Here is how it’s done.

You’ll need:

• 1 large ripe beefsteak or heirloom tomato (One tomato usually makes two servings)

• Stracciatella cheese

• Olive oil (the best you can get)

• Crunchy salt

• Small fresh basil leaves for garnish

Take a large tomato and submerge it in a small pan of simmering water for 15 seconds. Remove it and slip off the peel. You will have a large peeled tomato.

Next, slice the tomato about 3/8” to 1/2” thick. You will only get two slices from the widest part of each tomato. Use the rest of the tomato for something else.

Then take a ring cutter that matches the size of the core of the tomato, and punch out the yellow/green core. (I love this set of ring cutters because they come in a range of sizes and you can pick the one that will just punch out the right amount of tomato core. You can use these for a hundred other things, too, like biscuits, cookies, etc.)

Once you have your tomato with the center removed, set it on a paper towel and sprinkle it with crunchy salt, preferably Maldon, and chill it in the fridge for up to an hour. It’s also nice to chill your plates.

When it’s time to serve, place the tomato on a chilled plate. Carefully spoon stracciatella cheese into the hole in the center so that it comes up to the level of the tomato. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil around the tomato. Just enough to make a thin green ring. Then decorate the tomato with small basil leaves. If you have them, some thyme blossoms or chive blossoms are really beautiful too. And Voilà!

Your friend,

Yvonne

Share the Love!

Let a friend know about How We Love Food.

Share

If you make a purchase through one of these links, I might earn a commission. However, I only recommend items that I already own, have used, and believe will be a good addition to your kitchen.

Enter the agua fresca. These drinks are light, non-alcoholic and refreshing. They’re made by blending fresh fruit with water, ice and a touch of sugar. They are healthy, hydrating, and much thinner than a smoothie. Also much more interesting than anything you might get from a can. And OK, you COULD set a bottle of vodka on ice next to them and let folks spike them if that’s what they want.

If you need to add to your supply of interesting party pitchers, any of these options would be beautiful. At left, a hand blown pitcher that is also gorgeous filled with flowers. Or, a contemporary columnar pitcher with an interesting handle, a more traditional columnar shape, and a traditional option. Each one has its own personality. And they look great next to each other.

Hot tip!

When making drinks like this or even cold soups like gazpacho in a blender, many times you will find your drink or soup has too many bubbles. It can ruin the experience of consuming them. To fix this, after you finish blending, turn your blender down to the lowest speed for about one minute. As you blend at this low speed, you will begin to see bubbles coming up through the liquid to burst at the top. Blending your liquid at the lowest speed causes the air to escape, for some reason I cannot explain.

You WILL need a good blender. And this is the best, in my opinion. Each of the agua frescas below can be stored in a pitcher in your fridge for up to three days. Each recipe yields about 6 to 8 servings, or 2 quarts.

Pineapple orange and basil agua fresca

The pineapple tends to froth up a bit when blended, so I make this 30 minutes ahead and chill it to give it time to settle down. Then I take a spoon and skim off the head of foam just before serving.

• 2 cups ice

• 6 cups water

• 1/4 fresh pineapple cut into pieces

• 1 orange, peeled

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 4 fresh basil leaves (optional)

Place the ice and 2 cups of water in the serving pitcher.

Place the pineapple, peeled orange pieces, sugar and 4 cups of water in the jar of your blender and blend on high until well blended. Add the basil and blend until no small pieces remain.

Pour through a strainer into a serving pitcher. Chill until ready to serve.

Pear and pink peppercorn agua fresca

Pink peppercorns do not have the sharp hot flavor of the black peppercorns. They are fruitier and provide an unexpected compliment to the fresh pears. It’s best to use ripe pears. Any type will do.

• 2 cups ice

• 6 cups water

• 2 ripe pears, stemmed, cored and peeled

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 pinches of pink peppercorns

Place the ice and 2 cups of water in your serving pitcher

Put the pears, lemon juice, sugar and peppercorns with remaining 4 cups of water in the jar of your blender and blend on high until well blended. Taste and add more sugar if you want it sweeter.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the slightly gritty consistency of the pear.

Grapefruit-ginger agua fresca

This has a gorgeous pink color and is full of vitamin C.

• 2 cups ice

• 6 cups water

• 1 1/2 oz ginger, peeled and cut into rounds

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

Place the ice and 2 cups of water in your pitcher

Put the ginger, 4 cups of water, sugar and grapefruit juine in the jare of a blender and blend on high until well blended. Taste and add more sugar if desired.

Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into the pitcher and chill until ready to serve.

Cucumber, mint and lime agua fresca

Something akin to spa water. I would love to have this sitting in my fridge at all times.

• 2 cups ice

• 6 cups water

• 10 - 20 mint leaves, washed

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

• 1/4 English cucumber, peeled and shopped (Reserve a few thin slices for garnish)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• Place the ice and 2 cups of water in your serving pitcher

Put the mint leaves, lime juice, cucumber, sugar and 4 cups of water in the blender and blend on high.

Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into the serving pitcher. Chill and garnish with sprigs of mint or slices of cucumber.

Cheers!

Yvonne

Share the Love!

Share

If you make a purchase through one of these links, I might earn a commission.

