Mexico: A Lesson in Chiles

 

After we were warmed with micheladas and margaritas, we were ready to dine! Not content with just a few tacos and burritos, Chef Nalin took the opportunity to explore and educate us with chiles.

Amuse Bouche – ‘Pico de Gallo’

Ingredients & Directions

Cherry tomatoes (10-12)

Puree onion (with lime)

Puree cilantro (with lime) and a small amount of apple

Slice tomatoes in half, core out

Toss tomatoes with salt, drain. Marinate with lime for 2-3 hours.

Add onion, and cilantro to center of tomato. Top with a thin slice of fresh serrano. 

Roasted Tomatillo Serrano Salsa (Salsa Verda Cruda)

Ingredients

1 pound tomatillos (10-12 tomatillos)

Fresh serrano chilis, about 5 (1 oz)

2 large garlic cloves

1 small white onion

¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro

salt, sugar

 Directions

1. Roast tomatillos below broiler (4 inches) until they blister (5 minutes). Cool.
2. Roast chilis and garlic on an ungreased skillet. Cool, and stem chilis.
3. Scrape tomatillos, chilis, garlic into blender. Pulse until chunky. Add water to give it a good consistency. Rinse diced onion, and stir into salsa along with cilantro. Taste and season with salt and sugar. 

Tomato Chipotle Sauce (Salsa de Chile Chipotle y Jitomate)

Ingredients

3-4 dried chiles chipotles colorados (moritas)

4 garlic cloves

1 ½ pounds (3 medium-large, or 9-12 plum) ripe tomatoes

1 tablespoon lard, or olive oil

Directions

1. Stem chilies, remove seeds, toast on skillet for a few seconds on each side.
2. Rehydrate in hot water for 30 minutes, discard water.
3. Roast unpeeled garlic. Roast tomatoes under a broiler, 5 minutes a side. Remove skins.
4. Add ingredients to blender, puree.
5. Heat saucepan enough to make drop of puree sizzle, then add all at once. Stir for 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt.

Guajillo-Sauced Shrimp/Scallops with Nopales (Camarones al Guajillo con Nopales)

Ingredients

16 medium (1 pound) fresh cactus paddles

2 pounds medium-large shrimp

For 2 cups Simmered Guajillo Sauce (Salsa de Chile Guajillo)

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

16 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

pinch cumin

3 ½ cups fish or chicken broth

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

about ¾ teaspoon sugar

2 medium-large tomatoes (or 6-8 ripe plum)

Directions

Trim the nopales, cut into ½ inch squares

Peel and devein the shrimp

Sauce (make earlier in week)

1. Roast unpeeled garlic
2. Rehydrate chiles in hot water for 30 minutes, discard water
3. Combine oregano, pepper, cumin in food processor or blender, along with chilis and garlic and 1 cup of the broth. Blend to smooth puree. Strain through medium mesh.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in saucepan, stir constantly until reduced to paste (5-7 minutes). Stir in remaining 2 ½ cups of broth, simmer for 45 minutes. Add broth to bring to medium consistency. Add 1 teaspoon salt as needed for taste.

Tomatoes

Roast tomatoes under broiler, about 6 minutes, collect include juices, then puree.

Nopales

1. Cut remaining chilis into very thin strips.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat, add the cactus and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the chili strips and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in lime juice, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and cook until liquid evaporated. Spread out on plate and keep warm.

Finishing Dish

Wipe skillet clean, use remaining 2 tablespoons oil and put over medium-high heat. Lay shrimp in single layer, sprinkle with salt, cook for 2 minutes, flip, then add the chile sauce and tomatoes. Cook another 2-3 minutes until barely done. Place into plates with cactus on side.

Jicama, Radish and Cucumber

This plate, served as a palate cleanser before the next course, conjures up the colors of the Mexican flag.  ¡Viva Mexico!

Ingredients

Large jicama

2 cucumbers

radishes

Directions

1. Julienne ingredients, and then marinate separately in lime.
2. Serve together.

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Thanks for visiting! Believe it or not, this is just the beginning! Please come back next week for the main courses.  For an overview of our Mexican feast, here’s the first post in this series: spiceboxsupperclub.wordpress.com/2015/05/30/spicebox-supperclub-mexico/

Mexico Cocktail Hour: micheladas y margaritas

We opened the night with micheladas, the Mexican beer and tomato juice cocktail.  With a rim of celery salt, this was a great palate teaser to open our tastebuds to the spicy menu to come.  And what’s a Mexican fiesta without margaritas? Peter stirred up his specialty cocktail using the perfect recipe out there, Rick Bayless’ perfect margarita.

