97 recipes down, 58 to go aka Susie’s MK Project travels to Texas!

This was one of my most favorite project experiences!!  John and I used to live in Austin when I was in graduate school (French Linguistics) and neither of us had been back since I defended my dissertation seven years ago.  It was in Texas that I first learned to like spice, being exposed to both great Tex-Mex food and also authentic Mexican food.  It was after enjoying the great food at Fonda San Miguel (if in Austin, I highly recommend their Sunday brunch) that I decided to purchase Mexican Kitchen for John for his birthday back in 1997.  One of the other great things about living in Austin for us was a group of wonderful friends (who were also all really good cooks) with whom we had formed a supper club.  There were four couples and we would meet once a month and each contribute a dish for a themed menu.  We did all sorts of things: French, Italian, Scandinavian, Mexican, Alsatian, Indian to name a few.

So for a great variety of reasons I was really looking forward to our vacation in Texas, but at the top of the list was cooking a Rick Bayless meal with my supper club friends (minus Linda and Noel who, sadly for us, couldn’t make it in from the Netherlands).

For the menu we decided on a casual Mexican brunch which would include two kinds of seviche and huevos Motuleños.  We were staying at the house of our friends, Stephanie and Greg, and together with John and myself, we did the bulk of the Mexican cooking.  Our friends Melissa and Joe came with beans for the huevos as well a fabulous (though not Mexican) dessert of mango fool with blackberries.

First up was Classic Seviche Tostadas (SOS4).  Now seviche is something that I’ve never made at home but I can assure you that I will be making it in the future.  The classic rendition was so easy and so very tasty!  It calls for very fresh fish (in our case tuna) to be diced and marinated in fresh-squeezed lime juice.  This is then drained and mixed with Essential Chopped Tomato-Serrano Salsa as well as a little olive oil, salt and sugar, and of course, a diced avocado, and served atop tortilla chips.  All agreed that it was fabulous!   Like many Bayless dishes it was light and fresh tasting with nice spice and texture.

Melissa about to enjoy her Classic Seviche Tostadas!

We also made Shrimp Seviche with Roasted Cactus (SOS6).  This recipe would mark my second experience with nopales or cactus paddles.  First, let me say, we were in Texas, so my friends, who did the shopping in advance of our arrival didn’t have to worry about whether or not their grocery store carried nopales, they simply snipped some off of a cactus plant in their neighbors back yard!  Secondly, if you will recall, when I used nopales the last time, in Guajillo-Sauced Shrimp with Quick-Fried Cactus, back in August (wow, has it really been that long ago!), I was turned off by the slimy consistency.  But Rick promised that if roasted, the excess ooze would cook off, and true to his word, it did.  What was left was a very pleasant tangy flavor, without the slime.  They were combined with shrimp, poached in water and lime juice, and then diced.  Also in the mix was diced fresh serrano, tomato, avocado, and cilantro.  This was all soaked in a dressing of lime juice, cider vinegar, thyme and oregano.  Again, this version of seviche was a big hit that everyone liked.  When pressed to choose, the majority gave a slight edge to the classic variety, but the margin was slim.

Greg, after enjoying his Seviche

Finally, we made Huevos Motuleños or Motul-Style Eggs with Roasted Tomato, Black Beans and Plantains (VBRED24).  I’ll borrow Rick’s description because it succinctly describes a somewhat complex dish: “They’re made from crispy tostadas topped with black beans and eggs sunny-side up, doused with robust roasted tomato sauce flamed with habanero chiles, then strewn with ham, peas, crumbled fresh cheese and slices of sweet fried plantain” (270).  For this recipe I give full credit to Greg for making a delicious iteration of Essential Simmered Tomato-Habanero Sauce, and also for frying the eggs!  Once all the ingredients were combined, the flavors and textures really did work wonderfully together making this a great dish.  I will say that to whip this up from scratch on a Sunday morning (as Rick suggests he enjoys doing) is no small task.  If I wanted to impress with a great brunch for guests, I would be sure to make the sauce, the beans, and the plantains ahead.  But it really was very good and I would like to make it again some day.

Table full of Huevos Motuleños

Stephanie enjoying her eggs!

Me enjoying my eggs!

So to wrap up, I have to send out a huge thank you to Stephanie, Greg, Melissa and Joe for helping me with my project and for making it so much fun!  Plus, vacation in this case, didn’t grind my project to a halt.  More of Month 10 to come soon.

94 recipes down, 61 to go

Back on May 23rd, we had my sister and brother-in-law and their family over for dinner and the menu was, what else, Mexican!  I decided on two different kinds of taco, or really one taco recipe and one veggie dish that served as a delicious taco filling.

First was Spicy Yucatecan Beef “Salad” Tacos TEOCE2.  As a bonus, this recipe called for a previously unmade Essential Flavor: Essential Chopped Tomato-Habanero Salsa EF4.  So, for one of the last times in the project I was able to cook two recipes and have it count as three!  The beef in these tacos was beef brisket that was browned and then steamed, and finally shredded.  The beef was stirred into the salsa which consisted of red onion, chopped tomatoes, diced radish, cilantro, minced habanero (we followed the recipe and used half of one habanero), and lime and orange juice (standing in for the unavailable sour orange juice).  This was a very fresh tasting salsa and definitely makes Rick’s title of the dish as “salad” tacos an apt one.  The habanero in this case was not really very spicy.  Overall, I liked these, but they weren’t great, especially in comparison with the next dish.

