Goal 101-- 7/12 COOK A NEW DISH EVERY MONTH

¡Como una fiesta en mi boca! After talking about my grandfather's cooking yesterday, I had a hankering for some Mexican delicious. You may be amazed, but I've never made Mexican Red Rice before. The red comes from pureed tomato and chopped red pepper.

My new dish for this month, Mexican Red Rice boiling before the lid goes on.

 The rice all cooked up. Next time I'm adding Saffron.

One thing I've been practicing as I make these new dishes is to actively NOT make excuses about the food.

For instance: "I burned the garlic, so it might taste a little like burned garlic" Ian's typical response to this would be "No matter to me, I like burned garlic, you know that" (this is just an example, I cooked the garlic perfectly this time. )



I do let myself say one change I would institute for the dish next time, for instance: "Next time I'm adding Saffron."

Ian's an easy one to practice on too because he eats everything (except aises --mayonnaise, hollandaise etc.) so I have free reign to try out new stuff without worrying if it's beyond his palette. A fantastic personality trait, and one I bet my parents would have appreciated in me growing up. (Me until age 26: "I hate mushrooms! I hate squash and zuchhini! No I will not eat Eggplant! Yuck!" Ian says it's just because you haven't had it cooked right yet!)

A few years ago my housemate BJ, who worked at a bookstore, bought me the Moosewood Restaurant Classics Cook Book for christmas. I think the first meal I ever cooked for Ian (Vegetable Risotto, back in my first apartment in Portland) was out of that cookbook. The book has been waiting patiently as it moves from house to house, until it will be the center of attention.

I looked up the basic black bean recipe because I have trouble remembering all the steps that Ian has taught me. It is nice to have just a reference and I practiced another skill Ian encourages... improving the recipe with your own additions. The results? The BEST black beans I have EVER made! The key, in my opinion is two-fold, using salsa instead of just water to simmer them in, and the crushed fennel seed.

Super delicious black beans. Toasting the fennel and cumin did the trick!

As I was warming the tortillas, I started thinking I might like to own a tortilla warmer to put them in between the stove and belly. I daydreamed of a pretty tortilla warmer, not that red plastic kind. And then Ian got home just in time for me to think "Ah, with his timing like that, I guess I don't need a tortilla warmer after all."  He said "I smelled that delicious all the way downstairs outside!"

I meant to take a picture of the presentation including warmed tortillas, a green perk of cilantro and a dab of sour cream, alas it wasn't until I was stacking our empty plates that I remembered, next time.