Props For The Kook. Plus Tacos. Carnitas Tacos!

While I always feel crappy on days when I -- to put it bluntly -- just suck in the water, on my good days it's like some kind of high. There's just a sense of an almost euphoria, in fact. My last session was one of those really good days. Conditions were not perfect -- there was a bit of wind, and some chop to the water, but the waves were on the small side, and they were nicely spaced apart so I could paddle right out. I managed to catch more than a couple of waves, and though I got no real good long rides, I got enough to put a smile on my face. Timing is still an issue for me, as is front foot placement and remembering to stay low after the pop-up. It's been a very long time coming, but I feel real breakthroughs just around the corner. At least, I hope they are.

So a good day in the water meant a good dinner was in order. Recently the new Saveur Magazine showed up, and featured in it was a great article on a California Taco crawl. Included were recipes, including one for Carnitas Tacos -- or Carnitas Michoacan -- that sounded really delicious. I've seen many Carnitas recipes, including some that cook the pork in big vats of lard. That wasn't going to happen! This recipe entailed a long braise of pork shoulder but in a liquid much easier to do at home. The tacos are then topped with a homemade salsa, pickled jalapeños, sliced radishes and cilantro. For bonus points, I made the pickled jalapeños. Earlier in the week I had noticed we had a bunch of peppers on our plant, and pickling them is a great way to use them so they don't go to waste.

I made some adjustments to this recipe, mostly in the salsa section. The recipe has you put the tomatillos, tomatoes and garlic in a dry skillet and char the outsides, but my kitchen was just filling with smoke, so I kept them in the cast iron skillet, and placed it under the broiler. Anyway, here's how the finished tacos looked:

This is another super easy recipe. You just need to set aside some time to braise the pork but it's only a couple of hours, not a whole day or anything like that. Definitely worth a try if you are into Carnitas Tacos -- and if you aren't, maybe you should be.

Carnitas Tacos (Michoacan-Style Braised Pork Tacos)
(Recipe adapted from Saveur Magazine)
Serves 8-10 (so have a taco party!)

For the salsa:
6 tomatillos, husked and cored
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 plum tomatoes, cored
1 canned or jarred whole picked jalapeño, stemmed, plus 3 tbsps. pickling liquid

1. Heat broiler. Place tomatillos, garlic and tomatoes in cast iron or other heavy skillet. Place under broiler and cook until everything is charred and blackened, turning often, 10-12 minutes. Transfer vegetables to blender. Add jalapeños, pickling liquid and salt to taste and blend until smooth. Set salsa aside.

For Carnitas:
3 tbsps. lard or canola oil
3 pounds skinless bone-in pork shoulder (or, you can use boneless, like I did) cut into 3-inch pieces
Kosher salt to taste
3/4 cup whole milk
8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
6 canned or jarred whole pickled jalapeños, plus 1/3 cup pickling liquid
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
2 limes and 2 oranges, juiced

1. Heat the lard or canola oil in an 8 quart saucepan (or large dutch oven that will hold the pieces in one layer) over medium-high. Season pork generously all over with salt, Cook, turning, until browned, 10-12 minutes. Add milk, garlic, jalapeños, and pickling liquid, onion, and lime and orange juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, covered, until pork is tender, about 2 hours.
2. Let pork cool and transfer to a cutting board. Chop into bite size pieces. Strain cooking liquid (I actually skipped this step, since all the vegetables had pretty much broken down) and return to pan. Stir in pork and keep warm.

Assembling tacos:

Corn tortillas, warmed over a burner 

Chopped Cilantro

1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced.

1 orange, cut into wedges

1 lime, cut into wedges

Pickled jalapeños 

1. Spoon carnitas onto warm tortillas.  Top with Salsa, chopped cilantro, and radish slices. Serve with lime and orange wedges on the side, along with more pickled jalapeños.

Return to Dawn Patrol! Plus Chicken Under A Brick!

The other day was a mellow day, and therefore a good one to paddle out. The waves were not too big, and they were moving pretty gently. So I was able to catch some. Of course, because I'm still a kook, I spent a lot of time in the wipeout position. I've noticed lately that other surfers occasionally like to try to help. This one dude nearby, for example, must have been taking note of all my mistakes, and he pointed out what I did wrong on one particular wave. Then he apologized for putting in his two cents. But it was no problem. In fact good advice is always appreciated, and one of the things surfing is teaching me is how to be a better listener. So if you ever see me out there looking like an idiot, by all means shout out some direction! Also, because I had a busy day, it was dawn patrol, or a really early surf. I haven't done dawn patrol in a while. I forgot how nice it can be -- first of all, no traffic getting to the beach. Also, no issues with parking. And much less crowded in the water. Except there was lots of wildlife on this day -- a sea lion was lazily paddling about, there were several dolphins, and lots of pelicans soaring overhead, occasionally dive-bombing in search of food. In short it all made for a super-great time.

