Cucina messicana

Arroz Blanco

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups long grain rice
1/4 cup minced white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chicken, turkey or pork broth, or water
1 teaspoon salt


Place the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the rice
and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 - 4 minutes. The rice should not be
allowed to brown. Add the onion and garlic and cook one minute more,
stirring almost constantly. Stir the salt intothe broth, add it to the rice,
bring to a boil, cover the pot, turn the heat to very low, and cook for 15
minutes. Stir the rice, carefully, replace the top, turn off the heat and
allow the rice to steam for 10 - 15 minutes.

Carne Asada

1 20 Ounce top sirloin steak
2 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
1/2 Teaspoon Dried leaf oregano, crushed
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Coarsely ground pepper
1/4 Cup Orange juice
1 Tablespoon Lime juice
2 Teaspoon Cider vinegar
2 Orange slices, 1/2" thick


Place steak in a shallow glass baking dish. Rub with oil on each side.
Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Sprinkle orange juice, lime juice,
and vinegar over the steak. Cover and refrigerate overnight for best flavor
or several hours, turning occasionally. To cook, bring meat to room
temperature. Prepare and preheat charcoal grill (or gas grill). Drain meat,
reserving marinade. Place steak on grill. Top with orange slices.
Occasionally spoon reserved marinade over steaks as they cook. Grill 3-4
minutes on each side, or until medium- rare. Cook longer if desired. Remove orange slices to turn steak. Replace orange slices on top of steak.

Chiles Rellenos

  • 12 Large Mild, green chiles w/stems
  • 1/2 Pound Jack cheese cut into long narrow, strips.

BATTER:

1 Cup All purpose flour
1 Teaspoon Baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Yellow or white cornmeal
1 Cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs, slightly beaten


Parch and peel chiles leaving stems on. Cut small slit below the stem,
removing seeds if desired. Insert strips of Jack cheese being careful not to
split chile.
Prepare batter: Sift flour with baking powder and salt, then add cornmeal.
Blend buttermilk and slightly beaten eggs, then combine milk mixture with
dry mixture and blend together. Slightly moisten each chile with water dip
in plain flour, then in batter. Allow to drain slightly and drop in deep fat
which has been heated to 375 F.
Fry until golden. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm on platter in 300 F. oven while completing frying and serve immediately.

Enchiladas

1 Tablespoon Shortening
1 pound Ground beef
3 Tablespoons Flour
1 8-oz. can Tomato sauce
Water
2 Tablespoons Chili powder
Salt, to taste
3/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
12 Corn Tortillas
1 pound Cheese, longhorn - coarsely grated
1 large Onion, chopped fine


Melt shortening in heavy skillet. Add the ground meat and brown. Sprinkle
meat with flour; mix in skillet. Add tomato sauce and 1 cup water. Mix 1/2
cup water with the chili powder to form a smooth paste; add to the meat
mixture. Add salt to taste and garlic powder. Cook over medium heat,
uncovered, until it is of gravy consistency. Cover and simmer over very low
heat. Add more water if the chili gravy becomes too thick.
Dip tortillas one at a time in the hot chili gravy with a wide metal
spatula. The tortillas will become pliable almost immediately, which will
make rolling the enchiladas easier. Soaking too long will cause the
tortillas to fall apart.
Place a good sprinkling of grated cheese and minced onion and about a
tablespoon of the meat mixture to one side of the center of the tortilla.
Roll tortilla tightly around the filling and place loose side down in a
glass casserole baking dish. For best results place the enchiladas in a row
with sides touching.
When all enchiladas have been formed, pour the remaining hot chili gravy
over all, and sprinkle generously with grated cheese, and top with chopped
onion. Bake at 350 degrees. F until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Menudo

2 1/2 Pound Tripe
1/2 Calf's foot
1/3 Cup Vinegar
Cold water
2 Cloves garlic
1/2 Small Onion
3 Quart Water (approx.)
Salt
1-1/2 Cup Hominy
Red Chile Puree (see below) OR 1 cup canned red chile sauce
Finely chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro leaves
Lemon wedges
Corn tortillas, heated
Red Chile Puree:
8 California chiles (1/4 lb)
2/3 Cup Water


