Old Memories and Steak Picado

I reached back into the past for tonight's supper of Steak Picado. As with many of the old school meals that I enjoy cooking, there is a personal memory involved.

In 1974 I was working with my uncle Joe "Angel" Moreno. He was married to my aunt Margaret, my mother's sister.  He was the foreman of a midsized Furniture company (Monarch Furniture) that produced sofas, loveseats, chairs and any and all upholstered furniture. He ran the mill that made all the wood frames for the furniture. I was nineteen at the time. It was during this time that we had a chance to really get to know each other. 

It was also during this time that he taught me to make Steak Picado. This was his undisputed favorite dish. I can hear him now, all these years later, "Randy, don't cut your onions so big! No one wants to bite into a large piece of onion". I feel lucky and Blessed that he took the time to show me. I was thinking about my uncle Angel tonight as I was cooking. He was one those special people in my life. I have never forgotten him.

Steak Picado is diced or cubed beef (I use sirloin) cooked with onion, bell peppers, tomato, garlic and tomato sauce, plus seasoning. It starts off with  somewhat of a stir fry and than a short braise, about 20-30 minutes. I made some pintos and rice to go with it.

This is a fairly mild dish, unless you consider bell pepper spicy. I had a hot jalapeño on the side because as everyone knows, "Comida sin chile no es comida!" (A meal without chile is no meal!)

God Bless you, enjoy your memories and stay safe.

A Bowl of Pozole

I do believe that those folks that live back east, or any state in the colder climes, have to chuckle a bit when we talk about the "cold" weather. Who can blame them? We are after all, "Sunny California".  Not that we don't have real winter weather, we do, especially in the Sierrras, the San Gabriel's or the High Desert,  just not so much in the Southern California low lands.

Still, there is nothing like a good soup or stew to take the chill out of a man. Tonight's supper did just that, a steaming hot bowl of Pozole, or if you live down New Mexico way, Posole. Either way nothing says December like a bowl of Pozole. It's a big deal during the Christmas holiday.

Tender chunks of pork shoulder, hominy (posole) red chile, onion and other seasonings and topped with cabbage,  radishes, onions cilantro, and a squeeze of lime, all are optional. 

Anyway, that was my long winded way of saying I had a nice supper tonight. I hope you did too. God Bless you and enjoy your evening.

Green Chile Burrito

I made this burrito at home recently, with Tri-Tip, green chilies, tomatoes, onions and garlic, along with a few spices. A simple meal but like everything else, simple is almost always best. Mexican, New Mexican, Tex'Mex and Cali-Mex, it just doesn't get any better. I don't drink anymore but an ice cold beer would work here!!

Green Chile

Tonight's Green Chile was fantastic. My wife was showing her Tex-Mex roots and took a different route today. She used a “Chili Grind” beef, in other words beef cut for Chili, as opposed to Chile (with an E). The texture and taste was phenomenal. I don't know if the picture does it justice.

Green Chile (Chile Verde) in any form, with any meat is my favorite meal period. For my family it's more than a favorite meal. It's an edible family heirloom, passed on from my grandfather to my father, to me and for the last several years, my wife Jeri. We all love it.

My father was from New Mexico and that was the food he loved. My mother learned to cook the food he loved. Jeri has also learned to cook the food I love.

Hard Shell or Soft Shell Tacos?

It's Taco Tuesday so let me ask you this: Do you prefer hard shell tacos (Tacos Dorados) or soft shell tacos?

I grew up with my mother's hard shell tacos. It was all I knew. Later my wife made the hard shell tacos she learned from her mother.

The hard shell taco is a product of Mexican American (or Chicano) and not so much Mexican cooking and in all it's forms it probably is a product of Tex Mex cooking.The hard shell taco means home to me.

I was 19 the first time I had a soft shell taco. In reality it is just called a taco. My uncle Angel, who grew up in Boyle Heights never saw one either. When I began working with him in 1974, he told me to get some tacos off the lunch tuck. I did and it was the beginnng of a beautiful relationship!

