Amor y Tacos: Modern Mexican Tacos, Margaritas, and Antojitos

by Deborah Schneider, Sara Remington (Photographer)

Overview

"A zesty take on tacos, drinks, and appetizers sure to inspire fans of Mexican flavors" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
 
Think you know what a taco is? Think again. This hot little book delivers a deliciously new way to "do" Mexican—not just tacos but also antojitos (the "little bites" that are Mexico's variation on tapas), salsas, tequila- and mezcal-based cocktails, and the amazingly thirst-quenching fruit drinks called aguas frescas. Taking her cue from the taqueros who vend fresh, inventive, lovingly prepared food from roadside stalls in Baja and street-side trucks in Tijuana, author Deborah Schneider shakes up and recombines traditional Mexican flavors in ways that will dazzle your taste buds. Her inspired, quick, easy-to-make dishes include Garlic Shrimp Tacos with Poblano Rajas, Deep-Fried Fish Tacos Capeado with Spicy Coleslaw, Lemon-Garlic Chicken Tacos with Mezcal, a vegetarian taco with quesa fresca (fresh cheese), and even a taco stuffed with shredded beef that's been simmered in Coca-Cola.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613121221
Publisher:	Abrams
Publication date:	10/01/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	152
File size:	39 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Deborah Schneider is a working chef and author of the award-winning Baja! Cooking on the Edge and Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta, nominated for a 2009 James Beard Award. She is the executive chef and partner in SOL Cocina in Newport Beach, California. Schneider lives with her family in San Diego.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

COCKTAILS DRINKS BEBIDAS

Por todo mal, mezcal, y por todo bien, tambien.

For all ills, mezcal; and for all good, as well!

One should never drink without eating, and the reverse is equally true. A really good cocktail sends you off on a wet tangent, playing off the flavors of food, pairing tart and rich, sweetness and spice. Drinks are a way to enjoy pure flavor, often flavors that could not be created any other way.

If you can rethink food, why not drinks? A talented bartender brings the same creative flair to drinks as do chefs to food, utilizing fresh ingredients, stellar technique, and, often, artisanal recipes that haven't been seen for decades. Far beyond merely tending the bar (itself an honorable profession) these inspired auteurs might make their own unusual syrups and mixes from scratch, infuse alcohol with wild flavors and colors, and as a result, create drinks that are unique. Along with this comes a new respect for artisanal spirits.

Tequila is no longer just the shortest point to a party, or oblivion, but is itself worthy of serious attention. Fine estate-bottled tequilas, each painstakingly handmade, con amor, each one as personal as a fingerprint, are as respectable as single-malt scotches and cognacs. The cocktails in this chapter are designed to enhance tequila's herbal, earthy punch, using fresh juices and combinations that may surprise you. Every one is food-friendly, simple to make, and delicious

Note: Most of the recipes in this chapter may be made without alcohol. A thoughtful host always has a delicious nonalcoholic drink on hand for designated drivers and those who enjoy great taste for its own sake.

GIFTS OF THE AGAVE

As champagne must originate in Champagne, and cognac in Cognac, real tequila comes only from the Tequila region in Jalisco state, near the historic heart of central Mexico, where vast fields of massive blue agave plants grow in the plains and up the flanks of the mountains. When the plant is mature, which takes several years, the heart, or piña, is plump and full of sugars. It is then harvested and trimmed by hand, slow-roasted in a pit, or horno (sometimes with wood), then ground, fermented, rested, and distilled. Newly minted tequila is called blanco (silver) or plata tequila. Reposado has spent some time aging in oak barrels, resulting in a smoother palate and light amber color. Añejo may have a year or more of barrel aging, and a stiff price tag to go with its deeper color, lighter flavor, and pronounced nose. So-called super-premium tequilas may be any of these three types. They are the crème de la crème and are priced accordingly, up to hundreds of dollars a bottle. These liquid works of art should be served straight up, never mixed.

For mixed drinks, choose a moderately priced 100 percent agave tequila. Only 100 percent agave tequilas are worth your money — and if the label does not actually say 100 percent agave, it isn't. These low-agave imposters can give you a thumping headache as well.

