My Dad came to visit last week. The last of his older brothers passed away and it was time for the memorial service. I didn't have much of a relationship with my uncle or his family when he was alive, but I learned during and after his memorial service what a great guy he was and how nice this part of the family.
I decided before he arrived that I wanted to present my Dad with the flavors of home that he might not be able to enjoy in his new home back east. Though I can get lost in the details sometimes, I was determined to stay relaxed and enjoy his visit - and I did.
Shooting high on the first meal, I made ciabatta bread to use for Torta rolls. Tortas are a Mexican sandwich - and a wonderful treat from my childhood. When I was a kid in San Diego, it seemed like Dad would find any excuse to go to Tijuana. He took cars to be worked on, bought bricks to use in landscaping the front median strip, had furniture reupholstered, hair cut, purchased tortillas by the kilo and bolillos by the dozen (at 4:00 pm, sharp). For those rare few of you who appreciate the crusty, chewy goodness that is a fresh bolillo, you know that they must be purchased when hot from the oven. Just what you need for that day and the next morning - like buying baguettes in Paris.
A torta makes use of a bolillo-like roll called Telera. It's flatter than a bolillo and usually has three sections. We supplemented the homemade ciabatta with a couple telera from a local Latin bakery. I flash-grilled ranchera de res, beef sliced so thin you can see through it, seasoned only with sea salt, cracked pepper and fresh lime juice. I chopped the meat into smaller pieces and piled it high on a platter. We assembled our own tortas at the dinner table with fresh avocado, mayonnaise (a classic torta ingredient), home-grown tomatoes, roasted jalapenos and... watercress.
Yeah, watercress. I'd planned to use rocket (arugula), which adds a spicy pepperiness to the sandwiches. Silly me, I thought I'd be able to find this vegetable at the store. I have before, so it made sense to think this ingredient would be available. Turns out the local stores now sell it in tiny packages, along with the other fresh herbs they carry (buying enough for a salad at those prices would set you WAY back). And when I say "local stores," I mean EVERY local store. I wanted rocket for my Daddy and I didn't get my way (take note as the princess stomps her virtual foot).
Watercress has a sort of radish-like tang to it. I skipped the fresh radishes I'd planned to serve on the side and stuck with the watercress. It was a judgment call I hope I don't have to make again. It worked, but just barely (and mostly because I had a friendly audience).
We had fried plantains to accompany the tortas. This is not another treat from my childhood, but something I've really enjoyed lately. Finally, we are seeing ripe plantains in local markets (yes, the same local markets that don't have arugula). I fried little mashed patties (a la Alton Brown - love ya, man!) and seasoned them lightly with sea salt. What a lovely fragrant side dish. Dad was enchanted!
Dessert is important to me, so I made a fresh peach cobbler that didn't turn out well. It's pretty hard to mess up anything with fresh peaches, so I served the best parts of the cobbler with a special huckleberry ice cream. I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you. Suffice it to say that the meal lived up to the company. We lingered around the table for hours. It was… well, it was unbelievably wonderful.
One more thing. I just have to share how much my Dad rocks. He introduced me to languages, foods, and a whole world that many of my suburban-safe friends never knew. I will always be grateful for the richness of those experiences - and I marvel still at how they are so foundational to who I am as an adult.
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