Many people are surprised to discover that apricots have a completely different flavor after being cooked. They become tangy, creamy, and acidic. They are wonderful both ways: cooked and uncooked. I love to grill them briefly, then use them in a simple salad of watercress (or arugula, or even lettuce) and torn buffalo mozzarella. They are still sweet, softened and tangy. The grill pan imparts nice marks, but you will want to oil it to avoid sticking.

Apricot salad

Serves 4

• 4 Fresh ripe apricots

• 1 Buffalo mozzarella ball torn into chunks

• 4 handfuls of watercress, arugula or torn lettuce

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar will do)

• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

• Salt and pepper

• Balsamic vinegar for drizzling

1. Cut the apricots in half and place on a grill pan wiped with a bit of olive oil. (If you don’t have a grill pan, use a carbon steel pan on medium low heat with a dab of butter in the pan.) When apricots have softened slightly, they are done. Let them cool.

2. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper to create a dressing.

3. Arrange greens on salad plates. Tear the buffalo mozzarella ball into rough chunks and place a few pieces on each plate. Arrange two apricot halves on the greens and spoon dressing over each salad. Drizzle each one with good balsamic vinegar.

Apricots also make a delicate desert with almost no effort at all. If you want something light, fresh and relatively healthy, this is a lovely choice.

Fresh apricots with almond cream

• Fresh ripe apricots

• 1/4 cup of the best cream cheese

• 1/4 cup of creme fraiche

• 2 tablespoons amaretto

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• raw almonds (one for each half apricot)

1. Toast the almonds in the oven at 350 degrees until they are golden and fragrant.

2. Mix the creme cheese and creme fraiche. Add the amaretto and sugar to taste.

3. Cut the apricots into halves and remove the seeds. Place a dollop of creme in the center of each apricot and top with an almond.

You could use small peaches for these recipes, too, if apricots are not showing up for you. Either way, you’ll have good results.

Yvonne

Share the Love!

Let a friend know about How We Love Food.

Share

Remember the canapé?

Tidy crunchy flavor bombs, consumed in a single bite, are as beautiful to behold as they are to taste. Canapés are served room temperature. They consist of:

• a base that does not become mushy (cracker, endive leaf, toasted pita piece, puff pastry, toasted baguette round, hollowed out cherry tomato, etc.)

• layered with a spread (any cheese mixed with creme fraiche), or a fig spread, a savory relish, a caviar spread, a caramelized onion spread, etc.

• topped with something tasty (small piece of smoked salmon, slice of fresh fig, small piece of smoked duck breast, crab salad, inexpensive pink salmon caviar, a black caviar that is affordable, etc.)

• and a garnish (toasted pistachio nut or walnut piece, caper, piece of roasted red or yellow pepper, fresh herb sprig, etc.)

These are meant to travel from the tray to the mouth via two fingers and be consumed in a single delicate bite that is NOT a mouthful and doesn’t drip on your dress. They are truly divine when done well.

How to create a Canapé

You’ll want to prep all the parts for your canapés ahead of time and keep them in sealed containers until assembling at the last minute. First, select the base for your canapé. It should be one inch or less in diameter. I prefer less. A very narrow baguette can be sliced thin (1/8”) and toasted with a little melted butter brushed on top until crispy. A pita bread can be sliced into a tiny pizza-shaped base and toasted. Small rice crackers are nice. You can also use a single endive leaf as a base. My favorite is puff pastry.

To make a puff pastry base*, thaw the pastry sheets in the fridge for a day, then take out a sheet and lay it on parchment paper. Don’t roll it. Simply take a knife and cut small squares or rectangles. I love to use several shapes, then decorate each shape with a different topping. I use a circle cutter about 3/4” in diameter. Put your cutout shapes on a parchment covered baking sheet. Chill the cut shapes for about 30 minutes then pop them into a 400 degree oven until they are golden. If they are not cooked thoroughly, they will become chewy within a few hours. To ensure they remain crispy, let them sit in your oven on a proof setting at about 90 degrees for an hour after baking them. They will not continue to brown at that temperature, but they will become very crisp and stay that way for a day or so.

*If you don’t have any desire to fool with all this puff pastry business, you can buy pre-made puff pastry shells or these even better shells that are actually very nice.

Once the puffs are cooked and cooled, you can slice them in half and make tiny sandwiches, or use the halves by themselves.

The fun part

You can get really creative here. You will need very little spread. In fact, a total of 1/4 cup will probably be too much. I like to use about half creme fraiche and half soft cheese of some sort. A goat cheese, blue cheese or finely grated parmesan are all wonderful. Mix in a bit of finely chopped shallot if you wish. Then spread this over your base. This bottled pepper and onion relish is wonderful as a base with the blue cheese and creme fraiche mixture on top. That’s enough by itself, but you can also then add a tiny slice of smoked meat (I love smoked duck breast) or smoked salmon.

It’s beautiful to decorate the top of each canapé with a tiny piece of fresh dill (for a seafood base), a single tiny toasted walnut (for the blue cheese base), a toasted pistachio nut, or a single caper.

Avoid anything that must be held together by a toothpick. If a toothpick is necessary, your canapé is too big. Your guests will be looking around for some place to put their used toothpick, which is an awkward distraction.

