Hot Day Cool Cooking

 Right now it's in the mid eighties here in the New York City area. It's tough to cook , epsecially in a hot kitchen. what to do ? Combine leftovers with alreafy made ingredients for a tasty and simple meal.

This was my mantra today as I suffered through a steamy day. It was easy enough.I had leftover rice cooked in vegetable broth, along with a fajita mix of chopped onions and green, red, and yellow peppers. Stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce were added for more color and to give the mix a smooth texture.

 The veggies and sauce were cooked in a blend of Melt butter and olive oil saute,.I added a good amount of oregano and garlic powder for flavor along with salt and a hearty dose of black pepper for some heat

it was an easy cook. I added the rice after ten minutes of simmering . The mix only took

fifteen minutes at most to fully cook up. You should stir the rice so it fully absorbs the liquid.

I loved this! It was so flavorful and reminded me of the Cajun rice my Mom used to make from scratch. You can add chciekn, shrimp (which would have been great here) or cut up steak. Even though it was hot outside, and the kitchen itself was sweaty , this hot meal was perfect. I loved the melding of the flavors and how the rice soaked up that tasty sauce.

If it's hot then think a simple meal using leftovers and precut veggies. The end result is delicious. It's worth turning on the stove on a steamy day.

International Heat.

There's nothing like a spicy dish, spiked with heat to warm you up on a winter's night . Most cuisines have different spices to warm up any kind of main course and sides.what's great is that you can easily replicate these fire crackers or even create variations of them.

One of the hottest spice mix going these days is harissa. This  sauce took off a few years ago and it's still going strong. It's an easy make that involves a variety of different chilies from the New Mexico kind to chili de arbol to a tomato paste spiked with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and garlic.Coriander and cumin are also added. Spoon in a dollop to hummus to zing it up or spread on grilled veggies .You could also add it to eggs like the North African recipe shakshouka. This is a tongue zinging poached eggs in a mix of vegetable broth,harissa and feta cheese. This is the perfect brunch dish on a cold wintry Sunday, washed down with a soothing mint tea. A fiery tomato sauce can also be used for a pasta dinner. Pasta arrabiata or angry sauce is another way to warm the palate.It's a rich tomato sauce that can either have oil or butter as its' base and a good dose of red pepper flakes.Most home chefs use a tablespoon of them but you could add a teaspoon more for an angrier sauce. Don't just use it for pasta. It can add an exciting bite to pizza and dipping sauce. Try it with wings and drumsticks too.

The Sichuan province in China has given the world some of the best - and most hottest dishes. This south central province is known for its many tear inducing recipes. It may clear your sinuses but it will also delight your palate.Many home chefs are a bit scared of the recipes, fearing they may be too complicated but they're actually not. Try the tasty ants climbing a tree. This nature sounding recipe is a cellophane noodle stir fry with vermicelli noodles and freshly grated ginger for heat. For more tingliness try the mix called mala wei. This is a combination of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies. Ginger garlic and chopped scallions are also added to round out the blend. The cuisine is really not all fire , but a combination of it along with sweet, sour and salty although many of the dishes are eye watering. Closer to home there is Mexican cuisine.Fajitas are a snap to make at home. Bring the fire by adding a spicy mix of different peppers, from jalapenos to Ahaheims to steak and chicken ones. End with the sweet flames of Mexican hot chocolate.It's the classic drink with an added kick of both cinnamon and cayenne pepper. It's the perfect way to end a fiery meal.

It's cold outside. Time to warm the palate up with different spices from different countries. They're a tasty way to bring on the heat during a frosty season.

True Texas Mexican

Ask anyone to name Tex-Mex dishes and they'll probably rattle off a Taco Bell menu. Yet the cuisine, which should be properly called TexasMexican isn't about fajitas and bean dip.It's much more. It's a cuisine that goes back for milennia, full of indigenous produce and rich spices.

