Taco Tuesday

When I was a senior at Davis, my gaggle of girls (and one boy) embarked on a poorly planned Spring break trip to Baja, Mexico.  I'm pretty sure our goal was to get tan and drink cheap margaritas.  We decided to camp on the beach (smart) and eat from roadside taco trucks.  It was at one such taco truck that I watched a lady prepare fish tacos from scratch.  When we got home, sunburned and broke, the recipe became one of my staples.  I made a spiffed up version this weekend with a mango relish, but the basic technique remains the same...

Baja Style Fish Tacos

1 1/2 lbs of fish (I used halibut, but often use snapper or tilapia)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp sea salt (plus a little more for finishing)
2 cups canola or rice bran oil for frying.

Cut fish into 2 inch pieces
Mix flour and salt in a wide, flat bowl
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a 3" deep wide skillet, keep a splatter guard handy

Sprinkle a pinch of flour into the oil to make sure it is hot. Dredge the fish through the flour, shaking off excess and place in skillet with about 1" of space between each piece.  You'll have to do a couple of batches.  Fry on one side for approximately 2 minutes, using tongs, flip the fish and cook for about 1 minute.  Transfer to a paper towel covered plate and sprinkle with sea salt.  

I always use corn tortillas, prepping them in a tortilla warmer. 
I prefer my tacos with a green avocado salsa, cabbage, cilantro and lime.  To make the mango relish, simply mince fresh mango, radish, cilantro, and a small pepper. I prefer serrano or jalapeno, but to make it more mild I used a pasilla for this particular version.  Mix with fresh lime juice and sea salt to taste.  

Oh Joy!

I swear by this book. It's not glamorous. It's tried and true. With instructions on how to do just about anything with food, measurement conversions and temperature guidelines, The Joy of Cooking is my most utilized cookbook and it shows.  My copy lost it's dust jacket and gets muckier every time it's used (the cookie section has bits of cookie dough stuck to the pages). To protect it from the elements, I employed a 5th grade book cover technique using left over oil cloth from recovering my kitchen stool. Now I can wipe it off, and the cookie particles inside it can serve as bookmarks for recipes I've made.

Materials: a piece of oil cloth cut 6" longer than the height, and 6" wider than the length when wrapped around the closed book. You will need scissors, double sided tape (permanent) and a ruler for folding.

 

Fold the fabric so that it is the same height as the book.  
 

Create a crease on the fold, measure to make sure each side is the same length. Tape the underside of fold down so that it is attached to the interior of the book cover. Repeat on the other end.
 

Insert book into the cover.  You are ready to get cooking.

 

Easter Eats

I'll be hosting an Easter brunch this Sunday and I plan to make a small spread featuring homemade cinnamon rolls, plenty of cured pork products and a riff on Eggs Benedict that features my asparagus hash recipe. This simple, but stand out recipe has a complex flavor and is satisfyingly salty. I usually serve it for breakfast, but it would be totally delicious with fresh pasta or incorporated into a lemony risotto. 

Asparagus Hash

1 bunch of asparagus
2 oz of diced pancetta
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
Course sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Rinse the asparagus, cut off the woody bottom of the stalk (about 1 1/2 inches)then chop into 1/4" slices up the stalk, leaving the tips intact.  

Combine the asparagus, pancetta, EVO, and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl, incorporating the ingredients.

Spread the mixture on a sheet pan and roast for 20-25 minutes, until the pancetta is crispy and the tips of the asparagus start to brown, turning the ingredients half way to ensure even roasting. 

Helpful tip:

This is delicious with a poached egg.  Here's how I do it:

How To Poach An Egg (you can do this)

Fill a saucepan with 2 inches of water

Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to the water

Bring to a low boil and reduce heat so that the water is extremely hot, but not quite simmering.

Once the water is steady, gently crack an egg into the water.  Allow to cook and set to desired yolk consistency.  I prefer runny yolks, so I only poach for about 3-4 minutes (until the white is completely set), but 5 minutes will yield a gelled to firm yolk.

