El Justo's Cookbook Thread

grrr, having some trouble writing my lasagna down - so much I'd really have to weigh fiorst as I just throw it in in amounts that 'feel right'
 
carlosMM said:
I just throw it in in amounts that 'feel right'

As you may gather, that's my method too. It's the best one! I wouldn't know half a kilogram if it hit me on the head, but I know how many potatoes I want, and that's good enough for me.
 
El Justo's Homemade Salsa

ok, this is one that i devised some time ago. it is a variation of a salsa or mexican relish that was made at the restaurant that i had worked at for a longgggg time....

serving sixe: approximately 4
prep time: c. 15 minutes

ingredients
1 lb of ripe plum tomatoes
1 medium sized red onion
1 bunch of cilantro
1 lime
garlic powder
black pepper

- rinse the tomatoes and dice them into small cube-like pieces
- place them into a large bowl
- chop the red onion into very small pieces and mix into tomatoes
- take about 10-15 stalks of cilantro, chop off the bottom stalks and mince the leaves; mix into the bowl also
- squeeze all of the lime juice into the mixure; get as much out of it as you can
- add in a dash of both garlic powder and black pepper and stir

refrigerate the mixture for at least 5 minutes or so

IMPORTANT: use a sharp knife when chopping the veggies or else you could have an accident

this salsa is excellent for tortilla chips, on top of tacos & burritos, on top of salads, mixed w/ rice or even as a garnish.

enjoy!
 
Roasted Holiday Chestnuts

here is another family recipe handed down to me by my father...

as a child, i had the wretched job of peeling these little suckers and i'll never forget how to do it after enduring such monotony :lol:

ingredients
approx. 1 lb of chestnuts
stick of butter
salt

kitchen utensils
a small, sharp knife
large sheet pan for the oven
large sautee pan
spatula

prep time: it depends. however, give yourself anywhere from 2-3 hours prior to serving them.

- take each chestnut and slice an 'X' onto the flat side of each nut; be sure to be thorough in this process b/c it'll make your job of peeling these little delicacies much easier
- once finished w/ the slices, arrange the nuts on the sheet pan and bake them in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes or so. the best way to know for sure that theyr're finished in the oven is when you see the shells of the nuts all peeled up from where you had sliced the 'X' into them.
- remove 'deez nutz' from the oven when they're finished and set them asided to cool for at least 15 minutes; probably closer to 20 or 25.
- once cooled, take the nut and by hand, peel of the entire shell of each nut. they kinda look like a mini brain w/ fuzz but they taste delicious when prepared properly. no worries.
- once peeled, pre-heat the large sautee pan w/ about 1/5 a stick of butter
- load in the peeled nuts but be careful not to overload the skillet; if you have to cook them in 2, 3 or more batches, it's ok.
- sautee the nuts until they're golden brown and crispy; make sure to add more butter to the pan if you notice it drying up.

once finished sauteeing, place the cooked nuts onto a dish w/ a paper towel so as to absorb any excess butter. salt them vigorously and serve.
 

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Chinese dish

Today Special
Hainanese PorkCutlet

Ingredient:
1/2 Kg Pork Loin Meat
1 egg
1 packet of breadcrumb
1 onion
1 cup of Frozen mixed vegetable
1 clove of garlic

Sauce A
1/2 bowl of tomato ketchup
2 teaspoon sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/2 bowl of water

Marinade:
1) Cut loin meat into slices of 15mm each
2) Pound and tenderise the meat with back of chopper or meat tenderiser
3) add in pepper, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, chinese cooking wine, sesame oil and light soy sauce
4) leave it to marinade for at least 1 hour

Direction:
1) Stir 1 tablespoon cornflour to meat.
2) Dip meat into beatened egg and then cover with breadcrumb
3) Deep fried meat till golden brown
4) Drain oil and leave aside
5) add 2 teaspoon oil to wok
6) add in diced garlic and quickly followed by sliced onion.
7) Add in pinch of salt, and then add in mixed vegetable
8) seasoned with a bit of light soysauce
9) add in Sauce A
10) Thicken with cornflour if needed. But ketchup already contained cornflour already so dont add too much.
11) Cut and served the pork cutlet, drizzle it with the tomato sauce.
 

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taco flavored kisses

chop the chicken breasts,mushroms,garlic to tiny bits and fry them.put mushroms first,they take a little longer.when it's done,add bechamel(maybe some cheese too) with pepper,pepperoni.stir and fry it just a little more.when done, put it in the taco bread.then put that in the oven for a while,tke it out and destroy it.

i'm havin it tonight,maybe it's high cholesterol but it's :drool:

dont care about yor weeshees,with my taco flavord keessees

edit:almost forgot,fry chopped carrots too,they add the sweatness
 
This is my favorite recipe to make. It's not my own but it's still very good!
EMERIL'S PORK PIES
Ingredients needed:

* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* 1 pound ground Italian or any spicy pork sausage
* 1 cup chopped onions
* 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* Salt
* Essence
* Cayenne
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 1 cup water
* 1/4 cup chopped green onions
* 1 cup cooked long grain white rice
* 4 ounces grated Maytag White Cheddar cheese
* 1 recipe Pastry for Pork Pies


Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the sausage and brown, cooking for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, Essence, cayenne, and black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are wilted, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Dissolve the flour in the water and add to the meat mixture. Stir until the mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the green onions and rice. Mix well and let cool. Stir in the cheese.

