CLASSIC SHRIMP GOBERNADOR TACOS

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

Another great recipe coming straight from the adorable Marcela Valladolid, these tacos can be prepared very quickly. Plus, if you make the shrimp filling the day before, the meal will be ready in less than 15 minutes. I tried hard to find the specific origin for Gobernador Tacos, no luck. Then, a dear friend sent me a link with the whole story behind it. (Thank you, Dr. G!). These tacos are very popular in Baja California. I can guarantee they will be equally popular in your home! 😉

CLASSIC SHRIMP GOBERNADOR TACOS
(adapted from Marcela Valladolid)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
2 tomatoes, seeded. chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped
1 cup canned tomato puree
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 corn tortillas
1/2 cup shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
Lime wedges and hot sauce for serving

In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced shallot and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, oregano, bay leaf, and smoked paprika. Cook for another couple of minutes, remove the pan from the heat and reserve. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
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Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Lay 2 tortillas, flat on the bottom of the pan, side by side. Put a small mound of cheese on 1 side of each tortilla. Wait until the cheese melts slightly, and then add about 2 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture to each tortilla. Fold the tortillas over into half-moon shapes and cook to melt the cheese completely, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.Repeat with the remaining tortillas, cheese, and shrimp mixture. Arrange the tacos on a serving platter and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce on the side.
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ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

The shrimp sauce, so tasty as the taco filling, is equally wonderful as a main dish. Just add a little white rice and some guacamole to complete the meal…

Deliciously messy to eat, this is a great recipe for a warm summer night! One extra tip: do not cut the shrimp too small, keep the pieces in large chunks. If you want to splurge, chunks of lobster tails in these tacos will be absolutely awesome! Expensive, yes, but awesome! 😉

If you like Mexican food, tune into Mexican Made Easy, it’s always fun to watch Marcela preparing classic dishes, often with a healthier approach. Not much else appeals to me in the FoodTV these days, and that’s a little sad.

ONE YEAR AGO: A Walk Towards the Sunset

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen

THREE YEARS AGO: Heavenly Home-made Fromage Blanc

FOUR YEARS AGO: A Perfect Sunday Dinner

17Jul2013

POTLUCK FRITTATA & LAVOISIER

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

In our department we have monthly (or quasi-monthly) potluck lunches to celebrate the birthdays of the past month. For our last get-together I made an oven-baked frittata. The recipe is quite adaptable, just use it as a basic method. Change the veggies, the spices, add herbs, have fun with it!

POTLUCK FRITTATA
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

10 eggs
1/4 cup low-fat milk (or full-fat, or cream)
salt and white pepper to taste
1 Tbs olive oil
sliced cremini mushrooms
sliced asparagus
sliced roasted red bell peppers
Herbes de Provence to taste
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to sprinkle on top

Start by preparing the veggies. Heat the olive oil on a large skillet, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until they start to release some liquid, then add the asparagus and roasted bell pepper. Season with herbes de Provence. Keep cooking for a few minutes until the asparagus are just starting to get tender. If there is any liquid left in the pan, increase the heat to high for a minute or so. Remove from the heat and add the veggies to a colander to make sure any excess liquid drains out.

Meanwhile, cover a 9 x 13 inches baking pan with parchment paper. Add the cooked, drained veggies to the baking pan, distributing them evenly over the whole surface. Break the eggs in a large bowl, whisk vigorously, add the milk, and season lightly with salt and pepper (keep in mind the veggies are already seasoned). Pour over the veggies, sprinkle grated Parmigiano all over.

