Sweet Potato Souffle Truffles

photo by Jennifer Gibson of Surreal Confections

This is a recipe that admittedly takes some time. After attempting this only once, it has become a requested holiday item. It may require a bit of tweaking before I'm fully satisfied, but it's definitely ready to share. If you're a fan of Sweet Potatoes (or even if you're not, I've come to find) you have to try this once in your life.

Chef's Note: The northern and western parts of my home country will refer to this vegetable as a Yam. This, while a very popular assumption, does nothing to alter the fact that they're all WRONG. Deal and move on.

Interesting bonus - because the bulk of this item is, in fact, an edible root, the whole thing counts as a vegetable! Right? Take that, food pyramid!


What you need:

2 lbs Sweet Potatoes, whole (two good sized ones)
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1 & 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Milk
4 tbsp AP Flour
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 lb Dark Chocolate (chips or pieces)
1/2 lb Milk Chocolate (again, chips or pieces)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups Crushed Pecans

What you do:

-Bake off your Sweet Potatoes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes or until nice and squishy. Pull from heat and let rest until just cool enough to handle.

-Remove the skin from the Sweets and set the orange pulpy yumminess aside. Use the skins to create a festive hat for yourself. Or just discard, whatever. For the intent and purpose of this recipe, the skins are no longer useful to you. Hell, deep-fry and salt 'em, and call them Sweetie Chips for all I care. (wait a sec, there's an idea. DIBS!)

-Combine Potatoes, Butter, Brown Sugar, Eggs, Milk, Flour, Cinnamon, Vanilla, and Ginger in a conventional mixer with a whisk attachment and let it go at medium speed until well blended.

-Pour everything into a lightly oiled baking dish of your choice. Make sure there is a little room at the top of the dish, this will puff up a bit.

-Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour, or until set. If you can insert a table knife into the center and pull it out clean, you're good to go.

Not so pretty right now. Just wait...

-Set aside to cool. When just above room temp, pull off small chunks and form into balls, maybe an inch to inch and a half across. Set the souffle balls to the side, arranged so as to not touch each other. Allow them to finish cooling. Well, more or less. This will be a little messy, so gloves are recommended.

-Now, it's time to prepare the ganache. (That would be the chocolately outside, for you confectionary newcomers) Begin by dropping the Dark Chocolate into a double boiler. (If you're like most people, you don't have a double boiler. Not to worry, but you will need a pot with an inch of water in the bottom and a metal bowl somewhat larger that the pot. Now, set the pot over medium heat and put the bowl on top. Problem solved. Be warned, though, you'll want to let some steam out every so often to regulate the temperature.) While melting, stir slowly with a whisk.

-When fully melted, add the Milk Chocolate and stir slowly to incorporate.

-Slowly add the Heavy Cream. You want a thick mixture, slightly glossy, but not runny. It will harden back after it cools, but can be brought back around with the application of more indirect heat. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

-Line a baking sheet with parchment and set next to your work area. This is where your fledgling truffles will land during this part of the process.

Truffles cooling on the counter

-Using spoons, transfer the cooled souffle balls into and out of the ganache. Make sure the chocolate fully covers each ball. Place them, one at a time, on your baking sheet and top with Crushed Pecans. Make sure you have this done before the chocolate sets too fully.

-Allow to completely cool before serving. And by serving, I mean sneaking into the laundry room and double-fisting them down, stopping only occasionally to take in a breath.

 I think it's what's inside that counts, really.

Green Tomato Jam

Thick & Chunky Jam on Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

 The ubiquitous Green Tomato. You can find them in stores, gardens, and artwork most places in the southeastern United States. Outside of this region it passes largely unnoticed, merely a tomato that isn't ready for picking just yet. But we know better. The flavor, while not as rich as a ripe, juicy red, is extremely tart, fairly sweet, and comes with a satisfying crunch. When subjected to heat, the flavor is enhanced greatly. The crunch, not so much.

