A Day of Mexican Food (El Taconazo aka "The Taco Bus" and Diana Kennedy) – 02/14/2009

Cary and I have been craving “real” Mexican food (not Tex-Mex or Cali-Mex) for a while, and this past Wednesday, we noticed that there was a full-page article in the St. Pete Times on El Taconazo, or as us locals call the establishment, “The Taco Bus”.

When you first see El Taconazo, it does not look like anything spectacular. But once inside, the tastes and smells will take you back to a Mexican cantina by the sea. There are three seating areas – one when you first walk in, then two as you make your way towards the back.

The menu is very simple – chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and vegetarian delights that can be served as Tacos, Burittos, Burittos Prenado, Quesadillas, Tortas, Tostadas, Papos Platos, and El Taconazo. They also have daily specials, and are known for their Tres Leche (three milks) cake, which is totally heavenly.

Both Cary and I had their Conchinita Pibil Meal special, which was Pork marinated in achiote and bitter orange, then wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted in a smoker (based on a 5,000 year old Mayan recipe) inside two soft flour tacos plus red beans and rice:

For dessert, we shared a piece of their Tres Leche cake, which I have made at home before, but can never get to taste like their version:

The owner of the restaurant, Rene Valenzuela, shared with us that his mentor, Diana Kennedy, was going to be appearing at Inkwood Books, an independent bookstore in South Tampa. We totally forgot about that, and finished our dessert so that we could meet the woman that many are calling “The Julia Child of Mexican Cooking”.

I had read reviews of her books, and was looking forward to picking up a copy of “From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients by Diana Kennedy and Michale Calderwood“. This particular book appealed to me, as I wanted to take “baby steps” with cooking traditional Mexican style foods such as Tamales, Chiles, and the like.

When we got to Inkwood Books, the book signing was starting to wind up, and we were actually lucky to get the final copy of the book I wanted. We saw Rene, and not only thanked him again for a wonderful meal at his restaurant, but also sampled some of the foods that he was serving at the event. After nibbling on the delicious bites of food, we had the pleasure of speaking with Diana Kennedy, whom I found to be a very charming and interesting woman who basically uprooted herself from Essex, England, and immersed herself in the culinary delights that Mexico has to offer. I shared with her that both my husband and I enjoy eating true Mexican food, and wished that we had remembered her classes over at The Rolling Pin and El Taconazo. So, instead, we will be using her books as a way to learn Mexican cooking, and if there are any DVDs out there that she has done, we will be buying them as well.

All in all, it was an amazing day once more filled with awesome food that you just cannot find anywhere – you have to look very carefully for it!

Address for El Taconazo is 913 E. Hillsborough Avenue (cross street Nebraska Avenue), Tampa FL 33604. Phone number is 813-232-5889, fax is 813-232-5808. Easiest way to get to the place is to take I-275 and get off at the Hillsborough Avenue exit, and head east. You cannot miss the restaurant – just look for the big “Taco, Burrito y Cerveche” sign:

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Chef Susan aka Chef Jersey Girl

Client Cook Days – The "T"’s of Panther Trace, 02/09/2009

Monday morning, I cooked for a client that found me thru HireAChef.com, a website that connects Personal Chefs and clients in the United States. I was very excited to cook for this family, as I had a feeling that it would lead to more bookings with not only the family, but also their friends and colleagues.

Their cookday was going to be easy – three chicken dishes, one beef dish, and one fish dish that they were going to cook within 48 hours.

Recipes prepared were as follows:

ENTRÉE #1:
Mediterranean Fresh Fish – Baked fresh Fish covered with a topping of Black olives, Artichoke Hearts, Feta, and Tomato flavored with a hint of Garlic, Lemon and Clove
Side Dish: Brown Rice

ENTRÉE #2:
Ginger Beef Stir-Fry - Marinated Stir-fried Strips of Beef in a Ginger-Soy Sauce
Side Dishes: Ginger-Glazed Carrots with Macadamia Nuts (Carrots in a Ginger and Brown Sugar Glaze) and Brown Rice

ENTRÉE #3:
Baked Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives, and Mushrooms – Greek seasoned Chicken baked with Italian Tomatoes, Black Olives, and Sauteed Mushrooms

