Chicken Chilaquiles

I was watching Daisy Cooks! on PBS the other day and my mouth began to water as Daisy Martinez made her Chicken Chilaquiles.  Daisy was so excited that she was dancing around and singing "Chilaquiles, chilaquiles"!  Her enthusiasm inspired me.

Last Friday we were going to attend a pot luck dinner party at a friend's house and I couldn't wait to make this recipe.  With only a few minor adjustments I followed Daisy's method.  This recipe takes some time; however, you could easily make a quicker version by using tortilla chips and your favorite store bought green enchilada sauce. 

This homemade tomatillo sauce is very refreshing when you use cilantro and mint.  I decreased the mint and increased the jalepeno in order to give it more of a kick.  Feel free to play with the proportions to make it to your liking. Here is the recipe I used or you can view Daisy's original recipe on her website: 

For the sauce:

  • 1 ½ pounds tomatillos, peeled, washed and cut into chunks
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What we've been eating... 2/3/2010

 

This week wraps up after some really bad meals at work.  A bug or a bout with food poisoning left me "driving the porcelain bus to Ralph's house" one night - yes, I'm looking you square in the eyes Pizza Hut.  We always blame the last thing we ate but I've been told GI bugs can take 24 hours to incubate.  Nevertheless, never again!

More delicious Mexican food (naturally I suppose, since the US stole California from the Mexicans), some really good sushi, some amazing Italian food with really dark photos (I didn't want to disturb our neighbors), and more candy and soda than I normally consume.  Everything in moderation I suppose... even moderation.

One oddity I threw in there was some In-N-Out ads coming from my car's radio.  I looked down at the clock on I-5 one night to see on the display "HUNGRY?" - I thought, "As a matter of fact, thanks for asking."  Then I saw "FRESHNESS."  This is where the artist and song title normally are shown.  It took me a minute to realize that I wasn't being spoken to by a higher being a la Steve Martin's character Harris K. Telemacher in the movie LA Story.

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Paradise Wings

Photo by Trina Sustersic


I made a batch of these in preparation for Super Bowl to fine tune the recipe.  I plan on starting the marinade the day before so that the flavors penetrate completely into the meat.  That way all the prep is done and the only thing left to do on game day is to throw them on the barbie.

I thought of Paradise when I tasted some of the tangerines we have come across as of late.  Ginger, garlic, and soy sauce round out an Asian-inspired sweet-n-sour.  I decided on combining all those flavors with Grains of Paradise, a wonderful spice that could really use a Public Relations Agent.  

Grains of Paradise are like a cross between black pepper and nutmeg; they impart a je ne sais quoi that seems familiar to - albeit still different than anything you've ever tasted before.  They are pretty inexpensive and we keep them in a separate pepper grinder to twist a few turns over dishes where one would normally use pepper.

For each pound of wings:

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What we've been reading... 1/31/2010

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Get Deep Flavor from Homemade Beef Broth



Over the past few years, you can find much better stocks now in the supermarkets.  These are great for quick cooking, however, there is just no replacing the real thing. To make a rich beef broth the secret is in the roasting.

This is the method that was taught to me at Tante Marie's Cooking School in San Francisco, where we would make a beef and chicken stock on Mondays to use for the rest of the week.  Never season your stocks with salt until you use them in your dish as reducing a stock with salt will essentially make it too salty.  

Also, always make the biggest batch of stock you can since it takes so much time and you can easily freeze any leftover for later use.

  • 4-5 lbs of beef bones (use a combination of 2-inch marrow bones and shank)
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What we've been eating... 1/27/2010

I have caught myself thinking about what I'm consuming more now that I have been taking pictures of everything and watching it all over again at the end of the week.  Does this mean that I'm eating any differently?  No, not yet.  I'm only thinking about it more.

It is especially interesting that when I take a closer look, how repetitive some of my own habits are and I know I eat a wider variety of foods than many.  Most days begin with a mug of coffee, and end with a beer... or two.  I can tell where one 12-pack ends and another begins.

The surf was up in California so I thought the song would be appropriate.  Enjoy the video and if you have a band and would like to contribute some music for future WWBE vids, email me.

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Tangerine and Avocado Salad

 

We nabbed a ton of citrus from visiting relatives in Palm Desert.  This was one of the results.  Lately, I've been enjoying salad dressings made with lemon juice more than those made with vinegars.  Maybe it is because citrus fruits are in season and they are just so delicious right now.  Maybe it's a blast of freshness during the winter.  The cold, dreary, California winter.  Maybe that's it.

The tangerine makes for an extra burst of flavor to build on when lemon by itself sometimes adds little more than just acidity.  The salad is a base of mixed greens with some red onion sliced thin for some earthiness and pungency.  Toasted almond slivers bring some crunch and another layer of flavor to the bowl.  Lastly, avocado adds body and this could suffice for a weekday meal as far as I'm concerned.

Ingredients:

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What we've been reading... 1/24/2010

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Moule et Chorizo

Ahh the marvelous bounty of the sea. 

There is nothing in food that mimics so closely a dip in the ocean as a big bowl of mussels.  When you serve these fancy Green Lipped Mussels from New Zealand with Chorizo, you'll make a Surf & Turf that would make Forrest Gump himself hang up his Shrimp Boat Captains hat for good and go scraping bivalves off the docks.

