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Spice is also nice
Do a seasoned change-up for after Turkey Day
Serve Ken Oliver's Pork Chile Verde Enchiladas, Salsa Verde and T-Town Ranch Beans with a wedge of lime and fresh cilantro.Stephen Pingry / Tulsa World
By NATALIE MIKLES World Scene Writer
Published: 11/26/2009 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 11/26/2009 5:06 AM
If you're out on Black Friday, check out the lines at Mexican restaurants. The same goes for Thai, Chinese and Indian.
After a day of stuffing yourself with turkey, potatoes, gravy and pie, it's time for something spicy.
We asked Ken Oliver to help us with a post-Thanksgiving menu free from sage and pumpkin pie spice.
Oliver is a real estate agent, accountant, treasurer of the Miss Tulsa pageant, and above all, a great cook. What started as a hobby became something more when Oliver began catering, teaching cooking classes and then published his book "Cooking with Ken."
This year he'll be making and then transporting his entire Thanksgiving dinner to his parents' home in Arkansas. But even after all that cooking, he'll be back in the kitchen, likely making something spicy like these enchiladas.
"We're all so tired of turkey and dressing," he said. "By Friday, we want something different."
This is a cook's menu, made for someone who has a little time to play in the kitchen on a long post-Thanksgiving weekend.
Make these enchiladas in three parts: Start with the salsa verde, then move on to the pork and finish by rolling and baking the enchiladas. The pork chile verde mixture is also good when used for burritos or tacos.
PORK CHILE VERDE ENCHILADAS
Makes 4 servings (2 enchiladas per person)
1 cup white onion, chopped
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 pounds lean pork roast, cut into
1/2-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped, with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the sauce
4 cups water
8 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
2 to 3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges
1. Sauté onion in olive oil in a Dutch oven for approximately 3 minutes. Add pork and cook until juices evaporate and meat browns, stirring often for approximately 20 minutes. Add garlic, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce and sauté 3 minutes. Add 4 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until meat is very tender and sauce just coats meat about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.
2. To assemble enchiladas, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with a cooking spray. Place eight tortillas between two damp paper towels. Place in microwave, and cook on high until warm, about 1 minute.
3. Working with one warm tortilla at a time, place 2 to 3 tablespoons of Salsa Verde on one side. Next spoon
1/4 cup pork mixture. Add 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese. Roll up tortillas. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Repeat with other warmed tortillas. Top enchiladas with more of the Salsa Verde and cheddar cheese. Bake enchiladas uncovered until heated through about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with more cheese, chopped tomatoes, sour cream and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.
SALSA VERDE
Makes about 1 quart
8 medium tomatillos (or 1
1/2 pounds) husked, rinsed and quartered
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 bay leaf
Pinch of dried oregano
Pinch of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1. Add tomatillos, jalapeno pepper, onion and garlic in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. The vegetables should be soft and the tomatillos will turn pale green. Cool slightly.
2. Pour vegetables along with cooking water in small batches into a blender. This will still be warm. Carefully puree each batch for a few seconds to blend. Add the bay leaf, oregano, thyme, sea salt and chicken broth. Continue to puree until smooth.
3. Coat a medium saucepan with vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the Salsa Verde. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Keep Salsa Verde warm when using for enchiladas.
TACO SEASONING MIX
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. In a small bowl, mix together the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.
MEXICAN RICE
Makes 4 servings
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, and cook until tender and translucent. Add rice, and stir until rice starts to puff and begins to turn golden. While rice is cooking, add the sea salt, minced garlic and taco seasoning.
2. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Start this recipe the day before by soaking the beans overnight. If you forget, try the quick-soak method detailed below.
T-TOWN RANCH BEANS
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 pound uncooked, dried pinto beans
Cold water, to soak beans overnight
8 cups water
1/2 pound uncooked bacon, diced
15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium white onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4-ounce can diced green chiles
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
2 limes, cut in wedges (optional)
1. Place beans in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the beans. Cover and set aside overnight.
2. The next day, pour off water from beans and sort through beans, removing any beans that are split. Put beans in a slow cooker and add 8 cups of water. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, cook diced bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Add cooked bacon and 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings to the beans. Add undrained tomatoes, along with onions, garlic, diced chiles, chili powder, oregano, cumin and sea salt.
4. Turn slow cooker to low and continue cooking beans for approximately 3 hours until beans are tender. Should the beans become dry while cooking, add some additional water. Check beans for seasoning. You may want to add more salt. When ready to serve, garnish with fresh cilantro. Give each person some lime wedges to squeeze over each serving of beans.
QUICK-SOAK DRIED PINTO BEANS
In a large saucepan, combine the dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed, with triple their volume of cold water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the beans, uncovered, over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let beans soak for 1 hour. Cook beans according to the recipe directions.
‘Cooking
with Ken’
You can find Ken Oliver’s
book “Cooking with Ken” at
Borders and Steve’s Sundry
bookstores. To talk to Oliver
about catering, call 481-
6200.
Natalie Mikles 581-8486
natalie.mikles@tulsaworld.com
By NATALIE MIKLES World Scene Writer
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