Just a few days ago my husband and I went to IPAA Cocina Mexicana Restaurant in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. I loved the private terrace dining style. If you want a romantic dinner, this is the place!
The restaurant’s interiors are high-end – no cutting corners here. And, the astounding mural evokes prehistoric themes.
IPAA’s cuisine represents the natural foods grown in Baja California for thousands of years. It’s classified as fine, Baja-Med cuisine. The menu changes on a daily basis and the six-course dinner with wine-pairing is fantastic!
We loved the Tomato Salad with Dill so much, that I made it at home (with my own guess work on ingredients). Here’s my version:
Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 large green tomatoes (found at farmers’ markets)
1 large yellow tomato
10 to 12 cherry tomatoes
-OR-
1 large, red, vine-ripened tomato
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh, finely-chopped dill weed
Directions:
1. Using a sharp knife, cut the green tomatoes into fourths and then into eighths.
2. Transfer the green tomato pieces to a 2 to 3-quart glass or porcelain bowl; set aside.
3. Cut the yellow tomato into fourths and then into eighths; add them to the green tomatoes in bowl; set aside.
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the tomatoes in bowl.; set aside.
5. Alternatively, if using the large, red tomato, cut it into eighths. Add the red tomato pieces to the other tomatoes in bowl.
6. Add salt and ground black pepper to the tomatoes, followed by the olive oil and fresh dill weed.
7. Toss the salad and serve immediately as a side dish to meat, chicken, fish or as part of a vegetarian meal.
Note: IPAA Cocina Mexican Restaurant website here-https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.ipaa.mx/&prev=search
Text and Photograph ©2016 Nancy DeLucia Real
Nancy DeLucia Real is an art historian and chef. She has led culinary courses at the Italian Cultural Institute and is a member of the Culinary Historians of Southern California. Nancy's gastronomy training took place in the heart of Italy under the tutelage of her grandmother. She has taught international cuisine at Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table Stores. Nancy's art history & culinary courses are ongoing at various institutions. She also teaches private cooking classes. 
