Tinga de Pollo y Papas

Rick Bayless...who knew you were such a nebbish?

Last week I had my first chance to watch a few episodes of Mexico-One Plate at a Time on a DVD that a friend lent me and discovered that, although you're a seriously talented and passionate chef, on your show, when you're not cooking, you're kind of awkward and well...dorky.

But who cares!
Your recipes are brilliant and I've loved every single one that I've ever attempted.
Especially, as I like to call them, the knock-you-on-your-ass Margarita recipe that you so innocently call the Top of the Line Margarita. The night I made a pitcher for myself and three of my friends was the infamous evening that will forever be known as "the night we danced with the chihuahua and danced on the dining room chairs until one of us fell off."
It's an excellent recipe. Go ahead, try it. You'll see.
Then, if you remember anything the next day, let me know what you thought.

Mr Bayless, you've done more for my appreciation of the complexity and uniqueness of Mexican cuisine than a hundred trips to Mexico could have done. And I thank you for that.

So, you're kind of a nebbish. So what.
I find it endearing.



The following is taken from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen


Smoky Shredded Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Tomatoes
Tinga de Pollo y Papas
serves 4 as a light main dish (with about 4 cups of finished tinga)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium (1 ½ pounds total) chicken thighs, skin removed
• 4 medium boiling potatoes (like the red-skin ones)
• 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• Salt, about ¾ teaspoon
• 1/3 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or pressed, salted farmer's cheese
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 3/8-inch dice
• 1 recipe Essential Quick-Cooked Tomato Chipotle Sauce (recipe below)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. The chicken and potatoes -- Nestle the skinless thighs into the sauce, cover, and set over medium-low heat. Cook for about 25 minutes, until the meat is thoroughly tender. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving as much sauce as possible in the pan. Cool, then pull the meat from the bones in large shreds; there will be about 2 cups.
2. With a food processor or hand grater, coarsely shred the potatoes. Squeeze between your hands to remove as much water as possible.
3. Finishing the dish -- Heat the remaining I tablespoon of the oil over medium-high in a large (10- to 12-inch) nonstick or well-seasoned skillet. Add the onion and potatoes and cook, stirring and scraping up any sticking bits, until well browned, about 15 minutes. Scrape in the sauce and oregano, bring to a boil, stir in the chicken, and heat through, about 2 minutes.
4. Taste and season with salt.
5. Scoop the mixture into a warm, deep, decorative serving dish. Sprinkle with cheese, strew with avocado and serve without hesitation.

Advance Preparation: The tinga can be finished a day ahead, cover and refrigerate. Warm in a 400-degree oven, covered with foil, garnish with avocado and cheese, and serve.

Shortcuts: A drained 15-ounce can of tomatoes can replace the roasted fresh ones.

Essential Quick-Cooked Tomato Chipotle Sauce
makes 1 cup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 stemmed, dried chipotle chiles or canned chipotle chiles en adobo
• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 12 ounces (2 medium-small round or 4 to 6 plum) ripe tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. For dried chiles, toast them on an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning regularly and pressing flat with a spatula until very aromatic, 30 seconds. In a small bowl, cover the chiles with hot water and let rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even soaking. Drain and discard the water. (Canned chiles need only be removed from their sauce.)
2. While the chiles are soaking, roast the unpeeled garlic on the griddle or skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until soft (they will blacken in spots), about 15 minutes; cool and peel. Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened on one side, about 6 minutes, then flip and roast the other side. Cool, then peel, collecting all the juices with the tomatoes.
3. In a food processor or blender, puree the tomatoes and their juices, rehydrated or canned chiles and garlic to a medium-fine puree. Heat I tablespoon of the oil in a heavy, medium (2- to 3-quart) saucepan over medium-high.
4. Add the puree and stir for about 5 minutes as it sears and thickens.

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Top 100 - 41 Through 50

41. Saint Marcellin cheese. A sweet, soft and creamy cheese that is usually sold in little ceramic crocks to keep it's shape. The taste is mushroomy and earthy, some say fruity. As it ages the texture becomes more chalky. Delicious served with some olives and a glass of Châteauneuf du Pape.

42. The Pitcher. For serving water, wine, sangria, lemonade, margaritas, etc.


43. Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen. A very well researched and knowledgeable cookbook featuring the complex, unique and often overlooked flavors of Mexico. I've had this book for ten years and think it is fantastic.

44. Lucques Olive Tapenade. I prefer the flavor of tapenade made with green olives rather than black olives. And my favorite green olive to use is the Lucques, although manzanilla or green Greek olives would work with this recipe. Spread it on some bread and serve with apéritifs.

Lucques Olive Tapenade

1 cup pitted green olives
2-3 anchovies, rinsed and dried
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 clove garlic
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse paste. Add a little olive oil at a time until you reach a smooth consistency.
Makes one cup.
Can be kept in the refrigerator, covered, for several weeks.

45. H & H Bagels Truly the best! If only they were available in France...

46. Hand Blender or Immersion Blender. Saves me from having to purée soups in a food processor and therefore, from burning myself in the process. Also useful for making smoothies, fruit sauces, whipping butter and making custard. It takes up very little space in my tiny kitchen and it is one of those tools that I reach for again and again.

47. Bar Pinoxto in Barcelona, Spain. Located inside La Boqueria market, this little bar with only 12 counter seats and a couple of small tables is my favorite place for a café con leche or lunch. There is no menu but Juanito, the lively proprietor and quite the local celebrity, will tell you what is being served that day. My favorites were the grilled razor clams, grilled whole little green peppers and salt cod croquettes. The bar is frequented by locals as well as tourists and the counter seats fill up early.

48. Susan Spicer. Chef and owner of Bayona and Herbsaint in New Orleans. I was introduced to her cooking on my first visit to New Orleans when we snagged a last minute reservation at Bayona. Housed in a 200 year old Creole cottage in the French Quarter, Bayona was opened by Spicer in 1990 and has been winning awards and serving some of the best food in the city ever since. Herbsaint was opened with chef Donald Link in 2000, and lucky for us, it was just around the corner from our apartment. We ate there as often as possible!

49. Leite's Culinaria website. An elegant and mouth-watering collection of recipes, food writing, book reviews and resources for food lovers.

50. Vin D'Oranges. I wrote about this homemade apéritif back in November and am now on my fourth batch. I've tried it with rosé twice, red and now white. The red wine version tasted too much like sangria, which I love, just not in the winter, but the rosé version was excellent. The white wine version will be ready next week.

Vin d'Oranges

7 juice oranges (about 2 1/2 pounds), preferably organic
2 bottles dry white wine, rosé wine or fruity red wine (I used rosé)
grated zest of one orange
1 cup sugar
1 cup vodka

Peel the oranges and chop the flesh into 1/2 inch cubes on a cutting board that will collect the juices. Put the orange pieces and all the collected juice into a 12 cup, wide-mouthed jar with a tight fitting lid, or divide between two smaller jars. Pour the wine over and close the jar tightly. Set aside in a cool place for 10 days. Each day, gently shake the jar and on the 10th day, add the orange zest.
On the 11th day, strain the wine into a large bowl, pressing on the oranges to extract all the juice. Discard the oranges. Add the sugar to the wine and stir until dissolved. Then add the vodka.
Pour through a funnel into 3, sterilized wine bottles, seal with corks and set aside for another 10 days in a cool place.
Serve very cold.
Drink within three months.

This recipe comes from a cookbook published in 1994 called Backroad Bistros, Farmhouse Fare
by Jane Sigal.
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