latino brunch and a photo shoot

when i heard that the studio was lit, the only thing that made sense to do was cook and document! friend/colleague mel was generous enough to host and shoot this shindig. and what a shindig it was. i was *pleasantly* surprised to be introduced to this social network that resides in jersey city. as i cooked, a number of friends drifted in and out and soon enough the 6 of us were sitting down to a feast. the feast was a combination of the impressively vast amount of food mel had on supply and a few supplemental materials we picked up at the local deli. on the menu: arepas, guacamole, pico de gallo, eggs, bloody marys and flourless chocolate cake.

let's talk about flours. you've got to have arepa flour, not cornmeal or other corn based flour substances. look at your local latino market or the latino section of large supermarkets. it's pretty common.

arepas with eggs, guacamole and pico

make the arepas:

• once you have arepa flour, just follow the directions on the package. it will be a simple mix of the flour, pinch of salt and warm water. i suggest adding some grated cheese at this point...
• flatten a small handful of dough in the palms of your hands, and fry on the stove top in a decent amount of heated oil until browned on both sides.
  

make the guacamole:

• 2 avocados
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
  
• juice from 1 lime
  
• salt and pepper

• mash the avocados with a fork and add salt to taste
• add tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice. mix well.

make the pico de gallo:

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
  
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• small handful cilantro, chopped
• juice from 1-2 limes
• salt and pepper
  
• 1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped

• combine all ingredients in a bowl, allow to sit for a few minutes. you might want to add a tiny drizzle of olive oil...

once you have the components (arepas, guacamole, pico) i suggest layering them with over easy eggs. and more cheese.

flourless chocolate cake
from epicurious

my general rule: the simpler the recipe, the better. nothing fancy required. it's a little bit of a labor of love but totally worth the effort and will blow everyone away.

• 12 ozs bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 12 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• preheat oven to 350°F. butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper; butter paper. wrap outside of pan with foil.
  
• stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. remove from heat. cool to lukewarm, stirring often.
• using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 3 minutes.
  
• fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in vanilla extract.
  
• using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form.
  
• fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. pour batter into prepared pan.
• bake cake until top is puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. cool cake in pan on rack (cake will fall).
• using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. remove pan sides. place 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round atop cake. invert cake onto tart pan bottom. peel off parchment paper.

or, just make this cake in whatever buttered pan you have. it might not be as beautiful but will be absolutely delicious. and this cake definitely does not require a glaze. i recommend a nice sprinkle of powdered sugar.

mercadito's tacos de camarón

you may know my opinions about mercadito. so when i received an email about a mercadito "cooking class" i was ecstatic--and demanded friend number 2 join me.

when we showed up and saw what was on the menu for the demonstration (not really a cooking class), i got even more excited: mercadito's chipotle shrimp tacos! they're literally one of my 2 choices to order every time i'm there (my other choice is the chicken tacos with crispy manchego and pickled sweet potato. now if only i could get my hands on the recipes for those pickles...)

as for the demonstration, executive chef-owner patricio sandoval was a wonderfully engaging host. he talked and cooked, we ate...all in all a beautiful thing. especially when you consider we walked away stuffed with delicious food (an assortment of tastings of guacamole, ceviche, tacos and dessert aaaaaand a pepino margarita) for $45 AND the recipes to recreate at home--I WIN! ahem. WE win!

keep your eyes on the sabores autenticos de mexico website for upcoming cooking demonstrations and events including mexican restaurant week.

a little less exciting than all of this awesomeness was learning the secret of what makes the shrimp tacos so delicious: mounting the sauce. aka adding tons and tons of butter. more specifically, whisking cold butter into the sauce at the end of cooking it. i should have guessed...so, if you're in the mood for something delicious and slightly indulgent, have at it. or on a less-indulgent day, skimp out on the butter (which is what friend number 2 and i did the other day when we finally got around to trying the recipe for ourselves).

mercadito's tacos de camarón
courtesy of patricio sandoval

makes 4 tacos

• 2 tablespoons canola/olive oil blend
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 6 ounces marinated shrimp (recipe below)
• 2 teaspoons chipotle puree (we blended chipotles in adobo, since they're easiest to find. if you use these, just make sure to taste as you go so that you don't wind up with something that's too hot to eat...)
  
