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Salsa de Molcajete This recipe is from the Mexican Table Salsas course in the eCGI. Making a salsa in a molcajete isn't as difficult as someone prejudiced by grinding spices in a mortar or pounding a Thai curry paste might think. The bulk of the ingredients are soft. Only when you add spices or dried chiles does it become labor-intensive. While I'm not convinced that using a molcajete makes a significant difference in the flavor of most salsas, it makes a very meaningful difference in the texture of many components and anyone who prizes texture highly should give a molcajete a try. You'll be able to compare the texture of the cooked chiles in this recipe with that of the cooked chiles in the salsa verde that follows. I think you'll find that the smashed and ground chiles have a far superior texture to that of the blended chiles. Ultimately the main benefits of a molcajete are two-fold: 1) connecting with the traditions of Mexican cuisine, and 2) the beauty of serving a salsa in the hunk of volcanic rock in which the salsa was made. This salsa is closest in style to what Americans know as salsa, though the wonderful freshness makes the flavors incomparable. Serve with chips, on eggs, on enchiladas, tacos, or even nachos. This recipe was adapted from Diana Kennedy's Salsa de Jitomate in From My Mexican Kitchen (p 200). 1/2 lb or 2 medium tomatoes 1 garlic clove with skin 1 serrano chiles 1/4 c white onion, diced 1 T cilantro, finely chopped Salt Char and soften the tomatoes, garlic, and serranos on a medium-heat comal or its substitute (see tools section). The skin of the tomatoes should be mottled black and the insides squishy. The garlic should be soft to the touch and the serranos should be even blacker than the tomatoes (see photo). The roasting intensifies and sweetens the tomatoes, while softening both the flesh and flavor of the serranos and garlic. Some people are put off by the crispy black skin of the roasted tomatoes and remove it, but it's my favorite part. I've even encountered salsas consisting primarily of just this blackened skin from the tomatoes and they had a wonderful sweetness. Place the garlic (skin removed), chile, and a little salt in the molcajete and grind to a paste using a circular motion. Add the tomatoes one at a time, mashing and grinding until there are no large chunks remaining and the chile-garlic paste has been fully combined with the tomatoes. Stir in the diced onion and chopped cilantro and salt to taste. Serve in the molcajete. Makes about 1 cup. Keywords: Condiment, Dip, eGCI ( RG934 )

Salsa de Molcajete This recipe is from the Mexican Table Salsas course in the eCGI. Making a salsa in a molcajete isn't as difficult as someone prejudiced by grinding spices in a mortar or pounding a Thai curry paste might think. The bulk of the ingredients are soft. Only when you add spices or dried chiles does it become labor-intensive. While I'm not convinced that using a molcajete makes a significant difference in the flavor of most salsas, it makes a very meaningful difference in the texture of many components and anyone who prizes texture highly should give a molcajete a try. You'll be able to compare the texture of the cooked chiles in this recipe with that of the cooked chiles in the salsa verde that follows. I think you'll find that the smashed and ground chiles have a far superior texture to that of the blended chiles. Ultimately the main benefits of a molcajete are two-fold: 1) connecting with the traditions of Mexican cuisine, and 2) the beauty of serving a salsa in the hunk of volcanic rock in which the salsa was made. This salsa is closest in style to what Americans know as salsa, though the wonderful freshness makes the flavors incomparable. Serve with chips, on eggs, on enchiladas, tacos, or even nachos. This recipe was adapted from Diana Kennedy's Salsa de Jitomate in From My Mexican Kitchen (p 200). 1/2 lb or 2 medium tomatoes 1 garlic clove with skin 1 serrano chiles 1/4 c white onion, diced 1 T cilantro, finely chopped Salt Char and soften the tomatoes, garlic, and serranos on a medium-heat comal or its substitute (see tools section). The skin of the tomatoes should be mottled black and the insides squishy. The garlic should be soft to the touch and the serranos should be even blacker than the tomatoes (see photo). The roasting intensifies and sweetens the tomatoes, while softening both the flesh and flavor of the serranos and garlic. Some people are put off by the crispy black skin of the roasted tomatoes and remove it, but it's my favorite part. I've even encountered salsas consisting primarily of just this blackened skin from the tomatoes and they had a wonderful sweetness. Place the garlic (skin removed), chile, and a little salt in the molcajete and grind to a paste using a circular motion. Add the tomatoes one at a time, mashing and grinding until there are no large chunks remaining and the chile-garlic paste has been fully combined with the tomatoes. Stir in the diced onion and chopped cilantro and salt to taste. Serve in the molcajete. Makes about 1 cup. Keywords: Condiment, Dip, eGCI ( RG934 )

