Making Up for Lost Time and Tasty Latin-Inspired Cuisine: Huevos de Cebollas

When preparing to write this post I had no idea it has been over 3 months since I posted last! Thinking back it all makes sense because a month ago I picked up another job. 2 weeks later quite my first job and almost simultaneously picked up a new second job. As a chef and hopeful one day restaurateur it is important to build your skill set by exposing yourself to many different work environments and that has certainly been the case!

After moving to the Midwest I started out as a Line Cook at a corporate monster. After a long time of travel and relaxation I really needed a job and the Midwest isn’t exactly a culinary mecca. I have however been impressed and pleasantly surprised with my dining out experiences. This inspired me to move on and I now find myself as a Sushi Chef at the Drunken Fish learning more about the art of sushi from 2 awesome young sushi masters. I am also working in the kitchen and FOH (Front of House: serving, hosting, bartending) at a crazy, fun-filled family run Greek restaurant called Tasso’s. Happy to be involved in 2 of my favorite types of food, Japanese and Greek, I am also happy the adjustment period is over. 70 plus hours a week was getting a bit rough…I am hoping 60 to 65 will give me a little more time to keep sharing my passion for food and cooking with you!


 Huevos de Cebollas
 



 Green Girl Goodies, June 2012

The dish is great for a weekend breakfast or brunch for a party of 2 or 20. When preparing it for a small group you can assemble the stacks individually as seen above. The stack in the back ground has 2 eggs and the stack in the fore front has one. If you serve this dish for a large group set up the various ingredients for people to design their own. If you want to make cooking such a large volume of eggs a bit faster and simpler, scramble them!

This dish uses the Mild Salsa and the Spicy Cilantro Lemon Crema featured in the Southwest Black Bean Taco Salad so you can save yourself some preparation time by planning ahead and making these items in larger batches.

Below is our serving for 2:

3 Eggs

2 ea Corn Tortillas

1/3 c Yellow onion, julienned

 

1 Roma tomato, medium, sliced in rounds then in half moons



2 tb Cotija Cheese, crumbled



2 1/2 tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ tsp Sea Salt

1/8 tsp Black Pepper, preferably freshly ground

- Preheat the oven to 375.

- Combine 1 tb olive oil and ¼ tsp salt. Rub the mixture evenly over both sides of the tortillas.

- Place the tortillas on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 6 minutes, then rotate the pan and cook for another 6 minutes. Flip the tortillas and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until golden brown. Let the tortillas cool to room temperature before using.
 


- Heat a small sauté pan over medium high heat and once hot add 1 tb olive oil.

- Add the julienned onions, ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Cook the onions until carmelized. They will be appear opaque and golden brown.

 

- Hold the onions warm by placing them on a plate covered in foil or just wrapped in a piece of foil as seen below.



- Assemble your tostada by first spreading a thin layer of salsa.



- Next spread on a thin layer of crema.

-      -  Place an even layer of onions on top of the crema. 

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-  Place the completed stacks in the preheated oven for 2 – 4 minutes until heated thru.

- While the stacks are heating, heat a medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the remaining oil and add your desired serving of eggs.

 

- Cook the egg/eggs to desired doneness and set on top of your baked tostada.





 - Top with tomatoes, cotija and a sprig of cilantro and serve immediately.  First the 2 egg version…

 

 Then the solo huevo!

 


Up Next…

Quick Quinoa and Vegetable Pilaf

 

Southwest Black Bean Taco Salad

Green Girl Goodies, February 2012

At first glance this salad sounds time consuming but it is worth the work! You save a bit of time by using some canned items and all the different recipes will create leftovers you can use to make more delicious meals. Also try adding other vegetables like grilled corn, diced red peppers or anything else you desire to change it up a bit :)…enjoy!


Tortilla Chips

Yield 2 to 4 servings

5 ea Corn Tortillas
2 tb Vegetable Oil
½ tsp Sea Salt
½ tsp Cumin, ground
½ tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp Garlic, minced

- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Combine vegetable oil, salt, cumin, chili powder and garlic in a small bowl and mix well.

- Stack all the tortillas carefully and cut them into 6 even pieces

- Place the tortillas into the oil mixture and carefully mix the tortillas to evenly coat them with the oil mixture.

- Spread the tortillas on 2 baking sheets, leaving plenty of space so the chips cook evenly.

- Cook 5 minutes, then rotate the pan. Cook approximately another 6 minutes or until the tortillas are golden brown and crispy.

- Let the chips cools completely and store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.


Salsa, Mild

Yield 1 quart

14.5 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes
¼ c Red Onion, rough chop

¼ c Yellow Onion, rough chop

1 tb Garlic, crushed

1 ½ tb Lime Juice (approximately ½ of a large lime)
1 tb Lemon Juice
¼ c Cilantro, hand torn

1 tsp Sea Salt

- Place both types of onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until almost minced.

- Add lemon and lime juice, salt and juices from the canned tomatoes.

- Hand tear the cilantro as you add it to the onion mixture.

- Pulse the food processor to blend the ingredients.

- Add the drained tomatoes back to the food processor and blend well.

- The salsa can be stored properly refrigerated for up to 7 days.


Spicy Cilantro Lemon Crema

Yield 1 cup

1 c Plain Yogurt
1 tb Cilantro, minced
½ tsp Garlic, minced
2 tsp Lemon Juice
½ tsp Sea Salt
Pinch Cayenne Pepper

- Combine all ingredients except the yogurt in a small bowl and mix well

- Add yogurt and stir well to combine. The crema can be stored properly refrigerated for 3 to 5 days.


Taco Salad Components

Yield 2 to 4 Servings

15 oz Black Beans, canned*

FOR THE BEANS:
1 tb Garlic, minced
1 ½ tb Lime Juice
1 ½ tsp Cumin
1 ½ tsp Chili Powder
¼ Cayenne

- Drain and rinse the beans.

- Place the beans in a small bowl and add the seasonings.

- Let stand at least 1 hour for the flavors to combine. The beans will keep properly refrigerated for up to 4 days.

*The particular beans I used were pre-salted so I didn’t add any salt. If your beans are not pre-salted, add salt to taste.

REMAINING INGREDIENTS:

6 c Romaine Lettuce, shred

¼ c Red Onion, small dice

1 c Tomatoes, small dice

1 ea Avocado, small dice right before serving

*Use as Desired:
Cotija or Feta Cheese, crumbled
I prefer Cotija for a more authentic taste!

- All the ingredients besides the tortilla chips can be thrown in a bowl and mixed but for a nice presentation try this:

1. Place the lettuce in a mound in the middle of your plate.

2. Place onions in a small ring around the top of the lettuce.

3. Place a small mound of tomatoes at each end of the plate.

4. Place chips between the tomatoes, 4 on each side. (Serve extra chips on the side)

5. Place a layer of beans on each side slightly on top of the chips.

6. Use your hands to crumble the Cotija (or place the feta) on top of the bean layer.

7. Using a small spoon, carefully pour the salsa in a layer above each side of beans and across the top middle of the lettuce.

8. Using another small spoon (so as not to mix the salsa and crema) place 2 large dollops of crema over the middle of the salad.

9. Cut your avocado as seen above. Place it over the top middle of the salad and enjoy!

The salads pictured above are rather large entrée portions and can be scaled down to serve as a side salad or split into 3 or 4 generous entrée salads instead of 2. We didn’t have any trouble eating ours for a filling yet light dinner!

Try using this presentation method on a large family style platter for a dinner party or summer BBQ:

Just imagine this tripled or quadrupled on a nice round or platter!


Up Next…
Emeril’s Cajun Slaw, 2 ways