Shrimp Tacos

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a corn or flour tortilla wrapped around a filling. Tacos are usually filled with a combination of meat, chicken, seafood, cheese and vegetables and served with various salsas and condiments. The word taco means ‘plug’ and is thought to have been coined by Mexican silver miners due to its resemblance to an explosive consisting of gunpowder wrapped in paper.

I grew up in Canada eating store-bought hard shell corn tacos. We used to buy perfectly formed Old El Paso plastic-wrapped shells. We would fill these with ground beef topped with thinly sliced iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, grated cheddar cheese, and a little bit of salsa.

It has been years since I had one of these childhood treats, so Cinco de Mayo was a great opportunity to rediscover and re-imagine the taco.  This unconventional version has the perfect combination of spicy, sweet, and salty flavors.


Serves 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons mayonnaise (reduced or whole fat)
2 limes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (optional)
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves only, roughly chopped
3/4 pound cooked and peeled shrimp (sliced in half) or other seafood such as crabmeat, lobster, or salmon
12-ounce package coleslaw mix (including green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots)
1 mango, peeled, cut into thin strips
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
salt (to taste)
12 small tortillas or hard taco shells
Red Rooster chili sauce for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, make dressing by mixing mayonnaise, juice of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon water, sugar, jalapeno pepper, and 1/3 cilantro leaves.
2. Toss shrimp or seafood with 2 tablespoons of dressing until just coated. Set aside.
3. Combine remaining cilantro, coleslaw, mango, red onion, remaining dressing, and salt in a large bowl.  Mix until thoroughly combined.
4. If making soft tacos, warm tortillas in skillet. To serve, spread tortilla or hard taco with chili sauce and fill with seafood and coleslaw mixture. Serve with lime wedges.

Quick Sopaipillas

Sopaipillas are a traditional dessert I discovered while living in the American Southwest.  I first tried them at the El Rialto Restaurant in Las Vegas, New Mexico, a few miles from where I lived.

These treats are sometimes referred to as little pillows, since they are puffed and hollow in the center.  The word means ‘little bread soaked in oil.’  This is a quick version made from tortillas; the original is made from fresh dough.

Fried dough is a treat in many cultures—including donuts in America, puri in India, mandazi in East Africa, and churros in Mexico.  Fried dough is sometimes dusted, dipped, or filled; other times it is served in its unadorned golden splendor.

For me, the hardest thing about frying is making sure the oil is at the correct temperature.  If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by dropping in a small amount of dough.  It should produce vigorous bubbles and reach a golden brown color in 60 seconds.  If it browns too quickly or slowly, adjust the temperature accordingly.

Ingredients

4 8-inch wheat tortillas

vegetable oil (preferably canola or corn), for frying

powdered sugar or cocoa (optional)

honey, for serving (optional)

Directions

1.     Heat 1/2 to 1-inch oil in a deep and small pot on medium-high heat.  Let the oil heat for 5-10 minutes before testing it.  The oil should be 350F.

2.     Cut tortillas into wedges or strips.

3.     Fry tortillas pieces in batches for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, flipping once.  Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. 

4.     Dust with powered sugar or cocoa.

5.     Drizzle or dip into honey to serve.

Irish Soda Bread

Like many holidays with a religious origin, St. Patrick’s Day has become a secular observance in much of the United States.  The day celebrates one of the most recognized patron saints of Ireland who brought Christianity to the island in the 5^th century.  He is also credited with banishing snakes from the country, though scientific evidence suggests there were no snakes in post-glacial Ireland.

While it has not taken on the commercialism associated with Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween, this holiday is often associated with bacchanalian revelry.  On this night, Irish pubs and other watering holes teem with some of the 36 million Americans that claim Irish ancestry (and many others who make no such claims!) decked out in green shamrocks, clothing, accessories, and face paint.  While I tend to avoid the crowds on this night, I decided to observe the occasion by baking soda bread—a treat commonly made by North Americans on St. Patrick’s Day.

Traditionalists complain that modern versions hardly resemble the original recipe, which was limited to flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.  My formula includes a few enhancements—caraway seeds, currants, egg, and a touch of sugar—but is restrained in comparison to some cake-like creations.  An online search revealed soda bread recipes with chocolate, butter, orange zest, pastry flour, and loads of sugar; these decadent items sound more like components of French pastries than the baked goods of the formerly poverty-stricken Irish.  One disparaging online testimonial scoffed at the notion of orange zest in soda bread, reminding the audience that oranges were a rare treat only given to children at Christmas.

Thankfully, we live in less austere times and so we can enjoy soda bread (and oranges) more than once a year.

Serves 8-12

Ingredients
4 cups unbleached all-purpose
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 cup dried currants or raisins
2 cups buttermilk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, caraway seeds, and currants/raisins.

3. In a small bowl, beat the buttermilk and egg together.

4. Using a wooden spoon, add the wet ingredients to the dry ones.  Knead the dough to incorporate all the ingredients and add additional buttermilk (in one tablespoon increments) if needed.  Do not knead the dough too much.  The dough should be rough and craggy; it will not be smooth like dough that contains butter and more eggs.

5. Shape loaf into a ball and flatten slightly.  Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

6. Score the loaf with an X that comes almost to the edge of the loaf.  The cut should be about 1/4 inch deep.

7. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When it is done, tapping the loaf will produce a hollow sound.

8. Cool on a baking rack for 5-10 minutes.  Serve warm or toasted with butter, jam, or honey.

9. To freeze, cover with saran wrap and place in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Rose and Cardamom Cake

 

For many years roses have been associated with love, and that is never more apparent than on Valentine’s Day.

Roses have been cultivated as ornamental plants in the Mediterranean, China, and Persia as far back as 500 BC.  Today there are many thousands of hybrids and cultivars, most of which are prized for their showy petals and fragrance.

In addition to their decorative qualities, these flowers can also be used in food.  Historically, roses bore a red fruit called a rose hip, which has been bred out of many modern cultivars.  Rose hips are commonly used to make herbal tea, soup, jelly, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages; they are especially prized for their high vitamin C content.  Rose petals are also used in food—when I was traveling in India a decade ago, one of my hosts served me rose petal jam with breakfast.  The petals can also be used in or as a decoration for cakes, cookies, ice creams, and chocolates.

Rose flavors and scents can be extracted for a delicate addition to food.  Rose oil, also known as attar of roses, is steam-distilled from crushed petals in an ancient Persian technique.  It takes approximately 2000 roses to produce one gram of oil.  Rose oil produced through solvent extraction is known as rose absolute.  The process of making rose oil creates a by-product called rose water; when mixed with sugar it becomes rose syrup.  Rose products are widely used in Persian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian cuisines; they are also used in perfume, cosmetics, medicines, and religious rituals. 

This rose-scented cake is based on a recipe I found on Epicurious.com.  Using whipped cream as a frosting makes for a perfect, airy Valentine’s Day confection.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons water

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon rose water or several drops rose oil

2 tablespoons unsalted pistachios, whole or ground (optional)

Candied or fresh organic rose petals, for decoration (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Butter two round 8-inch cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides.  Line pans with parchment paper and butter parchment.

3. In a large bowl mix flour, cornstarch, half the sugar, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks (place egg whites in another large bowl, set aside), water, canola oil, and lemon zest.

5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.

6. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Slowly add the other half of the granulated sugar and beat until whites resemble thick marshmallow fluff.

7. Carefully fold egg whites into egg yolk batter in 3 additions.

8. Divide batter between pans and bake for 25 minutes or until cakes are golden brown, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

9. Cool cakes in pans on rack for 15 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool to room temperature.

10. To prepare whipped cream, beat cream in large bowl until soft peaks form.  Gently add powdered sugar and rose water/oil and beat until peaks form.

11. Place one cake, bottom side up, on platter.  Cover with 1 cup of frosting.  Gently place second cake on top, bottom side up. Spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake.

12. Chill in the refrigerator for between 1 and 4 hours.

13. Before serving, decorate the cake with rose petals and pistachios.