Eating In: El Limeño

The place seems to be coming along nicely for a new restaurant. The décor is representative of the cuisine without being tacky, it has comfortable casual feel without making you feel like you’re dining at an Applebees-esque type place. The bar area seats at least 13 and is stocked with over 30 tequilas. This is a great place to bring a date; bring the family or just yourself for some good pupusas and tequila without spending a lot. Appetizers range from $1.75 to $9.95, enchiladas from $8.95-$10.95, main items from $11.95-$16.95 and our beers came in at $4 each.

We liked the enchilada so much, we decided to use it as our Eating In item this week. There are multiple steps to it because you have to make the sides of rice, guacamole and pico de gallo, but the whole process is fairly easy. This recipe is for four but can easily be doubled to serve at your next party.

Shopping List:
4 8-inch round corn tortillas
4 large tomatoes
1 jalapeño
1 small green bell pepper
½ pound cremini mushrooms
1 bunch cilantro
1 medium red onion
1 medium yellow onion
3 ripe avocados
4 limes
4 cloves of garlic
¼ pound 21-25 peeled and deveined shrimp
½# crab claw meat
1 cup sour cream
½ cup dry jasmine rice
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Olive Oil

Recipe:
1. Begin by making the tomato sauce. Small dice ½ of the yellow onion and 2 tomatoes. Mince 1 jalapeño pepper and 2 cloves of garlic.
2. Heat a medium saucepot to a medium/high heat. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and then add the onions. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeno, stir for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and reduce the heat to med/low.
3. Add ¼ tsp. paprika and 1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.
4. Boil 4 cups of water and add 1 tbsp. of salt and ½ cup of jasmine rice. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked through.
5. Thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic. Heat a small sauté pan to medium/low and add 3 tbsp olive oil and the garlic. Let the garlic steep in the oil. This will be added to the rice.

Make the Guacamole:
6. Mince ¼ of the red onion, 1 tomato and chop ¼ cup cilantro. Juice two limes. Dice 3 avocados and mix together with the onion, tomato, cilantro and lime juice. Sprinkle with a little salt and mash with the back of the spoon until you achieve the desired chunkiness.

Make the Pico de Gallo:
7. Small dice 1 tomato, ½ white onion, ¼ cup cilantro. Mix together with the juice of two limes and season with salt.

Make the Enchiladas:
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
9. Small dice the green bell peppers and thinly slice the mushrooms. Heat a medium sauté pan to a med/high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil into the pan, add the peppers and mushrooms and cook until they are tender. Be sure to stir occasionally and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
10. Dice the shrimp. On a baking tray lay out four corn tortillas. Spoon some of the mushroom and peppers onto half of each one. Add some crab and a few pieces of shrimp. Cover with the spicy tomato sauce and fold each one over. Top with a little more sauce and a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.

Finishing:
11. Place into the oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes and the cheese browns on top. While they are in the oven, drain the rice and toss with a little of the garlic infused oil. Only use enough to coat; make sure not to oversaturate the rice with oil.
12. When the enchiladas are done, place onto your platter and serve with the sides of guacamole, pico de gallo, and rice.