Steak Tacos with Tomatillo and Mixed Pepper Salsa

It's been a few days since my last post. Work has been busy. Life has been busy. Luckily I'm going on vacation tomorrow. Viva Las Vegas!

I made this dish two weekends ago, on a day when I had lots of time to cook. The prep for the meal and the salsa making took place on Saturday, then I was left with a relatively easy meal to finish on Sunday.

I started with a marinade for the steak. I used skirt steak because I was in experimental mode and I haven't used skirt steak a lot. Flank steak or flat-iron steak would also work.

Here's the ingredients:

1 lime, juiced
2 Tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
4 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoon cumin
1 pound skirt steak cut across the grain into 1-inch strips
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

I combined all the marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag, added the steak and tossed the bag in the fridge overnight.


Next I started on the salsa. I had a half-pound of tomatillos still stashed in the crisper from the box two weeks previous (along with three green bell peppers). The next box had three-quarters pound of hatch chilies. I decided to use all of these peppers in my salsa.

Here's the ingredients:

2 clove garlic
.5 pound tomatillos
2 pounds mixed chilies and green bell peppers (pick peppers based on how hot you want the salsa, mine was pretty mild)
1/2 onion, diced
1 lime juiced
fresh cilantro

I started by heating up the grill. When it was quite hot I added the chilies and green peppers and left them to char, turning them as each side of the pepper was blackened.

As soon as each pepper was charred on all sides I removed it to a bowl (and then covered the bowl so the peppers could steam).

Once the peppers had cooled a bit, I donned some rubber gloves (this is very important if you don't want to be in massive pain every time you touch your eyes for the next day) and peeled off the charred skin and removed the stems and seeds.

It is important that, no matter how much easier it would make the process, you not run the peppers under water. This removes too much of the charred, yummy taste. Once I was done, I chopped all the peppers.

Next I got out the food processor. I turned on the blades and tossed in the garlic while it was running (this helps to chop it up). Next I added the tomatillos and processed until the they were ground completely. I put this mixture into a bowl then added the onion, the chopped peppers, lime and a bit of salt.

At this point I set aside some of the salsa for the cilantro-hating husband, then added fresh cilantro to the rest. Then, this went into the fridge so the flavors could marry overnight.

When I was ready to eat the next day, I removed the steak from the marinade and threaded the strips onto several skewers, then grilled them over high heat.

In addition I grilled some green beans (then added a squeeze of lime) and made Cumin-Scented Rice Pilaf (white rice cooked with onion and a bit of cumin).

For the tacos, I set out warm corn tortillas, sour cream, diced avocado and the salsa (and the steak). That way, the husband and I could each put only what we wanted on our own tacos (he doesn't like avocado on his, I like my rice on the side, not in, the taco).

I loved, loved, loved this salsa. I usually like my salsa more towards the warm side, but, as this was quite mild, I was able to heap lots of it on my tacos, yum. The husband liked it too (but he didn't rave about it like me). However, on matters of salsa, I tend to discount his opinion a bit because, in general, he doesn't like salsa.

A couple of days later, I used the rest of the salsa to top scrambled eggs. Also delicious.

All in all the salsa took about 2 1/2 hours to make (the peppers took a long time to peel). Totally worth it for a special occasion, but a little for work than I like to spend on a weeknight meal. I'll make this again, but only when I've got time on my hands...

Shrimp Tacos

Lately I have had a craving for shrimp tacos. There is a local taco place that makes a pretty fair version, but since I am trying to cook more at home I have resisted the urge to get them.

So, when I saw that I would be getting cabbage in my box this week, I decided that this would be a good opportunity to make my own.

Here's the ingredients.

2 limes, juiced, divided
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
30 or so smallish shrimp
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1 mango, julienned
creme fraiche
white corn tortillas

I started by marinating the shrimp in half of the lime juice and the adobo sauce (whenever I open a can of chipotles I stick whatever I have left in the can in the freezer, so I almost always have adobo on hand). I set this aside for about 20 minutes.

While the shrimp marinated I worked on the cabbage slaw. I combined the cabbage, red bell pepper and mango along with the juice of 1/2 a lime and a little salt and black pepper, then set it aside.

To grill the shrimp, I skewered them the long way through the entire shrimp so that they would be a bit straighter when they were done.

I sprinkled the shrimp with a little salt then grilled the skewers for about 3 minutes on each side. While the shrimp cooked I warmed the tortillas, wrapped in wet paper towels, in the microwave for 30 seconds.

When everything was ready I created tacos by spreading each tortilla with about a Tablespoon of creme fraiche, a bit of the cabbage slaw and a few shrimp.

How was it? Well, these were quite good. The slaw was maybe a tiny bit too limey but overall really tasty. With a couple of tweaks (less lime, a little more spice) I could see these going on the permanent repertoire.

The day before I got sick...

... I made this for dinner. Chicken and Black Bean Tacos (chicken marinated in spicy vinegar, cumin and chili powder plus black beans with cumin and red onion),

with Corn and Tomato Salsa (frozen corn, green bell pepper, tomato, red onion, lime juice),

and avocado relish (avocado, red onion, garlic, lime juice)

Delish.

Grilled Beef Tacos with Mango and Avocado Salsa

I have been out and about a lot this week. I actually left my house (and ate out) twice this week (I am generally quite the homebody).

Well, today I was home and ready to cook. This week in I CSA box I got a ton of items that just screamed salsa, so I decided to go Mexican.

