Frugal Foodie Friday - Potato Tacos

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From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I usually struggle to find recipes for Frugal Foodie Friday. It can be difficult to find a dish that is both delicious and inexpensive, but this week several came my way, and I actually had trouble deciding which one I would share with you tonight. Produce is usually quite reasonable at our local Hispanic markets, but when I learned they had avocados on sale for the week, these potato filled tacos, which come from Serious Eats, became the obvious choice for tonight's feature. The Silver Fox and I had a version of these in Peru and we were both surprised at just how tasty this simple combination can be. This recipe is easier than many that are out there and it is simple enough to make for weeknight supper. I do have a couple of cautions to share with those of you who plan to try the tacos. Queso fresco is a very mild cheese and if you think you'd like something with a bit more punch, use any of the Jack cheeses in its place. While I love the avocado and tomatillo sauce that is served with the tacos, if you think it to be too mild for your taste, by all means, boost the quantity or type of chili that you use. These are best eaten while still warm and they are most excellent when served with an ice cold Mexican beer to help wash them down. If you are looking for something different to serve your family, this might be it. I hope you'll give the potato tacos a try. Here is how they are made.

Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Serious Eats

Ingredients:
Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa
2 avocados
4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
1 large garlic clove, quartered
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Potato Tacos
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
4 ounces queso fresco, divided, crumbled, divided use
salt and black pepper
12 corn tortillas
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
1-1/2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
Directions:
1) To make avocado salsa Cut avocados in half lengthwise, and remove large seeds. Scoop out flesh and place in blender along with tomatillos, garlic, chiles, cilantro, 1/4 cup water, and salt. Process until it is a coarse puree. Set aside. Tomatillos will keep sauce from turning brown.
2) To make potato tacos: Bring large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander. Mash potato in large bowl, or pass through potato ricer. Mix in half of the queso fresco. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon two tablespoons of potato mixture into each tortilla. Fold each over, and secure each with one tooth pick, weaving in and out to keep each in a “U” shape.
3) To cook tacos: Pour oil into large 10-inch cast iron pan set over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add enough tacos as will fit in a single layer, probably three. Cook until crisp and golden on each side, about 30 seconds for each, flipping with pair of tongs. When done, remove tacos, draining off as much oil as you can. Place on paper towels and repeat process until all tacos are cooked. Serve tacos with salsa, crema, lettuce and remainder of crumbled queso fresco. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.









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50 Women Game Changers in Food - #37 Severine von Tscharner Fleming - Tomatilla Chicken

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If my math is correct, Severine von Tscharner Fleming, highlighted this week on the Gourmet Live list of 50 Women Game Changers in food, has just passed her 30th birthday. Her parents are urban planners and while at college she majored in Conservation and AgroEcology. As an undergraduate, she co-founded the Pomona Organic Farm and formed the Society for Agriculture and Food Ecology at the University of California, Berkeley. At that time, she believed films on food and agriculture focused more on problems than solutions, so, she set out to make a documentary of her own. As she traveled the country seeking material for the film, she began to organize young farmers and in the process became one herself. She co-founded the National Young Farmers Coalition to promote progressive farming policy and founded the Greenhorns, an organization designed to socially connect those new to farming through events and an informational website, The Irresistible Fleet of Bicycles, that offers networking and advice. Her film, The Greenhorns, is a documentary about these young "organic entrepreneurs." Now a documentary film maker, activist, organizer and farmer, she has done more in 30 years than most do in 60. Her film grew into a small non-profit organization, the Greenhorns, that produces information for and about the young farming community. The organization also produces a weekly radio show, a blog and a resource guide for beginning farmers. Their goal is to recruit, promote and support the growing number of young people who are "reclaiming, restoring, retrofitting and respecting this country of ours." In her spare time, she also farms in the Hudson Valley of New York.

