Weeknight Chili

There is nothing better than a bowl of hot chili on a cold, rainy evening; it warms the cockles of your heart. We just had the first rain in Durham in 8-9 weeks and, even though it had been 90-plus for a long time, I craved the warmness that my chili normally provides. I decided to make a pot of chili but I ran into a few problems.

One of the problems, and the only downside to my normal chili recipe, is that it needs to cook for four hours. Another problem is that it requires the beef to be cut into cubes instead of using ground beef. I wanted to find a way to make chili on a weeknight without having to slave in the kitchen for half a day. I decided a shortcut was in order, and so I started with very lean ground beef and browned it off in a hot skillet (I normally grind my own sirloin but, for convenience, you may use 93% ground beef). I then added the same spices that would normally go into my regular chili but decided to use corn tortillas instead of masa harina (they act quicker as a thickener than using the masa). I had my chili in about an hour!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: None

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (93%), divided into 4 equal portions
2 each anaheim, guajillo, and ancho dried chiles
1 chipotle, seeded
1 tbsp of the adobo sauce from the chipotle can
1 cup beef broth
1 16oz jar regular, store-bought salsa (medium)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp each ground cumin and mexican oregano
1/2 tsp each onion powder and garlic powder
1/4 tsp each cinnamon and ground cloves
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 tsp canola oil
1 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 large handfulls corn tortilla chips
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Procedure:

Cut the stems off the chiles, remove the seeds, and cut them into small strips with a pair of kitchen shears. Bring the beef broth to a boil and combine it, the chipotle, the adobo, and the chiles in a blender (or you can use an immersion blender). Blend until the chiles are completely incorporated with the broth and it forms a chile paste, set aside.

Heat 1 tsp canola oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Brown the beef, 1/4 pound at a time, and set aside. Combine the beef and the chile paste into a 4-quart pot and place over medium heat. Once the pot is up to temperature, add the tomato paste, anchovy paste, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and soy sauce and stir to combine. Allow it to cook for 3-4 minutes until everything is well incorporated. Stir in the salsa and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Crush the tortilla chips and add them to the pot, stirring to combine. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 45-50 minutes until the chili is thick and all the ingredients have incorporated so that all you can really see is meat and sauce. Remove the bay leaf and serve in a bowl with chopped onions and shredded cheddar cheese.

Buen Provecho!

Review: El Pollo Rico

I lived in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for over six years, so I know the area quite well. Yet, out of all the restaurants that I came to love over that time, there was only one that I had to patronize during my weekend visit: El Pollo Rico.

El Pollo Rico (known as Dirty Bird in my household) is a Peruvian chicken joint located in the Clarendon area of Arlington, VA, and has the best tasting rotisserie chicken I’ve ever had. The chicken is cooked on a spit over charcoal and is marinated in a number of secret Peruvian spices that they are just not willing to divulge. I know that cumin is one of the primary spices as you can smell it when you walk in the door and it’s the strongest flavor profile when you actually bite into the bird, but I couldn’t tell you what else they use if my life depended on it. They serve the chicken with two sides (coleslaw and french fries) and two sauces – one green and one yellow.

The sauces play a huge role in the Dirty Bird experience. The yellow sauce is the mild option and consists of mayonnaise, mustard, and “spices” (that’s all I could get out of the staff) while the spicy sauce (the green sauce) is ground/chopped jalapeños and “spices”. Most people order extra sauces (at $.20 each), me included. I typically need three sauces (two yellow, one green) with my 1/4 chicken meal because I mix half of the green sauce with one yellow sauce to create a spicy, mayonnaise-based sauce that goes great with the chicken and the fries (I get fries only, no coleslaw). To be honest, the chicken doesn’t need the sauce and can stand on it’s own, so I end up using most of my sauce on the fries.

If you live in DC, or you plan on visiting, make sure you put this restaurant on your short list. It’s kind of a dive (Guy Fieri would feel at home here), but don’t be afraid, it’s a very safe location. I guarantee it’s the best rotisserie chicken you’ll ever have. I’m only giving it a 9/10 for value because the prices have crept up quite a bit. You can expect to pay $4.50, plus tax, for 1/4 chicken and sides or about $15.00 for a whole rotisserie chicken (about twice as much as buying one at the grocery store), plus extra for your sauces.

