Grilled Tilapia Tacos with Avocado, Fresh Salsa and Cilantro Cream

 

I have a tortilla press that does not get used very often, and I now remember why.  It must be slightly off-set, because it doesn't quite press flat - one side always ends up slightly thicker and I end up rolling out the tortillas or stretching them out in the same manner as I make naan bread.

In fact, the tortillas look pretty much the same as the naan except they are unleavened.  This is the first time I've made flour tortillas (previous versions were corn tortillas made with masa harina) ... like most things, they are so easy to make I have to wonder why I ever buy them.






The salsa and cilantro cream can be made in advance; actually, best made a bit in advance so the flavours have time to mix.  And the fish should sit in the marinade for a half hour.

I can't believe that I managed to have a ripe avocado when I needed one! 

Grilled Tilapia Tacos (for two)
2 Tilapia fillets
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
Limes
Flour Tortillas
Cilantro Cream
Fresh Salsa
Avocado slices


The tilapia:

Mix together oil, chili powder, cumin and juice of two limes.  Coat tilapia fillets in marinade, let sit for a half hour. When ready to eat, heat grill pan and brush with oil.  Grill the marinaded tilapia until flaky; a few minutes per side depending on thickness.






To make tortillas:

In bowl, mix 2 cups flour (I used a multigrain flour blend), a pinch of baking powder and 1 tsp salt.  Some recipes call for lard, some don't.  I didn't have any in the house, so I sliced up 1 Tbsp of cold butter and mixed it into the flour mix with my fingers.  Then add 3/4 cup warm water.  Stir and gently knead until a dough forms (add more water as needed).   Cover and let sit for 45 minutes.

Pull off golf-sized balls, flatten in press (or with rolling pin).  Cook in a dry pan for 30 seconds each side.  Keep warm in oven, or quickly heat in dry pan again just before use.  This amount makes about 8 tortillas, so plenty of leftovers.






To make cilantro cream:
Chop 1/2 cup cilantro and 2 Tbsp chives.  Stir into 1/2 cup sour cream.  Squeeze in juice of 1 lime.  Add salt to taste.  This recipe also makes extra.

To make fresh salsa:
Chop 1 cup tomato (I always use grape/cherry tomatoes to get more skin for texture) and 2 Tbsp cilantro.  Mince 2 small garlic cloves and 1 Tbsp shallot.  Mix in bowl with juice of 1 lime.  Add salt to taste.

Lemon Blueberry Labneh (Yogurt) Ice Cream

I'll start this post by stating that this is the BEST ice cream I've ever made.  I've made homemade ice cream many times, but usually a basic vanilla (and sometimes green tea ice cream).  But this was a real treat!

I did not post anything a few nights ago.  Instead, I spent the evening surfing other blogs.  I really enjoy reading food blogs ... good, honest people who enjoy cooking and talking (writing) about it.  I particularly like to seek out food blogs from other countries as there is often such a different approach to what I am used to.

Lemon Love Notes is a food blog from Romania.  I found it when searching for Labneh recipes.  I had some homemade yogurt that had been sitting in the fridge for a while, so I made yogurt cheese out of it by just draining it through some coffee filters for a day or so.  Labneh is the middle eastern term for strained yogurt.  I wasn't sure what to do with it until I came across this blog.   But more importantly, this blog has totally inspired me to try new dishes - both cooking and eating!  I suspect I'll reference this blog a few times as there are a number of recipes I intend to make use of.  From what I can tell, this recipe seems to be the most recent entry but is dated almost a year ago.  Disappointing for me (and others, I'm sure)!

In the meantime, here is my version of Lemon Love Notes "Frozen Sweet Labneh with Vanilla, Lemon & Blueberries" recipe.





Similar to Yolanda, the Lemon Love Notes author, I also do not have an ice cream "machine".  But I do have a fabulous old-school Donvier hand-crank ice cream maker.  I bought mine at a thrift store, along with several others over the years which I have passed on to friends and family.  Mine is a mini, and makes only about 1/2 a litre.





The recipe was adjusted only to accommodate the ingredients and amounts that were available to me, although I added some lemon juice; otherwise, I essentially followed the recipe shown here:  Lemon Love Notes blog.

Oops, dropped the lemon in the bowl while zesting!

 Ingredients:
300 grams Labneh
40 grams heavy cream
1 Tbsp honey
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup blueberries
1 Tbsp white sugar










Toss blueberries with sugar in a bowl; set aside.  Mix first five ingredients in a bowl.  Pour into Donvier ice cream maker.




 
 
Follow instructions: turn mixer 2-3 times every 5 minutes until mixture is partially frozen.  Add blueberries.  Continue turning every 5 minutes until mixture is fully frozen (or as long as you can wait before digging in!).  Serve immediately.

Salad Greens with Panko-Encrusted Goat Cheese

I'm sorry, it sounds so hoity-toity.  I am actually not a big fan of the whole foodie lingo.  The fact is, this is just a salad with some goat cheese rolled in fancy bread crumbs, then fried.  If you are a serious foodie, and digging the lingo, I seriously recommend you check your ego at the door, and watch Episode 14 of Season 14 of South Park (tried to find a link, but couldn't - lots of clips on Youtube).  Oooohhhh, Crème Fraîche, Crème Fraîche!!  And by the way, the "Shake Weight" that I received as a gift later that year is still the funniest gift I've ever received!

My big joke about foodie lingo was a few years back when everything was "baked off" or "cooked off" or "broiled off".  I'm not really sure what value the word "off" is adding to those phrases, but I appreciate that language changes over time and can, and will, adapt to current cultural lingo.  So here's my input ... the next time I make some Jamaican food, I plan to jerk off a chicken (apologies to any underage folks reading this, but hopefully you just don't get the context).  Of course, I'm criticizing foodie lingo at my own risk; I suspect I slip into now and again myself.

But back to the main point of this post.  I am still LOVING the goat cheese I recently purchased (or should I say "sourced", ha ha ha) at Clarmell Farms.  And after my minimalist salad a few weeks back (Vinaigrette for Teacup Salad), I was ready for another round.


I just patted the goat cheese into a "round", tossed into a bowl with beaten egg, then dredged in Panko crumbs.  Panko are just Japanese seasoned bread crumbs.  Fry until golden brown on each side.






For the salad, I used some fresh greens, and added some dried cranberries and pecans. I had meant to add pumpkin seeds but left them on the counter forgotten. 

No salad dressing was needed ... I simply squeezed some lemon juice over the salad, goat cheese disks and all.  So good!!