Side Dish: Vegetable Couscous Salad (Couscous with Tomatoes, Green Onions, Garbanzo Beans, Red Bell Peppers, Currants and Zucchini combined with a spicy Lemon Curry Dressing)

ENTRÉE #4:
Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas – Chicken Strips, Black Beans, Jack cheese, and Red Bell Peppers in a Mexican salsa rolled in Flour Tortillas and topped with cheese and Picante sauce
Side Dish: Brown Rice

ENTRÉE #5:
Artichoke and Feta Cheese Stuffed Chicken - Tender chicken breasts filled with a lightly herbed goat cheese and artichoke stuffing.
Side Dishes: Orange-Glazed Carrots (Carrot slices in a Sherry Orange Ginger Glaze) and Brown Rice

I apologize for not having any other photos to share from this cook date – I am certain that these dishes will be repeated (especially the Chicken and Black Bean Enchaladas), so you can bet that I will be photoing them at that point!

Enjoy!
Chef Susan

Dinner at Home – Arroz con Camarón (01/21/2009)

Wednesday night, we had our friend, Will, over for dinner. The reason was two fold – the first reason was to thank him for hosting so many awesome parties over the past six months, and the second reason was to discuss a food event that I would be hosting at his house next month.

We both knew that Will loved good food, so we decided that the menu for this dinner would be a microgreen salad with Granny Smith apples, walnuts, and gorgonzola cheese (topped with my Champagne Lemon-Lime Vinaigarette Dressing) for the first course, and Arroz con Camarón (Rice and Shrimp) – a spin on the recipe I did for the In The Kitchen/At The Grill’s Puerto Rican Night.

Here is a slideshow of the food that we made for Will:

And here is the recipe, which is based on the Arroz con Pollo recipe found on El Boricua, a bilingual, cultural website for everything Puerto Rican.

Arroz Con Camarón
2 cups uncooked rice
1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp (I used medium 26-30 count)
1 small can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons of sliced Spanish Olives, use a bit of the liquid and the red peppers too.
1 teaspoon alcaparras (spanish capers)
½ cup sofrito (see below for recipe)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt (I used Kosher Salt, as it’s the only salt we have in our house)
½ cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil, again it’s the only oil we have in the house)
4 cups of boiling water

Steps:

1. In a large pot, brown the shrimp in the oil until it is pink and fully cooked.
2. Remove shrimp from the pot and set aside. Don’t put them on paper towels – we want any grease back in the pot.
3. Leave the shrimp drippings inside the pot and add all the other ingredients except for the rice, water and shrimp.
4. Mix well and cook sofrito for 5 minutes over medium heat.
5. Add the shrimp and rice to the pot and stir.
6. Add the boiling water until the water is about 1 inch above the rice, stir once only.
7. Boil uncovered, over high heat, until water is absorbed.
8. Once the water is absorbed, gently stir from bottom to top. Just a couple of turns only.
9. Cover and continue to cook over LOW heat for another 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

And here is the recipe for sofrito, also found on the El Boricua website:

1 large yellow onion
1 pimiento (Cubanelle) or substitute with green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper or 1sm jar roasted red peppers
1 medium head of garlic (2 tbsp. minced garlic)
1 bunch of cilantro
¼ cup Spanish olives, pitted
1 tbsp capers
2 tsps Kosher salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp crushed orégano
½ cup olive oil

1. Wash, peel, seed and coarsley chop everything.
2. Put in a food processor and pureé.
3. Store in a glass jar covered in the refrigerator for later use.

You can also freeze it in ice-cube trays and dump the frozen cubes in a freezer bag. This will be fried in achiote oil or tocino as the first step in recipes. This recipe makes about 2 large ice-cube trays. Use about 3 cubes for rice or soup that will serve a family.

Once you’ve made this easy recipe you will never go back to store bough sofrito. The aroma is simply intoxicating. . . .

Cubanelle peppers are the typical pepper used in the island – it is a sweet Italian pepper and not easily found everywhere. The word sofrito comes from Italian immigrants to Puerto Rico – it means the same thing except their sofrito uses a few different ingredients and they don’t use it as often as we do.

Bon appetit!