Bake in a 350 F oven for about 40 minutes, until set and starting to get some color on top. Remove from the oven, let the pan cool for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the frittata to cool over a rack. Cut in squares, removing the paper and arranging the squares on a platter. Serve warm or room temperature.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

My Mom has always been the “Frittata Queen” by definition, although her frittatas were for the most part made to use up leftovers. She doesn’t cook much anymore, but years ago, when we would go visit my parents to have dinner together, my Dad (remember the eternal joker?) used to beg us to finish all the food, otherwise he would have to face it next day in a “fritada” (the Brazilian term). I must admit that I’ve seen my Mom include leftover pasta, Bolognese sauce and all in one of her fritadas and she would often quote Lavoisier in defense of her culinary adventures. Who am I to go against one of the greatest scientists of all times? 😉

So, it’s about time that I shared with you my take on Mom’s classic. Baking works best when making a big batch with 10 eggs like this one. I’ve experimented with versions without any milk or cream, but they did not turn out very good. Definitely not something I would serve for guests. Some fat is needed to avoid rubbery eggs. Heavy cream provides the most luscious texture, but I always opt for a lower fat version, as egg yolks are rich enough. Porcini mushrooms, or a mixture of wild mushrooms work wonders in this type of recipe. Artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, diced ham… your imagination is the limit. Leftover squares keep for a few days well wrapped in plastic. Heat them in the microwave for a few seconds just to break the cold temperature from the fridge. Over-heating will compromise the texture. Trust me, you don’t want to do that.

“In nature nothing is created, nothing is lost,
everything changes.”

(Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, 1774)

ONE YEAR AGO: Home-made Corn Tortillas

TWO YEARS AGO: Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Peanut Sauce

THREE YEARS AGO: Brigadeiros: A Brazilian Party!

FOUR YEARS AGO: Lemony Asparagus

13Jul2013

CILANTRO JALAPENO “HUMMUS”

Posted in Appetizers, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

I haven’t yet met a “hummus” I did not like. This one is another example of a tahini-less version, with the garbanzo beans standing up to justify the name. 😉 The recipe is from a wonderful blog I recently stumbled upon: “Garnish with Lemon“. It called for peeling the chickpeas, and after reading a lot about the benefits of this extra-step, I went for it. You’ll need a considerable amount of Zen for the job, but I now believe it is totally worth the trouble. If I am making hummus just for the two of us, I might skip it. But, for special occasions you’ll find me standing by the sink, mindfully peeling pea by pea while wondering about the meaning of life, the origin of the universe, and the mechanism of iron uptake by Escherichia coli.

CILANTRO-JALAPENO HUMMUS
(adapted from Garnish with Lemon)

1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and peeled

1 cup cilantro

1/2 cup Italian parsley

1 jalapeño, seeded

3/4 tsp salt

Juice of 1+ ½ limes

1/8 cup olive oil

2 Tbs non-fat yogurt (more or less according to consistency)

Place the beans, cilantro, parsley, jalapeño, salt and lime in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for at least two minutes, until well mixed and smooth, stopping to clean the sides of the bowl halfway through. Slowly add olive oil as the food processor is running.

Stop the processor, add one or two tablespoons of yogurt, depending on how thick or runny your dip seems. Taste and adjust seasoning. Place in a container and refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

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Comments: The composite picture above should help me convince the hummus-makers out there that peeling the chickpeas is a good move. See all those peels on the first photo? I had worked maybe half of the can at that point. The peels have a bit of a slimy texture. Getting rid of them can only improve your masterpiece.

This creamy dip is great with pita chips, Ak-mak crackers, carrot sticks, but trust me: it works tremendously well over grilled salmon, and it would certainly be great topping other grilled concoctions like chicken breasts, thick tuna steaks, pork tenderloin. Of course, being a lover of cilantro is mandatory to enjoy this versatile “hummus”.

