Tag Archives: Xristina Marie

Southwest Chicken Soup

17 Jan

 

 

After living in the Southwest for 6 years, I found myself completely immersed in the culture, both socially and gastronomically.  Regionally, the Southwest is known for having its own unique style of cuisine and flavors; flavors I have come to adore.  The climate in the Southwest does not always allow for hearty stews and soups, so when it’s winter here in New York, I still try to find ways to incorporate those same Southwestern flavors.  The flavors of this soup are very similar to a tortilla soup, but being that I am not a huge fan of most tortilla soups, I made it geared towards my liking.

 

Southwest Chicken Soup

 

What you’ll need:

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper,  deseeded and roughly chopped
1 green zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 corn tortillas, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
4 chicken thighs
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter

Garnish:

Chopped fresh cilantro
Limes
2 avocados

 

Note:  This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by using a vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and leaving out the shredded chicken.

 

Set your oven to broil at 500°
Season the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper.  I used Goya Adobo seasoning, but if you don’t have that in your pantry, salt and pepper work just as well.  Place the thighs in a pan and broil until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.  When the chicken is fully cooked, allow it to cool enough so you can easily handle it.  Remove the skin and start shredding the chicken from the bone.  You can just as easily use a rotisserie chicken but it’s so easy to make your own.  Chicken thighs are always affordable and full of flavor.

While the chicken is cooking, heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic and green pepper and cook until tender and just starting to brown, about 10-15 minutes.  The butter is used to add flavor but the olive oil has a higher burning temperature allowing you to cook the vegetables longer without burning them.  Add the cut corn tortillas and spices; continue to cook a few minutes more.  Add the chicken stock and season with salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce it to a simmer.  Simmer on low for about 20 minutes.  Remove the soup from the heat and puree it until completely smooth.  An immersion blender is the best way to do this, but since not everyone has an immersion blender in their kitchen, you can also use your blender; the same one you mix margaritas in.  If using a blender, please do this in batches.  If you put too much of a hot liquid inside a blender, it will explode out and leave an insane mess for you to clean.  After the soup is completely smooth, transfer the soup back into the pot and add your shredded chicken and chopped zucchini.  Simmer for another 10 minutes allowing the zucchini to cook through.  Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and avocado.  Serve with a lime wedge and enjoy.

 

 

With    Love    Always, 

Xristina   Marie

© Xristina Miros 2013

 

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Ew…BROCCOLI?!

17 Jan

 

 

 

 

Roasted Broccoli

 

 

 

Luckily, for my parent’s sake, I have never been a picky eater.  I was a child who loved things like octopus, lima beans and yes, even broccoli.  I’ll be happy to eat broccoli any way you put it, but there is something special about the crunchy little florets after they’ve been roasted in the oven.  Roasting is my favorite way to prepare vegetables.  The roasting maintains the vegetables integrity without turning them to mush and destroying all the flavor.  Not enough people eat the necessary amount of vegetables these days.  If you find that you or somebody you know has a disliking towards vegetables, you may just need to change the cooking method and find simple ways to make them more exciting.  This recipe is the perfect place to start.

 

 

Ingredients: 

1 bunch of broccoli
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes; chopped
2 garlic cloves; smashed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt

 

 

Preheat oven to 450°

Start by cutting the bunch of broccoli into small florets.  Place them into a roasting pan and coat with the olive oil.  Take the two cloves of garlic and smash them with the side of your knife, just to break them and release the flavor.  Add the garlic to the pan, season with salt and toss everything together.  Place the broccoli in the oven for about 15 minutes until the tops start to brown.  After removing the broccoli from the oven, add the sun-dried tomatoes to the pan.  Plate the deliciousness and enjoy!

 

x o x

THE   REFINED   PALATE

 

 

Xristina Miros ©2013

 

 

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Oh, you don’t eat pork?

