NOFX Drugs are Good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqPNpZzE9xc
NOFX is a shockingly prolific punk band that has been cranking (heheheh) out record after record for decades. I love ’em!
CNM Chronicle
If you want to see what I do at the paper, check it out!
thecnmchronicle.wordpress.com
Retro Taco review
This was in last week’s CNM Chronicle. There are some issues with the Issuu website, so I wasn’t able to just copy and paste from the paper. This is my review before edits. I like that when I write these, the Chronicle only has the copyright for two weeks. I can’t publish it elsewhere the week prior to or the week after the publication date of the Chronicle in which it appears. No prob! A week later, y’all can read it here!
Retro Taco: Muy autentico
By Steve “Mo” Fye
Food Critic
Located in the booming Red Light District just south of UNM, Retro Taco is a new taco stand that offers traditional Mexican fare in a slick, modern atmosphere.
The restaurant is bright and clean, with the menu displayed with animation on flat screen monitors above the counter. Friendly staff take orders and then bring the food to patrons at any of the handful of seats inside or to tables out in the shaded patio area. Mexican pop comes from speakers throughout the tiny, but pleasant establishment.
The menu is limited. Tacos, Burritos, Combo Platters and Tortas (Mexican sandwiches) are essentially the only offerings, but the slow-simmered meats are the stars of the meal. The Three Taco Combo seemed a touch expensive at over eight dollars, but the plate came loaded with beans and rice and three giant portions of meat in doubled soft corn tortillas. Patrons will find themselves hard pressed to finish this at one sitting.
The Charro Beans were a bit lackluster, similar to what’s offered at any Mexican restaurant, but the rice was perfectly cooked, lightly seasoned and featured lots of sweet yellow corn.
The Carne Desebrada (shredded beef) was delicious, simmered for hours until it falls apart. The Carnitas (pork shoulder, literally little meats) were tender and falling apart in the taco and seasoned wonderfully. The Pollo (chicken) was also tasty, long-cooked in chiles and mildly flavored.
The Cochinita Pibil is delicious, sweet and savory. This pulled pork is simmered for hours in achiote (annatto seed) paste, orange and lime juices. The name means “little pig” and “earthen,” referring to the clay pot in which it was traditionally cooked. The sweetness came as a bit of a surprise, but it was just delicious, especially with the fiery red salsa.
Ah, the salsas. Right next to the order counter is a long flip-top cooler filled with salsas and condiments. The salsas ranged from spicy to defiantly hot. Salsa Cruda and Salsa Verde lie next to cilantro leaves, limes and the hugely flavored Salsa Rojo. The salsa bar would be reason alone to visit Retro Taco.
The Tortas are wonderful as well, especially a few hours later, when the flavors of the meat mingle with the rest of the ingredients.
Retro Taco is a franchise restaurant, based on the original location in Mexico City. There are several locations south of the border in Cabo, Vallarta and Cancun but the Albuquerque site is the first in the U.S. It is owned by manager Ismael Felix, who visits every table to ensure good service and customer satisfaction. Felix is demonstrably proud of the food, and assures every patron of the high quality of the ingredients used.
The food at Retro Taco is wonderful and authentic. It’s the type of fare formerly only found coming from outlaw food trucks, but served in a pleasant, cool atmosphere, where patrons can sit in comfort with a beer. Retro Taco offers a selection of cold Mexican beers as well as Sam Adams.
Despite the limited menu coming from a miniscule kitchen, Retro Taco is worthy of future visits to try the meats in different presentations. The Burritos seem a good bet for a quick lunch, while the Combo Platters would be good for a leisurely dinner. This is a welcome addition to the University Area and will likely flourish.
Retro Taco: 115 Harvard S.E., Suite 3, Next to Cheba Hut in the Red Brick District. Summer hours: Tuesday through Saturday, Noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, Noon to 5 p.m. www.retrotaco.com
Subvert City – The Subhumans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDu8xjQmD9M
Subvert City, The Subhumans (UK) Live
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subhumans_(UK_band) This is pretty sketchy.
http://www.citizenfish.com/ This is site for the band, as well as Dick’s other band.
As promised, a list of stuff that should be in every kitchen (Part One of many)
Some of you will already have most or all of this. If so, go and listen to some punk which I am posting in a bit. If not, and money is tight, like it has been for me, check out thrift stores, yard sales and used restaurant supply stores. I got my giant 10-gallon stock pot for 22 bucks at a used equipment store.
You need a knife. Get a good one. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be forged steel. Don’t get some Ginsu serrated crap. Those knifes suck. You will want one with about an 8 inch blade. This is the typical chef’s knife. Go ahead and get the best one you can afford.
Wusfhof and Henkels make decent chef’s knives for under a hundred bucks.
You will need a paring knife for jobs where your chef’s knife is simply too big. You will probably want at least two of these. I recommend getting one good forged paring knife, and one or more of the stamped steel knives in a different shape. I have a bird beak or tourne knife with a plastic handle and sheath I picked up for less than 5 bucks and I use it very often.
That should be it, to start. As you do more complicated work, you may find you want a flexible boner (hee hee) or a large carver, but a Chef’s knife and a few small knives should do the trick.
You need a cutting board. DO NOT use the tempered glass boards. They will ruin the edge on your knife. I have fallen in love with the laminated bamboo boards available at most specialty cooking stores. Or here:
You can also get plastic cutting boards, but I really like using something from a renewable source. If you like plastic, try here: http://www.acemart.com/cutlery/plastic-cutting-boards/abc-valueline-white-plastic-cutting-board-aaacbp18/prod4577.html
End grain wood cutting boards are great and will last forever, but they are expensive. If you can afford one, great. Get back to me with your recommendations.
