My parents are retired. They are in their early fifties. They live in Mexico for 6 months. Are you jealous yet? I know I am. Every year when they pack up the RV (not that they have much to pack, as they live in it year round), and head back down the Baja, I have little pangs of jealousy. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to live in such a beautiful place. Here’s a couple of pictures you can gaze upon to join me in my envy.
Just so you know, I didn’t edit these photos at all.
Now, back to what I was talking about. Yes, yes, we’re all jealous of the beautiful weather, the ocean views, the fresh sea air, the freedom and the lack of responsibility. But the biggest thing I’m jealous of? The authentic Mexican food. No, seriously. I heart Mexican. Big time. I could eat it every day. There is such a wide variety of food available in Mexico, it’s no wonder it’s so popular the world over. It’s not just tacos, enchiladas, nachos, burritos and chimichangas either. Open up your culinary eyes and there is a vast variety of food coming out of Mexico.
The Baja is known for it’s huge variety of seafood as it’s basically one long coastline. Think lobster, marlin, dorado, squid, shrimp, crab, swordfish, tuna, etc. But also, there is much ranching there, leading to roadside stands serving goat, pork and beef. Baja California is home to the humble origins of the Caesar Salad and the Margarita. Quite a dynasty of food really.
When my parents make their way back home along the coastlines of the the US, they bring with them my favorite souvenir, recipes. My Mother is a great cook, and has a way with traditional Mexican food. She has brought many a good dish home to me. Jicama and cucumbers, drenched in lime juice and salt as a very simple side dish, stuffed chiles rellenos, dripping in cheese, authentic Pico De Gallo, painstakingly diced to perfection. Another of my favourites is Conchinita pibil. Although it originated in the Yucatán, it is a wonderful, complex dish of pork marinated in citrus juices and achiote paste for hours until it literally falls to pieces. Delicious! But my all time favourite that I have learned from my Mother is this one, Baja fish tacos. Such a simple dish, full of fresh flavours and quite easy to put together.
I hope this recipe can become one of your family favourites too.
Baja Fish Tacos
For the Guacamole:
1 large, ripe avocado (skin gives a little when pressed on, should be dark green to almost black)
1/2 large, ripe tomato
1/4 sweet onion
1/3 bunch cilantro
Juice of 3 key limes (or 1 small lime)
1. In a small bowl, with a fork, mash the avocado. Leave slightly lumpy, it does not need to be perfect.
2. Dice the tomato and the onion very fine (about 1/8″ x 1/8″). Add to avocado.
3. Finely mince the cilantro and add that to the avocado.
4. Pressing down on the limes, roll back and forth across the counter a few times. This releases the juices from inside. Cut and squeeze into avocado mixture. Make sure to remove seeds or squeeze lime into loosely held together fingers. The juice will go through, but the seeds will be caught in your hand. Or use a lime juicer!
5. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
For the Pico De Gallo:
12oz tomatoes (roma or other highly flavourful varities)
1 small jalapeño
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/4 sweet onion
Juice of 3 key limes (or 1 small lime)
1. Dice the tomatoes and onion very fine. (Again, about 1/8″ by 1/8″). Toss into small bowl.
2. Deseed the jalapeño, and dice it the same as the onion and tomatoes. Add to bowl.
3. Finely mince the cilantro and toss with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Repeat the same technique as above and squeeze the lime juice into the other ingredients.
5. Stir to combine and set aside.
For the fish Tacos:
300g white fish (Dover sole, halibut, cod, etc.)
8-12 small tortillas
1/8 head iceburg lettuce, shredded
2/3-3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
oil & butter (about 1 Tbsp each)
1. Slice the fish into thin, long strips, about 1/2″ wide by 3-4″ long)
2. Mix salt, pepper and flour on a large plate.
3. Heat butter and oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan on medium high heat.
4. Dip strips of fish into flour mix and then lay in pan. Allow to brown on each side before turning, about 1 minutes.
5. Remove fish to plate lined with paper towel (recycled of course!) and continue until all fish is battered and fried.
6. Heat tortillas in microwave or oven with paper towels between each one (sometimes they come with a liner between each one already). Keep warm in tortilla warmer, if you have one.
7. To serve, place everything on the dinner table individually and allow each person to personalize their taco.
I like everything on mine, and my parents brought us this to use on ours as well: McCormick’s Jalapeño Mayonesa straight from the Baja.
I could eat these every day of my life. They are just so good. Light, yet filling and full of wonderful, fresh flavours.
Hey, maybe we can organize a foodie trip to Baja. Wouldn’t that just be the bee’s knees? Or the cat’s pajamas? You know what I mean…ooohhh the food we would eat! Goat roasted over a mesquite pit buried in the sand, fresh crab claws pulled off an unsuspecting victim who is then tossed back in, carnival food, icy margaritas. Okay, I’m starting to drool now. Think it over though, I’ll be waiting by the phone.
The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.
