Food Find: Bufalo Bob's Chalupas

It's full on summer now in Austin. Triple digits day after day. We get up painfully early every morning to take our dog for a walk as the sun comes up. He's a Golden Retriever, and even with his summer haircut, he still can't stand to be out in the heat in the later parts of the day. That means he's cooped up inside a lot during the week, so we try to get him out on the weekends for a little adventure. This weekend, we took him to "dog springs," next to Barton Springs pool. This is where folks on the hike and bike trail bring their dogs for a little cooling off and some splashing around. It's a great spot for dog and people-watching, whether you have a dog or not.

I've been going to Barton Springs since I was in college. Maybe it's the smell of Chuy's restaurant occasionally blowing in the breeze, but I always end up craving Mexican food after a good swim and some lounging in the shade at the springs. This weekend wasn't any different. But we didn't really want to load up on a greasy bowl of queso. A friend had sent me some info from the Alamo Celiac group's site with a story about Bufalo Bob's Chalupas. It's just a few blocks away from the springs on South Lamar, across the street from the Bicycle Sport Shop.



Bufalo Bob's (spelled with one f) is a food trailer serving chalupas made with certified hormone- and antiobiotic-free chicken and bison, and local and organic produce whenever possible. It's not the grease- and salt-fest you're used to. It's low-fat and low-sodium, but full of flavor. These chalupas are fresh and satisfying but with healthier ingredients including hummus, flax seeds, and spinach. I tried the Athenian — a tostada with hummus, flax seeds, green olives, shredded chicken, spinach, onion, tomato, a sprinkle of Parmesan and a spicy salsa. My husband had the Cretian, which was the same tostada with ground bison instead of chicken.



The best part — the owner's wife is gluten-intolerant so two-thirds of the menu is gluten-free (and clearly marked) and he's very careful to avoid any potential cross-contamination. The primary ingredient that makes the other items on the menu not gluten-free is a special version of his hummus, the Texas hummus, which he makes with Lone Star beer. (His regular hummus contains no beer and no gluten.) One section of the menu is vegetarian, one section is made with chicken and the other section with bison. The chalupas were fresh and tasty and very satisfying, but without leaving you feeling weighed down. One warning, once you bite into your chalupa, there is the inevitable crumble and cascade of toppings, so it's not dainty eating. Just grab some extra napkins.



After a morning out playing in the springs and the sun, we were ready for some shade. Bufalo Bob's is a trailer, but it has a very nice covered and raised deck with picnic tables for diners, which I wish was more common around the food trailers in town. And it's conveniently located next to Bananarchy, so you can grab a frozen chocolate-covered banana for dessert. (Ask for the vegan version if you're gluten-free). It's the perfect follow-up to Bufalo Bob's spicy salsa.

Bufalo Bob's is open Wednesday through Saturday 11am-9pm and Sundays from 11am-7pm. I'll be heading back there for lunch during the work week too.

Bufalo Bob's
600 South Lamar (across the street from Bicycle Sports Shop)
512.662.2801

Chile Rub

Chiles: smoked serranos, amarillos, ancho, chipotles

A while back, a friend gave us a gift of a jar of magic. He had painstakingly smoked some chiles, then dried and blended them. At first, we were using it on everything, on steaks for the grill to make tacos, on eggs for breakfast, on roasted veggies. It was so good. I hounded him for the recipe but he hadn't written anything down. He was just winging it and the results were incredible. It had just the right amount of complex heat without being overwhelming, with a layer of smokiness underneath and just a touch of salt. As we got to the bottom of the jar, I started hoarding it. I wanted to take a stab at making some more. We were hooked, we couldn't be without this stuff.

So I decided to try to replicate it. I have to start right off with a confession. Even though my husband has a smoker in the backyard and would love nothing better than to spend a day tending it, we just didn't have time for that this go round. So I knew I'd be looking for an express version using already smoked and dried peppers.



I started out at the Savory Spice Shop. Have you been there yet? It's a goldmine. Owner Karen Aboussie is a gracious and knowledgeable hostess. You can sample any and every herb and spice blend in the house. And she'll tell you to just dust it off your hand into the floor when you're done! At first, it seems very bad manners to make a mess in this pristine new shop, but if you're like me, your curiousity soon gets away from you and your tasting everything in site. It's a delightful way to get inspired. They have everything from vanilla beans to smoked salts to grill blends to freeze-dried corn (which is addictive and great on a Mexican salad as a crouton). Just be forewarned: you'll want to spend some time perusing the shelves. I thought I'd just drop in to pick up a few things and I couldn't tear myself away. They sell spices in any kind of quantity you want, by weight. You can get just a teaspoon in a little plastic ziploc, or you can buy one of their glass bottles.

I've long been a fan of buying bulk spices. They're fresher and more flavorful when you buy in bulk because of faster turnover. And, you can get only the quantity you need. So you won't have a bottleful of something sitting around if you only need a teaspoon. I keep my spices in tins with clear lids. They have magnets on the bottom which stick to the side of the fridge. I love being able to see what's in them all the time. They make for a kind of abstract color swatch art in the kitchen.



