Let's cook: Mexican food!

I've recently made this Carne Adobada twice - first time I cut way down on the number of ounces of hot chile peppers - it was a little hot for me but I loved it. Second time I added different chiles - no powder but some mild (var New Mexico Mild chiles) and some hot/sweet Mexican chili peppers (Chili Puya). That about did me in, and I had to tame it with some tomato puree.

The recipe from Saveur -
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Carne-Adobada

My machinations with it -
http://able2know.org/topic/184658-1

I think what I did first - use only one ounce of what I think were chili arbol dried peppers (poor labelling on package - they were the ones people make riistras out of) instead of 5 ounces - plus the amount of chili powder in the recipe - would still come out on the hot end for Mo. Maybe, maybe not. You know him re how hot he might be able to take it.
I should add I used the seeds too.

Still, the meat part of it was great.
Next time I scared even myself.. by adding too much for my present adaptation to hotness. That time I didn't use the seeds.

Not to be nosy, but you might want to look into authentic recipes from the area Mr. B used to live in.

I know what you mean about mexican food in the northwest. In LA we had a zillion small places doing regional mexican cooking. In Humboldt County, eh!

**** I learned in the process that what the recipe called for is actually a type of new mexican chile called New Mexico Mild. Duh!!

Thanks, osso. I'll absolutely check those recipes out!

I know I definitely need to fill in my blanks on peppers and spices. My food really lacks any complexity of flavor that I remember real Mexican food tasting like. I do have to under-season a bit for Mo, who can take a bit of heat, but not too much.

Yeah, the Mexican food here is pretty awful. There are some passable mom and pop carts but that's about it. There was a fabulous place, since closed, that was divine but it would cost the two of us an easy $100 to have dinner there which just seemed outrageous.

I love fish tacos - especially the ones from a local chain (Rubio's)
Serving is for 12 - trust me, you easily eat 3 or 4 of them....

12 (1 -1 1/2 ounce) cod , pieces
12 corn tortillas

BEER BATTER
1 cup flour
1 cup beer
garlic powder (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

WHITE SAUCE
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup yogurt

SALSA
1 garlic clove , peeled and minced
6 tomatoes , ripe, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 onion , minced
2 cilantro leaves , chopped, stems removed
2 jalapeno chiles , seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
oil (for deep frying)

GARNISH
1 head green cabbage , shredded
1 lime , cut into wedges

Directions:
Mix flour with favorite spices such as garlic powder, red or black ground pepper. Stir the flour mixture into the beer and mix until well blended.
Wash fish by dipping in cold, lightly salted water or water with a little bit of lemon juice added. Be sure fish is completely dry before dipping into batter.
Prepare salsa; reserve.
Put the vegetable oil into a deep skillet and bring to 375°F
Place fish in a single layer--do not let pieces touch each other.
Cook fish until batter is crispy and golden brown.
Heat corn tortillas lightly in a skillet or Mexican comal until they are soft and hot. To assemble, on each tortilla layer the fish fillet, white sauce, salsa and cabbage. Top it off with a squeeze of lime. Fold tortilla over to serve.

I'd probably love those. Never had a fish taco as such - little soft tacos, with octopus, say, or shrimp, from a truck, but not the kind of fish tacos that have become popular.

I'm not a deep frying person, you know me, I'd set the house on fire and if not that, have to spend an hour cleaning up. Do places make them with grilled or baked fish? (I suspect maybe they do, perhaps in SF).

Rubio's bakes the fish and I like it that way. Other places grill them without batter, it's good too, but not as good as the baked one. Osso, you can buy
baked fish frozen and use it for the fish tacos.

I don't mind baking fish - it's the deep frying I'm askeeert of.

Here in the land of sand away from water, except a river that is a dribble, fish in local restaurants is plain awful, some sort of production item with crust that reminds me of concrete. I always forget to bring my ax. Well, I don't order fish here anymore. (That's not quite true, I had some decent scallops at Indigo Crow once.)

Haha, that was funny, osso.

Get the budding chef de cuisine to cover the cornchips with a smidgin of 'mo's tastes' and secret sauces sprinkle with cheese and (mexican for voila).

Do the temperature and oven safety lessons separately.

I do have a great fish taco recipe that doesn't fry the fish. It is marinated (can't sp?) in oil olive and some powdered chili and then you simply cook it on stove top. It is in a recipe book I have at home so I can gather and post later.

What do you consider just right?

The basic recipe for Mexican rice is to fry the rice in a bit of oil in your pan, drain the oil,

add:

about half of an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce (one half can for every pre-cooked cup of rice),

about a half cup of chopped onions,

a whole clove of garlic,

a cube of chicken flavored bouillion and half a tablespoon of salt OR
chicken stock to replace the water requirered to cook the rice,

and the required water amount for the particular rice brand/type that you are using.

Traditional variations are to add about a half cup of mixed vegetables, or sweet peas.

Cook according to the instructions for your particular rice brand/type.

Every time I suggest fish tacos everyone here is all "ewwww".

I don't get it. I think they sound delicious. I would love to make them!

Our kitchen is so disastrously small that getting two people in there at a time is difficult!

We do a kind of "build your own" thing when I make tacos or carne asada... maybe that would work with fish tacos....

That's pretty much how I've made it -- adjusting here and there trying to get it right. I've even tried using different varieties of rice. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

It always seems to come out too sticky or bland or something.

Just suggest idea for tacos that night but omit the fish part of the equation. I bet once they smell the whole thing together they'll change their minds and be quite accepting of such an alien concept.

Boomer, substitute it with baked chicken for Mo and Mr. B and you have the fish - or baked chicken all together.

Gosh, I am going for fish tacos today - I haven't stopped thinking about them since yesterday, I've got to have them!!!

Too sticky, try using less liquid.

Too bland, try using more salt.

Potato Tacos!!!


...with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa

I love Mexican Meatball Soup! Might be making it tomorrow!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 pound ground sirloin beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, cut into rounds (about 3/4 cup)
1 serrano chile, whole
1 Yukon gold potato, skin on, diced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups vegetable stock
2 zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)

Directions

In a heavy large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, rice, cilantro, ground meat, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Using wet hands, shape the meat mixture into 20 to 22 (1-inch) meatballs.

Combine the carrots, serrano chile, potato, tomato paste, and vegetable stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and zucchini and simmer on low heat until the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.

That sounds really good for Winter....(something you Floridians aren't too familiar with)