Scrape off any fat from tripe. Cut tripe into 1-inch squares. Place tripe
and calf's foot in a large bowl. Add vinegar and cold water to cover
generously. Let stand 3 hours. Drain. Rinse tripe and calf's foot
thoroughly. Place in a large pot. Add garlic and onion. Pour in water to
cover ingredients plus 1 to 1 1/2 inches, about 3 quarts. Add salt to taste.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 6 hours or until tripe
is tender. After 1 hour, skim foam from surface of soup. Skim again as
needed. Add more water if liquid evaporates. Prepare Red Chile Puree. Add
hominy and Red Chile Puree during last hour of cooking. Ladle into large
bowls. Serve chopped green onions, cilantro, lemon wedges and hot corn
tortillas separately. Makes 10 to 15 servings. Red Chile Puree: Remove stems from chiles. Break chiles open and rinse out seeds. Place in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil until chiles are softened, about 5 minutes. Drain; discard water. Place chiles in blender; puree. Add enough water to make puree the consistency of tomato sauce. Press pureed chiles through a sieve to remove bits of peel. Makes about 1 cup.
Variation: Substitute 1 1/2 cups nixtamal (cooked dried corn) for canned hominy. Combine with soaked tripe and calf's foot, garlic, onion and water. Cook as directed above.

Pay De Nuez Pecan Pie

1 unbaked pie crust, homemade or bought
1 egg yolk beaten with a pinch of salt until it is thick and creamy
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons granulated, white sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 cups chopped pecans
1 pound pitted dates, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
32 pecan halves

Line a pie pan with the crust and press a piece of aluminium foil on top of
it to conform to its shape and covering the edges of the dough. Pour 1 pound rice or an appropriate amount of pie weights into the foil and mound along the edges to keep the sides of the crust from losing their shape. Place the dough in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Take the dough out of the oven and remove the foil and its contents. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork, brush the top and half way down the sides with the beaten egg yolk and replace the pan in the oven until it is a golden brown all over, about 5 - 7 minutes longer.
To make the filling place the milk and sugars in a large saucepan, bring to
a boil and simmer until the mixture thickens and produces large bubbles,
about 15 minutes. Stir in the chopped pecans, dates, salt and honey and cook until the mixture is thick, just a few minutes more. Stir in the butter,
then when it has melted add the vanilla. Spoon the mixture into the pie
crust and place the pecan halves in eight lines going from just off the
center to the side of the pie, so that each piece, when it is cut, will have
a line of nuts down the center. Allow the pie to cool, then refrigerate
overnight. Before serving bring the pie to room temperature.

Puchero

1/2 Cup Chickpeas
2 Small Zucchini
1/4 Pound Boneless lamb
2 Small Sweet potatoes
1/4 Pound Boneless beef
1 Cup Corn cut from the cob
3 Pound Chicken
2 White potatoes, boiled in jackets
1/2 Pound Ham
3 Barely ripe bananas
1 Large Onion
1/2 Teaspoon Coriander seeds, crushed
3 Cloves garlic
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Veal knuckle, split
3 Tablespoon Oil (or butter)
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Pears
2 Quart Chicken broth
3 Peaches
1/2 Small Cabbage
2 Limes
2 Small Turnips
1 Large Carrot


Place the chick peas in a kettle, cover with broth, and soak overnight.

Cut the lamb and beef into 2-inch cubes, cut the chicken into serving
pieces, and dice the ham. Peel and slice the onion and garlic. Combine the
drained chick peas, all the meats, the veal knuckle, onion, garlic, and salt
in a large soup kettle. Cover with 2 quarts of cold water and bring to a
full boil. Skim off the froth. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 45
minutes.
Cut the cabbage into eight wedges. Peel and slice the turnips and carrot.
Slice the zucchini. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Cut the corn from the
cob. Add the cabbage, turnips, carrot, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and corn to the kettle. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until meats and vegetables are tender.
Peel the boiled white potatoes and cut into thick slices. Peel bananas and cut into 2-inch slices. Sauté potatoes, sprinkled with crushed coriander
seeds and pepper in oil. Remove the potato slices with a slotted spoon. Keep warm. In the same oil sauté the bananas until golden. Keep warm with the potatoes.
Peel, core, and slice the pears and peaches. Put in a small pan with a
little water and poach for 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain the fruit.
Adjust the seasonings. Serve each bowl of soup with the juice from one lime wedge and a tablespoon of Guacamole.