ONE YEAR AGO: A Moving Odyssey (has it been one year already? 😉

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TWO YEARS AGO: Hoegaarden Beer Bread
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THREE YEARS AGO: Ancho-Chile Marinade: Pleased to Meat you!
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FOUR YEARS AGO: Shrimp Moqueca
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10Jul2013

CELEBRATE WEDNESDAY WITH HOISIN-GRILLED CHICKEN & SOBA NOODLES

Posted in Celebrate Wednesday, Pasta & Noodles, Poultry by sallybr

I adore soba noodles. Whenever I serve them, the meal feels special to me. For this dinner, I used green tea soba noodles, immediately kicking things up a notch (remember Emeril from the old days of FoodTV?). Green tea soba has a nice color that fades just a little during cooking. Of course, you can use any type of noodles, including whole-wheat, if soba is not available where you live. The whole menu came from the latest Cooking Light issue, which is full of great recipes, by the way. The hardest part of the preparation was cutting the sugar snap peas, but other than that, very fast from beginning to end, making it ideal to celebrate that evening still a bit far from the joys of the weekend… 😉

HOISIN-GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SOBA NOODLES
(adapted from Cooking Light June 2013)

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 + 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt
green tea soba noodles (or regular soba)
1 + 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved diagonally
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
toasted sesame seeds to taste
sliced green onions, to taste

Combine hoisin, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and five-spice powder in a large bowl. Add chicken; toss to coat. Grill for 10 minutes or until done, flipping the pieces half-way through cooking time. Remove from the grill, let it stand for 5 minutes tented with aluminum foil. Thinly slice across the grain.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Prepare the dressing for the noodles by mixing rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and Sriracha in a small bowl. Reserve.

Add noodles to the boiling water; cook for about 4 minutes. Add peas; cook 1 minute or until noodles are tender. Drain. Add reserved dressing to the noodles & peas mixture. Toss to coat. Arrange noodles on a serving plate, top with chicken slices. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions right before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The recipe calls for cooking the sugar snap peas in the same pot with the noodles. It is a nice thought to simplify things and avoid having two pots of water boiling, but next time I will cook them separately. It will be easier to assemble the dish, tossing noodles with dressing, then adding the snap peas and mixing them gently. I like sugar snap peas barely cooked, almost blanched, to retain their bright color and bite. Leftovers next day were still very tasty, but just a minute in the microwave turned the peas into a sad dark green, dangerously pointing towards the gray. Delicate creatures they are!

I served cucumber salad as a side dish, as suggested in Cooking Light. The recipe is on the link I provided. You may notice I omitted the peanuts. Cucumbers have been a constant side dish these days. They are simply perfect for this weather. 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: The Manhattan Project

TWO YEARS AGO: Carrot “Nib” Orzo

THREE YEARS AGO: A Sticky Situation

FOUR YEARS AGO: The Garden

7Jul2013

IN MY KITCHEN, JULY 2013

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

It is time to have some virtual fun again, joining my dear Australian friend Celia in her series “In My Kitchen“. Every month she publishes a post showing what is going on in her place, and many food bloggers do the same. I wish I could play more often, but better sometimes than never, right? So, let me invite you for a little peek into our home…

In our kitchen…
A collection of glass containers of several sizes and shapes, to bring some sense of peace and beauty to our pantry…

Here they are, fulfilling their purpose…

In our kitchen….
A bottle of Portuguese olive oil I am very fond of… must be my background? Vovó Florinda (my late Grandma) would be happy to see it, I am sure. It is fruity, with a very intense flavor. I use it sparingly, and savor each drop. Excellent on thick slices of juicy tomatoes.

In our kitchen…
Two delicious teas I recently found. Have I mentioned I am crazy for saffron? The saffron flavor is not too strong, just right. Not sure which one is my favorite, sometimes I am happy, sometimes more mellow…

In our kitchen…
A very special bottle of tequila (Anejo). Phil is turning into a serious tequila connoisseur, so I decided to give him a product recommended by the one and only Marcela Valladolid. According to him (and a few guests who tried shots) it is very smooth and complex.

In our kitchen…
A special mustard I found at a farmer’s market in town, cilantro-jalapeno flavored. Sounded too good to resist… 😉

In our kitchen…
The most beautiful fresh dill I’ve ever had! A gift from a colleague at KSU, he harvested it just half an hour earlier. Per his advice, the best way to preserve it is not by drying, but freezing. So now I am a proud owner of frozen dill, ready to use.