Even though I'm in the habit of buying fresher bulk spices at the market, I was impressed by how much fresher the spices were at Savory Spice Shop. There is a noticeable difference. And I hit the jackpot looking for dried chiles there. They have a whole wall of them. I got smoked serranos, amarillos, anchos, two kinds of chipotles and aleppo pepper flakes. I also got oak-smoked salt and hickory-smoked salt. The hickory is more assertive, so use more of that if you want more smoke flavor.

Two cautions on this job: if you have contacts, be sure to use gloves when handling the peppers or you'll be crying (literally) later. And keep the kitchen fan on when you grind these in your spice grinder. I opened the lid one time and got a face full of chile dust. I started sneezing and couldn't stop.

This batch makes a small quantity, a little less than a cup. Next time, I'll be multiplying it and making much more.

Tip: to clean your spice grinder after use, grind some rice into powder in it and then wipe it out. This will clean it off and remove any spice or chile flavors or scents that might remain.



Chile Rub

1 dried amarillo chile
1 ancho chile
6 smoked, dried serranos chiles
2 chipotles
1 teaspoon aleppo peppers
3 teaspoons oak-smoked salt
1 teaspoon hickory-smoked salt

Using gloves, remove the stems and seeds from the whole dried chiles. Cut them into pieces.

Using a spice grinder (coffee grinder used only for spices), grind each individual chile's pieces about 8-12 pulses. I like having some big flakes mixed with smaller bits, so keep an eye on it as you grind to get it the way you like.

After grinding, put the ground chiles, aleppo pepper flakes, and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine and store in a jar.

Yield: a little less than a cup.

Big thanks to Matt for his incredible chile blend and the inspiration!

Cilantro Sauce

We've been doing some taco experimenting around here lately. And while most of the focus has been on fillings (which I'll share when we get them perfected), sauces and salsas are just as important.

I tried this one to accompany a grilled steak taco. It's quick and easy to make on the fly. The brightness of the lime with the fresh, tangy greenness of the cilantro layered with a little onion and garlic make a perfect accompaniment to a grilled steak, straight up or on a taco. I haven't tried it yet on chicken or grilled veggies, but I think it would work there too. I even caught myself dipping chips into it.

I used the mini processor attachment that came with my immersion blender to process this. A mini-food processor or blender would work fine too.

This is best served fresh, immediately after processing. The flavor is still good the next day on leftovers, but the cilantro starts to wilt a bit, so it's not such a pretty presentation.


Cilantro Sauce

1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped
2 tablespoons white onion, peeled, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch cilantro

In food processor or blender, whiz together garlic, onion, salt and lime juice. Add olive oil and process into a paste.

Trim off the bottom edges of the cilantro stems and discard. Cut the bunch of cilantro into thirds (including stems) and add to processor. Process into a smooth paste. Taste and add more lime or salt, as you like.

Serve immediately on tacos.

Makes 1/2 cup. Recipe can easily be doubled or multiplied into bigger batches.

Adapted from Baja! Cooking on the Edge by Deborah Schneider.

Al Pastor Tacos for Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) is coming up and in Austin, that's a good excuse for a Mexican feast. The holiday celebrates the Mexican army's win over the French in a battle in 1862. In the U.S., especially Texas, it's a celebration of Mexican heritage.

Pork al pastor is traditionally cooked on a rotisserie like a Middle Eastern shawarma. It's roasted with a piece of pineapple on top to baste it as it cooks. The best al pastor has tender, juicy meat with crispy, lacquered outside bits. My favorite part of al pastor is that texture paired with the distinct flavor of pineapple.

We've been working our way around town, whenever we hear a tip or recommendation of a good al pastor taco somewhere in Austin, whether it's from a restaurant or a little taco trailer. So far, the best we've tasted have come from Al Pastor on Riverside or Piedras Negras on Cesar Chavez at Pleasant Valley. If you've got a favorite in Austin, leave a comment, we'd love to try it.

But we've also been experimenting at home. I clipped a pork kebab al pastor recipe from the sorely missed Gourmet magazine and we've been tinkering with it as our base. They take boneless pork shoulder, cut it into cubes, skewer it with pineapple and onions, and then grill it with a pineapple basting sauce. It's served with a tangy salsa of roasted tomatoes and onions combined with more of the pineapple basting sauce to form an incredible pineapple salsa.

We've experimented with this recipe quite a bit. We ended up wanting a lot more of the basting sauce and salsa so we've increased those quantities. I like having leftovers of the salsa. It has a bit of vinegar in it which means it keeps well and it's great on grilled fish or even corn tortilla chips. It's incredibly refreshing. As it heats up outside, I start to crave a tangy, zippy, fresh salsa. That's the taste of summer in Austin. And this one has become my favorite.

