Month 9 aka 91 recipes down, 64 to go

Month 9 clearly marks a low point for Susie’s MK Project.  I have been lazy about updating and clearly, lazy too about cooking.  I could give all the usual excuses about how busy I’ve been (I really have been busy!), but this refrain is getting a bit tired, isn’t it?  So I’m just going to recap the 3 lonely recipes that I made this month and try to move on as best I can for Month 10.

Back on May 4th I made Crusty Lentil Cakes with Garlic and Herbs VBRED7.  These were cooked lentils mixed with sautéed onion, roasted garlic, parmesan cheese (my local market doesn’t carry queso añejo), and cilantro.  This mixture is formed into cakes which are dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and then fried in oil and served with a roasted tomato-jalepeño salsa (I used Rick’s store-bought variety).  This was a good meal but lentils aren’t my favorite and the multi-step prep will probably keep me from making this again.  If you like lentils, I would definitely recommend it.

The next day was Cinco de Mayo and so I couldn’t not cook Mexican then!  So I made Seared Skirt Steak with Chipotle and Garlic MD23.  This is seared skirt steak with a roasted tomatillo-chipotle salsa with a healthy dose of garlic added in.  I remember this being good but honestly, the details are a little fuzzy for me.  I guess that’s what I get for waiting so long to write about it.

Finally, my mom was in town for a visit and I decided to try Pan-Roasted Salmon in Aromatic Green Pipián MD17 for her.  It was a huge success and the highlight of the month!  The star of this dish was the Pipián which is Essential Tomatillo-Serrano sauce with the addition of toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, fennel fronds (I remain unable to find hoja santa), and chicken broth.  This all gets simmered together and then is puréed.  A piece of roasted salmon is served atop the sauce.  All agreed that this was fantastic (creamy, tangy, spicy, wonderful) and I will certainly be making this again.

So the winner of Month 9 is clearly Pan-Roasted Salmon in Aromatic Green Pipián MD17.

Month 8

I’m not really sure why I didn’t just write this as an addendum to the last post, but my dedication to the project has been a little lacking in recent weeks and I was probably just a little depressed at how pathetic Month 8 actually was.  Yes, I was on vacation in the middle of Month 8.  Yes, I was sick upon return.  You are, perhaps, tiring of my seemingly endless stream of excuses as to why I haven’t done this, that, or the other.  The numbers don’t lie; I cooked only 4 recipes in Month 8, all of which are detailed in the previous post.  I did not make it to Pilsen.  I didn’t toast or re-hydrate a single chile.  However, I did make a fabulous Smoky Shredded Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Tomatoes (MD5) which was the highlight of the month.  Things can only look up from here, right?

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).

Month 6

What can I tell you about Month 6 of Susie’s MK Project?  That I started very strongly and then petered out, ending up with the completion of 9 new recipes.  What else?  Sadly, that this becomes the month where I officially fell a little behind the pace I need to complete the project within a year (I’m 4 recipes behind).  That said, though my output flagged towards the end of the month, our dinner at Frontera and discussing my project with Rick were certainly highlights and have left me anxious to continue.  What delectable morsels from the month would make a fabulous meal for those who like it hot?

• Chorizo-Stuffed Ancho Chiles with Sweet-Sour Escabeche (SOS15)
• Broiled Chipotle Chicken with Creamy Spinach (MD3)
• Topolo Margaritas (WAM2)

Month 7 is already underway; I’ve completed 3 recipes to be detailed soon.  I didn’t make it to Pilsen in Month 6 so I promise that it will happen in Month 7.  One more fantastic bit of news: I’ve been given the go-ahead to procure the Vitamix blender that I left our wine dinner coveting!  You can be sure that a mole will be soon to follow.  À bientôt!

Month 5

What can I tell you about Month 5 of Susie’s MK Project?  That I feel like I’m in the doldrums; I really am trying to cook as much as possible but have still only managed 9 new recipes (which is especially depressing as I had thought I had counted 10, and yes, math was never my strongest subject).  What else?  I was happy to be able to cook for family, both in CT and here at home on New Year’s Day.  And that even when sick I can produce one of the gems of the month.  The best recipes of Month 5 are:

• Mexican-Style Sweet Roasted Garlic Soup
• Braised Turkey in Teloloapan Red Mole

The soup is there for being the perfect combination of flavor and freshness, and the Mole was outstanding; there’s a good reason it’s considered Classic Fiesta Food.  I will be making both of these again.  As for what I will not make again?   Only the Spicy Plantain Pie; it was too sweet for my taste.