Rachel Wharton, a freelance food writer and new to the paper, wrote an interesting piece for today's New York Times Food section. She visited Houston, a city thriving in this Texan-Mexican cuisine.  She spent time and interviewed cookbook writer and chef Adan Medrano who is also trying to get the story out there.Many Americans think Tex-Mex has fajitas and margaritas, finished with fried iced cream. That is far from the case. True Texas-Mexican restaurants such as Cafe Amiga in Brownsville and Maria's restaurant in McAllen serve chicken with striped green squash and corn along with a tomato noodle soup call fideo.There  also the beef and and potato stew called picadillo. Gulf shrimp is mixed with cacti in a stew of red chilis. The name came to Chef Medrano after he enrolled in the CIA - Culinary Institute of America in 2010. He didn't want to use the phrase Tejano which has the "J" from its' colonial Spanish rule. He came up with the description  after learning about the distinct regional cuisines of Mexico.

How did it evolve from Texas Mexican to Tex Mex? It started in the early 1900's when local Mexican-American home cooking was first made in restaurants by Anglos for Anglos.Yet it was in the Seventies when the cuisine was finally given a name, mostly from  food writers. There  it was refried beans, chili made with powdered spices and stock instead of chile con carne  based on whole red chiles and of course fajitas with anything other than skirt steak. Then there was the problem of cheese - cheese everywhere.Even on the other side of the Rio Grande the cuisine held with newer generations, unlike here.They are eating the same dishes their nomadic ancestors ate as they moved around both sides of the Rio Grande for generations.There are recipes with the article that demonstrate the natural ingredients. There is tacos de picadillo with ground beef with cumin and carne giusada with papas or potatoes.The last is laced with Serrano chiles and peppercorns.

Texan Mexican cuisine has been around for centuries. It is making itself known as  vibrant  and flavorful. The colorful dishes will be the true taste of Texas.

Exotic Ad Easy - Mother's Day Meals

What do you give the woman who cooks for you all year round, including major holidays. A home cooked meal - and not a can of Spaghetti-o's heated in the microwave. Give your mom something out of the ordinary. Think easy and exotic. It'll be simple yet memorable - the perfect Mother's Day gift.

Many non chefs or novice home cooks look to ordinary for a lunch or dinner. It's usually a meat loaf or pasta with prepared sauce. Yet there are many dishes from around the world that are just as simple to execute. Think the Southern French or Provencale dish pain bagnat.It's a tuna sandwich amped up with tuna in oil (always a richer taste however if it's too much then stick with  tuna in water) There's also hard boiled eggs, anchovies and sliced bell peppers. Scallions and Dijon mustard are added for more flavor. Use a rustic bread like a hollowed out ciambatta or French bread. After constructing, soak in oil  and wrap in Saran wrap for twenty four hours. This allows all the flavors to meld into all these delicious tastes of briny and mellow, sweet and salty. If you want a cooked meal then think of Indian curried chicken. This is heating boneless breasts with onion in olive oil simmering in a large skillet.  One third of a cup of curry powder is then added and then the covered dish is cooked for forty five minutes over a medium low heat. Afterwards, remove the skillet's lid and cook for an additional fifteen minutes. Just be careful because curry burns easily. Cook up some basmati rice for real authenticity or serve with warmed naan bread.

Mexican food is always fun and super easy to whip up. Forget the tacos, unless they're mom's favorite. Think fajitas with either chicken, flank steak,or grilled shrimp. Of course its' the  chili powder and cumin mix gives it zing but it's also the addition of sliced bell peppers and onions that highlight this recipe too For vegan mothers, you can sub in any kind of mushroom from button to portobello. Make sure the lady of the day also gets a margarita Try a frozen watermelon one, made with Cointreu and tequila along with two and a half cups of cubed watermelon and one and a half cups of crushed ice.If mom likes sushi, surprise her with home made tuna or California rolls. It is a bit labor intensive ,but that's mostly comes from preparing the rice. Start with the glutenous white sort and rinse in a colander or sieve until the water pouring through is clear. It's then boiling it for twenty minutes.At the same time combine rice wine vinegar, sugar , vegetable oil and salt in a saucepan. Cook until the sugar dissolved and then stir into the rice  to create  that tangy layer. If you're unsure about using raw fish, then use cubed avocado and matchstick cut carrots,cucumbers ,green bell peppers and zucchini. Serve with a sake for a nice touch. Instead of sushi you can sub in the tasty , fried tempura. The batter is feather light, consisting of only egg whites, flour and water, beaten almost like a meringue . All sorts of meats and vegetables can be dipped in and then fried in vegetable. oil.

Treat mom to a easy and exotic  meal for her special day, Don't go for the ordinary. Travel the culinary globe for the right recipe that's fun and different.