La Dolce Vita

Restaurant Review

La Dolce Vita Located in the Solana center (a.k.a. the center of retail death) this is a reincarnation of Ferragamo's with some of the same players, or so my sources tell me. The day we went they had been on a local radio station doing a one-hour infomercial so they were totally packed and completely unprepared for it. The service was a hot mess. Some of the food items were okay but all in all, it was a sloppy, unprofessional meal. And why was one of the employees dressed like a baseball player?

The Classic Cosmo for Bernice

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
The classic Cosmo — I know, I know, it's so "Sex in the City" — but when made right, it is a delicious and simple drink and often a safe choice at bars of unknown capabilities.

Ingredients
Ice cubes
1 ounce vodka (citrus infused is nice)
1/2 ounce Cointreau (an orange-flavored liquor or use Triple Sec, which is a bit cheaper)
1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
1/4 ounce fresh lime juice
lime twist to garnish

Procedure
Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the vodka Cointreau, cranberry juice and lime juice. Shake well. Strain into a large chilled martini glass and garnish with a lime twist. So simple even your mother can make one.

Candied Things

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Candied things are fun to make and a great garnish for sweets. In the winter, I make candied grapefruit and other citrus fruit peels. I have also done candied rose petals as a cupcake garnish. But I wanted to try candied mint leaves and then I remembered my pal Quinn told me a chef he knew used to use candied cilantro leaves so I went to one of my favorite cookbooks, Better than Store-Bought, and of course the process was in the book. It’s super simple, but the technique requires patience and waiting. That’s usually my problem.

Ingredients
Freshly picked mint leaves (or large cilantro or sage leaves)
1 room temperature egg white
few drops of water as needed
extra fine granulated sugar (which you can make in your food processor)

Procedure
Pull or clip leaves from their stalk, leaving if possible a short stem on each leaf. It's best to use your garden mint, ideally gathered several hours a rain shower so it is clean but dry. With a fork, beat the egg white till it is spreadable, that’s where the drops of water come in. You don’t want it too viscous. Have at hand a plate on which to paint the leaves, a plate of extra fine sugar, a cake rack covered with wax paper for the drying process, and a pair of tweezers to move stuff around. Using a small paint brush, Cover every surface of the leaf with a thin layer of egg white and then lay it on the sugar and then sprinkle more sugar on top. Now pick up carefully with your tweezers and move to the wax paper covered cookie rack for drying. Set the rack of leaves in a warm dry place, like your oven if it’s heated with a pilot light. When the leaves are superficially dry, they will still be moist inside, transfer them to an uncovered rack and let them continue to dry until no moisture shows up when you crack open a leaf. This will take several days, grasshopper. Store dried leaves separated with wax paper in a cardboard box and they will keep for several months. The process is exactly the same for cilantro or sage leaves.

Thai Shrimp Cakes

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love Thai food because it’s so flavorful and complex. This recipe for Thai shrimp cakes is really easy to make and it’s from one of my all-time favorite chefs named Jean George Vongerichten. Maybe Geronimo’s should check out some of the ways he combines French and Asian cuisine. Just a suggestion.

Ingredients for cakes
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
1 cup boiling water
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons slice scallions
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Ingredients for sauce
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons chopped raw peanuts
1/4 cup seeded and dice cucumber
1 medium Serrano Chile seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons peanut oil

What you fry in
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons canola oil

Sliced scallions and chopped cilantro for garnish

Procedure
Put the lemongrass in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let infuse for 10 minutes and then strain out the liquid and save. In the bowl of your food processor, combine the shrimp with 1/2 cup of the infused water, and process 'til nearly smooth but with a few chunks still in it. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add scallions and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the remaining ingredients except butter and oil for frying and garnish ingredients. What's left will be your sauce, just mix it together.

In a large frying pan, combine butter and oil over medium high heat. Carefully drop large tablespoons of the shrimp mixture and flatten slightly into cakes while in the oil. Cook about 30 seconds each side. Serve with dipping sauce, on a bed of shredded cabbage.

