The Red Sauce

I use several kinds of chile sauces when I'm cooking Mexican food - green, yellow, white, creamy, but probably the most used in my kitchen is the red sauce.

I made a red enchilada sauce a few weeks ago with New Mexico red dried peppers that Rich, my husband, bought from a street vendor in Tucson. One day, we were going to have a potluck at work and somebody volunteered me to bring the salsa, but I forgot to make it. On the day of the potluck, I got up early in the morning and remembered that I was supposed to bring the salsa. I looked into my refrigerator and saw a jar halfway full with enchilada sauce but no hot salsa. I grabbed the enchilada sauce, a couple of jalapeño peppers, one tomato and some leftover cilantro. I blended it all together, placed it in a jar and took off for work with my improvised salsa, hoping that people would like it even a little. To my surprise, everyone loved it, including myself!

Here is the recipe for my original enchilada sauce and a tip on how to turn extra enchilada sauce into a great hot salsa (when one forgets to make one from scratch).

Red

Enchilada Sauce with Sunflower Seeds

10 New Mexico dried red peppers

1 T pepper seeds

2 T sunflower seeds

1 T dried oregano

3 garlic cloves

1/2 medium onion

salt to taste

Clean and divein the peppers scraping the seeds. Save 1 Table spoon of seeds and discard the rest. Toast pepper seeds and sunflower seeds in a dry cast iron pan until they become aromatic. Remove from the pan. Next toast the oregano until it becomes aromatic, it will only take seconds. Grind all three ingredients in a molcajete (mortar and pestle). Briefly toast the peppers being careful not to burn them. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 15 minutes until they rehydrate and become very soft. In the same pan, roast the onion (peeled) and garlic (with paper on) until they become tender. Peel the garlic, drain the peppers saving about 1/2 cup of the soaking water and transfer all ingredients into a blender or food processor; purée until smooth. Pass the sauce through a semi fine strainer, discard the solids left on the strainer and store the sauce in a jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.

This sauce is not spicy as New Mexico peppers are not too hot but if you like it milder, you can roast one tomato and add it to the blender before puréeing.

I use this sauce for enchiladas but when I have a little extra, I boil one tomato with one or two jalapeño peppers. Place them in a blender with the extra sauce and a handful of cilantro, purée and turn it into a hot salsa.

The Other Kind of Leftovers

Leftover meals are some of the best food, some people say and I agree! There is nothing better then a fried tamal the day after Christmas, or reheated chilaquiles for lunch (chilaquiles are a breakfast meal). These are one kind of leftovers but there is another kind of leftover food that forces me to be creative with dinners.

Towards the end of the week, when almost all my groceries are gone and I don't feel like going grocery shopping, I have to use the little pieces and bits of leftover produce, cheese and sauces that are in my fridge. I don't know why but at the end of the week, I always end up with little containers of tomato sauce. Plastic bags that store a piece of vegetable or three or four green beans, or a very small amount of cheese but I don't have any tortillas to make a quesadilla and there are no more leftovers from last night's dinner. This is when I ask myself; What should we have for dinner? It is time for the other kind of leftovers.

Here are two very good dinners that I made with leftover food. They turned out very nice!

Eggplant Rolls

(with leftover

lasagna ingredients)

2 thin slices (length wise) of eggplant

4 T of cheese mixture (ricotta, parmesan, egg, crushed red pepper, and black pepper)

1/2 c homemade marinara sauce (this is what made this meal special!)

2 slices of mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350°

Blanch the eggplant slices in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl full of cold water to stop the cooking. When cold enough to handle, spread 2 Ts of cheese mixture on each slice of eggplant, form into a roll and place in an ovenproof dish. Pour the sauce over the rolls and bake covered for approximately 15 minutes. Top each roll with 1 slice of mozzarella, and continue baking until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

Gilled Cheese Sandwich and Veggies

(with leftovers cheeses, green beans and fennel)

For the sandwich:

1 Ciabatta bread, sliced

mayonnaise

2-4 slices of cheese (my leftovers were colby jack, fontina and ricotta salata)

3-4 spinach leaves

Spread the inside of the bread with as little or as much mayonnaise as you like, top one half of the bread with layers of cheese, spinach and more cheese and cover with the other half of bread. Grill in a panini press or a griddle until the cheese melts. The ricotta will not melt but it gives this sandwich a very nice salty flavor.

For the veggies:

1T olive oil

1 handful of green beans, trimmed

1/4 head of fennel, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

salt and black pepper to taste

In a shallow pan, heat the oil, add the veggies and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until desired doneness (I like them crunchy). Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Para leer en Español pulse aquí: La Otra Clase de Sobrantes

A Thousand Zucchinis in One Little Garden/ Miles de Calabacitas en un Jardin Muy Pequeño

Greetings from my beautiful garden! I would like to share some pictures of my zucchini and squash, tomatoes and tomatillo plants!

