Carne asada—grilled steak spritzed with fresh lime juice—is one of those Mexican classics that many diners order at restaurants but would never consider making at home. Strange since it only takes two minutes on the grill, is delicious and makes an affordable choice when planning three or four meals around one main ingredient.

Did you know that carne asada is used in tacos, burritos, fajitas, tostadas and nachos as well as with breakfast eggs and in salads? Pair it with tortillas, lots of fresh produce and homemade salsas (bottled if you must), and you will have nutritious, satisfying meals in minutes.

This week I grilled lots of carne asada for a meal with rice and vegetables and tacos de bistek with salsa de aguacate the second night. No one in my family felt they were eating leftovers because it was different and delicious.

Homemade Mexican food opens up the wonderful world of ethnic markets that serve the everyday culinary needs of their community. Unlike our mainstream western supermarkets that offer limited Mexican ingredients as pricey specialty items, these stores have a high turnover that allows for lower prices. Plus, they are great fun to explore.

Earlier this week I headed to the Mi Pueblo market for bistek (long thin, flavorful steak cut from the cow’s belly), tortillas, creamy Hass avocados, tomatillos, limes and chiles. While I depend on traditional bistek, you could easily substitute skirt steak. Be sure to tell your butcher that you are making carne asada and need it cut in half lengthwise. Otherwise it will be too thick and not work in the dish.

I couldn’t help doing a quick price comparison to my local upscale market because the difference was so apparent. Bistek sold for $5.98 a pound compared to $12 for skirt steak. Ripe avocados for my salsa were $1.25 at Mi Pueble compared to $1.49 each locally; tomatillos were $1.69 a pound compared to $2.99. Limes were 25-cents each compared to 39-cents. A package of 40 corn tortillas cost $2.50 while a dozen at my market averaged $2. These are significant savings for a family on a budget

Hungry?—let’s get started.

Day 1: Grilled Carne Asada with rice and a simple salad.

How easy is easy? You decide. Take your bistek or prepared skirt steak and sprinkle salt on both sides. Set aside. Heat a grill or dry, heavy-bottomed skillet over a medium-high flame and lightly brown the steak for 40–50 seconds (skirt steak may require more time as it’s often thicker). Adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning. Flip the steak and cook for approximately 30–60 seconds on the second side. Squeeze lime juice on both sides of the meat and serve promptly with rice and a simple salad.

Day 2: Tacos de Bistek (steak tacos)
with Salsa de Aguacate (avocado and tomatillo sauce)

A standard at taco stands across Mexico, this flavor-packed meal is super quick and nutritious. Place your carne asada on a clean working surface and cut into ¼-inch strips. Turn the strips and cut again to create ¼-inch dice. Sprinkle the meat with fresh lime juice and set aside. Warm the tortillas on a grill to soften. If the grill is “dirty” with meat juice from freshly grilled steak, even better. Fill the warm tortillas with the diced carne asada, chopped onions, salsa de aguacate and cilantro.

Salsa de aguacate is a quick blender sauce made with ripe Hass avocados, tomatillos, chiles, onion, garlic and cilantro. Chop, toss, blitz and you’re done. And the good news is that the acidic tomatillos prevent the avocados from discoloring for a day or two. A nice change from guacamole, salsa de aguacate is a great party dish served with tortilla chips.

Try these two dishes and you’ll know why carne asada is a great main ingredient when planning meals on a budget. You are only limited by your imagination. As I finished my tacos, I had to ask, how can I be on a budget when it tastes so good?

Print my Carne Asada, Tacos de Bistek and Salsa de Aguacate (avocado and tomatillo sauce) for your convenience.

As a child, I thrilled to red and pink paper hearts, inscribed with simple words of love. Today, I give the three-dimensional, edible kind: heart-shaped red velvet cupcakes heaped with extra love in the form of luscious, finger-licking cream cheese frosting. Irresistible!

