Shrimp and Mango Salad

Shrimp and Mango Salad on Toast

 

If you want a casual and easy to make appetizer, tasty and fresh at the same time, then the Shrimp and Mango Salad on Toast is a great option. You can pair it with drinks in a cocktail party or serve it as first course in a dinner and be sure to open appetite. Anyway you serve it, just enjoy it!

 

Ingredients

 

2 cups of cooked salad shrimp

1 cup of diced mango *you can use frozen mango, do not use mango in syrup

4 tbsp of finely chopped onion

2 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro

2 tbsp of lime juice

2 tbsp of chipotle sauce

3 tbsp of light mayo  *if you don't like mayo you can use olive oil however it won't be as creamy as in the pic.

Salt and pepper
 

 

Mix the onion, cilantro, lime juice, chipotle and mayo in a bowl. Then incorporate the shrimps and mango.Once you have all the ingredients together, salt and pepper to season. Pour the mix in the food processor  and chop it but don't blend it. This recipe is better when it has pieces of shrimp and mango in the mix and you can have a bite of them.  Put the mix in the refrigerator for at least one hour it will help the flavors to become tangy and lightly spicy. Serve it on toast, water crackers or a lettuce leaf.  

You may garnish it with a piece of mango and some cilantro leaves.



 

Almond Cookies with Apricot Preserves



 

These cookies were a hit on the Christmas table.  The recipe I used to make them comes from a Mexican cooking magazine from the 1960's.  Most of the recipes in that publication are very complicated and precise. I have tried some of them but this is the one I keep coming back to. This is the simplified version with great results.  The warm and golden color, the almond crunch when you bite and the flavor and consistency are delicious and fulfilling.

 

Ingredients

 

2 cups of flour

1 cup of sugar

2 tbsp of baking powder

2 tbsp of almond flavor

8 egg yolks

300 grams of butter at room temperature

1 cup of ground almonds *grind whole almonds in the food processor

Apricot Preserves to Garnish

 

 

The magazine's instructions recommend and incorporate the ingredients with bare hands, except for the butter, eggs and sugar which are to be mixed with a fork or a whisk. However nowadays we can use the food processor or blender to make the cookie dough. I have tried both ways the "old style" and the "modern style" and the results are pretty much the same.

First step is to mix the dry ingredients flour, ground almonds and baking powder.  Then mix the butter and the sugar and  add the yolks one by one.  When you have both mixes ready, add them together (hands or food processor) until you have a yellowish and soft dough. Make balls with the hands of about 1.5 inches  (about 3 or 4 cms) of diameter. Place them on cooking sheets, leaving a space of  2 inches between each cookie. Preheat the oven at 375 F.  Bake them for about 15 mins or until they have almost doubled their size and flattened. If they are golden on the bottom, they are ready.  Take them out of the oven and pressing a spoon in the center make some space to put the apricot jam once they have cooled down.

Let them cool and then fill the cookies with the jam in the center.  They are great as dessert or as a snack and have healty protein from the almonds.

 

 



Jamming!!

The other day the blackberries at the supermarket were on sale but sadly they aren’t a big hit with my family. They can be sour and not as mouth melting as raspberries. However I wasn’t going to let the great price of 1 dollar per box to go away.  I thought of making fruit salad, or blending them in a juice drink, but while I was strolling around the supermarket aisles I had the great idea to make a jam.  A good quality jar of jam or fruit preserve can be expensive, for example Sarabeth’s jams, this delicious New York brand sold in gourmet specialty stores such William and Sonoma costs around 11 dollars for a 18 oz jar. There is also the French brand Gran Mere which is more affordable but still more expensive than the mainstream brands, although is highly recommendable to pay the difference because of the great consistency and flavor.  Jams are great because they are very versatil,  you can use them on toast in the mornings, mix them with yogurth or oatmeal, or eat them over ice cream as a topping, or simply enjoy them from the jar with a spoon. I found them very easy to make and store.  This recipe came out too yummy that I can’t wait for the supermarket to have another fruit special to make morejars  and give them as Christmas presents.

