RECIPES FROM THE DANGEROUS KITCHEN

Today's Recipe:Mexican Rice

2010-06-23T19:31:00.001-07:00

Here we go again. It's newsletter time again and as usual I'm gonna start out by taking some cheap shots at all those self-acclaimed culinary geniuses you see on TV. They're all talkin, about how wonderful risotto is and how you have to stir it diligently for 30-40 minutes and how it is best when you use a rice called 'Vialone Nona', or 'Carnaroli', but they tell you that 'Arborio' will work too. They tell you it should be creamy, but not soupy.

What a bunch of bullshit!

We're cooking rice here, not doing astrophysics. I can guarantee you that not one of these jerks has stood in front of a stove stirring anything for 30-40 minutes in a LONG, LONG time. When they need something stirred for that long they hand a big wooden spoon to one of the illegal aliens they have in the kitchen and tell 'em "stir till I tell you to stop". They just don't have the time to stir---too busy patting themselves on the back and complicating simple, tasty recipes so we'll think they really know a lot.

Well, I have some news for you.

You know that reddish colored rice you get in every single Mexican restaurant? Well my friends, that is RISOTTO Mexican-style and you don't have to stir hardly at all. You can make it while your on the phone talking to mom or while your mowing the lawn or having a beer. It's a no-brainer and you don't need to mail-order some outrageously expensive rice from some food nazi in Taos, New Mexico - any old rice will do. Short grained is probably the best for Mexican rice or for Risotto, but the food police will not arrest you for using as long-grain Texas Patina or any other rice you like. (Hell, I thought Vialone Nona, was an opera star and that Carnaroli, was a sexually transmitted disease and I ain't never heard of Arborio!)

Iâm gonna give you a quick easy recipe for Mexican rice. This rice will turn out dry the way Mexican rice should. If you want to make an Italian style creamy risotto just add more stock near the end of the cooking process. You can use any risotto recipe you like, but if you follow my cooking instructions, you won't have to stand there like an idiot stirring for 40 minutes.

MEXICAN RICE

I actually had planned to do something different this issue but I got a letter from a reader named Nina who really wants to know how to make Mexican rice. She can't seem to get the rice the right color and she wants it to fork a little at the end like in Mexican restaurants.

This recipe is for two cups of rice (which should be 6-8 servings). I'm not sure but I think the rice only forks at the ends because it is over cooked. I have no secret recipe but I'm happy to tell you the traditional Mexican way to cook rice. This recipe calls for a cup and a half of rice (I use long grain, but short grain will probably fork at the ends quicker).

Mexican cooks wash the rice--probably not that important, but if you do wash it -- make sure to drain it well before proceeding.

Heat some neutral tasting oil (corn-peanut-sunflower or safflower will work. Olive oil will NOT (unless you want it to taste Italian).

Add the now dry rice to the pan, and stir it around until all the grains are well coated (It's not traditional but I add a tablespoon or two of butter to the oil.)

Now fry the rice, stirring occasionally until it is a nice light golden color (about ten minutes - more or less).

Now you need to put ripe, tomatoes into the blender and make a puree (about one cup). Super market tomatoes are usually so bad that I recommend you used canned -- toss about half a medium onion and a couple of cloves of garlic into the blender with the tomatoes.

Take this puree mix and pour it into the rice.

Stir the rice tomato mix constantly - over a hot flame until it is almost dry (just a couple of minutes should do the trick...don't burn it). Now you're gonna stir in 3 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water---- it's a lot better with the broth and you can use canned. Then do not stir again. Cook uncovered over a medium flame until most of the liquid has been absorbed (holes will start to appear in the surface).

Now cover the pan and turn the flame way down low and cook for about 5 more minutes. Then move the pan, still covered to a warm place and let it sit for about half an hour. It will continue to cook and soften in its own steam.

This rice freezes very well and can be reheated in an aluminum foil pouch in a 350 degree oven.

Okay, that's the traditional way.

Personally, I like to saute some onions and red & green bell peppers -- pretty finely diced -- and add that mix to the rice at the last minute, along with some chopped parsley or cilantro.

For many years Mexican rice almost always had peas in it. If that sounds good to you, toss about half a cup of cooked peas in right at the end of the cooking process. I like to garnish the rice with a slice of avocado.

So there!

Let me know how it turns out.

Spencer

Good morning, Felix Since we can't get any solid information concerning Cabo and the hurricane that went through there a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd go to the 'source' and find out from you how much damage was done by Ignacio. Being time share owners there, we are interested. Can you enlighten us? Also, my husband is a 'sea bass' nut. Do you have a good recipe that I could fix until we get back to Cabo next year? If there is a recipe on your web site, let me know. Looking forward to visiting your 'place' next May.

Thank you,

Frances Watts

Frances,

The hurricane veered off at the last minute and did virtually no damage. No damage at all........ So then, for a great salsa to serve with sea bass go to my web site (www.felixcabosanlucas.com) click on 'recipes' and then on 'Salsa Veracruzana'. Prepare your sea bass any way you like and top it with this tasty sauce for a real traditional Mexican dish.... pretty and tasty! See you in May.

Spencer Moore

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Spencer,

We are obsessed with Cabo, it's the funnest vacation we've ever been on, and we've been 6 times now. Felix's is one of the highlights of each trip. The rest of my family is so tired of hearing me talk about you, we've decided to bring the whole family. We will be there from 12/8/03-12/15/03. Please tell me Felix's will be open during that time.

Allison Tolson

Las Vegas

Allison,

Yep, we'll be open, the Good Lord willin', and the creeks don't rise.

_________

Hello!

My husband and I just got back from our honeymoon in Cabo and were delighted to have found your restaurant! We can't wait to make the Pozole. My husband hasn't stopped talking about it. I was wondering if you could post the recipe for the shrimp with the chipotle and cilantro? It was amazing! We can't wait to see you again for our first anniversary in Cabo! Thanks for everything!

Tracy and Elliot Wagner

Thanks for the kind words. The Pozole recipe is on the web site but the chipotle shrimp is not. It's such a popular dish at the restaurant (an original recipe that we call 'Shrimp Los Cabos') that I think I'll do it in the next newsletter.

_________

Spencer,

I just received my first newsletter -- thanks!!! Regarding the last question from reader: how to store peppers. I grow half a dozen or more different varieties in my garden each year. Those that aren't consumed, I pop in a "ziplock" bag and throw in the freezer. I can take out and thaw just what I need for various recipes.

Robb Lang

Thanks Robert, I'll pass your advice along, but I'll remind the readers that while frozen peppers work well in recipes calling for cooked peppers they don't work in salsa recipes calling for uncooked peppers----the texture gets a little funky.

AN AUTHENTIC MEXICAN COOKOUT

2010-06-23T19:29:00.001-07:00

Hey summer is rollin' around again.

I can tell because the celebrity chefs and Yuppie Food Nazi's are all doing shows on barbecuing. I want to get in my two cents worth before they manage to screw up another one of life's truly great little pleasures. Have you seen any of these jerks working over their ten thousand dollar backyard grills or a $2500 portable smoker?? You wanna give me a break here. One thing mankind has known since the discovery of fire is that meat cooked over an open flame tastes really good. And it's not complicated. You don't need to send off to some yuppie mail-order capitalist swine in rural Vermont for genuine first growth dogwood chips for that 'Authentic Yankee Smoke Flavor' Chips that cost about 15$ for a little potato chip size bag when you could just look in the yellow pages and have a whole cord of that exact same wood delivered to your house for a mere pittance.

Let me run down a brief history of my experience with back yard cookery.

Ahem!

My first cook out memories are of hot dogs jammed on to a stick and cooked over a campfire (and, believe me, a $10,000 grill could not make those hot dogs taste any better). Then teenage beach parties with hamburgers on a grill over a fire pit. Next, married with two little boys, cookouts on Sunday in Griffith Park (That's in Los Angeleez), usually chicken or ribs with some home-made BBQ sauce.

Mmmm, heavenly.

On these Sunday outings to Griffith Park or the Bronson Caves I quickly learned to make sure that we settled in next to a big Mexican family. Within a very few minutes my kids would be playing with their kids and I knew it wouldn't be long before I'd be eating Carne Asada and Carnitas and Tortillas and Fresh Salsa.

The next step in the cookout journey finds me pool-side in Marin County drinking Cristal and Dom Perignon with people I didn't like... lots of expensive cars and clothes and Peruvian Flake, lots of insecure people trying to show each other how hip they were. Some asshole in a a big funny white hat behind the grill going on and on about this great mail order barbecue accessory store he found in New Mexico and how he has them fly in this great dry rub for his beef roast - which he has been marinating for three days in a $100 a bottle balsamic vinegar marinade in an antique earthenware crock--- as if anybody gave a shit.

Anyway I'm now an old man and I have discovered two things about cookouts.

1. Nobody picnics as well as Mexicans.

and

2. For really great food all you need is some meat and a fire.

AN AUTHENTIC MEXICAN COOKOUT!!

Gentle reader,

you probably don't know this, but Cinco de Mayo is actually a bigger holiday in the US than it is in Mexico. Also, it pretty much signals the official start of the 'Backyard Cookout Season'. What follows is a menu and recipes for the best damn cookout you ever had. It is simple, informal and guaranteed to impress your guests. Here's the menu:

MESQUITE GRILLED PORK CARNITAS

These aren't really carnitas, since they are not fried in lard, but they look like carnitas and that's what I'm callin' them. The recipe is below and the look on your guest's faces when you tell them you cooked the meat in Coca-Cola --- is priceless.

RANCH STYLE BEANS

Nothin' fancy I serve them with plastic spoons, in a styrofoam cup. The recipe is on my web site (www.felixcabosanlucas.com)

GUACAMOLE & TORTILLA CHIPS

The recipe for the World's best Guacamole is also on the web site.

GRILLED GREEN ONIONS

instructions below...

BLACKENED ONIONS

instructions below...

SALSA MEXICANA

also called 'Salsa Fresca' or 'Pico de Gallo' Recipe on my web site

LIME WEDGES

Lots of lime wedges

HOT TORTILLAS

Lots of hot tortillas

A BIG CHUNK OF PORK

a1/2 lb per person will be more than enough

Bone in or boneless? - doesn't matter, get whatever is cheapest. The expensive cuts of meat are not expensive because they taste better. They cost more because they are leaner and look prettier and are more tender, however, tender doesn't matter because the way we're gonna cook it would make a cement block tender.

1 OR 2 ONIONS

Cut in quarters. You don't even have to peel them/it.

1 BUNCH OF CILANTRO

Stems and all You don't even have to chop it.

A HANDFUL OF FRESH CHILES

Jalapeno or serranos will be just fine

COKE OR PEPSI

No diet stuff please.

WATER

Put everything into a large covered pan and cover it with a 50/50 mix of water and cola (I know, I know. But... trust me! The cola has something in it that does something really nice to the meat.)

Now... bring it to a boil then turn it down to a simmer - put the cover on and simmer slowly 'til the meat is really, really tender. Probably a minimum of an hour and a half maybe more... check it. It is done when you can pull the meat apart with a fork. If the liquid boils away add more coke/water.

Take the pork out and Transfer it to your grill. If the grill is not hot yet - no big deal, the meat will hold for a long time. Put it over the hot part of the grill Ð you want the outside real brown and crispy. This step goes pretty quickly because the meat is already cooked. When itÕs good and crispy, chop the whole thing into bite size pieces and put it on a platter.

Garnish with some radish slices and chopped cilantro. Put some grilled green onions on top. Heat the tortillas on the grill, turning them often. Then have your guests put a handful of meat in a hot tortilla with some salsa and some guacamole Ð squeeze some lime on it and enjoy a real Mexican treat.

Please let me know how It turns out.

GRILLED GREEN ONIONS

I don't think I have ever been to a Mexican cook-out that didn't have grilled green onions. You just trim the root end off and throw them on the grill over some pretty hot coals. When they are all wilted and starting to brown they are ready to eat (finger food).

BLACKENED ONIONS

Take whole medium onions(white or yellow - it doesn't matter) Do not peel them, you're gonna cook them in the skins. Put them on the grill- not the very hottest part- and grill 'til they are really blackened, Then turn them over and grill the other side 'til blackened. When the onion is good and ugly, it's ready to eat. Your guests will have to be instructed, because the onions will be so burnt as to not even look like food.

but.....

.....while the skins were burning they were acting like aluminum foil . Break the onion open with a fork- the inside should be sweet and cooked to perfection. That's enough for a terrific cook-out, but when I do this one I like to also make some Salsa Verde (the recipe is on the recipes page).

I also put out some cucumber and jicama spears with chile powder and limes.

Another nice touch is corn grilled in the husk and a wash tub full of ice and Mexican beer and soft drinks.

I usuall serve Ceviche as well - great for hot weather But that recipe will have to wait 'til the next newsletter.....

Beans

2010-06-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

I know, I know.... its been a really long time between newsletters. I'm very late and I apologize. I have a great excuse though - I had a stroke awhile back and it was a real bummer for two reasons. One, it was financially devastating but more importantly it absolutely ruined my life-long dream of playing professional Rugby. I'm afraid that my future athletic career will be limited to just two events.... Falling for distance' and the '50 yard stumble' however if they decide to make 'napping an Olympic event, I will have a legitimate shot at a medal.

Anyway I'm back and rarin' to go. So let's cut right to the chase.

This time I'm giving you the real skinny on how to cook beans. With this one simple recipe you can make Ranch-Style Beans, Refried Beans, Bean Dip and a couple different bean Soups. So forget everything all those celebrity chefs have told you about beans.... and read on.

Felix' Beans

A word or two about beans - I watch a lot of cooking shows, read the food sections of a few papers even check out a new cookbook now and again. If I paid any attention at all I would have given up on beans years ago. I mean who has the time to individually select plump baby Fava beans, planted during the waning moon on a hillside in Southern Tuscany under Red Mountain Oak trees and picked by a fourteen year old virgin - if there is such a thing - and personally polished and wrapped by Pietro the village elder? C'mon, cut me some slack here!

Or how about:

"Use only the very plumpest pink baby Pinto Beans (early growth only) --- soak over night in an earthenware jar made from the ancient clay dug in the ruins of Chichen Itza - make sure you use only unflouridated imported spring water and Salt Pork from a Pygmy Free-range Viet-Namese pig raised on jungle Walnuts".

I especially like the idiots that warn you to 'not add any salt until the beans are finished cooking. Salt will make the beans tough!' I've been cooking a big ol' pot of beans virtually every day for thirty or so years and have yet to have a customer throw down a fork and scream at a waiter/waitress, (Geez, we could really use a gender neutral pronoun!) "Goddamn it!! These beans are tough!"

They also tell you to soak the beans overnight. "Bullshit!" says I.

No wonder people are getting Pizzas delivered or driving through the local "Quick-Burger". Go ahead and use this recipe and if you want to tell people that you personally grew and selected the beans and did all that other Yuppie, Food-Nazi stuff it's all right with me.

FRIJOLES CHARROS

The following recipe calls for Pinto beans but will work with any dried bean. The cooking time depends on how dry the beans are. One day the pinto beans will be done in about an hour - the next may take an hour and a half or more. Larger beans take longer to cook than small beans and black beans usually take the most time and white beans usually cook a little faster. So the cooking time I give is only an approximation. I start checking the beans for doneness after about an hour, but they are rarely done in that time. Check every 15 minutes or so 'til they're just right.

PARTS LIST

2 cups of beans

This recipe will work with any kind of dried beans.... red, black white, pink, pinto or kidney. You should probably spread the beans out on a flat surface and pick through them because sooner or later there will be a rock in the beans, and it's really embarrassing when a guest breaks a tooth. You might even wash the beans first.

4 strips of bacon

Chopped up pretty fine

2 medium onions

Chopped

2 (or more) cloves of garlic

Chopped

2 or so serrano or jalapeno chiles

Chopped finely

2 small or medium tomatoes

Chopped

green stuff (Green onion, parsley or cilantro)

Chopped

OKAY, LET'S GO!

PINTO BEANS

Start the bacon cooking ( in a pot big enough for the beans) over low to medium heat.... you don't want to brown the bacon you just want to render the fat out. If you're a vegetarian you can go ahead and start the onion, chiles, garlic and tomato in some vegetable oil. If you are a carnivore wait until the bacon has given up it's grease and toss in the onions, garlic, chiles and tomato - scook them slowly until they are cooked soft but not browned.. throw in the beans and cover them with cold water and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and let the beans simmer for about an hour. The beans will absorb some water and some will boil away you have to keep adding water to keep th beans covered. Start checking the beans for doneness and add salt to taste after about 45 minutes(although they probably won't be done for over an hour maybe as much as two hours for real old Black beans). These are called frijoles Charros in Mexico and are almost always made wih pinto beans they are served with the meal in a bowl. If you want a thicker broth, run some of the beans through a food mill or blender and add them back to the pot. Add the green stuff right before serving. A spoonful of Salsa Mexicana and a little grated cheese make a real nice garnish.

