Frugal Foodie Friday - Potato Tacos

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From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I usually struggle to find recipes for Frugal Foodie Friday. It can be difficult to find a dish that is both delicious and inexpensive, but this week several came my way, and I actually had trouble deciding which one I would share with you tonight. Produce is usually quite reasonable at our local Hispanic markets, but when I learned they had avocados on sale for the week, these potato filled tacos, which come from Serious Eats, became the obvious choice for tonight's feature. The Silver Fox and I had a version of these in Peru and we were both surprised at just how tasty this simple combination can be. This recipe is easier than many that are out there and it is simple enough to make for weeknight supper. I do have a couple of cautions to share with those of you who plan to try the tacos. Queso fresco is a very mild cheese and if you think you'd like something with a bit more punch, use any of the Jack cheeses in its place. While I love the avocado and tomatillo sauce that is served with the tacos, if you think it to be too mild for your taste, by all means, boost the quantity or type of chili that you use. These are best eaten while still warm and they are most excellent when served with an ice cold Mexican beer to help wash them down. If you are looking for something different to serve your family, this might be it. I hope you'll give the potato tacos a try. Here is how they are made.

Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Serious Eats

Ingredients:
Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa
2 avocados
4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
1 large garlic clove, quartered
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Potato Tacos
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
4 ounces queso fresco, divided, crumbled, divided use
salt and black pepper
12 corn tortillas
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
1-1/2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
Directions:
1) To make avocado salsa Cut avocados in half lengthwise, and remove large seeds. Scoop out flesh and place in blender along with tomatillos, garlic, chiles, cilantro, 1/4 cup water, and salt. Process until it is a coarse puree. Set aside. Tomatillos will keep sauce from turning brown.
2) To make potato tacos: Bring large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander. Mash potato in large bowl, or pass through potato ricer. Mix in half of the queso fresco. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon two tablespoons of potato mixture into each tortilla. Fold each over, and secure each with one tooth pick, weaving in and out to keep each in a “U” shape.
3) To cook tacos: Pour oil into large 10-inch cast iron pan set over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add enough tacos as will fit in a single layer, probably three. Cook until crisp and golden on each side, about 30 seconds for each, flipping with pair of tongs. When done, remove tacos, draining off as much oil as you can. Place on paper towels and repeat process until all tacos are cooked. Serve tacos with salsa, crema, lettuce and remainder of crumbled queso fresco. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.









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Avocado Pudding with Chocolate and Coconut

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple silky pudding is a great way for those with a sweet tooth to end a meal. The pudding comes together in minutes and it has enormous appeal for those who crave chocolate desserts. The avocados add a rich silkiness to the pudding that's usually not found in simple desserts, while the coconut milk adds a layer of flavor more typical of something you might be served in the tropics. Variations of this recipe are common on the internet, so it is very difficult to trace the recipe to its original developer. While I have substantially changed its form, I must credit The Taste Space for the inspiration that led to my version of the recipe. I also have to thank the folks at SoCal Avocados for the generous gift that made this past week of testing and experimentation possible. You can find their website, here. As you glance through the ingredient list, you'll see many spots where it would be possible to make substitutions of your own choosing. I liked this recipe and I think you will, too. Here's how the pudding is made.

Avocado Pudding with Chocolate and Coconut...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocado (about 2 cups mashed)
3 tablespoons honey, or to taste
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of cardamom
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Directions:
Blend all ingredients, except coconut milk, in a food processor or blender until smooth. With blender running, drizzle in coconut milk, and pulse until absorbed. Spoon pudding into dessert cups. Chill. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.







