SIMPLIFY LIFE
Cooking tips from the kitchen!
SWEET AND SPICY TORTILLA CHIPS
Craving a crunchy snack is pretty common. Making your own allows you to tailor a snack to your tastes and control your portions by making just enough for your craving.
Here's a recipe to bring a crunchy sweet and spicy snack into your kitchen.
Time: Hands on time is 10-12 minutes
Sweet and Spicy Tortilla Chips
8 Freschef flour tortillas (included in our Black Bean Turkey Chili meal)
1 ¼ tsp sugar
1 tsp chili powder (for a spicier taste add more)
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp Kosher salt (if table salt use a ¼ tsp)
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ cup of canola oil
Mix together the spices (double or triple the recipe for later use or as a pork or chicken spice rub)
- Stack tortillas together and use a knife to cut 8 pie-shaped pieces (chips)
- Heat oil in a large sauté pan until oil begins to look a bit "wrinkled"
- Gently put 8-12 chips singly layer into the sauté pan (immediately you should see little bubbles on the edges of the chips, but if the oil splatters, reduce the heat)
Using tongs, turn the tortilla chips over as they begin to brown on one side (about 30 seconds)
- Remove tortilla chips as they brown, place on paper towels and immediately sprinkle spice mix over the chips.
Storage: chips can hold for several days in a dry environment.
The Chef's Pan-Frying Tips
Smoking Oils: Do not allow oils to smoke. Perhaps you've heard TV chefs say "heat the oil until it begins to smoke", but this is old-fashioned advice.
When oils begin to smoke there are chemical changes that can impart bitter or acrid, sharp flavors to the food. Plus the acrid smoky smell of burning oil just doesn't set the mood for eating.
Smoking oils can also negatively affect health. When oils get hot past their smoke point, they release a bi-product called Acrolein. Acrolein exposure can irritate the nose and windpipe and is linked to respiratory illnesses and lung disease.
Best Pan-fry methods:
- Look of the oil: Hot oil begins to develop a crinkled or wrinkled look in the pan and begins to shimmer. This is when you want to add you foods to pan-fry.
- Don't crowd the pan: The more food you add to the pan, the more quickly the temperature drops which allow the foods to absorb more oil and cook too slowly.
- Cook evenly: Add foods to the pan in a clockwise direction. This makes it easier to keep track of which food items went into the pan first so you can remove them in the same order.
BLACK
BEAN TURKEY CHILI
Not sure what to do
with the tortillas? Here are some ideas...
1.
Simply
Warm: Just prior to
serving the chili, remove tortillas from the bag, separate onto a microwave-safe
plate. Cover and heat in microwave for 20 seconds or until tortillas are warm.
2.
Crispy
pan-cooked:
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove tortillas from bag, spray or
brush each tortilla side with cooking oil such as canola oil. If desired,
lightly salt and sprinkle a little chili powder on the tortillas. Place
tortillas in skillet and cook 1-2 minute per side or until lightly browned and
crispy. Repeat until all tortillas are cooked.
For each option above, tortillas can be prepared whole or cut into 1-inch wide
strips before preparing.
CHICKEN
PICCATA
Helpful
hints for making a thick intense flavored piccata sauce…
1.
Use a regular
skillet if you can (not a non-stick pan)
2.
Flour your
cutlets well, cook until golden brown and remove. The little bits of flour
left in your skillet are the secret for a thick sauce.
3.
If you do not
have any flour bits left in the skillet, you can add 1 teaspoon of the flour
mix and 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and mix together to make a paste.
4.
When you pour
the sauce into the pan stir well to mix with the flour bits and let it come to
a boil quickly. Then lower the heat to medium heat so the sauce simmers (a gentle bubbling
around the edges of the pan)
5.
Stir the sauce
to help mix in the flour bits. As the sauce simmers it reduces to a thicker
more flavorful sauce.
FEELING
SAUCY?
Tips for making a great reduction sauce:
The purpose
of reducing a sauce is to thicken the sauce and to intensify the flavors
through evaporation.
1.
To reduce a sauce, increase the temperature of your pan to medium-high heat long
enough to bring the sauce to a boil.
2.
When the sauce reaches a boil, lower the pan to medium heat to achieve a simmer (a
slight bubbling around the edges of the pan).
3.
Next, simmer the sauce for approximately 6-8 minutes or until the sauce coats the
back of a spoon.
During this process it is important
to stir the sauce occasionally to prevent burning.
