Early Spring Minestrone

Looking out my window at the sky, I realize that even though it’s still chilly in the mornings, winter’s back has finally been broken. The ground is moist and ready to come alive with another beautiful spring here in the Sonoran desert. So I’ll get the weeds out of my yard and then till the garden. I love going over to the Home Depot and buying the little packs of baby peppers, tomatoes and so on. I garden just for the fun of it. If my mind gets occupied with other tasks I let the garden go long before I reap its rewards. My sister is a true master gardener. Which brings me to my point… Fresh Produce!

I was pleased to drop by a farmers market last weekend. I wish the readers could have seen the freshness and variety of greens and vegetables. I stop by on a regular basis. I like to see what’s available and then build a meal around those fresh vegetables. The Farmers Market is a fantastic resource for a community. Yes, I shop at my local grocery store for produce the rest of the week, but on Saturday morning it’s so nice to walk through the market. I get a cup of coffee, and then shop and chat with old friends and neighbors. Then I’m back home working out a meal plan using my fresh produce. Several years ago I came up with this recipe for a light variation on minestrone.

Early Spring Minestrone

I know Italian food purists will argue with this recipe. But there is a school of thought out there that says regional dishes follow the seasons. Winter minestrone is heavy with medium sized pasta and a beefier feel. As spring approaches, with so many fresh vegetable choices, I wanted to make a lighter and yet very comforting soup. This delicious recipe is a starting point rather than a strict road map. The flavors are based around the fennel, onions, garlic and pesto, with the other vegetables and pasta. Use whatever is fresh and whatever you have on hand. Serve with fresh bread, which is also available at the farmers market.

1 fennel bulb, stems and core removed and chopped fine

1 bunch scallions, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 Tbl. Extra virgin olive oil

8 to 10 cups of chicken broth (enough to cover by a few inches)

½ head cauliflower, cut into small pieces

6-8 stalks asparagus, woody stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 or 5 baby zucchini cut in half

4 or 5 baby crooked neck squash, cut in half

A handful of green beans cut into bite sized pieces

4 or 5 baby carrots

a handful of sugar snap peas

4 or baby corn

(I just walk through the market and get a little of what ever looks fresh)

1 14oz. Can redi-cut tomatoes

4 or 5 ounces of dried spaghetti or angle hair pasta broken into quarters

a pinch of good Greek oregano

Black pepper to taste

Over medium heat, in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté the fennel, onion and garlic, slowly until soft but not browned. Add the chicken broth and then all other vegetables and the pasta, oregano and black pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve in big soup bowls with a dollop of fresh pesto (don’t you dare use the store bought stuff).

Serves 6 to 8

Fresh pesto

Also use this amazing condiment or fresh bread, homemade pizza, over pasta and with grilled meats, poultry and fish!

¼ cup pine nuts

2 cloves garlic, Minced

2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt

a grind or two of fresh black pepper

4 oz fresh basil leaves

1/3 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/3 of a cup of fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Pulse the pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor, until it forms a coarse meal. Add in the basil leaves and oil and pulse until it forms a coarse paste. You will need to scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times in the process. Remove from food processor to serving bowl and stir in the parmigiano reggiano.

Make about 2 cups

Warmly,

Mad Coyote Joe

Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog: Food and Film, Pork Pebil ala Robert Rodriguez

Tequila, Habanero Chiles, Guns, Bananna Leaves... Authentic Mexican CookingWhat More do you want!
Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog: Food and Film, Pork Pebil ala Robert Rodriguez: Food and Film, Pork Pebil ala Robert Rodriguez A few years back I got a call from my friend Bruce Jones. Bruce was the Operations Mana...

Food and Film, Pork Pebil ala Robert Rodriguez

Food and Film, Pork Pebil ala Robert Rodriguez

A few years back I got a call from my friend Bruce Jones. Bruce was the Operations Manager at CBS 5 in Phoenix. I met Bruce 15 years ago. He was working at ABC15 at the time. Bruce had come up with an idea for a grilling show, to be shot outdoors. A co-worker of his Don McClure had suggested me as the host. In our first meeting I suggested calling the project The Sonoran Grill. Over the next five years I met with Bruce at least once a week to go over the show.

The reason for Bruce’s call was to suggest I rent the Robert Rodriguez movie Once Upon a Time in Mexico. As an avid fan of the technical aspects of television and film, Bruce was very impressed with the film. All of the special effects were digital. In other words they didn’t blow anything up. Back in the studio they added the flames, explosions and so on. In the special features section of the DVD Rodriguez added a ten-minute film school and a ten-minute cooking school.

In the movie Johnny Depp’s character, “Sands”, a corrupt CIA agent, along with killing robbing and so on, is in search of the best Pork Pebil in all of Mexico. When ever he finds a worthy plate of this delicious slow roasted pork he kills the cook for some obscure artistic reason.

In the ten-minute cooking school Rodriguez gives his recipe for Pork Pebil, along with some good solid cooking advise.

Bruce was so impressed with the cooking school that he went out and got all the ingredients and made pork pebil. It was both delicious and easy. The recipe calls for banana leaves which work as a sort of flavored parchment paper. They can be found at Ranch Market, Food City or ordered at AJ's.

