Tengo Hambre!

Tengo Hambre or I'm hungry!  For Mexican food that is!  I love a really good Mexican meal (who doesn't) and lately, I've been craving to eat a really good fajita or some nice, crispy nachos dipped in some really gooey rendition of Queso Fundido washed down with a classic, icy Margarita.  Sadly, the nearest Mexican place to us was a grand failure, the last time we visited.  No smokiness to the meats, the aioli which I hated then was even sweeter this time around, the one waiter with character is gone...sigh.  It's so very sad to see places you love drown in its own complacency and lose the flavors and nuances you once loved.  You look to replicate the experience but it's gone, gone, gone.   :-(

It's a good thing though that we can try making anything and everything in the comfort of our own kitchens and adjust recipes according to our personal preferences without getting the stinkeye from the chef (that's you).  And so today, since I still am craving for Mexican food, I used my recipe for Carne Asada on some good pork tenderloin for the boy's lunch box.  Why not beef you may ask?  In my experience, recipes for beef without any sauce tend to not stay good in a lunch box.  They become pretty much as parched as the Gran Desierto de altar. So instead, I used pork tenderloin which, I should warn you, can get pretty dry too when overcooked (as with everything).  For this recipe, the meat is marinated in a relatively dry rub (equal parts Spanish Paprika, Oregano, Chili Powder and a dash of Cumin) save for the olive oil and lime, some garlic, red onions and cilantro.  We usually grill the meat, whole and covered on white hot coals to sear the meat on the outside.  Though today, we used the electric grill because it's way too early to be starting the barbie.  When cooked, these are sliced thinly across the grain.  They come out pretty rare so if I had a guest who wanted it to be cooked a little more, we grill it some more on the coals until desired doneness is achieved.  It can then be eaten with rice, as in this lunch box or put inside fajitas.  Yum!

Today's lunch: Carne Asada (Pork Tenderloin), Arroz ala Mexicana (no peas but asparagus instead)

Ay Chihuahua!  :-)