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Category Archives: Mexican

Taco Tuesdays

13 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by in Cooking, Mexican, quick and easy, tacos, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

I might argue that tacos are the perfect food. They are portable, super versatile, quick and easy to prepare (relatively speaking at least, once you’ve got all your sauces and fillings ready), affordable, and are plainly fun to make.

Taco Tuesdays have become a tradition all around the nation. Some restaurants even change up their menus to serve these Mexican-inspired delicacies.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy a taco? Are you a corn or flour tortilla fan? (I prefer corn, lightly charred). Do you like a few fillings or load up your tacos to the brim? (I’m a loaded kind of girl, the more, the better – this makes it a bit more difficult to eat the tacos, but so much more enjoyable and satisfying).

Back in the day when I was following a whole30 eating plan, I made my tacos as lettuce wraps. Look at the beauties below! I filled the lettuce with seasoned ground beef, spicy guacamole, and mango-tomato salsa. Skip the sour cream and cheese, and add a serving of plantain chips.

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Another reason to love tacos? They are perfect for parties! Set up a variety of fillings and toppings in individual bowls and let your guests build their own. It’s fun for them and makes your life as a host easier.

Here’s a sample of my taco tray with fajita-style peppers and onions, tender braised and shredded beef, slow cooked beans, salsa, guacamole, pickled radishes, sour cream, and lime.

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Got a favorite taco? Share away!

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How to Cook Beef Tongue & Tacos Recipe

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Beef, Meat, Mexican, Recipe

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

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Beef Tongue Tacos

The time has come.  I have teased you enough about my adventures with beef tongue.  Today, I share with you my adventure in cooking this somewhat mysterious piece of protein and a simple way of turning it into a delicious meal ~ Beef Tongue Tacos.

I grew up eating beef tongue, prepared by my mom in a slow cooker, with lots of garlic, sliced super thin, and served on sandwiches, open-faced.  Later on in my life, I would often order lengua tacos from Mexican restaurants or tacos truck, always noticing the tender, melt-in-your-mouth (pardon the pun) character of the meat.  Needless to say, I am not squeamish about the tongue.

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When the opportunity presented itself, thanks to Farmstr, to try cooking the beef tongue for myself, I decided to give it a try.  The tongue came from Fluit Family Farm (Wallowa, OR). Cow breed: Rotokawa Devon / Grass-fed.  For details: http://specialty.farmstr.com/beef_offer.html

Beef Tongue Tacos

Ingredients

1 (2-3#) beef tongue

2 carrots, halved

1 onion, quartered

2 bay leaves

6-8 whole peppercorns

4-6 garlic cloves

salt to taste

For tacos: corn tortillas, radishes, cilantro, lime, salsa, sour cream

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Directions

1.  Rinse the tongue in cold water and place in a large pot.  Unless you are buying the tongue from a reputable source, preferably a local, organic farm, be sure to soak the tongue in cold water for several hours, switching the water a few times, to draw out any impurities.

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2.  Add vegetables and seasonings to the pot and pour in enough cold water to cover the tongue and vegetables by a few inches.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Then lower the heat to low and simmer for several hours, until the tongue is completely tender.  I simmered the tongue for almost four hours, though I am pretty sure it was done at the end of two hours.

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3.  Remove the tongue and cool slightly.  Peel off the skin and thinly slice across the grain.

4.  Make tacos!  For our tacos, I grilled corn tortillas over gas flame and filled them with slices of tongue and radishes.  Garnish with cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, and salsa.  I also enjoyed these tacos with Russian-Style Pickled Cabbage.

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If you would like to experience Farmstr and what it has to offer for yourself (and why wouldn’t you), please sign up for the Farmstr newsletter and Hot Sheet to learn about the great deals offered, in season produce, and the farmers.  To sign up, scroll to the bottom of the page www.farmstr.com and click on ‘Join Mailing List’.

To learn more, feel free to ask more questions and/or read How it Works and FAQ.

Disclaimer: I was offered the produce at no charge in exchange for the recipe and review.  All opinions stated in this post are my own.

Charred Avocado & Jalapeno Guacamole

20 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by in Gluten Free, Lunch, Mexican, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian

≈ Leave a comment

I am a big fan of guacamole and make it quite often.  I have made this versatile dip in the past chunky and creamy, with diced tomatoes or without, with different kinds of citrus juice and seasonings.  This time, I tried a new approach to guacamole – charred!

