Chile Verde Smothered Burritos--My Aunt's Recipe

My aunt is a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen and last week she made us a delicious dinner.

Her homemade chile verde sauce puts these smothered burritos over the top!! 

On the Facebook page I asked "fans" to "Like" this post if they wanted me to share my aunt's recipe. 

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Well folks, the fans have spoken. 

With my aunt's permission, I am posting the secret family recipe and as usual the secret is in the sauce. 

After you try this fresh chile verde salsa you will never go back to the stuff in the jar.

Chile Verde Smothered Burritos

You'll need:

Boneless Pork

Seasoning: Salt, garlic, cinnamon, cumin.

Refried Beans: (Homemade refried beans recipe--on the blog soon!)

Salsa Verde: 

Fresh Tomatillos

Serrano Chilies

Fresh Garlic

Onion

Cilantro

Lemon Juice

Salt

Here's how:

Chop pork into bite sized cubes, season and sear it on high heat, 

Reduce to medium and cook until done.

For the Salsa Verde blend the fresh tomatillos, serrano peppers, garlic, onion, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and cumin. 

IF it seems too thick, add a splash of water.

Add ingredients to taste and make it as spicy as desired.

You may be thinking, "What on earth are tomatillos and serrano peppers and where do I find them?"

You'll find these tasty peppers in the grocery store in the produce section next to the jalapenos! 

Here's what to look for: 

photo credit: Urban Food Guy

Mix salsa verde with pork  

Now it's time to build those burritos! 

1. Warm up a tortilla

2. Spread  beans & cheese in the middle

3. Wrap burrito 

4. Top with pork salsa verde mix & sprinkle with cheese.

5. Microwave or broil on low to melt cheese if desired. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Street Tacos

Sure you could stand in line for 30 minutes

for some tasty street tacos... 

OR,

You could let your slow-cooker do all the work 

and serve up a plate of 

shredded pork tacos

and fresh salsa right at home. 

Here's what you'll need

One Boneless Pork Roast (Butt)

For the Rub 

Cumin, 

Ancho Chili Powder

Cinnamon

Ground Cloves

Paprika

Oregano

Red Pepper Flakes

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper 

Mix spices in a bowl

Rub all over the roast

Slow-cook for 8 hours

Shred 

Then put all the shredded meat 

back in slow-cooker to 
soak in all those tasty juices.

For the Salsa

Rotel 

Onion  

Chopped cilantro

Cumin

Ancho Chili Powder

Salt & Pepper

Sugar

Lime

Puree half of the rotel 

and  the onion

in the food processor

Mix with all the other ingredients

(I only puree half of the rotel because

I like chunky salsa.

So if you prefer smooth salsa, 

puree it all.)

*Season to taste*

I strongly encourage you 

to try alternative citrus juices,

Orange Juice 

is one of my family's favorites.

Also add any fresh ingredients you like

Pineapple is a huge hit in our house too.

You really can't go wrong with salsa so be courageous!

Let it chill in the fridge until serving.

Don't Forget

Corn Tortillas

Shredded Cheese

Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onion

Sour Cream

Build your tacos just like they do at the food truck.

Heat corn tortillas on a griddle or comal.

Add shredded pork,

Top with shredded cheese, 

lettuce, tomatoes, onion, 

sour cream and salsa.

Enjoy!

Anna's Famous Fish Tacos

Normally I don't like to brag,

but I make the BEST fish tacos.

Seriously, these fish tacos are kind of a big deal.

I probably shouldn't even be sharing the recipe,

but since it got leaked a few months ago when my 

mother-in-law shared it with family on the east coast,

I figure I may as well share it with the world.

But I should warn you,

once you try these fish tacos

you will never be happy with

any other fish tacos because

none even compare to these.

And here's why:

It's all in the sauce.

Say it with me,

"It's all in the sauce!"

The Sauce

Just stock up on everything in this picture

because you'll be making this sauce again and again.

1/2 cup Plain Yogurt

1/2 cup Sour Cream 

Juice of 1 Lime(not pictured)

1 can diced green chiles 

*or minced jalapeno if you like it hot

1 teaspoon minced capers

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper  

*adjust based on how hot you like it
Mix everything together

Chill for 30 minutes

Now for the fish, 

there are two versions.

First ask yourself,

Do I feel like being good or being really bad?

Healthy version

The healthy version is simple,

Just cut fish into strips,

*Preferably boneless, skinless Cod 

Season/marinate for 15 minutes 

*Marinade: Lime, Cumin, Additional seasoning to taste, Olive oil 

Wrap in heavy duty foil 

*Coat inside of foil packet with nonstick spray

Grill for 10 minutes until fish is cooked/flaky

Not-so-Healthy version

Beer-batter:

Combine  1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 

Blend 1 egg and 1 cup beer 

Quickly stir  egg/beer mixture into dry ingredients.

Dip fish into batter and deep-fry until crisp and golden brown.

Drain on paper towels.

Tortillas

I prefer these blue corn tortillas:

Fry them to make them crispy or just warm them

You can also use regular corn, flour, whole wheat, low-carb, etc...

How to assemble Fish Tacos

This may seem silly,

it is kind of a no-brainer.

So feel free to stop reading now.

