Regional Recipes

Spicy Hot Beef Kabobs (Anticuchos)

In Peru, these are made with beef hearts. It is believed that before cattle were brought by the Spanish, that they were probably made with the hearts of llamas.

3 (1 pound) calves' hearts, trimmed, or
    1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless beef sirloin steak, 1 inch thick
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 small red jalape?o pepper, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons water
15 whole black peppercorns
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon annatto seed
1/4 cup dried red chile peppers, seeded
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt

Remove nerves and membranes from calves' hearts; cut hearts into 1-inch cubes. Place in large glass bowl. Mash garlic, jalape?o pepper, cumin, salt, the 2 teaspoons water and peppercorns to a smooth, thick paste, using the flat side of a wooden mallet on cutting surface. Toss garlic mixture with hearts until thoroughly coated. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Stir in vinegar and the 1/3 cup water. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, for 24 hours.

Cover annatto seed with boiling water. Let stand at least 12 hours.

Remove heart pieces, one at a time, from garlic mixture, using tongs and shaking off garlic and jalape?o pieces. Reserve garlic mixture.

Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over chile peppers. Let stand 30 minutes; drain. Drain annatto seed. Place chile peppers, annatto seed, oil, salt and 3/4 cup reserved garlic mixture in blender container. Cover and blend on high speed, stopping blender to scrape sides occasionally, until smooth and well blended, about 3 minutes.

Thread heart cubes on six (11-inch) skewers. Brush with annatto mixture. Set oven to broil or 550 degrees F. Broil with tops about 4 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Turn; brush with sauce. Broil until medium rare, 5 to 6 minutes longer. Heat remaining annatto mixture to boiling; serve with kabobs.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Fiesta Pasta Soup

Yield: 6 servings

6 ounces vermicelli, broken into 1-inch pieces
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can roasted garlic seasoned chicken broth
2 cups water
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 pound smoked sausage
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Mexi-corn, drained
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon lime juice

Combine broths, water, tomatoes, cilantro, chili powder and cumin in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Cut the sausage in half lengthwise then thinly slice. Add meat, pasta, corn, and black beans to broth; cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until pasta is cooked.

Stir in lime juice.

Ladle into bowls. Garnish each serving with minced fresh cilantro, thinly sliced avocado and grated Cheddar or Monterey jack cheese.

Each Serving Provides: 253 Calories, 15 g Protein, 36 g Carbohydrates, 5 g Fat, 28 mg Cholesterol, 919 mg Sodium, 7 mcg Folate, Calories from Fat 18%

Southwest Chicken Sandwiches

Yields: 4

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 package fajita seasoning mix
1 cup chunky salsa
1/4 cup water
1 large buns
4 slices Monterey jack cheese
Red onion
Avocado
Salsa

In a small bowl, combine fajita seasoning, 1 cup salsa, and water; pour into a large zip-type bag and add chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Heat grill for medium coals. Remove chicken from bag and reserve marinade. Grill chicken, basting with marinade, for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Place on buns and top with cheese, avocado, onion and salsa.

Tex-Mex Baked Potatoes

4 baking potatoes
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (12 ounce) jar mild or hot salsa
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped stuffed green olives
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
Sliced tomatoes

Scrub potatoes; pierce skin with fork. Bake at 400 degrees F until tender, about 1 hour.

Fifteen minutes before potatoes are done, saute meat in hot skillet until all pink disappears. Add salsa and chili powder to meat. Cover. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Add green pepper and olives to meat mixture. Heat through.

Cut baked potatoes open. Spoon hot meat mixture into potatoes. Top at once with cheese so that it melts slightly.

Serve with lettuce sprinkled on top and with sliced tomatoes alongside.

Veal Parmesan

Posted by GourmetGal at recipegoldmine.com

2 pounds veal cutlets, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
2 teaspoons water
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (Progresso, Italian)
1/4 cup shortening
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
6 slices mozzarella cheese

Cut veal into 12-16 pieces, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Lightly beat together egg and water. Combine cheese and bread crumbs. Dip veal in egg mixture, then cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Melt shortening in pan. Brown veal on both sides. Place in 3-quart baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Saut? onion in same pan, stir in tomato sauce, salt, basil and marjoram. Simmer for 5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce. Pour remaining sauce over veal. Top with mozzarella cheese. Pour reserved sauce over cheese. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until mixture is bubbly.

Makes 6 - 8 servings.