BLACK BEANS & CUBAN-STYLE BLACK BEAN SOUP

Make the black beans exactly the same way but try substituting some chorizo for the bacon. When the black beans are done. Puree the whole mess in a blender (Make sure the beans have cooled before blending. Hot stuff in a blender is very dangerous).Reheat the puree and call it 'Cuban style Black Bean and Chorizo Soup'. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, a slice of avocado and some chopped cilantro, it's delicious. Parmesan cheese is also great with this soup.

RED BEANS

If you make the Red beans the same way but use some Louisiana sausage instead of bacon and add a lot of thyme , Bay leaf and parsley at the beginning and when it is finished add a pat of butter and a couple of shakes of tabasco and worcestershire you will have made some great N'awlins style red beans

WHITE BEANS

Same way, but use some ham hocks or Smoked pork chops instead of bacon and add some tomato sauce or paste or even some Ketchup

REFRIED BEANS

Melt some lard in a hot skillet and add the cooked beans mashing them with a fork or potato masher or even the bottom of a heavy drinking glass or pop bottle Cook them in the lard until they start to dry out and reach a consistency you like.

So there!

Let me know how it turns out.

Spencer

A while back you published a recipe for a simple salsa using pineapple and chipotles.I lost the darn thing. Would you be good enough to send me a copy please.

Bruce Smith

Bruce,

All the Recipes as well as all of the Newsletters are posted on the Felix Web page www.felixcabosanlucas.com

_______

Spencer,

love this newsletter. I forward the recipes to three of my friends and they are all wanting to get down to CSL and try your rendition. One has tried these French toast delicacies with Orange liqueur and another has added a bit of almond flavoring. Each of them is quite the cute. The other friend has taken the recipes I have given to her and she has made a notebook of them to use once she finds the man of her dreams. Perhaps she may find him in Cabo. Keep up the great work and we shall see you again, as always, in March.

Mary

from Oregon City, OR

Mary,

Sounds like the girl of my dreams - send her down...

seeya in March

Spencer

_______

Spencer,

I am so excited about receiving your newsletter! We have been back in Las Vegas for almost a month now and I still have dreams about your salsa bar. I told my sister about it, and we can't wait to come back in October for girl's weekend. (Husband's going in September on a fishing trip, I'm sure he'll visit with the guy's) I know I shouldn't let food be the center of my vacation, but I can't stop thinking about the chicken monterey.

See you in October!!!

Allison Tolson and friends.

Alison,

I love hearin' this stuff!

Spencer

_______

My wife and I live in California. We have been Going to Cabo twice a years since Oct 1994 (originally to see Sammy Hagar) and liked it so much down there that we bought a timeshare at the finisterra. We found mamas in Cabo 3 years ago and eat breakfast there 2 or 3 times each trip. I work in Oakland and eat breakfast regularly at Mamas Royal Cafe. I can't help notice the similarities of the food at both. My question to you is are you one of the original owners of the Mamas Royal Cafe? I think there are 3 or 4 restaurants all together.

See you in October,

Mike

Mike,

Yep, I'm the original 'Mama' and Mama's in Oakland just won the Bay Guardian's "the best Sunday Breakfast" again for something like the 25th straight time

COOKING WITH DRIED CHILES

2010-06-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

This month I'm going to deal with a deep-seated primal fear shared by many Americans. I am, of course referring to the almost universal reluctance of American cooks to make any salsa requiring the use of dried chiles. It's a damn shame because these salsas are probably the very easiest to make. Virtually every Mexican restaurant in the world and most Mexican households has a bowl of red salsa (made from dried chiles) sitting on the table. The reason we are reluctant to make these salsas, I think, is because all those self-acclaimed 'celebrity chefs' have made it seem so damn complicated they tell you to weigh out 31/2 grams of organically grown guajillo chiles from some damn mail order yuppie food nazi in New Mexico or to use only the shiniest first growth pasillas - or use only bright red Anchos from a little farm just outside of Tucson. Then they want you to hand grind these dried chiles in your $400 spice grinder. BULLSHIT!! That's right - it's all bullshit. These jerks think that if they make it seem real complicated then you will think they are really cool. I don't know about you, but I don't even own a spice grinder and I manage to put out about 30 salsas a day, every day. So trust me, these salsas are easy, easy, easy to make. A real no brainer. thick or thin, hot or mild, ranging in color from orange through all the shades of red to almost black. The last time I was in the U.S. I was surprised to find dried chiles in almost every super Market. Here's a short list of the dried chiles I use the most.

Chiles de Arbol

Arbol is the Spanish word for tree. I'm guessin' that they got there name because the bush they grow on resembles a miniature tree. These chiles are two to three inches long, thin, red, and quite hot, similar to cayenne chiles. They can be bitingly hot without much distinctive flavor. When first formed the chile is bright green, but with maturity turns bright red. The experts say the arbol may be used either fresh, green or red, or dried when mature, but I have never even seen the fresh arbols for sale. the dried chiles are available almost everywhere. I think these are the same chiles that are sold as chile flakes and found in shakers on the table at most pizza places. I also think that this is the chile used in most Asian dishes especially szechuan. It is also used to make Chinese Hot Oil. Chile de Arbol is 2 to 3 inches long and ranges in color from orange to deep red. The chile de arbol is 25,000 Scoville units (The Scoville scale is used to measure the relative heat of chiles and 25,000 units is hotÑa jalapeno runs from 2500 to 10000 units. It will add a natural, grassy flavor to dishes. In pod form the de arbol is often used to flavor oils and vinegars. As a powder the chile de arbol is great in soups and chilis.

Guajillo

These chiles are called mirasol when fresh, although I have never seen a fresh one, These dried brown-orange to purple-red chiles are 4-6 inches long and 1 inch wide when fresh Dried they have a dark-almost black dusty look. Among the most common chiles in Mexico, the Scoville scale shows it at 5,000 units, but I think it is actually milder and will add a sweet piney, green-tea flavor which is excellent in pesto sauce or with seafood. Also see Anaheim and Mirasol. We use it (with the seeds and veins removed, to add a bright red color to the broth in Pozole, Mancha Manteles and Tortilla soup. We also use this ubiquitous chile to make a red table sauce

Pasilla

The true pasilla is thin, dark green when fresh, and dark brown to black when dried, 5-7 inches long by 1 inch wide, tapering and narrow, with a blunt end. Its Scoville rating is 2,500 units. When fresh, they are used for rellenos in many parts of Mexico, although here in Baja we use Poblanos. As a matter of fact I have never seen fresh pasillas for sale and I tahink that the dried pasillas we get are actually poblanos. In any event I think you can use pasillas and poablanos interchangeably . Pasillas are mainly used dried or powdered and possess a complex, deep, smoky raisin flavor sometimes described as a licorice flavor similar to the ancho, poblano, or mulato chiles. They are excellent in seafood or moles. In Baja California, where much produce is grown and then shipped throughout the United States, the poblano is labeled as pasilla. Consequently, in California markets one can find two types of chiles vying for the name pasilla: the true pasilla as described above, and the poblano, which is a heavier, more broad-shouldered cousin. The pasilla is used in meat entrees, tamales and quesadillas. Dried, under the name of negro chile, it renders a thick, rich, dark sauce. Substitute poblanos for pasillas; they are both mild to medium hot. (also called chilaca chile or, when dried, chile negro...

And now...

Preparing the dried chiles

The method for preparing the chiles is exactly the same for all of the chiles. Wash them off in cold water. Remove the woody stems. Cut or tear the chiles into small pieces and cover with hot water. Let them soak for an hour or so. That's it! All the preparation you need is done. I generally leave the seeds in but I like rustic, textured salsas. If you want something shinier and a little more elegant - remove the seeds. This will also make for a milder salsa.

Making the salsa

Take the soaked chiles and put them in a blender and blend them adding some of the water they were soaking in to get the consistency you like. That's it!! You now have a simple basic red table salsa. If you used guajjillo chiles it should be a bright red. If you used pasilla chiles it will be Dark red to Black. If you would like a fancier salsa there are a couple of more things you can do. Throw a ripe red tomato, a clove of garlic, oregano and some raw onion into the blender with the chiles. It sounds funny but then you fry the salsa. Add the blended mix to a lightly oiled skillet (Mexican cooks like to use a little lard) and cook it for 5 or so minutes. If you want that shiny more elegant salsa you should peel and deseed the tomato. For those of you who don't already know - here's how you peel and deseed a tomato. Have a pot of water boiling on the stove. Drop the tomato into the boiling water. Ripe thin skinned tomatoes only need about ten seconds - Thick skinned puppies can take up to a minute. Remove the tomato from the water... when it's cool enough to touch, cut it in half. The skin should come right off. Then give the half tomato a little squeeze and the seeds should squirt right out. Let me know how it turns out.

The Perfect Margarita (3-2-1)

2010-06-23T19:24:00.001-07:00

Some idiot with too much time on his (her) hands has done a comprehensive survey and found that the 'Margarita' is now the most popular cocktail in the United States. Pretty amazing when you consider the fact that the vast majority of people have never even tasted a real Margarita. If you want the real deal all you have to remember is 3-2-1.

That's the proportion. 3 parts tequila, 2 parts orange liqueur (Triple sec), and one part fresh lime juice. At Felix' we make a 'mago' with an ounce and a half of tequila and an ounce of orange liqueur and a half ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice. That's a 3 1/2 ounce drink---so when you go to one of those trendy Mexican places and get a Margarita in a glass the size of your kid's wading pool you know for sure that your 'mago' has been diluted with a quart of something called 'Margarita mix' then blended with about a gallon of ice...you are then served a vaguely lime-tasting snow cone.

For starters...you will always get a better Margarita if you order it on the rocks. If the bartender pours your Margarita out of a big bottle of premixed green stuff you are not getting the real thing. Here's how you make an authentic Margarita...

Put some ice in a cocktail (Martini) shaker and add the 1 1/2 ounces of tequila, the ounce of triple sec and the half ounce of fresh lime juice...stir or shake until it is icy cold then strain into a stemmed cocktail glass or Martini glass with a salted rim, garnish with a slice of lime and enjoy. Or you can just pour the ingredients over ice in an old-fashioned or 'rocks' glass and give it a stir. Since you haven't diluted this classic drink, you can actually taste the tequila, the triple sec and the lime juice so feel free to use premium tequila and maybe even Grand Marnier (instead of cheap triple sec) for a really fancy pants version of this great cocktail.

FLAME-ROASTED PEPPERS

2010-06-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

If you watch any cooking shows or eat in any trendy restaurants, you are well aware that flame-roasted salsas and flame-roasted veggies of all kinds are really hip and cool -- the very latest in new cuisine...WRONG!! Folks have been eating delicious flame-roasted stuff every since the discovery of fire.

Most of the celebrity chefs will tell you to roast your peppers in the broiler. This is a really bad idea and I'll tell you why. The broiler is the very hottest part of your oven, so when you put the peppers close to the flame to blacken it does a pretty good job. The problem is when you turn the peppers over to blacken the other side the first side continues to cook in a very hot oven so that by the time the peppers are completely blackened they are also way, way over-cooked.

The secret to plump, juicy, great tasting flame-roasted peppers is to do them just like you would roast a marshmallow. This means that if you have an electric stove you can forget about it. Although you can get great results from a barbecue if the grate will let you get really close to the fire. Those among you with gas stoves -- here's how you do it. When it's pepper roasting time at my house I use every burner, so I have 8 or so peppers going at a time, but I suggest you start with just one nice green, red, or yellow bell pepper.

When selecting peppers to roast look for smooth, shiny peppers with no breaks in the skin and a nice stem to hold on to. The heavier the pepper (high water content) the better the results.

Turn a burner on high and hold the pepper in the flame until the skin is completely black and blistered then, holding the stem, turn the pepper and keep repeating until the whole pepper looks like one of those marshmallows your 3-year-old roasted. A real lump of coal.

Now most of the 'celebrity' chefs will tell you to NOT peel the peppers under running water because you will wash off the delicious charred taste WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Flavor is not water soluble. Think about it -- we all wash our vegetables and greens, yet they still taste like asparagus and salad. If you need further proof, try to wash the meat taste off a pork chop or the chocolate taste off a candy bar. Anyway, just hold the pepper under slowly running water and gently rub all the black skin off. If you don't get all of it, no problem -- a few black spots only adds to the rustic authenticity of your dish. Then cut a slit in the pepper up around the stem and remove the seeds and stringy membranes.

Okay, now you got the flame-roasted peppers -- what do you do with them? I pull the stem off, open the pepper and lay it flat in a bowl or jar, sprinkle some chopped garlic on it, then some good olive oil and another layer of peppers, garlic and oil and so on 'til I have a bowl or jar of peppers marinating in garlic and olive oil which I stick in the fridge and use as needed. Great on a chicken sandwich on a nice fresh baguette or cut into strips and added to almost any salad.

Use them in an antipasto with some sliced provolone cheese and Italian cold cuts. You can throw some in a blender with mayonnaise for a delicious 'home-made flame-roasted red pepper mayonnaise'. Add some chopped parsley and green onions and call it 'home-made flame roasted red pepper mayonnaise aux fine herbs'.

For a summertime lunch you can leave the peppers whole -- just slit them down one side and stuff them with some chicken salad or tuna salad and serve them on a bed of green salad. This also works great with jalapeño chiles -- just pick out the largest ones. Once you get out the seeds and veins they shouldn't be too, too hot. Try stuffing these puppies with some cream cheese with chopped bacon and green onions -- even better some cream cheese and smoked fish, mmmmmmmm.

THE WORLD'S BEST FRENCH TOAST

2010-06-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

THE WORLD'S BEST

FRENCH TOAST

French toast - as we know it - was almost certainly introduced to the USA by the Creoles in New Orleans. The date is uncertain, but I have a recipe dating from the Civil War Era. It originated as a dish called "Pain Perdu" (Lost Bread) and it was designed as a way to utilize stale bread...really stale bread. The recipe calls for soaking the bread in an egg, sugar, orange flower water and brandy mix for at least 30 minutes. I'll print the original recipe at the end of this Newsletter, but first I'm gonna tell you a little about French Toast and give you my recipe for "THE WORLD'S BEST FRENCH TOAST" (which was inspired by the Creole version of "Pain Perdu"), stuffed with cream cheese and topped with bananas and pecans flambé in Orange Liqueur. If you want to make good French toast you have to use some good bread and it absolutely cannot be real fresh bread. At Mama's if we have to use real fresh bread we slice it and leave it out, uncovered for at least a couple of hours. If you have a good Jewish bakery near you get some Challah (egg bread) I think it's the perfect bread for my French Toast. Unfortunately we don't have any such bakeries in Cabo so we have a local bakery make us a pretty good, slightly sweetened, dense white bread. Second, you have to thin the beaten eggs with some other liquid (water, milk, cream, juice or liqueurs all work well). If you just use just straight beaten eggs they will be so thick that they will merely coat the bread and not soak into it. Lastly, you have to cook the bread at the proper temperature. Too hot and the outside will be done and the inside will be a raw, soggy egg soaked mess. Too low a temp and the outside will not crisp up to a beautiful golden brown. Okay, here's my recipe.

Batter/Toast - Parts List

bread

One loaf of unsliced bread. Unsliced bread is mandatory for stuffing. You could just put some cheese between two slices of bread but it will be way too thick and the cheese won't melt properly and the inside will be uncooked and I just don't like the idea. I suggest some sort of white bread. Challah (egg bread) would be my first choice and I definitely don't recommend any heavy dark bread. Sweet French or Italian or whatever white loaf your local bakery has will probably work great.

batter

Just some beaten eggs with a little bit of added liquid (1 or 2 tablespoons per egg). milk is what I use, but you can use cream or some orange juice or water. If you want you can add some orange or lemon zest and/or a little vanilla...maybe a shot of rum or orange liqueur.

cream cheese

You may see some yuppie chefs calling for French toast with brie or some other pricey cheese...ignore them. Cream cheese works great although some sweetened riccotta works just as well.

Okay, let's make some French Toast!

You're probably gonna need a bread knife here. Slice (a very, very thin slice) down through the loaf almost - but not quite all the way through. Make the next slice just as thin but go all the way through. You should now have a slice of bread that you can open like a book. If you don't, reread the instructions and try again. When you finally get the bread right, place a slice of cream cheese (or spread some riccotta) between the book cover. Keep doing this 'til you have enough slices for everybody. Three slices is a more than generous portion and I can barely eat two. Dip the prepared bread into the batter and make sure it soaks it up. Hold it under for a while. You want the batter to soak into the bread - not just coat it. Toss the battered bread into a generously buttered (you can use margarine) pan or onto a griddle and cook it over no more than medium heat until it's golden brown. Turn it over and do the same to the other side. If you got it right the bread should be moist (but not raw and runny) all the way through and the cheese should be hot and softened. Hey, you just made some terrific French toast, but you should have made the topping first.

