culinary flights of fancy

Home Cooking Adventures in Berkeley Heights


Leave a comment

Mexican Extravaganza: Charred and Fresh Tomato Salsa, Corn and Jalapeno Salsa, Guacamole, and Flour Tortilla Recipes

Taco.duck

Taco.duck2

 

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! Continue reading


1 Comment

Guacamole

Image

So, I told you that I have been busy in the kitchen despite my delay in posts while recovering from surgery.  This is the first thing I made post-surgery.  Probably not the best idea in the entire world to do this the day after surgery but it tasted good.  I cut my finger though…sharp knives and pain medicine is probably not a great idea.  Anyway, we love guacamole and, again, we have yet to find a decent version out and about in our area.  So, I take to making both the guacamole and the chips myself.  This is my basic recipe, which is to say, that it is a basic recipe that is commonly found in various iterations in my old home, Texas.  I love cilantro…my wife, however, does not.  Despite my many attempts at trying to talk her into cilantro, it just doesn’t happen so I usually make two batches:  one with and one without cilantro.  The guacamole pictured has cilantro in it.  It contains a poblano pepper (the fresh version of the ancho chili), which imparts a mild heat.  If, however, you prefer a stronger heat in your guacamole, I’d suggest skipping right over the jalapeno and going with the serrano pepper…it will definitely bring the heat!  No cooking involved in this one…just chopping, mashing, and seasoning.  The super easy, very tasty recipe follows after the jump. Continue reading