Spanish Lasagna

I have such a hard time letting go in the kitchen. It is my special place a way from the kids and now they want in. It is great that they want to learn because then they know how to cook and it teaches culinary skills and math.  I love food from all parts of the world. My comfort food will always be my Spanish meals. 

This is my crazy lasagna that I made because my perfectly envisioned tortillas were made by my children. They made them a little to thick and not very round.   So I adjusted my smothered burritos to lasagna. Everyone loves that right?

 The ingredients:

Ropa Veja

Red chili sauce

flour tortillas

cheese 

I layered the ingredient. I started with the sauce which I learned after the first lasagna I made was very important. I don't think I am allowed to make traditional lasagna after that first time, somehow the pasta baled and became hard, it was pretty bad. After the lasagna is layered you put it in the oven and cook it until heated through.

Then after it is done cooking top it with guacamole, salsa, sour cream and anything else you want. I think this will be the only lasagna I will ever be allowed to make again. 

Red Chili sauce

I have never tried to make my own sauce. I am not Mexican and my Spanish family loves to remind me that when I cook. I have always figured if i want to food to taste amazing it needs days to cook so the sauce should be the same. Well I quickly learned that is not true. The sauce took a few hours and it was not really time consuming at all.

Ingredients:
5 cups chicken broth
1 onion chopped ( do not worry about finely cutting it)
3 garlic cloves
about 12 dried New Mexico chile peppers stemmed (it said seeded but I left it)
2 corn tortillas
Salt
extra hot sauce as needed

Supplies:
Ninja Master Prep (QB900B)
pot
knife and cutting board

Directions:
Sautee the onion and garlic until it becomes slightly soft and translucent in color.
Add broth, bring to boiling then reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Then add chile peppers and tortilla and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Strain. Put back into pot and simmer sauce for about 15 minutes until thickened.

Now you are ready to cook. 

Ropa Veja

As promised I am writing my family recipe that is my go to for large gatherings. My mom came from Panama but it was not until I got married that I learned about our family recipes. My grandmother was never good at sharing her recipes.  I buy a pork should for no more than $15 and can feed about 10 people. Once you add rice and beans plus topping it goes even further. If you make this you should really start it a day or even two before you want to serve it. The longer it sits the better it taste.

You will need: 

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt & Pepper

2 broken Bay leaves 

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1 jalapeño, Halved

2 large onions 

2 Carrots 

parsley

4 garlic cloves

pork shoulder ( my Grandmother used Brisket) 

Diced Tomatoes (1 1/2 cup)  and tomato paste

2 tablespoon chicken base

1/2 dry white wine (we do not use this but it adds)

1 tablespoon  white wine vinegar

1 roasted red, yellow, and orange

I start by tossing everything but the meat into the crock pot. I mix it and taste and adjust the taste until I get what we are looking for. Then add the meat and leave it. You do not need to cut the meat because by the end of the day it will just fall apart.