Travel Food Porn: Ecuador (Part 1)...No Rubber Chicken to be had at this Wedding!

After a month-long hiatus from blogging, I'm finally ready to delve back in to all the food talkin', and bloggin', and sharin' great recipes. As I mentioned in my last post, pre-break, I was set to travel to Ecuador and Peru for two weeks. I had been told that I would fall in the love with the food there. And for the most part, I did. I can't simply write about the food of this region in just one post, so I'm going to split it into several posts.

My first post I dedicate to the reason I went on this trip in the first place...Beth and Renato, who got married in Quito, Ecuador. I've been calling this one of the most redonkulous weddings I've ever been to, and with good reason. While I could go on and on about the beautiful bride and groom, the gracious hosts on both sides of the aisle, and the amazing music (no less a pop/rap star performance AND fireworks!?!?), this blog is about food, and there is plenty to write about the food at this wedding. Though I could probably summarize it in three simple words: No Rubber Chicken.

The setting for this wedding was simply beautiful. Quito is a lovely city, and the wedding reception was held about 30 minutes outside of the city in a very picturesque backdrop. The party started with a cocktail reception with all sorts of great appetizers around 2 p.m. I was too busy enjoying my champagne cocktails to properly take photos of the food...but there were shrimps, and caviar, and all sorts of great nibbles.

Following a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, it was time to eat the main meal. This lunch was served around 3:30 p.m. Even though we had been promised snack foods later (including a 10 p.m. quinoa soup which seemed odd at the time, but turned out to be a delight), I felt it was important to savor as much as I could of this great meal. Because we'd been warned that this wedding reception was a marathon, not a sprint. And if the Americans were to survive the Latin American drinking traditions, we'd have to line our stomachs first. Challenge accepted!

If you don't know the couple, Beth is Chinese-American and Renato's family is from Ecuador. What was so cool about this wedding was that they infused both types of cuisines into the meal. The first course was Chinese dim sum with three types of sauces. It was served in the traditional style and included a variety of flavors, none of which I could quite identify, but each unique in their own way. This was followed by a sorbet served in a beautiful ice cup that was infused with flower petals. Simply gorgeous.

The main dish included langostinos, in other words, very large shrimps with a shitake mushroom sauce; duck breast with a hoisin sauce, and two sides which included a grain pilaf of sorts and a vegetable medley. These two dishes were served tableside and I still regret not taking just one additional shrimp. I've been to a lot of weddings, but I've never had a main dish that was this flavorful, unique and tasty. No Rubber Chicken indeed.

The dessert course continued the tradition I had been seeing in fine dining in Ecuador where there are three dessert options, one of which is always served in a shooter. These included a mango mousse, a green tea crème brulee, and a passion fruit ice cream truffle sprinkled with raw cocoa. Amazing.

But the food didn't stop there. There was a great coffee and chocolate bar, stocked with truffles and chocolate covered espresso beans, and all sorts of other tasty treats to keep the party going. And it sure did...all the way to 2 a.m.

Well done, Liu, well done.

Grilled Cumin Chicken with Tomatillo Sauce

Happy Cinco de Mayo, ya'll! Late last week, I posted some of my favorite taco recipes to get you in the mood to celebrate. But here is one more dish that has a great Latin flavor, but with minimal work, perfect for a weeknight meal. I truly believe that making the tomatillo sauce from scratch is the way to go here, and it makes a great alternative green salsa.

Grilled Cumin Chicken with Tomatillo Sauce (serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 lb. tomatillos

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 TB fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

Cooking spray

Directions:

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Combine olive oil, cumin, black pepper and garlic cloves in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and let stand for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, discard husks and stems from tomatillos. Combine tomatillos and broth in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cover and cook 8 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Combine tomatillos, cilantro, and next six ingredients (through jalapeño) in a food processor; process until smooth.

Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve with tomatillo sauce. And if you're like me, some rice and a nice Mexican beer.

Redux of Costa Rican-Style Tilapia

I've never been to Costa Rica. In fact, I've never been south of Key West, but I hope to rectify that in the near future. So the only thing I have to go on that this dish is in the style of Costa Rican food is that the recipe said so. Regardless of its authenticity, it is a dish that I like to regularly make, especially for a crowd. It's relatively economical, and universally liked. The rice/pineapple/black bean combo is the star of this production, though the fish gives it a bit more substance. Here's the link to the original post/recipe.

And can we just say that my hair has grown crazy long (for me) since that time?



Exhibit A: February 2012, shortly after
 I started my little blogging adventure.

Exhibit B: September 2013, with Jon Wright,
one of my favorite taste testers.

Food Porn: Estadio.....and I'm heading to Montreal!

Sorry to break it to you, Jose (Andres). I now have a new favorite tapas place in town...Estadio! I've tried to get reservations many times before, but this time I planned ahead for my parents' visit earlier in July. It was well worth the wait and I have a feeling I'll just make reservations in advance a few times a year just to revisit this place.

We ordered a variety of tapas, but some of the highlights included this halibut dish, with a chili sauce, overtop of chick peas, dried cherries and some type of green. Great flavors, just melted in your mouth. I also really enjoyed their roasted corn with spices, herbs and manchego cheese. I tried to re-create this at home earlier this week, but while the result was good, it  wasn't nearly as good as thing. Highly recommend ordering this if you ever find yourself so lucky to get in the door.

Since it was my mom's birthday, we ordered a dessert to share. This manchego cheesecake, with pistachio crusted quince base was the bomb. Seriously.

Speaking of the bomb...I'm going to the gastronomic bomb called Montreal for a few days, followed by a few days in Toronto. I'll be sure to report back with a ridiculous number of food photos and insights to what I'm sure is going to be a great trip!

Roasted Corn with Manchego and Lime

First things first...I just noticed that this is my 151st blog post since I started doing this in January 2012! Not too shabby!  Secondly, I may have just found my new favorite restaurant in DC...but I'll talk about that later this week. This dish came about as a result of something I ate at that restaurant and while this was pretty good, I'm no professional.

I was making tacos and wanted a side dish that incorporated some of the same ingredients as were in the tacos since I had a bit more than I really needed, including manchego cheese and fresh corn. What resulted is this!

 

Roasted Corn with Manchego and Lime (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 6 ears of sweet yellow corn, unhusked
• 2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 TB (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
• 1 cup finely grated Manchego cheese
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced chives
• 2 tsp finely grated lime zest  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°. Roast unhusked corn on a baking sheet, turning occasionally, until heated through and crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs. Discard cobs.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add corn kernels and sauté until heated through and light-golden in spots, 5-7 minutes. Add butter; stir until melted.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer corn to a large wide bowl or deep platter; sprinkle jalapeño and crushed red pepper flakes over. Squeeze lime wedges over; sprinkle with cheese, chives, and lime zest.

Chorizo and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Tacos

In my second installment of my taco cooking trifecta, I tackle breakfast tacos. I've had my share of breakfast burritos out, but I didn't want to go that big for my weekend breakfast. Plus, I had a solid amount of chorizo left over from earlier in the week, so this seemed a perfect fit. There aren't too many ingredients, the process was simple, and the end result was awesome. This recipe comes from Epicurious.Awesome site for recipes.

Chorizo and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Tacos (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 4 corn tortillas
• 1 cup grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 7 ounces fresh chorizo sausage, casing removed if necessary
• 4 green onions, sliced
• Sour cream (optional)
• Hot sauce or salsa (optional)

Directions:

Brush large nonstick skillet with olive or vegetable oil. Char tortillas over gas flame or directly on electric burner until blackened in spots, turning with tongs. Arrange tortillas in single layer in skillet. Sprinkle each tortilla with 1/4 cup grated cheese and set aside.

