I love French Onion soup. It is a hearty, comforting side dish that works well with steak or burgers, and it easy to make. My recipe is, of course, calorie conscious, so remember that portion sizes are relevant. This dish takes a couple of hours to come together, but letting it simmer longer (say 10 hrs) really enhances the flavor. It tastes good served fresh and as leftovers – just hold off on the bread crumbs and cheese until you are ready to serve.

While you can slice the onions with a knife, I prefer to use a mandolin, as it is a fast way to thin slice a lot of onions.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6)

• 3 lbs Vidalia Onions (408 cal)
• 3 tbsp butter (306 cal)
• 3 tbsp olive oil (357 cal)
• 2 cloves diced garlic (8 cal)
• 6 tsp beef base (or 6 beef bullion cubes) (60 cal)
• 6 cups water (0 cal)
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry (75 cal)
• 1 tsp dry thyme (4 cal)
• 2 tbsp flour (103 cal)
• 4 pieces bread (4 * 70 = 280 cal)
• 6 oz grated mozzarella cheese (255 cal)

Calories: 408 + 306 + 357 + 8 + 60 + 75 + 4 + 103 + 280 + 255 = 1856 / 6 servings = 309 cal/svg

DIRECTIONS

1. Put a large dutch oven on the stove and set the burner to medium high (~ 6 1/2). Add 3 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp olive oil to the pan.
2. Peel and thin slice 3 lbs of Vidalia onions, then add to the dutch oven. Stir occasionally and cook for 30 – 35 minutes.
3. Add 2 cloves of diced garlic to the onions, stir to blend in and cook for a minute.
4. Add 1/2 cup cooking sherry and 1 tsp thyme to the onions, stir and cook for a minute.
5. Add 2 tbsp flour to the onions, stir, then add 6 tsp of beef base and 6 cups of water.
6. Reduce heat but continue a low boil for 1 1/2 hours – do not cover the dutch oven, as you want to reduce the liquid.
7. Toast 2 pieces of bread, then cut the toast into small cubes and set it aside.
8. Fine grade 3 oz of mozzarella cheese, and set it aside.
9. Add 2 tbsp dried onions to the dutch oven and continue cooking another 10 minutes.
10. Ladle 1 cup of the mix into a bowl, then top with 1/3 of the bread crumbs and 1/3 of the cheese and serve.

This is Joan’s (and my) the favorite Indian dish; it is even better than a black pepper curry or Chicken or Lamb Tandoori. This meal consists of three recipes that are listed sequentially:

• Samosas stuffed with fresh peas and spicy ground meat
• Prune-Plum Chutney
• Indian Cucumber Salad

Background

Back in the mid-1960, when I taught chemistry at Denver University, my family because grinds with one my Indian graduate students and family friend. “Washington “Washie” Herbert. Not only did he introduce us to Indian cooking, both in our kitchen, but by inviting us to attend the dinners of the India-Pakistan Society that were held of the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus. [In those days at least in a university setting the difference between India and Pakistan were not reflected in student relations.

When Joan and I got married, understand I had been mentoring Mr. Herbert and he because a welcome friend of our family, he father send Joan a gold Wedding Sari. Tucked into the folds of gold silk, were some photos, and a packet of fresh Indian species. The best, but that’s a difference recipe, was black pepper curry powder in two levels heat. Those days, we could not get online and order what we needed online didn’t exist. …Washie and his friends, students and teachers all, got spices from their families.

Therefore, unless you lived in a community with a large community of folks from the Indian Subcontinent, you were at the tail end of a long telephone chase, talking, often, to salespeople who spoke English as a second language. Yes, there were sources of spices in Bon Appetit, and Gourmet Magazines, … and then you took your chances each time you ordered.

