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Los Cabos Mexico

Recipe

Cooking Class at Los Tamarindos

June 14, 2015 by Akiba 1 Comment

What better way to return to my writing than with a cooking class at at the organic farm to table restaurant, Huerte Los Tamarindos in San Jose del Cabo with my dear friend, owner and chef, Enrique Silva.

Enrique working his magic

Enrique working his magic

As many of you are aware, Los Cabos suffered from a devastating hurricane in September 2014 and Los Tamarindos did not escape.  I was so pleased to see the progress at the farm and thrilled with how beautiful the gardens looked. The banana trees are so gorgeous, it is worth a trip just to see them.  I had this crazy idea that maybe I could grow one inside my house so I gently coerced Enrique into digging up a small one for me.  I planted it last night in a big pot next to a very sunny window.  I will keep you posted on how it is thriving.

One cool thing about Enrique’s classes is that you can design them yourself so if there is something you have always wanted to learn how to cook, he will try to accommodate you. In this case, our group wanted to learn how to make tamales.  We had an interesting mix of people in our class with a wide range of ages and occupations. We even had a young lady who worked at Google on the new head mounted wearable computer, Google Glass.

These classes are hands on and with wine and tequila flowing and everyone was ready to cook and party.

 

Sous chefs at work

Sous chefs at work

Zucchini flowers and baby carrots

Zucchini flowers and baby carrots

Whenever I take a cooking class, I always want to walk away with something that I will use over and over:

1.  Herb oil

2.  Roasted peppercorns

3.  Salsa Verde

These seem simple but I am confident that they will become part of my repertoire.

Also, I now understand how to make the “dough” for the tamales with Maseca corn flour, water, salt and either oil, Crisco or the more traditional lard.  Voila!  Then you can get creative with the stuffings.

In this class we did a vegetarian ratatouille wrapped in hoja santa leaves (an aromatic herb with heart shaped velvety leaf)

Hoja Santa Leaf

Hoja Santa Leaf

and chicken with salsa verde (tomatillos, cilantro, garlic and onion)

Chicken with Salsa Verde

Chicken with Salsa Verde

which we wrapped in corn husks, but your choices our endless.  Think tamales stuffed with Nutella and peanut butter for dessert.

Before you leave, you must have a look at Lulu’s Tienda with clothes, bags, shawls, jewelry, textiles and children’s clothing – all made in Oaxaca.  This is one of my favorite places to shop and you can find authentic gifts to take to your friends and families or if you are like me, to proudly wear time and time again.

Lulu's Shawls

Lulu’s Shawls

 

Recipes:

HERB OIL

1 oz each of minced rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram, basil, oregano –

1 head of garlic minced

2 Cups Olive Oil

2 Cups Grape Seed Oil

Sea salt and roasted black pepper (whole peppercorns)

Remove all the leaves from the herb stems and mince.  In large container mix all herbs, minced garlic, salt, whole black pepper and oils.

The original recipe calls for sunflower oil but grapeseed is even better.  If you cannot find all the fresh herbs, just use what you can – it will be fine. For example, I use dried sage leaves and fresh oregano but no marjoram.

ROASTED WHOLE BLACK PEPPERCORNS

Pour the peppercorns into a dry heavy pan over medium heat, stir the peppercorns around the pan to get an even toasting. You can also put them on a sheet pan and bake in the oven.   I didn’t actually know how long to toast them, so, I used my baking sense to determine the time; when I could smell the peppery aroma, they were done.  I was surprised at what a difference roasting them makes – but it makes sense because when I roast other whole spices, the flavor is much more intense.

TOMATILLO SALSA VERDE

1/2 pound small fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed

tomatillos.jpg (1024×768)

1 large garlic clove

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Serrano or Jalapeno chile with seeds, or to taste

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons water

Coarsely chop tomatillos,  purée with remaining salsa ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth.

Posted in: Learn, Recipes Tagged: cooking class, Los Cabos restaurants, Mexican cooking, Recipe

Shrimp Curry Dinner Party

July 31, 2014 by Akiba 1 Comment

I prepared dinner on Monday night for a good friend and neighbor who is originally from England. He has been missing the Indian Curries that he grew up with that were prevalent in most English neighborhoods and are so popular in that part of the world. Being the nice neighbor that I am, I offered to cook a Shrimp Curry for him.  It was another hot night here in Cabo but I remembered reading somewhere that eating hot, spicy food in hot weather is good for you. So when my husband suggested that it might be better on a cold, rainy night in London than during a sweltering heat wave in Cabo, I would not be swayed. My neighbor loved it and it was perfectly accompanied with a cool cucumber raita and light salad.