Here's the recipe for the topping.

Fruit and Liqueur Topping - Parts List

bananas

one small banana (sliced into rounds) per person sounds about right

pecans

chopped into peanut sized pieces, about a tablespoon or two per serving. Walnuts work great, taste and look just the same. I use pecans because it sounds a little fancier on the menu.

sugar

...a lot. I use regular granulated sugar but brown raw sugar would probably be wonderful.

butter

...a lot, but you can use margarine. No one will know and margarine doesn't burn as easily as the butter.

orange liqueur

let your conscience be your guide, but I use about a half shot per serving. If you have too much money use Grand Marnier, but any Orange liqueur will do.

orange juice

about half a small glass per serving.

Start the bananas frying in a hot pan with lots of butter. When the bananas start to show a little color add the sugar - enough to absorb most of the butter. Stir until the sugar has melted and add the liqueur. A word of caution here - remove the pan from the flame before you add the liqueur. The liqueur is highly flammable and it can catch fire, travel up the liqueur and set the bottle on fire. Then you're standing there looking silly with a lit Molotov cocktail in your hand. You panic and drop the bottle - the bottle breaks, spreading burning Grand Marnier across your kitchen, setting the curtains on fire, burning down your house and you get really mad at me for not warning you and I just don't need anyone else mad at me right now. If you have an electric stove you'll have to set the liqueur aflame with a cigarette lighter or a flint and rock or something. When the flame dies down add the pecans and enough orange juice to make a syrupy mix to put over your French toast. If you have a whole bunch of pretty mint growing in your back yard - a sprig of mint and some powdered sugar makes the perfect garnish. If not, an orange slice looks pretty good, too. Let me know how it turns out.

I promised to give you the original "Pain Perdu" recipe and here it is. This is reprinted without permission from a hundred year old cookbook put out by the "Picayune" in New Orleans. The recipe was old then and still is.

Pain Perdu

(lost bread)

5 Eggs

2 Tablespoons of Orange Flower Water

1/2 Cup of Sugar

Slices of Stale Bread

The Finely Grated Zest of a Lemon

3 Tablespoons of Brandy (if Desired)

The Creoles utilize left-over stale bread in that delightful breakfast relish known as "Pain Perdu". Break the eggs into a bowl, beat them till very light, add the Orange Flower Water and the Brandy, if desired, and then add the sugar and beat thoroughly. Add the grated zest of a lemon, mix well, and then cut the bread into slices or round pieces, taking off the crust, or still again into diamond shapes, and soak them well for a half an hour in the mixture. Have ready a frying pan of boiling lard, lay in the bread, and fry to a golden brown. Lift the slices out with a skimmer, and drain on brown paper in the mouth of the oven. Then place on a hot dish, sprinkle with powdered sugar, as you would fritters, add a little grated nutmeg, if desired, and serve hot.

Pozole

2010-06-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

(po-só-lay)

This is a great dish and I really want you to try it. That is unless you're a vegetarian — because this is definitely a meat eaters meal. I've been struggling with how to write out this recipe because this is truly a dish where amounts don't matter. I've eaten pozole all over the country and no two have been the same........ and I've never had bad pozole. This dish is almost impossible to screw up. Instead of giving you a detailed recipe I'm just gonna tell you how I make it.

PARTS LIST

meat
I use short ribs of beef, breast of chicken (we use chicken breast at the restaurant because we charge a lot of money for the dish but when I make it at home I use drumsticks and thighs), beef shanks, boneless pork shoulder and loin. To my way of thinking, short ribs and shanks are the two tastiest cuts of beef and make the richest broth. I cut the rack of ribs into individual ribs. I trim the skin and ribs off the chicken breasts (save them for the stock) and cut the breasts in half. The beef shanks are about 1/2 inch thick and I trim the meat off of them, saving the bones for the stock. I cut the pork shoulder into golf ball sized pieces. If I am making it at home I don't even use pork loin — but it sounds high tone on the menu.

hominy
Just use the canned hominy. Dealing with the dried hominy just doubles the work and the time and doesn't really improve the dish. I've eaten pozole a jillion times and usually can't tell if the hominy is fresh or canned.

guajillo chiles
This is a large dried red chile that we are using only for color. We don't want any heat from this chile since we are going to be serving chopped, hot, fresh chiles as a garnish. If you can't fing guajillos you can use anchos or pasillas....or you could leave them out entirely. But I highly recommend that you use them because they make the dish really pretty.

Let's do it!

If you didn't do anything but put all the meat in the pot and boil it for 5 or 6 hours — adding more water as the water boils away — you will wind up with a pretty damn good pozole. However if you do it my way you're gonna have something really special. You'll need two big pots and not much else. In one pot start the short ribs browning. Don't be timid — use a pretty high flame. You want to brown them really well on all sides, just short of burning them and you want lots of brown stuff stuck to the bottom of the pot. When the ribs are good and browned put them into the other big pot. Brown the meat from the shanks and the pork and put them in the pot with the ribs. . If you're using chicken legs or thighs go ahead and brown them too. Put the shank bones in the rendered fat and brown them well on both sides....real well, making sure you get all the marrow out of the bones and into the mix. Cover all the meat in the other pot with cold water and bring it to a boil and turn it down to a simmer. When the bones in the first pot are good and brown you can add a chopped onion, some chopped celery and even a carrot or two.......brown all the veggies just slightly. When the bones and veggies are browned nicely add a bunch of water and scrape up all the good brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add any chicken skin or ribs you trimmed from the breasts — if you're using breasts. You can toss in the onion skin and the celery leaves if you want....I do. Bring it to a boil and turn it down to a simmer. Go have a beer or do some gardening or something. We're gonna let both pots simmer for about an hour and a half. Your only job during this time is to skim the fat and foam and little bits of junk that seem to keep appearing and to replace any water that boils away. One way to judge a pozole is by how clear the broth is...so skim, skim, skim!

dealing with the chiles
If you're making a whole lot of pozole (enough for 12 or 15 people or so) you'll want to use about 5 or 6 chiles. For a smaller batch a couple will do. Cut the chiles open with a sharp knife or some scissors and scrape out all the seeds and veins and any pithy stuff — all we want are the dried skins. Cut or tear the chiles into small pieces and cover them with water and simmer them for about 20 minutes. Let them cool. When they have cooled run them — with the water through the blender and dump the whole mess into the pot with the meat. This will give your broth that nice red color.

finishing it up
When the pot with the meat has simmered for about an hour and a half — check the meat for tender. If it's real tender , turn the heat off. If not, keep simmering for another half hour — then check again. The next step is to strain or filter the stock into the pot with the meat. You can do that any time after an hour and a half or so, but the longer the stock simmers — the better it's gonna be. Okay, turn the heat back on and add the chicken. Bring it to a boil and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the chicken is real tender. As the chicken cooks some foamy junk may form on the surface — so skim. Hey, you just made pozole. Except for the SALT, (YOU HAVE TO ADD SOME SALT. So taste it and add salt to taste.) and the hominy. Open the can of hominy and dump the liquid and rinse the hominy. Put it in a pot with some water and bring it to a boil — simmer it for a few minutes and we're ready to serve. We cook the hominy apart for a couple of reasons. One, if you over cook the hominy it will get mushy and that's not the texture we want. Two, the left over pozole will last about for ever in the fridge and each time you reheat it it will be better. Unless, that is, you have all the hominy already added. It will deteriorate and get all cloudy and we don't want that.....now, do we??

serving it up
As you're ready to serve, the pozole should be very, very hot — so should the hominy. This is because we're gonna be adding a whole bunch of room temperature garnishes at the table....and this will cool the pozole down considerably. Serve it in a deep bowl. Put about an ice cream scoop of the hominy in the bottom of the bowl. Add a short rib or two, a couple of pieces of the pork and a piece of chicken.....and some of that rich red broth(almost enough to cover everything...I like to see the chunks of chicken and meat sticking up through the broth). If you didn't do anything else, your guests would probably say it was the best soup/stew they ever tasted — but you're gonna do something else. With each bowl you serve a plate of garnishes and let the eater finish the pozole right at the table. Every part of Mexico serves a different garnish and the folks from these areas say that theirs is the only real 'pozole.' In Baja California the garnish almost always includes thinly sliced radishes, lime sections, dried oregano (whole, not ground), chopped onions, chopped serrano chiles, chopped cilantro and shredded cabbage. In Guerrero they add some chopped avocado and in Michoacan they toss in some toasted pumpkin seeds. At Felix' we add some strips of red and green bell pepper and zucchini that we have sauteed briefly. Also I like to use shredded Iceberg lettuce instead of cabbage, and we include some grated Monterey Jack cheese. I like to break up some tortilla chips in mine too. Tell your guests to watch out for the grated chiles and some of them may not like cilantro — but tell them to squeeze some lime in it and then just go ahead and pile everything else on......sorta like an ice cream sundae. The radishes and pumpkin seeds give it some crunch, the avocado and cheese add some creaminess, the lettuce serves to thicken the broth and adds an almost fennely taste, the lime juice adds some tang, the chiles and onions give it some bite, the cilantro gives it ...well a cilantro taste and the broken tortilla chips and the peppers and squash give it some body. Let me know how it turns out.

Chiles en Nogada

2010-06-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

(stuffed chiles with walnut sauce)

This is a world class dish and I think it rates a place right up there with any of the classic dishes from anywhere in the world. Here's how I describe it on the menu at Felix'.......

" I think that this dish ranks with any of the great dishes of the world. It is both beautiful to look at and to taste. A true classic, this is an absolutely wonderful dish from the city of Puebla where it is traditionally served on St. Augustine's day (August 28). It is also a popular dish throughout the country on September 15, Independence day -- since the colors of the dish are those of the Mexican flag, red, white and green. Poblano chiles stuffed with minced pork, raisins, dried fruit, tomato, onion, herbs and spices. It is served with a delicious white walnut sauce and usually garnished with fresh pomegranate seeds. This is a complicated dish to make with many layers of flavor and is rarely found in restaurants."

When you read the recipe it will sound a bit daunting..... don't be afraid. It's really quite simple to make.... uh, well after the first time anyway. I avoided making this dish for a long time because all the recipes were evidently written by some jerk celebrity chef or another and they made it sound so damn complicated I just didn't want to get involved. They called for processors and ricers and dicers and 3 beam balance gram scales and organically grown cinnamon flown in from Sumatra and mortars and pestles..... and - as usual - it was all bullshit! Hell I haven't even owned a triple beam balance gram scale since the 60's and I wasn't even a cook then. The measurements I give are not exact and that's intentional. It doesn't matter. We're not talkin' rocket science or neuro-surgery here, we're talkin' cooking. It calls for Poblano chiles but it is definitely not a spicy hot dish since Poblanos are mild to begin with and we will be removing the seeds and veins. This recipe should serve 4 people - 2 chiles apiece.

PARTS LIST

8 Poblano Chiles
Roasted and peeled with the stems left on. If you don't know how to roast chile.... It's easy. Hold the chile by the stem over an open flame, until it is black. The skin will sizzle and pop, and when you are done burning it, it will look like a mess. Wrap the burnt chile in a dry cloth to cool. Once it is cool, the skin will come off on your fingers. You might want to wash them under cool water to remove bits of black stuff. You want to slit the chiles from the top to the tip and remove the seeds and veins.

a little Butter
or lard or rendered fat from the pork

2 lbs Cooked Pork
I generally use shoulder but you can use most anything from left over pork chops to loin - as a matter of fact the cheapest cuts are probably the most flavorful. I simmer the pork for at least an hour - it should be falling apart.

1 small onion
chopped pretty fine

6 cloves of garlic
or 3 or 9... Hey, you know how much garlic you like - chopped fine

10 (or so) whole cloves
Don't use ground cloves - it's just not the same. Smash the cloves with the side of a knife or the bowl of a spoon or something. You might want to toss the pointy ends of the cloves because they will never soften up and will be like little pieces of toothpicks in your chiles.

8(or so) whole pepper corns
coarsely crushed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

raisins
You don't want to get a raisin in every bite - so go easy - maybe about 40 should do it.

slivered almonds
a couple of tablespoons should do

assorted dried fruit
Don't use candied fruit - too sweet. Chop the fruit into raisin sized pieces. I use whatever is available when I'm in the market place. Apricots, peaches, apples, pineapple, banana whatever you can find - mix it up. You'll want about 4 heaping tablespoons.

tomatoes
The quality of tomatoes in the market these days is so lousy that for the first time in my life I'm recommending canned tomatoes. Put about six through the blender and save the liquid from the can - we're gonna need it later.

pomegranate seeds
If you can't find fresh pomegranates - don't even bother making this dish. They are really important. Oh, the dish will taste all right but it just won't be the same.

OKAY, LET'S GO!

The secret to this one is preparation - like most everything else in the world. If you have all your ingredients ready at hand it gets real simple.

the filling

Chop the cooked pork really, really fine. Start it in a frying pan with the butter (or lard) over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and brown the whole mixture stirring occasionally. Add the blended tomatoes and every thing else except the pomegranate seeds. (The reason I like using crushed black pepper and crushed cloves instead of the finely ground powder is twofold. One - when you crush them yourself the flavor is much stronger. The powdered loses its taste rapidly on the shelf - in your home or in the store. The second reason is that if you use the powdered every bite tastes of clove and with the crushed you get a bite of clove every once in a while. And you get a bite of raisin - once in a while and a bite of almond and a bite of black pepper and a bite of dried peach or apple or pineapple. Every bite of this dish you should get a new taste. My son describes it as "Tasting like Christmas" every bite is like opening a new present. Anyway add some of the liquid from the tomatoes and simmer it for a half hour or so to let the raisins and dried fruit plump up and for the cloves and peppercorns to soften. Let it cool. As a matter of fact everything so far can be done way in advance - even the day before.

THE SAUCE

The sauce is a thick rich white sauce with a walnut base. In Spanish walnuts are 'nogales' - hence the name 'Chiles en Nogada'. The sauce is served at a warm room temperature. Don't try to heat the sauce - it will thin way out and (since there's a lot of sour cream in it) may even separate.

PARTS LIST

20 - 25 walnuts
broken up in pretty small pieces - your gonna soak them in milk so if they're in big chunks it will take too much milk to cover them. milk or cream - if you want it even richer than itÕs gonna be - enough to cover the walnuts

white bread 1 or 2 slices
crusts removed

1/4 lb cream cheese

1-1/2 cups sour cream

salt to taste

cinnamon to taste
depending on how stale the cinnamon is somewhere around a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.

Okay, let's make the recipe

All the recipes I found told me to soak the walnuts in the milk for at least 24 hours. I did - for a while - but I don't any more. I can't taste any difference at all. I just throw the walnuts and milk into the blender and start it up. Add the white bread and the sour cream and keep blending... it should be pretty runny. Start throwing in little pieces of cream cheese with the blender going on a low speed, until the sauce has thickened up to the consistency of barely pourable mayonnaise. Toss in about 1/2 the cinnamon and taste it. It should taste of cinnamon, but just barely, if it needs more - throw it in... If you want to add salt now is the time to do it. The sauce is done and you're almost a gourmet Mexican chef.

putting it all together

The dish is all done - we just have to assemble it and heat it up. At the restaurant we put it together hot. Hot chiles and hot filling and we burn our fingers and swear a lot. You don't have to do this. You can use the filling and chiles direct from the fridge. Just take a spoon and put the mixture into the chiles - fill them pretty good and pat them and caress them until they look real pretty. Heat them up in a lidded pan with a little water or hell, you could even do them in a microwave. Arrange two chiles on a plate and put some sauce over them. I like to put the sauce over the middle of the chiles leaving a little bit of the stem end and the pointy end showing. If you completely cover the chiles it will still taste great but it will look like a pile of mashed potatoes in that yucky country gravy your mom use to make out of canned cream of mushroom soup - so let the beautiful green chiles show. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over the top..... brother, or sister - as the case may be - you have just made an incredible dish.

Salsa Verde #2

2010-06-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

This is a combination of a cooked and a fresh salsa. It's one I always eat with Carnitas and it's one of the ones that I like to make real hot.

PARTS LIST

12 or so tomatillos
Remove the husks and rinse them and cut them into quarters. Now, some of self-proclaimed geniuses will tell you to use only the most yellow of the tomatillos - others say only use the brightest green ones - pay them no mind. It makes no difference! I use the hardest, brightest green to purple ones because I like the lemony tartness. Others like a mellower sauce and use the yellowish ones. Either way you're gonna have a great salsa.

