"Rosa Mexicano- A Culinary Autobiography With Recipes" - Guacamole for Cinco de Mayo!

Date I made this recipe:  May 5, 2017 – Cinco de Mayo!

Rosa Mexicano – A Culinary Autobiography with 60 Recipes by Josefina Howard

Published by Viking

ISBN: 0-670-87047-9; © 1998

Recipe:  Guacamole En Molcajete –  ("Guacamole made in a molcajete," a Mexican mortar and pestle) – p. 127

Note:  Rosa Mexicano is a Mexican restaurant that originated in NYC.

I absolutely love the movie, When Harry Met Sally.  Love it.  One of the many scenes that cracks me up is – no, not the deli scene –when Harry and Sally are talking about reading books.  "When I die, I always read the last page first. That way, in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends." [Harry to Sally]

I always check out the last page first as well but not because I might die.  No, I read it (skim it actually) so I know if it's worth my time to read it.  Yes, I know, call me crazy, but that is how I roll.

And this is why I'm going to cut to the chase tell you how this recipe ended:  It. Was. Awesome!  Awesome!  I've made a lot of guacamole in my day, including a very good pomegranate "guac," but this one was the best of the bunch.

It was so good that Andy keep exclaiming (with his mouth full) "This is so good!  This is just so good!"  He finally had to stop himself from eating the entire bowl because yes, it was that good.

The best thing about this dish though, was that it was so damned easy and when you see the ingredient list you'll say "Of course," but you know, some guacamole recipes have gotten so out of hand that this recipe is a good reminder to keep it simple.  Here's what it in it:  white onion, serrano chiles, cilantro, salt, avocado, tomato, the end.

And now, dear reader, let's see how we got here.

Although I have not long owned this cookbook, I have been aware of the Rosa Mexicano restaurant for some time.  In fact, as I was writing this blog post, I wondered (and not for the first time), whether this was the same Mexican restaurant I and a friend dined at in NYC many years ago (as in 20 years ago), but after doing my due diligence, I'm going to have to say "no."

Here's the thing:  The friend that I dined with has always lived on the Upper West Side, usually in the "80's" and so we usually crawl around that neighborhood when it comes to dining out.  Of the restaurant's four locations, only one is within spitting distance and that is the one at Lincoln Center but Lincoln Center is in the 60's whereas we definitely dined further uptown. It's important to note that in "NYC-speak," the "60's," means that the address is somewhere between 60^th Street and 69^th Street and not today's high temperature.  Further, when you give an address, you then add things like "between Broadway and Amsterdam," or "at Columbus Circle" so that people know approximately where it is without having to get all the specifics.  And so in conclusion, her restaurant's Lincoln Center address is several  blocks south or where we normally dine and that is why I ruled it out. 

Then there's the decor and while I realize that most restaurants do some kind of redecorating over the course of time, the interior photos on her website look absolutely nothing like the place I remembered so that made me suspicious.

Then there's the menu which I checked out online, and again, even accounting for the time lapse between now and then, nothing rang a bell.  I remember distinctly that wherever it was we dined had pozole on the menu and I ordered it (first time ever – I was intrigued) but didn't like it.  Hominy is like a giant corn kernel only not and it just didn't do anything for me.  This cookbook contains a recipe for Pozole on p. 101, but no way was I going to make recipe because when you see that you are to start making the broth with 1 pig's head and 6 pig's feet, you know you have bigger problems that the size of your corn kernels!

At any rate, based on the above evidence (such as it is), I concluded that I did not in fact dine in a Rosa Mexicano restaurant in NYC some 20 years ago.  Nor did I dine at the one that opened (and then closed) in Minneapolis.  Too many restaurants, not enough time.

Happily, many restaurant owners these days publish cookbooks so that we rank amateur chefs can have at it at home.  I tend to stick to easy recipes with ingredients that I hope we all, wherever we live, can acquire easily, and that don't take up too much prep or cooking time.

This is why I hate to say that while I appreciate good Mexican food, I don't often make it at home because it often requires more work or more ingredients than I a comfortable handling. 

Take for example, the recipe for "Black Mole Xico with Chicken" (p. 262) that called for 30 ingredients including 2 types of chiles and 3 kinds of nuts.  While the recipe looked fantastic, I was fatigued just looking at it and so passed on that.

I considered also both Mexican red rice and green rice but whereas the mole was very involved, these were almost too basic.  I mean anybody and everybody can make these dishes, si?  Si!

For the longest time, "Grits with Pork and Tomatoes" (p. 38) was on deck but then I read through it again and discovered that I was to "reserve the pork for another use."  What?  I love pork and just couldn't see using it elsewhere so that was out.  Also?  What "other use" could there possibly be for cooked pork except to eat it with the recipe in question!  Even funnier?  Once you make the sauce and the grits, you are to serve it with shredded chicken.  Ha!  Hahahahaha, stop it, "you're killing me!"

After considering a few other recipes that look good and that didn't require hours in the kitchen or millions of dollars worth of ingredients, I decided to "Kiss" (Keep It Simple, Stupid), and "make up" with the guacamole recipe and I am glad I did.  I know some people do not like avocado or cilantro but if you do like them, and we do, then this is the recipe for you.

Before I get to the recipe details, let me remind you that this cookbook is really an autobiography that includes some recipes and so rather than review the Table of Contents with you like I often do, I'll just endorse the cookbook as I think you are bound to find something you like even if it isn't the guacamole.

And on that note, and several weeks after Cinco de Mayo, here we go:  Rosa Mexicano's [Holy!] Guacamole En Molcajete!

Guacamole En Molcajete – serves 2

Ann's Note:  a molcajete is a stone mortar and pestle that is used to grind and mix the ingredients.  I do not have one so I skipped that part and the earth did not open to swallow me up so there you go.

