Cooking from "Fiesta at Rick's" by Rick Bayless

[rancho_gordo]

Is this the right one? Zarela's Veracruz: Mexico's Simplest Cuisine

Yes, that's the book.

I just have to add an "alternate voice" here about this book. It may well be delicious and I remember Kalypso posting about a good stew she had made from it, but having just been in Veracruz and becoming obsessed with the place, this book seems like it's about someplace else. I won't use the word authentic but the book is at odds with the place I visited and fell in love with. I think you can find it cheap but I wouldn't consider it an authoritative piece on Veracruz.

If you can deal with Spanish, this is THE book:

The hardback is OP but it was about $35 in Mexico recently in paperback. I bet Libros Latinos would have it.

[Chris Hennes]

Thanks, rancho_gordo. Looks like LL has the hardcover, as a special order, for $125. Amazon.com lists a used copy available for $75 at the moment.

My copy of Zarela's Veracruz arrived yesterday, I think it will have to tide me over until Oaxaca al Gusto comes out in English this fall. It will be interesting to hear your take on the recipes, RG: I've never been to Veracruz, so I definitely won't be able to comment on the style of the dishes.

[kalypso]

I just have to add an "alternate voice" here about this book. It may well be delicious and I remember Kalypso posting about a good stew she had made from it, but having just been in Veracruz and becoming obsessed with the place, this book seems like it's about someplace else. I won't use the word authentic but the book is at odds with the place I visited and fell in love with. I think you can find it cheap but I wouldn't consider it an authoritative piece on Veracruz.

If you can deal with Spanish, this is THE book:

The hardback is OP but it was about $35 in Mexico recently in paperback. I bet Libros Latinos would have it.

I've owned Alquimias for quite a number of years and have cooked from it. If you have to own one book of food porn this is it. The photos are among the best food photos I've ever seen. You will want to make every recipe based on just seeing the picture

You also need to be a fairly adept cook to follow some of the recipes in the book. Or at least have an idea of how traditional Mexican cooking flows. Some of the cooking directions are not as detailed as what we're used to in American or mainstream cookbooks; perhaps assuming the reader already knows how to cook or knows particular techniques. I've not had any failures out of Alquimias, but some of the flavor profiles have been surprisingly muted. I expected bigger flavors and just didn't get them.

[Chris Hennes]

Salpicón de Res al Chipotle (Beef and Potato Salad with Smoky Chipotle) (p. 148)

This was an nice tart and spicy soft taco filling. You have to plan ahead a bit because it's served cold and you have to cook the beef and potatoes, but in terms of hands-on cooking time it was pretty quick: it doesn't have many ingredients. I wasn't sure how well I was going to like beef in a potato salad, or potato salad as a taco filling, but in the end the balance was good, the flavors were interesting, and the textures worked quite well. The chipotles (I used three) gave it quite a bit of heat, which I also appreciated. Maybe not an everyday taco filling, but for a change from the routine this was great.

[Chris Hennes]

Watermelon Mojito

Watermelon, mint, rum. What's not to like? I'll probably play around with the proportions a little, but this is a good start.

[heidih]

Watermelon Mojito

Watermelon, mint, rum. What's not to like? I'll probably play around with the proportions a little, but this is a good start.

And how could you go wrong with such a lovely melon. Wow!

[Chris Hennes]

I played around with the proportions of that Watermelon Mojito and discovered that Wray and Nephew Overproof has no place in it: stick with more conventional white rums, I think.

[LindaK]

Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce and Melted Cheese (Enchiladas Suizas de Verduras Asadas), (pp. 199-200)

I don’t remember the last time I made enchiladas, but the thought of creamy tomatillo sauce was too tempting to pass by. Plus, with an overflowing vegetable garden, I’m always searching for new ideas to use them in a main dish.

The sauce is a snap to put together. Roasted tomatillos, garlic, onion and chilis, pureed and cooked with some broth. Not having a working blender at the moment, I used my food processor to make the sauce. It gives it a little texture—the tomatillo seeds in particular don’t disappear entirely. A blender would likely give you a smoother sauce. But no matter, it was delicious—tart, hot, creamy. Nice, too, that you can make it a day or two ahead, which I did.

