Tacotopia, Episode #1: Chile Verde

*Tacotopia: a blissful place or state, where peace and love reign, tequila flows like rivers and tacos are plentiful, varied and delicious.

“You made a taco in Tahoe,” my pal Bob rolled poetically off his tongue, “Insane — what was that!?”

“I don’t remember,” I replied.

Upon further prodding and reflection, I did recall frying cheese and shrimp, recreating one of my most popular tacos thus far.

Bob was expressing his enthusiasm for my Year of the Taco idea — he was all behind it. (What’s not to be behind? Especially if you anticipate being one of the test subjects in this culinary experiment.)

Alex Tehrani digs in

Alex Tehrani digs in

“In Mexico,” I said to my pal Don, with whom I would be traveling to Jalisco in a couple months, “It’s going to be all about the taco. We are going to eat as many tacos as we can get ahold of. And tequila.” More

Tamale Claus

‘Twas the day before Christmas Eve, and all through the house, it was going down.

The kids were bickering and the wife and nanny cleaning, while in the kitchen a veritable assembly line of tamale production was stirring — chickens boiling, corn husks soaking, banana leaves being cut into squares, masa simmering on the stove.

Tamales steaming

Tamales steaming

I enjoy testing my ethnic and regional chops serving our very international community of friends and associates the food of their native country — as I did with our pal Brian’s Japanese girlfriend when I made a winter kaiseki dinner. Our nanny is from El Salvador, which I figured was close enough to Mexico to count her as a voice of authenticity for my Mexican tamale. More

Beet vs. Meat

It was a fun idea my friend, Amanda, and I had.

She was bringing a vegetarian to our house for dinner. (“What’ya wanna go and do that for!??” I protested.)

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I told her as long as it was a vegetarian who didn’t mind other people around him eating meat, that was fine.

“The first course might even be RAW meat!” I told her. More

Cowboy Chili in the Canyon

I guess it wouldn’t be Topanga if our annual Chili Cook-off was a legitimate competition.

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Goofy chilis often win. Last year, in the traditional chili category, the top prize went to a Moroccan lamb chili. This year, second place went to friend Kali’s chili — which featured habanero whipped cream and strawberries. (And was actually quite tasty, once I got enough past my initial shock to try some.)

More

Sunday Night in Budapest

One of the best parts of having a large dinner party circuit is being treated to ethnic meals prepared by friends who come from disparate corners of the globe.

Andras' Hungarian fried chicken

Andras’ Hungarian fried chicken

Dinners that come to mind in recent history include Singapore street food, a Russian Easter feast, a Dominican roast pork pernil, and a dazzling Norwegian multekrem dessert of heavenly cloudberries. We once went to a Chinese friend’s home for Szechuan hot pot — the meal’s centerpiece was a large pile of duck tongues. More

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