We've tried making this with different kinds of meat — pork shoulder, which requires a fair amount of prep to cut down into bite-sized cubes and as a shortcut, with big, fat boneless pork chops, which were faster to trim. The pork chops turned out to be too lean though. You need some fat to keep the meat moist so you can blast it a bit at the end to get that crispy texture you want on the outside.

This is a damn fine al pastor. But in the pursuit of perfection, we're going to keep experimenting to fine tune the texture to achieve the crispy edges we're looking for. Next time, we're thinking of trying pork butt instead. We'll debone the roast, slice it open lengthwise to get more surface area and then grill it in a large piece instead of cutting it into chunks. After it's seared on one side, flip it, brush with the basting sauce, then later, flip it again, and baste the other side. When it's cooked through, shred it, then if you like it really crispy, reheat and sear the shredded meat again before serving. A lot of prep, I know. But this is all in the service of a masterpiece. Tonight, we were trying the pork chops, so the meat was cut into small cubes so that it would cook quickly and not dry out. The meat was tender but we think it needs more fat to hold up to the blast of heat it needs to get some good crispy edges.

We also added a bit more chile. We like the smokiness of chipotle, so we used that. Chipotle powder is easy. But if you like some other dried chile, use that. The original recipe called for three dried chiles de arbol. If you use dried whole chiles, you'll want to heat them over medium heat in a dry skillet to toast them about 30 seconds on each side. Also, we have Mexican oregano growing in our garden. It's great for seasoning taco fillings, beans, you name it. You can substitute dried.

Note: Early on, we also tried marinating the meat in the pineapple basting sauce and while it imparts great flavor, the citrus essentially cooks the meat while it's marinating and destroys the texture. It just turns to paste. So don't do that!

Whether you cook it as kebabs, in a big piece and shred it or on a rotisserie, this is some good eating. Serve it on fresh corn tortillas with the pineapple salsa, some cilantro, roasted onions and pineapple and you'll be feasting.



Al Pastor Kebabs

Pineapple Basting Sauce and Salsa
1/2 white onion, peeled and sliced in half
1 + 1 teaspoon chipotle powder, separate
1 whole pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons of fresh Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
32 ounces canned fire-roasted tomatoes
6 tablespoons water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Broil your onion half on your grill or under the broiler for about five minutes on each side, until it's softened and charred.

While that's cooking, make your pineapple basting sauce. In a blender, combine one teaspoon chipotle powder, pineapple, vinegar, oil, garlic, oregano and cumin. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Hang on to the blender, you're about to use it again. You don't even have to clean it out though.

When the onion has finished roasting, put it in the blender. Add the tomatoes, one teaspoon chipotle powder and water. Blend until smooth. Add cilantro and 3/4 cup of the pineapple basting sauce. Blend again to combine.

For the meat
2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 large white onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks

To serve
chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges
fresh corn tortillas (approximately 16-20)

Prep your grill (medium-high heat). If you're doing kebabs, toss the pork in the remaining pineapple basting sauce. (Don't do this ahead or it'll ruin the texture of the meat.) Then immediately thread the pork, pineapple chunks and onions alternately on to skewers.

Grill until cooked through about 15 minutes, flipping them over about halfway through.

To serve, steam the tortillas in a damp kitchen towel in a microwave for about 1-2 minutes until steaming. Serve kebabs on the warm tortillas with pineapple salsa, cilantro and lime wedges.

Adapted from Gourmet.

Terry Conlan's Mushroom Tamales with Poblanos & Goat Cheese

Here's the next recipe installment from the "Mas Masa and Mushrooms" class I took from Terry Conlan recently. Conlan is the chef at Lake Austin Spa. He's known for offering big, fresh flavors that are good for you but also very satisfying.

(Excuse the photo quality. This was taken in the class with my iPhone.)

Tamales are often eaten around the holidays probably because they are fairly labor-intensive to make, so it's handy to have the whole family around to lend some hands. But the work is easy if you take it step-by-step and they are so good!

Conlan said that traditional tamales use lard and water with the masa, but he can't do that at the spa. So he works in a little chevre (goat cheese) and light butter into his masa to add flavor and richness. Since these are veggie tamales and he's using small quantities, there's room for this extra bit of fat without being too naughty. He also recommended other flavorings for the masa: achiote oil, bean purée, ancho purée or ground hominy for texture.

Conlan pairs these tamales with a grilled tomato salsa. That recipe follows.

As a variation on individual tamales, Conlan said he's made a giant tamal instead and served it in slices. Steam time on that would be 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

One note on the masa: Conlan said that the masa usually used for tamales is a little coarser, but if you want to use tortilla masa, that's fine. He recommends MaSeCa brand.

I love the flavors in these tamales. I also like that the mushroom filling makes them a little lighter. You could enjoy a couple of them with a salad for a light dinner (I recommend the Conlan's pineapple avocado salad from the previous post .) Or you could make these a part of a Mexican feast. The masa, mushrooms, goat cheese and poblanos meld into a very comforting and satisfying "super umami" storm of flavor. (Umami is the supersavory "fifth taste" to the usual sweet, salty, bitter, and sour that you usually hear about.)

