“Pizza Pie, Pizza Pie” is the chant that is sung in my home in a big burly voice.  It is the call that let’s the tribe know there will be pizza in the oven soon.  We will mark the day in a bite of cheesy laced crust and celebrate every morsel.  This is how I live… like a disciple committed to the art of pizza.  Let’s take the first steps towards our pie and begin with the dough.  Believe me I wasn’t always this confident in my dough making, in fact I shivered in my boots the first time the ingredients sat before me, but now I know just how easy it is…. with that being said let’s sing….. “Pizza Pie, Pizza Pie.”

Ingredients for pizza dough:

1 – packet highly active dry yeast (rapid rise)

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon warm/hot water

1 – tablespoon honey or sugar (I use honey)

2 – tablespoons olive oil

4 – cup all purpose flour or bread flour

1 1/2 – teaspoons table salt

1/2 – tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped (optional)

In the bowl of a stand mixer add yeast and water and allow to dissolve. Mix it a few times until you know all yeast is dissolved. Then add in honey and mix to combine.  The water will be cloudy. This is the perfect sign.

Next add in olive oil and give another mix.  Let water mixture sit for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl mix flour, salt and rosemary.

Then add flour mixture all at once to the water mixture in the stand up mixer.

Fit a dough hook onto your stand up mixer, knead at low for 5 minutes allowing all ingredients to come together.  Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 4 minutes the dough will comes away from the bowl with it wrapped around the the dough hook.  This is exactly what you’re looking for. Dough will be tacky but not sticky.

Remove dough from mixer and place on a clean flat surface and knead with hands for a minute.

Then lightly grease a bowl with a teaspoon of olive oil and transfer dough into lightly oiled bowl.  Once dough is placed in bowl form into a ball turning to coat the surface with oil.

Then flip bowl over on a large plate and leave dough covered in bowl for an hour and a half at room temperature allowing dough to rise.

Once dough rises uncover and knead dough for a minute or two then divide dough into 4 equal balls.

Form each ball into smooth dough by kneading for a minute or two. Then place all balls on a plate and cover with plastic wrap.

Leave them covered for another hour at room temperature. They will continue to rise.  Then refrigerate over night or up to 3 days covered in plastic wrap.  Dough will continue to rise until the cold of the refrigerator makes it go dormant.

Stay tuned for a the rest of my pizza making adventures…..

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez  

Greetings!  I’m so excited to share my very first webisode with you!  This is numero uno of many, many more to come.  Sit in a comfy place cuz this is a 15 minute instructional recipe.  Meet Flavio the Bolillo and watch me cook up one of my specialties…. Chile Rellenos!

Ingredients for chile rellenos:

6 – anaheim chiles

vegetable oil

onion

garlic cloves

huerito chile

flour

black pepper

oregano

Lawry’s seasoning salt

garlic powder

tomato sauce

water

El Pato

Jack cheese

a dozen eggs

A big thank you to my crew…. we made it through the heat! 

Director: Mando Lopez and James Ford

Producer: Lacey Reilly

Director of Photography: Tony Molina

Editor: James Ford

Color Correction:  Eric Johnson

Set Design:  Linda Sena

Equipment: Paul Hopkins (Thx!)

Music: Anger Bros

Photos: Luz Gallardo

Make- up/Nails: Janine Presley

Necklace designed by: Lisa Rocha

I got invited to a Thanksgiving cooking class over at the Simple Gourmet in Redondo Beach a few weeks ago, and even though I consider myself a Thanksgiving pro….  I figured “Why not? I might learn a thing or two!”  Guess what, I did.  These ladies cooked traditional dishes with a splash of pizazz.  Here is one of dishes that I couldn’t get enough of….. literally the whole room was fighting for them.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for Yukon Potato Gratin with Parmesan-Rosemary Bechamel:

5 to 6 – lbs. yukon gold potatoes, sliced 1/2 -inch thick (with skins still on)

3 – tablespoons butter

3 – tablespoons flour

3 – cups whole milk

1 -tablespoon chopped rosemary

1 – garlic clove, grated

1/2 – cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for sprinkling on top)

salt and pepper as needed

Place the cut potatoes in a large pot of cold water over high heat.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Drain immediately and place in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat sauce over medium heat. Add butter. When melted, add the flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Whisk in milk and rosemary.  Cook, whisking often, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a couple minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in parmesan.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.  Toss the potatoes with the sauce and dump into a 9×13 inch casserole dish.

Sprinkle with a little more parmesan cheese and place into the oven.

 Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.  Remove and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are my own. Recipe by Simple Gourmet.

