Recipe: Texas Rangers Caviar

Spring has sprung and it is beautiful here in TEXAS.

For some, Spring means it is time for pictures in a patch of these

or time to plant a garden like this

or find time to do this with friends

BUT for my dad , Spring means it is time for THIS

It's BASEBALL time in TEXAS!!

The boys are back in town and kicked off the 40th season with a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Welcome to the Rangers Joe Nathan!

My brother grilled burgers and I brought the side dish to the tailgate.  And what is a good side dish for a tailgate at Rangers Ballpark?  Texas Caviar!!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 cans of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced

2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

4 green onions, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp cumin, salt, pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

handful of cilantro

Red bell pepper, green onions, tomatoes, jalapenoes (for a little more color pop you could use yellow bell pepper)

Mix all of the ingredients together and chill for a bit.  Then throw in a container and head to your tailgate.

I hope y’all have a wonderful Easter weekend and can enjoy time with family and friends.

And for your next baseball watching party, try this recipe that I made last year during the World Series.

Recipe: My favorite enchiladas are green

I have been on a few whirlwind trips lately and I have lots to share, but first up is this dish that I have been working on.   My favorite enchiladas are chicken with salsa verde, which is made with tomatillos.  And if by chance you don’t know what tomatillos are, they look like green tomatoes wrapped in a brown husk.  You want to peel back the husk a bit and make sure you are buying them when they are bright green.  (sidenote: If you don’t feel like making your own enchiladas, the best place to eat them is at La Familia in Fort Worth)

There are a few ways to make the sauce for these enchiladas and if you like a fresh, bright sauce you can try this recipe.  She boils the tomatillos and, as someone who has recently tried this recipe (Thanks Hastings), I can vouch that it is quite tasty.  I have basically taken my salsa verde recipe and tripled it to use as the sauce.  I like the flavor you get from roasting the tomatillos and letting the skin char a bit.  You can’t really go wrong with either recipe.

So here’s what you need for the sauce:

1 1/4 lb of tomatillos (depending on size, about 9)

1/2 purple onion

2 cloves garlic

4-6 serranos, seeded

handful of cilantro

1 lime

canola oil, s&p, cumin

Remove the husks from the tomatillos, rinse the sticky off, and chop in half.  You just need half of the onion cut in 1 inch pieces.  Toss the tomatillos, purple onion, and 2 garlic cloves with 1 Tbsp oil, and 1 tsp each of salt, pepper, and cumin.  Lay the tomatillos on a foil-lined baking sheet skins up

Roast them in the oven under the broiler set to high for about 8-10 minutes until they look like this

Toss them into a blender or food processor with a handful of cilantro, the juice from half of a lime, and 4-6 serranos (or jalapenos) with the seeds removed.  This is where you will get your heat so I would suggest easy on the chilis if you don’t like things hot and start out with a few and add until you get the flavor you like.  Also, check the spices.  You will probably need to add some salt.

So there’s our sauce which you will add to a skillet on low with about 1/2 Tbsp of oil to keep it from sticking, but first get the chicken ready.

And here’s what you need for the enchiladas:

1/2 cooked chicken, shredded or diced

6 corn tortillas (good luck finding them in a package less than 30)

1 roasted poblano, diced *optional

1/4 yellow onion, diced *optional

Queso fresco for topping

I used a rotisserie chicken, but I would like to throw in that one of the other times I made this dish I boiled a chicken and it was quite delicious.  It was probably the best way to cook the chicken, but it isn’t always convenient to boil a whole chicken and wait for it to cool  Long story short, you just need  the meat from half of a cooked chicken or 2 cooked chicken breasts (if you don’t want to deal with taking it off the bone-Erinn G.).  I like white and dark meat, but if the thought of dark meat grosses you out  just use 2 chicken breasts shredded or diced.  Also, I like poblanos so I roast one up and add it and about 1/4 of fresh yellow onion to the chicken for a little extra flavor, but you can skip that step or you could add some monterrey jack cheese.

So in addition to working on getting the sauce right for this dish, I have also tried to make it a little bit healthier.  Traditionally you would take the corn tortillas and fry them in oil for about 10 seconds until they are soft and easy to roll up.  I take the tortillas, spray them each with a little Pam, stack them on a microwave-safe plate, wrap them with saran wrap, and microwave them for about 25 seconds.  It’s less messy, less greasy, but the tortillas tear a bit when removing them from the dish.  So pick a route and get your tortillas ready to roll.

Get a little assembly station going with the tortillas, the skillet with your salsa heating on low, the chicken, a place to roll, and your cooking dish.  We’re making 6 enchiladas so you just need a small casserole dish.  Pour a layer of sauce at the bottom and get to rolling.

Dip each tortilla in the sauce and then add your chicken, roll it up and throw it in the pan.  Top with the remaining salsa and monterrey jack cheese if you like.  I decided to leave it off this time.  Heat in a 350 oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve it up with some fresh toppings

Cilantro, Queso Fresco, and fresh purple onion

And enjoy!!

Coming up next Road Trippin’ to AUSTIN SXSW!!

Abilene Abilene prettiest town I’ve ever seen

I had a guy recently ask me where I was headed and when I said “Abilene,” he said “Oh I’ve heard it’s very pretty there.”  I told him he had been lied to, but it is a pretty nice town to visit.  A few of my favorite things are in Abilene – La Popular breakfast burritos, Sayles Boulevard, Beehive steakhouse, Betty & June boutique, and a sweet baby girl named Mamie Jane.  My friends Jamie and Knox live in Abilene and let me stay a week with them and it was so relaxing.

To earn my keep, I made them dinner and I made the following recipes:

Pork tenderloin, poblano cheese grits, and asparagus

Braised shorts ribs, mashed sweet potatoes, and asparagus

And they think I’m a pro.  Totally have them fooled.  You should really try these recipes.  My friend Hastings introduced me to the first recipe and the second came after watching Anne Burrell do it on Food Network.  I have wanted to give braised short ribs a try and finally had the chance. Braising is a good way to take a cheap, tough cut of meat and make it melt-in-your mouth delicious.

For the poblano cheese grits, I roasted a poblano and used quick cooking grits.  I added 1% milk, cheeese, S&P, and butter to taste and then threw in the chopped poblano pepper.  Pretty simple and it complimented the spice in the tenderloin perfectly.  For the asparagus, I tossed it with olive oil, S&P, and cooked it for about 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

For the mashed sweet potatoes, I covered the sweet potatoes in foil and threw them in the oven with the short ribs about midway through cooking.  Then I scooped them out of the skin and mashed them up with a little salt, butter, brown sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon.

*Sorry for the lack of measurements.  Really you just have to add a little of each ingredient until you get the flavor you like.  And you don’t have to use a whole stick of butter, but if you want to I’m not judging.

Give these recipes a try and let me know where you like to go when you go to ABILENE!

Recipe: West Texas Ranchers’ Pie

The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is going on now through February 4th and if you haven’t been then you must go.  Unless you work for PETA in which case you won’t enjoy it.  Although last night was a pretty good night for the livestock.  They really put it to the cowboys.  Or maybe all the cowboys went out Saturday night.  Either way there were very few 8 second rides.  I kinda like it when the animals win.

My favorite part of the rodeo - the grand entry

So here’s a meal inspired by cowboys.  On a recent visit to see my family, my cousin and I were discussing weeknight dinner ideas.  After listing a few ideas with chicken and veggies, she said her husband would rather have meat and potatoes.  Well duh!  I’m used to being around people who want “light, healthy” weeknight options, but for a guy who has been working hard all day, he needs something hearty.

I present to you Shepherds’ Pie.  It’s a delicious, simple meat and potato option.

Here's what you need. Ignore the bay leaves.

1 lb ground beef

1/2 yellow onion

2 carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp oregano

s&p

1 can diced tomateos

1 cup frozen peas

Top with:

2 potatoes, boiled

seasoned with butter, milk, s&p

grated cheese

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the meat, onion, and carrots.  Season with 2 tsp salt and pepper.  Cook the meat until done – about 10 minutes.  Sidenote: I used a paper towel to soak up some of the grease.

Add the garlic, 1/2 tsp oregano, can of diced tomatoes, and 1 cup of frozen peas.  Let the flavors come together for about 10 minutes while you mash the potatoes.  Check the spices.  You will probably want to add some salt and pepper.

For the potatoes: Just boil them for about 15 minutes and then mash them with a little bit of butter, milk, salt, and pepper.  You’re going to top it with cheese so you don’t have to get too crazy with the potatoes.

Now you just want to layer it in an oven-safe dish.  I had a 4X6 pyrex, I think.  I forgot to measure, but a square pan would work too.

layer meat - potatoes - grated cheese

Heat in a 350 degree oven until cheese is melted.

one of the potatoes was rotten when I cut into it so it doesn't quite cover the top

And then I thought of my aunt who will never read this, but recently asked what I would do with ground beef so I put a little spin on it for the West Texas cattle rancher:

What you need

1 lb ground beef

1/2 yellow onion

2 carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp s&p

1 can rotel

1 can pinto beans, rinsed

Top with:

2 potatoes, boiled with skin on

seasoned with butter, milk, s&p

grated cheese

what it looks like when you have enough potatoes to cover the top

Same process here, but play around with the spices.  I used guajillo chili powder because I was out of chili powder.   You can leave the carrots out, but since I had them on hand I included them.

Served with a wedge salad

Give it a go and let me know what you think.  Christy, I’m talking to you.

Happy cooking!

Road Trip: San Angelo black Friday edition

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  It is my favorite holiday and I feel like Christmas creeps up more and more each year to overshadow it. I love it because it is a day to stop and give thanks for all that we have and to enjoy really delicious food that has become a tradition for each family.  We have dressing that has become our own special family recipe, peas that only granny can make right, a cranberry salad that compliments the meal perfectly and a pecan pie that will knock your socks off. This meal has been the same for me for as long as I can remember, but it has become even more special as I have gotten older.

Stacy, does this hot pink mixer make you want to cook?

So my Thanksgiving took me back to the San Angelo area which means I have some more fun places to share with you.  My cousins are hardcore black Friday shoppers and I have avoided being sucked into their craziness until this year when I decided to give in.  I’m willing to try everything once and this was my year to give it a go.  A pretty good year to try it since all the major retailers opened at midnight and we didn’t get started until 5:00 a.m.  When we pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot they could already tell a difference from previous years.  We hit up Wal-Mart, Target, Pier-1, the mall, and then we hit up downtown Concho where as you know from my previous trip you can find Eggemeyers, J Wilde’s, Sassy Fox, and Gypsy Trunk.  They introduced me to a new shop downtown – Myer’s drugstore.

The Christoval vineyard added a tasting room. Isn't it nice?

I have heard from my cousins how good Armenta’s is  – well I finally got to try it. And I realized that this is the restaurant that is associated with the Tavern in Fort Worth.  Same family! Same great flavor.  I enjoyed it and as soon as I entered I knew it was the kind of place I had to take my dad.  My cousins ordered enchiladas and I had carnitas.  I really liked the carnitas, but I will definitely try the tres colores enchiladas the next time I’m there.

que bueno

On our way back to Christoval we stopped at Sugar Daddy’s desserts and you have got to try it! The proprietor has perfected the art of chocolate and even offers SQUITTLE. You have to check out his website to find out what that is.

Back in Christoval Christy took me to The Christmas Tree Farm.  It reminded me of the Peanuts cartoon and whatever it must be like if your family actually goes out and cuts a tree down for Christmas.  The gift shop is super cute.

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving in San Angelo is that it means a trip home through Abilene. This was an extra special trip home through Abilene because one of my best friend’s (Jamie) brother had a baby the same night I was there.  Dawson Rose was born and was another reason to stop and be thankful.  Jamie also shared her super-simple, super-delicious key lime pie recipe.

Mrs. Kitty’s Key Lime Pie

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1 carton of Cool Whip

1/3 can frozen limeade

1 graham cracker crust

Mix by hand and pour into the crust.  Freeze until ready to serve.

I’m working on a post about my recent trip to New Orleans and I will either feature red beans n recipe or shrimp boil.  Either way, this key lime pie will compliment it perfectly.

Enjoy! and please check out sugar daddy’s website.  Trust me, it’s a great gift. Amaretto by morning – how clever is that?

Recipe: Sunday brisket

This is not typical of the brisket you would find while road trippin through Texas, but this is definitely a brisket recipe that is worth adding to your recipe book for Sunday lunch.

This is a Tyler Florence recipe and it’s so simple and so flavorful.  I used beef stock instead of wine and 2 onions instead of 4.  I also made his scalloped potatoes and sliced my thumb on my new mandoline slicer.  Not good.  After that happened I had to let my mom take over and she doesn’t move half as fast as I do, but she also still has all of her thumb.

So here is what you need to coat the brisket with before searing

4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, rosemary

And here is what it should look like after. Coat the brisket with this and ground black pepper

Sear the brisket in 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Add the vegetables – 2 red onions, 4 large carrots, 3 celery stalks, 1 16 oz can whole tomatoes, 3 bay leaves, 1 handful of parsley, and 2 cups beef broth

Bake for 3-4 hours in a 325 degree oven and baste every 30 minutes.

AND finally the piece de resistance

You’ve got to try it.  It’s just so yummy.  Let me know if you like it!

“The Rangers are in the WORLD SERIES” carnitas

This has been the best baseball season ever.  My dad and I have been able to go to quite a few games this year and it has been so much fun.  I was always a girl that kinda shunned sports (a true abomination to my raising – I couldn’t care less about football which is true sacrilege in Texas) and would rather go to the movies or shop during major sporting events (i.e. the super bowl).  This is until I realized how good game day fare is and I have since accepted every invitation to a Super Bowl party that I have received.

Anyway back to baseball.  I love it.  And my team will always be the Texas Rangers.  My dad (AKA their biggest fan) took my brother and me to countless games when we were kids and here’s the run down of things:

Me: Dad, can I have some cotton candy?

Dad: No. We just got here. Watch the game.

1 inning later

Me: Dad, there’s the cotton candy man. Can I have some now?

Dad: No.  You don’t need any cotton candy

1 inning later

Me: Dad, he’s here again and it’s really mean that every kid around has cotton candy and I don’t

Dad: Eat the peanuts that I brought

1 inning later

Me: Dad…

Dad: If you ask me for cotton candy one more time, you will not come to the next game

What a dictator.

My mom would have totally bought me some cotton candy.

We have a good laugh now every time we see the cotton candy man.  It brought me much joy this season when I sat next to a little boy who was attending his very first game and as he offered me some of his bright blue cotton candy he looked up at me and said “I love cotton candy.”  Me too kid-O.  Me too.

This might be kinda weird, but sometimes I think about times in my life that I could relive.  Like, if by some divine intervention I was able to go back in time and relive three nights, which would it be.  One of the nights that would for sure make the list was the night the Rangers won their first ALCS against none other than the Yankees.  I will never forget how the ballpark EXPLODED when the last strikeout of the night went to none other than Mr. Alex Rodriguez.  It was electric!!!   So much tension and so many breaths were released when that last pitch was thrown.

And so much was set into motion.  Here we are in another explosive year for the Rangers and the anxiety has not let up yet!

So where am I going with all of this? Here’s where I’m going.  Ballpark food.  Sure you could settle for a hot dog or pretzel, but my money is on the carnitas nachos.

Here is the Ballpark version:

 And here is what I made for a Game 1 of the World Series Rangers VS Cardinals watching party:

3.5-4 lb pork shoulder

Rub:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp ancho chili powder

½ tsp cinnamon

In slow cooker, pour 2 cups chicken broth, 2 bay leaves and 1 quartered yellow onion.  Add pork shoulder after you have coated it in the rub. I also pour about ¼ cup of green salsa on top of the pork if I have it on hand. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, turning once midway through cooking. When it’s done, you’ll see that it just falls apart so I pull out all the meat and then obviously discard the huge hunk of fat that comes on the pork shoulder.

When serving, warm it up in the oven so it gets a little crispy. My brother says traditionally they cook it in lard, but I think it’s ok to skip that step.

And then top with all of your favorite toppings.  I had 3 types of cheese – rotel queso dip, shredded monterey jack cheese, and crumbly cotija cheese.  And tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, and salsa.  You can serve with chips and/or tortillas.

My President is a fan of the Rangers?  Are YOU?  Let me know your favorite Rangers memory and what you like to get when you go to the game!!!

Recipe: Viva Las Vegas Queso Fundido

My best friend since 5th grade is a gal named Lori. She’s great. You’ve not met someone who is as creative, as artistic, as funny as this girl.  So my pal Lori is in promotional products. She can put your logo on just about anything and she can tell you where that pen your dentist gave you came from and what it cost them to produce it.  As it turns out, right after Las Vegas celebrates adult entertainment in January, they have a whole week devoted to promotional products.

And that ya’ll, is what took me to Las Vegas for the first time. Let me tell you, Vegas is a place I am happy I saw with Lori. She and I have a similar taste for the debauchery and it involves food.

As an aside, just so you understand just how nice my friend is, we took a cab to get an In ‘n Out burger because if you’ve been to Vegas you know In N Out is off the strip.  Lori bought the cabbie a burger. Isn’t that nice? She’s just like that. She’s nice to everyone. Creepy people too. That’s usually when her husband and I don’t find it so cute, but still, I think the burger for the cabbie was a nice gesture.

Anyway, one of the best places we ate while there was Bobby Flays’ Mesa Grill in Caesar’s. Since eating at his restaurant in Vegas, I’ve eaten at the one in New York and the one in Vegas is better. Not sure why, but it is. Maybe it’s because I had the queso in Vegas. It’s sooooo gooooood and sooooo vegassssllyyy sinful. If only I could keep what happened in Vegas in Vegas, but I have to share this queso. I know we are all used to velveeta and rotel, but please trust me…… this is so simple and so much better.  Ok so it’s not as simple as the rotel/velveeta  microwave version, but I promise you the extra steps are worth it and will be a hit at any party you attend.  It is queso fundido with a roasted poblano vinaigrette.  You can find the recipe there and print it off or keep reading so you can see my pictures. 🙂

Here’s what you need:

For the poblano vinaigrette:

2 poblanos, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped

3 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

drizzle of honey

1/4 cup canola oil

S&P

Throw it all in a blender and set aside.

For the QUESO FUNDIDO:

12 ounces of monterrey jack cheese, grated

1 cup whole milk

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp flour

goat cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour.  Cook for 1 minute while whisking. Add the milk and allow to thicken slightly.  Add the grated cheese, S&P and stir until cheese is melted.  Pour into a cast iron skillet and top with goat cheese.  Heat under the broiler until the cheese is melty and the goat cheese is lightly brown.

Are you ready for this?

Como se dice sinfully delicious en espanol? QUESO FUNDIDO

Recipe: Stuffed poblano a la whatever

Well ya’ll should really be sad.  I was working on this great post about GUACAVICHE that was reminiscent of what I had on my SPI road trip, but alas the camera and I were not in sync and all the pictures I took came out completely blank.  I could tell you how to make it, but I think pictures are nice and well…….I kinda want to make it again anyway.  I did get one good shot.

To be continued....served with Julio chips. Que bueno!

So instead I’m going to post about what you do when you look in your refrigerator and have all the leftovers from making guacaviche as well as some random things you bought while shopping at Central Market.

(Let me just put in a quick word about HEB/Central Market grocery stores.  I am hopelessly devoted to Central Market.  I could spend hours wandering through their maze of a store and I think I’ve come close when I went on a Saturday before a holiday.)

On to the recipe……if I had to pick a favorite pepper  (and people ask me all the time to pick a favorite pepper. OK no they don’t) I would pick the poblano.  It is mild enough that you can easily control the heat of whatever dish you want to make, but has enough spice that you know it will add a kick of flavor all its own.  It is also super simple to stuff with whatever you have on hand and become a main dish.

In most restaurants in Texas, you will find the poblano filled with cheese and fried and in some places they will even cover it in more cheese. Yum-O!! but very gordo.  I like it roasted and stuffed as opposed to stuffed and fried.  Although the fried is worth a try if you have never had it.

Stuffing:

1 poblano

1 sweet potato, small dice

1/2 can of black beans, rinsed

1/4 yellow onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 tsp s&p, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika

Salsa verde:

3 tomatillos, halved (up to 6 if they are small)

1/4 red onion

1 clove garlic

1 jalapeno, with or without seeds depending on if you want the extra heat

handful of cilantro

juice of 1 lime

s&p, to taste

Garnish:

Mexican crema and/or queso fresco (or whatever kind of cheese or sour cream you might have on hand)

Roast the pepper under the broiler and then do the thing where you allow it to steam in a bowl under a towel.  After it cools, pull off the charred skin and slice down one side to pull out the seeds.  This can be kinda frustrating since the skin will be super tender and if it tears and falls apart well then just serve it alongside the filling.  It won’t look the same obviously, but it will taste the same and it’s definitely not worth getting frustrated over and throwing away.

In a 400 degree oven, roast the diced sweet potatoes that have been tossed in olive oil, salt & pepper, and a little bit of cumin for about 25-30 minutes.

toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin - about 1 tsp of each spice

Alongside, roast the tomatillos, red onion, jalapeno, and garlic that have been tossed with olive oil, s&p for about 15 minutes.

Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

After 15 minutes, transfer tomatillo mix to a blender and add the cilantro and lime juice.  Blend until it is a smooth, sauce-like consistency.  Check the seasoning and add salt as needed.

what your roasted pepper should look like and salsa verde.......mi favorito

In a stovetop skillet, heat olive oil over medium and add the yellow onion.  Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes then add the red bell pepper.  Season with dash of salt & pepper.  Allow a few minutes for the pepper and onion to cook and add the black beans.  At this point, you just want to get it warm until the sweet potatoes are done cooking.

When the sweet potatoes come out of the oven, hit them with about 1/2 tsp of paprika and add to the skillet.  Let flavors blend, check seasoning, and you are now ready to stuff.  This makes enough to stuff 2 large poblanos or 3-4 small ones.

And there you have it.  Sweet potato-stuffed poblano with salsa verde.  As you can see, you can take this concept and adapt it to whatever you have on hand — ground turkey, scrambled eggs, sausage — the possibilities are endless.  Let me know if you make it and what ingredients you decide to use!

Buen apetito!

Recipe: Mexican Cocktail

Lori and Hastings are two of my very best friends.  Lori and I have been friends since Mrs. Baker’s 5th grade class.  I’m sure it was the hours spent working on various school projects together that really cemented our friendship (or maybe it was Lori’s incredible ability to imitate our teachers’ eccentricities).  We were lucky enough to go the same middle school and then high school where she met the love of her life our senior year. At this point we went our separate ways, but  thankfully we are back in the same town now.  As it turns out, Hastings is one of the absolute best cooks around and they are kind enough to have me over for dinner on a regular basis.  And I gladly accept because it usually involves something like this:

beef-stuffed chili relleno w/ a poblano cream sauce

Recently, I went over to Lori and Hastings to watch a show I’m too embarrassed to admit to watching, but it involves vampires and Louisiana.  Don’t judge.  Our friend Erinn joined the fun because it was the season finale and boy did we have us a food fest.  She made these delicious little crescent roll pockets filled with cream cheese, bacon, and jalapeno (Is there anything better than a recipe that involves crescent rolls and cream cheese?).  Hastings made chili verde with rice and beans and I made Mexican cocktail because shrimp seemed like the right thing to bring to a party that involved a show set in Louisiana.  Of course, I had to bring the Mexican-inspired version.  This is a very popular dish that you can often find at seafood restaurants around Texas.

Mexican Cocktail

1 lb peeled, deveined, uncooked shrimp

1 small red onion

2 serrano peppers

2 cloves of garlic

1 cup tomato puree

2 teaspoons horseradish (more or less depending on how much you like it)

cilantro

2 limes

hot sauce

avocado

1 bag of Julio’s chips

Poaching the shrimp: In a medium skillet, fill it 2/3 with water and bring to a simmer.  Add 1/4 of the red onion, 1 of the serrano peppers, 1 clove of garlic, a handful of salt, and the zest and juice of 1 lime.  If you have time, allow the water to simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove the onions, pepper and garlic and add the shrimp.  Cook until the shrimp are pink and curl up, about 2-3 minutes.

The sauce: In a bowl, combine 1 cup of tomato puree, 1/2 cup finely diced red onion, 1 serrano pepper finely diced, 2 teaspoons horseradish, juice of 1 lime, a few dashes of hot sauce, a handful of chopped cilantro, and salt & pepper.  I added 1 Tbsp clam juice, but I think I will omit this in the future because after the shrimp cooked, I added a couple ladles of the cooking liquid which adds enough of the shrimp flavor.  Besides, what else are you going to do with clam juice?  Test the sauce at this point to see if you might want to add more hot sauce or horseradish.

Chop the shrimp up like this:

Add the sauce and allow the flavors to meld in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.  Because I never really plan ahead, I did not have 2 hours to let it marinate, but it was still good.  Remember to add a couple ladles of the cooking liquid because you want it kind of soupy.

When I got to their house, I added a diced avocado and garnished with thinly sliced serrano peppers and cilantro.  I also brought along a bag of Julio’s tortilla chips.  Have you tried Julio’s chips?  Do yourself a favor and find a retailer that sells them. Or don’t.  Because my friends and I have decided they are the crack of the tortilla chip world.

I kind of get really nervous cooking for Lori and Hastings because Hastings is such a good cook, but he gave it the best compliment.  He said he doesn’t particularly like shrimp, but he really liked this.  I don’t think it hurt that the shrimp was from Central Market and is usually very fresh.  Try it and let me know what you think.