Presentation!

Since the art of canapés is about visual appeal just as much as taste, it’s important to have a small pretty tray, about the size of a plate, to place your canapés on. I love to have old school linen cocktail napkins, too. Just to take the whole thing over the finish line like you know what you’re doing.

Share the Love!

Let a friend know about How We Love Food.

Share

If you make a purchase through one of these links, I might earn a commission.

There’s a good chance they have done things that are unthinkable today. They have had fun in ways we can’t even imagine. Time spent with them will likely be unforgettable.

And yes, they are more troublesome and finicky. It’s easy to put it off.

On my list of lifelong regrets, my failure to nurture and fully discover these fleeting relationships is right up there.

You know that their criteria for an enjoyable evening is different from yours. But don’t let that stop you. Times a wastin. These guidelines are a starting point. And yes, I’m generalizing. These may not be accurate for everyone, but this will put you on the right track.

Start early.

Ask your guests when they like to start their evening, and don’t be surprised if it is 6:00. Or earlier. We have friends who make 5:00 dinner reservations and are happy to be home by 7:00. Let them set the schedule and be ready to accomodate.

Turn the music way down.

Hearing difficulties are definitely a thing for people of all ages. If you’re lucky, your older friends will have hearing aids that work. It’s definitely not beneficial to have a strong bass rhythm throbbing in the background. For some guests, even soft background music just registers as interference.

Make sure your home is accessible.

If your guests are not 100% nimble on their feet, then plan their entry and exit before even thinking about inviting them. Stairs or steps without a handrail are usually a hard no unless you’ll be there to ensure they navigate them successfully. It’s always a nice touch to walk them to their car when they leave. They always resist help. Just insist. It keeps them safe and shows that you care for them.

Keep them seated comfortably.

Your guests beyond a certain age will probably not enjoy standing up with a cocktail for more than five minutes. Before they arrive, work out where they will sit for drinks and clear a path so it’s easy for them to get there. Make sure their seats are comfortable (no backless hard benches and no low seating that’s hard to stand up from.) When it is time to move to the dining table, allow 5 minutes for them to get resituated. I suggest serving meals plated (vs. buffet) to avoid requiring them to carry plates to the table.

Know their tastes.

Many of our older friends have developed strong preferences. One friend HATES frisee. Another will not eat shellfish. Another is diabetic. Some want their beef “blue” while others will only eat it well done. Etc.! This creates serious limitations to work around. But there are menus that are generally acceptable for most people with strong preferences.

I generally avoid things that require the rigorous use of a steak knife, such as thick steaks on a bone. (These can be presented pre-sliced so they’re much easier to deal with.) Experience has taught me to also avoid dishes with strong black pepper, raw onion or spicey spice. Also boney fish and big messy burger-type things. Or bowls of long stringy pasta.

Prepare food ahead of time.

Your senior guests probably won’t enjoy standing in the kitchen while you stir risotto. Work out a menu that requires minimal last minute cooking, and can be popped on the table without missing a beat.

Serve small portions.

This is the very opposite of feeding people in their 20’s who want LOTS of food. Think about making very small beautiful tastes of things that they can enjoy without any expectation that they must be stuffed from the experience. For instance, a single peeled roasted tomato with a pinch of sugar and flakey salt, some good olive oil, and a single basil leaf is a perfect treat sitting next to a small piece of beautifully prepared fish (in yummy sauce) nestled in about 1/3 cup of flavored rice alongside 4 small asparagus tips.

Have conversation prompts in mind.

Some guests no longer speak up like they used to. They may have a hard time hearing. Their voices are softer. They no longer jump into the conversation. It helps to have some questions queued up to engage them and allow them to shine, have fun and enlighten the group. I’ve found that asking about something they are proud of from their past is all it takes to light them up. Then tease out the good stuff and have a wonderful time asking questions. When it’s good, it’s very very good.

Seize the moment.

Nothing lasts forever.

If you’d like a good menu that fits the criteria above, let me know. I can post that, too, if it would be useful.

Your friend,

Yvonne

Share the Love!

Let a friend know about How We Love Food.

Share

Our two-week stay at Troncones ended on the eighth day because of a totally preventable snorkeling mishap. As my husband and I were returning from a glorious snorkeling excursion, we misjudged our location on the return path to shore. We thought we were swimming back the way we came, but in fact we cut a corner around an extended rock reef. Strong waves swept us into an expanse of sharp rocks that lay just below the surface. They were COVERED in black sea urchins.

It was like being in an underwater tornado. I grabbed the rocks to stabilize myself and prevent being completely raked over them. But in the process, the sea urchin spines broke off in my hands and body. After several minutes of this — a surreal span of time that seemed like forever—I managed to perch on a rock (covered in sea urchins) until a wave receded. Then I scrambled ahead another few feet until I was safe from waves. My husband, Tom, who is a much better swimmer, was worried I might drown since I had gotten closer to the rocks and was more overcome by the waves than he was. Once he saw I was safe, he pushed off with his feet (getting a pin cushion of spines as a souvenir) to escape the strong current, and swam the 500 yards back to shore. He had used his emergency whistle, and a man on the beach made his way out onto the expanse of rocks with a pair of woman’s flip flops for me to wear back to the beach.

