breakfast tacos

It's been a wild couple of weeks getting more settled into a routine of cooking with Texas ingredients and doing medicine Texas style (think guns being one shocker - you can't bring your gun into the hospital - sign at front informs you of this and plenty of kids shot accidentally most of the time). Anyway, one of the newer discoveries and habits is breakfast tacos. They are a staple down here. For better or worse.

My main interaction with said breakfast taco is picking them up for the residents on call over the weekend - a gesture more than anything but still. I've been going to a place that is on the bike ride to work that sells both tacos and doughnuts (see pics) and is chock full of Mexican-American grandmas making tacos from scratch. I go early enough that you can see them rolling out the dough and cooking the tortillas as they're made. While these probably have no small part in San Antonio's obesity epidemic as the majority of customers make apparent, they are delicious. So my hat (or helmet) off to the breakfast taco!

(While doing research for this blog, I actually found a news article on someone who saw the face of Jesus in his breakfast taco's tortilla and stopped eating it)... which is the blasphemy?

Without further ado, the menu for both last week and this:

Last week: 
Sirloin steak tacos, avocado, corn - great steak with lime, cumin, cilantro served with BBQ'd corn, avocado
Fusilli with veggies - as described (alla arrabiata sauce)
Vietnamese catfish sandwiches with kale - these were good, fried the catfish, made the sandwiches with french bread, cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro with braised kale as a side
Chicken quesadillas with squash - speaks for itself
Pork kabobs with carrots and couscous - Erin's time to shine, she made a delicious version of this with a rosemary-orange marinade for the pork and carrots!

This week: 
Burgers, onion rings, fried zucchini - onion rings are a tricky business to make a batter stick, I had to improvise last minute with some sweetened condensed milk and regular milk but it came out ok
Teriyaki salmon, rice, chard - some excellent steelhead salmon on sale (so not really salmon)
Red lentil soup with mustard greens, garlic bread - basically cook the lentils down in water for 30mins, then add mustard greens cooked in whatever spice you like - cumin and mustard seed will work
Tomato soup with grilled cheese - may have to pick up some gruyere for this one and add some milk to the tomato soup with thyme from the garden
Enchiladas - have gotten better at a green sauce now, going to have a go at it and roast the tomatillos first for a smokier flavor (and some garlic) since what's going inside is pretty earthy - mushrooms, chicken, spinach, cheese
Fish tacos - we love this if you can't tell, always a winner with a good homemade pico de gallo and a coleslaw (use mayo + lime and you can't go wrong)

That's that!

Blueberries

I was inspired to look into blueberries further after multiple encounters over the past week. Though I have actually had a long, albeit intermittent, relationship with the fruit. I'm sure my first encounter was around Atticus' age, but my youngest memory when the blue spheres are prominent evokes endless rows of bush and cool summer mornings in Oregon picking the little buggers till your hands gained a hue that would not come off for a week. Unfortunately for me, the next weekend was the next time to pick blueberries. Fourteen and things were grand.

Atticus mashes blueberries into his face (see below) and elsewhere on a pretty regular basis. The market was selling sausage with blueberries, and they were on sale like mad this week - I think end of season. Anyway, further investigation was warranted... 

As usual I went towards the health bent on the food. Turns out these little buggers have resveratrol in them - the compound thought to be behind the reason drinking is good for you!* They also have a pretty much worldwide distribution, but as with many things - the tomato most famously, most of the versions out there are disappearing since the most easily cultivated and transportable is being exported and grown all over.

Animal studies have shown some benefit in neuroprotection in stroke models, and there is some benefit in blood pressure regulation as well. Cool stuff. The mechanism may have something to do with polyphenols - little compounds termed "anti-nutrients" because they block absorption of nutrients and make the compound less digestible and are thus plants' defense against us! Anyway, these polyphenols may have a range of health benefits as well. But from a review, my favorite quote that just reveals how sick the medical machine has become (in my opinion): "Therefore, blueberry polyphenols could become useful pharmacological agents for various conditions including neurological diseases, but further studies are still necessary to attain this objective."

*as long as it's red wine, not too much, certain types of red wine etc

Also, menu for the week:
Linguini alla arrabiata with roasted carrots, garlic bread
Spicy tilapia tacos with daikon-jalapeno slaw
Champ, sausage, brussels
Lemon-garlic grilled salmon with mushroom, onion, peppers and rice

Movies and food

When I first moved to Oregon, I happened to move right next door to a place called the Mission Theater. The Mission was started in the late 1980s by the McMenamin brothers who, as visionaries and smart business folk, could see how combining decent food (in lieu of popcorn and junk) with movies could be a brilliant move. It turned out that it was. The smart piece I think is that they sell decent food and beer with older movies which means their overhead and royalties for showing the movies are probably markedly less. Here it is:

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was started about 10 years after the McMenamin version in Austin, Texas and has since been franchised. Erin took me to a location in San Antonio for my birthday - hence the post. Similar idea except with recently released movies - not as cheap as the Mission which would cost like 5$ as I remember. But still good food: we had fried pickles, a burger with roasted chiles and a decent salad and a pitcher of beer in front of the Bourne Legacy. If you don't mind a little bustling when your neighbor's food arrives, it's a lovely combination... the only downside is that you don't get to talk to the person you're with over dinner...

