Fancy Fish Tacos with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

There are only so many times you can present me with fancy tacos from trendy food trucks before I decide it's high time I make my own.

Three, it turns out, is the number. In case you were wondering. Feel free to try it. (Presenting me with tacos, I mean.)

After that, these happen. And then everyone is happy. Because tacos.

Ingredients
1/2 lb white fish (Petrale sole or black drum are particularly good; cod is fine as a backup)
Whole wheat flour
9 oz Greek yogurt (Voskos or Fage are particularly good)
1/2-2/3 bunch cilantro
1 lime, halved
2-3 handfuls Serrano or Padron peppers (or sub a couple Anaheims and a jalapeno)
Fresh whole wheat or multigrain tortillas (it's worth investing in particularly delicious tortillas. Look for local ones that are softer and fluffier than your garden variety dry disc).
1/2 cup grated Pepperjack cheese (optional)
Diced avocado (optional)

Combine the yogurt, cilantro, and juice of 1/2 the lime in a blender or small Cuisinart and blend until smooth.

For Serrano or Padron peppers: Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil, add the peppers, and sauté, shaking the pan occasionally, for a few minutes until peppers blister and soften slightly. Remove from heat and let cool, then slice crosswise into rings. (You can eat the seeds, so don't worry if a few get into the rings.)

For other peppers: Dice or slice into strips, and sauté in olive oil until they soften, 5-7 minutes.

Salt and pepper the fish, then dredge in the flour. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Add the fish and shake the pan to prevent sticking. Cook until the fish is browned on the bottom, then flip and cook until just before the fish is done (it will finish cooking from its own heat). Remove from the pan and set on a cutting board for a minute to cool slightly, then cut crosswise into strips.

Meanwhile, toss your tortillas in the microwave between a couple damp paper towels for a few seconds to warm them.

Take each tortilla and sprinkle lightly with a little cheese. Pile in the fish, drizzle generously with cilantro-yogurt sauce, top liberally with peppers and a couple slices of avocado if desired, and garnish with lime wedges. Serve warm.

Serves 2.

Spotted: Padrón Peppers

It's not every day you can find Padrón peppers, so if you happen to run across them, snatch them up before the unsuspecting shopper standing next to you can. (Then narrow your eyes at them and declare "HA!" Yes, they may decide you're crazy, but that's more peppers for you, now, isn't it?)

We recently spotted some at our Co-op in Sacramento, and they have been known to appear during the summer at both Monterey Market and the Spanish Table in Berkeley.

After snagging them, your mission is simple: Heat a wide nonstick pan over medium high heat and coat lightly in olive oil. Toss in the peppers (in a single layer, without overcrowding), and cook for about a minute until white blisters appear on the bottom, then turn and continue cooking until blistered on all sides.

Sprinkle with kosher salt or sea salt, and serve hot. Using the stem as a handle, pop into your mouth (you can eat the seeds, but not the stem), and note that while most won't be hot, every now and then, you'll get a spicy one. Makes a deliciously addictive appetizer or tapas addition in just a few minutes. And yes, you told your dinner guests to expect Spanish food, but surely they realized that if they wanted Padrón peppers too, they should have thought to bring their own.

Grilled Corn Soup with Peppers and Cilantro

I am deeply ambivalent about corn.

On the one hand, everything I wrote here.

On the other hand, corn muffins, corn bread, cornmeal gnocchi, corn pancakes, cornmeal pizza crusts, grilled corn on the cob. Back on the first hand, corn on the cob after it's gotten stuck in your teeth when you're sitting somewhere trying to have a polite conversation with someone while developing a new technique for turning your tongue 270 degrees in order to try, and of course ultimately fail, to get it out. On the second hand, corn soup. CORN SOUP.

I have this fixation about it. Can't not order it when I see it on a swanky restaurant menu. Roll my eyes around embarrassingly in front of fellow diners while eating it. Chatter about it incessantly through the rest of the meal. "Go home!" the fellow diners say, and I reply, "Corn soup! Corn soup! Did you taste it? Wasn't it amazing?"

After a recent episode involving corn and zucchini soup at Chez Panisse, I decided it was finally time to stop mooning over it in restaurants and make it ourselves. So we did. This version serves two (or maybe three, if you were just serving little cups of it), but would be easy to double or triple. If you can find Padrón peppers (available right now at our co-op in Sacramento as well as The Spanish Table in Berkeley), they work perfectly as a garnish on the top, and you can fry a batch up to serve on the side while you're at it.

Ingredients
3 ears fresh summer corn
1 clove garlic, pressed
Olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tbsps cream
3-4 Padrón peppers (optional -- you could also try a little grilled bell pepper, chopped, or just a bit of mild jalapeno, minced)
Small handful baby arugula, coarsely chopped
A few fresh cilantro berries (15 or so) or sub a little chopped fresh cilantro

Shuck the outermost leaves off the corn, leaving a couple layers of husk all the way around. Dunk the ears in a bowl of cold water and let soak for about 15 minutes. Preheat the grill to 350 degrees.

Shake the water from the ears, peel back the husk (but don't rip it off) and remove the silk. Rub each ear with some olive oil and garlic, then replace the husk and tie once around each ear with twine. Grill over medium heat for about 8 minutes, turning two or three times as it browns. Move away from the heat or to the upper rack and continue cooking another 10 minutes or so until kernels are tender. Set aside to cool, then cut the kernels from each ear.

Heat a pot over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, then the onion and a pinch of salt. Saute until the onion is soft and sweet-smelling. Add the corn and saute for another couple of minutes, then add enough chicken broth to cover the corn. Bring to a gentle boil, turn the heat down to medium low, and cover. Simmer 5-10 minutes, until the corn kernels taste tender and fully cooked.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add a drizzle of olive oil, then the Padrón peppers. Fry for 1-3 minutes, turning as white blisters develop on the bottom of each pepper. When all sides are blistered, turn off the heat and set the peppers aside for a couple minutes to cool. Slice crosswise into small rings.

When the soup is done, turn off the heat and puree with an immersion blender until smooth or desired consistency. If the soup is too thin, you can simmer off a little more liquid for a minute or two; if it's too thick, stir in just a bit more broth to thin it out. Next, add a dash of cumin, some freshly ground black pepper to taste, and a little more salt if needed (you probably won't need it unless your chicken broth is very low in salt). Stir in a small slosh of cream, and serve.



Garnish with cilantro berries, sliced peppers, and some chopped arugula.


Serves 2.