Extended Family Recipes

For Mother's Day, Kevin made his ultra tasty pork taco recipe he had made up. He had played around with some things we had and threw together this the last time, so this time we took some approximate measurement notes. It came out really yummy and good, tho we used a different tortilla shell which kinda ruined the overall flavor.

This has become a favorite meal of mine. You can substitute pork with chicken or beef. I love this recipe so much I wanted to share it here. So please enjoy "Kevin's Tasty Pork Tacos". This recipe calls for a meat hammer, if you don't have one, you can tenderize your meat by placing in plastic wrap or between two thin flexible cutting boards and mashing with a rolling pin or equally heavy bludgeoning object. Good way to get rid of tension and aggression. Try to get the meat as flat as you can without it falling apart or anything.

Kevin's Tasty Pork Tacos

I always loved my little sister, Grace's Egg Drop Soup. I never knew her recipe. So I'm looking to try different ones to find my favorite. Here are a few variations, Asian Egg Drop Soup and Chinese Egg Drop Soup found at FoodNetwork.com. Today is the anniversary of her 27th year. And to celebrate, I'd like to share a few of her favorite recipes/foods. Though her favorite foods were Corn Nuts and burnt (to a char) Hot Dogs, she made the best Lasagna and Egg Drop Soup. I don't have her Lasagna recipe either, but Kevin's Mom has shared with me a great Crock Pot Lasagna recipe, that I'd also like to share here.

Asian Egg Drop Soup

• 4 cups prepared chicken stock, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 green onions, chopped, including ends
• Salt and white pepper, to taste

1. Bring soup stock, grated ginger and soy sauce to a boil.
2. In a small cup, make a slurry by combining the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of chicken stock. Stir until dissolved.
3. Slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring the stock, until thickened.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer. Pour in the eggs slowly while stirring the soup in the same direction. The egg will spread and feather.
5. Turn off the heat and add the green onions. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately

Egg Drop Soup (China)

• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 6 to 8 large spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup diagonally sliced green onions (about 4 small), divided
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Pinch ground white pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. In a medium saucepan or stockpot, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
2. Stack the spinach leaves on top of each other, and roll them up tightly. Thinly slice into ribbon-like strips. Add the spinach, 6 tablespoons of the sliced green onions, the mushrooms, soy sauce, and white pepper to the broth.
3. When the broth begins to simmer again, gradually add the beaten eggs in a slow and steady stream.
4. Use a fork or a chopstick to create shreds or ribbons with the eggs as they are stirred into the broth-this will shred the eggs into ribbons as they cook.
5. Cook the soup for 1 minute more and remove from the heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with remaining 2 tablespoons of sliced green onions. Serve hot.

Lazy Lasagna

• 1lb Ground Beef, browned
• 32oz jar of Spaghetti Sauce
• 8oz bag Curly-edged (or broken lasgana)Noodles, cooked
• 16oz Ricotta Cheese
• 8oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese to taste
• Season to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine Beef and sauce. In seperate bowl, combine noodles and cheeses (or just cheese if using lasagna noodles).
2. Layer 1/3 of Beef mixture, followed by 1/2 of cheese mixture in crock pot. Repeat layering ending with beef mixture.
3. Sprinkle with parmesan.
4. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

This is one of Kevin's all time favorite soups. So I'm always looking for variations to perfect it for him. He seems to like this recipe, though, he doesn't like it as leftover, reheated. I do. But best served hot. I definitely enjoy the tangy lemon, more lemon the better to me. I find this "Lemon Rice Soup" is best, if you let it thicken up so there's less broth and more rice to it. Kevin likes it with chicken cooked into it. This recipe is a good side with pretty much any dish, but best with chicken or a traditional Greek dish. I've been looking into Greek recipes to serve it with.

Lemon Rice Soup

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 eggs
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 6 tbsp. uncooked rice
• Salt
• Cooked Chicken (optional)
  

1. Bring the broth to a boil in a pot or large saucepan;
2. Sprinkle in the rice and cook until tender;
3. in a bowl, beat together the eggs and lemon juice; gradually blend in a ladleful of hot broth, stirring constantly;
4. Reduce the heat to low;
5. Gently pour the egg and lemon mixture into the soup, stirring all the while; leave for a few minutes to thicken, but don't let the mixture boil or it will break;
6. Serve immediately.

This is a recipe exchange from my friend, Chef Gregg. He has a catering business in VA. "Tagliolini with Pesto and Almonds" sounds pretty yummy to me. I've never tried it, but definitely something to check out. Thanks Chef! It can also be found at About.com

Tagliolini with Pesto and Almonds

from Kyle Phillips The Ligurians have a long tradition of adding greens to pasta seasoned with pesto sauce, and this tasty variation on their more strictly vegetarian fare gains considerable grace from crisp prosciutto flakes, which nicely contrast the oil and garlic.

To serve 4:

4/5 pound (400 g) fresh tagliolini or fettuccine 2/3 pound (300 g) string beans 2 ounces (60 g) lean prosciutto 2 ounces (60 g) coarsely chopped almonds A nice bunch of fresh basil 1 clove garlic, peeled 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano 1/2 cup extravirgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Set pasta water to boil. In the meantime, about 2 ounces (60 g) of basil leaves and put them in a blender, with a scant half teaspoon salt, the garlic clove, and the cheese. Blend, adding the oil in a thin stream, until the mixture is creamy. Wash the string beans and blanch them for 2-3 minutes in lightly salted water. Drain them and run them under cold water to interrupt their cooking. Cut the larger ones in half, and then slit the halves lengthwise. Shred the prosciutto and sauté the pieces, without any additional oil, in a non-stick pan until they're crunchy. Remove them to a piece of absorbent paper with a slotted spoon. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté the beans and almonds for a couple of minutes. Cook the pasta, and drain it while it's still a little al dente; turn the pasta into a serving bowl before it has stopped dripping completely, and season it, first with the pesto, followed by the string bean mixture. Mix well, garnish with the prosciutto, and serve at once, with a crips white wine along the lines of a Vermentino dei Colli di Luni. As a second course, roast fish and string beans seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice would be nice.

A couple of links:

On Pesto Pasta Basics