Salsa Verde and Short Rib Tacos

I just came from Oaxaca...and I love their salsa verde.  I didn’t want to research any recipes...I just wanted to make it with flavors I thought worked...so I picked out 6 good sized green and 5 red jalapeños, 2 full bunches of really fragrant Cilantro (sometimes it has no smell or it smells old)...came home...rinsed it off...put the whole bunches right in the vitamix (minus the rubber bands), cut off the stems of the jalapenos..tossed those in...added a half cup of sliced deli pickled Jalapeños with the juice and pinch of salt...a swirl of Mandranova extra virgin olive oil....and flipped the switch to emulsify the mixture.... I wanted the textures smooth and creamy...

The whole thing took less than 3 minutes to make from start to finish and the flavor is incredible.  Poured it all in a quart sized jar and refrigerated it....I took the left over in the vitamix...added a little water and poured it into my simmering short ribs to add just a little kick.

The short ribs....   Took a package from Costco with 6 pieces at about 8” strips.... seasoned them with a little kosher salt...browned them on both sides..sliced up a sweet onion and tossed that in....mixed it around to soak up some of the browned bits from the meat.  Ricky from Palm Restaurant had been so kind to give me a bottle of SKYNNY white wine a few weeks back....and since I didn’t have any chicken stock....I decided I would use the remainder of the bottle (about 3/4 full)....poured it in.....added a few cups of water to cover the ribs...a heaping Tablespoon of brown sugar....the leftover salsa verde in the vitamix jar cleaned out with a little water....some red pepper flakes.... turned up the heat to boil.....then turned it down to simmer for hours....leaving the cover on but open about 2”....

4 hours later....tossed two corn tortillas over an open flame to heat up...added a little short ribs on each....a line of salsa verde across...and YUMMILICIOUS it was!!!...along with a little fresh sliced pineapple...

So quick and easy!!

Seafood taco from Primetime Cuisine on Wheels

Yesterday, Lovey and I went to LACMA for a lecture on Latin American Art and then enjoyed the exhibits pertaining to the lecture (will get to that in a different posting).  Being that we keep saying we're going to try the food trucks, this was a perfect opportunity as they're always lined up on Wilshire Blvd across the street from the museum.  One thing I always do with truck owners/cooks/chefs...whatever label they give themselves...is..I want to know from where they got their passion to cook and how they have developed their palate. So as I visited the trucks, I asked. I'm only featuring one of the 3 we tried (too full to go on)...because they're the only one whose food fit their passion.  

The first truck is called Primetime Cuisine on Wheels; the owners of the truck are from Mexico. The husband handles the orders and the business and his wife cooks...and boy does she!  She's from a town near the sea outside of Mexico City..next time, I'll remember... (as I want to know what region they come from and are they seaside or inland). We're going to make this one our stop next Saturday...and try some of their other dishes... (and we promised the Hungarian Hamburger guy we'd try a burger and goulash too...  

We also tried the Korean NY Galbi Truck, did not like at all...and the Cali Bhan Mi Truck...his flavor was good but his execution was lousy..the veggies inside were too thickly cut, and his pork was dry and tough which made it unpleasant to eat.  I asked him about how he got into this type of Vietnamese cooking...and at first he seemed incensed that I would ask him..but..I like to know about people's passions....his was from eating it in San Jose....but never had he gone to Vietnam or really studied it.  His bread was good..his spices and flavors were good....I just wish he'd learn how to cook the pork for it...and slice his vegetables thinly...if not via knife..then get a mandolin.  These things make a difference.  I can only wish him well..but I will not be returning...nor will I recommend it.

Okay..so let's get back to the Mexican.....

The first truck we came upon was Primetime Cuisine on Wheels which was strictly Mexican (as opposed to a fusion) so we went up to the window and asked what is their specialty; seafood, with the fried crispy shell....so I ordered only one taco to taste.

I'm not going to go into a food writer's dissertation here...it's plain and simple...OMG...OMG....SCRUMPTIOUS...YUMMILICIOUS... I should've trusted my taste buds and not bothered with the other trucks...and just ordered more from them....perhaps next Saturday, I'll see you there!

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