Lunch! (2003-2012)

[EatNopales]

Kim Shook - looks good to me.

Panaderia Canadiense - as usual, your stuff looks incredible.

EatNopales - I've had many parts of the pig - oreja, buche, cueritos, skin - but never pata. Looks interesting.

I fixed a multi-national breakfast for lunch yesterday.

A month or so ago I went to a Salvadoran restaurant and had breakfast for lunch - Huevos en tusa - eggs steamed on corn husks. The place was understaffed that day and took forever to get out the food and badly overcooked the eggs - cooked on a grill, the husks were charred black on the bottom - but I was motivated to try it at home. I've since learned it's tricky to get the top of the egg cooked without overcooking the bottom but this is the latest effort. I just use a cast iron skillet with a lid.

In place of the platano maduros and crema Salvadorena at the restaurant I had a Colombian manzano banana. The maduros would have been better but I didn't have a ripe plantain.

Frijoles rojos de seda volteados - refried red silk beans (from a can). This seems to be the default beans at Salvadoran places.

The restaurant served a firm, salty, Cotija type cheese but I had Mexican Queso Fresco I needed to use up.

The tortilla is from a Mexican tortilleria near me; Salvadoran tortillas are typically smaller, thicker, hand made on the spot and of a coarser texture.

Hi Bruce... in Veracruz & Southeastern Mexico there is a specialty called Huevos en Acuyo (aka Hoja Santa, Hierba Santa, Piper Auritam) which is an egg poached in the center of the complex anisey bouquet of the Hoja Santa plant... it usually done right on a comal & covered with a clay bowl... some cooks put a banana leaf under the Hoja Santa.

Incidentally, I just added some Hoja Santa & Nopales to the garden:

I trimmed the Hoja Santa plant & have some Chicken, Hoja Santa, Banana Leaf tamales steaming for tomorrow's lunch

Today's lunch prepared by Mrs. Nopales was Delicata Squash from the Garden, with Bacon + Bacon Fat + Parmesan + Corn Flake topping, roasted Serranos, and a little Italian style "salsa" with heirloom tomato, lemon cukes, basil, vinegar, lemon, onion etc.,

[EatNopales]

Today's Lunch

Tamal of Chicken Breast & Hoja Santa served with Nopales in Adobo (Diced Cactus sauteed with white onion & simmered in an oil seared sauce of Guajillo chiles, vinegar, garlic, onion, oregano indio, cumin, black pepper, coriander & a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon) & Pioppini mushrooms roasted with Shallot.

Chicken = Rosie Organic (Petaluma)

Nopales = Organic (Sebastopol)*

Pioppini = Organic (Sebastopol)

* The Nopales can be procured at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Farmer's Market at the stall of the "Berry Abuelita"... the sweet old lady from Michoacan who grows the best berries in the area.

There was also an experiment with a corn masa based custard that needs some work.

Over the weekend I also bought fantastic, organic Requeson (a ricotta style cheese that is very popular in Mexico) locally made in Petaluma by a gentleman from Jalisco who also makes a raw milk, aged Chihuahua. So I made some Central Mexico* style Quesadillas with a side of Requeson & salsa.

The misnamed Central Mexican "Quesadillas" which are often cheese-less... are really more of a griddle baked empanada in that you make them with corn masa instead of a baked tortilla so the fillings are trapped in the dough... which ends up with a much silkier texture than Tortilla based Quesadillas.

[suzilightning]

wow - nothing quite as interesting as some of you folks.

yesterday had a day off from the hawkwatch so i got to take a side tripafter the gym to Texas Smoke Barbecue to pick up a bottle of the mild sauce and snagged a pulled chicken sandwich from their lunch menu.

today back to the hawkwatch so i pack my basket which really is lunch and breakfast: black forest ham and swiss on rye, a banana, a tomato salad with ricotta salata and olives, a glucerna, some yoghurt and water...lots of water...and some chocolate to attract the birds

for john he will get french toast, some cookies, a chicken with avocado on rye sandwich and chips and a fishcake.

