Moonday, Oh Moonday...

Decided to BBQ tonight but first I had to do a cleanup of The Kitchen of Doom and Good Things To Eat.  The mess from Saturday nights meal for D&S was still quite apparent and I had mad the usual messy disaster with onion skins everywhere and various drips and splatters as background for the occasional bone fragment.  We had the Mexican Meal I had been waiting for but I used the French version of Corn Tortillas...HA!  Really they were shaped like and somewhat the color-like an actual CORN tortilla but they were vastly different in both texture (too smooth) and flavor (too sweet, not savory at all).  If I had brought MASA with me, even the awful Instant kind, it would have been 100 X better than what these were.  The maker (French - Olde El Paso Brand) must have been thinking of Crepes when they developed this product as they even browned on the edges like a crepe.  I have nothing against crepes, no, far from it, but to substitute flour and sugar for real CORN was the error, leaving these as only a poor substitute at best.  All the Chipotle peppered Chicken and strips of bell peppers and the local HOT green pepper and my almost really GOOD Salsa Verde could not overcome the bloody sweetness of the wrapper itself.  None the less the meal was quite enjoyable and resembled semi-Mexican cuisine at least.
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Today besides the clean up of the Kitchen of Doom I was pressed to FIX the damned water leak at the sink in the Shower room.  At first a couple of weeks ago, we simultaneously discovered some kind of wet mess after we showered, Kelly thought it was coming FIRST from ME...as I wasn't shaking off...dog-like..before I stepped out of the shower facility.  I thought otherwise, but being a wiser male than MOST...said nothing so as to NOT appear defensive.  Begin the Investigation.  Days go by.  The next time I took a shower I was very careful and laid out a dry bath mat and saw it quite wet as I stepped out of the shower...so maybe the shower drain was leaking underneath the bloody shower.  So next day I pulled the shower out from the wall and after some struggle laying on my back and squeezed between the damned shower box and the wall I watched the drain as I turned on the shower.  No leak!  Ah HA!  So then I left it out so Kelly, the original leak detection device could see what I had done.  So where's the water coming from I asked myself.  Well the floors in this olde house are anything but level, so I dried them out as best I could and started looking at the next suspect the sink drain and the attached plumbing to the sink itself.  And sure enough...after about 30 seconds...drip....drip....drip.  The valve for the cold water was dripping away making a small river that made it's way through the maze of tile grout to the other side of the shower room...thoroughly wetting the bath mat in it's way.  So I tightened the fitting and watched it stop leaking.  Great! Easy fix, put tools away...cool.  Today the floor was wet again and I looked and found the same leak.  Shit, shit, shit!  So out came the tool again, I turned off the cold water at the wall and tried to remove the valve body to use teflon tape to fill the obviously screwed up gap...alas, that valve along the wall was clogged with mineral residue and wouldn't close enough.  So now I had to wait til Kelly finished washing the dishes before I could turn off the main water and attack this thing head on.  I got a bucket out as by now the seal had failed completely and it was spraying water in a good stream 2 feet from the valve. Damn!  So I waited and emptied the bucket periodically until she announced that I could turn off the Main H2O and continue to repair this thing.  I turned off the water, removed the valve body, found the destroyed fiber washer and went to the local hardware store to purchase a new one for 35 cents or such.  HA!  I had to buy the entire valve, body and all...so I replaced the valve assembly using the new washer and gently tightened it.  Done, it now does not leak...fingers crossed!
God I hate plumbing!

Mexican Food in France...Really?!

Yes...I have to admit it, I need my "fix" of Mexican-style foods every few weeks even when I'm here in countryside France.  I'm pretty good at home in California as a ala-Mexican Chef mainly because of the availability of the necessary ingredients so one can get the right flavor profile(s).  Tomatoes are prominent as are many varieties of chili peppers.  Including peppers in your dishes, especially if they have been roasted ahead of preparation adds depth of flavor and a spicy kick to any dish.  Onions, especially white and yellow ones are also included as part and parcel of Mexican cuisine.   Spices used, Mexican Oregano, Epazote, Lime and the like are NOT a part of French culture!   Substitution is the name of the game while here.  Dried Ancho chile peppers are a staple as well as many others too numerous to mention, without these making anything resembling actual Mexican cuisin will be quite a challenge.  So first...

Pico de Gallo (typical fresh Mexican salsa)

3 large coarsely diced tomatoes
1 finely diced medium sized onion
1/4 bunch of cilantro chopped coarsely
juice of a lime or 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
1/2 tsp of salt
1 finely chopped jalapenos (or more if you prefer it hotter)

Optional ingredients
half a cucumber, peeled and coarsely diced
1 avocado, peeled and coarsely diced

As you are chopping each just put in a bowl of your liking, at the last...simply mix thoroughly.  Adjust seasonings to your liking...check and add salt if necessary.

Salsa Verde (Tomotillo Salsa)

2 1/2 - 3 lbs medium Tomotillos. Remove the paper hull and de-stem.
1 large White or Yellow Onion, 1/4" dice
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small bunch Cilantro, corsaely chopped, stems and leaves.
1 jalapeno, seeded. 
Juice of 2 Limes
3 large green chilis, whatever you can get, NOT BELL PEPPERS!  Roast, skin and seed.

Ok ingredients done, here goes. 

In an appropriate 1 qt. pot put in the tomatillos and barely cover with water.  Raise to boil, reduce heat to simmer, simmer for 10 minutes.  Turn off, carefully drain in a collander, allow to cool.

Out with an iron or Other skillet,  saute the onions til transparent with edges browned 5-7 minutes.

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend to a puree, about 3 - 4 minutes.
Adjust seasoning, add salt as necessary to taste.  Serve cool.

Use either on roasts, fish, pork dishes to your endless delight.  Savor those amazing flavors!  And the French don't do it!