Super Summer Guacamole Guacamole is one of those remarkable foods that has appeal across cultures and generations. There are many different variations out there, and more than once I’ve been snacking at the hors d’oeuvres table with fellow party-goers when curiosity about the contents of the host’s “guac” has turned to lively debate among guests and outright defense of a tried-and-true recipe. Red onions go head-to-head with garlic; limes duke it out with lemons. Cilantro? Tomatoes? Hot sauce? Mayonnaise??? A really good guacamole takes a little more planning than most dips. Very rarely am I able to find the perfect avocado in the store or at the market, so great guacamole is a perfect way to practice the under-appreciated art of postponing gratification. A rock hard avocado usually takes about a week to soften, while a medium hard avocado takes about three days. The soft avocados on the shelf are usually too ripe and won’t have the flavor of the perfect avocado. Organic avocados are readily available, even in the winter when other fruits and vegetables are out of season and you’re craving a taste of summer. My daughter, Sela, is a chef. She is an amazing cook. Almost everything she makes is perfect. We happen to have different guacamole recipes. People ask which one I prefer, and I always say, “I prefer anything she cooks for me.” That said, I make my guacamole differently! Sela’s Ingredients: 3 “perfect” organic avocados 2 cloves organic garlic, pressed or micro-planed 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice Salt to taste My Ingredients: 3 “perfect” organic avocados 1/4 cup diced yellow or white onion 1-2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice Salt to taste With both recipes, mash the avocados with a fork or a pastry cutter until they are creamy. Add other ingredients and salt to taste. On occasion, when I need to stretch the guacamole (more guests come than are expected or the kids are starving), I add tomato to the guacamole. This can be done with...
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I have eaten out frequently my whole life and some meals are better than others. Every now and then, I have a spectacular meal either by attending a super nice restaurant or, just by accident, everything collides and a meal unexpectedly astounds me. I thought it would be interesting to try to make a list of my top 10 most memorable restaurant meals. I have placed them in chronological order. Some of these meals we have talked about for years or I have enjoyed the sweet aftertaste of the memory of them over time. For each, I can still remember how the flavors hit my tongue. The impermanence of art as food intrigues me. Sometimes everything just comes together as food and theater – something special happens with raw ingredients being transformed into a completely unique and dramatic experience. These are my top 10 most memorable restaurant meals. 1. The Tower Restaurant, London circa 1984. They served me the best scallops I have ever had–still, to this day. I was 16 years old and with my parents, and this was one of my first experiences with fine dining in a top-notch restaurant. I just couldn’t believe how good the food was. We had grilled scallops and I have been searching ever since for a scallop that comes close to how good they were. 2. Sadie’s Restaurant, Albuquerque, NM, circa 1987 when the restaurant was still in the bowling alley. The margaritas were psychedelic and the food was sublime. After 2.5 hours waiting for a table, I still remember how spectacular the flavors of the food were with the deep dark red chile and the papas (fried cubed potatoes). Sadie’s still has good food but the bowling alley days offered an unparalleled experience. 3. Sushi with Rich, 1992, Evergreen, Colorado. I had never really figured out how to “do sushi.” I was from New Mexico and although I had eaten Japanese food, sushi seemed too foreign and I didn’t really know how to order...
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I have seen some pretty scary obesity studies this week and I have always thought that sugar was the devil. Since my children were born, I have tried to limit it, replace it, negotiate around it, and keep it away from them as much as possible in their lives. But this summer, I changed my mind just a little bit. We were in Europe for 5 weeks this summer and we wanted the boys to enjoy the local foods. For 8-year-old boys, “food” translates into dessert and treats. And we wanted them to eat croissants and tarts and all the delicious things in France and the amazing wienerbrød in Denmark. Food was part of experiencing the culture of each country with all of their senses. I also realized that Orangina is available almost everywhere in Europe and it has long been on my list for acceptable kid beverages (It is essentially just juice and bubbling water, no added sugar). So we allowed them to have a treat and an Orangina every day. For the treat, candy would have been off-limits, but they never asked about that. My boys are thin and extremely active and tall for their age. They both do sports for extracurricular activities and they also run, jump, play hard, and are generally very active people who burn lots and lots of calories. They eat very few carbs–that is bread, pasta, potatoes, etc. They get most of their carbs from fruit. Still with the daily treat, they gained a little weight. But it seemed to be good for them. One of them has always been very thin. He filled out a little. And he seemed less slight and more grounded in his body. The other added a little weight to his body but has gotten leaner now that he is back to the twice a week swim team routine. It has made me rethink my “sugar is the devil” mantra. Could it be that moderation in the sugar department might actually be good...
