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Black Bean and Potato Empanadas (or Chimichangas) with Green Chile Sauce

The Green Chile Sauce is absolutely amazing!  It is essential for this recipe, IMO.  The recipe is from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison.  The original recipe suggest Hatch green chiles, but I can't get those in Virginia.  Poblanos work really well, as do Anaheim chiles.  This particular time, I picked up some chiles (I'm not sure what they were) at the farmers' market.  The black bean and potato mixture is a filling I created to stuff chimichangas.  It's one of those, a pinch of this, a pinch of that non-recipes.  Recently I ran across a package of Goya Empanada wrappers in the freezer case at a local grocery store and thought it would be fun to stuff those. I'll definitely use those again...they rocked...I'm thinking they would be perfect for Samosas!

To prepare the Empanadas (or Chimichangas...just use a flour tortilla):  place filling in empanada wrapper (about 2 tablespoons) and fold over to encase.  Use a fork to seal the edges.  If making chimichangas, place filling in the middle of a flour tortilla and fold over two facing edges.  Roll up the chimichanga like a burrito/wrap and secure with a toothpick.  Fry the empanada or chimichanga in hot oil until hot and golden brown.  Serve with the green chile sauce.

Black Bean and Potato Filling

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 2 russet potatoes, diced small and cooked until just tender
salt
ground cumin
ground coriander
garlic powder

Gently combine the black beans and cooked potatoes.  Season with salt, cumin, coriander, and garlic powder to taste. 

Note:  A chopped jalapeno or serrano and chopped fresh cilantro are also good additions to this filling.  Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese can also be added.

Green Chile Sauce

posted by: artichoke72 at 01:45 | link | comments |
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Quick and Easy Shrimp (Curry) Laksa

Laksa is a spicy noodle soup that is popular in Singapore and Malaysia.  There are a gabillion different variations of it.  Some have a curry-coconut broth while others have a sour fish broth or tamarind-based broth.  Laksa can be made with seafood, chicken, beef, and/or tofu.  It reminds me of one of my favorite soups from the Chiang Mai region of Thailand, Kao Soi.  This particular Laksa recipe is one I came up with after scanning about 20 other Laksa recipes online.  It's not all that authenic, but it is quick, tasty, easy to prepare, and the ingredients can be found at most American grocery stores.  I actually ended up using sambal olek instead of the Thai sweet chilli sauce to punch up the heat level.  I also sprinkled fried shallot on my soup.

Quick and Easy Shrimp (Curry) Laksa

2 tablespoons of peanut or other vegetable oil
1 medium onion. finely diced
1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
1 1-inch piece of ginger, pelled and finely minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 tablespoon of Thai sweet chilli sauce (or sambal olek)
4 cups broth (vegetable, chicken, shrimp, etc...)
1 can coconut milk
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 package rice vermicelli, cooked according to package directions
fish sauce, to taste
fresh cilantro
fresh lime wedges
chopped fresh chiles (optional)

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat and saute the onion until transparent.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.  Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and sweet chilli sauce.  Add the broth and bring to a boil.

As soon as the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat and add the shrimp and coconut milk.  Let cook until shrimp is pink and cooked through.  Season to taste with the fish sauce (or salt).

Divide the cooked rice noodles in bowls and ladle the soup over the noodles.  Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges and chiles (optional).

 

posted by: artichoke72 at 00:20 | link | comments |
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