Exploring Uruguay

Expat & Travel Resource Guide

Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Zesty Chicken and Vegetable Stew

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ChickenStew

Mushrooms are expensive in Uruguay (compared to the States), so we don’t cook with them as much as we used to. But, I saw a pretty good price on them at Devoto, so I picked up a large package and that’s where this recipe was born.

This chicken and vegetable stew is a delicious, healthy treat. In addition to being served as a stew as shown in the picture, it would also be great served over rice or pasta. Just add a bit more tomato paste if you’re serving over pasta.

I have mentioned in other recipes (like the chicken taco salad recipe) that we typically reserve the chicken breasts from our roasted whole chickens for a second meal. This is the ideal way to prepare this stew.

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 4 cups mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • ½ teaspoon parsley
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon grape seed oil

Directions:

  1. Heat grape seed oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat
  2. Sauté bell pepper and onion until soft, about 5 minutes
  3. Add garlic and mushrooms
  4. Sauté until mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes
  5. Add chicken, hot sauce, spices and tomato paste
  6. Sauté until everything is heated through, about 8-10 minutes
  7. Serve

Tips and Modifications:

  1. If you’re looking for a little extra flavor, try topping the stew with some fresh-grated Parmesan.


Recipe of the Week: Chicken Taco Salad

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Tacosalad

On last week’s Recipe of the Week for Black Bean Soup, I promised that this week’s recipe would be for Chicken Taco Salad. The two recipes go great together for a light, but delicious dinner.

Whenever I make a whole chicken, we typically eat everything except for the breasts the first night, then use the breasts for a separate recipe the following night. This is how I make the Chicken Taco Salads.

You don’t need to use dressing with this salad. The Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Mexican hot sauce combine to make a perfectly flavored “dressing.” Enjoy.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of lettuce
  • 2 chicken breasts, diced (2-3 cups)
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 3 cups pico de gallo
  • 2 cups avocado, diced
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground cumin
  • Mexican hot sauce, to taste


Directions:

  1. Shred the lettuce and place it into four bowls
  2. Add ¾ cup pico de gallo to each bowl
  3. Add ¼ cup black beans to each bowl
  4. Sprinkle cumin over the diced chicken and mix
  5. Add diced chicken to bowls
  6. Add ½ cup diced avocado to each bowl
  7. Add ¼ cup shredded cheese to each bowl
  8. Top with ¼ cup sour cream
  9. Cover with Mexican hot sauce, to taste
  10. Serve

Tips and Modifications:

  1. To make 2 larger servings rather than 4 medium servings, simply double the portions listed in the directions
  2. When making black bean soup, reserve one cup of black beans for this recipe


Recipe of the Week: Black Bean Soup

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Black Bean Soup is great for a light, healthy lunch. Or you can pair it with a Chicken Taco Salad for a tasty dinner (come back next week for that recipe). It’s thick, filling and full of fiber and protein.

This recipe for Black Bean soup is very easy to make. The longest part of the preparation is soaking the black beans overnight and cooking them. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups Black Beans, cooked, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (or to taste)
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (optional)
  • 1 cup sour cream (optional)
  • Mexican hot sauce (optional)


Directions:

  1. Dice and mince vegetables
  2. Heat pan over medium heat
  3. Add grapeseed oil and heat
  4. Sautee onion until slightly translucent, 1-2 minutes
  5. Add garlic and jalapeño and sauté for 1-2 minutes
  6. In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño and water
  7. Transfer to blender and blend until smooth
  8. Pour into a sauce pan
  9. Heat until warm
  10. Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream and hot sauce

Don't forget to come back next week for our Chicken Taco Salad recipe.

Recipe of the Week: Conch Ceviche – Guest Post

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The following is a guest post from Billy Broas of BillyBrew.com. He writes about craft beer, and truly believes that beer is food. Billy has a great website for all of us beer lovers out there. If there's anything you ever wanted to learn about beer, Billy is "The Man" to learn it from.

Billy has a fantastic recipe for Conch Ceviche he wanted to share… Well, I'll let him get into the details.

Billy, thanks for hooking us up… We can't wait to try this recipe.

Conch Ceviche:



After Brian's video "Exploring The Beer of Uruguay" I had a good understanding of the beer scene in Uruguay. Like most South American countries, its people like their brews light, cold, and refreshing. The main type of beer is lagers, as we beer geeks refer to them, as opposed to their more full bodied cousins called ales.

A good beer + food pairing matches intensities. I chose ceviche not only because it is a tasty South American dish, but because its mild flavor goes well with the mild and refreshing characteristics of the local beer.

