3-4 fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 Spanish onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 cup straight fideo (vermicelli) or 2-3 vermicelli nests
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 fresh jalapeño, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon safflower flowers (optional)
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
sea salt
queso Oaxaca or other soft, melting cheese
fresh cilantro

Roast a chicken in the usual fashion and allow to cool enough to handle. Pull the meat and skin from 1/2 of the bird and tear or chop into largish pieces. Set aside.

Heat chicken fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic and vermicelli and sauté until the pasta is brown and somewhat crisp.  Add tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add chicken, stock, tomato paste, safflower, jalapeño and black pepper, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is done. Adjust for salt, then ladle soup into individual cazuelas or soup bowls and serve piping hot with queso Oaxaca and torn cilantro.

This post is part of the Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!

Chili Mac for Grownups (and adventurous kids)

Chunks of local, pastured ground beef fried with yellow onions and cumin and simmered with dried chilies, garlic, Mexican oregano, halved grape tomatoes and jalapeños.  Tossed with gluten-free corn macaroni and topped with shredded cheddar, crushed yellow corn chips and fresh cilantro..

Chili Mac for Grownups (and adventurous kids)

3-4 ancho chilies, split, stemmed, seeded and toasted
2-3 New Mexico chilies, split, stemmed, seeded and toasted
filtered water as needed

1 tablespoon beef tallow or bacon drippings
1/2 pound local, pastured ground beef or bison
1/2 yellow onion cut into large dice
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
sea salt & freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh jalapeño, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano

1 cup corn macaroni, cooked and drained

yellow corn chips, crushed
sharp cheddar cheese, grated
fresh cilantro, torn

Toast the split chilies on a dry comal or skillet over medium heat for 20 seconds on each side. Take care not to let them scorch, or they will be bitter. Allow to cool slightly, then place in a food processor or blender and crush into a fine powder. With the motor running, slowly add cool, filtered water until a thin paste is formed. Pour into a clean container and set aside.

Pinch off 1 1/2 inch pieces of ground beef, compress lightly and season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Allow to stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the tallow or bacon fat in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the chunks of ground beef to the hot fat, taking care not to crowd the pan. Allow to form a crisp crust on one side, then turn over and add the onions. Continue to cook until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat and onions to a plate, leaving as much fat as possible behind.

Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook until they begin to fall apart, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and jalapeño and sauté briefly. Add pureed chilies, oregano, browned meat and onions, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Adjust consistency with a little water if needed, then fold in cooked macaroni and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.  Correct bitterness if present with a tiny bit of honey.

Spoon mixture into individual serving dishes, and top with shredded cheese, crushed corn chips and torn, fresh cilantro.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Pan-Seared, Pole-Caught Maguro with Habanero Mango Sauce

Pole-and-line-caught US Atlantic yellowfin tuna is quickly seared in ginger and lemongrass-infused coconut oil and served with a fresh habanero mango sauce..

Pan-Seared, Pole-Caught Maguro with Habanero Mango Sauce

Infused oil

3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon freshly-grated ginger
1 6″ piece fresh lemongrass, split
2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro
1/2 fresh habanero, stemmed and seeded

Melt coconut oil over medium heat until very hot but not smoking .  Add ginger, lemongrass, cilantro and chile, remove from heat and allow to steep 20 minutes. Discard lemongrass.

Mango Sauce

1 fresh mango, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed Mayer lemon juice
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
the ginger, cilantro and chile from above recipe
1 tablespoon infused oil from above recipe
filtered water
sea salt

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth, adding water as needed to achieve a spoon-able consistency. Adjust for salt and chill until ready to serve.

Seared Tuna

very fresh tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons infused oil from above recipe
sea salt
freshly-ground red and black peppercorns

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes. Coat tuna with infused oil and season with salt and pepper.  Sear about 1 minute per side for rare, then transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes before carving into 3/8 inch thick slices. Spoon mango sauce into the center of a plate and arrange tuna on top. Garnish as you like.

Wood-Fired, Ancho-Rubbed Sirloin with Fried Plantains and Frijoles Charros

Grass-fed sirloin (Bastrop Cattle Co.) is rubbed in a mixture of ancho chilies, fresh garlic, Mexican oregano, comino and piloncillo, then quickly seared over a wood fire.  Served with salt & pepper-fried plantains and home-cooked frijoles charros (cowboy beans)..

Wood-Fired, Ancho-Rubbed Sirloin with Fried Plantains and Frijoles Charros


For the Rub (adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)

2 cloves garlic, peeled
3-4 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon piloncillo
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon half-sharp paprika
2 teaspoons sea salt

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into a semi-fine powder.

For the Beans (adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)

1 cup dried pinto beans
1 tablespoon leaf lard
1/2 yellow onion
1 small sprig epazote

2 thick slices bacon, diced and fried
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes, diced
1/2 fresh poblano pepper, charred and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Rinse and pick over dried beans.  Cover with 1 quart of cool, filtered water, lard, onion and epazote.  Bring to a hard boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, about 2 hours, adding the tomatoes and peppers about 30 minutes out.  Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary to keep from drying out.

Add bacon, salt and cilantro during the last 10 minutes of cooking, discarding the epazote before serving.

For the Plantains

1 plantain, very ripe but still firm
1 tablespoon peanut oil or butter
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Heat butter or oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Season plantain slices with salt and pepper then fry until golden brown. Set aside to drain.

For the Steaks

1 4oz breakfast sirloin per person
1 1/2 teaspoon spice rub per steak

Pat steak dry, then evenly coat on all sides with spice rub. Grill over a wood fire for about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain about 3/8 inch-thick.

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday!


Green Chili Stew with Fried Black Beans and Garlic Roasted Chicken

Hatch chilies and roasted tomatillos are simmered in chicken stock thickened with fresh corn flour and served with cumin-fried black beans and garlic-roasted chicken..

Green Chili Stew with Fried Black Beans and Roasted Chicken

For the Beans

1 cup dried black beans
3 cups filtered water
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon leaf lard
1/4 teaspoon epazote
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Rinse beans and pick over.  Put in a bowl, cover with cool water and allow to soak overnight.  Drain, rinse and put into a heavy saucepot with 3 cups of filtered water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving some of the liquid and set aside.

Toast cumin in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant.  Add lard, onions and tomatoes and cook until onions are brown and tomatoes have lost their shape.  Add beans, a little bean cooking water, oregano and epazote and simmer, uncovered until tender, about 20 minutes.  Add a little water if necessary to keep beans from drying out.  Mash beans with the back of a wooden spoon and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Chicken

fresh chicken pieces
1 tablespoon pastured butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Melt butter over medium heat then add garlic, paprika and chipotle and allow to steep 15 minutes.  Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Brush liberally with butter mixture and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in a 375 degree oven, turning twice until juices run clear, about 35 minutes.

For the Green Chili Stew

1 pound tomatillos
1/3 pound fresh Hatch or Anaheim chilies
1 cup chicken stock (preferably homemade)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white onion, minced and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon piloncillo or rapadura (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse corn flour
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Remove stems and husks from tomatillos and rinse. Split in half across the equator then place face down in a heavy skillet and roast until browned.  Transfer roasted tomatillos to the bowl of a food processor and coarsely pulse together with chilies, cilantro, garlic and onion.  Transfer mixture to a heavy saucepan, add 1/2 cup chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add vinegar and piloncillo and simmer 20 minutes.  Add corn flour, stir and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon fried beans in the center of a serving plate,  Ladle green chili stew around the perimeter, then arrange pieces of roasted chicken over the top.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and dress with crèma Mexicana or sour cream.