Mexico, By Way of Ireland!

You might not know it, but some of the best Mexican food comes out of Ireland. Belfast, Northern Ireland to be exact. Amy Traverso with Yankee Magazine, and the host of Weekends with Yankee, seen over most PBS New England TV stations, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about a Seared Scallop Tacos recipe, courtesy the Dos Gatos Restaurant, of the aforementioned Irish city that is the most authentic Mexican dish this side of the Atlantic. It's a fantastic dinner and really gives the Mexican flavor kick!

Ingredients

2 limes
1 European (seedless) cucumber, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 large jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 tomatillo, finely diced
1/3 cup minced cilantro
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoons Tajín seasoning, plus more for sprinkling

Instructions

First, make the pico de gallo: Zest and juice one of the limes into a medium bowl. Using a knife and working from top to bottom, carefully cut the peel off of the second lime, then cut the flesh segments out, leaving the membranes behind. Chop the lime segments and add to the bowl. Add the cucumber, onion, jalapeño, tomatillo, cilantro, cumin, and Tajín seasoning. Check flavor, then add salt to taste. Set aside.

More Sopas Please!

You won't stop asking for them once you try them! Jesse Valenciana, who wrote the new cookbook, Birrias, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about some of the recipes in his book, which given the title, are centered around birria stew. But one thing that goes very well with birria is the Sopa, which Jesse says is a a little deep-fried corn disc that is soft in the middle. Jesse says he uses jalapenos, white onions, lime and cilantro to make these, which apparently are quite addictive!

You Might Have Heard The Name...

The name is Birria, and the name of the new cookbook is Birrias. So what is it? Long a staple of Mexican cuisine, Jesse Valenciana, who is the author of the book, stopped by Tonia;s Kitchen to talk about the origins of the authentic birria, and how it evolved. Jesse told Tonia it goes back to days when goats roamed the Mexico countryside, and were considered something of a nuisance. That's because they ate a lot of the crops. Birria, says Jesse, is a slow-roasted stew consisting of goat meat. As times evolved, it was made with beef. In his book, Jesse says there are number of recipes for birria, with just about any kind of protein you can think of!

2 lbs. short rib

6 dried chile guajillo

2 dried chile ancho

2 garlic cloves

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 clove

¼ cinnamon stick

1 Tbsp. beef bouillon

3-4 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

2 Tbsp. oil

Salt and pepper

onions, cilantro, and lime, for garnish

Optional: Warm tortillas for making birria tacos

Equipment

Large cast iron pan

Large Dutch oven (5-quart or larger)

To make the chile base:

Heat large cast iron pan to medium/high heat.

Toast the chiles for 1-2 minutes, turning frequently to make sure they don't burn. Transfer the toasted chiles to a heatproof bowl.

Saute the onion until the it begins to brown.

Add 1 cup boiling beef broth to the heatproof bowl, allowing chiles to soak for 5 minutes or until pliable.

Remove the chiles from broth (reserve the broth for the next step), then remove all the seeds and veins from the chiles.

Add reserved broth, chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, clove, cinnamon stick, bouillon, and bay leaves to a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.

To make the beef:

Chop chuck roast into 2" cubes. Generously season all sides of chuck roast and short ribs with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large cast iron pan. Brown chuck roast and short ribs on all sides, but do not cook all the way through. Transfer meat to a Dutch oven.

Add your chile base and the remaining 2-3 cups of beef broth to the Dutch oven. Use enough beef broth to submerge the beef. Stir to combine.

Bring the Dutch oven to a simmer and cook over medium heat for at least three hours, but up to five. The meat should be tender enough to fall apart using a fork.

Remove bones and gristle from the cooked beef. Reserve the broth for dipping purposes, if desired. Serve the finished beef with tortillas, cilantro, onion, and lime.

MexiPoix Relish (Mexican Mirepoix)

Makes approx. 20 oz.

Ingredients

1 large white onion, finely chopped

1 cup pickled jalapeno slices, finely chopped

½ cup packed cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Salt, to taste

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine onions, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, lime juice, and salt. Mix until well incorporated. Serve on tacos, sandwiches, salads, and more

A Special, South of the Border Cornbread

It's so good, and you can even eat it by itself! But you won't want to do that. No, you'll try this Mexican Cornbread with tacos or chili! Linda Skeens, who wrote the new cookbook, Blue Ribbon Kitchen, came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe here, and the fact that this is her first cookbook effort. Trust us, if this first cookbook is this good, we can't wait to see what comes next for Linda, who told Tonia that green chiles give this cornbread it's South of the Border flavor. But the real draw here is the fact that this cornbread is extra moist. Give it a try and find out for yourself!2

• cups self-rising cornmeal
• 1(8-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1cup buttermilk
• 2/3cup oil
• 2eggs

• 1(4-ounce) can chopped green chilies (mild)
• 1small onion, chopped fine
• 1tablespoon sugar
• 1½cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

2.

In a bowl, mix all ingredients — except 1/2 cup of cheese — together.

3.

Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan (I use Pam cooking spray) and sprinkle the 1/2 cup of cheese on top.

4.

Bake for 30 minutes. This is great with taco soup or chili beans.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

  

The big day is finally upon us, let's celebrate. And what better way to party on this most festive day, then with classic guacamole. And nobody does better guacamole Diva Name, who knows a little something about Mexican food. She owns noted eatery La Mexicana Taco Bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to discuss how you make a great guac. Diva told Tonia you have to start with fresh avocados and fresh lime juice. That's base she uses, and then Diva says let your imagination run wild. At her restaurant, they have a quasi-guac bar where you can add different toppings to your guacamole and make it as spicy or mild as you like. The most important is that guacamole is a fun food, so have fun with it!

