Calabacitas Guisadas (Sauteed Mexican Squash)

Very healthy vegetable dish, a great side for any Mexican meal. We served it in my house with rice, tortillas, "Carne de Puerco Con Chile" (Pork simmered in a spicy hot sauce) and some "Jalapeños en Vinagre" (pickled Jalapeños peppers, with pickled onion and carrot) but you can serve it with whatever you'd like.

This week at the store I went to (Vallarta) the Mexican Squash was 4 pounds for a 1 dollar USA very cheap, you may also use "Italian Squash" if you wish these are used interchangeably in Mexican cooking from what I have observed.

Main Ingredients
-2 lbs. Mexican Squash chopped into cubes (or Italian)
-2 medium fresh ripe tomatoes chopped
-1 medium onion chopped
-1 green chili pepper minced (only if you like it a little spicy)
-2-5 cloves garlic (garlic to taste we like a lot)
-1/2 a bunch cilantro washed, leaves only minced
-salt to taste
-ground black pepper to taste (about 1/2- 1 tsp.)
-extra-virgin olive oil (my mom likes it BUT traditionally lard or neutral flavored oil is what I see commonly used in MExican cooking, my mom prefers extra-virgin because we like the taste and living with my Spanish/ Cuban grandmother many years sorta re-inforced it haha my mother told me in Mexico her family would use olive oil for certain stuff, salads, making "escabeches" stuff like that)
-1-2 tablespoons butter (if you have it on hand, don't have it then don't worry but if you do DON'T SKIP IT!)

Optional Ingredients:
-fresh Mexican Cheese (traditionally) or grated "Monterrey Jack" (not traditional that's more American) (to top the finished dish we didnt add it this time because I am on an antiobiotic to make my skin clearer and better "Tetracycline" and I can't have dairy for now well only 2 hours before taking my pills)

Directions:
(1)Heat olive oil on medium high sautee onions and chili pepper until translucent together with salt and black pepper, then add garlic sautee a little longer until fragrant, add butter stir until it heats through then add tomatoes chopped until they release juices.

(2)Add squash stir, cover and leave on medium high for about 5-7 minutes, uncover and stir, top with cilantro and if you wish grated cheese or crumbled fresh cheese.

Fried Starbutterfish

This is as simple as it can get when preparing fish in my opinion, it's simple, just salt, pepper, and deep-fry fish and serve with a dipping sauce and other sides.

I discovered the delicious Starbutterfish when I visited my friend Shantall, her mother often prepares this fish in a variety of way's, one of them is how I will show you here.

Starbutterfish is also known as "Harvestfish" or just "butterfish", they resemble the "Pomfret" type fish except hte Starbutterfish are smaller.

I bought the fish because it is affordable (I bought it at "Seafood City" I must say though I hate that they don't update their website much, the specials from Christmas and New Years are still up), I like the taste, and it's easy to prepare, it was already gutted, cleaned, and fins and tail removed when I bought, just a quick rinse, and more cleaning of the inside just to make sure.

Main Ingredients:
-8 Starbutterfish (cleaned, gutted, etc.)
-salt to taste
-black pepper to taste
-oil to deep-fry (enough to submerge fish)
Dipping Sauce Ingredientes:
-fresh calamansi juice (I didn't have calamansi so I used limes you can use lemon to I guess)
-soy sauce in equal amount to calamansi juice, or less to taste but no more than equal amount.

or other dipping sauce Ingredients:
-white vinegar (preferably cane or coconut vinegar)
-soy sauce or patis (if using fish sauce, use very little just to change color slightly of the vinegar)

Directions:
(1)Heat wok until it throws a small whif of mist (this is called "wok hei" or the "breat hof the wok") then add oil and let it heat for about 5-10 minutes.

(2)Meanwhile salt and pepper the fish well, then add to the hot oil in batches until crisp on both sides about 3-4 minutes on each side, remove and drain on paper towels.

(3)Mix dipping sauce ingredients whichever you choose to make.

(4)Serve preferably with steamed white jasmine rice, cooked vegetables, and pickled vegetables because the acidity of the pickled vegetables go very well with this meal, "Bittermelon Salad" is great with this, or any other pickled veggies, I went I guess "non" traditional, and served it with the Mexican pickled Jalapeños and carrot with pickled onion and oregano a long with some steamed Cauliflower with a soy sauce vinegar dip, very delicious and healthy.

P.S.

(1)What I like about this fish is that when fried the bones are so sensetive that most become edible like when you buy canned sardines with soft bones, the center sometimes stays firm but is easily removable, so it's a good fish for those afrain of choking on spines.

(2)You can do this with other fish you may like I'm sure.

(3)Ha ha I don't know what one would call this fish in Spanish maybe "Pez Mantequilla"? ha ha that sounds silly.

Ampalaya Salad (Bittermelon Salad)

Living in wonderful Southern California with plenty of Asian grocery stores and other ethnic food places, I once discovered "Bittermelon" my first encounter with it was at 99 Ranch Market at their deli, it was stirfried but I don't remember with what, I was appalled it was so BITTER, same thing happened again when I went to a Filipino fast food place called "Pinoy Pinay"

Surprisingly though over time, I grew fonder of many vegetables (and to this day I eat lots of vegetables daily , I always have to have a salad, stirfry, or a vegetable soup whatever but I need vegetables they're good for you and make me feel well and stay slim) anyways I eventually "acquired" a taste for bittermelon when I visited my Filipino friend Shantall and her mother had made a "Bittermelon Salad" I was surprised because I never though of bittermelon as "salad" material, but let me tell you it was delicious, even though it was bitter, the acidity of the vinegar, the spiciness of the ginger, and the saltiness of the salt and fish sauce really married well with the bitterness it was sort of addicting.

So last night I decided to make the bittermelon salad I had at Shantall's house, I gave a quick call to her mother to ask her how he she made it and wa-la I made it, I was surprised my family enjoyed it, it goes very well with fried fish and other oily foods like fried pork, and dishes in rich sauces, the acidity and veggies really compliment the rich meals.

Before I begin let me tell you more about bittermelon, in Tagalog (the official language of Philippines) it is called "Ampalaya" in english it goes by "bittermelon" or "bitter gourd", it is considered "medicinal" by many in asian medicine, and very nutritious, it is claimed to be good for many things particulary good at helping diabetics, and more.

This salad is very healthy, and contains a fair amount of ginger root which is anti- inflammatory, so this salad is something you can feel really good about eating if you like it.

Ingredients:
-2 bitter melons, cut in half, seeds and pith removed, cut as paper thin as possible
-1 large tomato or 2 small tomatoes cut in half then half again and into thin diagnol slices
-1/2 onion julienned and then julienned pieces cut in half
-3-4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin little match sticks
-1/2 cup white vinegar (cane or coconut vinegar if available)
-1 tsp. fish sauce (also known as "Patis")
-1/2- 1 tsp. salt more or less to taste
-a pot of how boiling water

Directions:
(1)Place already prepared bittermelon in a strainer or colander, pour hot boiling water slowly over it, and drain well.

(2)Put in a large bowl and toss with all vegetables until well incorporated, add vinegar, fish sauce, and salt to taste, mix well.

(3)Now it is ready, it taste best if it sits a while because the vinegar will pickle the vegetables a bit and it tastes better like that, so best to prepare ahead of time if you can.

PLEASE NOTE:
-I noticed this salad is used more as a relish, a little bit at a time while eating fried fish, etc.