2 Dec

 

Don’t worry, it’s totally Kosher…

 

 

 

Coriander & Fennel rubbed Pork Chop

 

 

 

I love having fun in the kitchen and letting my imagination run wild, so when pork chops were on the menu for last night’s dinner, I was not allowing just any old pork chop to hit the table.  I knew I wanted to maintain some traditional elements while still incorporating some interesting and creative flavors to the meal I was dishing up.  The birth of my new favorite pork chop took place; a coriander and fennel rubbed chop served with a sliced fennel, onion and apple jam.  Coriander has always been one of my favorite spices and while fennel and I never really got along, I have absolutely learned to adore it within the last year or so.  Here it goes, my latest adventure…

 

Ingredients: 

4 pork chops; bone-in or out (I used boneless)
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
Bay leaves; 2-3
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Salt
Olive oil

For the jam:

Whole bulb of fresh fennel, sliced
2 onions, sliced
1 red delicious apple, diced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch of salt

 

Preheat oven to 350°

To start, toast the coriander, fennel seeds, bay leaves and peppercorns in a pan over medium heat for a few minutes until warm.  Combine the coriander, fennel, garlic cloves, bay leaves and whole black peppercorns in a spice grinder and pulse a few times until the bay leaves are broken down.  By adding the garlic to the grinder, the mixture will be a little wet as opposed to a powder consistency.    Salt the pork chops on both sides before rubbing the spice mixture on each chop.  Heat a pan with olive oil over high heat.  You want to ensure the pan is hot because you are browning each side of the pork chop before placing the pan into the oven to finish the cooking process.  After browning the pork chops, continue cooking them in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.  Take the pork chops out and let them rest.

In the mean time, heat a pan with olive oil and add the sliced onions and fennel.  Salt the onions and fennel and allow them to sweat, about 7 minutes.  Once translucent, add the chopped apples.  At this point, add the apple cider vinegar to the mixture and let it cook down.  Adding the sugar will help balance out the acidity from the vinegar.  There could not have been a better choice than to add the apple cider vinegar.  The cider vinegar is the perfect complement to both the jam and the spiced pork chops.  Once the jam comes together and the apples are slightly soft, remove from the heat.  Slice the rested pork chops and serve alongside the onion, fennel and apple jam.

If you are up for something new and interesting, I suggest you definitely try this recipe.  It is a recipe that I am proud of because it is taking the pork chop outside the box.  It is absolutely delicious and will excite the crap out of your taste buds.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

Coriander & Fennel rubbed Pork Chop

 

 

Xristina ♥ Marie 

with love ,
T . R . P

Xristina Miros ©2012

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Making Pupusa…say it with me, /puˈpusa/

26 Nov

Definition: A traditional Salvadoran dish made of a thick, hand-rolled corn tortilla that is stuffed with an  assortment of fillings.

I was first introduced to Pupusa by some of my Central American friends who I grew close to from working together day & night in the kitchen.  On some days, we would bring food into work that could easily be shared between everyone in the kitchen; things like empanadas, tamales and pupusa.  The ingredients used to make pupusa are so common across Latin cuisine but for some reason, the concept seemed so foreign.  I was instantly obsessed with my latest culinary adventure and since my first encounter with Pupusa, I have been all over the New York area doing tastings.  So far, my favorite spot is in Yonkers.  I found this spot randomly one day while working in the area.  I walked into an unassuming convenience store on Park Hill, right off of Broadway, looking for something to quench my thirst when I saw a sign written in a Sharpie marker that read, “Pupusas El Salvador”.  This store was a delightful little surprise as it is equipped with a flat-top grill and a small menu consisting of handmade Salvadoran food.  Without hesitation, I ordered a bean and cheese Pupusa and was quickly rung up at the register for $1.75.  I watched in excitement, the type of excitement that only a complete food-nerd would have, as the man behind the counter scooped out a handful of Masa and proceeded to make my pupusa.  After a few minutes and a few flips on the flat-top, my fresh Pupusa was ready to go.  Pupusa is traditionally served with curtido, a pickled cabbage slaw, but this particular place took a fresh play on the traditional slaw.  Instead of pickling cabbage, they made a salad by mixing cabbage with red wine vinegar and oil, then seasoned it with salt, pepper and oregano.  This place is my little diamond in the rough.  Now, every time I am in Yonkers, I always make it a point to stop by and drop $1.75 on the best Pupusa I have tried to this day.

Now, time for my experience in making Pupusa for the first time at home….

Ingredients:

Maseca corn flour (follow instructions on the bag)
Black beans; canned
Queso Fresco
Vegetable oil

For the curtido:

Cabbage slaw; found in the bagged salad area
Red wine vinegar
Vegetable oil
Salt
Black pepper
Oregano

I also decided to make a skirt steak to accompany the Pupusa and curtido.  For the skirt steak, season both sides with kosher salt and cook in a hot, oiled pan for about 3 minutes on each side for rare.