On a practical note, Conlan said he uses pieces of foil to wrap the tamales instead of the traditional corn husks because he's cooking large quantities and it goes much faster. To use corn husks, soak the husks in hot water for 30 minutes before forming the tamales.

Find a tamale steamer at your local Mexican market or online. We have a large pot with a pasta insert that works great too. You can lift the whole thing out and still have your tamales contained.

Mushroom Tamales with Poblanos and Goat Cheese

2 tomatillos
1/4 cup sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro
pinch of salt
6 cups of assorted wild mushrooms, chopped
Cooking spray
salt & pepper
2 poblano chiles
4 cups masa harina de maiz
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock
8 tablespoons butter, softened (he uses light butter with olive oil)
1/2 cup chevre, softened
16 6x4-inch foil rectangles
crumbled queso fresco, to garnish
chopped cilantro, to garnish

Roast the poblanos over a direct flame "hot and fast" so that the chile skin blisters but the flesh retains its strength. If you don't have a gas stove, you can use a propane torch or the broiler. When chiles are black and blistered on all sides, place them in a paper bag to steam while they cool. When cool, take them out of the bag and slide the skins off. Remove the stem and seeds and cut into thin strips. Set aside.

Boil the tomatillos and onion covered in water for 2 minutes. Drain. Purée with the garlic, cilantro, and salt. Set aside.

Sauté the mushrooms in a pan sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat until the moisture releases and completely evaporates. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatillo mixture and stir together. Set aside to cool.

Combine the masa, salt and stock. Work in the softened butter and goat cheese. If necessary, add a bit more stock until the masa is the consistency of Play Doh.

Take one of the foil rectangles and pat out a 4 x 2 1/2 inch rectangle of masa. Place a line of mushroom filling down the center lengthwise. Top with 2-3 poblano strips. Roll the bottom edge of the foil up and over to the top edge. Then crimp and shape the tamale. Seal the edges and then roll up the short ends to seal it completely. Repeat until all tamales are formed.

Stack or stand tamales vertically in a tamale steamer or a large stock pot with a steamer insert in the bottom. Be sure to check the water level periodically to see if you need to add water. Steam time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours.



Grilled Tomato Salsa

6 medium tomatoes
3 thick slices of onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
tomato juice (as needed)

Grill the tomatoes and onions until charred over a fire grill or using a grill pan or broiler.

Purée the grilled tomatoes and onions with the remaining ingredients. Thin the sauce to the consistency you like with the tomato juice. Use just a few tablespoons at a time and then taste so that you don't dilute it too much.

To serve with tamales, spoon salsa on a plate and spread into a circle or swash with the back of a spoon. Unwrap two hot tamales and place together on top of the salsa. Sprinkle with crumbles of queso fresco and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Terry Conlan's Pineapple & Avocado Salad

Here is the first recipe I promised you from the previous post on Terry Conlan's Mas Masa with Mushrooms cooking class. It's called Ensalada del Calle. It's a bright salad bursting with flavor from fresh pineapple, orange juice, the crunch of shredded carrots and pepitas (pumpkin seeds), a kick from a little chili pepper and garlic, and buttery richness from avocado. It's healthy and decadent tasting at the same time.

(Note: excuse the photo quality, I was shooting in the class on the fly with my iPhone.)

This makes a great salad with a Mexican meal and would be especially festive and fancy enough for the holidays or a special occasion.

In the class, Terry made his own quick pineapple vinegar. Don't skip this step. It brings out huge flavor and is very easy. Be sure to use an organic pineapple though, you don't want pesticide vinegar in your dressing! This recipe will make more vinegar than you need, but since you already have the pineapple, there's no way around it and vinegar is cheap. Besides, this is a treat to have in the fridge for next time. It would be great drizzled over other pineapple salads or Asian salads or grilled pineapple or fish or over grilled pork in a taco, now I'm thinking al pastor...) Note, this same technique will work with other fruits so try making whatever fruit vinegar you like.

Ensalada Del Calle

1 ripe organic pineapple
2 cups white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted and salted pepitas
1/2 cup onion, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons fruity, extra virgin olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 seeded and minced Serrano pepper
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup carrot, peeled and shredded
2 ripe avocados
one head of butter lettuce

Take the onion slices and place them in a bowl in cold water and soak for 30 minutes to remove the harsh sulfuriness. Drain and set aside.

Peel and core the pineapple, reserving the trimmings. Cut half of the pineapple fruit into bite-sized chunks. Other half of fruit can be eaten later (chef treat).

Put the pineapple core and skin in a nonreactive (stainless steel) saucepan with the vinegar. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain. Measure out 2 tablespoons. Pour the remaining pineapple vinegar into a jar and refrigerate for future use. (This will keep for a long time.)

Combine the 2 tablespoons of pineapple vinegar, orange juice, olive oil, garlic and salt. Toss in the pineapple, onion, serrano, and cilantro. Toss to combine.

Peel and deseed the avocados. Cut into large chunks.