Salsa Mexicana This recipe is from the Mexican Table Salsas course, in the eCGI. One of the most basic styles of salsa, a salsa cruda (raw sauce), is simply composed of ingredients chopped and mixed together. Sometimes called a pico de gallo (rooster's beak) or salsa fresca, the most common version, the salsa mexicana, consists of tomatoes, onions, fresh chiles, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. An extremely versatile salsa, it especially goes well with fish and chicken 1/2 lb or 2 medium tomatoes, approximately 3/4 C when diced 1/2 c white onion, diced 1 jalapeño chiles 2 T cilantro, finely chopped 1 tsp lime Salt Remove the core and seeds from the tomatoes and dice the flesh. The tomatoes should be firm, yet ripe. Plum tomatoes make an excellent choice here because of their naturally firmer flesh. Toss in a bowl with the diced onion. Holding the jalapeño upright, slice down the sides of the chile removing the flesh until only the stem and attached seeds remain. Finely chop or mince the jalapeño strips and toss them in the bowl. Serranos are actually typical to this salsa, but I prefer the bright front-of-the-mouth bite of jalapeños instead. Traditionally, all ingredients are chopped quite finely and similarly-sized to allow the flavors to unify. I prefer about a 1/4" dice for the onions and tomatoes with the jalapeños minced so that the chiles do not overwhelm the salsa. Add the cilantro and mix, taking care not to crush the tomatoes. Add the lime juice, mix again, and salt to taste. Let rest for 15 minutes to allow flavors to mingle. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. This is the best template to use for most fruit salsas. Substitute mango, papaya, or even apple, for tomatoes and you still have a wonderful, but entirely different, Nuevo Latino salsa. Substitute corn, beans, or cucumber for the tomatoes and again the salsa takes on a whole new character. Keywords: Condiment, eGCI, Dip ( RG933 )

Salsa Mexicana This recipe is from the Mexican Table Salsas course, in the eCGI. One of the most basic styles of salsa, a salsa cruda (raw sauce), is simply composed of ingredients chopped and mixed together. Sometimes called a pico de gallo (rooster's beak) or salsa fresca, the most common version, the salsa mexicana, consists of tomatoes, onions, fresh chiles, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. An extremely versatile salsa, it especially goes well with fish and chicken 1/2 lb or 2 medium tomatoes, approximately 3/4 C when diced 1/2 c white onion, diced 1 jalapeño chiles 2 T cilantro, finely chopped 1 tsp lime Salt Remove the core and seeds from the tomatoes and dice the flesh. The tomatoes should be firm, yet ripe. Plum tomatoes make an excellent choice here because of their naturally firmer flesh. Toss in a bowl with the diced onion. Holding the jalapeño upright, slice down the sides of the chile removing the flesh until only the stem and attached seeds remain. Finely chop or mince the jalapeño strips and toss them in the bowl. Serranos are actually typical to this salsa, but I prefer the bright front-of-the-mouth bite of jalapeños instead. Traditionally, all ingredients are chopped quite finely and similarly-sized to allow the flavors to unify. I prefer about a 1/4" dice for the onions and tomatoes with the jalapeños minced so that the chiles do not overwhelm the salsa. Add the cilantro and mix, taking care not to crush the tomatoes. Add the lime juice, mix again, and salt to taste. Let rest for 15 minutes to allow flavors to mingle. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. This is the best template to use for most fruit salsas. Substitute mango, papaya, or even apple, for tomatoes and you still have a wonderful, but entirely different, Nuevo Latino salsa. Substitute corn, beans, or cucumber for the tomatoes and again the salsa takes on a whole new character. Keywords: Condiment, eGCI, Dip ( RG933 )

I think the sweet potato fries are a winter seasonal item. My wife likes them. I prefer the Walla Walla onion rings, really good for fast food, and decent for anywhere, imo.

I noticed that the little French/N. African place on NW 23rd, Chez Celeste, is out of business and a Japanese place is there now. Kind of unfortunate, they were decent, though not truly anything special. And Savory Tart is still in business, thank goodness. I need to get back there.

Thank you. Sharon and I have a couple more on the way, maybe in May. I do hope that the lack of questions is because it was so comprehensive and not because it was too daunting or boring.

Did the Savory Tart go out of business, too? My wife and I drove by there and she said it looked all closed up, but I didn't see. That was one of the best values in Portland.

It was a lesbian bar on Hawthorne: 3145 SE Hawthorne

Trillium is correct. It's unfortunate, but true. I think it's true of In and Out, too, but less so. I've been to some In and Outs where the fries were limp, eg, which almost turned me off to InO forever. Then I went to another and the fries were nice and crispy. I still think InO is overrated, but I can see why people like it. (I really like BK's and McD's fries *way* better than InO's. InOs are totally bland and take a *lot* of salt to give them any flavor. Note that I do not eat ketchup, so I just eat fries plain, primarily. That vegetable oil yuck is always there as an aftertaste, too, and often the fresh potato nature of the fries leaves a graininess or something in the middle. I'm not sure what that is, but I don't like it. But again, I can see why others may like it. But for me, it's as much a novelty place as Burgerville is.) For me, Burgerville really is just a decent fast food place with more local character and better than average specials, such as their seasonal milkshakes and Walla Walla onion rings. I think their fries are their worst thing. They're consistently limp. Their halibut fish and chips is easily the best fish I've had at fast food ever, I think. If only you could get decent chips.