The first "before" shot

Now, when people familiar with the niftiness of Green Tomatoes think of cooking them, the first (and often only) recipe that leaps to mind is the classic Fried Green Tomato. Now, they are awesome, don't get me wrong. But everyone who cooks them has their own variation, and there are many websites dedicated to the "perfect" Fried Green Tomato.  If you've come to this page because you're looking for such a recipe, then I'm so very sorry. Not today. Point of fact, I've had to make so many of them lately that I'm just about sick of the process. My workspace as of late has been filled with the remnants of a flour dredge station and the trimmings from a few hundred of the little green bastards.

Tip of the iceburg.

 On the other hand, one of my pet peeves is wasting food. I will often go to great lengths to find uses for trimmings, bones, and the like. And despite my annoyance with the recipe at the time, I do very much like Green Tomatoes. I can't just get rid of them. After some thought, I gather up as much as possible and set my sights on making Jam.

Now, the beauty part about making Jam is that it is AMAZINGLY simple. You have your fruit. You have your sugar. You combine the two over heat and let it roll for a while - done. The only thing you have to deal with is the ratio. There are many who will use additives to assist with the gelling process, like pectin or gelatin. You can do this if you like, but I prefer to take a simpler approach. Green Tomatoes in particular do not require additional gelling ingredients and can be adapted to Jam with an extremely simple ratio:

2 parts diced Green Tomato
1 part Sugar

Jam in progress, pure tomato.

Understand, this is by volume, not by weight. For example, my last batch had approximately 16 cups of Green Tomato trimmings (1 gallon) and 8 cups of white, granulated sugar (half gallon). Truth be told, I used a little less sugar than that. I'm not an overly huge fan of very sweet food in the first place and I wanted to preserve the tarter flavor of the Tomatoes somewhat.

My first batch was pure tomato. I wanted to get a feel for the timing and flavor without outside influence. My recipe looked something like this:

What you need:

7 cups Green Tomatoes, diced
3 1/2 cups White, Granulated Sugar
1 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp salt

What you do:

-Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan or small stockpot over medium high heat.
-Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally.
-Reduce to medium heat and let it roll, stirring occasionally, until your tomatoes are translucent and juices are thickened somewhat. This recipe required about an hour and a half of cook time.

It should look something like this.

Now, you can cool this as is and store in the refrigerator, or you can immediately pour into glass jars and initiate basic canning procedures. (Here are some ideas to get you started.) If it seems a little thin, don't worry. It will thicken quite a bit as it cools.

 I have stored uncanned Green Tomato Jam in my home refrigerator for six weeks without it going bad. It very well may have lasted for longer, but it was eaten by that time. I can say that it does can very well, however.


In my latest foray into the wonderful world of Green Tomato Jam, I changed things up a little bit. First, I added  two Jalapeno Peppers into the mix. This did three things for it: 1) Provided just a tiny amount of heat (obviously), 2) Gave a little color variation in the finished product, and 3) provided a wonderful complexity of flavor without detracting from the Tomatoey goodness.

Just hitting the stovetop

 Second, I made my dices smaller. This means less cook time. Less cook time means fresher flavor overall.

Third, less sugar. Personal preference, taste the fruit more than the sweet.

The quick break down:

What you need:

1 gallon Green Tomatoes, small dice
6 cups White Granulated Sugar
2 Jalapenos, seeded and diced small
3 oz Lemon Juice

What you do: 


-Combine all ingredients in a  stockpot over high heat.
-Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally.
-Reduce to medium heat and let it roll, stirring occasionally, until your tomatoes are translucent and juices are thickened somewhat. This recipe required about an hour of cook time.

Green Tomato & Jalapeno Jam - Finished Product

At first, this jam-in-the-making will smell strongly of peppers. Don't worry, just keep cooking and it will come out fine. Also, this recipe seems to mellow and mature with a little storage time. The jam will be great the first day, don't get me wrong. You may have a greater appreciation for it after a week or two, is all. 

Valentine's Day - Dinner for Two

Good guess! We'll be making this.

It's the evening of Valentine's Day. If you have kids, they're in bed by now and you're focusing your attention on your sweetie. If you don't have kids, you're focusing your attention on your better half already. Finally, if you have no kids, no significant other, AND you're reading this blog - just make the food for yourself, lock the door and put on cartoons. No reason to share the yummies. 