The first photo is from last year. My plants produced beautiful flowers but not very many squash. The center photo is my garden today. I planted four tomato plants (San Marzano, grape tomatoes, and two kinds of heirlooms that my mother gave me). I also have two tomatillo plants and a basil plant. But I have lots of squash! It looks like all the seeds that I sowed germinated without any trouble. My mother-in-law said that I will have enough squash to feed the entire County of San Diego but I will be very happy if I get enough for my household. The last photo is what I expect to harvest very soon. I can't wait!

On the other side of the garden (I have not taken pictures yet) I'm growing serrano peppers, beets, three kinds of potatoes, fennel, carrots, lettuce, garlic, onion chives and herbs of various kinds - parsley, mint , oregano, basil, chamomile, thyme, sage, lemon verbena and a bay tree that is still very, very small.

Last year I did not have much luck with my squash and my tomatoes but I harvested sweet potato, lettuce and purslane, and my basil and parsley plants lasted almost all year. I did have some good tomatoes and some squash last year but this year, I hope to have an abundance of vegetables. What about you? What do you have in your garden this year? Send me a little note.

Here is a recipe for a simple but delicious soup that I love to cook. I got the recipe from a women at work (Marenda) about 5 years ago and now is one of my favorites.

Potato and Summer Squash Soup with Mint

Serves 4-5

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 Tbs. olive oil

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock

3 red potatoes, diced

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 small zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 small yellow squash, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 small mexican squash, trimmed and thinly sliced*

1 cup of small dried pasta shapes or couscous

2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, potatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, add the zucchini, yellow and mexican squash, and cook until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Add the pasta or couscous and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Stir in the mint.

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

*Note- I use 3 kinds of squash to make this soup colorful but you can use only 1 kind if you want, it won't affect the flavor.

My Father / Mi Padre

Domingo Ojeda Santana (May 12, 1925 - March 25, 1992)


I have many memories of my father. His life was good and so well lived!, it is impossible to forget such a special character.


I remember my father as a hard worker, resourceful, and productive. He only attended school for 18 days, he used to tell us, but he learned to read and write enough to succeed in life. My best memory and the greatest pride I have of my father is that he always achieved his goals!


He fell in love with a good woman and married her despite the fact that others did not approve. Together with his wife, he formed a family of 11 daughters and 2 sons (productive man, no?), and always wanted the best for us.


Bricklayer, plumber, painter, electrician
He designed and built several houses in Tijuana. The house he built for his family was made out of love. Starting with the foundation, piping and plumbing, to installing the last light bulb in each room, he did it all. He worked with all types of building materials without any qualms. I don't know where he learned but he was a master in handling wood, cement, brick and block alike. Despite so little time he devoted to school, he knew a lot of mathematics, his calculations was another thing that always amazed me. When starting a project he always finished it, never running out of material and he almost never had leftovers. His projections were very accurate. I wish I could divide and multiply as he did without the use of electronic calculators. I remember that he always carried a pencil on top of the ear and a little note-pad in the pocket of his shirt.


Manufacturer, carpenter
He built some of the furniture in our house with his own hands. He made bookcases, shelves, cabinets, benches and tables. We used to have two chairs in our kitchen - the one next to the sink that was his and the one next to the stove that was my mother's; he made them both. Today, I would give any thing to have one of those chairs in my house and I'd love to have his talent for making furniture.

Businessman, street vendor
My father did everything to meet the needs of his family. He performed all sorts of jobs, even as a floor sweeper. He used to say "if you are going to be a floor sweeper, sweep right." There was a time when he worked in an orchard of lemons and cucumbers. He used to bring home some big and very twisted cucumbers and yellow lemons that were big, beautiful, and juicy. We used to like them a lot but always had extras. So my father decided to start his own business selling cucumbers and lemons on the streets. Sometimes he was the one shouting on the streets "limones, limones!" (lemons, lemons) but almost always sent us kids to sell them among the neighbors. When I was embarrassed to sell on the streets, my father told me that it was a shame to steal, but getting caught stealing was even worse! (he was always making jokes). This taught me that any honest work should not be an embarrassment.

Farmer, agriculturist, gardener
He loved nature, he was always planting something. He worked for many years in the agriculture fields in the United States and was very happy doing this work. In our house in Tijuana, he had a big garden where he grew all types of plants - vegetables, aromatic herbs, fruit trees and all kinds of flowers and ornamental plants. Later, in San Diego, he also developed a very nice garden. As a child I liked to play hide and seek in my father's garden; there were many secret places to hide. Sometimes so secret that the game ended because we could not find each other and got bored looking. I used to love playing among the reeds and making bows and arrows with them. My father taught me how to make them. He also taught me to love and care for nature. He was always good to the soil and to all his plants. He gave them water and fertilizer; he took care of them and talked to them. He used to tell them how much he loved them and he would ask them to continue being beautiful because this made him happy. In my house I have several plants that emerged from shoots or seedlings of my father's original plants. I love to remember him among my plants, and the garden is where I honor my father's memory every day.