3 tablespoons chopped white onion

½ teaspoon chopped serrano chiles (Ann's Note:  I had several frozen jalapeno chiles on hand so used that instead of serrano)

1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped cilantro

½ teaspoon salt

1 ripe Hass avocado

1 small vine-ripened tomato sliced in half, horizontally.  Cut out the stem, scoop out the seeds and center with a spoon, and chop

In a small bowl, thoroughly mash 1 tablespoon chopped onion, the serrano chiles, ½ teaspoon cilantro, and salt with the back of a wooden spoon until it is a juicy paste.  Ann's Note:  I whirled this around in my mini-food processor. Although it didn't quite make a paste as we know it, it diced and mixed the ingredients into tiny pieces and that is what you are aiming for.

Ann's Note:  The next step is to peel then chop the avocado.  You can follow the instructions below, or you can buy yourself an Avocado Slicer made by Trudeau and your life will be so much easier.  This lone tool allows you to slice the avocado open, remove the pit, and remove and slice the avocado "meat" inside.  It's perfect and far less messy than doing it by hand.  But if you are a purist then: Holding the avocado in the palm of your hand, cut the avocado in the palm of your hand, cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the pit with a paring knife.  Twist the top half of the avocado to separate the halves.  Carefully hit the pit with the edge of a sharp knife and twist to remove the see.  Slice it lengthwise into approximately ¼-inch strips and then across to form a grid.  Scoop the avocado out with a spoon next to the skin.  Place in a bowl with the paste.

Stir thoroughly to coat with the paste.  Add the remaining onion, remaining cilantro, and the tomato, and gently fold to incorporate all the ingredients.  Add more chopped serrano chiles and salt to taste.

Serve with freshly made tortilla chips or corn tortillas.

"Mesa Mexicana" and "Pati's Mexican Table" - Shrimp Ceviche and Classic Avocado Soup for Cinco de Mayo!

Date I made these recipes:  May 5, 2016 – Cinco de Mayo

Mesa Mexicana by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger with Helene Siegel

Published by:  William Morrow and Company, Inc.

ISBN: 0-688-10649-8; © 1994

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Richfield

Recipe:  Shrimp Ceviche – p. 90

Pati's Mexican Table – The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking (As seen on Public Television) by Pati Jinich

Published by:  A Rux Martin Book/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

ISBN: 978-0-547-63647-4; © 2013

Purchased at The Bookcase, Wayzata, MN (now closed)

Recipe:  Classic Avocado Soup (Sopa de Aguacate) – p. 64-66

May is one busy month.  We have your May Day (May 1^st) celebration (which here in Mpls, is held at Powderhorn Park every year), then my late parent's anniversary a few days later, then Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby, my wedding anniversary, and then before you know it, we'll be looking at Memorial Day.  I'm exhausted already.

And then there's the fact that I was pretty busy in late April making dishes for Queen Elizabeth's 90^th birthday and then dishes to honor a late friend's birthday.  So when Cinco de Mayo came around, I almost bagged the whole thing (i.e. cooking) but no.  No, I'm a "professional," I have the cookbooks, I can do this.

And so I did but I kept things simple.  And this was not an easy thing to do because both of these featured cookbooks celebrate the art of scratch cooking and include recipes for things like salsa and other sauces, tortillas (flour and corn) and many other dishes that require just a bit more time than I was prepared to spend. 

And so it came to pass that I made "Shrimp Ceviche" from the Mesa Mexicana cookbook written by two favorite cookbook authors, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger and "Classic Avocado Soup" from Pati's Mexican Table written by the always delightful Pati Jinich.

In last week's blog about Australian food, I noted that I liked one dish, a salad with shrimp and beets and carrots a lot, but was "meh" on the meat ball soup.  Seems I had a theme going because this time around, I was "meh" on the ceviche but (mostly) thumb's up on the soup.  Go figure.

And now, on to the cookbooks, starting with Mesa Mexicana.  Had I more time, I might well have made another dish and would likely have found it delicious but I was pushing the envelope on observing Cinco de Mayo in a timely manner and so wanted something easy.  This eliminated a good portion of tasty-sounding recipes and so I urge you to give this book a whirl even though the ceviche fell flat for me.

That said, I've never had ceviche before and so maybe I was expecting a different flavor profile than I got?  I am not a huge fan of red onion or cilantro so that may have been it.

(Some people hate cilantro.  I don't mind it but I don't love it either.) And I wasn't exactly enamored with the clam juice so that may have been it.  Or I might have gone too light on the lime juice although I used the amount listed in the recipe. 

What I did like was that you partially cook the shrimp first; I am no fan of raw seafood.  And I liked the lime but just didn't feel it did anything to the dish.  And so this was rather disappointing but not such that I'm hatin' on [authors] Mary Sue and Susan because I'm not.  I just made a mistake in judgment about the recipe this time around.

Whereas folks, the soup fared much better.  It too, contained cilantro but not a lot (plus, I halved the recipe) and all the ingredients combined gave the somewhat bland tasting avocado a bit of zip and flavor.  I like avocado but eating one does not send one's taste buds soaring – just sayin'.  Still, I had some the other night and it seemed like it was missing something.  Maybe more salt or maybe some ground cumin or some other spice because it was good but not great. 

Since I've talked and written about Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger in a previous blog, let's take a moment to talk about Pati Jinich.  I think I first saw Pati on the TV show, The Chew but it looks like she spends most of her time hosting the PBS show, Pati's Mexican Table (the same name as today's cookbook).  Pati is a native of Mexico and I like her style of cooking—clean, fresh, fairly healthy.  What I also like is that we get a chance to sample Mexican food that isn't Tex-Mex in disguise (i.e. more Texas influenced than true Mexican). Like most cuisines, Mexican cooking varies by region. Coastal areas are known for seafood whereas parts of the interior are known for using various cactus and other earthly delights.