Now, before evening rolls around, you're going to want to do some shopping. Let's keep the ingredients simple and relatively inexpensive. This exercise is mostly about method of preparation. The most difficult item tonight is a Risotto, and I'll walk you through it. The point here is not to run out and buy the biggest lobster and most expensive bottle of champagne you can find. Any random jackass can do that. This is making something that shows you have some class and are willing to put in effort to show that you care. Making something with your own hands that is pleasing to all of the senses. Invoking feelings of trust and closeness,  compassion and understanding.

Then maybe parlaying those feelings into some after-hours bouncy bouncy. Let's begin.

Valentine’s Day Dinner For Two:

Tomato Fresco Bruschetta & Sauteed Shrimp over Mushroom Risotto

-recommended to be served with a sweet Moscato or even an auslese Riesling.

Mise en Place

Here's what you need:

For the Bruschetta

Roma Tomatoes – 4

Garlic, Minced – 1 tbsp

Olive Oil – 1 oz

Basil, fresh, chiffonade – 2 tbsp

Kosher Salt – TT

Italian Bread, bias sliced 

For the Risotto

Arborio Rice – 1 cup

Chicken Stock – 4 cups

Mushrooms, sliced – 1 cup (I prefer crimini, but button works fine)

Shallots, diced – 2
Garlic, minced - 2 tsp
White Wine – 1/3 cup

Olive Oil – 2 tbsp

Green Onion, thinly sliced – 2 tbsp

Kosher Salt – TT 
 Asiago, grated – to top

For the Shrimp 

Shrimp, large (shelled and deveined) – 12

White Wine – to deglaze

Salt & Pepper – TT

Wooden Skewers, 6 in. – 4

Olive Oil (for sauteeing)

And here's what you do:

For the Bruschetta

Prepare this first to give it some rest time while the other preparations are underway. Do not top the bread until service.

-Dice your Romas. Be careful; too large and it won't fit on the bread well, too small and it'll turn to mush quickly.
-Combine all other ingredients (except bread) in a bowl. Cover and set aside.

Bias cut bread for Bruschetta

-Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 
-Slice the bread on a bias. Brush with Olive Oil. If you prefer, sprinkle a little Garlic Powder over it all, but not much.
-Place all of your bread slices on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them. They tend to burn easily.

To serve: Place a spoonful of the tomato mixture onto each bread slice, arrange on a plate, and let the yumminess commence.

For the Risotto

A Risotto is a relatively simple thing to create. Unfortunately, it's also a very easy thing to screw up. If this is your first time making a Risotto, give it your undivided attention until it's done.

-Oil a saucepan with 1 tbsp of the Olive Oil. Turn on medium heat. Do not let the oil smoke.
-When the oil is hot, add your diced Shallots. Cook until slightly tender.
-Add your Garlic and Mushrooms, continue to cook until 'Shrooms shrink slightly and get floppy.
-Pour in your rice. All of it. Stir it around until every grain is coated with vegetable essence and Olive Oil. Cook until the rice changes color slightly. (If needed, you may use the other tbsp of Olive Oil at this stage, but it might not be necessary.)
-Deglaze with White Wine. Continue stirring until almost all of the wine is cooked off/absorbed into the rice.

Risotto in progress

-Pour in about 1/3 of your chicken stock. Cook,stirring constantly, until stock is almost fully absorbed.
-Pour in another 1/3 of your stock. Continue cooking, continue stirring, until stock is almost fully absorbed.
-Pour in last 1/3 of stock. Add the green Onion and Salt. Continue with the cooking and stirring. When everything is almost fully incorporated, cover and remove from heat. Let rest for 5 - 10 minutes before service.

A note about this: Risotto, when prepared properly, should be very starchy and creamy while still having a bit of "bite" to the individual grains of rice. Not a lot, mind you. Just enough that you don't feel compelled to swallow it immediately. I cannot stress enough that this is a stand-alone dish or a side, never a soup.

Shrimpy Goodness

For the Shrimp

-Splash a small amount of oil in a saute pan. Get it going nice and hot.
-Add your Shrimp. Hit it lightly with Salt/Pepper.
-Toss lightly until Shrimp is almost done, maybe a minute.
-Deglaze the pan with a small amount of White Wine. Toss to coat Shrimp and cook for a few seconds more.
-Remove from heat and put your Shrimp onto skewers, three each.