Grade:

Taste: 10/10
Value: 9/10
Would I eat it again? I’d make the 4-hour drive, one way, just to satisfy my craving!

Cuban Sandwich

A Cuban Sandwich is a pork and cheese lover’s perfect sandwich. The typical sandwich contains a layer of roasted pork, a layer of ham, lots of swiss cheese, pickles and mustard pressed between two pieces of Cuban bread. I don’t think it can get any better than that.

I grew up eating Cuban sandwiches and, as I’ve posted before, my problem with most of the ones I find here in the US is that they don’t use the right bread. While my home-made version isn’t made with the right bread, either, the bread that I’ve found is at least a suitable substitute. I use Martin’s unseaded hogie rolls that are a bit sweater than regular Cuban bread but they toast up nicely and have a texture that is close enough for my enjoyment. It’s actually kind of a Media Noche-Cuban hybrid (a Media Noche has the same ingredients as a Cuban sandwich but it uses sweet egg bread instead of the traditional crusty bread).

For this sandwich, I decided to use some leftover roasted pork loin instead of roasting a large cut of pork just for my sandwich. It’s a great way to use up leftovers and clean out the fridge. The ingredients are simple enough that most people will have everything but the roast pork already in their refrigerators.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: None

Ingredients:

1 Martin’s unseaded hogie roll
4 ounces of roasted pork, sliced thin
2 slices ham
1 tsp yellow mustard
3-4 slices swiss cheese
5-6 pickle rounds

Procedure:

Cut the hogie roll in half, lengthwise, and smear the mustard on the top slice. Layer the ingredients, from bottom to top, thusly: bread, cheese, pork, cheese, ham, cheese, pickles, cheese (optional), mustard, bread.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Spray it with non-stick cooking spray and place the sandwich in the skillet. Use a panini press, a heavy skillet, or a brick to press the sandwich down. Cook for 5 minutes then flip and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from the skillet, cut in half, and enjoy!

Buen Provecho!

Armadillo Eggs

I want to make something clear: armadillos are mammals and, as such, do not lay eggs.  I want to get that out first so that PETA doesn’t come knocking my door down in the middle of the night claiming cruelty to armadillos.  

Typically, armadillo eggs are jalapeños stuffed with cheese (sausage is optional), breaded, and fried; they’re more commonly called “jalapeño poppers” in most restaurants.  I’m a big fan of these appetizers but I wanted to make a version that was more, I don’t know, meaty.  So, in order to attain my goal, I made an inside-out version of the jalapeño poppers by stuffing some roasted jalapeños, cream cheese, and cilantro inside a ball of sausage then breading and frying them.

I first attempted the recipe using country sausage but found it to be too heavy and greasy; they just weren’t enjoyable.  I almost gave up and decided to go back to the original form of the dish but then a light bulb went off, so I went to the store and purchased some turkey sausage (mild Italian, but feel free to use hot if you’d like).  Working with turkey sausage is messier than the pork version (the meat is stickier and needs to be cold when handling it), so make sure you put the meat in the freezer for 10 minutes if it starts to get too messy.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: You can always make these ahead and either bread/fry them as needed or fry them in advance and just heat them up in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

3-4 jalapeño peppers
4 ounces cream cheese
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 lb turkey sausage
1 egg
1 tsp water
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp each salt, ground coriander and ground cumin

Procedure:

Pre-heat your broiler to its highest setting. Toss the peppers with a little canola oil and a pinch of salt. Place them on a baking sheet about 6-8 inches below the broiler and let them cook for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until the peppers blister and are charred on the outside. Remove the peppers and place them in a zip top bag for 10 minutes to cool. Peel the skins off, remove and discard the seeds, and dice the peppers. Set them aside.

In a bowl, combine the chopped cilantro, cream cheese, and roasted jalapeño peppers and mix well. If the cream cheese is too cold to mix well, place it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and it should soften up enough. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before portioning it out. Once the mixture has set enough to handle it, prepare 16 portions of 1/2 tsp each.