Michelada

from Food52 The Flying Foodie http://food52.com/recipes/420-michelada-a-k-a-bloody-beer

Serves 4

Ingredients

Lime wedges, for garnish

Celery salt or plain salt, for garnish

1 6oz can tomato juice
2 limes, juiced (about 1/3 cup juice)
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 -1/2 teaspoons Tabasco or preferred hot sauce
2 12oz bottles or cans of beer (Modelo is ideal)
Several handfuls of ice cubes

Technique

1. Prepare the glasses: rub the rims of four tall glasses with the lime wedges then coat the rims with either celery or plain salt.

2.  In a bowl or measuring cup, combine the tomato juice, lime juice, celery salt, Worcestershire and Tabasco (or desired hot sauce) and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste.

3.  Add a handful of ice to each of the prepared glasses, then divide the tomato juice mixture between them (each should have approximately 4 tbsp/60ml of juice).

4.  Top up the glasses with half a bottle of beer each, then garnish with a lime wedge.

Rick Bayless’ Perfect Margarita

http://www.fronterafiesta.com/cook/drinks/187-pure-and-simple-margaritas

Makes: 4 generous drinks

Ingredients

1 cup tequila, preferably a young silver or reposado 100% agave tequila
½ cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1/3 cup fresh lime juice, plus a little extra for moistening the rim of the glasses
A little sugar if necessary
About 1/3 cup coarse (Kosher) salt for crusting the rim of the glasses
About 3 cups medium ice cubes

Technique

1.  In a small pitcher, combine the tequila, orange liqueur and lime. Taste and decide if you think the mixture needs to be a little sweeter or a little tangier (keep in mind that it will taste a little tangier once it’s been shaken). Add a bit more lime or a touch of sugar, if necessary.

2.  Spread out the salt onto a small plate. Moisten the rim of four 6-ounce martini glasses with a little lime juice (if you have a cut lime, even an already-squeezed one, moisten the rims by running it around them). One by one, turn the glasses over and dip them lightly in the salt, creating a thin, even crust all around the rim.

3.  Pour half of the margarita mixture into a cocktail shaker, add half of the ice cubes. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds (this is important to achieve the perfect strength—some of the ice needs to melt into the margarita—and the right degree of frostiness). Strain into the prepared glasses, then repeat with the remaining margarita mixture. Relax and enjoy.

Thanks for coming to our fiesta! To see the amazing menu Chef Nalin prepared to follow, come back next week!

Spicebox Supperclub Numero Dos: Comida Porteño con Sabor Latino

We’re back! For our second Spicebox Supperclub, we travelled vicariously through our gracious and dashing hosts, Chris and Diana, who prepared an ambitious (and meaty) menu inspired by their recent trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Chris and Diana dressed the part: Chris wore a tux with a fearless scarlet shirt underneath, and Diana worse a gossamer long black gown with lovely embroidered flowers.  They looked ready to tango, but alas, we were not so lucky to be treated to a performance.

We were warned beforehand: Argentine cuisine loves meat.  There was meat in nearly every course, save the cocktails and dessert.  When there was not meat, there was liquor, starting with the cocktails and ending with dessert.

Chris and Diana were the only ones in the Supperclub who had been to Buenos Aires, but they shared some of their new cultural knowledge.  The beautiful tablescape was flanked with several pinguinos, or penguin shaped wine carafes, a popular way to serve house wine dating to mid-Century Buenos Aires.  (It’s surprisingly difficult to find information on the history of these cute wine vessels, but according to one blog, the only reason for their popularity is that Argentina is home to four species of penguins.)

We also learned about the ritual of sharing a gourd of yerba mate, which we’ll revisit in an upcoming blog post.

Finally, “Porteño” refers to residents of Buenos Aires.

All of this information made the rest of us want to experience Buenos Aires for ourselves.  Chris and Diana advised us, based upon their experience, to make sure to include a full weekend in Buenos Aires– because that’s when the city comes to life, starting with markets and finishing with nightlife going late into the night.  Duly noted!

Here’s what we ate:

Spicebox Supperclub Numero Dos, Saturday, November 23, 2013

Comida Porteño con Sabor Latino 

Hosts: Chris and Diana

Executive Chef: Chris

Bartender:  Nalin

Sommelier: Dave

Pastry Chef: Linda

Menu

Cocktails

Pisco Sour

Porteño

Ritual Drink

Yerba Mate

Small Plates

Empanadas de Carne y Empanadas de Humita

Locro

Choripan

Main Courses

Parilla: Bife de Ojo (rib eye) y Entraña (skirt steak) con Chimichurri Argentino

Spinach torta

Dessert

Alfajores

Tres Leches Cake

And for a musical lagniappe, here’s “Buenos Aires” from 1996’s “Evita,” a personal favorite of Peter’s.  It will get you in the mood for the rest of our Buenos Aires/Porteño dinner (and hopefully you’re a fan of Madonna and musicals!).

Come back in the next few weeks, where we’ll be posting the details and recipes from our Porteño dinner.

¡Salud!