Pico de Gallo Salsa

A traditional spicy Salsa, ideal to serve with Quesadillas, Fajitas, Nachos, Chips, Dips etc etc etc. This tastes even better if you make it the day before you want it.

You need:

3 Large ripe Tomatoes
1/2 a Red Onion - finely chopped
1 Large Fresh Green Chilli - deseeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons Fresh Coriander - finely chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt and Pepper

Halve the Tomatoes and scoop out and discard the juice and pips. Finely dice the flesh and place in a large non-metallic bowl. Add the Onion, Chilli, Coriander and Lime Juice. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper and then stir well to combine the ingredients

Cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes - more if you can!

Makes 4 servings

Chorizo and Cheese Quesadilla

This brings back holiday memories from a few years ago...we went to the States for 3 weeks and our first week was spent in San Diego. The first thing we ate after getting off the plane was Quesadillas at the Seaport Village. This is another take on a previous post. You can leave the Chorizo out if making this one for Veggies.






You need:

115g Mozzarella Cheese - grated
115g Mature Cheddar Cheese - grated
200g Chorizo - diced
4 Spring Onions - finely chopped
2 Fresh Green Chillies - deseeded and finely chopped
8 Flour Tortillas
Vegetable Oil - for brushing
Salt and Pepper


Place the Cheeses, Chorizo, Spring Onions, Chillies, Salt and Pepper to taste into a bowl and mix well to combine.

Divide the mixture between 4 Tortillas, then top with the remaining Tortillas

Brush a large non-stick frying pan with a little oil, and heat over a medium heat for 30 seconds. Add 1 Quesadilla and cook, pressing it down with a spatula for 3 or 4 minutes until the underside is crisp and lightly browned. Turn over and cook the other side, pressing down with the spatula for another 2 or 3 minutes - until the cheese is melting. Remove from the pan and keep warm

Cook the remaining Quesadillas and then cut into quarters. Serve with some home made Guacamole and Pico de Gallo Salsa

Feeds 4

White Bean Chilli

This one is based on a recipe by Simon Rimmer. It's well worth a try as you probably haven't had it before...make it hotter if you like but the way i've described below does have quite a kick.







You need:

2 Onions - finely chopped
1 bottle Sol or Corona Beer
3 Garlic Cloves - crushed
2 Red Peppers - finely chopped
1 Fresh Green Chilli - de-seeded and finely chopped
1/2 jar Sliced Jalapeno Peppers (Discovery ones are fine) - finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dried Chilli Flakes
1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
400ml Vegetable Stock
Bunch Fresh Coriander
50ml White Wine Vinegar
400g can Cannellini Beans - drained
400g can Butter Beans - drained
1 tablespoon Dried Italian Seasoning
250g Cheddar - grated

Place the Beer, Onions, Garlic, Red Peppers, Fresh Chilli, Chopped Jalapenos, Chilli Flakes, Cumin and Stock into a large pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes

In a food processor, blitz the Coriander together with the Wine Vinegar and a large pinch of salt to make a thin paste. Add this paste along with the Beans, the Italian Seasoning and the Paprika to the spiced stock...simmer for 25 minutes

Serve and sprinkle with the Cheddar. This is good served in bowls with Flour Tortillas or with Tortilla Chips

Feeds 2 hungry people

Enchiladas with Cheese

This is a really good lunch or light dinner recipe. If having it for dinner, you'll probably want some rice with it. This is fast becoming one of Bil's signature dishes :-)









You need:

For the Salsa..
2 x 400g tins Chopped Tomatoes
1 x Green Chilli - de-seeded and finley chopped
1 x Red Onion - chopped
4 x tablespoons Fresh Coriander - chopped
2 Limes - Juiced
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

For the Enchiladas
4 x Large Flour Tortillas
110g Wenslydale Cheese - grated
150g Mozzarella Cheese - grated
200ml reduced fat Creme Fraiche

Pre-heat the oven to 180c

Tip the Tomatoes into a sieve and let the excess liquid drain away..you may want to do that over the sink or over a bowl. Place the Chili into a bowl and add half the Onion, the drained Tomatoes, the Coriander, Lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well!

Now, in another bowl, mix the 2 cheeses together. Place 1 Tortilla on a work surface and spoon a tablespoon of the Tomatoe Salsa over it, spreading it not quite to the edges. Add a bit more Salsa if a tablespoon isn't enough. Sprinkle over a heaped tablespoon of the Cheese and follow with a dollop of the Creme Fraiche. Roll the Tortilla up into a cigar shape and place into a 23cm Square baking dish (or whatever you have), seam side down. Repeat with the rest of the Tortillas.

Spread the remaining Creme Fraiche over the top of the Tortillas and then sprinkle over the rest of the Salsa and the Onion and Cheese

Place in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with a salad or some rice!

