Chorizo and Potato Tacos

Maybe I should rename this the taco blog!  I do love a good taco and this is my current favorite.  It might sounds a bit odd to have potatoes in a taco but I can promise you that it is delicious.

The inspiration for these tacos was from a trip to the Mexican island of Cozumel.  We spent a heavenly week there, some years ago, at a lovely resort, sunbathing, scuba diving, snorkling, and of course eating!

On the very last day of our trip, we managed to find the local food market.  And in the middle of the market was a taco stand...a wonderful amazing taco stand with a huge variety of fillings.  One of these fillings was potato and chorizo, and it was sublime.

For the chorizo, I am using the fresh variety which must be cooked, not the dried type that you would eat sliced with cheese.  The flavors are very similar but the texture is different.  If you can't find the fresh type, then you could use the dried but just make sure to chop it quite finely, so you don't get big chunks of hard sausage.

You can use whatever kind of potatoes you like--it doesn't matter whether or not they are a boiling or mashing variety because the potato does not have to hold its shape.

Serves 4 to 5

about 750 grams potatoes
2 onions
400 to 500 grams fresh chorizo
about 12 small flour tortillas
salt and pepper to taste

To garnish
tomatoes
onion
cilantro
avocado
lime

First, you prepare boil the potatoes.  This can be done in advance. Peel the potatoes and put in a pot.  Fill with water and add a generous amount of salt.  Bring to a boil and turn down the heat to medium low.  Boil for 15 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked and are tender and can be easily pierced by a fork.  Drain the water from the potatoes, put a towel over the pot and the lid back on.  Set aside and leave to cool until you are ready to make your taco filling.

Prepare all the ingredients for the taco filling.  Chop the onions into medium sized pieces, chop the cooked potatoes into chunks.  Slice the skin of the chorizo lengthwise and peel off the skin.  Cut the naked chorizo into small chunks.

Heat a pan with a bit of olive oil and add the chorizo and onion. Saute on a medium heat, stirring now and then until the onions start to soften.  Add the potatoes.  Cook, stirring occassionally, until the onions and potatoes have some nice crispy bits and the chorizo is all cooked.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  I find usually that very little salt is necessary since the chorio adds enough flavor.

While this is happening, prepare your garnishes (onion, cilantro, tomato, and avocado), chopping each quite finely and putting them in separate bowls.  Cut a lime into wedges to squeeze over the mixture.

When the taco filling is cooked to your liking, put the pan on the table with the bowls of garnish and let everyone help themselves.

Simple Supper: Lentils, Wilted Spinach and Rice

I love eating this meal because it makes me feel virtuous, yet satisfied.  Lentils are undeniably healthy as well as eco-friendly and they taste delicious.  They are also simple and quick to prepare.

I generally serve these lentils as they are, over rice. Sometimes, I might add a bit of bacon, sauted with the onions at the beginning. They also taste wonderful as a side dish accompanying sausages, duck or lamb.  If you add more water, then it becomes a satisfying soup.

My secret ingredient in this dish is to add a piece of parmesan rind. I always save the hard end bits of the parmesan in a bag in the refrigerator.  Then I throw them into stews and soups.  It adds a subtle unami flavor to the broth.

Finally, don't forget to serve it with lemon wedges and let everyone season their own dish.  The lemon really brightens up the earthy flavor.

Lentils and Spinach:
1 cup small green lentils
4 to 5 cups water
2 carrots
2 onions
2 stalks celery
a few cloves garlic
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
small bunch of your choice herbs
2 bay leaves
a bit of parmesan cheese rind
about 150 grams fresh baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for frying
lemon and parmesan to garnish

Rice:
1 cup white rice
2 cups water

Prepare your vegetables.  Peel and dice the onions and garlic.  Peel and chop the carrots
into small pea-sized pieces.  Chop the celery.

Heat a large pot on medium and put in a tablespoon or two of oil. Add the onions, carrots and celery.  Saute for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the onions are transclucent and starting to color.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the lentils, herbs, bouillon cubes, bay leaves, and parmesan rind. Add 4 cups of water.  Stir until the bouillon cubes are dissolved. Bring the water to a boil, put on the lid and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender but still retain a bit of bite. Taste and adjust for seasoning.  At this stage, you can pull out the bay leaves and the chunk of parmesan rind. Pour in the spinach leaves and put the lid on again.  Wait a minute or two and then stir the spinach into the lentils.  The heat of the lentils will wilt the spinach.

