This is a straight forward and very easy recipe. I strongly suggest using a deep fryer rather then a pot of oil on the stove top, because it is safer and far simpler.

For our Tapas Party I made deep-fried green chilies and then the next night I made deep-fried Thai red chilies, Jalapenos and green chilies. They were all delicious.

The following recipe was adapted from Tapas. It’s out of print, but here’s the funny thing – Belle and I own TWO copies of this book. One is a regular sized cookbook, and the other looks like one of those small, chunky cookbooks. Fortunately, we bought both at bargain book prices – they look completely different but have the exact same recipes.

Belle’s note: I didn’t dare brave these deep-fried chilies, but some of the other guests just loved them! I’ve learned that when Ward says, “It’s not that hot,” it means it’s too hot for me. It’s only when he says, “This doesn’t taste spicy at all” that I will brave it, because that means it’s just hot enough for me!

Deep-Fried Chilies

vegetable oil
green chilies, red chilies or jalapenos

Special equipment: Electric deep fryer.

1. Place the oil in the deep fryer according the manufacturers instructions.
2. Heat the oil to 360 degrees F.
3. Place the chilies in the basket and deep fry for 1-2 minutes , depending on the size of the chilies.
4. Remove and place on paper towels to drain.
5. Serve.

I made this Mexican rice to go along with the Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Holy Mole Sauce as the author of The Wine Lover’s Cookbook suggests, and wow! It’s a very nice rice.

I really enjoyed this one and so did the whole family (okay, so maybe not our little one, Dylan, because “It has flavours in it!”. Maybe one day I will get him to try some of my cooking other than the homemade pasta.)

Simmering on stove top

I used free-range chicken stock this time, but for a vegetarian version, just substitute a flavourful vegetable stock.

Belle’s note: I have a fondness for Mexican rice, and this one is very tasty. It went very well with the Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Holy Mole Sauce, and because it has the feta cheese in it, it’s really substantial enough as a light entree for lunch all on its own.

The following recipe is adapted from The Wine Lover’s Cookbook.

Mexican Rice

1-1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
1 cup onions chopped
2 cups basmati rice
2-1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted
3 cups free-range chicken stock
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
8 oz feta cheese with tomato and basil, crumbled
2 large cubanelle peppers, seeded and chopped
cilantro leaves, chopped for garnish

1. Heat butter and oil in a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add shallots and onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add rice, cumin, oregano and the fennel seeds and sauté for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 10-12 minutes (or until most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice).
5. Add the peppers and feta cheese, stirring it in. Cover and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.
6. Take the rice off the heat but allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
7. Fluff with fork just before serving.

One of my favourite grocery stores is T.Phat, a small chain store in Ontario which caters to the Asian, Jamaican, Mexican, Filipino, Indian and Western markets. I always have a fantastic time when I shop there. I wander each and every aisle thinking, What can I make with that? and What is that? Just fantastic!

I discovered chayote squash a little over a year ago and just love it. It is a cross between a pear and an apple but as the recipes say, cooks more like a squash. You can also just cut it and eat it raw.

Jicama is another little gem I discovered at T.Phat. There is just so much out there in the world of food and not enough days to cook them all. I have to be patient!

Belle loved this dish. As for me, I would have liked a lot more cayenne – I’d suggest you add the cayenne to your taste. Still, it was delicious.

Belle notes: I’ve fallen in love with chayote. It’s wonderful raw in a salad, lending a delightful taste of pear but without pear’s mushiness. Eaten raw, it’s crisp and refreshing. Roasted, as in this recipe, it’s incredibly good, with a slight sweetness and just enough firmness. This is now my favourite roasted veg!

Roasted Chayote Squash
Adapted from The New Steak

2 chayote squash, cut into 8 pieces (just like you would cut up an apple)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
pinch of cayenne pepper (Adjust according to your taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the chayote pieces in olive oil to coat, then sprinkle with salt and cayenne pepper. Place chayote on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes. Flip the chayote pieces over and roast for an additional 15 minutes.

