La Dama Cooks... Grilled Achiote Chicken Salad

Achiote paste is a popular blend of spices commonly used in Mexico, mainly in the Yucatan. The blend is usually made with annato and can include spices like cumin, clove, allspice, Mexican oregano, salt, pepper and garlic. The annato seed gives food a beautiful red color and all the spices combined add an extreme burst of flavor to your dishes. You dilute the spice in olive oil, any citrus or vinegar for a marinade or use alone. Goes perfect on any meat or seafood but also great to spice up a rice, stew or soup. You can make your own or buy it premade at your local Mexican market. Today, I marinated chicken breast with the achiote, grilled it and chopped it up for a delicious Mexican style chicken salad. This same salad can be made with shrimp. Hope you enjoy!

Serves 4-8
Ingredients


2 lbs or 4 med sized chicken breasts

3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 15 oz can of black beans
1 cup of grilled corn
1 1/2 cups red onion, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp hot sauce such as Tapatio
Lime for garnish

Achiote Marinade

25 grams of an achiote paste such as El Yucateco
(can be purchased at your local Mexican market)
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Achiote Grilled Chicken


In a large bowl, dilute 25 grams of achiote paste in the olive oil, lemon or lime juice. Use a fork to help break it up then add the salt and pepper and mix. Put the chicken in the same bowl and then mix to coat completely with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat a grill pan, gas or charcoal grill on high. Grill the chicken 4-6 minutes on each side until fully cooked then set aside to rest. Let the chicken cool completely then dice.

In a large bowl, add diced chicken, tomatoes, black beans, grilled corn, red onion, cilantro, lemon or lime, salt and hot sauce, then toss well. Serve right away or refrigerate for an hour more so the flavors marry. Garnish with lime.

This Salad can be eaten alone, on a tostada shell, on top of chopped lettuce or cabbage, in a lettuce cup or add a little mayo to some of the salad and put it in a bollio bread (can be purchased in your local Mexican super market) and eat it as a Grilled Achiote Chicken salad Torta.

Enjoy!

Note:
Achiote can stain, so its best to use gloves and wear an apron if you have one. Also, when grilling anything with achiote, it will tend to smoke a bit so open a window and use your exhaust fan. =)

Quick Tip:
Need grilled corn but dont want to put a whole cob on a grill? Heat a cast iron or non stick pan on high, no oil, then throw in your frozen corn, turn heat down to medium high heat and cook until corn has charred to your liking. =)

Ceviche de Camaron (shrimp ceviche) A La Mexicana

Ceviche...Oh how I love me some ceviche! Especially during summer, its such a refreshing, light snack or even meal!  There are several versions of this dish and its more common in coastal regions. My favorite versions come from North, Central and South America and of course our own version here in California.. Traditionally it consist of a fish that has been cooked in a citrus like lemon, lime, oranges and or a vinegar and can include diced tomato, cucumber, avocado, fruit, peppers, herbs, onions and other spices. So many styles out there and La Dama cooks several!

Ceviche should be made with fresh fish and should be eaten within 48 hours. This version I'm sharing today is a traditional Mexican version which is also one of my favorites. Ceviche de Camaron a la Mexicana. "a la Mexicana" means any fish cooked with citrus and includes in it tomato, cilantro, onion, cucumber and sometimes avacado. This version of ceviche can be made with any fish you like! I hope you enjoy it!

Serves 8-10 as an appetizer
2-4 as a meal
Ingredients

1 lb of fresh shrimp or prawn, tail off, deveined and chopped small
Juice of 3 limes
juice of 3 lemons
Juice of 2 oranges

1/2 large cucumber, diced small
2 large plum tomatoes diced small
1/3-1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, diced small
2 jalapenos or serrano, minced or 10-20 drops of your favorite hot sauce such as Tapatio
1 tsp of kosher salt


Directions


Place chopped shrimp into a non-reactive bowl such as glass, plastic or stainless steal and set aside while you juice your citrus. Using a strainer, juice the limes, lemons and oranges using a citrus reamer, through the strainer and into a small bowl. Pour all of the citrus in the bowl with the shrimp and mix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours. The citrus will cook the shrimp. After 1 1/2 hours, pull the shrimp out and mix again. Cover and refrigerate for another 1 1/2 hours.