One of the dishes Joan and I fell in love with, and despite the longer than our usual food preparation time, was a meat and fresh peas filled samosa, fired and eaten on the spot. As you’ll notice, the Indian students used ketchup to dip their treats sometimes laced with a bit of curry powder, I read somewhere, a likely an Indian cookbook. I really wanted something ‘more interesting, and chutney came to mind. How I got to create my “Plum-Prune Chutney and its origins remain lost in my fun-filled 60’s academic years … my stages, student to assistant professor. But, I was an information junkie in those days too, the days of only a Xerox machine and file cabinet. After all, we were making recipe sheets to go into holiday newsletters; the chutney recipe survived.

Our first Indian cook book, which we still have was called Cooking the Indian Way by Attia and Sita Pasricha Hosain (Spring Books; A book club edition, 1962).

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Samosas

INGREDIENTS

Filling Ingredients

• 1-½ Lb Lean Ground Beef; browned in a skillet, much of the fat drained off (I use a fine mesh wire colander).
• 1 Medium Onion (Chopped medium fine)
• ⅛ to ½ tsp Ground* Ginger [to taste – I like ¼ tsp, Joan less.)]
• ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/16 tsp Ground Cloves
• ⅛ – ¼ tsp Salt
• ⅛ tsp Chili Flakes {Optional – To Taste for those like me who like them hotter}
• A bit of water for cooking
• 1 – 16 Oz Package of Frozen Peas

All ingredients added added to the sautéed browned ground beef and the mixture simmered until for about 5 minutes the beef is cooked and the peas are tender.

*Note, the fresher the spices the better and richer the flavor. My Friends from India/Pakistan fresh grind their spices.

Samosa Fritter Shells Ingredients

• 3 cups baking or regular flour
• 1 stick margarine or salted butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg white mixed with a little water (pastry shell glue)

DIRECTIONS

1. Blend the flour and the margarine with a pastry blender till the mixture is mealy.  Add the water and the salt and knead the mixture well, until the dough is smooth.
2. Pinch off golf ball size pieces of the dough and roll them out on a well floured board until you have a circle of dough about 1/8 inch thick.  There are a number of ways to fold samosas, ranging from half circle pouches to multi-layered triangles. For this article I’ll use easier pouch method, it’s the one Joan first
3. Cut the circle in half and seal (using egg white mixture) the straight edges together (over-lapping) to make a “cup” for the filling.
4. Fill with the meat and vegetable mixture.  Seal the upper edges together by pinching closed (egg white mixture)
5. Carefully deep fat fry <warning> the Samosas, a few at a time, until they are golden brown.
6. Serve them with catsup {Yes I know! really catsup} and Fresh Prune Chutney.  Perhaps, serves six as a side dish, and 4 was a meal with an Indian style cucumber salad (included bellow), – and are great when eaten cold as a snack.

Simple Variants — Optional Ingredients

1/2 Cup Diced (1 cm) butter ‘n garlic braised peeled potatoes (when the mood strikes)

For a veggie samosa, skip the beef and add more potatoes and also ½ Cup coarsely shredded 2” stands of green cabbage. Also, add ½ Cup medium shredded or coarsely chopped carrots.

Warning! When adding the samosas to the hot oil, the oil filled (½ full only) will ‘boil’ frumiously and some splattering may occur so lean away from the pot. Better yet, I use a screen Chinese Wok Spoon

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Fresh Prune-Plum Chutney

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar, light packed tight
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• ¾ Cup Cider Vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp Hot Crushed Red Pepper
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Mustard Seed
• 2-4 Fat cloves of Garlic (Thinly Sliced)
• ½ Cup Preserved or Candied Ginger (sliced thinly, have fun they’re stick!)
• ¼ Cup Onion (thinly sliced slivers)
• ½ Cup of White Seedless Raisins
• 3-½ Cups of Fresh Italian (German or Hungarian but not Stanley) Prunes (Seeded and cut into quarters – about 26 prunes) Stanley prunes do not work as well since the fruit is not as firm.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the sugar and the vinegar in an enamel or stainless steel pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT THE PRUNES and stir until well mixed.
3. Then stir in the prunes.  The mixture should be simmered over low heat until thickened (about one hour) care being taken not to scorch the chutney, by stirring gently but often.  Spoon the mixture into hot sterilized jars, seal them and store in a dark cool place. Shelf Life about one year.

