Huevos Rancheros

I love to go out for breakfast and when I do it is next to impossible for me to order anything other than Huevos Rancheros. In honor of two of our favorite events at Kent Court, Cinco de Mayo and breakfast for dinner night I prepared my all time favorite breakfast.

It is a hybrid of these two recipes. No picture it was fiddly and gone too quick.

Ranchero sauce

In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, saute
1 onion roughly chopped in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
When softened and starting to caramelize, approximately 8 minutes, add
1/2 - 1 chopped jalapeno pepper (with or without the seeds, your preference), allow to soften a few minutes, add
1 tablespoon of cumin, stir to enliven the spices

Add:
1-15 oz can chopped fire roasted tomatoes
1 can of chopped green chilies
Stir to combine, reduce heat to simmer and allow to flavors to meld approximately 1/2 hour.

Lightly grease a large frying pan, heat over medium. Barely heat/fry a corn tortilla, do not allow to brown, flip once or twice. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of cheese (cheddar, jack or queso fresco are all appropriate choices) in the center of the tortilla. Crack an egg in the middle of the tortilla. It may run off the edges, its fine. Cover with a lid and allow egg to set-up. When mostly firm flip as carefully as you can, and finish cooking to your preferred doneness.

Serve smothered with ranchero sauce, side of black bean, more cheese, and/or sour cream.

Joined

We will pick-up our first box on Friday, can't wait

Slow return to normal

Prior to the wedding we had a great last dinner upstairs, it seemed only fitting to return to normal with an exceptional meal. Inspired by a several recipes in last month's Bon Appetite, last night we had:



Shitake mushroom, asparagus, and leek tartlets
Saute in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil,
2 thinly sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only (rinse very thoroughly to remove any sand and grit)
10 - 12 ounces of shitake mushrooms thinly sliced until wilted and lightly browned

Remove from heat and place in a medium sized bowl with,
1 pound of asparagus, bottoms snapped and diagonally cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1/2 cup of creme fraiche
2 oz of grated gruyere cheese
Zest and juice of lemon
1 tablespoon of thyme
Stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 400 F

Cut 2 sheets (1 package) frozen puff pastry into 8 squares, place on 2 ungreased cookie sheets. Distribute mushroom, asparagus and leek mixture evenly, mounding slightly to leave 1/2 inch border on tartlet.

Bake for 10 - 11 minutes, turn and flip sheet position in oven. Bake an additional 8 - 10 minutes, remove from oven. Run edge of spatula under each tartlet to loosen, allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.



Lightly minted, fresh and bright pea soup
Over medium heat, saute in 2 tablespoons of olive oil 6 shallots - roughly chopped

Add 1 1/2 lbs of frozen petite peas, stir to combine with shallots.

Add 4 cups (1 box) of low sodium vegetable stock, stir to combine. Raise heat, and allow to come to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 8 - 10 minutes. Add:
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint
Juice of 2 lemons

In batches puree peas and broth until silky smooth. Return to stove heat over low. Salt and pepper to taste

Accompanied by
Pan fried Mangalista chops, from our swine supply in the freezer

Commission on Dietetic Registration

Congratulations! You have passed the Registration Examination for Registered Dietitians.

Of a possible 50, ... .
A total scaled score of 25 is required to pass the examination by completing a minimum of 125 questions.


While it is easy to be critical of both the DI internship requirement and the examination itself. At this moment, I am just simply thrilled to join the profession of dietetics.

Thank you to Sharon Bode and all my preceptors at The Methodist Hospital (especially Christi, Hailey Whitehead, and Anne); Texas Children's Hospital Claudia, Dawn, and Terri; Becky at DaVita and Karen at Employee Wellness at The Methodist Hospital.

Butternut Squash and Pork Tagine

In some countries this dish is made in a fancy dish with the same name, tagine. I use a skillet with high sides, with excellent results.

Start with:
Olive oil, enough to lightly coat pan (not more than a tablespoon or so)
2 pork ribs (the big ones), ~3/4#
Using a large skillet with tall sides, coat with olive oil, heat over medium high. Brown the pork ribs on both sides, 4-5 minutes per side. Remove pork ribs from pan, let stand. Cube pork, the pork will be pink inside and not safe to eat yet.

Turn heat to medium, add to pan:
1 large onion - thinly sliced
4 - 5 garlic cloves - smashed
1 - 2 inch chunk of ginger - peeled,minced
Stir to coat with oil and drippings, allow to cook until starting to brown and onion turns translucent, 5 - 7 minutes.

Add:
1/2 large butternut squash - peeled and diced into small cubes
apple - peeled diced
Stir to evenly distribute onions and aromatics throughout.

Add:
cumin - 1 tablespoon
coriander - 1 - 2 tablespoons
turmeric - 1 tablespoon
Stir and allow heat to enliven spices, cook ~2 minutes
Add:
1 1/2 cups cup of weak chicken broth
Add cubed pork and any drippings back into pan. Cover, adjust heat to simmer. allow to cook 15 - 20 minutes until squash is tender and pork is no longer tender.

Remove lid, add:
raisins - 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup
almonds - 1/4 cup
cilantro - 1/4 big bunch roughly chopped
Allow sauce to reduce ~5 minutes over heat high enough steady bubble. Using wooden spoon, smash butternut squash to aide in thickening. Tagine should be thick, more like stew than anything else.

Serve with couscous, quinoa, or naan to soak up the yummy goodness.

Serving: 4
Time: ~45 minutes