Camacho Watcho

Our Mexican themed cooking club took place a few weeks ago – just in time to catch the final days of summer. Katie and RJ hosted, choosing a delicious menu of guacamole, quesadillas, fish tacos and stuffed poblanos. Dessert was a repeat of the Toasted Coconut Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes – yum!. I honestly can’t pick my favorite dish, as they were all fantastic.

While Vickie (left) and Katie (right) finished some kitchen prep, Chad acquainted us with his friend, Mr. Patron. Classic shaken margaritas were the perfect start to this Mexican fiesta!

We had two starters – smoked gouda and caramelized onion quesadillas and charred tomatillo guacamole.

Dinner was the fried fish tacos – large chunks of fish beer battered and crispy fried served with tortillas and a fresh pico de gallo – rice, and poblanos stuffed with goat cheese and shrimp.

We were in charge of the poblanos so we had a lot of leftover roasted red pepper sauce. (I used it to make a delicious pasta sauce by mixing it with an equal portion of tomato puree and added browned Italian sausage from Seward. It was finished with some red pepper flakes and mild seasonings to taste.) The stuffed poblanos and roasted red pepper sauce comes from Bon Appetit December 2002.

Smoked Gouda and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas
Bon Appetit September 1995

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups grated smoked Gouda cheese
4 10-inch-diameter flour tortillas
2 ounces sliced prosciutto, chopped
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion, brown sugar and vinegar; sauté until onion is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla, dividing equally. Sprinkle prosciutto and sautéed onion over cheese. Season with pepper. Fold other half of each tortilla over cheese mixture. Brush tortilla with some of melted butter.

Brush heavy large skillet with some of melted butter. Place over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook quesadillas just until brown spots appear, brushing skillet with butter between batches, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer quesadillas to heavy large baking sheet.

Bake until tortillas are golden and cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer quesadillas to work surface. Cut each into 6 triangles. Arrange on platter and serve hot.

Fried Fish Tacos
courtesy of Katie and RJ’s friends

1 quart vegetable oil
12 to 16 corn tortillas
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup beer (not dark)
1 pound cod fillet, cut into 3- by 1-inch strips

Optional accompaniments: shredded lettuce, sour cream, avocado slices, chopped or sliced radish, red or green salsa, and lime wedges

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 inch oil in a 10-inch heavy pot (2 to 3 inches deep) over moderate heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360°F.

Meanwhile, separate tortillas and make 2 stacks of 6 to 8. Wrap each stack in foil and heat in oven 12 to 15 minutes.

While tortillas warm, stir together flour and salt in a large bowl, then stir in beer (batter will be thick). Gently stir fish into batter to coat. Lift each piece of fish out of batter, wiping any excess off on side of bowl, and fry fish in batches, turning once or twice, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Increase oil temperature to 375°F and refry fish in batches, turning once or twice, until golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.

Assemble tacos with warm tortillas, fish, and accompaniments.

A truly lovely Memorial weekend – perfect weather, great food…it doesn’t get better than that. During the last week, we’ve tried out several new recipes – all Mexican, of course (as it is still Mexi-Month). Most of the recipes were fantastic, but others (like this chicken) fell a little flat.

Last week I decided to go for traditional enchiladas starting with a tangy salsa verde (recipe below) in which to dip the homemade fried corn tortillas before rolling queso fresco and white onion in them. I tell you what – there is nothing like enchiladas made with fresh tortillas. They are a bit thicker and soak up the sauce, bloating them with flavor…muy bien! We served the enchiladas on a platter with grilled steak and sides of refried black beans and grilled queso panela.

Friday night we decided to go with a traditional fish made veracruz style (with tomatoes, onions, capers and green olives). Instead of poaching the fish in the sauce or baking it, as the recipe suggested, we tucked the fish and sauce in neat foil packets and finished them on the grill. Rich and tangy with the salty capers and olives – I loved this dish! My only switch for next time would be to grill the fish straight up and then spoon the sauce over. I think the flavor of the fish would remain more vibrant this way.

We finished the meal on Friday with a quick and easy dessert. Kyle took the reigns on this one – while I just stood aside and waited to dig in. He fried a homemade corn tortilla, then sprinkled both sides with cinnamon and sugar and topped it all with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Quick, easy and very good!

Another dish we have been wanting to try out is chilaquiles. This is traditionally a breakfast dish (casserole, or hot dish, some may call it) with fried tortilla strips that are simmered in a sauce until they are tender and saturated with the sauce’s flavor. You can use any variety of sauce, but I stuck with my go-to chipotle-tomato sauce, which provided for a spicy, rich result. These can be served straight up or with scrambled eggs, as I did for breakfast on Saturday morning. The recipe suggests scrambling the eggs and and stewing them in the sauce as well, but I decided to keep the flavors separate and served my chilaquiles over the eggs. If you don’t want to make these at home, I have heard the current chilaquiles special at Longfellow Grill is quite good.

