Tailgate Feasts

It's that time of year when stadium arking lots have tantalizing aromas.It's tailgate season and that means delicious bites .They're always fun to make and just loaded with taste. Yet what's the best? There's is a list.

Regular contributors Ranya Sichynsky and Margaux Laskey compiled two pages of delicious recipes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Many of their fellow New York Times contributors, like Ali Slagle gave some neat recipes that can be made all year round.Lidey Heuck contributed her turkey Reuben sliders which are also perfect for a wintry weekend. It starts with those honey sweet Hawaiian rolls and they're filled with deli bought turkey  slices,sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. There;s Russian dressing for dipping.Ali Slagle gives chicken wings but baked ones, rich with  a buffalo style hot sauce and a cooling Blue cheese dipping sauce. She also has a Buffalo chicken dip made with two cups shredded cooked chicken(think rotisserie here)To give it creaminess she blends cream and cheddar cheese together. I t can be served with veggies and both potato and tortilla dips.Every meals needs veggies so J-Jaye Shackelford Hurley has her crunchy veggie slaw. What akes it different is the addition of crunchy ramen noodles that will soften thanks to the soy sauce,apple cider and sugar dressing.

What's a tailgating party without nachos? The great chef Pati Jinich gives her bricklayer nachos which are also perfect for any holiday party this is rich in bacon and chorizo along with all sorts of spicy chilis.It's topped with a variety of gooey cheeses like Montery Jack and Mexican cheeses like Oaxaca and Asadero. Sue Li gives a nother fun nibbles dish.Her Taiwanese popcorn chicken with fried basil has the bite of Chinese five star spice powder which has clove and Chinese cinnamon mixed with Szechuan pepper. More Szechuan peppercorns are added to tapioca flour.This is used to give the chicken a crispy layer of batter. There is more chicken in Millie Pear Tree;s sweet and savory chicken meatballs what makes these so unusual is the addition of Jamaican jerk seasoning such as Grace or Walker wood.To container act this si the glaze, a blend of pineapple juice dark brown sugar, Worcester sauce and ketchupGarlic is added for more zing as is a pinch of red pepper flakes and onion powder. Yes there is dessert. Lidey Heuck gives the basic brownie recipe, made with rich cocoa powder and semi sweet chocolate chip cookies. She recommends adding sprinkles  on top in your teams favorite colors for a more festive look.

It;s tailgating season.Have a good party with these yummy recipes..They;re perfect for the stadium parking lot but also perfect for any party at any time of the year.

Conchas A Mexican Treat

 The French may have the croissant but the Mexican have the concha. This delightful roll is m every bakery and a treat to eat. It's also an easy bake to make for a weekend brunch.

Pati Jinich a regular contributor , cookbook author and the host of the PBS series Pati's Mexican Table wrote about this classic in yesterday's new York Times Food section,. A concha is simply a bun with a crisp tender top, many peaked like that of a seashell, hence the name. They're sold in Mexican bakeries or panderias and they're an integral part of everyday life and celebrations. They're so beloved that there are even pillows and slippers in their shape.Like croissants or rolls, they can be eaten for breakfast with  milk, coffee or hot chocolate and turned into a sandwich for lunch or even dinner. However most of  them have a stale bread base and tasteless toppings. Yet many still want them. In Mexico City they are immensely popular, Bakers strive for affordable prices at a cost.Butter is reduced in the recipe and cheaper vegetable shortening is added. Water is subbed in for milk and sometimes eggs are entirely skipped.It makes  for a spongy concha that needs to be dunked in hot coffee according to Francisco Migoya , a Mexican chef and author of Modernist Bread.

Conchas can be easily baked at home You will need a concha mold which you can buy a silicone mold or cutter on Amazon though to create that seashell shape..Keep in mind there should be a right amount of fat, whether it be lard, butter or shortening. Lard is used  in traditional kitchens however the conchas will stay flat and be dense. Butter is your best bet because it doesn;t weigh down the rise  and gives the buns a pillowy puff and delicate taste.The dough needs to be needed a lot. It will seen wet at first but then gets stickier with each push and pull. Follow Chef Migoya's stretch and fold way for a tender texture. The topping is just as important as the body. Make sure there are ridges . These hold the concha together during the first bite (a flat one would shatter to pieces)Ms. Jinich's recipe is forty percent topping as opposed to just ten per cent.There are cocoa, dulce de leche and vanilla. These are made sort of like icing  with a certain thickness to them. You will also have to dip the mold in flour before using them. Once made they do have to be proofed for  anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours.Its then baking them for  twenty minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit.

Conchas are the perfect bite whether for breakfast or a snack. Homemade ones are the absolute treat. Bake them and taste this traditional Mexican treat.

