Sunday, May 4, 2014

Carpe Diem

{Steak tacos with charred salsa, Mexican wedding cakes and white wine Sangria}

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over French forces during the American Civil War (via Wikipedia). Not unlike the Movie "Rudy" or the great football upset of Appalachian State over Michigan in 2007, everybody loves the underdog. There is something so exhilarating about seeing the unlikely opponent overtake the much more revered and expected victor that I think all of us can get behind. Which is why I believe we Americans love celebrating on the 5th of May every year. Not unlike our own victory over the British, the Mexican people were not willing to be kept. Not only has their presence brought us great food, but great music, beautiful dancing, vibrant textiles, as well as a peaceful and laid back approach to life that we hurried and over tasked American's struggle to embrace. Even this past Friday, after a hectic week, I could not wait to hit happy hour with some friends and sip lime Margaritas. Delicious.

These are your ingredients. The green pepper is a "poblano" pepper. I also added an orange pepper not pictured here. 

Either toss or lightly brush olive oil on the chopped veggies.

Charring the vegetables, which basically means you burn them a little, entails cooking them at a very high temperature and turning them occasionally. Add a clove or two of chopped garlic. If you have a grill pan or skillet (my next purchase) then use that. You may want to separate the onion, corn, and tomatoes so that you have better control over the cooking process. Set aside and keep warm.

Cook your steak. I did mine medium well. Cut into small bite size pieces. Season as you wish. I used a touch of seasoned salt.

Toss veggies with salt, pepper, fresh chopped cilantro, and lime juice to taste. I also added Feta cheese, which is part of the recipe, but not seen here. Gives them a tangy little zip. 




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