Vegetarian – Page 13 – Experiments in my New World Kitchen and Garden

Goat Cheese and Beans

I'm a little late coming to goat cheese. It was everywhere at one point and I always liked it but didn't quite the fuss. Why should I be in love with it all these years later?

I think it was a trip to Costco and buying Laura Chenel goat cheese and needing to use it before the expiration date. I made tamales, I made sauces but the best was a simple taco with refried beans, a smoodge of cheese and some chopped, pickled chiles. What a swell dinner this was!

I love heavy duty refried beans made with lard and onions but really, you can just mash some in a sauce pan, especially for a dish with other ingredients, and have a fine time.

Ouch. Our Insanely Hot DeArbol Chiles.

I didn't know I could hit such high notes! I wasn't singing. I was screaming.

This year's crop of De Arbol chiles is insanely hot. The seeds come from Jalisco and have been grown in California by one of of our bean farmers since the 1970s.

After chopping off the stems and casually shaking out as many seeds as possible, I pan roasted the chiles for a few minutes on a clay comal. I heard my children coughing and sneezing in the next room and I shrugged, thinking they were such delicate little creatures, until I took a deep breath myself. Why hadn't I opened the windows and turned on the fan?

I also roasted two cloves of garlic and two spoonfuls of Mexican oregano. I blended all this with about half a cup of water, salt and three splashes of fruit vinegar and blended well.

Listen, I've got nothing to prove when it comes to heat. I like it hot as long as it's flavorful. This tasted great but goodness, it was searing. I added a little more vinegar and it was painful, but in a good way. Normally De Arbol chiles are hot but this is like something else. I can't wait for more.

De Arbol Chiles at Rancho Gordo.

In Praise of the Tortilla

As a longtime fan of Mexican food, you can imagine it's a little funny and a little irritating watching the great chefs of the world discover Mexican food, and the taco in particular. For years, many places have been making do with mediocre or bad tortillas, beans and chiles. It seems everyone, especially those in New York, have got religion all at once. I hope it lasts.

But loving tacos without having a broader understanding or passion for Mexican food and ingredients is like loving car door handles while ignoring the rest of the vehicle. And obsessing over tacos without a love of tortillas, the process of nixtamalization or experimenting with different corns, is just nuts.

Before the great chefs go out on a limb and declare this the golden age of tacos, I'd suggest they make an insanley fresh tortilla from insanely fresh masa and add maybe a wee bit of cheese, salt and salsa and be happy with that before they dig any deeper.

I may sound defensive and like a crabby old fart (and for sure, I'm the latter), but we've been importing heirloom corn from small farmers for years and the interest in it has been almost zilch. Again, let's hope this sticks. We'll all eat better.

We make our own tortillas for sale here in the Bay Area, available at our stores in Napa and the ferry building in San Francisco and many food shops.

A Potato Galette, Sort Of.

I came of age in the kitchen in the early 1980s. One of my favorite Saturday morning shows was Julia Child and More Company. I missed the French Chef era and this was the first time I saw food TV and thought, that's for me! Julia was serious, fun and the food looked great. I bought the book that went with the series and an immediate favorite, especially with roast chicken, was a straw potato galette.

I'd sort of forgotten about them until I bought a spiral cutter on impulse, thinking I'd make zucchini pasta, among other things. I have and it's fun but it dawned on me potatoes would be an ideal vegetable for this new toy.

I "spiralized" a potato and half of a white onion and mixed them together. I placed them on a tea towel and squeezed like hell to get any excess moisture out of them.

In the pan I'd be cooking in, I cooked about a quarter cup of bacon parts and once cooked, removed the meat and let it rest on a paper bag. I added a little olive oil to the remaining bacon fat and then added the potato and onions to the hot oil.

I kept smashing the mixture down to solidify it and make it one, then placed a lid on the pan and let the potatoes cook for about six minutes. Then I flipped the whole galette in the air and it worked pretty well. You need a very well-seasoned pan or a non-stick version, and plenty of fat to keep it from sticking. A little nerve doesn't hurt. You can also invert it on to a plate but that seemed to tame for me.

Another five minutes and the bottom was browned and all was good with the world. Crunchy on the outside and creamy within.

