kitchen chez freak

here's a little something the senora daggett and i whipped up on my day off last week. yah, those are key limes being squeezed with pliers. we spend a lot of time wondering how cooks and gastronomes of the ages have pulled off any kind of tastey meal without spending a lifetime in the kitchen. any insights?

i wrapped the tamales and it was pretty fun and relaxing. we were preparing food in honor of the cutest person in the world who happened to be coming to visit us that weekend. stay tuned for a report in the next post.

the tamal: one hoja filled with masa consisting of harina, cornmeal, fresh roasted corn, mucha mantequilla, fresh roasted poblanos y jack cheese and a filling consisting of fresh ground lamb with sauteed onions, habaneros, roasted pasillas, NM red pepper flakes y red chile powder, pine nuts, raisins, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom etc. we also made goat cheese filled ones with mint and three chopped peppers. results were less than thrilling and we can't figure out why. we've done it before with my mom franco on our trips to the sierras, and they've been to die for, especially with homemade mole! theory: we had to freeze the tamales for a few days and the masa lost its fresh corn flavor, if it ever had any. maybe the traditional use of lard/manteca preserves better. as we all know, fat tastes great almost any time. note: the red sauce rocked and the key lime pie was amazing and decadent with a gingerbread crust and fresh whipped cream. so much so that johnny d. ate all of it without any recollection. he kept asking for it the next day and all we could say was, you ate it, dude!

they do look pretty. very different from the mass production my gramma bamma does. we only made 30, whereas she makes like a 100 or so, which freeze beautifully for the whole year. i really wonder where diana kennedy gets her ingredients. lucky woman!

wally thinks we are still the smartest people in the world. as long as your dog still respects you, everything's going fine.