Because she is an activist and organizer rather than a chef or recipe developer, it was very difficult to find recipes that Severine created. I relied, instead, on recipes developed by others who contribute to the Greenhorns website. I had originally intended to feature a beer-cheese soup, but when I did a final read of the ingredient list I had to back away. It simply used too much butter and cheese to be included here. I'm sure the soup is super delicious but it's not my goal to put the Silver Fox in an early, albeit organic, grave, so I moved on, looking for something that would be more healthy but just as easy to make. I found this lovely recipe for Tomatillo Chicken on the Farm Girl Farm blog. I really like this recipe, but I have two suggestions to pass on to you. I think the chicken would be more tender if it the active poaching time was reduced to about 10 minutes. This is a dish were boneless chicken thighs, which remain moist and tender when braised or stewed, would work really well as a stand-in for breast meat. I also think a flour slurry or stock reduction is needed to thicken the sauce ever so slightly. This is an easy, inexpensive and satisfying meal, especially if served over rice. I hope you'll give this a try. Here's the recipe.

Tomatillo Chicken...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Catherine J. Harley via Farm Girl Farm Recipes

Ingredients:
6 free-range chicken skinless, boneless breast halves
4 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 hot peppers
1 bay leaf
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pound whole tomatillos, husked
1/3 cup, chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
salt, to taste
sour cream, garnish

Directions:
1) In a covered large Dutch oven, simmer chicken in broth with onion, peppers, garlic, and bay leaf for 15 minutes after reaching a boil . Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes. I simmered my chicken for 7 minutes and let it sit covered for 10 minutes longer.) Remove chicken from pot and set aside until cool enough to handle.
2) Meanwhile, add tomatillos to pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil tomatillos, uncovered for 10 minutes or until soft. With a slotted spoon transfer tomatillos and peppers to a blender, add cilantro and puree. Pour mixture back into stock and mix well. Season to taste. (I added a slurry here). Pull chicken breasts apart into large chunks and add back to tomatillo mixture. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Serve hot with tortilla chips, guacamole or avocado slices. (I served ours over rice). Garnish with a dollop of sour cream. Yield: 6 servings.

The following bloggers are also featuring the recipes of Severine von Tscharner today. I hope you'll pay them all a visit. They are great cooks who have wonderful blogs.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast, Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan - The Spice Garden
Heather - girlichef, Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney, Amrita - Beetles Kitchen Escapades
Mary - One Perfect Bite, Sue - The View from Great Island, Barbara - Movable Feasts
Linda A - There and Back Again, Nancy - Picadillo, Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen, Annie - Most Lovely Things, Jeanette - Healthy Living
Claudia - Journey of an Italian Cook, Alyce - More Time at the Table

Next week we will highlight the career and recipes of Darina Allen. It will be really interesting to see what everyone comes up with. If you'd like to join us please email me for additional information no later than Monday, March 5th.

Tomatillo Chicken and Rice - Crock-Pot Cooking

The two winners of the Novica gift certificates have been chosen. Each of the 270 comments in the drawing received a sequential number at the time it was posted. The winners were chosen by a random number generator which selected the numbers 229 and 71. Congratulations to Aisling and Discovery Woman. I will be contacting you soon.



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the perks of age is learning to cast away the things that aren't important. That helped this morning as I took a look around the house, assessed what I saw and declared an end to Christmas preparations. Basta! The day was crisp and clear and meant to be enjoyed. I grabbed my coat and headed out the door. I had a wonderful day. I accomplished nothing of importance but had an awfully good time doing nothing at all. I walked some along the river, lunched with a friend and relished the luxury of a midday nap. Dinner, too, was stressless. It was a crock-pot creation that turned out well enough to share with you. If you are looking for a quick holiday meal, I think you'll enjoy this simple dinner which has a Southwestern flair. If you'd like to make your own tomatillo salsa, a recipe can be found here. The recipe for the chicken appears below.

Tomatillo Chicken with Rice...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 cups tomatillo salsa
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-1/2-in. pieces
1 can (15 oz.) corn, drained
1 can (15-oz.) hominy, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5-oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed
2 cubanelle peppers, chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
3 cups cooked rice

Directions:
1) Mix all ingredients except cilantro in a 4 to 5-quart slow cooker.
2) Cover and cook on high 3 to 3-1/2 hours until chicken is cooked through.
3) Stir in cilantro; serve over rice with lime wedges. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja - The Perfect Pantry
Slow Cooker Mulligatawny - The Ungourmet
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches - Jane Deere
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork - Never Enough Thyme
Slow Cooker Pork Chops - The Hungry Housewife
Crock-Pot Chili - Taste and Tell