Welcome to my very first attempt at a Daring Cook’s Challenge! Although I joined a couple of months ago, we were so busy with child care and moving that I just didn’t book off enough time from everyday life to sit down, write out the recipe and get to experimenting with food I’ve never made before. Joining the Daring Kitchen is supposed to challenge my inner epicurean. So far, it’s made me cower in a corner making easy & simple (yet tasty) dishes that I am intimately familiar with instead of branching out and gettin’ dirty.
Well, let’s take this as my next step. The next step to pushing myself beyond my comfort zone, to not limiting myself because of my current knowledge. Life is about learning, a constant process that is ever evolving. We cannot remain static just as the seasons cannot do so. If my hunger cannot be sated it is most likely because it is somehow related to my hunger for knowledge. Let’s hope these challenges will fulfill that need and spark in me some creativity that I am always looking for.
Surprisingly enough, I’ve never actually eaten Pho in a restaurant or anywhere else for that matter. I have been to Vietnamese restaurants, but I don’t recall ever ordering this wonderful national dish. What a mistake that was. This has got to be one of the most complex and extraordinary tasting soups I’ve ever had. The roasted spices brought out such a deep, intense flavour in the dish. The addition, in the end, of the accompaniments, only added to my fascination. Such a light and fun meal, spicy for those who want and it utterly mild for those who don’t.
My only alteration to the recipe was to cook my broth for 2 hours instead of 20 minutes. I did use store bought stock, but because I bought such a large piece of pork for the dish, a longer cooking time was completley necessary. It only made the stock that much more concentrated with the heady aroma of the anise, cloves and coriander. I must say, I will definitely be making this again and again. Thanks Jaden, a wonderful dish!
Ingredients:
For the Pork Pho Broth:
2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 250-300g piece of pork (I used a huge 2 lb picnic roast. What? It was on sale!) (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce
1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)
Accompaniments:
2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice
Directions:
- To make the Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.
- In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 2 hours, skimming the surface frequently.
- Use tongs to remove the pork piece (or pieces) and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in.
- Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
- Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
- Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded pork and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
- Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.
As much as I’ve been going on and on about how much a love fall and how the weather is cooling off, it’s still 80 degrees every afternoon. Mornings are another thing altogether though, with an average of about 45 degrees. So with this odd mix of cooler mornings wrapped in sweaters, hugging my cuppa and blazing hot afternoons, stripping down to our shorts and tanks, there seems to be a need for a transitional meal. Something I can cook outside while it’s still warm enough to want to do so, but still embracing the coming of the cooler weather.
In comes a spicy, chipotle and lime marinated chicken. Hello lovely, how have we missed each other all these years? I thought my chicken marinating had reached it’s full potential, but I should have known that knowledge never ceases to be accumulated. We are always learning, in and out of the kitchen. One will never be finished or full, at least not I.
Where was I? Oh right, you’re here to know the winner of the giveaway!
I was all official and used Random.org to generate some random numbers. Since my comments don’t have numbers, I eliminated double posts, my own posts and those of my husband as well. Weeded down, there were 29 posts, and the winner was #23, Jen from Vancouver!
Congratulations Jen! I will be e-mailing you shortly to obtain your mailing address. Thanks for playing everybody! I loved all your reasons for loving (or hating) fall. Stay tuned for more giveaways coming soon. I love giving you stuff, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Love it or hate it, fall is here. Make today’s recipe to prolong those summer moments, and just be thankful it’s not winter yet. Though I hear there’s been snow in some parts of the US!
Chipotle Lime Marinated Chicken
This makes about enough marinade for 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken
8 small chicken thighs, bone-in skin on
3 small chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce) (This sauce is spicy! Reduce peppers if you’re a wimp)
Juice of 2 limes
1 clove garlic, grated
2 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1/2 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
1/2 tsp salt
1. Mix all together in small bowl.
2. Place chicken in plastic bags or small plastic container with a lid.
3. Pour marinade over, mix around to cover completely, refrigerate.
4. Allow to marinade for at least an hour, but longer would be better.
5. When ready to grill, preheat BBQ to medium high for about 5-10 minutes.
6. I like to begin grilling skin side down, which allows the chicken to get some nice grill marks.
7. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes per side, then flip (using tongs, never a fork!), cook for another 5 minutes, flip again and repeat once.
8. Bone in thighs should take 20-25 minutes on a BBQ at medium high heat. Full legs (thigh and drumstick) take much longer, as would bone in breasts. Boneless breasts will take 15-20 minutes.
9. If you are going to be using the oven instead, simply reduce cooking time based on the cut you use.
10. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before cutting in, as the juices need time to settle. If you cut into them while they are piping hot, all the nice juice will run out.
Serve with a green salad or even pasta salad, if you really want to prolong summer.
I made two batches of this to have a sort of dipping sauce for the chicken when it was done. Delicious!