Feeds 4

Chicken Fajitas

I can't get enough spicy food these days...seems like everything I eat has to be Mexican or a curry. I spiced up this recipe by adding some chopped Jalapeno peppers.


You need:

1 Onion - sliced
1 Red Pepper - sliced
1 Green Pepper - sliced
4 Chicken Breasts - sliced
1 packet of Fajita Seasoning (Discovery is a good brand to use)
½ bottle of Mexican beer (Corona/Sol/Pacifico etc)
2-4 tbs Jalapeno Peppers - chopped. (again, the Discovery ones are ok to use)
8 Tortillas

Heat a large frying or saute pan on a high heat. Add the Chicken followed by the Onion and Peppers and Jalapenos. Now add the Fajita Seasoning, mix well and then add the Beer.

Bring to the boil and transfer to a slow cooker or crock pot. Cook on low for around 5 hours

OR.....bring to the boil and simmer over a medium heat for about 25 minutes until the liquid has nearly evaporated. It's better in a slow cooker though :-)

Serve with Tortillas/Guacamole/Sour Cream/Cheese/Salsa - or whatever!

Feeds 4

Albondigas (Meatballs) and Rice

Meatballs and rice with a simple, spicy sauce. Bil made this one for my dinner tonight. Not bad, get in from work and find a veggie has cooked you a nice meaty dinner :-)








You need:

225g Pork Mince
225g Beef Mince - extra lean of course.
2 cloves Garlic - crushed (divided)
2 Spring Onions - chopped
1 Egg - beaten
2 tablespoons Breadcrumbs
1 Chilli - seeded and finely chopped (red or green)
1 teaspoon ground Cumin (divided)
4 tablespoons Olive Oil (divided)
1 Onion - finely chopped
1 green Pepper - finely diced
1/2 a teaspoon ground Coriander
400g tin Chopped Tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of sugar

First off, make the spicy sauce......heat 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in saucepan and add the Onion and green Pepper. Cook gently for 5 mins to soften. Now add 1/2 of the Chilli, half of the Cumin, half of the Garlic and the Coriander. Stir well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, then add the Tomatoes. Cook for about 5 or 6 minutes until the sauce has reduced down and thickened slightly. Set aside.

Now for the meatballs.... Pre-heat the oven to 180c then mix the Pork, Beef, remaining Garlic, Chilli and Cumin, together with the Breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix until well combined then gradually add the Egg to help bind everything together. Turn the mix onto a lightly floured surface and shape the mixture into about 16 balls.

Pour the remaining Olive Oil into a large frying pan and whack the heat up high. Add the meatballs to the pan and cook for between 5-10 mins, turning frequently until brown all over. Remove the meatballs from the pan and drain well on kitchen paper.

Place the meatballs into an ovenproof dish, pour over the spicy sauce and then cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the Spring Onions and boiled Rice.

Feeds 4

Nacho's

You'll happily pay 3 or 4 quid for this in the pub, so why not make it at home? Ideal for a Saturday night in front of the TV. I make mine with a Chilli to go with it, but you can make it even easier and leave that out..either way is good!







To feed 2, you need:

2 x Big Bags of Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips (such as Doritos)
1 Jar of Red or Green Jalapeno Peppers
1 lb lean Pork Mince
1 400g (ish) jar of Chilli Sauce - your choice how hot
250g Mature Cheddar - grated
125ml Sour Cream
1 Small Jar of Salsa - your choice how hot
A serving of Guacamole

If serving with Chilli, then simply brown the Pork Mince for 10 minutes in a pan. Add the Jar of Chilli sauce, then stir and simmer for 30 minutes.

For the Nacho's, place a layer of the Tortilla Chips in a large serving bowl.

Spread Red or Green Jalapenos on top of the chips to taste. And don't go mental with them........Sprinkle with 75g of the Cheese.

Add another layer of Tortilla Chips on top, spread some more Peppers on top of the chips. If serving with Chilli, now put a generous spoonful on top of the Chips, in the middle of the bowl.

Cover with another 75g of Cheese or even more if you like it.

Place in the Microwave and heat on full power for about 90 seconds to melt the cheese. Repeat for the 2nd bowl.

Serve with a good dollop of Sour Cream, Guacamole and Salsa. Easy!


Because Bil is a veggie, hers gets made with Veggie Chilli instead of Pork Chilli..everything else stays the same.

Quesadillas

Not strictly authentic I guess...when we've eaten these in the Southern US, they've always been prepared with proper little presses similar to a tortilla press. But i don't have one of those. I'm not entirely convinced that the filling is too authentic either, but having said that, it's easy to make and it's tasty.