Massager, healer
My father liked to help people. He knew a lot of home remedies and people went to him to get yerbitas (herbs) to prepare a tea for stress or stomach pain and other ills. Also when someone hurt an ankle or a hand, they came to my father so he would give them massages; he treated all kinds of muscle strains. Moms used to bring their young children to my dad to be healed. There was the belief that when infants were sick with a fever and diarrhea, among other things, they had something called caída de la mollera. I never knew exactly what la mollera was but my father cured the children of the neighborhood and its vicinities of this illness and the moms trusted him to do so. My father loved children and children loved him.

Father, teacher, friend

He was a father of many, not just his 13 natural children, he also had adopted (not officially,) children that welcomed the idea that he was his father and he liked it too. Many loved him as a father and several of his nieces called him dad, he loved them as if they were really his own daughters. He was a good provider. He supported and loved his children immensely. As a teacher he taught us that life is not easy, but that we should not be afraid of living. He always encouraged us to be better and fight for what we want. He was a good friend you could count on. In his humbleness he offered us many life lessons, which I appreciate infinitely, above all, the idea of constancy . My father was always present for whatever I got myself into. If I behaved badly, he would correct me; if I behaved well he would reward me; if I needed something he was there to provide assistance; if he needed my help he was there to accept my hand. He was always present and his memory will accompany me throughout life, I know it!

Good Eats!/ ¡Sabrosuras!

Lent is a time during which my family, as many Christian believers, focuses on religious disciplines of penance, prayer, renunciation, and charity.

It is a period of 40 days in which Catholicism suggests we give up the consumption of red meat (beef and pork). This is mostly observed on each Friday between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday. However, my family always tries to cook without red meat throughout the whole 40 days, which to me, means good eats!

All kinds of sea food - Fish or Shrimp Ceviche, Tortitas de Camaron con Nopalitos (dry shrimp patties with cactus), Fish Soup, Cactus Salad, Chiles Rellenos, and the traditional Capirotada (a kind of bread putting) are some of the favorites. This food is readily available throughout the year but is traditionally prepared during Lent. Most of the time the food is simple and easy to prepare but there are some dishes that are more complicated. While my mother and sisters are experts when it comes to preparing complicated Lenten food, I usually stick with the simple ones. But just because they are simple doesn't mean they are less flavorful, they are de-li-cious!

These two recipes are very similar but one is completely vegetarian. These are recipes that every Mexican knows and people add their special twist to them. I love them both!

Shrimp Ceviche

2 pound of raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and heads removed

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 green jalapeño pepper, seeds removed

3 large radishes

1 small red onion

4 green scallions

3 tomatoes

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. black pepper

salt to taste

1-2 T. olive oil

Clean and chop the shrimp in small pieces the size of a garbanzo bean. Spread out the shrimp in a non-metallic bowl and completely cover with lemon juice. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.

After the 8 hours the shrimp will be completely cooked. Drain in a colander to remove the excess lemon juice. Pat it dry with paper towels and place in a large bowl. Cut the jalapeño, radishes, red onion in a small dice and thinly slice the scallions. Halve the tomatoes and squeeze out the seeds, then dice in small pieces . Finely chop the cilantro. Add all these ingredients to the shrimp and mix to combine. Season with garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Stir in the olive oil. Serve on tostadas as a main meal or eat with corn chips as an appetizer.

Nopalitos Salad

4 fresh nopalitos (cactus pads)

1/2 c water

1/2 onion

3-4 sprigs of cilantro (flat leaf parsley can be a good substitute)

1 garlic clove

1 small lemon, sliced

1 green or red jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 small white onion, diced in small pieces

3 small radishes, diced in small pieces

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced in small pieces

1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

2 T lemon juice

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Holding each cactus pad with one hand (use gloves or kitchen tongs), cut off the bumps that contain the thorns with a sharp knife. Rinse the cactus well and then dice it. Place in a saucepan over the stove, add 1/2 onion, sprigs of cilantro, garlic clove, and lemon slices. Pour in the water, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the cactus changes color. Drain and rinse a couple of times with cold water, discard the onions, garlic, cilantro and lemon slices. Place the cooked cactus in a large bowl, add the jalapeño, scallions, white onion, radishes, tomatoes and cilantro. Mix to combine all ingredients. Stir in lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on tostada shells as a main dish or use as a side dish or salad.

Note: Fresh nopales can be bought in Mexican grocery stores and sometimes in Farmers' Markets. Canned nopalitos can substitute for fresh. They come in a jar, packed in water or vinegar and are sold in most major supermarkets.