This was breakfast, so after salting, I cut up a piece of the galette, topped it with some bacon bits and then plopped a good fried egg on top and ground pepper as well. Of course the yolk makes the most perfect sauce and my only regret is that I don't have the time to do this every morning.

As I said, this would be a perfect bed for a resting roasted chicken but even a simple salsa, Mexican or even Italian salsa verde, would be a good idea. What about a scoop of warm beans and a crumble or threee of queso fresco?

Breakfast of Champions

I was visiting my friends Maria and Isidro in their little village called Tepehuaje, right on the Lago Chapala and the first morning they asked if I wanted to join them for a pajarete. I had no idea what they were talking about but I wanted to be a good guest. We drove to a small glen where we were greeted by a lot of their friends. About 20 cows were eating and being milked. The women all had little kits with mugs and mysterious bottles. Everyone waited and gossiped but I still wasn’t clear on the concept.

At one point, the man tending the cows gestured to Isidro. Isidro grabbed the mugs from Maria and held them while she dutifully placed a spoonful of instant coffee, a spoonful of sugar and a shot of tequila in each mug. Then Isidro when over to the cow and then finally it dawned on me why everyone was so happy and why my friends start out the day this way. The drink is warm and frothy and I don’t think you need much of an imagination to guess how good it was or what I did for breakfast everyday while I stayed with them.

Aside from the drink, it was a chance for all the neighbors to get together and swap stories. It wasn’t too much different than a café. Only this one smelled like cow turds and there was no attitude or tip jar.

(From a post in April, 2007)

Fermented Xoconostle

Being an unbearable hipster, I of course am fermenting almost everything that stands still in my kitchen. Kombucha, vinegar, tepache, chiles, beets– nothing is safe. My latest victim is the sour prickly pears known as xoconostle.

I am lucky enough to have them regularly in my local Mexican market here in Napa. The girls at the checkout look at them, then at me and then laugh, asking me if I know what they are. I know they think I believe them to be regular sweet prickly pears, or tunas, but I know they are sour and wonderful but very different from the sweet tunas.

As usual, I slowly roasted them on a clay comal, turning them often for an even roast. The smell is wonderful and when I get some time, I want to play around and see how many ways I can use this fruit. I made a salsa and what was leftover were the trimmings and the center sack loaded with rock-hard seeds.

I placed them in a mason jar with some honey and filled it up with water. Remember, this was just the waste I used, none of the fruit beyond what was clinging to the bottom skin or seeds. I covered this with a cut out from an old (clean!) tee shirt and wrapped it with a rubber band. Every day I stirred it and within a few days, it started to ferment. I added a little more honey and pushed it until it was starting, but not yet turning into vinegar. Fizzy, sweet and sour was my goal.

It's really good! I'm going to keep on doing this and even make some vinegar at some point.

I participate in a fermentation group on Facebook and mentioned this and one poster write" "Anyway, I read where the seeds contain quercetin. This made me wonder whether your xoconostle-honey ferment would take on many of the wonderful properties. If so, it would possibly have upper respiratory, cardiovascular, blood pressure-normalizing and anti-histamine benefits – as well as lots of anti-oxidant fabulousness." I don't know how much nutrition I was able to squeeze out for a short 7 day fermentation but maybe it did some good. I can use it!

As I like to say, I mostly interested in flavor and preservation. The health stuff is a real bonus.

Fermented Xoconostle

It's really good! I'm going to keep on doing this and even make some vinegar at some point.

As I like to say, I mostly interested in flavor and preservation. The health stuff is a real bonus.

Breakfast with Eggs Poached in Heirloom Tomatoes

The more I read about breakfast cereal, the more I question its value as a breakfast food. Processed grains with sugar floating in milk. I have the habit but like a lot of things these days, I'm re-examining it. Why do I need sugar to wake up? Why does this thing need to float in milk? Do I really love the taste?

If I think about it, I'd much prefer something savory. And of course any excuse to cook in a clay pot is a good one.

I've had too many tomatoes from my CSA this year but not enough to can. I ended up cooking them a bit and running them through the food mill to catch the skins and seeds. Now it's ready to use and more importantly, easy to use. I sauteed some onion, garlic, Mexican oregano and olive oil and when soft, added some of the tomato puree.

