Nopalito for Mexican Food by Ruth Paget

Nopalito for Mexican Food by Ruth Paget 

In 2024, I am sure many people in San Francisco have eaten at Nopalito Mexican restaurants, have read reviews of Nopalito restaurants in the newspaper and magazines, and have discussed its online reviews as if they were Parisians. 

I live in a small city about two hours south of San Francisco where not all the dishes described in the cookbook Nopalito: A Mexican Kitchen by Gonzalo Guzman and Stacy Adimando are available.  I would try all of Nopalito’s dishes that I suspect are popular in Veracruz Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico where Guzman grew up. 

Three dishes that I think look delicious and doable at home include: 

*Ensalada de Frutas (Fruit Salad with Chile Pepper and Lime) made with lime juice, orange juice, watermelon cubes, bite-sized melons, queso fresco (a Mexican cheese like mozzarella), spices and sauces made with sweet and mildly spicy red guajillo chile peppers and spicy, red arból peppers. 

*Ensalada de Nopales (Cactus Leaf Salad) made with dethorned, Nopale cactuas leaf paddles, salt, red onion, lime juice, tomatoes, avocado, cotija cheese (Mexican cheese like ricotta), and chopped fresh cilantro. 

*Panuchos de Pollo (Black-bean stuffed tortillas with shredded chicken) made with tortillas that are stuffed then fried or grilled. The panucho is topped with shredded chicken, citrus, achiote (a Mexican herb), pickled red onions, and spicy habanero chile salsa. Two or three panuchos can be eaten as a meal. 

For the moment, these items do not appear on menus in Monterey County, but this could change overnight as regional Mexican food is becoming popular. I filled three lined sheets of paper with names of Mexican taquerías in the city of Salinas alone. The Noplalito dishes might be here. I just need to visit all the taquerías to find this information out. 

Thankfully, if I decide to cook Mexican food at home, the Nopalito cookbook by Gonzalo Guzman is a good guide, because it shows how to make basic ingredients like corn and flour tortillas, Mexican cheese, and sauces. It is a great reference cookbook for this reason. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Whole Grains Revisited by Ruth Paget

Whole Grains Revisited by Ruth Paget 

The words “whole grain” on a package always prompt me to look twice at it to see if the product is really a whole grain product. I learned about whole grains in health and nutrition classes in junior high and high school classes in Michigan. 

My teachers emphasized that whole grains were good for maintaining weight and good health thanks to the fiber and nutrients in them. 

 As an older woman, I decided to review the health benefits of whole grains and looked at three websites that had information on them: Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins Medical School, and the Mayo Clinic. 

These sites identify a whole grain as being made up of three parts: 

-bran – the fiber-rich outer layer of a grain 

-germ – the cored of a seed where growth occurs 

-endosperm – the interior layer that holds the seed together 

Each of these three separate parts of grain contains nutrients that the Harvard site writes about in detail: 

*Bran Nutrients include: 

-fiber 

-B-vitamins 

-iron 

-copper 

-zinc 

-magnesium 

-antioxidants 

-phytochemicals  

*Germ Nutrients Include: 

 -healthy fats 

-Vitamin E 

-B-vitamins 

-phytochemicals 

-antioxidants 

*Endosperm Nutrients include: 

-carbohydrates 

-protein 

-small amounts of vitamins and minerals 

The sites all note that fiber helps lower cholesterol in addition to moving waste through the digestive tract.  

Whole grains do not have to be soupy porridges. It is possible to obtain whole grain benefits in delicious recipes like those in Betty Crocker’s Whole Grains cookbook, which has 150 recipes (available on Amazon Kindle). 

Three recipes that I thought looked delicious and easy to prepare include: 

-Summer Quinoa – Tomato Salad made with tomatoes, quinoa, red onion, garlic, basil leaves, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and Parmesan 

-Tabbouleh with Garbanzo Beans made with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, green onions, bell peppers, cucumber, and parsley 

-Wild Rice with Cranberries made with wild rice, butter, salt and pepper, chicken or vegetable broth, mushrooms, almonds, and cranberries. 

