Evan Jacobson

Posts Tagged ‘Guacamole’

Pictured Above: Guacamole & Tostitos Lime Chips at 12:00 O’clock; Gringo Salsa & Corn Salsa mixture at 5:00 O’clock; 3 egg whites with an oozing, decorated Egg Yolk; 3 Roasted Mini Peppers at 10:50 AM; Freshly chopped Cilantro scattered about the dish.

Welcome back to the new decade, 2010. I wanted to begin January 1, 2010 with my version of Huevos Rancheros. As I’ve stated in previous posts, I do my version of a particular dish.  If you’re looking for 100% authenticity, then you’ve come to the wrong place.  Generally speaking, I aim for the gist of the respective dish, but I cannot guarantee ultimate authenticity (it’s an unattainable standard with too many arguments).  However, my dishes have so much love that disappointment is never an option. Just ask my wife and friends…

I regret the fact that I do not contain Hispanic DNA in my blood, but I really wish I did.  I’ve been working with a wide range of Hispanic people my entire life, trying to learn about the 21 Hispanic countries that exist in our world, and working towards fluency and ultimate mastery of Spanish language.  One of the bonuses for achieving these aforementioned goals is EATING THE FOOD.  Every country has a food that they fancy in the spotlight.  For example, Peruvians are proud to serve Ceviche (raw seafood and shellfish entree marinated in Lime Juice).  Puerto Ricans and Dominicans make an awesome Pernil (Roasted Pork entree).  Mexican cuisine has a myriad of dishes and permutations… I really enjoy authentic Tamales on the Corn Husk and a Mole Sauce with a minimum of 20+ ingredients.  In this post, I will provide the breakdown for the Evan J. Huevos Rancheros.

In any cuisine, the freshest possible ingredients are the number one priority.  If you’re lucky to have Rick Bayless cook for you, for example, the lack of fresh ingredients would cause his food to yield poor results.  I’m not going to argue that any great chef can take poor quality ingredients and turn them into a golden masterpiece.  However, it takes 2 to Tango:  High quality ingredients plus a chef’s vision and execution.  Having said that, I need to show some pictures and break down today’s featured Breakfast beauty.

I made fresh Guacamole… One can also see my Rachael Ray Orange Santoku knife (that was such an obvious plug), a plastic spatula to mix and scrape every morsel from the bowl, and the fresh Cilantro is hiding in the back in the 12:00 O’clock position.  I know that the vegetable side of my cutting board needs to be cleaned and oiled with Butcher Block Oil.  Please cut me some slack–I’m working here!

Ingredients for the fresh Guacamole:

2-3 Avocados depending upon the size (use ripe, but NOT too ripe Aguacates–Spanish Language practice)

2 ripe tomatoes–squeeze the flesh out to avoid a watery consistency, and dice the skin.

1 Jalapeño (pronounced “Ha La Pain Yo.”  If you get the Jalapeño juices or seeds in your eye, you’ll most definitely be in pain, yo!

1 small-medium onion–dice it up!  The Spanish word for onion is Cebolla.

2-3 minced garlic cloves (ajos picados en Español).

Fresh Cilantro–a key ingredient with an original flavor bringing authenticity to the dish

Salt & Pepper– focus on more Salt than the Pepper because you’ll have “heat” from the other ingredients…

Suggestion: If you use the delicious Tostitos Lime Chips, they bring the right balance of Salt to the dish.  Therefore, don’t overdo the Salt; taste it as you go and adjust accordingly.

Ok, I cheated (just shoot me) and contradicted my fresh ingredients tirade.  However, I wake up hungry every morning and thus, I can justify why I married the above ingredients in the picture.  Trader Joe’s sells the Corn Chile on the left, and Shop Rite sells the “Green Mountain Gringo Salsa.” Besides loving the name, especially the Gringo part, it is the best bottled Salsa I’ve ever tasted.  Obviously, fresh is much better.  However, it’s important to have certain staples in the house during the week when time is short; it’s also nice to quickly improvise if guests come to your home unannounced.  I got out of that one–quickly sing Sade’s Smooth Operator… In short, both bottles had about a 1/4 left.  Therefore, I married both to create a hybrid Corn Salsa.  The pretty yellow and red Roasted Peppers sitting atop the Corn Chile are a nice addition to the dish and it also makes for a nice presentation.  Here are a bunch of those Roasted Peppers for you to ogle:

