Mexican food tastes better served on Earthenware pottery

Last year I went to Mexico for Thanksgiving. Therefore, the holiday surrounded around eating was no short of that!

I most definitely had a shopping agenda when I went to Mexico:
          -  Pottery
          - Tortilla Press
          - Mexican Ingredients ... Chiles, Tortillas, spices, mole
                  Extras we came home with NOT on the shopping list:
 Fried Grasshoppers (these were so common!),  Tamarind, and Tlacoyos (I ate a tlacoyo every day I was there- A large thick tortilla with a slit cut down the side to stuff with cheese and refried beans. Then places on the plancha to bake, and topped with veggies of choice, Queso Fresco and Cojita cheese).
                            
                     

When I see my Mexican earthenware plates sitting in the cupboard, it gives me the craving to cook something Mexican.
With the colder weather I was craving POZOLE.

In the Bay Area, it is super easy to access amazing beans and hominy through the Company, Rancho Gordo.

Pozole:
    - Soak beans of your choice and hominy in salty water over night. Then add bay leaf, garlic, dried chili pepper and cook for an hour until tender. Remove garlic, bay leaf and pepper.

    -  Pork Shoulder: First cook pork with a little oil to let render and caramelize the flavor. Then add in stock, 1/2 bottle dark beer, cinnamon, Mexican oregano, orange rinds, brown sugar (teaspoon) rehydrated dried ancho and mulato chiles, bay leaf, and lots of garlic and onions (best to tie herbs and orange peels in a cheese cloth so they are easy to remove later). Then drink ingest your left over half bottle of beer.

    - After 2 hours of braising and Pork is tender and flavorful. Remove herb bundle.

    - Strain pork and add to beans and hominy.

    - Let broth cool and blend chile liquid to create a rich flavorful sauce.

    - Then add broth, pork, hominy and beans to cooking pot to reheat.

    - Dish out. Serve with lime (essential), more oregano, and top with shredded cabbage and avocado slices.

   Then get giddy serving your Mexican feast in your Mexican pottery like I did!

The Color of the Season

ORANGE ORANGE ORANGE

The color of the season is of course Orange!!!  Especially in San Francisco (GO GIANTS!!) ... and at Halloween time.

I feel like I eat squash every day once it is in season. It's a warm comfy feeling to finally overload on beta carotene. I have to admit, some days I just roast Delicata Squash 'til crunchy like chips. And then eat them over the cutting board. No plate needed!

Or I'll just bake a Red Kuri Squash... sprinkle with pumpkin pie spices, extra cinnamon, maple syrup or honey and eat with a spoon. Out of the pan, on the cutting board. While standing. Does squash really have to be a fancy treat?! It's raining and you're in your pajamas right?

However, some days I do like to put in the extra effort, and I do want my orange balanced out with eye popping colors. 

I roasted two types of squash: 

            Cubed Butternut Squash, and Delicata Squash cut into half moons.

                           -Drizzle with:    Honey

                                                    Salt

                                                    Olive Oil

                         Then roast until tender in a 400 degree oven. 

On a separate pan I roast:

                                     Onions

                                     Parsnips

                                     Mushrooms

                        Add rosemary, thyme, tinyyyy bit of cumin, paprika, kosher salt, pepper, and much 

                        more olive oil.

When all vegetables are tender and starting to get a little caramelized, take out of the oven. Drizzle with pomegranate seeds, cilantro or parsley (your taste preference), and a few sprigs of arugula. 

Health benefits: Beta Carotene overload! No need for lots of carbs because the squash is so filling. Antioxidents from the Pomegranate. Add some toasted pumpkin seeds or toasted almonds for a little protein and fat. Greens because duh, everything green is good for you (Minus a Starbucks Green Tea Latte)!

Beautiful! I felt like I made my favorite fall veggies feel fancy and dressed up. Your welcome squash and parsnips, your welcome. 

Asskicking Mule

A Moscow Mule

The first time a tried a Moscow Mule was at Starlite Lounge in San Diego. It just so happened to be my birthday that night too.... so let's just say this Mule was an Ass for sure.

That aside, it's pretty tasty, and the original presentation in an ice-cold copper mug makes it even better.

**Unfortunately I don't a copper mug, so a regular glass is pictured above, but wikipedia does have an image of this gorgeous mug.