Yield – 3 Half Pints

Tip! Serve on Samosas, or English Muffins; or to accompany Indian or Southeast Asian food.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Indian-Style Cucumber Salad

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine   | May 2005

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Indian-Style-Cucumber-Salad-232007

Yield: Makes 4 side-dish servings

Active time: 10 min  Total time: 35 min

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (1-lb) Seedless English or Turkish Cucumber (usually plastic-wrapped) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• ½ Cup Red Onion thin sliced/slivered
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¾ to 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2-cup whole-milk plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS

1. I prefer to thinly slice the cucumber, like for Greek Tzatziki and for a Viennese gurken salad rather than cutting them into small cubes.
2. Toss cucumber with salt in a bowl, then transfer the salted cucumbers to colander in the sink, and let drain 30 minutes, then pat dry.
3. Toast cumin seeds in a dry small heavy skillet over low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and a shade darker, 3 to 4 minutes. Cool on a cutting board, then the crush slightly with a rolling pin; yes crushed NOT ground.
4. Stir cucumber, cumin, and cilantro into yogurt in a bowl.

End Notes

Check out this blog for A Guide to Samosa, an international comfort food accompanied by an article on Chutneys, an international relish form. I’m working on it at time and interest permit, it’s likely to be in August or September.

Check out myApple Pie Samosa Recipe on our Sleeping Cat Blog

As you’ve probably guessed by now, I love spicy food. This is my hot dog chili, which is cooked in a crock pot on high for 5-6 hours. I use 93% lean ground beef to keep the calories down, and NO beans.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground beef (93% lean – 680 cal)
• 1-14.5 oz can Hunt’s diced tomatoes (87 cal)
• 2 1/2 cups waters
• 1 – 5 oz baked potato (110 cal)
• 2 medium onions diced
• 2 cloves garlic diced (10 cal)
• 2 tbsp Ancho or Chipolte chili powder
• 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Total calories: 680 + 87  + 110 + 10 = 877 cal/3 tbsp serving = 40 calories/serving.

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown the ground beef on the stove, and then drain.
2. Turn the crock pot on to High, then add the ground beef.
3. Dice and add the onions and garlic to the crock pot, then add the diced tomatoes. Do NOT drain the tomatoes.
4. Grate the baked potato (smallest possible), then add the bits to the crock pot.
5. Add the 2 1/2 cups of water to the crock pot.
6. Add 2 tbsp Ancho or Chipolte chili, 2 tbsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper to the crock pot.
7. Stir the mix and let it cook 5 hours.
8. Remove the lid, stir one last time, then add 1 tsp of crushed red peppers and let it cook (uncovered) another hour.

Tip! I love chili cheese burgers and prefer this recipe over my chili with beans recipe. For this burger, I wait until I flip the burger, then add fresh onions, 2 tbsp chili, and a pinch of cheddar cheese, then cover and wait for the cheese to melt.

Tip! For a great low calorie hot dog, use 2 tbsp of this chili with a 100 calorie bun, onions, mustard, relish, and a 40 calorie Hebrew Nation hot dog.

One of my favorite dishes when eating out at local Chinese restaurants is lemon chicken, but we wanted a lower calorie version we could enjoy at home so this is my low calorie version of this dish. This recipe is fast, easy, low calorie, and tasty.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

• 2 – 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts (360 cal)
• 1 cup rice (408 cal)
• 1/2 onion (33 cal)
• 2 chicken bullion cubes (20 calories)
• 4 tbsp lemon juice (12 cal)
• 2 tbsp powered sugar (62 cal)
• 2 tbsp Splenda
• 2 cups water (1/4 c for the sauce, 1 3/4 c for the rice)

Total calories: 360 + 408 + 33 + 20 + 12 + 62 = 895 cal/ 4 servings = 224 calories/serving.

