A quick dish and a TASTY cocktail
Tomatoes, white beans, spinach and shrimp over angel hair. Lindsey Nair l The Roanoke Times
While searching through a recipe folder at home the other day, I found proof that I was constantly thinking about food even before I started writing about it. It was an e-mail from my colleague, Natalee Waters, with a pasta recipe she shared in exchange for my chicken pot pie recipe. Often, that’s where I find the very best recipes — not in cookbooks, not on the Internet, but from a friend who simply says, “Hey, you gotta try this!”
Alas, I had never made Natalee’s recipe, probably because it got lost in my overflowing folder of “someday” recipes. But I went ahead and made it Monday night, and it was as quick and delicious as promised. It calls for canned tomatoes, a can of cannellini beans, spinach, feta cheese and, if desired, some shrimp for added protein. Chicken would also be a satisfactory addition to this dish. Check out the recipe and print it, if you like, in the recipe database here.
And now for that cocktail: I love Mexican cuisine so much that I’m rarely unhappy with a dining experience at a Mexican restaurant. But every once in a while, I’ll order a regular lime margarita and my stomach will rebel as if I’ve just consumed battery acid. It’s the acid in the lime mixer, of course, and chasing it with spicy food only makes it worse.
Last night, my friend Ken made me the most amazing blackberry margarita. It struck me that if I want to enjoy tequila cocktails without the stomach-eating effect, alternative fruits such as blackberries, cherries or peaches are a wonderful idea.
Ken simply bought a bag of frozen blackberries at the grocery store and cooked them down with a little sugar. He then pureed them and ran it through a strainer to separate the seeds. This beautiful dark purple juice was then mixed with good tequila and just a squirt of lime juice. Ken served the cocktail over chipped ice with a lime wedge for garnish, and it was a lovely summer drink.
Try that method with other fresh or frozen fruits and see what you think! The fruit juice can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or even frozen, and if you don’t drink alcohol or aren’t in the mood, mix a little bit with some seltzer water for a refreshing change.
September 2, 2010 - 10:49 AM
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Mmmm…I want a blackberry margarita. Is it five o’clock yet?
Great minds think alike. I made peach margaritas this past weekend. I used a recipe for guidance but tweaked it some. It went something like this: Crushed ice, 1 whole peeled peach cut into chunks, 4 oz tequila, 2 oz of triple sec (I did not have peach schnapps), 1-2 tablespoons of raw sugar, a squirt of lime juice. I didn’t bother with sugar on the rim of the glass but did add a little more tequila because I was feeling frisky. This drink was so fresh tasting and deliciously cold. There are so many mixers out there that are laden with high fructose corn syrup – this practically seemed like health food!
Angela, that sounds awesome!
I forgot to say “throw it all in a blender”, but I guess that’s obvious to most? Maybe I need to go in the kitchen and jog my memory on how this works……
I make a wicked Mango Margarita with fresh mangoes, boxed mango nectar, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and a little more tequila! On the rocks, not frozen – it’s not a kiddie drink.
Mango! Another very fine idea, Doug.
Doug, when do you start serving cocktails?!! I like the “it’s not a kiddie drink” part! Lindsey, if you ask the bartender to add a little orange juice it helps to cut the bite of the sour mix. At home try tequila, triple sec, and “Simply Lime” brand limeade. Not as sour but still a good drink. One more: A bar I go to makes a margarita the “normal” way then adds a little Red Bull. It’s a really good drink, the Red Bull gives it a different taste and cuts the sour a little.
My easy cocktail recipe is to use a can of cranberry sauce as fruit – it makes awesome daquiris! I may have to try it now with tequila. One of my friends turned me on to cranberry daquiris one Thanksgiving, and its perfect because every year – without fail – my family forgets to use the can of cranberry sauce they insist on getting, even though I make fresh cranberry-orange sauce. So now after dinner when we realize we forgot the canned stuff, we throw it in a blender with some ice and rum and get to actually enjoy it!
Jen, that is a fascinating idea. Do you just mix the canned sauce with liquor and ice? Do you use the whole can in one batch?
Yep, I put one can of cranberry sauce in the blender, add a few shots of rum, and plenty of ice. Then I adjust rum and ice till its the strength and consistency I want. VERY yummy! One can easily makes about 4 daquiris.