To serve, place a butter lettuce leaf on each plate. Top with pineapple mixture, then avocado chunks and sprinkle with pepitas.

Serves 6.

Adapted from Terry Conlan.

Terry Conlan's Masa with Mushrooms Class

Right before we took off for the mountains, I took a demo cooking class with Terry Conlan from Lake Austin Spa. Didn't get a chance to write it up before I left, but it was definitely worth sharing. The class was called "Mas Masa with Mushrooms" and covered an impressive array of masa-related recipes. Here's what he made:

• homemade corn tortillas
• ensalada del calle (pineapple, carrot, avocados with pepitas)
• chicken & mushroom flautas ahogadas ("drowned" in salsa verde)
• grilled portobello tacos
• wild mushroom tamales with poblano, goat cheese, and grilled tomato salsa
• pork and mushroom chilaquiles with winter squash, red chile salsa and papaya relish

I've taken other classes from Conlan and so I knew I could count on big flavors even though his food is considered "spa cuisine." Lake Austin Spa is consistently rated one of the top destination spas in the country and his food has to be a large part of the reason. I love that his food is fresh and abundantly flavorful. You notice the abundance, not what's missing. I love learning from him how to cook such satisfying, but healthy food.

I have to admit that until recently, I've never been much of a tamale fan. But my friend, Matt, has been experimenting with tamale recipes recently and we've been the lucky recipients of some of his tasty treats. (Matt's smoked brisket-filled tamales with an avocado green sauce blew us away. I'll be sharing his recipes soon. But that's a whole other post.)

First, I'm going to share with you a few notes I made in Conlan's masa class...

• You can make fruit vinegar (for salad dressings) using almost any fruit. He made one using pineapple trimmings and white wine vinegar. He suggested doing the same with cranberries and honey for the holidays.

• Selecting tomatillos: look for deep, dark, bright green, smooth fruits

• He likes to use Cabot brand reduced-fat white cheddar to shred for tacos

• Instead of frying flautas, bake them without sauce and then plate on a pool of warmed sauce just before serving.

• He doesn't use canola oil because it's usually genetically-modified.

• To use cooking spray – don't spray the skillet, spray the food, then place it in the skillet.

• Masa for tamales is coarser but tortilla masa is fine too for tamales. He uses MaSeCa brand. Store it in the fridge. Keeps a long time.

• At home (not at the spa), he's rendered his own pork fat to use to make tamales.

• You can make a giant tamal instead of individual tamales and serve it in slices. Steam it for 1.5 - 2 hours.

• Roast poblanos over a direct flame "hard and fast" so that the chile keeps its strength but the the skin gets charred. A propane torch is also good for this. Then place it in a paper bag to steam the skin off for easier removal. (See him roasting a poblano in the photo above.)

• I asked him about flavoring his masa (as Matt did in one of his tamale recipes that we really liked) and he suggested achiote oil, bean purée, ancho purée or ground hominy for texture.

• For tortilla making, he suggests using a plastic produce bag as the plastic liner in the tortilla press. It's heavier gauge plastic and when cut into squares, makes 2 almost perfectly-sized squares.

• You want corn tortilla dough to be the texture of Play Doh. It should be sticky, but not wet.

Next up, I'll have the pineapple salad recipe and the mushroom tamale recipe so stay tuned.

Terry Conlan's next class is December 9th and will focus on cooking with bison. Check out the Central Market Cooking School for more info.

Food Find: Paqui Tortillas

Just got turned on to a new taste sensation (thanks to a review in the Chronicle) that I had to share: Paqui Tortillas.

Locally-made, "Paqui" (pronounced pah-kee) comes from the Aztecs and means "to be happy." The flavors of these pillowy soft flour tortillas will make you happy...buttermilk, roasted jalapeño, cilantro and pumpkin.

As I stood in line at the checkout holding them, the guy behind me asked if I'd tried them before and started exclaiming about how good they are. He was right.

The company's web site says they "shun all things mass-produced and ingredients heavy on preservatives." Their tortillas are made with natural and organic ingredients.

We've tried all but the pumpkin, and I have to declare the cilantro my favorite, with the buttermilk and roasted jalapeño coming in right behind. The jalapeño have a nice little zing and the cilantro flavor shines through. They add a new dimension to quesadillas, breakfast tacos or any other kind of taco your heart desires.

Paqui Tortillas can be found in the fridge case at Whole Foods, FreshPlus, Thoms (on Barton Springs) and from Greenling and Farmhouse Delivery. Check them out.

Tacuba Enchiladas

This recipe comes from a PBS special that aired recently called Moveable Feast. It showcased chefs like Rick Bayless, Ming Tsai, Lydia Bastianich, Jose Andres, Christopher Kimball and Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl, all sharing recipes.

I've been a Rick Bayless fan ever since my friends Jennifer and Kevin turned me on to his cookbooks and tasty interior Mexican recipes. And I'm so glad they did. He's now my go to source for real Mexican dishes.