The curry has a lot of ingredients and it is time consuming because of prepping all of the vegetables and the shrimp.  My niece recently wrote me and suggested that I add the time it takes to make a dish including all the prep.  I think this curry would intimidate most people so I am just going to give you the simple Cucumber Raita recipe that works really well during the summer months.  But if anyone would like the curry recipe, let me know and I would be happy to send it to you upon request.

CUCUMBER RAITA

Prep and Assembly time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 medium cucumber (Note:  Can substitute diced fresh pineapple or mango)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • Pinch of Garam Masala* (optional)  – thank you Gwen for bringing it to Cabo for me
  • 2 cups plain, whole-milk yogurt or Greek Yogurt
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh coriander/cilantro or mint leaves, chopped
  • cayenne or sweet paprika to garnish

Preparation

Peel cucumber. Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips, then into thin slices crosswise or grate with a box grater. Blot off moisture with paper towels and squeeze out as much juice as you can. Toast cumin seeds for a few seconds in a small, heavy frying pan over high heat. In a bowl, stir yogurt until it is smooth. Mix it with the cumin seeds, garlic and coriander/cilantro or mint leaves. Combine mixture with cucumber slivers, sprinkle with cayenne or paprika, and chill before serving.

* Garam Masala (a mixture of spices) is a blend of ground spices common in North Indian and other South Asian cuisines.

———————————————————–

My idea for starting this blog was “all things” Los Cabos.  My dinner guest, Tom Cosgrave, is a really hardworking and friendly photographer providing photographic and video services for real estate and rental properties. He also provides free marketing, video and photographic services to Liga MAC and The Los Cabos Youth Orchestra. Through his use of video marketing, he has brought innovation, a British, quirky sense of humor and bar setting standards to the Los Cabos property scene. Tom lives in Cabo Real with his two rescue dogs and he is a passionate supporter of animal welfare and Dementia / Alzheimer support groups.  Tom provides stunning photos to realtors, rental agents and homeowners.

As a good neighbor and friend, I can personally state that his hobbies include getting injured when running and watching his football team in London lose most weeks.  On a more serious note, I can personally recommend Tom for any of your real estate or rental needs.  See a few of his photos below and contact details:

Blog: http://thecabochannel.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/videobythecabochannel

E-mail:  info@thecabochannel.com

DSC_6168 (Copy) TC Photo 1 TC Photo 2

 

 

Contact me at email:    akiba@bajabeat.com

Blog:                                      bajabeat.com

 

Posted in: Eat, Learn Tagged: Curry, Dinner Party, Indian, Recipe

Simple Thai Soup

July 29, 2014 by Akiba 3 Comments

After watching Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers on BBC, I had a change of plans for my “small dish” which I was preparing for my friends visiting from Mexico City.  I had most of the ingredients on hand and was able to substitute a few things.  This soup can be made with prawns, chicken, fish or tofu.  I had fish in the freezer so I used that.  I did not have cilantro but I had fresh basil. I am growing lemongrass on my patio and had fresh ginger on hand.  But the real stroke of luck was the frozen shrimp stock in my freezer.

1 good knob fresh ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped

1-2 chilis, seeds removed (optional), roughly chopped

1-2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, roughly chopped

2-3 garlic cloves peeled

zest of two limes

1 handful of fresh cilantro/coriander or basil

Glug or two of vegetable oil

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 cups of vegetable stock (I used shrimp stock that was in my freezer)

Chopped:    1 tomato , 1/2 red pepper and a few mushrooms

1 can coconut milk

1/2 lb raw peeled prawns.

Few splashes of fish sauce

Juice of one lime

Fresh mint for garnish

Blend the ginger, chili, lemongrass, garlic and coriander or basil in food processor until quite finely chopped, adding a little vegetable oil if the paste is too dry.  Add the paste to a large shallow pan and cook for a few minutes to release the aromas, stirring frequently.  Add the turmeric and the coriander and then the stock.  Bring up to a simmer and add the tomatoes, red pepper and mushrooms.

To soften the heat of the sauce, add the coconut milk and bring back to a simmer.  Simmer for about 15 minutes then add the prawns (chicken, fish or tofu).  The prawns only take 2-3 minutes or until pink and tender.  Finish with lime juice, splash of fish sauce and garnish with fresh mint.

 

 

 

Posted in: Recipes Tagged: Recipe, Soup, Thai cuisine

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