He transcribed the recipe from the cooking school and e-mailed it to me.

So the next time you have a lazy day around the house with family or friends coming over, give it a try. It’s delicious. This is good example of authentic Mexican cooking. The flavors are very complex and your house will be filled with a heavenly aroma.

We like to watch any of the El mariachi trilogy while we’re waiting for the meal. Like water for Chocolate is another great food related movie based in Mexico. And while we’re on the subject of food and movies Big Night, written, directed and starring Stanley Tucci is one of my all time favorite food movies. It truly reveals the soul of cooking.

Pork Pebil ala Rodriguez

Serve with any or all of the following; white rice, fresh corn tortillas, charro beans, chopped white onion, cilantro, avocado, roasted chiles, sliced cucumber, radish, tomato and ice cold Mexican beer.

Ingredients

2 lbs of banana leaves

2 5-lb pork shoulders

5 tablespoons of Achot`e paste

2 tablespoons of Cumin Seeds

1 tablespoon of Black pepper

8 balls of all spice

½ tablespoon of cloves

2 tablespoons of salt

Juice of 5 Lemons

3 Habanera Chiles seeded and veined

2 cups of Orange Juice

1/2 cup of White Vinegar

Splash of Tequila

Grind all dry ingredients (except salt) until very fine.

Blend with remaining ingredients (except pork and banana leaves)

in a blender until liquid and smooth. Cut pork into 2 inch cubes and place in a large Ziploc bag and pour your blender contents into the bag, seal and then coat all the meat in the bag.

Line roasting pan with layers of banana leaves and make sure there are no gaps. Pour entire contents of Ziploc bag onto the banana leaves and then fold them up and over the meat so that it covers the entire contents, sealing it up as much as possible. Cover the entire roasting pan with aluminum foil and seal it well so that no steam can escape.

Place the sealed pan into and oven/grill at 325 and roast for 4 hours. Discard the banana leaves and serve the meat over white or Spanish rice. The meat is very tender and we generally pull it apart for a pulled Puerco over white rice.

We have marinated in the bags overnight and it produces a somewhat deeper flavor.

A five pound roast will serve about 20 people.

Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog: Spain

Mad coyote Joe's Blah Blah Blog: Spain: Spain I'm quite perplexed! I keep a good eye on my stats and for the past several months Spain has been the number 2 location in the world f...

Spain

Spain

I'm quite perplexed! I keep a good eye on my stats and for the past several months Spain has been the number 2 location in the world for hits to our blog. And the number of hits is growing every week. So why Spain? Hmmmm; if you are following this blog and located in Spain please send a message telling us how you found us and what drew you to this blog! We are very interested in this type of information from anywhere on the planet so if you live elsewhere, by all means talk to us.

Oh, and thanks.

Warmly,

Mad Coyote Joe

Early Spring Minestrone

Early Spring Minestrone

Living here I always think of spring as soon as we get into January. Yes it's still cold but this feels like spring so I wanted to share a recipe that works well in both late winter and early spring.

I know Italian food purists will argue with this recipe. But there is a school of thought out there that says regional dishes follow the seasons. Winter minestrone is heavy with medium sized pasta and a beefier feel. As spring approaches, with so many fresh vegetable choices, I wanted to make a lighter and yet very comforting soup. This delicious recipe is a starting point rather than a strict road map. The flavors are based around the fennel, onions, garlic and pesto, with the other vegetables and pasta. Use whatever is fresh and whatever you have on hand. Serve with fresh bread, which is also available at the farmers market.

1 fennel bulb, stems and core removed and chopped fine

1 bunch scallions, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 Tbl. Extra virgin olive oil

8 to 10 cups of chicken broth (enough to cover by a few inches)

½ head cauliflower, cut into small pieces

6-8 stalks asparagus, woody stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 or 5 baby zucchini cut in half

4 or 5 baby crooked neck squash, cut in half

A handful of green beans cut into bite sized pieces

4 or 5 baby carrots

a handful of sugar snap peas

4 or baby corn

(I just walk through the market and get a little of what ever looks fresh)

1 14oz. Can redi-cut tomatoes

4 or 5 ounces of dried spaghetti or angle hair pasta broken into quarters

a pinch of good Greek oregano

Black pepper to taste

Over medium heat, in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté the fennel, onion and garlic, slowly until soft but not browned. Add the chicken broth and then all other vegetables and the pasta, oregano and black pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve in big soup bowls with a dollop of fresh pesto (don’t you dare use the store bought stuff).

Serves 6 to 8

Fresh pesto

Also use this amazing condiment or fresh bread, homemade pizza, over pasta and with grilled meats, poultry and fish!

¼ cup pine nuts

2 cloves garlic, Minced

2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt

a grind or two of fresh black pepper

4 oz fresh basil leaves

1/3 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/3 of a cup of fresh grated Parmigiana Reggiano

Pulse the pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor, until it forms a coarse meal. Add in the basil leaves and oil and pulse until it forms a coarse paste. You will need to scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times in the process. Remove from food processor to serving bowl and stir in the parmigiana reggiano.