This moist, rich classic cake will tickle your taste buds with a hint of chocolate and thrill with its festive color. Red velvet cake has been around for almost 90 years, beginning as a signature dessert at New York’s famous Waldorf Astoria hotel. In a land of angel and devil’s food, vanilla and chocolate, this cake stood out like a drop-dead gorgeous lady wearing a hot red dress in a room filled with basic black.

I first made red velvet with the standard recipe that you find everywhere on the web. Its flavor and moisture were OK but not sensational. The screaming color was actually a little scary, and not at all sophisticated. I hit the kitchen and started playing with the ingredients: cake flour, cocoa, salt, sugar, butter, vanilla, buttermilk, baking soda and vinegar. With a few adjustments—mainly swapping out the butter for double the amount of vegetable oil and a bit more sugar—things improved dramatically. An additional tablespoon of cocoa toned down the red color and added more depth of flavor.

Next, bubbles—lots of air bubbles caused by the intensity of multiple acidic ingredients. Since I’d balanced the ingredients as much as possible, brute force seemed the best approach. So, I banged the cake tins on the counter several times to release the bubbles, then ran a knife gently through the batter. Perfection!

As my hearts baked, I made a huge bowl of cream cheese frosting. Once the cakes were thoroughly cool, I piled them high with the frosting and tried selling the beaters to everyone circling me in the kitchen. They were not amused and came at me with their outstretched spoons. Licking my fingers, I had to admit pure love for the baker that invented this stuff. How can anything taste so good?

Love is sweet. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Print a copy of my Red Velvet cake recipe for your convenience.

Tacos de Dorado—I loved eating them on the streets in Mexico (way too many if you must really know). When freshly fried, these are absolutely delicious and so addictive. Any over-indulgent guilt quickly disappears when you tell yourself how nutritious they are. (Try it, it really works!)

I especially loved the day that my friend Yolanda, a great Mexican cook, taught me how to make this super quick and easy vegetarian version. In less than 15 minutes one can fry a dozen corn tortillas slathered with refried beans, mashed potatoes or cheese to crispy perfection.

Once you’ve fried up the basics, the fun begins. Embellish the tacos with shredded lettuce and cheese, chopped tomatoes, onions and jalapeño peppers and sliced avocados. In my family, everyone creates their own favorite style. Some top theirs off with a dollop of sour cream while others go heavy on the spicy salsa. Bottled is popular at my house, although I often whip up the homemade kind when time permits.

One suggestion before you begin: make lots, make lots, make lots. These go very fast.

Frying the Tortillas

For the very best flavor, fry the tacos as close to possible before serving.

1. Pour oil into a spacious, heavy-bottomed skillet to a ½-inch depth. Heat it over a medium-high flame until 350-degrees—or sizzling.

2. Place several tablespoons of refried beans, mashed potatoes or shredded cheese on one side of the tortilla.

3. Fold the tortilla in half and hold it closed with your hand.

4. Place the bottom of the taco into the hot oil and hold in place for 12–15 seconds.

5. Turn to the side and cook until golden. Flip and fry the other side.

6. Remove from the oil with tongs or a large slotted spoon. Tip sideways and allow the excess oil to drain. Place on a clean working surface lined with paper towels. Blot.
Repeat the process until all 12 tacos are fried.

Fill the Tacos

1. Fill the tacos by carefully opening them and adding your favorite toppings.

2. Serve promptly.

Print a copy of Tacos de Dorado for your convenience.

Some nights I leave my office dog-tired and hungry. The last thing on my mind is a stop at the market, but take-out food is expensive and often mediocre. At times like this my well-stocked pantry saves the day. I keep it filled with basic and specialty ingredients for my every mood, making meals like pasta puttanesca possible at a moment’s notice.

“Sugo alla puttanesca” literally translates to “whore’s sauce.” The bold, spicy dish was originally conjured up by the prostitutes of Naples, Italy. As word of this amazing sauce spread beyond its native region, puttanesca became wildly popular in the 1960’s. Today, cooks like me depend on its lusty goodness when throwing together a quick meal of pasta, garlic bread and red wine.