[brucesw]

Hi Bruce... in Veracruz & Southeastern Mexico there is a specialty called Huevos en Acuyo (aka Hoja Santa, Hierba Santa, Piper Auritam) which is an egg poached in the center of the complex anisey bouquet of the Hoja Santa plant... it usually done right on a comal & covered with a clay bowl... some cooks put a banana leaf under the Hoja Santa.

Incidentally, I just added some Hoja Santa & Nopales to the garden:

Thanks - that sounds very interesting. One of my favorite breads with breakfast is semita de anis so this sounds like something I would like. I'll be on the lookout for these.

I see it is also used for fish dishes and one of our restos, Tampico Seafood Cucina, has some steamed fish dishes but doesn't say what they use. I'll have to look into that.

Your dishes look good.

[brucesw]

Here's some lunches from last week. I was developing cabin fever from avoiding going out in the heat for the past several weeks so when we finally got a little break I took advantage of it.

I went to Sammy's Wild Game Grill, a new place, and had the bbq pulled wild boar sandwich with fried onion strips, cheese, cilantro slaw and pickles on a pretzel roll from Slow Dough Bread Co. I wouldn't order cheese with bbq but it was listed on the menu so I though they knew best. I was dismayed to see it just appeared to be a store-bought slice of American but it did do a good job of keeping the onion strips from getting soggy. This was a very juicy sandwich, and very good. I'll be going back to try the game burgers and sausage dogs.

Then one day I was off to Chinatown.

Banchan

and more banchan

Cold Buckwheat noodles in spicy sauce

Edited September 30, 2011 by brucesw (log)

[brucesw]

Apparently I hit some sort of limit on how long a post can be??

and iced broth, at Jang Guem Tofu and BBQ House. I loved the chewy buckwheat noodles and the very spicy sauce. I've only been to this place once before but it's threatening to become a favorite.

One day I made Carne Deshebrada.

I've made this before, just winging it, trying to recreate what I've had from a neighborhood carniceria, but this time I decided to use a recipe I found online. I had several meals out of this but I wasn't that thrilled with it.

[EatNopales]

Apparently I hit some sort of limit on how long a post can be??

and iced broth, at Jang Guem Tofu and BBQ House. I loved the chewy buckwheat noodles and the very spicy sauce. I've only been to this place once before but it's threatening to become a favorite.

One day I made Carne Deshebrada.

I've made this before, just winging it, trying to recreate what I've had from a neighborhood carniceria, but this time I decided to use a recipe I found online. I had several meals out of this but I wasn't that thrilled with it.

The recipe for deshebrada looks reasonable enough (unless you used canned tomatoes that would ruin it)... what didn't you like about it? P.S.... Rice AND Tortillas... we are going to have a talk.. where are the Nopales?

[threestars]

I cooked Pork Blood Stew for lunch the other day.

A bit messy on the side. And the camera is crap. But it taste good.

[brucesw]

The recipe for deshebrada looks reasonable enough (unless you used canned tomatoes that would ruin it)... what didn't you like about it? P.S.... Rice AND Tortillas... we are going to have a talk.. where are the Nopales?

Funny you should mention the nopales (lol). I had shopped the week before and picked up everything for the recipe, then got delayed in making it. I had gone to one of the Fiesta's with a booth in the produce section with someone trimming the nopales and slicing and packaging them but I had always avoided buying one of the bags because I didn't think I could get through it before it went bad - they're 2# I think. I went ahead and bought one but when I went to get it out to complete the dish, I thought the ones left at that point were too far gone. I don't know - I doubt they would have killed me but I think they would have looked pretty pathetic on the plate. Maybe I could have rinsed them well and been okay but I didn't try. I've gone back to buying the paddles. So I reached for some calabacita and it too was a little gamey. It's a problem, living and cooking alone, using up fresh produce before it goes off. So I added some vegetales to the plain rice and - well, you know. Hey! I like both rice and tortillas.