Geronimo's

Restaurant Review

Geronimo's Why do people mess with things and make them worse? Geronimo's was known for classic southwestern cuisine, an elegant sense of style, and flawless service. Well, that's all gone. When we asked our waiter to describe a dish on the new Asian fusion menu, he said "Sorry, I am drawing a blank." Really? At those prices? I was served Ramen noodles which tasted like the ones from the plastic cups in Smith's. Foie fras egg rolls were greasy and overcooked. Our chocolate dessert was yummy but lose the dated chocolate schmear on the plate. And why isn't the coffee hot? I could go on and on...

Polynesian Pepper Pot

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Lately, I've been enjoying cocktails that combine a hint of savory with the sweet. This cocktail is called the Polynesian pepper pot and has Tabasco in it. I love a Bloody Mary with Tabasco, so why not a pineapple and rum cocktail with Tabasco? Give it a shot!

By the way, this drink uses Orgeat (pronounced "OHR-zha"), a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and rose water or orange-flower water. It was, however, originally made with a barley-almond blend. It has a strong almond taste and is used to flavor many cocktails, perhaps the most famous of which is the Mai Tai. Torrani makes an Orgeat syrup.

Ingredients
4-6 cracked ice cubes
Dash Tabasco sauce
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce golden rum
4 ounces pineapple juice
2 tablespoons Orgeat
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
pinch of curry powder to garnish top

Procedure
Put the cracked ice in a cocktail shaker. Dash Tabasco over ice, then pour in vodka, rum, pineapple juice, Orgeat, lemon juice and cayenne. Shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass and sprinkle a smidge of curry powder on top

Semolina Halva

The Altitude Adjustment Section
I thought it would be fun to do another Indian recipe from the cooking class. This is an unusual dessert (which I modified a bit the second time I made it) and it was delicious. I don’t know if the style of serving it is authentic, but the flavor certainly is. Semolina Halva is like a warm crumbly pudding.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups water
5 Tbsp. ghee
1 oz. almonds, blanched and slivered
11 oz. semolina, fine-grained
5 1/2 oz. sugar
4 Tbsp. golden raisins
1/2 tsp. Ground cardamom seeds

Procedure
Boil the water in a saucepan. Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to very low and let the pan sit on the back of the stove. Put the ghee in a large, preferably nonstick, frying pan and set it over medium heat. When hot, put in the almonds. Stir and fry them until they turn golden. Take them out with a slotted spoon and leave them to drain on paper towels.

Put the semolina into the same oil. Turn the heat to medium low. Stir and sauté the semolina for 8 to 10 minutes or until it turns a warm, golden color. Do not let it brown. Add the sugar and stir it in. Very slowly, begin to pour the boiling water into the pan. Keep stirring as you do so. Take a good 2 minutes to do this. When all the water has been added, turn the heat to low. Stir and cook the halva for 5 minutes. Add the golden raisins, almonds, and crushed cardamom seeds. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Scrape out into a small casserole dish or bowl. Serve hot, and how about a small pitcher of lemon quince syrup to pour on top? (Available at Ziggy's, which is where, I did all my shopping for this meal. They have a fantastic assortment of Indian and international ingredients.)

Samosas

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Samosas, pan fried dumplings which are traditionally filled with a spiced potato and pea filling, served with a variety of chutneys and dips, are one of my favorite parts of an Indian meal. This dough is so easy to make and so versatile I can see using it with a great variety of fillings.

Ingredients for dough
2 cups flour (Maida Flour)
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoon water

Ingredients for filling
5 medium potatoes
4 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup green peas
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 Serrano chili (finely chopped)
3 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Oil for deep frying

Procedure for dough
Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons oil and rub until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Slowly add about 6 tablespoons water and knead the dough for about 3 minutes or until it is smooth. Rub dough with oil. Cover it and set aside for 30 minutes or longer.

Procedure for filling
Boil, cool and peel the potatoes. Dice it into 1/4 inch size. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in saute pan over medium heat. Lower the heat and carefully put the onion. Stir fry until golden brown. Add peas, ginger, green chili, and fresh cilantro. Add diced potatoes, salt and all spices. Mix and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not forget to stir while cooking.