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Angel Hair Pasta with Creamy Corn and Avocado Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This recipe has been in the public domain for years now and while I've always wanted to try it, curiosity and the contents of my pantry were never in sync with one another, so, that just never happened. With last week's gift of avocados from SoCal Avocados I finally had the ingredients and the incentive I needed to give the recipe a try. It was worth the wait, though it's a shame it took so long for that to happen. This is a subtle, sophisticated and delicious pasta that also happens to be easy to prepare. I didn't think the dish was substantial enough to serve as a main course, so I served it tonight with a simple poached salmon and they were a perfect match for each other. The taste and color of both dishes was remarkable, though I must say the pasta would be wonderful with any plain grilled meat or fish. The avocado adds a wonderful silkiness to the sauce and the corn with which it is blended adds a wonderful dimension to the taste of the finished pasta. I heartily recommend this recipe and I hope all of you will give this a try. I do have one caution to share with you. Don't substitute a more substantial pasta for the angel hair. This dish really needs a fine, thin pasta. Be sure to follow the directions that come on the box and carefully monitor the cooking time. This cooks quickly and will turn gummy in a flash. I must admit I was surprised at how much we enjoyed this. I'll be serving it again. While this was a sponsored post written on behest of SoCal Avocados who provided the fruit, the opinions expressed here are my own. I think you'll like this unusual pasta. Here's the recipe.

Angel Hair Pasta with a Creamy Corn and Avocado Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 large ripe avocado
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 tomatillos, parboiled
1 jalapeno chili, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound angel-hair pasta, cooked al dente
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Bring a large pot of water to boiling.
2) Combine corn, avocado, garlic, lemon juice, tomatillos, jalapeno chili, olive oil and 2 cups chicken stock in a blender jar. Blend completely, adding remaining chicken stock as needed if sauce is too thick. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. When completely blended, pour sauce into a sauté pan and bring to a low simmer, stirring frequently for approximately ten minutes.
3) Cook pasta, per package directions, while sauce is heating.
4) Pour sauce over cooked pasta, toss, top with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.









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Curried Coconut and Avocado Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I received a package via FedEx toward the end of last week. It contained avocados, lots and lots of them, and as a result I've been on a tear, testing and creating recipes that put my bounty to good use. The rules of the blogging game kinda force me to say that the posts you'll see over the next few days are sponsored by the folks at SoCal Avocados, a family-owned company in California. They have a fantastic website, found here, where you can order a variety of heart-healthy, hand-picked avocados that will be delivered to your home with no associated shipping costs. There is even an Avocado of the Month Club that allows members to sample the various types of avocados they sell. The avocado is an unusual fruit because it contains monounsaturated, or good, fat that is easily digested by the body. It is considered to be a Super Food because it is high in antioxidants and has high concentrations of crucial nutrients that some believe help prevent the effects of aging. I'm all for that! Health benefits aside, these are nice folks to do business with and their boxed avocados would make wonderful gifts for customers who have received one fruit basket too many. I hope you'll pay them a visit.

Today's recipe is the first of three that will take advantage of my avocado windfall. This simple starter is based on a soup that first appeared in the cookbook, Sunday's at Moosewood Restaurant. The soup, which is served chilled or at room temperature, contains just 4 ingredients and can be table ready in less than 30 minutes. It is a great way to start a meal when you are looking for something that is a bit out of the ordinary. The soup has wonderful color and I like to heighten the effect with a garnish of celery or lime wedges. I hope you'll try the recipe. It is really pleasant and good enough to serve even fussy guests. I know those of you who enjoy mild curry dishes will like it. Here's the recipe.

Curried Coconut and Avocado Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Sunday's At Moosewood Restaurant

Ingredients:
2 (medium-ripe) avocados
1-1/2 cups vegetable broth + broth to thin as necessary
1-1/2 cups coconut milk
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Scoop flesh from avocados and place in a blender. Add vegetable broth and blend until well incorporated. Add coconut milk, curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend again until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste. Chill. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.








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Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the things for which Helen Corbitt is remembered, is the poppy seed dressing she used to dress the grapefruit and avocado salad served in the Zodiac Room at the Neiman Marcus store in Dallas, Texas. She was an well-educated Irish New Yorker who spent most of her food career in the state of Texas, including 18 years as the majordomo of food services for the Neiman Marcus empire. She was by all accounts a modest, but opinionated woman, who wrote five cookbooks and was the first woman to garner the food service industry's highest accolade, the Golden Plate Award. She fed president's and kings and became a trend setter in the 1950's. While she is credited for many innovations, among them poppy seed dressing and cowboy caviar, she insisted she had not created many of the things attributed to her. She did, however, bring them to everyone's attention and made them popular. You can read more about her here and if you are a collector of cookbooks you can find a collection of her recipes, The Best of Helen Corbitt's Kitchens, here. I am a newcomer to her recipes and I wanted to try the poppy seed dressing she made famous. In order to do that, I had to reconstruct the signature salad that she dressed with it. I wanted to share both with you, as together they make a nice summer salad. The dressing would work well with any citrus salad. Is it as good as they say it is? Probably not, but it's nice to have a dressing for fruit salad handy and this one is easy to make and perfectly serviceable. Here's the recipe.

Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Texas Home Cooking

Ingredients:
Dressing
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon grated onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Salad
2 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned into cubes
1 avocado, peeled and cut into cubes
4 cups trimmed watercress

Directions:
1) To make poppy seed dressing: In a food processor or with a mixer, combine sugar, honey, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, onion, salt and paprika. Pour in oil and continue mixing until dressing is thick. Blend in poppy seeds. Refrigerated dressing will keep for 2 to 3 weeks. If it separates, process or mix again before serving. Yield: 1 cup.
2) To make the salad: Arrange a bed of watercress on each of 4 salad plates. Top with avocado and grapefruit pieces. Drizzle each salad with 1 tablespoon dressing. Makes 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Endive, Pear and Watercress Salad - One Perfect Bite
Andalusian Salad with Avocados, Oranges and Almonds - One Perfect Bite
Berry Patch Salad - One Perfect Bite
Summer Fruit Salad - The English Kitchen
Citrus Salad - Wine Lady Cooks
Moroccan Fruit Salad - Moroc Mama
Dragon Fruit Salad - Pham Fatale

Guacamole

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Everyone knows that guacamole is dip made of mashed avocado mixed with chopped onions and other seasonings. Not everyone know that Tyler Florence makes a guacamole that will make your socks go up and down. I can say that with authority because several people told me so today. I love most of his recipes, but I don't talk about them a lot because he has fans who regularly report on them. They are a great bunch of foodies and you can read about their kitchen exploits each Friday at Tyler Florence Fridays. I needed a quick dip this afternoon. I had glanced at this recipe several times before without trying it, but I remedied that today and I'm so glad I did. This is guacamole with attitude and I love attitude. I also love this dip. Here's the recipe.

Guacamole...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
6 ripe avocados
3 limes, juiced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, smashed then minced
2 serrano chiles, cut into rounds
1 big handful fresh cilantro with stems, about 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) Halve and pit avocados. With a tablespoon, scoop out flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash avocados using either a fork or potato masher, leaving them still a bit chunky. Add remaining ingredients, and fold everything together. Drizzle with a little olive oil, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and give it 1 final mix with a fork.
2) Lay a piece of plastic wrap tight on surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Yield: about 4 cups.

Chilled Avocado Soup - Sopa De Aguacate

My intent was to use this recipe to make the version of Dublin Lawyer that's in this photo. Gorgeous isn't it? The problem was the cost - it was obscene. I played with some other ideas, but I didn't come up with anything that tickled my fancy. So, rather than do an Irish meal I decided to do one that was green. Save for the salmon, we'll be green from start to finish. The first course is going to be an avocado soup from the Andalusian region of Spain. The last course is going to be lime sherbet that comes from a midwestern kitchen. The soup is lovely and I suspect you'll want to keep the recipe in your roster. For best flavor, the soup should be made in the morning and allowed to chill until meal time. It needs the day for the flavors to ripen. The soup thickens as it sits, so, you'll want to dilute it with ice water before serving. As with all chilled soups, you'll have to adjust the seasonings. I think you'll find it needs to be liberally salted. This is a very simple recipe. I think you'll like it. Here's what you need to do.

Chilled Avocado Soup - Sopa De Aguacate

Ingredients:
1 bunch scallions (about 8)
3 large ripe avocados
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 large lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (pimenton)
2 cups chicken broth
1 small handful cilantro or parsley
1-1/2 to 2 cups ice water
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro or parsley leaves for garnish

Directions:
1) In the morning, trim scallions. Coarsely chop white part and place in jar of a blender. Add flesh of one avocado, garlic, and lemon juice. Puree. Add flesh of second avocado; puree. Add third avocado, cumin and paprika. Puree until smooth. Add cilantro. Slowly add chicken broth; blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate.
2) Just before serving, stir in iced water to thin puree. Check seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with cilantro or parsley leaves. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.