Camping, Princess Style

[Smithy]

I miss Meyers, too. We came away from The Ranch with a lot of them, and I've exhausted the supply. These don't look or smell like Meyers - none of that perfume - and they're flatter, almost shaped like a Mandarin orange.

I miss the other trees I grew up with, as well. It's a privilege to still be able to go visit there.

[Smithy]

Thank you all for the suggestions about what to do with the Texas Two-Step Tortilla Soup bottled mix.  Tonight I got that bottle emptied, along with some pantry cans, two pork chops, frozen chicken bones and a bunch of tortillas.  I'd say this was considerably more than a two-step process, and would have been so even if I'd followed the company's instructions as given on Amazon.

 

Following rotuts' advice, I emptied the bottle and mixed the contents.  Faced with having to find something to do with the remnants if I didn't cook them all at once, I did not divide the mixture in half and save half for later.    It took a lot of fishing with a chop stick to get the material out of the bottle; the contents were surprisingly well packed in.  Check out the difference between content volume in the bottle and in the 1-quart measuring cup!

 

 

I've been saving chicken bones in the freezer for months - essentially since we started our trip - and today was the day to make space and broth.  I simmered those bones with some celery and carrots; when it was done I strained the contents... 

 

 

...and used the broth to rehydrate the Texas Two-Step bottle's contents.

 

 

The contents simmered and the tasting began.  Whuff, what a strong flavor!  Which of the dried ingredients had so much character? I added chicken broth from a package. I added water.  I kept tasting and considering as the cooking continued.

 

The next step was tortilla chips.  It isn't clear to me whether the tortillas to be added at the table to this soup are supposed to be fried or raw; I've seen both suggested.  I opted to cut several tortillas into strips and fry only some of them.  

 

 

We have flour tortillas and flour-corn mix tortillas, but no straight-corn tortillas.  The narrow strips are the wheat-corn mix.

 

More tasting of the soup.  Ufda!  There was something still too strong, as well as a pronounced bitter taste.  My heart sank.  Would further adjustments amount to throwing good food after bad?  I didn't know.  All recipes I'd looked at had included tomatoes or tomato sauce; I'd been hoping to avoid that because I'm not a fan of tomato-based soups.  This seemed the time for desperate measures.  Into the pot went one or two cans' worth of diced tomatoes, as well as a small can of pizza sauce, the closest thing we have to tomato sauce.  The soup was still strong, but better.

 

Two pork chops had been chosen for the meat.  They were boned and then cut into strips.  

 

 

Grilling was out of the question (it's pouring outside!) but the skillet was available.  The pork strips got a light dusting of cumin, a quick browning...

 

, and then into the soup they went.

 

 

At the dinner table, we made our own choices of how much shredded cheese and how much tortilla garnish to put on.

 

 

My darling had given me the fish eye earlier at the news that we'd be having soup for dinner.  He sang a different tune this evening, and went back for seconds.

 

 

I have no idea whether this dinner was anything close to official Tortilla Soup, as neither of us has even had it.  He loved it.  I thought it was 'okay': pretty good, but the flavors were a bit strong, with a bitter note to my palate.  It could be an effect of bottle age; even dehydrated vegetables go off after a while.  I'll be curious to try it at a restaurant sometime.

 

 

[Smithy]

New Mexico: "Land of Enchantment" is the official term, and we found the skies and open spaces to be an enchanting change from the mearness of the Tucson hills.  

 

 

Granted, there's a lot to New Mexico and we're traveling along the southernmost, flattest part.  You can see that the terrain rises not far away.

 

Pancho Villa State Park is located in Columbus, New Mexico, about 3 miles north of the Mexican border.  The town's rich history results from its having been the site of a raid by Pancho Villa and his men in 1916.  There was a small army camp here.  As a result of the raid, a very large garrison was built up by Black Jack Pershing, whence he launched a punitive expedition into Mexico after the Villistas.  They didn't catch up to Villa or his men, but they learned a lot that helped shortly thereafter during World War I.  Some of the old buildings remain, and there are nice botanical gardens, although they are recovering from a severe freeze several years ago. 

 

Many of the campsites have water and electricity; each has either a grill or a fire ring.  We chose one with a fire ring in order to enjoy a bit more campfire cooking.