DIRECTIONS

1. Dice the onion, then add 1 3/4 cups water to a pan and put it on a burner set to medium. Bring the water to a boil, then add the rice, diced onions, and chicken bullion to the water. After the water resumes boiling, turn the heat down to low, cover, then let simmer 20 minutes.
2. Cut the chicken breasts into small chunks. The easiest method is to slice the breast into 2 or 3 strips, then cut each slice into thin pieces (cut across the grain of the meat to make it more tender).
3. Spray a pan with non-stick spray and cook the chicken until it is done – it will no longer be pink and only clear juices flow from each piece. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside for now.
4. Add the lemon juice, powdered sugar, and Splenda to a small pan and put it on a burner set to medium low. Bring to a gentle boil, then add 1/4 cup water to the sauce. Bring it back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer uncovered.
5. When the rice is finished, add the chunks of chicken and lemon sauce to it and blend together. Serve 1/4 of the contents per person.

I’m all for any recipe that saves money and calories, and I love pot roast. Sometime we make a meal that is just enough for four calorie conscious servings so I use chuck steaks, which are smaller than chuck roasts but still a fine cut of meat. We find 1lb chuck steaks on sale at Super Target at least once a month, so we pick up a few 1lb chuck steaks, each costing around $2.00 and freeze all but the one we use for this meal.

This dish is very easy to prepare with standard kitchen utensils, however a mandolin slicer makes it easier and faster to prepare. Be aware that mandolins can be dangerous – the edges are very sharp – so we only use a mandolin with a handle to grasp the items being sliced.

My favorite sides for this dish is green beans or peas and a nice salad.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Chuck Steak (880 cal)
• 2 lb Russet Potatoes (660 cal)
• 1 Onion (67 cal)
• 2 Beef Bullion Cubes
• 1 Tbsp butter (102 cal)
• 1 Tbsp dried Rosemary
• Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Total calories: 880 + 660 + 67 + 102 = 1729/4 = 425 cal/serving

DIRECTIONS (Serves 4)

1. Thin slice (using a knife or mandolin) 1 lb of the potatoes, then use them to line the bottom of a crock pot with the slices.
2. Sprinkle kosher salt and pepper on the potatoes.
3. Thin slice 1/2 of the onion, then use it to cover the potatoes in the crock pot.
4. Add 1 1/2 cups water to the crock pot and turn it on to High.
5. Add both bullion cubes to the water in the crock pot.
6. Thin slice the remaining 1 lb of potatoes and add them to the top of the other veggies in the crock pot.
7. Sprinkle the potatoes with kosher salt and pepper.
8. Thin slice the remaining onion and add to the top of the potatoes in the crock pot.
9. Sprinkle the tablespoon of Rosemary evenly over the top of the onions.
10. Put the 1 lb chuck steak in the crock pot on top of the veggies.
11. Dice up the butter and place it on top of the chuck steak (that tip came from Julia Child’s excellent book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’).
12. Cook 3 hrs and it should be done – using thin slices and a steak that is thinner than a roast helps speed up cooking time.
13. Divide into 4 equal portions and serve.

To a Chef in Richland <Doc Sez: I hate bad restaurant food.>.

I’m one of the individuals who were at the recent Society Board Meeting on Tuesday, August 19^th at your hotel’s restaurant and wanted to send you some feedback.

The good news is that almost everything both catered at meetings, or in the main restaurant itself has been very tasty — good to eat and well served.

However, and alas, I ordered the Chinese or Oriental salad and had a significant problem with it. The dressing was nothing at all oriental and it was too bland. The salad fixing were crisp as were the oriental noodles, but the dressing seemed to be a cross between a diluted Hollandaise w/o the lemon or a strange variant of mayonnaise dressing I’d not tasted before.

However, I do an extensive amount of cooking, and blog occasionally on food so deem myself to be a knowledgeable amateur. Some history and a simple dressing for the salad that is easy to fix, and store for anyone who might be interested.

According to references on Google, and my own eating experiences, Chinese Chicken Salad, as its name suggests, is a salad with chicken flavoured with Chinese ‘style’ ingredients seasonings, popular in the United States.

