Herb Butter
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt & pepper
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter
- Zest of one fresh lemon peel
Directions: Let butter sit at room temperature until malleable. Combine all ingredients until mixed, then roll in clear wrap and refrigerate until hard.
Achiote Oil
Ingredients:
- 1 cup achiote seeds
- 2 cups olive oil
Directions: Place achiote seeds and olive oil in a saucepan and simmer at low heat for about 30 minutes. Let cool, then strain out the achiote seeds.
Cilantro/Parsley Oil
Ingredients:
- Cilantro stems
- Parsley stems
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Directions: Instead of throwing out the stems of cilantro and parsley, place them in a blender with approx. 2 cups of olive oil. Add approx. ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Blend and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature and shake before using.
Black Bean Purée
Ingredients:
- 2 cups black beans
- 1 cup diced pancetta
- 2 cups sofrito
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/4 cup cilantro oil
- Water
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions: Soak black beans overnight. In a pot, sauté diced pancetta. Once cooked, add sofrito, beef stock and cilantro oil. Strain the black beans and add to pot with pancetta mixture. Pour in a cup of water. Cook on medium-high for about 4 hours to reduce, while adding a cup of water about every hour as it continues to reduce (water level should be slightly above beans at all time). After the 4 hours, puree the bean mixture with an immersion blender or regular blender. Let cool, refrigerate and serve.
Scallion Crema
Ingredients:
- 1 container of Mexican Crema (Mexican sour cream)
- Olive oil
- 1 bunch of scallions
- 1 lime
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions: Place the scallions in a blender with olive oil and blend until smooth. Add the Mexican crema, lime and salt/pepper and blend until the mixture is an even light green color.
Apple Slaw
Ingredients:
- Half of a head of purple cabbage
- 2 peeled apples (I like using empire)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions: Slice or cube apples depending on your preference. Slice cabbage. Combine apples and cabbage in bowl. Add mayonnaise, greek yogurt, cider vinegar, and salt/pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients until it reaches desired consistency.
Homemade Corn Tortillas
Ingredients:
- 2 cups corn flour (masa harina) *I like the Gold Mine brand
- 2 tbsp lard
- 1 1/2 cups Water
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
Directions: Combine all ingredients in bowl and break into small pieces to roll in a ball. Place in tortilla press (don’t forget to place saran wrap around your tortilla press so the tortilla doesn’t stick) and warm on griddle or stovetop until golden.
Chef Ricardo’s infamous Sofrito
Ingredients:
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup achiote oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions: Chop all ingredients and mix together. Place mixture in blender and pulse. Transfer to pot and heat on stove, reduce by about half.
Sofrito Beef Filling for Tacos
Ingredients:
- Skirt steak
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups sofrito
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
Directions: Place skirt steak in slow cooker with sofrito, wine, beef stock and cider. Cook on high for about 4 hours. After done cooking, cool in refrigerator until hardened. Use a spoon to remove top layer of fat. Remove steak and continuing cooking to reduce sauce by half. Shred the beef and place it back in the cooker with the sauce to warm before serving.
Vegetarian Potato Medley Filling for Tacos
Ingredients:
- 1 cup blue potatoes
- 1/2 cup mushrooms *I like using baby bella mushrooms
- 1/2 each-red, yellow, green and orange pepper
- 1 cup corn
- 1/2 cubed onion
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions: Boil potatoes and cut into cubes, then fry. After the potatoes are fried, place in a sauté pan with remaining ingredients. Heat and enjoy.
Cinnamon & Sugar Butter
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter
- cinnamon
- 2 vanilla bean pods
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1 tsp banana rum
- 1 tsp coconut rum
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Directions: Let butter sit at room temperature until malleable. Combine all ingredients until mixed, then roll in clear wrap and refrigerate until hard.
The ‘BB Special’
Ingredients:
- Maduros (yellow, sweet plantains)
- Cinnamon butter
- Ice cream *I love Talenti’s coconut gelato!
- Coconut condensed milk
- Condensed milk
- Caramel sauce
Directions: Slice maduros and fry on medium heat both sides until golden color starts appearing. In another pan heat cinnamon butter. Once maduros are finished frying, place in pan with cinnamon butter and mix until butter coats the maduros. Scoop ice cream into a bowl with the maduros and drizzle with the condensed milk, coconut condensed milk and caramel sauce.