Charred Avocado and Jalapeno Guacamole

Ingredients

1 avocado, halved

1 jalapeno pepper

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 minced garlic clove

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1.  Char avocado and jalapeno over a gas flame.  Hold avocado, cut side down, over a medium flame.  Check often, and remove with tongs as soon as the flesh begins to char.  You are not trying to cook the avocado.  Similarly, rotate the jalapeno over the flame, getting a nice, even char over the skin.

2.  Scoop avocado into a bowl.  Seed and finely chop the jalapeno.  Use only as much jalapeno as you prefer, depending on the heat.

3.  Mash avocado and jalapeno with the remaining ingredients.  Leave it chunky if you wish, or mash until smooth.  If you prefer a smooth consistency, I would advice adding cilantro right at the end.

And there you go! Charred Avocado and Jalapeno Guacamole.   This is perfect as a dip with corn chips.  If you would like more options, use the guacamole as a sandwich spread or thin it out with olive oil for a chunky dressing or marinade.

If you are not eating the guacamole right away, cover it directly with plastic wrap to prevent browning and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

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Dinner Under 30 Minutes ~ Mexican Fiesta

01 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by in Cooking, Dinner, Mexican, Recipe

≈ Leave a comment

Are you hungry for a Mexican Fiesta dinner?  Stay home, skip the drive to the restaurant, and in 30 minutes you will sit down to a spread of black beans, chicken and duck fajita, fresh yogurt cheese, brown rice, and pico de gallo.  How is it possible, you might ask?  With a well stocked refrigerator and pantry and a little bit of culinary innovation.

 
For the Black Beans, in a sauce pot over medium high heat, saute a chopped onion with minced garlic and ground cumin and chili powder.  Add an undrained can of black beans, 1 bay leaf and water as needed.  Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the beans, stirring occasionally, until dinner is ready.
 
 
For the chicken and duck fajitas, I rescued leftover cooked duck and rotisserie chicken sitting in the refrigerator by slicing it up and cooking in some vegetable oil with slices of red bell pepper, garlic, cumin, chili powder and a little bit of lime juice.  Cook until the meat is reheated through and the pepper is tender.

 
Reheat brown rice, if you are feeling especially in the mood, you can add sauteed onion and jalapeno with garlic and a generous amount of chopped cilantro.
For the pico de gallo, seed and finely chop a tomato.  Mix it with minced onion, minced garlic, chopped jalapeno and cilantro.  Squeeze of lime juice, salt and peeper season with fresh tomato salsa.
 
The fresh yogurt cheese was hanging out in the fridge from the Allrecipes.com shoot.  More cilantro, more lime, and a little bit of chili powder, turned this into a condiment similar to Mexican crema (sour cream).
 
Pop open a bottle of beer, heat up a few tortillas, and dinner is ready!

 
 

Beef Stew Recipe ~ Southwestern Style with Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

16 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Mexican, Recipe

≈ 1 Comment

The last time I made stew it was for the Artist’s birthday party celebration.  Two or three hours prior to the party, the Artist decided there wasn’t enough food and headed out to the store to buy beef.  I turned the cubes of stew beef into the evening’s most popular dish – beef stew on top of mashed potatoes.  It was simple, delicious, and hearty.

The Artist went slightly overboard, buying a few extra pounds of stewed beef.  The extra few pounds went into the freezer, until last week.  I transferred the beef to the refrigerator, to thaw, and tried to think on a new twist for the beef stew.  Glancing in my pantry, I located a can of black beans, a can of roasted tomatoes and sweet potatoes.  The Southwestern Beef Stew turned out to be another success!

 








Southwestern Beef Stew

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 pounds stew meat, patted dry

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

4 cups beef broth

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 1″ cube

1 14.5-ounce can black beans, with the liquid

1 14.5-ounce can  roasted diced tomatoes, with the liquid

2 carrots, sliced 1/2″-thick

1 large onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

4-6 garlic cloves, smashed

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.  Heat oil in a large, heavy bottom pot over medium high heat.  Sear meat, in batches, until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

2.  Stir in spices and cook with the meat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3.  Pour in broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer the meat for 1 hour.

4.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except for salt and pepper, and simmer the stew for another hour.

5.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the stew and serve with diced avocado.  The stew reheats beautifully and could also be served over rice.  Enjoy!