So now I’m at the outset of Month 6.  I sense another trip to Pilsen in the near future.  I would like to do some of the recipes calling for fresh masa and I’d also like to give cactus another try soon.  John and I also have a wine dinner at Frontera Grill in the next month, so look for an update on that experience as well.  And if I can’t hit double digits this month, I think I’m going to be in trouble for finishing the project in time.  Wish me luck!

Month 4

So what can I tell you about Month 4 in Susie’s Mexican Cooking Project? Well, apparently preparing for Christmas (including a cross-country driving trip) has about that same effect on my ability to cook as a month’s worth of illness (see Month 3). It is, in fact, apparently worse. I managed only 6 new recipes. However, like the recipes from Month 3, these were all good. Plus, let’s not forget that I got to enjoy a wonderful meal at Topolobampo where I realized that a lot of what I cook is as good as what I can get at Rick’s restaurants – a triumph in and of itself. As for the best meal of the month? This was hard and honestly a toss up. I will probably make all of these recipes again. But being pressed to choose, I choose:
Oval Masa Cakes with Black Bean Filling
Smoky Shredded Pork Tacos
Green Poblano Rice
And in case you haven’t looked at the calendar, Month 5 is already underway. Not only did I cook for my family over Christmas (a meal to be detailed soon), I have convinced John that Braised Turkey with Red Mole is a good idea for New Year’s Day. As always, stay tuned!

Month 3

So what can I tell you about month 3 that you probably can’t already guess? That is was relatively pathetic in terms of output: only 7 recipes completed; that I was either sick or caring for sick people for practically the whole month; that I can testify that you don’t want your kids to get h1n1. That said, there were still a couple of gems that would make up my modest meal of the month:
Ripe Plantain Turnovers (Empanadas) with Fresh Cheese Filling
Oaxacan Black Bean Soup
And really, there was nothing that I wouldn’t make again. So in that sense, it was a good month. I’m ready for month 4 to be a success despite the hustle and bustle of the holidays. We’ll see how it works out. Stay tuned . . .

Month 2

What can I tell you about the second month of Susie’s MK Project? That I feel as though I’m much better at regulating the spice level of a dish using fresh peppers (as I look back it would appear that I haven’t used dried peppers at all in the last month); that my sweet tooth has been revealed in that more than a quarter of the recipes this month were desserts. What else? That I’m still cooking lots of Mexican food, albeit at a slower pace (in month 1 I did 30 recipes, and only 11 in month 2). In my defense, I think as a family we’ve been at the doctor for various appointments at least 10 times in the last month so my free time has been a little bit compromised. Plus, I think I heard John say at least a few times in response to what he wanted for dinner “Just nothing Mexican”. I guess we all have our limits. Anyway, on the the results; if I could make one meal from month 2’s recipes, this would be the menu:
Herby Ricotta-Poblano Tacos (with extra Tomatillo Green Guacamole to snack on before the meal)
Black Bean Rice
Tropical “Trifle” of Mango and Almonds

And the recipe that I would not repeat?
Classic Red Tomato Rice (at least not as the recipe is written; it was way too spicy)

Month 1

What can I tell you about the first month of Susie’s MK Project? That I’ve found good sources for ingredients and feel confident that I’ll be able to cook everything; that I’ve made nearly twenty percent of the recipes (although that does not really mean that I’m that far along since the Essential Flavors appear again and again and so each new dish will not include as many recipes as at the start), including recipes from every section of the book. What else? That I’ve tried many things for the first time like squash blossoms, making tamales, amaranth, and huitlacoche; that I’m not tired of Mexican food yet (that’s a relief!), though getting off to a quick start will mean that I’ll have the luxury of some weeks with only one menu. So what are the best recipes? If I could make one meal from month 1’s recipes, this would be the menu:
Squash Blossom Soup
Tacos de Huitlacoche
Modern Mexican Chocolate Flan with Kahlúa

And the recipes that I would not repeat?
Rustic Ranch-Style Soup (not enough flavor for the effort)
Guajillo-Sauced Shrimp with Quick-Fried Cactus (I couldn’t get past the texture of the cactus in this one)