This is one of the recipes he shared on the program. He said it comes from one of his favorite dishes from Cafe Tacuba, a restaurant in Mexico City. It turned out to be as tasty as it looked when he made it. The recipe is easy to make, but does make a bit of a mess in the kitchen, utilizing a lot of different pots and pans.

I liked that it had a warm, gooey, comfort food quality, but also included a healthy dose of veggies with spinach and poblanos in the sauce. I went one step further and added strips of zucchini to the chicken filling to make it a one-dish meal.


Tacuba Enchiladas

3-4 poblano chiles
6 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach
1 stick (4 ounces) butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 cups milk
12-14 corn tortillas
cooking spray
meat from one rotisserie or roasted chicken, shredded
3-4 small zucchini, shredded or julienned into sticks
1/3 pound Chihuahua (or Monterey Jack) cheese, shredded
cilantro to garnish

Roast the poblanos under a broiler until black and blistered on all sides. Allow to cool, the peel off the skin and remove the seeds and stem. A quick rinse under cold water makes this easier. Chop the chiles and set aside. Reset the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

While the chiles are roasting, put the milk and broth into a pan and bring up to a simmer.

Make a roux. Melt the butter over medium heat, then add the garlic and stir for one minute. Add the flour, stirring continuously. Let the flour cook, about one minute, while stirring. Continue stirring and slowly add in the heated broth mixture. Whisk together completely and then bring up to a boil. Then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt and whisk.

While the sauce is simmering, spray each side of each of the tortillas lightly with cooking spray and place them, 2-up, on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven, pile all the tortillas into one neat stack and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them warm.

Finish the sauce using a blender or immersion blender. Whiz together the chiles, spinach, and half of the sauce. Blend well until completely smooth.

Pour into the pan with the other half of the sauce and whisk together to completely combine.

Place the shredded chicken meat and zucchini in a bowl and ladle one cup of the green sauce over it. Stir together to combine. This is your filling.

You can use either individual gratin dishes or a larger casserole pan to bake these. Whichever you're using, spray your pans with cooking spray first. Ladle some sauce into the bottom of your pan and spread it around evenly with the back of the ladle.

Now, assemble your enchiladas. Take one tortilla, place a large spoonful of filling across the middle of your tortilla in a strip. Roll the tortilla up around it. Place into the pool of sauce in the prepared pan. Continue with remaining tortillas and filling.

When the filled tortillas are all snug in their pan, ladle more sauce evenly over the top to cover. Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese.

Baking time depends on the size of the pans you're using. I baked individual pans with two enchiladas each, so it was only about 20 minutes. You just want them warmed through and the cheese melted and a little bubbly on top. For one large pan, this could take up to double the time. I'd test the middle ones after 30-40 minutes to make sure they're hot all the way through. (If your cheese browns too fast, cover it with foil.)

This makes a big ole mess of enchiladas, 12-14. How many that serves is up to you. I'd count on 2-3 per person.

To serve, top with chopped cilantro.

Serves approximately 4-6.

Adapted from Rick Bayless.

Faster Mole?

Mole. The rich, velvety complexity. It's warming and soul-satisfying. But, intimidating. I really like the intriguing combinations of flavors in different kinds of moles. But the laborious process of producing this wonderous sauce has kept it out of my reach. Elusive and mysterious. It's one of those, "one day, when I have time..." things. But I never have time. So I've never tried making mole myself.

Then I ran across this recipe in Cook's Illustrated for a faster mole. I was dubious. Instead of cooking all of the ingredients separately and then simmering them together for hours, this recipe calls for thickening the sauce for about 10 minutes and then pureéing the ingredients together before pouring them over chicken and baking for about 40 minutes. They used ancho and chipotle chiles, onion, cinnamon, a little chocolate, clove, garlic, tomatoes, raisins, sesame seeds and instead of a combination of ground nuts, they used smooth roasted almond butter instead. This adds velvety, nutty richness that is smooth and binds the sauce together with no grit.

I tinkered with this recipe just a little, using golden currants instead of raisins, adding more cinnamon and chiles and substituting agave syrup in place of sugar.

As you can see from the photo (which I've agonized over because it's so homely), this is not beauty pageant pretty food, but it's really tasty. Especially if you let the flavors develop overnight and serve it the second day. I'll be making this one again and will try to get you a prettier shot to replace the one above.

I made it according to the timing directions called for and we had it for dinner the first night. It had a nice complexity but I kept wanting the flavors to be more cohesive, to work together more smoothly. Then we put the leftovers in the fridge and had it again for dinner the next day. It was sooooo much better. The cinnamon was warmer, the flavors were rounded and fuller and not as rawly spicy. It came together. So next time, I would make the sauce, then put the uncooked chicken in it as a marinade and refrigerate overnight. Then cook it, probably a bit longer than the 40 minutes called for, maybe closer to an hour and a little lower temp so that the chicken doesn't dry out.

Try it yourself and see what you think. This is a mole I'd be proud to serve for company. It's perfect on a chilly day like this. And we won't get many more of these before the Texas broiler heats up for summer.