Here are my requirements for Eggs: Hormone Free, Vegetarian Fed, Brown, and enriched with some type of Omega 3, 6, 9, or all of them.  For years, I bought no frills Eggs and didn’t realize what I was missing.  The aforementioned, high maintenance version costs more per dozen, but it’s totally worth it.  My wife and I taste an obvious difference. Remember what I said earlier about quality ingredients?  I’m not talking about the part where I contradicted myself. Just search for the word fresh and you’ll be set… For Huevos Rancheros, one is supposed to use at least 2 Sunny Side up Eggs.  It makes the dish richer.  However, I have a small caviat called LDL Cholesterol, and I need to be careful to avoid medication.  Therefore, I used 1 whole Egg, plus added 2 Egg Whites for more volume.  When I prepared the Eggs, I did NOT use butter.  Instead, I used a Lime Infused Olive Oil to coat my saute pans.  There is something awesome about adding Lime to Mexican dishes.  I could have garnished the plate with a Lime, but I didn’t have one in the house.  Yet, the infused Lime Oil brought an incredibly refreshing authenticity to the dish.

Tortilla Chips: Tostitos with a Hint of Lime!

When you are finished plating with your killer presentation to wow your friends and family, cut the Cilantro about 1 minute before putting the dish on the table.  For some reason, cutting the Cilantro much earlier in the day causes some odd Brown spots and a slightly different flavor.  Moreover, Cilantro does NOT have a long shelf life.  I would suggest you buy it the night before Breakfast, or during the day if you are making another dish requiring fresh Cilantro.  Haven’t I babbled enough about fresh ingredients?

It’s time to wrap it up.  Breakfast can become interesting, especially if you venture beyond the typical fare:  Omelets (Cheese, Ham, Onions, Bacon, etc.), Pancakes, Oatmeal, or Continental (this is just a boring collection of Carbs). I’m not against Bacon and Eggs with Toast at all.  However, variety is necessary in my food life and I really hope that I inspired you to supersede perfunctory Breakfast options.  Take one more look at Evan J.’s Huevos Rancheros:

Evan J. wanna be gourmet, January 1, 2010

Last night, I went with my wife and in-laws to Rosa Mexicano for a lovely dining experience…
I’m sure there are a few “decent” Mexican style restaurants in Bergen County, New Jersey. However, they are very hard to find. In fact, if you know about any places that serve authentic Mexican cuisine, please comment on this post so I can broaden my horizons…
Most Mexican restaurants serve these items: Tacos, Fajitas, Burritos, Enchiladas, etc. In short, the food is typically decent, yet perfunctory overall. Furthermore, it bugs me tremendously when I go to a costly restaurant that contains basic food that I can prepare better in my own kitchen. I admit that I am quite picky due to my numerous years in food service and my constant need for newer and better stimulation.  However, times are tough and I don’t want to waste my bread on cheap experiences, or food that is prepared without any love. After watching all of the cooking shows, especially Top Chef Masters, I’ve discovered a brand new world of exquisite greatness… By the way, Rick Bayless was the winner of Top Chef Masters. He has taken Mexican cuisine to an entirely new level of splendor. I was thinking about that last night as I licked the Mole sauce off the plate. If I had missed a spot of that scrumptious sauce, someone should have slapped me upside the head numerous times.

I went to Rosa Mexicano in River Edge, New Jersey.  This is also a hotspot for trendy, yet delicious places:  PF Changs, The Cheesecake Factory, Maggianos, et al. We were seated immediately in a somewhat crowded venue.  The decor (which I normally could care less about) was hip and trendy; the atmosphere was vibrant, but not obnoxious.  I knew in an instant that this dining experience was going to be interesting.  It must be true that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression… The server (is waiter PC anymore?) was a middle-aged smooth operator who really loved his job.  He spent time going over the menu options in a rather meticulous fashion.  What I especially liked is the fact that he wasn’t pressuring us to buy Alcohol.  I do drink various wines and the occasional beer (with steak), but I keep my eye on the ball:  THE FOOD!  Some places treat you like peasants in an impoverished country if you don’t order Alcohol, and the service usually suffers because it’s all about “the tip.”  Again, I ask, “where is the love?”  I’m not trying to be a hypocrite because I also worked for tips in the past.  However, I’ve always enjoyed so many aspects of food, and the money was secondary.  In fact, the focus of money over the food quality caused me to change jobs several times.  That is another story for a future blog… Let’s just focus on Rosa Mexicano.  Shall we?