¡Qué horror!

Trembling and totally freaked out, we walked back to our house and stood under the outdoor pool shower to evaluate our situation. I was in shocked survival mode. The skin on my forearm was a mess, even through I was wearing a sun shirt, and we were badly cut and bruised. Our friends helped me cut off my shirt and we started pulling spines out. I stared down at my leg, horrified, as awful little tree trunk-like spines were extracted. They were 1/4” long. However, after a few minutes, the skin swelled from a reaction to the spines, and they were no longer accessible.

We knew we needed professional help, so we drove to the clinic. The Troncones “clinic” is on a remote dusty dirt road conveniently located just across from the cemetery. The doctor(?) wore an old Simpson’s T-shirt and spoke not a word of English. Still, between us, we could understand that he had no hydrogen peroxide or tweezers.

He did have the skill to numb my arm, cut off some large flaps of skin, and bandage it. But the spines? He advised not trying to remove them. Too painful. He recommended soaking them in hot water mixed with vinegar. Since the spines are comprised of calcium, they should theoretically dissolve. I wanted to ask: How do they dissolve if they are below the surface of the skin? How long does this take? What if that doesn’t work? But my Spanish was insufficient.

Leg soup.

Back at the house I was confronted by practical questions like: How does one soak a whole leg in hot water in a place with no bath tub? Just how hot should the water be? How much vinegar? After lying awake that night unable to sleep, I limped from our casita to the main house, put a big pot— the kind you might cook spaghetti in— on the stove until the water was hot, then carried it back to the casita and added vinegar. I set the pot next to the bed, bent my leg and set my knee down into the bottom of the pot so the water would reach my upper thigh. I leaned my body onto the bed and tried to rest. But the pot cut into my thigh and calf since my bent leg doesn’t squeeze into a pot as easily as I’d expected. I quickly determined this was bullshit. I tried to go to sleep, but the stinging on by bottom from literally sitting on the spines was breathtaking. I was amazed by the amount of discomfort. I kept going into the bathroom to take photos of body parts I couldn’t see to try and understand how they could possibly hurt so much.

The next morning, Tom and I both clearly saw that we had to go home. We hired a driver, got to the airport and limped to the plane in a daze. Once in Austin, we headed straight to the ER.

No one at the ER had ever treated sea urchin spines. We were the weird case everyone wanted to check out. I had the feeling they were privately consulting AI to try to learn what to do with us. After the X-rays came back, the head doctor sat down next to me and solemnly explained that “this is going to be a process.” He said he would try to get as many out as he could, but I’d need to see a hand surgeon and probably another specialist for the leg.

A Kendall Roy dream.

First there was morphine. Then came the Ketamine. I left that room and went somewhere much much nicer in a dreamy fog. However, I could still feel a hideously annoying sharp nibbling at my leg and hand as the doctor quickly dug in and picked spines out that were just below the surface. I am reported to have screamed, “No, no, no, no no,” endlessly at the top of my lungs for the entire time. After doing his best, the doctor bandaged me up and we went home.

A man is a very heavy thing.

That doctor was right. It was (and continues to be) a process. The x-ray of my hand showed 10 spines that needed to be removed surgically.

The next week, my husband had spines removed from his foot by a foot surgeon. And three days later it was my leg’s turn.

It was quite a circus at our house. Tom had no experience on crutches, and I could not use my right hand. He almost fell on me twice getting from the car to the bed when I got him home from the surgery center. I tried to help him navigate from the bed to the bath room, and was amazed by how big and heavy he was. What a production! What if he fell? The lesson here is to practice getting up off your chair using only one leg. You never know when you’ll lose a leg.

The process continues DIY.

After two emergency room visits, three surgeries and several procedures between the two of us, we continue to extract spines that the doctors missed. One day, out of the blue, Tom dug a 1/4” spine out of the bunion in his foot. By himself.

Two and a half months have passed. Today a toddler asked what was the “purple thing on my arm,” and I found myself trying to explain what a scar is to a 3 year old. I’m convinced I still have some spines in my leg. But how far do we take this before we just learn to live with it? I’m still trying to decide.

Please let me know if you have any advice,

Yvonne

Share the Love!

Let a friend know about How We Love Food.

Share

(This is all things I found wonderful about Troncones. Part 2 will be details about what happened after our visit. Stay tuned!)

As we drove into Troncones, I was struck by the overall crumminess of the little village. Tiny dusty shops lined the potholed one-lane roads. Skinny dogs darted through shadows. Flies. And dimly lit grocery stores the size of a one-car garage. It seemed like there was nothing in Troncones that I’d ever want or need.

Yet, the village is on the verge of transformation. Well-architected homes are under construction on the beach . If you can see through the scrubby trees and over rough walls, you’ll find several nice hotels. Nothing is apparent at first glance. It’s one of those places where you can still experience a fairly primitive lifestyle, then go to bed on clean sheets in an air conditioned room. When I was in my twenties, I was OK sleeping in a hammock on a Mexican beach and huddling in a public concrete block restroom in my wet sleeping bag in the middle of the night when the rain came. No more. Nope. I sort of want it both ways. I want the innocent primitive place, but I don’t want too many mosquitos. Until developers take over and ruin it, that is what you can have now in Troncones.