Meanwhile, put the rice and the water in a pot on the stove.  Turn the heat up and bring the water to a boil with the lid on. Immediately turn the stove down to the lowest possible heat, keeping the lid on.  Cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is done.

Serve the lentils on top of the rice.  Garnish with a dusting of parmesan and lemon wedges on the side.

Simple Supper: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

My favorite canned olives are green Spanish olives stuffed with anchovies.  They come in a tall thinnish can and seem to taste the same, regardless of the brand.  You can't really taste the anchovies but they give a delicious "unami" flavor to the olives.  I generally keep a can or two in the cupboard to whip out if guests drop by for a drink.

This zesty pasta has the same "cupboard" mentality because all of the ingredients can usually be found in a well stocked larder. While most recipes for this famous dish use canned tomatoes, I prefer to use fresh ones, even in the winter when tomatoes are not that great. It makes the dish a bit lighter in flavor but by all means, use canned if fresh is unavailable or too fiddly for you.  You can also leave out the thyme and the dish will still taste great.  But if you can be bothered, the fresh thyme sprinkled on top adds a herbal note which contrasts nicely with the vinegary flavors of the olives and capers.

In the summer, this dish tastes fresh but comforting while in the winter, the zesty flavors lift tired palates. So basically, you are good to go, year round.


Serves 4
500 grams spaghetti or other pasta
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, plus extra for garnish
8 medium ripe tomatoes
300 grams olives*
4 tablespoons drained capers
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes, if desired
pinch of sugar if necessary
olive oil

Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.  While the water is heating, start the sauce. Chop the tomatoes with the skins on.  Chop the onion and garlic finely. Chop the thyme.

Add a generous glob of olive oil to a frying pan and turn on the
heat to medium.  Add the onions and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes until translucent.  Add the chopped tomatoes and thyme.  Season with a bit of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, if you are using them.  Stir and let it cook until the tomatoes start to break down.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.  If the mixture starts to look a bit dry, you can add a dash of water or a bit more olive oil. If the tomatoes are not very flavorful, you can add a pinch of sugar to bring out some sweetness.While the tomatoes are cooking, chop the capers and olives.

When the water for the pasta is boiling, add a generous tablespoon or two of salt and add the pasta.  Bring the water back up to boiling, stirring occassionally and cook the number of minutes that is stated on the packet.  When the pasta is done, take a cup of the cooking water and set aside, and then drain the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, add the capers and olives to the tomato sauce.  Stir and simmer for a minute.  Taste and check your seasoning.  If you like it a bit more zesty, you can add some of the juice from the olives or capers.  Let the sauce simmer until the pasta is cooked.  Toss the sauce and the hot pasta together, adding a bit of the pasta water if it looks to dry. Serve with hot, topped with parmesan cheese and a bit of chopped fresh thyme on top.

*If not using olives stuffed with anchovies, add 4 anchovies, finely chopped, with the tomatoes at the beginning.

Simple Supper: Roasted Broccoli and Lemon Farfalle

Although I think that there is nothing more comforting than warming stews and braises when blasted by the snowy days of winter, I sometimes feel the need for something a bit fresher and lighter on the tongue. Something that hints that Spring is coming. This dish fits the bill with the freshness of lemon adding zest to the broccoli and pasta.  The broccoli is roasted which gives a heartier flavor than if you simply sauteed or boiled it. Roasting vegetables in a hot oven like this, simply tossed in olive oil with salt and pepper, can transform even the most mundane into something lovely.  Try it with cauliflower, brussel sprouts, zuchinni, eggplant, and peppers! As a bonus, my kids almost always eat vegetables that I prepare this way.  As there is nothing so frustrating for a parent than preparing dinner and having the kids turn their faces away after a bite or two, this last advantage should not be taken lightly!

Feeds 4

2 to 4 heads of broccoli, depending on the size  (more perhaps than you think you need---it shrinks when it cooks)
1 onion
4 to 6 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
a few rashers of bacon, optional
500 grams of farfalle or your favorite pasta.
parmesan cheese to taste
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put a big pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.  Salt generously and throw in your pasta.  Cook the number of minutes as indicated on the box.  Take a cupful of the cooking water before you drain the pasta and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, heat your oven to 225 C (450F).  Prepare the broccoli by cutting off the stems and breaking the heads into bite-sized florets. Don't throw away the stems! Cut the hard skin off and the inside piece is tender and delicious. The kids and I usually eat these pieces raw as I am cooking but if any survive, they can be roasted with the rest.  Put the cut broccoli onto a baking sheet and sprinkle very generously with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to make sure that the broccoli is evenly coated in oil. Spread out in one layer on the baking sheet and put in the oven.  Stir once or twice while it is cooking.  They are done when they start to have some color and some bits take on a slight char.  It takes about 15 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces and your oven.