Nacho Bowls Layers Of Flavor

 Pati Jinich's New York Times Food  nacho article inspired me to create my own nacho dish. Her bricklayer nacho dish gave me an idea. Supposed the nachos were layered in individual bowls with  the meat and veggies cooked and the rest of the ingredients put on in bright tiers? I gave it a shot.

Bricklayer's nachos have three kinds of meat, I made a vegan version using Morningstar Farms, vegan beef crumbles.

It was just skillet sauteing them with about two to three tablespoons of olive oil. It was then adding the holy trinity of Mexican cooking.

Heady dashes of onion powder, chili powder and cumin were sprinkled in along with garlic powder.

It was then adding one  chopped yellow pepper.

along with one  sliced vine ripe tomato.

Cook all this for a few minutes then start layering.

It's first taking the nachos. I used Late July's . They don't have an oily aftertaste like some other tortilla chips and they are extra crispy.

Layer these evenly, then spoon on the meat and veggies.

Another layer of chips.

Then it's the toppings.

I used Acme's brand of salsa, the mild O Organics and Go Veggie Mexican soy cheese mix. You can add what you want here to suit your tastes.

                                          Sliced avocados topped this. You can also add jalapenos and sliced                                                        black olives too if you want.

I loved this version of bricklayer nachos. They're a fun crunchy dinner, stacked with all sorts of flavors and textures. I would definitely make this again. It's that good. Variations abound here. Use real meat whether beef or chicken. Top with bacon crumbles or use salsa verde instead of the tomato salsa.

Nacho bowls are a fun dinner. They 're filling while being healthy and delicious. The flavors and textures are the perfect antidote to livening up the week or weekend.

The Thrill Of Pure Nachos

 Who doesn't love nachos, especially with hot gooey cheese on top? it's one of the best snacks out and definitely fun and delicious to make at home. There are so many variations to choose from  , all tasty.what's best is that the base, tortilla chips are easy to bake at home.

Famed Mexican cook and writer , Pati Jinich, star of the PBS show Pati's Mexican Table wrote a very informative article in today's New York Times Food section. Nachos are not an ancient Mexican dish going back centuries but rather a post World War II Mexico creation. The border city of Piedras Negras in the province of Coahuila, is their birthplace, across from a military base in Eagle Pass Texas. The wives from the base often went across the Rio Grande to shop and eat. They stopped for a drink and a bite at the Victory Club where the maitre' d'hotel , Ignacio Anaya was working. Unfortunately there was no one in the kitchen so Ignacio or as he was known Nacho (which is a nickname for Ignacio) created a quick appetizer with what was in the kitchen at the time. There were corn tortilla chips or totopos, government issued Colby cheese and jalapenos. The wives loved it so much they asked for seconds and it became a standard at the Victory Club. Fast forward to the Seventies where Frank Liberto, a Texas businessman took the dish to the masses thanks to an emulsified cheese sauce. It stayed liquidy without being heated up and an easy to assemble pump for dispensing. They were quickly sold at balls games and malls, Now there's even a Nacho Festival where the requirements are the basic ingredients.

Nachos are a fun dish that's easy to interpret. Ms. Jinich includes the recipe for homemade tortilla chips.It's a simple make whether baked or fried. You just need  about thirty fresh corn tortillas and sea salt to bring out the flavor. Each  tortilla has to be cut into six equal pieces and either deep fry or bake. Just use your air fryer for a much easier and less messier method. The original recipe calls for shredded Colby cheese which has the appropriate bite and pickled jalapenos.Ms. Jinich also includes the recipe for these too.They're sort of like a fiery giardineria with the inclusion of carrots and pearl onions. Brown sugar is added for some sweetness along with two kinds of vinegar to balance it. Then there is the bricklayer style nachos. This is almost like a casserole thanks to the different layers. .Ms. Jinich combines bacon with Mexican chorizo and layers this mouth watering mix with beef sirloin and Roma tomatoes.This is layered over the chips like mortar over bricks. A melty cheese like Moneterey Jack or Oaxaca is then crumbled on top. You can even use mozzarella too if these aren't available. It''s then baked in a 400 degree F oven for eight to ten minutes. You can add sliced avocado crumbled queso fresca and scallions. Black olives are also a good topping too.

Nachos are a fun, tasty dish that work as a snack or as a meal. Make the original or the bricklayer's version for a flavorful combination of tortillas, cheese and jalapenos. Then enjoy this well loved classic!

The Ritual Of Carne Asada

Carne asada is more than just a meal. In the Northern Mexico , in the Sonora region it's a family gathering. With it also comes ones of the best dinners, so different than what is often thought of Mexican food. It is tacos and guacamole but much more traditional and delicious.