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Green Olive, Banana Pepper, and Cilantro Quesadillas

19 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in Cheese, Cooking, Mexican, Recipe, Vegetarian

≈ 1 Comment

Last week I shared with you a recipe for No-Thrills Butternut Squash Soup. It’s true, you could make the soup and enjoy a bowl or a cup of it on its own.  But like many other things in life, the soup is better with an accompaniment, a friend you might say.  What I prepared to go along with the soup, with my friend Alla, was these Green Olive, Banana Pepper, and Cilantro Quesadillas.  (If you have been reading the blog for a while, I bet you can guess that Alla’s quesadilla came sans banana peppers and cilantro.  It was still delicious!)

This was a vegetarian recipe, if you feel like adding a little bit of non-dairy protein, roasted chicken or shrimp would taste great in the quesadilla.



Green Olive, Banana Pepper, and Cilantro Quesadilla

Ingredients 
(for 1 quesadilla)



1 flour tortilla

1/4 cup shredded cheese

4-6 green olives, stuffed with pimento, chopped

1 banana pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon oil

Directions

1.  Lay the tortilla on top of a flat surface.
2.  Cover half of the tortilla with cheese, olives, banana pepper, and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.

3.  Fold the tortilla in half, slightly pressing so that ingredients stick together.

4.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Cook the quesadila 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

5.  Remove the quesadilla and cut into wedges.

6.  Serve with a bowl of No-Thrills Butternut Squash Soup.


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Southwestern Confetti Double Baked Potatoes

09 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by in Appetizer, Cheese, Cooking, Holidays, Mexican, Potatoes, Recipe, Vegetarian

≈ 5 Comments

Last week there was this very important game on TV.  Lots of guys running around a field, protected with padding, helmets, and jock straps.  Something about the New York Giants winning?  Oh right!  It was the Super Bowl.  Well, not being a fan of football, I was still very excited when my friend Carly (aka Apple Girl) invited me over for a potluck football viewing party.

Carly was going to bake ginger soy chicken, which turned out amazing!  Other potluck contributions included an apple crisp, French macaroons, chips, and fantastic fried Mac and Cheese balls (made by another Apple Girl, Rachel).  Instead of beer, we sipped on Mango Peach White Sangria that Carly put together (if you are lucky, she’ll write a guest blog post and share her recipe with the rest of us!).

When thinking about my contribution to the potluck, I was reminded of an episode of The Pioneer Woman on Food Network where Ree Drummond makes double baked potatoes.  I love potatoes, and when cut in half and baked, they resemble footballs!  This was going to be perfect, I thought.  I decided to make these double baked potatoes vegetarian, colorful and relatively healthy by adding some vegetables.  The Southwestern Confetti Double Baked Potatoes were born, cooked, and devoured.

Southwestern Confetti Double Baked Potatoes



Ingredients


12-14 small Idaho potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
coarse salt
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon Southwestern seasoning blend
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bunch green onions, sliced
8 ounces shredded cheese, divided
ground black pepper

Directions


1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Scrub potatoes and pat dry with paper towels.  Coat potatoes with half of olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt.  Place a cooling rack inside a baking sheet.  Arrange potatoes on top of the cooling rack and bake for one hour.

 

2.  While the potatoes are baking, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and seasoning.  Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

3.  Once baked, remove the potatoes from the oven, and cool.  Slice potatoes in half.  Carefully scoop the potato flesh into a bowl, making sure not to rip the skin.

4.  Add half and half and sour cream to the potatoes.  Mash thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in sauteed vegetables, green onions and half the cheese.

 5.  Scoop the potato filling back into potato skins (I used a cookie scoop).  Sprinkle potatoes with the remaining cheese and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are heated through and the cheese has melted.

Time to eat!

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Secret Life of a Recipe Tester: Vegetarian Mexican Posole Soup

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Avocado, Mexican, Recipe Testing, Soup, Vegetarian

≈ 7 Comments

Have you ever thought about becoming a Recipe Tester?  Would you like to learn more about it?  Well, today is your lucky day.  In the last five years, I have tested recipes for cookbooks, magazines, and other culinary publications.  While recipe testing, I developed a stomach of steel and the patience of a saint (or at least I would like to believe so).  Recipe testing requires culinary knowledge, patience, attention to detail and perseverance.  
This week, I am testing a few recipes for an upcoming cookbook – if you would like more information, please leave a message and I will follow up once the book is published.  In general, when testing recipes, the tester is reimbursed the cost of groceries.  In some rare, but highly appreciated instances, a recipe tester also gets a copy of the cookbook and perhaps a small token of appreciation in a form of a gift card.