With the American League and the National League Championships coming up this weekend and then the granddaddy of all sports events, The Super Bowl, this is a great party dish.  Moule et Chorizo has all the air of a bourgeois snack but none of the dent in your wallet.  I grew up on shrimp cocktail poured over a brick of cream cheese and served with crackers, which is delicious, but lacks any wow-factor. 

We picked these up from Whole Foods and they weren't any more expensive than the normal mussels they always have, $4.99/pound. They are much larger, sweeter, and a heck of a lot prettier than the black ones.  With their emerald lips, the spattering of parsley, and the bright orange glow of the paprika-filled Chorizo, these are a rainbow of delight.

The whole transformation from bag to table took about 20 minutes and ended up something really worth writing home about.  Even the fishmonger at Whole Foods gave us "Ohh, that sounds good..."  when we told him what we were up to.  And don't forget, those guys are spoiled rotten!  Served with really good bread to soak up the juices.

Ingredients:

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What we've been eating... 1/20/2010

This week kicked off with my first taste of Potiza, more Mexican food, some amazing mussels, some fine beer, and a cioppino.  I'm starting to eat breakfast, I did a ton of driving in the "Great California Storm of 2010," we picked up a bunch of snacks at Trader Joe's, and scored some tasty waves up and down the coast.  All in all, a great week of food and there was a tornado in Long Beach, CA.  

Santé

 

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What we've been reading... 1/17/2010

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What we've been eating... 1/13/2010

This week had a two day meeting in a hotel which would have raised some strange questions if I started taking photos of the "Powdered Eggs over Servo."  I didn't want to go there so I skipped taking snaps.  We also had a great meal at some old friend's house with some great wine, looted a bunch of great citrus from Palm Desert, and holy crap I eat a lot of Mexican food.

 

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What we've been reading... 1/10/2010

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What we've been eating...1/6/2010

This week included a superb Cassoulet by our main-man Russ, a trip to the iconic Long Beach bar, Joe Jost's, and plenty of crudité to pack in the veggies after the holidays.  There was also yet another Christmas dinner cooked up by my dad with Prime Rib, Yorkshire Pudding, Glazed Carrots and Creamed Spinach.

This week's song, Rocketship, is by my friend and San Francisco artist Chi McClean.  He writes and performs his own music and is a wizard on the guitar.  You can find more of his music and his upcoming shows on his own site ChiMcClean.com, his MySpace, his Facebook, his Twitter feed, and you can find him on iTunes by searching "Chi McClean".

 

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Boston Market-like Creamed Spinach

Creamed Spinach?  I know, I know.  But seriously folks, Creamed Spinach is one of my favorite, most guiltiest pleasures.  I've loved the stuff since I was a kid.  It may have been because I was big fan of Popeye the cartoon, it may have been the fabulous rendition of Popeye by Robin Williams.  In any case, I can hear the lyrics to the theme music now as I type.

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man, 
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. 
I'm strong to the finich 
Cause I eats me spinach. 
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. 

I'm one tough Gazookus 
Which hates all Palookas 
Wot ain't on the up and square. 
I biffs 'em and buffs 'em 
And always out roughs 'em 
But none of 'em gets nowhere. 

If anyone dares to risk my "Fisk", 
It's "Boff" an' it's "Wham" un'erstan'? 
So keep "Good Be-hav-or" 
That's your one life saver 
With Popeye the Sailor Man. 

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man, 
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. 
I'm strong to the finich 
Cause I eats me spinach. 
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man.

So, I love spinach, I always have, and I think I love it most, in "creamed" form.  My pops found this and developed the recipe for our latest mock Christmas dinner, I have tweaked only a little bit.

Ingredients:

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What we've been reading... 1/3/2010

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What we've been eating... 12/30/2009

Another week, another slide show.  "What we've been eating" (WWBE) has been a lot of work, mentally, simply in having the tenacity to remember to photograph everything.  Although the documentation of WWBE isn't complete (there were a few meals that were missed) I'm having fun trying.

This week included some holiday feasts and a 400 mile move.  That's right, we relocated from San Francisco to 'The OC' and ate plenty of bagels and way too much fast food.  We haven't seen any sunshine yet but they tell us that there is some around here.  I guess we'll have to wait and see...

 

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Oven Dried Persimmon

I was inspired after picking up some fresh Hachiya persimmon cheap at a farmers market.  They were just so freaking orange, I couldn't resist.  Unlike the apple-shaped Fuyu persimmon, the acorn-shaped Hachiya need to be completely squishy-ripe before you eat them, otherwise, they are too astringent to be palatable.

Now, a year after my first experiments with persimmon, I found myself looking around on the internet to find something new to do with the them when I came across Hoshigaki - a Japanese technique for drying out the fruit on a string for several weeks.  They give persimmon a little massage every few days to draw out the sugars and the result is shriveled and white because it is covered in natural sugar crystals.

I have not had the opportunity to try Hoshigaki yet, unfortunately, but if I ever see some I will be sure to snatch some up.  I still may end up ordering a box this winter from another orchard, Penryn Orchards.  They look delicious.

Hoshigaki has been added to Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste; a list that is being

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What we've been reading... 12/27/2009

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