This recipe is my stand-by dish that I make every Thanksgiving.  I first brought it to the table many years back to add a hint of shock to our feast, but instead it was so well received that it became a beloved favorite.  I’m not sure that was the response I was looking for but that’s how things unraveled.  My szechuan style green beans have been the most requested dish ever since and have caused havoc many times.  With dinner guests requesting any glimpse of leftovers and people hiding them wherever they could, inside purses or at the back of the refrigerator in a non-see through container.  Try them at your dinner table this year and watch your loved ones react.

All photos taken by: Luz Gallardo

Ingredients for Szechuan style green beans:

2 – pounds green beans (cleaned and tips trimmed)

4 – tablespoons butter

1/2 – teaspoon chili flakes

1/2 – teaspoon chili oil

1/2 – teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

1/2 – teaspoon black pepper

6 – tablespoons sauvignon blanc

1 – tablespoon minced garlic

4 – teaspoons soy sauce

2 – teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

1/4 – cup chopped green onion

Clean and trim green beans, by snipping off ends and running under cold water. Set to the side to dry.

In a large frying pan or wok over a medium flame, add butter and allow to melt and get hot, don’t let it burn though. Then add green beans and mix to coat.  Once all beans are coated in butter add chili flakes and chili oil.

And saute for 5 minutes or so then add Lawry’s and black pepper.

Continue to saute for another 5 to 8 minutes. You’ll want some of the green beans to start to brown, and look like this.

Now is the time to add the sauvignon blanc. Your pan will steam up… this is great. Mix well and  continue the saute for another 5 to 8 minutes. Then add garlic and soy sauce.

Mix well and saute for another minute or so. Lastly sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion. Serve on a plate and watch them disappear!

 感恩节快乐   (Happy Thanksgiving)

I get home Tuesday night to a big Fed-Ex box waiting at my doorstep.  Immediately I act like it’s Christmas, I tell Mando “Grab some scissors so I could pop this box open.”   I spy to see the return address is Melissa’s Produce, this sets excitement to my creative mood.  Pulling the flap up to the box  a crowd of HATCH CHILES reveal themselves.  I see the chiles have decided to group into cliques labeled “HOT” and “MILD”…. Who do I want to enjoy first?  I know,  I will test the waters with the mild chiles initially and work my tolerance up to the hot…. Sounds like a plan.  Here’s what happened next:  Brainstorming, market run, roasting chiles over an open flame, and peeling all the charred skin away. Corn bread strata is what I came up with for the mild hatch chiles, wait a couple of days and I’ll deliver what kind of dance the hot hatch chiles did for me! Thank you again Melissa’s Produce!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for hatch chile corn bread:

3/4 – cup milk

1 – cup grilled corn

1/2 -cup melted butter

2 – beaten eggs

3/4 – cup mild hatch chile (roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped) (about 3 chiles)

1 1/2 – cups yellow cornmeal plus 1/4 cup

1/4 – cup flour

1 – teaspoon baking powder

1/2 – teaspoon baking soda

1 – teaspoon sugar

1 -teaspoon salt

1 – cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

First start by roasting hatch chiles over an open flame. Then once skin is charred place in a ziplock bag and let steam for an hour. Remove from bag, and peel off charred skin under a slow stream of water. Then remove stem and seeds from chile. Lastly cut into long strips then chop into small pieces.

Next take your grilled corn on the cob and remove kernels.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Then take a 9×13 metal cake pan and grease with butter and shake with 1/4 cup of cornmeal. This will ensure your corn bread does not stick.

In a mixing bowl add milk, grilled corn, butter, eggs, and mild hatch chiles. Mix well.

In a large mixing bowl add cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Whisk together. Then add wet mixture to dry mixture and mix until combined.

Pour into prepared metal cake pan, and spread evenly. Then top with 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Corn bread is done!

Ingredients for strata:

1 – pan of hatch chile corn bread

1 – cup grilled corn

4 – mild hatch chiles (roasted, peeled, seeded, and butterflied)

5 – ounces artichoke hearts (chopped)

1/2 – cup pepitas

2 – cups grated jack cheese

1/2 – cup chopped green onion

1/2 – tablespoon dried chili flakes

1 – teaspoon black pepper

1 – teaspoon Lawry’s

2 – cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 – tablespoon spicy brown mustard

8 – eggs

1 – cup milk

1 – cup 1/2 & 1/2

Butter a 9×13 glass baking dish. Then take corn bread and cut into small pieces. Then line glass baking dish with corn bread pieces. Make sure to leave 1/8 of corn bread behind for a later use.

Then sprinkle with grilled corn.

Then add butterflied mild hatch chiles to the next layer.

Now add the artichoke hearts and pepitas.

Now for the jack cheese, chopped green onion, dried chili flakes, black pepper, and Lawry’s.

Now take the remaining cornbread (that 1/8 you saved), and break it up over the top.

