Recipes by their Ingredients

shredded cheese

  • Beer Battered Shrimp Taco with Pineapple Salsa

    Beer Battered Shrimp Taco with Pineapple Salsa
    Beer Battered Shrimp Taco with Pineapple Salsa
    (Serves 4)

    Beer Batter
    ¾ can of beer, (8oz)
    1/3 cup flour, white all purpose
    ½ tblsp garlic, dried granulated
    ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
    ½ tsp black pepper
    1 tsp salt

    32-40 shrimp
    1&rac12; tsp Tony Chachere's Cajun Spice
    1½ - 2 cups of canola oil (or other frying oil)
    ½ Roma tomato, diced very small
    1/3 red onion, diced very small
    1 jalapeno, most of the seeds can be removed, diced very small
    ¼ - 1/3 cup pineapple, diced very small
    ½ carrot, cut into small sticks (julienne) then dice small
    ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, minced
    juice of ½ lime
    5 cabbage leaves, julienne very thin
    8 soft taco shells, corn or flour (I prefer corn in this recipe)
    ½ cup shredded cheese, any variety, I used the mozzarella/provolone blend

    NOTES: I used the 25 per lb shrimp, if you are using smaller shrimp, say the 50 per pound then double the amount of shrimp, on the other end if you're using 12 per pound shrimps, use half as many shrimp, @20.

    In a medium bowl mix the flour, garlic, cayenne, black pepper and salt. Add the beer slowly, mixing with a whisk or fork until the batter resembles glue, then add a little more beer. Keep cold until ready to use.

    Make your salsa right away, so it has time "to marry" inside a bowl. Mix well, the tomato, onion, jalapeno, pineapple, carrot, mint leaves, 1 tsp salt and the juice of ½ lime. Set aside or in the fridge.

    Slice up and set aside your cabbage, set aside or in the fridge

    Get your oil in a small pot and bring it up to 365°F using a hot oil thermometer. Otherwise medium heat but a smidgen more. If the oil smokes too much its too hot. You can test the heat with a drop of batter, it should crisp up alone in 8-10 seconds.

    Coat your shrimp with Tony' Chachere's Cajun spice (or just use salt and pepper). Dip your shrimp in the batter. I do 4-5 at a time. Put the shrimps, one at a time, into the hot oil. Leave in until crispy golden in color, about 1+½ minutes. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

    All those steps could be done in advance. When guests arrive, pop the shrimps back in the oven on warming temp and start a skillet on medium heat, one by one heat up one side of the tortilla, flip it over, add some cheese, let it melt remove from heat and assemble the taco. Tortilla, cheese, shrimp (4-5 per taco), a small hand-full of shredded cabbage and some delicious pineapple salsa on top, don't be scared, heap it on!

    Repeat three more times for round one!

    Start round two after you've eaten the first one, or just get it over with :) Delicious - enjoy!

  • Twice Baked Potato

    Twice Baked Potato
    Twice Baked Potato
    (Serves 8)
    8 Bakers Potatoes (Huge ones!)
    3 cups of mixed shredded cheese (I used cheddar and jack)
    1½ cups sour cream
    1 tblsp salt
    3/4 tblsp fine black pepper
    2 cups shredded carrot, (saute in 1/2 lb -[2 sticks]- butter + 7 minced garlic cloves)
    Optional: 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

    NOTES: You can save the tops of the potatoes that you cut off for spicing and then a quick fry in hot oil for potato skins (top with cheese and/or sour cream and bacon! You can also substitute broccoli for carrots.)

    Arrange the potatoes on a sheet pan and poke them 3 times, on top, with a fork. Bake at 350º for 2 and ½ hours. Let them cool for 10 minutes (essential) then while they are still hot, cut off the top 1/5 of the potato and scoop out the flesh into an extra large bowl, leaving ¼ inch around the insides of the potato so it holds its shape. Repeat with all the potatoes.

    Mix the cheeses and sour cream into the potatoes along with the salt and pepper and carrot mixture. Mash until well blended. Always, taste and adjust mix for salt content. Now repack the potato shells. (at this stage you can refrigerate them for use later, up to 3 days)

    Bake at 350º for 20 minutes.

     

  • Vegetarian Black Bean Taco Salad

    Vegetarian Black Bean Taco Salad
    Vegetarian Black Bean Taco Salad
    (serves 20)
    1 lb black beans
    2 onions, one small dice, the other just peeled.
    6-8 Roma tomatoes, small dice
    3 jalapenos, roasted and diced small
    2 green bell peppers, roasted and diced small
    1 small carrot
    1 stalk celery
    1 cup ketchup
    2 tblsp lime juice
    1 tblsp Tabasco hot sauce
    1 tblsp cumin powder
    1 tblsp chili powder
    2 tsp salt
    black pepper, to taste
    ¾ cup shredded cheese
    ¾ cup sour cream
    3 avocados, diced
    1 bunch cilantro, minced
    1 large bag of tortilla chips, your favorite brand
    Optional: 1 tblsp red wine vinegar
    Optional: ½ head of iceberg lettuce, shredded small
    NOTES: If you have the time, you should soak your beans first in cold water for up to a day before cooking them. To roast the peppers, stick them over open flames of stove burner until blackened then rinse the charred skin off under water, de-seed and chop in a small dice. Alternatively you can put them in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes, then place in a paper bag for 5 minutes, then the skin will peel off easy, de-seed then chop in a small dice.

    Instructions

    In a large pot of cold water, add the black beans, carrot, celery and the onion that's is peeled and whole. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to simmer, until beans are tender.

    Drain the beans and discard the celery, carrot and onion. You can also cool the beans down with a little running cold water through the strainer.

    In a medium bowl, add the ketchup, lime juice, Tabasco, chili powder, cumin powder, salt and pepper (and the red wine vinegar, if your using it). Mix well, taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

    When the beans have cooled down, add the diced tomatoes, diced jalapeno peppers, diced green bell peppers and cilantro, mix well.

    Once you are happy with your ratio of vegetables to beans and in the sauce mixture and stir well, making sure all the beans and tomatoes get coated.

    Taste again, adjust seasonings if needed. To server, top with diced avocado, shredded cheese and sour cream.

    If you are using lettuce, shred or cut it in small strips and mix into the bean mixture.