Divide the sausage into 16 1-ounce portions and form them into meatballs (they should be about 1 inch in diameter). Place each ball between two pieces of parchment paper and use the bottom of a bowl or plate to press them out into little patties. Place 1/2 tsp of the cream cheese mixture in the center of the patty and close the sausage around it, ensuring to pinch the meat shut so that it won’t open during cooking. Form the stuffed sausage to look like an egg (hence the name armadillo eggs).

Place enough canola oil in a pot so that the armadillo eggs will be completely submerged when fried and heat it to 325 degrees. Beat one egg with 1 tsp of water in a bowl. Combine the bread crumbs with the spices in another bowl and whisk them together. Dip the sausage eggs in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs, ensuring that they are completely covered, then shake off any excess. Once all the eggs are breaded, fry them in batches for 3-3.5 minutes at 325 degrees until they are golden brown and cooked through. Remove them to a paper towel-lined dish and allow them to drain for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!

Buen Provecho!

Why an Egg isn’t Always an Egg

Ok, maybe I’m overreaching a bit.  An egg is an egg is an egg, right?  The difference, and what I refer to in the title, is how good or bad an egg is for you.  Most of us can remember the days when eggs were bad for us and were told to avoid them; others might remember when they were the centerpiece of a healthy breakfast.  The science has come around a few times on the benefits (or lack thereof) of the incredible, edible egg, just as it has for other things like salt and fats.  The fact still remains that eggs pack a lot of nutrients into a small, low-calorie package (assuming you pick the right egg) and most studies now say that you can eat one egg a day without affecting your cholesterol levels.

I’m sure most people reading this post have read (or heard) about Pollan’s books The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, or seen the movies King Corn, Food, Inc., or even Supersize Me.  I’d read, heard, and seen movies/documentaries about the deficiencies in our food chain before, but it wasn’t until my wife and I traveled to Spain in the spring of 2007 that I realized the difference in food today versus 25 years ago.  For instance, I ordered two fried eggs with breakfast the first morning we were in Spain and was amazed by the color of the yolks.  They were a deep, dark orange; a color I hadn’t seen in an egg yolk since I was a kid and ate eggs brought straight from the farm.  I asked my wife and neither of us could remember the last time we ate an egg that didn’t have a pale-yellow yolk.

Something similar happened the following summer, on our next overseas trip (this time to Cancun).  I ordered a steak and the first bite was pure bovine bliss!  The first thing I said to my wife was “it tastes like beef!”.  I got a weird look from her, but then I explained it: the flavors were much more intense and concentrated than the steaks we find at home.  The meat was a bit leaner, maybe a bit tougher too, but it had a concentrated beef flavor that was far superior to the watered-down beef taste I had grown accustomed to.  Again, it brought back memories of when I was young and beef was raised on pasture, not fed a steady diet of corn and antibiotics.

But before I get too far off topic, I wanted to point out the difference in a few eggs I’ve found at the local mega marts.  The first two pictures below are of a Cage-Free egg that I found at Kroger ($2.49 a dozen).  These eggs had a hard shell (indicating freshness) and the yolk is darker, with more orange to it than yellow, when compared to the average egg.  While it’s not the dark orange that you would expect from pastured chickens, it at least comes close.    The second set of pictures are from a Free-Range egg that we purchased at Wal-Mart ($1.99 a dozen).  The eggs were fresh, as indicated by their hard shells, but you can see that the yolk isn’t much darker than most commercial eggs you’ll find in the average grocery store.

So, why would you care about the color of the yolks?  For starters, the color is directly proportional to the amount of carotenoids that the chicken consumed in its diet (mostly from eating grass and other green, leafy plants).  More importantly, a chicken that is left to graze (rather than fed a diet of corn) will lay eggs with higher concentrations of beta-carotene and about twice as much vitamin A and E than a chicken raised on grain and chicken feed.  You will also benefit from higher levels of vitamin D (which comes from direct exposure to the sun), antioxidants, Omega-3s, and unsaturated fats, plus lower levels of saturated fat.

