First a disclaimer...I am not Hestia, I'm Hestia's ole man. I wanted to compliment her on a meal she whipped up recently. She figured y'all were the best audience so she kindly signed in for me and showed me what to do.
How to start? I don't know, so I'll just jump right in. I rarely indulge, but this was a special occasion, being a national holiday. The spiff was most excellent and left us craving a little something. What started out as a cure for the munchies turned into the best Mexican dinner I have had since I moved to the Sunshine state years ago, and it wasn't at a restaurant. Hestia has the ability to take everyday items, combine them with a pinch of this and a dash of that and make meals better than anyone I have ever met. I learned that long ago with "Home Cookin'" style meals and then later with more elaborate "Italian" meals. Now she proves it once again by mastering "Mexican" meals as well.
Presentation was picture perfect. I didn't know whether to eat it or dig out my camera. Far too many restaurants in this day and age either do not understand what good presentation adds to a meal or else just don't care. Hestia knows and cares. A talented artist, she takes her skill with her into the kitchen. Everything down to the last dollop of sour cream was placed just so.
Starting at the top of my plate was the rice. It was seasoned just to the right level of spiciness and stacked into a smooth mound without a grain out of place. Cooked to the perfect degree as well, the grains remaining separate, not cooked together and just slightly firm to the tooth.
Going counter clockwise we come to the obligatory refried beans. I am not all that keen on eating beans at the best of times and the refried beans in restaurants do nothing for me. Quite likely because they start with pinto beans. Hestia started with refried black beans and added enough spice to give them flavor. Then she topped them with a drizzle of cheese sauce and topped the whole with a dollop of sour cream.
The last items on the plate were some shredded beef taquitos. By themselves they were nothing out of the ordinary, just the frozen kind they stock next to the frozen burritos. However they were drizzled with the same cheese sauce as the refried beans and were topped with a home made tomato and pepper salsa with fresh Cuban Basil. Having a container garden helps with freshness.
To reiterate, this was the best Mexican meal I have had in years. Hestia, you did it again!
How to start? I don't know, so I'll just jump right in. I rarely indulge, but this was a special occasion, being a national holiday. The spiff was most excellent and left us craving a little something. What started out as a cure for the munchies turned into the best Mexican dinner I have had since I moved to the Sunshine state years ago, and it wasn't at a restaurant. Hestia has the ability to take everyday items, combine them with a pinch of this and a dash of that and make meals better than anyone I have ever met. I learned that long ago with "Home Cookin'" style meals and then later with more elaborate "Italian" meals. Now she proves it once again by mastering "Mexican" meals as well.
Presentation was picture perfect. I didn't know whether to eat it or dig out my camera. Far too many restaurants in this day and age either do not understand what good presentation adds to a meal or else just don't care. Hestia knows and cares. A talented artist, she takes her skill with her into the kitchen. Everything down to the last dollop of sour cream was placed just so.
Starting at the top of my plate was the rice. It was seasoned just to the right level of spiciness and stacked into a smooth mound without a grain out of place. Cooked to the perfect degree as well, the grains remaining separate, not cooked together and just slightly firm to the tooth.
Going counter clockwise we come to the obligatory refried beans. I am not all that keen on eating beans at the best of times and the refried beans in restaurants do nothing for me. Quite likely because they start with pinto beans. Hestia started with refried black beans and added enough spice to give them flavor. Then she topped them with a drizzle of cheese sauce and topped the whole with a dollop of sour cream.
The last items on the plate were some shredded beef taquitos. By themselves they were nothing out of the ordinary, just the frozen kind they stock next to the frozen burritos. However they were drizzled with the same cheese sauce as the refried beans and were topped with a home made tomato and pepper salsa with fresh Cuban Basil. Having a container garden helps with freshness.
To reiterate, this was the best Mexican meal I have had in years. Hestia, you did it again!
