4.22.2012
Carne Asada (kind of... we don't really use recipes that often)
Guacamole (yeah, yeah... avacados are not local, but they are delicious, and sometimes delicious wins over local/organic/etc)
Escabeche (or, my term of endearment for it: ishy-bishy)
Homemade Tortillas
Rhubarb Fool (our rhubarb has just gotten big enough to use - and fool is the easiest and most impressive way to eat it)
We don't really use recipes, but if I had to guess, here's my best shot:
Carne Asada:
Meat (choose your mid-range desired form of steak... I think we used flank steak)
Marinade (again, I am guessing on the quantities):
Traditional: 1/4c. tequilla, 2T lime juice, 2 cloves garlic, onions, chipotle peppers (or a more spicy pepper, if you prefer)
What we did: 1/4c. red wine vinegar, 2T lime juice, 2 cloves garlic, 1 red chili pepper, mustard (Ben puts mustard in just about every marinade we make).
Marinade 4 hours; overnight is better.
Grill until medium-rare. (Touch test: When you touch it with your finger, it should resist, but return to its original shape.)
Guacamole (best made in a mortar and pestle; it won't turn brown nearly as fast, if at all!):
1 avocado
1 clove garlic (optional, but I love garlic)
Cilantro and Salt, to taste.
Pound the avocado and ingredients in a mortar and pestle.
Escabeche
1 carrot, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
1 celery stalk, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
3 cloves garlic (garlic is seriously our health insurance plan - it's better than most of the plans out there!)
1/2 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 jalepeno, quartered
1/2c. vinegar
1/2c. water
1t sugar
1t salt
1 bay leaf
- Put the carrot, celery, garlic, onion, and jalepeno into a mason jar.
- Place the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and bay leaf into a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Pour over vegetables. Wait 60 minutes or until cool; the more time you give the veggies, the more pickly they get.
Homemade Tortillas:
2c. all purpose flour
2T butter or lard
1t. baking powder
1/4t. salt
- mix the flour, salt, and baking powder with the lard with your fingers until the mixture is uniform. Add water (around 3/4c) to make a dough that feels a little like playdoh (this is the texture you want pie crust to have as well). Divide into 12 dough balls. Roll on a floured surface. Place on a heated cast-iron, enamel, or stainless steel pan over medium heat. Flip when it has brown freckles. Burn a few. It builds character.
Rhubarb Fool (is foolishly easy to make and wickedly delicious)
Rhubarb part:
8 stalks rhubarb (as fresh as you can find - this dessert is meant for April/May!), cut in 1/2 inch chunks
1/2-3/4c. sugar, depending on how tart the rhubarb is
1T lemon juice
- Put rhubarb, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce until the rhubarb has disintegrated into a sauce (about 10 minutes, but just watch for it to look like pie filling; don't burn it because you're too busy following directions!).
1c heavy whipping cream
1/4c. sugar
1t. vanilla
1 cardamom pod's worth of seeds, crushed.
- whip cream and cardamom, adding sugar gradually, followed by vanilla. Whip until it forms soft peaks (pull out the whisk, and it should look like a wave starting to crash).
We tend to drink whatever wine (regardless of color or type) we are in the mood for. If Ben were inclined toward margaritas, I would have lobbied for them, but it is a losing battle. We drank a new-to-us Malbec that didn't really work that well with the meal. We ended up pouring half of the bottle into our red wine vinegar starter. Oh well.
In other news, today I made the first fresh flower cuttings for our Sunday bouquet. We ate outside by candlelight with a beautiful mix of spring flowers. A life in which there is good food, candles, and spring flowers can't be that bad. Fortunately, the IRS doesn't tax happiness, because I am oh so rich.
Carne Asada (kind of... we don't really use recipes that often)
Guacamole (yeah, yeah... avacados are not local, but they are delicious, and sometimes delicious wins over local/organic/etc)
Escabeche (or, my term of endearment for it: ishy-bishy)
Homemade Tortillas
Rhubarb Fool (our rhubarb has just gotten big enough to use - and fool is the easiest and most impressive way to eat it)
We don't really use recipes, but if I had to guess, here's my best shot:
Carne Asada:
Meat (choose your mid-range desired form of steak... I think we used flank steak)
Marinade (again, I am guessing on the quantities):
Traditional: 1/4c. tequilla, 2T lime juice, 2 cloves garlic, onions, chipotle peppers (or a more spicy pepper, if you prefer)
What we did: 1/4c. red wine vinegar, 2T lime juice, 2 cloves garlic, 1 red chili pepper, mustard (Ben puts mustard in just about every marinade we make).
Marinade 4 hours; overnight is better.
Grill until medium-rare. (Touch test: When you touch it with your finger, it should resist, but return to its original shape.)
Guacamole (best made in a mortar and pestle; it won't turn brown nearly as fast, if at all!):
1 avocado
1 clove garlic (optional, but I love garlic)
Cilantro and Salt, to taste.
Pound the avocado and ingredients in a mortar and pestle.
Escabeche
1 carrot, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
1 celery stalk, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
3 cloves garlic (garlic is seriously our health insurance plan - it's better than most of the plans out there!)
1/2 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 jalepeno, quartered
1/2c. vinegar
1/2c. water
1t sugar
1t salt
1 bay leaf
- Put the carrot, celery, garlic, onion, and jalepeno into a mason jar.
- Place the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and bay leaf into a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Pour over vegetables. Wait 60 minutes or until cool; the more time you give the veggies, the more pickly they get.
Homemade Tortillas:
2c. all purpose flour
2T butter or lard
1t. baking powder
1/4t. salt
- mix the flour, salt, and baking powder with the lard with your fingers until the mixture is uniform. Add water (around 3/4c) to make a dough that feels a little like playdoh (this is the texture you want pie crust to have as well). Divide into 12 dough balls. Roll on a floured surface. Place on a heated cast-iron, enamel, or stainless steel pan over medium heat. Flip when it has brown freckles. Burn a few. It builds character.
Rhubarb Fool (is foolishly easy to make and wickedly delicious)
Rhubarb part:
8 stalks rhubarb (as fresh as you can find - this dessert is meant for April/May!), cut in 1/2 inch chunks
1/2-3/4c. sugar, depending on how tart the rhubarb is
1T lemon juice
- Put rhubarb, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce until the rhubarb has disintegrated into a sauce (about 10 minutes, but just watch for it to look like pie filling; don't burn it because you're too busy following directions!).
1c heavy whipping cream
1/4c. sugar
1t. vanilla
1 cardamom pod's worth of seeds, crushed.
- whip cream and cardamom, adding sugar gradually, followed by vanilla. Whip until it forms soft peaks (pull out the whisk, and it should look like a wave starting to crash).
We tend to drink whatever wine (regardless of color or type) we are in the mood for. If Ben were inclined toward margaritas, I would have lobbied for them, but it is a losing battle. We drank a new-to-us Malbec that didn't really work that well with the meal. We ended up pouring half of the bottle into our red wine vinegar starter. Oh well.
In other news, today I made the first fresh flower cuttings for our Sunday bouquet. We ate outside by candlelight with a beautiful mix of spring flowers. A life in which there is good food, candles, and spring flowers can't be that bad. Fortunately, the IRS doesn't tax happiness, because I am oh so rich.
No comments:
Post a Comment