Busy Days

Oops? I guess the combination of life, new job, and lack of post material has made this a rather long hiatus from blogging. My apologies for that. Keep an eye out though because there should be a post tomorrow or Sunday. In the meantime I leave you in the capable hands of my favorite chef!

Pacifico Pizza

I am afraid that I have fallen slightly behind on blogging thanks to a new job, but hopefully I will get in the swing of things and continue with regular posts.

Recently my mom came to Vancouver to visit the Farmers Market and spend the night with me. When it came time for dinner we had several problems in deciding where to go. Our first choice was closed for a private event, our second choice had a thirty-minute wait, and our third and fourth choices had both closed down recently. Luckily we smelled a delicious aroma wafting from Pacifico Pizzeria Ristorante on Smithe St. and followed our noses to a fantastic meal. The service at Pacifico was fantastic. When we told our waitress that we would like to split an appetizer, entrée, and pizza, she arranged it into a three-course meal experience.

We started out with mussels in a garlicky tomato sauce served with delicious focaccia. It is rare to find mussels in a red sauce instead of a classic herbs and white wine sauce, but this was perfection. The mussels were tender and the sauce was perfect for dipping. While I loved the flavor of the focaccia, I wish there had been more available to sop up the delicious broth.

Our second course was gnocchi tartufo, which I have to say, is the best gnocchi dish I have ever had. Usually I prefer to make gnocchi at home since it is so simple, but the Pacifico has complete mastery over this particular dish. Walnuts, mushrooms, and truffle oil come together to make a mouthwatering flavor! Our third and final course was the prosciutto and arugula pizza. First of all, this pizza had the best thin-crust that I have enjoyed in Vancouver. The toppings were fresh and the arugula was put on after baking to keep it crisp. There was plenty of pizza for leftovers the next day.

In the end my experience was excellent thanks to both the quality of the food and service. The prices were reasonable and after our three-course meal and three cocktails, the bill came up to around $70. In fact I enjoyed it all so much that I returned with a friend for a celebratory dinner just one week later. On my second trip I sampled the smoked salmon tagliatelle, which was delectable, but not on par with the gnocchi. I recommend Pacifico Pizzeria Ristorante to anyone who wants to enjoy quality Italian food and pizza at a decent price.

Bacon Green Chile Cheeseburgers

I have been working on making the perfect burger for months now. There has to be a suitable balance between toppings and meat. The patty has to be thin enough to bite into, but thick enough to be a mouthful. The outside has to be browned, but the inside needs to be juicy and not overcooked. Despite the fact that I can make a mean salmon with beurre blanc and that my Caesar salad is out of this world, burgers are still a challenge for me.

For my bacon green chile cheeseburger, I chopped the green chile into the patty itself. I have found that this helps keep the flavor evenly throughout.  I also mixed a small amount of Cholula, kosher salt, and pepper. Delicious! For once I cooked it perfectly, but I was somewhat lacking in condiments. In the end the burger was excellent, but I will have to do some more planning before I make this the next time. 

Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness

Sometimes when I am feeling frustrated with my life, I watch My Little Pony. Definitely not kidding here! It is a wonderfully uplifting show, even if I am almost twenty years older than the target audience. Quite a few of the episodes have little food vignettes, but my favorite episode centers on the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness. In the show it is described as “All that rich creamy goodness of the marzipan combined with the tart tanginess of the mascarpone blended perfectly with the smooth silky sweetness of the meringue.” My friend Laura and I set out to recreate the cake with our own special touch.

Clearly neither of us is a professional baker, but I used my culinary training to make some delicious marzipan and Laura’s artistic ability went a long way in the coloring and shaping of the fruits and leaves. Since I am not a huge fan of normal cake, we decided to make a delectable creamy mascarpone cheesecake as the base.  The meringue did not turn out very well, but I decided it was somewhat superfluous anyway. In the end the cake as a whole was delicious. Well worth the cavities.

Green Chile Tempura Trial 1.0

This past weekend I continued my green chile adventures and made green chile tempura and arroz verde. There is an amazing sushi restaurant in Santa Fe called Shohko Café which I highly recommend to any visitors of the city. My green chile tempura is not nearly as impressive as theirs, and for that reason I will not be sharing the recipe.  I still have one fresh green chile left and I might use it to perfect this recipe.  The key to amazing tempura is a light and fluffy batter and mine left a lot to be desired. Up next is bacon green chile cheeseburgers! 

Chiles Rellenos

In my opinion chile rellenos exemplify New Mexican cuisine. In fact, if they had pork in them, they would contain New Mexico’s four favorite ingredients—the other three being chile, cheese, and cilantro. Perhaps I should start experimenting with a bacon chile relleno…

This recipe was adapted from one taught to me by the amazing Chef Michelle Roetzer at Santa Fe Community College. She teaches classes for tourists and does food tours at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, which I highly recommend, for anyone who visits the Land of Enchantment.

Chiles Rellenos

4 New Mexico green chiles (Anaheim or poblano chiles will work as well)

4 oz jack cheese, grated

2  scallions, chopped

½ bunch cilantro, chopped

½ cup flour

3 eggs

¼ cup 7-up or Sprite

Cayenne

Garlic powder

Salt

Pepper

Roast chiles and place in sealed ziplock bag until cool. Peel carefully and use a paring knife to cut a one-inch slice toward the top of the chile. Gently remove the seeds and set chiles aside.

Combine the grated cheese, scallions, cilantro and a pinch of cayenne, salt, and pepper. Form into marble sized cheese balls.

Carefully place 3 cheese balls in each of the chiles without overfilling them or causing rips. Set stuffed chiles in the freezer until ready to batter.

Make a seasoned flour with ¼ of the flour and pinches of salt, pepper, cayenne,  and garlic powder.

Separate the egg whites and yolks into two bowls. Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Add 7-up and remaining ¼ cup of flour to egg yolks and mix well.

Heat 1 inch of oil in pan. Lightly coat stuffed chiles in seasoned flour and then dip in batter before frying. Fry with the slit up and spoon oil over the top of the chile before flipping. Repeat with remaining chiles and place on paper towels to remove grease. Serve with arroz verde and enjoy!

Chile, Chile, Chile!

Growing up in New Mexico meant that I had an endless supply of green chile and ate it with almost anything. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest I have had to somewhat change my New Mexican diet. I have been hoarding chile like treasure and I currently have two jars and one pound of frozen taking up space. Despite this stockpile I have really been missing the late summer smell of freshly roasted green chiles. Luckily Whole Foods flew in to my rescue! Not only are they currently selling fresh Hatch green chile, but they are roasting it in their parking lot. I am now the lucky possessor of fresh chile and some extra hot roasted for freezing. Tomorrow I will making a batch of chile rellenos and will share the recipe, but for tonight, here is a list of my top 5 green chile dishes. Thanks to my bountiful harvest, I will be able to do recipe based posts on each of these meals in the next few weeks.

Chile Rellenos

Green Chile Bacon Cheeseburgers

Green Chile Stew

Bacon Chile Breakfast Burrito

Green chile tempura