Let’s be fair and sprinkle in some sharp cheddar cheese to the top.

In a bowl beat mustard, eggs, milk, and 1/2 & 1/2.  Then pour mixture over the top of the strata.  It should look like this from the side.

Now cover the strata and place in the refrigerator for 12 hours or over night. This is the hard part. Waiting.

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.  Bake strata for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean!

Enjoy!  Serve for breakfast with some sausage on the side or with a side of black beans and sour cream.  I’ll take both. 🙂

No compensation was received for this post. I was provided with a sample of  Melissa’s Produce hatch chiles to aid this recipe. The recipe and opinions are my own.

People say I cry at the drop of a hat.  It’s true, I’m sensitive when it comes to a good love story or a sad story with a happy ending.  I call them passion tears.  I love when a person or family gets one up on life.  It makes my day, and it also makes me cry.

Recently I was shopping at Superior to pick up all the best latino products I usually stock my kitchen with when I noticed the “Maseca te paga la cuenta” (Maseca pays the bill) banners draped all over the market.  I stopped and just stood there staring at the banners, then I felt a little ball growing in my throat and my eyes welled up. I got so happy teary eyed knowing that someone could win right then and there. It was a reflective moment for me as I gathered the details of this great promotion that Maseca is offering to their customers.  You see from June 27th until August 8th 2011 at participating supermarkets in Southern California, North Carolina, Dallas and Houston Maseca representatives are randomly showing up on a daily basis and identifying a winner. This is how it works, if they see a Maseca product in your basket when you are in the check-out line they will pick up the bill for all the groceries in your shopping cart!  Can you imagine how happy that would make a family?  It makes me all mushy teary just thinking about it.

Then I started to think what would I do if I won the prize and Maseca was paying for all the food in my cart? I’d have a 40 person dinner party for my family and closest friends. I would make fancy gourmet vegetarian empanadas/pockets and WOW them with the homemade Maseca masa. Showing them all how easy it is to make something from scratch, and how the difference in taste is monumental.  I’d also have a box of tissue near by to wipe my tears of joy.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for veggie empanadas/pockets:

2 – cups Maseca Amarillo

1/2 -cup flour

1 1/4 – teaspoon baking powder

1 – teaspoon salt

1 1/2 – cups warm water plus 2 tablespoons

1 1/2 – cups sauteed onion

1 – pound grated colby jack cheese or jack cheese

1 1/2 – cups boiled Idaho potato (diced and fully cooked)

1 – cup grilled corn

1 – cup Lindsay whole black olives

1/2 – cup red chile sauce

1 – cup green chile salsa

2 – cups vegetable oil

Let’s make the Maseca masa/dough.  In a big mixing bowl add Maseca Amarillo, flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix with a fork to combine.  Then add warm water and mix with hands till soft and dough comes together, but is not sticky.

Divide masa/dough into 13 equal parts, then roll each part into a 2 inch ball. Keep masa/dough covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent masa/dough from drying out while you are making the empanadas/pockets.

Take a piece of plastic and cover working area of the tortilla press (I have an insane homemade wooden one from Mexico, but they sell them made of plastic and they work just as good). Then place a ball of masa/dough in the center and press down to make a circle.

Let’s fill our empanada/pocket…. Start with a tablespoon of sauteed onions, and place on one side of masa/dough. Then take a nice hefty pinch of cheese (a little under 1/4 cup) and place on top of onions.

Then add 5 or 6 cubes of boiled Idaho potato, a teaspoon of grilled corn, and break the Lindsay black olive in half and place on top. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon red sauce.

Then gently fold half of masa over to close empanada/pocket. Press down with fingers all along the edge to seal both ends together.

Once edges are sealed. Fold 1/4 inch of edge in to make a perfect fold.

Place empanada on a cookie sheet lined with foil and topped with plactic wrap while you assemble the rest and are ready to fry. Remember to keep them covered as you do not want them to dry out.

Add vegetable oil to a large frying pan and place over a medium high heat. Allow to get hot.  Add up to 3 empanadas/pockets at a time and fry on each side for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oil and serve warm with a teaspoon of green chile salsa poured over the top….. Mmmmm! Que delicioso! Give it some sour cream for an extra knock out punch! That’s it your done!

This is a sponsored post as part of the Maseca te paga la cuenta promotion.  All opinions and recipes are my own.

How to make the sauteed onions: In a large frying pan over a medium flame add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and allow oil to get hot. Then add 1 sliced onion, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Fry on each side for a 5 minutes or until onion is limp.

How to make the red chile sauce:

1 – large onion peeled

3 – garlic cloves peeled

1.5 – ounces new mexico dried chile

1.5 – ounces california dried chile

1 – large dried passilla chile

3 – tablespoons salt

4 – cups water

In a big pot add water, 2 tablespoons of salt, all chiles, onion, and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil.  Boil for 20 minutes. Water will turn dark brown.

Remove chiles and garlic cloves from water. Discard onion. Do not discard water, you will be using it in the next step. Remove stems from chiles, then add to a blender along with 1 1/2 cups of water from the pot, garlic cloves, and a tablespoon of salt.  Blend for 2 minutes.

Once blended get a bowl and take the blended chile and put through a strainer. It will be thick. Add a little bit of water from pot to chile strainer and scrape with a spoon. Use up to 1/2 cup of water for the entire  scraping process. It’s time consuming but your red sauce will be clean and not too thick.

How to make green chile salsa:

5 – tomatillos

5 – guero chiles (yellow chiles)

5 – serrano chiles

5 – jalapeno chiles

2 – garlic cloves (browned/fried)

1/2 – onion (browned/fried)

1/2 – cup water (from water chiles boiled in)

1 – teaspoon of vinegar

1 – teaspoons vegetable bouillon (I use Knorr)

1 – teaspoon black pepper

Fill a pot halfway with water and place over a medium high flame.  Bring water to a boil.  Add all chiles.  Boil for 15 minutes. Then add tomatillos and continue boiling for 20 minutes. Remove from flame. Once chiles are boiled remove from flame but DO NOT discard water… you will need it to blend chile.

In a frying pan with a little oil add onion/ garlic cloves and fry till browned.  Set to the side.

Let’s get blending.  In a blender add chiles (discard stem), browned garlic cloves, onion, water from the pot the chiles boiled in, vinegar, vegetable bouillon,  black pepper and tomatillos.  Blend until chunky smooth about 1/2 minute.  Pour into a bowl.  Set to the side.

I have a quesadilla three to four times a week without fail.  This craving usually takes place around eleven O’clock at night.  First things first: I go into the kitchen and pull open the cheese drawer to see what I have to work with.  I sort through my options and dream up what I think my tummy and tongue will be most roused with.

On this particular night, I have left over grilled corn on the cob in the fridge from yesterday’s dinner.  Mmmmm grilled corn will taste delicious wrapped in Tillamook’s melted pepper jack.  Enough said…. I’m all over it.  The results were heavenly and I was so overjoyed dancing in my kitchen that I made another one.  Ate it up so fast I almost felt cheated out of a second serving.  I needed to share the wealth, I ended up calling a friend of mine over so she could sample the quesadilla as well.  IT MADE HER A TRUE BELIEVER!  Welcome to the QUESADILLA CLUB, where all the BEST CHEESES rub elbows.

All Photos taken by: Nicole Presley

This recipe will make 10 quesadillas

Ingredients for corn and rub:

2 – ears of corn

1 – tablespoon room temperature butter

1/2 – teaspoon minced garlic

a pinch of chili flakes

a pinch of black pepper

Remove husks from corn along with any corn silk (strings).

In a small bowl mix butter, garlic, chili flakes and pepper together.

Then with your hands or the back of a spoon, rub butter mixture all over corn.

Place your buttered up ears of corn on a hot grill/bar-b-que grill. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until corn is nice and tender with plenty of charred bits.

Then take a knife and scape off all the kernels, and discard the core. Place all the corn kernels in a bowl… we are about to make the filling.

Ingredients for corn filling:

A bowl of grilled corn kernels

1 – tablespoon sour cream

2 – tablespoons crumbled queso fresco

1/4 – teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

Take bowl of grilled corn kernels and add sour cream. Mix well. Then add Lawry’s and crumbled queso fresco. Mix well and set to the side.

Ingredients for QUESADILLA!

10 – flour or wheat tortillas (I use Guerrero)

1 – pound grated pepper jack cheese (I use Tillamook)

1/4 – cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 – cup fresh cilantro leaves

bowl of grilled corn filling

2 – ripe avocado

Place large pan over a medium flame, and allow pan to get hot. Then lay a tortilla down flat and add 2 small handfuls of grated pepper jack to half of tortilla.

Then add a few slices of red onion and a couple of cilantro leaves.

Next take a large heaping tablespoon of corn mixture and evenly spread across cheesy half of tortilla.

Lastly take another small handful of the pepper jack and sprinkle it on top of corn mixture. Eek…. the little cheese monster in me is happy.

Then with a pair of tongs fold the non cheesy half of tortilla over and let melt completely.

Once cheese is melted and tortilla is crisp, then take out of pan and add cubed avocado chunks to quesadilla.

That’s it your done. You’ve officially entered my cheese drawer and know ONE of my quesadilla secrets. Crisp. Creamy. Spicy. Cheesy. Sweet Corn. PERFECT!