A Boom Boom Blog-i-versary

A Blogiversary seemed like a great occasion to ponder the past four years and roll out another meal featuring Boom Boom Enchiladas at the Texas to Mexico house.

I'm reflecting this week as I celebrate my 4 year Blogiversary of Texas to Mexico. Thanks to leaving Texas in 2006 & heading off to the arid, dusty desert of Mexico I can now look back at a 4 year Blogging adventure. Back then I desperately needed a way of letting friends & family know about our life south of the border. (That was also shortly before we had a voice over phone & were speaking on a daily basis to everyone back in the states) Little did I know back then posting photos, yammering on about things I saw on my daily travels I would truly broaden my horizons. In truth, taking photos & blogging exposed me to a whole new adventure which extended far beyond Texas & certainly Mexico. I was soon speaking with people in Europe, South Africa & the Middle East. It seemed I had more in common with those people than I had differences. In 4 years I have heard countless times from people who sought advice on making a cultural change or traveling through Mexico. Regardless of the Expatriate Assignment, the lifestyle is certain to change the way of viewing life. My viewpoint was forever changed. Back then as now as I toured the blogging world, I sought to broaden my horizons & expand my world. In 2006 I added a recipe here & there mostly discussing the life or people around me. My blog followers have been with me through astounding shopping experiences, visa & passport photo mishaps (exhibit below, yikes!! Those {bad hair, señora ninguna sonrisa} FM3 photos were awful.), dangerous border crossing incidents & horrifying hair coloring disasters which one can only appreciate fully once cyber friends say they understand it will all work out. For these things I want to say thank you. You have fed my soul & spirit from Mexico & back to Texas. In turn I hope I have done the same in Texas to Mexico.




To celebrate my 4 year Blogiversary I thought I would make a slight variation on one of my favorite Tex-Mex Enchiladas I have eaten many times at Chuy's. Chuy's is an Austin original restaurant which celebrates 2 things I can both appreciate & enjoy. Each year they celebrate Elvis Presley's Birthday (January 9) & Green Chile Festival. Not only do they celebrate but they do it in wonderful style with an array of menu items on both occasions to make everyone a follower of either Green Chilis or Elvis (for any of those non fans...seriously??) I hope all the Texas to Mexico fans will be sure to try this recipe or drop into a Chuy's location near you to taste the original Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Enchiladas. One taste of that Boom Boom sauce & even non believers will be Green Chili fans.



Boom Boom Blogiversary enchiladas were great with Golden Corn Salad with Fresh Basil from Sept. 2010 Cooking Light check the recipe out here:








My variation on the familiar "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom Recipe" involves little more than using jalapenos versus serranos & I made more of a filliing for the tortillas rather than using the chopped roasted chicken. The filling adds a little more moisture to this version.










Boom Boom Chicken Enchiladas (slight variation**)

12 white corn tortillas
1 1/4 lb chicken cooked, roasted, fork shredded
1/4 c. diced yellow onion
8 oz. cream cheese or queso panela (Mexican cheese)
1/4 tsp. ground cumino salt, pepper to taste

Boom Boom Sauce ingredients
1/2 c vegetable broth
1/4 c water
1/4 T each salt and pepper
3/4 lb roasted Hatch Green Chilies
2 oz tomatillos
1 1/2 oz cilantro
1 oz green onions
3/4 oz minced jalapeno peppers
1/2 oz lime juice
1 1/4 lb American cheese

additional mixed shredded cheese for topping

In a saucepan, add vegetable broth, water and spices and place over a medium to high flame. Using a food processor, puree roasted green chilies, tomatillos, cilantro, green onions, jalapenos and lime juice. (This entire mixture also works well with an immersion blender or standard blender)

Add to saucepan, stirring in well. Bring mixture to a slow boil. Lower flame and slowly add American cheese, whipping as needed to remove clumps and make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. When the cheese is melted and mixed, remove from heat. Yields 1 Quart.