Generally, all tequilas are better now than they were even a decade ago, thanks to a booming market fueled by sophisticated consumers and more artistic production. However, tequilas vary widely from brand to brand. Some are so smooth as to be as tasteless as vodka. At the other end of the scale, there are tequilas that have a carefully calibrated rawness, a bigness, that thrills some people and gives others whiplash. When you buy, don't be distracted by the lovely bottles, and don't feel as if you have to pay a lot of money. Tequila is all about taste, your taste — fancy packaging and high prices do not always guarantee quality.

A sipping tequila should have a clean edge, and you should be able to smell the plant, a robust, sappy, almost bitter scent. The alcohol may be mostly in the nose, or it may be a powerful part of the flavor. Texturally, tequilas range from clean and light with a slippery, silky quality, to a round, almost oily palate. Tequilas for mixed drinks should be muscular, sharp, and earthy, the better to carry the other flavors of the drink. With time, tequila becomes lighter and more subtle in flavor, losing some raw personality and developing a smoother, rounder palate. Generally speaking, most reposados and all añejos will be overpowered in mixed drinks; enjoy them from a snifter. Many tequila brands now make all three, so you can taste them against each other.

Powerfully earthy mezcal (sometimes spelled mescal) is also made from agave, though distillers are not limited to the commercial blue agave. Any variety, wild or cultivated, can be used. It is made throughout Mexico, although the best estate mezcals come from Oaxaca. Mezcals are usually produced on small haciendas, so quality and taste can vary wildly from area to area and year to year. Mezcal is a collector's liquor, with personality, much like single-malt scotches or great wines, and should be enjoyed neat, with sangrita on the side. The best mezcals taste strongly of alcohol, with a pronounced herbal/sweet/grassy "sap" flavor evocative of pepper or citrus or even mildly bitter. Often, the primitive roasting process used imbues the mezcal with a pleasing, subtle smokiness.

Mezcals are fascinating to drink with foods such as complex dried chile salsas, or with sweets that temper their power and play off the smokiness.

The third gift of the agave plant is agave nectar, made from the unfermented juices of the blue agave, boiled down to make a light syrup — the same basic idea and process that creates maple syrup from maple sap. Unlike maple, the taste of agave nectar is light and neutral, almost like simple syrup. It comes in light and dark versions, but they taste virtually identical. Agave may be substituted for honey or maple syrup, or used anywhere you would use sugar, except in baked goods.

MAKING THE PERFECT COCKTAIL

Any drink that starts with crushing ingredients in a glass (muddling) should be made one at a time, or at most doubled to serve two. That's because a cocktail is a balance of strong spirits and flavorings, be they fruit, vegetable, syrup, or spice. Temperature also affects flavor; so does melting ice, which slightly smoothes and dilutes the drink. The chemistry of a drink will change if you make bigger batches, and you will find that the drink will lose its edge, maybe even taste a little out of whack — flat or bland.

For large groups, make a big batch of watermelon agua fresca or Bloody Marias without the alcohol, then add the tequila as the drink is poured.

To make your task easier, work like a professional bartender. Line up your liquors, garnishes, chilled juices, and flavorings all within reach; have rimming salts and sugars at the ready; make sure your best stemware and glasses are clean and polished. Then it's easy to make several drinks at a time, assembly-line style.

OVER THE EDGE: FINISHING THE DRINK

PRETTY LITTLE THINGS

A really beautiful drink shows attention to detail. Why just hang a lime on the glass when so many lovely garnishes can transform the cocktail into something special and echo or contrast flavor and color? As with food, the best drink garnishes are edible ... which eliminates those little parasols. Here are some ideas.

LARGER FRUITS Choose a perfect piece of fruit that picks up on or contrasts with the color and flavor used in the cocktail. Wash it, leave the skin on, and slice it thinly or cut it into a wedge. Cut a slit in the wedge and hang it on the glass. Or add a few pieces of diced fruit to the drink. Watermelon, tangerine, starfruit, melon, apple or pear, and pineapple or mango are colorful and delicious, as are the more traditional lemon, lime, and orange.

SMALL FRUITS Drop one perfect berry or cherry into the glass, or hang it on the rim. Cut a strawberry in half, leaving the stem intact, and hang it on the glass.

CANDIED OR DRIED FRUIT Drop a couple of dried cranberries or dried mango dice into the glass, hang half a fig on the rim, or skewer the fruits on a flowering herb sprig.

HERB SPRIGS Tuck a sprig into a berry or lay a long stem of flowering herb across the top of the glass.

SHREDDED HERB Scatter finely chopped or shredded herbs on the surface of the drink.

