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Shameful Breakfast Tacos?!


A friend alerted me to this blog post on Slate by L. V. Anderson – Now, admittedly, I’ve not had a chance to read the whole piece or the book, but trust me, I will and so should y’all. By the way, Texas Monthly is a great magazine, filled with wonderful words and pictures, so check it out.

Anyway, what got her, (And me), was the statement within the post’s title indicating that breakfast tacos were once considered shameful. The heart of that matter is both more and less than it sounds; the reference goes back to the point in time where white Texans looked down on all things Mexican, a dark and tragic point in that great state’s past. Now, of course, everyone eats tacos and more importantly, Tejanos are respected and prominant members of every facet of Texas life; that’s absolutely as it should be, as far as I’m concerned.

That said, what actually bothered me the most was a statement from the blog. In particular, Anderson notes that, “Breakfast tacos are a peculiar culinary phenomenon. Despite being pretty much universally popular in Central Texas, and despite comprising accessible American ingredients like bacon and eggs (and despite being delicious), they still haven’t found much of a following beyond Texas’ borders.” Now that’s a problem, actually, for a couple of reasons.

First off, it leaves the impression that Mexican food beyond maybe huevos rancheros ain’t what’s for breakfast, and that’s just wrong. Secondly, it implies that breakfast tacos are just a tortilla filled with what we gringos eat for breakfast anyway, and that’s completely wrong!

One of the things I miss most dearly about living in Texas is real breakfast tacos. These are, in fact, the taco in its purest form. The ones I love come from little hole-in-the-wall joints or street carts and remind me of what I’ve actually found down in Mexico.

Picture little, freshly made corn tortillas, filled with slow roasted pork and garnished with a little fresh cilantro and a few lime wedges – Now that’s a breakfast taco! potatoes sauteed in butter with onions and garlic, sprinkled with a little fresh queso blanco. Shredded chicken with fresh jalapeno slices and more lime – Those are breakfast tacos. Simple, delicious food made with care and done right. No fancy stuff, just good, honest fare to get you through the morning until lunch.

Compare those to pancakes or a nasty bowl of cereal… Which sounds healthier to you?

If you’re not quite ready for the Big Leap, do up a middle ground; scramble some eggs, fry and then crumble some bacon. Then do up little bowls of fresh tomato, onion, cilantro, cheese, jalapeños, and some fresh salsa. Load up either flour or corn tortillas that are as fresh as you can find them, or better yet, whip up a batch yourself, (you’ll find tried and true recipes for both right here). Let your crew build themselves one or two of those with whatever they like and see if it doesn’t feel lighter and healthier to y’all. Me, I can’t hardly imagine breakfast without veggies; maybe we all could use a bit more of that kinda weird, huh?

My friend Christy had it exactly right when she noted that “Around here, we like our tacos any time of the day,” and they live in northern Minnesota. It’s high time the breakfast taco revolution steamrolled right over this wonderful country of ours, so get up mañanita, get into the kitchen, and get to work! Next thing you know, you’ll be whipping up your own queso fresco!

E

It’s Hatch Time!


It’s a bit earlier than usual, but the bottom line is that nature does as she sees fit. It’s Hatch Chile time, folks. If you’re not familiar, you need to be. One thing I miss already about not living down in the southwest – When the season hits and you go to the store, you’re greeted by the roar of chile roasters in the parking lot, and that heavenly smell wafting toward you from therein…

The Hatch Chile is the Grandfather of the well known Anaheim Chile. That said, the two really are apples and oranges. While Anaheims are mild, relatively nondescript long, green chiles, Hatches are full of flavor and attitude.

I know New Mexicans will bristle at this next paragraph, buuuuut…. There is no such variety as a Hatch. They are a New Mexico variety and the Hatch itself is so named because that’s where it is grown. In this regard, Hatch, New Mexico,at be looked at as is the Champagne region of France; if you want a Hatch chile, you gotta get the, from Hatch, ’cause anything else is just a wanna-be. There is something to the climate and soil that makes them what they are, and the are simply no substitutes.

Hatches come in everything from mild to fire breathing. Usually, stores will separate them into at least hot or mild; if they don’t, you pays your money and you takes your chances. If you roast, peel, devein and deseed them you’ll be fine, but it’s always a good idea to sample a bite from the bottom for heat level.

Hatches start out green, and most get sold and cooked with that way. If they mature, they turn fire engine red, as you may have seen on the colorful ristras of chiles that come from the same town.

Hatches are the heartbeat of anything green chile as far as we’re concerned, but especially for true green chili and enchilada sauce.