I bet that corner has one hell of a lease, too. btw, I noticed a little while back that The Dive has been replaced by a small Italian place, possibly called The Italian Joint. I tried to get information on that lease when I noticed The Dive had closed its doors. It's a tiny spot.

My favorite source for cheese in Portland, Pastaworks, has this cheese selector thing on their website. Give me 3-5 that I should try. I'm sure I've tried several, but I'm often overwhelmed when I go in there: http://www.pastaworks.com/pw_cheese_frameset.html

Oh, sure, coming from a cuisine that insists on putting chili on everything:

Decided to make a Portland specific topic for this since the other once is so dominated by Seattle.... Is Zinc Bistot out of business? It looked all closed up when I went by this weekend.

Scott, that's exactly the result I was hoping for. I hope others will experiment.

My antojeria mexicana has those in it. Probably a couple of my other books, too, but there's a great pic in Quinatana's book.

There's nothing better than nachos or cheese enchiladas topped with sour cream and olives. Mmm. Mind you, these aren't kalamata olives or spanish olives, just the blander black olive you get in the can at the supermarket. With sour cream, cheese, guacamole, and olives you have four fats all working harmony. You Texans don't know what you're missing apparently.

The trees are blossoming right now. It's very nice. I don't think they'll be done by the time you get here. It was a gorgeous weekend and all the streets were lined with huge pink, purple, and white bursting balls of petals. Definitely a good time of year to go to the Japanese Garden if it's nice weather. If you're looking for eating companions, just post or PM.

What is faux mayo made from? I'm enjoying their wrapper-sniffing HIYW commercials of late. Of course, as you could tell from my comments on the RB BK thread, I thought they were making an effort to improve quality there as well. More power to them.

Cafe Azul up here in Portland used to do a taco/quesadilla that was a folded corn tortilla sauteed so that the cheese melted out and became a crispy halo around the opening. Makes me want to cry to think they went out of business this year and that I haven't eaten there in 5 months. (It might interest you to know, Sharon, that Claire Archibald, the chef-owner, worked/studied with both Kennedy and Waters and that the food really showed it).

I did get asked why I was taking pics at Su Casa Imports in Hillsboro. I think it was because I was taking a pic of their carniceria counter and they might have thought I was going to complain to the health board or something. I told him that it was just for a food travel website and he said okay and I took a bunch more pictures. I go on food trips and always take a camera. It's never been a problem before. I'm trying to think if anyone has ever asked me to stop and I can't think of anyone. The ladies in Mexican fondas will sometimes be embarrassed and not want me to take a picture of them, but I've never had an issue with taking a picture of food before. They've always been proud. Anyway, I won't let it deter me. I often ask permission when it's not busy or when it's dark and I need to use flash. I don't want to get in people's way or annoy other patrons. But I'll stick with the motto that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

I didn't have a chance. But what does it matter, really? The only justifiable reason I can see to stop my picture taking would be if I was bothering customers or in the way. Neither was the case. I was trying to be as subtle as possible to not draw attention to myself. When he came up to me I was quite close to the breads and out of the way of anyone. I was also not even using the flash. Interestingly, a person walking past me through the door at the time turned to their partner and commented on the lameness of making me stop taking pictures.

I don't think my dad dips his flour tortillas when making his flour tortillas enchiladas. He pours some sauce over the top and then bakes them. I think in Mexican-American cooking, an enchilada is usually baked to melt all the cheese that is generally used in the Mexican-American version. In Peyton's La Cocina de La Frontera, he breaks it down: In Mexican-American cooking, an enchilada is almost always baked and served hot in contrast to authentic Mexican enchiladas which are are served without final heating and often as a street food. He mentions that this was probably the case also with the earliest Mexican-American enchiladas before the oven was common, but that now they are almost always baked. He offers a recipe for enchiladas in this older style based on the description of San Antonio market enchiladas of the late 1800s and early 1900s. He offers a couple other types of enchiladas. One type, only found in New Mexico really, has the enchiladas stacked like pancakes. Another, referred to as a Sonoran enchilada involves making something like a large sope or round huarache, then covering in common Mexican-American enchilada fixings and then baking. He offers a flour tortillas recipe which he refers to as encharitos de california. He doesn't give a timeline for them, but they're made exactly like most Mexican-American enchiladas, but with flour tortillas. Since my dad grew up in California, I'm sure this is where his idea for them came (even though when I was young we always had corn tortilla enchiladas and only after I was in college did he start making the flour kind, probably for my sisters who much prefer wheat to corn). btw, one thing you find in a lot of his California recipes that was always a common ingredient of Mexican-American food when I was growing up is the black olive. Is it ever used in Tex-Mex?

When was the fajita invented and did/does it ever involve corn tortillas?

As the cheese took more area and the slices got thicker, the process got more difficult. But it was always easier than a knife. I tried a softer cheese -- a grocery store jack -- and it worked well, too.