Make about 2 cups

Warmly,

Mad Coyote Joe

Who are you in 2012?

Who are you in 2012?

One of the great things about writing this blog is access to the statistical analysis, which the blog program tracks. It tells us; who is reading this blog, how long they stay on, where they are from, and which post they are reading.

Let’s take a look at the numbers. Below are two charts from my blog statistics page. The first is a chart showing the majority of page views over the two and a half year life of this blog. Our page has had, combined total number of 16,908 views. That’s an average of 528 views a month and 17 a day. But if we look at last month’s numbers, 1561 we have now grown to little over 50 hits a day.

If we look at the first chart, we have had 134 visits from Spain, 86 of which have happened in the last month. This begs that question what has happened to cause the rise in views from Spain. If you are following this blog and living in Spain please send a message and let us know what we are doing to attract your attention.

Another curious fact is, whenever I post poetry, I get several hits from Hungary. Someone there likes my poetry1

Our most read post is not about food or cooking, but about, Conex Box, also known as Shipping Container, building which as had 451 hits. Most of which are from Australia.

Once again we ask for you to tell us what attracts you to our site. And as always we’d love to answer any questions that you might have.

All Time Stats;

United States	12,032
United Kingdom	639
Canada	406
Germany	397
Russia	246
Australia	238
Malaysia	201
Slovenia	190
Spain	134
Latvia	112

Stats Dec. 2011

United States	1,070
Spain	86
United Kingdom	82
Germany	66
Russia	44
Australia	29
Canada	24
India	16
France	12
Netherlands	9

Spicy Asian Cocktail Ribs

I had two diffrent people ask for this recipe today, so here it is

Spicy Asian Cocktail Ribs

A delicious little appetizer or snack… and for some of us a huge meal!

Marinade:

2 Tbl. seasoned rice wine vinegar

2 tsp. wasabi powder

1 Tbl.. unsulfered molasses

1/3 cup pure Maple syrup

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup Sambal (or any Asian chile sauce)

1 Tbl. Soy sauce

1 Rack baby back ribs (have your butcher cut them in half lengthwise, and then cut into individual pieces

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix rice wine vinegar and wasabi together until smooth. Add in the remaining marinade ingredients and mix well. Marinade the ribs for 1 hour covered in the refrigerator. Place ribs on cookie sheet or shallow baking pan. Season and bake at 375°f for about 30 minutes basting twice. Turn ribs and baste. Roast for 15 more minutes or until fully cooked and glazed. Do not baste in the last 15 minutes. Discard un-used marinade. Serve warm.

Chicken Soup Recipe

Chicken Soup

The secret to making good chicken soup is making good chicken broth. Start with an older chicken, preferably a "Grade A" whole roaster, fresh, not frozen. Freezing sucks up and dries out the natural juices. The outside of the chicken should be white not yellow. Chicken should smell fresh and clean. Wash the chicken with fresh lemon juice as soon as it gets home. Cut up 2 fresh lemons per bird and rub all over and in side, do not rinse off lemon.

Stock

2 Whole large fresh chickens

1 GAL Pure water

4-6 Fresh lemons

2 12-OZ CANS Chicken broth

2 White onions with skin, cut in half

3 Fresh carrots washed and sliced

3 Celery ribs with leaves, coarsely chopped

5-6 Sprigs fresh parsley

1/4 TSP Crushed red pepper

6 Whole cloves

2 Bay leaves

2 TSP Dried thyme

8 Whole black peppercorns

2 TSP Salt

Soup

2 BUNCH Fresh spinach, washed

1 BUNCH Fresh cilantro, washed and diced

1 14-OZ CAN Tomato, diced (I like S&W brand.)

5 STALKS Finely diced celery

Garnish

Lemon wedges

1 White onion, chopped fine

Chile tepins

1. Use a fresh lemon half to rub down your cutting board. Cut the chicken in half, then remove leg, thigh, wing and breast. Repeat this step with other half and other bird. Remove any fatty looking skin and discard. The next step may be omitted but I highly recommend it. With a heavy cleaver break the bones in the legs, thighs, wings, backs and breast.

2. In a very large stock pot place all chicken, spices and vegetables for broth. Open cans of chicken broth remove fat and add to stock pot, add pure water to cover chicken. Over med. heat bring to a slow boil reduce heat and then simmer for 1-1/2 hours.

3. In the first hour of cooking place the pot half on and half off the burner and do not stir this will cause the impurities to rise to the side away from the heat, a froth will appear, remove with a large spoon and discard. Remove from heat. With large slotted spoon remove all large pieces chicken from broth and pour remaining liquid through a strainer into bowl. Place in refrigerator to cool. Remove all meat from bone -- be careful to check for small pieces of bone. Cut meat into 1/2" cubes. After broth has cooled down spoon off all fat that has risen to top.

4. Pour broth into large stock pot, add chicken, celery and tomato. Over medium-low low heat, simmer for 45 minutes, until celery is tender. Salt to taste. In a large soup bowl place approximately 10-15 spinach leaves and 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro. Ladle in soup and serve immediately. Serve with lemon wedges and chopped white onion, and chili tepins.