Queso Flameado w/ Shrimp & Salsa Ranchera {she made, ella hace}

It's that time again!  Time for me to hang out in the kitchen with one of my favorite amigas, Leslie for she made, ella hace!  This month has flown by so quickly, but we didn't want it to pass us by completely.  Our theme for this month is shrimp.

When I told mi esposo what I was making today, he laughed so hard that tears were threatening to burst from the corners of his eyes.  Ummmm....

I was all like: "What!?"

Him, between fits:  "In Mexico, we call this {sticking his butt out and making a forceful whooshing sound} flameado!"

Me: "Nuh-uh!  Bwaa haaa haaa haaa!"

He told me more.  We laughed harder.  We are twelve-year olds.

And then I got back to the matter at hand, which was melting cheese, piling a steaming mound of salsa-bathed shrimp in the center of it, and subsequently lighting it on fire.  It was ridiculous.  I mean, come on.  A skillet full of bubbly, melty cheese that I can spoon onto a warm tortilla.  Shrimp in a spicy bath of charred veggies that pops between my teeth releasing an explosion of smoky delight.  Oh, and there's tequila involved.

It doesn't get much better than that.

Well, maybe Leslie's Tequila-Lime Shrimp Tacos.  I say one for brunch... and one for lupper.

Queso Flameado w/ Shrimp & Salsa Ranchera

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake broil appetizer cheese vegetarian cheese chiles shrimp tomatoes Super Bowl tailgating American

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the Salsa Ranchera:

• 2 jalapeños, stemmed
• 3 fat cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled & quartered
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes w/ their juices
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. smoked sea salt
• small handful cilantro

for the shrimp and marinade:

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. smoked sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 fat clove garlic, minced

for the queso flameado:

• 16 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbs. Casa Noble Tequila (or another good tequila)

to serve:

• warm tortillas (corn or flour)

Instructions

make the salsa:

Preheat your broiler and set a sheet of foil under it. Set the jalapeños, garlic, and onion on the foil and broil until charred, turning to get all sides, 8-10 minutes. You may need to pull the garlic cloves out earlier, you don't want them to burn. Place the charred veggies into the jar of a blender along with the rest of the salsa ingredients. Pulse to combine; salsa will be somewhat chunky...more like, textured...not completely smooth. Set aside.

for the queso and shrimp:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Place the shrimp in a small bowl or baggie along with all of the marinade ingredients. Set aside for 15 minutes or so.

Spray an 8-inch cast-iron skillet (or casserole dish that is about the same size) with cooking spray. Set the shredded cheese in the skillet - it will be a big heap, that's okay. Slide into preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until melted and bubbling around the edges.

While the cheese is melting, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and pour the shrimp (garlic and liquid and all) into the hot skillet. Saute until pink and cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Add the reserved salsa and cook until heated through, another minute or two.

Remove the cheese from the oven and pour the shrimp and salsa mixture directly onto the center of the cheese.

Pour the tequila around the outside onto the exposed cheese and very carefully light with a long match. The alcohol will burn off in the fire...and it makes quite a show, so make sure there's people around to see it!

Serve immediately by spooning it into warm tortillas.

notes:

You can make this without flaming the tequila at the end, if you choose... either leave it out completely or stir it into the shrimp with the salsa.

inspired by and adapted from Homesick Texan

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What happens when two American girls who are both married to Mexican guys find out that although one of them lives in the U.S. and one of them lives in Mexico, they both love eating the same food?  Well, naturally they decide to get "together" the only way they can and cook up the same dishes.  Or perhaps take the same ingredients and talking about them in their own voice or using them in their own way. 

Leslie and I have teamed up to occasionally cook/bake/make a our own versions of the same food.  We want to see how similar (or how different) they turn out.  Other times we will pick an ingredient and use it however we choose...or maybe just talk about it.  Good food knows no borders and we hope to share the food we love with you.  It's not a competition, it's a showcase.  We will post on the same day as each other and would love to hear your thoughts on what we've made and how you make it. 

Join me (here at girlichef) and Leslie in her kitchen (at La Cocina de Leslie) for some delicious food.