Betty Crocker’s Whole Grains Cookbook contains a long list of whole grains for reference including several less common ones like amaranth and teff. Cooks interested in expanding their knowledge of whole grains would probably enjoy trying the recipes in Betty Crocker’s Whole Grains Cookbook. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Oaxacan Recipe for Success by Ruth Paget

Oaxacan Recipe for Success by Ruth Paget 

In Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Bricia Lopez, the family who created the Guelaguetza Restaurant in Los Angeles to serve the Oaxacan community there share some of their business secrets and many great recipes. (Pronounced “wa-ha-ca”)

Oaxaca is one Mexican state away from Central America on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The Mexican state of Chiapas lies to the south of Oaxaca and next to Central America. The Mexican state of Guerrero lies to the north of Oaxaca and is home to the resort city of Acapulco. Oaxaca is famous for its Mesoamerican archaeological site of Monte Alban, mole sauces, and chocolate. 

The Oaxacan word guelaguetza that the restaurant is named for refers to the Oaxacan custom of sharing what you have with others no matter how much or how little you have according to Lopez. (Lopez notes that families keep track of the sharing through centuries in books.) 

Lopez writes that the restaurant’s owner found community through food and mezcal. His accountant told him that if he sold $300 a day, he would be profitable at year’s end. Lopez notes they made $300 the first day, $600 the next day, and $900 the day after that. 

The opening day menu had four items only: 

-mole negro – chile and bitter chocolate mole 

-mole estofado – chile and almond mole 

-tlayudas – very large Oaxacan tortillas 

-tamales de mole negro – wrapped and steamed corn masa that can have shredded chicken, pork, or beef with a mole sauce 

When the restaurant was reviewed by Jonathan Gold of the LA Times, business exploded. Eventually, Guelaguetza expanded to five restaurants, a money wiring service, and a newspaper. 

Moles have extensive ingredient lists. I let restaurants make them. When I order them, I make sure to also order frijollas de olla as a dip to go that I eat with tortillas or with salsa at home. Sometimes I warm a large tortilla, spread the tortilla with beans, place fried eggs on top, and spoon salsa on top of that with grated Swiss cheese to make my version of huevos rancheros. 

In any case, frijoles de olla are usually a good deal for your money. I order a large size and make it an appetizer for two meals. They are made with black beans, garlic, white onion, epazote (a Mexican herb), and sea salt. 

Another dish I have made that resembles a recipe in Oaxaca is huevos con nopalitos (eggs with cactus). I found the cactus in Wisconsin at a Hispanic market. I used the end of a vegetable peeler to dethorn the cactues, sliced it up, and sautéed it. Then, I scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onions and added the cactus to them. The cactus tastes like a tangy calamari steak. 

Tamales de mole negro are worth trying, if you can find them on restaurant menus or in Hispanic markets. Basically, these are steamed rectangles of corn masa with shredded chicken and mole negro spooned over the chicken with more masa placed on top of the chicken and mole. This rectangle of food is wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks for steaming and usually made 100 at a time. 

One of my high school friend’s mom made homemade tamales and told me they freeze well and heat up nicely in the microwave. Hispanic markets like Santa Fe can probably cater these for you for a first taste. I have even seen tamales for sale at Costco. 

The cookbook Oaxaca by Bricia Lopez has many great recipes and is also a good read for someone contemplating opening a Mexican restaurant or taquería. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Harvard is selling my book!

 Harvard Bookstore is selling my book Eating Soup with Chopsticks!  Thank you!  Veritas - thank you.

https://shop.harvard.com/book/9798638488505

Ruth Paget

Woody's at the Monterey (CA) Airport by Ruth Paget

Woody’s at the Monterey (CA) Airport by Ruth Paget 

On a recent visit to the Monterey-Carmel Airport (California) to pick up my daughter Florence Paget from a winter vacation in snow-bound Wisconsin, we decided to go to Woody’s, the upstairs bar-restaurant at the airport with an observation deck and indoor/outdoor seating. 

The suitcases came with us, and there was plenty of room to store them. Woody’s is set up to accommodate golf club suitcases for tournaments at Pebble Beach and other courses on the Monterey Peninsula. The region promotes golf tourism for all budgets. 

Florence was welcomed back to Monterey with a heaping dish of calamari as an appetizer. The calamari came with creamy tartar sauce and pungent cocktail sauce made with freshly grated horseradish. (I consider horseradish an elixir of good health.) 

We next ordered dishes featuring beef from the Harris Ranch northeast of Monterey by Highway 5. 

