In Memory of our Fallen Heroes for all who gave their yesterdays
A thank you today – On this Memorial Day weekend!
My daughter and I have been watching this seasons Top Chef; this is a our first time tuning in and I am not sure why I never watched it before. I know why we started this season one of the contestants is from a local restaurant that we eat at. Unfortunately he was eliminated this past week. The challenge was to create a recipe that a home cook would make. Plus write a recipe for them to follow.
I can see where this could be a challenge for chefs and cooks alike. Sometimes I have a hard time providing the correct measurements for you all. I season to taste as should you. What that means is we are all different and like different things. You and I I’m pretty sure have different tastes. You should adjust any and all recipes to your liking and what you can find or have on hand in cooking, not baking; the rules change when baking – follow them.
The recipe I am sharing today was one my daughter made and I am writing about; we are getting pretty good at this collaboration. She went a little further on this one by making her own chili powder. The cookbook she used Nopalito mentions that the store bought chili powder you buy in the store doesn’t hold a candle to the flavor of making your own. My daughter said it was really easy and dinner was excellent so it is probably true. As I mentioned above we all like different things. Give it a try and you be the judge.
Picadillo ground beef Tostadas
Ingredients
Chili Powder - for those that want to make your own
- 2 quajillo dried chili
- 1 pasilla dried chili
Picadillo
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 85/15
- 1 large white onion finely chopped
- 2 jalapenos finely chopped, remove seeds for less heat
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 cups canned diced tomatoes and their juices
- 2 cups carrot finely diced - about 4 carrots
- 3/4 cup yukon gold potato finely diced - 1 small
for serving
- 1 cup refried beans make your own or canned
- 12 tostadas or use corn tortillas
- crumbled queso fresco
- crema or sour cream
- green cabbage thinly sliced
- cilantro thinly sliced
- white onion thinly sliced
Instructions
chili powder
- Pre-heat oven to 350'F, place dried chilis on a small baking sheet and place in the oven for about 3-8 minutes turning every minute or so, until darkened and evenly toasted. Remove and let cool
- Transfer the chiles to a blender or spice grinder and grind into a powder. using a scraper or rubber spatula to direct the chilis towards the blades.
corn tortilla - drying them out
- Pre-heat oven to 300'F. Place tortillas single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crispy about 20-30 minutes.
Picadillo
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and season generously with salt. Cook stirring occasionally, until cooked through. about 7 minutes. Stir in the onions, jalapenos, oregano, cumin, tomato paste, and chili powder and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked through but still al dente. about 20 minutes.
- When ready to serve, warm up the refried beans in a small pot. you may need to add a little water to help make them spreadable. Carefully spread some of the beans on each tostada shell. place a mound of picadillo, garnish with the queso fresco, crema, onions, cabbage and cilantro.