What’s on the list this week? Vegetarian Posole!  I tried this popular Mexican soup for the first time when I lived in Texas.  It has a deep, rich, smoky flavor of ancho chilies.  Traditionally made with pork or chicken, the soup resembles the chicken tortilla soup.  This recipe takes the traditional version and lightens  it up.

The completely vegetarian version uses hominy and extra-firm tofu.  Serve the soup with a variety of toppings including chopped cilantro, avocado, onion and lime wedges.  If you have corn chips, go ahead and use them as well.  I didn’t have any on hand and instead cooked a corn tortilla on a cast iron skillet and cut it up into strips.

Enjoy!  I think a pot of this vegetarian posole will be fantastic for Super Bowl Sunday!

Gift Giving 101 – Mother’s Birthday Mexican Fiesta

06 Monday Jun 2011

Posted by in Avocado, Beans, Beef, Chicken, Cooking, Guacamole, Mexican, Recipe, Rice

≈ 3 Comments

Do you love gifts? Would you rather give or receive?  Gift giving and receiving has changed for me over the years.  I remember being so excited about opening a box, unwrapping the gift paper, shaking a package to find out what is inside.  But lately, the gifts that I appreciate the most have been the moments spent with those that I love, usually over food.  (But I still do love the boxes, bows, gift paper, and what’s inside the package).

Similar with gift giving.  I cook.  I feed.  I gift the food.  And so, as my mom’s birthday rolled around this year, I cooked a family dinner – Mexican Fiesta.  I will skip the deliberation, discussion, compromising, contemplation and back-and-forth that went into making this dinner.  At the end, we came together, enjoyed the meal and the company.  And now I finish up washing the dishes and putting back my kitchen together, while thinking about what I will be cooking for Father’s Day this weekend.

Mother’s Birthday Mexican Fiesta Menu (I thank my brother and his girlfriend Anja for helping me with putting together this meal)

Guacamole – avocados, tomatoes, garlic, white onion, lime juice, jalapeno, salt & pepper.
Salsa #1 – tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, lime juice, salt & pepper, seasoning blend.
Salsa #2 – Salsa #1 plus mango and cilantro.
Spanish Rice – poblano peppers, onion, garlic, tomato paste, rice, lime juice, salt & pepper.

Chipotle braised chicken – chicken, onions, garlic, chicken broth, seasoning blend, lime juice.
Ground beef  – onions, garlic, beef, seasoning blend, lime juice.
Chopped cilantro (apparently my Dad still doesn’t appreciate cilantro, so it needs to be on its own, not to contaminate anything else).
Sauteed bell peppers.
Black beans – beans, onion, lime juice, seasoning blend.
Crema – sour cream, lime juice, seasoning blend, salt & pepper.
Flour tortillas warmed on cast iron skillet.
Juanita’s tortilla chips.



Chilled Moscato D’asti (ok, there might have been a bit of Diet Coke with Lime as well)
Watermelon
Cake

It’s quite possible that I’ve used every single bowl, plate, glass, pot and pan I have in my kitchen.  But it was definitely, all well worth it!

When’s the last time you cooked for someone?  What was the occasion?  What did you prepare?

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Back in the Pages of Fitness: Dinner in 20 May 2011 Issue

29 Friday Apr 2011

Posted by in Beans, Beef, Fitness, Mexican, Peppers, Recipe, recipe development, Writing/Publishing

≈ Leave a comment

I was a bit worried that I might fall into “3 strikes and you are out” category!  Afterall, I have been lucky to have three of my recipes already published in Fitness Magazine (September 2010 Curried Shrimp with Mango Couscous, November 2010 Chicken Soba Bowl, and April 2011 Lemon Thyme Chicken).  Boy, was I happy to get an email from Fitness asking me to develop another recipe.  


This time, I reached down to my Texas roots and came up with with this recipe for Tex-Mex Beef Stir Fry with Avocado Salad.  Will you give it a try?



I love developing this healthy and delicious recipe that takes 20 minutes to make – no more excuses for not having enough time.  Feed your body, feed your soul – you are worth it!

Go get your copy on the newsstand.  Page 168, May 2011, Fitness Magazine.