Vodka, ginger beer, and lime. Add bitters or simple syrup if desired.

Now if I were a bartender, or considering mixing a hobby of mine, then I'd go further into the specifics. However, I never create any mixed drinks, so this is left up to your experience and taste buds.

Your mouth is on fire at first sip from gingers' spicy twang, but then you are instantly cooled off by the freshness of the lime and the ice cold glass.

My mistake on my birthday night was drinking the Mule too fast. Then when I felt dehydrated, I drank it even faster because it was so icy and good! "I'm thirsty, order another!! "

Ladies and gentlemen, the best combination is ice water and slow, enjoyable sipping.

Show Your Skills Dad - Kaiseki Meal

Frequently my Dad gets to go to Japan for business, so he's learned a lot about the Japanese traditions and food culture. Unfortunately my mom and my sister have both been able to travel with him and see this beautiful country, but I have not. Can I cry about it now?

No? Okay, fine. On the bright side, my Dad is an awesome cook and he put on a show with what he learned about the traditional Kaiseki meal.

Kaiseki is a traditional multi-course meal done in Japan. It is a culinary display of a variety of cooking techniques and skills, in order to impress guests and offer a celebratory dinner (says wikipedia).

It goes like this:

(by the way, I'm not using tradition Japanese names because I've never heard of them before... nor can I pronounce them... and I'm not attempting to preach the origins of this meal; I'm merely sharing my excitement over our fun family meal)

1. Appetizer (amuse-bouche)

2. Side dish

3. Sashimi and sushi

4. Protein grilled

5. Boiled soup

6. Cooked Fish

7. Light palette cleanser

8. Cooked vegetable dish (not featured)

9. Celebratory rice dish

10. Picked vegetables palette cleanser

11. Miso Soup

12. Dessert

What I researched, there where many more small palette cleaners and soups dotted in between, but I think my dad may have run out of kitchen space if we added any more. Not to mention being full after course 6, only half way!

1. Amuse-bouche :

Pea Puree cubes with Roe and Smoked Bonito Cubes. Salty, savory... mmm, it got the appetite kick started

2. Small Plate:

Heirloom tomato with Nori strips and Japanese chili seasoning.

3. Sashimi

Octopus, Tuna, Clam

4. Grilled Course

Grilled Squid - one of my favorite

5. Boiled Soup

Kabotcha squash with Shitake Mushrooms and Nori

6. Cooked Fish

(This was combined with the rice dish in Course 9)

7. Palette Cleanser

Rice Vinegar Marinated Cucumbers with Crab

8. Cooked Vegetable

(Usually tempura veg... but we were getting too full and we opted out of this one)

9. Rice Dish

Salmon baked with Leeks and Mushroom in Cedar packet with Chestnuts and Azumi Red Beans in Rice.

10. Pickled Vegetables

Pickled Eggplant, Cucumber and Burdock

11. Miso Soup

Miso Soup!

12. Dessert

Grilled Peach with Caramel Ice Cream, Walnuts, and Honey

ANNNDDDD STUFFED.

But it really really did feel like we had a celebration night with that meal.

So when's the next one Dad?

And if you don't want to cook it again..... we could always just go to Japan for the real deal right, right?

Momma always told me if I didn't wash behind my ears I'd have a corn patch grow... yes please!

First thing I like to do to kick my summer off right.... buy corn.

It's quintessential to eat as much corn during the summer months because before you can change into shorts and pleat your hair, summer is gone.

My first corn of the season..... well it was basically a whole corn slightly browned in a cast iron pan with cayenne and garlic.

Simply eaten whole.

weblogs.baltimoresun.com

Then I had to start mixing up the recipes because corn is best off the cob too.

Now look at this awfully ugly dinner I made!!!! But guess what? It was so satisfying.

Healthy... All my favorite veggies.... some roasted and seasoned garbanzos underneath for protein.... complete! (The garbanzos are hidden so it wouldn't look like a compete mosh pile of food. When you are cooking for one, and nobody is there to share, I feel that getting all your nutrition is important. No showiness needed)

Corn Hash My Way:

-Corn on the cob

-Zucchini

-Sweet potato

-Cherry Tomatoes

-Lots of garlic

-Parsley

- Spices like cayenne, paprika, cumin

-Beans.. or Rice... or whatever you want as a "bed" for the hash

-optional - Poached/Fried egg on top... mmmm, I wish I would have done that!!