Faster Mole

2 ancho chiles
1 chipotle chile
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola)
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 ounce bittersweet or Mexican chocolate, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth (low-sodium)
14.5 ounces canned diced, roasted tomatoes
1/4 cup golden currants
1/4 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons agave syrup
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

First, toast the chiles. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and make sure your oven racks are in the middle position. Put the chiles on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and puffy, about 6 minutes. Let cool, then remove seeds and stems and tear chiles into small pieces. (If you wear contacts, you may want to consider doing this with gloves on to avoid unhappiness later.)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook 5 or 6 minutes until softened. Then add the chile pieces, cinnamon, cloves and chocolate. Stir together for 2 minutes until the chocolate melts and the you can smell the spices.

Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, raisins, almond butter and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds. Let thicken over heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens down to about 2 1/2 cups. (They recommended a 10-minute timeframe here, but I cooked it longer. Let your taste be the judge.) Add the salt, pepper, and agave syrup and stir together.

Here, you can decide if you want to cook it right away or let the sauce cool, add the uncooked chicken and let it marinate overnight before proceeding.

Either way, take a wide, shallow casserole pan, and spray it with cooking spray. Place the chicken across the bottom (single layer). Let the sauce cool first, if you're going to marinate, or dump it right on in there if you're going straight into the oven.

Bake, uncovered, for at least 40-45 minutes. Next time, I think I'll lower the oven temp a bit and cook it slower and lower. Follow your own judgement here.

When cooking is complete, let rest on stovetop, covered loosely, for 5-10 minutes. Serve over rice and garnish with additional toasted sesame seeds.

I still want to try making mole the traditional way. One day, I'll get out my Rick Bayless and try my hand at a green mole. But in the meantime, I'll be making this one.

Serves 6.

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Great Guacamole

This is the best guacamole I've ever had. And I can't take any credit for it. It's straight from Rick Bayless, my go to man for all things Mexican. The key is keeping the crunch of the onions, but ditching that overpowering, eye-burning quality that they so often have. His trick? Chop the onions, then rinse them thoroughly in cold water. That's all it takes.

For some, Super Bowl eats might mean beer and wings, but for me, it's all about the guac.

If you're looking for more Super Bowl foods to feed a crowd beyond the usual chili, here are a few more ideas:
• cheese straws
• sopa de lima
• corn tortilla casserole with mushrooms and chard
• smoked chicken, mushroom and wild rice soup
• chocolate almond bars
• pecan pie bars
• brown butter toffee bars
• triple chocolate cookies

Happy Game Day!



Great Guacamole

1 jalapeno
1/2 medium white or sweet (Vidalia or 1015) onion, chopped
1 medium round tomato, 2 Roma tomatoes or about 2/3 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 large ripe avocadoes
salt, to taste
1 lime

Get out a large serving bowl.

Roast the chile by heating it in an ungreased skillet for a minute or so on each side until it softens and develops dark spots. Alternatively, you can hold it over a gas flame with tongs, but be careful! Let cool, then peel the skin off, remove the seeds and finely chop. Put the chiles in the bowl.

Put the chopped onion into a strainer and run cold water over it. Tap or shake it to get rid of the extra water and add to the bowl with the chiles.

Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and add to the bowl.

Add the chopped cilantro to the bowl.

Cut the avocados in half by cutting down the length of the avocado until you feel the pit. Keep cutting all the way around it until you comes back to where you started. You should be able to twist the two halves to separate them. One of the halves will have the pit in it. Use a sharp knife to whack straight into the pit and it should stick to your knife for easy removal. You can also scoop it out with a spoon, if you like.

Scoop out the flesh of the avocados with a spoon and add to the bowl.

Use a potato masher or forks to mash avocados into pulp. Leave it as chunky or smooth as you like. Squeeze the juice from half a lime over the top of the guacamole mixture. Stir it all together to incorporate everything. Season with salt to taste. You can also add more lime juice here, if you like.

If you're not serving this right away, it will keep for an hour or two in the fridge covered with plastic. Be sure the plastic wrap is in contact with the surface of the guacamole to help keep it from discoloring.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups to serve 6-8.

Adapted from Mexico One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless with JeanMarie Brownson and Deann Groen Bayless.

Corn Tortilla Casserole with Chard & Mushrooms

While everyone else has been revving their engines since Thanksgiving to go Christmas shopping, around here, all I can think about is Christmas cookies. Get ready, the cookies are coming. But just so you don't think it's all baking, all the time around here, I wanted to share this very tasty veggie casserole.

This recipe comes from Doña Tomás, an interior Mexican restaurant in Oakland. Their food focuses on big flavors, fresh produce and less grease. I posted about their Sopa de Lima earlier in the year. This recipe will become another favorite from their book. You make a sort of tortilla lasagne with mushrooms, chard, corn and cheese. Fresh corn tortillas and fresh corn off the cob are essential for this dish. Their sweetness elevates the flavor into something amazing.

The original recipe calls for huitlacoche, which is a kind of corn fungus. It grows like a mushroom directly on corn and is considered a delicacy. But I've never seen it here. I'd love to try it, but I had to substitute shiitakes. The recipe also calls for a mix of Monterey Jack and mozzarella cheeses. We found the mozzarella too stringy so I'm going to make it with all Jack next time. Use more or less poblanos, depending on how spicy you want it.

As a shortcut, I used a salsa we've recently gotten turned on to, Native Texan brand salsa. I used the roasted tomato, but you could also use chipotle, if you wanted to spice it up. You'll need at least 4-5 cups. You'll want plenty for the casserole layers and more for serving.

The recipe says this serves 6, but it made a monster batch and we weren't shy about our portions. We loved this stuff. You could easily serve 8 with it.



Corn Tortilla Casserole with Chard & Mushrooms

3 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
4-5 ears fresh corn on the cob, husked and kernals cut off
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced
1 bunch Swiss chard, cut into strips
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
20 fresh corn tortillas
4-5 cups tomato salsa (we liked Native Texan brand, roasted tomato flavor)

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a skillet, add the onion and sauté until translucent.

Add the corn and mushrooms and sauté until tender.

Remove the corn mixture from the pan, put in a bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté the chard until wilted.

Add the chard to the bowl of corn.

Add the poblanos to the veggie mixture and stir together. Add salt to taste.

Oil a 9x13 baking pan.

Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato salsa in the bottom of the pan. Layer the bottom of the pan with tortillas, trying not to overlap. You may need to cut some of the tortillas into quarters to completely cover. Add more sauce, a layer of veggies, a layer of cheese and then repeat. The last layer should have salsa, then cheese on top. (You won't use all the salsa. You'll want to save some for serving. Heat the remaining salsa in the microwave or over low heat until just warm.)

Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes until cheese is golden and casserole is heated completely through. Cover with foil during the last 10 minutes, if necessary, to avoid overbrowning.

Remove from oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before you cut into it. This will help the layers stay together.

Place a spoonful of warm salsa on a plate and then top with a piece of the casserole to serve. You may want more salsa on the side.

Adapted from the Doña Tomás cookbook.

Roasted Baby Squash Tacos

A few weeks ago, I ran across some little baby squashes at the Animal Farm stand at the Wednesday farmers' market. What is it about mini versions of things that are so appealing? These have a sweet, delicate flavor, but stand up to strong treatment like roasting. So we roasted them with some sweet onions and poblanos and had some mighty fine tacos. I thought they'd make a tasty, healthy taco for a quick dinner. I have to say we were really surprised by how good these were. We've been making them every week since.

I intended to make them with a green sauce and a crumble of Mexican cheese. It's hot and I was too lazy to get out my Rick Bayliss books to make my own green sauce. Another time. So I planned to just pick up some jarred tomatillo sauce. But I made a new discovery that goes perfectly with the flavor of the squashes... Central Market's new Hatch chile green sauce. It's a mild tomatillo sauce with Hatch chiles from New Mexico.

It's hard to miss Hatch chiles in Austin. Chuy's has special Hatch chile dishes on their menu in late summer and Central Market roasts them for sale and makes all kinds of things with them from burger buns to sausages to crabcakes to pesto.

But those of you outside of Texas may not be as familiar with them. Hatch is a town in New Mexico just northwest of El Paso famous for the Hatch Chile Festival every Labor Day weekend. I bet there's some really good food at that festival, but if you don't want to go that far, look for them locally towards the end of summer. We buy them already roasted from Central Market in mild and hot varieties and keep them in the freezer to use year round.

But back to the sauce. It turned out to be the perfect green sauce for these tacos. It gave them a little kick without overpowering the roasted squash and sweet onions. Get some fresh corn tortillas from El Milagro in East Austin and you will transform these into food of the gods. Really freshly made corn tortillas are a thing of beauty. They elevate this taco.




Roasted Baby Squash Tacos

1 lb. baby squashes
2 poblano peppers
1 sweet onion (Vidalia or 1015), cut into large half rings
olive oil or canola oil
salt and pepper
queso fresco or cojita cheese
cilantro
tomatillo green sauce of your choice
fresh corn tortillas


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (In the summer we use the toaster oven so won't heat the whole house up.) Place squashes, poblanos and onions on a roasting pan. Drizzle with a little oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven about 15-20 minutes until all the veggies take on as much roasty brown goodness and soften as much as you'd like. (You can alternatively, roast the peppers over the hot flame of a gas stove and then add them to the veg. mix after.)

Put your tortillas in a tortilla warmer lined with a damp kitchen towel (or just the towel if you don't have a warmer) and sprinkle them with a little water. Wrap the towel over them, close them up and microwave in 20 second increments until they are hot and steamy.

To assemble tacos: place 3-4 squashes, some onions and peppers in a tortilla. (You can double up your tortilla to maintain structural integrity, if you'd like.) Drizzle with some green sauce, crumble some cheese over the top, add as much cilantro as you like and enjoy.