Reserve for stuffing pastry.

Yield: 12 small pies

PASTRY FOR PORK PIES
Ingredients needed:

* 1/2 cup milk
* Solid vegetable shortening for deep-frying
* 1 egg
* 6 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 3 cups flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt


Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening unit it resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk. Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, working it to make a thick dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough pieces into thin rounds, about 5 inches in diameter. Put about 1/4 cup of the mixture in the center of each round, fold over and crimp the edges with a fork. Heat the shortening a deep pot or an electric deep-fryer to 360 degrees F. Fry the pies, two to three at a time, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Yield: 12 small pies


EMERIL'S ESSENCE CREOLE SEASONING
Ingredients needed:

* 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme


Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup
 
El Justo said:
what is this?

it's the stuff you put in lasagna,or you can put, i dont know the word in english,cream for cooking,made of milk?
 
Juka The Dumb said:
it's the stuff you put in lasagna,or you can put, i dont know the word in english,cream for cooking,made of milk?
riccota cheese?

heavy whipping cream?

also, what language is that?
 
bechamel is also called white souce,i think it's french(origin),as a matter of fact my roommate's putting it right now in the taco.some people make it,i buy it in the supermarket.try google-bechamel
 
i see...

here's what it is as per m-w:

Main Entry: bé·cha·mel
Pronunciation: "bA-sh&-'mel
Function: noun
Etymology: French sauce béchamelle, from Louis de Béchamel died 1703 French courtier
: a rich white sauce
 

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Thai Pineapple fried rice :D

Today Special:
Pineapple Rice

Ingredient:
1 Pineapple
1 Chinese sausage
Shallots
Freshly cooked rice
Pork/chicken floss
Coconut milk
Tumeric

Directions:
1) Soak some thinnly slice tumeric in thinned coconut milk water
2) Bring the coconut milk to boil and leave aside
3) Chop and dice the shallots,pineapple and chinese sausage to very small bits
4) Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in wok.
5) fried the shallots till 70% golden brown
6) Add in the chinese sausage
7) Add in cooked rice
8) stir fry the mixture till the rice are coated with oil
9) Add in thinned coconut milk water and stir well
10) Add in pineapple
11) Mixed the pineapple and the rice well
12) Serve with pork/chicken floss
 

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here's one that i recently whipped together over the holiday weekend...

Scallop Quesadilla

serving size: it depends...1 quesadilla is a meal unto it self for 1 person but it can also be served as an appetizer or hors d'oevre. however, the recipe below is for 2 full quesadillas.....

ingredients
- c. 1 lb of baby scallops
- large round flour tortillas; the larger the better
- butter
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic
- 1 package (12 or 16 oz?) of shredded cheddar cheese
- tomatoes (any type & 2 or 3 will suffice)
- 2 bell peppers (any color)
- red onion
- 1 small jalepeño pepper

or, in place of the italicized, you can use the salsa relish recipe from above in place of them. this is what i use plus a diced up jalepeño :rockon: ...

kitchen utensils/tools
a sharp chef's knif
cutting board
spatula
medium sized sautee pan
large sautee pan; the larger the better

1st thing's 1st. dice up your veggies (tomatoes/bell peppers/red onion/jalepeño) if you're not using the referenced relish recipe. i would urge anyone to use the referenced one but either would suffice. set the chopped veggies to the side...

- start out by sauteeing the baby scallops (don't purchase the large and chewy scallops b/c they lack the tenderness that the baby ones have) in the medium sized sautee pan with c. 2 tbsp of butter and the 2 cloves of garlic (minced finely) on a MEDIUM heat. stir gently as it cooks. it will emit a wonderful aroma w/ the garlic and seafood combo :drool:

while the scallpos are cooking, pre-heat the large skillet on a MEDIUM flame and plop in about 1 tbsp of butter into the pan.

- once lightly browned, remove the scallops from the range and drain off any excess butter. set them to the side.

- spread the melted butter around the large skillet (use plastic so as to not ruin the teflon [if applicable]) and then place 1 large flour tortilla into the skillet.

- generously spread the shredded cheddar cheese around the entire tort. it will begin to melt.

- after the cheese, add the baby scallops to only half of the tort.

- add on the relish or chppoed veggies to the entire tort.

make sure the bottom of the tort isn't burning at any point during the process.

once all of the ingredients are added, flip the half of the tortilla that doesn't have the scallops on them onto the other half that does have them. the cheese will act as a bonding agent.

remove from pan and onto the cutting board. cut into 4's if you'd like. you can cut them even smaller if need be.

suggested condiments: of course, the best is sour cream, guacamole (of which i have i fine recipe for ;) ), salsa or even chili con queso (spicy melted cheese).

enjoy!
 

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