The Best Nacho Refried Beans you will ever Eat!

Mexican food has been a staple since I was in the womb. Pancho Villa's in Mamaroneck was some of the only food that my Mom could handle when she was pregnant with me. They used to have these nacho chips they fried in-house, topped with refried beans, monterey jack and a jalapeno slices. Simple and so satisfying. Big Poppa has been making some iteration of those nachos my whole life. We made them just recently, at Kayla's (my sister) behest after much begging. She was off to college and wanted one more taste, plus she wanted to know how to make them while she was up at school. Thus the post.

I have to fuss with things. Its my nature as a cook. Sometimes things just do not taste right. Like a big can of old el paso refried beans. There is no way they taste great if you just heat them up. Fuss paid off because everyone went crazy for the beans. "Paulie, you have to post this!" Here you go Kay.

Ingredients:

1 31oz. Can of old el paso refried beans
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
Olive Oil or Corn Oil
2 small tomatillos, diced (optional)
1 large tomato or 2 small ones, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp of Cumin
1 tsp Adobo, more for seasoning probably
Chicken Broth or Water to keep it vegetarian



1. After you have diced and chopped everything, place enough oil to have a thin coat at the bottom of the pot (I used a pot you would noramlly cook pasta in). Heat on a medium flame and add the onion, tomatillos and garlic. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the onions become translucent. If you are pressed for time and hate chopping/slicing or just prefer speed, drop the onion, garlic, tomato and tomatillo into a blender and chop everything that way--college style. Then saute in the oil.

2. Pop open that can of beans and ease "the shape" into your pot. Add 1/2 cup of water or chx broth and mash up the beans until they look more like refried beans then something that just came out of a can.

3. Add cumin and adobo. Cook for another 5 minutes. The beans will start to bubble. Stir and add some more water/chx broth.

4. Add chopped cilantro and tomato. Stir, if the beans are bubbling too much, lower the heat. In total I probably use 1 cup of broth , but thats a guess-timate since I always do it by eye until I reach a desired consistency. Thats it.

5. Add to tortilla chips, top with cheese and a sliced jalapeno and broil for nachos. Add some sour cream to make a bean dip. Spread it on a veggie wrap or with fajitas. Let me know how they turn out.

Ginger Sesame Lettuce Wraps

Protein and more protein; thats my crash diet prescription before the wedding. I have increased the gym regimen, lightened my portions and have been eating more chicken then my mother, who thinks it grows on trees based on her diatribes about beef and pork. I mostly blame wine and tostitos artisan recipe chips for the current slump. So it goes.

Chicken is a staple at the Inserra home. Rotisseries, chicken cutlets, chicken sausages, marinated then grilled, roasted, in salads...a staple. It is often regarded as boring and in its ubiquity can be. Its also a canvas for a myriad of flavors. It will soak up whatever you marinate it within moments and it can be amazing when roasted properly. Garlic also plays a major role in every dish cooked by Big Poppa so if you want to minimize the cloves from four to two that will work.

Lettuce wraps are fun, healthy and you can add nearly any vegetable to the filling; cabbage, carrots, string beans, peas.

This dish takes about 35 minutes, mostly chopping.

1 Rotisserie Chicken, stripped of the meat or 1 Package of Chx Cutlets with
4 breasts
I head of iceberg Lettuce
1/4 Cup Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
4 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Thumb sized piece of ginger
4 cloves Garlic, diced
1/2 Medium sized Onion, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 Bunch Cilantro, coarsely chopped

1. Break down the rotisserie or cook the chx cutlets. Set aside. Once cool, dice into small cubes.
2. Wash the lettuce, cut it in half and separate each leaf for wraps.
3. In a large sauté pan add the sesame oil add the diced onion and garlic. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Place the ginger in a blender with ¼ cup water. Puree. Strain the liquid with a sieve into the sauté pan. If there is any extra, use it for homemade ginger ale.
5. Add bell peppers, soy sauce vinegar and chicken. Cook for another 5 minutes. Taste. At this point you may want to add more soy sauce and or vinegar to boost the flavor. Once everything is flavored properly, add the diced cilantro, toss and place in a serving bowl.

Chicken Liver Paté

My first experience with chicken liver pate was at the French Culinary Institute. A classmate of mine, Long Xiong was sautéing a ton of these nasty looking organs, and in a separate pot he was boiling all manner of trees and leaves. It was all chucked into a food processor and pureed. He spread it on toast points and I was reluctant to eat it, which usually isn’t my M.O., but I did and it was one of those tastes I’ll never forget.

A year and a half later, on Thanksgiving Day 2008 I tried to replicate Long’s pate. It was different but still lip-smackin’ good. It’s perfect with toast points and wine jam!