The Chinese influence comes from common Chinese-themed ingredients. Though many variations exist, common features of most salads described as “Chinese chicken” contain leaf lettuce, at times bok choy, chicken, and use of ginger and dark sesame oil in the dressing, mixed with crispy pieces of deep-fried noodles.

Other recipe variants may contain (added} a combination of:

• Water chestnuts
• Bamboo shoots
• Peanuts
• Sliced Toasted Almonds
• Snow Peas or baby peas if you must
• Celery
• Cabbage or Chinese (Napa) cabbage
• Mandarin orange slices
• Green Onions (Scallions)
• Chinese Broccoli <Gai Lan>

Chinese Chicken Salad may have originated from Pan-Asian cuisine pioneers, such as Wolfgang Puck, rather than having actual roots in actual Chinese cuisine, since salad is a dish of Western origins.

However, many “non-Western” world cultures also have salads of various sorts as part of their traditional cuisines. The pleasing combination of ingredients have given Chinese chicken salad widespread popularity, thus establishing it on many restaurant menus, including the fast food establishment Wendy’s and the exclusive Spago in Beverly Hills.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup Oriental (dark) sesame oil
• 1/8 Tsp Ginger powder to your taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, dark sesame oil, powdered ginger, and sugar in a food processor, blending until smooth.
2. Pour just enough dressing over the salad to moisten well and mix with your hands to blend.

>^.^< For a better look at ingredients and technique — checkout http://www.averagebetty.com/recipes/chinese-chicken-salad-recipe/

PS: I got no response from the Chef!

Background

My brain was just truckin’ along a while ago back and in popped thought of an Indian style, Americanized version of a deep fried, unglazed  Dutch apple pie. It worked out well. …Enjoy!

At that time I wondered about creating a samosa shell’s function not just from traditional flour and water based pastry ingredients.

How about using perhaps from other international dishes, use the pastry shell ingredients used to wrap and seal rich filling ingredients. There are of coarse the flakey-rich shells found in traditional ‘Greco-Turkish filo sheets of Greek desert fame.

Moving further afield I thought about the option of using the Asian noodle ‘batter’ based eggroll wrappers instead of pasty-flour shells. That led to thoughts of the dough combinations used for making pot sticker or dim sum. A flip-flop of my thoughts, responding to my usual spider-web logic, my thoughts, like a distracted compass, wondered what a puff pastry wrapped and deep fried sweet desert might taste like.  Not, my reader, making the connection?  Think beef or lamb Wellington, and using a filling of fruit and nuts and perhaps a sweet vegetable. Wellington. Mincemeat, specifically the rich and full flavored Crosse & Blackwell’s mincemeat for the filling could be another great variation.

The flavors in the recipe that follows is more tugged-n-pulled by thoughts of a raisons added spiced apple pie, but you can give such dishes a more distinct Indian accent and still maintain its savory sweet tastes.

Ingredients

Directions

Filling

Mix all the filling ingredient together folding the gently to avoid squnched apples. Let sit, covered refrigerated for an hour, if you like to better develop the flavors

Pastry

• Blend the clarified butter into sieved flour and salt.
• Add enough water to make soft, pliable dough. Knead thoroughly until the dough comes clean off the board.
• Cover and keep it aside at least for 1/2 an hour.
• Divide the dough into 12 equal ball shaped portions, but do not over handle the dough. Roll out the dough balls into 4″ diameter circles. Cut each circles into half. Taking each half circle of dough, form a hollow cone.
• Fill each cone with the prepared filling being careful to keep the cone mouth dry and clean. My wife says a pastry bag does this better than my table soon; she’s right.
• Wet along the open mouth of the cone and seal. The finished ‘samosa’ is triangular in shape.
• Heat the oil until very hot (400° F) and gently slide in a few triangles of filled dough at a time. A wok style Chinese wire spoon is great for this purpose; indeed cooking the samosas in a wok is cleaner then in a deep saucepan — less splatter and mess.
• Fry till golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon and drain excess oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and serve hot.

Variations to Consider

Spicing It Up — Sweet Indian and fusion fruit samosas’ could contain, according to my goggling, spices such as: curry, a garam masala mix, turmeric, cardamom, and even perhaps cumin or white pepper. A touch of these <⅛ tsp or less> can can augment the cinnamon I’m used to using, but use them lightly to not over whelm the sweet-savory tongue-lingering taste you want in this fruit pastry. On the other hand, I’m not likely to go full hot and spicy by adding chili’s in any of their forms.

Fruits — Apples, strawberries, pears, rehydrated dried fruit, raisons & nuts, figs (but not dates-my personal judgment.) Some of these varieties have deep ethnic roots and names. Google Sweet Samosas and explore.

You can a find completely different style samosa. Sweet Strawberry Samoa at the Spices and Bites blog http://www.spicesbites.com/bsi-entry-sweet-strawberry-samosas/

Background

The old adage, waste not, want not unfortunately doesn’t hold for one of my favorite Mexican sauced dishes – Molé, hot and spicy chocolate tasting meats. Alas, to create a proper molé, you take a pot full of ingredients, each specifically prepared and pre-cooked just right (ground-chopped-deseeded, roasted, sautéed, or even streamed and then add them to a vary large stock pot in chicken or other broth and cook them down to a rich colorful sauce. Strain away all the solids and you end up with a cup or three of pure flavor.

No you don’t want to use a commercial sauce… there may be a few great ones out there, but you could not prove it by me. If any of you readers have found a great commercial sauce please on pass the details, I’ll try it out and do a ‘tear and compare’, against the closest made from scratch recipe I own; posting the results.

According to Wikipedia — Molé (Spanish pronunciation: [‘molé]) (Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl mulli or molli, “sauce” or “concoction”) is the generic name for a number of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, as well as for dishes based on these sauces. Outside of Mexico, it often refers to a specific sauce, which is known in Spanish by the more specific name molé poblano. In contemporary Mexico, the term is used for a number of sauces, some quite dissimilar to one another, including black, red, yellow, Colorado, green, Almendrado, and Pipián. The sauce is most popular in the central and southern regions of the country with those from Puebla and Oaxaca the best known, but 60% of the molé eaten in the country comes from San Pedro Atocpan near Mexico City. The popularity of the sauce, especially at major celebrations, is such that 99% of all Mexicans have tried at least one version of it.

But alas — with the growth of the Mexican middle class, especially in the major urban areas of Mexico City and Guadalajara, molé is considered déclassé; peasant food. So it’s up to us Yankee’s to keep tradition alive!

Folks Just a bit of a rant — I do get upset my the Yanqui habit of dropping accent marks — It’s Molé nota  mole, a yard critter that eats my bulbs.

 

Katie Jocannon’s Molé Poblano ingredients	Chillies on Sale in Houston/Scoville-Scale Posted
Black Molé Asada Sauce	Oaxacan Black Sauce (Molé Negro)

Okay, why this blog entry? Well my co-blogger and cooking site host Mike Hubbartt up loaded two fine example recipes for molé sauce and I had the one we’ve been using on occasions, duplicating the gift from our Denver based, 45 years ago, Hispanic ironing lady.

About

The recipes discussed in this article will discuss are those that contain, in all but one recipe used for ingredients comparisons that magic ‘mojo’ — chocolate.

Okay, so later in this article I compare ingredients for five of the most flavorful molé recipes I’ve found.  But as you can the list you can see; the ingredient types fall into several defined groupings, beyond the use of a dark chocolate.  Also, as an aside — molé sauces work on many kinds of enchiladas, tacos… or slathered over your favorite grill recipe. Remember, that fruity or tomato-y salsa and mole don’t mix and buffalo spiced or soy spiced clashes with chillies. Just used the simplest of grilling spices as a setting for your mole sauces.

• Chocolate
• Vegetables and an occasional fruit (Not chilies)
• Chiles and Peppers
• Herbs and Spices
• Nuts and Seeds
• Breads, Stock and all the Rest.

