April’s Food ‘n Flix film is Spinning Plates hosted by Culinary Adventures with Camilla. It’s been awhile since the club has featured a documentary. Spinning Plates has been in my movie queue for some time and I’m glad Camilla gave me the excuse to watch it. The film follows three separate restaurants and the lives that comprise them. (You can read Camilla’s announcement post here.)
One is a Michelin three-star affair, one is a buffet-style family favorite, and one is a struggling restaurant. The human drama behind all three will leave you spellbound.
I decided to break up my posts and do a recipe inspired by all three. Today’s is an homage to La Cocina de Gabby, a small, fledgling restaurant in Tucson. It’s a true family affair and a dream for the family involved. The husband, Francisco, sees the restaurant as an adventure and a blessing as well as a way to provide for his family and showcase his wife’s cooking. As far as Gabby is concerned, it’s a dream as well: “Passion goes into my cooking.” She is cooking her mother’s food (and her mother’s mother’s recipes.) It’s her childhood and she wants to pass it along to her own young child who is literally growing up in the restaurant.
The food looks authentic but the crowds are not there to enjoy it. It’s a struggle for the restaurant and the family.
The featured restaurants could not be more different but La Cocina de Gabby is the one that pulls at your heart strings.
I had a special meal planned for Easter weekend, Tacos al Pastor (which I will feature later) and I wanted an appetizer to go along with it. Guacamole spoke to me. I also wanted this post to do double-duty with I Heart Cooking Clubs as they celebrate Spring. Nothing means more to me than grilling and hanging out on the patio. We did that yesterday, working all day in the yard and garden and then chilling and grilling on the patio. The guacamole gave use enough sustenance to finish the evening strong.
Simple (and Quick) Guacamole
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 serrano, seeded and chopped
- 3 avocados, preferably the black-skinned Hass
- 2 T. cilantro
- 1 small white onion (fresh knob onion—green tops still on—is best), finely chopped (I used one bunch of green onions.)
- Salt
- 2 T. fresh lime juice
- crumbled Mexican fresh cheese (queso fresco)
- sliced radish or two for garnish
Instructions
- Finely chop the garlic and green chiles, and scoop them into a bowl.
- One at a time, run a knife down through each avocado, starting at the top, until you reach the pit; continue cutting around the pit until you reach the point you started.
- Twist the two halves of the avocado apart. Remove the pit and discard. Scoop the flesh into the bowl with the chiles and garlic. Mash coarsely with the back of a spoon or an old-fashioned potato masher.
- Add the cilantro and onion, stir to combine, then taste. Season with salt (usually about a teaspoon) and lime juice. Scoop into a serving dish and garnish with cheese and radishes.
Yield: 6-8
La Cocina de Gabby is probably the humblest of restaurants but the one with the most heart. Here’s Francisco and his young daughter.
From Spinning Plates website.
His only goal is to make a life for her (and to showcase his wife’s angelic cooking).
I have two more recipes to highlight Alinea and Breitbach’s Country Dining, the other two restaurants featured in Spinning Plates.
I Heart Cooking Clubs theme for this week is April Showers. There’s no featured chef for this round but we can choose from the nineteen previously featured ones. Rick Bayless happens to be one of them.
The documentary sounds really interesting and the anything involved avocado is delicious :-)) Thanks for sharing, Deb!
I agree. Avocado makes everything delicious.
Your post has me wanting to participate in Food n’ Flix again! Sounds like a great movie! Nowadays there are so many versions of guacamole, this simple and classic version is my favorite. Garlic, cilantro, and my favorite ingredient for guacamole – serrano. Wishing I could dunk a chip or two in right now:)
My own guacamole recipes tend to be a bit extreme and with different chili powders and even pom arils! 🙂 Bayless nailed this one–simple and delicious. Thanks, Kim!
Happy Easter. i think this is my first documentary with the group. I also will be going the Mexican root (only one post for me). And I LOVE guac, looks so good!
Back at ya! I love a good doc. Can’t wait to see your post inspired by the Martinez family.
I love guacamole! It has been a while since I had any. I need to get some avocados!
I now need to go to Tucson to support this restaurant! This guacamole looks divine, too!!
The guacamole with radish and chips placed outdoor speaks loudly about spring! Very seasonal, indeed.
It sounds interesting and I will have to check it out! The guacamole sounds delicious! Can’t wait for warmer weather and grilling season here. At least the grass is greening up and forsythias have buds. Thanks and take care
Thanks for joining in! I love that you did a post for each of the restaurants. I will definitely be making this soon.
Sounds like a fun movie. I can never resist movies about restaurants and food! Anyway, good recipe, too — thanks.
Simple is sometimes best and your guacamole sounds good…especially with your garnish.
Wow how very ambitious you were this month. I am very impressed.
La Cocina de Gabby was my favorite out of the 3 restaurants, their story really touched my heart. Your guacamole sounds yummy, simple ingredients that let the avocado shine through.