If you have more time, these are just some of the recipes I considered:  Mesa Mexicano – "Vegetarian Burritos" (p. 147); "Green chicken Chilaquiles Casserole" (p. 116); "Potato Poblano Soup" (p. 106), and "Coconut Flan" (p. 230).  From Pati's Mexican Table: "Avocado and Hearts of Palm Salad (with corn)" (p. 46); "Chicken Tinga" (p. 140), and "Red Rice" (p. 224).

So that's my Cinco de Mayo story and I'm sticking to it!  Meanwhile, here you go:  Mexican food made simple.  Enjoy.

Shrimp Ceviche – Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer (makes enough for 12 tacos)

Author's Note:  "This simple ceviche is a good choice for entertaining since the fish is partly precooked, eliminating any qualms guests might have about raw fish."

4 cups fish stock or clam juice

1 pound peeled rock shrimp or 1 ¼ pounds small shrimp, shell on

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 to 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded if desired and finely chopped (Ann's Note:  if you can't find serrano, substitute jalapeno but use a little less)

2 large bunches cilantro, stems trimmed and roughly chopped (Ann's Note:  if you are not a fan of cilantro, use a small amount)

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

Bring the stock or clam juice to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot.  Add the shrimp and cook 30 seconds for rock shrimp, 1 minute for shrimp in the shell.  (For the marinade to really soak into the shrimp and the texture to remain crisp rather than rubbery, resist any temptation to overcook.)  Strain, reserving the liquid, and spread the shrimp on a baking sheet to cool.  When cool enough to handle, peel the shrimp if necessary.

Combine all of the remaining ingredients with the shrimp and 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid in a bowl and mix well.  Cover with plastic and chill thoroughly before serving.

Variation:  marinate ¾ pound sea bass or snapper fillets, cut in chunks, in ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice until opaque.  Drain and discard the juice.  Combine the fish with 1 cup clam juice and the remaining marinade ingredients listed above with an additional tablespoon or two of lime juice.

Classic Avocado Soup – serves 8 – can be made up to 12 hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated.

From the author:  "I have tasted many avocado soups, but this one, based on a recipe from Dona Maria Rose Marmolejo, the former cook at the ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. is creamier, lighter, and yet more luxurious than any other I've had."

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ½ cups coarsely chopped white onions

¾ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves

3 large ripe Hass avocados, halved, pitted, meat scooped out, and cut into chunks

6 cups broth from Mexican chicken broth (p. 87) or canned chicken or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste

¾ teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, or to taste

1 ½ cups Tortilla Crisps (p. 66) or croutons for garnish

1 cup diced queso fresco, Cotija, farmer cheese, or mild feta for garnish

Heat the oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until the butter melts and begins to foam.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until completely softened and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.  Stir in the cilantro and cook until it wilts, about 30 seconds.  Remove from the heat.

Working in batches if necessary, place the avocados in a blender or food processor, along with the onion mixture, broth, lime juice, and slat, and puree until smooth.  Taste for seasoning.

Serve the soup at room temperature, or chill and serve cold.  Top each serving with some of the tortilla crisps or croutons and cheese, or pass the garnishes in bowls at the table and let your guests customize.

"Rival Crock Pot Cooking" (Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce) and "Culinary Arts Institute Crockery Cooking" (Spanish Rice) - Super Bowl 50!

Date I made these recipes:  February 7, 2016 – Super Bowl Sunday

Rival® Crock Pot Cooking

Published by:  Golden Press

© 1975

Purchased at Goodwill

Recipe:  Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce – p. 45

Culinary Arts Institute Crockery Cooking (part of Adventures in Cooking Series)

Published by the Culinary Arts Institute

© 1976

Recipe:  Spanish Rice – p. 38

There is no perfect time to pull out a crock pot or two than during the Super Bowl because between the commercials and the pre-game and the game itself, who has time to prepare a meal the old-fashioned way?  Not me (even though I have a TV in my kitchen).  Besides, it's still winter out and that is a crock pot's moment to shine. 

Finding the right recipe combination is also essential to game-time and crock pot enjoyment.  Think Goldilocks:  not too basic, not too fancy, just right.

And this is how I ended up reviewing endless recipes for things like frank and beans, brats and beans, beans, hamburger and beans, hamburgers in the crock pot, chili verde, chile with meat, chili with beans, killer chili, hot dips and even mac and cheese.  I mean, there's no rule that says Super Bowl food has to be selected from one of these recipes groupings, but that tends to be the type of food people crave and I am all about giving the people what they want.

And by "people," I mean me and my husband.  I can count on one hand the number of times that I've watched a Packers game with friends (it's best if they don't see me go all full metal jacket during a Packers game) and by the time we get to Super Bowl Sunday each year, the thrill of football is (nearly) gone and I just want to hang out, be free without having to entertain.

Besides, as it happened, we went out for dinner with my mother-in-law for her belated birthday celebration and so making something in the crock pot to be eaten later was just the thing.  As it turned out, we almost ended up back at our house to eat as several of the restaurants she wanted to dine at were closed for the Super Bowl.  At zero hour, we found a place that suited and we got home just in time to see the half time show, our trusty crock pots nearly done slow-cooking our second dinner for the day.  Okay, true confessions:  we had it the next day.

The crock pot came into existence in 1970 and I don't think popularity for this wonder cooker has ever waned.  Every year, more and more crock pot (or slow cooker) books, like the ones I used hit the market, and new and improved recipes for everything under the sun keep popping up all the time.  The few crock pot cookbooks I own are not fancy-shcmancy but they do the job.

One crock pot cookbook (more like a booklet) that I used to death is the one that came with my Hamilton Beach crockpot which I purchased circa 1978 or so while I was in college.  My three other roommates and I, all college juniors and seniors, had a very busy schedule and so we took turns plugging in the crock pot so we'd have dinner ready after work or after class.  To this day, the beef dishes from this booklet, especially the beef in wine, are some of the best dishes I've ever made. (Can you go wrong adding wine to a dish?  No.)  These two dishes were good but not without some problems that I will address momentito.