It was just Belle and I for dinner the other night, and she asked for steak. We had some striploin in the freezer and lots of recipes in our collection of cookbooks.

Belle opted for this Latin-style steak and it was great. Belle loves her steak rare and I am more of a medium-rare steak eater, but somehow, following the cooking times in the recipe, we ended up with more medium-well then rare.

Luckily, this didn’t effect the flavour. We were both very surprised that the steak tasted so good, even though it was technically over-cooked by our standards. I did this on the stove top instead of the barbeque, which might have been a mistake. I am usually more attentive to steaks if they are over flames rather then in a pan. It might also have been because of the thickness of the steak, but I’ll definitely watch the cooking time more closely in the future.

We had roasted chayote with this, and that was really delicious, too. It would be great just as a snack during the day or late at night. It’s so simple and you can experiment with all sorts of seasonings on them – I’ll post the chayote recipe tomorrow!

Belle’s note: I was a little disappointed when we sat down to dinner and I saw that the striploin was quite well-done. But surprisingly, it had retained its tenderness, and the tequila-avocado sauce was just so lovely with it! Until Ward started cooking, I was never one to see the benefits of having a sauce for my steak, but now he’s definitely sold me on it.

Strip Steak with Tequila-Avocado Sauce
Adapted from The New Steak

2 striploin steaks
2 tsp kosher salt
olive oil
2 tbsp peanut oil
freshly ground black pepper

Tequila-Avocado Sauce
4 tomatillos (about 1/3 cup) I use canned tomatillos so no peeling or cooking is required – just core them
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 Hass avocado
3 tbsp organic lime juice
2 tbsp tequila

Steaks and Sauce

1. Bring steaks to room temperature.
2. Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a small pot and set aside until steaks are done.
4. Salt the steaks and rub with olive oil.
5. Heat the peanut oil in a pan until hot.
6. Sear all sides of each steak in the hot oil for about 1-1/2 minutes each side.
7. Turn the heat down to medium and continue to cook the steaks for 6 minutes, turning every couple of minutes. (This resulted in a medium-well steak. Next time I do this, I will change this to 2 minutes per side for a rarer steak, or use a thicker cut.)
8. Rest the steaks. Any juices that are released you can add to the sauce.
9. Put the sauce into a small pot and heat over high heat for 3 minutes to slightly reduce.
10. Plate the steaks and add some sauce to each one.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. ]]> http://museinthekitchen.com/beef/strip-steak-with-tequila-avocado-sauce/feed/ 2 http://museinthekitchen.com/latin/whats-on-the-menu-for-tomorrow-latin-flavors/ http://museinthekitchen.com/latin/whats-on-the-menu-for-tomorrow-latin-flavors/#comments Fri, 08 May 2009 02:57:05 +0000 Belle http://museinthekitchen.com/latin/whats-on-the-menu-for-tomorrow-latin-flavors/ I hate when this happens late in the evening when my stomach is growling a little and I go into the kitchen to search for food. Ward’s sitting at the kitchen table making up a grocery list, and he announces his plans for tomorrow. And it sounds so good, I wish it was time for dinner, tomorrow, already!

Here’s what’s on the menu for tomorrow, all from Douglas Rodriguez’s Latin Flavors on the Grill, a cookbook we recently picked up. Tomorrow will be our first foray into its recipes, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the recipes will be as good as they sound.

We’ll be having:

Beef Tenderloin with Shitake Mushroom Mojo as the entrée. Our daughter, who’s vegetarian, won’t be at home tomorrow night, so no worries on that end.

Crispy Yucca Hash Browns, which sound really good.

And for the other sides, Ward couldn’t decide between the following:

Plantains with Balsalmic Basil Glaze

Bacon-Wrapped Cauliflower with Red Chili Oil & Lemon

Rum Barbecued Black Beans

Grilled Asparagus with Crab Mayonaise

Grilled Mushroom Salsa

I voted for the Grilled Mushroom Salsa, which had been Ward’s original choice, only he was worried that there would be too much mushroom.

My reply? You can never have too much mushroom.