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Down on the Farm--in Irvine

Who could resist a watermelon that is just your size?

Certainly not the little fellow in the photo. And certainly not me.

Both of us were touring Tanaka Farms in Irvine, where hundreds of kids get to taste produce right out of the field. They come in groups from school or with their parents, ride around in a wagon pulled by a tractor and snack on carrots just out of the ground, crisp green beans, freshly plucked cherry tomatoes, and corn on the cob so sweet you could serve it for dessert.

Well, maybe some are little doubtful (above). But it's so much fun, who cares?

Tanaka Farms has turned its 25 acres into a family destination place, a sort of produce Disneyland with dressed up scarecrows instead of Disney Characters. Tours include a cookout, where you pick and season vegetables and the staff grills them for you. Strawberry tours take place in spring, and a pumpkin patch opens up in the fall. Right now, watermelon tours are the big draw.

After the tours, you can shop at Tanaka's produce stand and sign up for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes delivered to your home. Tanaka is also supplying produce to Winder Farms, which has just launched home food deliveries in California.

Along with produce, Winder sends meats, artisan breads, dairy products, prepared foods and more to your home. Right now, deliveries are only in Orange County and from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes, but Los Angeles proper is on the horizon. 

At Tanaka's produce stand I bought the liveliest, freshest organic kale imaginable, on sale for 99 cents for a big bunch. And I took home a CSA box (above) that included more kale as well as green beans, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, a huge Maui onion and a couple of melons.

I've turned half the kale into chips, and part of the watermelon went into the most refreshing drink you could have on a hot day--Agua de Sandía, a Mexican watermelon cooler. Here is how to make it.  

AGUA DE SANDÍA
Mexican Watermelon Cooler 

1 cup seedless watermelon chunks
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ice cubes (about 4)
2 tablespoons agave syrup

Combine the watermelon chunks, water, ice cubes and agave syrup in a blender container and blend until foamy and most of the ice is dissolved. Pour into a tall glass and drink at once.

Makes 1 serving. 

Mexican? Indian? It's Both

This chicken dish smoothly blends two cultures. The chipotle seasoning and achiote oil make it Mexican. The yogurt marinade and turmeric are Indian. Cumin belongs to both cuisines.

Fusion doesn't always work, but in this case  the ingredients are harmonious.  You marinate the chicken overnight so it absorbs the flavors. The next day, there's nothing to do but put it in the oven and then enjoy.

INDIAN-MEXICAN BAKED CHICKEN

4 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon achiote seeds
3 cloves garlic
3 mini chipotle cubes (Knorr) or 2 canned chipotles
1/4 teaspoon (rounded) ground cumin
Salt
3/4 cup plain yogurt
3 pounds chicken thighs, about 6, skinned

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the achiote seeds and cook until the oil turns a deep yellow.  Let cool, then strain out the seeds.

Combine the garlic, chipotle cubes, cumin and salt to taste in a mortar and pound until blended into a paste.

Place the yogurt in a bowl. Add the strained achiote oil and the pounded seasonings and mix well.

Place the chicken in a storage container. Add the yogurt mixture and turn the pieces to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray. Place the chicken pieces in the pan. Bake 1 hour. Remove from the oven and arrange in a serving dish.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.   

 

Cilantro Chicken--for Breakfast

In Mexico, breakfast is BIG. I've watched skinny women dig into  huge plates of eggs and meat, beans and rice. How did they stay so slim? By leaving half or more of their gigantic meals uneaten.

The breakfast buffet at the Dorado Pacifico in Ixtapa, where I stayed when I went to Food & Wine magazine's recent food festival, was loaded with meat.

 

There were things like cochinita pibil, cilantro chicken, chicken in cream sauce, pork in green sauce and Mexican style beef steak in addition to eggs, chilaquiles with red or green sauce, fried bananas and, one morning, grilled nopal cactus.

The cactus is on the plate above, along with red chilaquiles, a chunk of fried banana and a couple of sweet breads.

There were salsas too, red, green and fresh chopped, as well as thick crema, to top anything you wanted.

The bread and dessert section always included a loaf of flan along with a variety of pan dulce, cookies and bouncy orange and green gelatin squares.

You could start with fresh fruits from the area such as bananas,  pineapple and papaya along with juices including, one morning, a green blend of grapefruit, nopales, celery and parsley.

What really brought out the best in breakfast was a beautiful view out toward coconut palms, with netting underneath to protect anyone sitting at the tables outside from getting an unexpected bonk on the head. 

