Carne Asada Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Beef and Mexican olga 9:23 pm

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds flank or skirt steak
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Marinade:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed (best to lightly toast the seeds first, then grind them)
1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped (great flavor in the stems)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Lay the flank steak in a large non-reactive bowl or baking dish. Combine marinade ingredients and pour the marinade over the steak. Make sure each piece is well coated. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

Preheat your grill over medium-high flame (you can also use a cast iron grill pan on high heat for stove-top cooking). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Remove the steak from the marinade. If you are cooking indoors, you may want to brush off excess marinade as the bits may burn and smoke on the hot pan. Season both sides of the steak pieces with salt and pepper. Grill the pieces for a few minutes only, on each side, depending on how thinly sliced they are, until medium rare to well done, to your preference. You may need to work in batches. Remove the steak pieces to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

Serve with warm tortillas (flour or corn). Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side in a dry skillet or on the grill, until toasty and pliable. Alternatively, you can warm tortillas in a microwave: heating just one or two at a time, place tortillas on a paper towel and microwave them for 15 to 20 seconds each on high.

 

Steak Fajitas Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Beef and Mexican olga 9:17 pm

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean steak, cut into strips
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut into thin strips
1 julienned green bell pepper
2 lemons, quartered
salt and pepper to taste
6 (12 inch) flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the lime juice, ground pepper and cilantro in a shallow dish. Place steak strips into the marinade and refrigerate for two to four hours.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak strips, and fry until cooked to your liking. Remove meat and set aside.

Add remaining oil and onions to the skillet. Cook over medium low heat, until translucent, stir in green peppers and steak. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the top and stir. When the green bell peppers are just tender remove the pan from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the steak fajitas with tortillas and lemon wedges on the side.

 

Guacamole Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Appetizer and Mexican olga 7:04 pm

ABOUT:

This recipe came to me from my friend from Guatemala, but being a guy he was using garlic salt and chili powder, so I use his ingredients except I used fresh chopped garlic and chili.

Servings:

2 cup

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe avocados
½ red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
dulp of sour cream to preserve color
chopped garlic

DIRECTIONS:

Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.
Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of one chili pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.
Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve.
Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.
Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.
Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.

 

Cilantro Lime Chicken Fajitas with Grilled Onions Monday, Jul 7 2008 

Chicken and Mexican , olga 9:48 pm

ABOUT:

From Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup olive oil
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons ancho chile powder

6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 large poblano chiles, seeded, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
3 large yellow bell peppers, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
2 red onions, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

12 8-inch flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

Optional toppings: purchased salsas, guacamole, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, and chopped serrano chiles Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Puree first 5 ingredients in processor. Season marinade with salt and pepper.

Place chicken in 13×9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour 1/3 cup marinade over; turn to coat. Arrange poblanos, bell peppers, and onions on large rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1/2 cup marinade over; turn to coat. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with salt and pepper. Reserve remaining marinade.

Grill chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side. Grill vegetables until tender, turning frequently, about 15 minutes for onions and 12 minutes for poblanos and bell peppers. Grill tortillas until charred, about 1 minute per side.

Transfer chicken to work surface; slice crosswise into strips. Fill tortillas with chicken and vegetables; drizzle with reserved marinade. Serve with toppings.

 

Pear Salsa Friday, Apr 18 2008 

Appetizer and Mexican , , , olga 6:54 pm

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe pears, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 Jalapeño chile, minced
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the salsa ends up being a little too hot or acidic for your taste, you can temper it by adding some diced avocado.

 

Tomato Salsa Thursday, Apr 17 2008 

Appetizer and Mexican , , , olga 9:32 pm

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 medium sized fresh tomatoes (from 1 lb to 1 1/2 lb), stems removed, finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
1 serano chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: oregano and or cumin to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Start with chopping up 2 medium sized fresh tomatoes. Prepare the chilies. Be very careful while handling these hot peppers. If you can, avoid touching them with your hands. Use a fork to cut up the chilies over a small plate, or use a paper towel to protect your hands. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours. Set aside some of the seeds from the peppers. If the salsa isn’t hot enough, you can add a few for heat.

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Taste. If the chilies make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilies, or add some ground cumin.

Let sit for an hour for the flavors to combine.

 

Ceviche Thursday, Apr 17 2008 

Appetizer and Mexican , , olga 9:20 pm

ABOUT:

This brings memories from the beach cafe at Playa Del Carmen, the only thing missing is margarita.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs of firm, fresh red snapper fillets, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, completely deboned
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 purple onion, finely diced
1 cup of fresh peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
1 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced
2 teaspoons of salt
dash of ground oregano
dash of Tabasco or a few grains of cayenne pepper

Cilantro
Avocado
Tortillas or tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:

In a non-reactive casserole dish, either Pyrex or ceramic, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, Tabasco, and oregano. Cover with lime and lemon juice. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour, then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the acidic lime and lemon juices. Let sit for at least 6 hours, giving time for the flavors to blend.
Serve with chopped cilantro and slices of avocado with heated tortillas for ceviche tacos or with tortilla chips.
Optional: Can use shrimp and or scallops as a substitute for some of the fish. Can use a firm cod in place of the red snapper.

 

Mango Salsa Thursday, Apr 17 2008 

Appetizer and Mexican , , , olga 6:48 pm

INGREDIENTS:

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 Jalapeño chile, minced
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the salsa ends up being a little too hot or acidic for your taste, you can temper it by adding some diced avocado.

 

Banana Fritters Sunday, Apr 13 2008 

Appetizer and Caribbean and Mexican , , , olga 5:38 pm

ABOUT:

First time i tried it in a Playa Del Carmen, Mexico at the restaurant Palapa Hemingway. Every since it has been my obsession to find out how to make them and i think i have.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup milk
2 bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon margarine, melted
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS:

In a mixing bowl, combine the milk and bananas. Sift in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Thoroughly mix in the eggs and margarine.
Heat the oil in a large skillet to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Carefully place spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and fry until brown. Flip the fritter and continue to brown. Remove fritters from the oil and drain on paper towels. Dust the fritters with confectioners’ sugar and serve while warm.