For the beer to pair with I would choose the Patricia Lager, a common offering in Uruguay.
So here is the delicious ceviche recipe that I recently prepared. I used conch instead of fish, which is tougher to find but tastes great. Conch takes some slightly different preparation, which I highlighted in italics if you choose to go that route.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. any white fish or conch
  • 1/2 cup lime juice (fresh squeezed)
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (same deal as lime, the real stuff)
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 habanero chile, sliced

Procedure:

  1. Patricia Lager Place the fish on a cutting board and chop into 1/4-1/2 inch chunks.

    – For conch, you will need to pound it flat with a meat tenderizer.

    – Make one pass over it, then turn it 90 degrees and pound away for another pass. Turn and pound once more, then chop into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces as you would with fish.

  2. Put the fish into a bowl or baking dish with the lemon and lime juice and cover.

  3. Place container in the refrigerator and let sit for at least 3 hours.

    – Overnight works well too. That's what we did and it turned out super tender.

  4. Take the container out, mix in the habaneros, and let sit for another hour.

  5. Drain the container and put the mixture in a mixing bowl. Add the onion, cilantro, tomato, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Squeeze about a tablespoon of lime juice over the mixture.

  6. Place in a bowl and eat with a fork or scoop onto tortilla chips.

Most importantly, grab a cold Patricia Lager to wash it down. The sweetness from the malt does a good job to soothe the acidity from the ceviche.

Cheers!

Billy

Recipe of the Week: Pigs in a Blanket (Stuffed Cabbage)

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Cabbage

I used to eat these a lot growing up and forgot about them until we had a large head of cabbage that needed to be used.

When I suggested making Pigs in a Blanket, Brian thought I meant the hotdog version so he was confused (since I don’t eat hot dogs).

It is a bit of a process to make this recipe, but they’re good and the recipe makes a lot, so it’s great for a meal where you want to have leftovers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ kilos (3 pounds) extra lean ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon, salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 cups white rice, cooked and cooled
  • 1 large cabbage
  • 5-6 large tomatoes, peeled and crushed
  • 4 cups homemade chicken broth
  • Olive oil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 160° C (325° F)
  2. Coat large roasting pan with olive oil and set aside
  3. Wilt head of cabbage in large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes
  4. Remove cabbage from pot, cool slightly and separate leaves, taking care not to break the leaves
  5. Mix ground beef, cooked rice, garlic, salt, paprika, cumin, oregano and pepper.
  6. Form 3-inch balls
  7. Place meatball into cabbage leaf and fold leaf around the ball.
  8. Place into roasting pan, folded side down
  9. Repeat until all filling is used
  10. Cover cabbage rolls with crushed tomatoes
  11. Pour chicken broth over the rolls
  12. Cover roasting pan and bake for 2 hours or until cabbage is tender

Tips and Modifications:

  1. Top with hot sauce and/or cheese
  2. You can omit the cumin and replace with a teaspoon of basil and ½ teaspoon of rosemary for an Italian flavor; top with cheese and/or ketchup.



Recipe of the Week: Quick n’ Easy Honey Mustard Wings

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Wings

This recipe comes from Brian’s bachelor days. I have never been big on using a microwave, so I was skeptical when Brian suggested cooking chicken wings using it. However, they turned out really good.

If you need to whip up a quick appetizer and don’t have time to use the oven (or just don’t want to use the oven in this heat!), give this recipe a try.

Ingredients:

  • ½ kilo (1 pound) chicken wings (cut at the joints)
  • 1 cup yellow mustard
  • 1 cup honey

Directions:

  1. Mix yellow mustard and honey until well combined
  2. Coat the chicken wings and place on a microwave safe plate
  3. Place plate in microwave
  4. Cook on high for 10 minutes, or until fully cooked
  5. Stop, flip and rotate the chicken every 2 minutes
  6. Serve

Tips:

  1. You make these honey mustard wings in the oven; set the oven to 200° C (400° F) for 20-25 minutes. Be sure to flip and rotate the wings at 10 minutes.



Recipe of the Week: Peach Sorbet and Chocolate Ice Cream in a Bag

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On Tuesday, we posted a video of Zoë making her very own Peach Sorbet in a bag. It’s a very easy recipe to make, and much less expensive than the store bought ice cream here in Montevideo.

We also made Chocolate Ice Cream using this method and it came out good. With the heat, it melted very fast, so be prepared to eat it right away!

If you’re looking for an inexpensive (and fun) way to cool off, give this recipe a try.

Peach Sorbet Ingredients:

  • 1 cup peach juice
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup rock salt
  • 1 pint-size Ziploc
  • 1 gallon-size Ziploc
  • Ice cubes

 

Chocolate Ice Cream Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons powdered cacao
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup rock salt
  • 1 pint-size Ziploc
  • 1 gallon-size Ziploc
  • Ice cubes

Directions:

  1. Fill the large Ziploc half full of ice, then add the rock salt
  2. Seal the bag
  3. Put the juice, sugar and vanilla for sorbet (or milk, cacao, vanilla and sugar) for the ice cream into the small Ziploc
  4. Seal it
  5. Place the small Ziploc inside the large one and seal it again carefully
  6. Shake until the mixture becomes ice cream, about 5 minutes
  7. Take the small Ziploc out of the large one and scoop the sorbet or ice cream into a bowl
  8. Serve promptly because it melts quickly!

Tips and Modifications:

  1. Make sure the Ziplocs you use seal well – we used the type with the slide top and they leaked quite a bit while we were shaking them
  2. You can make vanilla ice cream by using ½ teaspoon of vanilla and no cacao
  3. Try out other types of extracts or juices for new flavors

If give this recipe a try, let us know what you think! We’d love to hear about any modifications or new flavors you experiment with.



Recipe of the Week: Brian’s Original Chinese Orange Chicken

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This is one of Brian’s best recipes. If you like Chinese Orange Chicken, you will love this recipe. Because we are in Uruguay and the beef is awesome here, he does a Chinese Orange Beef that is spectacular as well. The best part about this recipe (besides the fact that it tastes fantastic) is that it’s quick and easy to make.

Orange-chicken

Ingredients:

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon Red Pepper Hot Sauce (Tabasco works)
  • ¾ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ¾ cup honey
  • Zest from 1 large orange (If you don’t have a zester, use a cheese grater)
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

Batter

  • ½ cup corn starch
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 eggs

Other

  • 1 whole chicken (or 2lbs of good beef)
  • Fried rice or white rice, prepared to package directions
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil

Directions:

  1. Mix sauce ingredients together in a mixing bowl and set aside
  2. Debone whole chicken
  3. Cut chicken (or beef) into bite sized cubes
  4. Combine batter ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well
  5. Place the chicken in the batter bowel and stir (coat the chicken)
  6. Turn the burner on high and heat pan until very hot
  7. Add sesame oil to pan and ensure the entire bottom of the pan is coated with oil
  8. When sesame oil just starts to smoke, add the battered chicken to the pan
  9. Fry chicken until cooked through and the batter is a golden brown
  10. Add the sauce and mix thoroughly
  11. Stirring constantly, bring sauce to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes
  12. Pour chicken and sauce into a separate bowl
  13. Serve over white or fried rice

Tips and Modifications:

  1. When you are washing the orange before zesting it, squeeze it until you can smell a strong citrus scent
  2. Make sure the sauce is well blended before it’s added to the chicken



Recipe of the Week: Twice Baked Potatoes

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Potatoes

These twice-baked potatoes go great as a side with steak or chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large potatoes
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • ½ cup grated cheese
  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • ¾ cup bacon, chopped and cooked
  • 2 tablespoons diced chives
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 220° C (450° F)
  2. Wash potatoes, poke a fork into them several times, wrap them in aluminum foil and place in oven
  3. Bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until soft
  4. Remove potatoes from oven and reduce heat to 180° C (350° F)
  5. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, leaving the foil on them
  6. Use a spoon to scoop the potato out of the skin and place in a large mixing bowl (its best to leave a thin layer of potato with the skin)
  7. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well
  8. Fill the potato skins with the mixture and place on baking pan
  9. Place pan in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes
  10. Remove from oven and serve hot

Tips and Modifications:

  1. Instead of mixing the cheese into the potatoes, you can also top them with the cheese before baking
  2. You can also cook the potatoes ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the twice baked potatoes



The Expat Cookbook: Recipe of the Week 2009

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We don’t have a new recipe of the week this week, but what we do have for you is a free copy of the eBook, “The Expat Cookbook: Recipe of the Week, 2009.”

This eBook is a collection of the Recipes of the Week from the Exploring Uruguay Blog for 2009.

The recipes include:

  • Buttermilk Pie
  • Strawberry Peach Crumb Pie
  • Spicy Meatloaf
  • Blueberry Crumb Pie
  • Peanut Butter and Honey Granola Bars
  • Crustless Chicken Quiche
  • Thousand Island Dressing
  • One Day Sour Dill Pickles
  • One Day Sweet Pickles
  • Empanadas From Scratch
  • Spicy Beef with Sweet Chili Sauce
  • Sour Cream and Salsa Chicken

Click here to download “The Expat Cookbook: Recipe of the Week, 2009" for free.

Enjoy!