Otherwise, the recipe is simply roasted vegetable-filled tortillas, napped in the sauce with a little cheese. I used this recipe as motivation to finally try my hand at making tortillas, inspired by the tutorial and conversation in the Making Tortillas at Home topic. That was a lot of fun. A bit tricky at first but I got some good ones, enough to make the enchiladas. What a difference they made to the recipe, both flavor and texture.

Oddly enough, the only thing I didn’t especially care for in the recipe was the roasted vegetables. Their caramelized sweetness was jarring in contrast with the sauce. I like roasted vegetables but the combination didn’t meld in the finished dish for me. Still, the recipe is a good template for enchiladas suizas in general and the sauce recipe is definitely a keeper. I’ll try the enchiladas again with other veggie combination or with a chicken filling.

[Darienne]

Hi Linda...they look lovely.

I'm curious and don't own the book. Just what were the vegetables in the enchiladas? Thanks.

So sad...we don't have tomatillos in the frozen north, but soon, oh so soon, we are off to Moab again and then there'll be tomatillos to play with.

My friend/was-next-door-neighbor/was-landlady volunteers at the Multicultural Center and I am the "Candy Lady". I'll bet I can find a willing Mom there to teach me a thing or two.

[Chris Hennes]

Linda, I can't quite tell how big those enchiladas were in that photo, but they look pretty full. About how much filling would you say each had?

[Chris Hennes]

Cóctel de Camarón y Pulpo con Jitomates Asados (Roasted Tomato Shrimp-and-Octopus Cocktail) (pp. 104–105)

This cocktail sauce is amazing, just about anything would taste good in it. Basically roasted tomatoes, roasted onions, roasted garlic, sherry vinegar, hot sauce, and brown sugar. I had some fresh heirloom tomatoes I picked up at the farmer's market this morning, and I used Valentino hot sauce. For the seafood I used a large-ish shrimp (Bayless calls for small to medium, but I didn't notice that until I got home) and baby octopus. His cooking instructions for both are great, the times were spot on here: the only thing missing is that he never tells you to cut up the octopus. Something tells me he's not putting whole octopus in cocktail glasses! Even using baby octopus I cut them into quarters.

If you're not into octopus, make this anyway, with just shrimp: seriously, this cocktail sauce is great.

[Chris Hennes]

Tamales de Calabaza y Pollo Enchipotlado (Butternut Tamales with Chipotle Chicken) (pp. 224–225)

Earlier in this topic cadmond reported on this recipe. First off, there is a LOT of squash in here: 2 cups, for a dozen tamales: it makes the resulting tamale very moist, which in turn makes it difficult to get out of the wrapper and have it actually look good. So, just a warning if you are planning on making this for guests: it's a little ugly! But I found the taste to be very good. The butternut squash flavor was subtle, but present, and its sweetness worked well with the spiciness of the chipotles.

Here's the filling before cooking:


Seriously, how do you make tamales photogenic?! These were too wet to artfully arrange on the plate, so they just sorta get plopped there... like... well...

[Chris Hennes]

Camarónes a la Mexicana con Aguacate (Avacado-Dressed Shrimp a la Mexicana) (p. 146)

These were good, but not mind-blowing. The ingredients were simple and the flavors familiar: mostly lime and cilantro, white onion and tomato. Sort of like a salsa with shrimp in it, and thickened with avacado (whose flavor is lost, but the texture is nice). The flavors here just don't "pop" the way yesterday's Cóctel de Camarón did.

[LindaK]

I'm curious and don't own the book. Just what were the vegetables in the enchiladas? Thanks.

I used a mix of zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, and mushrooms. The recipe also suggests carrots, turnips, kolrabi, asparagus, or butternut squash. I didn't get the sense there's anything particularly authentic about any specific vegetable or vegetable combination, but perhaps there is. anyone know?

Linda, I can't quite tell how big those enchiladas were in that photo, but they look pretty full. About how much filling would you say each had?