Sometimes, like Friday night or on a busy Saturday evening, you just don’t want to have to cook too much. Maybe you had a big lunch out with friends, or you have a movie to get to in a hurry. Well, there are healthy, fresh, tasty meals just waiting to be made and they really don’t take too long at all.
I made these two salads for just such an occasion. Filling, satisfying and eaten with quickly broiled fish or other seafood, this would be a complete meal. The dressing is very versatile, you could really use it on anything. Play with the vinegars or even the herbs and you have yourself an entirely different dressing again!
I know I use entirely too much cilantro, but you either love it or hate it, and guess what? I love it.
Jicama Mango Salad
1 Large Jicama
1 Large Mango
1. Peel the Jicama and julienne.
2. Peel mango and cube flesh.
3. Mix together in large bowl. Add dressing and allow to sit for 30 minutes or so, before consuming.
Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado and Feta Salad
2 Tomatoes
1 Large cucumber
1 Large avocado
1/2 cup feta cheese
1. Cube tomato, avocado and cucumber and add to large bowl.
2. Crumble feta over top, and mix to combine.
3. Add dressing to salad and serve immediately.
Honey Cilantro Basil Dressing
1/4 cup Rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 Lime
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp Honey
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro (loosely packed)
1/4 cup basil (loosely packed)
Salt & White pepper to taste
1. In small bowl, combine vinegars, Lime juice, Dijon & honey.
2. Drizzle olive oil into vinegar mix while whisking vigorously.
3. When all is combined, add in chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Allow to sit for an hour or more to allow flavours to meld and intensify.
I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
That’s right folks, it only took 5 days to get a new one, but I am now the proud owner of a second Nikon D60. DOn’t get your panties in a bunch though, the insurance agency is coming today to pick up the disheveled corpse that is my old camera to harvest it for parts. Sad isn’t it.
I think that we should all take this as a valuable lesson in children and food photography. When in a mad flurry of activity in a 3×6 foot kitchen, perhaps it is not the best idea to have your camera teetering precariously on the highest setting of a 30 year old tripod. I’m still not sure how I’m going to get around this, aside from attaching my camera firmly to my body at ALL times. If anyone out there has tips, please feel free to give ’em up!
Anyhow, last night, we scurried out to Future Shop (where the insurance agency forced us to buy our camera) and acquired our brand new camera at lightning speed. We also picked up a new cordless phone. Why? Because our neighbour’s daughter (whom I look after) put our phone in a water toy….hmmm, do you see a pattern developing here? I’m loathe to admit it, but this is actually our second camera that has been destroyed by our son. He put out Nikon CoolpixS550 in the washing machine, and I unknowingly turned it on.
This kid is seriously going to owe me in the future. I’m thinking of garnishing his wages, is that too much? His first paycheque is soooooooooooo mine.
Now let’s get to the food!
Now, I know some of you may be thinking, “hmm, this is very similar to the Signature Salad and the Fruit Infused salad”. Well your right, and I would be ever so happy if you kept your traps mouths closed for a moment, thank you! I only had an hour to make something, set up for the shots and work with a kitchen in the middle of packing for a move. This was on the menu and I hadn’t been planning on getting my camera back so soon. When I’m not in “Food Blog” mode, we generally eat salads a lot on busy nights, so there you go.
Grilled Peach Salsa on Spot Prawn Salad
2 Ripe Peaches, halved and pitted
1 tsp canola oil (or other neutral oil)
1/3 small yellow onion (or sweet onion)
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced
juice of 1/2 a lime
1. Brush peach halves in oil and grill on BBQ at medium high for 5 minutes per side (I like mine fairly cooked, not just slightly warmed, if you just want pretty grill marks, lessen cooking time or only cook cut side.)
2. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients in small bowl. When peaches are finished, dice and add to bowl. Mix together and let rest for 1 hour before serving.
Prawn Marinade
12 Spot prawns
1/3 bunch cilantro
1/4 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lime
1. Chop cilantro and combine with all remaining ingredients. Set aside for a hour or more.
2. Grill on medium high for 7 minutes or bake in a 400°F oven for the same amount of time. Serve warm.
Salad
Mix of baby arugula, radicchio, frisée and spinach
2 tomatoes, cubed
3 mushrooms, sliced
3 oz. goat feta, crumbled
1/2 avocado, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1. On plates, layer all ingredients.
2. Layer half of prawns on top of salad, then a scoop of peach salsa.
3. Drizzle with dressing and serve. Delicious!
Dressing can be found here, the only thing I added to it was 1/3 bunch of chopped cilantro.
Now, hopefully by tomorrow or next week, I will be back to the swing of things, so don’t write me off just yet. I was just getting really into this food blog thing… Thanks for sticking with me!
Elizabeth
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Hi! I'm Elizabeth. I like fitness, bad ass tattoos, food, bacon, chocolate, taking lots of silly pictures and my spawn. Check out my FAQ for all the usual Qs or send me an e-mail and tell me all about your cat and your Aunt Sally's amazing apple pie. |