 

A Summary

Mole sauce is a part of traditional Mexican cuisine and used to make stews with chicken, turkey, pork, or beef. Anglos have added shrimp to the mix of proteins. Dark chocolate blends well with savory Mexican spices to bring out a rich flavor.

 

Chicken Red Molé — I use both dark meat & breasts {Grilled Turkey Drumsticks too!}	Molé over Grilled Shrimp
Green Mole Sauce – No chocolate!	Precooked Ingredients – Add stock and cook to create the sauce, adding the chocolate when needed.

 

The word mole comes from molli, the Aztec word for sauce. Moles often feature a variety of chili peppers (for the heat) and other ingredients that often, but not always, includes chocolate.

In Mexico, mole sauce is most commonly served with poultry and prepared in hundreds of ways. Ingredients can include cloves, coconut, peppercorns, peanut butter, raisins, tomatillos, bananas, and tortillas.

Mole sauce ingredients were traditionally prepare on a metate, a stone with a flat or concave surface on which grain, nuts, seeds, etc. could be ground. Modern cooks combine the ingredients in a blender or a food mill.

Check out Mike Hubbartt’s Molé recipes at the Sleeping Cat Blog — Mike more closely follows the KISS rule than I do and is more concerned about a healthy and flavorful dish – I’m on enough meds for cholesterol, and diabetes, that I’m less picky – after all Mike still a young man  – I’m 74 and a bit long of tooth. Uno Problemo — Mike, who is Todd Lockwood? The only Tom Lockwood I could Google is a Sci-Fi Fantasy artist named Todd Lockwood, who is deemed of high repute. ANSWER: Yes, Todd is a well-known and respected fantasy artist I have the pleasure of knowing for many years. I also own 2 of Todd’s paintings, which are impressive.

• Todd’s Two Mole Sauce Recipes                  http://mikeh2010.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/todds-two-mole-sauce-recipes/
• Todd’s Chicken with Peanut Mole Sauce      http://mikeh2010.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/todds-chicken-with-peanut-mole-sauce/

APPENDICES

Recipe List Comparisons References

• A Molé Sauce <Closet Cooking Blog>

  http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/06/mole-sauce.html

• FoodNetwork – Molé Negro
  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/40-a-day/mole-negro-or-dark-mole-recipe/index.html
• Vannie Ryanes Chicken Molé <Bella on Line>
  http://www.bellaonline.com/ArticlesP/art31162.asp
• Molé, Puebla Style
  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/238185
• Mark Miller’s Green Molé
  http://monogram.com/see_whats_cooking/

Other Great Molé Recipes

• Chicken In Oazacan Black Mole Recipe <iFoodTV> http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/chicken-in-oazacan-black-mole

• Chicken Or Turkey Mole Poblano Ii Recipe <iFoodTV>  http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/chicken_or_turkey_mole_poblano_ii
• Chicken With Peanut Mole Sauce <iFoodTV> http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/chicken-with-peanut-mole-sauce
• Cranberry Molé Sauce <Eating Well Magazine> http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/eating-well/cranberry-mole-recipe/index.html
• Mexican Mole – Whole Chicken <Recipes for the Family> http://recipesforthefamily.com/mole/
• Mexican Style Tempura with a Chili Chocolate Sauce <Food Network>
  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-next-food-network-star/mexican-style-tempura-with-a-chili-chocolate-sauce-recipe/index.html
• Molé Brisket of Beef <Your Meat Tooth Blog> http://yourmeattooth.com/2010/03/mole-beef/
• Mole Negro Oaxaqueno: Oaxacan Black Mole <Food Network>
  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-specials/mole-negro-oaxaqueno-oaxacan-black-mole-recipe/index.html
• Oaxacan Black Mole: Mole Negro Emeril <Food Network>
  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/oaxacan-black-mole-mole-negro-recipe/index.html

General References:

Capsicum and Chilli Peppers, Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_pepper

