Tuesday, October 28, 2008




Tortilla Soup and Shrimp and Avocado Salad

I roasted a turkey last week, so I had this carcass and left over turkey meat waiting in the freezer and I decided to use my tortilla soup recipe (usually I make it with chicken) with the turkey. It turned out delicious. It was a rich broth with the perfect balance of spicy hot peppers-I used bird's eye instead of the jalapeno because I had them growning outside-tart fresh lime juice, and the pungence of cilantro. All cooked together with some tomatoes, corn, celery, and onion. The garnishes were crisp fried flour tortillas, lime wedges, and queso fresco. Very comforting on chilly night.

Since it was my day off I wanted to make it a bit more special than a soup supper, so I made a crab and avocado salad to eat with crackers and poured myself a glass of prosecco. I purchased some "Annie's Natural" salad dressing (papaya poppyseed) to dress the avocado-sort of disappointing, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper would have been much better.




Friday, October 17, 2008


More Classes


Earlier this week I taught at the Dierberg's School of Cooking. Dierberg's is a local grocery chain, with really terrific produce and meats. In several of their stores they also have a demonstration kitchen, and I teach in several of them when my restaurant schedule permits. They really are a nice facility with a beautiful lay-out and centerpiece visibility. This week I presented my Argentinean steak Chimichurri, shrimp empanadas, arugula, avocado, and papaya salad, and lime tequila tarts. Here is the chimichurri recipe.


1/4 cup minced garlic

1/4 cup minced shallot

1 cup chopped frsh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes

1 cup of olive oil (extra virgin)

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice

1 small carrot, grated


Pulse all of the ingredients, except the carrot, in a food processor. The sauce should not be pureed, but should remain chunky. Fold in the carrot. Spoon the sauce over grilled steaks.