I'm not saying they were not around at all, I'm saying I never saw them at the restaurants, or burrito stands or trucks until 1974. It was probably different at home, just not my home.

It seems like almost over night they were everywhere. The competition was tough so they had to be good. Mexican food began to change during the mid to late 1970's. This was the beginning of authentic Mexican cooking.

Still, when I hear someone say "Taco" it's my wife's hard shell tacos that comes to mind. It means home!

Ceviche de Camaron y Pescado (Shrimp and Fish Ceviche)

It is said that California enjoys the beautiful Mediterranean like climate. I think they have it all wrong. It is the Mediterranean that enjoys the beautiful California like climate!

It has been an absolutely gorgeous day in Southern California, The wife and I are kicking it the backyard enjoying some freshly made Ceviche de Camaron y Pescado (Shrimp and Fish Ceviche) and a cold beer. It doesn't get any better (or healthier) than this.

Braised Short Ribs, Potatoes and Onions

Today's lunch of meaty beef short ribs cooked long and slow with a Mirepoix, chicken stock, onion and potatoes (forgot the carrots). It was absolutely delicious! 

Meatball Sandwich

Tonight's supper: Meatball Sandwich - Chicano Style - with red chile sauce (Chile Colorado), Manchego cheese and a Bolillo roll It didn't last long. 

Cheap Eats: Tamales and Chili

I just finished my lunch of tamales & chili. These are not the real deal Mexican tamales. These are are the Xlint brand tamales. They match up well with chili. They can be found in almost any super market.

Back in the day when I was growing up you could find some version of this in just about any burger joint or diner. I don't see them around too much any more. I usually order this when Jeri and I go to Crony's in East L.A.

I'm not sure if this is just an L.A. or west coast thing but it's one of the good cheap eats I grew up with. I still need a fix from time to time.

Lunch at Casa De La O

Street style tacos made at home with pork, simmering long and slow, with New Mexico green chile. Because tacos are an essential ingredient to a happy life!

Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup

Homemade Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup for supper tonight. It was delicious and satisfying and the meat was falling apart tender. Browning the beef - I used stew beef and boneless short ribs - as well as the onions gave the broth a rich and delicious texture.

A Bowl of Pozole

 

The Dog Days of Summer are behind us now and the cooler weather is coming. Over the last decade or so, Fall has become my favorite season. It spells relief from the heat. It's easier to find comfort.

Fall also means soups and stews. My wife will show her Texas roots by making a Tex Mex Guisado, a beef stew Tex Mex style (the leftovers make good a burrito filling). Caldo de Pollo, Cocido, Chile Verde and Chile Colorado are also perfect for the season. At the top of the list is Pozole - in New Mexico it is spelled Posole - and that is what we made last night. Pork shoulder,pig feet (optional), hominy and red chile (We use New Mexico Red Chile). The proper condiments are cabbage, radishes, onions, cilantro, and lemons or limes. This is comfort food. It does't get any simpler or any better than this.

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

A recent meal at our house. As much as I love Mexican cooking, I do enjoy other types of food. Shrimp Scampi is one of our favorites and is actually pretty easy to put together.We also made Bruschetta with tomato and basil. We almost always top it with feta cheese but I forgot to buy it at the market. It was still very good but it lacked that extra zing that feta cheese gives it. next time I'll write it down!

I was a cook at JoJo's Restaurant in Ontario, California in 1977, the first time I tasted Shrimp Scampi. There has an older cook - I don't remember his name - that was at one time a promising chef but he was down on his luck working as a short order cook. He would make lunch for himself and it was always something that was not on the menu. Shrimp Scampi was one of those things he would make. A food memory.

Short Ribs in New Mexico Red Chile

Tonight's dinner: Short Ribs in New Mexico Red Chile with baby gold and red potatoes, carrots and onions. This can also be made with flanken style short ribs but I prefer the English cut. They hold up much better during a long braising. I'm not going to lie. It was delicious!