 

 

Last night was campfire fried fish and potatoes again.  The fish turned out well.  We rehashed (heh) the conversation about potatoes not turning out crispy.  Some folks have short memories.   By the way, the sweet lemons from Babylon Market really are sweeter than regular lemons, but I don't think they're Meyers.  I used half of one on my fish.  I'll post comparisons later, if anyone's interested.

 

 

This morning we walked into town for breakfast.  For as long as we've been coming here, the Pancho Villa Cafe has been closed, looking forlorn on the main highway.  

Irma's Kitchen opened in the refurbished building last November.  They have cheerful wait staff,

 

 

fun decor (by which I mean, the chicken and rooster decorations are better than most),

 

and a menu comprising classic American and Mexican food.  My darling had eggs, bacon and potatoes.  I had menudo.  I made the mistake of telling him what was in it, so he chose to bypass even a taste.

 

[Shelby]

OHHHHHHH Menudo.   I had the chance years ago to eat a bowl --authentic.  Made by a wonderful lady who's son I was friends with.  I will never forget it. LOVED LOVED LOVED it.  I CRAVE it.  

[Smithy]

Cape Malay Chicken Curry tonight, with many thanks to JohnT and ElsieD:

 

 

I didn't have chicken breast, but I skinned and boned chicken thighs, then cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

The last photo looks for all the world like what happens when I try to adjust colors in a photo processing program.  The more I magnify, the worse the finished dish looks.  Take my word for it:  this was wonderful, and I'm grateful for the instructions.  It would have been even better with cilantro, but I quite lost track of time this evening and didn't take the extra time to deal with that herb.  

 

One of the interesting things about dinner tonight was the results of comparing lemons (sour vs. sweet) squeezed over the curry.  I noted in an earlier post that the sweet lemon was indeed sweeter than a standard lemon.  Tonight the differences were striking: the regular 'sour' lemon set off the curry nicely; the sweet lemon tasted as though I'd put sugar on the curry!

[Darienne]

Menudo.  Never tasted it.  Never will.  Glad some of you love it.  A great favorite with Hispanic folks.

[JohnT]

I had to look up what menudo was. Tripe soup! My father used to make tripe and something at least six times a year when I was a kid. I must admit I loved tripe, but have never had it in a soup. Something to experiment with when I can get some at my butcher.

[SLB]

Smithy, your food looks so, so good.  

 

How did you end up liking the sweet lemons?  They look like something I once found in  NYC grocery store called "sweet limes."  They were supposed to have the same amount of acid as a regular lime, but a slightly sweeter taste.  I tried to substitute them for both lemon and lime, and found that it didn't work due to some unidentifiable additional taste.  Also, this is kind of weird, but -- they did not age well at all.  I mean, once they were cut, I had to use it within a day or the taste worsened.  

[rotuts]

Irma's Kitchen

 

looks very much like my kind of place

 

Enjoy !

 

is it in Deming ?

 

I try to resist looking at these places

 

and their menu's

 

as Im not going to be able to get there

 

any time soon 

 

Edited March 23, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Smithy]

Irma's Kitchen

 

looks very much like my kind of place

 

Enjoy !

 

is it in Deming ?

 

I try to resist looking at these places

 

and their menu's

 

as Im not going to be able to get there

 

any time soon 

 

 

rotuts, I'll give you vicarious visits, anyway.  Irma's is in Columbus, about 2 blocks from our park/campground.

[Smithy]

Smithy, your food looks so, so good.

How did you end up liking the sweet lemons? They look like something I once found in NYC grocery store called "sweet limes." They were supposed to have the same amount of acid as a regular lime, but a slightly sweeter taste. I tried to substitute them for both lemon and lime, and found that it didn't work due to some unidentifiable additional taste. Also, this is kind of weird, but -- they did not age well at all. I mean, once they were cut, I had to use it within a day or the taste worsened.

Thanks, SLB!

I'm still working my way through the sweet lemons, but I can give a preliminary report at least.

Here's a photo of 3 sweet lemons (left front), 2 standard lemons (right) and our last, pitifully aged Meyer lemon (rear).

