Snacks! Veggie, Cheesy, Pickled, Salty. Snacks!

Posted on by

I love snacks! And I think most of us out there do, too. The great thing about a well designed snack is you can use it as an appetizer, amuse bouche, small plate etc. for guests or a dinner party. This is a great example of one of those eat-at-home-alone or dress-it-up-for-guests snacks.

Ricotta and Radish on Crackers

IMG_0068

I can’t stop eating it, no joke. This little bite makes me want to put ricotta on everything, and everything on top of ricotta. I’ve gone through pints of the mild, creamy cheese in the last week just in order to combine it with anything I can find hoping to make it as unbelievable as it is with cracker, radish, salt and pepper.

It’s crazy easy, but it will blow your mind – and the mind of anyone you share it with. All you need to have is a thin, crisp but sturdy cracker, fresh creamy ricotta, and some thinly sliced radishes and a little salt and pepper, too, of course.

Or, for a little extra pizazz, omit the salt and sub the fresh radishes for some delish pickled ones:

radishandricottagoodsize

Shameless plug coming…… (contact me at KitchenEclectic@gmail.com    for pickle orders)

It’s a tasty trick for left overs, too. Last night’s salad of spinach, walnut, and cucumbers last was out of this world on top of ricotta crackers this afternoon.

And don’t forget to try your hand at your own ricotta – takes no time at all. A few minutes of work, 2 hours of sitting around doing nothing. Courtesy of me: Homemade Ricotta.

What else can you top ricotta and crackers with? Salted carrots? Beets? Enjoy a snack and let me know!

 

Spicy Pickled Slaw, (Repost, Update)

Posted on by
Reply

This post is a recipe from one of my first successful pickling experiences; since then I haven’t stopped. But I still use this same basic recipe and ratio. It’s a great way to pickle. I updated a couple things, but wanted to re-share it and get you all as excited about pickling everything in sight as I am! 

I was recently cursed with bout of the ugliest of flus, spending a week of my life on the couch. It sucked. Seriously, sucked. There were, however, one or two breaks in the clouds where I thought I was feeling better and so ventured out, desperate for some fresh air and to avoid the atrophy that was setting in on my body. One such evening, I weakly stumbled upon the Mission Community Farmer’s Market.


And by golly, what luck of the season (though I already knew), it was perfect timing. The market full of lovely purveyors, delicious pupusas and super scrumptious fruits and veggies. And, of course, as it’s that glorious season for all things canned, jammed, jellied and pickled with an adorable label, my heart let out a sweet giggle when I found this purveyor, Emmy’s Pickles and Jams:

I indulged myself in some quince butter (oh, mmmmmmm) and a jar of zesty pickles (double mmmmmm)…..

I’m going to get me some fig jam next time….

After chatting it up for a minute, I moseyed on for my own jarring (hah! oh, puns…) adventure. I was on the look out for some additions to a cabbage, fennel, onion, and carrot combination…. that’s right. Some additions to…. SLAW!

Mmmmm!

Edging dangerously close to the end of pepper season, I didn’t know what I was going to find – but I did know I was going to snatch up and hoard what I could. I got lucky and crossed ways with some real beauties!

The great thing about slaw / pickled items is that they’re incredibly versatile. You can use just about anything that’s available. Lately, I’ve been using a combination of some or all of the following:

  • Cabbage
  • Jalapenos (lots of ‘em, some seeded, some not)
  • Fennel
  • Onions (white, red, yellow, shallots)
  • Green Beans
  • Yellow Wax Beans
  • Carrots
  • Padrons/Shishitos (stemmed and torn in half lengthwise)
  • Red, Yellow, Orange Bells and these gorgeous purple heirloom peppers I got at the market:

with a quick, mild pickle. 

Try this mildly pickle slaw (similar to Salvadorian curtido) on eggs, tacos and pupusas (duh), mixed with avocado and cucumber, in place of lettuce on any sandwich…the options go on and on.

