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Dining in Mexico

August 19, 2011 By Chef Chuck Leave a Comment

Mexican coastline

I have a great fondness for Mexican food.

Growing up in Southern California, there were always plenty of authentic Mexican restaurants to choose from. Besides having plenty of choices for great ethnic food, San Diego possessed another appealing geographical lure…it was only 40 miles from Mexico.

A few times during the summer, my family and some friends would head towards the border in search of fresh lobster, rice, tortillas, and ice-cold Coronas. In 45 minutes (depending on the traffic) we were in Mexico. I was always amazed what a different place Mexico was from the United States; all of the poverty in Tijuana reminded me how lucky I was to have been born in America.

Once out of Tijuana, we would continue south and begin our drive along the coastline towards Rosarita Beach. The last 20 miles of our journey was always my favorite—it guided us along the unadulterated coastline of Mexico. Some of the shoreline was rugged with large rocks, while other portions of the beaches were smooth and covered with sand. As we sped along with the windows open (and Police, Synchronicity blaring from the speakers) I can remember how sweet and salty the air was. I also recall promising myself that one day, I would return to the beaches of Mexico and build my dream hacienda.

After 90 minutes of scenic driving, we arrived at the “restaurant.” These eateries were large buildings with minimal attention to décor and cleanliness. The floors were dirty and patrons were asked to seat themselves at any of the picnic tables. Why would anyone want to eat at such a place? I’ll get to that in a minute.

The restaurants in Rosarita were usually crowded with plenty of hungry gringos in search of cold Coronas and lobster. The mood inside was always jovial, and the wait-staff were nimble and efficient.

As we sat and before ordering our comida (food), we would order our aperitifs, “Coronas por favor!” If you think ice-cold cervezas tastes the same everywhere, you haven’t had ice-cold beer in Mexico on the beach. For some reason, Mexican beer served in Mexico tastes crisp, delicious and smooth. The limes that accompany the beer were sweeter, too.

No need to look over the menus, we always ordered the same thing: grilled lobster with plenty of homemade flour tortillas, rice and refried beans.

The lobsters were always prepared the same way: split in half lengthwise, grilled, seasoned and brushed with melted butter.

The first bite was always the best—hot and delicious; the lobster was briny, and tasted like the sea. The tail meat as always the most coveted part of the lobster, but it was always fun to tear apart the claws in search of large nuggets of meat. The homemade tortillas disappeared quickly, as did the spicy rice and homemade refried beans.

At the conclusion of our feast, I was always amazed at the quantity of lobster carcasses on the picnic tables—it was as if there had been an epic battle, and all that was left were these poor, hapless sea creatures.

After a few more beers, and with our bellies full, we hopped in our cars and headed back for the states.

As the sun melted into the Pacific I admired the beautiful coastline. Soon I would be back in the states, but I could still dream of my Mexican hacienda.

Chef Chuck Kerber

chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com

pittsburghhotplate.com

Winter Soups

January 8, 2011 By Chef Chuck 1 Comment

Winter Soups

Every year when winter rolls around, it’s time to make soup at work. Frigid from plummeting temperatures, clients and staff want warm, flavorful liquids to defrost their bones. When serving soup, I always like observing people’s reactions; they usually tilt their heads back with a small smile, and smell the aroma. Next, they grab the bowls with both hands letting the heat warm their hands. Soup, for most people bring back familiar and comforting feelings – that’s why it is such a pleasure to serve.

Four months out of the year, five days a week, I have to come up with fresh, new recipes for soups. I never use a cookbook, or look on line for recipes. I usually open my fridge and pantry, and start foraging for ingredients.

When soup season comes around, I do keep some staples in the cooler, and in the dry-goods area. Celery, onions, shallots, leeks, garlic, and carrots are always in the fridge. I also like to have fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, tarragon, parsley, and sage. A variety of dried beans, pasta, barley, quinoa, and couscous are also always in the kitchen.

Stocks

The base for most soups is stock. Chicken, beef, veal, fish, and veggie are among a few. Stocks aren’t difficult to make, but they can be time consuming. Regardless of the protein, most stocks start out the same: equal parts chopped celery, onions, and peeled carrots; these stock veggies are called a mire poix. A bouquet garni (a variety of herbs tied together and dropped in the stock, or placed and tied in cheesecloth and added to the broth) is also used to enhance the flavor of the stock. Herbs are always fresh; try using parsley, rosemary, oregano, and sage. Once the herbs and veggies are in your stainless steel stock pot (never use aluminum), add water, and cook on a low-heat. At this point you can add the bones, shells (if you’re making shrimp or lobster stock) or fish parts. The most important part of making stocks is to always cook them slowly, making sure to never bring the liquid to a boil. Boiling the stock will make it stock cloudy and distort the flavors. A good, flavorful stock will usually take at least a few hours to cook. Once the stock has cooked completely, drain it through a chinoise or cheesecloth; this will remove any of the fine particles that are left over from the cooking process. When your stock is finished, you can store it in a cooler for up to seven days, or in the freezer for up to six months.
Cream Soups and Bisques

If you want a rich, delectable soup, you may want to try making a bisque, or cream soup. I always use the same process when making these types of soups. I start with a sweet onion, or some leeks, and butter. After melting the butter, I add the onions and leeks and slowly sauté them until they become caramelized. Once the veggies are caramelized, I add flour, salt and fresh ground pepper, and continue to cook. This mixture is called a roux, and is the base for these types of soups. The roux can cook for a few minutes, or longer depending on what type of color you are looking for; the longer the cooking time, the darker the roux. Slowly add milk or cream, and begin to stir with a wooden spoon. Add a small amount of fresh-grated nutmeg, and viola, you have your base- this creation is called a béchamel. At this point, you can add any type of protein you want, along with vegetables and fresh herbs. Try experimenting with some sweet wines, and sherry; nothing is off limits.

