These turnovers are part of the everyday tortilla, meat-filled snack that are found in most latin cultures. I was out of dough at my subdivision's last party, I used Asian wonton wrappers as a substitute. Wapaaa!!!
I call them Asapanadas:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced finely
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp. sofrito
1 pack sazon
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 chili pepper diced, add to taste
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
2 dozen 2x2 wonton wappers
1 egg beaten
oil for frying
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, sofrito, tomato sauce and sazon and cook two minutes. Add beef and saute stirring frequently, until cook and lightly brown. Add diced tomato, chili pepper, cilantro and cinnamon. Cook three minutes, take off the heat and cool.
2. On a flat, lightly floured surface, lay out wrappers in a 6x4 pattern one inch apart. Spoon 1 tbsp. meat mixture in middle of each wrap. brush outer 1/4 inch edge with egg wash. Fold to align edges and press to seal. Place on baking sheet. Don't stack or marry. Can be refrigerated or frozen at this point until ready to use.
3. Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees. Fry wonton eight at a time until lightly brown. Place on paper towel to remove any excess oil. Can also be baked in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Shop and Stock
Hold the presses! Aldi has come to town. Aldi is a German discount grocery chain that operates in 28 states. They carry a select inventory, mostly private label brands of everyday items, which in turn results in low prices.
For me, the competition is on, as I have a choice between the big store giants Costco, Walmart and now Aldi. But let's not jump ahead.
Smart shoppers like me (ahem! ahem!) do our homework before we enter a store. You have to have a list. This comes as a habit. A shopping list saves you money, since you buy things you plan to use. (I saved $27 by using coupons on my last Costco trip.) It cuts down on impulsive buying and it is a good menu planner.
Any store you shop at has tons of hidden cost savings. Aldi, the new kid on our block, has introduced a bunch of services that end up eliminating lots of extra costs: no baggers, bring or pay for bags to carry food items (this is like the Ikea model), no checks accepted, a 25-cent cart deposit and, most of all, low prices for high-quality products.
I am a fan of warehouse food shopping: Costco, B J'S and Sam' s. When you buy big, you have to buy smart. If you buy in bulk and use what you buy, your savings will be great. When you shop at a warehouse as your primary food store, you can buy in quantities and you save time.
Once you buy in bulk, the next thing is to store your treasures. Example, the six-pound package of ground beef will have to be vac or ziplocked, portioned into one-pound and half-pound packages, then frozen. Same for the two-pound block cheese. I divide it into four and freeze three, then thaw as needed.
The next step is to use your bulk items to make storable sauces and condiments to consume later. These include meat and pasta sauces, meat rubs, base stocks, herb butters, infused oils and dressings.
Now we have shopped and are ready to cook. What do we have? An eight-pound family size pack of chicken breast, an eight-pound fillet mignon.
Divide the chicken in four, double wrap in plastic, put in freezer bags, date and label. You can refrigerate for three days or freeze for three months.
For the tenderloin, trim and remove the silver skin. Cut into into two-inch portions, double wrap each individually, place in freezer bags, date, label and freeze for 4 to 6 months. Use as needed in the future. Try this recipe with leftover mignon.
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 small onion sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsbp recaito
1 package sazon
4 ozs. beef tenderloin, trimed and cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 cup beef stock or broth
12 corn tortillas as needed
1. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat. Saute onions until wilted; add garlic, recaitio, sazon and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Remove onion mixture from skillet. In same skillet add balance of olive oil, over medium high heat. Add tenderloin strips and sautee 3 minutes. Add onion mixture, jalapeno, tomato sauce, oregano and tomato sauce to meat and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Heat tortillas in a damp towel in microwave for 25 seconds. Serve a tablespoon of meat in tortilla.
For me, the competition is on, as I have a choice between the big store giants Costco, Walmart and now Aldi. But let's not jump ahead.
Smart shoppers like me (ahem! ahem!) do our homework before we enter a store. You have to have a list. This comes as a habit. A shopping list saves you money, since you buy things you plan to use. (I saved $27 by using coupons on my last Costco trip.) It cuts down on impulsive buying and it is a good menu planner.
Any store you shop at has tons of hidden cost savings. Aldi, the new kid on our block, has introduced a bunch of services that end up eliminating lots of extra costs: no baggers, bring or pay for bags to carry food items (this is like the Ikea model), no checks accepted, a 25-cent cart deposit and, most of all, low prices for high-quality products.
I am a fan of warehouse food shopping: Costco, B J'S and Sam' s. When you buy big, you have to buy smart. If you buy in bulk and use what you buy, your savings will be great. When you shop at a warehouse as your primary food store, you can buy in quantities and you save time.
Once you buy in bulk, the next thing is to store your treasures. Example, the six-pound package of ground beef will have to be vac or ziplocked, portioned into one-pound and half-pound packages, then frozen. Same for the two-pound block cheese. I divide it into four and freeze three, then thaw as needed.
The next step is to use your bulk items to make storable sauces and condiments to consume later. These include meat and pasta sauces, meat rubs, base stocks, herb butters, infused oils and dressings.
Now we have shopped and are ready to cook. What do we have? An eight-pound family size pack of chicken breast, an eight-pound fillet mignon.
Divide the chicken in four, double wrap in plastic, put in freezer bags, date and label. You can refrigerate for three days or freeze for three months.
For the tenderloin, trim and remove the silver skin. Cut into into two-inch portions, double wrap each individually, place in freezer bags, date, label and freeze for 4 to 6 months. Use as needed in the future. Try this recipe with leftover mignon.
Ole' Beef Strips
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 small onion sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsbp recaito
1 package sazon
4 ozs. beef tenderloin, trimed and cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 cup beef stock or broth
12 corn tortillas as needed
1. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat. Saute onions until wilted; add garlic, recaitio, sazon and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Remove onion mixture from skillet. In same skillet add balance of olive oil, over medium high heat. Add tenderloin strips and sautee 3 minutes. Add onion mixture, jalapeno, tomato sauce, oregano and tomato sauce to meat and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Heat tortillas in a damp towel in microwave for 25 seconds. Serve a tablespoon of meat in tortilla.
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