Salpicon

3 pounds brisket
2 onions, 1 halved, 1 chopped
1 large carrot, quartered
1 stalk celery, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 12-ounce can whole tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large tomato, chopped
1 4-ounce can chile chipotle, drained and chopped (reserve liquid)
¼ cup light olive oil
¼ cup vinegar
½ pound Monterey Jack cheese, cut in ¼-inch cubes
2 large avocados, sliced length-wise


Oven: 325 degrees

Place brisket in heavy pot and cover with water. Add halved onion, carrot,
celery, garlic, ½ cup chopped cilantro, canned tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Cover and cook in oven approximately 4 hours until very tender, Remove from liquid, cool slightly and shred thoroughly with a fork. In large bowl,
combine shredded beef, chopped onion, chopped tomato, remaining cilantro, chile chipotle, and liquid to taste, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Let
cool in refrigerator at least 4 hours. Before serving, toss with cheese and
turn into a decorative bowl. Garnish with sliced avocado. Serve with warm
corn or flour tortillas, pinto beans and guacamole or tossed green salad.
For spicier flavor, use more chile chipotle or pickled jalapenos or chopped
or fresh green chile strips.

Taco Salad

1-1/2 Pound Ground beef
Bottled French dressing
1/4 Cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Dried oregano, crushed
1/2 Head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
2 Tomatoes, cut in wedges
8 Ounce Can corn, drained
8 Ounce Can garbanzo beans, drain
1/2 Cup Radish slices
1-6 1/2 oz Package Tortilla or corn chips
1 Avocado, peeled and sliced
4 Ounce Cheddar cheese, shredded
Pitted black olives, sliced
Sour cream


Brown meat and drain off fat. Add 1/3 cup French dressing, onion, salt,
pepper and oregano. Simmer 5 minutes. Combine lettuce, tomatoes, corn,
beans, radishes and enough dressing to moisten. Toss lightly. For each
salad, serve meat mixture over tortilla chips. Top with lettuce mixture,
avocado, cheese, olives and sour cream, as desired.

Baked Tamales

2 Pound Ground beef
1 Can Tomatoes (14 oz)
2 Tablespoon Chili powder OR
5 Teaspoon Ground ancho (pasilla) chile PLUS
1 Teaspoon Cumin AND
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Garlic clove, crushed
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Black olives


CORN MEAL DOUGH:

4 Cup Corn meal
2 Teaspoon Salt
8 Cup Water
2 Eggs, well beaten
4 Tablespoon Butter


In skillet, sauté beef in pan until brown. Add tomatoes, chili powder,
garlic, salt and olives. Cook 15 minutes.
Grease 9x13" baking dish and line bottom with 1/2 Corn Meal Dough. Add meat mixture and cover with remaining 1/2 Corn Meal Dough. Bake 20 minutes at 325'F. or until browned.
CORN MEAL DOUGH:
Add corn meal and salt to water in pot. Bring to boil and cook over medium
heat until thick, 5-10 minutes. Add eggs and butter. Stir well.

Chalupas

Vegetable oil
12 Corn tortillas (the thinner the better)
6 Cups Refried Beans (or less)
1/2 Pound Cheddar cheese (sharp), grated
1 Large Tomato, chopped
3 Cup Lettuce, shredded


In a small skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil. Test the oil for
proper temperature by putting in a small piece of tortilla. When the oil
reaches the temperature where it immediately begins to bubble frantically
over the tortilla as soon as it is put in the oil and the tortilla piece
becomes crisp quite quickly, you are ready to cook the chalupa shells. This is important because there is nothing worse than a soggy chalupa shell which results from the oil not being hot enough.
Fry tortillas completely flat on both sides until very crisp. Drain and keep
warm on a newspaper covered cookie sheet in a warm oven.
Spread about 1/4 inch thick layer of refried beans on each fried tortilla.
Top with a generous amount of grated sharp Cheddar cheese and about 1 T
chopped onion. Place assembled chalupas on a cookie sheet and brown under broiler until cheese melts. Watch them carefully under the broiler, they can burn quite
quickly. Top with shredded lettuce and tomato and serve.

