Bechamel Sauce for Jerry

My coworker Jerry has been partaking in making a couple of my recipes for his family. They have enjoyed the Chile Verde and the Chicken Fried Steak. A foodie in his own right was stumped as to how to make a white sauce that is placed on an open faced Scandinavian Sandwich. The official name of this sauce is Bechamel Sauce. The sweetness, which comes from the butter, in the sauce is what he is looking for. I found a good one by Mario Batalli. Enjoy Jerry~

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

Moroccan Turkey Burgers by Danielle

In a bowl mix ground turkey with the below five "c" spices. Form into patties, place on your your choice of bread and enjoy with a Cordova favorite, toasted and roasted Tator Tots. We like to dip our burgers and tots in a combination of ketchup and bbq sauce. Simple, easy and a go-to meal.

chile powder-to taste
california chile pepper-to taste
cayenne-a pinch
cinnamon-to taste
cumin-to taste
salt-to taste

Thank you Danielle for the delicious meal.

Chicken Adobo

Years ago I was quite interested in a coworkers lunch. It had a salty, vinegary, peppery yummy smell. His wife turns out was Phillipino and he was eating Adobo. The official definition is marinated meat and veggies in vinegar and spices.

Here is how I make my Adobo.

chicken thighs on the bone skinned and cut off the excess fat
White wine vinegar (one whole bottle)
low sodium soy sauce
pepper-large grind and lots of it
bay leaf
water
rice

brown the chicken thighs on both sides in a dark nonstick pan with high sides
liberally pepper both sides of the chicken
add 3/4 of the bottle of white wine vinegar
sprinkle soy sauce in til the vinegar turns a nice brown color
water to "ALMOST" cover the chicken thighs
add bay leaf (take out prior to eating)
cook until the liquid has reduced to a nice thickness-turn thighs occasionally
Tonight, I added a couple pats of butter at the end to thicken up the sauce and it was a fabulous addition.

serve over short grain rice with green veg (roasted broccoli is my favorite)
Add a bit of the sauce to the rice and you have a delicious dish

Thank you coworker from long ago.

fyi-Danielle's friend who has adobo often enjoyed it.

Zanotto's Corned Beef Sandwich

It's that time of year, that famous Irish holiday. Sid keeps raving about the corned beef sandwiches at Zanotto's and tonight I had the pleasure of trying one.

The corned beef is well flavored, piled in between two soft pieces of rye bread (not the strong rye, but the soft just the right amount of rye flavor type), a smig of thousand island and thin slices of swiss cheese. Also added to this wonderful sandwich is freshly made coleslaw, but they were out and I missed it so darn, I'll have to go back again before Thursday.

It was yummy and I highly recommend trying it before it goes away.

Thank you Sid for this yummy find.

Zanotto's Family Market
1988 Naglee Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 293-4594

BLT Benedict with Avocado-Tomato Relish

We substituted baby greens, balsamic vinegar and over easy fried the eggs. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, divided
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 6 (3/4-inch-thick) bakery bread slices, toasted
• 3 cups firmly packed arugula
• 12 thick bacon slices, cooked

Preparation

1. Combine tomatoes and next 5 ingredients and 2 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar in a small bowl.

2. Add water to depth of 3 inches in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and maintain at a light simmer. Add remaining 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar. Break eggs, and slip into water, 1 at a time, as close as possible to surface. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes or to desired degree of doneness. Remove with a slotted spoon. Trim edges, if desired.

3. Spread mayonnaise on 1 side of each bread slice. Layer each with 1/2 cup arugula, 2 bacon slices, and 1 egg. Top with tomato mixture.

Southern Living, MARCH 20

Easy Gumbo-"Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"

It's the day after Fat Tuesday and a nice warm bowl of Gumbo over rice sounds delicious. Here is my tweaked version of Gumbo. The real key to gumbo is the seasoning. I've tried many and my favorite is Joe's Stuff. It can only be found on-line or in New Orleans from the Louisiana Kitchen. It really does make a difference. http://shopping.nosoc.com/index.aspx

In a heavy pot saute andouille sausage (I use Aidelle's) and boneless skinless chicken thighs cut up in the size and shape. Remove well browned meat sprinkle lightly with Joe's seasoning and add two large small choppes red bell peppers, one large sweet onion to the meat fat/juice. Saute on medium for a couple of minutes, then sprinkle some Joes Seasoning, stir a minute and then add 3-4 Tablespoons of flour on the vegetables and create a roux. Keep the heat low or the flour will burn. Once the veg/flour combo cooks for a couple of minutes, add a bit more Joes Seasoning and then add a half a cup of chicken broth and whisk well to make smooth. Then add the rest of the large can of chicken broth and whisk well so there are no lumps of flour. Add back meat and simmer until nice and thick. Add more Joe's to taste, but cook for a couple of minutes after you add it. Serve over white rice (your favorite)

Other substitutes or add on's--shrimp, green bell pepper, orange or yellow bell pepper, okra or what ever you favorite gumbo ingredient is. Make sure you saute them at the veggie or meat level first and sprinkle with Joe's Stuff.

Enjoy!

Chile Verde Deb Style

Here is my version of chile verde.

Pork shoulder in cubes and trimmed of most of the fat. 6-8 lbs for a large group and leftovers
one large sweet onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
two jars of Herdez green chile
one small can of Herdez green chile
nacho jalapenos and a bit of the juice
Add a fresh jalapeno chopped if you want more spice
Orange Juice (1/2 to 1 cup)
Pineapple juice (1 small can)
Guinness 1 can
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot brown pork in batches. This may take a while depending on how much pork you have to brown. Don't over crowd the pot or else you will steam the pork rather than brown it. Once browned, place on a large platter in a single layer and salt and pepper liberally. Throw in the next batch and continue until completed. Once all of the pork is browned put the onions and the garlic in the pot. Add a little oj if the bottom of the pot is dry to help get all the bits up off of the bottom of the pot. This is the good tasting stuff...mmm mmm. Add back the pork and then add the Herdez, juices, jalapenos and beer. Let stew for at least 3 hours or until yummy, thick and dark brown in color. Keep the heat on medium low so the bottom of the pot does not burn. So good and yummy!