Southwest-stuffed peppers

More assembled than actually cooked, but I did have to turn the oven on.

Filling consists of some frozen southwestern vegetables (corn, black beans, peppers), some of the scraps of the peppers diced up, 2 slices of aged cheddar diced up pretty fine, and about 1/2 cup of ancho chile bbq sauce I had on hand. Mix it all in a bowl, dump it into the peppers, foil over, cook at 400 degrees for 30 min for 2 stuffed peppers.

Cuban Sandwich

I think I first had this at a chow hall in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where I was stationed in the early 1990s. I've noted on several occasions the affinities between mustard and pickles, and especially with pork. This may be the most direct, most sublime expression of those affinities. 

Note that the list of ingredients is complete. If you add something else - salami, prosciutto, bacon, a different type of cheese, mayo, etc., it may be a fantastic sandwich, but it is not, in my opinion, a real Cubano. 

Ingredients:
Cuban bread if possible; other substitutions could include baguettes, French/Italian bread, bolillo rolls, etc. Slice lengthwise and then into shorter pieces if needed. 

Dijon mustard
Ham
Roast pork, preferably Cuban mojo-style
Swiss cheese (I prefer aged when I can find it because of the stronger flavor)
Dill pickles, sliced lengthwise fairly thin

Directions:
1. Spread mustard on one or both pieces of bread. Add slices of Swiss cheese to both pieces of bread until well covered. 
2. Add 1+ slices each of ham, roast pork, and pickle slices until bottom piece of bread is well covered. Place the top piece of bread, with the additional Swiss cheese, on top. 

3. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Apply cooking spray to the outside of the sandwich and add the sandwich to the pan. Press the sandwich down with a heavy pot or pan.
4. Cook for 1-2 min or until crusty and brown. Spray other side of sandwich with cooking spray, flip it, and cook until crusty and brown, 1-2 min more.
5. Remove from heat, cut sandwich in half at an angle, and serve warm.

The results:

Also try the Medianoche, made exactly the same way, but with a sweeter bread such as a brioche or even a Hawaiian sweet bread sub roll. 

For the pork, I generally use a mojo-style marinade - something like this -  https://www.cocoandash.com/authentic-cuban-pork-roast/ - but I generally use a pork tenderloin, marinated overnight, then roasted to 145-150. The linked recipe is more of a pulled pork texture. 

Bacon-Wrapped Fried Pickle Spears

I love fried pickles, especially the spears. Chunks are also OK...but not a huge fan of the pickle chips because they tend to end up being pickle-flavored fried bread.

Today is also International Bacon Day. And there's something about bacon and pickles that just works. The German dish rouladen features both prominently, and the Cuban sandwich is only made better by the addition of bacon in my opinion.

So I thought I'd combine the two and make bacon-wrapped fried pickle spears!

My mis en place:

I started by draining the pickle spears, patting them dry with paper towels, and wrapping precooked bacon around each spear.

I then made a beer and egg wash with 1 cup Guinness and 1 egg beaten well, and a flour dredge made of 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal, 1 tsp Tony Chachere's seasoning, and 1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder. I dropped each pickle spear into the wash, then dredged in flour thoroughly.

On the stove I had about 2" of oil heated on medium and dropped each spear into the oil. I cooked them for about 5 min each and then pulled them out and drained the excess oil on paper towels.

Here's the final result - I served the spears with spicy mustard. :)

Southwestern Slaw

Ingredients:
Slaw:1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 green pepper, julienned
1 sm or 1/2 jicama, julienned
2 carrots, shredded or julienned
2 cups shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Dressing:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 Tbsp orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely minced (use more or less to taste)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin

Directions:1. Combine all vegetables in a large bowl.

2. Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk briskly until all ingredients are combined and emulsified, 1 minute.

3. Drizzle vegetables with dressing and toss to coat.

Fish Taco Salad

Ingredients: 2 corn tortillas, sliced into 1/2" x 2" strips
8 oz fish, cooked as desired.
1/2 cup "white sauce" (quick version for full recipe below)
2 cups shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
4 cups mixed greens or shredded lettuce, any variety
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup diced tomato, optional
1/2 cup cheese, cheddar, Jack, or cotija, optional

Directions: 
1. Toss the tortilla strips with 1 tsp olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Place in single layer on shallow pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove and let cool.
2. Flake or dice the fish.
3. Into bowls layer the lettuce, the cabbage, the fish, and if using, the tomatoes and/or cheese. Top with the tortilla strips.
4. Drizzle each bowl with the white sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.

White sauce: 1 cup plain yogurt. Alternate: substitute 1/4 cup mayonnaise or sour cream for 1/4 of the yogurt.
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1-2 tbsp cilantro (optional)
Mix all ingredients until smooth and refrigerate until use.

Note: For the fish I usually use baked or grilled cod. Any kind of fish works reasonably well for this dish. Also, fish tacos are often made with fried fish. This can certainly be made with fried fish (e.g. Gorton's or Van de Camp) or "popcorn" fish as well, though it's not nearly as healthy.