Ingredients

1 Quart Chicken Livers
2 Branches Rosemary
6 Branches of Thyme
6 Sage Leaves
2 Bay Leaves
1 Pint Heavy Cream
½ Large Yellow Onion, chopped fine
1 Cup Sherry or Port Wine
Salt & Pepper

Yield: ½ Qt. of Pate

Procedure:

1. Pour the cream, bay leaves and herbs into a boiling pot. Reduce by half on high heat.
2. While the cream is reducing, heat up some vegetable oil in a skillet until the surface is rippling. Sauté the chicken livers on med-high heat until the bottom side caramelizes (appx 5 minutes or less) flip and brown. Once both sides are browned, remove the chx livers from the sauté pan, lower the heat and add the chopped onions. Sprinkle with salt and sauté. Once the onions begin to brown, pour off any excess fat and deglaze with the sherry or port wine. Reduce by half on high heat.
3. In a large food processor, add chx livers, onion/sherry reduction, ¼ small teaspoon of salt and pepper. Pour in the reduced cream. Puree for 1 minute. Taste and adjust.
4. Set in chilled ramekins and place in the refrigerator for an hour.

Tomato-Blueberry Bruschetta & Carrot Miso Canapes

The two titans of the summer season; blueberries and tomatoes are in abundance at all the farmers markets right now. I wanted to make some bruschettas for a party I was having and did not want to do the usual tomato, garlic, onion thing. Blueberries were close by and I was up in Maine a few weeks ago, tasted the first of the season on a hiking trail, and decided to roll with it. The combination was delicious. Garlic and blueberries though? First I blanched a bulb of garlic. Then I roasted the hell out of it, used three cloves and saved the rest. It was the right balance. The Fleur de Sel lends a subtle enhancement to the herbs de provence.

Tomato-Blueberry Bruschetta

1 Baguette
2 Tomatoes
1 Pint Blueberries
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Garlic Cloves, Roasted
Fleur de Sel
Herbs de Provence
Extra Virgin Olive oil

1. Slice the baguette into thin slices. In a small bowl, mix ½ cup olive oil and a few generous pinches of the herbs de province together. Lay bread slices on a cookie sheet. With a cooking brush or spoon, drizzle the mixture over the toast points evenly. Toast in the oven until golden brown. Allow them to cool on the side.
2. Wrap up the 2 cloves of garlic into aluminum foil, sprinkle with olive oil and roast at 500F for 10-15 minutes.
3. Dice up the tomato into small cubes. Drain excess water.
4. Halve or coarsely chop (depending on time and how fancy you want the bruschetta to look) the blueberries.
5. When the garlic is finished, puree it with the lemon and some olive oil.
6. Mix all the ingredients together except for the Fleur de Sel and spread on the toast points. Sprinkle salt onto the bruschetta.


Carrot Miso Canapés with Diced Scallions

I recently went to a David Chang chef demonstration at FCI. The kitchen at Ko was painted as a chef’s dream where new flavors are created using a myriad of techniques spanning Asian, Spanish and French cuisine. He’s not too far off the mark given the uber-positive reviews of culinary heavyweights like Ruth Reichl. One of the flavor combinations Chang’s team uses at Ko for vegetables is an equal mixture of sherry vinegar, miso and butter. It’s one of those tastes that when you taste it is branded into your gustatory memory. The combination is simple and brilliant. For canapés though it is too strong. So to dilute the intensity of the flavors I added a pureed carrot and almond milk. It makes a great spread for anything. Even as a sauce for pasta.

1 Tbls Butter
1 Tbls Sherry Vinegar
1 Tbls Miso
1 Large Carrot or 2 small thin ones
3 Tbls Almond Milk
Scallions
Baguette

1. Bring water to a boil. Peel and trim the carrot. Boil until soft.
2. Slice baguette and toast. Reserve and set aside.
3. Dice the scallions thinly and on a bias.
4. Heat up butter and Miso. Whisk together. Once melted and combined whisk in sherry vinegar.
5. In a food processor add all the ingredients except for the baguette and scallions. Puree.
6. Spread the mixture on the toasted slices and garnish with the scallions.

Clams Posillipo

Clams Posillipo reminds me of City Island where I grew up. As you are approaching City Island by bus or by car, the smell of the salty air hits you. For me it’s the smell of nostalgic days fishing and swimming in the bay. For most other people the briny scent evokes an appetite. There are a myriad of restaurants on the strip. The best restaurant on the mile and half long stretch is by far, Arties Steak & Seafood. This is where I first encountered one of the most delicious clam preparations. You don’t see clams garner much fuss in restaurants today. There’s always a raw selection of clams or baked clams or clams casino, but never much more than that. Posillipo is a neighborhood in Naples, Italy where this dish originates from and raises the clam up on high. The acidy and the buttery flavors play in your taste buds and the herbal notes add a distinctive harmony.

