Cinco de Mayo {Shrimp and Chorizo Tacos}

I was thankful when a recipe for Seafood and Chorizo tacos popped into my inbox today from Food and Wine Magazine. The original called for shrimp and squid, but I made some adjustments to the recipe.  It seemed simple and a good choice for our modest Cinco de Mayo celebration dinner.

Shrimp and Chorizo Tacos (adapted from Food & Wine)

• 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
• 6 oz fresh chorizo
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp of Mexican beer (like Corona)
• 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• fresh corn tortillas
• avocado, sour cream and cilantro for serving

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fresh chorizo and smash with the back of a spoon to separate the meat. Once meat is browned and cooked (about 4 minutes) Add onion. Cook until onion is soft and translucent (about 8 minutes.)
2. Add chopped shrimp and beer and cook until done (about 3 minutes). Add fresh lime juice and cook for about 1 minute more
3. Place filling in warm fresh corn tortillas and top with garnishes listed above and enjoy (with the rest of that beer!)

Quick, easy and delish!

Happy Cooking!

sld

Barbacoa a La Güera

Barbacoa. Sound familiar? Even if you're not from Texas, it should. It is the word from which barbeque was derived. While the method comes to us from the Caribbean via Mexico, the interpretation of exactly what it is and how it's done is very loose. To those of us from around these parts, it is the delectable, unctuous filling for tacos made from....wait for it....a whole cow's head, slow-cooked until it literally falls off the bone. Historically cooked in a pit dug in the ground, and sold at markets only on weekends because of the labor intensive process, the barbacoa of today is more likely beef cheek meat that is slow cooked in an oven or on a grill as health department regulations frown upon the dirt pit and the little episode of mad cow has made obtaining a whole cow's head more difficult than it previously was. Typically, I'm not a huge fan of offal bits. There are some things I do enjoy (like fried chicken gizzards) but for the most part, I steer (sorry for the pun) clear of "variety meats" or other unusual cuts. However, it is these off-cast parts, these peasant foods, that are, often times, some of the best tasting, most surprisingly fabulous foods you'll ever have.

 As I've mentioned before, one of my previous careers afforded me the opportunity to be surrounded by amazing people of amazingly diverse cultures. It is there that I squeamishly listened to my friend and colleague, Gracie, regale me with stories of going to the market on the weekend with her father to get barbacoa. The purveyors were very proud of their product and to prove its freshness and quality, would offer her father an "ojo" or eyeball. Additionally, she spoke of the add-ons that could be purchased: sesos (brains) and lengua (tongue). The stories scared me away from this delicacy for far too long and it wasn't until I returned home from our stint living in Massachusetts that I finally got up the nerve  decided that I would give it a chance. Boy, am I glad I did. This stuff is delicious - tender, almost silky in texture, fabulously flavored meat topped with a few pickled onions and maybe a bit of shredded cotija cheese nestled in a super fresh, tender corn tortilla? one of the best things you'll ever eat.

Because so many places only serve this on the weekends, I decided to try to make it at home. I didn't imagine that El Syd would help me dig a pit in the back yard, nor would he help me to procure a whole cow's head, so beef cheeks and the oven it would have to be. 

What follows is what I've named barbacoa a la güera or white-girl's barbacoa. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Barbacoa a La Güera

• 2.5 lbs beef cheek meat (locally I find this at my HEB Plus; La Michoacana also has this available, if there is one near you. If not, beef brisket would be a good substitute)
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/2 C strong-brewed coffee -or- 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 Tbsp peanut butter
• 1 dried ancho chili 
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tsp cominos (cumin)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (plus more for cooking)
• 1 C broth (either beef or chicken - whatever you have on hand - water if you have neither)
• 3 limes
• For serving:
• corn tortillas
• fresh avocado(s)
• quick pickled onions (recipe to follow)
• fresh cilantro
• cotija cheese (if desired)