Re: the deshebrada. I recently had a version very much like this at a new carniceria that was much better than mine. Looking back over the recipe I think I made a mistake I never caught before. I was paring the recipe down since I didn't have 3 lbs of skirt. I see now I used only 2 guajillos and should have used 2 ozs. Uh oh. My bad. I used roma tomatoes, stove-top 'broiled' on a plancha, actually.

The other issue was texture. The version I am fond of is shredded beef in broth, with bits and pieces of the tomatoes, onions, even peppers, I think, apparent. I get it as part of a platillo; it would have to be drained to be used in tacos or burritos. This was shredded beef heated up in a pureed sauce. I prefer the brothy variety. So which is it supposed to be? Yes, I tried watering down the gravy and liked it better. Will try it again.

[EatNopales]

I cooked Pork Blood Stew for lunch the other day.

A bit messy on the side. And the camera is crap. But it taste good.

Is that Dinaguan... or what is the ethnic context of the recipe?

[EatNopales]

The recipe for deshebrada looks reasonable enough (unless you used canned tomatoes that would ruin it)... what didn't you like about it? P.S.... Rice AND Tortillas... we are going to have a talk.. where are the Nopales?

Funny you should mention the nopales (lol). I had shopped the week before and picked up everything for the recipe, then got delayed in making it. I had gone to one of the Fiesta's with a booth in the produce section with someone trimming the nopales and slicing and packaging them but I had always avoided buying one of the bags because I didn't think I could get through it before it went bad - they're 2# I think. I went ahead and bought one but when I went to get it out to complete the dish, I thought the ones left at that point were too far gone. I don't know - I doubt they would have killed me but I think they would have looked pretty pathetic on the plate. Maybe I could have rinsed them well and been okay but I didn't try. I've gone back to buying the paddles. So I reached for some calabacita and it too was a little gamey. It's a problem, living and cooking alone, using up fresh produce before it goes off. So I added some vegetales to the plain rice and - well, you know. Hey! I like both rice and tortillas.

Re: the deshebrada. I recently had a version very much like this at a new carniceria that was much better than mine. Looking back over the recipe I think I made a mistake I never caught before. I was paring the recipe down since I didn't have 3 lbs of skirt. I see now I used only 2 guajillos and should have used 2 ozs. Uh oh. My bad. I used roma tomatoes, stove-top 'broiled' on a plancha, actually.

The other issue was texture. The version I am fond of is shredded beef in broth, with bits and pieces of the tomatoes, onions, even peppers, I think, apparent. I get it as part of a platillo; it would have to be drained to be used in tacos or burritos. This was shredded beef heated up in a pureed sauce. I prefer the brothy variety. So which is it supposed to be? Yes, I tried watering down the gravy and liked it better. Will try it again.

Ah... the version you like, I believe is what in the Southern part of the country is known as Carne en su Jugo to disambiguate from other versions of Carne Deshebrada... in Mexico City (one of the cusines I am most familar with).. Carne Deshebrada is eaten in four primary genres:

Tacos... the shredded meat is kept in its broth, then the moment you order the taco they pull it from the broth & put it on the griddle with some already cooked down onions for.. the juices from the meat sear into the onions & meat in that finishing step.

Guisados... the shredded meat is warmed in a fried sauce (much like your recipe)

Platillos... the shredded meat is pulled from its broth & plopped on a plate with whole beans & salad

En Su Jugo.... served in its broth with a few whole beans, some pan fried onions, herbs, chopped chiles or salsa etc.,

In the highlands of Jalisco where my parents are from... it is prepared a la Ranchera.. which is kind of what you ended up doing... you cook the meat with aromatics then shred it... meanwhile add chopped tomato, potato, chiles, herbs etc., to the broth... cook that down a bit until the potatoes are tender.. then add the meat back to the pan to warm etc.,

[ScottyBoy]

I go to Pho Ao Sen in oakland for my pho but I go to Pho King (yes, funny when pronounced correctly) for my BBH and omelette thingy.

Veggies for the omelette wrap and BBH

Bun Bo Hue, pork knuckles, beef, cabbage, thick vermicelli and blood cake. Just a little bit of spice.