So, you see, nutritionally speaking, an egg isn’t always an egg.  If you’re interested in eating eggs that are better for you, I suggest you visit your local farmer’s market and purchase pastured eggs there, if you can.  Also, check if there is a CSA that delivers to your neighborhood and sign up.  When we lived in Virginia, we signed up for deliveries straight from Polyface farms and it’s one of the things we miss the most about living in Virginia.

Buen Provecho!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Galumpkis)

Stuffed cabbage rolls (galumpkis) are basically Polish burritos, using the cabbage leaves as the tortilla, that are cooked casserole style. They’re time consuming to make but they’re very delicious and are quite healthful as well. I wouldn’t make these on a regular weeknight, when all I want is a quick dinner and then relax on the couch, but it’s a nice comforting dish that is perfect for a weekend dinner.

I recommend finding a big head of cabbage sold loose, as in not wrapped in plastic (those have the outermost leaves removed). You want the ugly, outer leaves so that you can use them to line the dish in which you’ll be baking the galumpkis to protect the rolls from burning in the oven.  Also, I chose to make the sauce at home but you can just as easily use a store-bought cream sauce.

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cook Time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Medium
Notes: None.

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage, core removed
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes

For the Filling:
1 lb ground pork
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 onion, diced fine
1/2 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper

For the Sauce:

1 cup heavy cream
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 small onion, diced
1/16 tsp garlic, minced (about 1/4 of a clove)
2 tbsp each butter and AP flour

Procedure:

In a large stock pot (6qt or larger), bring 4-5 quarts to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and a splash of white vinegar (1-2 tbsp). Drop the head of cabbage in the pot, cover, and let it boil for 35-40 minutes. Remove the head of cabbage to a large bowl and allow it to cool and drain for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with your hands. Allow the mixture to marry while the cabbage cools off. Once the cabbage is cool, remove the outermost 6 leaves and use them to line the dish where you will cook the rolls. Then grab two leaves and set them on top of each other with a bit of an offset (i.e. place the bottom of the second leaf about 1/4 of the way up from the same end of the second leaf). Put 1/6th of the filling in the middle and ensure there is enough space to the sides so that they can be folded in and the filling doesn’t spill out. Wrap it as you would a burrito (roll it together ensuring that the sides are tucked in). Make the other 5 rolls the same way.

Place the cabbage rolls in the cabbage leaf-lined dish. Once they are all there, pour the can of chopped tomatoes over them. Top it with more cabbage leafs to ensure the moisture stays in, then wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and slide it into the oven. Allow it to cook for an 1.5 hours. Allow it to cool on the counter for 15 minutes before serving them.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat about 30 minutes before the rolls come out of the oven. Add the butter and allow it to melt, about 1 minute. Add the diced onion and allow it to soften for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and salt and allow to cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Let the ruex cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste and whisk to combine. Once it starts to bubble (about 1-2 minutes), whisk in the cream and chicken stock and allow to come to a simmer. Let it simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, whisking every 2-3 minutes to ensure it doesn’t scald. This will ensure that the cream sauce doesn’t burn while it reduces and thickens (if you prefer a Vodka Cream Sauce, just add 2 tbsp of vodka when you add the cream and stock).

Place one cabbage roll on a plate and pour some of the cream sauce over it. Serve with some baguette slices.

Buen Provecho!

Review: DuClaw Brewing Company

I had to go up to Baltimore for business last week and decided to check out a restaurant I’d heard a few people talk about: DuClaw.  It’s more of a brewery but their food had been talked up by a few people so I went to explore the menu and have a few beers.  DuClaw is a local chain, with four restaurants in the Baltimore area; the closest to my hotel was the Arundel Mills location, so that’s the one I went to.  The restaurant is located right inside the mall, between the movie theaters and a Chevy’s, but I wasn’t going to hold that against them and I still expected good food despite being located in a mall.

I arrived right at 7pm and sat at the bar, where I was immediately waited on by one of the bartenders.  Since I had looked at the menu online, I told him I knew exactly what I wanted: a Venom beer and a Kobe burger with caramelized onions and Swiss and Gruyere cheeses.  I asked if they could cook it medium rare and he said it shouldn’t be a problem.  After about 30 minutes of waiting for my burger, I asked the bartender if my order was somehow missed.  He said it should be out shortly but it was another 10 minutes before it came out.