Musubi by Savannah

Musubi by Savannah Guerrero

I love that my kids enjoy eating and cooking. I haven't traveled the world yet but in our kitchen my wife and I have taken them across the country and around the world. It's nice to see that it has rubbed off. This is my youngest daughter Savannah's first attempt at Musubi, a popular snack food in Hawaii.

Canter's Deli for Lunch

It's been hot here lately in SoCal, a little too hot to cook. So when it came time for lunch yesterday Jeri and I felt like eating out. We decided on Canter's Deli in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. Of course, Canter's is much more than a deli, it's a full service restaurant dedicated to serving the Jewish community in Los Angeles. There is however, a little something for everyone. I saw quesadilla's on the menu too, so Canter's is making changes and adapting with the changes taking place in L.A. Still, the heart and soul of Canter's is Jewish and that is a beautiful thing.

I started with the matzo ball soup. Matzo ball soups is like a restorative to me, maybe it's the chicken broth I also ordered the Bronx Special, a combination of their delicious pastrami and chopped liver served open face on rye. It was absolutely delicious. For my drink I ordered egg cream.

Cantor's Deli on Fairfax

Canter's Matzo Ball Soup 

(Egg Cream on the right)

Pastrami and Chopped Liver on Rye

BBQ Beef Brisket

Jagerhaus Authentic German Restaurant

My wife Jeri and I went to Jagerhaus, in Anaheim, yesterday, on the recommendation of some acquaintances. We went for an early dinner.  I had been searching for a good German restaurant in the local area and was anxious to give it a try.

A soon a we walked in it was like jumping back in time, with it's somewhat kitschy 60's and 70's old school décor. Mugs, plates and other German paraphernalia on the wall. It was all good though. There  was a very comfortable feeling about the place. I was a little concerned  when I saw the place was almost empty. There was one large crowd there but other than that it was empty. To be fair it was about 2:45 pm, so were were between lunch and dinner crowd.

When we first walked in I didn't think anyone had seen us. We waited for a few moments but still no one showed up to the front. I was considering leaving when I saw an old cast iron bell and I assumed it was a “ring for service” bell. It wasn't. It was extraordinarily loud. The maitre'd/waiter came running and shot me a look. “Sorry but nobody came and I thought I was supposed to ring the bell”.  He mumbled something under his breath that sounded like “I knew you were here”. I just shrugged my shoulders.

He sat us in a comfortable corner near a window and gave us our menus.  We went through the menu made our choices and we were ready by the time the waiter came back to take our order. He was a lot friendlier this time around. Jeri ordered the saurbraten  (a German pot roast) and I ordered the German combo, which consisted of a polish sausage, a bratwurst sausage, a knockwurst sausage and a (small boneless smoked pork chop. The dinner came with two sides. Jeri and I both chose mashed potatoes with gravy and creamed spinach.

At $18.95 I had high expectations for the German combo. I was envisioning handmade sausages and a fairly good sized pork chop. The saurbraten, at $16.95 also seemed a little steep but again, we had high expectations so I didn't mind. Good food is always worth the price. We ordered shrimp stuffed appetizers  to start off our meal. These were absolutely delicious with a very earthy taste. The dinner rolls were also very good, hot, soft and tasty.

German Combo; Knockwurst, Bratwurst and polish sausages , and a boneless smoked pork chop. Served with mashed potatoes and gravy and creamed spinach.

Saurbraten (German Pot roast), served with mashed potatoes and gravy and creamed spinach

 A while later the waiter brought us our food – by this time he was in a smiling mood, the bell incident forgiven and forgotten -  and as soon as I saw my plate I was disappointed. Three sausages that looked liked they could have been bought at the corner supermarket. The same with the smoked pork chop. It was served with some good grainy mustard, which I'm assuming was a German mustard. The mashed potatoes and gravy were good but the one saving grace in my meal was the creamed spinach. It was excellent. I'm a big fan of creamed spinach and this one was done right. Overall, it was a good meal but certainly nowhere near worth the price. Later I regretted not ordering the braised rabbit or the weinersnitzel plate, something more ethnically German. Especially considering that I'm really watching what I'm eating now and it's going to be a while before I can eat like this again. Live and learn.