We settled into a routine of foraging for food, cooking, and swimming at a beach called Troncones Cove, which is just steps away from the house. Most of the shore is comprised of sharp dark rocks that are covered by sea urchins just below the water level. These beaches are PRISTINE! No trash. Nothing gross washed up from halfway around the world. (And no beach maintenance either.) I thought I’d never see another natural beach so nice.

We often swam in the mornings, then enjoyed a world class chicken caldo at Los Raqueros, a small inn on the ocean with the kind of beachfront dining you dream about. No reservations needed. Just wander up from the beach in your wet bathing suit and take a seat at a table in the sand.

In Troncones, I found ladies selling fresh snapper and shrimp in the mornings. We bought 3 kilos of shrimp (way to much!), some butter, chilis, lemons, garlic, white wine, rice, etc. and headed home. To ask six people to stop lounging by the pool and come help peel, devein and clean 3 kilos of shrimp is a true test of friendship. But they did. And that night we seared the shrimp fairly dry on a hot plancha, then heavily doused them in a garlic, chili, lemon butter sauce and served them with saffron rice made with broth from the shrimp shells and lots of fresh herbs. We had so much left over that we made a taco bar the next day for lunch with fresh tortillas, Mexican cheese, and all the fixings.

Our favorite restaurant, Indigo, is a small rustic Argentinean steak house by night with a small panaderia off to the side. Breakfast and lunch are also a rustic treat of traditional Mexican fare served open air by beautiful gentle people who are not in a hurry for anything.

And then, like it landed there from outer space, we found a gleaming modern glass air conditioned cafe and coffee shop, Cuatro, that is so spiffy it could be in Austin. I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before more things like this crop up and crowd out the small family run restaurants. Still, it is a beautiful change of pace, and they do make excellent coffees and lunches.

During the next few days, we made our way into busy Zihuatanejo to buy delicate lettuce from the farmer’s market and fish from a fabulous fish market, Pescados y Mariscos Peke. And we discovered the best grocery store in Troncones, Fruteria Yahve, which turned out to have everything on my list! You just have to ask. Cilantro? A woman rummaged behind the milk in an old fridge and brought out some wet newspaper with whole cilantro plants tangled up inside. Roots and all. That sort of thing.

We found a sweet family operation to rent snorkels. And we discovered a tiny tortilla factory, Tortillerias Don Celso, run by lovely people just beaming with pride in their products. (Not to be found on the internet or Google maps. Just ask.)

This coastal area is on the path of the migrating whales in late winter. (We were there in late February.) We saw several pods of whales from our house. They must have been feasting on a dinner just along the shore.

Truly hard core surfers are drawn to this area. The Pacific ocean is no joke. An utterly ruthless bully. Not for sissies like me. But we swam out in surfer territory for some of the best snorkeling I’ve ever found straight off a beach. We swam with a huge sea turtle and were enticed out further along the rocks where clouds of fish enveloped us in waves of color. It was glorious. The rough water almost gave me a panic attack, but I enjoyed it more than I was afraid.

Slowly, over the next few days, I shed my squeaky clean spoiled American lens and discovered that just about anything I needed was in Troncones. I fell in love with the simplicity, the slow pace and the kind people. How can you sit outside a tiny shop on a wooden stool all day selling mangos and be filled with joy? Loving life. Erupting in conversation and laughter. They do it there. It’s a rare life skill that many of us lack. I’d go back in a minute.

Your friend,

Yvonne

Share the Love!

Let a friend know about How We Love Food.

Share

I love combining these rather common and uninteresting ingredients to create a 5-star meal that’s visually gorgeous, has a crunchy yet softly comforting texture, and is super healthy. The silk purse of dishes. This is a meatless meal in a bowl. Enjoy it outdoors with a glass of dry minerally white wine or late at night straight out of the fridge.

This recipe is more of a guide. If you don’t have all the ingredients, it’s OK. Just go with what you have. I think the specialness is created with the combination of Castelvetrano olives (be sure to buy these pitted), whole toasted almonds and feta cheese. It’s nice to serve these in a shallow bowl with a piece of crusty bread and olive oil.

Tip: I found a video in which Eric Ripart shows how he cuts up a zucchini. It’s brilliant, and I recommend it because it eliminates some of the spongy middle of the squash. He cuts the squash lengthwise into halves. Then cuts each half lengthwise to get four long sections. Finally, he slices out the white seedy center sections of each piece. This leaves the firm flesh.

Another tip: This is nice with both zucchini and asparagus. But if you just have one or the other, that’s OK. Just go with one veggie and up the quantity.

One more tip: I sometimes crumble a tin of sardines into this salad to give it a real mediterranean vibe with even more protein. If you do this, consider upping the lemon zest and juice.

Share the Love! Let a friend know about How We Love Food.

Share How We Love Food

I know the idea of making a salad sometimes seems boring. You’re not sure what to do, but also don’t want to go to too much trouble. I hope this will make it easier. My generalized rule of thumb for an interesting salad beyond a pile of dressed lettuce is that it should contain:

Greens of some sort. This is seasonal. Winter, include endive and arrugula, summer use the more delicate seasonal lettuces.