As between the two books, the Rival cookbook had more recipes geared for the "common" man and I selected a lot more potential recipes from this book than the one from the Culinary Institute.  Some of the recipe names grabbed my attention until I looked at the ingredient list, for example:  "Bologna-Baga Bake" that contained bologna and rutabaga (ew) p. 64 or "The Babysitter's Favorite" – p. 65 that would not have been my favorite under any circumstances as it contained frankfurters, apples, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.  Are they kidding?  What teenage gal or guy wants that kind of food to eat while watching a bunch of kids?

On the other hand, "Camp-Out Chili Dogs" – p. 65 – sounded delicious and definitely Super Bowl-worthy.  There were a bunch of casserole recipes that sounded good but not for a football celebration.  The last chapter of this book was dedicated to breads and cakes and again, sounded good but not for tonight's repast.

And then there's the Culinary Arts Institute cookbook and I have to say that never, ever associated the term "crock pot" with a culinary arts school.  (Do note that the Culinary Arts Institute is not the same as the famed CIA – Culinary Institute of America® – but the model is somewhat the same).  This cookbook took more of an around-the-world approach, showcasing dishes from other countries such as "Bouillabaisse" – p. 70 or "Solianka" from the (former) Soviet Union – p. 54.  And while a lot of them sounded tasty, I had to work hard to find something to fit my football dinner theme and finally decided on the Spanish Rice recipe – p. 38.  It paired very well with my Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce and since I have two crock pots, I put them both to work to make this dish.

Because it needed a longer cooking time, I started the taco recipe earlier in the day and then refrigerated it until serving time.  My only complaint, and it could be my palate, was that I thought the dish was a little salty and I even used "No Salt Added" pinto beans.  I also made half the recipe and kept a close eye on the cooking time because I was worried I might burn it if I left it in for the required 8 to 10 hours (full recipe).  I think I pulled the plug after 6 hours and it was fine.  In fact, I'm not even sure why this dish needed to be made in a crock pot but mine was not to wonder why.

The Spanish Rice dish cooked for a shorter time (4-6 hours) but folks, for the first time ever, ever, ever, the rice did not cook.  I don't know why that is but I wonder if it didn't need more liquid to fully develop as the recipe is heavy on meat, tomatoes and tomato paste but not really on water.  Since the rice in the crock pot didn't cook, I made a batch in my rice cooker and it came out great but then again, the water ratio was dead on accurate.  And so if you decide to make this at home, add maybe ¼ cup of water and see how that works.  Aside from the fact that our Spanish Rice had a crunch to it, it was a pretty good recipe.

Oh—and the game?  Broncos 24, Panthers 10.  And by the way, I read that the NFL will return to Roman numerals next year and sweet merciful heavens, as if I don't have enough fun "translating" all the copyrights listed in Roman numerals in my older cookbooks, now I have to figure this out?  Next thing you know, we'll have to do the same with the score:  So let's see, the Broncos had 24 so that's XXIV and the Panthers had 10 so that's X and so then add the two, carry the two, divide by two and you get...liftoff?

Enjoy.

Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce – makes about 2 ½ quarters, enough to fill 2 to 3 dozen taco shells

Taco Filling

2 lb. lean ground beef

2 medium onions

1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon leaf oregano (Ann's Note:  I used Mexican oregano)

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup taco sauce (Ann's Note:  since I halved the recipe, I only needed 1/6 cup and that was not enough to justify buying a bottle of sauce so I used water.  We are not regular taco eaters in this house.)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can (16 oz) pinto beans or green peas, drained and pureed in blender

Taco Shells

Mexican Sauce

Mexican Sauce

2 cups chopped peeled tomatoes or 1 can (16 oz.) whole tomatoes

1 small onion, quartered

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon leaf oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 small jalapeno pepper, fresh or canned (optional)

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onions; drain well.  Place beef and onions in Crock Pot.  Stir in remaining ingredients except taco shells and Mexican Sauce.  Cover and cook on Low setting for 8 to 10 hours.  Ann's Note:  since I made half the recipe, I cut the time down to 6 hours for fear of burning the mixture.  It's pretty much ready to go as soon as you mix all the ingredients but this is just a slow way to warm it up.  Taste for seasoning.  Fill taco shells and serve with sauce. 

Spanish Rice – 8 to 10 servings.  Ann's Note:   Be warned, the halved recipe still made a lot of Spanish rice.

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 green peppers, cleaned and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 pounds ground round steak or chuck

2 cans (28 ounces each) Italian-style tomatoes (undrained)

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 dash Tabasco (optional)

2 teaspoons salt

Pepper to taste

1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

Few grains cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

2 or 3 whole cloves

2 cups uncooked long grain rice (Ann's Note:  As stated above, the rice failed to cook at all and I have no idea why this happened.  To be on the safe side, make the rice separately and add it to the ground beef mixture when ready to serve.)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add onions, green pepper, and garlic; cook over medium heat until tender and lightly browned.  Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon to an electric cooker.

Add meat to oil remaining in skillet.  Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Add to cooker with tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, cloves, and rice; stir thoroughly to blend well.

Cover and cook on Low 4 to 6 hours.

"Betty Crocker's All-Time Favorites" - Fiesta Tamale Pie

Date I made this recipe:  January 26, 2015

Betty Crocker's All-Time Favorites by Betty Crocker

Published by:  Golden Press

© 1971; Third Printing 1972

Purchased at Hennepin County Library Used Book Sale

Recipe:  Fiesta Tamale Pie – p. 18

Welcome to the Battle of the Betty's!

In this corner, weighing in at a whopping 94 years of culinary experience, the one, the only, the author of "Big Red," the most beloved cookbook ever, Betty Crocker!  [Crowd goes wild].