Remove the egg from water using a slatted spoon, allow the water to completely run off the egg and place it where you want to eat it, or retain a little bit of the hot water using a non-slatted spoon and place it in a bowl if you are waiting to plate.

 

Stocking Up

I recently started making my own chicken stock.  I realized that I was going through at least 2 cardboard containers of stock a week, much more than that during the holidays. I don't love stock in a box, but it's convenient. Here's a simple, organic, inexpensive way to make and freeze your own so that you always have it on hand.

Homemade Chicken Stock

1 1/2 - 2lbs of organic chicken legs 
4 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons of sea salt
5 quarts of water

Remove skin from chicken legs
Place all ingredients in a large dutch oven or pot
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer
Cook for 5 minutes, skim the foam from the top and cover
Simmer for 2 hours
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes
Pour contents through a colander into a deep bowl.
Cover and refrigerate the broth until cool, discard the colander contents*
Divide into freezer bags, marking amount, date on the outside.
Store up to 6 months.

*Don't waste! pick the boiled chicken from the bones to use in soup.

** Trader Joes shortcut: buy their mirepoix in the prepared vegetable section to save time.  They also sell organic free range chicken legs for under $3. 

 
 

Vegging Out

We implemented the eat vegetarian one night a week rule some time ago.  I thought it would be healthy for our bodies and our pocket book to skip the meat. We live in California where Farmer's Markets abound and we have access to everything that grows, so why not?  One of our absolute family favorite dinners is a vegetable hash with poached eggs. Secret ingredient is smokey Spanish paprika. It adds something to the hash that makes you think of bacon. Here's what's in season now:

Autumn Vegetable Hash

Preheat oven to 400
12 oz of Brussels sprouts, cleaned, halved
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 
1 bunch of kale, cut into ribbons 
1 yellow onion, chopped
3-4 tablespoons olive oil 
1/4 cup warm water
Seasoning: salt, pepper, smokey paprika
Large, quality farm fresh eggs
Red pepper flakes

Coat sprouts and potatoes with olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper, bake on a sheet pan for 20-25 minutes until Brussels sprouts open up and outer peel crips, and sweet potatoes are soft.

In a large skillet (preferably cast iron) heat to medium-high, coat with minimal olive oil and sautee onions until translucent.  Add kale ribbons, stir until coated with olive oil (about 1 minute) add water and stir.  Cook down until most of the water is absorbed.  Add a generous pinch of paprika. Add the roasted vegetables.

For the best guide to successfully poaching an egg (which is easy once you know the technique) I recommend Martha Stewart, this is hands down the best and easiest way.  Garnish with red pepper flakes and sea salt. 

 

Mmm Mmm Good

You can see the size of this pan.  Let me start by saying we ate the whole thing, and by we I mean this kid.  Fortunately it's chicken pot pie that is both hearty and healthy. Here's the recipe. For a vegetarian version sub in veg stock and double the root vegetables.

Chicken Pot Pie

3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 Cup of flour
3 Carrots,chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
2 large yukon gold potatoes, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped 
1 cup frozen peas 
3 Tablespoons of fresh thyme
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2" pieces
Generous pinches of Salt and Pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
6 sheets phyllo dough (thawed for an hour in refrigerator)


Preheat oven to 350
Bring stock to a simmer

In a large, deep skillet, over med-high heat:
Combine olive oil and flour until it forms a paste.
Add the vegetables and stir until they are coated.
Add Chicken until coated. Season.
Add Broth and bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Pour the stew into a 9x12 casserole dish. 
After basting the phyllo dough with olive oil, place sheets over the top of the stew and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until crispy.

Side note: one of my kids is dairy free, I found a great Phyllo dough from The Fillo Factory (Whole Foods)that is made without butter, which is lower in fat and could lend itself well to making this recipe vegan.