Spanish Tortilla with Red Potatoes

Extended Shelf Life for: Potatoes and Onions

One of the greatest aspects of world travel (or even traveling domestically/regionally/locally) is the discovery of new foods. Even better is choosing to prepare these dishes, enjoy them post-travels and allow your taste-buds to trigger memories of those adventures you just recently enjoyed.

For me, Spain was the first time I left the comfort of the mother land, the first time I found myself surrounded by the unknown. And subsequently, the first time I had a Spanish style tortilla.

Considering the ridiculous amount of potatoes and onions we've had in our pantry, I figured a quick and easy meal that would also take me on a trip to one of my first country-lovers, would be a Spanish Tortilla.

I did some research and checked out the recipe from Smitten Kitchen and the Grumpiest Hippie, used what I had and came up with something along these lines ;)

Ingredients/Directions:

Peel and thinly slice 5-6 medium Red Potatoes, throw in a bowl of water with a dash of lemon juice to prevent browning.  Peel and thinly slice 1 Onion. In a large bowl, whisk together 6 Eggs, season with salt and pepper. Stir the potatoes and onions into the eggs, let set for 25-20 minutes. Heat 1/4-1/2 cup of Olive Oil in a cast iron (or specialized tortilla pan) and pour in the egg mixture...and now things get tricky and I am no expert (may you want to refer to the two referenced recipes at this time). Anyway, let it cook long enough to set throughout the bottom half but not so long as to burn it...I burned mine a little bit... Flip and cook the other side. Serve warm or at room temperature. May serve with hot sauce, chopped tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil or sea salt (or any combination thereof). Enjoy!

From the Archives:

January 10th, 2012: No Bake Cookies
January 10th, 2012: Ddeok-guk

Roasted Roots and Chimichurri

Extended Shelf Life for: Roots and Parsley

Roasted veggies are roasted veggies and honestly, I have no secrets...I could use some tips actually on how to get the perfect roasted veggies without waiting an hour and a half, but perhaps the answer to that lies more in leaving high elevation than anything else...or having a more efficient oven, who knows...

What I can offer however, is a recipe for Chimichurri - a sauce which I have dreamt about and considered for years, every time we receive an abundance of parsley, I think, hmmm, I should really try that recipe for Chimichurri sauce. Well folks, I finally have and let me tell you, totally worth it and honestly, should have been done a long time ago!

Ingredients/Directions:

In a food processor, blender or your awesome multipurpose juicer combine 1 1/4 cups Italian Parsley, 1/4 cup Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano or Basil, 2 Tbsp. Onion, 3-4 peeled Garlic Cloves, 2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar (or Red Wine Vinegar), and 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice - pulse in food processor or blender, or run through juicer until you reach a nice, saucy consistency. Cover and chill a minimum of 2 hours before serving, should last up to 1 week or a little more if you 'daring'!

Potato Chicken and Chard Soup

Extended Shelf Life for: Swiss Chard, Potatoes

When winter rolls around my heart skips a beat and my taste buds beg for soups, stews and chili. I realize not everyone enjoys the biting cold of winter, especially a Laramie/Wyoming winter, but I absolutely love it! I love being in flannel pjs and slippers with a large mug of hot tea, a book and a blanket curled up on the sofa - of course that moment follows making a hearty, delicious soup.

 I love soup.

Can't get enough! And in my adult years/dumpster diving years, I've discovered that hearty greens in a soup are an absolute win! Sasuage, Kale and Potato soup is one of my favorites and a frequent 'go-to' recipe during the late fall and long winter months.

This is essentially a variation of Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup and equally delicious and hearty and for those who might care: a bit more healthy.

Ingredients/Directions:

Toss 2-3 diced Medium Potatoes and 1 diced Onion in a touch of Olive Oil. Season as desired (salt, pepper, rosemary, etc.) Roast at 375 for 45 minutes. In a large stock pot heat a touch of Olive Oil and fry up 2-3 Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs (thighs are dark meat, so not as lean, but possibly cheaper and still delicious, so go for it!). Remove and cut or dice cooked chicken into bite size pieces. Pour in 4-6 cups Chicken Broth/Water into stock pot and incorporate chicken bits into the broth for added flavor. When potatoes are nearly done or completely finished, throw into the broth and bring to a boil. Using an immersion blender, blend a bit of the soup to create a semi-creamy texture. Add chicken pieces. Wash and tear into bite size pieces 1 bunch of Swiss Chard, throw into soup, let wilt. Season with sour cream, milk, half-and-half or plain yogurt. Serve with crusty bread and a nice brew, enjoy!

Things you DON'T have to do:

• Roast the Potatoes: I simply did this for added flavor, but it's definitely not necessary.
• Blend the Soup: This was more a texture and appearance adjustment, but isn't necessary by any means.
• Use Chicken: Sausage or Bacon would be nice as well.
• Use Swiss Chard: Kale or another hearty green, perhaps even spinach at the very last minute, would work out just as well.

