Some favourites served on the beach

10th Feb. Veggie burger crispy balls, wraps, veg and yoghurt. Then veggie chilli tacos. All served right on epic El Coyote beach, in Bahia Concepción.

Recipe links to follow separately at a later date.

For our friends, Patrick and Susie, we offered to make some dinner. Ahead of that, I knocked together some lunch using leftover veggie burger mix (my standard recipe) out of the freezer, and turned it into balls which I breaded and fried. We then tore them up into some wraps with a bunch of fresh veg and a yoghurt, lime and cilantro  dressing. They went down mighty well, so as this was the first I've cooked for them, I was feeling good about that. I always love an opportunity to please people through their tummies. I think most folk are expecting what can often be a disappointing experience with a veggie burger, so these really seem to hit the spot. Crunchy, tasty, dense, and spiced in the middle-ground so they're easy to match with a variety of flavours from different parts of the world, from Indian to Southeast Asian, to BBQ sauce with cheese and onion. Dynamite. Not a bad view, either.

Dinner was a batch of veggie chilli, served up with tacos, fresh cheese, guacamole, pico de Gallo salsa, and some sour cream- no pics. I'm noticing for the guac, less is more. I've taken cilantro out, and only put a small amount of white onion in it. A little tomato is fine, minus the pulp, and besides that, it's just about getting the lime balance right and the seasoning on point. As always, considering the flavour profile of all the other trimmings to make sure that the overall assembly is balanced is important. I don't like trying to just make everything all perfectly balanced in its own right. It's about contrasts within the whole- making sure the guac is creamy and not too tart; letting the salsa deliver the zing of acid along with the chilli heat- being bold enough with that heat because it's generally only a little and it's set against all those other flavours, some of which are fatty and can take it. The chilli itself is slightly sweet, and very deep in its spicing; it's thick in texture to play the role of the meat in the dish. From the cheese, there's richness with a slight tang. From the cream, some sour. I didn't do pickled chillies this time out, but I like that as a different way of introducing acid ans heat into the dish. If doing them, I'll tone down the lime in the salsa, and let the vinegar of the pickle do the talking that way, and I'll reduce the chilli content, or ideally use a milder chilli in the salsa, to still maintain that fresh, fruity chilli flavour that makes Pico de Gallo so epic, but without doubling down on the heat of the jalapeños, which can be pretty full-on. I've noticed that to get the right result in pickling jalapeños, cooking them out in the vinegar solution for a bit longer is best- maybe 5 minutes on the simmer. 

Maybe the best thing about this kind of eating is the fact that it's interactive. Nothing quite like everything creating their own perfect taco to their taste, and passing stuff about the place. It's at the heart of the connective power of a meal that makes it transcend beyond being just the act of eating.Read more