On Ice.htm

ENCHILADA BEER STEW

My buddy Joe Barret serves this stew at all his parties. His

nickname for this one-pot wonder is "Siesta Stew" because you

just pack the pot with wall-to-wall vegetables, beer, assorted spicy

ingredients, and sleep until it's time to party. Gracious, Jose!

(Recipe from Sophisticated Entertaining).

4 large carrots, washed and peeled

3 lbs. Russet potatoes, scrubbed

4 celery stalks

4 scallions

1 (1 lb.) can stewed tomatoes

1 lb. whole mushrooms

2 medium onions

1 (15 oz.) can corn

1 cup chopped cilantro

3 Chipotle chile peppers (canned), finely chopped

1 (12-oz.) bottle beer

2 (1 lb.) cans mild Las Palmas Enchilada sauce

3 drops Tabasco or hot pepper sauce

Juice of 4 limes

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 (3.5 gm) beef bouillon cubes, crushed

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Cut carrots, potatoes, celery, and scallions into large chunks. Slice onion into rings. Place all ingredients in a large stockpot and stir until combined. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 3 hours. During the party, keep the stew over a low flame on the stove and allow guests to help themselves. Or, transfer to a crock-pot or round chafing dish and set on the buffet table. Makes 20 servings

SALSA BORACHO & TORTILLA

Upon a recent visit to Rosarita Beach on the Baja Peninsula I discovered this excellent salsa. I asked our waiter Roberto for the ingredients and he went into game show mode acting out food, mixing, and drawing a blender on the paper tablecloth. “And, the meaning of ‘Boracha’" I asked? He chuckled and spelled out “hangover” on our meal ticket. A later confirmation of the title was humorously defined as “drunken or the guy with his head on the table the next morning”.

1 medium dried chipotle or ancho chile

4 cups diced tomatoes

1 cup diced brown onion

1 (3.5 gm) beef boullion cube, mashed

1/4 cup Ugo Magi or Oyster Sauce

1/2 cup beer

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

Corn tortillas

Vegetable Oil

Remove stem and seeds from chile and place in a small saucepan full of water. Bring water to a boil for 5 minutes to soften chile. Cool to touch and mince into tiny bits.

Cut tomatoes in half and remove seeds before dicing. Add all ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. Cover salsa and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature before serving to allow flavors to blend. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Makes about 5 cups.

To make Tortilla Dorada, using clean scissors, cut tortilla into a spiral starting at outer edge. Cut 1/2-inch into tortilla and then turn scissors and continue cutting in a circle until you reach the tortilla center. Tortilla should be a long 1/2-inch thick strip which coils in from outer edge to center. Fill a large stockpot 2/3 way with oil and heat oil over medium-high heat to 350F. As a precaution, wear an oven mitt while frying. Using long metal tongs, hold center end of tortilla strip allowing rest off strip to dangle and spiral down. Place over hot oil and gently immerse strip into oil, still holding center end, so strip dangles fries into a free-form shape. Fry for 1 – 2 minutes until crisp and holds its shape. Place on paper towels to absorb excess oil and cool. Repeat process with remaining tortillas strips. Or create shapes such as stars or hearts from tortillas using cookie cutters and fry in oil.

Note: Ugo Magi is a condiment found in Mexico, but I suspect it originated in the Far East, which tastes exactly like Oyster sauce. Oyster sauce can be found near the soy sauce in the Asian section of most grocery stores.