I would love for you to try out the recipe and get your feedback!  I hope you enjoy it.
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Brunch Time – Southwestern Quiche with Cornbread Crust and Linguica

27 Wednesday Apr 2011

Posted by in Brunch, Cheese, Cooking, Eggs, Mexican, Peppers, Pork, Recipe

≈ 5 Comments

Hungry for brunch?  Tired of the same old quiche, fritata, or poached eggs?  Boy (or girl!) do I have a recipe for you!  My sister and I were hosting brunch at her place in Washington DC.  We decided on potluck and promised to provide eggs and potatoes – THE staples of brunch.  I chose to do the eggs.  After some brainstorming, compromising (creative culinary back and forth), and debating, I settled on a Southwestern Quiche.  Honestly, I wasn’t sure how it was going to come out, but having developed and tested quite a few recipes, I thought this one (my original creation) was worth a try.

Southwestern Quiche with Cornbread Crust and Linguica


Ingredients
1 cornbread mix
1 large red onion, diced, divided
1 bunch cilantro, chopped, divided
1 teaspoon of sugar
dash of hot pepper mix
2 poblano peppers
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 Linguica links
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk (or Half & Half if you are feeling extra decadent)
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, shredded


Directions
1.  Pour cornbread mix into a large bowl.  Add 1/4 onion, 1/4 cilantro, teaspoon of sugar and hot pepper mix.  Follow directions on the package, adding milk and egg.  Whisk together and pour into a spring form pan.  Bake according to directions, cutting the baking time by 1/3.

 

2.  If you are lucky enough to have a gas stove, use it to roast poblano peppers.  Place the peppers directly over medium-high heat, and continue to roast until the skin is black and blistered.  Use a pair of long tongs to rotate the peppers while roasting, to ensure even cooking.  Once done, place the peppers into a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Why? you might ask.  Covering the peppers with plastic will create steam inside the bowl, separating the skin of the peppers from the flesh and making them very easy to peel.  Do not rinse your peppers – along with the water, you will wash away all the delicious flavor you just worked so hard to create!  Instead, pull the skin off the peppers using a paper towel.  Seed the peppers and roughly chop.

 

3. Remove the skin from linguica links and dice into 1/4″ pieces.  Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add linguica and the rest of the red pepper.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.  Add diced poblano peppers and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

 

4.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk and the remaining cilantro.

 
5.  Spread the linguica and pepper mixture over cornbread.  Slowly pour the egg mixture over.  This is where things got a bit tricky.  The spring form began to leak.  Most of the eggs got absorbed into the cornbread.  At the end, it looked like the egg mixture was completely gone and all you could see was cilantro.  What to do?  Well, use foil on the bottom of the spring form to prevent any more leaking, and cover the food with shredded cheese!

6.  Bake the quiche in a hot, preheated oven (350-375) until the egg is settled and the cheese is completely melted.

7.  Allow the quiche to set for about 15 minutes.  Right before serving, pop the quiche back into the oven under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to bubble up the cheese.  Now you are ready to eat!  

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?  Let me know!
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Lunch at Jose Andres’ Oyamel in Washington DC

25 Monday Apr 2011

Posted by in Avocado, Mexican, Restaurant Review, Travel, Washington DC

≈ 2 Comments

I heard Chef Jose Andres speak while attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park New York.  It was a few months before I was to leave on my externship, and I was very looking forward to hearing what Chef Andres had to say about the restaurant industry, the culinary scene in DC and his outlook on food.  Although I was not planning on doing my externship at a restaurant, hearing Jose speak sparked and inspired something inside of me, and made me wonder whether, perhaps, a restaurant externship could work for me afterall.


On my visit to Washington DC to see my sister, I arranged for a meeting at one of Chef’s restaurants – Zaytinya – with Mike Isabella, executive chef at the time (yes, the same Mike Isabella who was on the Top Chef and Top Chef Masters on Bravo).  The restaurant setting was incredible, and the offering of Turkish, Greek and Lebanese tapas made my mouth water.  While, I decided to do my externship elsewhere (I spent four months in Des Moines, IA working for Cuisine at home, developing recipes and writing) my dinner at Zaytinya was one of most enjoyable and delicious I have had in Washington D.C.


On my recent return to D.C., I was happy to try one of the other Chef Andres’ restaurants – Oyamel.  In fact, Oyamel was a location for my farewell lunch in D.C. along with my sister and one of my dear friends from the CIA.

