Food is Food

A few weekends ago I went to a Hatch chile roast.Hatch chiles are a very prized New Mexican variety. They are available fresh from August through September and once roasted, they can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 years. They are very high in vitamin C—one medium chile has as much as 6 oranges.

There are 5 or 6 different chiles that are marketed with the name “Hatch” and they are each named for the valley they are grown in. The most common Hatch chile is the NuMex 6-4 Heritage, which was bred for flavor, heat level and size at New Mexico State University. They are fleshy, long and narrow. Not generally eaten raw, roasting really brings out their flavor—they are smoky but also have citrus, herbal and vegetal flavors but with distinct heat. You can get mild, medium, hot or extra hot Hatch chiles.

A year ago I was sent some hot chiles from The Hatch Chile Store and it has taken me a year to use them. They are really, really hot so a little goes a long way. You might think I had learned my lesson and would get medium heat chiles this time but I did not. In fact the chiles I got from Mollie Stone’s Market supplied by Melissa’s were fresh off the grill and I made yet another mistake, not peeling them with gloves. Ouch! I didn’t feel the sting and burn until hours later. Fortunately it does go away, eventually.

You can still attend a 2015 Hatch chile roast at a Bay Area Mollie Stone's Market in September on the 12th in Sausalito, 13th in Burlingame, 19th in San Mateo or 20th in Palo Alto. Preorder them if you like. If you prefer having them peeled for you, you can order them from The Hatch Chile Store. They arrive frozen in a flat package and are easy to remove, one at a time.

So what do you do with Hatch chiles? You can use them in dishes that feature them as a primary flavor such as chile verde or in chile rellenos, but there are countless other ways to enjoy them too. Here are just a few ways to use them:

* Stirred into polenta or grits

* In scrambled eggs, frittata or quiche

* Mixed into macaroni and cheese

* As a topping for burgers or cheese burgers

* In a quesadilla

* In chili con carne or vegetarian chili

* Added to corn chowder

* In enchilada sauce or filling

* Added to cornbread or corn muffins

* To spice up spinach artichoke dip

Disclaimer: I received Hatch chiles from The Chile Store and from Mollie Stone's Market. I was not monetarily compensated to write this or any other post on Cooking with Amy.

Due to the Labor Day holiday, today's regularly scheduled video will air tomorrow instead. We'll be showing you how to make your very own prepared horseradish, using the fresh root. Spoiler alert: It's hot. Very hot.

Back-to-school for the kids, back-to-work for mama! I had a blast on The Rachael Ray Show this morning testing out 3 adorable snacks for the kiddos: edible crayons, rainbow pasta and homemade fruit leather. They were extremely easy and Rach and I gave them four thumbs up, because we each have four thumbs (you know what I mean). If you missed the segment, you can check it out here!

When I asked my daughter what kind of cake she wanted for her third birthday, her reply was simple: "pink!" So I went a little overboard, and made the inside of the cake three shades of pink, with pink frosting, pink edible glitter and pink heart sprinkles. Were there pink candles? Um, duh. And I splurged a bit on this cake topper from Etsy because an all-pink cake deserves a little bling.

To make the cake ombre, all you need is a little food coloring! Simply bake as many layers as you'd like, evenly distribute the batter into different bowls, and use varied amounts of food dye to create different shades. I made 4 different layers, but the cake started to look absurdly tall so I ditched one of them. I used boxed white cake (two boxes) with neon pink food coloring, and followed this recipe for the Vanilla Buttercream. It was a hit amongst the pink-loving crowd.

Now if someone could just help me figure out how to explain to a three-year-old that her next birthday is an entire year away...

This incredibly easy to make Alabama white barbecue sauce was invented in 1925 by Robert “Big Bob” Gibson at Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q restaurant, in Decatur. When I first read this bit of culinary history, I had to smile, since I actually know the guy. Well, sort of.