Prepare mixture for enchiladas filling: Roasted chicken, fork shredded, mix with queso panela (or cream cheese), 1/4 cup of onion, diced. To make enchiladas, fill a corn tortilla* with 3 Tbsp of cooked, roasted chicken mixture. Roll up and place in a lightly oiled baking dish (9X15). Top with mixed cheese, as needed. Warm in a hot oven for 10 minutes, until cheese is melted. *I steam the tortillas briefly so they will easily roll. Top with Boom-Boom Sauce.

**First published as SAL HERNANDEZ / CHUY'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT here:

***On a very personal note, our first assignment in Mexico seemed to be at the epicenter of extortion, kidnappings & gunfights following the election of President Calderon & his declaration of war on the drug cartels. While these things were gripping we never felt more at home or cared for among an entire group of warm & friendly people. We continue to miss & pray for our friends in Mexico each and every day.

And last it is with a well known quote that I leave a thought for my friends & family in Mexico:

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. -Thomas Jefferson

Cauliflower Zipped up a Notch with Hatch Chili

Is your food spicy & hot or just hot? We had an experience last weekend where we thought we'd figured out the heat level of some jalapeno peppers. I seeded & de-veined them however once the peppers were pulled off the grill we were all crying from the pain. (literally!! Did something happen to this late summer jalapeno crop? We love them but seriously way past habanero heat level these peppers were...) The family is not short in the heat tolerance area so we thought we'd better temper the jalapeno intake this week. We opted for the Hatch peppers, a nice spicy change of pace after the over the top jalapenos. (the smoke is still drifting from my ears...) As the saying goes: “Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor” and so I was in search of flavor with or without that tall glass of ice water close at hand~ For a kinder gentler jalapeno recipe check out our New Blog at Fresh from the Heart of Texas.


Hatch Chili festivities have begun here in town. While we are a lengthy drive from New Mexico, Texans do love a good spicy chili & a reason to celebrate. At several local stores around the area, the large roasters full of Hatch Chilis are set up outside (in our 100+ summer temps) searing those Hatch Chilis. The peppers can be purchased fresh or straight out of the chili roaster.
Inspired by a side dish challenge from fellow blogger Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice I searched for a way to incorporate one of my favorite spicy peppers into a side dish. Not to be a double dipper but I also follow Gloria Chadwick's blogs & love her Hatch Chili Heaven blog where she is positively green about all things Hatch. She inspired me to zip up the spice in my Cauliflower dish. Searching through several cookbooks I came across an Indian recipe which blends a wonderful array of spices & flavors into a thick flavorful sauce topping cauliflower. While I enjoy the flavor of several curry mixtures, Mr Texas to Mexico is not really a fan. I am however happy to say this sauce contains no curry blend. The tomato, ginger & garlic sauce really create a magic that can transport even an average menu into something exciting with a head of cauliflower. The heat in this dish can be taken up or down depending on what your preferences are.

Two books I've been reading are: The complete Hot & Spicy Cookbook & on the Chile trail, 100 Great Recipes from Across America. ( a birthday gift from Hornsfan) The last by Coyote Joe, also known as Mad Coyote Joe Daignaeult. I can recommend both books & believe the Hot & Spicy cookbook goes a long way towards helping cooks decipher some of the special ingredients involved in cuisines of 5 different countries featured in the book.


Cauliflower for me is great steamed with a squeeze of lemon & pepper...that was before I tasted this recipe.
















Chili Roasted Cauliflower
3 Medium Tomatoes. sliced
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 inch of peeled, sliced, ginger root
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 Tbsp. Ghee, or clarified butter
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground chili powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 c. peas, if frozen thaw
1 Hatch Green Chili, seeded, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Med. Cauliflower, cut heart out & blanch

Blend tomatoes, onion, garlic & ginger in the blender forming a nice paste. Heat butter or ghee in a skillet over medium heat, add the paste, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala. Stir fry until the paste & spices separate. Mixture will be pulling away from skillet & have loose texture to it. This process takes 5-6 minutes. Add the peas, Hatch Green Chilis & salt then continue to cook 4-5 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Place the Blanched Cauliflower in a large ovenproof dish, pour the spices over it. Place in preheated oven *375 for 30 minutes or till the Cauliflower is the texture you want it. I like this vegetable to maintain a crisp quality to it. Serve flat on plate with the spices on the Cauliflower florets. Serves 4, great served with warm nam bread.