Pati Jinich, the great host of PBS's Pati's Mexican Table and winner of two James Beard awards. wrote this fascinating piece in today's New York Times Food section. She visited families who hosted these weekly dinners before the lock down shook the world. You have to be invited to these and invitations are few and far between in this area  on the Gulf of California.  Chef Jinich also got to interview cooks, growers, ranchers, and butchers along with farmers merchants and even artists for her television show. What is surprising is that it's not the most expensive cut of meat that's used but more a fresh tasty piece of meat. The traditional cuts are unfussy and unfriendly. Think diezmillo or chuck roll or palomilla or top sirloin. These cuts are commonly cooked low and slow but in Sonora sliced thin and cooked fast over a high heat. It's usual for people to opt for one cut or the other but most choose both. The meat is cooked over mesquite on an open charcoal grills. The grill grate is first cleaned with a white onion and then greased with a chunk of beef fat.

Tomatoes, onions and chiles are also grilled. This lets their juices run and they are then mashed into a roasted salsa. After them comes the meat. seasoned with only sea salt. How to test if it's hot enough. According to local chefs hold a hand out a beer can's length above the coals for four or five seconds. If; it;s less ,it;s too hot and the heat has to be reduced. Too long and it's needs to be hotter. There are other recipes that round out the meal. Chef Jinich includes a fire roasted salsa  that's so simple to make. Yes, there's guacamole but without the lime.Hers has two kinds of chiles, both Anaheim and serrano, along with a lot of cilantro. There are also refried beans. These are pinto beans cooked with dried Colorado (also known as California and New Mexico) pepper. Any kind of Mexican cheese can be added, from
asadero, quesadilla, Montery Jack or Oaxaca. The beans are actually cooked twice, not really refried. They're first boiled with the onions and chiles , then blended in a blender. It's then cooking them in a casserole dish with the grated cheese. As a side there's a grilled corn ,asparagus and spring onion salad. The veggies are grilled first then cut and the corn kernels shucked off the corn cobs. This is where the lime juice comes in  with the dressing.Maggi, a kind of soy sauce is added for unami notes along with Worcester  sauce and vegetable oil.

A carne asada is a special meal in Sonora. Try these recipes to recreate all the wonderful flavors and aromas of Northern Mexico. They're a tasty reminder of a great dinner with friends and family.

Tasty TV Tidbits

The fall season has most people glued to their TVs and devices, watching and binge watching new or favorite shows.This also applies to food shows both on the PBS and the Cooking Channel. Two stand out , Pati's Mexican Table from Public Television and  Food : Fact Or Fiction.

The first show has been on for five years. It's even received   accolades  worthy of the more well known  Cook's Country or Jacques Pepin's Heart and Soul and has received Emmy and James Beard nominations. The host is the lively and ever enthusiastic Pati Jinich. She actually started out as a political analyst with a Masters in Latin American studies.The show started in 2011, with Ms. Jinich showing how to make different recipes but also trying and tasting them with her friends and sons.Her career, though began in 2007 when she left policy making for her passion  cooking her native food. She launched Pati's Mexican Table, an ongoing series of culinary programs comprised of interesting talks and lectures, cooking demonstrations and tasting tables.What is great about her program is that it's not just a general blanket of Mexican cooking. She shows the various regions and the ingredients local to the area.It's not only tacos and guacamole..It's so much more. Ms. Jinich has done shows revolving around paletas, Mexican ice pops.Mexican brunches, and street food.She combines foods that normally wouldn't go together such as guacamole and steak, along with providing drink recipes too,It's a lively show and informative, especially for those home chefs who want to break out of the typical taco and tortilla box.

The second show is a fun history and food show, Fact Or Fiction.  T Michael McKean is the host., He first started out as Lenny on the Seventies TV show "Laverne & Shirley".along with being a fixture in many Christopher Guest movies.  You would think he wouldn't be a good match but he is. His laid back style , sometimes serious , is perfect for this witty , well crafted and fast paced show. Questions are posed and then there's facts backing them up or if they're fiction. One poser was did the Italians invent pizza?What followed was an interesting collage of history , fact and a pizza expert showing how the ancient Persians made something similar with flatbread and their shields.Another fascinating segment was questioning where hamburgers came from. It was a surprise to know that Genghis and Kubla Khan had a hand in its' invention. How? The Tartars brought it to the Russians where it was transformed into the raw meat dish, steak Tartare. From there it went to Hamburg, Germany via Russian sailors and the rest is history. Again it's a fun and informative  piece that Mr. McKean tells with the enthusiasm of a cool and relaxed history prof, inviting you to share a burger with him at his place.

There are some good television shows on right now., especially those centered around cooking and food. Take a look at both Pati's Mexican Table and Food Fact Or Fiction. They'll het the appetite for good food and where it came from.