VEGETABLES Choose fresh-looking vegetables and trim them into shapes to fit the glass and your needs. Good choices are celery hearts (white, with leaves still attached), cucumber spears, jicama sticks, avocado chunks, little tomatoes with stems, green beans, or slender asparagus spears.

CHILES Float a paper-thin slice of red Fresno or serrano chile in the drink, or split a whole small chile like a clothespin and hang it on the glass.

SEAFOOD Thread lightly cooked, chilled shrimp or scallops onto a skewer with a cherry tomato, lime, or chile on the end. Terrific with a cold beer, michelada (this page), or vaso loco (this page).

CHOCOLATE A little piece of bittersweet chocolate dropped into the glass, or served alongside, is especially good with mezcal or añejo tequila

RIMMING THE GLASS

Rimming the cocktail glass is a colorful detail that enhances the flavor of the cocktail. Margaritas are commonly served in a salt-rimmed glass, which makes the citrus taste sweeter and brings out the tequila flavor, but you can create many "dusts," sweet, tart, or savory.

Because you need a fine powder, it is necessary to use a mini food processor or a clean coffee-type grinder (reserve one for spices only — otherwise your coffee will flavor your spices and vice versa). Pour the finished mixture onto a small, curved dish, such as a saucer. Wipe just the edge of the glass with a wedge of lime or lemon and dip the moistened edge into the powder, to lightly coat the glass. (The dusts may also be sprinkled on the rim.) Don't overdo it — light dusting is best. You can also dust just the inside rim of the glass; see the Margarita SOL (this page).

Possible combinations for rimming the glasses include the following. If the mixture doesn't already come in a fine enough powder, grind it up before use.

* Equal parts sugar and dried orange or lemon peel

* Equal parts white sugar and ground dried hibiscus blossom (jamaica)

* Exotic sea salts — black, gray, or pink

* Dried chiles (guajillo, ancho, or California chiles), seeded and toasted, with a pinch of salt

* Lucas spice (available in Mexican markets), a combination of ground dried chiles, citrus, and salt

* 1 small star anise, 2 tablespoons white sugar, and a generous pinch of salt

* Equal parts ground Saigon cinnamon and sugar

* Fennel pollen (available in specialty markets) with a touch of salt

SANGRITA

Makes four 2-ounce shots. Don't confuse sangrita with the Spanish-style wine punch sangria (this page) — it's completely different. All sangrita recipes — and there are many — include fresh citrus juice (lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit, alone or in combination) balanced with a hint of hot sauce, salt, and acidity in the form of tomato juice or tomatillo. Think of a drinkable salsa.

5 ounces tomato juice
3 ounces fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice, or a combination Pinch kosher salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon Mexican hot sauce such as Tapatio

Stir together all the ingredients and serve in shot glasses at room temperature with no ice.

VARIATIONS:

* Substitute orange juice for the lemon juice.
* Substitute raw tomatillos, pureed and strained, for the tomato juice.

TEQUILA DIABLITO (THE DEVIL'S TEQUILA)

Makes about 750 milliters infused liquor. The name diablito is always a clue that there are hot chiles present — in this case, sharp little serranos whose spice is tempered with sweet mango. For a great summer variation of this spicy tequila, substitute two pints of cherry tomatoes for the mango. In winter, substitute a handful of chopped pineapple.

The recipe can be used as the basis for any infused tequila or mezcal. Use the variations suggested below or make up one of your own.

6 limes, well washed and thinly sliced
2 large, ripe mangoes, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)
4 serrano chiles, split lengthwise, and seeded
1 bottle (750 ml) 100 percent agave blanco tequila

1. Pack a large glass jar or other nonreactive container with the fruit and chiles. Pour the tequila over all and infuse for 3 to 5 days, refrigerated.

2. Strain slowly through a coffee filter, without pressing down on the fruit. The infused tequila should be stored in the refrigerator and will keep for several weeks (if it lasts that long).

VARIATIONS: Use the method described for Tequila Diablito to make other kinds of infused tequila or mezcal. When you mix flavors, keep in mind that it's best to stick to one or two dominant ones.

Fruits: 4 cups fresh ripe fruit, peeled, trimmed, and thinly sliced when necessary. Try blackberry, lime, lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, strawberry, mango (especially Manila mango), peach, pineapple, tamarind, melon, tart green apple, pear, pomegranate.

