Translate

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

New Recipe: Week 16

Over the weekend we drove to Atlanta for lunch. Son3 was there along with some friends. We see him very seldom now, so we thought it would be a good to spend a couple of hours with him. Since they all live in NYC and can't get the good stuff there, the consensus was meeting at a BBQ joint.  We met at Fox's Bbq on Dekalb close to Little Five Points. If you are headed to Atlanta it is a tasty place to eat, but I would advise you to go at an off hour. The place is crowded and there is little parking. Very little parking! You know you are at a popular place when lunchtime on Saturday requires an off duty police officer who is hired to direct traffic OUT of the meager lot. I actually think he is there mainly to tell people where the offsite parking is. (about 2 blocks away)

There were nine of us for lunch and luckily our table was in a small private alcove off the main restaurant. First we ordered several appetizers for the table. (Fried dill pickles, burnt ends of smoked pork belly, and some tater tot concoction that consisted of tots drizzled in Brunswick stew, onions, peppers and cheese than topped with more tots and cheese)

Next came the main meals and except for me it was a parade of meat. I was not interested in eating bbq that early in the day so I opted for a grilled pimento cheese sandwich. Instead the usual slathered in butter and cooked on a flat top sandwich, the bread was lightly oiled and the sandwich was grilled atop a hickory grill. It had a wonderful wood fired smoke taste to it and almost makes me want to build a small version of a wood fired pizza oven in the back yard to have the same results at home. Notice I said almost!

Since the servings were copious and so many different dishes were ordered there was some food swapping and sampling among us. TheHub and I agreed the bbq itself was not the best we have ever eaten even though it was very good. We had bites of about 15 different items though, and there was not a single one that was not  extremely tasty. It is very hard for any restaurant to have dishes that are uniformly good and they hit the nail on the head with everything we tried. We will go back.

CJ, the dude sitting to my right was an Army Brat and from everywhere. He was thrilled to be back in the south for the weekend, and since he had lived in various southern locations he knew how to order. A couple or them, originally from the NYC area had a hard time wrapping their minds around the fact that mac and cheese was on the veggie plate options. For those of you who do not understand it, mac and cheese is decidedly part of a veggie plate in any decent place in the south which offers vegetable plate as an entree. For his "veggies" he chose mac and cheese and a "Frito casserole".  Now I grew up eating mac and cheese but I had never in my life heard of a Frito casserole. Hats off to Fox's with the service visual. His bbq basket came with his bowl of mac and cheese and a snack size Frito's bag  filled with the casserole. We were all impressed with the presentation!

I did take a peek inside the bag but did not taste it, even after CJ said it took him back to when he was a kid, and did offer me a bite. Since he seemed to enjoy it so much I figured it was worth googling to see if I could find a recipe for some home experimentation. Bingo!

                                                      Frito Casserole

1 regular size bag Fritos
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground chuck
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Mexicorn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 4 oz. can chili peppers drained
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I did not use this cause I did not have a can on hand and was not about to go shopping for some)
salt and pepper to taste (I only added pepper)
2 cups Colby jack cheese, grated (I used about 1/2 cup of cheddar)
Sour cream for garnish

Brown the onions and ground beef until the beef loses its color. Toss in the garlic and cook until it is wilted. Throw in the remaining ingredients except for the Fritos and cheese. Heat and stir well to incorporate everything.

Sprinkle a thin layer of Fritos in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cover with the meat mixture, then top with cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven until everything is bubbly.(About 10 minutes)  Remove from the oven. Put additional Fritos on each plate and spoon the casserole over them then add a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy.

When we were talking about having this, TheHub said he refused to eat it unless it was served in a cute little Frito bag. Now I was not about to buy individual serving bags of Fritos, especially since we buy Fritos only a couple of times a year for him to eat while watching a ball game, Silly boy!  He should know better than to try and out smart aleck a professional smart ass.

I did a few things different other than omitting the cream of mushroom soup. I sliced a medium zucchini into thin slices and tossed it in the pan when browning the beef. I also added a sliced orange bell pepper at the same time. I mainly wanted to add additional veggies to the meal. I did not put the cheese on top of the meat mix and put it in the oven. It was just the two of us and we did not care if it was pretty or not, plus the Frito bag held the heat and the cheese had melted by the time we put it on our plates.  I added some thyme, oregano, a dash of cayenne and some cumin because I like intense flavors and the recipe sounded milder than I prefer.

Neither of us had ever had it so we were not drawn into some nostalgic place, but we agreed it was tasty. I think a family with kids would probably love it because it seems to be more kiddie fare than adult food. Still it was a nice experiment, perfectly fine tasting and easy to make. Will I make it again ? Maybe, especially if we ever have leftover Fritos.  If I do make it again I will add additional spices to it and more vegetables. Grated carrots and some summer squash would be good additions.

