Mexican Satay

This is one my favourite recipes of all, it´s simple, just requires a few ingredients, time, and it goes well with pretty much anything. It must be said that no one taught me how to cook it, I just learnt to make it myself after tasting it throughout my life in its different versions.

That´s right, I´m talking about peanut and dried chillies salsa, or as my Kiwi friends told me once, “Satay”. This recipe was later renamed “Mexican Satay”, for obvious reasons.

 

 
 

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove 
• 2 red tomatoes
• 4 to 6 dried chillies (known as “chile de arbol”, just look at the pic, bro)
• Half an onion
• 1 handful of regular peanuts, unsalted.
• 4 spoons of canola oil
• Salt and pepper

Get a good frying pan, put the oil, medium heat, place the onions, now the garlic, wait until the onion sort of sizzles and softens; and you want that garlic a little bit burnt, let the aromas fill your kitchen. Add the peanuts, they will cook really fast, let them brown, now the chillies, you just need to heat them up a little, and as the peanuts, let them brown as well. Finally, add the tomatoes, they must be cut in quarters, you want their juices to deglaze the pan (those sexy sons of bitches juices…).

Oh yeah…. let them drip…

Now the fun part, get that freaking blender of yours, put all the ingredients inside and add maybe half a cup of water, now blend the shit out of it! Remember the salt and the pepper? Well, on the same frying pan, put a spoon of canola oil, salt and pepper, heat it up for a minute and then add the stuff you just blended.

It will be bubbly for a while, lower the flame and let it cook for 5 minutes. Be sure that it has been salted to taste, and serve.

This is what you are looking for… not those droids

This “salsa/satay” goes fantastic as an entrée, with tapas, or just as a regular salsa for your tacos. I once used it to marinate a whole chicken (I know, a whole chicken!), later I put it on the grill, it was delicious!

Ps. Happy non-denominational holidays everyone!

That´s right… now try to get this mental image off your head today

Happy Mexican Festivus

Can I talk to you guys about happy things? I just feel like talking about great things today, as far as I know, regardless of how cloudy the day gets, well, there´s always a bright side, right? Besides, only two more days until Christmas, so, let´s be nice to each other (especially you, the quasi-hipster about to complain to the clerk at that organic coffee place because of the temperature of your soy-slim-latte-machiatto-doubleshot).

Even if you aren´t feeling particularly optimist today, that doesn´t mean you aren´t thankful for the life you are living and the people walking alongside with you every day (except those vegetarians… but until we find a cure…).

Mi casa es tu casa

So, let´s talk about something awesome, my country: Mexico. This is a great place where to be, regardless of the political turmoil, the poverty, the corrupted political system, having the U.S.A. as neighbour, still, Mexico is amazing. I´m thankful I was born here; I love travelling around the world and being able to say proudly “I´m Mexican”. There´s nothing greater than to listen to people´s reaction when I say where I´m from.

• “So, you like to party hard?”
• “Do you guys ride donkeys as a primitive form of transportation?”
• “Why do you speak English, aren´t you supposed to speak only Mexican?”
• “You guys are great at dancing”
• “What is it with the chilli lollies?”
• “Are you a Luchadore?”
• “Eat this Jalapeno!”
• “Ay caramba!”
• “Do you sell weed?”

Besides, being Mexican is clearly a competitive advantage, specifically in how we find our way into happiness every single time. I know, after the war on drugs (“after”, it is still happening no matter what the current administration´s efforts to hide it), people decided that life must go on, and that they couldn´t be living in the shadows.

The Zocalo, the cathedral, the flag… this is Mexico

Today, Mexicans know these are hard times, the political arena is confusing and the government isn´t really focusing on the people but in the private sector to reactivate the local economy. However, Mexicans have something more important, the strength of this country is its people´s faith, passion, patience, and hope, intangible values that motivate my countrymen into believing they can do it, and trust me, most of the time they do and achieve amazing things.

So, this existential post is dedicated to my country, its people, culture and values. Whenever you get the chance, come to Mexico, you won´t regret it.

Happy holidays to all of you, I´ll be hanging out with these amazing girls: my sisters.

Just the Uncle

More than a year ago I left not only a beautiful country but my other family and friends. I´ve missed them so much all this time, but yesterday, I received one of the most amazing gifts in a long time, I got to see my step niece and nephew. My good friend Ana is visiting her family in Monterrey, Mexico, so it was a good opportunity to meet up. Yesterday we had a wee reunion, so Ana was taken to my sister´s place, when she got off the car she said “look who is inside the car”, these two were inside and the first thing that crossed my mind was “They were so young when I left they might not even remember who I am”… but they did

Today we went for some coffee, not great kiwi coffee as back in New Zealand, but average Starbucks instead.  While I watched them playing around, laughing, running, making jokes, smiling, I couldn´t but remember those amazing days in New Zealand, since the moment I arrived to the day I left they were an important part of my life.

These two kids taught me many things, the most important thing I discovered about myself through them was that I´m good with children and that I´m a caring loving adult. Honestly, that´s one of the things sometimes I worry about, you know, that question that from time to time wanders in your head: “Am I a good person?” (sometimes followed by “Did I lock the front door this morning before going to work?”)

As I mentioned before on one of my post about the “Impostor Syndrome”, there are some things that trigger our self-esteem , and these kids certainly helped me out with that. They are caring loving children, innocent and bright and, in general, freaking awesome.

So these two little fellows represent happiness not only to me, but to their family; they bright up my day, and no matter where they are they put a smile on my face, reminding me that life is simple, and that some good ice cream could solve any problem you might have. 

“Self-esteem is made up primarily of two things: feeling lovable and feeling capable.” – Jack Canfield

I know, no recipes nor anything about traveling around the world, neither tacos nor politics, just these two kids who make my heart melt every time I hear them say “Uncle Luis”.