Food & Wine USA - (04)April 2020

APRIL 2020 107

BAJA-STYLE CAESAR

SALAD

TOTAL 15 MIN; SERVES 4

A topping of crunchy pork rinds and best-

quality aged Cotija cheese is Zepeda’s

secret for making her take on this classic

salad. If aged Cotija—which is salty and

full of Parmesan-like umami—isn’t avail-

able, air-dry best-quality fresh Cotija on a

rack in the refrigerator until hardened, 1 to

2 days, before grating.

3 medium garlic cloves, finely

chopped

4 oil-packed anchovy fillets (such as

Ortiz), finely chopped

1 large pasteurized egg yolk

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. black pepper

1 / 2 tsp. kosher salt

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 / 4 cup grapeseed oil

1 oz. high-quality aged Cotija cheese

(such as Don Froylan Queso Cotija

Añejo), finely grated (about^2 / 3 cup),

divided

4 medium romaine lettuce hearts,

halved lengthwise

1 oz. fried pork rinds, coarsely

broken (about 2 cups)

1. Whisk together garlic, anchovies, egg
   yolk, Dijon, pepper, and salt in a medium
   bowl. Whisk in lime juice and Worcester-
   shire. Whisking constantly, gradually
   stream in oil until all oil is incorporated

and dressing is thick and creamy. Whisk in

2 tablespoons grated Cotija.

2. Divide lettuce heart halves evenly
   among 4 plates, and top each with^1 / 4 cup
   dressing,^1 / 2 cup fried pork rinds, and 2
   tablespoons grated Cotija.
   MAKE AHEAD Dressing can be made up to
   3 days ahead and stored in refrigerator. If
   needed, thin with a few teaspoons of
   water before serving.
   WINE Natural California white blend: 2017
   Donkey & Goat Eliza
   NOTE Don Froylan Queso can be
   purchased from murrayscheese.com.

COCONUT-AND-SCALLOP

AGUACHILE VERDE

PHOTO P. 108

ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 35 MIN; SERVES 4

Fresh young coconut has tender meat that

separates easily from the shell; if unavail-

able, substitute bottled or canned coconut

water and fresh or frozen coconut meat.

When cut and squeezed, finger limes

release citrus-filled spheres that pop like

caviar; lime wedges may be substituted.

1 medium-size fresh young coconut

(about 2^1 / 4 lb.), or^1 / 4 cup fresh or

frozen coconut meat and 1 cup

coconut water

1 small red onion

2 medium Persian cucumbers

1 cup roughly chopped fresh

tomatillos

1 / 2 cup fresh lime juice

1 /^4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

1 medium fresh serrano chile,

stemmed, seeded, and chopped

1 / 8 tsp. dried chiltepín chile, crumbled

dried chile de árbol, or chopped

fresh Thai chile

1 / 2 tsp. coarse sea salt, plus more to

taste

1 / 2 lb. diver scallops (about 5 scallops),

sliced into^1 / 4 -inch-thick rounds

1 / 2 lb. peeled raw medium shrimp,

cooked, deveined, and halved

lengthwise

Finger limes or lime wedges, for

garnish

Tortilla chips or tostadas, for

serving

1. Using a cleaver, carefully remove
   pointed end of coconut. Drain coconut,
   reserving 1 cup coconut water; set aside.
   Carefully break or cut coconut into large
   pieces. Using your hand or a spoon, sepa-
   rate coconut flesh from shell; discard
   shell. Cut flesh into 1^1 / 2 - by^1 / 8 -inch strips
   to equal about^1 / 4 cup; set aside. Reserve
   remaining coconut flesh for another use.


2. Roughly chop onion to equal 1 table-
   spoon. Thinly slice remaining onion to
   equal^1 / 2 cup; set aside. Reserve any
   remaining onion for another use. Thinly
   slice 1 cucumber crosswise to equal about

(^1) / 4 cup; set aside. Roughly chop remaining
cucumber and second cucumber.

3. Combine chopped cucumber, chopped
   onion, reserved 1 cup coconut water,
   tomatillos, lime juice, cilantro, chopped
   serrano, chiltepín chile, and salt in a

2016 POPULIS LICORNE

MECHANTE SPARKLING

ROSÉ ($23)

Populis winemaker-

owners Diego Roig and

Shaunt Oungoulian seek

out organic vineyards

throughout Northern

California to make their

zero-intervention, far-out-

there wines. The name of

this one means “wicked

unicorn.” It’s a funky, spar-

kling rosé made from the

Carignane grape variety.

2018 MARTHA

STOUMEN WINES POST

FLIRTATION RED ($26)

Stoumen’s naturally

oriented winemaking

draws from her experi-

ence working in vineyards

in Tuscany. Her equal-

parts blend of Zinfindel

and Carignane is pure

California, full of hibiscus,

pomegranate, and chapar-

ral notes.

2016 GONZALES WINE

CO. CEDAR LANE

VINEYARD SYRAH-

GRENACHE ($30)

Cristina Gonzales, the

granddaughter of migrant

farm workers from

Mexico, sources grapes

from California, Oregon,

and Washington for her

wines. This garnet-hued,

peppery red comes from

Monterey County.

2017 MONTE XANIC

GRENACHE ROSÉ ($19)

In business since the late

1980s, Monte Xanic is one

of the older wineries in

Mexico’s booming Valle de

Guadalupe wine region.

Bright and dry, this

unoaked Grenache rosé

suggests red berries and

pink peppercorns.

2017 BICHI FLAMA

ROJA ($29)

Acclaimed chef Jair Téllez

of Laja restaurant and his

brother Noel started this

Valle de Guadalupe wine

project in 2014, focusing

on traditional methods

and minimal intervention.

This medium-bodied, vivid

red blend comes from

their home vineyard in

Tecate, Mexico.

Claudette’s Favorite Wines

CALIFORNIA MEXICO

0420_FT_Claudette_Zepeda.indd 107 FINAL CONTENT 2/18/20 10:46 AM