You need:

1 cooked Potato (grated)
1 tablespoon Coriander (chopped)
1 tablespoon Sweet Chilli Sauce
6 Spring Onions (chopped)
5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (grated)
175g Mozzarella cheese (grated)
175g Feta cheese (grated). Any other crumbly white cheese is fine (such as Cheshire)
2 Garlic cloves (crushed)
8 Tortillas
Salt and Pepper
1 Beaten egg
Olive oil for brushing



Add the cheeses, onions, chilli sauce, potato, coriander, garlic and seasoning to a large bowl and mix them thoroughly together.









Take a tortilla and place approx 1-2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture onto one half of the totilla. Brush the edge with beaten egg, fold the tortilla in half and press down to seal the edges. Repeat using all the tortillas and all the cheese mixture!

Heat the oven to 190/375/Gas 5.

Place the folded tortillas on a large baking sheet (or two) and brush lightly with the olive oil. Cook in the oven for approx 12-15 minutes until the tortillas are lightly browned.



Serve warm with salad, guacamole and salsa and soured cream on the side. Makes 8 (obviously)

Prawns in Garlic (Camerones Al Mojo De Ajo)

You can serve this as either a side dish or as a main, accompanied by white rice, green salad and Guacamole You might also want to serve some crusty bread to help mop up the sauce.

You need:

Juice of 1 Lime
2 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped (not crushed)
1/2 medium Onion - finely chopped
50g Fresh Parsley - finely chopped
1 Green Chilli - finely chopped
450g raw Tiger Prawns - shelled
1/2 Chicken or Vegetable stock cube - crumbled
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Butter or margarine
Pinch ground Black Pepper

Heat the Oil and Butter in a heavy based pan over a low to medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the Garlic, Chilli, Onion and Parsley. Fry for approx 5 minutes until the Onion has softened and the Parsley turns a dark green colour.

Now add the Prawns and the crumbled stock cube, along with the Lime Juice and the black pepper. Increase the heat slightly and fry for approx 3 to 4 minutes until the Prawns turn pink.







Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish.

Chilli Roja

Red in color and red hot in taste.....this recipe will feed 2, but can be easily doubled (or quadrupled) if you need to feed more. It also freezes well.

You need:

450g Steak (I use Braising Steak) cut into 1 inch chunks
1 Red Onion roughly chopped
1 Red Birds Eye Chilli finely chopped (leave the seeds in if you like it hot)
1 Red Pepper roughly chopped into 1 inch chunks
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 - 2 tablespoons Tomato Puree
1 Clove of Garlic - crushed
1/2 tablespoon Ground Cumin
200g Chopped Tomatoes
2 tablespoons Chilli powder
1 bottle of Mexican Beer (such as Sol, Corona or Pacifico)
1 Tin Red Kidney Beans
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the Olive Oil in a large saucepan or casserole. Brown the meat in batches and set aside.

Lower the heat and add the Onion, Garlic, Chilli and Red Pepper pieces to the pan. Cook gently for approx 5 or 6 minutes, without burning the onion.

Now add the Chiili powder, Paprika and Cumin, followed by the bottle of beer. Then add the Chopped Tomatoes, Tomato Puree and the meat to the pan.

Cook on a simmer for at least 2 hours. Even better if you can stick it all in a slow cooker for 3-4 hours. You want the meat to be cooked until it is totally tender. Add the Kidney Beans about 30 mins before serving, along with salt and pepper to taste..

Guacamole

Nope, it doesn't taste like face cream. It's good for serving with tortilla chips and salsa, or as an accompaniment for Nachos or Tacos.....make most of this in a hand blender or a food processor to save time. You can make this in about 10 minutes, and trust me..it's MUCH better than that mush you can buy in jars in the shops.

5-6 Spring Onions trimmed to about 2 inches length
2 large ripe Avocados (i use Hass ones), halved and the insides scooped out.
1 tablespoon Lime juice
bunch Coriander (chopped)
salt and pepper
few drops of Tabasco
2 cloves of Garlic
2 tablespoons of Sour Cream
3 medium sized Tomatoes

Put the Spring Onions and the garlic in the blender and whiz until finely chopped.

Add the Avocado and whiz again until well blended.

Add the Lime juice, and the Tabasco and give it another quick blitz. Place the mixture into a bowl and set aside for now.

Put the whole tomatoes into a bowl and cover with boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove them from the water and the skins should now come off easily. Cut them in half and scoop out and chuck away the seeds, then finely dice the tomatoes.

Add the chopped Tomatoes and the Sour Cream to the Guacamole and stir it well. Add half the chopped Coriander

Either serve this right away, with the remaining Coriander either stirred in now or sprinkled on top OR store it in the bowl, in the fridge covered in cling film. It should keep ok for a good couple of hours. Add the remaining Coriander before serving.

Makes 4 decent sized servings.