Procedure for assembly + cooking
Knead the dough again. Divide it into about 10 balls. Roll each ball into a flat round shape about 5 inches in diameter. Cut it into half. Make the half into a cone by sticking seam together with a little water. Fill the cone with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the potato mixture. Stick the top of the cone together with a little water. The seam should be about 1/4 inch (5 mm) wide. Repeat with all the dough balls.

Heat about 2 inches of oil for deep frying over a medium-low flame. When the oil is hot, carefully put in as many samosas as fit. Fry slowly, turning the samosas until they are golden brown and crisp. Drain excess oil and serve hot with a variety of dips chutneys and Raita.

Tune Up Cafe and The Fajita Cart on the Plaza

Restaurant Review

Tune-up Cafe I so want to like this place, but every time I go there I seem to order the wrong thing. The El Savadorian Pupusas were excellent, but my Chicken Piccata was not so good. Too much thin, acidic sauce and too many capers. Caesar salad had a nice dressing but it was too heavy for the lettuce they put it on. The desserts sounded better than they tasted. Great neighborhood vibe, a real local favorite, it must be me!


Fajita Cart on the Plaza This festive little cart on the plaza serves a pretty good cheap and cheerful chicken fajita lunch. I just wish they would use a better quality paper plate, and that the plaza was not such a freak show.

The Voila

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
It's strawberry season, I think. It's hard to tell because most of the imported, available-year-round berries are totally tasteless. But maybe you bought some delicious local berries at the market and were looking for a creative beverage to use them in? It's your lucky day! Let's make a drink called The Voila, a strawberry cocktail with an adult edge, black pepper, how nouvelle! This delicious drink was created by Chef Cedric Tovar of the Peacock Alley Restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Ingredients
2 ounces fresh strawberry puree
2 ounces vodka
3 mint leaves
3 black peppercorns
1 strip lime zest
5 drops of lime juice

Procedure
Using a a muddler, crush the pepper and the mint in a glass. Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice cubes and shake well. Pour into a chilled rocks glass and garnish with a slice of fresh strawberry.

Honey Nut Bars

The Altitude Adjustment Section
I love making bar cookies. They are so easy, they are not terribly altitude affected, and they are yummy. So here is a recipe for a honey nut bar from The Better Homes and Garden Cookbook which I love. The honey keeps them moist and chewy. And you can keep it local by using local honey and local pinons or pecans... if you can afford them.

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temp)
1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)
1 cup honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (your choice)

Procedure
Grease 9 x 13 x 2" baking pan. In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream the butter and shortening on high till light and creamy. Now add honey, baking powder and salt. Beat till combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Now add the flour and blend — it will be very thick. Add the coconut and nuts last, and mix to blend. Spread batter in the prepared pan and bake in a preheated 350 oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan and then cut into squares. May be dusted with powdered sugar for a lovely finish.

Zucchini Pancakes and Beet Latkes

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love potato pancakes. Sometimes I even get crazy and add shredded parsnips or sweet potatoes, but in reality any vegetable can be shredded and fried into a pancake form. Here are two recipes from The Best of Bloodroot Volume 1. One recipe is for zucchini cakes and one for beet cakes, both great local products when in season.

Zucchini pancakes

Ingredients
2 medium zucchinis
1 small onion
2 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 1/2 tablspoons AP flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
pinch baking powder
pinch sugar
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons oil, your choice
herbed sour cream to garnish (dill and tarragon fresh chopped and added)

Procedure
Grate the zucchini in your food processor or by hand. Grate in the small onion at the same time. Put mixture in a colander in your sink and let drain 5 minutes. Beat 2 eggs in a large bowl. Squeeze out the zucchini and add to the egg mixture. Now add your dry ingredients to the mix. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to use. To fry, melt your butter with the oil in a frying pan until hot. Form patties of the zucchini mixture about 4 inches in diameter and fry until golden brown on one side, then flip and fry other side. Press down with a spatula to flatten as they cook. Serve hot with a side of herbed sour cream.