While the broccoli is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Slice the onion in half and then slice again into strips.  Peel the garlic and slice. Slice the bacon into thin strips crosswise, if you are using it. Zest the lemon with a grater and then cut the lemon in half.

Heat a pan on medium high heat and put in about two tablespoons

or so of olive oil.  When the oil is hot, put in the bacon, if you are using it, and the onion.  Saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts taking on some color.  Throw in the garlic and stir. Cook further, stirring occasionally, but keeping an eye on the garlic because you don't want it to burn.  As soon as the garlic starts taking on a tiny bit of color (or starts to smell very aromatic) throw in some of the pasta water--about half a cup.  Throw in the lemon zest and squeeze in the juice of half of the lemon.  Stir, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get any lovely caramelized bits into your sauce.  Season with salt.  You can add more pasta water if it all evaporates.

When the pasta is done, mix the pasta with the sauce in the pan and the roasted broccoli. Generously grate in some parmesan.  Toss to mix everything up.  While this pasta does not have much sauce, if it looks and tastes too dry, add in some more olive oil and pasta water.  Taste and adjust the salt, peppar, and lemon juice.

Serve hot with more parmesan and black pepper.  For those who like heat, some red chili pepper flakes would be lovely added into the sauce as it is cooking.

Simple Supper: Sushi Rice Bowl

This is one of my favorite dinners ever. EVER.  It is tasty and delicious but yet it feels fresh when you are eating it.  It is fast and simple to make, and you can vary it depending on your mood.  Need I say more?  It all came about one day when I was planning on having the kids make their own sushi.  I had prepared the rice and all the toppings that the kids like (salmon, cucumber, and avocado) when I realized that I was out of seaweed.  So, I told the kids we would have sushi in a bowl and that is exactly what we did.  Which is when I realized that sushi in a bowl may actually be better than sushi sushi.  At least when prepared at home.  I would love to say that I invented this dish, but no, the Japanese actually already figured it out.  They call this kind of dish donburri, which literally means bowl in Japanese.

First let's talk rice.  You will need to have sushi rice, which is a short-grained rice which has some stickiness to it.  If you get, for example, a Chinese rice, which is medium grained, you will not have sufficient stickiness to make good sushi.  In California, you are spoilt for choice because sushi rice is grown there.  Here in Sweden, I just get the brand that is sold in every market in the international section.  This is my favorite type of rice and I serve it with everything, unless I am specifically wanting a different texture.  Now, here is the trick that turns a bowl of rice into sushiness. Ready?  Seasoned rice vinegar.  Sprinkled liberally into the hot freshly cooked rice and then tossed until it is fully incorporated, rice vinegar adds salt, sugar, and a touch of acidity which makes the rice extra delicious.  Make sure that you buy seasoned rice vinegar.  If you are unsure, check the ingredients list. If it containes sugar, then you are good.  I let everyone sprinkle soysauce on, to their taste.  To be honest, the rice tastes so good with just the vinegar, you barely need soysauce.  When buying soysauce, the best kind is feremented and brewed naturally. Modern techniques have allowed soysauce to be made more quickly using hydrolyzed soy protein which also allows it to have a longer shelf life but tastes a bit different.  While we Westerners tend to think of soysauce as a single item, there are dozens of different types of soysauce which vary in thickness, sweetness, and saltiness.  For a reliable soysauce, I always buy the Japanese Kikkoman brand, which is traditionally fermented and brewed.

Let's talk fish.  Any kind of fish would taste great in this dish.  I tend to use salmon because that is the easiest to get here in Sweden. While any good salmon will be delicious, if I can get it, I buy Salmalax.  This is salmon that has been processed within four hours from catching it.  It is beautifully butchered into perfect pieces with no bones or skin and tastes clean and fresh.  So when I want to do a raw salmon preparation, or seared, as I like for this dish, then Salmalax is perfect.  It is more expensive but I think the results are worth it.

Last but not least, what kind of additional toppings go on the rice?  If I am really in a hurry, I just peel and slice a cucumber and an avocado and I am done. But if I have a bit more time, I like to add soybeans.  These beautiful little green gems taste delicious and are easy to do.  Why?  Because they are sold pre-cooked and frozen. This is one vegetable that is not better fresh because the raw bean is actually toxic.  You just grab a box of these from your freezer, throw them in a pot of water and bring it up to a boil.  Drain, sprinkle with some seasalt and you are done.

