Recipe of the Month

Agua de Pepino


This is the first in a series I will be doing on Agua frescas.
This drink is known as Agua de Pepino, it is cucumber flavored with a hint of lime. It is usually made during the peak months of summer because it is so refreshing. It may sound strange but it is quite good and it is a break from the "norm." Try it out for yourself.

Side Note: Just wanted to add something here. Dependent on the strength of the cucumbers and limes you are using, you may need to adjust the sugar to compensate for weak flavor. But test it with original ratios before adding more sugar.

Agua de Pepino

3 cucumbers, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 qts. water
1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 sugar, or to taste

Method:

Peel and chop cucumbers.
Add to blender with a little bit of water, puree until smooth.
strain cucumber juice into a large pitcher, leaving behind the pulp and seeds(unless you want it in there).
Next add lime juice, sugar and stir until combined.
Chill before serving

Recipe of the Month

Camarones Culichi a.k.a. Shrimp Culichi:

5 Poblano chiles, roasted,stemmed & seeded
3 Garlic cloves
1/2 white onion
2-3 tbs. Chicken bouillon, powdered
1 can of cream( Nestle Media Cream)
1 cup of milk
Salt & Pepper(to season shrimp)


Method:

To make the culichi sauce, begin by roasting the poblanos in order to blister the skins. You can achieve this result by either placing them over an open flame or placing them on a sheet pan in the oven, under the broiler. Once the skin is blackened all over, place them in a bowl covered by plastic wrap, plastic bag or brown paper bag and close it tightly and leave to steam for 5-10 minutes. This will help you to peel the blackened skins off musch easier.

Once peeled, remove the stems and de-seed the chiles. Next, place in a blender with the can of cream, milk, garlic cloves, onion and chicken bouillon. Liquefy/blend ingredients together, the end result will be the culichi sauce. Place sauce in a pot and warm until shrimp is cooked through.

Next, saute the seasoned shrimp in butter until pink. Once shrimp are cooked, place in oven safe casserole dish and cover with culichi sauce and top the covered shrimp with a good melting cheese, such as, chihuahua, manchego or monterey jack. Once topped with cheese place under broiler until cheese is nice and bubbly and slightly browned in various spots.

Serve with rice.

Mariscos Chihuahua

Let me start off by stating, i will choose Mariscos Chihuahua over Red Lobster anyday!!! The seafood is great whether it be oysters, fish, shrimp, octopus,etc...they got it down to a science. Example: the shrimp is cooked in alot of ways and they're all off the hook! Camaron culichi, Camarones Rancheros, Camarones en Salsa China, Camarones en Salsa Ostion, Camarones a la Plancha, Camarones al Mojo de Ajo,Camarones endiablados....the list goes on and on! My favorite is the Culichi it is butterflied shrimp or fish covered in a sexy poblano cream sauce. I urge you to try it when you get there, TRUST ME on this one. culichi side note: The residents/natives of the city of Culiacan in the state of Sinaloa (about 1/2 million inhabitants) call themselves "culichi". "Culichi" on a U.S. menu item simply means "Culiacan style" Mariscos is also known for it's ceviche which is tasty as hell too....lol. Man, I'm off to get me some culichi, the rest of my review will happen when you go to dine at one of the five locations of Mariscos Chihuahua around tucson...Enjoy.