Congri

 INGREDIENTS 

3 slices thick-cut bacon (save the bacon fat!)

1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped

1 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

15 ounces canned black beans*

1 1/2 cups water (if using dry black beans, see note below)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

In a Dutch oven, add bacon slices and fry until fully cooked and crispy. Do not discard the bacon fat. Transfer the bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Roughly chop them and set aside.

In the same Dutch oven with the bacon fat, add green peppers and onions. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Add rice, black beans with the liquid from the can (if using dry black beans, see note below), water, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 40 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID. The steam is what cooks the rice.

After 40 minutes, remove from heat. Keep the lid on for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork then stir in the chopped bacon. Serve and enjoy!

NOTES

If you have the time, you could use dry beans using the following method.

Soak 6 ounces of dry black beans in a pot full of 3 cups of water overnight.

The next day, drain and then add 5 new cups of water to the pot.

Bring to a boil and cook them for 60 minutes, stirring frequently. Be careful not to let the beans dry out completely.

You can add 1 cup of water if they are absorbing the water too quickly. Keep an eye on them. You can remove a few beans from the pot and squish them with the back of a spoon to make sure they have softened.

After softening the beans for 60 minutes, transfer them to a bowl with 1 1/2 cups of its cooking liquid. Set aside.

Continue making the Moros in step 3 of the recipe following the ingredients exactly as they are stated in the Moros recipe using the softened black beans with their reserved liquid in place of the canned beans.

Carne Asada Steak Tacos

Marinade

1 1/2 - 2 pounds flank steak pounded to an even thin thickness

1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Spice Mix

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, chili powder

1 tsp EACH salt, onion powder, ground coriander

1/2 tsp EACH pepper, cayenne pepper

Instructions

Add Spice Mix seasonings to a small bag or sealable container; whisk and set aside.

Add all Marinade Ingredients (except steak) to a large freezer bag and whisk to combine. Add 3 tablespoons Spice Mix to Marinade and whisk to combine. Add steak, squeeze out excess air, seal and turn to evenly coat. Marinate in the refrigerator 4-12 hours (the longer the better).

While steak is marinating, prepare pico de gallo and other toppings aside from guacamole and refrigerate.

When ready to grill, mix remaining Spice Mix with 2 tablespoons olive oil to create a wet Spice Rub.

Discard marinade and pat steaks dry with paper towel. Rub steak evenly all over with Spice Rub and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. I use this time to make guacamole (recipe to follow).

Grease and preheat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to high heat. Add steak and turn down to medium-high. Grill steak for 5-6 minutes per side, turning once, for medium (recommended 145 degrees F). For medium- well, continue cooking steak over indirect flame for an additional 5-10 minutes per side, depending on thickness. *If you like your steaks rare then use HIGH heat so you can get the charred outside in less time.

Remove steak and let rest 10 minutes before chopping into small pieces.

Guinness Battered Onion Rings

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 large sweet onions preferably Vidalia

2 cups buttermilk

4-6 cups canola or vegetable oil for frying

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

1 Tbsp baking powder

1½ tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp kosher salt plus more for finishing

1 14.9-oz. can Guinness, or another stout beer

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

½ Tbsp honey

Instructions

Peel and slice onions into ½" rings. Separate rings and place in a large bowl with buttermilk; let soak for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven, heat oil to 360°F.

Using a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder and salt. Set bowl aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the beer, mustard and honey. Pour liquid mixture into bowl with the dry ingredients; stir until well combined.

Line a baking tray with paper towels or brown paper bags; place tray next to the pot of oil.

Working with 1-2 onion rings at a time, remove the onion rings from the buttermilk and dip into the batter. Allow excess batter to drip off of the onion rings and then carefully place into the hot oil.

Let fry for 1-2 minutes per side, flipping occasionally.

Remove onion rings from oil and place on baking tray. Repeat process with remaining onion rings. (Tip: Don’t dip the onion rings into the batter until right before you fry them. Also, make sure not to overcrowd the pot with too many onion rings at one time.)

Sprinkle onion rings with additional salt before serving.

From: https://spicedblog.com/guinness-battered-onion-rings/

PINA COLADA RUM CAKE RECIPE

 INGREDIENTS:

1 box Duncan Hines Classic Golden Butter Cake mix (preferred mix) or Classic Yellow

1/4 C (4 oz.-1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

8-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice, drained (reserve juice to make 1/4 cup)

1/4 C reserved juice of crushed pineapple

1/4 C Malibu Rum (or any light rum)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Pam for baking into a bundt pan. Using an electric mixer, combine cake mix, butter, eggs, 1/4 C reserved juice and 1/4 C Rum, beat at low speed to combine. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Fold in drained crushed pineapple. Pour batter in prepared pan Bake 33-36 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. While cake is baking, prepare glaze.

GLAZE:

1/2 C cream of coconut (Coco Lopez)

1/2 C Malibu rum

1/4 C confectioner’s sugar

Shake cream of coconut can well before measuring. Add cream of coconut to small saucepan and heat just until bubbles form. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Set aside. When cake is done baking, set on rack. Use a thin bamboo skewer to poke holes in cake. Pour half of glaze over warm cake, letting it soak in.

When cake is cool, turn onto serving plate. Whisk together remaining glaze with confectioner’s sugar until smooth and drizzle over top of cake.

Shrimp Scampi Linguine

1 pound linguine noodles, white or wheat

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3 Tablespoons olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound large shrimp, about 20 shrimp, peeled and deveined

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley, chopped

lemon zest, from 1/2 of a large lemon

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a little bit of oil and salt to the boiling water and cook the linguine according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside.

Add the butter and olive oil to an extra-large skillet over medium-low. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, being careful not to burn it. 

Add the shrimp and sauté just until they turn pink, about 4-5 minutes, tossing often.

Remove from the heat and add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. 

Toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

When the pasta is cooked, drain the water and add the noodles to the sauté pan. 

Top with fresh parmesan cheese and toss everything gently to combine. Serve.

Notes

Variations:

Add White Wine: Add 1/4 cup of white wine in step 3, sautéing for a few minutes to let it cook down a little.

Add Veggies: Toss in some asparagus and cherry tomatoes.

Zucchini Noodles: For a healthier twist, swap out the linguine for zucchini noodles.

Pasta Fagioli

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 onion, chopped fine

1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine

1 ounce pancetta/bacon 

½ teaspoon table salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 can Diced Tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Bay leaf

Pinch of Thyme

Pinch of Basil

Pinch of Rosemary

2 cups chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, undrained

½ cup ditalini

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrot, pancetta, salt, and pepper and cook until vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add tomato paste, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and beans and their liquid, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium and bring to boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and basil. Serve, drizzling with extra oil and passing extra Parmesan separately.

Teriyaki Sauce

 Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz) water

5 tablespoons (67 g) packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup (2 oz) low sodium soy sauce

1–2 tablespoons honey

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup (2 oz) cold water

Instructions

Combine the 1 cup water, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the 1/4 cup water and whisk until dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan.

Heat the sauce until it thickens to your desired thickness. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more water to thin it out.