Great Holiday Entertaining - Recipes for Every Taste, Lamb Barbacoa My Style

Every so often I make a dish that is traditionally Mexican Party Fare, but with a few tweeks and a good price on a leg of lamb it's a fantastic dish for entertaining at home. My version of Lamb Barbacoa is a recipe that I entered for the Casting Process on America's Best Home Cook Reality TV Show. It is savory, beautiful to serve and very impressive when you add all of the accompaniments to the dish.

Traditionally this dish is cooked slowly in a pit that is lined with leaves and wood embers to slow roast the leg of lamb. I cook mine on a BBQ Grill or in the Oven, directly on a rack to capture all of the pan juices and dripping from the meat, creating the most savory, delicious broth that you have ever had.

To accompany the Lamb and Broth, I make 2 - 3 Salsas, Tortillas, Cilantro, Queso Fresco and Lime Wedges. For the Salsas I prefer a Green Tomatillo Salsa and a Roasted Garlic Chipotle Salsa, this is a nice balance between smoke, spice, citrus and sweet. 

To serve, each guest will have a bowl of the broth that is loaded with chickpeas, rice and carrots, tortillas filled with slivers of slow roasted lamb, and the toppings. Finish with Salsa, a sprinkle of crumbled cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime for a guaranteed party in your mouth, such a fabulous mix of flavor, texture and smokiness.

Recipe:

Liz’s Barbacoa

Prep: 2 Hours

Cook Time: 6 Hours

Serves: 6 – 8

Lamb

7 lb. leg of lamb

1 Onion Quartered

3 Cloves of Garlic Halved

2 Cups Dried Chick Peas

1 Cup Chopped Carrots

1 Cup Chopped Celery

2 Bay Leaves

Directions

Heat Oven to 325F. In a large hotel style pan, place onion, garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaves, chickpeas and water to a 2 -3 “ height on side of pan. Place this on the bottom rack, as close to the bottom of the oven as possible. Place another rack 2” above the pan. Place the Leg of Lamb that has been well salted directly on the rack over the pan of water, making sure that all juices from the lamb will drip directly into the pan. This can also be done on an outdoor grill with the same arrangement.

Roast slowly for 4 – 6 hours until lamb is tender and broth is thick and bubbly

Remove from heat and cover lamb to let rest for 20 minutes. During this time you can blend the broth if you choose to or just remove the large chunks of garlic and bay leaves.

*Rice of cubed potatoes can also be added to the broth mix

Salsas:

Chipotle/Tomatilla Salsa-

2 – 3 Chipotles in Adobo

5 – 6 Tomatillos

3 -4 Plum Tomatoes

2 Clove Garlic – skin on

½ yellow onion

Bunch Cilantro

In a heavy pan on direct heat, blacken the garlic, tomatillos and tomatoes until the skin is evenly blackened and the garlic is soft. Place the onion, chipotles, tomato, tomatillo, cilantro and roasted garlic (skin removed) in a blender, add 1 tsp. sugar and salt to taste and chop coarsely until you have a smooth salsa.

Tomato/Jalapeno Salsa

5 -6 Plum Tomatoes

1 -2 Jalapenos

½ yellow onion

2 -3 Cloves Garlic (skins on)

Bunch Cilantro

In a heavy pan on direct heat, roast the garlic, tomatoes and jalapenos until blackened and soft. Peel the  garlic and add to blender with tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, cilantro and salt to taste. Blend until desired consistency.

To serve:

Slice the lamb and plate

Heat tortillas and serve bowls of the broth with the

lamb tacos

salsas

fresh cilantro

wedges of lime

Crumbled Feta or Queso Fresco Cheese

Merciless Margarita - Cinco Libations!

This is a twist on a Margarita that is tasty, refreshing and fresh. On Cinco De Mayo what else would you be drinking, mix up a pitcher and enjoy!

