Friday, March 14, 2008

Aunt Billie's Mexican Vermicelli...

This was one of my favorites growing up as a child. When I got married and moved off to England - I quickly called Aunt Billie for this recipe. She is married to a Hispanic man and cooks authentic Mexican food everyday - even for lunch! My fondest memory of her is standing over her hot stove making homemade tortillas. The only hard thing about this is there's no real recipe - she does a little of this and a little of that!!! ughh... That's a really cruel joke to play on a recipe-follower like myself!!! ;) So, here goes... bare with me...


You crunch up the vermicelli noodles to 1/2"-1" or 1-2 little boxes of the noodles, sized just right. Melt grease in a pan - just enough to cover the bottom of your pan. You stir the noodles and cook until brown. Baby them so they don't burn!!! Once your noodles are brown, add a couple cups of water - just enough to cover your noodles. Season your noodles at this point with garlic powder or fresh garlic if you prefer, cumin, salt, and pepper. I wouldn't go too crazy with your spices - you can always add more at the end. Put the lid on and simmer on low. Once the water is gone add one can of whole tomatoes, cut up. Now it's time to taste and adjust your seasonings if you need to. Don't be afraid of the Cumin!!! Go ahead - give a couple more shakes! Besides the noodles, this is the most important ingredient!!!

Serve with Guiso or whatever you prefer. Since we're all visual eaters/cooks I promise to post a photo as soon as I can!!!

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