Bistec Encebollao (Puerto Rican Steak & Onions)

Ingredients

3 Beef steaks, use your favorite cut

½ cup olive oil

2-3 Cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ Teaspoon dried oregano

2 Large onions, thinly sliced

¼ Cup white vinegar

1½ cups water

1 Teaspoon kosher salt

¼ Teaspoon black pepper

½ Teaspoon cumin, optional

Directions
Mix all ingredients except the beef and onions in a small mixing bowl, and pour into a zip top plastic bag. Add the beef and onions, and refrigerate at least 4 hours to over night. Remove the bag from the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking, this will bring the meat to room temperature.

In a heavy skillet (I use a cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat add the contents of the bag and bring to a slight boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Allow the meat to cook for 30-40 minutes, but remove the cover for the final 10-15 minutes of cooking. The meat will be tender and tasty, and the onions will be soft but not fully carmelized. This steak is traditionally served with white rice and tostones. ENJOY!!

Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients

1 ½ Pounds baking potatoes

1 Cup all purpose flour, additional flour if needed

1 Large egg, lightly beaten

¾ Teaspoon kosher salt

¼ Cup olive oil

Directions
Leaving the potato skins on, wash them. When making gnocchi, the potatoes should be steamed not boiled. This will ensure less moisture. Place the potatoes in a metal colander, set the colander on a stock pot, fill the pot with water to just below the colander. Cover the potatoes and allow the potatoes to cook for 35-45 minutes, or until fork tender.

While the potatoes are still hot, peel them carefully and pass them through a potato ricer onto a floured work surface. Sprinkle the potatoes with the salt and flour, and mix gently. Don't worry if it's not mixed thoroughly. Make a well in the center of the potato mixture and add the egg and oil, mix the dough together and form a ball. (if dough is soft and sticky add the additional flour, slowly until dough does not stick to your fingers easily. Knead the dough for 4-5 minutes, making sure not to over knead (this will make the gnocchi stiff and heavy)

Brake off tennis ball sized portions of dough and roll into a rope shape that is as thick as a finger. Cut the gnocchi into 1 inch pieces and set aside until you have cut 25-30 gnocchi. Now it's time to shape the gnocchi and give them their ridges and dimple (which helps hold whatever sauce you decide to use with them). Gently press the gnocchi against the inside curve of a dinner fork, you will get ridges on top of the gnocchi and a dimple in the bottom where your finger flicks the gnocchi down the fork. This technique takes some practice, but I assure you it's not difficult and is essential to the process. Place the gnocchi on a floured baking sheet.

If you are not going to cook the gnocchi right away, they can be placed in a freezer on the baking sheet until they are frozen, transfer them into a zip top freezer bag and keep frozen until you need them. Generally they will last 2-4 months in the freezer. Enjoy!!

Focaccia di Bari

Ingredients

4-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup olive oil, plus extra oil for coating the pans

2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup water, approximately 110° F

2 baking potatoes, boiled with skin on

1 pack dry active yeast

2-3 Plum tomatoes, sliced thin

Dried oregano

Black pepper

Directions
Boil the potatoes until fork tender. Drain and peel the potatoes and pass them through a potato ricer or mash them with a potato masher or fork in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, yeast, and salt to the mashed potatoes. Drizzle the water and then the oil a bit at a time until they are absorbed into the dough. When all the water and oil are incorporated into the dough, remove the dough to a floured work surface and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. Add additional flour if the dough appears to be sticky. Divide the dough into three parts and form three disks. Coat three 8-9” round cake pans with oil and press a disk of dough into each. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise for approximately 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Garnish the tops of the focaccia with the tomatoes, oregano and pepper, and using your finger tips make dimples into the tops (these dimples will catch the oil). Drizzle the tops with a little oil. Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, spraying the focaccia with water, using a spray bottle. Bake until golden brown. Serve warm or use cold to make sandwiches.

*You may also garnish the focaccia with green and black olives, or rosemary, or caramelized onions etc the toppings are infinite. But the tomatoes and oregano are traditional toppings for Barese Focaccia.

Picadillo (Basic Puerto Rican Ground Beef)

Ingredients

1 LB. Ground beef

1 Medium onion, finely chopped

3 Cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Large red bell pepper, finely chopped

½ Cup alcaparrado (Latin olive salad), roughly chopped

¼ Cup alcaparrado brine

¼ White vinegar

1 8oz Can tomato sauce

2 Envelopes sazon (with culantro & achiote)

2 Tablespoons sofrito

2 Teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ Teaspoons kosher salt

½ Teaspoon black pepper

1-2 Teaspoons dried oregano

¼ Cup golden raisins, optional

4 Tablespoons Olive oil, divided

Directions
Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil and brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Remove beef with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook off some of the water that the beef left behind (1-2 minutes), add remainder of the oil, onions and saute until translucent. Add peppers, alcaparrado, garlic, olives sofrito, sazon, oregano, salt, cumin, raisins (if using) and black pepper. Once the peppers have softened (approximately 3 minutes), add the beef, tomato sauce, vinegar and olive brine, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes covered.

Remove beef from the pan and set aside to cool, draining of any excess grease. Beef can be made 24 hours in advance and refrigerated.

* Alcaparrado can be found in the latin section of your supermarket (I use Goya's alcaparrado).  I make my own Sofrito, but I also use Goya's sofrito when I'm in a rush.

Traditional Hummus

Ingredients

1 16 oz Can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/4 Cup liquid from can of chickpeas

4 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons tahini

2 Cloves garlic, crushed

½ Teaspoon salt

½ - 1 Teaspoon cumin (depending on taste)

4 Tablespoons olive oil (divided)

Directions

Traditionally, hummus should be made from dried beans, chickpeas, lentils, fave beans etc, but the process is a bit longer and canned chickpeas work just fine.
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor except for the oil. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes until thoroughly mixed and smooth. While food processor is still running, drizzle in 2 tablespoons of oil.  Place in serving bowl, and create a slight well in the center of the hummus, and add the remainder of olive oil in the well. Garnish with paprika (optional).  Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate. Enjoy!

4 Spice Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

3 Pound package of ground turkey

1 Medium sweet onion, finely chopped

2 Medium carrots, finely shredded

1 Green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped

3 Large cloves of garlic, grinded into a paste

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 Teaspoon kosher salt

¼ Teaspoon ground ginger

¼ Teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ Teaspoon curry powder

¼ Teaspoon ground black pepper, optional

½ Teaspoon Mesquite seasoning, optional

1 Large egg, well beaten

Directions

Prepare all your vegetables, and set them aside. Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl, and add the vegetables, spices and egg. Mix well but be certain not to over mix, since this will yield a tough and dry burger. With a ¼ - ½ measure scoop up some of the ground turkey mixture and form into a ball, squeeze gently. Now flatten the ball into a patty form and place on a piece of waxed paper, continue the process with the remainder of the turkey mixture. This recipe will yield 6-8 rather large burgers, or 10-12 medium sized burgers. You can place the burgers in the freezer for up to 2-3 months and use as needed.
A Great recipe if you’re having a BBQ, and want to serve something other than the standard beef burger. Enjoy!!

*Note:  If you are going to melt cheese on the burgers, you want to do this when the internal temp is between 135-140 degrees F.  Ground turkey is well done at a temp of 160 degrees F.  Remember carry over cooking, so removing the burger from the heat when it's 145-150 degrees F will ensure a proper cooked burger, that is still moist and Yumm'tastic!