The Meyer is decidedly more orange than either of the others. Only part of that is due to age-intensified color. Note the difference in shape (length to diameter ratio) between the sweet and the standard lemons. I've had some Meyers that were roughly the color and shape of standard lemons, but never seen any as round - almost squat - as the sweet lemons. This Meyer was smallish compared to most I've seen.

Cut in half, here's what they look like. Again, the Meyer is at the left rear, the sweet lemons are in the front row and the sour lemons are at the right rear. The color didn't come out as well in this photo, but the sweet and sour lemons are a pale lemon yellow whereas the Meyer has an orange cast to it.

I juiced each, and was surprised to see that the juice is roughly the same color; a photo doesn't show any appreciable difference. The taste, however, is very different!

The Meyer is, to be fair, a bit too far gone to have typical floral Meyer perfume, but it tastes like a lemon with a hint of sweeter citrus. The sour lemon tastes like a lemon, with a good powerful tartness. The sweet lemon - well, it tastes more like a lackluster commercial lemonade than like a lemon. I taste a lot of sugar, a hint of something bitter, and the barest hint of lemony citrus flavor. I wish my pH stick weren't broken! I suspect that the sweet lemons have much less citric acid than their kindred. No wonder they go off so quickly.

I'll be able to use the sweet lemon (some juice is about to go into my salad dressing), but unless I find some truly wonderful use for them I won't be bothering to buy more.

Edited to correct position description of the cut lemons.

[SLB]

That's how I felt about the sweet limes.  They weren't horrible, but there was no need for them.  I ended up using them in cocktails, and even then I kinda really wanted a straight lime.  

[FauxPas]

Any chance of a drive up to Silver City and the Curious Kumquat to visit with gfron1??? 

[Smithy]

Any chance of a drive up to Silver City and the Curious Kumquat to visit with gfron1??? 

I'm hoping to do that! I'm still trying to work out the logistics. The drive is a 3-hour round trip from here....short compared to, say, coming from Minnesota, but maybe not in the cards for our current schedule.

[Smithy]

Today involved a mountain of chores: they don't go away when one travels.  Late in the afternoon I contemplated the beautiful baby eggplants from our last grocery stop.  

 

 

I'd reserved some pineapple from the last fruit salad.  I had ginger, garlic, celery and small Mexican onions that needed to be used up.  The wind had been blustering all day, and a campfire was out of the question. It looked like a good curry was in order. 

 

Halfway through the prep work, and well after sundown, we realized that the wind had died.  Change in dinner plans!  A campfire was hastily assembled, and burgers came out. The vegetables altered course accordingly; somehow, a curry with eggplant, pineapple and ginger sounded clashy against burgers. (Can you say "cognitive dissonance"?)  Back into the refrigerator went the pineapple.  Out came several peppers.  The resulting campfire salad was dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and garnished with fresh basil.

 

 

Here's dinner, cooked over the campfire while we admired stars, played guitar and sang. 

 

[andiesenji]

The sweet lemons/limes are low-acid limes. Found in most Mexican markets here.

The most common varieties are Pomona, Palestine and Mary Ellen.

Sometimes identified as Mexican sweet lemons or limes, they are not related to the Meyer.

My Mexican neighbors use them in salads, use the juice in marinades where less acid is wanted and in drinks, often combined with other fruits, coconut milk, etc.

I have tried candying the peel with poor results. Like most limes the peel turns an ugly gray with boiling.

You can make marmalade with them but it is very mild and the fruit has to be cooked in the sugar syrup to avoid that gray tinge.

The zest doesn't have enough flavor for my taste.

[Smithy]

Well, the stars aligned properly and we got our logistics worked out for a trip to Silver City!  We made a couple of stops in Deming, then drove north another hour as the terrain slowly rose into the hills and mining country.

 

 

Somehow I missed getting an exterior photo of The Curious Kumquat.  There's a courtyard in front with tables, chairs and a choice of shady or sunny spots.  Some people sat outside, including a couple with three large dogs placidly enjoying the sunshine.  We considered sitting out there, until we went in and were greeted by gentle, savory aromas.  I was hooked.

 

Once indoors, you're greeted with a display case of confections. 

 

 

There are several small dining rooms, each with its own decor.  Our room had nice artwork and a ceiling full of Japanese lanterns. I'll bet it's even prettier at night. 

