All Things Chill

I love making food mom used to make… even if they’re not my mom! That’s what begat my conversation with Jorge. IF YOU’RE GONNA GET ADVICE, GET IT FROM THE SOURCE RIGHT? LOL.

A few days ago, I picked up some tortillas and marinated a 6oz. bag of Flank steak (more on portioning out meat later) in garlic, lime juice, cumin, Kosher salt, pepper and red pepper flakes the night before. The shrimp on the other hand took a quick 30 minute bath in lime juice, salt, pepper and cumin juice the day of the meal (seafood doesn’t need as long to marinate). Both went under the broiler until nice n’ toasty. But it’s not the tacos, it’s the SIDES THAT MAKE THE MEAL:

Black Beans

Saute 1 medium onion, chopped, in butter or olive oil over medium heat until soft and transparent. Add 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp of cumin and chili powder (and a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon if you’re feeling naughty) and cook for two minutes. Add canned black beans (rinsed and drained) and add a 1/2 cup of veg. or chicken stock and cook for another 8 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Red Rice

Same foundation technique as the beans, sweat onions and add garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add two cups of rice until coated with oil – it should smell a bit nutty. Then, mix in 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce and 4 cups of chicken / veg stock. Bring to a boil, cover and then lower heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.

I based the beans recipe to mimic the texture and flavor from the neighborhood sandwich show, Paseo – I figure they’re close enough to the original that I won’t have to tweek it much anymore. Liana really liked the rice and the corn (baked in the oven with a few dabs o’ butter), which made me happy ’cause I could take that red rice and serve it with tons of other stuff – some grilled chicken thighs or veggies, seafood skewers or some slow roasted pork. The best part about the dish is that besides the veggie fixings, all the ingredients can be held in the freezer or a standard list of pantry ingredients. Taco night can be any night! WHEEEEE.

Just don’t forget the Pacifico!

~Spec

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 11:02 pm and is filed under Cheap [and GOOD] Eats, Cooking Culture, Cuisine, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.