Tagged:  Meats

This simple-to-make snack, lunch, starter or dinner is fast and fun. I’ve always enjoyed a plain cheese quesadilla, but when I created my own version with Genoa Salami and Mozzarella, it became exquisite!

Top these Italian-Mexican quesadillas with my Salsa and … Whatever recipe. It’ll be amore or amor at first bite!

Prep time: 5 to 8 minutes
Makes: 4 quesadillas

Ingredients:
Four 10-inch flour tortillas
16 slices Genoa Salami, thinly sliced
8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, warm up two tortillas at a time on medium-high heat by flipping them over at 1 to 2-minute intervals.

2. Set burner on low heat setting.

3. Working quickly, lay 4 slices salami on the half side of each tortilla.

4. Top the salami with ¼ of the shredded mozzarella and fold each tortilla in half (you have made a quesadilla).

5. Flip the quesadillas over immediately (to avoid charring the underside).

6. With a spatula, gently press top of each quesadilla to flatten slightly.

7. Flip quesadilla over once or twice or until cheese has melted and starts bubbling along quesadilla edges.

Serve hot with Salsa and … Whatever (published on this blog on June 28, 2010).

Wine pairing suggestion: chilled Pinot Grigio (white) or Cabernet Sauvignon (red).

Text & Photograph © 2011 Nancy DeLucia Real

Where do you go when you crave Mexican food? Wanna know where I go? For me, it’s Lula Cocina Mexicana in Santa Monica. The first thing I like about this restaurant is its cozy, colorful atmosphere.

Whether you’re seated indoors or in Lula’s vibrant courtyard, your eyes will be entertained

especially once they spot those wonderful bottles of happiness, aka “Tequila”.

I chow down the tortilla chips and salsa as if there’s no tomorrow.

Lula’s Watermelon Margaritas are the best ’cause you can taste the watermelon! Other fun margaritas are the Cadillac, Americana and Blue Adobe. I ain’t tellin’ you what the ingredients are. Maybe I’ll tell you at the end …

Ready to order now? One of my favorites is Carne Asada a La Tampiqueña (marinated, grilled beef served with Poblano chiles, enchilada, rice and beans). Yes, you get all that on your plate and it tastes so homemade. You also get that rolled-up tortilla & fresh guacamole.

Another great entree is the Mexican Cobb Salad made with chicken, bacon, Ranchero cheese, avocado, fresh lettuce and tomato tossed in a red wine vinaigrette. Our servers are so coooool about how picky we are – just tell them what INGREDIENTS you don’t want. At Lula’s everything’s possible!

Now, remember I said I may tell you the ingredients of those margaritas I mentioned? I kinda lied. You’ll have to go to Lula’s Happy Hour and enjoy those drinks in person.

You can order wine, Sangria, Americana, Watermelon or Strawberry Margaritas for only $4.00 a drink.

You can also munch on Taquitos, Quesadillas and much more for only $4.00 per order. I think you figured out that this is the best deal in town – I’ll see you there!

Lula Cocina Mexicana
2700 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA.90405
Telephone: 310-392-5711
www.lulacocinamexicana.com

Text & Photographs © 2011 Nancy DeLucia Real

Yesterday was a HOT day and I felt like eating something fresh and fun! I immediately thought of picking up a sweet, crisp watermelon at the supermarket – a delicious summer fruit. For the fun part, I was thinking of frozen treats or yogurt and all the toppings that I go crazy over (especially those chewy bits of mochi). I think you figured it out, right?

These watermelon pops are lots of fun – each bite is a curious surprise!

Active prep time: 10 minutes
Inactive prep time: 4 hours or overnight (for freezing)
Makes: 10 ice pops

Ingredients:
4 cups watermelon chunks (1-inch pieces)
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup unbleached, granulated sugar
10 plastic ice pop molds
1 cup mini mochi pieces (available at most frozen yogurt stores)

1. Put the watermelon, lime juice, water and sugar in a blender and “pulse-blend” until ingredients are mixed, but not watery. Taste and adjust sugar or lime juice levels.

2. Divide the watermelon mixture evenly among 10 ice pop molds.

3. Place a few mochi pieces on top of the watermelon mixture in each mold.

4. Add plastic ice pop stick or wooden popsicle stick and freeze 4 hours or overnight.

To Unmold Mochi Watermelon Ice Pops:

1. Place exterior section of ice pop molds underneath hot, running water until the ice pops fall out.

2. When unmolding, if ice pops are watery all around, place them on a metal baking sheet and return to freezer for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve.

Text and Photograph © 2011 Nancy DeLucia Real

ENTER OUR KITCHEN, WATCH & LEARN

All of the above happened to me last month. I ended up creating one of the most artistic and delicious salads I’ve ever made in my life – here it is.

Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
2 barbequed chicken legs, skin and bone discarded and meat cut into cubes
2 barbequed chicken thighs, skin and bone discarded and meat cut into cubes
2 celery stalks, peeled and thinly sliced (diagonally)
1-1/2 cups diced Cantaloup melon
1 large, vine-ripened tomato, cubed
3 tablespoons slivered Italian flat-leaf parsley (do this with cooking shears or scissors)
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lime or lemon
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl.

2. Toss and taste.

3. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Wine pairing suggestion: Chilled Verdejo (white).

*Note: I prefer two types of chicken: organic chicken from Wholefoods® stores; and Mary’s Free Range Chicken® (vegetarian diet; no antibiotics or preservatives).

Text & Photographs © 2011 Nancy DeLucia Real

Recently, Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel’s “No Reservations Required” ®™ ventured off to Cuba. It all looked so enticing that I imagined myself there, too.

A first stop would definitely be Varadero Beach, located southeast of Havana, Cuba. Not expecting to find such a vast paradise on a small Caribbean island, there are no words to describe the ocean and the tropics.

I would go to Cuba primarily for humanitarian purposes (in order bring clothes and toiletries to people in need). The streets and great people of Havana would greet me with warmth (a steady 92 degrees every summer day) and a welcoming smile. My passion for history would transport me back to the 19th century. Enveloped by the intriguing Spanish architecture, I would wonder, “What cultural treasure will I uncover inside that building or around that corner?”

To begin with, I could find myself underneath a portico or loggia, seated at a cafe-bar flanked by a cathedral and the main plaza. Cuba has a history of great coffee made with the finest beans (in decades past, it was home to large coffee and sugar plantations).

Eventually, I’d find the Museum of Cuban Art (Museo de Bellas Artes), where my coffee habit leads me straight to this object. From afar, I’d ask myself, “Is that work of art made of …

… Italian/Spanish coffeepots? Well, I’ll be darned – it sure is!”

By now, I’m working up an appetite and am desperate to find some typical Cuban fare:

Do I feel like Shrimp with Salsa Cubana (also known as Camarones Enchilados) or

Roasted Lamb with Rice & Black Beans?

In this Garden of Eden, some of the best food items would be sweet fruit such as these ripe guavas.

Of course, I’d feast my eyes and my palate on a fabulous Cuban dessert such as this delicious coconut tart.

It would take only one sip of the best mojito in the world to extinguish all dieting thoughts forever. Only in Cuba, these rum coolers are made with freshly squeezed sugar cane juice and … Hey, that glass is … is about to slide off …. Wait, is this refreshing, minty mojito and everything else here just a fantasy?

Text & Photographs © 2011 Nancy DeLucia Real