Gallo Pinto

I remember watching my grandma Myriam & Coco making this in the kitchen when I was a little girl and Jason was a baby. Abuelito Jorge would eat it with homemade Nicaraguan cheese and corn tortillas. When we cook it, I’m transported to their kitchen. 
Remember that Nicaraguan Rice posted earlier? You’ll need that. 

Ingredients
Red beans
Olive oil
Onions
Garlic powder or crushed fresh garlic Leftover
Nicaraguan Rice

Directions

Soak red beans for about 2hrs & cook. Best to follow directions on the package. 
In oil, saute onion, not too cooked, add beans with a dash of garlic powder or minced garlic clove.
Then add rice and mix. 

Serve with corn tortillas and a chunk of queso fresco. 
Mmmmmm ¡sabroso!

From the Little Kids

The following are super easy to make and some favorites from Jordyn age 13, Lucia age 9, Lilith age 4, and Lukas age 4.

Lucia:

• Top Ramen (add spinach, tofu, frozen mixed veggies, hot dogs)
• Order Pizza
• Pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese or spaghetti sauce

Lilith:

• Instant Oatmeal
• Mac n Cheese (add hot dogs, frozen veggies, any baby food veggie laying around, butternut squash, zucchini)

Lukas:

• Taco Tuesdays!
• Fried chicken tacos with cabbage and cheddar cheese

Jordyn:

• Top Ramen
• Cold Cereal (Rice Krispies, if you must know)

Jackie’s Butternut Squash Soup

One doesn’t always have Suvi around to make it from scratch 😉

Purchase can of butternut squash soup.  Place in microwave safe bowl.
Place in microwave.  Allow to cool down enough to eat. 

Good with:
Grilled cheese. 
Side salad. 
Left over French bread. 
On its own.

Suvi’s Butternut Squash Soup

Scene: a very pregnant Jackie scarfing down dinner at Suvi & Cody’s apartment in Santa Barbara
Between spoonfuls Jackie says,  “this would make an excellent baby food! Will you make this for my baby when he/she starts eating solids? ”
And she did. 

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
2 cups low sodium broth (chicken or vegetable, homemade is best!)
ground spices (cinnamon, cloves, mace or nutmeg, cayenne pepper)
1 tbs butter
salt
vegetable or olive oil

Methods:

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds.  Spread butter over the squash halves.  Sprinkle spices over the top (~1/4 tsp of each, but only 1/8 tsp mace/nutmeg).  Bake for 45 minutes or until soft and starting to brown on the edges.  Remove from the oven and cool until you can handle it.

Fry the onion in about 1 tbs of oil over medium heat until light brown, about 10 min.  

Add the onion and broth to a blender or food processor.  Scoop out the flesh of the squash into the blender.  Blend until smooth.  Return to a pot and bring to a low simmer.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Check for salt.  