The tortillas were about 6", and I just measured the diameter of the little porcelain gratin dishes that I used for service (not owning the lovely cast iron Staub mini gratin pans used in the cookbook photo), they're just shy of 6" on the bottom, the flared sides helps them accomodate a little more. I didn't measure the vegetables, I just chopped and roasted. I'd estimate that I used a generous 1/3 cup of cooked vegetables per tortilla. Yes, they were overfilled. The recipe calls for 8 cups of cubed vegetables, and we know that veggies shrink as they roast. So guestimating that, following the recipe, you end up with 6 cups of cooked vegetables for 12 tortillas, that comes to about 1/2 cup veggie filling each. Sounds right to me. The amount of sauce was a bit scant for 12 enchiladas. I only made 8 and had some sauce leftover. Comparing my picture to the one in the cookbook, it looks like I oversauced somewhat.

[Chris Hennes]

Ceviche de Hongos (Mushroom Ceviche) (p. 153)

I tried to approach this with an open mind, but the fact of the matter is that I don't really care for raw mushrooms. And sure enough, I didn't really care for them in this application either. At the moment the only decent-looking mushrooms in the stores here were oysters and cremini: the shiitake looked like crap, so I didn't use them. Texturally, if you like raw mushrooms you won't have a problem here, the marinade doesn't change them that much. But holy lime juice, batman. I have this problem with a lot of traditional ceviches, though, so maybe it's just me: all I taste is the lime, the other ingredients are completely obscured. Any raw-mushroom-lovers out there willing to give this a try and hopefully give it more of a fair chance?

[Chris Hennes]

Camarónes a la Diabla (Devilish Shrimp) (pp. 136–137)

kalypso has previously posted about a riff on this recipe. I made is almost entirely as written, though Bayless suggests Tamazula hot sauce, and I used Valentina. The hot sauce makes up a very large percentage of the final sauce, so choose... wisely. I really enjoyed the final dish, though I must admit to slightly overcooking the shrimp: I had my burner turned all the way up, but they just weren't searing fast enough. Maybe next time I'll break out the wok. Actually, from the photo, it looks like Rick might do these on the grill... or maybe he just keeps them warm there while serving? Hard to say based on one picture.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Chris Hennes
to clarify who made the hot sauce suggestion. (log)

[Chris Hennes]

Polvorones Sevillanos (Seville-Style "Sandy" Shortbread Cookies) (pp. 320–321)

These cookies have four ingredients in them, so it's absolutely critical that you use the best quality you can get your hands on. In particular, the two main flavors are from the cinnamon (I used Rancho Gordo Canela) and the lard (yes, lard, and I used fresh-rendered from my local mercado). The instructions called for mixing everything by hand: I'm lazy, so I asked Bayless via Twitter if I could use the stand mixer: his reply was "Barely. Too much mixing chgs texture." So of course I went ahead with it. I dunno if I totally ruined them or what, but the texture is surreal, the simply dissolve into nothing in your mouth. They are very fragile, so it could be that I overmixed them. But the flavor! Fresh lard, toasted flour, and RG canela (... a LOT of canela), all came through clear as day, and they were delicious. There is nothing subtle about these cookies: they better be your last course, you will be tasting that cinnamon all night. My wife wasn't so sure what she thought of them: she says they are "good, but in a novelty sort of way. You couldn't eat a whole lot of them." So I only ate a half dozen before I called it quits. Isn't there some kind of scientific research that says that lard is good for you?

Here are to two flours side-by-side: the beige one has been toasted.

They don't brown when you bake them:

Finally, coated in powdered sugar:

[kalypso]

Polvorones Sevillanos (Seville-Style "Sandy" Shortbread Cookies) (pp. 320–321)

So I only ate a half dozen before I called it quits. Isn't there some kind of scientific research that says that lard is good for you?

Yes, Chris, there really is.

Tweete RB and asking him for it. He's cited it before but I can't remember where

[jsmeeker]

Tell me more about these cookies! Rick has a recipe for a mexican shortbread in his "Mexican Everyday" book. I've made them several times. They are easy to do and tasty. Maybe these Polvorones Sevillanos are the real deal, authentic version of that cookie? is it using regular AP flour? How is it toasted? How are you shaping these cookies? Rolled and cut or are you using a cookie press?

Yeah yeah... Go get the book, Jeff. It seems like a great book, but Fiesta implies a crowd and I am rarely, if ever, cooking enough food for a Fiesta.