Putting It All Together

-On your plate, place about 6 oz. of Risotto at a 10 o'clock center position. Garnish with a few long strips of grated Asiago.

-Position two of your Shrimp Skewers over the Risotto at an angle, pointing from the 4 o'clock position.  Garnish with your remaining Green Onion.

-Place the toast rounds, three or four per plate, around the Risotto, and top with your Tomato mixture, careful to strain away any excess liquid. 

-Enjoy!

One good point about this meal is that it is filling on the short term but allows you to enjoy a glass or two of wine without feeling bloated. Maybe even have room for dessert if you so choose and still be of use to your beau concerning various mid-coital activities.

I would recommend garnishing this particular meal with a dozen roses and a coupon for a free backrub with lots of Xs and Os. 

Tomato Fresco Bruschetta, Sauteed Shrimp Skewers & Mushroom Risotto

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day - Dinner with the Kids

Finished product, dessert courtesy of Surreal Confections.

It's been a little while since my last post. Doesn't mean that I haven't been cooking, just been too busy to post. Well, that curious lack of posting ends today. A bit of a special occasion, really, this meal is being done in tandem with Surreal Confections (providing the dessert).  I'll get right to it.

Valentine's Day. Ordinarily a time for people in love to show their affection for one another by gifts of chocolate, flowers, lovely greeting cards, and food in very expensive restaurants. Now, Valentine's Day makes up one of the two busiest days for a restaurant (the other one being Mother's Day), which hardly ensures that you'll even get a seat, let alone a memorable meal. And what do you do when you have a family? Hire a sitter that costs too much and probably has a nagging addiction to snorting cornflakes and coke? NO! That'll cost you even more money and drain your supplies of cereal and soda. Here's what you do:

Make dinner yourself. Cater to your kids. (If you're a guy, your lady will appreciate your attention and nurturing actions directed at the little ones. If you're a lady, your guy will understand that the little ones take priority.) When they're in bed, full of yummy food and chocolate, THEN you cater to your sweetheart. Keep the kids' dinner simple but memorable. Traditional meals like, oh, say... Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, perhaps? Let's be fancy and make some bell pepper hearts to go along with it. Today is all about the presentation.

So, our Valentine's Day meal for the kids will consist of Heart-Shaped Homestyle Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes,  Bell Pepper Hearts, and we're finishing off the meal with Surreal Confections' own Strawberry and Dark Chocolate Filled Choclate Cupcakes with Whipped Topping, conceived specially for the occasion.

First off, before the day gets rolling too hard you'll need to prepare a couple of things. First off, here's what you need:

For the Meatloaf

Meatloaf veggies, just about ready to go.

2 lbs. Ground Beef,

1 medium Onion, yellow, diced small

1 large stalk of Celery, diced small

6 button mushrooms, sliced 

2 Eggs

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tbsp Onion Powder

2 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tsp Paprika

1/2 cup Ketchup

Cooking Oil (for sauteeing) 

1 cup of Breadcrumbs or Cornflakes

For the Mashers

7 Potatoes, White, Medium sized (or five bigger ones)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

2 cups Heavy Cream

2 Tbsp Minced Garlic in Oil

Onion Powder
2 tbsp Whole Butter

Pepper Hearts

For the Peppers

1 each Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green Bell Pepper
Cooking Oil (for sauteeing)
Salt (to taste)
1 tsp minced Garlic

Now that we've got that settled, here's what you do:

For the Meatloaf

-Drop a bit of oil into a medium saute pan or  skillet. Bring up the temp for a couple of minutes and drop in your onion, celery, and mushrooms. Keep it moving until the veggies are tender.
-Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl (except for 1 tbsp of brown sugar).  Simple, eh?
-Couple of options here. If you have a medium sized heart-shaped pan, as is a staple in many child bearing households, oil it lightly and plop the embryonic meatloaf in.  If you do not, get a square baking pan, load it up, and trim it down to a heart shape after it comes out of the oven. But I strongly suggest you get the heart pan. Multi-purpose, and whatnot.
- Cover with foil, making sure to tent the middle and secure the sides
-Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until juices run clear. Alternately, it should have an internal temperature in the centermost area of at least 155 degrees. Also Fahrenheit.