Chipotle Sauce

2 Chipotle Chiles;
2 Bacon; Slices, Finely Cut Up
1/4 Cup Onion; Finely Chopped, 1 small
3 Cup Tomatoes; Finely Chopped
1 Cup Beef Broth
1/4 Cup Carrot; Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Celery; Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro; Snipped
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper


You can make this sauce as hot as you want by adding up to a total of 4
dried Chipotle chiles. Cover chilies with warm water. Let stand until
softened, about 1 hour. Drain and finely chop. Cook and stir bacon and onion in a 2-quart saucepan until bacon is crisp; stir in chilies and remaining ingredients. Makes about 4 cups sauce.

Frijoles Charros

1 to 2 onions, minced
2 tablespoons lard
3 cups cooked pinto beans
4 to 6 slices bacon, minced
1 slice ham, diced (optional)
½ cup chorizo or hot italian sausage
1 16-ounce can tomatoes, drained and chopped
6 serrano chiles, minced, or to taste
1 tablespoon comino (cumin)
salt to taste


Add onions and lard to pinto beans and cook over medium heat 5 minutes,
stirring occasionally. in another skillet, fry bacon, ham and chorizo. Add
to beans with tomatoes, chiles and spices. Heat thoroughly.

Guacamole

6 California avocados, peeled & pitted
1-1/2 White onions, chopped
1/2 Cup Cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 Limes, or to taste
1 Small Zucchini, pureed
6 Tablespoons Olive oil
6 Chiles serranos, finely chopped
Salt to taste
2 Large Tomatoes, chopped
1 Green onion, finely chopped
2 Chiles serranos, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Cilantro leaves
Totopos (crispy fried tortilla wedges)


Put avocados in a glass bowl, mash them with a fork. Add onion, cilantro,
lime juice, zucchini, oil, chiles, and salt. Mix the ingredients thoroughly
to form a puree.
Put the avocado pits in the guacamole to prevent darkening. To serve, spoon the guacamole into a flat bowl, and decorate with tomato on one side, chiles, and cilantro leaves in the center. On the other side, place the totopos.

Paella

1 Chicken broiler, cut up
2 Cloves garlic
1/4 Cup Oil
1 Pound Raw shrimp
4 Sliced tomatoes
1 Pound Peas
12 Artichoke hearts
1-1/2 Cup Brown rice
6 Strands saffron
1 Cup Onion, diced
1 Green bell pepper, diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Cup White wine
2 Cup Water

Brown chicken and garlic in oil; remove chicken to large casserole dish. Add shrimp, tomatoes, peas and artichoke hearts to dish. In oil used to brown chicken, sauté rice, saffron, onion, green and red bell peppers for 7
minutes. Add to casserole dish, sprinkle on paprika, and pour in wine and
water. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until rice is ready.

Pork Carnitas

Guacamole
4 Poblano Chiles; roasted and peeled
1 Onion; Medium, Cut in halves
1 Pound Center Loin Roast; boneless and cut into 2 X 1/4-inch strips
1 Clove Garlic; Finely Chopped
2 Teaspoon Vegetable Oil
2 Teaspoon Tomato Paste
1 Teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 lb. plum tomatoes, finely chopped
Flour Or Corn Tortillas
Dairy Sour Cream


Prepare Guacamole; set aside. Cut chiles and onion halves lengthwise into
1/4-inch strips. Cook pork, chiles, onion and garlic in oil in a 10-inch
skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pork is no longer
pink, about 12 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, vinegar, salt and tomatoes;
cook until hot. Serve with tortillas, Guacamole and sour cream.