Koshari, Kosheri or is that Koshary?

What is in a word? Koshari is Egypt's answer to American Chili...kind of, sort of! It is made of lentils, rice, beans, some type of pasta & it has a spicy tomato sauce. It is a street food along the streets of Cairo, can be found throughout the Middle East & as far away as Hong Kong. The national dish of Egypt aka: 1st rate Egyptian comfort food intrigued me long before I tried it. I watched an episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain visited Cairo & ate at a Koshari restaurant. I was decidedly intrigued then began seeking out a recipe & the ingredients to make this dish. My recipe incorporates a bit more heat but there are as many recipes of this online as our American Chili. Comfort foods tend to take up a life of their own. Making Koshari for the very first time while we were still living full time south of the border was not all that difficult. I would venture to say that many cooks have most of the ingredients on hand in the pantry save the Hot Siracha Sauce. I made a trip to our local Asian market to buy the Hot Siracha sauce. (Of course I think I just needed an excuse to visit the Asian Supermarket.) They seem to have one of the largest selections of products under one roof & I am always up for the slightly exotic shopping trip. Our large MT Asian Supermarket has groceries offered from around the globe with a nice selection of Middle Eastern products. Believe it or not there is actually quite a large influence from the Middle East on the foods in Mexico. We knew people in Mexico with Middle Eastern surnames & traditions. I believe I had mentioned this previously in another blogpost. The Middle Eastern dishes are quite popular with the younger foodies as many of the side dishes are vegetarian. They are both inexpensive to prepare as well as high in protein & a good way to change up the average meatless meal. I recently made this meal as a modest addition to Tangled Noodle & Savor the Thyme's Eating Your Words contest. I do not know that my meal is particularly challenging however if anyone had seen me trying to pipe the words of my Spicy Tomato Sauce for the Koshari I seemed plenty challenged. Why pipe it onto the plate one might ask? We tend to dab everything into the sauce & if a little is good on top of the Koshari, more is better!


















Egyptian Koshari

The national dish of Egypt which may have found a permanent place on the Texas to Mexico table.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked Rice
2 cups cooked Vermicelli (Fideo) pasta*
2 tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin , divided
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 cup cooked Lentils
1 1/2 can tomato sauce (16 oz)
1/2 cup Water
4 tablespoons hot Siracha Sauce from Asian grocery
1 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1 15.5 oz can Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans), drained
2 med. Onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)**
1 Green Chili, roasted, seeded & diced

Instructions:

1. *In large saucepan saute Fideo or Vermicelli pasta in 1 Tbsp Oil till lightly golden, then slowly add water needed to cook pasta. Drain any remaining water from pasta.

Combine rice and pasta; spoon in bottom of large shallow bowl or platter.

2. Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Add cooked lentils and stir to combine. Spoon over rice and pasta.

3. Combine tomato sauce, water, sugar, cinnamon, salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, hot Siracha sauce and red pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. At this point set aside & reserve 1/2 cup of the Spicy Tomato Sauce. Stir in chickpeas. Spoon tomato mixture over lentil layer. Partially stir tomato mixture into other layers, but do not completely combine all layers. If desired, prepare crisp-brown onions as directed below and add as a topping. To this layer I added Green Chili Peppers & served with the reserved Spicy Tomato Sauce on the side. I realize this takes Koshari into a Southwest direction but it is so very good. Omit the green chilies if you don't want the added heat.

**Cook onions in large skillet with 1 tablespoon oil over high heat, stirring frequently, until brown and slightly crispy, about 10 - 15 minutes.

Hatching up some Spicy Food!

What do Green Apples, Sage & Hatch Green Chiles have in common? Why...my Hatch Green Chile Stew of course!

When cooking up some Spicy foods & using Hatch Green Chiles I've been testing the limits of dishes which I can mix in these fleeting seasonal favorites. Gloria Chadwick of Foods & Flavors of San Antonio has even created a new blog to pay tribute to this quintessential pepper!





