Spiced Beef Taquitos

We used this for the filling in our tamales and taquitos this weekend. YUM!!! It would also make excellent tacos. We also made a shredded chicken and chili filling. Both were delicious but the beef was the star. Well a close second to the tomatillo sauce we drenched on everything.

Ingredients

Meat Filling  

• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly toasted and ground cumin seed
• 2 pounds Boston butt meat, untrimmed
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Taquitos

•  Tortillas (for home made see this link)
• Canola Oil 

For the meat filling:

1. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, kosher salt, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and cumin. Divide the mixture in half and reserve 1 half for later use.
2. Cut the Boston butt into 6 even pieces and place into a 6 to 8-quart saucepan. Add half of the spice mixture and enough water, 3 to 3 1/2 quarts, to completely cover the meat. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is very tender and falling apart, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the meat from the cooking liquid to a cutting board. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot. Both meat and liquid need to cool slightly before making dough and handling. Remove any large pieces of fat and shred the meat into small pieces, pulling apart with your hands or using 2 forks.
3. Place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Once shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are semi-translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and remaining half of the spice mixture and continue to cook for another minute. Add the meat and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To make Taquitos:

1. Place two tablespoons of meat filling into the center of a corn tortilla. Spread it out into a row then roll. 
2. Line a baking sheet with your taquitos. Edge side down. 
3. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. 

Making Masa

If you go to a Latin grocery store they will have a package of fresh masa ready to go.
For easy access keep a bag of dehydrated masa on hand. I get mine from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Maseca-Corn-Masa-Tamales-pounds/dp/B0000IJYKE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1351356821&sr=8-3&keywords=masa

• 9.25 ounces (1 3/4 cups) instant masa
• 8.5 ounces (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon) hot water
• 4 ounces lard or shortening, chilled
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• about 6 ounces (3/4 cup) chicken stock
• about 2 teaspoons salt

Snow Crab Bloody Caesar

We made these as a signature drink for our buddy Ian’s birthday dinner and they were a hit. It doubles as an appetizer and you can hand them out when guests arrive. Local Seattle: A&J butcher in Queen Anne has a Fish guy in the building, if you go in the morning he can order snow crab legs to arrive fresh by 2pm. Just a warning… it’s not a cheap appetizer as far as that goes. You can cut the legs in half so they fit into the glass and reduce the overall cost. Ingredients 1 lemon, cut into wedges Steak spice Handful of ice Salt and freshly ground black pepper Dash Worcestershire sauce Dash hot sauce 1 teaspoon fresh, grated horseradish 1/4 cup vodka, optional 1/2 cup tomato juice (recommended: Clamato juice) 1 celery stick, for garnish 1 snow crab claw, for garnish Directions Rim your glass by running a lemon wedge around the edge, then dipping the rim into a small dish of the steak spice. Put ice into a tall glass. Add a dash of salt, and pepper, to the ice. Add dashes of Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Peel and grate some fresh horseradish into the glass. Add the vodka, if using. Top up with juice. Garnish with a lemon wedge, celery stick, and crab leg.

Molten Lava Cakes

Lava cake is by far my favorite desert. It has actually turned into a joke between our friends. We went on a cruise with our friends and I ordered the Molten Cake for desert every single night. When we returned home I made dozens of batches trying to make a version perfect to our taste, gooey but not too runny. This version is for our good friend Ian's birthday. Hope he likes it!!  Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or bars, cut into bite-size chunks 5 large eggs 1/2 cup sugar Pinch of salt 4 teaspoons flour (or matzo meal, ground in a blender to a fine powder) 4 ramekins Garnish: 1 (6 ounce) container raspberries, barely moistened and rolled in about 1/2 cup sugar right before serving Directions Prep your ramekins. Rub the inside with butter then sift coco powder onto the butter. (I know, it's messy but worth it.)   Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; remove from heat. Beat eggs, sugar and salt with a stand mixer in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Beat egg mixture into chocolate until smooth. Beat in flour or matzo meal until just combined. (Batter can be made a day ahead; return to room temperature an hour or so before baking.) Before serving dinner, adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a standard-size muffin tin (1/2 cup capacity) with 8 extra-large muffin papers (papers should extend above cups to facilitate removal). Spray muffin papers with vegetable cooking spray. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until batter puffs but center is not set, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift cakes from tin and set on a work surface. Pull papers away from cakes and transfer cakes to dessert plates. Top each with sugared raspberries and serve immediately.

Homemade Pasta Dough

Homemade Pasta Dough

• 2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Make a mound with the flour
2. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, oil and salt
3. Whisk the eggs in the well, gradually incorporating the flour, using a bench scraper
4. knead for about ten minutes
5. If the dough is too soft add a little flour, too firm add a little water
6. shape the dough into a ball and let rest for at least 20 minutes
7. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. or use pasta machine

You can also make the dough in a food processor by pulsing all ingredients together and then kneading it by hand.