Green Dragon Salsa

Salsa is really easy to make and it's worth the effort. You can make combinations you like, it's fresh and you can impress your friends. I don't have a set recipe for this one either, but I have a combination of ingredients I like to use. I call the my Green Dragon salsa because, well it's green for one, and it's hot- to the point you breathe fire. You can take out the jalapenos if you like, for more of a Green Non-Fire-Breathing Reptile Salsa.

The following ingredients will make about 30 oz (two fair sized jars) worth of salsa. It will keep in the fridge for a week or so. I'm not sure exactly how long, but it doesn't have preservatives in it, so I'm sure a week maximum is good.

10 tomatillos

2 Poblano peppers

1 Green Bell pepper

1 Hungarian Wax pepper

2 jalapenos

3-4 limes, juiced

1/4-1/2 yellow onion

1-2 garlic cloves

1/2 bunch of cilantro

Directions: Peel off paper-like skin off tomatillos, rinse and cut in half. Place tomatillos (cut side down) and all peppers on a cookie sheet. Set oven to broil and place rack in top 1/3 of oven. Place sheet in oven and check after 3-5 minutes. You want to roast these well, the blacker the better so that the skin comes off nice and easy. Once blackened (it may take longer than 5 minutes) flip peppers and blacken the other side.

While this is happening prepare a bowl full of ice water. Once ingredients are done roasting you want to place them in the ice water to shock them and cool them down. Let them sit for a few minutes when you're able to pick them up bare handed. Peel skin off peppers, removing stems and seeds. Peel outer layer of tomatillos as well. These can be a little tricky seeing that they are already cut in half, but they should hold together while in the ice bath. Place in a blender. Toss in onion, garlic clove, cilantro (stems are okay) and lime juice. Blend it up. Salt to taste. You can add some olive oil too for a little thicker consistency.

Wallah, green salsa. It's great for dipping chips, topping fish tacos or sauteing chicken or pork for a little carnitas. I'm telling you, it's versatile. It's even good to add to the skillet when scrambling eggs for some juevos rancheros.

Tips: If you don't like so much heat you can leave out the jalapenos and substitute in Anaheim peppers for the Hungarian wax. They have nice flavor and they're green. Onion and garlic add lots of flavor, but they also add lots of burps. So if you don't want to be tasting this salsa for days, stick to the 1/4 onion and one garlic clove.

When shopping for tomatillos, most still have the papery skin still intact. Check to make sure worms or bugs haven't gotten to them by peeling back the paper a tad. If you forget to look inside the packaging, you may end up with unusable tomatillos, and they're the real star of the salsa. They add a nice tang that is the main characteristic of green salsa.

Play around with it and have fun. You'll never want to buy salsa again.

Fish Tacos

One of my favorite things to make (and eat) is fish tacos. I don't really have a recipe, but I'll explain how I make them.

Fish: I like to use a white, flaky fish like Tilapia. It's usually cheaper than other fish, but you can use halibut, salmon or whatever you like. I usually season it with salt, a little pepper and lime juice. Sometimes I'll use a little creole seasoning like Tony Chachery's. If you use the creole seasoning, or any other packaged seasoning for that matter, it contains salt so you won't want to salt the fish and use the seasoning.

The fish can be prepared anyway you like, but its nice to get a good browning on it so I grill it or broil it in the oven. Broiling fish is really handy because it doesn't drip through the grill or get stuck to the grill. You don't have to worry about it stinking up the house like you would pan searing the fish, but pan searing is quick and easy too. Grill or broil for about 7 or 8 minutes and then check it for doneness with a meat thermometer or by touch. It should be flaky but moist and bounces back when you touch it.

Slaw: Fish tacos have to have slaw. You can use pre-packaged shredded lettuce, green cabbage or a mix of both. Cabbage holds up better with the sauce though. I mix to taste with 1 part sour cream and 1 part ranch and some lime juice (3 or 4 limes). If you can find jalapeno ranch, try that for some heat. I can't find it anymore in my local market, but you can always chop up 1/2 jalapeno without the seeds for heat. Mix this together while the fish is cooking.

That's it. You can top with salsa or pico de gallo if you like, but I don't like to over power the flavor of the fish and the slaw. I prefer flour tortillas, but use what you like. These go great with the beans and rice listed below. Enjoy.

Traditional Black Beans

This is a base recipe I use when we make Mexican food. It pairs really nice with Spanish yellow rice. I don't usually follow the recipe exactly, but throw in some variations of my own, but this will get you started.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. Olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup diced tomato (you can use a can of diced or stewed tomatoes also)

1 can black beans, drain and reserve juice

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon garlic salt

3 Tbs. cider vinegar

Pair with 2 cups cooked rice, Serves 4

In large skillet heat olive oil, cook onion and green pepper until crisp and tender. Stir in tomatoes, beans, thyme and garlic salt. Cook 3 minutes, add vinegar, and reserved juice. Continue to cook 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Tips: I usually double the recipe (two cans of beans to one can of diced tomatoes). I also use chopped garlic, cumin and oregano to taste. It comes out a little different every time because I usually wing it, but the base ingredients make a good combination. Adding lime juice also adds nice flavor as well. A couple limes usually do it. Of course you can add other types of peppers if you want to heat it up a bit, like a Hungarian wax or Poblano. I also usually let the beans simmer for longer, which allows them to break down. A little mashing creates more of a refried bean consistency. It's great with chips, rice or as a burrito. Enjoy.

Taqueria Style Carne Asada

This is a nice taco meat recipe with lots of flavor. Top with whatever you like, but sour cream with a little lime juice complements it very well. It also works well with the home made tortillas. The combination of oregano, cumin and paprika is common mix in Mexican recipes and is one of my favorites. It's even a nice addition to black beans to use on rice.

• 3 pounds flank steak (or whatever is cheapest)
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced

1. Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.
2. In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated. (Remember that cubed or stripped steak doesn't take long to cook and get tough so waiting until liquid evaporates may be too long in my opinion)
   

Tortillas

If you are feeling adventurous, you can try making your own tortillas using this simple recipe. I admit I've only tried this once and tortillas take a lot of rolling to get them thin. A lot mine were thick and it's almost like eating a taco pastry. I'm thinking of investing in a tortilla press, which makes the process much easier. Also note that it doesn't take long to cook a tortilla. If you cook it too long, it will break apart when you try to roll it. If your skillet or griddle is hot enough the recommended time below may be too long.

Like I said, tortillas take some practice but its fun to try at least once.

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup hot water

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Either by hand or with a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening till the mixture is crumbly. If the mixture looks more floury than crumbly, be sure to add just one or two more tablespoons of shortening till it is crumbly. Add about 3/4 cup hot water to the mixture, or just enough to make the ingredients look moist.
   
2. With your hand or a large fork, knead the mixture making sure to rub the dough against the sides of the large mixing bowl to gather any clinging dough. If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl, add a couple more tablespoons of flour until the dough forms a soft round shape. The dough is ready to roll out now, but it is best to let it rest. Cover it with a dish towel, and let it sit for about an hour or so.
3. Take the dough, and pull it apart into 10 to 12 balls. Lightly flour your rolling area, and roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.
4. Place each tortilla on a medium hot cast iron skillet. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla does not look doughy.