Nuestro Gourmet (in Spanish)
http://www.nuestrogourmet.com/2007/07/18/receta-mole-negro/

Easy Mole Sauce (and what to do with it) <Je Mange la Villé Blog
http://www.jemangelaville.com/2010/04/05/easy-mole-sauce-and-things-to-do-with-it/

I love hearty rich meals in the winter and one of my personal favorites is Shepard’s Pie, which is a meal into itself. This dish has meat, potatoes, corn, green beans, tomatoes, gravy – it is a little work to prepare, but the flavor is good and it tastes as good as left overs. The only thing I like to use as a side with this dish is bread or dinner rolls.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Russet Potatoes (330 cal)
• 3 Beef Bullion Cubes
• 1 tbsp butter (102 cal)
• 1/4 cup skim milk (22 cal)
• 1 lb 93% ground beef (680 cal)
• 1 cup diced onions (67 cal)
• 1 can Green Giant Green Beans (70 cal)
• 1 can Green Giant Niblets Corn (350 cal)
• 14.5 oz Diced Tomatoes (175 cal)
• 1-12oz jar Beef Gravy (180 cal)
• 1 Tbsp Thyme
• Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Total calories: 330 + 102 + 22 + 680 + 67 + 70 + 350 + 175 + 180 = 1976/4 = 494 cal/serving

DIRECTIONS (Serves 4)

1. Fill a pan with 3 cups of water, add 3 beef bullion cubes, and put the pan on the stove with a burner set to medium high (6).
2. Peel and cut up the potatoes, then add them to the pan and cook for 20 minutes.
   NOTE: The potatoes will finish after the ground beef, so jump to step 6 for the rest of the process for the potatoes.
3. Use another skillet to brown the ground beef to a skillet. Sprinkle the beef with kosher salt and pepper while it is cooking.
4. Put a 5 qt dutch oven to a burner set to medium (5) on the stove, remove the meat from the skillet and put it in the dutch oven.
5. Add the onions, green beans, corn, diced tomatoes, gravy, and thyme to the dutch oven. Stir to mix and cook for 10 minutes.
6. While the mix cooks, finish the potatoes. Drain the water from the potatoes, add 1 tbsp butter and 1/4 cup skim milk and mash the potatoes.
7. When the meat mix and mashed potatoes are ready, it’s time to assemble the dish.
8. Set the oven to broil.
9. Spray a 9″ x 16″ square oven-safe pan with non-stick spray, and pour in the meat mix.
10. Put the mashed potatoes on the top of the meat mix – I use a spoon to spread it as evenly as possible.
11. Put the pan in the oven and broil for 10 minutes. Remove and serve 1/4 of the dish for each person.

Tips: A little smoked paprika on the top of the mashed potatoes adds color and a nice smoky taste. This tastes fine without additional seasoning, although A1 sauce or Tabasco sauce adds a nice kick.

I love hot spicy food, and I like to find more uses for left over turkey than for sandwiches or salads. This is my take on a spicy, tasty, calorie-conscious turkey wrap that brings the heat. This is a spicy recipe, so experiment with the ingredients to set the heat level to you own preference.  My Garlic Mashed Potatoes pairs well with this dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 oz diced turkey (352 cal)
• 2 wraps (200 cal)
• Franks Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce to taste (0 cal)
• Crushed red peppers to taste (0 cal)
• Cayenne pepper to taste (0 cal)
• Lettuce (optional)
• Diced Onions (optional)

Total calories: 352 + 200 = 552/2 = 276 cal/serving

DIRECTIONS (Serves 2)

1. Dice the turkey into small, bite size chunks.
2. Put the turkey on a microwave-safe plate and cook in a microwave for 30 seconds.
3. Drizzle the turkey with the Franks hot sauce, sprinkle the cayenne pepper and crushed red peppers, and then return the plate to the microwave and cook another 30 seconds.
4. Put 1/2 of the turkey in each wrap. Top with some shredded lettuce or diced onions for more texture in the wrap.
5. Fold the wrap and enjoy.