My wife will eat spicy foods, but she does not eat red meat.  I’ll eat almost anything, except for animals that still appear to be alive on the plate–E.G. Cuy in Peru.  My in-laws eat bland food. Hence, taking them out for Mexican food is quite risky; they obviously won’t eat Indian or Thai food due to the intense spice factor.  In short, I really appreciated the time that the server spent trying to assess our food needs.  He did, however, try to push the Guacamole Cart on us:  A cart with several mortar and pestals, fresh Avocados, Tomatoes, Onions, and Cilantro (a must for many Mexican dishes).  I was willing to spend the $12.00, but only 2 of us would eat, and I just couldn’t justify parting with the cash.  If all 4 of us would have eaten the Guac., then I would not have even blinked.  I was not offended at all because it is the server’s job to sell and “upsell” food.  If you don’t ask, you don’t get–no offense taken here.  When I return to eat here the next time, I’ll dive headfirst into the freshly prepared Guacamole.

My wife ordered the Chicken with one type of Mole Sauce; my father-in-law ordered the Salmon in another dark sauce; my mother-in-law ordered a plain chicken, rice & beans platter (the server suggested a roasted tomato sauce–good move); I ordered the Rack of Lamb, Asparagus, and Pumpkin/Corn/Black Bean Tamale.  Originally, my dish is served with some type of Pistachio Mole Sauce (I never heard of that). However, I was really hot for an authentic Mole Sauce, and the smooth operator insisted that I get their best Chocolate Mole Sauce instead.  Meanwhile, I was thinking about the 26 ingredients that were incorporated into Rick Bayless’s version, which took him 20+ years to master.  It probably was not going to be as good, but what the hell–let’s just go for it!

We munched on some Tortilla Chips and 2 sauces:  another smoky, brown Mole variation dip and a spicy green Tomatillo Salsa.  Interestingly, this place does not serve a typical Salsa, something I really look forward to and sometimes use as a judging standard.  However, the server brought us some fresh Pico De Gallo, and it was delicious.  The food came out a few minutes later.  The presentations were lovely and I was practically drooling on myself when I looked at all of the dishes, especially mine.  Everyone was happy with their dishes and I described them earlier… I did taste my wife’s other Mole Sauce, and it was tasty; my Mole Sauce was better. Naturally, this comes from an unbiased opinion and no ego whatsoever…

I’ll do my best to create some visual imagery regarding my dish.  First, look at my Lamb and Figs dish from the picture gallery:

The Lamb sits atop of a luscious, brown sauce.  That should give you a basic idea to continue with the description of the restaurant’s dish… Two Lamb Chops were resting on top of the killer Mole Sauce; 2 inch pieces of Asparagus were on the left in a lattice fashion, and the corn husk wrapped Tamale was sitting at 12 O’clock.  The lamb was perfectly cooked at medium, the asparagus was fresh and slightly al dente, and the Tamale was the most original one that I’ve ever had.  Who puts pumpkin in a Tamale?  I would love for someone to send me a real Tamale on the corn husk recipe… Meanwhile, I’m practically vibrating in my chair like a jackhammer with every single bite.  I loved all of it.  I do wish, however, that I had more Lamb on my plate for $25.00.  Next time, I’ll try the chicken because I’m bound to get more meat… Nevertheless, it was “YUMMO!”  Someone send Rachael Ray my regards.

All of us shared an incredible dessert:  A Brownie with a hazelnut filling, more chocolate, Creme Fraiche, and Espresso.  I should have gotten 2 of them.  Believe me, it was worth the 8 bucks (spending 16 bucks might have been a blow to my ego, but a transitory one).

In a nutshell, I’m going back!  Rosa Mexicano receives:

I’ll even provide a free, shameless plug for them:

http://www.rosamexicano.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

I don’t have any signature sign off, and currently working on one as we blog.  As for now, ROCK ON AT ROSA MEXICANO!

Carl–can we get some outro music on this page?

Best,

Evan J.