chicken

Traditional Mole Sauce recipe

Posted by Rick on in Recipe 0 Comment

Traditional Mole Sauce recipe

A nice version of the traditional Mexican sauce that is good on a variety of dishes.

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Directions:

  • Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat
  • Add onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon.
  • Cover and cook until onion is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
  • Mix in chili powder and flour, stir for 3 minutes.
  • Gradually whisk in chicken broth.
  • Increase heat to medium high.
  • Boil until reduced, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Whisk in chocolate; season with salt and pepper, if desired.

    • Options:

    Double the amount of chili powder
    Use a good quality dark chocolate. Sweeter chocolates like Hershey will throw the taste of the recipe off
    Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth for a vegetarian version

    Bread and Ink Cafe Review

    Posted by Rick on in Review 0 Comment

    Bread and Ink Cafe Review

    Originally posted: 11/11/02:

    3610 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97214 On Hawthorne, I’m currently at a toss up about this place. It’s busy, crowded, and the wait staff is harder to find then a good Sylvester Stalone movie. But… the food is good enough that it almost makes up for it. Dinner dishes range between $10-$15 each. Apparently the Coconut crusted chicken is their most popular dish, my date liked it a lot. I had the pork medallions, and while they were pretty good, I was disappointed in the portion size. Especially when compared to the chicken dish, or the steaks the couple at the next table had. Over all I’d give about 3 stars. When I say the wait staff is hard to find… I mean it. Somebody came by the table a total of 4 times, once to get our order, once to deliver drinks, then to deliver the meal, then the pay check. In the two hours I was there I feel that’s a little slow, especially when wanting a refill on the drink. Perhaps on a weekday when they’re not so busy, the service is better.

    Originally posted; 11/5/03:

    So a year later I try again. We went for Sunday breakfast. There was a line out the door and a 45 minute wait when we got there at 10am. Wandered down Hawthorne for a while and came back at about 11:30, was seated at 11:45, and had food by 12:30. The service was better, still not as great as I’d like it to be – especially for that side of town. But the food was just as good as last time. Eggs were perfect, home-style potatos were cooked perfectly in olive oil. The side of Canadian bacon I had was very good, and tasted organic. They make their own ketchup – my GF didn’t like it, but I didn’t mind as it has less sugar then the major brands so it had a tangy quality about it. It tasted like it was made of sun dried tomatos. The bill was about $25 including tip, about as much as we would have spent at Elmers. While there was smaller portions, we did not go away hungry. Oh – and they have crayons and paper on the table to keep you entertained.

    Originally posted: 10/10/05:

    Yet another visit. New GF, better service, same good food. I had home made cinnamon raisin french toast dipped in a vanilla cinnamon custard with the side of Canadian Bacon. GF had a Mushroom spinach omelet with the side of potatoes mentioned in an earlier post. The service was MUCH better this time. Arrived at 10:30. Got seated right away, had food by 10:45, out the door by 11:15. The waiter came by several times, filled water glasses, etc. All in all, this place is just getting better.

    Cheese Soup Recipes

    Posted by Rick on in Recipe 0 Comment

    Cheese Soup Recipes

    No clue where I got the basic recipe from. The Internet surely, but it’s been heavily modified so would be hard to find.

    “Basic” Cheese Soup

    3/4 cup butter
    1/2 cup thinly diced celery
    1/2 cup flour
    1/2 cup thinly diced carrots
    1/2 cup thinly diced onion
    2 tablespoons Parmesan Romano Cheese
    5 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
    6 Ounces Cheddar Cheese

    Melt butter; saute vegetables until done but not browned. Blend in flour. Slowly add chicken or vegetable stock, bring to a boil; cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Blend in cheddar cheese, Parmesan-Romano cheese. Add Salt and Pepper to taste

    Beer Cheddar variation
    As above, add 1 bottle of beer (Dark Ales are best,) along with the cheese

    Meat Variation
    Add 1 cup chopped ham (Serrano or other salty thin sliced hams work best,) or 8-12 chopped pieces of Bacon, or 4 chopped Sausages, or one chopped Kielbasa

    Extra Cheesy Variation
    Add 1/2 Cup White Cheddar, 2 Ounces Blue Cheese, 6 ounces Pepper Jack

    Mexican Variation
    Add 4-6 chopped Jalapenos or Habaneros – Do NOT Saute and remove seeds to decrease the heat. You can bake them in the oven for 4-6 minutes at 400 to give them a crispy “fire roasted” texture/flavor.

    Quick Variation
    1 Can of Campbell’s Cheddar Soup prepared as on can
    4 Ounces Grated Cheddar Cheese (a large handful)
    2 Ounces Grated Jack or Mozzarella

    Rick’s Variation
    Add 1/2 Cup White Cheddar, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce, six cloves of crushed garlic, Tabasco or Dave’s Insanity Sauce to taste