1 medium onion
Peel and chopped pretty fine. Once again some of these foodies will insist you use no more than 1 teaspoon of finally chopped Maui onion - pay them no mind. You can use less onion or more onion or red, yellow, white or purple onions for all I care.

2 cloves of garlic
Or 1.... or 17.... or none, chopped - it don't matter. Hell, you know how much Garlic you like.

fresh chiles
I like to use Jalapeno chiles because I like the taste..... but the damn Jalapenos have been running really mild. So you might want to substitute Serranos. I'd use 3 or 4 Jalapenos for a medium Salsa..... I use a lot more but I like this particular salsa real hot. Take the stems off the Chiles and chop them pretty fine. If your hands are especially tender you might want to wear rubber kitchen gloves for this step.

cilantro
Once again you're on your own. I don't know if you like cilantro or not. I like it a lot and use about a half a bunch. If you realy hate cilantro chop some green onions or parsley - the fresh herbs look real pretty and add a nice fresh taste.

Let's do it!!!

This one is so easy I'm almost embarrassed when someone compliments me on the 'Great Salsa'. Put the tomatillos in a pan and cover them with water..... no you do not have to use fresh mountain spring water hand carried in an antique oaken bucket from a secret spring high up in Wolf Creek Pass..... tap water will do. Simmer the tomatillos 'til they turn olive drab in color and are all mushy. Let them cool. Put them through the blender. Dump them into a bowl and add the chopped onion, the chiles and maybe a little bit of salt. You're done!! Except for the cilantro or green onions. I only add the cilantro to as much of the salsa as I plan on using right away. This salsa will hold for at least a few days - maybe a week - in the fridge. It's best to add the cilantro each time you use the salsa because cilantro tends to get ugly and lose it's flavor in the fridge.

Smoky Jalapeño Salsa

2010-06-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

This one is way too easy. Just take some of the Charred Tomatillo & Jalapeno Salsa and add sour cream, mixing until you have the color green that you like. When you add the sour cream it's gonna reduce the chile bite a lot, so if you like it hot use more chiles when you make the salsa. This is great on tacos and Quesadillas and a as a dip or on almost anything you would put sour cream on. You could use mayonnaise instead of sour cream and tell all your yuppie friends that you have some home-made 'Charred Jalapeno Mayonnaise' for them to enjoy on their chicken sandwiches. This salsa is great as a sauce for pasta or pasta with shrimp, but it will separate if you get it too hot. So use it at room temperature and stir it into the hot pasta. Remember if you have any questions about salsas or Mexican food in general or just want some info about Cabo - drop me an e-line. I know I shouldn't be delving into politics here - but I just can't help it, what with this Enron deal and all. One question: Does it seem to any of you that the whole kit and kaboodle of the executive branch is indictable under the RICO statutes??

Charred Tomatillo & Jalapeño Salsa

2010-06-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty common salsa in homes all over Mexico, but you don't often see it in tourist oriented restaurants. We always have it available at Felix' and even use it in a couple of our menu items. It's a great salsa for summertime grilling 'cause it goes really well with grilled Chicken or Carnitas (see the Carnitas recipe on the Felix' web site - click on recipes then on Carnitas). It also makes a great dip for chips and we use it as the base for our Smoky Jalapeno Salsa. Okay, here we go.

PARTS LIST

12 or so tomatillos rinsed with the husks removed.
If you pay any attention at all to the food gurus you will become hopelessly confused. Some will tell you to use only the most yellow of the Tomatillos others say use only the greenest. It really doesn't make much difference - if any. I use the darkest, greenest ones I can find because I think it gives a more lemony taste to the salsa. However, when I can't find the dark green ones I use the yellow ones and to be honest I can't taste the difference. Either way you're gonna have a great salsa.

1 onion
peeled and quartered.

2 cloves of garlic
or 1 or 17 or none - it don't matter. Hell, you know how much Garlic you like.

fresh jalapeño chiles
rinsed with the stems removed. How many chiles is a matter for you to decide. The jalapeno chiles we've been seeing in the markets just aren't very hot - although every once in a while you get a real surprise - so I'd suggest you use at least 4, more if you want it real spicy.

cilantro
chopped

You may have noticed that this is the exact same ingredient list that I used for the 'Salsa Verde' in the last Newsletter. If not - pay better attention. Anyway this salsa, even though the ingredients are the same, tastes and looks a whole lot different. Now we're gonna do some of what the Yuppie Food Experts refer to as 'pan roasting' - I call it 'burning'. This is so popular here in Mexico that we actually have a tool for the purpose. It's a flat pan with a slotted rack that sits over a gas burner, but I've never seen them for sale in the States and I don't even know what you call it. So the best thing for you to use is a cast iron frying pan or griddle. Don't use your good Teflon, and your stainless-steel - if you use it - won't be stainless anymore. The pan should be big enough so all the stuff is just one layer thick. Put everything into the pan over medium heat and go have a beer or a cup of ovaltine or write a letter to your mom or something. Check it in about ten minutes or so..... if everything is good and blackened and sticking to the pan and it doesn't even look like food, then turn them onto an un-blackened side and do it again. When the mixture is thoroughly disgusting looking pour a glass of water into the pan and deglaze the pan (that's fancy celebrity chef talk for 'use some water to scrape up all the burnt bits'). Get all the burnt stuff loose and turn the gas off and let it cool. When it's cooled down run it through a blender. It's probably gonna be way too thick so you'll most likely have to add some water to get it to the consistency you like. Oh, the Jalapenos have a tendency to emit a tear gas like substance as they burn so if you have a stove fan turn it on..... or at least open a window. Be careful not to put the stuff in the blender while it's real hot because hot stuff and blenders are a dangerous combo. Just before you get ready to serve this delightful home-made Salsa Asada Verde throw in some chopped cilantro..... if you hate cilantro through in some chopped green onions. There -- you've made another salsa.

Ranchero Salsa

2010-06-23T18:29:00.001-07:00

This is a great salsa and I probably should have put it in the very first newsletter. It is served in every part of Mexico in a vast array of dishes. The one that you are probably most familiar with is Huevos Rancheros but there are countless other Mexican dishes that you can make with this simple, yet oh so tasty and authentic salsa. I'm gonna give you a recipe for a small batch so in the unlikely case you really hate it ..... you won't have wasted a whole lot of time or money.

PARTS LIST

One poblano chile
Stemmed and seeded and cut into thin strips about an inch long
One onion
Medium size - white or yellow - halved and sliced thinly
Four tomatoes
The same size as the onion chopped into pieces about the size of a marble
Two (or so) cloves of garlic
Chopped
Some cilantro
Chopped

This is a really simple salsa to make and almost impossible to screw up. Start the chile sauteeing over medium heat in a little oil. Don't use any tasty expensive oil - use a cheap neutral oil. (we want the taste of the salsa , not the taste of the oil.) Corn or safflower works great. You don't want to brown the chiles just to soften them. We don't want crunchy chiles. This is a very mild version of Ranchero Salsa - even the kids and Aunt Agnes can eat it. If you like a spicier salsa add some chopped Jalapeno or serrano chiles too. When the chiles are about half done add the onions and saute a little more. Once again you don't want to brown the onions. When the onions have turned translucent, add the garlic and the tomatoes. Use the brightes red tomatoes you can find. If the tomatoes in the market are really junky (as usual) use the smaller plum tomatoes but use more of them. Cover it all with water and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or so, and you have just made an authentic Ranchero Salsa. Taste it and add some salt. Right before you are ready to use it throw in some chopped cilantro. If you're one of those who hate the taste of cilantro throw in some chopped green onions - the color is really important. This is great for Huevos Rancheros, Bistek Ranchero, wonderful as an enchilada sauce and great to add into a pot of beans.

Salsa Veracruzana

2010-06-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

This salsa, as the name implies, hails from the state of Veracruz on the east coast of Mexico. However, it is served in just about every corner of the country in just about every restaurant that serves fish. Most famous with Huachinango (Red Snapper) it goes great with almost any fish cooked almost any way. I've had it over a whole fish wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over charcoal. On filets wrapped in aluminum foil and done on the BBQ. Mostly it is just served over a sauteed filet and garnished with some lime wedges and a sprig of Cilantro. Great with shrimp too.

PARTS LIST

One poblano chile
Seeded, stemmed and cut into thin strips about an inch long
One medium onion
White or yellow, halved and cut into thin slices
Four medium tomatoes
Cut into pieces about the size of a marble
Two cloves of garlic
Chopped - feel free to use more garlic in this one
Two bay leaves
Some lime (or lemon) juice
Green olives
Cilantro
Chopped

On this one we proceed just as we did with the Salsa Ranchero. Start the chile sauteeing in a little neutral oil. You can throw in the bay leaf at this time too. When the chiles have softened but not browned toss in the onion. When the onions have turned translucent throw in the garlic and tomatoes and the olives. In Mexico the olives generally still have the pits in but you gringos are spoiled and if you use olives with pits one of your guests will probably break a tooth - so you might want to use olives with the pits removed. You can either use whole olives or you can use half olives or you could even chop the little suckers all up. I don't care. You can even toss in a little of the liquid that the olives came in. Add water to cover what youÕve got in the pot. Throw in some chopped cilantro and the lime/lemon juice and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Go easy on the lime/lemon because when it is done simmering you'll taste it and add some salt to tast. You can add some more lemon/lime but you'll play hell taking it out if you added too much. The cilantro that you added will lose its color so when you serve it add some more chopped cilantro - if you hate cilantro use green onions or parsley but for heaven's sake put something fresh and green in it. Oh, a lot of recipes will call for oregano too. If you do use oregano don't use the powdered - use whole or fresh. Let me know how it turns out. Have a happy holiday season and a really, really nice new year.

Salsa Verde (green table salsa)

2010-06-23T18:24:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I went this long without giving you any recipes for Green Salsas - we have at least a dozen in regular rotation at the Restaurant. This particular salsa is probably the 2nd most widely served salsa in the country (right behind Salsa Mexican) and is certainly one of the most popular at my place. It's real easy to make - virtually impossible to screw up. So let's make some salsa!!

PARTS LIST

12 or so tomatillos
Remove the husks and rinse them. Now, some of these self-proclaimed geniuses will tell you to use only the most yellow of the tomatillos - others say only use the brightest green ones - pay them no mind. It makes no difference! I use the hardest, brightest green to purple ones because I like the lemony tartness. Others like a mellower sauce and use the yellowish ones. Either way you're gonna have a great salsa.

1 medium onion
Peel and cut into small pieces. Once again some of these foodies will insist you use no more than 1 teaspoon of finally chopped Maui onion - pay them no mind. You can use less onion or more onion or red, yellow, white or purple onions for all I care.

2 cloves of garlic
Or 1 or 17 or none - it don't matter. Hell, you know how much Garlic you like.

fresh chiles
I like to use Jalapeno chiles because I like the taste..... but the damn Jalapenos have been running really mild. So you might want to substitute Serranos. I'd use 2 Jalapenos or 4 Serranos for a medium Salsa..... more if you like it hot. Take the stems off the Chiles and cut them up - we do this because the whole chiles take a lot longer to cook than do the Tomatillos.

cilantro
Once again you're on your own. I don't know if you like cilantro of not. I use about a half a bunch. The cilantro flavor will not be real strong because you are going to cook it..... and since it's gonna be blended as well, you can use the stems and all.

Let's do it!!!

The easiest way to make this Salsa is not the best way but you still come up with a Salsa that is way better than any of that bottled junk. Most Mexicans will just throw everything in a pan - cover it with water and boil the shit out of it. The trouble with this is that you wind up with a lot of really tasty water that you're not going to use. A much better way is to dump all the stuff in a pot - add as little water (maybe a half an inch) as possible and bring it to a boil. Then put a lid on it and turn the heat way down. Check it in about five minutes. It's done as soon as the chiles have turned to that drab olive green color. Let it cool a bit and then put all the solid stuff in a blender and give it a spin. You'll probably have to add some of the cooking water to get the consistency you like. This is a great table salsa and is found on most every table in Mexico. It goes with virtually everything, but is especially good on Chicken and Pork. When it's cooled you might want to add some freshly chopped Cilantro leaves. This Salsa holds pretty well in the fridge but if you make a big batch only add the Fresh Cilantro to what you will be using right away - the Cilantro tends to get a little ugly in the fridge. Let me know how it turns out and if you have any questions about Salsa, Mexican food in general or that horrible mess in Washington - let me know.

Quick & Easy Roasted Corn & Sweet Red Pepper Salsa

2010-06-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

When I first made this salsa I did it the way I described it above and it looked beautiful and it tasted good but it wasn't quite right. The problem turned out to be with the corn that we get here in Mexico. Mexicans eat a really tough corn, tougher than anything we're used to in the States. It's real tasty but it's tough. So when I roasted the corn it got even tougher and drier. I tried canned corn and it worked great - not as good as if I had just-picked, sweet white corn but way better than what was available fresh. You can make this salsa from scratch in less than 5 minutes.

PARTS LIST

1 Can of Corn....... kernels, not creamed

1 small jar of Red Peppers....... You know the ones I mean. A little teeny jar - probably packed with garlic and oil. They may even already be chopped

2 Chipotle Chiles....... chopped. Use one if you want it mild and save the liquid from the can.

2 Cloves of Garlic...... or more, or less depending on how you like it and on how much Garlic was in the jar of Peppers.

Some Cilantro....... chopped. Once again, if you don't like Cilantro use Green onions but for appearance's sake you need something green.

LET'S DO IT!!

Drain the corn well and toss it into a very lightly oiled skillet. Pat it down so it is one layer thick - if it's piled high the corn on top won't brown. Cook it at a high temperature so it will brown on the outside without getting way over-cooked on the inside. When the Corn starts to show some color it's done. Put it in a bowl and add the other stuff except the Cilantro or Green Onions. Stir, taste and add salt or more garlic or more chiles or more whatever strikes your fancy. When it has cooled down add the Cilantro or Green Onions. This Salsa lasts a few days covered in the fridge. Let me know how it turns out.

Roasted Corn Salsa

2010-06-23T18:20:00.001-07:00

This is an especially good salsa for a number of reasons. It tastes great, it's easy to prepare, its one of the prettiest salsas around and most of your friends and guests have never even heard of it, much less eaten it. They will think you are a culinary genius..... you are not obliged to tell them just how easy it is to make. As a matter of fact I would make up a more exciting name for the salsa and tell them it's an old family recipe that your Great Uncle Vladimir brought over from the Ukraine. What do they know? Call it 'Uncle Vlad's Mesquite Grilled Sonoma County Sweet Corn with Roasted Red Pepper and Hot Smoked Chipotle Chile Salsa' and wait for the compliments. This salsa goes especially well with BBQed Chicken and Pork and it's dynamite with almost anything breaded - fish especially. Most all of the other salsas I have dealt with so far are used as a dip or as a condiment for the main dishes. This Roasted Corn Salsa can actually be used as a main ingredient in lots of Mexican dishes. I like to make quesadillas using just the salsa and a little bit of cheese - it's really good with some crumbled Blue cheese, and the sound of something like "Bavarian Blue Cheese and Roasted Corn Quesadillas with Pan Roasted Sweet Red Peppers and Cilantro Butter" will make everyone think that you went to some yuppie culinary school. Remember that when you make quesadillas to go easy on the cheese. It's very easy to turn them into a big gooey mess. This salsa is also great in Tacos or Enchiladas with a little cheese and some left-over chicken or pork. You can also make some great vegetarian Mushroom and roasted corn quesadillas or Tacos. I'm going to give you the recipe for the 'Real Deal' first and then the recipe for one that is just as pretty and almost as tasty but almost no work to make.

PARTS LIST

2 Ears of Corn....... If you're lucky enough to live somewhere with a produce market that sells a really good sweet white corn - buy it.

1 Red Bell Pepper....... roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped.

2 Cloves of Garlic....... or more, or less depending on how you feel about garlic. Chopped.

1 Chipotle Chile....... One chile will be enough to give you the smoky taste we want but it won't have much bite to it. Feel free to put in more chiles if you want it smokier and hotter.

Some Cilantro....... Chopped. If you are one of those who hates the taste of cilantro use green onions - tastes different but it's just as good.

LET'S DO IT!!