Making Queso Fresco (and refried beans)

Another favorite around here?  Queso Fresco!  We use it on almost everything from tacos to enchiladas to sopes to gorditas to flautas to tortas to pasta to chilaquiles to quesadillas.  I love it!  Queso Fresco is a fresh Mexican cheese...that is soft and somewhat moist...but perfect for crumbling.  It doesn't really melt, but I LOOOOVE the way it tastes when it's warm.  It's sort of spongey and salty and milky. Mmmmm!  In all honesty, I usually buy it.  That's because I had yet to find a recipe that gave me what I was looking for.  Well folks, those times are through.  The MAN has come through...as if I ever had any doubt.  The longest part of the process is the culturing step...but it all hands-off, so don't let that scare you away.  I used citric acid (as opposed to the lime juice) when making the cheese since I already have it on hand for cheese making.  If that scares you or you don't have any readily available, then try the lime juice method!  Another thing...you may be tempted to dump the salted curds into a mold, but it really isn't necessary.  Simply gathering them together into the shape of a disk is perfectly sufficient.  Not to mention- gorgeously rustic!

Queso Fresco

from Fiesta at Rick's by Rick Bayless

makes ~1 lb.

1 gallon whole or 2% milk (remember, the richer the milk/flavor, the better the cheese)

2 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. Citric Acid (sometimes called sour salt)

OR

1 c. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. salt (pure, fine-ground sea salt works best)

 Culture the milk.  Pour milk into a very large pot over med-low heat.  Stir in buttermilk.  Bring milks to 75° F, turn off heat, cover pot and let sit for 3-4 hours.

 Set the curd.  If using citric acid, stir it into ¼ c. cold water, continuing to stir until dissolved.  With lid off pot, turn heat to medium and stir dissolved citric acid or lime juice into milk mixture.  You will immediately see small curds start to form.  Every couple of minutes, stir slowly, gently, & thoroughly over entire bottom of pot until milk reaches 195°F, ~20 minutes.  At this point the curds will be very obvious, floating in the milky-transparent whey.  Remove from heat, let stand five minutes without stirring so all the curd can rise to the top.

  Drain the curd from the whey.  Wet a large piece of cheesecloth and line a large colander with it.  Set colander in sink (or over bowl if saving the whey).  Carefully ladle all of the curd into the colander. Gather the cheesecloth around the curd and gently squeeze to expel a bit more whey.  

Unwrap curd onto a plate, break it up, and sprinkle w/ the salt...working it in with a spoon or your fingers.

Gather the cheese curds into a 1" thick disk, transfer to a plate, cover, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

After it's chilled in the refrigerator, it is ready to use! It should last about 5 days or so, covered and refrigerated.
My preferred method is just crumbling a bit off and onto my plate...or into my mouth.  And I must say...I like it while it's still warm, too...before it's even gone in the fridge and had time to set.

Simple Refried Beans

 ~1 Tbs. bacon grease, lard, or olive oil
~1-2 c. cooked pinto beans w/ some cooking liquid
garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, & pepper, all to taste

Heat fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add in beans w/ some cooking liquid.  Mash them up with a potato masher and continue to toss until they are a bit dried out.

Stir in spices to taste, cook for another few minutes, and then remove from heat.  Serve.

One of my favorite ways to put it all together is to make a Torta.  Slice a bolillo or telera bread in half and toast, cut side down on a hot skillet until browned.  Spread some hot refried beans on the bottom bun.  Scatter crumbled queso fresco over the beans. Layer on some sliced tomato.  Add some meat if you wish...I used Peperoncini Beef.  Scatter lettuce or cabbage over that along with some cilantro, avocado and some salsa.

*Also, check out my friend Mely's post over at Mexico in my Kitchen...she gives a great Queso Fresco tutorial using a different recipe!

I am sharing this post with:

First you were sent Over The Edge...now you're getting some Homemade Tortillas and Breakfast Tacos! You're welcome ; )

A year ago I posted some food so good you were in danger of being sent "over the edge"....do you remember?  Man, time flies!  Well, one of my favorite writer/director/producer/actor/cook/gorgeousguy has more skillz than just what I showed you before.  I am, of course, referring to Robert Rodriguez...and this time I'm making his Breakfast Tacos...with homemade flour tortillas (his grandma's recipe).  This is from his 10-Minute Cooking School short on the Sin City dvd. 