Next I made Roasted Mexican Vegetables in Green Sesame Pipián VBRED3.  Having just made, and loved, the Green Pipián for the salmon dish, we were anxious to have it again.  Plus, I always like a good vegetarian taco.  As a reminder, the Pipián is Essential Tomatillo-Serrano sauce with the addition of toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, ground aniseed (last time I used fennel fronds; both are substitutions for the elusive hoja santa), and chicken broth.  This all gets simmered together and then is puréed. This time the Pipián was the coating for roasted vegetables: potatoes, chayote, zucchini and chard.  There was supposed to be cactus too, but my Whole Foods (which usually does carry it) was out of them and I didn’t want to scrap the whole recipe.  Honestly, though the recipe was absolutely fantastic and you would never suspect that there was anything missing from the dish.  The vegetables has good roasted flavor, and the chayote retained some of its crispness lending a nice contrast of textures as well.  And as before, the Pipián  was creamy, spicy, nutty, tart, and if that doesn’t sound appetizing, trust me, it is!  It was amazing and will become something that we make again and again in our house (post-project, of course)!

Finally, just a couple of project notes.  I’ve been slacking in the posting department but I have still been cooking.  We were in TX for a week and my next post will include the details of a fabulous Mexican Brunch that some of my good friends and I made while there.  I also made some quesadillas this past weekend and have something in mind for this week.  I swear that you will know all about all of it by the end of the week.  I mean it!

Month 7

What can I tell you about Month 7 of Susie’s Mexican Kitchen Project?  I got off to a good start but have failed to make up any of my recipe deficit and am even further behind as a result.  The final tally for the month was 10 new recipes completed.  Still not too shabby, but I’ll have to pick up the pace if I don’t want this to turn into a 13 month project.  What else can I say?  I have a fantastic new Vitamix blender that definitely kicks the butt of any blender I’ve ever had before!  And I probably never would have gotten the blender if not for the project.  Not only do I now have velvety smooth chile purées, but I’ve also been savoring some delicious smoothies (my favorite so far is an Almond-Banana Smoothie recipe that I got on Epicurious.com).  How about the highlights of the month?  Both Campeche Baked Fish Fillets with Tomato, Habanero and Citrus (MD16) and Seared Lamb in Swarthy Pasilla-Honey Sauce (MD25) were outstanding and will be made again in my kitchen.  Plus, for a simple, healthy meal, I will also make Tacos of Creamy Braised Chard, Potatoes and Poblanos (TEOCE8) again.  One to skip?  Spicy Pasilla-Mushroom Tacos (TEOCE5).

79 recipes down, 76 to go

It may seem as though I’ve been slacking because I have neglected to update my site recently.  You may even be worried that, despondent over falling behind, that I have abandoned my project.  Fear not!  I have been cooking and have five new recipes to show for my efforts of the last two weeks.  This time period even includes a five day visit from my Mom where I did no Mexican cooking. Note too that I am now officially more than half way through the project!!!

Two weeks ago at the very start of Month 7 and just before the arrival of my Mom, I made Roasted Poblano Chile Salad with Smoked Fish (SOS11).  This uses ever ubiquitous Essential Roasted Poblano Rajas with Seared White Onions and Herb (EF13).  This iteration of the rajas was relatively mild.  The rajas is mixed with some red onion that has marinated in cider vinegar.  This mixture, along with the shredded smoked fish (we used smoked trout from Whole Foods), is served atop lettuce along with some crumbled queso fresco.  We both really liked this salad.  John thought it was one of the best things I’ve made.

Post project whenever I make anything with rajas, I will always plan to make extra as there are so many recipes that have it as a starting point.  I did so on this occasion too, and was thrilled to be able to easily throw together some Tacos of Creamy Braised Chard, Potatoes and Poblanos (TEOCE8) for a nice Sunday lunch.  I had offered to make these for my mom and she passed.  I’m sure she knows not what she turned down because these were great!  The taco filling was made by combining the rajas with potatoes and the chicken broth in which they had been cooked, along with chard and cream.  This mixture is cooked until the chard is wilted and is then ready to be topped with some crumbled queso fresco and used as a taco filling.  These were delicious, creamy and complex, and rank as one of my favorites for both flavor and ease of preparation.

Next, I used the leftover Essential Sweet-and-Smoky Chipotle Seasoning Salsa from a couple of weeks ago to make Chipotle Shrimp (MD10).  A purée of roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, pepper, cloves and water is cooked.  A small amount of the salsa (remember, it is very potent!) is added and then the shrimp are cooked in the sauce.  I made a side of Classic White Rice and served the dish with tortillas.  This too, was excellent.  The salsa lends a good amount of spice to the dish but it really went well with the sweetness of the shrimp and with the rice.

Finally, last night I made Campeche Baked Fish Fillets with Tomato, Habanero and Citrus (MD16).  This was my first experience cooking with Habanero chiles (or I should really say chile since I only used one).  I was also thrilled to again kill two birds with one stone as this marked my first use of Essential Simmered Tomato-Habanero Sauce (EF5).  The sauce is made by cooking one stemmed and halved habanero chile in a sauce of puréed roasted tomatoes with fried white onion.

Then you place the fish fillets (we used halibut) in a baking dish, top with lime juice and cilantro and then spoon the sauce on to cover.  This is baked until the fish is done.  Our fillets were quite thick so they took a little longer than the recommended baking time of 15 minutes.

The result was amazing!  The tangy, spicy flavor of the sauce is aptly described by Rick as “bright”.  The habanero really added a good amount of spice to the sauce but it was not overwhelming.  I will not be afraid to cook with these chiles again.  Although, who knows, maybe I got a really mild one.  I guess time will tell; I have two more recipes to make with this sauce.  Plus, the fish itself was excellent and perfectly cooked.  I got another “This is my favorite thing that you’ve made” for this recipe from John.  I hope I can keep turning out new “favorite” dishes every couple of weeks!  At the very least, Month 7 is off to a respectable start.