• lemon juice to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt to taste
• 4 homemade corn tortillas (ha, whoops, i must have left my homemade tortillas at home...not gonna happen)
  
• 4 slices avocado

• heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet; sauté 1 tablespoon garlic until brown. add red onion and sauté 30 seconds.
• add marinated shrimp and cook 1 minute. stir in 2 teaspoons chipotle puree, lemon juice, and butter; season with salt to taste. cook 2 to 4 minutes.
• heat corn tortillas. top each with shrimp and 1 slice of avocado.

marinated shrimp

• 6 ounces diced shrimp
• 1/2 can of chipotle peppers (blend chipotle peppers in blender)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

mercadito: the happiest place on earth

subtitle: and the return of friend number two

me (after consuming half a margarita): this might just be my favorite restaurant...ever.
friend number two: you say that everywhere we go.

granted, i am a complete lightweight (aka a cheap date) but mercadito really is one of my favorite restaurants ever. every time i go, i feel compelled to express my admiration for this place--over and over and over again. patience, my friends! the meal will be rewarding enough to listen to me ramble. the other night, i even convinced 2 out of 3 dining partners to include it in their respective top 3 shortlists. (friend number two is a toughie). allow me to explain:

1. awesome margaritas. have i mentioned my love of margaritas? because i love them.
2. possibly awesomer food.
3. a cozy dining atmosphere and friendly service.

what's not to like?! so now, allow me to provide some details based on my recent dinner and brunch a couple of weeks ago.

margaritas: yum yum yum yum yum. this is the kind of place where the margaritas are so good that you might just stop by one day to sit at the bar and have one. several margaritas and snacks later...well, you get my point. although margaritas are regular price during brunch, a mimosa is included. don't miss $5 margarita happy hour, mon-thurs 4-7pm. there's a different kind of margarita for everyone! a few of my tried and true:

tradicional ($9) sadly, i might be that boring person where this is my favorite. it's perfectly tart and has enough tequila so that it's not too sweet. very fresh and full of citrus.
with fresh mango ($11) this one is also great (they all are). i do love mango in my margaritas and it's done so well here because the mango doesn't overdo the sweet factor.
pepino tequila blanco, cucumber, lime, chile de arbol ($10) this one is good but i have a hard time drinking a whole one. the cucumber is quite refreshing but i'm much more of a citrus fan.
tres cítricos with habanero ($10) good flavor with a kick of heat.

guacamole is never optional. i usually opt for the guacamole tasting ($11.50 brunch, $13.50 dinner) but was perfectly content the other night with the mango guacamole with jicama and chipotle ($9.50). the guacamole, again, delicious and fresh, but each one has something a little different as well as a bit of welcome heat.

two of my favorite things in life are seafood and citrus. sounds like ceviche to me! mercadito has a great selection of 5 ceviches. we had the three ceviches tasting ($24.50) with callo (bay scallops, watermelon, key lime-habanero broth, epazote), robalo (wild striped bass, mango, chile piquin, tamarind-apple soda broth) and mixto (shrimp, octopus, scallops, tomato, roasted garlic-jalapeño broth). all were good. i was too hungry to take in the details...

i was in charge of ordering and completely left the corn masa quesadillas out. i am not to be trusted while half a margarita deep. so i've never actually eaten this dish but it looks awesome: corn masa quesadillas one of each with mexican cheese: mahi mahi-tomatillo, shrimp-plantain, wild mushroom-epazote crema ($13.50).

camaron tacos ($15 brunch--coffee or mimosa and rice and beans included, $14 dinner) shrimp, roasted garlic, chipotle mojo, avocado. oh man. the sauce is spicy and thick but not too spicy, a little smokey and almost a little sweet. perfect with the shrimp. this is where i really start to vocalize my feelings.


mole tacos ($14) sautéed chicken, sweet plantain, crema fresca, mole poblano sauce. the sweet plantain really added an extra dimension here, an "ooh yum, what is that?!" if you will. all of the tacos are served 4 per order (they're small) and are on homemade corn tortillas.


enchiladas rojas shrimp, mexican cheeses, plum tomato-guajillo arbol sauce, crema fresca ($23.50) the sauce was delicious, the shrimp were large, fresh and cooked perfectly.


three corn pico de gallo with hominy, white & yellow corn, onion, tomato, cilantro ($5) so fresh with bold flavors and um, hominy is awesome.

pollo tacos: pollo costeño rubbed grilled chicken, piloncillo pickled sweet potato, crispy manchego, chipotle salsa ($14). i'm pretty sure these ones are only on the brunch menu. they're worth tracking down. again, great sauce but i love the pickled sweet potato! i always appreciate a vinegar factor in my food and it pairs well with the crispy manchego.

are you convinced yet? run, don't walk!
179 avenue b (between 11th st and 12th st)

a few of my favorite LA things: gilbert's carrots

you can blame my absence over the past week to a jam-packed trip to LA. that and my computer was playing sick and is now feeling much better. in any case, i have some catching up to do. and i'm going to start with one of my favorite little things in LA.

gilbert's el indio is a family owned santa monica institution. it features totally respectable down-to-earth mexican food that is decently priced. truth be told, i ate there just about every friday night during high school and now that i'm of legal age, it's even better because i can enjoy their deeelicious margaritas (available in pitcher size). my former fav: the super special burrito (thanks, wheat). current fav: chicken enchiladas (peace out, wheat). but what really keeps me coming back for more is the CARROTS. that's right, the delicious morsels of yummy pickled goodness that appear on the table from the hand of a friendly waiter, in a little white plastic bowl. keeeeeep 'em coming. i have yet to find comparable carrots anywhere, east or west. hence my need to be able to make them at home, in new york, where i am just slightly out of gilbert's commuting distance.

after much internet research, the closest tasting recipe i could find was here (thanks, blogger rachel!). i made a couple of minor adjustments and now have...drumroll, please:

gilbert's el indio carrot recipe (mexican pickled carrots)

• 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced on an angle
• 1-2 large jalapenos (i just use a few pieces of jarred pickled ones)
• 1 clove garlic, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon oregano (fresh or dried works)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 small white onion, minced
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt

• toss together the carrots and jalapenos in a large glass container (with a lid).
• in a large sauce pan, combine the garlic, oregano, bay leaves, onion, vinegar, water, sugar and salt. bring to a simmer for two minutes.
• pour the vinegar mixture over the carrot mixture until it covers all the vegetables, and allow to cool on the counter top. when cool, cap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. can be kept for up to two months.
  

yields 1-½ cups

a trip to the other coast (cont'd)

NUMBER 3 - La Playita


Another Santa Monica staple I have been visiting since the youngen days. My dad used to take me here for lunch when I would go with him to work and I have been a loyal follower since. The tacos are good but the seafood is better. Burritos, tacos, tostadas, and my favorite--seafood cocktails! (Specifically shrimp). If you fear eating seafood from a hole in the wall type place, La Playita, my friends, is not for you. But seriously, grow a pair and go check it out. It's delicious and how can so many people be wrong?!

On this visit, I got a medium shrimp cocktail ($6) which has large succulent shrimp, avocado, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro, all in a tomato juice sauce. Throw on some lime and hot sauce-MMMMM...it also comes with a side of tostadas. Notice the classy clear plastic cup. Perhaps a green effort in steering away from the styrofoam?