Be sure to experiment with the brine, too, based on what your ingredients are. Sweeter peppers? Make a spicier brine. Spicier pickles, make a sweeter brine by using more brown sugar than white sugar and apple cider vinegar in place of granulated. Or, add some funky spices that you really love. Clove? Extra black peppercorn? Or make it crazy spicy with some whole dried cayennes. Try adding tarragon, star anise, who knows. It’s quick and cheap so you can experiment time and time again.

Here’re the basics:

Prep Your Slaw Veggies:

      1. Chop or clean all the ingredients you chose to use into long strips that
          are as close to the same size as you can get.
      2. Mix them together in a large bowl so they’re evenly distributed. It should
          look about like this:

3. Evenly distribute the mix amongst the jars you have cleaned. Fill them fully to     the top.

4. Follow the instructions below to make the brine and pickle.

Basic Brine (for 2 cups)

    • 1/2 c. white vinegar
    • 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
    • 3T white sugar
    • 3T brown sugar
    • 2t coarse grey sea salt (substitute regular kosher salt if you can’t find coarse)
    • 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1T black peppercorn
    • 1cup water
    1. Bring all ingredients to a boil, then pour immediately over your prepared slaw, in jars.
    2. Let cool until just comfortable to the touch, then seal with a screw top lid. (It’s not necessary to do a proper canning seal for this quick pickle, as long as you eat it within a week or so.)
      3. Let cool, then refrigerate and let sit for 24 hours, then

enjoy!

Tacos, Tacos, TACOS! (and how to make tortillas)

Posted on by

Well, another Mexican vacation is behind me and another reassurance that my heart and soul belong south of the border is under my belt.

Until this trip, all of my adult time in Mexico had been spent Guadalajara and south – I’ve experienced Jalisco, Mexico City, Michoacan, Morelos, Oaxaca, Chiapas. As a child, I grew up in southern California though, so I saw Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada. I don’t remember too much of it, except for a few very specific memories: the best beans I’ve ever had (still to this day), half-way finished cinder block housing (I assume taken over for hotels, resorts and timeshares at this point), and even then knowing that there was something special about that place….

 A few years beyond a 12 year old now, southern Mexico has been “real Mexico” to me – whatever that means. You hear it everywhere, but something about it seems true. Many parts of Baja cater to the American tourist; most everyone speaks English and don’t have the slightest expectation of you even giving Spanish a try, it’s easier to find a restaurant dedicated to fried chicken than to tacos, and most things are charged in US Dollars. That being said – Baja Sur is still wonderful. Cabo San Lucas I could take or leave, but the surrounding area on the coast and inland is filled with exactly what the bumper stickers say: “No Dias Malas” (no bad days) - bare, sandy feet all day, distractions from driving because you see a whale off the coast, a general relaxed attitude of “whatever, it’s fine” and once you make your way along the highway out of the tourist towns – all the tacos you and me are looking for.

What do you want? Extremely fresh shrimp tacos with pico de gallo?

Some of those good ole fashioned fish tacos with salsa and crema?

Whatever taco you desire, it’s there, fresh and most delicious! Of course, ceviche is everywhere and it’s heavenly. Some places think it’s fancy for the gringos, and will charge you an arm and a leg – but just wait it out and you’ll find a great place like I did that will give you a ceviche tostada for 20 pesos (that’s less than $2USD).

And with more hot sauce than will fit in the frame of an instagram photo, to boot.

It’s magical.

In other taco news around the southern coast, there’s also machaca:

Machaca is a traditional regional dish of northern Mexico and Baja. I thought it was only beef – and I bet all of you did, too. But it’s not! In and around the coast of Baja Sur (both west and east sides) there is Machaca de Pescado (usually Tilapia) or even Machaca de Rey (yep – manta ray!). Machaca de Marlin is most common and sooo good. It’s Marlin that has been dried, pulled, and then rehydrated and really lightly smoked. Oh and those tacos are out of control.

 (I like a lot of toppings….) (The little red bits you see underneath there is the machaca.)

Of course, Baja is still Mexico, so don’t forget those non-seafood more traditional tacos.

Baja Sur’s favorite breakfast (and mine now, too) is birria tacos. These corn tortillas were dipped in the birria juice first, then grilled on a greasy, steaming, side of the road flat top. Great flavor, piled high with hot sauce at 10 in the morning on the way to the beach. Try to beat that. I bet you can’t.

Or, topped with cabbage, a mix of cilantro and onion and a spicy salsa verde. Don’t forget the jamaica juice!

Alas, sadly (and against my will), I eventually had to come home. Upon my return to the sun and sand deprived bay area, I still couldn’t get enough tacos and so decided to do a little taco party of my own. I’ve lived in or near latin neighborhoods for a long time, so I see the masa in markets all the time and have always wanted to make my own tortillas.

Luckily it’s also crab season here in San Francisco – so tortillas, fresh crab…. I think you know where this is going….

It’s easier than it seems, but making tacos does necessitate some attention to nuances.

Tortillas

For first (and I suspect – 2nd, 3rd and probably 6th, 7th and 8th) time tortilla makers, get the pre-made masa – that’s the masa pre-mixed with water and a bit of lime. Depending on where you go, sometimes lard. The lard does help to hold it together, but that’s more essential for tamales. For tortillas – just get the masa (usually in a plastic bag) who’s ingredients are: masa, water, lime. That’s it.

You must have a tortilla press, too. Some instructions I’ve read have said you can do it with a rolling pin – and more power to you if you wanna try – but unless you’re an old mexican grandma with 40 years of tortilla making experience, I wouldn’t do it. And even then, they don’t use rolling pins. It was hard enough to get it going with pre-made masa and a tortilla press.

With pre-mixed masa, a tortilla press and a nice, hot, lightly oiled skillet (preferably cast iron) you’re as set as you’re gonna be to make some great tortillas.

So get the rest of your basics together and get pressing:

  • If you don’t have a tortilla warmer, set your oven on the lowest temperature (usually 250) and you can keep them warm in there, or wrap them in a fairly thick kitchen towel.

 

  • Make sure you have a few pieces of wax paper (or plastic grocery bags will do) pre-cut to coat both sides of the tortilla press (absolutely essential!)


  • Start with a small ball of masa, about 3/4 the size of a ping pong ball, roll it between your palms like play-dough, stick it the middle of the tortilla press, and squish away. Open up the tortilla press and here’s your tortilla:

  •  After pressing the masa, get them in the hot skillet as soon as possible; keep them warm after grilled and they should be ready to go.

 

  • Re-heat in the skillet or oven when ready, if needed.

Tortilla hints:

*If it starts getting sticky and the tortillas start tearing after a while, try coating your hands in just a little bit of olive oil, or dusting them with coarse cornmeal before rolling them and before taking them off the tortilla press.

*Pressing the tortillas twice can help them from being doughy inside. It depends on the size of your tortillas and the wetness of your masa.

 But you can’t have just tacos without salsa, can you?

 Citrus Salsa

  • Oranges, peeled with no pith, seeded and diced (Cara Cara, Satsuma, Mandarin – the sweeter the better, and a mix is fun)
  • English cucumber finely diced (or, substitue regular, peeled)
  • 1 habanero pepper, seeded and very very finely minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and very very finely minced
  • zest of 1 lime
  • heavy handed sprinkle of coarse sea salt
  • (feel free to add a small splash of tequila right to the salsa, if you like – try it on a spon first to see….it’s quite tasty)

Start the party with the salsa served on a chip and a shot of tequila beside it! Then follow up as taco toppings.

 Another great taco topping, inspired by an almost ubiquitous spicy cream salsa Baja uses for many of its seafood tacos seen here:

Chipotle Cream Salsa

  • sour cream
  • a couple canned chipotles in adobo, seeded
  • half a lime
  • splash of olive oil
  • coarse sea salt, to taste

 

  1. combine in food processor
  2. glop lovingly on tacos

*you have to do this one a little to taste, because the chipotle can be very flavorful, but can also be craaazy hot, so it depends on your spice tolerance; it’s also essential that you seed the peppers out of the can. Adding more sour cream/crema will help to cool it if it’s too hot.

 

And, of course, enjoy! 

Eat Some Oysters Already!

Posted on by

If you love oysters, this is for you. If you don’t love oysters, even better – I’m on a mission to make you a fan!

Here in the Bay Area we have some of the best oysters around. While it’s true that I love ‘em all and I’ll eat pretty much any oyster put in front of me – it’s also true that these beautiful Tomales Bay oysters are at the top of my list.

Their crisp brininess is, indeed, comparable to those briny, creamy tiny little Puget Sound guys that I also love so much… but I live here, and I like my oysters fresh as they can come. I rarely eat oysters that aren’t local, and at Tomales Bay they’re more than just local – they’re growing in the water you’re sitting next to while eating them. In fact, they’re so fresh, you sometimes get a little hitchhiker on your bag of oysters…

You can chow down at a picnic table on the beach and then take a walk along the sand next to the beds. It’s pretty much the best thing ever. If you live in the Bay Area and haven’t been, go. If you have been, go again. And if you don’t live around here – get your butt over here and go. Take a look at what you’re missing out on:

 

Those picnic tables you see there to the right are where you eat your tasty treats, there on the left is where you buy them…

The oysters’ temporary home, before I eat all of them and my belly is their home….

Just for reference on how my pals and I can scarf up some oysters - between 4 of us, we ate 62 oysters. Its a lot, but we were pretty happy campers, even considering a few more before we came to our senses. Once they all settled, I was pretty oystered out for a little while. (The next day I was fortunate enough to follow it up with tomato steamed clams for dinner. Oops on the mollusk overload.)

The key to eating so many oysters is taking a break in the middle for a stroll along the beach, throwing sticks for the dog to catch, taking silly pictures and viewing the oyster beds. (Some people even buy their oysters and carry the bags to eat on the beach)…

The second key is to have the most banging supply of treats and goodies you can imagine. There’re picnic tables, it’s sunny, you’re on the water, and surrounded by happy oyster loving people. Bring a huge cooler, a car crammed full of your most favorite people and stay a while!

Plenty of wine (champagne strongly suggested), bangin’ cheeses of all kinds (I prefer hard with oysters), tomatoes, mango, avocado, shallots, apples, lemons, grapes, fresh french bread – there’s also some hummus, salad greens, canned white beans. And plenty more. It’s this spread that will lead to the greatest oyster feast of all time; the feast that had led to some of the surprising recipes and combinations I am about to offer you; recipes and combinations for those who love oysters and will do anything with them, as well as for those who don’t, who need a little ‘umph to enjoy this beautiful mollusk.

The more items you have in your tasty treat box (cooler), the more tasty adventures you can have, of course. We took pretty much everything on the table and tried it with the oysters – in the shell, in a salad, on bread – we did the best we could to do it all. Take a look at just a few of the attempts we made. Some were amazing, some were less than that…

Green apples on top, with the brine in. Amazing!

Cucumbers. Also good, but not as good as the apples. The two mixed together – ohhhh yeah.

 Avocado – the smooth semi-sweet creaminess on top of the salty brininess: not bad. Mango – less than mediocre.

Sometimes, though, you just need a plate of plain old oysters. No funny business. (Well, maybe one…try out some tomato. It’s not too bad – tomato, hot sauce, lemon.)

But, of course, for those simple plates of oysters, you need some sauce.

You need lemon, you need hot sauce. Horseradish, cocktail sauce, mignonette are classics.  But, of course, I always encourage experimenting with as many as you can gather, and all the combinations in between.