- bacon

-- Steam Corn and sweet potato so that they are soft*.

-- Saute with your choice of olive oil or butter (bacon, if non-veggie) in cast iron pan for a few moments, and until edges brown.

-- Then throw in garlic, cayenne, cumin, paprika, chili's (if you have them), and s+p, then place in oven. Roast until lightly golden.

-- Add parsley, and scallions.

Add more olive oil to taste. And top with a fried or poached egg if you wish.

*This helps the harder sweet potato roast at the same time as the softer ingredients like the zucchini and tomatoes.

More Corn recipes later before I am sick of the taste.

In San Francisco, we yearn for spring

Back in March and April, residents of San Francisco had thought summer came early. Besides the produce, summer doesn't really exist here. It's just a swampy cloud of fog morning and afternoon, which makes it hard to enjoy the bounty of summer.

I do try to make the most of summer, however I find myself looking back to some spring recipes...... that and I only recently started this blog - s0 I have no spring recipes recorded!

I know that all of you have bought your peas in mass bulk at the end of the season to freeze, so that you can enjoy them all summer; therefore you can enjoy these recipes and still pretend they are market fresh. I wish I could say I was one of those people to buy up end-of-season produce, but I don't have that money, or that freezer space since I live with 3 other roommates.

One of my favorite recipes is a Pea Soup with Tarragon that I found in my Vegetarian Times Magazine

I only cook for one, so I can only buy a couple different herbs at a time, and my tarragon died before I got around to making it.

Then I bought mint for another recipe, which I thought would go well in place of tarragon... and that soon wilted. Let me just say that my kitchen gets absolutely no sun, so cut herbs seem to last 2 days max. It's very sad, and very expensive.

I had to go on! I had to make do! It was getting around to summer time, so I tried basil and thyme. It really is a summer recipe now!

Peas with Thyme, Basil, and Cinnamon:

Serves two: (Or one.. with leftovers)

1 Tbs olive oil

1 leek, chopped to 1/4" rings

1 garlic clove

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup water

3 springs of Thyme

Handful of Basil

1 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

dbl dash of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup or 1/2 bag of frozen peas

-Heat olive oil and cook leeks for about 10-15 minutes until translucent and soft. Add roughly chopped garlic at the end.*

- Add 1/2 water, 1/2 broth, and half of the thyme to the leeks, then let simmer for another 15 minutes.

- Add peas and bring to boil, then turn off heat.

- Let cool until room temperature, so that it is safe enough to place in blender.

- Add 2 cups of pea mixture to a blender at a time.

- Add the rest of the thyme, basil, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and then salt and pepper.

- Blend until soft and adjust herbs and seasoning to your taste.

(room temperature is the best way to taste for seasoning because heat and cold disguise flavors)

-Then garnish with thinly sliced radishes, sea salt, and maybe some microgreens if you are feeling all fancy-smansy.

*The rougher the garlic chop and the less it is cooked down, the stronger the flavor.

Great small soup...

I had leftovers!!! So I added some quinoa, and garbanzo beans for a more filling lunch the next day (as pictured below).

Delish.

The Search Is Over

For all of you out there craving something from a food cart, but disappointed to find out that your favorite is on the other side of the Bay Area.... or for all of you unable to decide where to trek for cheap food eats..... LOOK NO LONGER---> (on Friday night that is), OFF THE GRID [facebook updates here] is the solution to it all!

If you "like" Off The Grid on Facebook, they will give you updates about who will be showing up on Friday nights in the Fort Mason Parking Lot.

From 5-9, take your pick from 10-15 different street carts that are known and loved throughout the Bay Area. The best part..... Indian, Korean, Mexican, Crepes, Peruvian, Desserts, Cuban, Chinese, Japanese, Beer, Wine, Sangria!! The choices, oh, the choices are what make it worth it.

[Photo courtesy of Tyler M.]

I say, come at 5:00 pm to avoid the massive lineup and claim your seat. Then stick around to listen to a little music, and watch all the people with excited faces marvel over something simple as simple food made with passion.

It's nice to see food become the center focus of an event, and also nice to see small purveyors succeed in this ridiculously competitive foodie city.

[Photo courtesy of Tyler M.]

I would say "Choose Wisely", but you don't really have to because it's every Friday, and cheap!

Look forward to alternative locations in the future [info. here]