Hello all,
This week was filled with crazy hours in the kitchen. Sometimes you have to laugh at yourself, which I did all week, cause I was a hot mess! During this week's cooking chores for the Cowbell, I'm sure you all have experienced this feeling, I spilled, dropped, forgot, almost burned the jelly, made the biggest giant messes.... you name it, I did it! The important thing that I realized was
it didn't matter because I'm so happy, joyful and content with doing what I'm doing that I just keep on cooking and cleaning with a big ole smile! I am living my own dream!!!!
In the midst of my disheveled mess it is springtime and this is when I start to gear up for the upcoming bounty of local vegetables and fruits. For now the veggie & fruit selection is slim pickens; winter squash, potatoes, apples but soon that will not be the case.
To get my jam making groove thing going I did break down and purchase a flat of blueberries, not local, and made blueberry jam for the weekend, yummy. I also made a batch of pickled red onions which will be delicious on the ham & cheese biscuit sandwich. Oh how I love to pickle veggies....
On today's agenda, a root beer bundt cake, the rustic apple tarts and finishing up the soups which leads me to today's recipe and soup selection for tomorrow. Mexican local chicken Pozole Verde, this soup I was taught when I worked in Santa Cruz California, Kelly's French Bakery, from my amazing adorable Mexican kitchen staff. They could cook! (recipe and notes are below)
Enough I have to get to work. Maybe today I should play soothing music and not listen to the Bestie Boys!!! hahaha
Happy cooking, pickling and jamming
Cher
Soup Selections for this Fri., Sat. & Sun:
Mexican local chicken Pozole Verde
Curry Red lentil & roasted local Squash
Other new treats:
Root beer chocolate bundt
Lemon olive oil cake
Blueberry jam
Pickled red onions
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Mexican Chicken Pozole Verde
Serves 6-8
- 7 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
- 2 cups water
- 4 chicken breast halves on the bone, with skin
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked and halved
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 2 poblano chiles—cored, seeded and quartered
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and quartered
- 4 large garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon oregano leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Three 15-ounce cans of hominy, drained
- Finely shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped onion, diced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges, for serving
- In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, bring the chicken stock and water to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down, cover and simmer over very low heat until they're tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and shred the meat; discard the bones and skin. Skim any fat from the cooking liquid and reserve.
- In a blender, combine the halved tomatillos with the quartered onion, poblanos and jalapeños, smashed garlic, chopped cilantro and oregano. Pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping down the side. With the machine on, add 1 cup of the cooking liquid and puree until smooth. Season the tomatillo puree with salt and pepper.
- In a large deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 12 minutes.
- Pour the green sauce into the cooking liquid in the casserole. Add the hominy and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the shredded chicken to the stew, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 12 minutes.
- Pour the green sauce into the cooking liquid in the casserole. Add the hominy and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the shredded chicken to the stew, season with salt and pepper and cook just until heated through.
- Serve the pozole in deep bowls, passing the lettuce, radishes, onion, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges at the table.
The recipe I posted is from Epicuious, I do some things differently. To make it lighter I use vegetable stock and the vegetables for soups most often I roast, more flavor. So in the recipe I just chop all the veggies up toss with olive oil, salt & pepper and garlic then spread out evenly, not too thick on sheet pans and roast till soft and juicy then I use a wand to process the ingredients along with adding the fresh herbs and pretty much follow the recipe from that point.
I almost forgot I roasted whole chickens, preheat your oven to 400 degrees, wash and pat dry your locally purchased organic chickens, the cavity I salt and pepper and stuff in 1 halved lemon along with a handful of Italian parsley next don't be shy salt and pepper the entire body of the chicken then place in a shallow baking dish or sheet pan breast side up.
Place in oven for 20 minutes at 400 after 20 minutes flip over and roast another 40 minutes depending on size of bird. The best way to check is with a stem thermometer stuck into the thickest meatiest part and when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees done. Cool a bit, then pull off the meat and is ready to add in the soup.
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