After 3 hours, pull the shrimp and add to the same bowl the cucumber, tomato, cilantro, red onion Jalapeno or hotsauce and salt. Toss well, cover and refrigerate for another 1 hour if not more.

Ceviche can be eaten with corn chips or corn tostada shells, home made is best!

Enjoy!

La Dama Cooks... Grilled Steak, Arugula and Radish Salad with a Citrus Vinaigrette

This is no boring salad here folks! I made this the other day and it was not only beautiful to look at, but tasty as heck and pretty quick and easy to prepare. I used a gas grill to cook the meat. Hope you enjoy! 

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb and 1 inch thick of steak ( rib eye, skirt, flank or NY, I used rib eye), salt and peppered to your liking

1 7oz bag of baby arugula

6 radishes sliced thin (use a hand mandoline if you have one)

1/2 cup of red onion, thinly sliced and cut against the grain in half circles

Vinaigrette

makes about 1/2 cup dressing

2 tbsp fresh orange or mandarin juice

2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Start with your vinaigrette. Combine all the vinaigrette ingredients above and whisk until emulsified. Taste for salt and set aside. 

Using a gas grill or stove top grill pan, cook meat to your liking. I cook mine medium rare which is on high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side and I let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice the meat about 1/2 inch thick or thinner and keep it in its steak form, then place it in the center of a long square or oval serving plate and set aside while you prepare your salad. Put your arugula, onions, and radishes in a large bowl, whisk the vinaigrette again, pour half of the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well. Add more vinaigrette if you feel its necessary, but don't over dress it.  Surround the meat with the salad and serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

La Dama Cooks... Gerard Nebesky's Paella

When it comes to Paella, Gerard Nebesky, "The Paella Guy" recipe is the way to go in my book. Easy to follow, you can go on line and watch any of his videos and be able to follow what he's doing with no problem. The ingredients he uses are all local and fresh. He uses ocean fresh seafood and at times dives to get it himself right before he starts to make the Paella! How cool is that! He is a master of California style Paella and this recipe is not only beautiful looking when put together, but delicious as well. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do and if you want to see him in action, here he is in Sonoma making one of his famous Paellas.

This recipe serves 10 and requires at least a 20" carbon steel paella pan.

Ingredients

• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 -3 heads garlic, with cloves detached but not skinned
• 6 red peppers (cored, seeded and sliced) or 6 piquillo peppers (cored, seeded and sliced)
• 5 -6 lbs chicken, preferably legs and thighs with bone in
• 4 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 (16 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 6 -7 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 20 -25 saffron threads, crushed
• 2 -2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika (Spanish)
• 4 -5 cups short-grain rice (uncooked)
• 2 (16 ounce) cans garbanzo beans
• 1 lb green beans (could also substitute slender asparagus or baby artichoke hearts)
• 20 -24 jumbo shrimp (16/20 count)
• 20 -24 clams (Manila) or 20 -24 mussels (New Zealand)
• 4 -5 lemons, cut into wedges, for garnish

Directions

1. 1
   Heat the paella pan (or any large, flat bottomed saute pan) over medium-high heat, add olive oil and garlic and fry the peppers (Add more peppers if you want to serve some as an appetizer.)
2. 2
   Remove peppers and set aside.
3. 3
   Add chicken parts to the pan, turning to sear all sides.
4. 4
   When chicken is golden, add the onions and saute until translucent.
5. 5
   Add the tomatoes and the stock and reduce the sofrito base down for about a half hour.
6. 6
   Meanwhile, crush the saffron with the smoked paprika in a mortar and pestle and add it to the stock.
7. 7
   After a half hour, stir in the rice and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
8. 8
   Important: Do not stir or cover the rice; as the rice cooks, add the vegetables and the garbanzo beans.
9. 9
   During the final 10 minutes, poke the shrimp and shellfish into the rice mixture so that they will cook.
10. 10
    You will know the dish is done when you can smell the smoky odor of the rice caramelizing on the bottom of the pan, and all the liquid is absorbed by the rice.
11. 11
    Finish with squirts of lemon and leave lemon wedges in the paella pan or perched along the rim.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    Enjoy!