Without further ado, the menu for the week! (cutting the descriptions a bit brief as I am doing the cooking from here on out I think so the need for exhaustive details for replication is less):

Beef and Broccoli: I think the key to a good stir fry is what to add so that it's not overcooked and all the ingredients are well cooked - easier said than done. Garlic, ginger and broccoli first, then mushrooms for a short bit followed by flank steak and the hoisin and spicy sauce and topped before serving with the green onions and cilantro, over rice.

Crab, Papaya, Serrano: We're gonna try something new: basically make a ceviche type dish out of the crab with serrano, peppers, some lime, cilantro, onion and then scoop out a papaya and serve the crab mix in the papaya... should be a nice contrast

Kale and Cabbage Salad with Walnut: It almost sounds gross, especially as everything is going to be raw except the roasted walnuts. But I'm gonna make it work with a nice rice vinegar dresssing.

Orange habanero chicken with sweet potato and salad: marinade as it sounds, sweet potatoes in the oven without spice to contrast the chicken and salad to cool off.

That's all folks! I learned that okra is not an appropriate baby food this week... after I made a boatload of it mixed with ham. It's so sticky that he literally takes it out of his mouth and rubs it on his chest out of interest/disgust. It's kind of awesome and kind of sad and disappointing all at the same time.

Menu ideas for a dinner party!

Thoughts on how to feed 9 guests (a total of 11 people!), which Alex just keeps shaking his head about. He thinks it won't be fun or we won't have good interactions with so many people. I think it will be a nice first change away from sitting in lecture and studying and taking tests, and not be too personal, since we don't know each other very well yet. So a good first start, and then we can have smaller groups later---

• Roast chicken was denied (Alex doesn't love it like I do :)
• Tacos were his suggestion, but in San Antonio, tacos aren't really a dinner party food. More like a big party food- 20 or more people.
• Skewers? Too much work on the grill!

I love the idea of small plates- roasted cauliflower keeps sounding delicious to me- but am worried that it will take too much work. We are still resistant to potlucks, since they always have such a random mix of foods.

Several salad ideas:

• http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brussels-Sprout-and-Apple-Salad-with-Blue-Cheese-and-Walnuts-102645
• http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Apple-Salad-with-Roquefort-Cheese-and-Walnuts-2627
• http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Farmers-Market-Salad-with-Spiced-Goat-Cheese-Rounds-239065

We COULD do an Italian meal- that would be fun! Hmm. Use the Silver Spoon and do some nice cheese and fruit, a simple salad, some pasta... maybe even carbonara... Mmmmm.

New ideas for a summer Italian meal under the trees (with bugspray on) or on couches:

• Salads: caprese with a twist?  and http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Raw-Artichoke-Salad-Celery-and-Parmesan-365182
• Main: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/The-Silkiest-Carbonara-395077 or http://www.budgettravelonline.com/bt-srv/images/0610_Recipes.pdf from the Silver Spoon
• Sides (if have meat instead of pasta): http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Risi-e-Bisi-365188
• Dessert: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Almond-Granita-365749

Adjusting to new schedules

It has been a busy couple of weeks, and Alex has been incredibly productive in the kitchen. Some highlights include:
Baked Dover Sole with spiced sweet potatoes and crispy brussels sprouts
Delicious pesto that we've eaten twice with different types of pasta- my favorite was the orechiette!
He has also planned lamb for this week, which I am looking forward to.

Atticus has also been eating well, with gourmet cauliflower and carrots with spices, and spinach/apple combinations. Mmm. Healthy AND delicious :)

We are going to have our first dinner party this weekend! Inviting some classmates and their significant others, hoping for a fun relaxing time with good conversation. I was thinking small plates might be nice- although maybe too much work? Nicer if it can be easy on all of us, particularly Alex. I think he feels like an indentured servant these days, so it would be good to have a fun relaxing time.  

BBQ Pork, Clams, Pesto and Pizza

Specials of the week: all over the map really, just trying new and different twists on things including Atticus who tried kale, brisket and peaches along with a little of just about whatever we were having!

Appetizers: 
Prosciutto wrapped papaya
- the papaya was a bit strong for the prosciutto but it was a worthwhile attempt at a variation on the tried and true

Acorn squash, carrot and parmigiano dip
- I've made different versions of this over time, and this was one of the better ones. For posterity:
Bake an acorn squash in the oven for about 30 mins (cut in half) along with a couple of carrots
Scoop the squash out and mash the carrots and squash together or blend to desired consistency
Mix in 1-2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp mango powder and a dash of cayenne pepper
If you want, you can try other spices though these have worked well - it's a taste game
You can depending on the consistency of your acorn squash either put the mixture back in the shells of the squash or into a serving bowl, put some shaved parmigiano on top and broil for a couple of minutes and done! 

