potato, chicken, BBQ stew

this time i will make a stew! with wild garlic(think they are called Ramps?)

ingredients & potatoes

cooking, chopping, frying!

season Chicken (salt, dried chives, nutmeg, and oregano)

get the skillet hot!

Fry fry fry! ;)

starting to look good

peppers ( take the core out first, including the green part)

more cutting (slices)

nicely cut!

added to chicken, great color and smell

cut wild garlic (ramps?)

add to pan! (here I put a lid on and let it cook down)

seasoning, fresh and finely chopped (rosemary and chive)

potatoes, cooked

peel peel peel

chicken cooked with peppers, wild garlic and some tomato sauce. added some brown sugar and mustard for flavor

adding peeled potatoes

looks sooo yummy already! and smells sooo good! ;)

looks ready! (bubbling)

Yummy!!!

my wife takes better pictures than I do (this last pic) ;)

Enjoy! (can also be served with rice or bread if you need carbs)

Home made corn Tortillas

the flour(authentic corn flour works the best);

after adding a little salt (there is a recipe on the bag) mix with water and you will end up with a putty like dough.

Roughly form them into balls (cover with a moistened cloth or tissue to keep them moist), or just make the balls as you need them.

pressing them (an authentic tortilla press is the best for this)

pressing the flour ball, If you put it a little off center closer to the hinge side it tends to work better because it is pressed in the other direction.

Handle down!

you might notice green on my thumb, that is avocado! ;)
and here is a flat Tortilla:

after some sticking, I found that it is easier to press between wax paper sheets, although the bag suggests thick plastic wrap.

use a dry skillet (cast iron) or metal plat (can get at Indian markets or from Mexican food suppliers)

after a minute or so, flip!

Stacking up! (in the oven to keep them warm)

As for toppings, make some refried beans, grill or fry some meat, or you can even use some kind of tofu :)

other suggestions for toppings on top of meat:
Guacamole, salsa, chopped iceberg lettuce, chopped Tomatoes, Cilantro, a squeeze of lime, chopped radishes, cheese, yogurt or even some fried onions or peppers!

enjoy!!!

Guacamole

Avocado is the main ingredient for Guacamole. Some lime or lemon juice will help to keep it green and salt will bring out the flavors.

I used four Avocados.

I learned that you can peel avocados, it really works well!

Slice them in Half, peel and use the following method to get the pit out:

Just whack into the pit with a knife and twist, out it comes!

Some halves in the bowl.

Mashing them with lemon and salt.

Here is your basic Guacamole. You can add chopped onions, carrot, tomatoes, and even a little cilantro if you like those flavors but it can be eaten simply as well. Use as a topping on Mexican food or a dip from corn chips!

Mexican Salsa

so, today I make salsa!!! Blender style! :)

the starting ingredients! if you want it spice, some hot peppers can be nice also. In Germany though, they are hard to find ... so I add what I can to make it spicy! (actually, you can get really spicy peppers from foreign food stores in Germany :) )

here are the empty jars

gotta have a place to put it! ;)

Garlic (I use lots of it!)

Orange! (rounds out the flavor and sweetens it)

the blender

some bell pepper ( I added red ones and green ones as well)

Carrots

Onions!

red pepper in the blender!

lots of lime! (Limes are essential to Mexican cuisine)

blend

Blend more!

first blender full!!!

more!

basically blend it all! till you have approximately the flavor that you want!

then put it in jars

it tastes best after a few days! The flavors then get a chance to blend and ferment a little ;)