The soup recipe probably had the most steps. But some of the steps were new techniques for me. The recipe started by brining the lentils in warm salted water. This was the secret to making the lentils keep their shape in the soup. The other step that made a big difference is that they cooked the chorizo in the casing. Which really helped to make the chorizo easy to slice at the end. The soup was delicious, it had great flavor and texture. I loved the smoky flavor, all the veg and the bright vinegar to finish. Very good! I will definitely make this soup again.
Lentil and
Chorizo Soup
Adapted from America's
Test Kitchen
Serves 6 to 8
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 lb. brown
lentils, picked over and rinsed
Kosher salt
and black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive
oil
1 lb.
Mexican-style chorizo sausage, pricked with fork several times
1 onion,
chopped fine
3 carrots,
peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 Tbsp. fresh
cilantro, minced
2 Tbsp. ancho
chile powder
3 garlic
cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground
cumin
1/8 tsp.
ground cloves
1 Tbsp.
all-purpose flour
7 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. red
wine vinegar, plus extra for garnish
Directions
Place lentils
and 2 teaspoons salt in heatproof container. Cover with 4 cups boiling water
and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.
Heat oil in
Dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering. Add chorizo and brown on all
sides, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to plate. Reduce heat to low and add onion,
carrots, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to fat left in pot. Cover
and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft but not brown, 15
to 20 minutes. If vegetables begin to brown, add 1 tablespoon water to pot.
Stir in chile
powder, garlic, cumin, and cloves and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in water, scraping up any
browned bits, and bring to simmer. Add lentils, browned chorizo with any
accumulated juices and bay leaves, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently
until lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Discard bay
leaves. Transfer chorizo to cutting board, let cool slightly, then halve
lengthwise and slice 1/4 inch thick. Stir chorizo into soup and simmer until
heated through, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in vinegar and remaining 2
tablespoons cilantro. Season with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste.
Serve.
The Tacos were great too. What I loved was the combination of the sweet jicama orange slaw, the spicy shrimp and the crema. I L-O-V-E-D the crema! That was a big take away, there is a big difference between Mexican crema and sour cream. Crema is much more complex. It is a little sweeter and even richer than sour cream. I think I will use it more often now. We did decide we prefer flour tortillas instead of the corn the recipe called for. The corn tortilla just over powered the delicate flavors of the taco ingredients. All you could taste was the corn. The flour tortillas was great with everything, you could taste all the ingredients. It really was a great taco.
Grilled
Shrimp Tacos with Jicama Slaw
Adapted
from America’s Test Kitchen
Makes
about 8 tacos
Ingredients
1
lb. jicama, julienned or shredded
1
tsp. orange zest plus 1/3 cup juice
1/4
cup thinly sliced red onion
3
Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
Kosher
salt
3
Tbsp. vegetable oil
1
Tbsp. oregano, minced
1-1/2
tsp. chipotle powder
1
tsp. garlic powder
2
lbs. extra-large shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
8
flour tortillas (or corn, I like flour better)
1
cup Mexican crema
Lime
wedges
Directions
Soak
four wood skewers in water for 30 minutes or more.
Combine
jicama, orange zest and juice, onion, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bowl,
cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Whisk
oil, oregano, chile powder, garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in
large bowl. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels, add to spice mixture, and toss to
coat. Thread shrimp onto four skewers.
Preheat
grill on high heat for 10 minutes. Place shrimp on grill and cook (covered)
until lightly charred on first side, about 4 minutes. Flip shrimp, and cook
until opaque throughout, about 2 minutes. Transfer to platter and cover with
aluminum foil.
Grill tortillas, turning as needed, until warm and soft, about 30
seconds; wrap tightly in foil to keep soft.
Slide
shrimp off skewers onto cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Serve with
tortillas, jicama slaw, crema, and lime wedges.
Hibiscus tea was something we tried at a local restaurant a few months ago. Ki Mexico serves a great Hibiscus Tea, it is so delicious. It is sweet, tangy and has a hint of spice. So when we decided we wanted to make it at home I wanted to add some spice. So we took a little from two recipes, one from the ATK cookbook and the other this recipe for Agua de Jamaica. It turned out so good! This is something I will do many many more times. The hibiscus is naturally tart and fruity so when you steep it with sugar, cinnamon, ginger and allspice; it adds sweetness and warmth. Such a perfectly refreshing drink with a beautiful red color.
Hibiscus Tea
Makes 2 quarts
Ingredients
2 quarts water
3/4 cup sugar (or more if you like it sweet)
2 oz. (about 1-3/4 cups) dried hibiscus flowers
1/2 cinnamon stick
3 slices of fresh ginger
4 Allspice berries
Lime wedges to serve
Directions
Put 4 cups of the water and the sugar in a medium saucepan. Add cinnamon, ginger slices, and allspice berries. Heat until boiling and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in the dried hibiscus flowers.
Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain into a pitcher and discard the used hibiscus flowers, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice berries.
Add remaining 4 cups of water to the tea, and chill. Serve over ice with a wedge of lime.
Linking to:
The Lazy Gastronome - Taco Tuesday Blog Hop