The lunch started up with quintessential chips and salsa.  If you think that all chips and salsa were created equal, you’re quite mistaken – a lot could and often does go wrong.  This duo, however, was quite perfect.  The chips were thin, not greasy and lightly salted.  The salsa was nice charred and spicy just enough to please everyone at the table.

Since this was afterall our farewell lunch, we decided to have a cocktail.  Olga chose the Oyamel’s Ponche –
 Azul blanco, white wine, triple sec and fresh fruit and I selected The Classic – El Jimador blanco, triple sec and fresh lime juice.  Later, during our lunch, our server presented us with a taste of Oyamel José Andrés’ personal favorite with Siembra Azul blanco,  Luxardo Triplum, fresh lime juice and salt “air” – thank you chef!

We couldn’t pass on the guacamole – made directly at the table.  Lunch & a show at once – why not?  I love seeing exactly what goes into my food (that’s one of the benefits of cooking on your own).  This guacamole couldn’t be any easier – avocados, lime, red onion, jalapeno and cilantro.  The extra ingredient – fresh Mexican cheese.  End result – delicious.
 
For the lunch itself, we all decided to go with the Almuerzo Rapido – a selection of any two antojiotos and one taco for $20.

Albóndigas enchipotladascon queso doble crema
Meatballs in chipotle sauce with crumbled ‘double cream’ cheese and cilantro
I would love these meatballs over polenta on a cold, winter night.  Comforting and flavorful!


Cayo de hacha con pipián de chile pasilla
Seared scallops with a pasilla chile and pumpkin seed sauce, orange segments, pumpkin seed oil and toasted pumpkin seeds
I was honestly blown away by these scallops.  Not only were they beautiful to look at, they were creamy on the inside, tender, and well seared on the outside.  I could easily go for a few more!

Arrachera con salsa molcajete y nopales escabeche
Grilled skirt steak with a sauce of grilled tomatoes, tomatillos, green onions,  cilantro and green chiles, garnished with pickled cactus paddle
This was my first time trying pickled cactus – reminded me of pickled okra and if you know me, I love anything pickled – this was not an exception!

A plate of gourmet tacos: 
Lengua guisada
Braised beef tongue with radishes and a sauce of roasted pasilla chili, tomatoes, onion and garlic
Cochinita pibil con cebolla en escabeche
Yucatan-style pit barbecued pork with pickled red onion and Mexican sour orange
Tacos de hongos
Sautéed seasonal wild mushrooms with garlic and shallots, served with guacamole

Pastel de tres leches con piña
A traditional cake soaked in Coruba rum and three kinds of milk, with a rum and milk foam, 
fresh pineapple gelatin and a pineapple salsa.  Served with  a scoop of dark caramel ice cream.
Jericalla de chocolate con maracuya
Oaxacan chocolate custard with a Mexican origin chocolate sorbet, passion fruit 
gelatin, chocolate and pumpkin seed crumble and fresh passion fruit seed
I definitely loved the presentation and the creativity of the chocolate custard, but the traditional tres leches stole my taste buds.

At the end it was time to go.  Thank you for a delicious lunch and attentive service.  We shall be back!
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Mexican Taco Pizza on a Tortilla

25 Friday Feb 2011

Posted by in Cooking, Mexican, Pizza, Recipe

≈ 3 Comments

Pizza without pizza crust?  Say it ain’t so!  Well, I can’t.  Who says pizza needs to have a traditional crust, tomato sauce and mozzarella?  Not met!  For this global pizza creation, I introduce you to a Mexican Taco Pizza on a Tortilla!  Think of it as an open-faced quesadilla.  It’s beyond delicious and flavorful and is really easy to put together.  Feel free to play with the flavors and ingredient substitutions to create your own variation – let me know what you come up with!

Makes 4 tortilla pizzas

Ingredients

4 flour tortillas
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa, plus more for serving
1/2 pound Pepper Jack cheese, shredded, divided
1/3 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup canned yellow corn (use fresh in the summer)
8 ounces ground beef, cooked with a tablespoon of taco seasoning and cooled
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange tortillas on a pizza stone or a large baking sheet. Evenly spread salsa over tortillas and sprinkle with half the cheese.

2. Combine beans, corn, beef and cilantro and evenly spread on top of tortillas.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

3. Place the tortilla pizzas in the oven and bake until the cheese bubbles and the tortillas are crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cilantro.  Cut into quarters and serve.

Enjoy!