gulfporter

Ahhhh....fried bologna sandwiches. The best (and almost only) dish my Dad made for me on Saturdays when my Mom went shopping. We'd eat them in front of TV, watching Sky King. The bologna was thin-sliced and he got a great char on it. Served on white bread with ketchup. Chips on the side.

New crop of green beans grown on nearby Mezcala Island by indigenous community, and sold on street corners in our village. Made a salad of them with dried cranberries and toasted pecans with lemon vinaigrette (as we say here, American lemon). Heated GF empanadas from local chef. I don't need GF foods; I buy these because they have most tender flaky crust and his fillings are wonderful. One of these is poblano with cheese and the other is chicken in molé negro. We are in upper 80s near 90, so I use my outdoor gas grill as an oven to heat foods rather than my uninsulated Mexican stove. This is hottest time of year until our rainy season begins in mid June.

Seared tuna taco on flour tortilla with pickled onion, cilantro, avocado and wasabi mayo.

This is produced by Stanley Tucci who hosted CNN's Searching for Italy. We're impressed and happy that we've been to all of the regions covered so far. Eaten at many of the restaurants she's visited. This week's episode on Oaxaca (best cuisine in MX) included a visit with Muxes which is a lifestyle that few outside of Mexico are aware of. Fascinating! https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauramanske/2023/03/25/eva-longoria-hosts-searching-for-mexico-new-travel-food-show/?sh=28e6bd026625

Marshmallow vodka??? Oy!!

Forgot mi esposo's dessert. Chocolate créme brulee.

Grilled rack of lamb. Planned on side of grilled asparagus; saw some Wednesday and said, Oh, it's too early to buy that. Not a stalk to be seen since then. My old saying (from my Bisbee days) haunts me: See it, Like it, Buy it. Ended up with a grape tomato and Persian cucumber lite pasta salad. Lite = lemon and olive oil dressing. Chipotle-cherry dipping sauce.

Grilled rack of lamb. Over white beans. Need to buy a veg or some greens.

Pearl couscous with portobellos, shallots, tomatoes and cilantro. Topped with grilled salmon.

Poutine. I did watch mi esposo eat some in Montreal. I couldn't get past the look of it.

Blackened grilled salmon over corn/bacon/shallot fry, over baby spinach.

Spotted Dick 😎

Grilled shrimp and goat cheese crostini with pesto and pinenuts.

Shrimp with Candied Walnuts and Udon.

Moroccan Couscous Cakes. Great use of leftover couscous!

The mouth taste (read: sliminess) of the cold smoked salmon is a major turn-off. I only like hot-smoked salmon. We are lucky we have a Canadian expat here who smokes and sells it. Hot-smoked hold up better in dishes such as fettucine alfredo and our personal favorite: hot-smoked salmon with local goat cheese in grilled quesadillas with some chipotle.

Moroccan shrimp and Israeli couscous. Recipe, here, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/quick-moroccan-shrimp-skillet/ I cooked a tad longer until toothsome. Had cold grilled shrimp leftovers, added that after cooking, during resting time. I added fresh garlic to the onions and then sautéed the spice mix. I hardly every follow any recipe completely 😎 Made my own version of Ras el Hanout, pretty close to this one, https://silkroadrecipes.com/wprm_print/1100 Very happy with results, will make again.

Rack of lamb with caramelized Brussels sprouts and cherry-chipotle dipping sauce.

Made mini pavlovas with them. Will get fresh strawberries tomorrow. This prototype I filled with some cherry preserves.

Short ribs.....sorta. Went to small local carnacerIa and asked for costillas (ribs) de res (beef). The owner showed me big long beef ribs. I asked, quisiera mas pequeño (I want smaller ones). He said puedo corte (I can cut them). Well, ok. They were very tender and meaty, made them in Instant Pot with a boatload of carrots and onions. Served over lumpy mashed potatoes with a ton of liquidy sauce. fyi, this butcher shop is on our plaza and is famous for the dogs that line up outside for bones. The dogs never fight, wait their turn patiently.

Wish the picture was better. Had a half ear of corn, made it into crispy corn fritters. Added as little flour and corn starch as I dared, pressed them into panko and let them rip. Super crispy! I used a liberal amount of salt and pimiento picante powder that I brought back from Spain in November. Topped with grilled shrimp.