I had a cheeseburger that came with tangy cheddar cheese, 3 slices of thick-cut bacon, the Harris Ranch beef patty, lettuce and tomato, slices of red onion, pickled red onion, sweet pickles, and a brioche bun. I had pub fries and pepperoncino peppers on the side. The pub fries can be made into truffled fries for an extra charge. 

Florence ordered the patty melt, which came with the same vegetable additions for the burger with cheese on grilled and buttered rye bread. 

Sometimes you just want a cheeseburger, and Woody’s amply delivers on that. 

Woody’s will also validate parking tickets for up to two hours, so you can literally park across the street from the airport entrance and take the elevator or stairs up to the restaurant. 

Woody’s at the airport is a gem bar-restaurant that merits a detour on the way home from work for local commuters on Highway 68 for dining or take-out. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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10 French Antioxidant Foods by Ruth Paget

10 French Antioxidant Foods by Ruth Paget 

When I moved to France as a young woman, I was happy to learn that the French eat many antioxidant foods that remove free radicals that cause cancer in addition to drinking red wine, which they claim reduces breast cancer when combined with Camembert cheese. 

I still eat these foods in California where I live now to help with “digestion” as the French say: 

1-Homemade Yogurt 

I use a yogurt machine made by Mueller to cook 8 pots of yogurt. I buy Euro Cuisine Yogurt Culture from Amazon and add it to six Horizon organic whole milk packages to make my own probiotic yogurt. The cooked yogurt goes in the refrigerator overnight to further solidify. The taste of yogurt made this way is slightly sour and perfect with the addition of jam or fresh fruit. 

2-Maille Mustard from Dijon 

I make my own vinaigrette with Maille mustard (part red wine vinegar, 2 parts olive oil, and 2 parts Maille mustard). I use this vinaigrette on salads like the following: 

-baby greens 

-grated carrot salad -sliced tomato salad 

-tuna-black bean-roasted red pepper-black olive-pepperoncino salad 

-pasta salad 

3-Dark Chocolate Hot Chocolate for Breakfast 

4-Dry and Fresh Mushrooms 

The French eat mushroom quiche and sell it frozen at the grocery store. I tend to eat mushroom-cheese pizza in the U.S. as a quiche substitute. I also make mushroom soup and sauté mushrooms to go with steak. 

5-Pain d’épice de Dijon 

Gingerbread made with delicious spices sometimes called antiseptic such as cloves, ginger, and cinnamon.  

6-Carte Noire Coffee 

Coffee brand of strong Arabica coffee to sip after dining. 

7-Sauerkraut for Alsatian Flavor 

Sauerkraut with caraway seeds and seeds does taste really good with a cold wheat beer, hefeweizen.  

8-Curry Rice 

The French at one time had a colony in Pondicherry, India and have retained “curry” as a spice. Cooked rice with one teaspoon of curry and butter is a nice side with chicken or fish. 

9-Ratatouille 

A delicious vegetable stew made with olive oil, garlic, onion, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, thyme, and rosemary. Ratatouille is excellent with baguette slices to soak up the cooking juices. 

10-Chocolate Mousse 

Mousse made with less sugar and more dark chocolate becomes a strong antioxidant. 

These foods have the added benefit of being delicious as well as good for you. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Eating Loco Moco in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget

Eating Loco Moco in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget 

Loco Moco, a Hawaiian dish, is my first choice on the Alvarado Street Brewery’s menu for breakfast or lunch with my family in Monterey, California. 

This California Brew Pub’s version of Loco Moco features a well-done Harris Ranch beef patty on top of a mound of bacon-fried rice. Shredded cabbage, grated ginger, and a fried egg sit on top of the beef patty. Bacon gravy covers everything. I like my fried egg over easy so that every bite of loco moco is unctuous and makes me forget about the calories. 

Loco Moco is a go-to dish in California as well as Hawaii, because California grows rice in the area around Sacramento north of Monterey. 

The Alvarado Street Brewery also makes excellent beer-battered, Pacific Cod Fish and Chips, pub-made pretzels, and pizzas in addition to brewing several kinds of beer, especially IPAs (India Pale Ales). 

The best thing about the Alvarado Street Brewery in addition to food is that it is a warm, welcoming place with music, regulars, and an outdoor beer garden. 

 By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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