Paella Session - Atlanta GA

I spent a long weekend recently with the Antista family (cousin, aunt & uncle) in Atlanta. I made paella while primo Tom shot the process with video and stills. Some of the images are stupendous. Salad and conversation added, our meal was sublime.

Lunch Frittata - Time Saveur

A few left-over items in the fridge, add pesto or other sauce, cherry tomatoes (grown along side the house) and a clip of Basil for garnish and today's lunch is a Time Saveur.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Heat a splash of olive oil over medium-high heat in an oven-safe skillet and cook a mince of onion and garlic until translucent. Beat eggs, add pasta, pesto, red or bechamel sauce, salt & pepper. Pour mixture into the skillet. The "Sizzle" indicates you'll have a nice brown crust once done. Reduce the heat to medium-low, allow eggs to set, about 10 minutes. Transfer skillet to preheated oven and cook fully, about 15 minutes. Nota Bene: The center is the problem spot. When center is solid, cool, cut and serve with soup, salad and a hunk of country bread. Any and all will do nicely! Garnish with tomato and basil. Serve with a Sauvignon Blanc.

"Windows on Baikal"

While indulging in a bit of reminiscing and reviewing fotos taken in Siberia, I found a series I shot of the windows of homes around Lake Baikal.

Please note, the houses themselves are without paint. Oddly, only the windows receive paint and a splash of creativity and fanciful flourish. I was so taken with this novel approach to home maintenance, I broke out the camera just to shoot the series, "Windows on Baikal". I share five of the many taken that day!

Being this principally is a food blog, I should add that we consumed mostly black bread, smoked fish, the caviar of Omul (a fish found only in the waters of Lake Baikal) and the Cup-O-Potato-Buds re-hydrated with boiling hot water from many a samovar. Russian Standard Vodka, was the tipple of choice - sometimes mixed with Schweppes' Bitter Lemon (more readily found in Siberia then in North America it seems). Ah, Siberia I love you well!

ROAD RELLENOS JOURNEY (Chile Rellenos found on the road)

Road trip? Chile Rellenos? Travel with a weakness? Nothing better spells excitement & motivation for a "Fool for Chile" like me! Ok, a few words of orientation before launching into Tales of the Road Rellenos Journey. The core word is "CHILE". Implying that a Chile Relleno will have a balance of flavors yet showcase the "CHILE". It's an attitude. Granted, a very personal one. I love the chile; I have a nose for the chile; I seek out the chile. I will pull over and spend quality time with a plate of Rellenos that are nicely done no matter the location.

This was a bit of a travel loop, part aeroplane-part auto - SLC, Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas, Lubbock, Santa Fe, Durango and back to SLC. For the purpose of this Road Relleno Journey story, we concentrate on States where the rellenos can be found: Texas, New Mexico, Colorado. To my surprise, it was harder to find a GOOD Chile Relleno in the Southwest then one would think.

Texas: Yet more evidence that Tex-Mex is the numbing down of Mexican Food so gringos will like it, too. General experience, too much cheese, gobs of greasy egg batter and plates drowning in the ubiquitous canned & bland red sauce. First question? Does your cook suffer the fear of CHILE? Chile lost! Balance lost! Two stops, both disappointing.

New Mexico: Spent more time here. Many stops. Michael's in Taos (good). In Santa Fe, Horseman's Haven, tia Sophia's and the Tecolote Cafe, all serve Southwest Classics (great). Favorite - The Pantry: Breakfast & Brunch 1820 Cerrillos Rd Santa Fe, NM 87505 fon: 505. 986.0022. Over the years, the Pantry has added more to the menu so now even kids and grandmothers will find something that will please. Regarding the Rellenos, good use of cornmeal to achieve a crispy exterior, nice balance of chile to cheese filling to CHILE flavor. Add rice, beans and eggs and morning in Santa Fe can be so very good! http://www.pantrysantafe.com/

Colorado: Short time, Durango. Winner of the Heaviest Batter Award. Large Mexican restaurant on the main drag, well known. Relleno delivered, I asked for a sharp knife. A long incision and delicate surgery allowed me to locate the chile. No balance! Paradise missed!

Chile Relleno, I thought, had two approaches. Mexcian - wheat flour used only to coat the chile before being wrapped in peaky, whipped egg batter. Delectable y delicioso. New Mexican - wheat flour, corn meal and a bit of egg, much crispiness and great balance. Wow!

Third approach? Google helped me here. There are a slurry of recipes on-line for what appears to be pancake batter (as coating for Relleno?). I suspect this is the Colorado style I encountered in Durango. Upon returning to Colorado, I'll stick to what they do best. Cow Country? Steak?

True, no great length of time was spent in any one location to dig deep and find the Mom-and-Pop Dives that kick out the incredible (this being the opportunity for residents of poo-pooed locations to argue the reverse). I am a firm believer in the gems. I love ferreting them out and I spend much time, joyfully, eating in those spots all over the world. You'll find my favorites here (as they are uncovered) at All Accordin'.

Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes (1911-1993) or more commonly known as "Cantinflas" has been a life-long hero to me. He was a comedic genius, yes, but what appealed to me was his palpable sense of humanity. I never tire of his films. There are about fifty, my favorite being "Ahí está el detalle" (There's the rub). Only two were in English, of these my fave is "Around the World in Eighty Days". Cantinflas played Phileas Fogg's unflappable assistant Passeportout. Next you rent the DVD watch for Cantinflas. Charlie Chaplan called him "the greatest comedian in the world; With a huge smile I just call him Cantinflas.

Paella Kings

All my brothers are wonderful cooks, each with his own style and focus. But it's Joe and I who have taken to the Paella. We have years of practice and a good sense of what pleases guests. The fotos shared are my most recent effort.

If you're curious, START! Google the recipe (in the beginning any flat-bottomed pan will do-after getting some chops invest in a paella pan). The best teachers are research, practice and a Spanish friend. If you lack the Spanish friend just begin cooking you'll have a Spanish friend in no time. Each Spaniard has his own recipe and will want to be part of the experience!

Pour the wine, let the Fiesta-without-Siesta begin!

Cactus salad - Ensalada de Nopalitos

This is truly one of the easiest recipes when using the Nopal Cactus from the bottle. However, if not highly practiced the preparation of raw Nopal paddles into edible strips can be a prickly proposition. The process entails using great care, a sharp knife and a pair of stout gloves to remove all spines (espinas), cutting and par-boiling the ribbons. Once cooled and you've undertaken the pickling process proceed directly to the recipe below! Or do as my grandmother Tomasa did simply resort to prepared cactus from the bottle available at any Mexican market.

Cactus Salad

One cup of Nopal Cactus or more
2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
Radish, julienne
Fresh cilantro

Simple Vinaigrette
Olive oil or vegetable oil if you prefer
Red wine vinegar
Dried oregano
Salt & pepper al gusto

My little twist on the traditional is to add Julienned Jicama for additional crunch. I finish the salad with fresh lime juice for a light bright flavor! This is a perfect "All Accordin" recipe in that you just add more of any ingredient that pleases you or leave out what doesn't. Yet another twist I find expressly thrilling is the use of Prickly Pear Fruit Jelly in making the vinaigrette - infusing yet more Cactus flavor, cactus to cactus if you like. Also, it's easy to add crisp Romaine Lettuce and crumbly Queso Ranchero (Ranch Cheese) to modernize this salad so well loved in the hot, dry north of Mexico.