Epic Portions

Category: Other Recipes

  • What John Wants To Eat Today

    Well, I haven’t put anything that I want to eat up here in a while so I thought today would be a good day to resume this.

    Today is simple.  All I want is….

    A gigantic burrito.


    I think the plan for today to actually fulfill this craving is to either make one of these bad boys at home, or stop at Qdoba for lunch.

    I got to thinking later on, why is Qdoba so delicious?  Why do I frequent Qdoba rather than Chipolte?  I think I can sum it up in three words.  Chicken Queso Burrito.  The queso sauce at Qdoba is incredible.  I can’t understand why they haven’t even attempted to create a queso sauce at Chipolte.

    If you ever feel like making the stuff at home, here’s how.  You can definitely decide not to roast the peppers and use canned tomatoes, but the stuff tastes a whole hell of a lot better if you do.

    Qdoba’s Queso Dip:

    Ingredients:

    • 2 medium (about 6 ounces total) fresh poblano chiles
    • 6 ounces (1 medium round or 2 plum) ripe tomatoes
    • 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
    • 3 tablespoons chopped flatleaf parsley
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tablespoons finely crumbled of each cheese, Monterrey Jack, American and cheddar cheese

    Preheat the broiler. Place the poblanos, tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet. Set the sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler. Roast, turning every couple of minutes, until the chiles and tomatoes are soft, blistered and blackened in spots and the garlic is soft, 12 to 13 minutes total.

    Place the chiles in a bowl, cover them with a towel, and let them stand 5 minutes, then wipe off the blackened skin. Pull or cut out the stems, seed pods and seeds; rinse quickly to remove any stray seeds and bits of char.

    When the tomatoes are cool, peel off and discard their skins.

    Slip the papery skins off the garlic.

    In a food processor, make a puree of the roasted garlic and poblanos.   Place the puree in a large bowl.

    Chop the roasted tomatoes (for this recipe it’s best not to use any of the juice from the baking sheet) and add to the poblano mixture along with the parsley.

    Coarsely mash everything together. Taste and season with salt, usually a scant teaspoon.
    Cover the mixture with plastic wrap, placing it directly on the surface, and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat.


  • 30 Things to Do With Leftover Salsa

    I believe that currenly I have 3-4 opened jars of salsa in my refrigerator.  My A.D.D. often leads me to having multiple jars open at the same time because one would just require way too much focus.  I found this list of things to do with all of this left over salsa, and thought it was just plain genius.  This came from Chili Pepper Magazine.

    1. Mix with mayo or ketchup; use as a dip for french fries.

    2. Combine with softened butter and refrigerate for a salsa compound butter; add thin slices to a grilled steak.

    3. Stir into scrambled eggs or add to omelets and frittatas.

    4. Spoon into cooked grits; add bacon and cheese.

    5. Add to burger meat mixtures or slather on top of burgers (or both!).

    6. Add lime juice and canola oil to a thin, puréed salsa like Rosa Mexicano Chile Pasilla de Oaxaca Salsa and marinate meat.

    7. Replace tomato sauce for a chunky tomato salsa on a homemade pizza.

    8. Make a béchamel sauce, add salsa and toss with pasta.

    9. Stir into cooked rice; add olives and cheddar cheese.

    10. Layer onto a grilled cheese sandwich.

    11. Use a puréed, chile-intense salsa, such as Herdez Salsa Chile de Árbol, as an enchilada sauce.

    12. Add salsa as your secret ingredient to soups, stews or chilis.

    13. Take a fruit salsa, like Santa Barbara Tangy-Apple Salsa, and use as a chutney substitute with roasted pork loin.

    14. Kick up some mac and cheese with a dollop of salsa.

    15. Use in place of cocktail sauce for shrimp.

    16. Add to deviled eggs for a pop of fire.

    17. Combine with cheese for jalapeño popper filling.

    18. Top off tacos, burritos, or huevos rancheros.

    19. Remember Mario Batali’s famous green sauce? Take a shortcut and use a spicy tomatillo salsa, like Vern’s Salsa Verde.

    20. Glaze a sweet, fruit-filled salsa over pound cake or drizzle over ice cream.

    21. Add breadcrumbs and feta cheese to salsa; stuff into eggplant halves.

    22. Use a chunky salsa, like Sassy Senoritas Habanero Salsa, as an easy start to bruschetta.

    23. Mix with goat cheese and use as a dip for veggies or serve with crackers.

    24. For a quick Mediterranean spin, top fish or chicken with an olive-filled salsa, like José Goldstein Roasted Garlic and Olive Salsa, and bake.

    25. Add cucumbers, jalapeños, tomatoes and vegetable stock to salsa. Purée into gazpacho.

    26. Mix equal parts with yogurt or sour cream; slather on a baked potato or combine with mashed potatoes.

    27. Add to meatloaf to give it a Mexican flair.

    28. Stir into chicken salad, tuna salad or potato salad.

    29. Mix with lemon or lime juice and use as a ceviche marinade.

    30. Use a thin salsa, like Sabores Aztecas, as a base for salad dressing.

  • Best Idea… Ever?

    Buffalo chicken stuffed crust pizza.  Why the hell did I never think of that?  The good people over at the Philadelphia City Paper blog came up with this, and I’m literally drooling.

    Seriously.  Do yourself a favor and follow this link.  You owe it to yourself.

    Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Crust Pizza