I started with the salsa. Here's the ingredients:

1 mango, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1-2 jalapenos (there's one in the pic, but I ended up using two)
1 lime, juiced
2 avocado, chopped
kosher salt to taste

Early in the afternoon I combined all the salsa ingredients except for the avocado so that the flavors could marry a bit (I didn't want to add the avocado at this point because I was afraid the avocado would get brown). So, right before serving, I stirred in the avocado.

I decided to use a spice rub on the steak. Here's the ingredients:

2 Tablespoon, chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 flat iron steak

I mixed together all of the rub ingredients, rubbed them over the steak, them let it sit in the fridge until I was ready to grill.

I would have liked to have use the charcoal grill for this but, alas, I am out of charcoal (I really need to put this on my shopping list) so I used the gas. I cooked it over high heat to rare, then let it rest for five minutes, then sliced it thin and squeezed a little lime on top.

While the steak was resting I put some corn tortillas on the grill to warm through.


To serve I put the sliced steak, delicious salsa and tortillas on/in separate plates and bowls so that the husband and I could make tacos exactly as we liked them.

Alongside I made a salad of cucumber, radishes and raw sunchokes (I just found out I LOVE sunchokes) dressed with a minced clove of garlic, some Spanish-infused vinegar that I made (the infusion has cider vinegar, garlic, chili peppers, chives, basil and oregano) and salt and pepper.


How was it? Really, really good. Pleasantly spicy but sweet (from the mango) at the same time. I am so glad that I have extra salsa, it will be a delicious snack tomorrow. The only thing that would have added is some cilantro with the salsa, but the husband has that genetic disposition towards cilantro that make it taste like soap. So, while I would have enjoyed it, the husband would have been miserable.

This was one of those meals that made me really happy that I cook at home.

Mexican Sweet Potato and Beef Salad (and Quesadilla)

Many years ago, before my second career as a chef started, I was helping to direct a photo shoot for my employer. The photo studio was in downtown Seattle and as it was an all day photo shoot, the studio decided to bring in lunch for us.

The inspiration for my meal came from that experience years ago. I never found out the name of the restaurant, but I remember eating this sweet potato quesadilla type thing that blew my mind. So good.

I'm sure that what I made wasn't even close to the original (it was over 10 years ago after all). But it was along the same lines and it was pretty tasty.

For the Sweet Potato and Meat Mixture

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
cayenne pepper (to taste)
2ish tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers)
1 lime, juiced

I started by heating a large pan over high heat. I added my sweet potato with about 1/2 cup water and let it simmer for a while until the sweet potato started to get soft. I added the rest of the ingredients (except for the adobo and lime juice) along with some salt and pepper and cooked it until the beef was nicely browned. I added the adobo and lime juice and checked my seasonings then turned down the heat while I worked on the rest of the ingredients.


For the salad

1 head green leaf lettuce, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
cheddar cheese
sour cream
salsa
cherry tomatoes
chopped chives

On the plates I layered lettuce, some of the sweet potato and beef mixture, corn, cheddar cheese and tomatoes. I topped this with a dollop of sour cream, a spoonful of salsa and some chopped chives. I served it with a couple of corn tortillas that I warmed in the toaster oven.

My only complaint was that I should have dressed the greens in just a touch of vinaigrette, or at the very least, squeezed a little more lime juice over the whole thing before serving. But, alas, I only had the one lime. It also may have been better served with a few corn chips instead of the tortillas.

Now, while the salad was pretty good, lunch today was even better. I used the leftover sweet potato and beef mixture (to which I added a bit of corn) along with some cheddar cheese and corn tortillas to make Quesadillas. I served it with a little green salad and some sour cream and salsa on the side.


Yum. Maybe not mind-blowing good, but definitely one the better lunches I've had in a while.

Mexican-Style Eggs in Purgatory

One of my friends raises chickens and over the weekend she was generous enough to give me some of their eggs. I have often thought about making eggs in purgatory (sometimes known as eggs in hell) and decided this was the perfect time. However, eggs in purgatory is often made as an Italian dish and I wanted to go Mexican since the avocados in my CSA box are ready to eat.

Here's the ingredients for the eggs



















1 bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 clove garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
several dashes of hot sauce
1 avocado, sliced

I started by sauteing the bell pepper and onion, adding the garlic towards the end of the cooking. I added my canned tomatoes, salsa and some hot sauce. I brought this to a soft simmer and then made four indentations in the sauce and broke one egg into each of the indentations. I wanted soft egg yolks so I basically just let the eggs poach until them were down how I like them (it took about 10 minutes). If I wanted firmer yolks, I would have spooned some of the sauce over the eggs as they cooked.

















I would have served this with warm corn tortillas but I didn't have any of those and I'm swimming in potatoes so I made some crispy fried potato cakes.

Here's the ingredients for the potato cakes
2 russet potatoes
1/2 cup or so cream or milk
1 cup leeks (any onion would work but I had some leftover leeks that I wanted to use)
flour for dredging
salt and pepper

Basically I made (lumpy) mashed potatoes with the potatoes and cream, sauteed the leeks and then stirred them into the potatoes. Once they cooled a little I used a medium scoop to portion out the potatoes and then squashed them into patties about 2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick.


















I dredged them in flour and fried them in the oil until they were crispy and delicious. Once everything was ready I put a few of potato cakes on each plate, added the cooked eggs and some sauce and them topped it with sliced avocado.


















How was it? Really good. In fact it was better than I expected. I'm actually glad that I didn't have tortillas because the potatoes were so good with the dish. I would make this again in a heart beat (and the husband liked it so he would eat it again too).