Shredded Beet Latkes

Ingredients
1 pound peeled beets
1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
2 tablespoons flour

Procedure
Peel and shred beets in the food processor or by hand. Put beets into bowl and add rosemary. Mix in salt and flour. Using a heavy frying pan, heat coconut oil or butter and get pan really hot. Now add the last 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken mixture. Form the beet mixture into thin patties about 4 inches wide and fry in pan until crisp, then turn over and fry other side. This cookbook suggests serving them with pesto mashed potatoes, I prefer to serve them with the same sour cream as above, or maybe a bit of fruit chutney.

San Marcos Feed Company Cafe

Restaurant Review

San Marcos Feed Company Cafe What a cool spot on Highway 14 — complete with strolling peacocks, chirping chickens, and the best damn cinnamon buns I have ever had. They serve local fare, great homemade pies, and breakfast is their specialty. The place is full of local character and characters and both make you feel at home. A must if you are out that way!

The Absolut Mango Lassi

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
You say summer, I say mango. What passes for a ripe mango in this country is very different than what you get in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica (or any other country where they grow and properly ripen), but I still love them. In real life, a ripe mango is incredibly messy, aromatic, and juicy and needs to be eaten over the sink after which you need a shower to get all the sticky sweet pulp off your hands and mouth. This has never happened to me here. But I do enjoy a cold mango beverage and here is a recipe, which takes the traditional Indian beverage, a lassi and tarts it up a bit with vodka.
(This recipe makes 1 yummy drink.)

Ingredients
Ice
1 1/2 ounces Absolut Mango vodka
1 ounce whole-milk yogurt
1 ounce one-percent milk
1/2 ounce fresh mango pulp
1/2 ounce honey syrup (1 part honey dissolved in 1 part warm water)
2 dashes Bitters
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated cinnamon
Rose water

Procedure
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the Absolut Mango vodka, yogurt, milk, mango pulp, honey syrup, bitters and cinnamon. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass. Add 1 large ice cube and top with 1 drop of rose water

Strawberry and Rhubarb Betty

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Let's get old fashioned, shall we? This is a recipe for a dessert called a Betty -- ever hear of Apple Brown Betty? A Betty is a thrifty dessert made with fresh ripe fruit and sweetened, usually old and stale, buttered breadcrumbs or cubes. It is thought to date back to Colonial times. It is usually served with a lemon sauce or whipped cream. The most familiar version is the Apple Brown Betty, made with sliced apples and brown sugar. So why not make one with strawberries and rhubarb?

Ingredients
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb, cut into thin slices
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread cubes-Brioche, challah, or whole-wheat bread, you choose
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

Procedure
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the berries and the rhubarb. Gently toss together and let sit till the mixture starts to get juicy. To make the topping, put bread cubes in a big bowl and drizzle with the melted butter and toss till well coated. You can add a bit more butter if you think it's necessary. Transfer half the buttered bread cubes to an ungreased 1 1/2 quart glass casserole dish. Pour fruit mixture over the top and then add the remaining bread cubes over the fruit. Bake in a 375 oven for 25-30 minutes or until fruit feels tender and juices are bubbling and bread is golden brown on top. Serve warm with whipped cream, custard or ice cream. So many yummy options — so little time!

Lamb, Orzo, and Eggplant Salad

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This is a great salad to serve for a summer lunch party, especially if you have leftover lamb (which I never know what to do with). If you don’t have leftover lamb, go to the farmer's market, buy a piece, and grill it just for this occasion. This recipe makes enough for 6-8 people.

Ingredients
1 large eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 cloves minced garlic
1 pound cooked orzo, cooked al dente and cooled
1 1/4 pounds cooked lamb, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
3/4 cup pitted and sliced Greek olives
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/4 cups olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Preheat oven to 375. Place the eggplant cubes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and garlic and toss to combine. Bake, stirring occasionally ‘til the eggplant is tender, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool. Combine the orzo, lamb, olives, onion, tomatoes, onion, peppers, nuts, parsley and rosemary in a bowl. Toss to mix. Prepare the dressing: place the egg yolks, egg, lemon juice, oregano, garlic and lemon zest in a food processor, process 10 seconds. Then, through the top while machine is running, add oil in a slow steady stream, making a thick mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper. Combine salad and dressing and let sit at least 30 minutes in the fridge to combine flavors. Garnish with a fresh sprig of rosemary and some sliced lemon.