Esquites


I felt like Alice all day yesterday, upsidedown a rabbit hole somewhere. My body groaned, my head muddled, my priorities mixed up. I spent far too little time with my daughter and moped in bed for a good part of the afternoon about things out of my control. What to do? It was just one of those days.

Eventually, I made pasta - and ate it - at 5pm. I was in bed by 5:30 (with tea and cookies), and had enticed my family to join me by 6:00. And things were okay. Not great, yet, but okay. 

And today, things have been better. I've drawn lines between the things I need to do and the things I really need to do. I've simplified. 

I'm also having a nap. 
Nighty-night.
Amanda xx

***********
Esquites
serves 3 as a main-ish, 6 as a side

Esquites is (according to Fiona Dunlop's Real Mexican Food) Mexican street food at its charred, spiced, mayonnaised best. I made my own version for lunch today, subbing sour cream for Fiona's mayo and goat cheese for her feta, and chipotle for chili powder. My oh my, the world was almost turned back upside down again. Lucky for me, I ate it in bed.

The time
15 min

The ingredients
3 cups frozen corn, cooked and drained and set aside
1 Tbs olive oil
1 red onion, minced
1 Tbs fresh parsley, minced (or substitute fresh coriander/cilantro)
2 heaping Tbs thick sour cream (I love Barambah)
a crumbling of crumbly goat cheese
a pinch or two of smoky chipotle powder (or substitute smoked paprika)
sea salt, to taste

The process
1. Saute the onion + parsley in olive oil over medium heat until soft (but not browned). Add the cooked, drained corn and cook for another 5 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and stir through the sour cream. Dish into bowls or cups or open mouths, top with goat cheese, chipotle powder and sea salt.

The cost
I always have a bag of frozen corn on hand, but you could also use fresh (which would probably be the cheaper way to do this organically). My batch cost me around $3, done with non-organic frozen corn + organic everything else.

NOTES:
  • use organic when you can, particularly for the dairy. Happy cows = happy milk. 
  • make this with barbecued corn (cut off the cob) for an extra-special treat
  • this makes a great side dish for guacamole + chips, and meat, fish or beans

***********
And a big special thanks to Babble.com for naming me in their Top 100 Food Blogs of 2013 - and #5 in the Health-Conscious category. They wrote some really nice things ... I think I'm still blushing. 

Another big special thanks to Charity at Foodlets for putting together a great muffin competition that saw my sweet potato muffins awarded Best of the Year! I'm so happy everyone loved them :) xx

Comments

  1. Yum! I can only imagine how delicious this would be with fresh corn straight out of the garden.
    Congrats on making the Babble list :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've never even heard of esquites--kind of bizarre, considering the amount of Mexican food everywhere in CA--but after reading this, I must have some! Sounds like a perfect addition to a plate of black bean tacos. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Erika Thanks, Erika! I love the Babble list ... always gives me such great new reading material :) And corn straight from the garden? Oh yes. xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Eileen I hadn't either, which probably means I haven't spent enough time in Mexico. It's as good an excuse as any ... ;) xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. This looks delicious, and I'm sure it helped to correct your Wonderland topsy turvy world a little. I suppose some days are just like that, and the best way to deal with them is a bowl of something pleasing and delicious, crawling into bed with tea and cookies and loved ones. I hope Wonderland is treating you a little better today, and I can't wait to try this recipe for esquite.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for commenting! Amandaxx