jalapenos

Chili Verde

/ Ren

Locally pastured pork butt and chopped yellow onions are browned in a bit of pure leaf lard, then slowly simmered for hours in a base of homemade chicken stock with roasted tomatillos, jalapeños, poblanos and garlic.  Seasoned with toasted cumin & coriander, Mexican oregano, sea salt and cracked black pepper..

Chili Verde may be served with any number of toppings or accompaniments; grated cheese, diced onions, and sour cream are common toppings, as are broken saltine crackers, corn chips, cornbread or rolled-up corn or flour tortillas, though I often just serve it as-is alongside of pot of Frijoles charros.

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Chorizo Hash with a Fried Goose Egg

/ Ren

Freshly made Mexican chorizo is pan-fried with yellow onions, sweet peppers, chiles, fresh corn and toasted cilantro and topped with a giant fried goose egg..

Chorizo Hash with a Fried Goose Egg

For the Chorizo

1/2 pound fresh pork, about 80% lean, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
2 whole cloves, ground
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
a pinch or two fine sea salt

Loosely combine all ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl.  Cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight.

For the Hash (serves 2)

1/2 pound chorizo
1 teaspoon bacon fat
2 ears-worth fresh corn kernels
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1-2 fresh jalapeños, diced
3-4 small orange or red sweet peppers, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
freshly-ground black pepper

1 local goose egg per person

Heat bacon fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add chorizo and cook until it begins to brown and crisp, then add corn, chiles, sweet peppers and cumin and cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.  Season to taste with black pepper and a pinch of salt if you think it needs it, then top with a fried egg.

Goose Egg vs. Chicken Egg

One goose egg provides about 20g protein, and is also a very good source of vitamins A, B6 and B12 as well as thiamin, riboflavin and folate.  Cook as you would chicken or duck eggs, simply allowing more time due to its large size.

Chili Mac for Grownups (and adventurous kids)

/ Ren

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.

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Austin’s Iconic Breakfast Tacos

/ Ren

As the New York Times recently pointed out, Austin is the center of the universe when it comes to breakfast tacos.  Trailers, bodegas and restaurants all over town serve up cheap, delicious tacos containing everything from purple corn, nopales and avocado to black beans, fried potatoes and bacon.  As amazing as the local fare is, though, its still tough to beat what you can make to your own taste at home, using fresh, local ingredients.

This 5-minute creation consists of local, pastured eggs, queso Añejo, crumbled chorizo with jalapeños, onions and grape tomatoes, fresh cilantro and hot sauce on a freshly-made cayenne tortilla.  Yum!

Homemade Breakfast Tacos

Ben Sklar for The New York Times

Breakfast

/ Ren
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Pancetta, raw milk cheddar cheese, slow-roasted tomatoes, pastured egg fried in butter and fresh sautéed jalapeños on sprouted wheat toast..

Pancetta, cheddar, slow-roasted tomatoes, fried egg & sautéed jalapeños on sprouted wheat toast

You won't find this at the drive-through..

Pan-Grilled Pork Cheeks with Toasted Guajillo Salsa

/ Ren

Heritage Berkshire cheeks are marinated with lime, garlic, red onions, smoked chile powder and cumin before being pan-grilled and served with sweet potato wedges, jalapeños and toasted guajillo salsa..

Pan-Grilled Pork Cheeks with Toasted Guajillo Salsa

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

2 tablespoons fat or oil (I’m using leaf lard)
3 guajillo chiles, stemmed
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in half
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
filtered water

Heat fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Split the chiles and remove the seeds.  Place the chiles flat in the pan and cook, turning continuously, until bright red and fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Transfer to a napkin and drain.

Pour off fat, then add tomatillos and garlic.  Cook until browned, about 3 minutes, then turn, sprinkle with salt and brown on the other side.   Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until slightly chunky.  Add water as necessary to form a thick but pour-able salsa.  Taste and adjust accordingly.

For the Pork

1 pound pastured pork cheeks, trimmed
1 quart filtered water
1/2 lime, wedged
3 cloves garlic, slivered
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon toasted cumin
1 tablespoon smoked chili powder
1 tablespoon wildflower honey
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and pour over pork.  Allow to marinate 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator

To prepare, drain pork and blot dry.  Rub lightly with melted leaf lard and season with roasted paprika, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.  Grill to medium doneness, about 15 minutes.  Serve with grilled sweet potato wedges or bulb onions, guajillo salsa and grilled jalapeño.

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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!

Roasted, Raw and Fermented: Heirloom Salsa

/ Ren

Ah, the bounty of a Texas summer!

Heirloom Salsa

Heirloom Salsa

This homemade salsa combines the dark smokiness of roasted heirloom tomatoes, garlic, sweet onions and peppers with the fresh taste of raw tomatoes, cilantro and lime.