Clams and mussels are so simple to cook. Some butter, some shallots, some herbs and presto! Throw in a slice of bread for dunking or linguine and there’s a dinner that takes less than 20 minutes to make.

1Lb Littleneck Clams
1 Clove Garlic, Chopped
3/4 Cup Dry White Wine
½ Cup Water
½ Shallot, diced fine
3 Tbls Butter
4 Sprigs of Oregano, coarse chop
6 Large Basil Leaves, cut in a chiffonade
½ Cup Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
½ Lemon, Juiced

1. In a covered boiling pot add water, 1 Tbls of butter, white wine and ½ of your measured garlic. Bring to a simmer and add the clams. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Take the clams out and put them in a bowl, cover so they stay warm.
2. Strain the clam liquid through a fine mesh sieve to remove any sediment that may have been left on the clams. Clean out the pot you just cooked the clams in and pour the strained liquid back into it. Add the rest of the butter and throw in the tomatoes, shallots oregano and the rest of the garlic. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
3. Reintroduce the clams into the mixture. Add the basil and lemon. Cook for 1 minute more. Enjoy the buttery and briny fragrance then Mangia!

*Shrimp are a great addition to this dish. If you add them, do so with their shells on when you start to cook the clams. After the clams are cooked and set aside, deshell the shrimp. Wrap the shells in cheesecloth and cook the shrimp with the clams for a bit longer, as they take more time to cook. Cook the shells with the broth until ready to eat.

Mango Pico de Gallo

Its HOT outside. Which means your body is craving cooler foods like salads, fruits, fresh veggies and of course the occasional roast pork butt and burgers (It wouldn't be summer without those two things for sure). For those of you that crave the former, salsa's and 'pico de gallo' are the answer. This recipe is kind of a cross between the two. You can use it as a compliment to a grilled fish dish, or as a salsa for dipping tortilla chips into or just as a fresh salad to munch on. Its quick and easy to make; this took me 20 minutes.

1 Mango, diced into small cubes
2 Roasted Red Peppers
½ Lemon, juiced
½ Lime, juiced
1 Tspn Sriracha (See Shrimp & Steel Cut Oats recipe)
½ Tspn Salt
1 Tbls Coriander
1 Tspn Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ Large Red Onion, diced fine
1 Cup Cilantro, chopped fine

1. Dice up the mango into small cubes. This is more daunting than I lead you to believe. Toss the cubes into a large mixing bowl
2. I used ‘Roland Fire Roasted Red Peppers’. They are awesome and skinless, unlike the other Roland Red Peppers. You can of course roast your own but that takes 30-40 minutes. Dice’em up into similar sized cubes like the Mango.
3. Juice the lemon and lime in a separate small bowl. Add coriander, sriracha, salt and olive oil. Mix well with a whisk.
4. Dice up the onion and cilantro into smithereens! Are you having fun yet?
5. Toss it all into a bowl and mix. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with tortilla chips
6. Listen to all the laudatory comments you receive for less than 20 minutes worth of work.

*You may have observed Black Beans in the picture of the salsa, I did put them in but then wished I hadn’t. Leav’em out.

Composed Salads

Composed Salads

Every night at Sfoglia NYC there is an Antipasti Della Casa comprised of 3 different items, 2 are usually composed salads and it’s a great item to share. We used to make a plate of composed salads at FCI as well and they were fun, great to snack on plus it’s an easy way to experiment with new flavor profiles. The salads below could work individually as appetizers, side dishes or served with a protein. A good combo could be the cauliflower salad underneath a piece of seared halibut or cod with an olive tapenade or the radish salad underneath bacon wrapped scallops. The apple, rosemary, parmesan combination was the brainchild of my brilliant gourmand gal one morning when we made crepes. It is an awesome combo and could easily be the star of any dessert tart or ice cream flavor (minus the celery and olive oil). It’s also a super refreshing salad.

½ Head of Cauliflower
Olive Oil
Salt
¾ Cup Whole Almonds
¾ Cup Kalamata Olives, pitted
3 sprigs of Thyme
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon
Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Break off florets of cauliflower and place in a bowl. Drizzle enough oil to lightly coat the florets, add 2 pinches of salt and toss in a mixing bowl. Roast for 15 minutes. When finished place in a bowl.
3. While the cauliflower is roasting add 1 tsp of olive oil to a skillet. Heat for a minute and add the almonds. Add 2 pinches of salt. Coat evenly and heat until the skin starts to pop from the almonds or until they are a darker brown. Place in a bowl, add a pinch of black pepper and allow to cool.
4. Dice up the thyme, olives and almonds (once cool) and juice the lemon if you are using fresh. Combine the olives and almonds with the cauliflower.
5. Vinaigrette: Add the lemon and thyme to a bowl. In a slow steady, stream add 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil and whisk. Add some salt and pepper. Taste and adjust. Taste and adjust.
6. Mix everything up and serve.