Follow the instructions on the Maseca bag to make the dough for the Pupusa.  You want the dough to form a smooth ball.  If the dough sticks to your hands, add a touch more water.  There is no precise way to go about forming a pupusa.  I kind of just dived into the process and didn’t look back.  Place a small handful of the Masa into your palm and form it into a bowl; think back to pottery as a child.  Fill the “bowl” with the black beans and queso fresco and close the bowl around it.  Here is where it gets tricky.  You can either place the stuffed ball directly into a pan of oil and flatten it with a spatula, or you can attempt to flatten it before transferring it into the pan.  Considering this was my first experience with making pupusa, I flattened it before putting it into the pan.   It is probably much easier to place it in the pan as a ball and then begin to flatten it using a spatula.

To make the cabbage slaw, combine all the above ingredients in a bowl and mix them together.  You definitely want to put a little more vinegar than you normally would put in a regular salad because it is supposed to be a pickled cabbage slaw.

 

XoX, 

The Refined Palate

Oh, & it’s good to be back ;)

© Xristina Miros 2012

 

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Mexico: Through the Lens

27 Mar

A story told through photographs…

Flying through Mexico

Flying through Mexico

Mexico

Arriving in my room

Beach

First visit to the beach

Seafood Cocktail

Seafood Cocktail: Octopus, scallops, calamari & shrimp.

Garnish

Seafood Cocktail Garnish

Drinks

Drinks on the beach while enjoying Mango & Jicama Salsa

On the town

Street food: shaved elote (corn on the cob) with chili powder, lime & Cotija cheese

Statue

Night on the town

On the town

Night on the town

Rock Art

Rock Art

Oysters

Fresh Oysters

Sunset

Pacific sunset

Grocery Store

My adventure to the local Mexican grocery store. Look at all the choices for butter!

Vegetables

Carrots, tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro & cactus petal. All fresh from the local grocery store.

Ocean view

Ocean view

Ocean view

Down on the beach

Room view

View from my room

I hope you enjoyed my journey through Mexico just as much as I did.  Thanks for coming!

♥     ♥     ♥     ♥     ♥

Xristina Marie

The Refined Palate

© Xristina Miros 2012

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Oh. My. Cod!

23 Mar

Cod with Garlic & Ginger

What you’ll need:

4 Cod filletsWhole Cod Fillet
4 ounces ginger root, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 cups chicken broth
2 bags of pre-washed baby spinach
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Wondra flour
Salt
Fresh black pepper

* Reserve 1/4 of the shallots and garlic for the spinach sauté.

* I purchased the entire fillet of cod and portioned it myself at home.  Whatever I didn’t use for this meal is being used for a fish & chips dinner…get excited!

Heat olive oil on medium heat in a small pot.  Add the sliced shallot, garlic and ginger and allow them to sweat.  You do not want any color on the vegetables, you just want the flavor to infuse the oil.  After a few minutes, add the chicken stock to the pot.  Season with salt and take the broth off the heat.  Allow the broth to steep for a moment Shiitake Mushrooms & Scallionsbefore straining it.  After straining the broth, add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and scallions to the pot.  If necessary, lightly season the broth with salt.  Season your cod fillets liberally on both sides with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle a thin layer of Wondra flour on each fillet.  If you do not have Wondra flour, you can use a small amount of all-purpose flour.  The reason I say to use Wondra is because it makes for a nice delicate crust when dealing with fish.  All-purpose flour has the tendency to become gummy.  Heat a small amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan until it starts to smoke.  You want the pan to be really hot, this is the only way to get a good crust on the fish.  Cook the fish for 3-4 minutes on each side.  If you are ever unsure about the temperature of your fish, insert a metal skewer into the center of the fillet.  If the metal is cold, the fish is raw; if the metal is warm, the fish is cooked perfectly; and if the metal is hot, the fish is overcooked.  Now, sauté the remaining shallot and garlic slices in olive oil.  Add the spinach and season with salt.  When the spinach is just about ready, splash in some soy sauce and remove from the heat.

For plating, place the spinach in the center of your plate.  Top the spinach with a piece of cod and spoon the garlic and ginger infused broth around the sides.  This meal is light, healthy and full of flavor.  It is easy to prepare, easy to cook and most importantly, easy to eat.

Cod with Garlic & Ginger

Xristina ♥ Marie

Thanks for stopping by!