Let's start with the homemade flour tortillas...

Flour Tortillas

a la Robert Rodriguez

yield: ~10 tortillas

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. butter or lard (or combo)

Crumble fat into flour and mix until coarse crumbs form.  Add ~3/4 c. warm water and knead until smooth and elastic.  Form into ~10 golf ball sized balls.  Cover w/ damp cloth while you make filling.

Okay, I'm skipping ahead a bit to finish up the tortillas.  Heat a heavy skillet (I use a cast-iron comal) until pretty hot.  Flatten your dough into disks & roll out w/ rolling pin if necessary.  Lay one disc onto hot pan until bubbles form...it'll have those nice brown spots on under-side, ~1-2 minutes.  Flip and press; cook for another 30 seconds to a minute. 

Transfer finished tortillas to a tortilla warmer. Stuff with delicious breakfast taco (or other) fillings.  They're awesome just warm and plain, too.  Or with butter and cinnamon & sugar. MMMMMMM.

On to the fillings...two types.  Potato & egg and Migas. 

for the Migas: 

onion, chop

tomato, chop

jalapeño, chop

corn tortillas, cut up & fried until crisp

eggs, beaten

salt & pepper

for the potatoes & eggs:

potatoes and eggs...go figure.  Cut peel & dice the taters.  Beat the eggs.  Fry the tater cubes in some oil until golden and cooked through.  Remove from oil. Salt & Pepper.

Put some butter in a pan, add beaten eggs and potatoes and scramble until done.  Season with salt and pepper. Simple.

Put some butter in another pan...or the same, with potatoes & eggs transfered to a bowl...and add veggies.  Cook for a few minutes until they begin to get tender.  Add beaten eggs and fried tortilla pieces.  Season to taste and cook until done.  Again, simple.

Load up your warm tortillas and top as you wish...I used salsa, cilantro and queso fresco.

If Robert Rodriguez wasn't already married...and if I wasn't already married...I'd totally want to marry him ;)

Now that you've seen me cook it...watch him cook it...it's much more fun!

...and if you liked this...please say you did...head on over to my post from last year and watch him make Puerco Pibil...ah, dreamy and delicious.





*Linked to May BOM event!

I am a Queso Cabeza...Fromage la Tete...Cheese Head.

I finally saw Julie & Julia....and I am sooooo in love with it. It was like sneaking a peak at little aspects of my own life up on the big screen. It was so well adapted and acted. Meryl Streep. That's all. Meryl Streep. Not to take away from the rest of the cast because I thought they were all amazing in their parts. I laughed. I cried. I'm eagerly awaiting it's release on DVD. This has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of this post...I just couldn't help but let out a little giddy! On second thought, I suppose it has a little bit to do with this post...I mean, Julie was exploring, cooking and learning of her love for food...and I continue to do that every day. So, in that itty bitty way, it relates. Cheese. Fromage. Queso. That my friends, is the subject today. I know that I've told you how much I heart cheese. I am a cheese head (no matter that I only lived in Wisconsin for approximately 4 months....it comes from within). I'm breaking my way into cheese making slowly. Very slowly. I made mozzarella a while back...and tried my hand at goat cheese, which didn't work...but I'm blaming that on the ultra-pasteurized goat milk. It was all I could find and ultra = no good bacteria. Although if you check out my partner in cheesey-crimes blog Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, you'll see some tasty looking goat cheese that did turn out for her. This time, we decided to make Queso Blanco*. Queso Blanco is a fresh cheese, made from direct acidification (adding acid to the milk). It is then drained &/or pressed into shape. This makes it a great crumbling cheese...but it doesn't melt! So, you can fry it up in a pan (like JennyMac did here). Although we participate in a group of cheese makers, that is semi-monthly (or so) and we are super impatient, so Natashya & I found some recipes (okay, she found them and shared them...but I suggested the type of cheese) for Queso Blanco and decided that we cheese waits for no one! So, without further delay, I bring you....Queso Blanco. Sort of a general recipe, some use white vinegar, some us cider vinegar and some use lemon juice...