Sometimes, my route home from surfing takes me past Pollo a la Brasa in Koreatown. If you've never had this chicken, it's highly recommended that you try it. Pollo a la Brasa is Peruvian chicken that's roasted over smoky fire, and it's some seriously good chicken. You know this because even Chef Nancy Silverton recommends it. Sometimes when I see Pollo a la Brasa I just want to have it. However, because it was dawn patrol and so early, they were closed! So I couldn't pick some up. But you can make really good smokey crisp skin chicken at home if you have a grill, some wood chips and a brick. That's what I decided on for our dinner that day, and here's how mine came out:

Doesn't look bad, no? I've had this recipe for ages -- it came from Martha Stewart Living Magazine, and it's very simple. You just need to remove the chicken's backbone so it lays flat, give it a brief marination and then build a nice fire in your grill, and add some wood chips if you like it smokey like we do. And don't forget the brick. Here's how it's done--

Chicken Under A Brick
(recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine)

1 3-4 pound chicken
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsps. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp. red chili flakes
2 tsps. oregano
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1. Using poultry shears or a good sharp knife cut along the back bone of the chicken on both sides and remove it. Do not throw this out. Wrap it in plastic and freeze it so you can make stock! Place the chicken, skin side up, on your work surface and press down on the breast bone with you palm until you hear it crack. Wrap a brick in aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Mix wine, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, chili flakes, oregano, salt and pepper in a large Zip-loc bag. Add the chicken. Squeeze out air, seal bag and make sure marinade is well distributed. Refigerate for an hour (or up to three). If using wood chips, soak them in water for a couple of hours too.
3. Build a charcoal fire, and bank coals on one side of your grill. On the other side, place a small aluminum pan half filled with water (you can also, like I do, use a bread pan). If using wood chips, scatter them over the hot coals and cover, letting smoke begin to develop. (If using a gas grill, preheat on high; turn one burner off, and keep the other on thigh.  Place the pan with water on burner that is off. I'd tell you what to do with wood chips on a gas grill, but I don't know, so hopefully you will!)
4. Remove chicken from marinade. Lightly oil your grate. Place chicken, skin side down, legs and thighs pointed toward the coals, on grate set over pan of water. Place foil wrapped brick on top of chicken to weigh it down. Cover grill and cook, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove weight, turn chicken and cook, 25 to 30 minutes more, until chicken skin is golden brown and crisp and juices run clear. You may find part of the breast has not browned enough -- if this is the case, flip the chicken skin side down one more time, this time so it's over the coals. Cover and cook five more minutes. This should do the trick.
5. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Let rest 5-10 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving.

So there you have it, easy chicken that's not exactly the same as Pollo a la Brasa, but pretty damn good. A brief note on chicken buying: I've said this before, but it bears repeating -- get the best quality chicken you can. Yes, you will pay more, but it will be worth it in texture and flavor and, most importantly, in the welfare of the animals. I used a Kendor Farms chicken, which you can get at McCall's Meat and Fish in Los Feliz.  And if you're looking to pick up some Pollo a la Brasa, here's the info:

www.polloalabrasa.net

Last Surf Was A Washout. Another Lunch At Gjusta was not!

A big South swell came pounding into Southern California this week. This was good news for the pros. But it kept a kook like me out of the water for days -- the waves were just way too big, and there was lots of rip currents too. Even really expert surfers were getting into a little trouble on the biggest days. But as the swell started to ease, I was anxious to get back in the water. However, as usual I made some mistakes. I went too soon and didn't pay close enough attention to the reports on Surfline. So what appeared, after a look at the Surfline cam and an 'analysis' of the data, to be doable for me, in short was not! The water was very, very choppy, and while most waves were small enough, some larger sets were still rolling through, and of course those always spook me. Again, I have to learn to really pay attention to these reports. However, the trip to the beach was not a total waste. I got in the water, and I managed to catch some smaller inside stuff, which is always good practice, I say. Any time in the water, I think, is a good thing.

Afterwards it was lunch time again. Gjusta in Venice beckoned because that Porchetta Banh Mi from last week was so superb and still on my mind. This time, however, I was in the mood for something a bit lighter. I was curious to try their smoked meats, so when I saw that Cold Smoked Lox on a Bialy was an option, I had to try it. Here, take a look:

Another Gjusta win! First of all the bialy -- it's so hard to find good baileys anywhere really. There used to be a real old-timey Jewish bakery on Pico near Robertson whose name I can't recall, but it's gone. They had great bialys though. Do you know where the bialy -- that cousin of the bagel -- came from?  I didn't until I did a little research. The word is short for bailystoker kuchen. Apparently they originated in a city in Poland called Bialystok. Okay, so up to speed! Gjusta's bialy -- onion and poppy seed -- was slightly crisp on the outside, but soft, although in no way doughy, on the inside. It was layered with cream cheese, the lox, some house-made pickles, arugula, tomato, capers and red onion, so it was loaded. Everything came together perfectly. So if you find yourself in need of a lox fix, and you're in the beach areas, hit up Gjusta!

www.gjusta.com