© Xristina Miros 2012

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Semi-Homemade

22 Mar

…but not the Sandra Lee kind.  ;)

 

 

Freshman year in college, my vegetarian roommate introduced me to a tasty brand of black bean burgers.  They smelled so good every time she made one so I had to try it.  It was love at first bite.  I instantly became a fan of the meat-less burger and I still stock my freezer with them to this day.  I am always down for a quick and easy last-minute meal and this is one of them.  Last night I cooked some black bean burgers on the grill for my family.  Surprisingly, my dad ate two burgers.  When a 60-year old Greek man eats two black bean burgers, you know they are good.

 

Ingredients:

4 Spicy Black Bean burgers (frozen aisle)
Whole grain/whole wheat hamburger buns
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1-2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo (depending how spicy you like it)
1 avocado
1 jalapeño (optional)
1/2 small red onion (optional)
1 tomato, diced (optional)
1 lime
Green leaf lettuce (any lettuce will work for garnish on your burger)
Mushrooms (optional)
Salt

 

 

In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt and the adobo sauce with a pinch of salt.  This sauce will act as a mayonnaise.  In a separate bowl, mash the avocado and add the juice of one lime.  Season with salt.  If you want to make it more like a guacamole, go ahead and add the diced jalapeño, red onion and tomato.  If you decide you want to add mushrooms to your burger, quickly sauté the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt.  The mushrooms just bring an added texture and flavor to the burger.

Cook your black bean burgers according to the cooking instructions.  You can either cook them in a pan or on the grill.  The only thing left to do is toast the buns and start assembling.  Spread the chipotle “mayo” on the bottom bun then stack on a piece of lettuce and the black bean burger.  Top the burgers with the avocado spread and start chowing down.

 

 

 

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

X R I S T I N A      M A R I E
The Refined Palate

© Xristina Miros 2012

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Vegan-Friendly Stuffed Peppers

20 Mar

 

Stuffed Pepper

 

It all started about three weeks ago when I decided I wanted to cut meat from my diet.  This is certainly not a permanent change, it is just something I wanted to challenge myself with.  Not eating meat as a part of my daily diet allows me to be more creative in thinking of different ways to execute a dish and incorporate new ingredients.  It also forces me to think before eating rather than mindlessly going about my daily food intake.  I am having so much fun with this new challenge I set for myself and I hope I can inspire some creativity in all of you, my readers.  Originally this recipe was intended to be vegetarian, but as I got near the end of the dish, I realized it is also vegan-friendly as I used no animal products to create it.

 

Leeks, Rice & Chard

Ingredients:

6 bell peppers
3/4 cup wild & brown rice mix
2 Holland leeks, only white parts
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 white onion, for tomato sauce
4 celery ribs, quartered and diced
7-10 button mushrooms
6 tomatoes on the vine; seeded & diced, 3 for stuffing, 3 for tomato sauce
1 bunch of green swiss chard, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 large can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes, for tomato sauce
Fresh parsley

 

Cut the green tips and the roots from the leeks.  Cut the leeks in half and slice them into half moons to make for easier cleaning; leeks contain a lot of dirt and must be washed.  Leeks

In a large pot, sauté the leeks, garlic and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes until they are softened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.  Add the rice, swiss chard and raisins along with the cumin, coriander and allspice.  Add enough water to cover the rice and season the mixture with salt.  Once the water comes up to a boil, reduce it to a simmer and cover the pot.  Allow the rice to cook for about 15 minutes or until most of the water is gone.  Rinse the garbanzo beans and add them towards the end because they are already cooked.  I decided to add the garbanzo beans to the recipe at the last minute to add texture and protein to the meal.  After the mixture is cooked, add fresh parsley and remove from the heat.

 

Swiss Chard

 

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°, cut the tops off from your bell peppers and remove the seeds from inside.  Lightly coat the peppers in olive oil and season the insides with salt and pepper.  The idea is to cook both the stuffing and the peppers separately before assembling them.  Cook the peppers for about 20 minutes until they are slightly softened.

 

Bell Peppers

Par-baked peppers

 

 

In a saucepan, heat olive oil and add the crushed red pepper flake allowing the spice to infuse into the oil.  Add 1 clove of garlic and the chopped white onion.  Sauté for a few minutes until the onions are soft.  Add the remaining diced vine tomatoes just before adding the can of tomato sauce.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer while you wait for the remaining components to come together.