Queso Blanco 1 gallon whole milk (raw works & tastes best...but if you don't have access...regular will work) 1/4 c. cider vinegar sea salt- to taste Heat your milk slowly in a large heavy pot until it reaches 180 degrees F. Turn off heat and stir in vinegar. Let sit for 10-15 minutes (you will see a thick mass of curds). Line a sieve with cheesecloth (folded over 4x) or butter muslin. Set the sieve over a very large bowl and scoop or pour your curd into the lined sieve. Save this leftover liquid (whey) to make ricotta (which I'll show you another day), use in baking bread or pouring over your compost pile or into your garden. Lift the sieve from the bowl and place over an empty bowl. Fold over the edges. Place a small plate and some weights on top (to help press out extra whey). Refrigerate for 5-7 hours.Remove from the refrigerator and use any whey in the bottom of the bowl as you used the previous whey.Remove the plate & weight. Peel back the cheesecloth and place cheese in a bowl. Stir in sea salt to taste, if you wish. Kind of a strange way to add the cheese, right? Well, I just sprinkled it over the outsides. I think it needed a bit more salt...I wonder if you could add it earlier in the process with good results? I'll try it next time.You'll notice that I made mine in a regular old metal strainer, but you can use a cheese mold if you have one. I just ordered and received some from The Cheesemaker, but I really wanted a nice, rustic (my favorite food-related word) "disc" of cheese for this one. Unmold your cheese onto a plate or cutting board and use it within a day or two (in my opinion).

How should I use my queso blanco you ask? My favorite way is with Mexican food...like this Torta con Milanesa de Pollo...Go on over and check out Natashya's Queso Blanco here!

*Queso Blanco, while fresh, is not to be confused with Queso Fresco. Queso fresco is made by using rennet & cultures and will yield a similar cheese...but it is a bit firmer in my opinion. Plus, it'll melt if ya try. I'll make Queso Fresco soon...promise Dani.

"Blessed are the cheesemakers." -Monty Python

Golden Garlic Soup w/ Fideos {National Garlic Day}

Today is National Garlic Day! Garlic is one of my favorite things. I said it. I love garlic. I even ate it before I was married. A lot of it. Guess I only wanted to attract the kind of guy who likes garlic, himself. Mission accomplished...tee hee. And you how most people hate walking around with the smell of garlic on their hands? I actually like that. Weirdo, huh? It's even better if you've chopped up some lime &/or some ginger along with the garlic....ah, it's like perfume to me. I wanted to all smart and give you a big tutorial on the many uses and benefits of garlic; then I realized how much I have to get done today and I didn't prepare in advance, so I'm just going to show you some fun garlic-lovers cookbooks and share a new soup recipe I came up with this morning.

Golden Garlic Soup w/ Fideos

bfrom the kitchen of girlichef

Olive Oil

onions, small- 3 sliced fairly thin

garlic cloves, peeled- 10 sliced thin

bay leaves, fresh- 2

thyme, fresh- few sprigs

3 1/2 oz. fideo (or broken up vermicelli)

Chicken/Beef/Veg Stock or Broth (your choice or a mixture)- 1 1/2 quarts

salt & pepper- to taste

for garnish:

queso fresco, cut into small cubes

crushed, dried chiles (I used chile de arbol, chopped up in spice grinder)

Put a pot on over medium heat. Add a few swirls of olive oil. Add your sliced onions, stirring occasionally, until golden.

While onions are cooking, peel your garlic.

Slice them up very thin, either by hand or in one of these nifty little mini-mandolin type slicers (love this!).

Add to pot once onions are golden. Continue to cook and stir around a bit, until garlic gets soft and golden. Add your herbs and your fideos. Stir them around for a couple of minutes to toast them.

Add the broth/stock of your choice and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes or so, until fideos are al dente.

Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Ladle into bowls and garnish with queso fresco and crushed chiles.

This soup is a garlic-lover's dream! Golden, caramelized, earthy garlic and onions along with the underlying heat from the sprinkling of chiles and the salty, just-meltiness (I know, not a word) of the cheese combine so beautifully...I think I'll go have another bowl of it once I'm finished here.

So, Happy Garlic Day to all....vampires and bugs be warned!

I'm also going to try to send this over to Deb for entry in Souper Sundays, even though I'm pretty sure I'm late and won't make it into today's roundup.