Cocktail Sauce

  • Ketchup
  • Horseradish
  • Lemon
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Dash (or a big splash, depending on taste) of hot sauce (tabasco recommended)
  • Mix together to taste!

Mignonette

  • White wine or champagne (sparkling wine)
  • Finely minced shallots
  • Splash of acid: white or red wine vinegar, lemon or lime juice
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Mix together to taste and pour over oysters!

Don’t forget that arugula and can of cannellini beans we had…..

Simple and Delish Raw Oyster Salad for Two

  • 2 fresh oysters, with brine from shell
  • 1/2 avocado, cubed
  • 1/2 can cannellini beans, plus 1/2 teaspoon or so of bean juice from the can
  • teaspoon or so of white wine/champagne mignonette
  • handful of arugula
  • pinch of salt and black pepper
  • Mix together and enjoy!
Just follow my simple guidelines, come up with some funky oyster recipes of your own, and you, too, will walk away with a bucket of oyster shells as full as this one:
Shuck and Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!

Posted on by

People scoff, and people squirm – they’re grossed out and disgusted. But really, it’s a fairly regular thing around the world. People eat bugs. If livestock, cattle, and even legumes aren’t readily (cheaply) available to you, your community has found another way to get a source of protein. As a person who has been a vegan in the past and is now (temporarily!) forced to not eat meat, I get it – a human body craves protein. So, bugs it may be! They’re everywhere, they’re cheap, and they’re super high in protein for their size.

So what do they taste like? Not much (at least most of them)- which, of course, means they don’t taste bad. Most of them are crunchy, as you would expect, and usually kind of just taste like what they’re cooked in – which depends on where you get them.

In Oaxaca, Mexico, you can get ants and grasshoppers from big huge baskets at the markets; they are fried and coated in chili and salt. They’re dry, crunchy and taste like nothing much more than chili and salt (which, in itself, isn’t so bad). You can feel their tiny little wiry legs a little. I like it, it’s funky. Oaxacans use them for topping Tlayudas (a local most delicious crispy blue corn tortialla-y specialty topped with refried beans, Oaxacan cheese, and any variety of other items depending on where you are), among other things.


Here in San Francisco, Don Bugito is a local food truck doing tasty treats based on Aztec snacks (the Aztecs ate a lot of larvae-esque bugs). The larvae for the tacos are sauteed in garlic and butter, and are deeee-lelish (but isn’t everything in garlic and butter?). The larvae are not the squishy weird texture that you think they would be, either.

And of course, all over southeast Asia they’re bug crazy! And Thailand just might take the cake.

 

I think it’s mostly the size of them that’s so intimidating….

Lucky for me, I’m only blocks away from Koreatown and their boastful supermarket and kind-of mini-mall, Koreana Plaza.

Koreana is no Thailand – there are certainly no bugs the size of your fist; but if you’re shopping for something squirmy yet edible, you won’t leave empty handed.

Alright, so I’ll be honest….boiled silkworm larvae isn’t the tastiest bug on Earth…but, it’s reasonable. It’s not disgusting. There are, however, big secrets to cooking them. Just read on and you’ll learn better than I did…Sometimes learning by doing can create quite a mess…. (see photo below)

But if you stick with it, you’ll go from this:

To this!

Now don’t tell me that’s not hella classy. Homemade tortilla chips, corn and heirloom tomato salsa, crumbled cotija cheese and one tidy little bug, sauteed in butter, chili powder, tamarind, tequila, garlic, and lime.

 

For the chips

  • one package (give or take, depending on how many you’re feeding) of flour tortillas, cut into 6ths
  • ground black pepper
  • salt
  • chili powder
  • olive oil
  • Toss the cut up tortillas with the olive oil, salt, pepper, chili powder so they’re all well coated. Roast in the oven on a sheet tray at 400 until you see a little bit of browning. 