Whisk eggs and 2 tablespoons cilantro in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté chorizo sausage in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add green onions and sauté 2 minutes. Add egg mixture and stir until very softly set, about 1 minute. Remove egg mixture from heat.

Cook tortillas in skillet over high heat until beginning to crisp on bottom, but still soft and pliable, about 1 minute. Divide egg mixture among tortillas and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro. Fold each tortilla in half. Serve with sour cream and hot sauce, if desired.

Potato and Chorizo Tacos

Any regular visitor to my blog knows I like good ethnic food, and in the last year, I have experimented with several types of tacos. Two weeks ago, I picked up a pack of corn tortillas and went to work, resulting in three different taco recipes in 10 days' time. I'm a little over tacos at the moment, but you will thank me for this little endeavor. Because 2 of the 3 taco recipes were amazing. This one was the most amazing of them all. And it includes one of my favorite (albeit expensive) cheeses: Manchego.

You can just thank me now.

Potato and Chorizo Tacos (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 2 poblano chiles (I used jalapenos because I couldn't find poblanos)
• 1 TB canola oil
• 2 cups diced white potato
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 oz Mexican raw chorizo, casings removed
• 3/4 cup unsalted chicken stock
• 3/8 tsp kosher salt
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 oz Manchego cheese, shredded (about 1/4 cup).
• 8 lime wedges 

Directions:

Preheat broiler to high.

Cut poblanos in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place poblano halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil for 8 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel; coarsely chop.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add potato; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove potato; place in a large bowl. Add onion to pan; cook 3 minutes. Add poblano, corn, red pepper, and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onion mixture to potato. Add chorizo to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes, stirring to crumble. Return potato mixture to pan. Stir in stock and salt; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until potato is tender, chorizo is done, and liquid almost evaporates.

Working with 1 tortilla at a time, heat tortillas over medium-high heat directly on the eye of a burner for about 15 seconds on each side or until lightly charred. Arrange about 1/3 cup potato mixture in center of each tortilla; top with 1 1/2 teaspoons onions and 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese.

Serve with lime wedges.

Garlic Chipotle Chicken Tacos

I'll confess that I actually made these a few weeks ago during my taco kick, but am just now getting around to posting the recipe. Since this made a decent amount of tacos (and admittedly I was starting to get burnt out on eating various types of tacos several times a week) I decided to freeze half of the yield. Yesterday I decided to thaw one of the servings and took these into the office for lunch. A coworker commented on how awesome they smelled and I'm happy to report they tasted just about as good when I first made them.

Garlic Chipotle Chicken Tacos (makes 8 tacos)

Ingredients:

1 TB chopped fresh garlic

1 TB minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce

2 TB canola oil, divided

1 lb chicken cutlets

3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided

3/4 tsp black pepper, divided

Cooking spray

2 tsp chili powder

1 small red bell pepper, quartered

1 small green bell pepper, quartered

1 small Vidalia onion, cut into 1/2-inch rings

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1/2 cup shredded green leaf lettuce

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Combine garlic, chipotle, and 1 tablespoon oil; rub evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Place on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from grill; keep warm.

Combine remaining oil, remaining salt, remaining black pepper, and chili powder in a large bowl. Add bell peppers and onion; toss gently to coat. Place vegetables on grill rack; grill 5 minutes on each side or until soft and charred. Place tortillas on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 30 seconds on each side or until lightly charred. Remove from grill; keep warm.

Thinly slice chicken. Divide chicken, bell peppers, onion, and lettuce among tortillas.

Tacos Al Pastor with Pineapple Salsa

A very sad thing happened this weekend. My refrigerator stopped working. It started with the ice-maker not quite working as it should and before I knew it, all the food in my freezer (including a stockpile of pork tenderloin) had thawed. My parents were in town this weekend and I had planned to use some of the pork for this recipe, but I then found myself sending them home with a pound of loin for themselves since one can only eat so much pork in one week (and believe me, I test that theory on a regular basis). So fortunately I was able to fix this dish before things went downhill in my kitchen. I served the tacos with an avocado salad.

