• 19Jun

    Corduas Share Family Recipe for Father’s Day

    Gallo Pinto is a rustic dish of red beans and rice that is a staple in many Latin homes. It has many names throughout Latin America such as: casamiento, moros y christianos and tacu tacu.  But for the Cordua kids it has much deeper meaning. This recipe has been passed down through generations of Corduas in their homeland of Nicaragua and preparing it is a true labor of love.

    For the first time ever, father and son Michael and David Cordua,
    share their family’s recipe with the public and show restaurant journalist Cleverley Stone how to make Gallo Pinto.

    On the web: www.Cleverley.com and www.Cordua.com

    Recipe:  Gallo Pinto

    Submitted by Michael Cordua & David Cordua
    Owners/Chefs: Americas, Artista, Churrascos & Amazon Grill restaurants, Cordua Catering & Events, Houston, Texas

    Ingredients

    1/2 lb     red beans (smaller Nicaragua beans preferable)
    1 each   yellow onion, cut in half
    3 each   garlic clove
    2 cups   basmati rice
    4 oz        vegetable oil
    10 oz.    cooked Churrasco (grilled meat) beef tenderloin, pulled
    salt
    pepper
    Preparation

    1. Soak beans overnight.
    2. In a large pot bring beans to a boil with water to cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour and add garlic cloves and salt. Continue cooking for 2 hours adding water as needed until beans are very tender.

    3. Slice a half onion to a large dice and fry in 3 ounces of vegetable oil at medium low heat for 6 minutes or until onion is deep golden color.  Strain and reserve oil.

    4. Fry red beans in onion flavored oil for 15-20 minutes, slightly breaking beans with a wooden spoon.

    5. Cook rice in three cups of salted water for twenty minutes at medium low heat while covered.  Cool rice in refrigerator.

    6. Finely mince the second onion half and sweat in 2 tbsp of vegetable oil.  Add refried slightly broken beans and fry for a second time.

    7. Fold in cold cooked basmati rice and lastly add pulled Churrasco (grilled meat) beef tenderloin.

    8. Serve with fried eggs for breakfast or grilled meats for lunch or dinner.

    ——————

    For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston, catch Cleverley’s radio show, Saturdays at Noon on KIKK 650 AM.

    (PS: She gives out free restaurant gift certificates on every radio show!) See www.Cleverley.com for details.

    Filed under: Cleverley Stone, Entrees, FOX 26 Morning News, Features, Recipes, Snacks and Desserts
    Tags: , , , ,
    Comments Off
  • 27Jun

    Island Pork with Tropical Rice and Spicy Apricot Drizzle

    Source: Cleverley Stone, courtesy of Mahatma Rice

    Recipe serves 6 to 8. Click here to watch Cleverley and Debbie Jaramillo of the Mahatma Rice test kitchen prepare the recipe on FOX 26 Morning News.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 pork tenderloins, trimmed
    • 1 can (13 to 14-ounce) coconut milk (stir well before measuring), divided usage
    • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
    • 1 fresh lime, juiced and grated zest
    • 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
    • 2 tsps chili paste with garlic
    • 3 cups pineapple juice, divided usage
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 1/2 cups Mahatma® Jasmine Rice, uncooked
    • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed firmly
    • 2 tbsps soy sauce
    • 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
    • green onions, thinly sliced
    Directions:

    1. Butterfly tenderloins by cutting through each lengthwise about ¾ of the way through.
    2. Open like a book, pressing with hands to flatten slightly.
    3. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of the coconut milk (reserve remainder for later use), ginger, lime juice (reserve zest for later use), black pepper and chili paste, blending well. Spoon over pork, coating well, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight, turning occasionally.
    4. In a large saucepan, blend remaining coconut milk with 2 cups pineapple juice (reserve remainder for later use) and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add rice; stir well, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer undisturbed for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for about 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
    5. While rice is cooking, preheat outdoor grill to medium heat. Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade. Oil the cleaned grill rack, then place pork on rack, close lid and cook until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 10 to 15 minutes total, turning once. Remove pork to a cutting board; tent loosely with foil to keep warm. Let rest for about 5 to 8 minutes.
    6. Meanwhile, to make Spicy Apricot Drizzle, in a saucepan combine remaining 1 cup pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced to about ½ cup, about 6 to 8 minutes (watch carefully – timing may vary). Add apricots, blending well, then reduce heat to very low and let simmer for several minutes.
    7. To serve, cut pork tenderloin into approximate ¼-inch crosswise slices. Divide rice among 6 serving plates. Top with sliced pork; drizzle with apricot mixture. Sprinkle with green onions and reserved lime zest and serve immediately.
    Filed under: Cleverley Stone, Entrees, FOX 26 Morning News, Features, Recipes
    Tags: , , , , ,
    No Comments
  • 04Jun

    Balsamic Caramel Beef with Texas Shiitake Mushrooms with Organic Rice & Toasted Coconut

    Source: Monica Pope

    Ingredients:
    1 ½ lb Texas Beef , cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
    (all-natural, no hormones/no antibiotics)
    1 cup Flour, seasoned with
    2 tbls kosher salt & 1 tbls freshly ground pepper
    2 tlbs grapeseed oil
    2 cups Texas Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
    2 cups your favorite organic rice
    ¼ cup shaved coconut, toasted, to garnish

    Caramel Sauce
    2 cups organic chicken stock
    2 tbls kecap manis (sweet soy sauce – see note below)
    2 tbls balsamic vinegar
    1 tbls Wholesome Sweeteners organic sugar
    6 cloves organic garlic, peeled and thinly sliced 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

    Directions:
    Cook your favorite rice as per the instructions on the package (we like to use Japanese sticky rice). Keep warm until ready to serve.

    While waiting for your rice to cook, combine all ingredients for the caramel sauce and set aside. Saute your mushrooms in grapeseed oil and then set aside.

    Dredge the beef cubes in the seasoned flour. Pat off excess flour and sear in a sauté pan that you have drizzled with grapeseed oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. This will cook the beef only halfway. Do not put too much beef in the pan at one time – make sure there’s just one layer in the pan. Do as many batches of beef as you need; wipe the pan clean after two batches.

    Put all of the seared beef, along with your mushrooms, back in the pan. Pour in ½ cup caramel sauce and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat, shaking pan occasionally, until the sauce has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes (add more caramel sauce in ½ cup increments if sauce starts to thicken too much).

    TO ASSEMBLE: Mound rice in the middle of the plate. Top with beef and balsamic-caramel sauce. Garnish with toasted coconut.

    NOTE:
    If you cannot find Kecap Manis, you can make your own sweet soy sauce by combining 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbls molasses and 1 tbls sugar.

    Filed under: Entrees, FOX 26 Morning News, Sides, Wine
    Tags: , , , , , ,
    No Comments