But, whenever I serve these to a crowd, 

which I have done dozens of times,

this always happens:

A guest walks up to the assembly line, 

stares at the ingredients with an expression of 

bewilderment across their face and asks 

"Okay, how do I do this?"

As if they've never made a taco before in their lives!

Dear Family and Friends, I'm sorry for publicly shaming you for your lack of taco-building skills. I love you all! 

Taco-Building 101

Grab a tortilla

Sprinkle some cheese on top

Place a few pieces of fish on

Sprinkle with cabbage/coleslaw mixture

Top with a big heaping spoonful of sauce

Then add whatever else you're into:

Avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa, you name it.

I prefer to keep it simple.

Now just eat and repeat!

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Verde

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Verde 

Step One: Poach Chicken

Season Chicken with Cumin, 

Oregano, Cayenne Pepper, Fresh Ground Pepper

and whatever other seasonings you prefer

Place Chicken Breasts in a stock pot 

Cover with Chicken broth/stock

Add one lime cut in half

and half an onion cut in half

Bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce heat

Simmer 20 minutes
until chicken is fully cooked

Step Two: Mix Enchilada Filling

Shred chicken in large bowl

Add a big spoonful of cream cheese

and a big spoonful of sour cream

Half a can of green chile enchilada sauce

1 can of diced green chiles 

season to taste.

Step Three: Roll Enchiladas

Spoon 1/8 cup of filling in each tortilla

Roll enchiladas and arrange in casserole dish

Step Four: Top Enchiladas

Cover with remainder of enchilada sauce

Top with grated cheese

Step Five: Bake Enchiladas

Cover with foil

and bake at 375 degrees

for 20 minutes.

Remove foil

Bake for 10 more minutes

Enjoy!

Fajitas & Tortillas

 Chicken Fajitas and Homemade Flour Tortillas

This is probably the main reason 

my husband married me.

Well maybe not the *main* reason, 

but it was definitely a contributing factor!

Chicken Fajitas are pretty much a no-brainer.

The one piece of advice I can offer is

MARINATE!

Combine lime juice, cumin and fresh garlic

with a little olive oil, hot sauce 

and whatever other seasonings you like.

 Marinate your chicken and veggies separately.

It really makes a world of difference.

While that marinates,

make tortillas.

When I was a just a little girl,

my great-grandmother taught me how to make

her famous homemade flour tortillas.

Here is Grandma on her 84th birthday.

What I remember most about Grandma's tortillas

is she never measured anything,

she did it all by hand, 

she handed me a ball of dough just to play with,

and she always, always burnt the first one,

(Grandpa liked it that way anyway.)

Now, every time I make tortillas

all those childhood memories come rushing back,

and that's probably why 

they are one of my favorite things to make.

My recipe's evolved a little over the years...

Here's what you'll need:

4 cups of flour, 

2 teaspoons of baking powder,

1 teaspoon of salt

*1/2 cup of lard, shortening, butter, or oil

1 1/2 cups hot water

extra flour for rolling out tortillas

*Here's the dirt on lard:

I've done some experimenting

and I find the best results come from 

half lard half shortening.

Pretty sure Grandma always used straight up lard.

Now you may be wondering, what is lard?

I really wasn't sure either, 

until I found that it is basically

 just rendered animal fat.

So if you're totally grossed out by that, 

try one of the alternatives 

and let me know your results.

One of these days I'm going to try coconut oil.

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in large Kitchenaid mixer

add the lard/shortening (or whatever)

one teaspoon at a time 

with the dough hook on low.

You can also do this with your fingers or a pastry cutter.

You want the lard/shortening/flour mixture to get all crumbly.

With the dough hook still on low

slowly add hot water. 

Let the dough hook do all the kneading for you.

After a few minutes you should have a nice smooth dough ball

Set it on a floured surface, 

cover it with a damp kitchen towel, 

and let it rest for a few.

Next roll your dough into balls.

Try to keep them around the same size 

and keep those babies covered with a damp towel

so they don't dry out!

Roll each one flat and as round as possible.

This is my method: 

Start with a tall skinny oval shape.

Then flip it over, turn it horizontally

and roll it some more 

until you have a (sort of) circle.

I've found they get rounder with every batch,

but they'll probably never be 

as perfectly round as Grandmas.

*FYI: Don't use a tortilla press. 

They are for corn tortillas and they will never

 get the dough as thin as you need it to be.

You'll end up with gordita/flat bread spheres

(which my husband loves by the way.)

Cooking tortillas

I use a griddle but if you have a comal, use that! 

Medium heat, 

You don't want them to burn.

Flip with caution, 

You don't want to cook your fingertips!

See these beautiful bubbles.

 Tortillas are done when those bubbles 

turn a nice brown color on both sides.

Eat one right way 

because you totally deserve it!

Keep the rest under a towel, 

or in a covered pan in a warm oven 

until you're ready to serve them up. 

Now back to the fajitas

Start with the chicken 

and cook until done, stirring frequently.

Remove chicken. 

Cook up the veggies

But don't overcook them, 

you want firm not mushy!

Add the chicken and give it a stir.

Now you're ready to serve up 

your homemade tortillas and chicken fajitas!

Enjoy!