 

 

(The drunken perspective is because I was shooting over the heads of other diners.)  The place had a relaxed, happy, uncrowded atmosphere.  Here sat two women lingering long over the meal and possibly discussing college courses.  There sat four people, apparently out-of-towners like us, enjoying the food and the room.  We sat next to a bay window overlooking the courtyard, so we enjoyed the sunlight and spring-green tree...

 

 

...and the antics of the dogs outside as they became restive.  Is it possible for 3 dogs to actually braid their leashes together?  It looked as though they were trying.

 

Cheerful wait staff helps set the tone.  Justin, our server, was happy to let me snap photos of the bar.  Check out those hanging meats!

 

 

And the wine cooler! 

 

 

The beer and wine selection looked good, but we had much too long a drive home and errands still to run.

 

The lunch menu is diverse enough that we had a difficult time choosing.  My darling settled on an African Pork Wrap: large whole-wheat burrito with slow-cooked pork, a peppery peanut sauce, cucumber and greens. 

 

It was huge!  He grudgingly allowed me a bite.  The balance of savory meat and spicy peanut was excellent.

 

I chose the Duck Confit salad with goat cheese, raspberries and tender greens.  It was also a generous portion...

 

 

...and the duck was so tender that the provided sharp knife was unnecessary.  I grudgingly gave him a bite.

 

 

If I had to pick a last meal, I could die happy after that one.

 

By the time we'd finished, no dessert that appealed to us remained.  (I was intrigued by the "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie - No, Really!" but the supply had been exhausted before we arrived, so I can't describe it.)  I bought a small box of confections, to be savored later.  I must remember not to hoard them.

 

The lone fly in my ointment was that I couldn't meet Chef Rob.  I was told that he comes out to greet guests in the evening, but is too busy during the afternoon.  I would like to have been able to tell him in person how much we'd enjoyed the place.

 

We finished up our errands (Silver City has a better bicycle shop and grocery store than Deming) and headed home.

 

 

[Darienne]

Wonderful post, Nancy. 

 

What a terrible shame that you didn't get to meet Rob.  I would bet that he was just as disappointed as you were when he found out that an eGulleter had made a special trip to his restaurant. 

[Shelby]

Oh I bet Rob is disappointed, too!  What a great looking meal.  That duck looks every bit as tender as you described!

[gfron1]

I just got on Justin for doing his job too well - I was busy, and I'm really hideous right now (bad burn on my head) but I totally would have come out to say hi. You needed to use the code word "egullet" and I would have dropped everything. I am soooo sorry. BUT, I'm glad the rest of the experience was good.

[Shelby]

I almost added to my last post that Smithy is obviously way more refined than I am.  I would have elbowed my way back to the kitchen. 

[gfron1]

You just have to use the secret password! 

[Jacksoup]

Thank you for all the desert photos. I spent some time in Deming, Tucumcari, las cruces and El Paso in my (long ago) teen age years. Your adaptability with cooking while camping is incredible.

[Smithy]

Thanks, everyone! Rob, I'm sorry I didn't know to yell the secret password. I was tempted to burst through into the kitchen, but didn't want to be presumptuous. Besides, your waitstaff, though polite, looked like they could take me. We did enjoy the rest of the visit...and I still have 3 special confections remaining.

We had planned to leave this morning, but it was too beautiful a day for driving (when one could be walking, loafing and spying on birds' nests instead) and tomorrow should provide a good tailwind. We went to the Depot Museum, where - true to form - I came away with another irresistible cookbook.

I blame this museum for the unwarranted expansion of my cookbook library. Whenever I look at their offerings and my good sense tries to assert itself, I remind myself that The Proceeds Go To A Good Cause.

It's our last chance at campfire cooking for a while. I made pita bread (thanks both to Ann_T and bethesdabakers for their tips), merguez-flavored burgers and a grilled salad.

The bread was made in our oven;

the rest was made over the campfire.

We made serious inroads on the garlic sauce purchased at Babylon Market, and opened up the jar of Arabic Pickle purchased at the same place.

There's something elusive...we can't identify it yet...but the aggregate of those condiments, the seasonings in the burgers and the pita, reminded us of something...they just...took us back somewhere...ahhh.

[ElsieD]

I just came across this as eGullet is now coming to me via Tapatalk. I need to start reading this thread from the beginning!