Shuck the corn and remove any silk. If you have a barbecue grill going with some nice mesquite wood - brush the corn with a little oil or butter and put it on the grill. When the corn starts to show some charring, turn it over and do the other side. Let it cool. If you don't have the barbecue fired up just put the whole shucked ears in a frying pan with almost no oil and cook them hot until they start showing some color turning them to cook on all sides. Or you can roast it in the oven with the outer leaves still on. It really doesn't matter very much. The easiest way is in a pan on top of the stove and I can guarantee you that no one will know the difference. Roast and peel the red pepper. If you have a gas stove the easiest way to do this is to hold the pepper by the stem over the open flame turning it until the skin is completely blackened, Don't worry, the pepper inside will not be burnt. When the pepper looks like it is completely ruined, wrap it in a kitchen towel or put it in a paper bag or put it in a bowl covered with some plastic wrap to let it steam until it is cool. When it is cooled peel the blackened skin off (I do this in the sink under running water or in bowl of water). Remove the seeds from the pepper and chop it. I do it into thin strips about an inch long but you can do it any damn way you want. Now about the Chipotle chiles. I haven't yet dealt with dried chiles in my newsletter - I promise I will soon - so I'm suggesting that you just use canned 'Chiles Chipotle en Adobo'. Finely chop one or two of the chiles. If you already know how to deal with dried chipotle chiles go ahead and rehydrate a couple and save the water. With your good sharp kitchen knife strip the kernels from the corn into a bowl - trying to get all of the corn and none of the cob. Add the chopped Chipotle chile and some of the Adobo liquid from the can. Add the garlic and the chopped pepper - stir . The chances are pretty good that the salsa will be a little too dry - if so, add some more liquid from the can or some water. I like a little liquid in the bottom of the salsa so when it starts to look dry I can give it a stir and make it all shiny and pretty again. Taste the salsa - you may want to add a little salt but probably not. If you want it more garlicky add some more garlic. If you want it hotter, some more chiles. Look at it. It's almost beautiful - all it needs is some green. Add the cilantro or green onions and..... bingo, you've done it again. Incidentally, if you go easy on the chipotles and maybe add some chopped roasted mild green chiles or green bell pepper, this makes a great vegetable side dish.

Coconut-Mango Shrimp

2010-06-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

About 4 or 5 years ago I made this dish up as a special - it turned out to be so popular that I had to add it to my menu. Since then it has been the most popular dish in the place and the one that I get the most requests for the recipe. So, here it is.

PARTS LIST

shrimp - about 1/2 pound per person

mango salsa #1

some grated coconut

a little garlic - chopped fine

butter - or margarine

some chopped green onions

LET'S DO IT!

The only way you can screw up shrimp is by over-cooking them so I'd suggest that you use a medium size shrimp (about 25-30 per pound) peeled with the tails on, butterflied and deveined. I leave the tails on because I think it's more attractive, but you can do whatever you want. Real small shrimp don't taste as good and real big shrimp are real easy to over-cook on the outside while leaving raw on the inside. If you are having a lot of side dishes I'd definitely do the shrimp last. They'll only take 4 or 5 minutes max, if you have everything prepped to go. Toss the shrimp into a hot pan with butter - if you're worried about the butter burning you can add just a touch of oil (no expensive tasty oil - corn or safflower is great) and toss them around until they've changed color from grey to pinkish white. That's all -- stop. Remove the pan from the heat - they're done. With the shrimp off the heat add a couple of table spoons of the salsa and a tablespoon of grated coconut for each half pound of shrimp. Throw in a handful of chopped green onion for color and put it back on the heat just until the salsa is hot. Bingo! Let's eat. Now sometimes the coconut you find in the super markets has a lot of sugar added - try to find unsweetened. If you can't you might want to rinse the coconut in water and pat it dry. If it's still too sweet you might want to add some lime/lemon juice in at the end. If you are a cilantro lover you could use cilantro for color instead of the green onion. If you're a garlic fancier this is also real good if you throw in a bunch of garlic when the shrimp are about half cooked. Let me know how it turns out.

Mango Salsa #2

2010-06-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is a fresh salsa - so you probably don't want to use canned mangos. On the other hand, a canned mango is way better than a fresh carrot and most of your friends probably don't even know what a mango tastes like anyway. This salsa is beautiful to look at - the golden mango the red of the peppers and the green of the cilantro - and even better to taste. It's absolutely wonderful with charcoal grilled chicken and fish..... hell, it's good with everything. I never met a mango I didn't like.

PARTS LIST

1 large ripe mango (peeled, pitted and diced - diced is a little bigger than chopped - about the size of a pencil eraser)

about 1 thick slice of onion (red, white or yellow - doesn't matter) finely chopped - chopped is way smaller than diced

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

1 or 2 serrano chiles finely chopped/grated

red bell pepper or pimento - about the same amount as the onion - diced

some chopped cilantro

lime/lemon juice

READY, SET, GO

Put everything but the lime/lemon juice in a bowl and mix. There you go! Taste it and add a little lime/lemon ..... taste it again. Too hot? More mango. Not hot enough? More chile. Too sour? a little sugar. Hey, wasn't that easy?

VARIATIONS

1. Try pan roasting the onion, chile and tomato (until they're well blackened) before you chop them.

2. Pan blacken the red pepper before you dice it.

Mango Salsa

2010-06-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

This is a cooked Salsa and we use it at the restaurant as a table salsa and in our Coconut-Mango Shrimp. We started serving this as a special and finally had to add it to the menu. It has been our most popular dish ever since. It's a sauce that seems really exotic but it's another no brainer... really easy to make. And since most of your friends are used to bottled salsas and think that even simple Salsa Mexicana is a gourmet item you will get lots and lots of accolades and requests for this recipe. Especially good with poultry and fish. Just about the only way you can screw this one up is by making it too sweeeeet. So be real careful if you decide to use sugar.
PARTS LIST
A couple of large ripe mangos (peeled and pitted and chopped) This is a cooked Salsa, so if there are no fresh mangos around go ahead and used canned - even Wolfgang Puck won't be able to tell the difference.
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
some butter
a couple of jalapeno chiles (finely chopped)
a couple of cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
a little lime/lemon juice
maybe some sugar - but please be careful we're not makin' a dessert here.
a green onion or scallion (finely chopped) optional
HERE WE GO
Cook the chiles, onion and garlic in butter. You want them well cooked but not brown - so cook them at a low temperature for a long time... stirring occasionally. When they're done add the mango and cook some more. Taste the salsa - this is the taste you want but I would add some lemon/lime juice to make it a little too sour - then add some sugar to bring it back to what it tasted like before you added the lemon. This sounds silly but I think the lemon/sugar combo adds something to the mix. You want this to be a relatively thin Salsa (about like thick ketchup - catsup?) so you will probably have to add liquid - a little lime/lemon juice and maybe some water. If you use canned mangos I would not use the liquid from the can - it's too sweet and it gives a canned taste. If the liquid boils away add more. Taste it. If it's too sweet - add more lime/lemon. If it's too sour - add more sugar (but go easy). If it's too thick - add more liquid. Let it cool and you've just made some really good Salsa. If you're gonna use it as a table salsa you can sprinkle the chopped green onion over the top for garnish. This Salsa lasts at least a few days in the fridge.

What the hell is a chimichanga?

2009-10-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

If you’re from the southwest or the west coast, you probably know the answer, but if you are visiting from the south, the east coast or the mid-west you may be puzzled by a lot of the things you encounter on menus in Cabo. For example burritos, quesadillas, sincronizadas and chimichangas are all described as something or other in a flour tortilla, yet they are very, very different.

BURRITO

A burrito is nothing more than a heated flour tortilla rolled into a tubular shape around a filling of some sort. For Breakfast maybe some eggs scrambled with chorizo or bacon and chiles. For lunch they usually contain beans, some meat and/or cheese and salsa. They can be picked up and eaten like a sandwich. As a matter of fact Blue collar workers often pack them for lunch.

QUESADILLA

If you take that same flour tortilla, lay it flat, cover one half with cheese(and whatever else you want…chicken, chiles, whatever) then fold it closed and heat it on a grill or fry it …. you have a quesadilla. A flour tortilla heated on a grill is a little like Pita bread, but if you fry it in a little oil it gets crispy, almost pastry like. Which leads us to

CHIMICHANGA

Take that same flour tortilla - lay it flat and put some sort of filling right in the center, then fold the top of the tortilla over the filling then fold up the bottom, then the left and right and you should have what looks like a little closed package which you then proceed to fry in lard, butter or vegetable oil. Remember to fry it with the folded side down first so it doesn’t open and spill the filling into the pan. Fry it until it is golden brown, but not burnt, then turn it over and fry the other side. You have just made a chimichanga. I think a good basic filling for beginners is a spoonful of sour cream, some grated cheese and a couple of strips of green chiles. Okay, but what the hell is a sincronizada??

SINCRONIZADA

A sincronizada is simply a flour tortilla laid flat and covered with some sort of filling (the most common in Mexico is probably ham &cheese) then another flour tortilla is placed on top – just like a sandwich - then grilled or fried top and bottom It is then sliced into wedges like a pizza and eaten with the fingers. This can make a pretty elegant appetizer – at the restaurant we serve a sincronizada made with smoked tuna, green onions and jack cheese….. all the tourists think it’s a fancy high tone dish.

PINEAPPLE CHIPOTLE CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

This is something you can do with left-over chicken , and it’s really good—easy to make too. Just spread some shredded or chopped chicken on one half of a flour tortilla- add some grated jack cheese (just a little-we don’t want a big chewy mass of cheese) and some pineapple salsa. Fold the other half over and fry in a little oil. Yeah, but I don’t have any pineapple salsa!! No problem.

First things first...

PINEAPPLE CHIPOTLE SALSA

This salsa is easy, easy, easy to prepare and most folks have never had anything like it, so they're gonna think you're a real culinary genius because it's beautiful to look at and wonderful to taste. If you want to tell them that it's an old family recipe handed down from generation to generation and takes three weeks to prepare and you personally grew and hot smoked the chipotle chiles and had the organically grown pineapple air freighted in from Vera Cruz and the red peppers were personally selected by your grandfather in Tamalipas and picked during the full moon and blessed by the local parish priest and then oven roasted in an adobe kiln with rare Elephant garlic from Gilroy and marinated in a first crush extra virgin olive oil from a 2000 year old tree in Tuscany and aged in charred white oak vat in a cave in Bordeaux, go ahead, I won't tell. Anyway, this salsa is great on any kind of pork, wonderful with barbecued chicken, dynamite plain with

chips and makes great quesadillas with most any kind of cheese. I'm giving the ingredients for a relatively small amount just in case you think it really sucks. Oh, I'm giving you the quick version here – the salsa is actually a lot better if you first saute or pan roast the Red Pepper and Garlic.

1/2 A FRESH PINEAPPLE

chopped

1 CHIPOTLE CHILE en ADOBO

chopped fine

1 MEDIUM RED PEPPER

seeds and stems removed - chopped

1 CLOVE OF GARLIC

chopped fine

A COUPLE OF GREEN ONIONS

chopped

1 or 2 TEASPOONS OF SESAME SEEDS

(optional –to sprinkle over the top)

If you have a whole pineapple, cut the top and bottom off and put them in the garbage or plant them or put them in your compost pile. Slice what's left of the pineapple in half - down through the core. Slice one of the halves in two - down through the core. The core can be tough and woody and tasteless so trim it off and put it where ever it was that you put the top and bottom. Peel the outer skin off of the 2 quarters. Now you don't have to be real anal about this step. It's all right if you don't get every last little bit of the skin off. Just get the real big eyes and any seriously brown spots. Chop the pineapple - don't blend it - and put it in a bowl. For making a small amount of salsa I don't think it's worth it to go through the hassle of dealing with 1 dried chipotle so Open a small can of 'Chiles Chipotle en Adobo' and chop just one of the chiles very finely and add it to the bowl with the Pineapple along with some of the liquid from the can. Add the chopped green onions. You might have to add a little liquid but if you let it sit for a little while it will probably make its own liquid. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over it. Bingo, babycakes - you just made a great salsa. TASTE IT!! Too hot? - add some more pineapple. Not hot enough? - add some more chile. I repeat - This salsa (I think) is actually much better if you flame roast the Red Pepper ( see my web site www.felixcabosanlucas.com – click on ‘recipes’ and then click on ‘flame roasted peppers) with the Garlic instead of using raw. If you are barbecuing you can throw the peeled pineapple and seeded red pepper on the grill until they ‘re a little charred and make the salsa while the chicken is cooking. Call it "Mama Maria's charred Pineapple and Red Pepper salsa", it's great too.

Let me know how it turns out.

Ceviche

2009-10-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

In the last issue I explained that the computer gods ate one of my newsletters, and asked if any of you happened to save it. I fully expected no response. Boy was I wrong. I wasn't sure anybody even read the stupid thing much less saved it but I have been inundated with copies. Thank you very much. You're wonderful! Anytime any of you make it down to Cabo just introduce yourself to my son or me and we'll pop for a round of great Margaritas--unless of course I'm off on a book tour or selling my autographed Bobble-head Dolls or something

After all these years of viciously attacking all those self proclaimed 'Celebrity Chefs" as self aggrandizing idiots who don't care about anything but their fame and the sale of their next cook book, an embarrassing situation may be headed my way. There are 2 new cook books coming out that will be including some of my recipes, and this fall a new Glossy high-tone tourist Mag will be doing a cover article on one of my Cabo Restaurants (Felix'). In addition, the prestigous food Magazine 'CHILE PEPPER', in their upcoming annual "SALSA' issue, will be doing a profile of a 'celebrity Chef--'THE SALSA KING'(me). They are also doing an article on the restaurant and including a handful of my recipes.....Sheeesh!, I might be turning in to one of those jerks I've been attacking for all these years. Hey, anybody want to buy a cook-book??.......or maybe a line of 'Felix' cookwear??....I'm thinkin' NIKE or ADIDAS might have an endorsement deal for me.

I'm gonna try really hard to keep all this from going to my head and maybe you can help me. Keep looking for any sign that I'm getting uppity or that I'm letting any of this go to my head. If you notice any changes in my style or attitude let me know by email-- addressed to 'THE SALSA KING' (his-royal-highness@salsaking.org). The proper salutation to use is 'SIRE' or'YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS'. Of course I won't be answering your email personally--I'm going to be very busy shopping for a 'PORSCHE' and arranging a 'TV COOKING SHOW' and a 'BOOK TOUR'-- but not to worry, I'll have one of my lackeys or hangers-on get back to you.

Okay, let's make some Ceviche

(Pronounced say-VEE-chay)

Ceviche(fresh fish marinated in lime juice) is probably the most popular seafood dish in Mexico, at least among the Mexicans. It is eaten in every part of the country. Street vendors, taco stands, food carts, cantinas, fancy restaurants and hotels all have their own versions of this uniquely Mexican treat. At Felix' when a tourist brings in their catch for us to prepare, we always make some ceviche as an appetizer and they always love it and usually ask for the recipe. However when I put it on the menu -- nobody buys it. This leads me to believe that all you gringos area afraid to try anything new. Change your damn attitude!! Give it a try! Ceviche is a wonderful summertime dish -- as an appetizer or light lunch or as an afternoon snack. You can serve it as a dip with tortilla chips or on crackers as a party snack, stuffed into an avocado half on a bed of mixed greens(no arugula) as a salad, as a tostada or as a seafood cocktail, hell you could probably wrap it in rice and seaweed and call it 'Mexican Sushi.' Hey, it's really easy to make, the only equipment you need is a knife and a bowl.. hell, if you can squeeze a lime you can make ceviche that's as good as any in the world!!

PARTS LIST

FISH

any fresh white fish will do (at Felix' we generally use sea bass, but you can use whatever is available--scallops are wonderful and even octopus, shrimp, or calamari (squid) will work just fine). fresh lime juice...lemon juice will work too

SALSA MEXICANA

I don't have room here to give you a recipe (actually I do have room, but I'm the damn 'SALSA KING' and I don't feel like typing it out again. There's a great recipe for Salsa Mexicana on my web site (www.felixcabosanlucas.com) just click on 'recipes.' I think it's the very first one

CILANTRO

chopped

OKAY, LET'S ROCK 'N' ROLL

Cut your fresh raw fish into pieces (chopped really fine like hamburger is best for a dip--bigger pieces or thin mini-filets the size of a half dollar are best for a cocktail). Put the prepared fish in a bowl and cover with fresh lime juice - give it a stir, making sure that all the fish is in contact with the juice.

Put it in the fridge and go have a beer or call your mom or something, You will have ceviche in 15 minutes to an hour or so, depending on the size of the fish pieces. It's done when the fish has turned from translucent to opaque. If you use octopus or squid or shrimp it might take longer.

When it is all very white and cooked looking Pour off the extra juice and add some Salsa Mexicana-- how much is up to you (you want it to look pretty with the red and green of the salsa and the white of the fish) Garnish with some cilantro and serve.

Then sit back and wait for the oohs and aahs.

