Coronado Concerts in the Park: Rajas and Cheese Tacos for Stripped and Dipped

We've come up with some interesting culinary themes for the 2012 Concert in the Park Summer Season. All of our themes, dating back to 2008, are listed on Newf in My Soup's Holidays, Parties and Themes page. This week's Stripped and Dipped could be interpreted to mean foods that were stripped, peeled, skinned, naked or raw, cut into strips, made into a dip or dipping sauce, or a combination thereof. On Sunday morning, after struggling with what to make, I stumbled across a recipe for Creamy Poblano Pepper Strips (Rajas) on Food Network.com, but then found a more appealing version in Mark Miller's Tacos cookbook. I was off to Northgate Market for everything I needed, including fresh tortillas hot off the presses, and set to start roasting chiles for Rajas and Cheese Tacos.

Rajas means "slivers" or "strips" in Spanish. In Mexico and the Southwest it refers to julienned strips of roasted, peeled, and seeded chiles or sweet peppers, used in soups, as a garnish, or with quesadillas, tacos, and tamales. Here, strips of roasted poblano chiles, sweet red bell peppers, and jalapeno chiles mingle with sauteed diced onion, oregano, cilantro, Mexican Crema, queso Oaxaca, a touch of Parmesan, and toasted pine nuts. When spooned into small, fresh white corn tortillas, this filling makes incredible, two-bite hors d'oeuvre tacos. Additional accompaniments include salsa fresca, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into strips, and toasted pine nuts (the recipe for rajas and cheese is at the end of this post).

Rajas and Cheese Tacos
Plate courtesy of Steelite (Craft Collection freestyle plate in green)

Carmen used julienned strips of crunchy vegetables, and lettuce and sprouts, in her vibrant Spring Rolls with Ginger Dipping Sauce, a raw vegan recipe from Carmella Soliel's Delightfully Raw.

Spring Rolls with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Kai heard my calling for fried calamari strips, perfectly crunchy on the outside and tender within, served with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

Fried Calamari Strips

John's 'deviled egg of the week' was inspired by one of his adored dipping sauces, a Tunisian hot chili sauce called Harissa. We've made Bon Appetit's Cinnamon-Roasted Chicken with Harissa several times and John was successful in bringing those flavors to his eggs. The yolks were blended with honey, minced golden raisins and plain yogurt. Strips of roasted cinnamon chicken topped the filled egg and a bowl of lively harissa sauce stood ready for dipping. 

Tunisian Deviled Eggs

At the other end of her raw and healthy vegan spring rolls were Carmen's Chocolate Covered Bacon Strips. Optional gourmet add-ons may include chopped dried apple chips, apricots and crystallized ginger, finely chopped pecans and pistachios, toasted coconut, kosher salt, brown sugar, cayenne pepper and coarsely ground black pepper. Carmen used chopped pecans on the dark chocolate strips and cracked black pepper on the white ones. These caused quite a post-concert Newf in My Soup Facebook feather ruffling when no-show, minute chef called her a copy cat. I had to reach way back in the archives of my brain to recall Bradley's Pig Lickers, a different version of chocolate-covered bacon strips he made for Challenge Bacon in August 2010. I commented to Bradley that Carmen's version reigned supreme, and she followed with a recommendation that he watch and learn from the more accomplished chefs in the group, and to stay tuned for her chocolate covered pork rinds.

Chocolate-Covered Bacon

Melon Strips and Grapes

The music for the evening was performed by Sue Palmer's Motel Swing Orchestra, with lead vocalist Deejha Marie Pope.

Alec and Sonoma

Julie back from summer travels

This dancing couple comes in matching outfits every week

A refreshing white on a warm summer evening

Sonoma

The 'Smitten Ones' arrived on a tandem bicycle, but we're not sure how they got home ;-)

***

Mark Miller's Rajas and Cheese

From Tacos, 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes

Poblano chiles, red bell peppers, jalapeno chiles

Oil Roasting the Chiles

Fresh chiles are commonly roasted and peeled to deepen flavor and, if desired, help loosen the skin so it is easier to remove. Chiles blackened over a gas flame or under a broiler can sometimes pick up the flavor of the heat source, which is not always desirable. Mark Miller recommends two methods for roasting chiles. Dry-roasting in a dry cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet works well for smooth-skinned chiles like jalapenos and serranos, as well as fruits like tomatillos. Use the oil-roasting method for chiles that you want to stuff, for a clean, sweet vegetable flavor without smoke, for a sauce that requires chiles with a deep green color, or for chiles whose ridges and valleys (like poblanos and sweet peppers) would blister unevenly with other roasting methods.