I’ve been to two bbq “boot camps,” run by champion pitmaster Chris Lilly, who trained under a guy, who trained under Big Bob Gibson. Hey, that’s only three degrees of separation. Ironically, Chris never made, or used the white sauce on anything we cooked, but still, I know a guy, who knew a guy, who knew THE guy.

Some people find this concoction quite strange, but not me. It’s eerily similar to the Cornell chicken marinade, which I love. In fact, Mr. Robert C. Baker, the creator of the aforementioned recipe, may have borrowed the idea from Big Bob. I would investigate further, but I have real crimes to solve.

Don’t let this mixture’s appearance stop you from trying what is a devastatingly delicious marinade, baste, and sauce. One tip for basting on the grill: make sure you do it towards the end of cooking, and not over too-high heat. You don’t want flame-ups, as that will cause an off taste.

I brush on two or three applications to each side, over more indirect heat, and as you see in the video, it sears on nicely. As a table sauce, it’s great on any of the traditional barbecued meats, but since it’s really just a salad dressing, it’s also wonderful for making potato salad, coleslaw, and grilled vegetables. I hope you give this white barbecue sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 cups of sauce:

2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup prepared extra-hot horseradish

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tsp yellow mustard

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

On one of our recent trips to Los Angeles, we went to the restaurant Love & Salt and fell in love (as seen in this post). They have the type of menu that makes you want to go back every day to try something new. Nothing disappoints, and I mean NOTHING. Like their salad that's made up of black kale, soppressata, olives, pickled peppers, breadcrumbs and ricotta salata. Everything about this salad is perfect, especially the way they julienne the ingredients so they are perfectly uniform. When everything is the same size it's just easier to eat! That's my jam. And then let's talk about the breadcrumbs which, if I had to guess, are toasted in olive oil or butter until they reach a crisp, golden perfection. The crunch they offer the salad is beyond... and such a nice change from biting into a big crouton. The pickled peppers and olives give off the perfect, salty bite. I can't imagine a better protein than the soppressata or a lovelier, creamier cheese than the ricotta salata and the black kale is the perfect vessel for this salad... a sturdy, earthy green that holds everything together.

My son would say, why don't you marry this salad??

Maybe I will, son, maybe I will.

As you can see, I tried to recreate it at home using a red-wine vinaigrette and it was pretty damn close to the restaurant version. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back. If you decide to try this combination... make sure to julienne your ingredients and do NOT forget to toast your bread crumbs. In fact, I took leftover focaccia bread from our pizza delivery, put it in the food processor and THEN toasted it in the best olive oil I had! I made a ton and now I put it on every salad. The End.

When we were visiting The Voice set over vacation, I discovered something FANTASTIC. My almost-three-year-old PICKY eater will eat tuna salad! You see, television sets are a dangerous, dangerous place for little kids. There are scattered jars of M&M's and jelly beans and gum (so much gum!) and then trays of cookies and bars and sometimes they bring out something called Cookie Pie and serve it with ice cream and I die. Like I said, television sets are dangerous places for grown women who write food blogs. Anyway, I was bribing Etta to eat SOMETHING healthy before she dove into the candy jar, and tuna salad it was. We had tried it at home before, but after eating "The Voice" tuna (weird) I realized what I had done wrong. Mine was too chunky. This was whipped, and fluffy... a spread-like consistency. So when I got home, I decided to put my tuna in the food processor. It was delicious! Some mayo, some garlic salt, fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper...

Now we make Tiny Tuna Melts for the kids on crackers with white cheddar, and grown up versions on sourdough bread with sliced tomato and avocado. I pop both versions under the broiler and watch until the cheese gets bubbly and slightly golden (adding the avocado for the adult sandwiches at the end). You should definitely try the food processor trick for your tuna if you haven't already!

Tuna Salad

(Serves 4-6)

Printable Recipe

12 oz. tuna (I like solid albacore in water)

1/2 cup light mayo

Juice of half a lemon

Garlic salt

Salt and Pepper

Drain tuna, and place in food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Place in bowl, and add mayo and lemon juice. Stir until smooth. Add garlic salt, salt and pepper and taste until desired consistency is reached!

