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Chef Richard Ampudia, Lolo's Surf Cantina
This recipe originally appeared in the Jan/Feb 2018 issue of el Restaurante
Chef Richard Ampudia of New York City’s La Esquina and Bar Bruno recently launched Lolo's Surf Cantina, a contemporary Mexican restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida. The beachside eatery features modern variations of Mexican classics like chilaquiles, tostadas and the torta ahogada—all reminiscent of Ampudia's childhood. But when asked about his favorite dish, Ampudia named the Bone Marrow Chalupa—a dish he created based on two contrasting experiences from his past.
"The main inspiration were the tacos that my dad and I would eat on weekends on the road to Cuernavaca when I was a kid, eaten roadside from a stand in the Ajusco Mountains,” Ampudia says. “The bone marrow, which in those days was not a luxury item at all, was boiled roadside in a huge cauldron used to make Sopa de Medula—or in this case a simple, humble taco of bone marrow (tuetano) that would be topped with a rustic salsa verde.”
His inspiration for what he calls “the 'elevated' part of the dish” was was the bone marrow dish he ate at St. John’s in London in 2002.
“I remember tasting bone marrow for the first time on toast with a parsley salad, and being surprised about how parsley could be used as the only ingredient in a salad,” Ampudia recalls. “I’ve never been a big fan of parsley and this opened my eyes to a new direction.”
Here, Ampudia shares his recipe for Bone Marrow Chalupas with el Restaurante readers.
Chalupas de Tuetano
Bone Marrow Chalupas
Makes 8 Tacos
The Chalupas:
8 corn tortillas
8 pieces of bone marrow, cut in 2-inch length
½ c. frisee lettuce washed and rough chopped
¼ c. celery leaves left whole washed and dried
¼ c. parsley leaves left whole washed and dried
Sliced lemon
Sea salt
Salsa Verde (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place marrow bones in a baking sheet. Cook bones in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can slide a toothpick through them and marrow is starting to drizzle out into the baking sheet. Remove from oven and place under the salamander or brulee with a torch until it acquires a nice caramel color on the top.
Collect all the fat that has rendered on sheet pan you will need this for finishing the dish. While bone marrow is baking in the oven, place all greens in a bowl and toss together. When ready to serve, season greens with sea salt and a tablespoon of salsa verde and a ½ teaspoon of the rendered fat from the bone marrow and toss gently.
Heat a pan or griddle under medium heat, place some of the fat from the bone marrow and heat tortillas on top of it until soft and starting to inflate and bubble. You want the tortilla to cook slightly but retain its softness (you are “sancochando” not frying until crispy). Cook both sides of the tortilla.
The Salsa Verde:
1 lb. tomatillos
¼ white onion
2 serrano chiles
1 clove of garlic
½ bunch cilantro
¼ t. salt
In a pot of water place peeled tomatillos, onion, garlic and chilies. Bring to a boil and remove from fire as soon as tomatillos start changing color. Allow them to cool slightly and place in blender with a bit of the cooking water. Blend until you get a smooth puree. Allow salsa to cool down add roughly chopped cilantro adjust salt and add water if necessary. You want a loose salsa that is not too liquid.
To serve: Place cooked tortilla on plate. Add ½ teaspoon of salsa verde to tortilla, top with greens and place bone marrow on top. Finish dish by adding a touch more salsa verde to bone marrow and a touch of sea salt. Serve with lemon on the side and a small fork or demitasse spoon so diners can scoop the marrow from the bone on to the taco.
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