And in this corner, the newcomer restaurant on the block, the "red-headed stepchild" of Psycho Suzi's, a "bitchin'" Minneapolis restaurant, Betty Danger's Country Club:  a country club on crack! [Crowd goes wild].

Last weekend, my husband and I girded our loins and tried out the new restaurant on the block, Betty Danger's Country Club:  a country club on crack. Betty's is the third restaurant opened by Leslie Bock in the up-and-coming Northeast (or Nordeast, as the natives call it) neighborhood of Minneapolis.  Just down the street is Leslie's first restaurant, the crazy-fun, tiki-centric Psycho Suzi's and Donny Dirk's Zombie Den.  All three of these restaurants can be visited by hopping on the – I love this – Tiki Tram!  Leslie is just a creative genius.

 Betty's, which just opened in late December, sports, among other things, a Ferris wheel (called, The Danger) on the corner of its lot.  Should you be so inclined (spring, summer and fall), you can dine in one of the cars as the wheel turns.  Lit up in country club colors of pink and green, the Ferris wheel is visible for miles, making your GPS temporarily obsolete.  That Betty—how thoughtful.

For the golf-minded, Betty's provides Betty Danger's Monetary Correction Golf Course, a "put-put" golf course located on the property.  And for the literary and library set, there's Betty Danger's Library dining room, filled to the rim with people reading eating and drinking themselves silly amongst books and horse and hound wallpaper that makes you feel like you should be the proud owner of an English estate...except you're not.   For now.

While all three restaurants serve up their own brand of theme food, Betty's gives us the flavors from the mythical village of "Mexampton" – country club food with a Mexican twist.

It is here where the Battle of the Betty begins. For lo, though I do like a bit of Mexican flavors here and there, Betty Danger's lived up to her name, giving me a painful case of heartburn.  And the thing is, nothing in and of itself was that hot, such that we had to gulp pitchers of beer, it was just that everything came with a pepper...or 12...causing a slow burn.

And so this kids, is what made momma reach out to her other Betty, Betty Crocker.  You cannot go wrong with a recipe by Betty C.  You cannot.  Betty C. doesn't make a lasagna with Pepper Jack Cheese.  Betty C. would find this unseemly.  Betty D. might do something so foolish as that, but Betty C. would never.

Betty C. would also never put jalapenos on a Sloppy Joe (Sloppy Wog) or in a pot pie or in a shrimp salad.  But of course, all bets are off when you live in Mexampton.  Mexamptonites apparently love peppers; "regular" (not that there is such a thing) Hamptonites probably do not.

And lest you think it was just me, my husband, who has a high tolerance for heat, was rather exasperated with the menu as well, particularly with whatever (hot) dip came with our basket of fries.  I honestly thought the man was going to throw down his napkin in disgust and make like a tree and leaf, but he stayed the course.

So when we got home, I started searching for a recipe that would soothe my soul and my ravaged esophagus and of course, Betty had the answer.  Betty's Fiesta Tamale Pie is so innocuous you could probably feed it to a newborn and it would go down, stay down. Betty C. only uses 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder.  Betty C. does not use jalapenos.  Betty C. recommends you top this concoction with shredded American cheese.  That's practically Velveeta, people!  Betty C. does not believe in shredding our stomachs.  Betty C. is clearly looking out for us.  Betty D. is giving us a wild ride.

This cookbook – All-Time Favorites – is full of similar recipes sure to please and comfort and soothe and I don't think you can go wrong with anything here but I must say, it was rather hilarious to see the recipe for the Fiesta Tamale Pie.  Nothing against Betty D. because the food was good if not a little spicy, but an entire meal of that is just asking for it.  "Danger" is right!  I even started eyeballing my martini to see if that really was an olive in my drink or just another pepper in disguise.

So:  for an easy, no-spice meal, go with Betty C.  For a fun time in the city's new hotspot, go with Danger.  Betty Danger. 

Fiesta Tamale Pie – 6 to 8 servings

1 pound ground beef

¼ pound bulk pork sausage

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can (16 ounces) tomatoes

1 can (16 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained

20 to 24 pitted ripe olives

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup milk

2 eggs, well beaten

1 cup shredded American cheese

Heat oven to 350F.  In a large skillet, cook and stir ground beef, pork sausage, onion and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender.  Drain off fat.  Stir in the tomatoes, corn, olives and seasonings and heat to boiling.

Pour into an ungreased baking dish, 8x8x2 or 11 ½ x 7 ½ x 1 ½ inches, or a 2-quart casserole.  Mix cornmeal, milk and eggs and pour over meat mixture.  Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown.

Note:  The meat mixture can be prepared ahead of time and kept, covered, in the refrigerator.

"Cooking with the [Grateful] Dead" & "Eat, Drink, and Be Kinky [Kinky Friedman]" - The Best Black Bean Burrito in the World and Popeye Salad

Date I made these recipes:  August 17, 2014

Cooking with the Dead – Recipes and Stories from Fans on the Road (with the band, The Grateful Dead) by Elizabeth Zipern

Published by: St. Martin's Paperbacks

ISBN:  0-312-95483-2; copyright 1995

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, NYC

Recipe:  The Best Black Bean Burrito in the World – p. 103

Eat, Drink, and Be Kinky – A Feast of Wit and Fabulous Recipes for Fans of Kinky Friedman by Mike McGovern; Introduction by Kinky Friedman

Published by:  Simon & Schuster

ISBN:  0-684-85674-3

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, NYC

Recipe:  Popeye Salad – p. 39

"...By the time we got to Woodstock, we were a half a million strong,

and everywhere there was song and celebration..."

from the song, Woodstock, written by Joni Mitchell, sung by Joni and also covered by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, ©1970, Reprise Records

In general, watching CNN tends to drive me a little batty, but I do give them major props for their series, The Sixties, that covers a whole host of topics and events of note from the era, including Woodstock, a three day (music festival) bash on Max Yasgur's farm in White Lake, NY near Woodstock, NY. 