Nuts or seeds. This is seasonal too. In fall/winter, use toasted walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts. In Spring/Summer, use seeds such as toasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. Toasted almonds and pistachios are wonderful year round.

Cheese. For winter, a blue cheese or crumbled aged white cheddar are nice. For summer, I love burrata or feta. Goat cheese and parmesan are good choices year round. You can also add grilled halloumi.

Fruit or vegetable. Avacados are always delicious, especially with grapefruit, fennel and pistachios. In general, for winter, you can use thinly sliced apples or pears (which are lovely with blue cheese and toasted walnuts), citrus slices or pomegranate seeds. Dried fruit such as apricots and dates are nice. Winter vegetables that are wonderful in salads include thinly sliced fennel, thinly sliced raw kolrabi, roasted butternut squash, and roasted or raw carrots.

For summer fruit, try peaches (or any ripe stone fruit) or berries. And for veggies, crisp poached asparagus cut into pieces, thinly sliced radish, and of course tomatoes. Thinly sliced zucchini is wonderful too, as are fresh corn kernels and green peas.

Optional: meat. The addition of a protein turns your salad into a meal. You can fry slices of proscuito in a about a tablespoon of olive oil until it is cooked, then let it cool. It will become thin, salty and crispy. This is a wonderful garnish. Thin slices of smoked salmon are beautiful with many salads. Or try a flavorful dusting of shaved botarga, a delicacy of salted, cured fish roe, typically from grey mullet or tuna, known as the "prosciutto of the sea". This will keep in your fridge for a while and adds a wonderful umami. (If you use a botarga or salmon, you’ll probably want to eliminate the fruit component.)

Dressing. A basic salad dressing is all you’ll usually need. A finely chopped shallot marinated in a teaspoon of sherry vinegar with a good squeeze of lemon juice. Then mixed with 1/2 cup olive oil, a teaspoon of whole grain mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano, salt and pepper. Bam. That’s it.

THE SECRET: If you’re using nuts in your salad, incorporate specialty oils such as hazelnut oil, walnut oil, or almond oil into the dressing. Just a couple of tablespoons makes an enormous difference. Keep these oils in the fridge because they go rancid sitting out. They will keep a long time in the fridge.

If you are using citrus in your salad, instead of the sherry vinegar, use blood orange vinegar. If you’re using pears in your salad, use pear vinegar. And if you’re using berries, use raspberry vinegar. These vinegars are very special, and will keep in the fridge for a long time.

Another nice touch is a crunchy sea salt as garnish. This adds a bit of sparkle and texture to the final masterpiece.

Here’s how it all comes together:

When a friend told me that her doctor said she had tested low on iron and this was the explanation for her low energy, I realized that I’d never thought much about iron. Then I researched it a bit, and created this recipe that is FULL of iron AND protein. I was surprised that it really does make me feel great. And bonus, it can sit in the fridge for days. I’ve pulled it out for a last minute meal in a bowl and delivered it to friends who feel under the weather.

This healthy hearty soup is a light lemony meal in a bowl. Top it with greek yogurt and an extra slice of lemon to squeeze on top. (Apparently, our bodies cannot assimilate iron unless it is accompanied by something like lemon. Who knew?)

The texture is enhanced by partially blending this soup. Stick an immersion blender straight in the pot and blend until the texture is slightly creamy but still has lots of toothy texture. Or, if you don’t have an immersion blender, put half of the soup in a countertop blender. But don’t overdo it. You do not want a smooth puree.

Share How We Love Food

This is one of the most delicious and interesting desserts I have ever tasted. I was first treated to this by a friend who travels extensively in Middle Eastern and Asian countries. It will delight everyone! And it’s very difficult to tell what is in this once it’s all put together. The nice thing about this is that it requires no real cooking. The only work is in getting all the ingredients together. You can buy orange flower water in most good grocery stores or liquor stores. (It contains no alcohol.) It is almost like a perfume. If you can’t find it, the dessert is still wonderful, but not as exotic.

We have friends whose list of things they don’t eat makes entertaining a challenge. No red meat. No dark chicken meat….the list goes on and on so that it’s fairly difficult to create a pleasing menu. I prepared this chicken piccata for them, however, and they were all smiles. This chicken will almost always please even a picky child, and at the same time you’ll receive approval from your more sophisticated eaters.

I like to get all the prep work done ahead and have every ingredient measured and ready to throw together in quick succession. Slice the breasts in half and pound them earlier in the day, then store them in the fridge separated by sheets of parchment paper. Pounding to consistent thickness ensures they will cook fast and evenly. I normally bread the breasts just before guests arrive. Thats the messy part. I put the breadcrumbs, egg and flour containers in the sink. When I’m finished, I wash it all down the sink so the mess is contained.

When guests arrive, you can heat the pan, cook the chicken, and construct the sauce in about 20 minutes. If you are serving your chicken with rice, you can make that an hour ahead, too. If you wish to cook more than two breasts at once, it’s helpful to use a two-burner stovetop griddle. This gives you more real estate to cook three or four at once.

You can serve the chicken with rice, pasta tossed in the sauce (make extra if you go this direction) or mashed potatoes. It is lovely with a small green salad of watercress and spring onion, too.