 

 

For the Salsa

  • 2 ears worth of fresh, de-cobbed corn kernels
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped finely

  • 1 basket of mixed heirloom cherry/globe tomatoes, cut into halves and quarters (depending on the size)

  • a large palmful of cilantro, picked and finely chopped
  • 5-6 basil large basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 jalapenos, oven roasted and seeded, then finely chopped

  • 1 decent pinch korean chili flakes
  • lots of salt and pepper, to taste
  • small sprikle of tequila (to taste)
  • Gently mix all the ingredients together, adding salt, pepper and tequila slowly while tasting. 

 


      Jalapenos:

  • Preheat your oven to 425  and toss the jalapenos with olive oil and salt – make sure they’re well coated. 
  • Shove them in the oven on a sheet tray, and let them go for 10-15 minutes or until the skin is browned and bubbly.
  • Let cool, then split lengthwise down the middle and the skin should come right off.
  • Use the back of your knife or careful hands (that you wash in a serious way right after) to pull the seeds out of the pepper. They should come out very easily in a clump. Depending on how hot you want the salsa, you can leave a couple seeds in there.
  • Finely chop the de-skinned, seeded jalapenos and you’re done!

For the bugs 

  • You know, I wanted to figure out how to merge the obviously Asian/Korean influence of the bugs themselves with some Mexican influence, full of flare. I knew it had to be possible, but I wasn’t sure how. So I searched. I flipped through magazines, I googled and epicurious’ed ideas – and nothing. Finally, I searched through my giant spice cabinet hoping something would pop out at me. It was one big “no, not this” after another. UNTIL! I ran into tamarind. Mexican? Totally – mmm agua de tamarindo - and Asian? Yep, totally dudes and dudettes. Check out an example.
  • butter
  • tequila
  • lime
  • salt
  • chili powder
  • minced garlic
  • tamarind paste (peep at this great guide to using tamarind paste)

1) Drain any water or liquid from the bugs. Melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a hot sautee pan, and add the tamarind before the butter gets too hot, stir it well to dissolve and equally distribute the tamarind.

2) Once the butter is nice and hot and the tamarind is mostly distributed, add the bugs and minced garlic, give it a quick stir around the pan and then add just enough tequila to get all over the bugs (not enough to make it soupy).

3) Let the alcohol cook off a bit (just a quick couple minutes) and add the rest of your items – a squirt of half a lime or so, a sprinkling of chili powder all over those guys, a pinch of salt, and be sure to have a lid handy because they will start to pop and fly across your kitchen if you don’t. (you saw the picture above, right?)

4) Let them cook for just a hot minute, shaking the pan often.

5) Once browned and just a little crispy, grab a chip, put a spoonful of salsa on it, sprinkle with crumbled cotija cheese and drop a bug or two on that bad boy.

6) And, of course, enjoy!

Things to remember for this recipe:
  • When you get these guys in a pan, they pop! Not like whole cranberries pop, but like a grasshopper jumping through weeds. All over the kitchen, exploded and smooshy with silkworm guts. You saw the picture above. So, make sure you use a pan that you have a lid for.


  • This generalized recipe should also work for other kinds of bugs or worms that you might find around, which is why I don’t give specific measurements. You can adjust it for how many bugs you have.

 

So, now that we’re no longer quite as weirded and grossed out (right????) because we get that bugs are a pretty regular part of most of the world’s cultures and we have a nacho recipe to make them delicious in our own home – here’s a little info on why they’re so great….

  • Take a look at this chart and compare fish and beef to the protein content and overall nutritional value:

 

  • Fat in lean ground beef is 10g per 100 grams of beef; chicken breast is about 6.5 grams per 100 grams and for broiled cod, it is next to nothing. Look at that compared to the fat content in bugs. They’re seeming pretty healthy, aren’t they?
  • They are also easier and cheaper to mass produce and much lighter on our environment; I think we’ve all heard plenty about the damage that livestock production does to the Earth. Bugs, though? They take less space to produce higher protein yields with obviously less resources to farm.

More bugformational links:

Check it all out, and let me know what you think. Enjoy!