My first impression of the burger was that it looked and smelled great but I was a bit mad about having to wait 45 minutes for my food to be served.  I noticed that the onions were grilled instead of caramelized, but I didn’t give it much thought and just dove into my dinner.  I tried the fries first and they were very good.  They had a nice, crispy exterior yet remained soft on the inside (just the way I like my fries).  You could tell they were cut on-premises and the skins were left on (another big plus).

Next I went for the star: the burger itself.  The brioche bun was nice and soft, but it was a bit greasy from the butter than was brushed on the outside (for some weird reason).  The flavor of the burger itself was amazingly beefy, much more than most burgers you will ever eat, and the cheeses complemented the meat well.  But, and it’s a huge but, the burger was extremely overcooked; if there were a temperature past well-done, I think this burger was even past that!  It made the texture of the burger almost inedible and incredibly tough for a burger, with plenty of chew and bounce-back in the meat (I wondered if it had been on the grill the whole 45 minutes).  It was also dry as a bone, something that you would never expect from a fatty meat such as Kobe (not that I thought I was getting real Kobe beef in a $12 burger anyway).

I would’ve complained about the meal to the bartender if he had asked about my meal but he never did.  Both bartenders completely ignored me until I had pushed my plate away from me with a napkin over the remaining food and, even then, just took the plate without asking about my experience.  I ate all the fries but left about 1/4 of the burger because I just couldn’t take the dryness and the texture anymore, even if it tasted better than any burger I’ve had in a long time.

I’m willing to give the place one more chance, despite my horrible experience, so long as I’m sitting at a table and waited on by a real waitress (the burger tasted that good!).  I will also make sure that the burger is cooked to the right temperature or it will be returned.  I normally wouldn’t do that, and haven’t sent back a dish in over 10 years, but I just can’t imagine trying to eat a burger with that texture again.

Grade:

Taste: 9.5/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 2/10
Would I eat it again?  I’m willing to give them one more shot.

The Chino-Latino Banh Mi

I was inspired to create this dish after seeing a food competition at a local bar here in Durham, NC, advertised in the newspaper last week.  It seems that the bar was having a Pub Iron Chef competition where each person who wanted to enter had to create a dish with one of three main ingredients (flank steak, shrimp, or squash),  had to contain 16 ingredients, and it had to feed six people.  I was going to enter with this recipe, but I couldn’t find the French bread that I wanted for this recipe to be perfect (LaBrea frozen French demi baguettes is what I wanted) so I decided to skip it.

I got myself worked up trying to think this recipe up so I decided to make it at home instead of for a competition.  The name came to me when thinking of something catchy and is derived from the two regional influences in the dish: Mexican and Vietnamese (calling it Meximese just didn’t seem right).  Now, I know the Vietnamese aren’t Chinese, which is what Chino means in Spanish, but it’s pretty common in Latin America to refer to all the southeast Asian countries by that one name, even if it’s not the most P.C. thing to do; plus, the name rhymes and flows off the tongue nicely.

It seems like mixing Asian and Mexican flavors is becoming very popular nowadays, as evidenced by the number of Korean taco trucks taking over the nation (you can read about my Korean taco recipe here).  I just decided to reverse the roles, with the Asian part of the recipe being the sandwich itself and using the Mexican flavors and influence for the meat (the exact opposite of a Korean taco).  I took a typical Banh Mi sandwich and just substituted the meat with carne asada instead of marinating and cooking the beef in Asian flavors and ingredients.  This recipe might just be the beginning of my journey with Asian/Latin fusion foods.  Thinking of the possibilities, I’m already inspired to come up with some other concoctions like General Tso chicken tortas, lo mein with lechón, and pork and maduro (ripe fried plantain) dumplings.

The bread is LaBrea frozen Demi Baguettes, which you can try to find in your local supermarket (I found them in the frozen cake section of the deli).  They are the perfect size, about 6-inches long, and you get the taste of freshly-baked bread after only 10 minutes in the oven.  The recipe calls for a regular baguette but, if you can find them, I recommend using the LaBrea frozen ones.