Oil-Roasted Chiles ready for easy removal of the skins

Rajas and Cheese, kept warm in a chafing dish 

Rajas and Cheese mini tacos
Plate courtesy of Steelite (Craft Collection freestyle plate in green)

Rajas & Cheese
Slightly adapted from Tacos
Makes 6-8 mini tacos

Ingredients:

1 1/2 large sweet red bell peppers (oil-roasted, peeled, cored and seeded)
3 large poblano chiles (oil-roasted, peeled, cored and seeded)
4 jalapeno chiles (oil-roasted, peeled, cored and seeded)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small white onion, diced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted
Pinch of kosher salt
3/4 cup Mexican Crema (or creme fraiche or natural sour cream)
2 ounces grated queso Oaxaca (or Chihuahua cheese or Monterey Jack)
1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
6 (5 1/2 inch) soft white corn tortillas
Optional Garnish: oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into strips, and toasted pine nuts
Accompaniment: Salsa Fresca

To Oil Roast the Poblanos, Jalapenos and Red Bell Peppers: Heat 2 inches of canola oil in a heavy-bottomed pan to 375 degrees F. Roast only 1 or 2 chiles at a time to avoid overcrowding and lowering of the oil temperature. Turn the submerged chiles as the skin starts to blister, after approximately 1 1/2 minutes per side. Turn the chiles as necessary until all sides are blistered, but not burned. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow chiles to steam for about 15 minutes and then peel off the skin with your fingers or dull edge of a knife. Do not rinse the peeled chiles. Split open the chiles and remove the veins and seeds. Slice into strips, about 3 inches long by 3/8 inch wide.
For added heat, simply cut the jalapenos into strips without discarding the seeds.

Set aside the bowl of roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and sliced chile and bell pepper strips.

In a large, heavy nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Decrease the heat to low, add the bell pepper and chile strips, then stir in the cilantro, oregano, salt, crema, queso Oaxaca, and grated Parmesan. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously so the mixture doesn't brown or scorch, until the queso melts, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat immediately.

To serve, lay warm tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa, sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts.

Newfie Notes: I doubled the recipe for our concert in the park crowd. I prepared the chiles and bell pepper strips, and sauteed them briefly with the onions, oregano and cilantro. After arriving at the park, and just before serving, I put the chile mixture back into a pan over low heat (on our portable burner) added the crema and cheese, and finished cooking as directed. I transferred the filling to a chafing dish to keep warm, and everyone was able to assemble their own tacos and add salsa, sun-dried tomatoes and/or toasted pine nuts as desired.



Disclosure: Steelite International provided me with four pieces from the new Craft Collection. I had been searching for some beautiful, rustic pieces for the blog and food photography shoots and absolutely love these!


Craft by Steelite from Steelite on Vimeo.

Friday Evenings on the Patio - Maui-Style Snapper Tacos

Since moving to our new digs, we've been enjoying several Friday evenings on our patio. We've extended an open invitation to our friends to stop by for a cocktail or glass of wine, a nibble, and to catch up on the latest. If they see the flickering lantern up on the wall, hear chatter, and get a whiff of something delicious on the grill, they know we're home and the Newf in My Soup patio is open!

This past Friday, Jim and Carmen came by with wine and a cheese platter, and Bradley stopped in after coaching basketball. Jim and Melinda were entertaining friends, but Melinda slipped out for a walk with the Lucky Dog, stopped in for a quick hello, and then came back with Jim later.