Finally, if I have time, I like to add a green vegetable.  Bok choi, a mild flavored Chinese
cabbage is my number one choice, if I can find it.  But otherwise, any green like spinach, kale, or cabbage will be equally delicious, stir-fried quickly with some garlic. Green beans or broccoli are also delicious cooked this way.

The last touch is to add some seaweed to the dish.  I like to get seasoned and roasted seaweed, which I then cut into small pieces. Even in Sweden, you can sometimes find this sold as a little snack packet.  If I can't find that, I mimic it by brushing sheets of sushi seaweed with a bit of oil, sprinkling some salt and then searing it for a second or two in a hot pan.  It is definitely not necessary, but my kids love it, so I try to get it if I can.

Phew!  That is a lot of explaining for a dish that is so easy to make.

Serves 4

For the rice:
1.5 cups sushi rice
3 cups water
seasoned rice vinegar

Put the water and rice in a pot with the lid on.  Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat to the lowest possible setting on your stove, and leave it to cook for 20 minutes, by which time it should be perfectly done.  Take the pot off the stove and shake in some rice vinegar.  Start with two or three tablespoons, and then toss the rice with a fork to incorporate.  Taste and add more vinegar if you like.

While the rice is cooking, prepare your other ingredients.

For the Salmon:
About 600 grams of salmon fillet
oil for the pan
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the salmon into 4 to 6 pieces.  Rub each piece with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a pan to very hot.  Add a bit of oil to the pan and lay in the salmon.  The fish should sizzle when you lay it in the pan.  If it does not, the pan is not hot enough.  If you want the fish just seared, then lay it in the pan for not more than a minute and then flip over for another minute.  The fish (depending on the thickness of the piece) should be raw in the center.  If you like it more well done, simply cook it for longer.

For the soybeans:
Take a packet of frozen beans, normally about 250 grams. Cook as per the instructions on the box, i.e. by putting the beans in water and bringing to a boil.  Drain and then sprinkle with sea salt.

For the greens:
Vegetable of your choice
cloves of garlic
salt to taste
water

Slice 4 cloves of garlic.  Slice whatever greens that you have chosen into bite sized pieces.  For example, spinach can be cooked whole but kale should be chopped up.  Put a cup of water to the side of the stove. Heat up a frying pan to very hot and put some oil in it.  Throw in the garlic, stir once, and then immediately throw in the greens. Season with a bit of salt.  Stir and cook until the vegetable start to take on a little color, making sure that the garlic does not burn.  If you feel like the garlic might start to burn, throw in a bit of water in the pan. It will start to evaporate immediately, steaming the vegetables. Continue to add water until the vegetable is cooked to your liking. Spinach will need little, if any water, while green beans will need quite a lot to become tender.

To serve, put a portion of rice in a bowl.  Arrange the toppings on top.  Sprinkle with soysauce and seaweed, if desired.  Eat heartily because it is as healthy as it is delicious!

Simple Supper: Zucchini and Leek Pasta

"No onion," scolded my friend Jessica.  She had just come from Italy and was showing me how to make a zucchini pasta sauce that she had there.  "Ok," I replied, "but how about a little garlic, then?"  "No garlic," Jessica said exasperatedly, "Just the zucchini."  Jessica's sauce was very simple.  Just grated zucchini, sauteed slowly in a lot of olive oil until it melted down into a thick sauce.  On pasta with grated parmesan, she was right.  It didn't need anything else.  It tasted fresh, like the essence of summer.  However, in the middle of winter with zucchini out of season and without much flavor, Jessica's sauce would need a bit more.  I couldn't quite bring myself to put an onion in it, but surely Jessica could have no objections to a lovely leek?  And really, some garlic couldn't be wrong.  Of course some basil to add a bit of zest. This is fresh and yet warm and comforting.  A glimpse of summer for the winter.

Serves 4

2 to 3 medium sized zucchini
1 leek
4 cloves of garlic
generous handful of basil
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
500 grams of your favorite pasta

First, put a big pan of water on the stove for the pasta.  Salt generously once the water is boiling and cook the pasta for the number of minutes indicated on the packet.  I like to use a penne or farfalle pasta which will take up plenty of the sauce.