One recommendation: Invest in an immersion blender. This is a small hand-held blender that will help emulsify, and make your cream soups shiny, and smooth.

Create

Once the stocks- are complete, it’s time to be creative. Instead of using your cookbook, take a peek inside your refrigerator. What did you make the night before? If you have some left-over chicken, cube it up and set it aside. Put some chicken stock on the stove, add your mire poix, the chicken and some noodles, and you have chicken noodle soup. Did you have a roast for dinner a few nights ago? Heat up some beef stock, add a mire poix, and heat slowly. Slice up some of the left-over beef, and put it in the stock pot. In a medium sized sauté pan, sear some mushrooms, then de-glaze with white wine. Add the mushrooms, barley and beef to your stock pot, now you have a beef-barley soup with mushrooms. Maybe you have some shrimp left-over from scampi dinner… make a béchamel, add sweet peppers, shrimp, tomato paste, lemon zest, and there’s your shrimp bisque- delicious.

Enjoy

Making homemade soups aren’t about the end result, it’s about the process. When it’s cold outside, try taking time from your busy schedule and spend time in your kitchen with your family or friends; open up a bottle of wine and enjoy taking time to cook. Avoid the cookbooks, and begin to create your soups by feel; eventually you will realize which herbs go well with which stocks, and so on.
It’s going to be a long, cold winter. Have a hot bowl of homemade soup, and be sure to enjoy it with some of the people that are important in your life.

Happy Cooking!

Chef Chuck Kerber

chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com

Filed Under: Cooking Tips Tagged With: bechamel, beef, beef base, bouquet garni, butter, carrots, celery, chicken, cream, heavy cream, herbs, immersion blender, lobster, making soup stocks, making soups, olive oil, onions, poultry, shrimp, soup, soup recipes, soup stocks, soups, warmth

Pangea, Shadyside

April 20, 2010 By Chef Chuck 1 Comment

It’s not easy to find exceptional food when you’re dining out, believe me, I’m constantly trying. Well, I may have found a restaurant that has it all: great food, a pleasant ambiance, good drinks, and good service…well, three out of four isn’t bad.

We arrived at Pangea in Shadyside at 7pm on a Saturday night. There were a plethora of seats available; that made us nervous. Its peak hour, why weren’t there more patrons here? We were shown to a table, and our drink orders were taken. My dinner mate had the house Cabernet; it was sweet, and peachy with a fruit bouquet-perfect. Unfortunately, we didn’t ask what the house-brand was… sorry. As we looked over our menus, our server arrived with some warm bread and butter. The doughy concoction was sweet and extra crusty; exceptional. The butter was a light red; it turned out to be roasted red pepper butter, and it went very well with the bread. We asked our waitress where the bread was purchased and she said, “We make all of our bread in-house.” Impressive. After devouring a full basket of bread, and all of the flavorful butter, we ordered two salads- one was a plain mixed greens salad with toasted croutons and house vinaigrette, and the other was the warm brie and strawberry salad. My dinner guest described the house salad as “average” while I ranted about mine….the brie was lightly melted over the greens with toasted almonds and macerated strawberries; a great combination.

The dinner choices on the menu looked good, but we wanted to know what the specials were. We asked our waitress if they were offering any that evening and she said, “We don’t have any specials tonight.” Seriously. I asked if the chef was there, and she said, “Nope.” So, it’s 7pm, and the chef isn’t there… peculiar. After a few minutes she came back to our table and told us that yes, there was a special after all; lobster stuffed halibut. I like halibut, but chose the grain mustard brushed wild Colombian river king salmon, cooked medium please. My friend ordered the maple leaf farms duck, au poivre (with pepper). A few minutes before our food was delivered, our waitress showed up with a HUGE steel knife, presumably for the duck.

Our meals arrived 25 minutes after we placed our order, and were delivered by the server assistant/bus-boy. My salmon was cooked perfectly; a little pink on the inside (most good restaurants take temperatures on fish). The salmon was topped with melted leeks. Now, I’m not sure how these leeks were made, but they were miraculously flavorful. The salmon was topped with spicy grain mustard that had some heat, but was also on the sweet side. The dandelion greens were bitter; a perfect contrast to the sweetness of the fish and mustard sauce. The roasted pommes gaurettes (fried potatoes cut on a mandolin, then fried) soaked up the excess brine from the dandelion greens.

The duck was on the rare side (it was ordered medium), and was served with fresh herb risotto, rhubarb and black cherry conserve, and fava beans. The duck was moist and naturally sweet, and the preserves made for a perfect match. The thick pepper layer was a bit much, and had to be cut off. The risotto was creamy and flavorful, with fresh herbs, and more importantly, perfectly cooked.

All in all, our dinners were exceptional. At the conclusion of our dinner, we noticed that our server was conspicuously absent. As a matter of fact, we hadn’t seen her in over 40 minutes. Bummer.

By the time we were ready to leave, Pangea had filled with hungry clientele. We were able to catch a glimpse of other dishes that were being served, and they all looked extraordinary. Can I recommend Pangea? Absolutely; it serves some of the best food I’ve had had in the city.