Chef Susan aka Chef Jersey Girl

Puerto Rican Night at Larissa and Rene’s – 01/17/2009

Last night, two of our friends, Larissa and Rene, hosted Puerto Rican Night, where we celebrated the foods and tastes of Puerto Rico.

Our challenge was to prepare a Puerto Rican dish – either an appetizer, an entree, or a dessert – and Larissa was going to demonstrate a couple of dishes herself.

My choice for this dinner was Arroz con Pollo – I love eating it when going out to Spanish restaurants, and never made it Puerto Rican style.

The recipes that I used were found on the El Boricua web site:
Arroz con Pollo – Chicken and Rice, a staple of the Puerto Rican diet
Sofrito – A cilantro based sauce that can be used in many Puerto Rican recipes

While making the Sofrito, the house smelled so wonderful, and my mind was reeling with all of the recipes that I could use the sauce for (specifically, Shrimp, Rice, and Beans). Making the Arroz con Pollo went very quickly – I thought it was going to take around 1 1/2 hours, but all being told, I think it took me around 1 hour.

I was able to transfer the dish into a large enough bowl so that transporting would be easy, and before long, got to Larissa and Rene’s. More folks started to arrive, and after around 30 minutes, we started to learn how to make “Carne Guisada” (beef stew), which is a favorite of mine. She had some already made (gee, just like a real Food TV show *lol*), and that made it all the more fun! I then shared with everyone that the only person I’d leave my husband for is Alton Brown, as to me, he is the Food Geek God to end all Food Geek Gods – that and he also not only shares the food, but also the science behind the food.

Listed are the foods that all of us made:

• Garbanzo bean soup
• Pinon ( ripe plantains, ground beef and egg pie)
• Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas)
• Picadillo ( seasoned ground beef)
• Carne guisada (beef stew)
• Habichuelas guisadas ( pink beans)
• Bean salad
• Spinach, pear, blue cheese salad
• Cabbage Lemon dill salad
• Platanos en almibar (plantains in syrup)
• Spicy brownies
• Guava paste with cream cheese and crackers
• Papaya and white cheese
• Guava shells and white cheese
• Flan de queso ( cream cheese flan)

And here is a slideshow of the foods we ate last night:

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Chef Susan aka Chef Jersey Girl

Dinner Tonight – Pot Roast (01/14/2009

I was first taught how to make a pot roast by my grandmother during Rosh Hashannah. She told me to make sure that you get the freshest cut of meat from the butcher (and not taking a package out of the meat case), make sure that you get as much of the collagin off the meat, and that you cook it until it reaches at least 165 degrees.

Here is the recipe that I made tonight:

Pot Roast
1 2 Pound Blade Cut Chuck Roast
1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons Paprika
1 1/2 Tablespoons Cumin
1 1/2 Tablespoons Coriander
2 C. Beef Stock (Kitchen Basics is the best)
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 lb. baby bliss (red) potatoes, washed
4 celery stalks, washed and quartered
3 carrots, washed and quartered

1. Prepare all of the vegetables, and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together all of the spices and spread over all sides of the Chuck Roast.
3. In a heavy skillet, sear the meat on all sides until it is brown – about 2-3 minutes per side.
4. In the crock pot, place all of the vegetables on the bottom so that it forms a raft.
5. Place the seared meat on top of the raft.
6. Pour the Beef Stock into the crock pot, making sure that none of the liquid touches the meat.
7. Set the clock for 8 hours, and the temperature to low.
8. Once the timer goes off, check the temperature of the pot roast by inserting a meat thermometer into middle of the chuck roast and ensuring that it reaches a minimum of 165 degrees. Once the meat reaches its proper temperature, take it out of the crock pot and allow it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Make a quick gravy by adding 2 T. of flour to the liquids at the bottom of the crockpot, and whisk quickly until it thickens. If the gravy gets too thick, add water to thin it out; if the gravy gets too thin, add a little bit more flour to thicken it.
9. Place all vegetables in a bowl (or separate the potatoes from all else).
10. Slice the pot roast on the bias and serve.

Enjoy!

Dinner Tonight – Surf and Turf (01/12/2009)

After a long day of running around and other fun stuff, I decided to treat myself to a Surf and Turf dinner.

Earlier in the day, I had stopped by the local Costco (around the corner from where we live) and picked up some U10 Sea Scallops, along with the frozen fish that we happen to love cooking (Chilean Sea Bass Filets, Wild Alaskan Salmon Filets, and Ahi Tuna Filets). I looked in the refrigerator, and saw that I needed to cook the Organic Black Angus Boneless NY Strip Steak. A moment of brillance later, dinner was planned in my head: Surf and Turf (Sea Scallops and Boneless NY Strip) with Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Blend and Steamed Veggies.

I quickly marinated the Sea Scallops in 1 T. Olive Oil, 1 1/2 t. Kosher Salt, 1 t. 5 Color Peppercorn Blend, and 1 t. Trader Joe’s Dill Weed, and covered it in a bowl. I then prepared the Harvest Grain Blend (made 1/4 of the recipe as it was only for myself), put that in my steamer, and set the steamer for 20 minutes. Five minutes later, the bag of Eat Smart Broccoli and Carrots went into the other steamer basket, and the Sea Scallops went on the top level.

I then went into the refrigerator, prepared the NY Boneless Strip Steak (rinsed, pat dry, seasoned with Kosher Salt, 5 Peppercorn Blend, and Olive Oil), placed it on our indoor grill pan, which was seasoned with Olive Oil, and set the timer for 15 minutes (turning once after 7 1/2 minutes).

I paired this meal with a split of 2007 Schmitt Sohne Qualitatswein Riesling.

Everything came out so awesome that I was able to split the meal – I had half for dinner tonight, and will have the other half tomorrow for lunch.

Recipe:
1 12 oz. Black Angus Boneless NY Strip Steak
1 lb. U10 Sea Scallops
1 T. Kosher Salt, divided
2 t. 5 Color Peppercorn Blend, divided
1 t. Trader Joe’s Dill Weed
2 T. Olive Oil, divided
3/4 c. Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Blend
1 T. unsalted butter
1 1/4 c. water
1 package Eat Smart Broccoli and Carrots

1. In a collander, rinse off the Sea Scallops and remove the tails. Set in a small bowl.
2. Add to the bowl 1 1/2 t. Kosher Salt, 1 t. 5 Color Peppercorn Blend, 1 t. Trader Joe’s Dill Weed, and 1 T. Olive Oil. Mix by hand and cover.
3. Place 1 1/4 c. water in a small saucepan, and cover. Heat until boiling. Add the Harvest Grain Blend and unsalted butter and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. In a steamer basket, add the Eat Smart Broccoli and Carrots, and steam for 5 minutes, or until crisp.
5. In a second steamer basket, add the prepared Sea Scallops and steam for 15 minutes.

Here is a closeup of the Surf and Turf meal, which will be posted to FoodGawker:

Plate up and enjoy!

Tampa Dining Out Third Anniversary Party at Gratzzi Baywalk (01/10/2009)

On Saturday night, the Tampa Dining Out Meetup Group, led by my friend Erica, celebrated its third anniversary at Gratzzi Ristorante in the Baywalk Entertainment Complex of St. Petersburg, Fl. I had not ever been to this restaurant, and when Erica posted the menu on the group’s site, it really intruiged me to no end.

We got to the restaurant a little bit late, as we were late picking up friends of ours. The wine was flowing, the conversation was boisturous, and it was great to catch up with friends, as well as meet new ones.

Here is a slideshow of some of the foods that we had that night:

Here is a run-down of the menu that we could select our foods from:

Appetizers:
Carpaccio di Manzo Thin slices of raw tenderloin with arugula, red onions, Dijon mustard, capers, shaved imported parmigiano and infused tuscan olive oil.
Calamari Fritti Crisp, fried tender squid served with marinara sauce.
Eggplant Rollatine Fried breaded eggplant stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella and basil. Baked with tomato sauce and cheese.
Carciofini alla Romana Baby whole artichokes stuffed with herbed mascarpone cheese, breaded and fried. Served with asiago cheese sauce.

Salads:
Insalata di Spinaci Fresh baby spinach tossed with wild mushroom warm maple pancetta vinaigrette, pickled red onion, candied walnuts and sprinkled with goat cheese.
Insalata Caprese Buffalo mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, basil, oregano and roasted peppers.
Insalata di Cesare Crisp romaine lettuce tossed with our Caesar dressing, croutons and parmigiano cheese. (Chicken or Shrimp extra)
House Salad Mixed greens, roasted peppers, tomatoes, sweet onions and black olives. Served with house dressing.

Entrees:
Mostaccioli Primavera Penne like pasta, broccoli, artichokes, grilled eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms sautéed with shallots and garlic. Tossed in a cream sauce.
Pappardelle alla Pugliese Wide egg fettuccine pasta tossed with chicken, pancetta, wilted spinach, roasted tomatoes and porcini mushrooms in cream asiago sauce.
Lingune Pescatore Shrimp, sea scallops and mussels in a vodka tomato cream sauce.
Lasagna al Forno Homemade layered pasta with ricotta, mozzarella, meat and sausage in a pomodoro sauce.
Pollo Parmigiana Breaded chicken breast topped with mozzarella and pomodoro sauce. Side of linguine with pomodoro sauce.
Saltimbocca Cosa Nostra Sautéed veal with shallots, mushrooms, prosciutto, spinach, fontina cheese, wine, sage and butter sauce.
Filet Mignon Oak-grilled center cut filet served with a barolo wine sauce.
Gratzzi Salmon alla Oscar Broiled Atlantic salmon with crabmeat, shrimp and asparagus with a herb lemon butter sauce.

My entree, the Pollo Parmigiana, was paired with a 2007 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, and my dessert, a Chocolate Flourless Tort, was paired with a 2007 Relax Riesling.

We took some hysterical pictures after the dinner was over, and all in all, celebrated good times with good friends, good food, and good wine.

Enjoy!

Dinner Tonight 01/05/2009

Again I was in a creative mood, so I took the Sea Scallops that I picked up at Publix GreenWise in Tampa’s Soho District the other day, and paired it with some organic Green and Yellow Squash I picked up there.

The Sea Scallops were seasoned it with Kosher Salt, 5 Color Peppercorns, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and Dill Weed; the Squash were seasoned with 5 Color Peppercorns.

Everything was put into the Emeril Lagasse Steamer that T-Fal is manufacturing for him (bought via HSN – yes, I’m a closet HSN geek!), and 15 minutes later, dinner was ready:

Enjoy!

Romano’s Greek/Italian Restaurant, Brandon

Today, my husband and I had a couple of errands to run. Instead of having lunch at home, we decided to go to one of our places in Brandon, Romano’s Greek/Italian Restaurant.

Romano’s has been around since 1977, and for many years has won the “Best of Brandon” as the best Greek restaurant in the area. As a matter, I believe that there has not been a more successful Greek restaurant on the South Shore. And now that there has been a change in management, the place is packed all the time.

The place was filled with customers when we got there, as it was lunchtime, and folks who work in the area love to frequent the place. We were able to get a table pretty quickly, and ordered our meals – I had their small Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken, and my husband had their Gyro Express Platter.

I don’t know who was hungrier – my husband or me. We ate our food with gusto, and within 15 minutes, our stomachs were filled with delicious food that tasted like we were at a taverna in Greece.

The restaurant is open M-S 11-9, and is closed on Sunday.

If you get a chance, GO… the food is worth the wait, and the cost is very inexpensive.

Last Night’s Dinner

I was bored last night, and since my husband was still flying around the country, I decided to let my creative muse do her thing. I pulled out a tuna steak from the freezer, and let it come to room temperature. I looked in the refrigerator, and yes, I still had some of the salads that I picked up at Publix Greenwise in the SoHo District of Tampa left – Quiona, Wakami, and Wheatberry. I put the bottle of 2005 Golden Kaan Chardonnay (a fantastic West African wine, if you ask me) into the refrigerator.

Around 6pm, I put my “house” seasoning (1/4 t. each of Kosher Salt, 5 Color Peppercorns, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika, and finely ground 65% cacao) on both sides, and quickly seared in 2 T. of olive oil. I added 1/4 c. of the three salads above, and poured myself a glass of the wine.

Sometimes, life is good…..