1. Clean and trim the beef cheeks. (Be forewarned - this meat is very dark and has a lot of connective tissue. You'll just want to remove any excess from the outside of the meat. Just as with brisket, the fat and collagen will dissolve when slowly braised resulting in that melt in your mouth, fork tender meat that you want for shredding) Place cleaned meat in a container that you will marinate them in. (I like a sealable bag.)
2. Reconstitute the ancho chili: remove stem and seeds from the ancho. Break into pieces and place in about 1/2 cup of hot water.
3. Either in a food processor or in a container deep enough for your immersion blender (my preference) place garlic, coffee (or granules), peanut butter, honey, cumin, 2 tbsp oil, and the chili and soaking water. Pulse into a paste/marinade. Pour over the meat and toss to completely cover/coat the meat. Marinate overnight if possible, but at least, 2-3 hours.
4. Once ready to cook: heat oven to 275F. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a dutch oven. Brown the meat on both sides. Use the broth to rinse the leftover marinade into the dutch oven. Add the juice of 3 limes into the pot. Cover and slow braise in the oven for 3 1/2 hours; turning the meat a couple of times to ensure even cooking in the braising liquid. If the liquid cooks away, add a bit more broth.
5. When meat is fall apart tender (check with a fork) remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove meat from pan and with 2 forks, pull the meat into shreds. (add a bit of the pan juices to the shredded meat - you don't want to miss out on all of that flavorful fatty deliciousness.)
6. To serve: heat tortillas (you may want to use 2 per taco for extra support). Fill with some shredded meat, a slice of avocado, some pickled onions and a little fresh cilantro and cotija cheese if you like. Serve and enjoy!

Quick Pickled Onions

• 1 thinly sliced onion (any type)
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 part water
• 2 parts cider vinegar
• a few stems of fresh cilantro
• 1/4 of a beet (or pickled beet) if you have it (will give the pickles a beautiful hot pink hue)

In a microwavable container, place all ingredients. Cover and microwave for one minute. Stir and microwave for another minute. Stir again and refrigerate overnight or at least until chilled.

While I know absolutely nothing about a slow cooker, this seems like it might be the perfect thing to do in one. Also, depending upon how many people you are serving and how many nights of leftovers you want to have, I would highly recommend doubling this recipe.

Happy Cooking!

sld

The Mighty Clone {Hot and Crunchy Chicken and Avocado Wraps}

El Syd and I are pretty passionate about our interests. He is a big NY sports fan (Jets, Knicks, Mets, thankyouverymuch); he collected (and uses on a daily basis) fountain pens; he has (in recent years) become quite knowledgeable about wine and pairing them with foods; he also has an amazing catalog of a wide variety of music.  I love antiquing and junking (especially collecting silverware and unusual serving items from the Victorian era like salt cellars and castor sets); I enjoy a good cultural or history museum; I love all forms of dance; and like El Syd, I, too, love music. 

It is this shared love of music that motivated us to initially attend the ACL Music Fest during its second year (El Syd will want you to know that the only reason we didn't go the the first one is because we didn't yet live here.) 

The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas, Zilker Park. Each year, the ACL Festival brings together more than 150 acts from all over the world to play rock, indie, country, folk, electronic and more on eight stages. Approximately 75,000 fans attend the festival each day; 225,000 over the entire weekend. 

Although I do threaten that each and every year will be my last, we haven't missed a year since our first visit.  We were there for the dust bowl year. We were there for the year of the rainstorms on day one, followed by mud pits on day two. We were there in 108F heat with me being five months pregnant (that was the year I was thiiiiiiiis close to saying never again and really meaning it). We were there for a fire. We were there for a herding, scary crowd of too many people to count trying to get to see The Lumineers last year. Every year there is something a little different to make the hallmark of that particular year, but one thing that has remained constant over the years is our my love of the Mighty Cone. 

What is a Mighty Cone, you ask? Well, I'll tell you one thing, it ain't your usual festival fare. No turkey leg in site. No giant sausage on a stick (although, I do like those every once in a while.) A Mighty Cone, my friends, is a study in all things delicious. Brought to you by Jeff Blank, chef at Hudson's on the Bend, start with a usual, everyday flour tortilla and use it to line a paper raspa or snow cone cup. Then, add a little dollop of the tastiest Mango-Jalapeno coleslaw right in the bottom. Next, add a crispy fried chicken tender or shrimp or avocado that has been dredged in a delectable,  sweet and spicy corn flake crust. Top all of that with a drizzle of Ancho "paint" and you have a taste sensation the likes that the typical fest has never seen. They are so popular that a food truck devoted to them was spawned and is located at 2512 Rio Grande St. in Austin.

So, when Memorial Day was on the horizon, I was looking for something different than the usual cookout suspects and with the ACL fest lineup for 2013 having just been recently released, I wanted to make these at home. I'd been calling it the Great Mighty Cone Recreation Caper, but after eating them, El Syd has deemed this endeavor "The Mighty Clone" 

This is another of those dishes that requires a bit of component preparation and then once everything is ready, you build your wrap. I'll describe what I did and as we go along give some ideas for how you might shave off some of the work if you're not up to following along with fidelity.


Mango- Jalapeno Sauce (yields close to 1 quart)

• 1 lb mangoes - peeled, pitted and diced (1/4in dice) (frozen will work too)
• 11/2 C white sugar
• 3 oz. white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp garlic
• 3 Tbsp purple onion - diced
• 2 jalapenos (lg.); seeded and sliced
• 1/2 Tsp salt

1. Combine the mangoes  sugar, vinegar, garlic and onions over moderate heat until you get a good simmer going. Lower heat to keep a low simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.
2. Add jalapenos and salt and stir well; simmer an additional 3-5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and cool to room temp. Using an immersion blender (or pouring into your regular blender), blend until you have a chunky sauce.
4. Chill well in fridge before making the aioli.

Notes: 

This sauce is absolutely divine on its own and would make a fabulous accompaniment to pork tenderloin grilled or pork medallions sauteed. It is also spectacular poured over cream cheese and served with crackers. Sauce will stay in fridge for 7-10 days or can be processed/canned for longer storage. I've not frozen it, but I think that would work as well.

 If you're not up to the task of making it homemade, Hudson's on the Bend sells the original sauce and Fisher & Wieser sells a mango habanero ginger sauce that would be a good substitute. 

Mango Jalapeno Aioli (yield approx. 2 Cups of sauce)

• 2 limes juiced
• 1 bunch cilantro rough chopped
• 1/2 C Mango Jalapeno sauce (made as above or use purchased)
• 2 cloves of garlic - minced
• 11/2 Cup Mayo

1. Combine all ingredients and chill at least 4 hours or over night.

Ancho "Paint" 

• 1/4 C of Ancho pepper puree (2-3 large ancho peppers soaked for at least 30 minutes in about 2 cups of hot, hot water. Puree the softened peppers in the blender with a bit of the soaking water.)
• 1 lemon - juiced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 C mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. (I attempted to use my immersion blender for this with fair results; the real blender is probably the better way to go here.) 
2. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: I suppose as a sub, you could mix a Mexican style hot sauce (like Cholula) mixed with some mayo.

Mango Jalapeno Slaw

• 1 1/2 quarts of cabbage - shredded (about 1/2 of a large cabbage)(or packaged slaw mix)
• 1 C carrot (coarsely grated or julienned)
• 2 C Mango Jalapeno Aioli

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl; the slaw will be (and should be) very moist.
2. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Hot and Crunchy Breading

• 1/4 C almonds (slivered, blanched)
• 1/4 C toasted sesame seeds
• 2 C corn flakes
• 1/4 C white sugar
• red chili flakes (to your taste; I used about 1/2 Tbsp and it was a bit too spicy for the tender palates in our family)

You can dredge chicken tenders, peeled and deveined shrimp or peeled, pitted avocados (cut into 8ths) or any combo of those. (Start with avocados and then follow with protein(s) to avoid contamination)

1. Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until combined into a coarse meal (do not over process; you want a bit of chunk to the breading) 
2. Set up a dredging station in 3 similarly sized pans:
1. Pan one: 2 C flour
2. Pan two: 2 eggs whisked with 3/4 C milk
3. Pan three: crunchy breading mix
3. Breading steps:
1. Dredge the item in flour first, until well dusted, then shake off excess flour.
2. Dunk the dusted item into the egg wash, wetting it entirely.
3. Place in the breading mixture and cover, pressing lightly. Remove and shake off excess. Set aside on a dry sheet pan until all of the items are breaded.
4. Cooking:
1. In a large, heavy saute pan, heat 5 Tbsp peanut oil (or canola oil -anything with a fairly high smoke point) Heat to about 325 F over medium heat.
2. Lay item in the hot oil and saute for about 3-4 minutes per side (less for shrimp) It should be a golden, crunchy brown if the pan is the right temp. Turn item only once.
3. Place on a warm sheet pan in a warm oven until all of the items are fried.