Unlike Baja fish tacos, which are deep-fried in batter, these Maui-Style Snapper Tacos are grilled, much healthier, and packed with great flavors. Although the recipe calls for red snapper or mahi mahi fillets, I think they would also work well with halibut, swordfish, or even shrimp. Grilled pineapple brushed with a little habanero sauce, and Tomatillo-Arbol Chile Salsa, with blackened tomatillos and Romas, contribute sweetness and heat. Add cool lettuce, sliced avocado, and fresh, warm, corn tortillas, and you'll be enjoying some of the best fish tacos ever.

The Tomatillo-Arbol Chile Salsa combines blackened tomatillos and Roma tomatoes, dried de arbol chiles, garlic, brown sugar, and spices. All the ingredients are thrown in the blender and then sauteed in a little peanut oil. After blackening the tomatoes (which can be done the same time you grill the pineapple), the salsa takes 10-15 minutes to finish. The recipe yields 4 cups, can be made ahead of time, and freezes well.

Maui-Style Snapper Tacos

Slightly adapted from Mark Miller's Tacos

Makes 8 tacos

1 small pineapple (peeled, cored, and sliced into rings)

1/4 habanero hot sauce or Tabasco sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless red snapper or mahi mahi fillets

8 (5 1/2 inch) soft yellow or white corn tortillas

Shredded Iceberg lettuce and sliced avocado, for garnish

Accompaniment:  Tomatillo-Arbol Chile Salsa

Toss the pineapple slices in the habanero sauce and grill over low heat until browned and caramelized, about 5-10 minutes per side. Cut the pineapple in to small wedges, transfer to a small serving bowl, and set aside.

Marinate the fish in oil and lime juice for 5 minutes. While the fish is marinating, briefly warm the tortillas on the grill and wrap in foil. Grill the fish over medium-high heat, on a seafood grilling screen (to prevent fish from falling through the grate), about 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill and serve immediately.

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face, and overlapping on a platter. Divide the lettuce, fish, pineapple, and avocado equally between the tortillas and top with salsa.

***

Portobello Mushroom and Chipotle Tacos, with Tomatillo-Arbol Chile Salsa

This month's Saveur includes a few Mexican dishes that captured my attention, including the cover photo and recipe for Tacos de Papa, tacos stuffed with cumin-spiced potatoes, fried, and then garnished with green cabbage, tomatoes, cotija cheese and salsa. I looked over the recipe, but then opted to try another taco recipe from Mark Miller's Tacos:  Portobello Mushroom with Chipotle Tacos.

Since finding a wonderful brand of yellow corn tortillas, which are thick and chewy, and incredible for soft tacos, I just may try a few more healthier tacos this summer.  I also made the recommended salsa for the tacos, Tomatillo-Arbol Chile Salsa, and a pot of beans, using Rebosero beans from The Rancho Gordo Xoxoc Project.

"The earthy meatiness of portobello mushrooms pairs wonderfully with the smoky flavors of chipotle chiles. The mushrooms are sauteed in butter, which imparts a delicious nuttiness and helps the mushrooms brown. Toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds are a traditional and tasty garnish that increases the nuttiness of the dish..."  I'm kicking myself now, because I forgot to add the pumpkin seeds!  Regardless, these tacos are fantastic.

Portobello Mushroom Tacos with Chipotle

From Tacos

Makes 8 tacos

1 pound portobello mushrooms

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons chipotle puree  

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 cup grated smoked mozzarella cheese

8 (5 1/2 inch) soft yellow corn tortillas

Garnish: Lightly toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds

Tomatillo-Arbol Chile Salsa (recipe follows)

Make the chipotle puree: In a blender or small food processor, puree the contents of a small can of chiles in adobo sauce. Refrigerate for up to a month, or freeze for later use.

Remove the mushroom stems, chop them, and reserve. If any of the mushrooms are large, scrape off the gills with a spoon and reserve. Cut the caps into 1/4-inch thick slices and reserve.

You will need to cook the mushrooms in two batches so they will brown and not steam from overcrowding.