Serve with a little parmesan cheese or toasted crostini.

~~~~~~~
This can be made with other squash as well, substituting the spices when appropriate.  I like using carrot, parsnips, and yellow crooked neck squash with ground fennel, oregano, fenugreek (optional), ground coriander, and a hint of cinnamon.  In this case, saute cube-cut vegetables after the onion until soft instead of baking.

Suvi’s Campfire Chili

Suvi made this delicious and hearty chillie for a camping trip a few years ago. It’s a little labor of love and Suvi, like my mom, goes all out when it comes to a) cooking for get loved ones and b) cooking while camping.

Ingredients
1.5 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Pasilla chili, diced
2 Fresno chilies (spicy) or 1 red or orange bell pepper (mild), diced
1 ear of corn, kernels only (or one small can plain corn kernels)
1 can diced Italian tomatoes (I really like Pomi tomatoes in a red and white box)
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 bottle beer, pale ale or lager
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Spices:
1 tbs each of:
   Paprika (smoked, preferably)
   Black pepper
   Salt
   Chili powder (Gerhardt’s brand is my favorite)
2 tsp each of:
   Cumin
   Coriander
   Oregano
   Chipotle Chili (optional, spicy)

Methods:
Place a little oil in a Dutch oven or heave bottomed pot on medium high heat (7). Add the onions and stir constantly for about 7 minutes until they are translucent and begin to turn golden. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Add the meat in handfuls, stirring rapidly to sear and remove red color. If they start to sweat, turn up the temperature a little. When all the meat is seared, add the chilies and/or bell pepper, spices and stir to coat. Stir in the corn, tomatoes, and black beans. Bring to a simmer. Add the beer and return to simmer. Turn the heat down to just barely simmer and cover for 1-1.5 hrs until the beef can be cut with a fork. Deglaze the fat. Stir in the cilantro and serve with tortilla chips, avocado, sour cream, or whatever else you feel like!

Angel Hair Pasta and Crab

Again, really good with a salad and some toasted french bread.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces angel hair pasta
• 2 tbs butter or margarine
• Salted water
• ¼ c olive oil or salad oil
• ½ c sliced green onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 medium size ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• ¼ c dry white wine
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• ½ lb cooked crab, flaked
• ¼ c chopped fresh parsley
• Salt & pepper

Directions

Cook noodles in the large kettle of boiling salted water until al dente.  Drain well and place on a warm platter; keep warm. Meanwhile, in a wide frying pan over medium heat, place butter and oil. When butter is melted, add green onions, garlic, tomatoes, and wine. Cook, stirring until mixture boils. Adjust heat so mixture boils gently, and cook for two minutes. Mix in lemon juice, crab, and parsley. Cook, stirring, just until crab is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over pasta. Lift and mix pasta gently, then serve. Makes 4 servings.

Nicaraguan Rice

This is my dad, Jorge’s recipe. The best addition to this rice is ketchup not soy sauce. I also like it for breakfast the next morning with an over easy egg. And it is the base recipe for Gallo Pinto or Arroz Aguado.

Ingredients

• 2 c White rice
• 3 tbs Olive oil or vegetable oil  
• 2 White or yellow onions
• 1 each Red, Yellow, Orange and/or Green Bell Peppers (1 of each is usually a solid choice or just use what you have) 
• 2 tsp salt 
• 4 c water 

Directions

Heat the oil in a very large frying pan or large shallow pot (make sure it has a lid!!!).

Add the rice a little at a time sautéing and coating the rice with the oil. When the rice starts to pop a little, add the water. Make sure not to burn the rice. After you add the water, add the sliced onions and peppers to the top of the rice. Add the salt (more or less depends on taste). Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover with the lid. Cook for 20 min or so.

Serves 8. On a good day 😉

Chris’ Favorite Veggies

Chris says, “This is my addiction. You can put it over rice, but really that’s only to look ‘normal’ while eating this stuff. When I’m alone I may eat it straight out of the pan.”

Ingredients

• Soy sauce
• Olive oil
• Coconut vinegar 
• Sliced bell peppers (red, yellow, green, orange, purple, whatever you can get) 
• Sliced yellow onion

Directions

In a large frying pan heat up a good drizzle (maybe 2 tbs) of olive oil. Add the  yellow onion, sauteeing until translucent. Add the bell peppers 2 good splashes of soy sauce and 1 good splash of coconut vinegar; sautee until tender. Serve over rice.

Jackie here: we don’t always use the vinegar, it can be challenging to find because Chris likes to get silver swan coconut vinegar, and you can only find that in the occasional Phillipino market or online.

 

Baked Chicken ala Chris

This is an easy chicken recipe that is whole meal in itself; add a salad and you’re set. We used 6 chicken thighs, and for 6 hefty servings I spent about $6 (shopped the managers special on the chicken & froze until we were ready to cook).

Jackie says, “This recipe is 9 year old and 4 year old approved, I’m serious they totally scarfed it down.”

Ingredients

• Potatoes cut into chunks no lie 
• Vegetables (your choice, we used frozen) 
• Olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon green onions 
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder 
• 1 tablespoon paprika 
• 1 tablespoon salt or seasoned salt 
• 1 2 teaspoons lemon pepper 
• Half a cup Parmesan cheese 
• 6 chicken breast or chicken thighs

Directions

Split potatoes and vegetables into 2 casserole dishes. Drizzle generously with olive oil.

Mix green onions, garlic powder, paprika, salt, lemon pepper, Parmesan cheese in a small bowl.

Sprinkle half of this mix on to the potato and vegetables. Pour a little olive oil over the chicken, and then the rest of the Parmesan cheese mixture into that. Layer the chicken on top of a vegetable potato stuff. Cover the whole thing with tin foil. bake the two trays at 375 for 1 hour. Comes out perfect.

Serves 4 to 6 people.

Rigatoni with Sausage Sauce

Jodi says, “This is NOT diet food, that’s why I don’t make it so often anymore.”

This delicious pasta is one of the few recipes my mom, Jodi, will make over and over.  Just typing it out makes my mouth water thinking of the cheesy flavors. It’s really good with hot toasted buttery french bread , baggettes work well also.

 Ingredients

• ½ lb mild italian sausages
• ¼ c butter or margarine
• ½ pound (about 2 ½ c) rigatoni or mostaccioli
• Salted water
• ¾ c whipping cream
• ¼ c dry white wine
• ¼ c grated Parmesan cheese
• Grated nutmeg
• Additional grated Parmesan cheese

 Directions

Remove casings from sausages; crumble meat. In a deep, heavy frying pan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add sausage and cook slowly, stiring occasionally, until sausage is lightly browned.

Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente; drain well.

Add cream and wine to sausage; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Adjust heat so mixture boils gently; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened (about 5 min).

Mix in drained rigatoni and the ¼ cup of cheese. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Serve at once with additional grated Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4-6 servings