Vegetables: 4 cups celery, radish, cucumber, tomatillo or tomato, cut into 1inch cubes.

Fresh Chiles: 5 or 6 chiles, stemmed and seeded. For a spicy infusion, use serranos or jalapeños (habaneros are just too hot for most people). For chile flavor without heat, use fresh Anaheims. For sweet taste and rosy color, use red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Dry Chiles: 10 guajillo (mild) or ancho (fruity), 20 chipotle (smoky and hot), or 2 cups chiles de arbol (medium-hot). Stem and seed the chiles, then dry-toast them in a hot pan and tear them into small pieces before adding the liquor.

Herbs and Flavorings: For tender, leafy fresh herbs such as cilantro, basil, mint, tarragon, lavender, use 3 cups packed, washed and patted dry. Use 2 cups packed kaffir lime leaf or thinly sliced lemongrass, and 1 to 2 cups (depending on your taste) fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced. Use 3 cups dry hibiscus flower (also called jamaica), crushed.

Dry Spices: Dry spices should be lightly toasted until fragrant, then roughly crushed before infusing. Use 1 cup star anise, coriander seed, cocoa nibs, allspice, or black peppercorns. Use 20 large cinnamon sticks or ¼ cup whole cloves.

TIP: If you don't want to commit a whole bottle of tequila to one flavoring, try making 1-cup batches. This will also allow you to play with various combinations. Use about a third of the ingredient amounts suggested above per cup of liquor. Infuse in a small glass jar just large enough to hold all the ingredients, so the flavorings are fully immersed in the liquor.

MEXICAN MOJITO

Makes 1 mojito. The mojito is so sexy and light that it would be a shame not to adapt the Cuban original to the Mexican model. Tequila is a more versatile mixer than one might think, especially in drinks that already lean to the tart and citrusy. The typical mojito is made with white rum, but a smooth white tequila works perfectly with the wisp of mint and sweetness. A very quick drink to make — and drink.

3 mint sprigs
3 lime wedges
3 teaspoons sugar
6 ounces ice cubes
1½ ounces 100 percent agave blanco tequila
2 ounces soda water or sparkling water
1 ounce lemon-lime soda Garnish: lime wheel and mint sprig

In a mixing glass or shaker, muddle the mint sprigs, lime, and sugar. Add the ice and tequila. Cap tightly, shake vigorously, and pour into a 12-ounce glass. Top up the glass with soda water and top that with the lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a lime wheel.

MARGARITA SOL

Recipe makes 1 margarita, but it may be doubled to make two at a time. Merry companionship is practically guaranteed at the legendary Hussong's bar in Ensenada, especially after a couple of these tart (and very potent) margaritas. Made with fresh citrus juices and good blanco tequila, it's a simple, classic recipe that will knock you on your can if you aren't careful.

While salting the margarita rim has become commonplace, heavy salt will actually detract from the drink; try a tiny dash of salt on the ice cubes or in the bottom of the glass. I love the subtle trick of salting only the inside of the rim, so your lips never touch salt.

Lime wedge Kosher salt
1½ ounces 100 percent agave blanco tequila
3 ounces fresh sweet and sour mix (recipe follows)
¾ ounce orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau or Citronage
¾ ounce fresh-squeezed orange juice Ice cubes

1. Carefully run the wedge of lime around the inside rim of a 12-ounce tumbler (for rocks) or a 10-ounce martini glass, then dunk the glass onto a saucer of kosher salt to create a thin line of salt around the inside rim only. Shake off excess.

2. Combine the tequila, sour mix, liqueur, and orange juice in a glass shaker filled with ice. Cap tightly, shake vigorously for 15 seconds, and strain over fresh ice cubes into the rocks glass, or straight up into the martini glass.

NOTE: Mexican bartenders make their margaritas with a distinctively flavored orange liqueur called Controy, which is unfortunately not available in this country.

FRESH SWEET AND SOUR MIX

Makes about 4 cups, enough for 8 margaritas. Sour mix is a bar staple, but most commercial bar stock is terrible stuff, full of flavorings and preservatives that shouldn't cross your lips, much less sully a good drink. This homemade mix is well-balanced between tart and sweet, but leaning toward the tart, a logical counterpoint to tequila's herbal kick. Fresh-squeezed juices are absolutely essential to the mix — don't cut corners. (Remember, el flojo trabaja doble — the lazy person works twice as hard.) The work of juicing is a small price to pay for the most delicious drinks ever!