As good as this is, it is even better if allowed to ferment into a pro-biotic riot of Southwest flavor..

(click to enlarge)

For 1 pint

1 large heirloom tomato, quartered
1 medium Texas 1015 onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
1-2 jalapeño peppers
1 mild red New Mexico pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 chile chipotle (Dorado or Morita), soaked, toasted and chopped
1 small lime
2 tablespoons whey
fresh cilantro

Roast 3/4 of the tomatoes, 1/2 the onions and all of the garlic and peppers (except the chipotle) on a comal in a 500 degree oven until slightly blackened.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, steep 1 dried chipotle in hot water until soft and pliable.

Split the re-hydrated chipotle open and discard the stem and seeds.  Toast the chipotle with cumin seeds until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Eat within a day or two, or add 2 tablespoons of whey and allow to stand on the counter for 24 hours before transferring to the refrigerator for up to a few weeks.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s excellent Fight Back Fridays

Southwest Grilled Pork Ribeye with Fried Nixtamal

/ Ren

Tender, pastured pork rib-eyes marinated in annatto oil, garlic and mild Adobo seasoning served with nixtamal fried in butter with green onions, yellow tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and fresh jalapeños..

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Soak nixtamal (traditional, lime-slaked dried maize) overnight in cool, filtered water.  Boil slowly in a heavy pot of fresh water until just tender, about 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, marinate pork in annatto oil, fresh garlic, Mexican oregano and adobo-style seasoning for at least 2 hours.

Fry nixtamal, whole cumin and pumpkin seeds in pastured butter until browned.  Add green onions, peppers, tomatoes, sea salt, cracked pepper and just a pinch of coarse, non-refined sugar and sauté quickly until the tomatoes give up most of their liquid, perhaps 5 minutes.  Toss with chopped cilantro just before serving.

Meanwhile, grill the pork rib-eyes until medium-done and nicely marked, but still plump and juicy.  Hit everything with a modest squeeze of fresh lime and serve hot from the pan.

To make annatto oil, toast achiote seeds in a hot, dry skillet until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add good olive oil and infuse over low heat for about 20 minutes. Strain the resulting annatto oil and store indefinitely in a cool, dark place.

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Raw Cheese Queso and Fried Tortilla Chips

/ Ren

All local ingredients, including goat milk, raw cheddar, fresh jalapeños, herbs, vine-ripened tomatoes and toasted spices..

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Gather jalapeños, tomatoes, green onions, garlic and cilantro from your backyard (or CSA, farmers’ market or co-op), grab some fresh cream-top goat milk and raw milk cheddar from the fridge and whole cumin, coriander, sea salt, pepper, chili powder and Mexican oregano from the pantry.

Toast the seeds in a dry pan over moderate heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add oregano, garlic, chili powder and milk and simmer for a few minutes.

Stirring briskly, add peppers, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and lots of shredded cheese.  Continue to stir until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened, perhaps 5 minutes (do not let the mixture boil, or you will lose valuable nutritional value and risk curdling the sauce).  Add a little more milk if too thick, a little more cheese if too thin.  Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat a scant amount of rendered pork fat in a comal or skillet over medium heat.  Fry freshly made tortillas for about 2 minutes, flip and fry 1 minute more.  Allow to drain briefly on paper towels before cutting into triangles; they should turn out flaky-crisp, not greasy.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays


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Breakfast Burritos

/ Ren

“A chicken that in addition to grain has access to pasture and a natural diet of grasses, forbs, and insects produces eggs that are higher in nutrients. Pastured eggs have been found to contain less fat, less cholesterol, twice as much vitamin E, 40-62% more vitamin A and up to four times as much omega-3 fatty acids compared to the standard values reported by the USDA for commercial eggs. Pastured eggs also typically contain higher levels of carotenoids such as lutein and zexanthin.

The other great thing about pastured eggs is the taste! As soon as you crack one open you can tell-that deeply colored yolk carries with it an enhanced nutritional value, and a better, richer flavor.”  LocalHarvest

Pastured eggs, chorizo, fresh peppers, onions and cilantro wrapped up in an organic paprika/cayenne tortilla..

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"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," Hippocrates.

Dice Spanish chorizo, red bell and pickled jalapeno peppers, slice green onions.  Sauté in pastured butter with a little Mexican oregano over medium-low heat until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat fresh tortillas on a dry comal or skillet.

Crack eggs directly into pan with vegetables- rather than sticking, they should float over the thinnest of layers of butter and fat rendered from the sausage.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the eggs onto themselves several times, allowing them to spread back out in between times until set, about 4 minutes.

Arrange mixture in the center of a tortilla (I’ve spread a little chili con queso on mine), fold the edges inward then roll up like a fat cigar.  Pico de gallo makes a great side.


This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays