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Los Cabos Mexico

Month: December 2015

Christmas Lamb for my Husband

December 27, 2015 by Akiba 5 Comments
Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb

Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb

My husband lived and worked in England for many years where lamb rules for the holidays. He had a craving for a slow roasted shoulder of lamb this Christmas and he knew he had to have mint sauce to go with it.  We have a dear friend who is from England who sourced the lamb for me here in Cabo while I scoured my favorite British recipes.  I felt I couldn’t go wrong using Nigel Slater and Jamie Oliver’s suggestions and the end result had my husband’s glowing approval.

Our plan was to slow roast it in the oven at 320 degrees but when we got up on Christmas morning, we did not have any power.  I had just massaged the herb and garlic rub into the meat and my hands were full of garlic, anchovies and olive oil when I realized that we had no water either.  My husband came to the rescue with a big bowl of water from the pantry that we save in case of hurricanes.  We switched gears from indoor oven to outdoor grill and cranked it up to 500 degrees.  When we put the meat on the grill, we turned down the temperature immediately to 300 and slow roasted it for about 4 hours.  The temperature was slow coming down but the results could not have been better. The aroma that came off the roasting lamb was so tantalizing that I thought my neighbors would be knocking on my door.

Note:  If cooking in the oven, place the lamb in a 500 degree pre-heated oven, turn the heat down immediately to 320.

Ingredients:

2 kg lamb shoulder with bone in – With the tip of a sharp knife, make shallow scores through the outer layer of skin and fat of the lamb shoulder, but not into the meat, cross-hatching the entire surface.

1 whole bulb of garlic – cloves peeled

Fresh rosemary sprigs – I used a large sprig – leaves only

Thyme sprigs – 8-10 – leaves only

8 anchovy filets – you will not be able to taste the anchovies – they melt and give the meat a glorious flavor.  No need for any extra salt.

Olive oil

Pepper

Instructions:

Using a mortar and pestle, crush the peeled garlic cloves with course sea salt until it makes a paste. Chop the rosemary, thyme and the anchovies together and add to the crushed garlic.  (You could use a food processor but there is something wonderful about slowly making the paste with the lovely smells of the garlic and herbs).  Add a few tablespoons of olive oil so that you can easily massage it into the meat.  Get in there with your hands and really massage this paste into the lamb shoulder.

Place the lamb in a roasting pan with high sides, pour water in the bottom of the pan so the pan is covered by 1 to 2 inches using 2 or 3 cups of water.  This makes a wonderful gravy for the Mint Sauce (see below).

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven or on the grill and roast for several hours.  It was interesting that neither Nigel or Jamie would give exact roasting times but 4 to 5 hours should be perfect.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest while you make the mint sauce.  Forget about carving this easy slow-cooked roast – pull the fragrant, tender lamb from the bone, rustic style.

Mint Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon flour

1 large bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked

2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Sauce in the bottom of the roasting pan – pour away most of the fat

Instructions:

Remove the lamb from the roasting pan and let sit while you make the mint sauce.

Remove as much fat as you can from the juices at the bottom of the roasting pan. Place on medium heat on the stove top and add flour. Stir until it sauce begins to thicken, then add the mint and the red wine vinegar – keep stirring until it reaches your desired thickness.  You don’t need tons of this gravy because it so flavorful.  Spoon over the meat, mashed potatoes and steamed greens for the perfect holiday meal.

Posted in: About, Eat, Learn, Recipes Tagged: Jamie Oliver, mint sauce, Nigel Slater, slow roasted lamb shoulder

Meal Ticket – Handmade, Wholesome, Ready to Eat Food

December 19, 2015 by Akiba 1 Comment

Stumble in the door after a long day of holiday shopping, family outings or just plain old hard work and the last thing you want to do is spend an hour making a mess in the kitchen. In a perfect world, dinner would always be pre-planned and pre-prepped, and cooking and eating it would cure the day’s stress – not cause it. Luckily, Julie Marts and Chef Carl have our backs with Meal Ticket and their ready to eat prepared foods which are meticulously organized for the entire week.

Meal Ticket specializes in creating handmade, wholesome, healthy prepared foods.  The food is available for pick up at the Friday Market at The Shoppes at Palmilla between 9am and 1pm (some fresh and some frozen).  Santa Carmela Market (Cerro Colorado) also carries a limited selection of their food in the freezer section.  Note:  the frozen food is always on rotation.

Chef Carl is well versed in the kitchen and is in charge of the production of foods.  He has 30 years experience as a professional chef – 10 yrs as Executive Chef at Hotel Twin Dolphin and 15 years owner/operator of Restaurant  Baan Thai in the historic district of San Jose del Cabo. Julie handles public relations, sales and oversees the development of new products.

Small batch, hand crafted meals that are good enough to serve company has always been important in selecting items for their menu.  They only use the best ingredients, locally grown when possible and in season, with the goal of low sodium/sugar in comparison to most prepared foods. There are never any additives, colors, artificial flavors or preservatives used in any dish. They use handmade stocks for their dishes and soups – never commercially prepared. Meals can be held in the freezer for up to 3 months so it is easy to plan ahead and know that you don’t have to cook on busy days. Many meals serve 2-3 portions but the lasagne & chicken pot pie are family size.  Handmade pickles and relishes are also on offer along with vegetarian, gluten free & vegan options.  This is great value as each serving ranges in price from $3 – 12 usd.

Meal Ticket offers a great solution for families whose different diets consist of vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters.  When you are together for holidays or family vacations, it can be complicated and time consuming to take care of the various needs. With Meal Ticket, each family member can enjoy eating their choice of delicious, interesting, home-cooked meals.

Contact Julie at cabojules@gmail.com with orders before Thursday at 5pm for pick up at the Palmilla Farmers Market on Fridays.  If you are not that organized, you can stop by and see what is available even if you have not pre-ordered in advance.

The longer I live here, the more impressed I am by how many talented people are working and thriving; and, believe me, they are working hard.  I am very excited to write about what Julie and Chef Carl are doing together.  He has a very impressive background and one that is close to my heart.  When Twin Dolphins closed, it was very sad for me – not just the food, but also the history, the old waiters and staff.  Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines, so I was also sad when Baan Thai closed.  But, I think Meal Ticket is really on to something – and I really believe there is a market here.

Meal Ticket is perfect for couples, busy families and families on vacation who don’t want to cook or dine out every night.  If washing up plates is too much work, they can arrange to cater your special meal in your home.  They do parties, cocktails or just a dinner. (Note: these services are not available at the same price point. Contact Julie directly for catering or large order delivery cabojules@gmail.com)

Throw a fabulous dinner party  – impress family and friends with your culinary skills – Julie and Chef Carl won’t tell.

Menu for Week of December 11

Menu for Week of December 18

P.S:  Julie will be at the Palmilla Tiendas on Thursday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) this week from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm along with a few other vendors.

pumpkin soup

pumpkin soup

chicken-tikka-masala

chicken-tikka-masala

chicken pot pie

chicken pot pie

Note:  Meal Ticket halts its services May to November.

Posted in: About, Eat Tagged: Julie Marts, Meal Ticket, ready to eat, San Jose' del Cabo, Santa Carmela Market, small batch hand crafted meals

Christmas Cactus and Blue Fish Restaurant

December 8, 2015 by Akiba 4 Comments

My Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus

As promised, this is a photo of my beautiful Christmas Cactus decorated for the holidays in all its glory.  My friend, Vic, stopped by yesterday and he had not seen it since he cut me a small piece many years ago.  He was astounded by the size but did not like that I had trussed it up.  Vic is 92 years young so he gets to say whatever he pleases – I took his comments to heart but I think deep down, my cactus likes getting dressed up for Christmas.

Blue Fish – Small and Unassuming al Fresco Dining

Despite its location and casual ambiance, the quality of the food at Blue Fish may surprise you.  It’s all about fresh local seafood prepared by Chef Poncho il de Fonzo at his small outdoor restaurant elusively situated in the back corner of the Plaza Peninsula in San Jose’. The no-frills ambiance of this little gem lets the fresh, extremely reasonably-priced food speak for itself.

Chef Poncho has over 30 years experience, he is a third generation resident from the old fishing community of Playita just east of the estuary in San José del Cabo and he has always had an excellent relationship with the local fisherman. Coming from a family with a long history of fishing, he instinctively understands what to look for in fresh seafood and how to prepare it.

At Blue Fish, you can have a quick bite or a leisurely lunch in a laid back atmosphere.  It serves grown up drinks like margaritas, mojitos, beer, wine and a special drink of the day. The food is reasonably priced, beautifully presented and most importantly fresh. Don’t be surprised to bump into some of our local celebrity chefs and restaurant owners throwing down ceviche, tacos and a few beers on their days off.  The menu consists of catch of the day, tostadas, tacos, quesadillas, ceviche, sashimi and seafood salads – all accompanied by spicy salsas.

If all goes according to plan, Poncho tells me Blue Fish will also be opening in the Palmilla Tiendas even as soon as this week serving the same freshly prepared seafood.  He has promised that he will do his best to bring in fresh lobster from Magdalena Bay and La Paz.  He can accommodate special orders, take away orders and delivery to boats if ordered one day in advance.

Mixed Sashimi

Mixed Sashimi

Shrimp Salad

Shrimp Salad

Buen Provecho

Posted in: About, Eat, Learn Tagged: Blue Fish, Chef Poncho, Christmas cactus, Palmilla Tiendas, Playita, sashimi, shrimp salad

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