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour minimum, 4 hours maximum
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Notes: Use skirt steak if you can find flank steak.  Also, if you can’t find pickled daikon or carrots, feel free to make your own. You can use my recipe for pickled red onions but cut the daikon and carrots into matchsticks and substitute rice wine vinegar for the red wine vinegar. Leave the jar on the counter for 3 days before using (no need to refrigerate for the first 3 days).

Ingredients:

1 flank steak, about 1-1.5 pounds
1 bunch of cilantro
1 French baguette, sliced into four equal parts
1 jar each pickled daikon and carrots
1 medium seedless cucumber, sliced very thin
1/2 tsp salt
1 red jalapeño, sliced into rounds (remove the seeds if you’d like)
Sriracha
Mayonnaise
1 avocado, sliced

For the Beef Marinade:

2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 white onion, diced
2 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Recaito Goya (if you have it)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each ground cumin and Mexican oregano
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Procedure:

Combine the lime juice, olive oil, salt, cumin, Recaito, and oregano in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Place the steak, garlic, onions, and cilantro in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over them.  Remove as much air as possible and allow the steak to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, overnight is preferable.

To remove as much moisture from the cucumber as possible, slice it very thin and place it in a bowl (use a mandoline if you’d like). Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of salt over the slices and toss to coat. Let it sit on the counter for 1 hour. Rinse the cucumbers of the excess salt under cold water then wring out as much water from the slices as possible. Set aside.

There are two ways to cook the steak.  The first option is to cook it Sous Vide, according to my previous post.  Remove the steak from the marinade and place it in a clean Ziplock bag.  Seal the bag and make sure to remove as much air as possible.  Place the meat in a sous vide bath set to 140 degrees and let it cook for 2 hours (you can cook it for 1-4 hours, but I think two hours is perfect).  Remove the meat from the package, pat dry, and sear in a skillet over medium-high heat for 90 seconds per side.  Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing it thinly across the grain.

Alternatively, you can cook the meat under the broiler.  Pre-heat the broiler in your oven to the highest setting and be sure that the rack is on the second highest position.  Remove the steak and pat it dry, then place it under the pre-heated broiler for 4-5 minutes a side.  Remove it and wrap it in foil for 10 minutes before slicing it thinly across the grain.

To build the sandwich, spread some Sriracha on the bottom of the baguette and top with the sliced avocado and the cucumbers. Place the meat over the cucumber slices and top with the pickled daikon and carrots, jalapeño slices, and cilantro. Smear some mayonnaise on the top part of the baguette and enjoy!

Buen Provecho!

Crunchy Fish Taco with Chipotle Crema

When I think of fish tacos, I think of Fred’s Mexican Cafe.  We discovered this restaurant after diving in Maui on our honeymoon.  I asked our dive instructor where we could go to get good, inexpensive food with big portions (we were starving after two 60-minute dives) and he recommended Fred’s.  While it is a chain restaurant, we found their food to be very good and very reasonably priced.  We ended up eating there twice on our 8-day trip because it was that good (Fred’s was one of the two restaurants that we ate at more than once); we even visited the restaurant when we went to San Diego, CA (where they are based) a year later.

I wanted to make a quick, delicious dinner for us and these seemed like the right choice.  We had all of the ingredients already, so it was just a matter of putting it all together.  I did cheat on the fish, though, as I used a pre-breaded fillet that we found at Sam’s Club (wild-caught Flounder filets) that only needed to be crisped in the oven (400 degrees for 20 minutes).  Feel free to use fresh fish and batter/fry it at home or just sauté it in some butter and use unbattered fish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: If you don’t have the time to make the crema yourself, go to your local supermarket and look for pre-made mexican crema in the yogurt section.  If you can’t find it, feel free to just use sour cream or creme fraiche.  Then just blend the chipotle and adobo sauce in and you’re done.

