Saturday, February 4, 2012

Even More Super bowl Party Recipes...

This is my alternative to same old same old Superbowl Chili - as prepared with Kristen Miranda and seen Sat feb 4 on WBTV's The Morning Show

MEXICAN CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
Recipe by Charlotte Culinary expert, Heidi Billotto
hlnc@carolina.rr.com

1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes with liquid
1 medium onion, cut up
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. cilantro, minced
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breast and thigh, skin removed and cut up into slices
2 or 3 chipotle peppers, minced and little adobo sauce (these come in a can and the adobo sauce is the sauce the surrounds the peppers)

shredded Monterey jack cheese
avocados cut up
Tortilla chips
Sour cream
In blender combine tomatoes, onion, garlic and cilantro. Cover and blend till nearly smooth.
Put mixture into a large pot with chicken broth, chicken and chipotle peppers. Bring to boiling; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Or if you would like your soup to be chunkier, start by sautéing the onion, garlic, cilantro and chicken in a large sauce pan in a bit of olive oil. When the onions are soft and chicken browned, add tomatoes. Chicken broth and chipotle peppers. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Put crunched tortilla chips in a bowl with cheese, avocados, and sour cream (omit if desired). Ladle soup over; top with additional garnish and serve immediately.

More Great Superbowl Recipes - this one as heard about on WBT Radio with Don Russell

I talked with my friend Don Russell on WBT Radio this morning about what to put on your Supebowl Party table - scroll down for several tasty recipes on these pages, including this one that I recommended to Don...

DEVILED BABY BACK RIBS WITH SLAW

Recipe by Charlotte Culinary Expert, Heidi Billotto
hlnc@carolina.rr.com



3-4 racks baby back ribs, parboiled for about 30-40 minutes
Sea salt
Cayenne pepper
1 stick butter
2/3 cup apple cider
2 cups hearty red wine
1 large onion, minced
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 tsp. garlic paste
4 Tbsp. Champagne Mustard (or any other sweet –hot mustard)
¼ cup Mushroom soy sauce
1 cup ketchup

Sauté onion in hot melted butter for a minute or two. Add cider vinegar, wine, onion, brown sugar, garlic paste, mustard and soy sauce to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until mixture thickens slightly. Add ketchup and cook 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat.
Pat rib rack dry and place in a large roasting pan. Season on both sides with sea salt and cayenne pepper or Hot Shot, Top with bbq sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degree for 30-40 minutes. Uncover and allow to brown or broil. Serve hot or at room temperature with strained sauce for dipping and the slaw on the side.

For Heidi’s Cucumber Slaw:
2 hot house cukes, seeded and julienned
1 Red Bell Pepper, julienned ( or for color a combo of red, yellow and orange bells)
2 carrots, peeled, julienned
1/2 bunch Windcrest Farm Cilantro, minced
1 shallot, minced
5 (1/4 inch) slices fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Mushroom Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
Siracha or hot Sauce to taste

Combine all the vegetables and herbs and then use remaining ingredients to make a vinaigrette. Toss veggies in vinaigrette. Allow to stand for an hour or so before serving.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Super Superbowl Fare

CHEESE STUFFED JALAPENO POPPERS
As seen on WCNCs Charlotte Today - Feb 2, 2012
Recipe by Charlotte Culinary expert Heidi Billotto
Hlnc@carolina.rr.com

8-10 whole jalapenos
1 cup queso cheese, crumbled
1 (8oz) block cream cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
½ cup dry seasoned bread crumbs

Wear rubber gloves and slice jalapenos in half lengthwise, scraping out all of the seeds and ribs.
Place open side up on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Combine the three cheeses. Stuff jalapenos with the cheese mix. Top with a sprinkling of bread crumbs. Hold until 20-30 minutes before kick-off. Bake in a 350 oven for 30-40 minutes and serve piping hot to all of your armchair quarterbacks.

Jalapeno and Cilantro Pesto with grilled shrimp
Recipe by Charlotte Culinary Expert, Heidi Billotto
hlnc@carolina.rr.com


1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups pine nuts
1 cup fresh organic Windcrest farm cilantro
6 fresh jalapenos, roasted, seeded and diced
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. When everything is finely chopped, keep machine running and add olive oil through the feed tube until your pesto has the correct consistency for your individual use.
Serve a top skewers of grilled shrimp or with wedges of bell peppers or your favorite chips.