Friday, November 30, 2012

Rainy Day Morning at it's Best!


Few things thrill on a wet, rainy morning like breakfast. And being it's a slow go in the cold I suggest you fuel the day with a bountiful Beaner's Breakfast. Simple, fast and little clean-up afterward makes this savory power starter just the thing. Hot beans are put in a bowl; topped with an egg poached in a Tomato/Green Chile Coulis. Meanwhile warm your favorite tortillas to complete the feast. I prefer a crumble of corn chips on top for added crunch... yummy.

Now you're ready to take on a day. And by the way, this breakfast goes nicely with an umbrella!

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2012. All Rights Reserved.
http://mickhuerta.blogspot.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wines! 

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Slice of Fun: Beach House Pizza ~ South Carolina

What do you want to cook? "Pizza! Pizza!" They cried, three voices in unison!
Thin crust was the unanimous fave. On-line we selected a recipe and began the dough and sneaky lessons on measuring, fractions, rolling pins, division of labor, sauce ladling and some silly decorations into our slice of fun! We fashioned a smiley face pizza, animal faces and a little devil, too! It was much more than bargained for but a rainy day afternoon on Kiawah Island was filled along with the 10 year old triplets! And the homemade Pizza was crispy and gooey and good. Really Good! Seems life lessons can be tasty, too.



Copyright © Mick Huerta 2012. All Rights Reserved.
mickhuerta@gmail.com

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Thursday, November 22, 2012

PAILA MARINA ~ Chile


Considering that Chile itself is 4,270 km long, its coastal waters encompass a large variety of habitats and ecosystems, in addition to its open ocean habitat. And out of those teeming waters comes the famed Paila Marina, a Chilean seafood soup that is a combination of shellfish and hunks of light fleshed fish in an aromatic broth that will eclipse all other soups you've ever eaten facing the sea. A steaming bowl of Paila Marina never fails to bring joy!

 Copyright © Mick Huerta 2012. All Rights Reserved.
http://mickhuerta.blogspot.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wines! 

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Shrimp Boil! Cooking Up Southern Good Times!

Southern culture produces good times and great dishes too! A recent Friday, we spent the evening at a Church Shrimp Boil. You know the type of church, a building down the road that houses best intentions and the neighborhood's desire to better itself and invites others to join in community activities. I have a friend who is member of the congregation and she claimed there was, "No missin' the Boil down at the church."

Seems one fellow (Jimmy) is expert and puts all others to shame. Speaking to the man directly he contends that once you start throwing around some paprika, lemons, bay leaves and your own signature Boil ingredients "things are gonna start gettin' good!" With a wry twinkle he adds,  "Oh yeah, I got my own mix to spice things up here, let me tell ya." He was willing to share a simple recipe and insisted that when you get good at it, your preferences will then begin to show through. "Bit more of this or less of that." "That's when your personal recipe will start to come." He said not to worry about spice, just put it all in being that it doesn't translate to burn your mouth off heat! You're just flavoring the food with goodness. Here's Jimmy's Church Shrimp Boil recipe:

Church Shrimp Boil
  • 3 tablespoons Zatarain’s seasoning (or Old Bay if you prefer)
  • 2 tablespoons Paprika*
  • 3 lemons, quartered
  • Zest of two lemons more
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 - 2 can(s) of beer (optional)
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 head of garlic peel and all
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Hot sauce (Louisiana style)
  • 2 pounds small red potatoes
  • 2 pounds Andouille Sausage
  • Corn-on-the-Cob, shucked and halved
  • 3 - 4 pounds large raw shrimp, shell on
* Jimmy's favorite is Spanish Smoked Paprika. He sometimes includes chopped celery and red bell pepper.

Fill a large stockpot with water, spice mix and aromatics. Bring to a raging boil. Add potatoes, sausage and corn one-at-a-time (to strainer basket) keeping in mind cook time for each individual ingredient. Jimmy cautions that the SHRIMP are all important and it's best to add shrimp, stir, and cook until shrimp are just pink. They're gonna continue to cook out of the pot. Drain. And dump out on a picnic table and dive in. After the blessing the hall goes silent. Jimmy's done it again! Talk about getting to know your neighbor elbow to elbow!

Serve with ample Louisiana Hot Sauce (Crystal, Frank's Red Hot, Tabasco etc.) and cold, cold beverages.

Copyright © Mick Huerta 2012. All Rights Reserved.
http://mickhuerta.blogspot.com
All Accordin' - Travel, Culture, Food & Wines!

    Tuesday, November 13, 2012

    PAELLA On Top of the World! Sancho Panza - La Paz, Bolivia






    The squabble over proper method to cook Paella is one that began long, long ago and will continue as long as there are people who love Spanish food and pour their hearts into making it distinctive and wonderful. Passion is as much of an ingredient as any selection of seafood, saffron or type of olive oil. This being the situation, no arguments will be resolved here!

    However, one thing that disappoints no end is an establishment that cooks all ingredients separately: the rice cooked with colorant giving the look of saffron, seafood in one pan, all other ingredients finished in anothers. Then they´re combined in a chafing-dish, rice at bottom and the expensive stuff arranged prettily on the top. No! That is not Paella! In many places there is much nonsense of this sort served to the unsuspecting. Simply put, Paella is an open approach with regional differences but one dictate remains firm. All ingredients are cooked in one pan. That pan is called a Paella and the dish takes its name from this unique shallow Spanish cooking vessel. And the difference is in the taste, texture and aroma of Paella done properly!

    With that established let´s talk about delicious Paella at 3600 meters (12,000ft), cooked perfectly with threads of pungent saffron in the traditional way and served beautifully at table! Sancho Panza - La Paz, Bolivia shines! Our Paella arrived with ample food for four. The fun of Paella is that it is a dish of community. And being two, we shared with the friendly table next to us. The Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) was chilled nicely and dry enough to accent the feast. Our conversation was dominated by the miracle. What miracle, you might ask? Well, water boils at a much lower temperature at altitude than at sea level thus slowing the cooking process. And in the best conditions having rice and all other ingredients cooked perfectly at the very same moment is tough timing. But at altitude in the Andes Mountains? Now that is a feat of extraordinary culinary prowess. At Sancho Panza, our meal was flawless. We ate, laughed and with our neighbours poured more Cava! The evening felt like those we´d loved so much in Spain. Undoubtedly a chef that can transport you to heaven for a short time surely works magic. And if a little magic is what you seek while dining, at Sancho Panza you´re sure to be carried away. Enchanted!

    Restaurante “Sancho Panza”
    Avenida Ecuador 738
    Edificio Miguel Ángel, Sopocachi
    La Paz, Bolivia


    Copyright © Mick Huerta 2012. All Rights Reserved.
    http://mickhuerta.blogspot.com
    All Accordin' - Travel, Food, Wines and Gardens!