A note, here. I cheated, and I expect you to as well. This is meant to be an easy fix, with the nifty bit being the presentation. Pick your favorite packaged spiced blend. Either Lawry's Seasoned Salt or Montreal Steak Seasoning work well with a loaf o' meat. Omit the other spices from this recipe except for one tbsp of the brown sugar. You'll see why.

-After your Meatloaf is out of the oven, allow it to rest for about five minutes. While resting, mix together your ketchup and brown sugar.
-Apply your red glaze evenly to the top of the Meatloaf (do this during the "Put It All Together" phase, below).

For the Mashers

-Get a pot of water on high heat. Bring to a boil.
-While waiting on the water, quarter your potatoes. Do not peel.
-When the water's at a good rolling boil, CAREFULLY add the potatoes.
-Boil, stirring occasionally, until your 'taters are tender. Drain and reserve.
-In a small saucepan, drop in a teaspoon of oil and your garlic. bring up the heat and keep it moving until the Garlic just begins to brown.
-Add the Heavy Cream and give it a good stir to dislodge anything on the bottom of the saucepan.
-Add your seasonings and  whisk to incorporate. When it begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and stir occasionally.
-When your potatoes are cooked and drained, pour them into a large bowl and mash the bejeezus out of them, then add your hot cream mixture and butter.
-Fold everything together.

For a spiffier (WOW, the spellchecker actually thinks "spiffier" is a word in English) presentation of the Mashers, mix in a bit of chopped parsley or green onion.

For the Peppers

This can be time consuming without the proper cutter. I used three small heart-shaped cookie cutters, but in the past I've had to use a paring knife. Get the cutters. Save your hands.

-Slice off the top and bottom of each Pepper.
-Cut a vertical slice to open them up.
-Carefully remove the seeds and white membrane, discard.
-Using your cookie cutters (or knife, if you're desperate) cut out several heart shapes. Start from the fleshy side, make sure the outer skin is down before you press. It'll make your job so much easier.
-In a small saute pan, heat a small amount of oil over medium heat . Add your Garlic and stir until it just starts to soften, but not quite brown.
-Add the Pepper hearts and toss in a dash of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to change color slightly. Remove from heat and cover.
-In two minutes, they're perfect.

Platter Service

Put It All Together

-On a serving platter, put down a layer of the Mashed Potatoes. Position the Meatloaf in the dead center and press down lightly.
-Time to glaze your Meatloaf.
-Arrange your Pepper hearts around your larger Meatloaf heart.
-Plate your dessert next to your entree (for details on your yummy dessert, please see the  tandem meal post HERE.)

Individual service

-Eat.

For individual servings, lay down a serving spoon full of mashers at approximately the 10 o'clock center of the plate. Cut off two of three thin slices of Meatloaf and lay across the Mashers, and garnish heavily with Pepper hearts.

Give it to your kids, tell them Happy V-Day, and explain to them that this is what's for dinner, stop complaining and eat it. Make sure to prepare this a little early, after they eat it's time to prepare dinner for your sweetie.

Coming very soon and very next - Valentine's Day Dinner for Two - the real reason for the season. And a huge thanks to Surreal Confections for going tandem with this meal.

Sweet Tea Fried Chicken

This is a more contemporary dish of the American South. I've seen it pop up in various places recently online and in print; various famous persons with Southern heritage and a culinary bent have prepared this recipe for a receptive public. Yet somehow, whenever I mention the concept to associates or acquaintances, I receive blank, vapid stares (at best). 

For a people that are immensely proud of their culture, I have found that many Southerners are loath to experience anything new, culinarily speaking, even simple variations on epicurean standbys. Fried Chicken is an excellent example of this.

When you look at it, face value, it seems to be a logical, inevitable step. This is a food culture where everyone's mother makes the BEST fried chicken in the county. A culture that consumes cold black tea by the gallon, with enough sugar in it to send otherwise healthy people from cooler latitudes into diabetic shock. And further, a culture that has a tendency to marinade meats for days at a time. Weeks, sometimes. The idea of combining these techniques and qualities into a single, glorious picnic dish was WAY overdue.