TIP: Room-temperature fruit yields more juice.

1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup white sugar
2 cups filtered water

Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate. Depending on the sweetness of the fruit, you may want to add a little more sugar or water, but keep a nice tart edge. Use within 24 hours.

MODERN MARGARITA

Makes 1 margarita. This cocktail has all the citrus flavor you expect from a margarita, but you don't have to juice the fruit first. Agave nectar, tapped from the same blue agave from whose hearts tequila is distilled, adds a gentle sweetness that softens the taste of citrus and bold tequila. Because the drink is made with muddled fruit, it will have a slight, pleasant bitterness from the peel.

2 lemon slices
2 lime slices
2 orange slices Ice cubes
1½ ounces 100 percent agave blanco tequila
1¾ ounce orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau or Citronage
1¾ ounce agave nectar (simple syrup may be substituted, see this page)

In a mixing glass or shaker, muddle the citrus slices. Add ice, tequila, liqueur, and agave nectar, cap tightly, and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled 10-ounce martini glass or over fresh ice cubes into a 12ounce tumbler.

LIMONADA

Makes 1 drink. This is a big turista mouthful. You'll find it (along with many variations) in the resort bars along the Mexican coast. Some enterprising vacationer must have thought that if lime in beer was tasty, adding a whole margarita to a beer must be better still, and the combination of bitterness, lime, and bubbles is unabashedly refreshing. The drink is basically a strong, effervescent margarita, served in a large goblet (schooner) with a beer, bottle and all, upside down in it. Lift the beer up so it pours out to fill the glass. Drink ice-cold.

Ice cubes
2 ounces 100 percent agave blanco tequila
1 ounce simple syrup (this page) or light agave nectar
1 ounce soda water or sparkling water
1 ounce grapefruit soda such as Squirt or Fresca
1 ounce lime juice
1 Mexican beer, such as Pacifico or Bohemia, very cold

In a shaker filled with ice, combine the tequila, syrup, soda water, grapefruit soda, and lime juice. Shake until well chilled and strain into a 16-ounce beer goblet. Pop the top on the beer and quickly turn it upside down in the glass, so the beer stays in the bottle. Serve right away with the bottle still in the glass.

TANGERINE GINGER MARGARITA

Makes 1 margarita. If you remember when the Tequila Sunrise ruled bar menus across the land, you will recognize the roots of this elegant drink — but any similarity stops there. The lovely pale-pink color comes from pomegranate juice, and the drink has just the slightest hint of ginger.

4 slices peeled fresh ginger
2 slices tangerine or orange Ice cubes
1 ½ ounces 100 percent agave blanco tequila
1 ounce simple syrup (this page)
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 ounces pomegranate juice Garnish: pomegranate seeds or thin slice of ginger, unpeeled

In a shaker, crush the ginger and tangerine slices. Top with ice, tequila, syrup, lime juice, and pomegranate juice. Cover tightly and shake for 15 seconds, until well chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a few pomegranate seeds or cut a slit in the ginger slice and slip it onto the rim.

PINEAPPLE SERRANO MARGARITA

Makes 1 margarita. A terrific and unique margarita, sweet and spicy with fragrant pineapple and fiery serrano chiles. Don't strain this one — pour the crushed fruit and chiles over the ice allowing the flavors to continue to meld. The drink will get spicier toward the end, as the heat from the serrano escalates, but it will be balanced by the bits of pineapple. You'll eat every bit.

3 chunks ripe, fresh pineapple or canned in juice
2 slices serrano chile Ice cubes
1½ ounces 100 percent agave blanco tequila
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 ounces simple syrup (this page)
Garnish: unpeeled pineapple wedge

In a 10-ounce rocks glass, crush the pineapple and chiles together with a muddler. Fill the glass with ice and pour in the tequila, lime juice, and syrup. Stir with a long-handled spoon. Cut a slit in the pineapple wedge and slide it onto the rim of the glass.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Amor y Tacos"
by .
Copyright © 2010 Deborah Schneider.
Excerpted by permission of Abrams Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Introduction,
CHAPTER 1 Cocktails, Drinks, Bebidas,
CHAPTER 2 Antojitos,
CHAPTER 3 Tacos,
CHAPTER 4 Salsas and Basics Sources,
Essential Ingredients and Substitutions,
Glossary,
Index of Searchable Terms,