Vera Cruz Tomatoes Food

VERA CRUZ TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
• Cut tops from tomatoes; remove seeds and membranes. Place tomato shells upside down on paper towels to drain until filling.
• Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate, reserve drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. Return 2 tablespoons of drippings to skillet.
• Cook onion in the bacon drippings until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream, reserved crumbled bacon, and hot pepper sauce.
• Sprinkle tomato shells with salt; fill evenly with bacon and spinach mixture. Place tomatoes in prepared baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven until hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove, and top evenly with the shredded cheese. Return to the oven; bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

GRILLED FISH TACOS WITH VERA CRUZ SALSA

Steps:

• Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high for direct grilling. Sprinkle the halibut with the ancho powder, salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and charred on both sides, and just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.
• Using two forks, flake the halibut into large bite-size pieces and put in a large bowl. Pour over the olive oil and lime juice, and toss just to combine. Add the cabbage and cilantro and toss again.
• Serve the fish with the tortillas and Vera Cruz Salsa and let guests fill and wrap their own tacos.
• Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high for direct grilling. Toss the tomatoes and jalapenos with a few tablespoons of canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill both until charred on all sides and just soft. Remove from the grill and let cool slightly.
• Halve the tomatoes, remove the seeds and cut into small dice. Dice the jalapenos, including the skin and seeds. Put the tomatoes and jalapenos in a medium bowl. Add the onions, olives, capers, olive oil, vinegar, cilantro, oregano, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

VERACRUZ STYLE WHITE FISH

Steps:

• PREPARING THE SAUCE
• Over medium heat, fry the onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons of cooking oil for 4 minutes.
• Add the tomato, black pepper, and salt.
• Reduce the heat to low and cook the sauce for 15 minutes until the tomatoes have given off much of their liquid.
• Then, crush the tomatoes, onion, and garlic with a bean or potato masher.
• Next, add the spices and stir.
• Add the chicken broth.
• Add the chopped olives and capers and stir. Simmer for 15 more minutes.
• COOKING THE FISH
• After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, start cooking the fish. In a separate pan over medium heat, lightly brown each side of the fish in 3 tablespoons of oil.
• Once you have browned the fish on both sides, place each fish fillet in the simmering sauce.
• Cook for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly and the fish is fully cooked and has taken on the flavor of the sauce.
• Check the flavor of the sauce and adjust the salt if necessary.
• SERVING
• Serve the fish with white rice. First, put the rice on the plate then place the fish next to the rice. Gently spoon about 1 cup of the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

FISH VERA CRUZ

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, boil the tomatoes, jalapenos, oregano, and garlic salt for about 8 minutes, or until tomatoes have cooked down to a liquid. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. *Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Return sauce to pan, add chopped onion and cilantro, and stir well. Heat through and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (you can use as little as 2 tablespoons oil to up to 1/2-inch deep). Season fish with salt and pepper and then carefully place in the pan; this may require adding the fish in 2 batches if your skillet is not large enough to hold all 4 fillets. Saute or pan-fry the fish until cooked on 1 side (fish will be opaque on that side). Carefully flip fish and continue cooking until cooked on second side and cooked through in the middle; the fish should be opaque in the middle. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of the fish fillets and the type of fish, but it should not take more than 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer fish onto a serving platter or each of 4 dinner plates and top with the sauce. Serve immediately.

VERA CRUZ TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cut tops off tomatoes and scoop out centers, leaving tomato bowls. Sprinkle salt inside tomato to draw out some moisture, set aside.
• Cook the bacon till crisp in a frying pan. Drain; reserving 2 Tablespoons of the drippings. Crumble the bacon, set aside.
• Cook onion in drippings, stir in fresh spinach. Cover and cook till tender about 3-5 minute Remove from heat.
• Stir in sour cream, pepper sauce, and bacon.
• Pour any juice out of tomato bowls, fill with spinach mixture.
• Bake in pan at 375 for 20-25 minute.
• Top with cheese and heat till cheese melts and is bubbly.

VERACRUZ SAUCE (FOR FISH OR CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Warm oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic briefly to release its flavor.
• Add tomatoes and onions and cook over low heat until tomatoes soften, about 20 minutes.
• Add jalapeño, olives, oregano, capers, water, and salt, to taste. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
• Serve Veracruz Sauce over grilled or pan-fried white fish or chicken breast. Accompany this with white rice , if you like.
• Use one whole red snapper of about 3 pounds or two pounds of snapper filets. If using the whole snapper, clean it and remove the scales, but leave the head and tail on for presentation.
• Prick the fish with a fork on both sides.
• Lay the fish (or the filets) in a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Whisk together 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and 2 cloves (diced) of garlic. Pour this marinade over the snapper and refrigerate for about an hour.
• Make Veracruz Sauce (above), but reduce garlic to only 2 or 3 cloves. Simmer sauce for only about 5 minutes after adding jalapeños and other ingredients, as it will finish cooking in the oven.
• Cover the fish with the sauce and bake in a 300 F (150 C) oven for about 30 minutes, turning once.