Final Assembly

Use a paper drink cone (if you have it; if not, these make great standard tacos); insert a warm flour tortilla into the cone followed by your hot and crunchy item ( we did one tender and one avocado wedge per cone) Add cold slaw and then a good sized dollop of ancho sauce. 

These things were delicious. Everyone loved them (except my son whose tender palate thought the breading was too spicy). My dear daughter commented "you know, I usually get tired of leftovers but I could eat these everyday." And, it makes such a big batch that we did just that for the better part of a week. 

Happy Cooking!

 sld

Salmon Tacos

I grew up in a family of hunters and fishermen. That meant that quail and dove were fixed* in the fall; venison (or, in the vernacular, deer meat) was served in the fall and winter.  The spring and summer were filled with fish caught on fishing trips to the Coast. My mother would either fry up those can't-get-any-fresher-than-that fillets in a cornmeal batter or saute them with some butter in a pan. We'd have a fresh vegetable (maybe some homemade cabbage slaw), and most probably a starch or some fresh corn on the cob to go along side the fish. This was, of course, in the days when the store wasn't filled with fish that was either farmed or caught from around the world, and then transported to our local grocery. (Or at least not at "Country Boys", the small independent grocery store that was in my small, rural hometown.) The only tuna or salmon that I was familiar with as a kid came from a can and was made into salad or croquettes. 

Fast forward to adult and married life, and as luck(?) would have it, I married a man who has a severe allergy to finned fish. (The story of how he found out about this allergy is quite amusing and if you knew him, you'd know that it could only happen to him- perhaps one day, he'll regale you with the hilarity in a guest post here in this spot.)  The rest of us like those finned fish, but alas, we must wait until El Syd has left the building to even entertain the thought of such a thing.  

This weekend was just one of those times. El Syd and The Boy have left us womenfolk behind as they went camping. A light bulb went off when trying to decide what to cook for us while they were away -- FISH! I wanted something light, and bright and reminiscent of the Yucatan peninsula to remind me that summer is on its way.  

One thing I think it is so important for home cooks to remember is that recipes are not the law; they are guidelines. Unless you are trying to make a dish or a meal to be 100% authentic to a region or a people, (and even then there are allowances and differences within cultures, etc) making changes and substitutions to what is available or what is freshest is more than acceptable. So, with that thought in mind, rather than a jack fish or a grouper which might be more traditional, I planned on using some salmon that I picked up at the market. 

This recipe fits into one of my favorite types in that it is comprised of several components that require a little  prep (perhaps even a day in advance) and then when you're ready to eat, it is little more than cooking the fish and building a taco in an assembly line fashion. 

(*In Texas, we use "fixed" or "fixing" in a very improper and grammatically incorrect way to connote preparation of food (eg: I fixed salmon tacos for dinner) or that you are getting ready to do something (eg: I'm fixin' to go to the store to get more salmon.)

Salmon Tacos

(adapted from Bon Appetit)

Pickled Onions (make early in the day or a day or two in advance)

• 1 purple onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp sake (or a sweet white wine, if you have it on hand - if not, sub equal amount water)
• 1-2 Tbsp sugar

1. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover well & chill (at least) overnight. Make sure to check a couple of times and mix up the onions to ensure they are submerged into the pickling solution.

Chipotle Mayo

• 1/2 C mayo
• 2 Tsp adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo (available at most local grocery stores here; if not, check Mexican markets)

1. Mix both ingredients in small bowl; season to taste with salt. Cover; chill overnight. (This is absolutely delicious, by the way, just on its own as a sub anywhere you'd use straight mayo. Also note, the chipotles are smoked jalapenos and will have a bit of a kick.)

Jicama Slaw

• 2 C jicama, peeled and coarsely grated 
• 2 C green cabbage, thinly sliced/shredded
• 1/4 C  fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

1. Toss jicama, cabbage and cilantro in a medium bowl. Whisk together the lime juice and oil until emulsified. Pour over vegetables and mix until it is all well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Salmon

• 1 lb salmon fillet
• 1Tbsp achiote paste (seasoning paste made from achiote (aka annato) seeds, garlic and spices, again found at Mexican markets).
• 1Tbsp olive oil

1. Place fish on plate. Mix achiote paste and oil in another small bowl to blend (this will take some effort as the paste is rather tacky. I found using a fork to mash the paste with the oil works well); rub over both sides of salmon. Cover and chill 4 hours. (Note: achiote is bright red and will stain textiles, and fingers, etc.)

