Fancy dinner nachos, or some call it a “chilaquiles.”  This is how we eat at home   Marco, my DH, makes the best dinner nachos – and he makes it often too, especially when the chef in the house is too lazy to cook!  Seriously, I have tried to imitate his dinner nachos and have yet to succeed.  This is HIS recipe!  Adding a dash of lime juice at the end sparks up the flavors.  This is a good comfort food!

Chef’s tip: To make avocado slices, run a knife around the avocado middle lengthwise and twist it to split it into two. Using the heel of your knife, make a small stab into the pit, twist to remove the pit. Discard the pit. Then using a paring knife, score the half avocado right down the middle, and then down the middle on each quarter. Do not cut into the skin. The avocado should still look like a half avocado. Using a spoon, scoop out the slivers.

Also, if you can find it, get the Primavera hand-made corn tortilla.  It’s thicker and soaks up the sauce.  And the sauce, I prefer the Las Palmas brand which is less starchy.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 small red bell pepper, julienned
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 pieces handmade corn tortilla, cut into 1 X 2 inch strips
1 14-oz can Las Palmas medium hot enchilada sauce
2 medium tomatoes, cut into medium dice
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed, drained
1 cup Monterey jack, shredded
1 avocado, sliced into 8 slivers
1 cup cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Heat some olive oil in a skillet under medium heat.  Saute the red onion, about 2 minutes till the onion is limp and slightly browned.  Add red bell peppers and saute another 2 minutes.
2. Add add more oil, add the cut tortilla and toss to brown, about 2 minute.
3. Pour in the enchilada sauce, cover and simmer for a minute.
4. Add in the tomatoes and kidney beans.  Cover and simmer another minute.
5. Sprinkle on the cheese, cover for half a minute until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat.
6. Gently lay the avocado on top, garnish with cilantro and serve with wedges of lime and some sour cream on the side.

Serves: 2

Tags: Mexican, tortilla.

Tossing in as many Vietnamese herbs I can find from the only organic Asian vegetables vendor at the farmers markets in San Francisco Bay Area – Phan Organics Farm of Elk Grove (Civic Center Farmers, SF – Wed and Sun, Berkeley- Tue, Alemany – Sat), this super light noodle salad gives lots of exploding flavors.  It’s a great introduction to the world of Vietnamese herbs.

Chef’s tips: To chiffonade herbs, stack several leaves and roll them tightly.  With a sharp knife, slice the roll finely.  Fluff the sliced herbs to separate them.

Ingredients

Meat:
1 lb ground lean chicken or pork or turkey
2 stalk lemon grass, white part only, very finely sliced
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
Juice from 1 lime
1 Tablespoon rice flour, roasted

6 oz dried  rice vermicelli

Herb:
5 Thai chilies, deseeded and chopped finely
1 cup cilantro, chiffonade
½ cup green onions, sliced thinly
½ cup rau ram, chiffonade
½ cup shiso perilla leaves, chiffonade
½ cup mint leaves, chiffonade
5 kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade
Lime zest from 2 limes

Dressing:
Juice from 1 limes
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup fish sauce
½ teaspoon brown sugar
Cilantro or mint sprigs for garnish

Preparing the meat:
1.    Heat a non stick pan under high heat, add the ground meat, chopped lemongrass, 2 Tablespoons each of fish sauce and lime juice.  Cook 10 minutes until the meat is cooked through, while stirring constantly.  Transfer the meat to a large bowl.  Drain off excess liquids.  Cool.
2.    Dry-fry the rice flour (without any oil) under medium heat till golden brown. Add to the meat mixture.
Preparing the rice noodles:
3.    Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add rice noodles.  Bring back to a boil, cover, remove from heat and let noodles sit for 15 minutes in hot water.  Drain.
Preparing the herb and dressing:
4.    Slice and chiffonade the herbs.  Toss all herb ingredients together. Set aside.
5.    Mix dressing ingredients together.
Assembly:
6.    Toss the meat, noodles, herb and dressing together to combine.  Let sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to come together.
7.  Garnish with mint sprigs and cilantro.

Serves: 6

Tags: kaffir, Rau Ram, salad, Vietnamese.

Also known as “Terong Belado” this is a yummy and beautiful dish. The juxtaposition of the fiery red of the sambal with the brilliant purple of the eggplant is a feast for the eyes as well.

Chef’s tip: The sambal can be used as a condiment for lots of other dishes. Try it with grilled salmon, or a bowl of laksa.

Spice paste:
10 fresh red Jalapeno
5 shallots
2 tablespoons roasted belachan, optional
1 stalk lemon grass
2 cloves garlic

Sambal:
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
1 tablespoon lime juice

5 small Japanese eggplant, cut into 2 lengthwise
Kosher salt
2 cups canola oil

Preparing the spice paste
1.    Grind together spice paste ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Set aside.
Preparing the sambal
2.    Heat ½ cup of oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat until just hot.  Stir in spice paste.   Add sugar and salt.  Cook, stirring constantly until it achieves a deep red consistency, about 10 minutes.  Mix in lime juice.
Preparing the eggplant
3.    Cut eggplant into half lenghtwise.  Salt generously and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Pat dry.
4.    Heat 2 inches of oil in a skillet until hot (360F) over high heat.  Divide the eggplant into small batches so that they do not crowd the pan. Deep fry the eggplant for about 5 minutes each or until golden and tender. Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on a cooling rack over a sheet pan (line sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleaning).  Repeat with the remaining batches.  Pour off the oil and discard oil.
Assembling
5.    Spoon the sambal over the eggplant.

Serves: 10

Tags: curry, Indonesian, Rijsttafel, sambal, vegan, Vegetarian.