Heat a heavy skillet for about 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in the pan, then add half of the sliced mushrooms, and half of the chopped stems and any reserved gills. Add half the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Saute the mushrooms until golden brown and caramelized, about 8 minutes. Transfer this batch of mushrooms to a plate, and repeat with the other half of the mushrooms, with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Turn off the heat and return the first batch of mushrooms to the pan. Add the chipotle puree and cilantro and stir to combine. Sprinkle on the cheese and gently stir to melt the cheese.

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas, and top with salsa and toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds.

Tomatillo-Arbol Chile Salsa
Adapted from Tacos
Makes 2 cups

4 tomatillos, husked, rinsed and blackened
3 Roma tomatoes, blackened
5 dried de arbol chiles, stemmed, with seeds
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground
½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted and ground
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon peanut oil

To blacken the tomatillos and Roma tomatoes, place on a baking sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, rotating until the skins are charred and blistered on all sides. Cut out and discard the stem and core from the tomatillos and Romas.

In a small pan, toast the cumin seed and oregano over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Grind in a spice grinder.

Place all ingredients, except peanut oil, in a blender and puree until smooth.

In a large, heavy nonstick skillet, heat the peanut oil over high heat until just smoking. Turn the heat down to medium-high and carefully add the sauce. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon for 3 to 5 minutes, until it thickens slightly. The sauce will keep for about 2 months in the refrigerator.

A few other tacos from Tacos:

Tacos al Pastor, with Pineapple-Habanero Chile Salsa

Buffalo Sausage Tacos

Mark Miller's Tacos Al Pastor with Roasted Pineapple-Habanero Chile Salsa, and David Leite's Pine Nut & Orange Cookies

There are times when a woman needs her alone-time, and this weekend happened to provide several precious hours while John spent overdue father-son time with Alex, who is visiting from Texas. The boys went off to play airsoft on Sunday, leaving me to play in the kitchen with Mark Miller's Tacos Al Pastor recipe. I got lost in Keith Urban, and sipped wine, all the while stemming and seeding 80 dried chiles. Yes, 80! I'll revisit that number, shortly.

I've been eyeing this recipe, featured on the cover of Tacos, since falling in love with El Agave's version.  I love to escape to El Agave for lunch, typically on a one o'clock Friday (i.e., when I've had enough of the law for the week and am ready to start my weekend early). El Agave is known for its tequila collection and moles. For the longest time, I ordered enchiladas with mole verde, but lately I've been all over their Tacos al Pastor.

I've tried a few of the premium tequilas, which are so smooth and meant to be sipped like fine wine, but I prefer my tequila mixed in the bartender's very special Cadillac Margaritas.

With Tacos as our theme for this past week's Concert in the Park, it was the perfect opportunity to try the cover recipe of Tacos.  In the process, I stumbled upon Gonzalez Northgate Market, a wonderful Mexican market about 10 minutes away, where I was able to find everything I needed, including three varieties of dried chiles, and fresh, warm, corn tortillas from the tortilleria.  I bought blue corn for homemade chips and small 5 1/2 inch white corn for the tacos.

Tacos Al Pastor
Adapted from Mark Miller's Tacos
(Makes 24 tacos**)

**Note:  This recipe makes approximately 12 cups of marinade, really enough to marinate pork for about 100 tacos.  I strongly felt 3 cups was plenty to marinade the 4 pounds of pork cubes and just couldn't see wasting all that extra chile goodness. The pork would have been absolutely drowning in the marinade, which is then drained off before cooking. Therefore, I used 3 cups for the 4 lbs. of pork, and froze three containers, with 3 cups in each container, for future tacos. Don't try to reduce the other ingredients to make a smaller portion; the labor of this recipe is so worth having leftovers in the freezer.

Ingredients:

40 dried guajillo chiles
20 dried ancho chiles
20 dried pasilla negro chiles

2 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
9 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seed, toasted and ground
1 1/2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano, toasted and ground
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons distilled vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
6 ounces cola
8 ounces Mexican beer
4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
24 (5 1/2 inch) soft white corn tortillas, for serving

***

Stem, seed, and rehydrate the dried chiles. To rehydrate, I simply steamed the chiles for about 25 minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving the steaming liquid.

In a small saucepan, simmer the orange juice over medium-low heat until reduced by half; set aside. In the jar of a blender, puree the rehydrated chiles until smooth, adding some of the steaming water, to achieve a smooth consistency.

