Pasole

Or I've been sick for a week and need a good soup with what I can find in my pantry and freezer...

Yeah it's a little tough to say three times fast, but it is what it is.

2 c pork, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow onion
7 small yellow potatoes
1 can corn
1 can hominy
1 can navy beans (pintos are more authentic, but this is what I had)
1 can green enchilada sauce
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder

Defrost pork.  sprinkle with cumin and garlic, in pressure cooker, use brown setting, brown pork in a little oil.  Remove.  Add chopped onion and brown until translucent,  Leaving onion in pc, top with chunked potatoes, add cans of corn and hominy (not drained), beans, add pork on top, pour enchilada sauce over all.  check liquid level, i added 1/2 c water to the corn juice, to bring it to pressure.  Pressure high 15 minutes, natural release.  mmmm my house smells delicious!  I plan on eating mine with a dollop of sour cream.  Because sour cream makes the world a better place

Im pretty sure this is what heaven smells like

BEEF STEW

So let's just say I have never liked making beef stew because it always turns out watery and there's no flavor.  I've tried many recipes over the years and pretty much gave up.  Stew meat was on sale last week and I picked some up.  Not to make stew however because remember, I gave that up a long time ago.  At 3 pm I thought what am I going to make for dinner.  I found the stew meat in the freezer and thought let's just look for a pc stew recipe.  I thawed the meat in the microwave but I'm sure you can still pc it frozen.  I just wanted to brown it so I thawed it.  I found 2 stew recipes that looked pretty good and combined the ingredients I liked and had on hand.  Oh babes was it good!  I finally have acquired beef stew skills!  My hubby loved it and that was even a bonus!  I made some wheat bread in my bread maker and what took me about an hour to make made me look like I slaved in the kitchen all day!

Char's Beef Stew

1-2 lb stew meat (I had 1.25 lbs)
2 cans beef broth
1 can tomato soup (undiluted)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp spicy mustard
1/2 yellow onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
5-6 potatoes cut in bite size pieces
20-30 baby carrots cut in half (more or less depending on your preference)
2 celery stalks diced
cornstarch

Heat olive oil on brown setting.  Add onion, garlic and meat.  Brown meat.  Add beef broth, soup, worcestershire, and mustard.  Pressure cook on high for 20 min.  Natural release.

Open pc and add veggies and seasonings to meat and juice. You may need to add a little water to cover the veggies.  Pressure on high for 15 min.  Quick release.  Thicken juice with cornstarch dissolved in cold water.  

Green Corn Tamales

Every once in a while I have a strong NEED to taste the food of my teenage years. Having spent my teen years in southern Arizona, Green Corn Tamales were the food of the fall and holiday season.  I seem to remember them with fresh corn, strait off the cob, but I now live in Texas and it is February and a girl does what a girl has to do.  So I have spent weeks perusing various tamale recipes.  And finally decided I was ready to tackle this big project.

Our cast of characters:  Corn Husks.  Masa.  Monterey Jack Cheese.  Corn.  Green Chilies.  Chicken.  Unsalted Butter.

the pieces ready for assembly.  Shredded cheese, masa mix, shredded chicken.

I know it looks gross, but trust me it's important

Lunch is Served!

Green Corn Tamales

20 dry corn husks, soaked in hot water to make pliable

3 chicken breasts

4 medium heat green chiles

Layer in pressure cooker, add 1 c water, pressure high 15 minutes.  Natural release.  When cool use Bosch with paddles to shred. (Chicken and chilies, not liquid)

2 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 c unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbs sugar

In clean mixer, using paddles whip until fluffy.

Meanwhile in another bowl mix 2 c masa harina (This is the dry stuff, found in the mexican food isle of the grocery...not the dough like I have in the picture...I had to go back to the market)  and 1 can of drained corn (processed in food processor so it's cut smaller, but not paste).  Add 1 1/2 c chicken broth, 1/2 c at a time.  Mix should be pea size, like making piecrust.

Now mix masa mixture into fluffy butter, adding a cup at a time, continue mixing with paddles 10 minutes.  Drop a small peice into a cup of water.  If it floats, you are ready.

Use glad press n seal on counter top to keep mess to a minimum.

Taking a corn husk lay flat and add a scoop of masa.   Spread with rubber spatula keeping about1/3 inch thick.  Put a line of cheese topped with chicken in center.  Pull sides of husk together, then gently open up.  Using the husk, make sure tamale is sealed.  Open husk again, now roll like a burrito, pull top down, roll the sides in.  I left one end open.  

Once all tamales are assembled, stack on steamer close together with open end up.  Add 1 c water, pressure on High for 20 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes.

I served mine with a swizzle of Ranch dressing on top.

Unconsumed tamales may be wrapped in ziplock bags and frozen.