I grabbed my big iron skillet and the puttanesca basics: a large tin of Modena tomatoes, some black olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, olive oil, dried herbs and a bag of pasta. Over the years I’ve pumped up the flavor with sautéed onions, a bit of red wine and parmesan-reggiano cheese.

Like magic, the woes of the day faded as quickly as the sauce came together, filling the house with its pungent garlic scent. Soon the family made their way to the kitchen in anticipation.

I poured some wine, stirred the sauce and told everyone how the Neapolitan ladies-of-the-night enticed customers in with their simmering sauce. This was an especially clever tactic when you consider that brothels were required to keep their windows covered to avoid offending the neighbors. Unable to visually flaunt their wares, the savvy professionals appealed to their customers’ sense of smell instead. How, they must have reasoned, could men returning home after a hard day’s work resist the scent of garlic and all good things to come?

Pasta puttanesca is one of the easiest dishes around when you know a few secrets. First, unless you are surrounded with anchovy lovers, never, never volunteer that you’ve included them in the sauce. People get positively wiggy, wrinkle their noses, flail their hands in disgust and often pass on the sauce. Trust me—anchovies do not make puttanesca fishy or evil-tasting. In fact, they cook down and disappear into the liquid, adding a sophisticated layer of flavor not possible without the little critters.

Great sauce requires well-prepared—restaurant quality—pasta. Puttanesca is traditionally served with spaghetti or fettuccini but I prefer large pasta shells. They are “meatier” and fill with the warm spicy sauce, providing savory bursts of flavor with every bite. For perfectly cooked pasta, salt your cooking water like the Mediterranean—a handful in a big pot of water. Go ahead – don’t be shy; the pasta only absorbs a small amount of the salt.

After draining, never rinse your pasta with water or you’ll remove all the starch needed for the sauce to adhere. You also run the risk of creating a watery sauce. That said, always retain a cup or two of the salted cooking water to thin the sauce if required. It’s much better than using plain water.

I swear by one final professional touch: remove the pasta from its cooking water a minute early, drain it and mix it into the simmering sauce to finish cooking. The pasta absorbs all of the sauce’s good flavors, making your dish truly memorable.

Breathe in—then dig in. This is my idea of spicy, fast and easy. Now please excuse me while I close the blinds.

Print a copy of  Pasta Puttanesca and How To Cook Perfect Pasta.

The question at my house lately is never, “what’s for dinner?” but “how are you fixing the tomatoes?” I have them coming out of my ears, or so it seems, as they arrive regularly from the farm. All are deliciously ripe, sweet and juicy and ready for simply made salads and bruschetta and bubbling sauces for pasta and freezing. And let’s not forget the pure pleasure of lustily devouring one out-of-hand with a trusty saltshaker. Today, tuna-stuffed tomatoes are front and center. I know, it sounds close to boring but wait! These are not your usual supermarket tomatoes filled with scoops of flavorless mayonnaisey goop. No, no, this is really good stuff.

I like to keep the tuna simple, so the glorious farm-fresh tomato can really shine. Just a bit of mayonnaise, some chopped scallions and a generous sprinkling of dried dill is all it takes.

Pick a tomato—any tomato—big, medium, red, orange or yellow and slice away the top and bottom (so it won’t rock or slide on your plate). Scoop out the center and set it on a plate with a few lettuce leaves if you like. Just before serving, fill the tomato with tuna salad (the picky eaters in my family tell me that it’s the best they’ve ever tasted). Let’s face it, tuna fish salad is a bland color—ugly really—so I always finish it off with a sprinkling of chopped green scallions or Italian parsley over the top. The green brings it to life and invites you in.

Sweet ripe tomatoes and perfect tuna fish—now this is simple delicious at its best.
Print copies of Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes and Tuna Fish Salad for your convenience.