Jeri, on the other hand, enjoyed her saurbraten, along with the mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. She mentioned that it was a little bland but it was more of an observation than a complaint.

After dinner, we ordered desert. I had the bread pudding  with vanilla sauce  and Jeri ordered the apple strudel. I was happy with mine, Jeri not so much.

Will I go back? I might but I'll order something else and If I'm left standing too long when I get there I'm going to ring the bell again, only louder.

Jagerhaus Menu

Jagehaus is located at:

2525 East Ball Road at 57 Fwy
Anaheim, CA 92806

714-520-9500
Fax 714-520-9597


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Menudo at the Super Burrito

The sign in the back of the Super Burrito parking lot, in Whittier, proclaiming itself the Home of the world's best menudo. It's my favorite place to eat menudo. 

Menudo con patas at the Super Burrito in Whittier. My serving of menudo in the forefront, Jeri's toward the back. the patas in the center. This is my first bowl of menudo in almost 8 months. It did wonders for me.

Taco Adobe

Photo courtesy of Yelp

Jeri and I ate at Taco Adobe recently. We had seen this small, cozy looking restaurant on Lemon Street, while looking through the antique shops at the Orange Circle, in the city of Orange and had been anticipating real southwestern comfort food. While the food is not bad, it wasn't what I expected. They call themselves a Southwestern restaurant but there is nothing southwestern about it. The food is Mexican, to be sure, but of a somewhat trendy or hip style. Not quite so commercial, like such restaurants as El Torito or Acapulco, just not exactly my style. Still, the place seems to be packing in the lunch crowd. So they must be doing something right.

Whenever the term "Southwestern" is used in a restaurant it usually denotes a style of cuisine pertaining to the Mexican American cooking of New Mexico and Arizona, or maybe more accurately, to the concept of "Southwestern Cuisine" as popularized by southwestern chef, Mark Miller.

Jeri had the green chicken enchilada, with rice and beans. The rice was more like a pilaf than a true Mexican or Spanish rice, and the beans were black beans. Black beans have their place in Mexican and other Latin cooking but there is no place for them in real, authentic southwestern cooking. The green chicken enchilada was made with something more akin to a salsa verde and made with tomatillos.  An enchilada made, a la southwestern, would certainly be made with  New Mexico chiles.  I had three soft tacos; one carne asada, one al pastor and one carnitas, and while they weren't bad they were nothing to write home about. The table salsa wasn't bad but it was too mild for me to eat with my tacos. They do have a "hotter" sauce but you have to ask for it. It was actually pretty good.

Now, it might be unfair, especially having recently returned from a vacation in New Mexico, and eating the real honest to goodness food of the southwest, to be so critical but I consider myself, if not an authority on southwestern and all forms of Mexican cooking, at the very least an avid aficionado and I just feel if you're going to call yourself a southwestern restaurant there should be some attempt, besides the name, at authenticity.

A better choice for a good Mexican meal in the area would be Jalapeno's on Glassell Street two blocks over. Their food is fantastic. A much better example of  a Southwestern restaurant that, while somewhat trendy,  has at least remained true to it's southwestern roots is Chimayo's (as in Chimayo, New Mexico) in Newport Beach. The food there is really, really good.

My overall opinion is that Taco Adobe is a good restaurant that serves good food but it is just not my cup of tea.

Taco Adobe
121 N. Lemon St.
Orange, Ca 92856
714-628-0633
www.tacoadobe.com

Great Tamales I have Known……..