Tacos Al Pastor with Pineapple Salsa (makes 8-10 tacos)

Ingredients:

Pork:

• 1 chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1 TB chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tsp ancho chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

Salsa:

• 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 TB thinly sliced red onion
• 3 TB fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 jalapeño, thinly sliced

Remaining ingredients:

• 10  (6-inch) corn tortillas

Directions:

To prepare pork, preheat the grill to high heat.

Mince chipotle chile. Combine chipotle and oil in a small bowl; rub evenly over pork. Combine oregano and the next 4 ingredients (through black pepper). Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over pork, and let stand for 30 minutes. Place the pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer registers 145°. This may take longer depending on the thickness of your meat (that's what she said). Remove pork from grill; let stand 5 minutes. Coarsely chop pork; keep warm.

To prepare salsa, place pineapple on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill for 5 minutes on each side. Coarsely chop pineapple, and place in a medium bowl. Add cilantro and next 4 ingredients (through jalapeño); toss to combine.

Warm the tortillas according to package directions. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates, and divide pork evenly among tortillas. Top each taco with about 3 tablespoons salsa.

Cumin-Spiced Fish Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

Good lord I love good Tex-Mex food. I ate so many different types of meat in tortillas over the Cinco de Mayo weekend, you'd think I was ready to feed on something different. But oh no...when I saw this recipe a few weeks ago, I added it to my queue of things to cook. And given my food has been a bit meat and carb heavy over the past few weeks, I wanted to try something a bit lighter. These tacos fit the bill. They were flavorful, healthy and quick to make after work.

Cumin-Spiced Fish Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa (serves 4, makes 8 tacos)

Ingredients:

1 TB cumin

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound tilapia fillets

1 TB canola oil

1 cup sliced peeled avocado

2/3 cup finely chopped peeled ripe mango

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 TB finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 TB fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Directions:

Place cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, paprika, and black pepper in a spice grinder; process until finely ground. Combine cumin mixture and garlic; rub over fish. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add fish; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from heat; keep warm.

Combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, avocado, and next 6 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon red pepper). Stir in jalapeño.

Heat tortillas according to package instructions. Break fish into pieces; divide evenly among tortillas. Top each tortilla with 2 tablespoons salsa. Fold tortillas in half; serve immediately.

Jalapenos Stuffed with Chorizo and Smoked Gouda

I love appetizers and finger foods. I think this is why tapas restaurants are some of my favorite places to go. I like to sample lots of different flavors and don't like to commit myself to a large portion of anything. That's one of the many reasons I like hosting parties like my Oscar party, because it gives me an excuse to make a variety of small dishes. These poppers definitely fit the bill.

In choosing to make them, I did discover two important things:

1) Despite my complaints about my Giant and their less than stellar selection of many foods, they do have a very extensive Latino section, which boasted 4 different types of chorizo. This became a tough decision, but I opted for the traditional hot Mexican chorizo. I think it was a nice choice in that the supreme spicyness of the sausage was balanced out by the smokeyness of the cheese.

2) Speaking of heat...never again will I work with jalapenos without using some sort of gloves. My hands were still burning the next morning after countless washings. Do yourself a favor and wear disposable gloves if you're going to work with jalapenos for an extended period of time. I was petrified to touch my face for a good 24 hours and elected to wear glasses the next day. This probably could have been avoided with gloves.



Jalapenos Stuffed with Chorizo and Smoked Gouda (makes 24 poppers)

Ingredients:

• 2 links Mexican chorizo, casings removed
• 1/2 pound smoked gouda, shredded
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 3 TB sour cream
• 1 TB hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 large jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.


Brown chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place into a large mixing bowl. Add the cheese, red onion, egg, cream cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Press into jalapeno halves and assemble on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.