Pork Loin Vampiro

3 medium-sized ancho chiles, stems, seeds and veins removed
2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup grenadine
1/2 cup tequila
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1 cup sliced white onion
3 pound, lean boneless pork loin, (either a single loin or two loins tied together)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons lard or olive oil


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Toast the chiles on a skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, but do not allow them to scorch. Tear the chiles into pieces,
place them in a bowl, cover them with boiling water, and allow them to
rehydrate and soften for 15 minutes. Drain the chiles and place them in the
bowl of a blender. Add the orange juice and lime juice and blend for 1
minute. Strain the mixture through the fine blade of a food mill, then add
the grenadine, tequila, salt, thyme and onion, and reserve.
Salt and pepper the pork. In a Dutch-oven or heavy baking dish, heat the oil over medium high heat until it is very hot but not quite smoking. Add the
pork and sear it, turning as necessary, until it is golden brown on all
sides, about 4 minutes. Remove the pork to a plate and the pot from the heat and allow it to cool, briefly. Add the chile mixture, stirring well to
incorporate any caramelized pieces of pork and juices from the bottom of the pot. Put the pork back in the pot, fat side up, replace it on the burner and heat until the sauce just begins to bubble lightly, but do not bring it to a complete boil. Place the pot in the preheated oven and bake, uncovered,
until pork reaches an internal temperature of between 145 and 150 degrees, (about 30 minutes per pound for a roast with two loins tied together, or a total of about 1 hour for a single loin) spooning some of the sauce over it every 15 minutes. Remove the pork from the pot, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes, then slice it into servings. While the meat is resting you can reduce the sauce if it is too thin.
Spoon some sauce on each of 4 serving plates, and top with a slice of pork.
Mexican style white rice and sauteed nopalitos or squash go well with this
dish.

Ropa Vieja

3 pounds flank steak
1-1/2 cups water
6 whole garlic, peeled
6 whole black peppercorns
salt to taste
8 poblano peppers, fresh
1/2 cup lard, bacon drippings, or veg.oil
2 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, sliced 1/8" thick
flour tortilla


1. Cut the flank steak in half horizontally so it will fit into a large
Dutch oven. Place it in the pot and cover it with the water. Add the six
whole cloves of garlic, along with the peppercorns and salt as desired.
Place over low heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover and continue
cooking over low heat, turning the meat occasionally, until it is tenderand
well done, about one and a half to two hours.
2. While the meat is stewing roast, peel and seed the peppers and slice each pepper lengthwise into strips an eighth of an inch wide. Set aside.
3. When the meat is tender, remove the Dutch oven from the heat and let the meat cool in its own broth. When it coolds enough to handle, remove it from the broth and place it on a cutting board. Slice the meat across the grain into stips about two inches across. Using your fingers, pull the meat into fine shreds. Return it to the broth.
4. Heat the lard or other fat in a large heavy skillet over medium heat
until it is rippling. Crush the sliced garlic cloves and add to the hot fat.
Saute for one minute, stirring frequently. Add the sliced onions and saute
until it's somewhat soft, about three minutes. Add the reserved pepper
strips to the pan and continue sauteing and stirring for about two minutes.
5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peppers, onion and garlic to the Dutch oven. Cook the meat mixture, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring
frequently until the flavors are blended about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the
meat hot, rolled up in heated flour tortillas.

Sopaipillas

4 Cup Flour
2 Teaspoon Sugar
1/4 Cup Shortening or lard
1 Tablespoon Baking powder
1-1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 Cup Water or more if needed


Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add water
and mix until holds together. Knead 10-15 times until dough forms a smooth ball. Cover and let set for 20 minutes. Divide dough into two parts. Roll dough to 1/8" thickness on lightly floured board. Cut into 3" squares or triangles. Do not allow to dry; cover those waiting to be fried. When ready to fry, turn upside down so that surface on bottom while resting is on top when frying. Fry in 3" hot oil until golden brown, turning once. Add only a few at a time to maintain proper temperature. Drain on paper towels.

Verde Azzor

2 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 Cup White rice
1/4 Cup Onions, chopped
2 Pablano chillies, roasted, peeled, deseeded & chopped
6 Green onions, thinly sliced
1 Garlic clove, minced
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
1 3/4 Cup Vegetable broth
1/3 Cup Cilantro, coarsely chopped


Preheat oven to 375F. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat until hot. Add rice & cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until rice turns opaque. Add the onions, cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in green onions, garlic, salt & cumin; cook & stir for 20 seconds. Stir in broth & bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat & simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the rice is almost tender.
Remove skillet from heat & transfer to greased 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Bake
uncovered for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. Garnish with cilantro
& serve hot.

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