Once it reached a gentle simmer, I poached two eggs in the liquid until they just set. Then using a slotted spoon, I took them out and gently added some of the cooking liquid to the bowl. Served with buttered whole wheat bread, it easily beat a bowl of Kix and cold milk. My youngest was licking the bowl. Something I act like I discourage but when it's real food, I'm happy inside, despite my protests. Shhhh. Don't tell him.

Piloncillo Shortbread Cookies

I recently bought some fun cookie stamps. Why, I'm not really sure. I don't love baking the way I love cooking but these were so much fun and so easy that I may change my mind.
Piloncillo isn't as sweet as refined sugar, which may be a problem for some but I found these sandy discs to be perfectly sweetened.

Next I think I would sub some of the flour for ground nuts or our pinole. Maybe. These really were perfect as they were and the staff here at Rancho Gordo (and let's face it, they can be picky) gobbled them up.

Piloncillo Shortbread Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup Rancho Gordo piloncillo
1 teaspoon Rancho Gordo Pure Vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups undifted All Purpose Flour

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream the piloncillo with the butter until well mixed. Add the vanilla and then the flour. Beat at a low speed until very well mixed.

Form the dough into one inch balls. Place then on an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Smash with the bottom of a juice glass or use a cookie stamp. Bake for about 10 minutes. They should be cooked but not brown as they'll continue cooking for a while after you take them out of the oven.

Allow to cook thoroughly.

Adapted from a recipe by Rycraft Cookie Stamps.

The Four (and a half) Culinary Plants Every Mexican Home Cook Should Be Growing

The deeper you dig into Mexican cooking, the more addicted you get to the unique flavors and ingredients. A bunch of cilantro from the grocery store is fine but you start to crave more. Unfortunately, this means no spur of the moment trips to the store for your herbs. You normally will need plant them yourself. You may even get to the point where you grow your own corn for homemade tortillas. I did once!

Culantro (Eryngium foetidum)

We all know cilantro, or fresh coriander, but before the conquest, this unique flavor was provided by culantro. It's not as delicate and won't bolt in the summer the way cilantro does. I've tried growing cilantro and I like that it's stronger tasting than the store-bought but I found it a bother. Culantro, on the other hand, it's hardier and bolts at the end of the season, but reseeds itself easily so I'll have another supply the following Spring.
I've heard that in Mexico City, certain aficiandos insist on culantro for their tacos over cilantro. I'll leave that to the experts. I'm glad to have access.

Epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides)

Occasionally you find fresh epazote in the Mexican markets and once I even found it in my local mainstream supermarket, packed in plastic with the other herbs! I wouldn't be able to make it without a plant near my kitchen. Its most famous use is with beans, making them more digestible, it's said, but I think the real value is culinary. It's odd at first but it's great and you start wondering about new ways to use it. It's classic to put a leaf or two on a simple quesadilla but I love it with sauteed mushrooms or grilled octopus.

In Hidalgo, I've had it mixed with fried onions and ricotta cheese.

You can find it dried but personally I think it's as worthless as dried basil. It really deserves to be consumed fresh.

It can be invasive so I always grow it in a pot. It comes back every year.

Hoja Santa, Hierba Santa, Acuyo (Piper auritum)

This seems to be only available as a cutting so you need to meet a nice person from Oaxaca or do a web search. I've purchased it before online but my best pot is from a clipping. The plant has a slight root beer and anise flavor. This tastes much better than it sounds. If you read my blog, you know I love to wrap fish in it and it's an essential part of mole verde. You see it mostly in Oaxacan and Veracruzano cuisine. It likes a moist environment with indirect sun but it can be invasive under the right conditions.

Nopal (Opuntia ficus indica)

All this plant requires is excellent drainage, a sunny spot and occasional water and you will be well fed with cactus paddles for a vegetable and prickly pears as a fruit. I really don't understand why we don't embrace this wonderful plant more. I think they're beautiful and if you have a flair for the dramatic, consider a row of nopales alternating with red roses. I've seen it and it's pretty spectacular.

Papaloquelite (Porophyllum ruderale subsp. macrocephalum)

I wouldn't call this one essential unless you love the food of Puebla and the cemitas sandwich in particular. It's oily, strong and has the romantic flavors of gasoline and mint. It's nice chopped up on grilled meats with salt and garlic and it's essential to the Dagwood sandwich known as a cemita. It's not really key but I think you should know about it and it's easy to grow.