Juanito's Tamales

Jeri and I went to pick up our tamales today at Juanito’s in East L.A. It was chaotic and crowded and busy and I’m sure it will be even worse tomorrow. We had to wait an extra hour for the cheese and green chile tamales. We ordered a Champurrado, a hot thick drink made from masa and Mexican chocolate, and Bunelos, a flat crispy tortilla like desert topped with sugar and cinnamon. Both are very delicious and traditional. While we were waiting some guy came in to pick up his order, several dozen. The manager told him “I’m sorry but we gave your order away”, the guy seemed irritated but he agreed to come back later in the day, after being assured by the manager or owner that his order would be ready. Of course he said okay, the tamales are that good. The confusion is understandable because there was a constant flow of customers and they all wanted their tamales. It was better to humble yourself, bite your tongue and wait, rather than lose out on the tamales. We were there a few weeks earlier on the recommendation of Frank Baltazar Sr. and had already tried the tamales so we knew they were worth waiting for.

On the way home Jeri and I got to talking about all the great tamales we’ve had over the years from places that have either disappeared or changed hands. For years we have gone to Mary’s Mexican Deli on Whittier Blvd in Whittier for menudo and tamales, in fact I went there with my father when I was a young boy. A few years back the owner retired and someone else took over and it is no longer the same. They were at one time on par with Juanito’s but no more.

Another place was Yaqui’s in Santa Fe Springs, great tamales, in fact all their food was good and they made some really good salsa, hot just the way I like it. They too are a thing of the past.

La Pinata’s in Montebello is still in business and I still enjoy their food, especially the tamales. They fall just under Juanito’s and that’s no insult considering how good Juanito’s tamales are. Of course that’s subject to opinion. Their menudo is outstanding as well.

In 2003 Jeri and I were walking out of the market and heading for the truck when some guy standing next to a van said something to me in Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish so I looked at Jeri and she said “He selling tamales” “I’m not buying tamales from some guy in a van, let’s go” I said. He said something else to me and Jeri tells me “you can sample a few for free”. “Free?” says I. I looked at the van, a newer model, it was clean, and had the name of the business painted on the side. I looked at the guy, he seemed business like so I said “Free huh?” As it turns out I bought about four dozen tamales from him, red with pork, red with beef, green chile and cheese and whatever else he had. I prayed there wasn’t a Chihuahua in the bunch. These were tamales from Heaven. The corn husk was fresh and not dried. They were different than any tamale I have ever tasted. We got their card. The great thing about it was that they delivered. Couldn’t beat that.

Later that year, when we gave my son Andrew a going away party when he was leaving for the Coast Guard, I ordered a couple of hundred for the party. One day we called and the number was no longer in service. I don’t think I ever got over it. That as they say, was that.

About 1996, Jeri and I and the kids decided we were going to try to make our own tamales, with red chile with pork. We did a respectable job considering it was our first time. We gave some to our neighbors and they swore they were the best tamales they had ever tasted. I don’t know if they were being kind or if they were telling the truth but we thought they were good.

The worst tamales that I have ever had? I used to say to anyone and everyone that ”I never met a tamale I didn’t like”. I can’t say that anymore.

In 2003, Ed Hernandez and I were at work, finishing up our lunch, when some guy that I had never seen before walks up to us and says “Do you guys like tamales?” “Do we like tamales? Do birds fly?” Well“, he says “my son is a professional chef and he makes tamales. I’m taking orders”. He sounded so proud of his son. He gave us a list of the types of tamales his son made. He made them sound so good. I ordered four dozen at 60 bucks. Ed ordered three dozen, one for him and one each for his sons.

They came just before Christmas. I took them home and Jeri steamed them and put them on the plate. There are no words to describe just how horrible these tamales were. I’m still gagging. We threw them all in the trash. There are some things that a professional chef should never touch; a good burger, good fried chicken, burritos of any type and last but not least, tamales! I called Ed to see how his tamales were. He hadn’t tried his yet. I told him about mine. He didn’t sound too happy about it. When I talked to him later, he said he just tossed his tamales after we talked. A few months later the guy came around to see how we liked the tamales. Again, he was so proud of his son, I just didn’t have the heart to tell him. So I lied.

Juanito's Tamales
4214 E. Floral Dr
Los Angeles, California
Tel: 323-268-2365
Fax: 323-263-8830