In a large bowl, add the reduced orange juice, pureed chiles, orange zest, brown sugar, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, black pepper, vinegar, lime juice, cola, and beer and stir to mix well. Add 3 cups of the chile sauce to the pork, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Again, I froze the remaining 9 cups of sauce for future use.

When ready to cook, remove the pork from the marinade and drain well (my chile marinade was fairly thick, so it didn't really "drain well.")  If cooking the pork on the stove-top:  In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the pork pieces until meat is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and serve right away, or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve (I grilled the pork at the park, on the cast iron reversible griddle insert for our grill.  The aroma of chiles drifted across the crowd, luring a few curious onlookers who always inquire if our food is for sale).

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with pineapple-habanero salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco; lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with salsa, fold, and eat right away.

Mark Miller suggests his Roasted Pineapple-Habanero Chile Salsa as an accompaniment to these tacos. Don't question the man, just do it. The heat level of the chiles in the Tacos Al Pastor is fairly mild, 3-4 on a scale of 1-10, but this salsa will kick it up to an 8-9, thank you to just ONE of these dry-roasted babies.

Roasted Pineapple-Habanero Chile Salsa
Also from Mark Miller's Tacos

1 pineapple (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch thick rings
1 orange or red habanero, roasted, seeded and minced
1 sweet red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch dice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

In a large, heavy nonstick dry skillet, cook the pineapple slices (in batches, if necessary) over low heat until caramelized, 6 to 7 minutes per side. (It is important to cook the pineapple on low heat so the sugars in the fruit develop deep flavor, without any burning.) Remove from the heat and cut the pineapple into 1/8-inch dice.

In a large bowl, mix the diced pineapple with the chile, bell pepper, cilantro, and lime juice. Serve immediately for the freshest flavor, but you can make this salsa 1 to 3 hours ahead.

See the Taco Update at the end of this post for the leftovers!

***

For dessert, from the latest issue of Fine Cooking, I baked Pine Nut and Orange Cookies, from David Leite's New Portuguese Table.  I highly recommend these cookies, and they worked wonderfully with the southwest-inspired menu!

Pine Nut and Orange Cookies
Slightly adapted from David Leite's The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast
Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pine nuts
6-3/4 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar; more for rolling
3 Tbs. finely grated orange zest (from 2 medium oranges)
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier liqueur

Directions:

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Toast the pine nuts in a pan over medium heat, or on a rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, zest, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pine nuts.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil, egg and Grand Marnier, and add to the dry ingredients.

Mix with your hands until the dough is evenly moist and holds together when squeezed, 1 to 2 minutes.

Fill a small bowl with about 1/2 cup sugar. Pinch off 1 rounded teaspoonful of dough (about 1/2 oz.). Shape it into a ball, coat it in the sugar, and set it in on a light-colored nonstick cookie sheet. Dip the bottom of a drinking glass in the sugar and flatten the cookie to slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. Repeat to make 11 more cookies.

Bake until the tops are golden and the edges are golden brown, 9 to 13 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for several minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely (the tops don't get brown, just a little around the edges, but the bottom is golden brown).

While the first batch of cookies bakes, shape the remaining dough into cookies and arrange on a second cookie sheet. When the first batch is done, bake the second batch. The cookies will keep in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Our Concert group was light this week due to the lucky ones who are traveling. However, we never fail to go hungry, and this week was no exception. After our Tacos Al Pastor, we stuffed our faces with nibbled on my Pine Nut and Orange Cookies and Carmen's dessert tacos, filled with exotic fruit, custard sauce, warm chocolate sauce, and whipped cream.

For the next concert, by the Lamb's Players Theatre, we decided on dishes inspired by Broadway plays and musicals....please, no cats.

TACO UPDATE:  We didn't cook all of the marinated pork at the park, so we were lucky enough to have Taco Tuesday!  This time, I cut the pork in a little smaller pieces and cooked it in a skillet on the stove.  I rewarmed a few tortillas, served the leftover Pineapple Habanero salsa on the side, and fell in love all over again!