Pie Today and Tomorrow

So in the search of a basic southern pies, we decided that sweet potato, buttermilk, and pecan were ideal. I love the crustiness, the texture, and the flavors. Altering already perfected pie recipes was the trick. Audrey took the Fanny Farmer Cookbook out for the Pecan Pie. Emeril Lagasse's recipe (which by the way), was severely undercooked at 25 minutes and required another 20-25 minutes to set. The Sweet potato needed tweaking. I substituted half of the white sugar for brown sugar, and used half and half rather than milk. Why? Because I wanted to. Jim suggested that we make Maple Whipped Cream and sprinkle with crushed pecans. Sounds almost high-brow! By the way, already made shells are the way to go when you want pie in a hurry, and I say there is nothing wrong with that. If I feel so inspired I may just make that too. It doesn't help that I am currently reading a Texas Travels of Food and Wine for the Hill Country. Very inspiring.

Sign Me Up! Get Sum~Dim Sum

Unbelievable! I have not had good dim sum since Tommy's Wok in Carmel and Dun Ho's in SF! Fabulous to the eye, and delicious. WOW. Another new favorite place. The BBQ Pork Bun was delightful. The rice flour bun was delicate, the perfect sponginess, and tasty. The pork on the inside was just right, not too sweet, and just enough. The Spinach Dumpling was by far the visually and tastefully appealing. Delicate rice wrapper in spinach with a spinach and mushroom filling. The Law Mai Gai, aka Sticky rice in Lotus Leaf was delicious and perfectly porportioned. Was Lauren's favorite. The eggroll was worth getting, stuffed full of fresh vegetables and the dipping mustard just hot enough for the nose to tingle. Jim said his Har Gao aka shrimp dumpling was very good. I will be back.

Thanksgiving Dunch

One of our greatest joy is cooking for family and friends. Todays Dunch (Dinner~Lunch) menu was Pozole, Chile Rellenos, Pork/Sofrito Tamales, Corn/Chile/Cheese Tamales, Salsa, Queso, and the add ins. If you could smell the beautiful scent of the Ancho, Pasilla, Anaheim, Jalapeno, and New Mexico Chiles. Some blended, some roasted, some dried. Labor of love for sure. We made enough Tamales to last a family of seven for at least two to three months (maybe). Regarding the Salsa, I included one roasted tomato, very nice flavor and smell.

Viva Buenos Aires Cafe!

Jim, Lauren and I had the best lunch today!

http://www.buenosairescafe.com/

We ordered the roasted pepper and corn soup, the famous Lomito Beef Sandwich with fries, and three beautifully crafted Empanadas (Carne Picante, Carne Suave, and Verdura) served with chimichurri sauce. The sandwich was so decadent, cooked perfectly, and melt in your mouth beef, crisped bread, yum! The Empanadas, very flaky, flavorful. This is my new favorite place. We didn't have room for dessert but next time we'll try to spare some space in the belly. Very friendly waitstaff, attentive and family friendly. By noon it was packed and with good reason. The pictures are of HALF EATEN meals, we were so absorbed in the tasting and enjoying that I realized halfway through that I wanted to blog this.

Rockin F Salsa

1 diced Onion (red/yellow/white)

4 -6 Anaheim peppers

6-10 Tomatillos

2 Jalapeno peppers

2 medium Tomatoes

1 bunch Cilantro

3 Limes

Chile pepper (powdered)

Salt

Optional:

Red/Orange/Yellow Bellpepper

Serrano pepper in place of Jalapenos

Green onions in addition to regular onion

Jicama

Hatch Chiles or ANY unusual pepper that you would like to try in place of Anaheim

Start by roasting all of the peppers and tomatillos. While they are roasting, start dicing all of the rest of the ingredients. Remember to rinse the cilantro very well because gritty salsa sucks. You can add more Jalapenos or Serrano (or even Habanero) according to your own Scoville scale. For those embarking on this adventure, Scovilles are a measurement of HOTNESS. There are some good tricks out there including placing the newly roasted pepper into a paper bag to "sweat." I try to gently remove the blackened skins with a paper towel. Remember to use gloves or cautionary steps to not rub your eye or touch children or animals following salsa making, it could be very hurtful. Take the pepper, leave the stem end intact, slice long thin strips to the ends. Chop off the stem end and remove as much of the pepper flesh from the stem (we never waste), chop the strips. Now for the Tomatillos: I do not remove the black off the Tomatillo. You know that the tomatillo is ready when it has changed texture from firm to soft and has changed color to a more dull green. Place the cilantro and tomatillos into a food processor or blender and pulse. Squeeze the lime into the chopped veggies and fruits. All the items should be approximately the same size. Throw it together add the necessary salt and chile to your liking. Once complete, incorporate all of it together and enjoy!

This recipe is a combination of Pico De Gallo and traditional salsa making. Crunchy, smooth, tart, sweet, hot, ROCKIN. My family won't let me walk out the door with this stuff, they love it!

Fideo~Your best friend on a rainy day

So, you want a hearty meal for the whole family, unexpected guests for just a couple of dollars in less than 30 minutes? Look no further than a traditional mexican soup that is both comforting AND healthy!

1 can Diced Tomatoes

1 small can Tomato Sauce

1 package of small pasta (fideo, small shells, alphabets, estrellas)

1 envelope of Sazon Seasoning (found in the Mexican food section of most grocers)

1 diced onion

2-3 cups Chicken Broth (vegetable broth will do in a pinch)

olive oil

Tapatio Sauce (Louisiana Hot Sauce will do in a pinch)

Optional:

cilantro

old stale broken tortilla chips from the bottom of the bag

cheese

tortillas

oregano

Saute the diced onions in the olive oil in a big stockpot over medium heat. Once they start becoming transluscent, pour in the DRY pasta. Blanch the pasta, it will become white and then start turning brown, that is perfect! Pour two of the cups of broth into the pasta and onion. Let cook for a moment while you open your cans. If you like more texture leave the diced tomatoes as they are. If you prefer a smoother texture either use a hand blender for 3-5 seconds or simply use a big can of tomato sauce in its place. Add the envelope of Sazon. In any case, cook for 15 minutes. At this point, if it has become too thick, add in the third cup of broth. Give the Tapatio Sauce three shakes into the soup. After five or so minutes it should be ready to serve! We put some cheese inside of a small tortilla (either corn or flour) and then roll tight to dip into the soup. You may use none or all of the toppings, whatever you have in your pantry.