Tag: Tomato

Restaurant Quality Homemade Salsa

Who loves Homemade Salsa?

Everyone loves Homemade Salsa.  Without a doubt, it’s kept my marriage together!  My wife loves Homemade Salsa and my ability to crank it out in a matter of minutes.  That’s what I want to share with you today. After you flip through this quick tutorial you’ll be able to throw together Restaurant Quality Salsa in no time.  All I ask is that you share this recipe and where it came from with everyone you share the salsa with.  As much as you would like to bathe in the spotlight by taking credit for this recipe, you can do us both a favor by crediting Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen for the ingredients and patting yourself on the back for being the genius that found this Homemade Salsa video recipe!  See, win win all around!

SalsaNow let’s break it down.  Do you like your Salsa mild or hot?  Notice I didn’t say “Spicy”.  It doesn’t matter which you prefer because either way, you are going to get the same amount of spices in this recipe.  But if you want to control the heat, then you’ve got to control the Peppers!  O.K., write that down (or hit the print icon above).  Onions and Peppers bring the Heat, so there has got to be a good balance.  Garlic spices it up a little bit, but it mostly adds that awesome flavor everyone is looking for in their Homemade Salsa.  I know that the Jalapeno’s I’m adding are HOT!  Because of this, I only add 1/2 of a de-seeded Jalapeno and 2 smokey Chipotle Peppers (which are optional).  Other than the seasonings, everything else in this recipe is relative to any other Homemade Salsa recipe you’ve ever had.

Homemade Salsa Ingredients:

6 Roma Tomatoes
1 Onion
1/2 Bell Pepper
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper without Seeds
2 Chipotle Peppers with canned Juice (Optional)
1 Handful of Fresh Cilantro
2 Garlic Cloves
1 tsp Chicken Bouillon
1/4 tsp Cumin
1 tbsp Oregano
1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Squeezed Lime

Add all ingredients to a Blender and serve.  Flavor because more potent and flavorful the longer it marinates.  So this salsa will get better in your refrigerator overnight if you can make it the day before you’d like to serve it.  Homemade Salsa, right here in the Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen!

Lobster Bisque with Langostino Lobster Tails

Lobster Bisque with LangostinoThe Lobster Bisque Challenge!

Lobster Bisque isn’t over rated, but it is often over cooked.  You’ll find that most recipes use a ton of cream to define their soup recipe as a “bisque”, then hours of waiting time to reduce.  Is all of this really necessary?  I say Nay-nay!  I’ll prove it to you in this recipe I’ve developed that not only cuts your cooking time in half but knocks out 2/3 of the fat content because you don’t really need that much cream.  Even Bobby Flay’s Lobster Bisque recipe has 6 cups of Heavy Cream in it.  Crazy!  I use only 2 and I promise you it’s just as good and if not, even better.

Langostino Tail MeatIn this Lobster Bisque Recipe I’m going to be using Langostino Lobster.  I honestly prefer Squat Lobster if you have it available.  The benefits of each are the same but there are some differences.  First, the price is incredibly reasonable.  I bought 3 pounds of solid meat, not shell, for just 20 bucks!  The difference in my opinion is a sweeter, softer lobster tail meat when you are using Squat Lobster to make Lobster Bisque.  Don’t ask me why, it’s just that way.  Regardless of the reasons, they’re both very affordable and they both make a very impressive Lobster Bisque come to life.

Lobster Bisque Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 tsp Tomato Bouillon
6 Roma Tomatoes
2 Celery Stalks
1 Carrot
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp Chopped Ginger
3 Parsley Sprigs
3 Large Basil Leaves
3/4 cup Red Wine (sweet)

1 Onion
2 Tbsp Butter
1/3 cup Corn Starch
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 lbs Langostino Lobster tails

Set the water and bouillon on medium heat on the stove.  Combine all the vegetables except for the onion in a food processor or blender and puree.  Then add mixture to the Tomato Stalk.  Chop onion and sauté until Caramelized, and then add the Corn Starch and Cream.  When the Cream thickens like a country gravy, add the seasoning and add all the onions and cream to the soup.  Chop half of the Langostino Lobster tails into small pieces and add to the Bisque.  Stir frequently and wait to reduce; 20 to 25 minutes.  It will burn the bottom if you’re not stirring!  Once it has reduced to your desired consistency, add remaining Lobster tails and serve.  If you are using large lobsters for this Lobster Bisque Recipe, all directions still apply, only adding the meat in increments isn’t necessary.