January 2018 Cooking Club: Mexican Fiesta!

Finally!  Cooking Club is back on track!  If you are a foodie, you take any excuse to cook, eat, and be fed, and this is something I look forward to every time we do it.  My little Cooking Club is full of like-minded souls (no professional cooks, just good old-fashioned food lovers!) but recently had major scheduling difficulties.  In 2018 we recommitted to our monthly themed get-togethers, and we kicked it off with a Mexican Fiesta!  During any given club gathering, the host chooses the theme (regional food, a certain chef, international cuisine, etc.), and the rest of us just show up with whatever dishes we want to try out.  In fact, it was one such meeting that introduced me to Ree Drummond’s cooking, who I had never even considered as a chef-mentor.  And now here we are, just like peas and carrots…  Yes, that was a cooking joke.  And coincidentally, it was also recipe #75!

For my Mexican Fiesta contribution, I literally had no idea what to make.  There aren’t many more “South of the Border” recipes in Dinnertime except for Black Bean Soup and Burrito Bowls, and we already had a taco bar planned.  I also had a pork loin living on borrowed time in the fridge.  By sheer serendipity, I found the PERFECT solution while I was digging out a cooking vessel that doesn’t get all the love and attention it richly deserves: the Rockcrok from Pampered Chef!  This thing transitions from the stovetop to the microwave to the oven, broiler or grill without missing a beat, can be used in the freezer, is nonstick and dishwasher safe, AND can be used as a slow cooker when you use their heater unit.  It even comes with a lid!  But the real selling point for me is the handy collection of recipes it came with, such as this little gem: Mexican Pork Stew with Salsa Verde!  It was meant to be…  It was exactly what a Cooking Club recipe should be: something I’d never made or eaten before, using ingredients I’m unfamiliar with, and feeds an army!  Check, check, and check.  As are all Pampered Chef recipes, this was easy-peasy.  The only things I had to grab from the store was a jalapeno (which I conveniently can grow like a champ in the summer) and tomatillos, something I have been very interested to try.  I’ve seen these things on Food Network shows for years, but only knew they were supposed to be sour or tart.  When I taste-tested a bite, the flavor reminded me of something, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  I thought it was kind of like a cross between unripe honeydew and a green strawberry.  Since I have zero experience with this vegetable, I had to Google it.  I could figure out that I had to remove the papery outer husk without much guidance, but I was unprepared for what lay beneath!  No one warned me about the sticky sludge.

Once I pulled the skins off, I realized my hands were partially glued to the little green beasts.  It didn’t come right off in water either!  I learned that this sticky substance is a natural secretion the tomatillo produces in order to prevent insect infestation.  It’s already a member of the nightshade family, and the outside skin is another layer of defense, but if a little bugger gets past all that, this residue is sufficiently disgusting to repel them.  Sounds like dinner, right??  Once I got the gunk off in hot water with a decent amount of friction, they were ready to dice.  Next up was chopping some onions, garlic, and the jalapeno to sweat out in shimmering vegetable oil.

I recently picked up a handy little trick from one of the culinary mysteries I read for my book club, where we only read books featuring recipes (future blog topic!), and this one really works!  I had already used half of this particular onion in another recipe, so I knew it was a real corker.  I mean tears just streaming down the face while dicing.  In State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy, a mystery series about the Executive Chef at the White House, the heroine mentions slicing raw onions next the open flame of a gas stove to prevent crying.  Worth a try, right?  Well let me tell you, this is totally the real deal!  Try this immediately.  Maybe even go and chop an onion you don’t need just to prove it to yourself!  The rest of this recipe came together in a matter of minutes.  I had my son brown the pork loin chunks in batches in the Rockcrok 4-quart casserole while I chopped veggies, and then everything cooked on the stovetop first.  Once chicken stock was added, I threw the whole pot straight in the microwave for 12 minutes.  It was finished it off with fresh cilantro from my Aerogarden (another future topic we’ll explore here), avocado, and sour cream.  It.  Was.  Delicious.  Nothing fancy in here, just humble ingredients and simple cooking techniques.  Add the great company of family and friends of Cooking Club, and you have all the makings of an incredible meal!