In the Puerto Vallarta area they chop the fish very fine indeed and then when its finished marinating they squeeze out the lime juice in paper towels and serve it very dry. I personally just pour off the extra lime juice and leave it moist. To make a ceviche cocktail, leave a little of the lime juice and put the fish in a cocktail glass with some of your favorite shrimp cocktail sauce (might be a topic for a future newsletter). Garnish with a sprig of cilantro and a lime wedge. I guarantee that everyone will be suitably impressed and think you're a culinary genius, just don't tell them how easy it was, but do let me know how it turns out.

Tortilla Soup

2009-10-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Don't pay the ransom, I've escaped!!

Nah - I wasn't really kidnapped--- my stupid computer self destructed and I lost everything on it, including your addresses..............and that's why there has been no newsletter for such a long time. That and I just haven't felt like writing anything.

Anyway, I got a new computer, new programs, new everything and I hate it. I hate windows and I hate Netscape. A lot of time and energy and I think I salvaged most of the addresses -- I lost about a thousand or so.

If yours is one of the lost addresses, you won't receive this. So if you don't get this -- let me know and I'll put you right back on the list.

When I finally got back on line I had 9,127 new messages. Since I don't know near that many people, I assumed that a lot of you were writing because you missed me and my stupid newsletter ....

WRONG!

Exactly 3 of the messages were from someone known to me, the other 9,124 were trying to sell me Viagra, Extra Strength Viagra, New Improved Viagra, Super Viagra, Generic Viagara or Organic Viagra. I got to wondering how I got on all those stupid lists. I'm thinking' that one of you people blabbed - and you should be ashamed of yourself. There are some things that are best kept private. And besides, I don't need any kind of Viagra. I mean what good's a pestle with no mortar??

Now to the task at hand...

TORTILLA SOUP

I get lots and lots of requests for recipes, usually a straightforward request. However the requests for a Tortilla soup recipe often ask for an 'authentic' recipe. I assume this is so because every restaurant seems to make it differently. That’s because, I believe, there is no single 'authentic' recipe. Oh, there is some commonality in the recipes – they all call for crispy fried tortilla chips—they all call for chicken stock --they all use some kind of cheese and almost all call for avocado. Some are clear and others a beautiful ruby red. I like the way the red soup looks and that’s the way I do it. So without further ado I’m going to tell you how I make it at Felix’ and forevermore this will be known as the

'Authentic' Felix Tortilla Soup Recipe.

PARTS LIST

Chicken stock……..a couple of quarts - I think that’s 8 cups.

I make it from scratch at Felix’, but I see no reason you can’t use a canned stock, if you have one you like. If you want to make it from scratch just put a half chicken (I usually throw in a few whole cloves of garlic) in 2 quarts of water, bring it to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer it covered for about an hour. If there is a whole lot of fat floating on top you can skim some of it off. I like to see some globules floating though – adds ‘authenticity’. Even the very richest chicken stock tastes like dishwater until you add salt. So add salt until it tastes like soup then strain it through a colander, putting the chicken aside until it’s cool enough to handle. When it has cooled, remove the meat from the carcass- shred it or chop it into the size you like and reserve it for assembly.

If you want a more elegant broth you can strain it through some cheesecloth or even a kitchen towel (I rarely bother with this unless I’m expecting the President of Mexico or Madonna or somebody to drop in for dinner).

Crispy tortilla strips……..I cut mine into strips about 2 inches long and about the width of fettuccine, others prefer the wider lasagna width and some apostates even cut them into squares or triangles—hey, it’s okay with me. Gonna taste good however you cut them. Fry them in 350-degree oil till they are browned and crispy and put them aside until assembly.

Chicken……..This is optional. About half the tortilla soups I’ve eaten have chicken and about half not. We use the meat in ours and everyone knows we did not use a canned or concentrated or powdered stock.

Vegetables…..This is also optional. Most recipes do not call for any vegetables. I use veggies, because the first tortilla soup I ever ate (in Merida, Yucatan) did and thought it was ‘authentic’. It also reminds me of my mom’s chicken soup. For this amount of soup I would use 1 medium zucchini or chayote, 1 carrot, 1 small onion and one small poblano chile (seeded and deveined) cut into pieces about the size of a dime and parboiled ‘al dente’ then set aside for later assembly.

‘AL DENTE’?? That reminds me that it is time for my obligatory attack on those self-proclaimed celebrity chefs.WHAT A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!

If you watch the food channel you have noticed that every single one of these half-wits that gather every day for their self-congratulatory circle jerk uses the phrase ‘al dente’ at least twice each program. I was eating at a local Italian restaurant recently and there was a real big screw up in the kitchen…all the pasta was coming out crunchy – I mean really crunchy- I mean danger of cutting your gums crunchy…and not a single word of complaint. All around me idiots were saying ” Mmmmm.... ‘al dente’ ”

I don’t know about you but I’m sick and tired of raw carrots, crunchy spaghetti, and bloody chicken. To all those celebrity chefs I say "al dente" this!!!

So for future reference al dente does not mean RAW, al dente does not mean CRUNCHY and al dente does not mean BLOODY!! ALL al dente means is ‘NOT MUSHY’.

Now where was I? Oh yeah, tortilla soup.

Avocado……one medium avocado ripe, but not mushy cut into cubes about the size of your little fingernail should be enough for about six bowls

Dried chiles……..I use 4 or 5 guajillo chiles because I think they have the prettiest color but you can use pasilla, ancho, mulatto or whatever dried red chile you like. We’re using these guys for the color not for heat or flavor so slice them open and remove the seeds and veins. Barely cover the chiles with water and let them soak for 45 minutes or so, then run them through a blender (if you need more liquid add some of the reserved stock) If you’d like to no more about cooking with dried chiles go to my web site (www.felixcabosanlucas.com) click on recipes, then click on cooking with dried chiles. You’ll know more than any of your friends.

Cheese…………We use ‘queso fresco’ broken into pieces about the size of a kidney bean but most restaurants use grated jack cheese. Queso fresco is a fresh Mexican cheese, snow white in color and about the texture of feta cheese – I think it looks real pretty in the soup and besides when you get a big spoon full of jack cheese it’s like eating a bad cheese laden pizza. I don’t know about you but when I’m eating soup I don’t want to do a whole lot of chewing. So don’t overdo the cheese. It’s not available down here but I think a nice fresh mozzarella would be real good and in central Mexico they are apt to use a grated Chihuahua cheese (sort of like a white cheddar)

Garnish………..a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro although we use a sprig of epazote (a Mexican herb that is probably not available where you are).

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Put the reserved chicken stock back on the stove and bring it to a simmer. Add the chicken, the pureed chiles and the parboiled veggies you want the soup to be very, very hot because we’re going to be adding a lot of room temperature ingredients and we wouldn’t want to serve cold soup—would we?

If you are using grated cheese, put about a heaping tablespoon in the bottom of each bowl. If you’re using a crumbled cheese wait for further instructions. Add the avocado and now, the crumbled cheese.

Okay, garnish and serve. Let me know how it turns out.

Oh, one more thing……this is a thin broth soup so the sour cream probably won’t float. So If I’m using a deep bowl- like at the restaurant – I don’t use the sour cream- don’t like the way it looks. If I’m using a wider shallow bowl the sour cream sits on top of the tortillas and looks real pretty with the sprig of something green. Keep it in mind.

Black Bean Salsa

2009-10-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, now I'm back to one of my real favorites. This is a salsa that we've been making for years and finally it seems to be a very, very hip new thing. All the celebrity chefs seem to have finally caught on. This is an all purpose sort of salsa. You can mash it up with a fork and spread it on a baguette as a base for some great sandwiches (Especially good with avocado, tomato, mayo and breast of chicken). You can add a spoonful to your tacos or you can make great quesadillas with just this salsa and a slice of your favorite cheese. It is an inexpensive and filling dip for chips and it makes a beautiful garnish for almost any main dish. You can even serve it as a salad. I know I keep promising to do a whole newsletter on beans - as a matter of fact I'm going to make the next newsletter all about beans - and various bean salsas, salads and dips. Until then you're just gonna have to be satisfied with this quick and tasty Black Bean Salsa that uses canned black beans (trust me, no one will know).

PARTS LIST

1 can of black beans

Make sure you get whole beans not refried

1 small onion

Any kind of onion will do but a red onion might be prettier

1 clove of garlic

Or more, it's hard to use too much garlic as far as I'm concerned

cilantro

If you like cilantro use lots, if you hate it, use chopped green onions

1 small ripe red tomato

chiles

This is a matter of taste. You can use jalapeños or serranos or you can even use those canned green chiles

salad oil

Nothing fancy - use any neutral tasting oil, nothing strong tasting lime juice Or lemon juice. As a matter of fact I like to make it with vinegar as well.

LET'S DO IT!

Drain the beans and rinse them (The juice or gravy in canned beans has a muddy color and is sometimes real salty). Slice the onion into really, really thin rounds and separate them into rings. Add them to the beans. Chop the garlic and tomato and throw them in too. I like to slice the chiles into very, very thin, thin rounds but you can chop them if you want, and add them to the mix. Pour some oil over it all and stir until every thing is pretty well coated with oil and then add the lime juice (or lemon juice or the vinegar) and stir around some more. You don't have to worry about too much oil because the extra will just go to the bottom of the bowl and you don't have to worry about too much vinegar because once everything is coated with oil the extra vinegar will also go to the bottom of the bowl. Let it all marinate for at least a couple of hours. If you're going to use it as a salad - serve it cold. If you are going to use it as a salsa serve it room temperature. I guess you all think that I forgot about the cilantro or green onions............. wrong. We add the chopped cilantro or green onions right before we serve it because it looks crummy if it's been sitting in all that liquid for any length of time.

Let me know how it turns out.

Papaya Salsa

2009-10-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it's finally happened. After telling you every time that the salsa I was giving you the recipe for was one of my favorites - I'm finally, do to reader demand, giving you the recipe to a Salsa that I just don't like very much. However, It is one of the most popular salsas in the restaurant and one that I receive lots of recipe request for. It's real pretty and it has a nice sweet and sour spicy taste to it. I just happen to be one of those people that doesn't like Papaya. If you like papaya give it a try and let me know what you think. Here's a little esoterica about papayas. Papaya seeds have a peppery taste and are often dried and ground and used as a spice. Also papaya is used as a meat tenderizer and a skin conditioner.

PARTS LIST

1 papaya

Pick a papaya just like you would choose a melon. You want one that is ripe but not over-ripe. It should show color - not be green - although they will ripen just sitting around the kitchen. It should have a fruity aroma. It should have a little give when pressed with the fingers. This recipe is for a papaya about the size of a small canteloupe so if your market only sells the jumbo kind use the extra as a fruit dish - sliced and served with a squeeze of lemon or lime it’s a very popular breakfast fruit.

1/2 small onion

1 clove of garlic

2 jalapeno chiles

The jalapeno chiles we’re getting right now are not hot at all - so we’ve been substituting serrano chiles

1/2 red bell pepper

cilantro

LET'S DO IT!!

Cut the papaya in half and remove the seeds. Peel and chop the papaya - don't use a food processor or blender. Chop the onion, the garlic and the chiles - seeds and all. Chop the red bell pepper and dice the cilantro. Mix it all together in a bowl with the lemon or lime juice and you have just made a delightful tropical salsa that goes well with poultry, fish or just as a dip with chips. I didn't give you an amount on the cilantro because some of you don't like cilantro at all, some love it and some just like it a little. So use your own judgment. I think the salsa really needs the green color so if you don't like cilantro use some green onion.

Cucumber Salsa

2009-10-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most popular salsas at the restaurant. And it is what I call a 'BASIC'. Once you have this one down - with just slight variations in ingredients you can make dozens of great salsas. After the recipe I'm gonna give you some of the many variations. We are constantly changing our salsa selection at the restaurant but this is one that we always have on hand....by popular demand.

It's real popular for a number of reasons -

1. It has no chiles, so folks that don't like - or can't eat - the fiery stuff still get to enjoy the ritual....even little kids can enjoy it.

2. It tastes really good.

3. It actually seems to work to cool your mouth off after you get a bite of something too hot.

You'll notice that I play it pretty loose with the amounts of ingredients - that's on purpose. As I said this is not science - the amounts just don't matter very much. As a matter of fact if you stick to exact measurements it won't be as good - because some lemons/limes are sweeter/more sour than others.....sometimes the cilantro is stronger tasting than other times. So as you make the salsa - taste the salsa and adjust it to taste the way you like it. It just doesn't make any difference if it's a little more or less lemony. Also I'm giving you instructions for making a very small batch if you like it you can just double up on the ingredients and if you hate it you haven't lost much. You really should make and try a batch before you do a whole bunch and serve it to your friends. This salsa is great on chips ..... it's wonderful as a refreshing substitute for the same old boring tartar sauce and it's absolutely great on anything breaded and fried from shrimp and fish to fried chicken, jalapeno poppers or chicken fried steak. This one is pretty much a no-brainer but it's really cool and refreshing - perfect for summer time fare.

Here's what you're gonna need.

PARTS LIST

1 cucumber -- peeled

1 cup (or so) sour cream

1 bunch of cilantro

a couple of lemons or limes

a little salt - if you think it needs it

okay - let's rock and roll . Chop the cucumber and put it in a bowl. Now the food experts all tell you to scoop the seeds out.

Nonsense!

Use the whole thing. I slice the cucumber into thin strips the long way first - makes for easier chopping. Add the sour cream - one big spoonful at a time...stir. Look at it. Do you like the consistency? Hey, add some more sour cream... Now squeeze a lemon or a lime into the bowl...taste it. You want it to be lemony/limey, if it's not, squeeze another one. Chop the cilantro pretty fine and add it to the bowl.....stir it around, taste it - add some salt if you think it needs it, sprinkle something green (chives, parsley, cilantro, green onion - whatever) over it......... and bingo!

You have a great, refreshing salsa. Easy, huh?

VARIATIONS

1. Thin the salsa out with some milk and you have a wonderful salad dressing.

2. Use fresh or dried whole tarragon instead of cilantro and add some buttermilk, or for that matter regular milk, and you have 'Aunt Maggie's Tarragon Buttermilk Ranch Dressing" (if you use the dried tarragon - let it sit for a while before using it to let the flavor of the herb spread a little).

3. Take a table spoon or two of the salsa and put it in the blender with a jalapeno chile - give it a spin or two and add it back into the bowl. Taste it. Not hot enough? Do it again. Too hot? Add some more sour cream, cucumber, and lemon/lime.

4. Put the whole thing into the blender and whip it up good. It'll taste the same but it will be a real pretty green color. Go ahead and call it your 'Secret Cucumber and Cilantro Green Goddess Dressing" I won't tell.

5. Put a couple of cloves of garlic into the blender with a little of the sour cream and beat it up good -- add it to the salsa/dressing and make up a name for it.

6. If you want to use it in place of Tartar Sauce for fried fish - add some toasted slivered almonds and call it "Mom's Cucumber Cilantro Tartar Sauce Amandine"

7. Slice the cucumber into thin rounds instead of chopping it - add some very thinly sliced onion rings and a touch of some vinegar and serve it as a salad.

8. Use unflavored yogurt instead of sour cream and dill instead of cilantro .

9. Make a chicken salad - the best you've ever tasted - by using tarragon instead of cilantro and cutting the cucumber into bite sized chunks. Add cooked chicken cut into the same size as the cucumber and serve it in a half an avocado on top of a mixed green saladÉÉ.it's incredible, easy too.

10. If you use yogurt and dill - try adding some cayenne pepper. Very Indian.

So go ahead, fool around with this one, and if you come up with some more tasty variations - send them along. I'll print them up. Maybe with your help we can put some of these high priced waddies out of business.

Hot Carrots

2009-10-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

There's about a million mexican cookbooks on the market — lots of pretty pictures — exotic ingredients that you order by computer from some email Yuppie Food Nazi in a small village outside of Santa Fe, with a kitchen that would put Betty Crocker to shame — Convection ovens , microwaves, ricers, dicers, slicers, presses, smokers, processors, food mills, rotisseries, corers, parers, seeders, pressure cookers, poachers, broilers, boilers and steamers --- hell, if you have all that stuff and know how to use it, you probably don't need to read this recipe.

But if you just want to learn how to make some Hot Carrots , you know like you see on the table in almost every single Mexican restaurant, read on...

PARTS LIST

A dozen or so carrots

cleaned and sliced into 1/4 inch strips —I think they look prettier cut on the diagonal.

6 or so Jalapeño Chiles

cleaned and sliced into strips the long way — I leave the stems on — makes it look authentic.

Two Medium Onions

peeled, cut in half and sliced the same thickness as the carrots

3 or 4 Bay Leaves

Dried Oregano

1 teaspoon (whole not ground)

White Vinegar

1 cup (go ahead use the cheapest stuff you can find)

Water

2 cups

LET'S DO IT!!!