Spring roll over vermicelli

Very thin egg omelette (Bun Xeo) filled with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts. You wrap in lettuce leave with various herbs. there is one herb that I smells like the ocean and tastes like fish.

[heidih]

ScottyBoy - the Vietnamese food looks wonderful and the vegetable platter generous and super fresh. I thought Bun Xeo (which I love) was eggless and involved a rice flour batter with a bit of tumeric for the yellow color; sometimes including coconut milk. Was this an egg version?

[KatieLoeb]

You had me up until the blood cake in the Bun Bo Hue. Blech. Maybe my hypersensitive palate, but it makes the whole bowl taste like sucking on a paper cut.:shudder: I always ask if they use it before I order it, and if they do make certain they leave it out.

That soup does look delicious though!

[threestars]

Is that Dinaguan... or what is the ethnic context of the recipe?

Yes. It is locally called Dinuguan.

[Blether]

After Shelby (?) suckered me into once again rambling on here about Trout in Cream, I decided that rather than keep pining for good trout, I'd recreate the dish with... wakashi, or immature yellowtail (in truth I've done it before with salmon - also good, but there's something about the smaller fish).

Come to yesterday and there was a whole one at Hanamasa, I guess it was about 1lb and 2 or 3 oz, JPY290. It (came ready-scaled ! and) yielded two fillets, total weight 255g or about 9oz:

- I gutted it because I like to do that soon, and having done that got the salted fillets in the fridge and took stock from the remains.

As I've mentioned before, yellowtail gives great high-jelly stock. Here it is again today, before reducing some of it and using it to poach the fish:

Finished dish:

A very successful substitution, this works beautifully. Having the reduced stock to deglaze into the cream added extra flavour (hey, fish filleting is a useful skill, buying fillets maybe a sign of more intelligence). All in all, delicious.

[robirdstx]

Leftovers!

Grilled chicken, zucchini, onion and pickled jalapenos.

[ScottyBoy]

Heidi - I was just using my best guess as to what it was made out of. The texture and flavor was such that there had to be an egg in there. Could be that they added one to the batter...

[EatNopales]

A little Pan-Mexican "Fusion" for lunch today.

On the upper left.. a little guisado of Acelgas con Habas Verdes - a seasonal specialty in Mexico State where Lima beans are HUGE - (Chard & White onion cooked low & slow, fresh green lima beans boiled to tender then tossed in with the Chard for a minute)

Pan fried Smoked Porkchop slices sitting on top of the chard.

On the side a little Cucumber salad in the Sinaloa tradition (drizzle of mayo whipped with dried chile salsa)

For dessert some Tecojotes en Almibar (native crab apple in the hawthorn family cooked down in spiced syrup) sitting on top of my very first homemade Jocoque (thick Mexican yogurt / cream, schizophrenic cultured dairy thing-a-ma-jig) with a little drizzle of Agave syrup

Edited October 11, 2011 by EatNopales (log)

[ScottyBoy]

Hazzah for my favorite (home made) sandwich! Toasted rosemary focaccia, bacon, honey turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo, american cheese and red onion.

Edited October 25, 2011 by ScottyBoy (log)

[heidih]

ScottyBoy - I would pass on the cheese but the bread! You made it? Looks very airy.

[ScottyBoy]

Yes, American cheese is something I grew up with and just one of those....things...

The bread is from a local bakery Acme Bread it's called herb Slab. I cut off the thin crust then brown it in the fat rendered from the bacon.

[Blether]

Egg noodles with roast duck and crispy pork:

- my crappy photo doesn't do it justice. Absolutely wonderful ! As soon as I finished it I ordered another one. Crispy pork displayed in the window:

At Prachak Restaurant in the Silom area of Bangkok:

Edited December 22, 2011 by Blether (log)

[Darienne]

Delicious lunch...our meal to have guests. African Chicken Peanut Stew on Steamed Rice.

Recipe here.

We'll be eating it for days to come.

[ScottyBoy]

Pastrami from fivetenburger truck in Oakland. Yummy! House made pastrami, perfect crunchy roll, slightly spicy mustard.