Excitement was in the air the last 2 weeks at our local Grocery stores & markets as the famed Hatch Green Chile Peppers arrived in Texas. So much was the excitement when Hornsfan called me, that I rushed to our grocery store to see if the Hatch Peppers had arrived & had started roasting yet. I'm certain the produce people at our grocery store were thrilled to be rid of the crazy woman who seemed to be stalking them for hot peppers! The New Mexico Hatch Chile folks were even giving away CDs of cooking demos & helpful chile pepper advice. After living South of the Border our Pepper consumption has jumped a heat level or two! When the peppers hit the markets here they are hard to miss as most of the grocers set up a large gas or wood roasting pit. As the Chile Peppers roast they are turned to ensure even roasting & are manned by someone standing nearby with water to keep the flames from getting out of hand. Roasted, blackened & cleaned the Chiles are the perfect addition to so many dishes. How did I know the delectable peppers added enough heat enough at our house? My husband was eating his second bowl of my Green Stew when he had to keep wiping his forehead...one of those hurts so good meals!

The history of the Hatch is a bit murky since the origin somewhere close to 1896 when New Mexico rancher Emilio Ortega carried pepper seeds back to California which became the Anaheim Pepper....those seeds may have indeed been from what was later known as the Hatch Chile. Hybridized, refined & widely touted, the Hatch Chile Pepper is only from Hatch, New Mexico & can have quite a kick when compared to the somewhat milder Anaheim cousin. It is worth noting that these Peppers are in season once each year so if you are lucky enough to find them buy enough to roast an extra pound or two & freeze them. We have eaten them mixed into countless bowls of guacamole as this is probably one our favorite Hatch appetizer to eat this time of year. For a little more information about Hatch Chile Peppers check out this New Mexico site! I'm thinking we might have to try whipping up a batch of "Hatch-a-ritas" before the season is over.















Hatch Green Chile Stew

2 1/2 lbs Pork Loin, trimmed & cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Med Onion, diced
2 Cups Water
8 Hatch Green Chile Peppers, roasted, seeded & chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Red Bell Pepper
3 Green Granny Smith Apples, cored, seeded & chopped
5 Fresh Sage leaves, cut into slices or thin strips
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Celery Salt
Queso Cojita, semi soft Mexican white cheese, grated

Heat oil in large wrought iron dutch oven or large heavy skillet. Brown pork, add the onion, pepper & garlic. Add 2 cups of water, green apples, Hatch Green Chile Peppers, sage & salts. Simmer stew covered for 30 min. Remove lid & simmer for 30 min more till pork is tender. Add water as needed no more than 1 cup at a time. The stew should be thick not thin & soup-like. Serve garnished with Mexican Cojita cheese either crumbled or grated.
Yields 4 servings




















This recipe is based on a recipe which was wildly popularized in San Antonio Texas back in the mid 1960's. My mother has a worn Sunday school church cookbook from that time period which this is recipe is based on. This corn bread really can be a meal alone. Enjoy!
Hatch Green Chile Corn Bread

1 Cup Stone Ground Cornmeal
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Melted Shortening or Bacon Renderings
1 Cup Cream Style Corn
1/2 lb. Grated Cheddar Cheese
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Small Onion, diced
2 Roasted, Seeded Green Chile Peppers diced**

In a bowl stir together cornmeal, soda, salt. Beat eggs slightly & add to buttermilk; stir this into the dry ingredients. Add melted shortening or bacon fat. Stir in cream style corn. Mix, add grated cheese, onion, garlic & chile peppers to the cornmeal mixture. Pour into a greased baking pan (9 X 13 inches) Bake @ 375* for 35 min. or till cornbread tests done & is golden brown.
**2 diced pickled jalapenos may be substituted.



Green Chile Dressing
1/3 c. lightly packed cilantro with stems
2 roasted, seeded Green Chilies, chopped
3Tbsp white wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic
1/2c oil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt,
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
Mix in blender till smooth...makes 1 1/4 cup

I served this dressing over a simple Spinach Salad with sliced onion, sauteed shrimp & garnished with sliced almonds.