[Chris Hennes]

It's just regular AP flour. You toast half of it in a hot skillet until it is beige-ish and smells good, then mix it together with the untoasted flour, canela, and powdered sugar. You work the lard into that mixture, and then press it out about 1/2 inch thick. I just pressed it out with my hands, I'm not sure it would roll very well. Then, I cut them out with 1 1/2-inch diameter biscuit cutter (because that's what I had). They could hardly be easier.

[kalypso]

Jamoncillo de Frutas y Nueces - Pg. 324

(Milk Fudge with Fruit & Nuts)

This is the next to last recipe in the book. I've made it several times and it is very good. And, if ever there was a recipe name that translates badly from one language to another this has got to be it. The fruits and nuts part is apt, but milk fudge really does not accurate describe the meltingly soft and creamy texture of this candy. And making this candy is nothing like making fudge It also is probably not a flavor profile everyone will love. I've made the (original version of)the recipe the past 2 Christmases with the rest of the Xmas candy. It's been my experience people either love it or they don't, no one's on the fence with this one.

It is not difficult.

1. Boil milk, sugar & baking soda until it reaches 238*, removing foam as necessary

2. Beat on a stand mixer for 15 minutes. This recipe originally appeared in the December 2008 issue of Sauver Magazine. At that time it had butter added to it which melted as the candy cooled after cooking, then the fruits and nuts were added. In the version in the book, RB has eliminated the butter and now beats it on stand mixer. The original recipe also called for canela to be boiled with the milk in the first step.

3. Stir in the fruits and nuts. Nuts are a combination of walnuts, pecans and pine nuts, toasted. Fruits are crystalized fruits, do not use those tubs of fruitcake crysalized fruits that show up around the holidays. Kultystans (sp?) in NYC sells a pretty decent crystalized fruit blend that's enough for 2 batches.

4. Pour into a prepared pan

The recipe now uses a baking sheet instead of the 8x8 square pan. Yield from the sheet pan is 49, yield from the square baking dish is 64.

In the 2 years since the recipe was originally published in Sauver it's undergone some transition and I'm kind of wondering why. The butter and canela were both eliminated and the prepareation method substantially altered. Whatever the reason for the alterations (American palate? candy making intimidation?) this really is a pretty good candy.

[Chris Hennes]

kalypso, were you following the new recipe, or the original one?

Carne Asada Brava ("Brava" Steak) (p. 258)
Salsa Huevono ("Lazy" Salsa) (p. 257)
Arroz Blanco con Plátano Macho Maduro (Mexican White Rice with Sweet Plantains) (p. 240–241)

The steak here is just a ribeye marinated in lime, jalapeño and garlic for an hour: the marinade is powerful on its own, but given only an hour before cooking it actually winds up pleasantly subtle. The salsa has normal ingredients, but they are all charred on the grill. I used Purple Cherokee tomatoes here, which worked well. And finally, the arroz blanco that kalypso and I have previously reported on here and here. Still good.

[isomer]

Authors@Google just posted a

on YouTube.

[Chris Hennes]

Chocolate-Pecan Ice Cream (Helado de Choconuez) (pp. 306–307)

This is the first ice cream I have ever made, so I'm going to focus on the flavor here because I did something wrong texture-wise (the ice cream was simply too dense, I need to get much more overrun). Of course, commenting on the flavor is difficult because every one of us is going to end up with a different end product depending on our ingredients. Various chocolates, cinnamons, and rums will all give very different results. So the best I can say is that the flavor is quite good using Taza Mexican chocolate, E. Guittard 61% bittersweet chocolate, Rancho Gordo Canela, and Smith & Cross rum. My one complaint is that I think the cinnamon was too subtle: I'd like to see a little more punch from the canela in there.

Regarding the texture of the nut butter: I processed the pecans in a high-power blender, which gave me a perfectly smooth nut butter with virtually no graininess discernible on the palate when eating the ice cream. I suspect that if you simply use a food processor, as the recipe calls for, you will not get a texture that smooth even if you strain it.

[jsmeeker]

Chris,

What kind of ice cream machine are you using to freeze it?