Maker Monday: Steffie’s Burrichisagna

 

1 pound meat (shredded or cubed chicken, ground beef, shredded pork shoulder, etc.)

1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

1 package taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

1 to 2 8 oz. packages of Mexican Blend shredded cheese (Straight cheddar can get greasy)

1 package 10” flour tortillas

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and taco seasonings together. Set aside.

Spread a thin layer of refried beans on bottom of ungreased 9x13 baking dish (if you start with tortilla, it can sometimes burn or be very dry.) Next, put a layer of tortillas. We usually chop two tortillas in half and place the flat edges against the edges of the dish to form a solid layer. Place another thin layer of beans over top of tortilla layer. Now layer of sauce, then meat, then cheese. Repeat with tortilla, bean, sauce, meat cheese until dish is almost full. We usually get around four layers with cheese on top.

Cover lightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Garnish with favorite hot sauce, green onions, sour cream, etc.

** Sometimes we add drained black beans or corn or a bit of salsa for added flavor and texture.**

Maker Monday: For the Love of Southern Biscuits

 

I have been on a journey for fluffy, soft biscuits like I ate (and made) when I lived in Alabama for years now. I grew up making biscuits with my grandmother and mother on an almost weekly basis. I love home made biscuits. When I moved out on my own, I made them less often, but I still enjoyed having fresh biscuits for breakfast or supper occasionally. I move all over the southeast U.S. when I was in college, and there didn't seem to be any change in my baking abilities. I moved to Minnesota in 2005, and it's like I instantly lost my abilities to make decent biscuits. It is the weirdest thing I have ever experienced.

Over the past 15 years I have tried dozens of biscuit recipes. I have tried different milk fat contents of dairy products. I have tried all different kinds of locally available flour. I have even tried carbonating water and then added powdered buttermilk to it. Cold butter, warm butter, crisco, lard. All the kinds of fats. You name it, I've tried it. Every time, I got flat, dense, not at all fluffy or flaky biscuits. 

WTF?! I used to make good biscuits with easy. I was stumped as to what the deal was. I did a lot of research. I read a lot of blogs, cooking magazines, and cooking books to try and figure it out. I just happened along an article about White Lily flour that lit a bulb above my head. I had always made biscuits with White Lily before moving to Minnesota. I haven't been able to find it here. The While Lily flour sold in the South is made from a winter wheat that is a softer flour than the kinds sold here in the Midwest. It has more protein in the flour, and that makes a different for lift and mouth feel. Who knew? It wasn't just me forgetting how to make proper biscuits. I put it on my list to stock up on flour the next time I traveled home to visit family.

In the mean time, COVID-19 happened, and everyone was doing a lot more experimental baking than normal. I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole and happened upon a video of a woman making biscuits with yeast (here is the video). I had never seen anyone put yeast in biscuits, so I was interested in giving it a a try. These were based on a recipe called Angel Biscuits printed in Southern Living magazine in I believe the 50s. No special flour needed. I had to give them a try.

You proof the yeast to add to your dry biscuit ingredients and then left the dough proof for at least two hours. Other than that, the process is pretty much just like any other biscuit recipe. One batch made a standard cake pan of regular sized biscuits and another 8x8 baker of mini biscuits. They turned out so beautiful! Golden and buttery on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside. 

They were a tiny bit more yeasty tasting than I want in a biscuit. We had let the dough proof overnight, so next time I will just do the minimum two hour poof to see if that makes a different in taste. Despite that one tiny opinional flaw, these have been the best biscuits we have baked in the last 15 years. Mission accomplished! They were perfect to pair with sausage gravy and scrambled eggs for breakfast.

If you've found this first recipe interesting, please look for another post coming soon on my re-do of my family's classic White Lily biscuits. I recently visited my mother and did a grocery delivery of some of my favorite regional items that I could bring home with me to Minnesota. One of those was a small stock of White Lily flour.