Chinese Style Eggplant and Potatoes

Extended Shelf Life: Eggplant, Potato, Bell Pepper, Onion, Jalapeno

While living in South Korea we discovered two things: a) Every nation has a different take on Chinese food and b) Authentic Chinese food, when discovered, is absolutely, friggin' fantastic! While living in Daejeon, we discovered a fantastic little Chinese restaurant which our British friend described as being 'Proper". Within minutes of having our plates set before us we realized that 'Proper Chinese' was the best Chinese. 

So, when a wealth of eggplants landed in my sink, I was quick to remember a tasty eggplant and potato dish and went to searching for a recipe which would bless our taste buds and remind us of a meal, and people, we dearly loved.

Ingredients/Directions:

Original Recipe and inspiration from MiJoRecipes

Heat oil (enough to nearly cover potatoes and eggplants when being fried, you'll definitely need to be adding more throughout the process) over medium heat. When oil is ready (sizzles when sprinkled with water) deep fry the potato until golden and crispy. Next, fry the eggplant until beautifully browned. In a wok, heat 1 Tbsp. Oil, saute the bell pepper and 1 diced Jalapeno until tender. Add the previously fried potatoes and eggplant. In a small dish, mix together 1 1/2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar, and 2 cloves minced Garlic. Pour over vegetables and heat through until aromatic. Serve over rice and bust out the chopsticks!

For more on Eggplants and other recipe inspiration check out my more detailed and interactive Squidoo Lens: The Art of Salvaging {Eggplant}

Curry Spinach and Potato Soup

Extended Shelf Life: Carrots, Potatoes, Tomatoes

The great thing about crockpots is it's quite easy to simply throw things in and let it go to work for the day. The unfortunate thing is...when you're more than a month behind on updating the good ole blog, it's a bit difficult to remember the exact process used.

Apologies.

Ingredients/Directions:

Wash and quarter a significant number of fingerling potatoes. Also chop 1-2 carrots, and some tomatoes. Throw into the crock pot. Season with curry powder, turmeric, coriander, salt, pepper, etc. For broth, use chicken broth and coconut milk until vegetables are submerged. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-5 hours. During the last 30 minutes, add washed and chopped spinach until wilted. Serve over rice or with naan or simply as soup and enjoy!

Sausage and Kale Soup

 

Upon returning to Laramie and even to our old abode, I was not disappointed when our good friends and upstairs neighbors/home-owners offered me the opportunity to do some food prep with their CSA veggies, so long as everyone in the house could have some food to chow-down on.

When I saw the fridge filled with Kale and realized that Italian Sausage was just a few blocks away at the local grocers, I remembered this Sausage and Kale soup from a couple years ago and knew exactly what to do!

 Ingredients:

4 cups Potatoes, peeled and diced
1 lb. Italian Sausage
1 lg. Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 bunch Kale, green or purple, chopped
3 qts. Broth or Cold Chaser Tea
1 cup Heavy Cream (can also substitute yogurt, sour cream and/or milk)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Frank's Red Hot Sauce, to taste

Directions:

Boil potatoes until tender. Meanwhile, in a seperate pot, cook Italian sausage. Remove sausage from pan, drain some drippings if there are a lot or just use them to saute onion and garlic. Stir in Kale, cook about 2 minutes, then add broth. Drain potatoes, add potatoes and sausage, salt and pepper, cook until heated through. Before serving, add Heavy Cream, heat through.

Potato and Egg Breakfast Quesadilla

Continuing forward with the newly discovered and loved breakfast trend of 519 Galma, we recently enjoyed half a week of starting the day off with a Quesadilla, how can you go wrong with a Quesadilla beginning? You can't, that's how.

This was quite simple and I'll therefore skip offering exact amounts and such, I'll simply tell you that in my kitchen, the way these panned out was by washing and chopping enough potatoes to fill a pan. Before filling the pan however, I heated up some oil, then threw in the potatoes and covered with a lid, frying them up and softening their insides simultaneously. When they started to brown and were fully cooked through I added a splash more of oil, one chopped onion and some green chilies. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Once this was cooked satisfactorily, I  removed it from the pan and split evenly amongst my tortillas (some had gotten a bit moldy, so I had only 5 tortillas to fill). Next, I whisked together about 8 eggs, a bit of milk, salt and pepper and some fresh parsley, scrambled it up and distributed evenly amongst the tortillas. Sprinkle on some cheese and fold them over, cover them up and place them in the fridge until the following mornings when I would heat up the skillet, throw a couple cold quesadillas on cook for about 5 minutes on each side, flip and repeat and finally enjoy for breakfast - super simple. You probably had it figured out just from reading the title of the post ^^

Colcannon and Guinness Sausage Gravy

Closet Cooking lead to the majority of my St. Patrick's day cooking inspiration. Following Sour Cream Banana Bread (which was intended to hold me over while preparing this Colcannon and Gravy before our Iron Chef: Guinness St. Pat's Party) I took a look at his recipe for Bangers and Colcannon with Guinness Onion Gravy before making some adjustments and creating a pork gravy to accompany the colcannon since Bangers are not readily or affordably available in South Korea.

Colcannon - Ingredients/Directions:
Boil a large pot of peeled and cubed Potatoes (I used 8-10 small-medium potatoes) until fork tender. Meanwhile, in a skillet cook 1 small package of Bacon or 4-5 slices until the fat is rendered. Season the bacon with salt and pepper and add 1 Tbsp. of Butter until the butter and bacon fat is foamy. Add 1/4 of head of cabbage that has been thinly sliced and coat in the greasy goodness. Cook until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes. Add 4 sliced Green Onions and cook about 3 minutes before setting aside until potatoes have finished cooking and you have added sour cream, milk and butter to taste. Then mix the cabbage and the potatoes together, serve with gravy. (If you're waiting for guests, it's possible to keep this mixture warm in a slow-cooker.)

Pork Guinness Gravy - Ingredients/Directions:

Begin by marinating ground pork in 1/2 can of Guinness, 3 minced cloves of Garlic, 1 tsp. Thyme, 2 Tbsp. grainy brown mustard, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. I let it marinate for one or two hours before browning in a skillet. Once the ground pork has cooked thoroughly add 1 chopped Onion and 1 cup chopped Mushroom, saute.  Now remove the meat and veggies from the pan, leaving the drippings in order to create a savory gravy. To pan drippings, add the remainder of the can of Guinness and sprinkle in two Tbsp. Flour. Quickly whisk together the beer and flour while on medium-low heat. Depending on the amount of gravy you desire, continue to add Guinness (or water) and flour until you have the perfect consistency, reintroduce the meat and veggie mix stirring together and ensuring the gravy consistency is as you would desire.

Cheesy Slow-Cooker Potato Soup

I love potato soup. I love comfort food. I love the slow-cooker.

Ingredients/Directions:

Into a slowcooker throw: 8 cups peeled and diced potatoes (between 6 and 10 potatoes depending on size, Korean potatoes are generally quite small), one Onion chopped, 3-4 minced garlic cloves, equal parts water/broth and milk (you want the potatoes and onions to be covered, so the exact amount can be tricky to calculate). Cook on high for 5-6 hours.  Add to broth your choice of thickening agent (flour + water or more effective, cornstarch + water) and cook on low 3 hours.  During the last hour of cooking add additional milk if necessary for consistency and 1-2 cups grated cheddar (or your choice) of cheese and 2 Tbsp. dried Parsley, season with Salt and Pepper. During the last hour, cook up some bacon until crispy and slice some green onions to use as garnish, serve and devour.

Italian Pork and Potato Stew

The slow-cooker is absolutely wonderful. I can't imagine life without.

Ingredients/Directions:

Throw into a crock pot - 3-4 cubed Potatoes (peeled if you prefer), 1 chopped Carrot, 1 chopped Onion, 2 diced Tomatoes, 5 minced Garlics, one or two cups of Shredded Pork, 1/2 cup Tomato Paste, and a combination of Cold Chaser Tea, Water and/or Broth to cover all fresh ingredients, turn on low and cook for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5. Season with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, Italian seasoning blend and enjoy with fresh bread and friends!

Rosemary Potatoes

So easy. So Delicious.

Slice or halve small potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary. Roast at about 400 degrees until cooked through (30-40 minutes). Enjoy!.

Hassleback Hash

What could be better than combining the timeless Harrington favorite of Hash with the recently discovered awesome-ness of Hasselback Potatoes?

Not much. Not much at all.

Hasselback Potato with Spinach Alfredo

Hasselback Potatoes are genius and delectable. I don't know why it took so long to learn of their existance. I regret only learning this technique in my 25th year of life. Regardless, I will embrace the Hasselback and attempt to share this great find with the world of eaters who just so happen to meander into 519 Kitchen.

Hasselback Potato Directions per Potato:
1 Clove Garlic, thinly sliced. 1 Potato scrubbed. Slice off thin piece of the bottom so potato cannot roll. Slice 3/4-ish way through the potato every quarter inch or so. Stuff garlic slices into potato pockets. Rub potato with salt and top potato with 1 Tbsp. butter. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven at about 400 degrees for about an hour or until tender. Baste potatoes every 15 minutes with the pan drippins. Enjoy however you darn well please. I used half a jar of prepared Alfredo sauce with added onions, garlic and spinach. It was out of this world delicious.

Beef and Noodle Soup

Using Leftovers from: Slow-Cooker Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew

Having the opportunity to play around with leftovers is one of my great joys. Having a few cups of the Guinness Stew leftover was a huge blessing. Into a stovetop pot I threw some water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and salt as well as 2 Potatoes, diced and half of a Carrot, diced - brought the whole thing to a boil, added the leftover Guinness Stew and some noodles, cooked the whole thing until the noodles were tender and once again we were eating a delcious and fabulous dinner!