This past weekend (August 15-18) marks the 45^th anniversary of Woodstock – Holy Hannah, time has flown! Some of the finest musical acts of the 60's and beyond played Woodstock, including: The Grateful Dead, subject of today's cookbook selection; Jefferson Airplane; The Who; Canned Heat; Jimi Hendrix; The Band; Joe Cocker; Janis Joplin; Melanie (Lay Down – Candles in the Rain is a favorite)...and on and on and on.  I could cry at how awesome of a list this is!

Probably the most memorable and best known member of The Grateful Dead was Jerry Garcia who played guitar and vocals.  Interesting Factoid:  "Cherry Garcia," named after Jerry Garcia, is still one of the most popular Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors ever.  Jerry, along with Bob Weir, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann were the founding members of this group that played a pretty eclectic mix of music –  rock, blues, bluegrass – you name it, they included it in their music.  Drummer Mickey Hart, eventually joined the group and played with them for many years before starting a solo career.  I remember best his CD, Planet Drum. Other members of The Grateful Dead were Tom Constanten, Keith Godchaux, Donna Godchaux, Robert Hunter, Brent Mydland and Vince Welnick. 

All members of The Grateful Dead were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 along with other powerhouse musicians and bands such as: Elton John; The Band; The Animals (hubby's favorite band); John Lennon and Rod Stewart. Rounding out the inductee class were Duane Eddy (guitarist who put the "twang" in the rock and roll sound), Johnny Otis (bandleader - R&B) and Willie Dixon (songwriter - R&B). 

Let me tell you, I could spend all day looking at all the inductees on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's website, it's just that fun.  And speaking of time-wasters, a couple months back, I saw a very brief clip of The Grateful Dead in concert on TV but of course, I failed to make note of the song they were singing and which I loved.  So today, while looking up information about The Grateful Dead, I decided to see if I could figure it out and boy, there goes a good couple of hours of my life I'll never get back!  The Grateful Dead's song list is quite extensive and I gave up after listening to about 12 or so.  Still, I will tackle it again some day as I am determined to figure this out.  It may just not happen in my lifetime, that's all.

Anyway, CNN's last installment of The Sixties was called "Sex, Drugs, Rock 'N Roll" and let me tell you, Woodstock was the embodiment of that title.  Alas, or maybe "to my parent's relief," I was too young (age 11) to attend Woodstock and so videos as well as music CD's are going to have to do the trick and go where no "Ann" has gone.  And although I am not a betting woman, I can say with reasonable certainty that I could bet the farm ( as in Max Yasgur's farm) that even if I had been old enough or even in the vicinity of the music festival, my dad would have had a billy fit if I would have wanted to go.  And so it was a no go and that's a bummer, man.

As to The Grateful Dead, I am not among the "Deadheads," i.e. major fans/followers (stalkers?) of the Dead but I do like some of their songs.  I think if I had to declare a favorite, it would be "Ripple," which just tugs at me every time I hear it.  Favorite line is "Let there be songs to fill the air."  Amen, brothers.

And so speaking of "Deadheads," author Elizabeth Zipern "spent nearly five years following the dead" and recreates a lot of foods that The Grateful Dead, the Deadheads and other "crunchy granola" lovers would have eaten back in the day.  Actually, what goes around, comes around and so many of the foods of that generation are coming back into popularity – tofu, tempeh, lots of vegetables and even some fruit smoothies.  But alas, kids, can I just share my disappointment/slight disbelief that there is not a pot brownie recipe in sight?  Not that I'd make it or anything but pul-lease this IS the Grateful Dead we're talking about.  Sex?  Drugs?  Rock 'n Roll? Check, check, triple check! So I'm going to have to ding the author for that little oversight.  (Although for all we know, the publisher hit the ceiling and said "Oh hell to the no!" or whatever it is publishers say.)

There were a lot of good-sounding recipes in this book but I decided upon "The Best Black Bean Burrito in the World" and am glad I did.  It's all vegetarian (and if you omit the cheese, vegan) and we felt so healthy eating it!  And given the amount of garlic (3-6 cloves??) we should feel healthy because heck, if garlic doesn't kill what ails you, then nothing will.

Because of the garlic, you may be tempted to skip making the Pico de Gallo but go ahead, live dangerously and make it anyway.  It's very tasty although my preference would have been to substitute white onion for yellow.  Just a taste thing.

And if recipes aren't quite your thing – WHAT? – then take in the stories and the photos – what a hoot!

And speaking of "hoot," the second featured cookbook is Eat, Drink and Be Kinky – A Feast of Wit and Fabulous Recipes for Fans of Kinky Friedman. I'm guessing that the vast majority of you are saying "Kinky WHO?" and that's okay.  Kinky flew under my radar for a long time and I couldn't tell you when or even how I came to know of him but much like The Grateful Dead, he's sort of an institution – part comedian, part storyteller, part singer, part politician all rolled into one.  Although he's best known in Texas, word spreads and pretty soon we were all getting our Kinky on. ;) 

Kinky, who is 69, is quite the character.  He ran as an independent candidate for the office of Texas governor (and lost), was in the Peace Corps for a couple of years and hilariously (at least to me) was a member of a fraternity in college.  I'm not seeing it.  He's perhaps most known for his song, "They Ain't Makin' Jews like Jesus Anymore," a riff on racisim and bigotry.  Kinky's band was called Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys; fear not, folks, Kinky is Jewish.  The band's name is hilarious. I love it. 

