Las Totoritas (4 Forks, $12 pp)

Although I live only an hour north, I rarely get down to Miami.  After a recent visit, I am kicking myself for not visiting more often. One of the highlights of the day was dinner at a tiny Peruvian restaurant called Las Totoritas, at 7367 NW 36th Street. I didn't expect much when we arrived. Las Totoritas is one of three Peruvians restaurants in a small downtrodden strip mall.  Once inside, though, I started to get excited.

Las Totoritas is a tiny place, but brighter and cleaner than the typical hole in the wall. Some effort was made here, and although not extravagant, the mood is inviting and pleasant.  Perhaps a dozen tables line a wall with a couple more in the front.

When we arrived, only a few tables were taken. Our server immediately stepped over, passed around menus, and took our drink requests. Coming from Peru herself, she was very knowledgeable about the menu. She was very accomodating to our questions about preparations and ingredients.

I've never eaten Peruvian food, so the menu was really intriguing. A whole page was devoted to various types of ceviche, called Cebiche.  We selected the special of the night, Cebiche de Pescado y Camarón made with shrimp and fish. The seafood had been marinated in a delicious combination of lemon, salt, garlic, spicy peruvian peppers, cilantro, and red onion.  The fish was a mild white fish called Basa. The sweet potatoes on the side provided just the right amount of sweetness to counteract the sour spice of the dish. 

In the foreground of the picture is fried and boiled choclo.  Choclo is a large kernelled type of corn that is much more starchy than typical american corn. The platter was family sized and could easily have fed three or four hungry adults.  Somehow, we polished it off between the two of us.

We also couldn't resist having a side order of Yuca Frita con Salsa Huancaína. The fried yuca is crispy and a bit chewy.  Salsa Huancaína is a light cheese sauce.  The combination was a nice contrast to our main course. The Peruvian beer called Cusquena was refreshing and went well with our order.

Having stuffed ourselves, we were unable to sample the Peruvian ice cream and sweets displayed at the counter. I have no regrets. This is a place I can't wait to get to again.  Thank you Las Totoritas for a great introduction to Peruvian cuisine!

Tilapia Veracruz Recipe

Baked Tilapia Veracruz Recipe
3-4 fillets of Tilapia about 3/4" thick
16 medium Shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 Onion, diced
1/4 large Green Pepper, finely diced
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
Black Pepper & Salt, to taste
2 Tablespoons Capers, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons of Italian Parsley
Juice from 1/2 a Lemon

In skillet over medium heat, saute onion for a couple minutes. Add green pepper and cook until onion starts to become clear. Add garlic. When you can smell the garlic, before it browns, add the tomato paste and cook a minute or so, stirring constantly, then add chicken stock, tomato sauce, capers, black pepper and salt to taste. Simmer and reduce a bit until flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Add parsley and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

Pour a bit of the sauce into a  8"x11.5"x2" baking dish, just enough to cover the bottom, saving the rest.  Place tilapia in a single layer, side by side into the dish. Add raw shrimp to the remaining sauce and pour over the tilapia. (The shrimp will cook along with the tilapia.)  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until done (if fresh tilapia, approx 15 minutes, if frozen about 30 minutes).

Serve with steamed white rice. Salad and yuca toasted garlic and lime to round out the meal. Enjoy!

Sweet Cornbread Recipe

Last night I was in the mood for a sweet moist cornbread. My usual cornbread is the rather dry and not too sweet version on the back of the Quaker Yellow Cornmeal box. That version works well for breakfast with syrup, but isn't great for a side of chili. I threw a pot of chicken chili on the stove to simmer and started searching the internet for a recipe. The recipe I found on Allrecipes.com Grandmothers Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe  was perfect. It has a sweet corn flavor and is very moist.  It's almost like a cake and certainly would be too sweet with syrup.

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe
1/2 cup Butter (2 sticks, unsalted)
2/3 cup Sugar (granulated, white)
2 Large Eggs
1 cup Buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 cup Cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt (I used Sea Salt, which is a bit less intense than regular salt)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease an 8 x 11.5 pan (original recipe calls for an 8x8).

Melt butter. Whisk together butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and baking soda.
Sift together cornmeal, flour, and salt.  Add dry and wet ingredients and mix well. The batter will be pretty runny. Pour it into the prepared pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes (30-40 min if 8x8 pan used) until slightly browned on top and toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or cooled.

Veggie Wrap Recipe

Who doesn't hate dieting? I find it impossible. And I greatly regret having to talk about it on a food blog! So, let's focus on the positive, I do love veggies.  Let's hope today's veggie wrap gets the numbers on the scale going in the right direction!!!