3 Radishes
Bacon, 2 crispy strips
1/3 cup Almonds, toasted
1/3 cup Cranberries, diced coarsely
Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

1. Cook the bacon until crispy. Lay on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the grease. Let cool.
2. Prepare the almonds as described in the above procedure
3. Dice up the cranberries, radishes and bacon.
4. Combine all ingredients with ginger vinaigrette (Store bought is fine, the Paul Newman’s is good but I prefer the Japanese orangey looking ones, Annie’s has a good one and Makoto). Taste and adjust.

1 Macintosh Apple
1 Stalk of celery, peeled
Parmesan Cheese
1/8 tsp fresh Rosemary (1/4 if you are using dried)
Lemon or Lime
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Peel the apple. Use a melon-baller to get rounds and drizzle a enough lemon juice to coat (this prevents the apples from turning brown for an extended period of time). Reserve.
2. Rinse and peel the celery stalk. Slice very thin.
3. Vinaigrette: finely chop enough rosemary to yield a generous 1/8 tsp. Add to lemon or lime and whisk in olive oil in a slow and steady fashion.
4. Combine all the ingredients together and dust with parmesan cheese.
   

Cranberry & Goat Cheese Cucumbers with Ginger Dressing

Need some quick nosh food? This would not work for Super Bowl Sunday but any other time its good for a dinner party, a cinch to make and healthy to eat.

Whole Cashews
4 oz of Goat Cheese
2 Tablespoons of dried cranberries, chopped
1 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 Cucumber
Ginger Dressing

Procedure:

1. Rinse & peel cucumber.

2. Dice up the cranberries and mash into the goat cheese with a spoon. Ground in the pepper and mix.

3. Scoop up the goat cheese/cranberry mixture onto the cucumbers. Garnish with cashew and ginger dressing.

4. Wipe away all the sweat and tears it took to make this tasty app.

Vegetable Napolean with a Tomato Rosemary Vinagrette

Napoloean 1 Butternut Squash, cut into 1” width rounds 1 Red Onion 2 Large Portabella Caps ¾ Cup Ricotta Cheese ½ Cup Walnuts, toasted and finely chopped Salt ½ Tbsp Rosemary 3 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Butter

Tomato & Rosemary Tomatoes, emonder, seeds removed, cubed 1/2 Clove Garlic, diced fine ½ Tbsp Rosemary, Chopped fine 1/s Tsp Ground Coriander seeds Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Procedure:

Prep

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Cut squash into 1” width rounds and bake until squash is softened but firm. Appx 30 minutes. Reserve and keep warm.
3. Toast the walnuts, sprinkle with salt. Chop and add to ricotta mix well with a dash of salt.
4. Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan. Core tomatoes and make an “X” on the opposite side. Boil for 1 minute. Drain, cool and peel off skin. Seed the tomatoes, discard the whites, cut tomato into cubes AND reserve the juice of the tomato that leaked onto the board.
   
5. Slice red onion into 1” rounds.
6. Heat butter in a skillet with rosemary and olive oil. Add reserved tomato juice. Cook for 2 minutes on med-low heat. Mix well. Spoon this over the onions & Mushroom. Roast the mushrooms at 350 F for 10-15 mins.
7. Dice garlic.
8. Add balsamic vinegar into a mixing bowl and in a slow steady stream pour in olive oil and whisk. Once emulisified add seasoning and garlic. Don’t dress the tomatoes yet.

To Serve

1. Flash the onion, mushroom and squash in the oven to reheat. No more than 5 minutes.
2. Dress the tomatoes with the herb & vinaigrette emulsion, toss and mix well. Season if needed.
3. Assemble. Top with ricotta/walnut quenelle.

Dill Yogurt & Sundried Tomato Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
-1 Rotisserie Chicken
-6 Baby Carrots (or one whole carrot)
-3 Stalks Celery
-1 Macintosh Apple
-¼ Onion, diced
-8 Sundried Tomato Wedges
-¾ Cup of Plain Yogurt
-¼ Cup Dijon Mustard
-Lemon
-Salt
-2 Dill Branches





The picture is more fancy than chicken salad needs to be, especially when you will just be throwing all the ingredients together. This recipe is really easy and the time is absorbed only by the cutting/slicing of the vegetables and the breakdown of the chicken which shouldn’t take more than ten minutes. I substitute yogurt for mayonnaise in everything recently and its much healthier. Dice up the dill and mix it with yogurt, lemon and salt.. After the veggies, fruit and chicken are sliced and diced add everything else. Taste and adjust the seasoning.