Like Cooking with the Dead, this book contains great Kinky quotes and great recipes (alas, no pictures).  I was "this close" to making a watermelon salad with vodka to go with the burritos and even contemplated "Saddle Up Burritos" (something my dad always said) before landing on "Popeye Salad" which is as close as I can come right now to an ode to the late actor, Robin Williams, who passed away last week.  The movie Popeye, staring Robin, is one of my husband's favorites and so he picked this salad with that in mind.  Although Robin Williams was not a true "child" of the 60's (he was born in 1951), he just seemed like he would have made the perfect hippie.  He was all about love but unfortunately, he was also all about drugs and alcohol and struggled with them for most of his adult life.  He was brilliant though, even when he was as sober as a judge. As Robin himself used to say – "Peace out!"  He is missed.

Now, you may think that between these two recipes, black bean burritos with homemade Pico de Gallo and Kinky's salad that I would be on vegetable overload but I'm not.  In fact, I'm kind of on a roll.  Better late than never, right?  That said, the next couple of recipes I intend to make might take me slightly off-course so I have to reevaluate things.  While I'm at it, I'm going to challenge myself to see if I can find one recipe without a chili pepper in it; I'm 3 for [the last] 3 recipes so we'll see.

So one last thing:  I found these two cookbooks on my recent visit in July at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in the West Village (NYC).  When I finally decided on my purchases, Bonnie tapped a fingernail on my stack and said something like "You manage to find cookbooks (like Cooking with the Dead and Eat, Drink and Be Kinky) that nobody else ever finds."  I told her their loss was my gain.  Bonnie has great cookbooks and it's not like they are hidden so I don't get it but let me tell you, I was downright giddy when I found these books.  And now they are mine, all mine – bwahahahahahahaha!  (And by the way, she could not have said anything that tickled me more because I do think I have an eye for finding great books like this for my collection.)

 

The Best Black Bean Burrito in the World – serves 4

Filling

1 cup long-grain white rice

2 cups cooked or 1 can black beans (Ann's Note:  if using black beans, you might want to rinse them first—at least that's what I've read)

36 medium cloves fresh garlic

2 or 3 T. sweet basil

Sea salt, to taste

2 T. olive oil

Pico de Gallo

3 fresh roman tomatoes diced chunky

2 yellow onion, diced chunky (Ann's Note:  I think you'd also get great taste by using a white onion)

1 jalapeno pepper, diced chucky

¼ cup cilantro, minced

2 T. lemon juice

1 T. vinegar

Toppings

4 12-inch tortilla shells

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Lettuce, shredded

Pico de Gallo, homemade

Sour cream

Start by boiling the rice.  Add black beans, fresh-minced garlic, basil, sea salt, olive oil, and mix.  Let the spices blend in. Put the mixture down the center of a 12-inch tortilla shell and roll up.  Top with cheese, lettuce and pico de gall. 

To make the pico de gallo:  Dice up the vegetables.  Add cilantro, a little lemon juice, and a touch of vinegar to keep it preserved.

Popeye Salad – serves 4

The Dressing

2 tablespoons honey

2 scallions, minced

2 large white mushrooms, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

The Salad

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 cup julienned red and yellow peppers

½ cup diced carrot

½ cup stemmed spinach leaves, washed, patted dry, and torn into bite-size pieces

½ cup thinly sliced peeled jicama

Ann's Note:  if you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's, they have a great little veggie try that continues slices of jicama, baby carrots, grape tomatoes and snap peas.  I used all but the snap peas in this recipe.

Prepare the dressing:  Heat the honey in a saucepan until warm.  Add the scallions, mushrooms, garlic, and pepper flakes, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mustard, vinegar, and black pepper to taste.  Let cool.

Prepare the salad:  In a medium bowl, toss together the tomatoes, peppers, carrot, spinach, and jicama.  Add the dressing and toss gently to combine.

"Authentic Mexican" by Rick Bayless - Pork with Smoky Tomato Sauce, Potatoes and Avocado ("Tinga Poblana") for Cinco de Mayo

Date I made this recipe:  May 11, 2014 (a late Cinco de Mayo celebration)

Authentic Mexican – Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Rick Bayless and Deann Groen Bayless as seen on the Public Television series MEXICO-ONE PLATE AT A TIME

Published by:  William Morrow

ISBN:  0-688-04394-1

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores

Recipe:  Pork with Smoky Tomato Sauce, Potatoes and Avocado ("Tinga Poblana") – p. 248 – 249

Four things:

1. New favorite word?  "Tinga."  Tinga, tinga, tinga!  Love it.  Tinga doesn't really have a Spanish translation but usually refers to a stew made with shredded pork or chicken and peppers.
2. Once again, Cinco de Mayo (the 5^th of May), came and went and so I made this dish on the "Once de Mayo" (11^th of May) and am getting around to posting this on the "Quince de Mayo" (15^th) – more or less.  It's how it goes, folks, but at least I get the opportunity to practice my Spanish numbers!
3. I keep wanting to call Rick Bayless "Rick Steves" as in the "London on $10 a day" Rick Steves.  My husband and I used Rick Steves' travel books a lot in our early days of traveling.  They were fun and entertaining and we traveled for cheap – just like he promised.  Although Rick Steves' has had shows on PBS, same as Rick Bayless, the two should not be confused. Rick Bayless is a chef.  Rick Bayless is an expert on Mexican cooking, not travel, and to this day, I still cannot get into one of Rick Bayless' Chicago restaurants without having to offer up a first-born child that I do not have.  So lucky for us, this Rick publishes cookbooks.  And lucky for you, if you want to visit Mexico, you can use the other Rick's books to get you there.
4. Although certain cultures, like Mexican and Thai, use a lot of chilies in their dishes thus "inoculating" the natives to tolerate heat better than the rest of us, the ability to tolerate or not tolerate heat resides with our taste buds.  My husband can tolerate a lot of heat whereas I felt a sheen of sweat on my break out on my face as I ate this dish and the dish wasn't even all that hot!  You should do your chili research though, before attempting anything in this cookbook.