Although I'm a light eater in the morning, I really liked the cilantro chicken. Another festivalgoer, Ruth Alegria, who lives in Mexico City, told me how to make it.

Ruth is the International Association of Culinary Professionals' country coordinator for Mexico. Check her blog for culinary tours if you're headed to Mexico and to see photos of the Food & Wine festival.

Ruth cooks the chicken in a green salsa made with tomatillos, chiles and lots of cilantro. For more intense flavor, she recommends using the miniature variety of tomatillo called tomatillo milpero.

I see these often in Mexican markets in Los Angeles. If you can't find them, select the smallest tomatillos available, not those that have become large and yellowish rather than bright green.

POLLO AL CILANTRO
Cilantro Chicken
With thanks to Ruth Alegria

3 pounds small chicken thighs
Water
Salt
1 pound tomatillos milperos or other small tomatillos
1/2 small onion, cut into wedges
2 large cloves garlic
2 serrano chiles, seeded, coarsely chopped
2 cups cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups reserved broth

Remove the skin and the fat from the chicken thighs.  Place them in a Dutch oven.  Add water to cover and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes. Let cool in the broth.

Preheat a griddle over medium high heat.  Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos. Roast them on the griddle until flecked with brown but not burned, turning as needed. Remove and cool slightly.

Place the tomatillos in a blender container. Add the onion, garlic, chiles and cilantro.  Blend until pureed.

Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside. Strain the broth and reserve 2 cups.  Use the rest for another dish or a first course soup.

Clean the Dutch oven.  Add the oil and heat.  Add the pureed cilantro mixture. Rinse out the blender with some of the reserved broth and add with the remaining reserved broth to the Dutch oven. 

Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Taste and add salt as needed.

Place the chicken pieces in the sauce and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, or until heated through.

Serve with rice and tortillas.

Makes 6 servings.  

Celebrating with los Tres Reyes

The holidays are definitely not over. There's one more, which has several names--Epiphany, Twelfth Night or what I'll celebrate on January 6, El Día de los Tres Reyes (The Day of the Three Kings). All honor the day the kings presented their precious gifts to the Christ child.

I like the Latino holiday because of the delicious tastes involved. You can't celebrate without a rosca de reyes, a sweet ring bread decorated according to the baker's fancy. 

I get mine at La Morenita Bakery and Restaurant in Cypress Park, where head baker Alex Peña tops it with fruit pastes in three flavors--quince, guava and green apple--as well as preserved figs and maraschino cherries.

All except the cherries come from Oaxaca. Bands of sugar-flour paste, like that used on conchas, and splashes of sugar add to the festive look.

Each of these light, airy loaves contains a tiny figure of the Baby Jesus. If the baby turns up in your slice, you're obligated to give a party on February 2, which is El Día de la Candelaria, or Candlemas day. What you are supposed to serve is tamales, which you can also order from La Morenita. 

The bakery is turning out hundreds of roscas this week, and the competition to get them on the final day will be fierce. 

The traditional accompaniment is champurrado, a steaming hot, chocolate-flavored masa drink. I tried to buy some at La Morenita last year, but I got there so late, it was sold out. That meant I had to make my own, because the celebration wouldn't be complete without it.

La Morenita's Pepe Peña kindly sat down with me and explained what to do, even giving me a little ball of masa and a tablet of Abuelita chocolate to make sure I had the right ingredients. He recommends Abuelita because it is less greasy than other brands of Mexican chocolate.

Then I went home, made the champurrado (the recipe follows), cut a slice of rosca  lit a log in the old tiled fireplace and turned on the  Christmas tree, which sparkled with tin ornaments from Oaxaca.

There had to be Mexican music, and so I tuned the radio to La Ranchera.  And offered a warm, fuzzy toast to the tin Oaxacan kings on my Christmas tree.

It was a nice way to make Christmas last a little longer.

La Morenita Restaurant and Bakery,  1157-1159 Cypress Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90065. Tel: (323) 222-7953.

PEPE PEÑA'S CHAMPURRADO

1/3 cup crushed piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar cones)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 segments from a tablet of  Mexican chocolate, which is about 1 ounce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon finely ground cinnamon stick
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup masa for tortillas
2 1/2 cups milk

Combine the piloncillo, sugar, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. 

Combine the masa and milk in a blender and blend thoroughly. Add to the boiling mixture and cook until it comes to a boil again and thickens. Stir constantly, scraping up the bottom of the pan to prevent the masa from sticking and forming lumps. Serve very hot.

If leftover champurrado is refrigerated overnight, it will form a thick layer on top. Stir to blend and reheat.

Makes 4 cups, or 4 to 6 servings.

A Rosy Margarita for New Year's

Don't serve just any Margarita this New Year. Shake up the rosy drink that was the hit of a cocktail party staged by Sabores Auténticos de Mexico (Authentic Flavors of Mexico).

The party took place at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles preceding a dinner and presentation of awards to the top Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles. (For the winners, check out my story in Squid Ink, the LA Weekly food blog.)

Guests chose from four cocktail stations manned by bartenders from The Liquid Chef. The station that got the most traffic handed out Rositas, so named because they were shaken and then decorated with red rose petals.

To make a Rosita, combine the standard Margarita components--white tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice--then add a dash of rose syrup and a couple of torn up petals and shake with ice. Strain into a glass and top with more rose petals.

Glasses at the party were rimmed with hibiscus and rose salt, which is produced by Dainzu, a company named for a Zapotec ruin in Oaxaca.  If you can't locate that, use an ordinary salt rim, mixing in some pink sugar granules if you have any left over from Christmas baking.

 

 

This Caldo is Good for the Soul

Chicken soup may be food for the soul, but caldo de pollo is even better.

Actually, it's the same thing, but with a Mexican twist. That means ingredients such as corn, chayotes and Mexican zucchini. And limes, hot chiles and cilantro on the side.  And rosy Mexican rice to add to each bowl. 

It's so good that you can't help but feel wonderful as you eat it.

The recipe isn't mine. It's the real thing, from Leticia Carrillo of Los Angeles, who is originally from Colima, the capital city of Colima state. Her daughter, Elda Hernandez, gave it to me. And Elda knows the details, because she makes it all the time.

After assembling the ingredients, you'll need the biggest stockpot or Dutch oven you can find. If you don't have a really big pot, cut the recipe in half to fit into a smaller pot.

If you like a lot of broth, add 2 cups more water at the beginning or 2 cups chicken broth at the end. Adding the green vegetables toward the end of the cooking time will keep their color bright, but putting them in at the beginning makes the broth richer. I do it that way, but take your choice.

And don't forget to say "gracias" (thanks) to Leticia and Elda.

LETICIA CARRILLO'S CALDO DE POLLO
(Chicken Soup)

4 pounds chicken pieces, such as all legs or legs and breasts
4 carrots
1 pound Mexican zucchini
1 onion, cut in half
½ small green cabbage
1 large chayote
½ pound green beans
2 ears corn
2 medium russet potatoes
2 stalks celery
3 roma tomatoes
2 large cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste, optional
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
4 quarts water
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
Garnishes:
    Chopped cilantro
    Sliced serrano or jalapeno chiles
    Chopped onion
    Lime wedges
Mexican Rice

Remove the skin from the chicken pieces, but leave the meat on the bones. Wash and set aside.

Peel the carrots and cut them diagonally into ½-inch slices. Cut the zucchini into 1-inch chunks. Cut one onion half into 6 wedges. Chop the remaining onion and set aside.

Cut the cabbage half into 2 wedges. Remove and discard the cores, then cut crosswise into 1-inch slices.

Peel the chayote with a sharp vegetable peeler and cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into thirds, then crosswise into 1-inch chunks, including the seed.

Remove the tips and stem ends from the green beans and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Cut each ear of corn into quarters

Peel the potatoes and cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1-inch chunks. Place in a bowl of cold water and set aside.

Remove the strings from the celery and cut crosswise into ½-inch slices

Combine the tomatoes, onion wedges, the garlic cloves, oregano and several generous grinds of pepper in a food processor or blender. Add the tomato paste if wanted (for redder color) and blend until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the pureed mixture and simmer about 7 minutes, stirring often, until thoroughly cooked.

Add the water and salt and stir. Add the chicken pieces and all of the vegetables except the potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, loosely covered, 1 hour. Taste the broth and add more salt if needed.

Add the drained potato chunks and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

Arrange the cilantro, chiles, chopped onion and lime wedges in separate bowls.

Serve the soup in large heated bowls, including some of the chicken, each vegetable and one piece of corn in each serving.

Place the garnishes in separate bowls to season the soup as desired. Place the rice in a heated bowl so that each person can add a spoonful to the soup.

Makes 8 servings.

MEXICAN RICE

1 cup long grain rice
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 roma tomato, peeled and chopped
2 cups heated chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon salt

Place the rice in a bowl and wash with cold water. Drain off the water and repeat until the water is clear. Drain the rice well.

Heat the oil in a  saucepan. Add the rice and cook until it begins to turn color. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, then add the tomato and cook until tender, mashing into the rice.

Add the broth or water and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil gently until most of the liquid is absorbed, then reduce the heat to very low, or place a heat diffuser under the pan and cook until the rice is tender and dry.

Makes 8 servings to accompany the soup.

 

The Way to Perfect Guacamole

Goat cheese and mango in guacamole? That may sound weird, but it's a great combination, says Roberto Hernandez, executive chef of Dos Caminos in the Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.

He'll also put in shrimp, lobster or even grapes. But you have to respect his views, because Hernandez really knows his guacamole. "Everyone who comes to the restaurant orders it," he says.

That's because each order is prepared from scratch, which makes it very different from bulk guacamoles that are made in advance. The avocados (Hass) must be at the right stage of ripeness. Rather than mashing them to a puree, Hernandez leaves them slightly chunky.

For a class in guacamole-making at Dos Caminos, he set out avocados and plates of cilantro, chiles, onion, tomatoes and limes. Along with kosher salt, that's everything needed for perfect guacamole.

Hernandez crushes part of the cilantro, chiles and onion with salt to bring out the juices. Then he works in the avocado, the remainder of the fresh seasonings, tomatoes and a squeeze of lime, folding carefully so as not to overmash the avocado.

The only lapse from authenticity is that he substitutes a resin bowl for a rough Mexican molcajete. That's not Hernandez's fault. State law in Nevada does not allow restaurants to use lava rock mortars.

As a student who graduated from the class with a "very good" from Hernandez, I can say that the result is still excellent guacamole, about as good as you can get. And the margarita that I drank as I worked was pretty good too. 

Dos Caminos, The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino, 3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas NV 89109. Tel: (702) 577-9565.

DOS CAMINOS GUACAMOLE

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced jalapeno or serrano chiles
Kosher salt
1 large ripe avocado
2 tablespoons finely chopped cored and seeded Roma tomato
1/2 lime
Warm tortilla chips

Place half the cilantro, onion, chiles and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a molcajete or other heavy mortar. Mash and work the ingredients until the juices emerge.

Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed and scoop out the flesh. Place in the molcajete and gently mash with a fork until smooth but some chunks remain.

Add the remaining cilantro, onion and chiles and the tomato and fold in lightly. Squeeze in the lime juice and fold. Taste and add more salt if needed. Accompany with warm tortilla chips.

Makes 2 to 3 servings. 

A Roadside Stop for Quail

Let me eat at a stand by the side of the road, as long as that stand is Las Gueritas.

The road is northern Baja's Highway 3, which runs from the coast above Ensenada to Tecate. 

Las Gueritas appears where it bends at the town of Francisco Zarco. If you're driving and keep your eyes on the road, you'll miss it.

It doesn't look like much, just a small sunbaked stand--actually a cart--in an expanse of dirt. But it has the best quail (codorniz) around--grilled over a wood fire, marinated Chinese style, cooked with mushroom cream sauce or in estofado, a thick tomato stew.

Las Gueritas has been there for many years. The name refers to the fair-skinned daughters of Lucia Villasenor Padilla, who does the cooking and runs the stand with her husband's help. Before, her mother-in-law was in charge.

The day my friends and I stopped by, they had run out of wood. This meant no grilled quail. Instead, we had quail that had been marinated overnight with oyster sauce, onion and garlic, then cooked in butter.

Our lunch included rice, salad, hot tortillas and cold Dos Equis beer and a taste of the stand's other specialty, pork (cochinita).

But the quail stood out, brown and slightly sweet from the oyster sauce. I liked it so much that I copied it at home. No quail in my larder, but Cornish game hens made a good substitute.

CORNISH HENS LAS GUERITAS

2 Cornish game hens, quartered
1 small onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup oyster sauce
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil

Combine the quartered hens, onion and garlic in a large storage container. Add the oyster sauce and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning once or twice.

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet, preferably non-stick. Drain the hens and place in the skillet skin side down. Brown over medium high heat 10 minutes, turning once. Do not crowd the pan. If necessary, brown in batches, 4 pieces at a time.

If the skillet is large enough, combine all the pieces. Otherwise, place half in another pan, along with some of the cooking juices. Cover and simmer until just done, about 15 minutes.

Drain the hens and place on a platter. Cover and keep warm until serving time.

Makes 4 servings.

Las Gueritas, Highway 3 at the entrance to Francisco Zarco in the Guadalupe Valley, Baja California. Open only during the day.  Read more about it at  http://streetgourmetla.blogspot.com. Search for Las Gueritas.

A Taste of Puebla in Ensenada

Fish tacos, margaritas and shopping--that sums up Ensenada for most vacationers.

But head away from the tourist shops and their shiny purses, T-shirts, shell bracelets and semi-porno beer mugs, and what do you find?

Great Mexican food, real Mexican food, in restaurants where you're not likely to come across another tourist.

Take, for example, El Huarache Poblano. It's not glamorous, just another corner place with the name in big letters so that you can't miss it.

Poblano means from Puebla, a city famous for mole poblano, tinga (shredded meat) chiles en nogada and many other specialties. A seasonal dish, the chiles are stuffed with meat and fruits, topped with a creamy nut sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

In Puebla, almost every restaurant serves chiles en nogada in the fall. El Huarache Poblano has them now and will continue to serve them on weekends well into September. It's run by a family from Puebla, so the cooks know how this food should taste.

The chalupas are very good. The base is a small, thin tortilla made at the restaurant, not a thicker commercial tortilla pressed into service. The topping is shredded meat in a red or green sauce and crumbled cotija cheese.

The mole, which is the restaurant's own formula, is dark and rich, not overly sweet, and has a nice kick of heat. It's delicious on chicken enchiladas, laced with crema.

The huaraches, shaped like the sole of a sandal, come with several toppings, among them tinga, chicken mole, potatoes with chorizo and rajas, which are creamed chile strips.

Like the chalupa tortillas, the huarache bases are made at the restaurant, and you can watch how this is done. The masa is placed between sheets of wax paper on a tortilla press and pressed in several stages. Each time, the end is slid further outside the press to get the oblong shape.

The shaping and baking take place at a corner work station dominated by a large, round, gas-powered grill.

A simple agua fresca de tamarindo (tamarind drink) indicates the care taken in the kitchen.

The drink is made from tamarind pods, not a bottled concentrate, which would have been much easier. Tangy, with just enough sugar, it is perfect with this food.  (My recipe for the drink appears below.)

Dessert is flan, jello or cake, but something not on the menu, made for a youngster, caught my eye. That lucky boy was going to eat a plate of fried bananas soaked with sweetened condensed milk and crema, sprinkled with nuts and decorated with a cherry.

Nice touches include serving the food on Mexican pottery plates. And the restaurant is strung with intricately cut colored sheets of paper, traditionally used in Mexico for festive occasions.  Look closely, and you will see that some of these spell out the word "huarache."

El Huarache Poblano, Riveroll 420, corner 4th Street, Zona Centro, Ensenada. Tel: (646) 161-6746. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.

AGUA DE TAMARINDO
Tamarind Drink

½ pound tamarind pods (about 10)
6 cups water
¾ cup sugar, or to taste

Remove the shells and strings from the tamarind pods. Place them in a large saucepan and add 4 cups water.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand until cool enough to handle easily, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

With your fingers, remove the pulp from the seeds and discard the seeds. Also remove any small strings and hard bits of membrane.

Place the pulp and the cooking liquid in a blender container, making sure that all seeds have been eliminated. Blend thoroughly. For a really smooth drink, put through a sieve, but you don't have to do this.

Pour the puree into a pitcher or large storage container. Add the 2 remaining cups of water and stir in sugar to taste.

Add ice to the pitcher if serving immediately. Or chill and serve later over ice in tall glasses. The tamarind pulp will settle to the bottom, so stir well before pouring.

Makes 6 cups, or 6 servings. 

 

In Mexico, It's Espaguetti

Once, when I was preparing a book proposal, my agent told me not to use the word spaghetti. It's too mundane, too ordinary, too common and dull, she said. Instead, I had to write about "pasta."

Well, spaghetti isn't the least bit ordinary, in my opinion, and certainly not in this recipe, which comes from a woman I met in Xalapa in the state of Veracruz. 

It's delicious and easy, just onion, garlic, jalapano, olive oil and lots of cilantro. And it escapes the publishing world's disdain on a technicality. In Mexico, spaghetti is not spaghetti but espaguetti, as my friend in Xalapa spells it.

ESPAGUETTI CON CILANTRO
Spaghetti with Cilantro

8 ounces spaghetti
6 tablespoons olive oil
½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions and drain in a colander.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the olive oil mixture to the pan in which the spaghetti was cooked and heat. Stir in the salt, then the cilantro.

Add the spaghetti and toss with the cilantro mixture over low heat until combined. Serve as a side dish, topped with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings.