Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Enjoy this post from last year as you decide what to make on this warm New Jersey spring day.  Up next, asparagus and ramps with Einkorn wheat.  Until then…enjoy!

I mentioned in the previous ‘duck breast’ post that we had a bit of Mexican extravaganza on Monday night. By that I mean that I made multiple salsas, guacamole, fresh chopped vegetables, a number of different meats, and homemade tortillas. I made a ground beef traditional ‘Tex-Mex’ taco meat as well as the duck breast and we added the salsas, guacamole, and various other toppings to create our own individualized tacos. In the previous post, I focused on the technique for cooking the duck breast. However I don’t believe I mentioned seasoning and that was really because I only used salt and didn’t even bother to oil the cast iron pan. The duck releases so much oil as it cooks that there’s really no need to do that.

Anyway, I LOVE this type of meal. I’ve mentioned previously that I lived in Texas for a good number of years and every once in a while I crave Mexican food. This is a great time of year to cook Mexican food…fresh fruits and vegetables are in full swing for a couple more weeks and with Mexican food you can use all those tomatoes, ears of corn, peaches, onions, peppers, and virtually anything else that you find at the farmer’s market or the grocery store. The window to enjoy the freshness of these summer treats is closing and closing quickly though. If you start to look at the markets, you’ll start to notice pumpkins, apples, and the like, signaling the arrival of fall fruits and vegetables. So, do this NOW.  More text and recipes for salsas, guacamole, and tortillas after the jump!

Making your own tortillas is very easy. If you don’t have a tortilla press, just roll the dough out. It takes about ten minutes to throw the dough together as it only has four-maybe five ingredients. There’s no yeast involved so there’s no hassle with rising times, etc. You simply make the dough and put in the refrigerator to rest for about an hour and then you are ready to roll.

The salsas are quite easy too. The corn salsa isn’t cooked at all. I simply added some salt and some citrus juice and allowed the ingredients to mingle in the citrus seasonings. The tomato salsa that I made combined cooked and fresh tomatoes, peppers, and onions. I broiled some of them and then added fresh and simply blended everything adding a bit of lime juice, honey, and salt to round it out. The recipe I’m going to give for the tomato salsa makes a TON of salsa so you can adjust down if you’d like but it freezes well and will last into the winter when the craving for fresh tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes can be quenched by simply unthawing your frozen batch.

The guacamole takes no time at all. When you pick your avocadoes, look for ones that are fairly firm but give just a bit when pinched with your thumb. Avoid avocadoes that have no give if you are looking to eat them on the day you purchase. I’d avoid overly soft avocadoes all together if you can. You can go a ton of different ways with guacamole from adding traditional ingredients like peppers, onions, and cilantro (as I basically do) to being more adventurous by adding fruit, different chili peppers, etc.

Round everything out by thinly slicing some onion or green onion, tomatoes or cherry tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes that I simply halved), lettuce of your choice (I used arugula as we had it on hand), chopped cilantro, and some grated cheese (I think I just a Colby jack that we happened to have as we brought it back from Wisconsin last week). Finish everything off with a squeeze of a fresh lime wedge and you are in business!

I’m going to include quick recipes for the tomato salsa, corn salsa, and guacamole that I made. I’ll also provide a link to a great tortilla recipe that I typically use for flour tortillas. The beauty of these recipes, however, is that you can add and subtract ingredients based on personal preference and what you have on hand at the time. I think citrus is really important but if you don’t have lemons or limes you can certainly throw in a dash of vinegar (white or red wine or sherry would work well). Anyway, I could go on but I’ve gone on long enough…here are a few recipes for your own Mexican extravaganza. Hope you enjoy your experience as much as I did!

 

Tomato Salsa:

Ingredients:

5 or 6 Fresh Jersey tomatoes, halved

2-3 jalapenos, halved (seeds removed if you prefer mild)

1 Medium yellow onion, halved

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Dash of olive oil

1-2 Tablespoons of honey

Juice of 2 limes and 1 lemon plus zest of one lime

½ Cup chopped cilantro (which I omitted because Tara doesn’t care for it…but if you like it, add it!)

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• In the meantime, halve the tomatoes (leaving one whole and set aside), onion, and peppers.  Place vegetables on baking sheet cut side down.
• Turn oven to broil and broil vegetables until they are starting to char, but are not completely burned (about 5 minutes or so).
• Remove the tomato skins (they should easily pull away)
• Place everything into a large blender or food processor and blend until ingredients reach a consistency you are happy with.
• Once that’s achieved, add the salt, olive oil, honey, citrus, and cilantro and blend/process again until all is incorporated.
• Chop the tomato (coarse chop or fine chop is fine…it just depends on how chunky you prefer your salsa.  I went with a fairly fine chop).  Add chopped tomato to the salsa.
• Taste and adjust seasoning.  If it’s not hot enough, chop and add another jalapeno (or if you don’t have another, add some red pepper flakes).  If you prefer it sweeter, add a bit more honey, etc.  The salsa should have a balance of sweet, sour, savory, with a nice heat.
• Refrigerate for 3 or 4 hours as the flavors will intensify over time.  Use what you need and freeze the rest in an airtight container (should last six months or so in the freezer).

Corn and jalapeno salsa:

Ingredients:

3 Ears of corn, kernels and milk removed from cobs

1 Jalapeno, cut into rings

2 Green onions, chopped finely

1 Side of a sweet red bell pepper, chopped finely

Dash olive oil

2 Tablespoons honey

Juice of two limes and one lemon plus a bit of zest from lime and lemon

Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper

Few Cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

• Place corn kernels and milk from corn cob in a large bowl.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
• Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
• Refrigerate for 3-4 hours prior to serving.

Guacamole:

Ingredients:

3 ripe avocados (see intro for tips on how to pick ripe avocados)

½ Medium onion, finely diced

1 Jalapeno, cut thinly into rings (or if you prefer, dice it finely, removing the seeds for a milder taste)

½ Tomato, seeded and finely chopped

½ Cup cilantro, finely chopped\

Juice of one or two limes

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

• Cut the avocados in half and remove the seed.  Scoop out the flesh and place in large bowl.  Squeeze the juice of fresh lime(s) over the avocado.  Mash the avocados with a fork (or in a mortar and pestle if you have it) until you reach a consistency that you prefer (I like mine chunky).
• Place the other chopped vegetables and cilantro into bowl and mix well.
• Season with a good amount of kosher salt as avocados can benefit from a salty taste.  Go slowly, adding a little at a time until you reach a salt level that you prefer.  Add a grind or two of freshly ground pepper.
• Seal tightly in an airtight container and use within a few hours.
• The guacamole should last another day or so but may turn brown on top.  If that happens, scoop off the top and enjoy.  However, guacamole is really something that should be fresh and enjoyed on the same day it’s prepared.

For Tortillas:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/flour-tortillas-recipe.html