Green Chile Pasta

When we were in Mexico a couple of years ago, we had dinner at a little Italian place, twice I think--it was either that or another quesadilla!  They served an avocado pasta sauce that somehow blended the ingredients of the Yucatan with the cuisine of Italy. It was more than memorable, it was unique and special. Unforgettable.

I haven't tried to recreate it, but the idea has lingered in my mind. And the other day I was thinking about those green chiles in my freezer, the avocado sauce, citrus...and a creamy pasta sauce. This was my first attempt, but I think it turned out very well...

Recipe: Green Chile-Avocado Pasta Sauce
The subtle heat and buttery flavor of the Hatch chiles is emphasized by the avocado and lime. Utterly delicious and decadent.

Ingredients
1 lb. bow tie or linguine pasta
6-7 Hatch (Anaheim) green chiles, roasted, seeded and skinned (you should be able to find those in your freezer if you went to all of that trouble earlier in the year.)
1 large avocado, seeded, diced and skinned
Zest and juice of one lime
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. cream cheese (This is what I did with the leftover from the Hot Onion Soufflé!)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro, thick stems removed
1 Serrano pepper, halved and seeded, cut into large pieces
Salt to taste

Directions
Cook pasta according to directions on the package. In a food processor, combine all the other ingredients and process until smooth. Once pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain and stir in sauce. Add pasta water until a smooth, creamy consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning.

I added a can a drained and rinsed garbanzo beans, but you could choose any protein you might like.

Difference

Sometimes, things you think are the same are actually different.  Take for instance, the breakfast taco and breakfast burrito.  Anyone who has ever eaten a breakfast taco and a breakfast burrito can probably tell you: they aren't the same thing.  It's about proportion, scale and sometimes ingredients.  But some people, even Texas Monthly prescribes the difference to regional nomenclature, suggesting a breakfast taco and burrito are identical.  But just about any child (in Texas anyways) can tell you that, besides proportion and scale, a burrito is rolled, whereas a taco is folded.

Which brings me to migas.  And chilaquiles.  ¿Cuál es la diferencia?

The Epicurious Food Dictionary definition says:

chilaquiles [chee-lah-KEE-lehs]
Because it was invented to use leftovers, this Mexican entree is sometimes called "poor man's dish." It consists of corn TORTILLA strips sautéed with other foods such as mild green CHILES, cheese, CHORIZO and shredded chicken or beef. The dish may also be layered like LASAGNA and baked.


The dictionary doesn't define migas, but Wikipedia offers the explanation for the Tex-Mex version, in addition to Spanish and Portuguese iterations:


migas [me-gus]
In Tex-Mex cuisine, migas [me-gus] are a traditional breakfast dish consisting of scrambled eggs mixed with strips of corn tortilla; the meatless version includes diced onions, sliced chile peppers, diced fresh tomatoes, and cheese, plus various spices and condiments (e.g. salsa or pico de gallo). Migas are typically served with refried beans, and corn or flour tortillas are used to enfold all of the ingredients into tacos. The tortilla strips can also be deep-fried until crunchy

And then some places serve chilaquiles with eggs.  So what is what?  Perhaps it doesn't matter, but I tend to think definitions are important.  We have so many words in the English language, many of them borrowed from other countries and cultures, so we have the opportunity to be very specific.  Like the difference between burrito and taco!  Blurring definitions is simply lazy, which probably makes me sound old.  You're probably hearing, "why don't they teach handwriting in the public schools anymore!"

Which brings me to: addiction.  And after my confession, perhaps you can tell me what I'm making?

After moving to West Texas, I quickly became addicted to Rosa's.  Located all across West Texas, and even as far away as Dallas, Rosa's makes pretty delicious fast, Mexican food--there is no reason to go to Taco Bell.  Never.  But, what makes Rosa's special is their tortillas, which are made fresh right there in each and every store.  You can watch.  And, that is how they elevate something as simple as a bean burrito (rolled!) with cheese and delicious salsa into a revelation: bean and cheese and salsa inside a warm, soft flour tortilla probably just pulled off of the line.  Seriously, I start thinking about it and my mouth begins to water.  I pass Rosa's and I start thinking about how long I can keep myself from it.

And their chips.  And their queso!  So good.  But then you end up with a bag full of leftover chips.  Chips that were made fresh in store and don't really keep.  Chips that are pretty stale the next morning.  What to do?  Migas/chilaquiles!

So here is easy, breezy morning migas/chilaquiles when you have leftover or stale chips, some salsa, a couple of eggs...and a little cheese.

Heat some vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add enough chips to cover the bottom of the pan in one layer.  The idea is to fry the chips so they crisp up again, so stir them and turn them until they start to get a little brown.

Meanwhile, crack and beat two eggs with a little salt.  Ready your salsa (I use about 1/3 cup), some garlic and fresh pico, about 1/4 cup if you have  it (at Rosa's, they have it, so I have it.).

Once the chips are lightly brown, take the pan off the heat and add the garlic (enough) and stir until it starts to cook.  Then, dump in the salsa and pico.  It's probably going to sizzle and splatter a little.  Return to the heat and cook until the salsa is reduced a little.  Lower the temperature, add the eggs and cook until they are scrambled right into that mess.

Top with cheese and a little more salsa and voila!  Migas.  Or chilaquiles with eggs.  Or something else, I don't know.  The bottom line is that it's an easy, delicious breakfast on Sunday morning and a perfect way to use up stale chips or tortillas with your favorite salsa.  This serves two!

Loco por los Tacos!

I love tacos in all shapes, sizes and iterations: bean, squash, classic breakfast, mole, spicy, savory, crunch, dripping, corn, flour. I love them all. I used to make a 'beans and greens' taco that was fantastic, so I was excited when I saw a recipe recently for a spinach taco with ricotta. Amazing! Honestly, I could eat them every day for a week and then probably for a couple of more days after that.

I'm trying to stick to 'vegan at home' right now, so I made a vegan ricotta using the recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz in the Veganomicon. But, use regular ricotta if that suits you. The creamy, blandness of the ricotta is the perfect foil to the spicy, greens.

Recipe: Spinach Ricotta Tacos
If you are trying to sneak some tofu into your diet, here is a good place to do it. The mashed up and flavored tofu stands in well for the ricotta and is great with the spicy flavors of the filling. You can find a recipe here, just omit the basil as this recipe of course calls for cilantro instead.

For the ricotta:
1 cup of ricotta cheese (or 1 cup of the tofu ricotta with the basil omitted)
3-4 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

Using a fork, mix the cilantro and garlic into the ricotta. Taste and season with salt, depending on the flavor of the cheese you may need a little or a lot. Set in the refrigerator to chill, this can be done the night before.

For the spinach filling:
olive oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1-2 inch slices
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
12 oz. of fresh spinach, washed and rinsed. Stemmed if you feel it's important, but not really necessary. Especially if you use baby spinach.
1 4-ounce can of chopped green chiles
1 tsp of ground cumin
corn tortillas for serving
Salsa verde for serving

Heat the oil in large skillet to medium-high. Add the onion and saute for for 5-7 minutes, until it's soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant. Add the chiles and cumin and stir for 1-2 minutes, until the spice is nice and toasted and smells delicious. Add the spinach one handful at a time, stirring until it wilts. Continue until all of the spinach is combined and cooked through. Turn to medium-low heat and keep warm until you're ready to assemble the tacos.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a pan, the oven or a microwave. Put two tortillas together, and place a about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture in the middle. Top with the ricotta or the 'ricotta' and some of the salsa verde. Enjoy!

Mexi-CAN

We had great Mexican last night, with amazing salsa and guacamole at Super Mex.

Then we went by Pinkberry to find out what all the culty business is about. I had original flavor with blueberries, so felt a little healthy but still satisfied. I took a photo, even though you aren't supposed to. The interior was very cool, but a little loud...so we didn't linger.

After, we popped into a great little candy store with all kinds of treats: Mike & Ike (my favorite!) in vintage-y boxes; salt water taffy in all kinds of flavors; all your favorite old fashioned candy; and Marie Antoinette lollipops! It was a good thing I was already stuffed full of burritos, enchiladas and yogurt, or I would have bought a huge bag of goodies...

Coffee Cup Cafe

Sal's Enchilada Eggs at the Coffee Cup Cafe, delicious! LGB, ya'll.

Mexican't

I have always enjoyed Mexican food, but after living in Austin for almost three years, I have become an unapologetic Mexican food snob. In Terre Haute, there are a couple choices and I have tried one of them. It's passable, and they have pretty good chips. But, it isn't...what I wanted. I want choices. I want excellent Tex-Mex with delicious rajas queso. I want Interior Mexican. And of course, dear reader, you know I want breakfast tacos.

Weekend before last, on a rainy Chicago evening, I went to a El Mariachi with Michael and Ryan, just down the street from their place. First of all, excellent salsa. Second, guacamole prepared at table (We didn't get it, but next time we will.). Third, vegetarian TAMALES, delicious, a little cheese. Spicy.

I want to go back and try the plantain enchiladas and all of the other treats they serve. It isn't down the street from my place, but it is still good to know it's there and that I can embrace my snobbery. And munch on chips. Oh! And the mango margarita was perfect and boozy, served with a little umbrella.