Mexi-Month is almost over, but I have a feeling we will continue our adventures in Mexican cooking when we can in the upcoming months.

Quick-Cooked Tomatillo-Chile Sauce
Salsa Verde
adapted from Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked, washed and boiled until tender
Fresh hot green chiles to taste (roughly 3 chiles serranos or 2 chiles jalapenos), stemmed
1/4 c. cilantro, roughly chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 T. vegetable oil
1 c. chicken or vegetable broth
salt

Place tomatillos and chiles in a blender or food processor, along with cilantro, onion and garlic. Process until smooth, but still retaining a little texture.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-large skillet set over medium-high. When preheated, pour in tomatillo puree and stir constantly for 4 to 5 minutes, until darker and thicker. Add the broth, let return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Last week we decided to try out a recipe from Diana Kennedy – the Mexican cooking authority. I hadn’t really planned anything for dinner, so seafood seemed the quickest option (since a lot Mexican dishes seem to start with slow cooking a piece of meat).

Flipping through her The Art of Mexican Cooking cookbook, I was drawn to this shrimp recipe because I love chipotle chiles! Ripened and smoke-dried jalapenos, chipotles bring a smokey heat to dishes that brings depth to the spice, rather than just hot for hot’s sake.

The recipe turned out to be very simple. So simple, in fact that when it came time to add the dry white wine and I realized I didn’t have any to use, I used what was on hand…literally. In my hand was a bottle of Model Especial, so I just poured some in. Perhaps the original version is better, but my version with beer worked out just fine. I served the shrimp over Arroz Verde (green rice), to contrast the deep red chipotle sauce.

The shrimp were just tender and were amped up by the smokey heat of the rich tomato sauce. This sauce is begging to be used in more dishes – I’m thinking enchiladas, huevos rancheros…the possibilities are endless. The onion, although it was a smaller amount than the original recipe called for, added a sweetness that really worked well together. The rice was good, but perhaps I would like it better using cilantro instead of, or in combination with, the parsley. I just don’t like parsley much – but I keep trying!

Camarones Enchipotlados (Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce)
Adapted from The Art of Mexican Cooking
serves 2

1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and butterflied with tail shell left on
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
3 medium tomatoes, broiled (see below)
2 chiles chipotles in adobo (to taste)
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup beer (or dry white wine)
1/8 tsp. Mexican dried oregano

Season the shrimp with salt, pepper and lime juice. Set aside to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a frying pan; add the drained shrimp, reserving any liquid, and sliced onion and fry, shaking the pan and tossing the ingredients for about 3 minutes (shrimp will not be cooked through). Remove shrimp and onion with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In a blender, blend tomatoes, chipotles and their liquid, and garlic to a textured sauce. Reheat the oil, add the sauce and fry over medium-high heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking, for about 8 minutes. Add the beer, oregano, marinade and salt to taste and cook for another minute. Add the shrimp/onion mixture and cook for about 2 minutes – the shrimp should be just cooked and still crisp.

*Broil tomatoes in a single layer in a pan that is just wide enough to fit them. Allow to boil and blister on one side, then turn and repeat.

Arroz Verde (Green Rice)
Mexico the Beautiful Cookbook
serves 3-4

1 cup long grain white rice
3 oz. fresh spinach
1/2 cup parsley leaves
1 T. chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. oil
3 c. hot water

Soak the rice for 5 minutes in warm water, rinse well and drain.

Rinse the spinach well, place it in a saucepan with no added water, cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender, add the parsley, onion, garlic and 1/4 c. water and puree. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet, add rice and saute for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. When the grains begin to separate, remove from the heat and drain off the excess oil. Add the spinach-parsely mixture to the skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Add the hot water and salt to taste. When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

My weekends have always been busy. With my new career change, however, I’ve found myself even busier…sometimes when I step back from it all, I can only say “Wow!” But I love the change and look forward to weekends more than ever. This weekend was no exception. It started off with a visit to the new North Minneapolis bar/restaurant – Victory 44 – open just since May 1st. For photos and more info, check out my write-up on Metromix.

Saturday morning, we headed down to the Mill City Farmers Market. Last weekend was opening weekend, but I was out of town so I missed it. Some of the same vendors from last year were there and some new ones as well – should be a good summer! I’m super excited that Bread Coffee and Cake is selling bread there – remember the chorizo bread? Yum! We picked up some jam from Lucille’s Kitchen Garden and some organic lilacs from Shining Hills Farms in Wisconsin. They really brighten up my kitchen!

After the market, I headed out for a day of shopping and cooking. Check out Heavy Table tomorrow (Tuesday the 19th) to see what kind of cooking Lori and I were up to. As soon as I returned home, it was time to prepare our dishes for our Cooking Club meal. More on the dishes and meal in another post. But, as always, Cooking Club was a blast!

Sunday morning we got up and decided to make crepes (the leftover batter was from our French cooking theme the night before…) I had a bunch of rhubarb as well, so made some rhubarb syrup to pair with them, topped with candied pecans and powdered sugar. The crepes were good – tart and sweet – but something was missing. I think they lacked a dollop of whipped cream on top. Next time…

That afternoon, after running errands, we headed to Ed and Carly’s to start planning for our vegetable garden. I don’t have a spot to garden (only potted herbs for me), so we decided we would give it a go at their house. Between the garden and the CSA that starts in June, I think we’ll have plenty of veggies this summer! We had planned to rent a tiller and get all the prep done, but unfortunately the rental shop was closed. We were forced to sit back, have a beer (or two or three) and enjoy the beautiful day. Ah, shucks!

Carly then humored us and made Mexican food for dinner – fajitas! She served them with a black bean salsa over spinach leaves. Fresh, fantastic and I didn’t have to cook – the weekend couldn’t have had a better ending!

Last week I lacked inspiration for what to make for dinner. I knew it would be Mexican, but beyond that I was clueless. In an attempt to get things rolling, I decided to cook some pork chunks until they were tender. After that, I figured I would wait and see what happened.

Cubed pork shoulder went directly into a pot with water, garlic, salt and peppercorns and simmered for about an hour. Once tender, I removed the pork from the water and shredded it slightly with a fork…then I sat and stared at the bowl of pork and, again, tried to figure out what to make. My default is always tacos – diced onion, cilantro, tortillas, and a squirt of lime go a long way in this household in throwing together a meal – but I wanted to do something different.

Still stumped, I went about making some salsa to go with my favorite blue corn sesame tortilla chips. I diced up a couple medium tomatoes and added to them about half cup diced red onion, a couple minced garlic cloves, a jalapeno and a bunch of chopped cilantro – not the spiciest salsa I’ve made, but definitely fresh and clean tasting. About that time I made up my mind about the pile of pork – I would make tostadas.

I know – it’s not the craziest recipe out there, but I rarely eat hard shell (fried) tortillas, so I thought I would give them a go. Frankly, I don’t understand the hard taco shell – especially the commercially-made versions that are so brittle that they fall apart at the first bite. My dad once told me that he had never eaten a hard shell taco until he moved away from Mexico to the US, so we grew up eating soft tortillas. They were so much a staple in our house that I can hardly recall a meal when my dad’s plate didn’t contain soft, flour tortillas and a whole jalapeno, which he would eat between bites of whatever was for dinner (even holiday meals).

But about those tostadas…Kyle whipped up some fresh corn tortillas, which we fried in vegetable oil instead of browning them on the skillet as we would for tacos. Once they were crisp and drained of the grease, we topped them with refried beans, pork and queso fresco and put them under the broiler for a few minutes to heat everything through. Out of the oven, they got a healthy serving of lettuce, a dollop of sour cream and a few squirts of hot sauce.

The tortillas turned out great – crisp, but still pliable, which made the tostada easy to eat but sturdy enough not crumble with the first bite. I had doubted the amount of lettuce at first – it seemed like a lot – but the balance of the cool, crunchy lettuce mixed with the hot, savory beans and pork blended together in a perfect union.

Mexi Month started with a bang – literally…as the handle of our newly acquired tortilla press smacked the counter and broke. Oops! But I’ll get to tortilla making later…first, let’s talk about Mexi Month.

My love for Mexican food runs deep, rivaling my obsession with eggs and addiction to coffee. I could eat Mexican food for every meal and, in fact, have done this before unintentionally for several days on end. As we were finishing up the Bon Appetit challenge in April, we started thinking about the Mexican recipes we have been wanting to try. Of course we make homemade salsa, guacamole and various tacos and enchilada dishes fairly often, but there are some traditional Mexican and Mexican-inspired contemporary cuisine that we’ve been wanting to try out at home. So why not dedicate a month to making this happen?

The original thought was to eat only Mexican food in the month of May – but as the challenge of April wore on, I decided to change this. The new goal is this: Any large meals that we make at home in May will be Mexican. Oh – and don’t forget the Mexican beer and tequila drinks…those are a must, too, right?

May 1st came and went – Twins tickets saved me from cooking and I thoroughly enjoyed my Top Dog at the Metrodome (honestly – the best hot dog stand in the dome…don’t settle for the Dome Dog). Saturday was also easy, as we went to the Cinco de Mayo festival in St. Paul to sample food and photograph for this Heavy Table article. Sunday we were summoned to cook and invited some friends over to celebrate our first Mexi Month meal.

The one thing that Kyle has been most excited about were the tortillas. We made a trip to El Burrito Mercado the previous weekend and purchased a new tortilla press for the occasion. The first batch was whipped up in no time (we decided to try corn first), then left to rest a bit in the refrigerator. Walnut-sized dough balls were formed and then pressed out and grilled on a hot skillet. Admittedly, I wasn’t expecting much from homemade tortillas, but these were really good. They were a bit thicker than store-bought and had a nice, pliable but crisp texture. Very tasty. We continued making tortillas, even after the press broke, by putting the press on the ground and standing on it to apply pressure. No problem, it still worked – but we do have a new pimped out tortilla press that arrived in time for dinner two nights later…so we’re all set again!

The first Mexi meal we made were some skewered shrimp, grilled tilapia tacos, Grandma’s mexican rice and a sweet and savory slaw (recipe below). The shrimp were good (anything brushed in butter and grilled is prone to be tasty), but nothing special. The tilapia was given a light salt and pepper and then grilled and then topped with the slaw, raw onion, cilantro and queso fresco. I have not been one to make fish tacos at home (it’s hard to justify with Sea Salt so near), but these were definitely good.

The next night we grilled some grass-fed flank steak and substituted it in for the fish from the previous night. Again, another tasty taco meal made in no time flat. Future Mexi Month recipes promise to be more than just tacos, but for these first few days, these were perfect, easy meals.

Cabbage Slaw with Lime-Ancho Dressing
Adapted from Bobby Flay’s recipe (but only because I forgot to buy the jicama and carrots from the store)

1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup mild vegetable oil, such as canola
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 head cabbage, cored and shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Make the dressing:
Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, ancho powder, and honey in a bowl. Whisk in the oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make the slaw:
Combine the cabbage and cilantro in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over toss to coat well. Mix in the cilantro. Refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to blend and the cabbage to soak up the dressing.

Restaurant Week 2009 came and went with minor fanfare for me. I had hoped to make it to three new places last week (I loved my two visits last year), but managed one – Barrio Tequila Bar. Although it was only one place, the tasting menu for $30 was exactly what I had hoped for.

But before I get to the food, I need to take a step back. You can’t go to a tequila bar and not drink a little tequila (or, maybe that’s just me). And my choice? Of course, I immediately ordered the Macho Camacho margarita. Up until l I changed my last name, I was asked on a frequent basis if I am related to Hector Macho Camacho. But, no, I’m not related to Hector or any other boxers (unless you count my dad who did a little boxing in college). Regardless, I was excited to try this margarita that shares my maiden name. And this drink did not disappoint – a citrusy blood-orange beverage that came just shy of a puckery knock-out.

Once our thirsts had been quenched, we could concentrate on the food. The tasting menu was actually a great value. We started with housemade guacamole, a trio of salsas (ancho chile, salsa verde and habanero) and queso fundido with crab. The best of these were the salsas, especially the salsa verde (I just love tomatillos!). I liked the guacamole but it could have used a kick and the queso fundido was good but I didn’t think it really needed the crab. These were all served with the tastiest of tortilla chips – honestly, so good…we went through three baskets and could have taken down more.

The next course was the pork posole – their version of this brothy soup consisted of a piece of tender pork shoulder served with lettuce, radishes and jalapenos. After stirring in a spoonful of their salsa verde, it was my favorite dish of the evening. Last, we were served a trio of tacos – steak, fish and pork. Again the pork reigned as the best of the bunch, as the steak taco was served on a fried tortilla shell and the sauce for the fish was a mask of mayo.

The downfall of the evening, however, was the service which can be only be described as unprofessional and uncoordinated. Do they really think it’s okay to hold a beer next to my face while I’m taking a bite – trying to get my attention to hand a fresh beer to my dining companion sitting kitty-corner to me? No – walk around the table and hand it to him yourself. And did they really think it was acceptable to bring my friend’s entree (who did not order the tasting menu) as she was eating her salad and while we were still on our first course (of a four course meal)? Absolutely not – we sent it back and had them remake it 45 minutes later when we were done with salads and appetizers and the entire table was ready for entrees. These incidents were singular events among numerous occasions of being asked by servers to hand them a dirty plate from across the table or having them try to take dishes away before they were finished. It’s unfortunate that these incidents happened, but it’s even more unfortunate that this doesn’t seem to be a one-off experience, as others have relayed similar experiences to mine.

Despite the service, Barrio is a great addition to the downtown scene with its sleek yet western throw-back vibe. And although it’s not my first choice for a casual neighborhood spot, I have a feeling that an ice-cold Macho Camacho and chips with salsa verde are in my very near future.

Barrio Tequila Bar
925 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN