"A Cultural Treasure"

This week, UNESCO declared Mexican Cuisine a cultural treasure --Patrimonio de la Humanidad - como decimos en Mexico. I read it on twitter, on newspapers, then, I felt the need to share it with my friends...and tonight I realized that even though I did not need a reminder, it made me feel proud of my country, and my roots.

And although, for many people Mexican food equals "cheesy" and "creamy" dishes; it is certainly more than that. When I see both of my kids eating home-made tamales and beans like there is no tomorrow - I feel awesome; I see myself in them.

So, whatever your favorite dish, go ahead and try something new; something that perhaps you have never tried. Or something that you don't try so often. My current 'affair' is with beans. Yes, beans - think beyond pinto. The nuances in texture, aromas and flavor are incredible. It all started when I was at the Ferry Building in San Francisco a couple of years ago, and I saw a kind of bean that I had never seen before, Ayocote Morado. It had a dark purplish color and was bigger than pinto or red beans. When I cooked them, I discovered a delicious creamy texture; and a very thin bouillon that reminded me when growing up I would dip bread into the bowl (en el caldito).

So next time you want to eat beans, give new beans a shot.

"El Camion en Seattle"

Today, my teammates from Seattle took me to a place called "El Camion". A traditional Mexican street food place in Seattle's SODO neighborhood. http://www.elcamionseattle.com/

Their menu is pretty broad for the space in which they operate. From a variety of tacos, mole, chipotle shrimp and even tamales to a nice variety of salsas including habanero and salsa verde.

It is exciting to taste authentic Mexican food, no matter where it is. If you happen to be in Seattle and want to experience something close to what you have had in Mexico, definitely stop by.

My lunch was such a treat; 2 tacos de carne asada, 1 taco de lengua y una mulita de puerco - a quesadilla concoction with avocado and pork. Ahh, delicioso.

"Loving Goat Cheese and Poblanos"

Although I don't remember exactly when was the first time I had goat cheese, I know it is one of my favorite things to eat.

Last night, I prepared chiles rellenos with veggies and goat cheese and they turned out to be delicious. Althoug roasting the chiles is probably the most labor intensive step, the rest is super easy.

Recipe below is for 3 chiles. Because two per person could be too much and because one is not enough! Keep in mind that poblanos that are darker are the ones with the richest flavor.

3 Poblano peppers
1 medium onion
1 yellow bell pepper
1 small zucchini
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
3 Tbsp of goat cheese

Roast the poblanos on a hot skillet and turn them so they get roasted evenly. They should get grill marks all over before you take them off the heat. However, you can always use your oven by placing the on a baking sheet and roast for 10 min (approx) at 350 degrees. They should be soft but not flacid.

Once they are off the heat place them inside a folded kitchen towel so they can "sweat" for about 10 min. Take them out to seed and devein each of them. Make a cut in the middle and take seeds out with a spoon. Gently run warm water through them to get all the seeds out.

Okay, the rest is really easy. I promise. You might want to reward this "hard" work with a glass of sauvignon blanc that will go great with this dish.

Chop the onion, bell pepper and zucchini. Turn on one of your burners to medium heat, then add olive oil and heat for a bit - but not smoking.

Add onion and toss it for a while until it gets transparent, add bell pepper, salt and pepper and cover for 10 min. Add zucchini turn off the heat and cover again for another 10 min. The zucchini will have a soft "crunch".

Turn your oven on and set it to "broil", this will melt the cheese nicely. Almost done...stuff the poblanos with the vegetable mixture then add a spoon of goat cheese to each - don't over do the cheese, although we all are tempted.

Put them in a ceramic dish and into the broiler for 5 minutes or until they get the cheese melted to your preference. Listo, a comer!

The image used above was originally posted to Flickr by Daxiang Stef and it is licensed under the creative commons atributions license.

"It's Creamy, But Very Spicy"

Ah, that is what I felt the first time I tried this salsa at a friends place in NYC many moons ago. Then the next question, who made this? and how can we get more. It turns out that it was from a neighborhood restaurant - that I became a fan until my taste buds were able to tell me what was inside this magic potion called Habanero-Roasted Tomato Salsa.

This Habanero-Roasted tomato salsa is my interpretation of that salsa. I have to say that I have played with it for years but I think I am at a point where I can share the recipe.

This salsa is definitely on the "hot" side of the spectrum. Though you can adjust the level of tomato and Habaneros according to your taste preference.

5 Roma tomatoes

1 Habanero pepper (I like the orange ones for this recipe)

1/4 medium onion

1 garlic clove (a big one)

1/4 cup heavy cream (ambient temperature)

A couple of grape or cherry tomatoes

1 Tbsp of olive oil

1 tsp of canola oil

1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (adjust to taste at the end)

Turn your oven to 350 and place your roma tomatoes, habanero pepper, garlic and onion on a baking sheet for 20 min or until they have some strong roasted look. Peel tomatoes and add them to blender with garlic, salt and pepper. Press pulse 5-6 times for 3-4 seconds each time.

In a pan, add canola oil turn your burner to medium heat and just before it hits the smoking point, add salsa to the pan. Let it warm up for 2-3 min over low/med then add cream and stir quickly. Turn it off. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.

To finish up, finely chop the grape/cherry tomatoes then put them on a hot skillet with the olive oil for about a minute over medium heat. Top your salsa bowl with this aromatic tomato mixture and get ready to enjoy.

This salsa is a great companion to carne asada tacos or your favorite filling. I also like to eat it with burritos that have avocado inside; it helps balance the heat. If you have a favorite salsa, feel free to share it. It doesn't have to be spicy!

"Tacos de Pescado"

We all have had an awesome "fish taco" experience. I recently went to San Francisco where I stopped at Mijita, a Mexican restaurant at the Ferry Building owned by Chef Des Jardins. There, the taco is deep fried and served on a double corn tortilla with a Jalapeno crema. Mmm, I can almost taste it again. You probably wouldn't expect good Mexican at the Ferry building; however, you will be surprised. Next time pay a visit http://www.mijitasf.com/

Tonight, we had Mahi-Mahi fish tacos. Instead of frying them. We baked them. Same process you follow to get them fried, just baked. 25 min @ 350 degrees. We served them in corn tortillas and enjoyed them with sliced avocado and hot sauce. I missed a good lager or pale ale to make the meal even better --XX Dos Equis anyone?

Let me share with you a quick salsa that goes extremely well with tacos de pescado: Salsa verde de tomatillo y jalapeno. For a quick look at tomatillos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatillo

5-6 green tomatillos
1 jalapeno pepper
1/4 medium onion
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup of chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Peel husk off from tomatillos, clean them and throw them in hot water. Add onion, garlic clove and jalapeno to the water as well. Leave it there for 15 min or so; until tomatillos change to a bright green without bursting in the water. Add everything to the food processor or blender and pulse intermittently 5-10 times until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste then cilantro and pulse a few times.

If you like some crunch in addition to the avocado and the fish, chop some cabbage very thinly and add a little of lemon juice and red wine vinegar to get it nice and tangy.

Now get ready to enjoy...warm up your tortilla put the baked mahi-mahi, then add some chopped cilantro, couple of avocado slices, a little cabbage and as much salsa as you want. Finish with a light squeeze of lime juice and salt.

Salud!

"There is nothing in the fridge"

How many times have you said that? Then turned to your favorite take-out menu and said "oh well, let's get the usual". Dial tone...

While I also enjoy my Asian take-out and pizza from the joint a few blocks from our place, there is nothing like a quick home-made meal that tastes good.

Last Friday, I was facing exactly this moment. Not to mention that our fridge went kaput a couple of weeks ago. So there wasn't a lot to choose from.

So here's the deal, I always keep my pantry stocked with stuff that I like; capers, olives, and well I was lucky to have 3 small Roma tomatoes...and cooked a pasta sauce inspired on a puttanesca recipe --the original has anchovies and uses crused tomatoes.

First, I minced a shallot and smashed one garlic clove and put it on the pan with a little olive oil....then while that was sizzling (without burning) I chopped my tomatoes and added them to the party. Finally, I added some pepper and about half a cup of chopped olives (I like pitted kalamatas or gaetas but throw in whatever you have) and a teaspoon of capers --- a little red crushed pepper will add a spicy touch. Cooked for 6-8 min over medium heat while boiling thin spaghetti ; when pasta was ready, I drained it and mixed with the sauce in the pan, tossed over and finished with a drizzle of olive oil. I like to reserve about a 1/3 cup of the pasta water and add some to the pan while you toss the pasta. It makes a better consistency.

If you have 3 more minutes you can complement it with a mixed greens salad and a quick dressing. I like mixing 3 table spoons of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Just whisk it and adjust to taste - I like my dressings a little on the acidic/lemony side.

And that was it. Spaghettini Puttanesca with mixed greens. Oh well, and little red wine, of course. Cheers.

"Mario y Anthony"

That is Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain. Last night, I was so fortunate to spend an evening with my wife and some of our closest friends at a few sessions of the NY Food and Wine Festival. Both sessions were so inspiring and they felt so up close and personal that made the evening so special.

Bourdain, kept his great storytelling style all the way, It was like if we were attending a live episode of"No Reservations". Couple of things that really hit home for me; first, being thankful for the pleasures of eating and traveling; second, the appreciation for the dishes and recipes of families around the world, and more importantly, the golden rule of never declining an offer to eat something that was prepared "just for you". As he called it, The Grandma Rule "On Thanksgiving You tell Grandma that her turkey was great; that you want more; and that you love the way she cooked it". It's as simple as that.

It reminded me about one time that I went to visit a friend in Andalucia, and the moment we both got to his place, his mother welcomed us with a fresh made Gazpacho. It turns out that although I love tomatoes, I don't enjoy Gazpacho that much. So I had my first bowl in a matter of minutes; chugging sangria intermittently. The result - a second bowl "Oh my God...he really liked it!", she said. - more sangria please!

On being thankful, I couldn't agree with him more. Coincidentally, as we were driving on the West Side Highway en route to the Times Center, I told my son how beautiful the [Hudson] river looked; and to realize that having the opportunity of seeing water or enjoying being close to an ocean are actually a privilege.

Being there that evening, was indeed a pleasure. To see Mario (one of the most passionate chefs, in my opinion) and Anthony Bourdain, what a treat. The fact that they went unscripted was probably one of the reason why I enjoyed the most. Are these guys passionate for what they do or what?

Mario talked about how he started, about his family, his passion for Italy and his next "dreams". One of them, to open a branch of "Lupa" (his roman trattoria in NYC) in Rome. All this with the purpose of being "in the kitchen" for a couple of years while his kids attend high school in Italy. His face got a big smile when he said "Could you imagine going to the market at Campo de Fiori to buy all the ingredients you need to cook for your restaurant guests"

Passion, it is all about passion. These guys are contagious. And luckily it is something you want to get from someone else.