Today's Recipe:Mexican Rice

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.

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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

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

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

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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

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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

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)

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

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

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.