TURKEY MEMORIES

Even though during the holidays I enjoy making a robust and juicy turkey for the family , carving and serving it with all the trimmings, I have to confess I’m not a big turkey fan.  It probably has a connection with my full of turkey childhood memories.  Coming from a big family, our holiday’s gatherings were always around a generous served table: mushroom spaguetti, mashed potatoes, soup, buñuelos, warm punch and three turkeys .  I remember my mom and aunt attentively following my grandmother’s instructions (as nurses follow doctors´during a surgery) for the preparation of one smoked turkey, one stuffed turkey and one Pavo al Cuñete (an unusual recipe of pickled turkey).  An abundance of poultry meat!! Few days after Christmas or New Year´s celebrations the turkey tamales would arrive to our table. These tamales are made with the remnants of turkey fat instead of using the traditional lard.in the mix. They are stuffed with shredded beef or turkey; or in a sweet version, flavored with vanilla and raisins.   Since they are difficult to make they are considered a delicacy.  A delicacy I was never able to appreciate! maybe because of my short age or perhaps because I still have memories of the turkey  grease aftertaste in my mouth after I gobbled the soft tamales. 

However many years after, with no more than one bird per table, per holiday and living in another country, knowing all the benefits of eating lean meat and the different ways to prepare turkey. I like to use it in my everydays meals. This is a simple recipe that even my picky five years old son Gabriel would devour.

BREADED TURKEY CUTLETS

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds of turkey breasts cutlets
• Half cup of milk
• 1 egg
• 2 cups of bread crumbs or Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1 quart cup of Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and Pepper (about one tbsp of each)
• Oil to fry (canola, vegetable or olive)

PREPARATION

Cut the cutlets in 10 pieces that are about the same size.  Keep them long and less than an inch thick.  In a bowl mix with a fork or a whisk: the milk, the egg, the Worcestershire sauce and the salt and pepper. Soak the pieces of turkey in the liquid mixture and let them stay for few minutes. Meanwhile warm up the oil at medium heat. Take the pieces and place them over a plate where you have previously spread the crumbs. Cover them on both sides with crumbs. Then proceed to fry them two minutes each side, two times, until is golden brown outside and fully cooked inside (take one piece and cut it in the middle to prove the meat is fully white and tender). Serve them with a side of rice, potatoes or salad.  They should be crispy and delicious.

Fall Cravings: Creme Brulee

Crème Brulee
There is an undeniable connection with psyche and food. When I start to see all the fall decorations around me, immediately I start to crave sweet and warm desserts made with apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, vanilla and pumpkin flavors. I picture myself drinking coffee with friends and eating my treat (even though when fall in LA has thrown us couple of days at 105 F, not much need for a hot beverage). For me Apple pie is a favorite and I actually find it easy to make, so I decided to challenge myself and go for something different like Crème Brulee with vanilla cinnamon touch. I had never prepared it before; certainly I had eaten it so many times. Preparing it was easy, tasteful, and inexpensive. Above all I loved the fact, I didn’t need a torch to melt the sugar, you can use your broiler and voila! You can achieve the crunchy delicious layer of caramelized sugar. If you contain yourself and eat only one portion, it’s not as caloric as the ones you have at a restaurant; you can garnish it with berries, eat it warm or cold, enjoy it by yourself or impress your guests.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 and half cups of heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract 3 tablespoons of brown sugar

PREPARATION

• Preheat the oven at 325 F In a large bowl mix the yolks, the sugar, the cinnamon and the vanilla extract. You don’t need to use the mixer, you can whisk it until all ingredients are incorporated and look creamy.
• Pour the cream in a saucepan and stir over low heat, remove it just before it boils.Let it cool for 3 minutes.
• Then mix together the cream and the eggs mixture until you create a yellow cream.
• Pour the mix in individual ramekins, you can make between 4 and 6 portions, depending how big you want them to be.
• Place the ramekins in a large baking or roasting pan and add water to cover up to the half of the ramekin in order to bake them in Bain Marie (Water Bath). Bake them for 35 minutes approximately, until they are set but the center still is soft.
• Let them cool and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours.
• Once they are cold, sprinkle the brown sugar (1/2 tbsp by ramekin) on top. Place the recipients under the broiler in your oven until sugar melts in 3 minutes approximately.
• Let them reach room temperature and ready to enjoy!!