Meanwhile, prepare your vegetables.  Rinse off the zucchini and grate them.  Slice the leek in half.  Rinse carefully to get any grit from between the leaves.  Slice into rounds.  Roughly chop the basil.  Peel the garlic and chop.

Heat a saute pan and add a generous amount of olive oil, about 3 to 4 tablespoons.  When the oil is hot, throw in the leek and a pinch of salt and stir for about a

minute on high heat until it starts to wilt.  Throw in the garlic and stir for another minute.  Then add the grated zucchini.  Add another pinch of salt and stir.  Add some more olive oil if you feel it is getting dry.  Turn the heat down to medium and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally.  When the zucchini starts to break down, the sauce is ready.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and throw in the basil and give it a final stir.

Drain the pasta when it is cooked, saving a cup of the water. Toss the hot pasta in the sauce and stir until it is coating all the pasta.  I like to do this with a pair of tongs.  Add a bit of the pasta water if it seems a bit dry, and you can even add a bit more olive oil.

Incorporate about two tablespoons of grated parmesan into the sauce and stir.  Serve the pasta hot with more parmesan on top.

Simple Supper: Basil Pesto Pasta

I can still remember in the 1980s when basil pesto (pesto alla genovese) became fashionable in Los Angeles where I grew up.  Suddenly, it was on every restaurant menu and bottles of pesto appeared in the pasta aisle in the supermarket.  No one really knew how this mysterious sauce was made, but it seems to involve a lot of hand grinding, so the best course of action was to buy the jar, or even better, the sort-of-freshly-made-plastic-canister in the refrigerated section.  We didn't know any better and it tasted pretty good.  Fast forward to the 1990s and my first trip in Italy. There, in any grocery store, you could find a big bowl of what looked like freshly made pesto. Glistening bright green with flecks of cheese, this looked and tasted amazing.  It tasted reminiscent of the pesto of my childhood but better. A lot better.

Some years later, my best friend was married in Italy and the first course of her wedding supper was basil pesto.  It was served in the traditional way, with green beans and potato mixed in with the pasta.  It was so delicious that I had two helpings, despite that this was just the beginning of a five course meal.

When I finally made pesto myself, I was shocked to realize how

simple it was to make at home, and I find it now hard to understand how anyone could buy the jarred kind.   Perhaps the mystery lies in that you really need to have a food processor or what I like to term a "woozy woo", which is a mini food processor (if you don't have one of these, I suggest you buy one immediately).  If you don't have one of these two items, then indeed, making the sauce by hand in a mortor and pestle could be time consuming...although I bet it really isn't that hard...maybe I will try sometime.  In the meantime, here is how to make one of my family's favorite dishes.  I have substituted tomatoes for the potatoes in the traditional dish, which I think makes for a fresher dish.


Feeds 4 as a main course, 6 to 8 as a side dish

For the pesto sauce

2 bunches basil
50 grams parmesan
75 grams pine nuts
pinch salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, according to your taste
about 1/3 cup olive oil

For the pasta
150 grams haricot vert
300 grams cherry tomatoes
400 grams spaghetti or other pasta

Garnish
grated parmesan
a sprinkle of pine nuts


Put a big of water to boil.  Don't forget to liberally salt it.

While you are waiting for the water to boil, prepare your pesto.  In

your food processor, put in a pinch of salt, the pine nuts, parmesan,
garlic and basil. Add in about half of the oil.  Pulse to mix.  If the mixture seems dry and is not grinding smoothly, add some more oil.  You want a thick paste that still has some texture.  You can always add more olive oil if necessary.  Taste.  It should be very flavorful. If it tastes a bit flat, then add a pinch more salt or some more parmesan.  If it is too strong, then add a bit more pine nuts to give it a creamier mellow taste.  Remember, though that the flavor will be very diluted by the pasta so it should be strong.  Set aside.

Prepare the green beans by chopping off the tops and tails.  I like to chop mine in half because it makes it easier to eat.  Slice each cherry tomato in half.

When the water is boiling, add in your pasta and cook for the number of minutes it says on the packet.  About 3 to 4 minutes before the pasta is done, put in the green beans.  When the time is up, take a mug or measuring cup and scoop out a cup of the pasta water and set aside.  Drain the pasta and green beans in a colander. Put the pasta and beans back in the pot (or in a big serving bowl) and pour over the pesto sauce.  Using a big pair of tongs, toss the pasta until the pesto evenly coats the pasta.  If it seems a bit dry, add a bit of the pasta water.  Add the tomatoes, and do a last toss.

Serve hot with more grated parmesan and a sprinkle of pine nuts.