Vine-ripe tomatoes

Remove the peppers from the oven and start the stuffing process.  Stuff these bad boys until you think they’re about to burst.  They can hold a lot of filling.  Spread some of the tomato sauce you made in the bottom of the pan.  Before placing the tops on the peppers, add some tomato sauce on top of the mix to ensure the rice mixture stays moist.    Place the tops back on the peppers and put the pan back in the oven.  Cook  the peppers for another 15 minutes or so; until the peppers are completely soft.

You must try this.

 

 

 

* Apologies for not having a photograph of the final product.  The peppers were ransacked by wild animals; wild herbivores.

*UPDATE:  My sister was kind enough to take some photographs for me when my mom delivered some peppers to her house the next day.  Enjoy!

 

 

Stuffed Pepper

 

 

Stuffed Pepper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

xoxo

Xristina    Marie

The   Refined   Palate

© Xristina Miros 2012

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My Latest Project

16 Jan

“Classic Diner Fare with a Modern Flair” ™

Ringwood Diner & Pancake House

Along with my blog, I have been occupied with a lot of side work to kick-start myself as a brand and a business.  The project I have most recently been working on is a family project.  My family has been in the food industry for years and this is the latest venture.  It has been my job to create all menu items and develop all of the recipes. I have also been put in charge of designing the menu and all logos.  Take a look at our Facebook and Twitter pages to view the menu, get updates and see our daily specials.  Follow us and spread the word.  Hope to see you soon!

 

Opening in February!

 

 

Ringwood Diner & Pancake House

 

 


© Xristina Miros 2012

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Chinese New Year

4 Jan

Jiaozi are Chinese dumplings that are more commonly known as pot stickers in the states.  Jiaozi are one of the major foods traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year.  Although Chinese New Year is not for a couple of weeks, I thought it would be fun to make them for New Year’s Day and surprise my family.  I also wanted to make my version of egg rolls.  I have never been a fan of the egg rolls that come with your Chinese food delivery, but since I made these myself, they were a hit.

 

 

For the Jiaozi:

1 package ground chicken
bunch of scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon lemon grass, grated
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 egg
Salt
Wonton wrappers, store-bought

Combine all the ingredients, except the egg, in a large bowl.  Crack the egg in a separate bowl and whisk in water to create an egg wash.  When making a mixture like this, I always take a small amount of the mix and cook it to make sure the seasonings are perfect before moving forward.  Line up several wrappers on a cutting board and drop one teaspoon of the meat mixture into the center.  With a brush, or even your finger tip, run the egg wash along the edges of the wrapper. Fold into a triangle and crimp the edges together.

 

 

Wrappers

Crimped Dumplings

 

 

After all the dumplings are formed, drop them into your steamer or directly into lightly boiling water.  I happen to have a bamboo steamer that I used to cook the dumplings.  After the dumplings are steamed, you can either leave them as is, or quickly pan fry them in some vegetable or sesame oil.

 

Jiaozi

 

 

For the Egg Rolls:

Bagged cabbage mix, from the grocery store
Bean sprouts
Shiitake mushrooms
Fresh mint leaves
Egg Roll wrappers, store-bought
Salt
Sesame oil

In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.  Add the cabbage, bean sprouts and shiitake mushrooms to the pan, season with salt and sauté until softened. Once the vegetables are cooked, transfer them to a strainer to rid of all the excess liquid.  You want the mixture to be as dry as possible before filling the wrappers.  Place a healthy amount of the filling in the center of the wrapper, place the fresh mint leaves on top and fold the bottom corner up.

 

 

Egg Roll

Egg Roll

 

After the bottom portion is folded up, tuck the sides in the same technique used to roll burritos.  Brush the egg wash on the remaining fold and roll the wrapper over to seal it closed.

 

 

Egg Roll

Sealed Egg Roll

 

 

Heat a neutral flavored oil, like canola or vegetable, in a large pot and carefully drop the egg rolls in.  Remove the egg rolls once they are golden and drain on a paper towel or metal rack.

 

 

Egg Rolls

 

 

 

The Dipping Sauce: 

Soy sauce
Rice wine vinegar
Mirin
Red Chili Paste

Combine each ingredient until you reach your desired taste.  The soy sauce is the salt component while the rice wine vinegar adds the acidity.  The mirin, which is sweetened sake, acts as the sugar.  The chili paste is optional.  Use this sauce for both the dumplings and the egg rolls.

 

 

Egg Roll

Jiaozi

Happy New Year!

xristina  ♥  marie

©  2012 Xristina Miros

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