South (and WAY West) of the Border

It was decided that this past Saturday night would be taco night, but I wanted to step outside of the box a bit. Plus the leftovers made for a phenomenal breakfast on Sunday!

The first course consisted of one of the most delicious soups I have ever made - velvety Corn Bisque. And it was as delicious as it was gorgeous!

I started by melting a few tablespoons of butter, which usually means something good is on the way!

I then added two packages (four cups) of frozen corn (one was butter-sauced), two diced carrots, two diced celery stalks, one diced medium onion, one large diced peeled russet potato, one teaspoon of salt, and one half teaspoon of pepper. I cooked the vegetables for approximately fifteen minutes, until softened, and then I added four cups of vegetable stock. (You could use chicken stock too.)

Once it came to a boil, I let it simmer for another fifteen minutes and then I puréed it in batches in the blender until it was silky smooth. I returned it to the pot, added one half cup of heavy cream, reheated, and tasted for seasoning.

While the bisque was simmering, I browned one pound of ground chorizo. To plate and serve the bisque, I added a heaping spoonful of chorizo to the center of the bowl, topped with sliced red chili peppers, and corn. I carefully ladled the bisque all around the chorizo and garnished with cotija cheese and fresh scallions. And to keep this fully vegetarian, the chorizo can easily be omitted.

Every good meal should start with a good cocktail so I whipped up Smoky Margaritas. One and a quarter ounce of tequila, one half ounce of agave nectar (or simple syrup), one half ounce of lime juice, one quarter ounce of mezcal, and one egg white which is optional, but adds creaminess. Everything was shaken with ice and strained into ice-filled glasses that I half-rimmed with agave nectar and black lava salt.

You cannot have taco night without tacos, and I made three. First up was Spicy Korean Beef Tacos. I chose to use stew meat because it is less expensive than short ribs and other cuts of beef. Plus I knew it would be braising for hours, and therefore very tender. To begin, I seasoned the beef with salt, pepper, and then tossed in flour.

I seared the beef in vegetable oil until it formed a golden brown crust.

Next, I added celery, carrots, shallots, and garlic, skins included because they contain great flavor.

Once the vegetables had softened, I added an entire bottle of red wine (merlot), scraped the bits off of the bottom of the pot, brought it to a boil, and let it reduce by half.

I added two bay leaves and a few sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley.

I then added four cups of beef stock, brought it to a boil, turned off the heat, put on the lid, and placed the pot into a 325 oven for three and a half hours, until the liquid had reduced, and the meat was fall-apart tender.

I made a spicy Korean taco sauce by combining three tablespoons each of soy sauce and sugar, two tablespoons of gochujang, and two teaspoons of sesame oil.

For the second taco, I made super easy Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos. Literally three steps -

Step 1: Make a marinade consisting of the zest of one lime, the juice of two limes, three tablespoons of olive oil, two grated garlic cloves, and one teaspoon each of chili powder, ground cumin, and salt.

Step 2: Pour marinade over shrimp and let sit for thirty minutes.

Step 3: Pour into a heated pan and cook for several minutes until the shrimp turn pink and then serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

The beef taco mixture is on the left which I combined with sautéed sliced Brussels sprouts and onions, the shrimp taco mixture is in the center, and on the right (for the less adventurous eaters) is a simple Barbecue Chicken Taco mixture. (I roasted chicken thighs, chopped the meat, and added one half cup of a good bottled barbecue sauce.)

I made my homemade Pico de Gallo (bottom center) and Chimichurri (bottom right) and accompanied with the usual toppings. (Not pictured are warmed soft corn tortillas, and hard taco shells.)

Instant Pot Spanish Rice is super easy. Just follow the directions for making rice in your Instant Pot, add your seasonings of choice (cumin, chili powder, Mexican oregano, salt, and pepper for me), one half cup of tomato sauce, and that is all you need!

Fast forward to Sunday morning when I scrambled eggs with the leftover chorizo from Saturday night. plus the leftover rice and tortillas....

...and you have the best Breakfast Tacos! This one is chorizo eggs, chimichurri, rice and cheese....

...and this one is chorizo eggs, salsa, cheese, and cilantro.

More cooking fun on the way!