gulfporter

Udon noodles with shrimp. Topped with peanuts and green onions.

Carbfest....we usually eschew pasta at home, but mi esposo is looking to gain back a few pounds. Penne rigate in a light cream sauce with shallots, garlic and peas. Topped with toasted panko with pine nuts. I bought these pine nuts in their shells from a street vendor. Had to bust them with a hammer, probably lost half due to my learning curve. The nuts are very small and pink in color after toasting.

Mi esposo is spending the night in our new local hospital after a procedure this morning (in the past he would have had to go to Guadalajara, an hour away). Today is a major holiday, Día de Independencia. Despite the holiday, his specialists were there for him at 6AM (it was an emergency). They called in the whole team from Guadalajara after determining what was needed; they got there in 45 minutes. Amazing health care here. Dinner.....Tostadas de Tinga de Pollo. After he told them how good they were, they brought another plate for me.

Mi esposo found a box of imported risotto mix in the back of a cupboard (we bought a lot of packaged foods at the beginning of the pandemic). Labelled Risotto Milanese with Saffron. Saturday I had a lunchtime appointment so my DH decided to make it. Awful...so salty! But plentiful...it made 4+ cups. He barely touched it. I told him to save it and I'd figure out a way to resurrect it. Today I added fresh corn off the cob, sautéed poblanos/onions/red peppers and a few handfuls of grated jack cheese. Threw in some panko and few eggs to bind it. Pan fried them on high heat. These risotto cakes were tasty and crunchy. I made a lime and cilantro mayo with a dash of chipotle.

Grilled Moroccan Chicken Thighs with Prune/Green Olive/Pecan Couscous. https://www.andiemitchell.com/grilled-moroccan-chicken-thighs-with-pecan-couscous/ I used the above recipe EXCEPT I doubled the marinade/paste so I could convert some of it to a serving sauce. I also increased the spice level and amount of prunes and olives, both in the marinade/paste and couscous. I had enough marinade/paste that I reserved half of it for the eventual sauce. To make the sauce, I diluted the paste with a bit of chicken broth.

Yesterday I made my first meal since early July; I had hand surgery on July 5. This Friday the doctor OK'd me for light KP duty (kudos to my husband for his divine cooking, excellent ordering of to-go and deliveries, not to mention helping me dress for the initial 2 weeks). I made this recipe (sorry, no pics...out of practice) https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/masala-chicken/17928/?itid=lk_inline_manual_25 Developed by Chetna Makan, a British Bake-Off finalist 2014. The flavors were fine, but it didn't get crispy enough which is likely due to my Fear of Frying. Made a raita with Persian cucumbers using the only non-sugared yogurt we can find here (from a local goat farm). I took an open jar of locally made mango chutney and ramped it up with garam masala, fresh ginger, fresh serrano peppers. All in all a fine meal that I want to try again to see if I can get a better crust. Decided it needs a 3rd condiment...multiple Indian condiments are essential to a great meal IMO. This morning a whipped up some Lime Pickle...I sliced the small smooth Key-type limes (mostly all we see here) very thin. I am hoping they will be edible in 7-10 days.

Soba noodles with stir-fried eggplant in a hoisin-citrus sauce. Topped with spicy peanuts and green onions.

Lamb arrachera and mashed camote (sweet potato).

Blackened grilled salmon with sautéed radicchio and apple. Squirts of chipotle mayo and cherry-chipotle jelly.

Light meal....tostadas topped with grilled/charred zucchini strips, goat cheese and a few hefty splashes of Cholula hot sauce. Cholula is made here in Chapala; recently sold to a conglomerate. Hope the quality stays up there.

Seared sesame-crusted tuna with corn/tomato stuffed avocado; garnish of pickled red onions.

Grilled shrimp and grilled eggplant slices. Served with chipotle mayo drizzle.

Bacon and potato hash.

Panko crusted eggplant with fettucine in a ragu with hot Italian sausage.

Tuna poke' on tostada with avocado.

Duck breast with corn & black bean salad and chunky cherry chipotle sauce.

Duck confit. Sauce is cherry-chipotle and grilled asparagus.

Sesame crusted seared tuna, gochujang sauce, pickled red onions, cilantro in flour tortillas.

Chicken Marbella. Made in instant pot.

Blackened shrimp with grilled green squash.

Grilled open-face Italian sliders. Leftover day. Still have a dozen (now frozen) very good herbed dinner rolls that are delivered with carryout. Cut one into 4 slices. Topped with leftover cooked Italian sausage, fried onions and peppers, cheese and fresh basil. Grilled in olive oil in frypan with lid, until crusty, hot and oozy. Served with the rest of a half a cucumber found hiding in the produce drawer.

Looking for a way to use some brussels sprouts lingering in the fridge. Found this recipe. I used hot Italian sausage. No chives available here, so I minced some shallot and added it to pan with the sausage and sprouts. https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spaghetti-brussels-sprouts-and-sausage-breadcrumb-topping It was very tasty, but wish my photo looked as good as the one in Food & Wine 😎