Tacos

• 8 corn tortillas (locally, I highly recommend El Milagro Blancas)
• olive oil
• chili powder

Cooking & Assembly

1. Prep grill (medium-high heat). Grill salmon until just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to plate; let rest 5 minutes.
2. Drizzle tortillas with olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder. Grill tortillas 30 seconds per side to heat through until the tortillas become quite pliable. (Can also be done inside in a pan, but you won't have the delicious grilled/smoky flavor on the corn tortillas.)
3. Flake cooked salmon into chunks; transfer to platter.
4. Make tacos: tortilla; smear of chipotle mayo; chunks of achiote salmon; top with some cabbage slaw and pickled onions; eat and repeat!

Both my daughter and I really enjoyed these tacos. The tender spiced salmon with its richness was countered by the crispness and slight sweetness of the jicama slaw. The pickled onions added just the right amount of acid and wrap it all up in the grilled goodness of a corn tortilla? Fabulous.  Between you and me, I am totally addicted to those chili sprinkled, grill-heated tortillas. The grilled corn aroma that wafted up as I cooked them was truly intoxicating. Also, we had enough accouterments left over following the salmon tacos that I took some shrimp out of the freezer. Once peeled and deveined, I seasoned them with the achiote as well and we cooked them up when El Syd and The Boy returned from camping. So delicious! 

Happy Cooking!

 sld

Spaghetti Squash & Black Bean Tacos

This whole blog thing grew from my little cooking club/classes that I host monthly. We have discussed various regions and cuisines as a focus for some classes. Last night, we focused on how to turn something into something else. We chicken fried chicken paillards and then made both a piccata sauce and jalapeno cream gravy. One preparation that has a totally different flavor profile based upon the sauce.  

Unfamiliar foods can be intimidating and daunting. So, one of my goals is to show how easy it is to incorporate various ingredients into one's repertoire.We also jumped back into the winter squash pool one more time (yes, I know I said I'd turned the corner, but it worked so beautifully with the theme that I couldn't resist it.)  Spaghetti squash was the star again and we prepared it two-ways as well. The first, I already detailed here previously. The second was in taco form. Tacos are so incredibly versatile and this recipe is a great example. Made with corn tortillas (only 50 calories each), spaghetti squash (about 30 calories per cup), and canned black beans (about 12 calories for the amount in one taco) this is quite a tasty dish for a very low calorie cost.  Easily editable to fit your tastes, here's what we did:

Spaghetti Squash and Black Bean Tacos (adapted from Deb Perelman)

• 1 small Spaghetti Squash (about 1.5 lbs)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder(optional)
• Sixteen 6-inch corn tortillas ( I prefer white corn tortillas El Milagro brand if you can get them)
• One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained very well
• 4 ounces crumbled Cotija cheese (could sub feta in a pinch)
• ½ cup finely chopped red 
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

•  Roast (or microwave the spaghetti squash) use the following instructions:

To cook the squash in the microwave: Pierce the skin of the squash (about an inch deep) all over with a small sharp knife to prevent it from bursting while cooking (This would be very bad!)  Cook at high power for 6-7 minutes. Turn the squash over, and microwave it until it feels slightly soft when pressed, 8-10 minutes. Cool the squash for 5 minutes. Remove the squash from the microwave. Cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Not my preferred method, but will not heat up the kitchen as much as oven roasting/baking. To roast the squash in the oven: cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and roast (face down in a foil lined pan) for about 40 minutes at 375F. (Squash should be easily pierced with a fork or skewer.)

•  Let squash cool and then scrape the squash flesh with a fork. Magically, the strands will loosen and separate from the skin. Remove the strands and discard the skin.
• Mix together the lime juice and all of the dried spices in a small bowl. Whisk to combine well. Pour over the spaghetti squash strands and mix well to coat/flavor the squash.
• Assemble the tacos: 
• Heat the corn tortillas (you can go all out and heat a griddle to warm them or just use the microwave to warm them up well.)
• Sprinkle each tortilla with about 2 Tbsp each of black beans, spiced squash and cotija cheese. Add a few pinches of onion and cilantro. If you want to gild the lily, add an extra squeeze of lime over top. Roll it up and enjoy.

If serving as the main course - Allow for 2- 3 tacos per person - this recipe makes about 16 tacos.

Happy Cooking!

 sld