More about using garden tomatoes. Actually, lots was going on here not excluding real hunger! Wanted to use up the tomatoes and bells from my garden. Wanted comfort and cozy. And wanted to revisit a recipe from the distant past. I took an old recipe I cooked as a child and made it a little differently. Yes, the fresh Roma tomatoes made a difference because Romas are just sweeter and make a great creamy-like sauce.
The perfect Pasta Sunday meal for 5-6, the size of my usual gang. What do I know about Calabria? Not a whole lot! Lucia gave me unsolicited cautionary advice about the men but too late. Ha. I must say being friends with my guy is much easier than the romance. Oops! His love for Italian food and cooking is hard to resist. Yep, his family is from this region. So, what makes this pasta dish Calabrian … The Calabrian peppers and the long macaroni … all of it!
Last week by chance I came across an Instagram post of fried potatoes and roasted poblanos. And then while speaking to my manicurist she mentions her love for fried potato & onion sandwiches. It was easy to wrap my head around fried potatoes, my Granny’s speciality. But in a sandwich? I tried the sandwich and it was pretty darn good … maybe needed a little mustard. Anyway, this got me thinking about a street taco filling. Yep! “That’s the ticket,” Granny would say.
You can use Ortega Fire Roasted Green Chiles instead of the poblanos. If you are thinking the roasting process might be a hassle it’s really not. I just use my electric burner on medium. Set the peppers right on the burner with the stem toward the outer rim of the burner to grab and move about easily, and roast all sides. It goes quickly and is safe as long as you are right there attending. Not for the accident prone. View here at my Eggplant Appetizer roasted the same way. If you wish to use the oven method follow the instructions in this post for roasting peppers, Burritos, Enchiladas and Tomatillo Sauce.
If you’re a fan of Estrada’s Kitchen cuisine you know the family has not published their recipes even after closing their doors in Fresno and Visalia. What I’m trying to say … the Estrada’s recipes I’ve posted are the closest I can get to the authentic without the actual recipe. I’m working off my taste memory, my brother’s and others’ too who had experienced this great food. This pepper recipe is no different. It was recently shared by an Estrada’s fan on my blog. Thank you Mort. Simply scroll down for the full quick & easy recipe.
I have a few suggestions but this recipe is great just as it is. I found the texture is more reminiscent of the original if you make ahead remove from ramekins and then reheat just before serving. Think food safety if you decide to try this. If you do reheat, 500 degrees F for just a few minutes. I used thickly shredded Mexican cheeses, about 1/4 cup per serving. One 4 ounce can of whole fire roasted Ortega peppers will be more than enough, splitting each in half lengthwise. I do remember the bottom of the original peppers being a bit greasy in the day. If this isn’t to your liking grease each ramekin over entire inside surface sparingly with crisco or lard. I used creme brûlée dishes for baking. They are the perfect size and shape. After cooling I was able to simply peel the contents out in one piece.
Try these other delicious Estrada’s Style dishes under Our Family Tradition.
Not my Granny’s! My Granny Martha could can, pickle, and preserve. Cook? Not so much! Orlando has delicious recipes from his Granny and this is one. The crust looks amazingly flaky. Wait until you see a slice of this pie! Orlando and I go way back. We both worked at the same company in Raleigh (actually Morrisville), North Carolina. He was my immediate superior and I’m afraid I gave him headaches. Medical research is beyond demanding. Taking on this job seemed like a good idea at the time. After training I would eventually work out of my home. (Be able to take care of my aging Mother.) Fuzzy slippers and PJs ’till noon … How hard could it be! I was forewarned about the 65% travel time. I just didn’t realize the 65% was in addition to 40 hours of work. Something like that! Mother was on her own and not happy! The Fresno airport had no direct flights to where I was headed. Three connections later I dragged myself into the hospital. Immediately I was on! As I’m typing here … why am I missing this job!! Ha! There were perks! Maybe mostly for my friend Ed who loved baseball. He’d meet up with me in US’s baseball towns and we’d take in a game. Houston, Boston, Raleigh-Durham, etc … Visalia not so much. I’m very proud of my work with this company. Orlando was impressive. He was busy reining in people like me and flying all over the country too.
Hope you enjoy this recipe, and I have more from Orlando! I asked for a picture of Orlando to post. He attached a video of him singing, “All I want for Christmas.” It’s not even July!
Use peas, or asparagus or broccoli florets with the potato, celery, carrots and onion. This is jam packed.
Make your favorite 9″ pie crust or use a store bought (2 crust in a pinch!)
Thank you Orlando and to your Granny too!
Photos and recipe courtesy of Orlando
The entree was a hit! George, the meat-n-potatoes birthday guy, loved it! There are many variations to this recipe.You might add your own touch like fresh peas, chopped celery, mashed cauliflower in place of potatoes but I like this just as it is. It absolutely has an amazing flavor and it’s so very moist.
If you like meat and potatoes I guarantee you’ll love this!
Hummingbird Cake
Number three son recently asked for this recipe. When I emailed it to him I began to crave it … even the green bell peppers that I avoided as a kid. (But, make this recipe in my opinion.) Not all my children were into the green bell peppers … So, I always made a little extra stuffing to serve ‘unstuffed.’ Certainly the green bells can be traded out with the less strong tasting more mature red, orange or yellow. I suppose you could make it without bell peppers at all. Ha! Quick and yummy! Give it a try!
Maybe you’d rather try a more contemporary recipe, here
Orzo Stuffed Peppers
It’s just fun to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day even if you aren’t Irish. Maybe like me you just don’t like the list of ingredients on the corned beef package. It’s not just the Insta Cure, a sodium nitrite that is usually added to impart the red color and the distinctive cured meat flavor, but the tenderizers and who knows what else. So, this year I’m giving my own try at Corned Beef Brine without the Insta Cure, tenderizers and other chemicals. If this is scary for you … you may want to try one of my other ‘sorta’ Irish recipes. You see, until about 6 years ago I thought I was part Irish. It’s not 23andMe that has me convinced otherwise. We are from a different part of Western Europe than previously thought. We are now Scottish Royalty instead according to my Mother. No, I’m not buying it!
If you are into it but want the redness of Corned Beef check out this lovely site. Not into Corned Beef at all? Take a look through my recipes below. I have even included a Chicken Shepherd’s Pie. Happy St. Patrick’s!
My version of Irish Stew. Yep, it has beer!
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage. It’s just delicious!
Potatoes & Cheese, one of my favorite combinations.
Bangers and Mash, amazing!
Chicken Shepherd’s Pie
Red Cabbage Salad
Meat or Fruit-filled Scones
30 Minute Beef Stew
Brisket and Cabbage
A pasta salad to please … packed with delicious ingredients. This is the perfect main dish. It’s a salad I just can’t stop eating. Yikes! A great side to add to my Smoker Brisket.
If like me, you have a hard time following a recipe exactly this is a recipe for you. It takes to change-ups easily. The campanelle pasta is a great touch but you can substitute.
I happened upon this recipe quite by accident. I love the blogger site but I’m not sure it remains active. I’ll be trying some of the authentic Portuguese recipes. Hope you enjoy the site and this recipe.
Step one for my Barbecued Brisket Soup … crock pot cooking the brisket for 6-8 hours. This is a great way to cook brisket even if you don’t move-on to step two. Don’t have barbecue sauce but have the ingredients? Try my recipe here.