Ingredients:

For the Chipotle Crema:

1 chipotle pepper, seeded
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp buttermilk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp adobo sauce (from the chipotle can)

For the Tacos:

3 breaded Flounder fillets
1/4 avocado, diced
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
20 pickled red onion slices
4 flour tortillas

Procedure:

I followed Alton Brown’s recipe for the crema.  Basically, pour 1 cup of cream into a jar and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute (make sure it’s between 100-110 degrees with an instant read thermometer).  After it’s heated, pour 1 tbsp of buttermilk into the jar, lid the jar, and leave it on the counter for 24 hours.  Once this time has passed, place the chipotle pepper, adobo, and salt into the jar and blend with an immersion blender (or put it all in a food processor).

As for the taco itself, cook the fish according to the package’s instructions or use fresh fish in the manner in which I described above.  After it’s done, cut the fish into strips, place on the tortillas, and top each taco with the 1/4 of the cabbage, avocado, tomato, pickled onions, and crema (in that order).  Serve with chips and salsa or some mexican rice.

Buen Provecho!

Eggplant Parmigiana

Ok, this is not a “classic” version of this dish, but I think that the “tweaks” I’ve made are for the best. Traditionally, the eggplant would be breaded and fried, then layered with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, a basic tomato sauce, and basil then baked in a casserole dish.  However, I decided to be a bit adventurous.

Instead of using parmesan cheese, I decided to substitute pecorino Romano instead. It’s a sheep’s milk cheese (pecora means sheep in Italian), as opposed to the traditional parmigiano-regiano cheeses which are made of cow’s milk, but it grates and melts similarly and I prefer the slightly tangier taste of the pecorino.  I also introduced ricotta to the party because of the creaminess and saltiness it brings to the dish.  One of my favorite pizzas of all time is a sweet Italian sausage and ricotta pizza, so I used that as inspiration for this dish.  No surprise, it works well in this recipe.

The rest of the traditional ingredients remain unchanged. I cut the eggplant into long slices rather than rounds because it makes it easier to fit more of them on a baking sheet and because it allows me to layer them as I would a lasagna instead of leaving gaps between the rounds in the casserole dish. I also chose to “oven fry” the eggplant (by breading and baking it) so that the amount of fat and calories that you would normally expect from this dish are significantly reduced.

You will need to use two sheet pans in order to fit all of the eggplant slices in the oven at once.  If you don’t have two sheet pans, just cook them in two batches.  Remember to swap the two sheet pans after turning the eggplant to ensure even cooking.  Another good tip is to divide the sauce into four parts and the cheeses and basil into three equal parts (one part per layer).

Prep Time: 25 minutes, total
Cook Time: 60 minutes, in two 30-minute increments
Difficulty: Medium
Notes: If you don’t want to heat up your house by running the oven, try pan-frying the eggplant in 350-degree oil for 2-3 minutes a side or deep-frying for 3 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 cups Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp water
3 cups basic tomato sauce (home made or purchased) or 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, divided into four equal parts (about 3/4 of a cup, each)
8 oz mozzarella cheese (grated or sliced thinly)
4 oz ricotta cheese
6 oz pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup basil, chiffonaded

Procedure:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a sheet pan with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper and set it aside (the parchment paper will ensure that nothing sticks). Pour 2 tbsp of water into the eggs and whisk to combine. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg wash and dredge in the breadcrumbs. Place the breaded eggplant on the sheet pan and spritz both sides of the eggplant with cooking spray to encourage browning. Place the pan in the oven for 30 minutes, ensuring to flip the eggplant half-way through the cooking process.

Here is a picture of the sliced eggplant (notice I cut the skin off after slicing rather than peeling the eggplant prior to slicing):

Build your casserole as you would build a lasagna. Place a ladle of tomato sauce (about 3/4 cup) on the bottom of a casserole dish and then place a layer of eggplant on top of it. Top it with a ladle of sauce and some basil, then add the ricotta, mozzarella, and pecorino cheeses.

Here is a picture of the casserole after the first layer has been built (you can see the oven-fried slices in the background):

Continue to build the layers until you have completed 3 layers. Place in the same pre-heated 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheeses on the top are melted, bubbling, and begin to brown. Allow it to set up on your counter for 5 minutes before serving.

Buen Provecho!