Also, Tuna Avocado Toast and Tuna Casserole

As I mentioned in the intro, this chili verde was one of the first recipes I ever learned, and also one of the first times I was forced to question proper culinary technique. Having just learned the importance of browning meats in culinary school, I was, at the same time, working for a chef who rarely did.

Whether it was pork, chicken, or beef, he simply cut up the meat, threw it in a pot with the rest of the ingredients, and simmered everything until tender. By the way, he claimed that he had learned how to cook these recipes while traveling through Mexico. I remember sheepishly asking about this, and his response was something like, “Well, that's how they did it, and it tastes good to me.” He was right, it did.

In fact, it tasted great. It was then I realized that this whole cooking thing might be a little more complicated than I had imagined. So, which is really the best method? There’s no answer for that question, which is frustrating. Having said that, I do think browned meat is always going to add extra flavor, so I usually do it. The point is, everybody’s right.

Regarding the pickled red onions I used on top of my chili: I was going to save this for a video, but it’s so ultra simple that I’ll just tell you right now. Slice some red onions, add a pinch of salt, and cover with red wine vinegar. Leave this overnight in your fridge, and the next day you’ll be looking at one of the most gorgeous garnishes ever.

They’re wonderful with everything from salads, to charcuterie, to cheeseburgers; but my real hope is that you enjoy them on a bowl of this delicious green pork chili. I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

2 tbsp vegetable oil (heat to almost smoking before browning meat)

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (aka pork butt), cut into 2-inch cubes

1 yellow onion, diced

2 teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 to 3 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

about 10-12 tomatillos (about 4 cups once quartered)

3 jalapenos, seeded

1 poblano chili, seeded

6 cloves peeled garlic

1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves

2 1/2 cups chicken stock, or as needed

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
freshly ground black pepper

sour cream and pickled red onions to garnish

- Simmer pork and sauce for an hour, add potatoes, and simmer until everything is tender.

Have you ever gone to someone's house, eaten something they've prepared, gone home, went to bed, dreamt of what you ate, woke up, drove to the market and bought all of the ingredients so you could make it yourself at home? I do that all the time, but then again, thinking and dreaming about food is pretty much my entire existence. These smashed potatoes my neighbor made the other day were no exception... they are red potatoes, flattened with a masher, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh garlic, grated parmesan, herbs and salt and pepper... and they turn perfectly crunchy in the oven. Go away french fries, these are perfect for the upcoming football season.

Because that's what time it is, my friends. Football and school lunches and seasonal Starbuck's drinks and Halloween stuff already in stores (with Christmas decorations no doubt 5 minutes away). You can't fool us, 90-degree-weather, fall is gonna get you. (Sorry, I talk to toddlers all day long.)

Jen's Crispy Smashed Potatoes

(Serves 6-8)

Printable Recipe

2 lbs. baby red potatoes (about 24), washed

Extra virgin olive oil

5-6 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

Italian seasoning

Grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Brush a large baking sheet with olive oil. Place the potatoes about an inch apart on sheet. Using a potato masher (or a large fork), gently smash potatoes. Drizzle the tops with olive oil. Crush garlic with a press, and sprinkle a little on each potato. Sprinkle the tops with Italian herbs, salt and pepper and Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, until potatoes are golden and crispy.

A simple lunch from last weekend. Sausage from one of my favorite stores - Urban Deli - with parmesan, and a simple salad with apples, fennel, red onion, cucumber and snow peas.

Food is Food

Category

Blog Archive

All about Hatch chiles

Next Up: Homemade Prepared Horseradish

Back-to-school on Rachael Ray

Pink Ombre Cake

Alabama-Style White BBQ Sauce – An Almost Labor-Free Sauce for Your Labor Day Grill

Black Kale Salad from L&S

Tuna Melts: Big and Small

Pork Chili Verde (Green Pork Chili) – Green and Sometimes Browned

Jen's Crispy Smashed Potatoes

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