This recipe will provide two pieces of chicken per person. (Each breast cut in half yields two pieces.) This is quite a large serving. Most people are happy with one piece of chicken, or half a breast. However, this chicken is excellent the next day as a sandwich or sliced and put over a salad, so it’s not bad to have leftovers.

In winter, we want something luscious and warm. In summer we want something light and fresh. Somehow, this is both. I came up with this combination when I had very little in the fridge, yet wanted to create a little dinner, pronto. I write my notes down as I go in a notebook, just so I’ll remember.

You can create this in the time it takes to cook your pasta. Let me know what you think!

I’ve tried cooking racks of lamb and rib chops, as they are known when cut into individual pieces, in every way imaginable. This simple method wins over all others. The lamb is rich. So plan to serve two or three chops per person. It’s important to prepare this lamb dish medium rare. If it is too done (solid brown throughout and dense to the touch), it loses its juiciness and becomes tough and no fun to eat. Too rare (still raw in center), and it’s hard to cut, and a lot of work to chew. If you want your lamb to be just right, this is a great approach.

I like the lamb from New Zealand that Costco sells. The quality is excellent, and it’s about half the price of what you’d find at a good grocery store. These lamb shanks do not have excessive fat, as some do. If you find your lamb has more than ⅛” thick layer of fat, then trim a bit off.

A grill pan is perfect for this preparation. They leave sear marks on the meat and allow the fat to fall below the surface of the meat. However, a plain large plain cast iron pan also works just fine. If you’re looking for a good grill pan, you can spend a lot. But this version is super affordable and reversible, meaning it’s flat on one side (great for pancakes!) and has ridges on the other side for dishes such as this.

The hazelnut pesto will be slightly crunchy from the toasted nuts, tangy with lemon, and smooth enough to slather over each bite. After you toast the nuts, there is no cooking involved. Just whiz it all together in a food processor!

Serve your lamb and pesto with a tidy round of Mushroom Bread Pudding and a few spears of roasted asparagus.

Table manners note: it’s perfectly acceptable to hold your lamb by the bone with your fingers and gingerly nibble away. That’s half the fun.

Quintonil: This is listed as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. It’s a special occasion. The food is amazing. And expensive. We really don’t think it was worth the trouble. They are processing tourists through the restaurant and it doesn’t feel as authentic as the other restaurants I listed above.

Read more

If you’re planning to go, I recommend you buy the book, This is Mexico City, by Abby Clawson Low. It’s full of interesting places with photos and descriptions. We took it with us, and we were glad we did.

Transportation

Arrange to have a driver pick you up at the airport. It’s fine to use Ubers around the city, but for your arrival, having a car service pick you up is worth the small cost.

Where to stay

We stayed at this AirBnB in Roma. It was beautiful for two people. It is on the ground floor of an old home in Roma. The apartment opens up onto a walled garden. This place is quiet. Quiet is hard to find in Mexico City.

We tried Casa Golina. It’s an old home in a great part of town that’s been turned into a boutique hotel. It’s very charming, but I’m super sensitive to noise, and found it a bit loud.

The next time I go, I plan to stay in this charming place in Roma, Ignacia Guest House. Or this place which looks nice. I also want to try this place outside the city. And this hotel called Downtown Mexico City looks interesting. If you want to stay in Polanca, Casa Polanca is a nice choice.

One of the greatest treats you’ll experience in the city is the food!

Where to eat in Roma and Condessa

Madre cafe is gorgeous. You’ll sit outdoors in a garden patio under trees and enjoy a fresh, authentic brunch or lunch.

Delirio: There are two locations. There’s a small café for breakfast and lunch called Abarrotes Delirio that’s on a quiet side street. And a larger restaurant a few blocks away in a grand building where you can sit on the sidewalk or eat inside. Their pastries are beautiful and their breakfast is very nice.

Niddo is another wonderful breakfast and lunch spot. There are two locations; one in Juarez and one in Polanca. The food is creative. The pastries are a work of art. It’s small and quaint.

Café NIN: This very cool spot is on a delightful street called Havre in Juarez. It’s in a very old building that’s a blend of indoors and outdoors. There are lots of small wonderful little places near NIN on this street that are so intriguing. (We never saw any tourists at this gorgeous place.)

Lardo is our favorite restaurant in Mexico City. You should have a reservation here. You can eat at the bar which is super fun. They have a fresh fig pizza and always offer many creative dishes.

Eno: Eno is Chef Enrique Olvera’s group of three affordable cafes (Olvera also did Pujol). It’s a casual breakfast, lunch or dinner spot.

Maximo Bistro dowsn’t have a website. This is exquisite food in a small restaurant in Roma. Sit inside. Sometimes it gets quite loud in the outdoor seating because of the mariachis. They serve a gorgeous eggplant butter with bread once you’re seated. I asked for the recipe.

Maximo Bistro Eggplant Butter

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants

• 1 garlic clove

• 3 oz. goat cheese

• 2 ½ oz.olive oil

• salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Char the eggplant: Place the whole eggplant directly over a high-heat gas burner. Rotate it frequently until the peel is completely blackened and scorched on all sides and the flesh has collapsed.