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I have always loved the look of eggplant; when else do we get to eat a purple vegetable? Lured in by its shiny skin and intriguing shape, I used to bring an eggplant home from the market, admire it from afar, and eventually throw it away because I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. Then I discovered this recipe, which has become my favorite way to eat eggplant (even though by now I’ve discovered baba ghanouge and other eggplant-based recipes!) This is a delicious accompaniment to grilled chicken or seafood. Ingredients: Extra virgin olive oil 1 medium or 2 small organic eggplants, sliced & quartered 1 clove garlic, minced 1 white onion, chopped 8 organic mushrooms, quartered 2 tbsp high quality balsamic vinegar Preparation time: About 25 minutes Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat until it is quite hot. Olive oil has a lower “flash point”–or temperature at which it will burn—than some other vegetable oils, so you don’t want it to be too hot for long. Add the eggplant. Let the slices cook well on one side and then stir them so they can cook awhile on the other side. When the eggplant is lightly browned on both sides, add the onion and garlic. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and fully cooked. Add the vinegar and stir. Add the mushrooms and cover again. Serve when the mushrooms are...
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These DIY “sun”dried tomatoes were easier than I expected and more delicious! My “sun” dried tomatoes are made in the oven. Since they take such a long time in the oven, I recommend you fill the oven with as many cookie sheets full of them as possible. My oven has 3 racks, so I do 3 sheets at a time. I tried both the convection oven and the regular oven as well as a dehydrator. I preferred the convection oven over both the regular oven and the dehydrator but use what you have, they will still be great. I tried this with both beefsteak and roma tomatoes. The roma tomatoes were substantially better than the beefsteak tomatoes from a cooking perspective and were what I was expecting to like best. The beefsteak tomatoes had an unexpected sweetness and could almost be eaten as dried fruit. I am looking forward to using them for some creative cooking! They are delicious. From a time perspective the beefsteak tomatoes take hours more. When I removed the roma tomatoes from the oven, I put the beefsteak tomatoes in the dehydrator for another 16 hours. 20 Roma Tomatoes per cookie sheet or jelly roll pan Parchment Slice the tomatoes longways and place cut-side up on parchment on a cookie sheet. Cook on your oven’s lowest temperature overnight. I removed the stems from the tomatoes but didn’t cut out the stem core. Cooking time at 170 degrees was about 16 hours on the oven setting. About 14 hours on the convection setting. After cooling, I used ziplock bags to store them. I cut the used parchment to create layers of them so I can grab a couple of tomatoes at a time from the...
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I first tried this side dish at a little restaurant in Albuquerque in the late 80’s. I am not sure whether it is a regional dish or if it was unique to this restaurant, but I experimented and came up with my own version. It’s a summer favorite in my family, served with beans and a main dish like tacos or enchiladas, or with potatoes and a green salad. We receive weekly delivery of an organic food box from a local farm and, with the exception of the green chile, we usually have most of these ingredients in our weekly box. I’m a bit of a chile fanatic, so I bring back a stash of Frozen Green Chile from New Mexico when I return from a trip south. For those who are less likely to travel internationally for their chile consumption, “Old El Paso” brand canned green chile is fairly easy to find in the Mexican foods section of any Canadian or US grocery store, and works well in this delicious dish. For those who prefer their food cranked down on spicy scale, use mild green chiles. If it is still a bit spicy for your taste, add sour cream and extra cheese. 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves crushed 1/2 medium onion chopped 3 zucchinis 1 cup corn 1/2 cup fresh roasted chopped green chiles (Anaheim peppers) or 2-3 small cans chopped green chile 3/4 cup cheddar cheese (optional) Salt to taste In a skillet, heat olive oil to medium. Sauté onion and garlic until clear. Add zucchini. Cook until the zucchini is firm but cooked through. Add corn and green chiles. Salt to taste. Top with cheddar cheese and allow it to melt in the pan....
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