So here it is. Now I'll warn you, this takes an amount of preparation. Start on this two days before you want to serve it. Another thing: this is a picnic recipe. What I mean by that is this is a recipe that holds well after cooking, and in fact tastes better cold. Don't ask me how, just does. Eating a leg now.

So, let's get on to the Whys and Wherefores. I started with one whole, young chicken. Cut it up into eight pieces (2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 breasts, 2 wings) and set it aside. Now work on your brine. It's the most important part of this process. Here are your ingredients:

1/2 gal. Black Tea, DOUBLE STRENGTH
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup kosher (or sea) salt
1 lemon, cut into slices

Mix all ingredients. Simple, huh? A point, though: Mix your sugar and salt in while the tea is still very hot. Trust me, it makes all the difference in the world.

Now, bring the temperature of your Sweet Tea Brine down. I don't much care how; let it rest for a while, pop it in the freezer for a half hour, whatever. Just make sure that the tea is (at most) room temperature. You don't want to prematurely cook your chicken, even a little bit. It will prevent the flavor from seeping into your meat. When your brine is nice and cool, proceed thusly:

Place your chicken pieces into a large bowl, pour in your brine, and give it a good stir to ensure full coverage. Now cover, set in the refrigerator, and wait for two days. Yup, two days. Read War & Peace. Watch the first four seasons of Buffy. Go to work. Have a beer with total strangers and make them feel jealous over your chickeny goodness. For, umm.. two days. Yeah, I didn't think that last one through. If you MUST do something in relation to your upcoming meal (and it's a pretty good idea), every few hours or so give the chicken pieces a good rearranging to ensure even coverage. 

Provided everything has gone smoothly up to now, it's been two days and you're ready to cook. You'll need to bread the chicken. I recommend a simple, single coating consisting of:

2 cups AP flour,
1 tbsp garlic powder,
1 tbsp onion powder,
2 tsp black pepper,
1 tbsp sea salt

Sift all ingredients together.

Remove your chicken from the brine and set on a wire rack to drip drain. When no longer sopping wet (but still very damp), toss in your seasoned flour. Set aside.

Get your pan ready. Set over low-medium heat and add your cooking oil of choice. I prefer a mixture of butter flavored shortening and canola oil, but that's just personal taste. If at this time you can see through the flour on your chicken, give it another toss and start cooking as soon as your oil comes to temp.

Cook until the chicken reads 165 degrees F internally, and when stabbed with a fork the juices run clear. If you have a trace of pink, toss it back in. While cooking, turn every few minutes.

Because of the color the brine will give your chicken, it will be difficult for veteran chicken fryers to judge doneness by sight. You just kind of have to get a feel for it after the first couple of pieces.

Now, on to the eating! Again, I recommend letting it cool thoroughly, although it's still an experience nice and hot. For this meal, I served it with Sweet Potato Souffle and Strawberries, Cornbread, and a huge pitcher of Southern Sweet Tea.

Yes, I'm feeling a little homesick. 

Albondigas de Camaron (Shrimp Meatball Soup)

 Albondigas de Camaron

Every so often, I'm delighted to note that I can be surprised. Culinarily speaking, I mean. One of my darling children can still hide behind the bathroom door as I pass by and leap out like an ambush predator screaming bloody murder in the middle of the night, causing me to shriek in a very undignified manner and consider the possibility of grounding them from OXYGEN indefinitely. But food - different story. Especially living where I do, finding food that makes me sit up and take notice is a nigh-Herculean task.

I got the opportunity to sit up and take notice just yesterday. I was having a very pleasant day out with my wife and our youngest running household errands,  groceries, purchasing kitchen wares, etc. when we decide to stop in someplace for lunch. After a short discussion, we decide upon Inca Mexican Restaurant here in sunny Moses Lake, WA.

Upon casual examination, Inca is everything you expect from a Mexican eatery in a small to mid-sized town. Parking was adequate, we had shown up just after they opened at 11 a.m. so there was no shortage of available spaces. We were met by a colorful (if basic) sign perpendicular to the door identifying the downtown building. The interior was likewise similar to the cultural paradigm of the American Mexican restaurant, decorated with archways, red-brown tile, and artwork depicting important scenes from Mexican history.

(Odd side note, upon arriving I excused myself to make use of the facilities. At the second I flushed, they turned on the canned music, prompting me to think (if just for a moment) that I had done something horribly incorrect with and/or to the toilet.  Common sense arrived a touch late, and when it did I felt very foolish.)

Where Inca stands apart from the average burrito joint is their menu. It has the standardized sections for dinner combinations and the like. (Example:  #3. 2 Enchiladas, 1 Taco, includes Mexican rice, refried beans and cole slaw. You may substitute whole black beans for the refried beans.) These types of items are staples for the American consumer, and are cheerfully kept tucked away toward the back of the main menu. The lion's share of the menu is filled with a selection of what Inca is known for locally: Traditional fare prepared simply and to order. The Shrimp Fajitas are excellent, as my wife can attest.

I decided to try something away from my usual requests. Having become jaded by the food in the area, I usually stick to things that are industry standard and therefore difficult to screw up. For some reason, I felt  adventurous that day and let my eyes hover over a menu item that had SHRIMP MEATBALLS in the description. Sounds interesting. Being that my Spanish is in dire need of some Rosetta Stone polishing, I wasn't sure how to properly pronounce it; further I did not want to insult our waiter's culture by mangling his language with my coarse grammar, so I smiled, pointed, and said I wanted it with the corn tortillas.

The dish:  Albondigas de Camaron

It is a soup traditionally served with beef or sometimes pork meatballs. The guy in charge here apparently thought that such a thing was awfully pedestrian, so changed it out for shrimp. In essence, it is a soup comprised of a rich vegetable stock with large chunks of potato, carrot, and chayote squash. When the broth is nice and simmering, dallops of minced shrimp, onion, egg, and fresh cilantro are dropped into the mix and poached until firm. (There's more to it, but it's their recipe not mine and I think they'd be a little miffed if I gave away trade secrets.)

The soup was served with a saucer containing lime wedges, finely chopped onion, jalapeno, and a chiffonade of more fresh cilantro. Also, a handful of corn tortillas. Being unfamiliar with this dish, I asked our waiter, Ismael, the proper etiquette for eating it. he cheerfully explains that there are a number of methods. I decided to try a few different ones.

Option One: Use the chopped veggies on the side to season your soup to taste and eat as you commonly would any other soup. Tortillas are used as the bread component to the meal.

Option Two: Smash a single meatball into a tortilla, garnish with the side vegetables and eat fajita style. drink the broth at leisure.

Option Three: Break up the meatballs in the soup and num away.

According to our waiter, 90% of Mexicans who eat this dish, regardless of method, squeeze lime over it before anything else. It's just custom.

Suffice it to say, I greatly enjoyed this meal. Our waiter was very helpful and informative, to the point that he divulged ingredients and method of preparation. Now I have a decided interest in making this dish for myself, and have proposed some tweaks to bring it more into the realm of Cajun/Creole cuisine.  

Concerning the kitchen staff who prepared our meal: I do speak a little Spanish. Just enough to get me in trouble, mind you. We could hear them conversing about our order, and I was able to pick out enough to guess that they weren't particularly happy about having to make it. I may agree with them, it's a bit of a procedure getting poached meatballs from shrimp together for a customer first thing in the workday.

Some of the back-and-forth between the wait and cook staff, even in Spanish, was a delightful reminder of my own days working a hot line in a colorful local kitchen (That's local in Georgia, mind you. Very different accents). Ismael, our waiter, apologized for how long it took to get it to our table and informed me that it was made, like the majority of their menu, from scratch the moment I ordered it. It was a polite gesture, but somewhat unnecessary.

The flavor of the Albondigas de Camaron was rich, well developed, and a welcome change from the norm. It was simply prepared and presented, with fresh ingredients and polite staff. My lunch at Inca was indeed memorable.

For those of you who are fond of links:
 
 Inca Mexican Restaurant