Prepare the flesh: Once cooled, remove the stem end and scrape the soft, smoky flesh into a blender or food processor.

Blend with ingredients: Blend the eggplant with the garlic. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is fully emulsified into a smooth, creamy purée. Once the emulsion has formed, add the goat cheese. Then season the dip with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Serve: Serve the smoky eggplant dip with crusty bread or grilled toast as you would butter.

Havre 77: this is a less-known restaurant that is owned and run by the same people who own Maximo Bistro. I prefer it because it’s not as busy. It’s in an old grand home. It’s a very romantic place to sit and sip drinks. They also have a room with a raw seafood bar.

La Docena: If you like seafood, this is your spot. This bohemian seafood restaurant in Roma has things you’ve never seen before. They have the regular oysters and things you’d expect, but also giant clams from the pacific ocean that they chop into a ceviche right before your eyes and serve on the shell. We had a 5” section of a palm tree that was split down the middle and then grilled to present a “heart of palm.” I recommend you sit at the bar where you’ll be able to see what they are concocting, than ask for one yourself. You can drink a fresh coconut, too. With or without rum.

Azul: This restaurant has three locations. We love the one in Condessa. It’s a traditional, more formal Mexican meal. You’ll find large tables of businesspeople arriving around 2:30 in the afternoon. They have a lovely outdoor patio.

Huset: This Roma restaurant has a beautiful outdoor patio with filtered light through a canopy of vines. They also have a stunning bar. We enjoyed an avocado pizza and many other distinctive dishes.

Rosetta: This is in a beautiful old funky house in Roma. The food is very creative. The best way to experience this menu is to order as many things as you can and share.

Contramar: This is a hip, fun restaurant focused on seafood where all the business people go to be seen. Honestly, I think it’s a bit too much of an institution with lots of tourists, though it’s listed in all the guides. I put it here to say, “Meh, maybe skip this one.”

Primos: This is a beautiful French-style bistro serving some French and some Mexican food. It’s near the park in Condessa and is a gorgeous place to sit outside for any meal.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. fennel (about 2 large bulbs), stalks removed, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2” wedges

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Instructions

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

In a bowl, toss together fennel, cream, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a 3-qt. baking dish (or individual serving baking dishes); dot with butter. Cover dish with foil; bake for 60 minutes.

Uncover baking dish, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake until fennel is tender, about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, preferably brioche or challah

• 1 1/2 lb. mixed fresh wild mushrooms such as chanterelle, cremini, and oyster, trimmed

• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallot

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 2 cups half-and-half

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Instructions

Preheat over to 350° with rack in middle.

Bake bread cubes in 1 layer on a large shallow baking pan until golden-brown, about 10 minutes.

Cut mushrooms lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.

Cook shallots in butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften.

Add mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until mushroom liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add parsley and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Stir in mushrooms and bread cubes until coated and let stand 10 minutes for bread to absorb the egg mixture.

Butter 8 ramekins. Cut a parchment paper round to fit in the bottom of each. Spoon the mixture into ramekins and bake on a baking sheet until firm to the touch, about 30 to 35 minutes. Un-mold puddings and discard parchment.

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of beet greens trimmed with kitchen scissors to remove the tough stems

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted lightly to a golden color in a small skillet

Instructions

Wash the beet leaves at least twice in a sink full of cold water. Using kitchen scissors, cut off the thick stems.

Place the greens in a vegetable steamer in a saucepan with and inch or so of simmering water. Steam until just tender. Drain well by putting the greens into a colander and pressing as much of the water out as possible.

Further dry the steamed greens by pressing them between two clean towels. Next, take the pressed greens and place them on a sheet of saran wrap. Shape them onto a long roll about 3/4 inch in diameter, pressing firmly and using the saran wrap to hold them together. You can chill the resulting “log” of beet greens until later if you wish.

Brown the butter, then mix in the sesame oil, lemon juice and salt. Reserve for later.

At serving time, cut through the saran wrap with a very sharp knife so that you have 1 inch tall cylinders.

Unwrap the cylinders and discard the plastic. Paint the top of each cylinder with light coat of melted butter, then dip the tops of each cylinder into a bowl of the toasted sesame seeds. This will cover the top of the cylinder with seeds. Place the cylinders on the surface you want to serve them on. Lightly drizzle each cylinder with the butter mixture.

Ingredients

• 4 whole eggs

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 4 tablespoons water

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1/2 cup sheep’s camembert cheese with the rind cut off, softened in the microwave, and cut into small pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter small ceramic ramekins on the bottoms and sides.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until just mixed.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter, sugar, water, and cream just to simmering point (don’t allow to boil). Stir in the cheese until smooth. Let cool slightly.

Pour the heated cream mixture slowly into the egg mixture, whisking as you go. If you pour it too quickly, the eggs may curdle. Strain the egg/cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.

Evenly divide the egg/cream mixture between the ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a casserole pan. Pour simmering water around the ramekins until it reaches halfway up the sides.

Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes depending on the size of your ramekins. You do not want the flan to be browned at all, just slightly firm but still wobbly.

Take the pan out of the oven and allow to cool in the water bath. Serve the flan slightly warm or chilled.