Put everything except the Oregano into a pot ( It's best to use a stainless, cast or coated pan because the vinegar may discolor some cookwear).

If there is not enough liquid to cover, add more-----1 part vinegar to 2 parts water---bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.

Turn off the stove, add the oregano, put a lid on it and let it cool.

Bingo, Hot Carrots!

If the Carrots are too crunchy for your taste you can bring them back to a boil. If they are too mushy --- hey, next time don't simmer them so damn long.

These Carrots last about forever in the fridge, and the longer they sit, the hotter they get.

1. Leave out the Carrots and just try it with a half dozen sliced Onions — but add a slice or two or three of beet and a couple of tablespoons of sugar — when it's cooled take out the beets and you have some very pretty spicy pickled Onions. Great on Tacos, Tostadas,Burgers and Grilled Chicken Sandwiches.

2. When I make the Carrots at home, after they cool I add some peeled Hard Boiled Eggs. In a week or so I have some Hot Pickled Eggs.

3. Put a whole bunch of peeled Garlic Cloves or unpeeled for that matter in with the Carrots.

4. It works with Carrots — it also works with Cauliflower, Green Beans, Zucchini, Red and Green Peppers and probably a lot of other stuff I haven't thought of.

Corned Beef Hash

2009-10-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Something a little different.  

I originally started this newsletter in self-defense because I got really tired of answering so many individual requests for salsa recipes. Because my restaurant has a salsa bar with 30 or 40 salsas every day, I got the reputation around Cabo as being the Salsa guy. So for the first couple of years I did nothing but salsa recipes. That led to a show on The Food Network, where I was dubbed the ‘Salsa King’ by the celebrity chef du jour. That led to appearances on TV in Reno where I demonstrated salsa making techniques in my disguise as ‘THE SALSA KING’. Then someone at chile-pepper magazine decided to do a seven page article on me called ‘Meet the Salsa King’ I guess someone at ABC-TV in Chicago saw the article because they got in touch with me and came down and shot an interview that was shown in Chicago on Super Bowl Sunday. I even get asked for my autograph occasionally. So I may be the ‘Salsa King’ in Reno and Chicago but you guys know I’m just an old hippie who is a real good cook and has a no bullshit attitude about food.

Anyway, as I grew bored writing about salsas and got more and more inquiries about Mexican food in general, the newsletter seemed to evolve into nothing more than an occasional recipe and me attacking all those self-proclaimed ‘Celebrity’chefs and pushing my own cooking philosophy ……..“Cooking is fun and cooking is easy…………if it were difficult or took any brains at all, the human race would have died out centuries ago”.  

For most of my restaurant life I have had award winning breakfast restaurants. Mama’s Royal Café has won ‘Best Of’ awards in Marin County, Sonoma, Berkeley, and Julian California. I was recently told by the lady who does the restaurant reviews for the prestigious Frommer’s guide that Mama’s in Cabo was in her estimation the best breakfast place in the whole country. The best place in a whole country—now that’s pretty cool. Which leads us, in a round about way, to the subject of this newsletter.  

My favorite breakfast.  

At Mama’s we’re pretty high-toned – serving 8 or 9 variations of eggs Benedict including one that uses crab cakes in place of English muffins. We have crepes Florentine with hollandaise sauce, a jillion omelets, French toast stuffed with cream cheese and topped with mangoes and pecans flambé in orange liqueur – and if you feel like something Mexican we make Huevos Divorciados or Encobijadas, Tortillas de huevo and a raft of other regional dishes. We squeeze all our own juices and grind our own coffee. I do all that fancy stuff for you guys but my own favorite breakfast is plain simple hash and eggs with some home-fries and a well-toasted English muffin. Imagine my shock and disappointment when I got to Mexico and discovered there isn’t even a word for ‘hash’ in Spanish. What’s more there is no such thing as corned beef in Mexico. After I’d been here for a few years, a local company started importing Corned beef from the US. I was all over that in a hot New York minute. In no time at all my menu featured “THE ONLY HOME-MADE CORNED BEEF HASH IN THE WHOLE DAMN COUNTRY” Pretty cool, eh? Then about a year or so ago you guys had a ‘Mad Cow’ scare and Mexico banned the import of US beef. What a bummer! I started making hash out of the pot roast we used for machaca. It was good and is still on my menu but ‘Roast Beef Hash’ just doesn’t have the same customer appeal as the traditional ‘corned beef hash’ – although I still had the only hash in Cabo. About a year later a local supermarket started selling those little cans of corned beef that you open with a key that’s stuck to the top of the can. I figgered ‘what the hell’ and gave it a try. For dinner or for hot sandwiches it wasn’t near as good as the real homemade but in my hash it was virtually indistinguishable from the real deal. As a matter of fact I have had more requests for the recipe since I started using the canned.   

There are probably as many recipes for hash as there are people making hash. I personally have made hash from corned beef, pastrami, pot roast, left over pork chops, chicken, turkey, fish, crab and my very favorite - ham. I have an old friend who has a popular restaurant in Sonoma Calif. His homemade corned beef hash features the meat and potatoes cut into large cubes (about the size of the dice in a monopoly game). It’s good but I much prefer the meat to be chopped (or shredded and chopped) very fine and the potatoes also very fine (even coarsely mashed). I use no herbs or weird spices in my hash. I also don’t add onions or peppers, but I won’t object if you do. I use just meat, potatoes, salt, black pepper and chopped parsley and I think it’s the best around. I do use some garlic in the crab hash and a little chopped fresh basil in the chicken hash. The following recipe is the way I’m now making it at the restaurant using canned corned beef. So here’s how to make some great homemade corned beef hash without having to cook up a big old brisket – and you can make it on the spur of the moment (if you happen to have a leftover potato sitting around).  

Quick and easy corned beef hash

PARTS LIST

1 can of corned beef………………….I shred it with my fingers , then chop it pretty fine  

Cooked potato…………………………You want the same amount of potatoes as meat At the restaurant I use the boiled potatoes I have on hand for home fries, but left over flaky baked potatoes are even better. You can chop the potatoes into any size cube that pleases you, but I coarsely mash them leaving lots of lumps.  

Chopped parsley…………………….... I don’t measure but I use a generous amount – at least a couple tablespoons, Don’t be chintzy, this is not a garnish. It is an important part of the recipe.  

A little melted butter……………………fat is a very important ingredient in hash and it is not even mentioned in most hash recipes. If you use real corned beef or ham the meat should be about 20% finely - very finely - chopped fat. If I’m making chicken hash I skim the fat off the water I boiled the chicken in and add it to the mix. Canned corn beef, fish and crab don’t have enough fat so I dribble in some melted butter…mmmm good. I also fry my hash in butter and you should too.  

Salt and pepper………………………… to taste. If you’re using real corned beef or ham – taste it first because it may have enough salt.  

Okay, let’s put it together  

Just mix the meat, potatoes, parsley and melted butter in a bowl – taste it – and add salt and pepper. Put a generous amount of butter in a skillet and get it hot over medium-high heat (or high-medium heat if you prefer) and add the hash. You can add a little oil to the butter if you are scared of burnt butter. Fry it until it’s nice and browned on the bottom and crispy around the edges. Don’t pester it! If you keep moving it around and fooling with it - it ‘s not going to brown properly. Oh, you can either cook it in one big batch or form it into patties --- your call. When it’s browned and crisped to your liking turn it and do the other side. Bing!! You just made some great hash. Top it with a couple of poached or fried eggs and you have a world class breakfast. Ooops, I almost forgot. If you’re gonna use left over fish or crab you can mix a raw beaten egg into the mix – form it into patties and dip them in bread crumbs. Call them ‘Alma’s Kountry Kitchen Kroquettes’ – they make a great and economical dinner dish.  Tell me how it turns out Spencer

Carnitas

2009-06-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Carnitas (literally translated as 'little meats') are also found in every part of Mexico. Even the smallest villages will usually have someone that makes carnitas- at least on the weekends.

As a main dish with a fresh salsa mexicana or salsa verde topped with come chopped cilantro, or chopped or shredded as a filling for tacos or quesadillas, carnitas are wonderfull. You can find lots of recipes for carnitas in cookbooks but if you have ever eaten really good carnitas all of these recipes will be a disappointment.

"Why?", you ask.

Well, I'm gonna tell you why. Carnitas are simply deep fried pork - crispy on the outside and fallin' off the bone tender and juicy on the inside. I love them and tried for years to make carnitas for my restaurant that were as good as they served in the big carnitas restaurants..... not possible.

The reason is that all the big carnitas places have huge cauldrons, big enough to fry pieces of pork the size of a turkey. The result is that by the time the outside is beautifully browned and crispy the inside is cooked just right. When you try to cook small amounts to order by the time the outside is brown and crispy the inside is overcooked and dry.

Hey, it's still good and if you've never had the real thing you'll probably like it a lot.

I stole this recipe from an old guy in Rosarita Beach - and while it's not exactly the same as the big guys, it's really good... and you don't have to deep fry a whole pig. It's not exactly health food ... but what the hey! This version is wonderful for summertime cookouts, way easier than ribs or chicken and most of the work is done in advance.

PARTS LIST

A big chunk of pork (I'd say 6 or 7 pounds minimum). Bone in or boneless? - doesn't matter, get whatever is cheapest. Lean or fatty? - fatty is probably better. Cheap or expensive? - the cheaper the better (the more expensive cuts such as loin is probably too lean and will tend to dry out).

1 or 2 onions Cut in quarters. You don't even have to peel them/it.

1 bunch of cilantro You don't even have to chop it.

a handful of fresh chiles Jalapeno or serranos will be just fine.

Coke or Pepsi - No diet stuff please.

water

LET'S DO IT!

Put everything into a large covered pan and cover it with a 50/50 mix of water and cola -- I know, I know, but trust me. The cola has something in it that does something really nice to the meat. Bring it to a boil then turn it down to a simmer - put the cover on and simmer slowly 'til the meat is really, really tender. Probably a minimum of an hour and a half maybe more... check it. If the liquid boils away add more coke/water. Take the pork out and let it cool. If you wrap it and keep it in the fridge it lasts for a long time.

So now that you have this big chunk of tender pork, how do you turn it into Carnitas? There's a couple of ways.

My favorite way is to just throw it on the BBQ - when it's all crispy and brown on one side turn it over and brown the other. Since it's already cooked it takes very little time. You want it real crispy on the outside. Chop it up and serve it with some hot corn and flour tortillas and some fresh Salsas and Guacamole and maybe some beans (recipe coming up next issue) some green onions that you've thrown on the barby and some radishes and ---- hey, baby you've got a real Mexican cookout going. The other way is to cut the pork into billiard ball size pieces and deep fry them 'til they're real crispy on the outside --- chop them into bite size pieces and serve them.

Guacamole Salsa

2009-06-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

I think that this salsa is served at almost every taqueria (taco stand) in Mexico, north, south, east and west. It gives you the great taste of guacamole but it is really inexpensive to make..... easy too. As a matter of fact it is probably the easiest to make of all salsas and goes well with virtually everything. This should be a thin, pourable salsa - about as thick as a good, hearty split pea soup. Mild, medium or hot, you decide.

MILD

This one is so easy you don't need an ingredient list. Just take a ripe avocado and put it in a blender (after you peel it and take the pit out) and add water slowly 'til you have the right consistancy. Taste it and maybe add a little salt.

MEDIUM

Just the same as above but add a jalapeno or serrano chile to the blender.

HOT

The same as above but add more chiles.

A LITTLE FANCIER

1. Add a half an onion, a clove or two of garlic and some cilantro to the blender.

2. Add the above plus a couple of raw tomatillos (husked and washed).

MY FAVORITE

Take a half dozen tomatillos, a couple of whole jalapenos, half an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic --- put them in a small lidded pan with a little water. Let them cook slowly until the chiles and tomatillos have turned from a bright green to an olive drab. Let them cool and put them in the blender (save the liquid) with a ripe avocado or two. You want this salsa to be pourable so if it's too thick - thin it with the water you cooked the chiles in. This salsa is great on enchiladas - as a matter of fact it is always served over Enchiladas Suizas and the enchiladas that are served with 'Carne Asada ala Tampiqueno'

Hot Smoky Guacamole

2009-06-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

PARTS LIST

a couple of avocados

some smoky hot oil - from the last newsletter. If you didn't make any, you should it's really good.

Let's get cooking!

Just mash the avocado with a little hot oil and some of the chile flakes from the bottom of the oil. Add a little salt and as far as I'm concerned you can claim it as an old family original.

Guacamole

2009-06-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

This wonderful salad predates the European presence in the western hemisphere. It's beginnings are lost in pre-history. The word guacamole comes to us directly from the Aztecs. Guacamole is a combination of the Nahuatl (the Aztec language) words ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (mixture). I think it's safe to assume that Aztec Kings were eating this wonderful dish when my European ancestors were still painting their faces blue and throwing rocks at each other.

Guacamole is great as a dip with tortilla chips or as a salad or as a filling for hot corn or flour tortillas. It's super as a garnish with grilled beef or chicken, or try a dollop on your enchiladas or chimichangas, or as a spread on your burgers or chicken sandwich. I can't think of anything that guacamole does not go with.

If you've been reading these poor efforts of mine you know that I think there are no rules in cooking. If you like it and it's pretty and it tastes good..... yeah! So, what follows are not rules --- they are merely suggestions, but if you want real good authentic guacamole you'd better pay attention.

In Mexico the most common, and I think the best, Guacamole is just avocado mashed coarsely - you want lumps - don't blend it or even whisk it - add some finely chopped onion and tomato and you have just made yourself some really good guacamole. No one in the world can make it any better. Different? Sure. But not better.

But, you ask, "where are the chiles?" "and the garlic?" "and the salt?" "and the lemon juice and cilantro"? You can add any of these or all of these or none of these and still have great Guacamole. Experiment! At the restaurant I make the guacamole by adding Salsa Mexicana to mashed avocado and it's really good. If you're making some Mexican food you are probably going to have some salsas on the table and the food is generally spicy. I like to have a non-hot guacamole at the table so those who don't like it hot can still enjoy the ritual.

The Mexicans think that if you put the avocado pits in the guacamole it keeps it from turning color - I don't believe it but it looks really cool.

Others think that lemon or lime juice keeps it from turning - I don't believe that either but I like the taste. I think that whatever you do it's gonna start turning dark almost immediately so make it right before you use it.

PARTS LIST

2 ripe avocados ---- I think that in the USA, Haas avocados are the first choice. Those bright green, Florida avocados are really too watery to make good guacamole, but if that's all that's available - what the hey.

a half a small onion - chopped finely

1 small ripe tomato (I don't care what the food gurus say - you do not have to peel and seed the tomato.)

Mash the avocado coarsely, you want lumps - a fork works well or if you're making lots, a potato masher. Mix in the tomato and onion. There! You've made authentic guacamole.

SOME OTHER OPTIONS

Some finely chopped fresh jalapeño or serrano chiles Some chopped cilantro A little salt Some lime or lemon juice You could char the tomato in a dry pan - gives a nice smoky taste

A REALLY SLEAZY LITTLE TRICK

I have a Mexican friend La Paz who owns a little neighborhood restaurant. His prices are ridiculously low and yet he gives out enormous amounts of guacamole on virtually every plate. When I asked how he could afford to do that with his prices, he showed me how to make pretty good guacamole out of mashed potatoes. So - for those times when avocados are really expensive and a bunch of people that you don't really like that much are coming over to watch football or something..... here you go. You didn't hear this from me though..... I'll deny everything.

Get a bunch of mashed potatoes - really well mashed or the white lumps will give you away. Better yet, use instant. Add green food coloring a little at a time to the potatoes, stirring until you have about the right color. Add one mashed avocado with lots of real authentic green avocado lumps and lots of tomato, chiles, onion, cilantro, garlic and lime/lemon juice.

Even Emeril won't know.

Smoky Hot Oil

2009-06-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Gosh, another one of my favorites. Who'da thunk?

I don't serve this one at the restaurant because it really isn't very Mexican and I have so many others to put out. However I use it at home and I use it a lot. I cook in it. I use it on sandwiches instead of, or even with, mayonnaise. I use it barbecuing and I use it as a table salsa. Hell, I use it on most everything. It's got some heat and it's got a great smoky flavor. As near as I can tell it lasts forever and actually gets better as it ages. It calls for what are called in Mexico 'Chiles de Arbol'. Unless you have a store near you that specializes in Latin or Mexican food you will probably find them called just plain 'Dried Red Chiles'. These chilies are red in color - about the same diameter as a pencil and are from 1 to 2 inches long. These are the same dried chiles you find in a lot of Szechuan style food and they are the ones (I think) that you find on the table in shakers at your local Pizza Parlor. I'm just giving you the amounts for making a little bit, so if you hate it there's no big loss. Whenever you're working with dried chiles you always wind up with at least a few seeds laying around your counter. Put the seeds aside and when you have a bunch toss them somewhere in your yard and give them some occasional water. You'll probably wind up with some nice chile plants.

