Tonite's menu: a Tribute to Rick Bayless

Having just moved into my new home with new dining room, I'm into my second dinner party this weekend. Like my Mom did once upon a time, it has to have a theme. Last weekend was comfort food: red wine braised pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, fluffy rolls, and apple pie.

Tonite's menu inspired by Rick Bayless's(sic) Mexican Kitchen(we can argue the grammar later).

Salsa, Guac, Chips (Trader Joe's, sue me)

Guatemalan Refried Black Beans(couldn't find a close recipe, so opted for four orders from El Tinajon, Roscoe Village, they can't be beat)

From the book, Classic Red Tomato Rice and Roast Pork(Paulina Market) with Smoky Peanut Mole (lots of prep: roasting, chopping, straining, searing, it goes on and on).

Fried Plantains and
Fresh corn tortillas(local Mexican grocery)

Bayless' book is a great read, even if you NEVER prepare a recipe. I like the advance prep notes-- extremely helpful.

I'm almost done with the mole. I started at 7:30am. I want a relaxing afternoon!

Food Nut,

Sounds like a remarkable repast.

What kind of store-bought tortillas do you like, or do you have a brand preference?

I shop at a Mexican store that has 3 or 4 or so local varieties, and I usually put my hand in each of the boxes to feel which is the most warm and moist. All things being equally moist and warm, I tend toward El Molino, which I feel has been the most consistently satisfactory.

Hammond

I agree, that sounds great.

I am going to a SW dinner this evening celebrating a friend's having made it back from Texas alive.

I have been toying with "inventing" a new app for this evening. I think I have settled on baked Jalapenos stuffed with corn bread, bacon and goat cheese(may switch to a Mexican cheese) drizzeled with Cilantro cream and served on a pool of roasted red pepper couli.

Off to Edgewater right now to run some experiments.

pd

That does sound delicious. I've only tried a couple of recipes in that cookbook as many are too labor intensive for my novice skills, but I agree that it's an informative and entertaining read.

Hammond, I've always used El Milagro tortillas; maybe I'll give Molino a try.

BumbleBee wrote:Hammond, I've always used El Milagro tortillas; maybe I'll give Molino a try.

BumbleBee, I misspoke; El Milagro is the brand I use (they always seem a little more "corny" than the other fresh tortillas, and I like their yellow-ish cast).

Hammond

An hour before the guests were to arrive I found out an additional two guests were coming!

The mole was a hit. It reminded me of panang curry, which is much less labor intensive to produce. I have at least 3 cups of leftover mole. I hope it freezes well.

The boneless pork loin roast from Paulina Market was exceptional. Earlier in the day, I learned from America's Test Kitchen to take the pork out at 140 degrees and bring it to 150 by letting it sit.

The fried plaintains were a bit of a pain and kept me from joining the guests until they were done passing all the food. They were fantastic, though. Perfect with all the other flavors.

The rice did not cook at the rate stated in the recipe, so in the end I added some water to the dish and nuked it for 3 minutes. By this time, though, the pork was a little cold, but whatayagonnado?

I was a bit embarrassed when someone asked how I prepared the beans('cause they're so good and no one had them prepared this way before). I confessed to buying them and all had a good chuckle over it. I mentioned that it wasn't worth trying to recreate, since they are so good. I just wish I knew what spices they use in them.

I have no idea what brand of tortilla I purchased, but they were warm in the box when I bought them and were wrapped in only some waxy paper that was not sealed.

Food nut,

Inspired by the America's Test Kitchen show you worte about, I also had a pork loin roast for dinner last night. I used their recepie as a jumping off point, using maple syrup, cinnamon and some garlic & ginger. Next time, I will add a little 5 spice powder as well. It was a new and different way for me to cook pork loin, and one I will do again! Even the chow poodle asked if I remembered how to make the sauce for next time.