You need a stock pot. Actually, you will need two. The size will depend on a number of things. How much cooking are you looking to do? The more stuff that goes through your kitchen, the more scraps you will have for stock and the larger a stock pot you will need. Storage. Do you have room to store a bunch of stock? If so, get a big stock pot and make large batches. Making stock is time consuming even for a tiny amount. Making more saves time in the long run. I have a 4-gallon enamel, a 6-gallon and a 10-gallon. I often make stock in the big one and reduce it to save on storage space.
Decide how big you want and get one. Then get another at least half the capacity. You will need the second one to transfer the stock to while you strain it.
Speaking of straining, you will need some type of strainer. I have a couple of china caps
like this one. These are great for straining the stock from the stuff you made the stock from. The perforated style is pretty inexpensive. There are strainers called Chinois that are much finer and have a mesh instead. They are better for straining sauces and stuff and are much more expensive. 
A good sturdy colander will work too, but will not strain as fine as either of the above. You will want a colander as well.
You will need some good spoons and ladles. Make sure you get at least one spoon that is long enough to stir the very bottom of your biggest stock pot when it is full. Trust me on this.
I’ll post my procedure for making stock soon. As a matter of fact I think I’ll make fish stock Friday. You should get a start by saving stuff for stock. Remember though. A stock pot is not a trash can. The only stuff that should go in there is stuff you would eat but don’t because it’s the trimmings or peels of stuff you did eat. I save all the skins from my onions, all the ends and peelings from my carrots (well washed!) The ends and greens of celery stalks. Put a gallon zipper bag in the freezer and every time you end up with scraps, toss ’em in the bag. It will add up quickly.
I love CNM, but I really got screwed as far as scheduling goes.
Damn CNM and the whole scheduling process. I got into my last required cooking lab (Global Cooking). Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30 p.m. until almost 9 p.m. My Intro to Education class? Mondays 6 p.m. to 9. At least my Educational Psych class is online. So now I have to completely change my schedule from getting up at 5 a.m. every day.
Feh. I suppose I can still get up dumb early and fiddle about in the kitchen. I’ll take notes and pictures so you all can share my pain/triumphs.
Good night all, 5 a.m. is earlier than I ever imagined. Still.
I hear you asking, “But Uncle Mo, how can I cook like this?” Well, I’ll tell ya.
I am going to assume a level of kitchen skills and equipment. Plus a level of punk rock knowledge. I really can’t help you with the punk rock thing, but I will try anyway.
If you don’t have basic knife skills, find someone to teach you. Unless you live close. I will trade knife lessons for stock ingredients. If you don’t have an oven and a stove, you are just checking this blog out like watching porn when your erogenous zones are broken.
I will be putting together a list of tools and equipment you will need to replicate the recipes I post. Some of the tools and equipment are cheap as hell and easy to find. Others are fucking expensive and you will have to get those on your own. Or sometimes your Mom ships stuff to you. Or your Dad gives you a gift certificate. That is cool even into your 40s. Hm. Sometimes even cooler.
Stay tuned for a comprehensive list of stuff everyone in the world should really have in the kitchen.
My buddy and former roomie Tim was in town today so I didn’t even get my homework done. I gotta sleep. Baking lab is a cruel (and early) mistress.
I promised to throw some punk rock! Some bedtime music for you all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md44wo2Ah-E
Cannibal Cafe by SNFU.
Another of my favorite bands!
Info:
I love my friends and family!
I just made this blog public a few hours ago. Damn. The influx of folks reading, posting and liking my FB is just amazing. I love you guys. I hope to entertain, educate, shock, offend and amaze all of you very soon! It’s almost 11 p.m. so I have to get my fat white ass to bed for class early tomorrow. I love you all and thanks!
Mo
These are called Mo Rolls. They are the best food in the damn world.
These are called Mo Rolls. They are the best food in the damn world.
Author: Morris. No kidding. These are my invention.
Recipe type: appetizers or entrees
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: everyone (20 appetizers)
When you make as much chicken stock as I do, you end up with a bunch of skin. This is the way to take care of that.
Ingredients
- 24 skins, cooked from chicken thighs (I will tell you how to get these almost for free later)
- 1 Qt. reduced chicken stock. (I guess I have to teach you this too.)
- ½ pound bacon
- 1 T. Sriracha salt
- 1 t. black pepper
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 pint water
- 1 Qt. Plum Chicken Sauce (use the stuff I will post or use something else)
Instructions
- Boil chicken stock. Add the rice. Turn the heat down to low.
- Dice bacon into ⅛ inch cubes and cook in a skillet at low heat.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Heat Plum Chicken sauce.
- Lay chicken thigh skins skin side down on foil-lined baking sheet.
- Add the water to the rice. Let it simmer until it is sticky.
- The bacon should be rendered down to tiny crispy bit with a bit of fat in the pan. Mix all of it into the rice.
- Take small spoonfuls of the rice/bacon mix and place them in the middle of the chicken skin. Roll up the skin so they hold the rice mix.
- Put the pans in the oven and bake for about 18-25 minutes.
- The skins will be crispy and wonderful and the rice will be hot.
- Put some of the plum-chicken sauce on each plate. Put two Mo-rolls on each plate.
- Garnish. Or just eat them. Whatever. This shit is SO good you don't really have to garnish it.