FriendlyFork Veggie Wrap Recipe
1 large Tortilla (I use spinach tortillas)
1 Tablespoon Hummus
2 slices Tomato, sliced and halved
3 Mushrooms, sliced
1 sliver of Sweet Onion
5 Greek Olives, pitted and chopped coarsely
2-3 fresh Basil leaves
2 sprigs Cilantro
1 Roasted Red Pepper, sliced
1 large handful of fresh Spinach, Arugula, or Lettuce
drizzle of your favorite Vinagrette dressing
a few drops of Siracha or Tabasco (optional)
Black Pepper

Spread hummus down the center of the tortilla leaving about 2 inches free on one end to fold up later.  layer the ingredients in the order listed making sure to leave 2 inches on the end free and one side of the tortilla clean as well. Start wrapping by turning of the 2inches at the end, then grip the full side of the tortilla and roll it toward the clean side of the tortilla. Place seem side down until ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Picadillo Recipe

Last night's picadillo got rave reviews from the family.  Here's the recipe:

FriendlyFork Cuban Picadillo Recipe
1 1/2 lb. Ground Round Beef
1/4 medium Sweet Onion, diced
1/4 Green Bell Pepper, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar
1 pinch Sugar
Water, beer, or beef stock

1-2 Tablespoons Capers
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Green Olives, sliced in rings, or chopped (optional)
1 extra large Beef Bouillon cube (or replace water with 1 cup of beef broth)
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons Cilantro, minced

Brown ground beef in dry skillet over medium high heat. Do not drain. Push meat to the side, turn heat to medium, and add the onions to the empty side of the pan. After about 1 minute, add diced pepper. Cook until pepper is soft and onions are translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute. Then mix the meat and veggies together in the pan.

Add cumin, oregano, bay leaf, tomato sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Add water, beer, or beef stock to the level of the beef (so everything is moist, in the liquid, but it is not soupy). It should be about a cup, but will depend on your pan. Add capers, raisins, olives, and bouillon. Cover and simmer on medium for 10-15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro.

Serve over white rice with a side of sweet plantains and a salad.
Enjoy!

Urbanspoon rocks!

Look for my restaurant ratings and wishlist on http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/profile/692298/ppalm.html.

I will put more detailed reviews on this blog.
Thanks for reading!

Lemongrass Asian Bistro (2 1/2 Forks, $10-20)

Lemongrass is a favorite among many people I know, which explains why they now have four locations from Fort Lauderdale to Boynton Beach. Lemongrass's real appeal is not the food nor the setting, it is the menu. The lunch menu is diverse and well priced. Their dinner menu is inspired, innovative, and exciting. Where else can you get the Lobster Monster sushi roll, topped with double lobster tails, or the Extremely Rainbow roll made with Alaskan King Crab and topped with a variety of fish?

The lunch menu ranges from $6.95 to $11.95 and has the perfect amount of variety and different price points to appeal to any customer. The servings are generous and I appreciate the little extras, like the choice of appetizer that comes with most meals. I highly recommend the Bento boxes, which offer a sampling of both Sushi and Thai. The Pad Thai Bento nestles cold sesame noodles, salad with ginger dressing, a generous portion of Chicken Pad Thai, half of an Inside Out (IO) California Roll with sesame seed, along with your choice of mixed Sushi (sliced raw fish atop mounds of sticky rice) or Sashimi (sliced raw fish). I have never been able to finish it entirely, so it would be appropriate for a very hearty eater.

Another favorite lunch offering is the Double Sushi Rolls, which gives you your choice of two basic rolls, including my favorite Spicy Tuna. They have Sushi meals and Sashimi meals as well. I have enjoyed but not been wow-ed by the Sushi I have tasted at Lemongrass. I would like it to be fresher and bolder. The rolls are looser than they should be.

If you are just in the mood for Thai, Lemongrass offers several Thai entrees, including Red Curry, Panang Curry, Volcano Chicken, Basil Chicken, and Shrimp with Peanut Sauce, among others. They usually have a special of the day which has been fish every time I have visited. The Thai dishes I have eaten were tasty but not authentic. They seem heavier and less subtley flavored than I would like. The Pad Thai is saucy, with a reddish tint that is unusual to me. Although certainly edible, I will not order the Panang Curry here. This is a dish I truly love and it does not meet my expectations at Lemongrass. Here the peanuts overwhelm. The dish is missing the flavorful blend of peanut, curry, coconut milk, basil, and lime leaves that I look for.

Lemongrass is a growing restaurant chain, which started in a tiny corner of a plaza in Boca as Sushi Thai Cafe. From its humble charming roots emerged the hip cool Lemongrass appropriate for its new setting in Boca's upscale Royal Palm Plaza. But hip and cool is not so appealing to me. Immediately turned off by the cold pristine interior, I prefer the outside tables in Boca. The new Boynton Beach location is dark and sleek and equally cold. I find the setting dismal and depressing but perhaps a younger hipper crowd would approve. I also despise the music selection, which sounds like a creepy nightclub. Who wants that thump thump thump when they are trying to enjoy a meal?

I have had several meals at Lemongrass and I will go back. But they need to work on the setting and flavor before I can thoroughly recommend it.

Here is the website with complete menu. http://www.lemongrassasianbistro.com/boca/about.html