Happy Cinco de Mayo from all of us at Tonia's Kitchen!

A New Way to Avocado...Southern Style

   

Today on Tonia's Kitchen, we're talking about Southern Latin-Style cooking...a different kind of fusion that combines the spice of South-of-the-Border dishes with the sauciness of American Southern cooking. And the chef who's doing the combining, stopped by to talk about some of her favorite.  Sandra Gutierrez told Tonia about her Chilled Avocado-Buttermilk Soup with Crab Salad Nachos.  This is a classic soup with a twist: refreshing, smooth, and sinfully delicious. Every spoonful is like a collision of textures in which buttery liquid meets crunchy chips and tender seafood. Sherry imparts depth of flavor; cayenne lends subtle spiciness that lingers on the tongue. The lime juice seasons this soup lightly without overpowering the flavor of the avocados. Chileans serve palta reina, an avocado filled with creamy salad (most often chicken or seafood), as a first course, and Sandra says she couldn't resist transforming this combination of ingredients into an enticing soup that is as easy to make as it is impressive to serve. For a stunning presentation, serve this soup well chilled in glasses.

For the soup

2 Hass avocados

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup buttermilk

1//4 cup dry sherry

1//4 cup minced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 1//2 tablespoons lime juice, or to taste

For the crab salad

1 cup crabmeat (claw meat only), picked for shell fragments

1//4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoons lime juice

1 tablespoon minced white onion

2 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley (leaves and tender stems)

Pinch cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the nachos

8 corn tortillas, quartered

1//2 cup vegetable oil

Halve and pit the avocados; scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a blender. Add the chicken broth, buttermilk, sherry, onions, and garlic; blend until smooth. Transfer the avocado soup to a nonreactive bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and lime juice; cover well with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour (or up to 6 hours).

Make the crab salad: in a medium bowl, combine the crabmeat, mayonnaise, lime juice, onions, and parsley, being careful not to break up the crab meat; add the cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Chill the salad until ready to serve.

Fry the tortilla chips: Fit a baking sheet with a metal cooling rack. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat to 360˚. Working in batches, carefully add the tortilla pieces to the oil. Fry them, turning halfway through, until golden and crispy on both sides (2-3 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried chips to the prepared cooling rack; sprinkle with salt.

To plate: ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Top each tortilla chip with crab salad and float one in every soup bowl; serve the rest on a platter. Serve immediately.

Can a Burrito be Healthy?

  

Yes it can be!..thanks to delicious ingredients like brown rice, chickpeas and cauliflower, but it doesn't skimp on the taste.  Susie Middleton, who wrote the cookbook Simple Green Suppers stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her Spiced Cauliflower, Chickpea and Brown Rice Burrito with Arugula.  It's really a symphony of fine flavors with her Susie's Lime-Chipotle sauce.  All in all, a fresh take on a south-of-the-border classic, that can really make your lunch or dinner!

Spiced Cauliflower, Chickpea, and Brown Rice Burrito

with Arugula

Makes 4 burritos

2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice

1 cup cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 large (burrito-size, 10-inch) flour tortillas

Double recipe Spiced Cauliflower Sauté (recipe below) reheated if necessary

⅓ cup or more chopped toasted pecans or toasted sliced almonds

⅓ cup Lime-Chipotle Sauce (recipe below)

1 large or 2 small avocadoes, cut in half and sliced

1 to 1½ cups loosely packed arugula, or 20 to 30 small sprigs of fresh cilantro

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the rice and the chickpeas. Reheat in a microwave on high for 2 minutes or in a medium saucepan, covered, over low heat.

2. Warm the tortillas.

3. Place 1 tortilla on your work surface. Spoon about ½ cup of the warm rice and chickpeas onto the lower center of the tortilla, forming a rough shape a little bigger than a deck of cards (with the long side facing you). Put a portion (one quarter) of the cauliflower sauté on top of the rice and chickpeas. Sprinkle with a quarter of the pecans. Add a generous spoonful of lime-chipotle sauce and several arugula leaves or sprigs of cilantro. Top with a portion of avocado slices and a bit more lime-chipotle sauce if desired.

4. Wrap the burrito: Start by folding up the bottom (the side closest to you); then fold the two sides in, keeping the filling layered and compact. Then roll the whole burrito tightly over the rest of the tortilla to close it. Cut the burrito in half on a sharp diagonal and arrange the two halves on a plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spiced Cauliflower Sauté

Makes about 1½ cups,

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 teaspoons grapeseed or vegetable oil

2 cups small (1-inch) cauliflower florets

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

Lemon wedge

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, to taste (optional)

1. In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, coriander, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

2. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the cauliflower and salt and stir, then cover and cook, uncovering occasionally to stir, until the cauliflower has lost its opacity and is browning in spots, 7 to 9 minutes. Push the cauliflower to one side, and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and the spice mixture, and cook until softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir together

the sautéed spices and cauliflower. Remove from the heat and season with a squeeze of lemon. Toss in the parsley (if using). Spoon onto the warm pancake or add to another

dish.

Lime-Chipotle Sauce

Makes ½ cup

¼ cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

½ teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

½ to 1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle in adobo, or 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce plus ¼ teaspoon dried chipotle powder or smoked paprika

Pinch of kosher salt

In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Let sit for 1 minute. Taste, and adjust seasonings as you like. Transfer to a small serving bowl.