    
    

    
    

    
    

    

    
    

La Dama Cooks... Ensalada de Nopales Asados (Grilled Cactus Salad)

Nopales (castus) is a traditional Mexican vegetable. Best when grilled and has got to be one of my favorite vegetables ever. Its delicious meaty texture is very satisfying. Grilled nopales can be scrambles with eggs, onion and tomato or can be cooked in a diabla sauce (spicy tomato sauce) and  served as delicious vegetarian breakfast or main dish.  Hope you enjoy it!

Serves 6


Ingredients

4 medium sized nopales (cactus), thorns removed, grilled and diced. Can be purchased without thorns in your local Mexican market.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

2 med tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup red onion, diced
1 cup canned whole black beans
1 jalapeno unseeded, small dice
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
cotija cheese for garnish
hot sauce such as Tapatio

You can purchase the nopales at your local Mexican
super market with the thorns already removed or you can use a veggie peeler or sharp knife to remove the thorn and the "eye" in which they grow.








Brush the nopales on both sides with the olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Grill them (on high) for about 5-6 minutes on each side.  You can grill them over the stove or on an actual outdoor grill.





Once the nopales are done grilling, let them cool for about 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, dice your tomatoes, jalapenos and onions, chop your cilantro and place in a large bowl. Once nopales have cooled, dice them up ans place in bowl along with the rest of the veg. Squeeze your lemon juice, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and salt to taste.

Today I enjoyed my nopales on soft corn tortillas with cotija cheese and hot sauce.

You can enjoy this salad as a salsa with chips or it can be served on a tostada shell and sprinkled with cotija cheese, also served over lettuce and sprinkled with cotija cheese or even on its own.

Enjoy!

La Dama Cooks... Mango Carpaccio Salad with Spicy Cilantro Vinaigrette

Carpaccio doesn't just mean thinly sliced raw meat or fish, it can also mean thinly sliced raw vegetables and fruit. Traditionally, it is thinly pounded down raw beef dressed in a vinaigrette or sauce and eaten on its own or with slices of french bread or baguette. This recipe is with mango and is very refreshing and looks beautiful on the plate. So if you wanna impress your friends with a delicious and beautiful salad, try this recipe...Hope you enjoy it!


Serves 4

Vinaigrette (makes about 1/3 cup)

1 cup packed Cilantro
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Jalapeno
Kosher salt to taste


In a bender, add all of the ingredients above and blend until smooth. Taste for salt and set aside.


Salad

3 ripe but hard mangos, sliced thin with a mandoline
2 cups of microgreens (I like using a rainbow mix)
Coarse  kosher salt or sea salt


Arrange your slices of mango on a plate forming a circle. Sprinkle a little coarse salt and drizzle some of the vinaigrette on the mangos. In a small bowl, lightly toss the microgreens with some of the vinaigrette, then top each plate with the microgreens and serve immediately.


Enjoy!

La Dama Cooks... Roasted Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer.

Vinaigrette

1/2 cup packed basil leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of white wine or champagne vinegar or even fresh lemon juice will work
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, pulse all the ingredients above until smooth. Taste for salt and set aside.

Salad

10 oz cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
8 oz of fresh cherry size mozzarella balls, cut in half
1 tbsp of fresh chopped basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place tomatoes on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste then toss. Make sure tomatoes are facing cut side up and place in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Once done, let the tomatoes cool. In the meantime, cut your mozzarella balls in half.

In a large bowl, add the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, then pour half of the vinaigrette and toss. You can add more vinaigrette if you would like but half should be enough. Serve with slices of toasted baguette.

Enjoy!