Merciless Margarita

Rocks Glass: muddle an orange slice, lime slice and a splash of agave
Add: 2 oz. Tequila Reposado or Anejo
         3/4 oz. Cointreau or you can use Triple Sec, Grand Marnier
         1 1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
         Splash OJ
Shake: Pour into a Salt Rimmed Glass over ice or Up Glass

I like to mix the flavored rimming sugars with the salt crystals for different palate pleasers, mix it up, this Margarita is sure to be a hit.

Tinga Linga, Ole! Cinco de Mayo Street Fare...

Simply one of the best Mexican Street Fare Recipes that I have ever made, So good and perfect as miniature party fare hor d'oeuvre. Tinga, Tostadas, whatever you call it, 
it is sure to be a hit paired with an Icy Cold Salted Margarita...

Ingredients:
(Makes about 12 Tostadas)

2 Chicken Breasts on the bone - boneless can be substituted
Tostadas or Hard Taco Shells or Large Chips
6 Plum Tomatoes
1 Small White Onion
2 Clove Garlic
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
1 Small Can Tomato Sauce
Mexican Crema or Sour Cream
Queso Fresco or Ricotta Salatta or Feta
Shredded Lettuce
Chopped Onion
Lime Wedges

- Boil Chicken Breasts until the meat can be easily removed and shredded - set aside

- On a Grill Blacken Tomatoes on each side, remove, cool and peel

- In a blender add: 1 small onion quartered, 2 peeled cloves of garlic, 2 or more Chipotle   Peppers with Adobo to taste, peeled tomatoes, salt and pepper, splash of sugar and blend until smooth

- Pour the salsa mixture into a skillet and bring to a boil, add the can of tomato sauce to thicken

- Add the shredded chicken and stir to coat, cook for 5 minutes to heat through, taste, and add   more chipotle if you want more spice, salt and pepper to taste

- On each tostada spread lightly with Crema or sour cream, add chicken mixture, top with shredded lettuce, onion, crumbled cheese and a drizzle of Crema if you are using the Mexican type, add a squeeze of lime

These are usually prepared on the flat crispy tostadas, but are easier to eat in a crisp corn taco shell. As an hor d'oeuvre, place on individual chips

Enjoy!

Best Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love to make soups with layers of flavor and texture. Somehow soup is always a welcoming meal, a go to when I don’t know what else to make, someone is ill or I want something filling, covers all of the food groups and does not pack on the pounds. This recipe for Chicken Tortilla soup is a fantastic amalgamation of several years of finding the “perfect” combination.

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts – with bone

1 Medium White Onion - Diced

2 Celery Stalks - Diced

2 Garlic Cloves – Smashed

2 Carrots – Peeled and Diced

1 – 2 Jalapenos – Chopped Finely

1 Cup Tomatoes – Diced

1 Cup White or Brown Rice - Rinsed

6 Cups of Chicken Stock

2 Bouillon Cubes

12 Corn Tortillas

2 Cups Frozen Corn

1 Cup Chopped Green Beans

Jack Cheese

Cheddar Cheese

Avocado

Fresh Cilantro – Leaves removed and coarsely chopped

Chicken – Bring 2 Pots of water to a boil, each pot with 6 cups or so of water. In one pot place your chicken breasts and boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat, rinse and place in the second pot of boiling water. Cook until meat can be easily shredded. Using this 2 pot method gives you a beautiful, clear chicken broth; the first boil eliminates bone fragments, and that nasty brown/gray foamy stuff.

While the chicken is cooking, take a 6 quart Dutch Oven and sauté the onions, garlic and celery in olive oil. When translucent, add carrots, jalapenos, and tomatoes and stir, cook for a minute or so. Add 3-4 tortillas that have been chopped into small pieces and stir. Add your chicken broth and 2 bouillon cubes, green beans, corn and 1 cup of rice. Allow this to cook for 30 minutes.

Cut 6 – 8 tortillas in half, and then slice into strips. Fry these in Safflower oil until crispy and drain on paper towels.

Cool the chicken and shred, add to the soup pot.

To Serve: ladle soup into bowls, add a layer of shredded cheese, crispy tortilla strips, diced avocado and fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy this wonderful layering of fresh flavors, old favs and crispy goodness. This is just too yummy, healthy and totally filling as a main dish.