* Never try just melted sugar since it can seriously burn your mouth

Journey through local food: Tacos

Life has taken me to live to different cities. When I just got there, I was barely acquainted with anyone.  Sometimes I felt I didn't know where to start to get to know my new surroundings.  I remember I would be looking through my window trying to identify the least strange of my neighbors to go and say hello, or trying to small talk with the dead serious front desk man in the lobby of my building, or wandering the wrong streets up and down trying to find a payphone  because I didn't have a cell or land phone, walking 3 kms under the Los Angeles  intense sun to get a cab (I imagined there were going to be as many as in New York).    Anyway adapting to a new environment is a process of trial and error.  It can be a frustrating and somehow a funny  journey. However I can say that I have found an almost infallible way to get to around my new location: discovering, observing and trying the local food.

For me food is a language that speaks to you. A language that talks about traditions, history, geography and customs. Every time I try a new dish, its ingredients tell me about a its background and I try to appreciate and understand the new flavors.  Right now I am living in LA. The move from New York to the West Coast was overwhelming at the beginning.  In New York my family and I had already figured out our favorite places to enjoy all kinds of food, from Shanghai soup crab and pork dumplings in Chinatown to savory soft Greek lemon potatoes in Astoria, from the tangy flavor of the mint and cilantro Indian sauce in Jackson Heights to Russian cold cuts in Brighton Beach.  When we arrived in LA  we started to trace a new map for our taste buds.

Los Angeles is a multi ethnic city that hasn’t spared  culinary surprises.  In this sunny side of the country there is an abundance of choices for burgers, for Asian Latin fusion plates and of course many other opportunities to sample international gastronomy. One big thing is the big variety of tacos  sold in Food Trucks  or in trendy Mexican eateries. You can find traditional ingredients, or adventurous mixes, such the tacos sold at Central Market made with carne asada and Korean kimchi. Tacos are made from beef, chicken, vegetables, fish and seafood. Being born and raised in Mexico I enjoy the pleasure of eating a good taco, it can come from a street vendor. or from a fine restaurant or even better from my kitchen.  Here is an  easy and tasty recipe for Shrimp Tacos and Tomato and Jalapeno Salsa.

Shrimp Tacos

 

 

Ingredients

• One pound of raw and peeled shrimp
• One big red pepper cut into strips
• One jalapeno pepper (big if you want it spicy or small if you want a smooth flavor) cut into strips
• One medium onion cut into strips
• Two tablespoons of lemon juice
• Half of a big onion
• Four tablespoons of chopped cilantro
• Two chopped garlic cloves
• Four tablespoons of oil (corn, vegetable or olive)
• 12 corn tortillas
• Salt and Pepper

 

 

Preparation

 

 

 

In a big skillet, warm up the oil at medium heat.  Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper.  Toss them when  they start to turn orange add the garlic and the lemon juice.   Stir the ingredients together for two minutes. Then add the red pepper, cilantro, onion and jalapeno pepper strips.  Keep moving the ingredients , so the flavors can mix. When the red pepper strips start to look and feel softer. Remove the skillet from the heat. Meanwhile warm the tortillas in a skillet or in the microwave, and plate 3 tortillas in each dish, in order to make four portions. Put the shrimp on  the tortillas. Tacos are ready!!!

Basic Mexican Salsa Recipe

There is a huge variety of Mexican Salsas. This is an easy recipe that you can make with the very four basic ingredients of most salsas: peppers, tomatoes, onions and cilantro.  The variations in the amounts of ingredients alters the flavor, for example more tomatoes will make make it less spicy, more peppers will make it hotter.  The following recipe is for a medium hot taste.

Ingredients

4 big Roma tomatoes
2 medium jalapeno peppers
Half big onion
Half cup of fresh cilantro
1 tbsp of white or apple vinegar
Salt

Bring the tomatoes and jalapenos to boil. Boil them at medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until they change colors and become really tender.

 

 

Take the tomatoes and jalapenos out of the boiling water put them in the blender.  Add the cilantro and the onion, as well as the salt. Blend it until all ingredients are liquefied,you will notice how the salsa turns green.  Put in a ceramic bowl and add the vinegar and mix it with a spoon. 
Enjoy with tacos, quesadillas, sandwiches and chips.