Mains:
BBQ'd rosemary pork loin with goat cheese and figs served with cornbread and a summer salad
- read about this in a BBQ cookbook I have and tweaked it a bit, but the pork was wonderful!
Basically just coat a pork loin in salt, pepper, rosemary with olive oil and then BBQ for a few minutes a side until perfect.
Skewer some figs onto the empty rosemary twigs and BBQ those too
Plate with some goat cheese and honey drizzled over the pork and figs and you have yourself a main!

Train ride with Grandpa!

Clams with corn, pan seared potatoes, bacon and kale
- tried something a little different this time and it turned out well:
Cook the thinly sliced potatoes in a large skillet with olive oil until browning
Add onion and chopped bacon to the same skillet after removing potatoes (save)
After the onion has started to clear and the bacon is coming along, add the scrubbed clams
Add a few chopped stems of thyme and then deglaze with white wine, add corn and cover for 5 minutes (clams should open) - reduce heat
After 5 minutes, can add some clam juice or stock to add broth and keep covered on low for another 5-10 minutes (careful not to overcook the clams!)
Serve with browned potatoes on the bottom of the bowl with clams on top and corn on the side - delicious!

Sausage and onion pizza (the HEB version)
- we'll see about the HEB version of pizza dough tonight! HEB or H.E.B. is the main store in San Antonio started by the mother of Howard E. Butt. When he took it over and tried to expand with eventual success, it came to bear his initials. I find it tedious to say three syllables solely in honor of the founder and so opt for one - HEB.

Fresh pesto linguini with salad, caramelized broccolini and carrots
- Good pesto is hard to beat. I took the Silver Spoon (the Joy of Cooking equivalent for Italians) recipe and added garlic, less nuts and slightly more cheese - goodness!

First week in Texas

So for our first week of cooking at our new home in Texas, we had some good Southern and Texmex food, and they were mostly winners I must say. Here's some pictures of our beautiful kitchen below along with the recipes:

Kitchen central

Fried Chicken with Barbequed Okra, Tomato and Corn Salad and Biscuits
The fried chicken done this way is solid - it's Leah Chase's version who I've given praise to before:
- soak chicken in 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 cup water and 1 egg (can increase volume as necessary) for about 15 mins while prepping everything else
- put 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons thyme, 1 tablespoon cayenne/paprika mix, 1 tablespoon salt and pepper into a paper bag (another option is to use half cornmeal and half flour)
- heat oil to 350 or so (really hot)
- put soaked chicken into bag 1-2 pieces at a time and shake about, putting the coated chicken on a dry plate to sit for at least 15 minutes before going in the oil - this is key for getting a good crust
- cook for 10-15 mins usually (outside should be good marker of inner doneness)

The okra, tomato and corn recipe I came up with and people seemed to like (worth making again):
- 1 lb okra sliced lengthwise with ends trimmed and grilled for 15 mins
- 3-4 ears BBQ'd corn
- 3-4 tomatoes sliced in half and grilled for 10-15mins
- you can do all the above basically at the same time, then take the corn off the cob, cut up the tomatoes to more bite size and toss it all with about 1 lime worth of juice, a handful of chopped cilantro and salt/pepper to taste

Corner dining area

Scallops with Fennel, Bacon and Mascarpone with Braised Broccoli and Rice
 The scallops for this were the diver kind - big, juicy and expensive as all can be. But worth it. This recipe is actually fairly simple and delicious:
- slice fennel lengthwise discarding fronds, parboil for 5 mins
- broil fennel with mascarpone over the top until mascarpone melted and fennel browned
- cook 4-5 slices of thick-cut bacon and chop bacon into smaller chunks
- cook scallops 2 mins a side in the bacon grease
- put together using browned mascarpone fennel as a base with scallop on top with chunks of bacon around and on scallop - basically each bite is unique and awesome

Tomatillo Enchiladas with Squash, Corn and Carrot
Not much to comment on here other than the tomatillo enchilada sauce that I made up:
- 1 lb tomatillos boiled for 10 mins with 6-7 cloves garlic (can roast garlic too for different taste but if in a rush, boiling is easier)
- blend tomatillos with 1 cup or so of chicken or vegetable stock along with garlic, 1/2 bunch picked cilantro, cumin and jalapeno to taste and boom you have an excellent green sauce for enchiladas!

Avocado Soup with Apple, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad
Erin made this and it was delicious. The soup had more character than I thought it would for sure!


Out to: Koi Kawa - sushi, pretty decent especially given my expectations for sushi in Texas!