30 comments:

  1. I had to ask Dr Google about Fritos. I think my partner would enjoy this. And hooray for adding extra vegies and spices.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it would be really good without any meat, just with veggies, sauce and cheese

      Delete
  2. Reminds me of the concession food, walking taco's, but with more vegetables. For anyone not familiar, it is basically serving tacos on top of Fritos or Doritos in the little bags with a fork.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never heard of walking tacos either. I think I need to get out more! Of course every festival or event around here features bbq as its main food.

      Delete
  3. I have nostalgia now for a Frito pie. They had a worlds fair when I lived in New Orleans and Frito pies were a main entry at one of the food booths. They were a small bag of Fritos split open sideways with chili, cheese. and sour cream. They were delicious. I worked downtown and if we really walked fast, we could make it down to the fair and back during lunchtime. Frito pie is what we got. The pie was a new thing for all of us and we really liked it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you feel the nostalgia coming on I would say make some. It was easy enough!

      Delete
  4. How could you not have ever had this or seen it? It's standard fare at any festival, school bazaar, etc. I've ever been to when my kids were small around here. Most at school functions but sometimes at festivals, carnivals, county fairs and flea markets. Maybe it's a Northern or Midwestern thing?
    Around here it's usually a basic chili with cheese sprinkled on top in a bag of Fritos and it's nowhere near healthy(except for the basic pinto beans in the chili). Good on you for taking this(or the Atlanta restaurant's version)and adding veg to it!

    I just bought Fritos yesterday at Weis and now I am looking sideways at the bag and going "Hmmm" in my head. Thanks a lot! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It must not be an Alabama thing. I have asked several people locally and no one has ever heard of it before, though several admit to floating a few Fritos on top of their chili bowls.

      Delete
  5. That was great you could do a two-hour drive to Atlanta and visit with NYC son. I would drive to Atlanta to see my NYC daughter.

    I am not a Frito eater, so I have never had a Frito pie. But, I have heard of it for at least the last 15 years or more. It is definitely not a Southern favorite that is found all over. Or, maybe it is not around here.

    I have seen the recipes, and I don't think there is soup in those. I thought it was Fritos in the bag, topped with chili and cheese. I don't remember if the chili had meat, beans, or both. A guy I knew said he had eaten it. I would definitely leave out the soup.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't see what advantage there would be to the taste to add the soup. Since I did not have a can it was pretty much a no brainer about not adding it. I have never seen it anywhere around here. Not at festivals, carnivals or anything like that. They may sell it at the state fair, but I have not been to it in over a decade.

      Delete
  6. The mushroom soup in there was a surprise!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a surprise for someone besides me. Not something I wanted in there!

      Delete
  7. Oh yum! I remember a simple version of these from Friday night football games. Fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It must not be a southern thing. I had never heard of it before.

      Delete
  8. I love Fritos but I'm not supposed to eat them because of the salt. I will make it this summer when we are going to a BBQ.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have learned to pour them into a colander and shake them around to get rid of a lot of the salt. I have never been a fan of really salty things and because of the Fritos, I added no salt. I still found the dish a little saltier than I prefer.

      Delete
  9. I have never heard of Frito casserole! But I do like Fritos, so, maybe I'll try making some, one day. Good of you to add more veggies to it. :) Glad you were able to see your son, too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I LOVE Fritos, but I've never had them like THAT before! OOOOOHHHHHH

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fritos are one of my favorite chips.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It must be a northern thing, as Sam and Sluggy said "walking tacos" are TOTALLY normal around here. Of course our version of this (which is VERY much the same) does not have the cream of mushroom soup involved but it sounds like you basically made walking tacos yourself by omitting the soup and adding common taco spices :)

    Side note, my husband LOVES fritos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must live under a rock, because I had never heard of them in my life.

      Delete
  13. I was thinking how much my daughter would like this recipe - she's in her late 20's but is still a kid :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love Fritos but have never heard of the casserole, it sounds great to me! Your grilled pimento cheese sandwich sounds great too! That is definitely not on any menu here in our part of the midwest, it southern for sure--I grew up eating it and loving it in Louisville. I just might have to make both of them soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now, grilled pimento cheese is fantastic and it is pretty southern. The Frito's casserole is different and I am still on the fence about whether I will make it again.

      Delete
  15. I sometimes make Frito Pie (with chili), but haven't made a casserole. Love the idea! This looks terrific -- thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by. It was OK but needs a few more modifications before I will be satisfied with it.

      Delete

Hey y'all thanks for leaving a comment. They are much appreciated. I read them all and do my best to respond to them, except for trolls or spam and I delete those suckers forever.