I have to admit, it's a little daunting making something from any of Rick Bayless' cookbooks, particularly one titled Authentic Mexican because true Mexican cooking does not mean open a can of beans, pour over rice (boiled in a bag) and add salsa.  Nuh uh.  To make something out of this cookbook requires time and patience, neither of which I have these days as witnessed by the fact that I got around to cooking this dish 6 days after Cinco de Mayo.  And so I read carefully and selected carefully this recipe so as not to spend days in the kitchen.  I am happy to report that this dish was great and required minimal time.

What I like about this cookbook is that it is pretty comprehensive but not in such a way that you feel like you're carrying around an encyclopedia collection.  This book clocks in at 384 pages and that includes an introduction and an index.  In the back, you'll find a Glossary of Mexican Ingredients and Equipment and each recipe comes with several tips and techniques. 

For today's recipe, we have the basic instructions, accompanied by several Cook's Notes:  Techniques; Ingredients; Timing and Advance Preparation ("Tinga can be made in 1 ½ hours;" and notes about variations  I'll recap those notes (all but the variations) at the end of the recipe.

We begin our descent by hitting the grocery store. I'm glad I made a first stop at Byerly's where I was able to find a one-pound piece of pork steak substitute for a 1 pound pork shoulder as pork shoulders usually come in 2-3 pound packages.  I have always found the butchers in Byerly's meat department to be most helpful when it comes to alternatives plus – nice bonus - they sharpen your kitchen knives there for free.

I also picked up the chorizo at that store but think I made a tiny boo-boo in that I purchased smoked chorizo, not "regular."  But no matter since I just chopped the sausage finely before cooking.

The remaining ingredients were purchased at Rainbow (owned by Roundy's which recently sold off a slew of stores; we are awaiting word on who will run ours) which is a great store for the basics.  The recipe called for either vine-ripe tomatoes, roasted or boiled (and then peeled and cored) or canned and I went with canned because I did not have the time or patience (remember, it was in short supply) to do it the "long" way.  Once you get going, the recipe comes together pretty easily although I did have to keep checking back to see if I was following the right order.

And so I chopped and browned and stewed and the result was fantastic!  The chiptoles gave it a bit of zip and the sweetness from the sugar evened out the tang from the tomatoes.  It was muy bien and we would make it again in a heartbeat.

This concludes the Cinco de Mayo (or thereabouts) celebration for 2014.  Ole, Ole, Ole, Tinga, Tinga, Tinga!

Pork with Smoky Tomato Sauce, Potatoes and Avocado – yield:  4 servings

1 pound lean, boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut in 1 ½-inch cubes

½ teaspoon mixed dried herbs (such as marjoram and thyme)

3 bay leaves

2 medium (about 10 ounces total) boiling potatoes like the red-skinned ones, quartered

1 28-ounce can tomatoes, drained OR 1 ½ pounds (about 3 medium-large) ripe tomatoes, roasted or boiled (paged 352), peeled and cored

4 ounces (1/2 cup) chorizo sausage, store-bought or homemade (p. 55), removed from its casing.  Ann's Note:  I didn't notice until I got home that I purchased smoked chorizo.  I removed the casings then finely chopped it and it seemed to work out just fine.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

½ teaspoon dried oregano

2 (canned) chiles chipotles in adobo, seeded and thinly sliced

4 teaspoons of the adobo sauce from the can of chiles (NOTE:  the author indicates that if you find the chipotles packed in vinegar, use them but don't use the sauce.  My adobo sauce contained vinegar – not to be confused with "packed in vinegar" but to be on the safe side, I left it out.  Besides, I wanted to make sure the dish wasn't too hot for my taste buds!)

Salt, about ½ teaspoon

Sugar, about ½ teaspoon

Garnish

1 ripe, medium avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced

4 ounces Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese like mild goat or farmer's cheese (or Muenster), cut into 8 fingers

A ¼-inch slice of onion, broken into rings

The meat

Bring about 1 quart salted water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan, add the pork, skim the grayish foam that rises to the top during the first few minutes of simmering, then add the herbs and bay leaves.  Partially cover and simmer over medium heat until the meat is tender, about 50 minutes.  (If there is time, let the meat cool in the broth.)  Remove the meat, then strain the broth and spoon off all the fat that rises to the top; reserve 1 cup.  When the meat is cool enough to handle, dry it on paper towels and break it into ¾-inch pieces.

The potatoes, tomatoes and chorizo

Boil the potatoes in salted water to cover until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes; drain, peel (if you want), then chop into ½-inch dice.  Seed the tomatoes , if you wish, by cutting them in half crosswise and gently squeezing out the seeds; then chop into ½-inch pieces.  Fry the chorizo in oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat until 10, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up any clumps.  Remove, leaving as much fat as possible in the skillet.

Browning the main ingredients

Raise the heat to medium and add the onion and pork.  Fry, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook 2 minutes.

Finishing the stew

Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano and chorizo, mix well and simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in the potatoes, the reserved cup of broth, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce from the can.  Simmer gently for 10 minutes to blend the flavors, then season with salt and sugar.

Garnish and presentation

When you're ready to serve, scoop the simmering tinga into a warm serving dish and decorate with alternating slices of avocado and fingers of cheese.  Strew the top with onion rings and serve.

Cook's Notes: Timing and advance preparation

Tinga can be made in 1 ½ hours.  It improves with age:  Prepare it through Step 4 (finishing the stew), cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  Reheat slowly, then garnish with avocado, cheese and onion.

Cook's Notes: Browning the Ingredients

A good part of the depth and richness of this dish comes from a thorough browning in Step 3.  And roasted (rather than canned or boiled) tomatoes underscore the browned flavors.  Ann's Note:  but using canned saves so much time and effort!

Cook's Notes:  Chiles Chipotles

Without these peppers, the dish is no longer tinga.  If you find the chipotles packed in vinegar, use them but don't stir in any of the vinegar from the can.  If only dried ones are available, toast them lightly on a hot griddle, soak until soft, then stem, seed, slice and add.