Parts List:

Chiles de Arbol... about a handful, seeds and all -with the stems removed

Some oil (I use regular old Corn oil or whatever is handy. If I had access to Sesame oil down here I would use it - I think that would be the best)

Let's get cooking!

Put the chiles in a frying pan over medium heat. Give the chiles an occasional shake, tossing them until they are a nice dark brown color.

I'll warn you that sometimes the chiles will give off a strong, strong eye burning aroma - a little like anti-riot gas or mace, especially if you cook them too hot.

So it might be a good idea to have a window open.

Anyway, when they're done let them cool and then run them through the blender. Don't blend them to death. You want flakes not powder.

Put the dried chiles into some sort of container and add the oil (enough to cover the chiles with a couple of inches of oil). The oil might be a little cloudy at first but if you let it settle for a few hours it will be nice and clear and a beautiful color.

It's ready to go almost immediately but gets better and better as it sits. If you made it too hot for your taste just add more oil until it's just right.

Okay - if you can't find the whole chiles, you can buy some 'Crushed Red Pepper' and toast it in the pan. If you do this you don't have to blend it, just add the oil.

If you are feeling really lazy don't even toast the chiles, just add oil and let it sit. It won't have the smoky flavor but it will be hot oil.

Let me know how it comes out.

Pineapple Chipotle Salsa

2009-06-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

You're probably not going to believe this, but this is another favorite of mine.

I'm starting to figure out why I have as many as 40 salsas at the restaurant. They are all my favorite.

Anyway, this salsa is great on any kind of pork, wonderful with barbecued chicken, dynamite plain with chips and makes great quesadillas with most any kind of cheese.

Once again I'm giving the ingredients for a relatively small amount just in case you think it really sucks. Oh, I'm giving you the quick version here - the salsa is actually a lot better if you first saute or pan roast the Red Pepper and Garlic.

Parts List:

1/2 a fresh Pineapple - chopped

1 Chipotle Chile en adobo -chopped fine

1 medium Red Pepper -seeds and stems removed - chopped

1 clove of Garlic -chopped fine

A couple Green Onions -chopped

1 or 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds (optional -to sprinkle over the top)

LET'S DO IT!!!

If you have a whole pineapple, cut the top and bottom off and put them in the garbage or plant them or put them in your compost pile. Slice what's left of the pineapple in half - down through the core. Slice one of the halves in two - down through the core. The core can be tough and woody and tasteless so trim it off and put it where ever it was that you put the top and bottom. Peel the outer skin off of the 2 quarters. Now you don't have to be real anal about this step. It's all right if you don't get every last little bit of the skin off. Just get the real big eyes and any seriously brown spots. Chop the pineapple - don't blend it - and put it in a bowl. For making a small amount of salsa I don't think it's worth it to go through the hassle of dealing with 1 dried chipotle and besides we haven't yet dealt with the dried chiles in this stupid newsletter so open a small can of 'Chiles Chipotle en Adobo' and chop just one of the chiles very finely and add it to the bowl with the Pineapple along with some of the liquid from the can. Chop the clove of garlic and the Red Pepper put them in the bowl. Add the chopped green onions. You might have to add a little liquid but if you let it sit for a little while it will probably make its own liquid. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over it. Bingo, babycakes - you just made a great salsa. Taste it.

Too hot?

- add some more pinepple.

Not hot enough?

- add some more chile.

I repeat - This salsa (I think) is actually much better if you pan roast the Red Pepper with the Garlic instead of using raw. If you are barbecuing you can throw the peeled pineapple and seeded red pepper on the grill until they are a little charred and make the salsa while the chicken is cooking. Call it "Mama Maria's charred Pineapple and Red Pepper salsa", it's great too. Let me know how it turns out.

Salsa Muy Asada Roja

2009-06-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

(loosely translated as "VERY CHARRED RED SALSA")

This is one of my favorite salsas. I know, I know, I say that about whatever salsa I'm working on at the time......but it's true. I like them all and at one time or another - depending on what I'm cooking or eating at the time - they're all my favorite. I definitely will not be giving you any recipes for salsas that I don't like. Anyway, you can find this salsa or a variation of this salsa virtually anywhere in Mexico. It's commonly used to make Huevos Rancheros and is found on the table in homes and taco stands as well as in fine restaurants. It's rich, deep reddish color and smoky-hot spiciness are a perfect companion to almost any main dish. I'm giving you the recipe to make just a small amount - so if you think it really sucks you don't have to toss a whole bunch. If you do like it - just double up on the recipe. It will keep well in the fridge.

Parts List:

2 large ripe tomatoes - or the equivalent amount of cherry or plum tomatoes (I think that the smaller tomatoes taste a whole lot better than the chemically ripened standard supermarket fare - it'll be even better if you have access to some real home grown vine-ripened beauties)

1 medium white or yellow onion - peeled and cut in quarters

a couple of cloves of garlic -- peeled

a couple of whole jalapeno chiles - stem removed

some chopped cilantro

a little salt to taste

a cast or nonstick frying pan......skillet?

Okay, let's rock 'n' roll:

Put the pan (I use a cast pan at home and a non-stick guy at work) on medium heat.

Put in the tomatoes (whole - you don't even have to remove the stem end), the quartered onion, the chiles and the garlic.

Go water the lawn or have a beer or write to your mother.

Check the concoction, and when the bottoms of everything are burnt (not browned to a golden color - but BURNT) turn it all over and burn the other side.

When it is all burnt deglaze the pan with a little water (fancy celebrity chef talk for "pour a little water into the hot pan and scrape up all the burnt parts that are sticking to the pan 'cause that's where a lot of the great smoky flavor is").

When it's cooled down pour the whole thing into a blender -water, smoked bits and all. Blend it, but don't blend it too much - you want it to have a little chunky texture. Taste it and add a little salt if you like. Then add some finally chopped cilantro and you have just made a really bitchin' little salsa.

If the salsa is too thin -well next time you'll know not to use so much water. If it's too thick - just add a little water. If it's too smoky tasting - next time don't burn it so damn much. If you like it but it's too hot - make some more without the chiles and add it to what you already have.

Let me know how it turns out.

Cucumber Cilantro Salsa

2009-06-24T11:17:00.001-07:00

1: It has no chiles, so folks that don't like - or can't eat - the fiery stuff still get to enjoy the ritual....even little kids can enjoy it.

2: It tastes really good.

3: It actually seems to work to cool your mouth off after you get a bite of something too hot. You'll notice that I play it pretty loose with the amounts of ingredients - that's on purpose. As I said this is not science - the amounts just don't matter very much. As a matter of fact if you stick to exact measurements it won't be as good - because some lemons/limes are sweeter/more sour than others.....sometimes the cilantro is stronger tasting than other times. So as you make the salsa - taste the salsa and adjust it to taste the way you like it. It just doesn't make any difference if it's a little more or less lemony. Also I'm giving you instructions for making a very small batch if you like it you can just double up on the ingredients and if you hate it you haven't lost much. You really should make and try a batch before you do a whole bunch and serve it to your friends. This salsa is great on chips ..... it's wonderful as a refreshing substitute for the same old boring tartar sauce and it's absolutely great on anything breaded and fried from shrimp and fish to fried chicken, jalapeno poppers or chicken fried steak. This one is pretty much a no-brainer but it's really cool and refreshing - perfect for summer time fare. Here's what you're gonna need.

Parts list:

1 cucumber -- peeled

1 cup (or so) sour cream

1 bunch of cilantro

a couple of lemons or limes

a little salt - if you think it needs it

okay - let's rock and roll:

Chop the cucumber and put it in a bowl. Now the food experts all tell you to scoop the seeds out. Nonsense! Use the whole thing. I slice the cucumber into thin strips the long way first - makes for easier chopping. Add the sour cream - one big spoonful at a time...stir. Look at it. Do you like the consistency? Hey, add some more sour cream... Now squeeze a lemon or a lime into the bowl...taste it. You want it to be lemony/limey, if it's not, squeeze another one. Chop the cilantro pretty fine and add it to the bowl.....stir it around, taste it - add some salt if you think it needs it, sprinkle something green (chives, parsley, cilantro, green onion - whatever) over it......... and bingo! You have a great, refreshing salsa. Easy, huh?

Variations:

1: Thin the salsa out with some milk and you have a wonderful salad dressing.

2: Use fresh or dried whole tarragon instead of cilantro and add some buttermilk, or for that matter regular milk, and you have 'Aunt Maggie's Tarragon Buttermilk Ranch Dressing" (if you use the dried tarragon - let it sit for a while before using it to let the flavor of the herb spread a little).

3: Take a table spoon or two of the salsa and put it in the blender with a jalapeno chile - give it a spin or two and add it back into the bowl. Taste it. Not hot enough? Do it again. Too hot? Add some more sour cream, cucumber, and lemon/lime.

4: Put the whole thing into the blender and whip it up good. It'll taste the same but it will be a real pretty green color. Go ahead and call it your 'Secret Cucumber and Cilantro Green Goddess Dressing" I won't tell.

5: Put a couple of cloves of garlic into the blender with a little of the sour cream and beat it up good -- add it to the salsa/dressing and make up a name for it.

6: If you want to use it in place of Tartar Sauce for fried fish - add some toasted slivered almonds and call it "Mom's Cucumber Cilantro Tartar Sauce Amandine"

7: Slice the cucumber into thin rounds instead of chopping it - add some very thinly sliced onion rings and a touch of some vinegar and serve it as a salad.

8: Use unflavored yogurt instead of sour cream and dill instead of cilantro .

9: Make a chicken salad - the best you've ever tasted - by using tarragon instead of cilantro and cutting the cucumber into bite sized chunks. Add cooked chicken cut into the same size as the cucumber and serve it in a half an avocado on top of a mixed green salad. It's incredible, easy too.

10: If you use yogurt and dill - try adding some cayenne pepper. Very Indian.

Salsa Mexicana

2009-06-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

First, forget everything you've seen the celebrity chefs do on TV........ you don't need a processor or any exotic ingredients. Once you have the ingredients ready it will take you 5 minutes or so to make salsa that is just as good or better than that made by those cooking gurus. The key ingredient is the tomatoes --you want the brightest, reddest ones around. I've found that generally speaking, cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes have more taste than the usual super market fare. Whatever kind of onion you use, the salsa will taste great --but white onions are traditional and look the prettiest. We'll start out with the basic salsa and then I'll give you a bunch of variations

Parts List:

3 Bright red medium sized tomatoes

1 Medium sized onion

1 Jalapeno chile

A little bitty salt

What you do next:

Chop the tomatoes and put them in a bowl. Chop 1/2 the onion and add it to the bowl. Look at it. Do you like the color? Mexicans generally do not use much onion. I like a little more onion myself. If the salsa is pleasing to the eye, great. If it looks like it needs a little more white --chop the rest of the onion and add it to the bowl. Now chop the chile very fine and add it to the bowl. Add some salt to taste and stir. If the tomatoes aren't very juicy you might want to add a little water. There, you've made Salsa Mexicana and nobody in the whole world can make it any better than you can.

Variations:

1: Squeeze a lime or lemon in it. If it's the time of year when lemons and limes aren't very juicy --soak them in hot water for 10 or 15 minutes you'll get 2 or 3 times the juice.

2: Add a clove or two of chopped garlic. If you use garlic I think you might need to add some water. Not much, just enough to make the salsa real juicy. The liquid will help to spread the garlic flavor throughout the salsa instead of just having little bits of garlic bopping around.

3: Add some chopped cilantro. If you are going to use cilantro in the salsa - which I highly recommend - add it at the very last minute because cilantro is much better when it is freshly chopped. Also, if you are planning to have salsa left over try to only add the cilantro to what you are going to use right away. The cilantro doesn't age well in the refrigerator.

4: Chop a firm avocado into the salsa. You don't want a mushy avocado, you want an avocado that is firm enough to chop and keep its shape in the salsa.

5: Add all of the above. I think that this is the very finest version of Salsa Mexicana around. Your friends will be amazed at your culinary expertise.

Oooops, I almost forgot. Please don't use a blender or food processor on this salsa. It realy screws up the texture.

Add some oregano. Please use whole or fresh oregano - the ground oregano just ain't the same. Oregano is a very widly used herb in Mexico.

Instead of chopping the onion slice it into thin rings and cut the tomato into larger pieces (about the size of a marble). Use some vinegar and a little oil instead of lime juice and add about a teaspoon of sugar and some oregano and cilantro or parsley.

The salsa's been in the fridge for a couple of days and you're afraid it's gonna turn into a science experiment ..... Oh, what to do, what to do? Put it in a pan and cover it with water and simmer it for 10 or 15 minutes. Let it cool and put it through the blender. Let it cool and bingo! You've just made a cooked tomato salsa. Way better than the commercial taco salsas. Garnish it with some fresh cilantro and put a bowl on the table. It's also great as an enchilada sauce or for huevos rancheros. Or you can use that old salsa to make Huevos Mexicanas (Mexican Eggs). Just add a table spoon or two to some beaten eggs and scramble them like you normally would. If you do this be sure to not add to much of the liquid to the eggs - makes them not want to set up right. Or you could take the old salsa and add it to some mashed (not blended) avocado for some great Guacamole.

If you add some sour cream and some chicken or vegetable stock or, for that matter tomato juice or even V8 to fresh salsa mexicana and serve it in a bowl garnished with a couple of avocado slices and a sprig of cilantro you have some world class Gazpacho (a cold Spanish soup). An absolutely wonderful meal starter in the summer. And it sounds so exotic..... GAZPACHO. Or you can just add sour cream to the old salsa and use it as a dip for tortilla chips or fresh vegetables -- just garnish it with sliced radishes or chopped cilantro, parsley or green onion.

Virtually every "food expert" will tell you that you have to use this salsa immediately - that it won't last in the refrigerator. Oh, bullshit! The next time you're in the super market take a look in the deli case. Row after row of fresh salsas (no preservatives) with pull dates of a week or ten days. I guarantee you that if commercial salsas will last in the fridge, so will yours. Is the salsa better when it's real fresh? You bet, but day old or two day old homemade salsa is still way better than anything you are gonna get at the market. Remember, there's power in numbers. So send this to a friend or if you don't like it send it to an enemy and when there are enough of us we can destroy the whole canned salsa industry - discredit all those celebrity chefs and move on to bigger and better things. Then maybe we can do something about the systematic dismantling of the government and its sale to the highest bidder or maybe we can start a cult. I understand there's big bucks in cults.

Yeah, that's it, a salsa cult.

Hot Carrots

2009-06-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

There's about a million mexican cookbooks on the market — lots of pretty pictures — exotic ingredients that you order by computer from some email Yuppie food Nazi in a small village outside of Santa Fe, with a kitchen that would put Betty Crocker to shame — Convection ovens , microwaves, ricers, dicers, slicers, presses, smokers, processors, food mills, rotisseries, corers, parers, seeders, pressure cookers, poachers, broilers, boilers and steamers --- hell, if you have all that stuff and know how to use it, you probably don't need to read this recipe.

But if you just want to learn how to make some Hot Carrots , you know like you see on the table in almost every single Mexican restaurant, read on...

Parts:

A dozen or so carrots

cleaned and sliced into 1/4 inch strips —I think they look prettier cut on the diagonal.

6 or so Jalapeño Chiles

cleaned and sliced into strips the long way — I leave the stems on — makes it look authentic.

Two Medium Onions

peeled, cut in half and sliced the same thickness as the carrots

3 or 4 Bay Leaves

Dried Oregano

1 teaspoon (whole not ground)

White Vinegar

1 cup (go ahead use the cheapest stuff you can find)

Water

2 cups

So here's what you do:

Put everything except the Oregano into a pot ( It's best to use a stainless, cast or coated pan because the vinegar may discolor some cookwear).

If there is not enough liquid to cover, add more-----1 part vinegar to 2 parts water---bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.

Turn off the stove, add the oregano, put a lid on it and let it cool.

Bingo, Hot Carrots!

If the Carrots are too crunchy for your taste you can bring them back to a boil. If they are too mushy --- hey, next time don't simmer them so damn long.

These Carrots last about forever in the fridge, and the longer they sit, the hotter they get.

Variations:

2. When I make the Carrots at home, after they cool I add some peeled Hard Boiled Eggs. In a week or so I have some Hot Pickled Eggs.

3. Put a whole bunch of peeled Garlic Cloves or unpeeled for that matter in with the Carrots.

4. It works with Carrots — it also works with Cauliflower, Green Beans, Zucchini, Red and Green Peppers and probably a lot of other stuff I haven't thought of.