If I can find them in the grocery in the farthest northern city in the continental U.S., which I did today, you should be able to as well. Look for shiny, firm chiles with no wrinkles, lesions or soft spots when you shop.

You can use them right away, but you’ll want to put some away for the rest of the year just as we do, I’m sure. You can dry, pickle, or can Hatches if you like; some folks make chile sauce and pressure can that. I prefer to freeze these guys, so I roast, vacuum seal and freeze around 20 pounds a year and that usually does the trick. I process them in bags of about 6 to 8 chiles per, which is a good base for sauces and whatnot for a family of four or so. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, but them in ziplock freezer bags and suck as much air out as you can to help avoid freezer burn; they’ll easily last 6+ months in a good, cold freezer.

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For more on canning, check out this post.

For roasting and drying, check out this one.

And for some recipe ideas, go here and here as well.

Go get ’em!

E & M

House Concert Comin’ Up!


HOUSE CONCERT – MELISSA GREENER

Friday, September 13th – 7 p.m.
Suggested donation $15

Melissa hails from Nashville, but her sound is as broad as her roots. Raised in Motown by a vocalist Mom and a hippy Pop, her sound touches folk, Motown, classic rock, and Texas roots with flashes of world music. One thing you know immediately upon hearing her, the woman’s got serious pipes, with guitar chops and song writing skills to match.

Check her out at http://www.melissagreener.com, and give a listen to my personal favorite cut, On My Way Back Home.

Join us for a rare evening at the historic Lich Home with a truly wonderful artist.

Contact at 360-671-0788 or ebena@sbcglobal.net.
Eben & Monica Atwater
2429 Victor Street

Gundy’s Rosemary Sauce


Some of y’all are aware, (At least i hope ya are), that I’m the resident cook on The Big Wild radio show. Hosts Gundy and The Greek, and Producer Jon hook up with a steady stream of really fine interviews with outdoor big names every week, followed by my little chunk, know as On The Fire. It’s a gas to do, especially since the gang rarely tells me what I’m doing until seconds before we’re on air, (Seriously! They think its fun, and I do too!).

Well for fans and newcomers alike, you might not know that Gundy is a purty dang good cook himself. We chat off air about ingredients and recipes pretty much every week. The other day, he told me about this one. I asked for permission to share, which Dan generously agreed, so here you go – Like all great culinary surprises, it’s remarkably simple in content, and wonderfully subtle and complex in taste.

A little thing like a different variety of balsamic brings on a whole new character, as will various versions of the sweetener, (Try dark brown sugar, light brown, honey, or agave nectar, for example). Experiment and come up with your personal fave. Our favorite variation so far substituted powdered smoke from Butcher and Packer for the liquid smoke and agave nectar for the sugar, then added the juice of a fresh lemon and a pinch of salt: It’s that kind of wonderful thing to play with.

Gundy himself wrote, “I don’t always make it the same way cuz I don’t have a recipe.” That’s the best kind, far as we’re concerned. Just remember to write it down if you come up with chemistry that really knocks your socks off. Dan uses it for fish, but this rocks on poultry, pork, or roasted veggies: For those, you might want to up the vinegar and smoke ratios a bit.

Gundy’s Rosemary Sauce

1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
Capful of Liquid Smoke
Sprig of fresh Rosemary
6 – 10 Montmorency Cherries

Gundy notes that, “I have found that a real good balsamic vinegar is overkill. Regular balsamic from the grocery store is thinner and not a waste of great vinegar.” You can certainly put a touch of a really fine balsamic in with the lighter stuff if you want a more complex flavor note.

If you can’t find the cherries themselves, you could substitute a tablespoon or two of sour cherry juice.

In a sauce pan, bring the vinegar to a rolling boil.

Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.

Stir in the liquid smoke.

Reduce heat to low, toss in the Rosemary and allow to simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. keep a sharp eye on it, as the sauce reduces quickly.

In the last minute of cooking, toss in the cherries and stir to incorporate.

If you try this with Salmon, Dan says The Commandant, (AKA, the lovely Mrs. Gunderson), “likes to have a thin layer of sauce spread over non -skin side of salmon. I throw it on a plank and grill it covered for 10 minutes or so. The sauce permeates the salmon. Don’t use too much or it overwhelms the fish. Just enough to darken the meat a bit. You will have some left over. Throw the twig on top for show.”

Gundy has honored me more than once, saying on the show, “Do what this guy tells you, it’ll be great.”

Back at ya, my friend!

E & M