Don't Try This at Home

I have read that one can make tamales using canola oil instead of lard or Crisco, so I bravely tried it. They tasted okay, but didn't have that lovely, rich, mealy texture. I tried this so you will never have to.

Rocky Point Shrimp Cocktail

This was an excellent recipe--I picked it up at the fish counter at Sprouts. I bet it would make perfect tostadas, too.

Tomatillo Time

Here’s a fresh, easy raw tomatillo salsa. It’s from Aida Gabilondo’s Mexican Family Cooking, still my favorite Mexican cookbook.

Green Green Sauce

1 pound tomatillos

2 fresh jalapenos

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 cup cilantro leaves

Salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse. Pulse all ingredients together in food processor or blender, leaving a little chunkiness in the texture if desired. You may add a clove of garlic if you want.

Spinach Enchiladas

I finally figured out a good spinach enchilada recipe. For the filling I used 2 cups cooked fresh spinach, chopped and combined with shredded Monterey jack and cotija cheeses. I briefly fried corn tortillas, filled them, topped them with sauce and more shredded cheese. Then I baked them for about 10 minutes.

I made this sauce from Aida Gabilondo's Mexican Family Cooking.

Tomatillo Cilantro Sauce

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked

1 cup cold water

4 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno, seeds and all

1/2 medium white onion

2 cups cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

First put the tomatillos in a saucepan with water to cover, bring to a boil, and simmer 20 minutes. Drain.

Put tomatillos in a blender with water, garlic, jalapeno, onion, and cilantro. Blend until nearly liquid.

Heat oil in a pan and pour the sauce directly into it. Season with salt and sugar and simmer for five minutes.

New Cookbook

One of the best things about Christmas is getting new cookbooks: I received a check from Bob and with it I bought The Book of Latin American Cooking by the famous Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz.

Much of the book is taken up with Mexican cooking, about which I already know a lot--I was looking for Central and South American stuff. The Mexican things in this book, though, tend to be more exotic, very far away from Tucson-Sonoran and Tex-Mex.

Tonight I cooked a halibut steak which Russell and Brittany sent from Alaska for Christmas. I loved the simplicity and flavor of this dish. Here is the recipe.

Pescado con Cilantro

1 pound fresh fish fillets (snapper, flounder, etc)

Salt, pepper

Juice of 1 fresh lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Canned jalapenos, chopped

Sprinkle fish with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Heat olive oil and saute onions until tender and lightly browned.

Place the fish in a baking dish and cover with the onions. Top with chopped cilantro and jalapenos. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until just cooked through.

Salsa Rapida with Tamales

We went to the Tucson Tamale Festival today and bought two and a half dozen tamales from various booths, all family operations. The best part was the free samples.

The main varieties on offer were green corn (made with fresh corn) and traditional (made with masa, a dough with lime-treated ground corn). They were filled with beef, pork, chicken, or cheese. Sweet tamales were also available.

I always serve Salsa Rapida by Aida Gabilondo with tamales. I thought I had posted it before, but here it is in all its simplicity:

Salsa Rapida

1/2 cup pure red chile powder (no spices)

1 cup boiling water

1/4 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon pressed garlic

Soak the chile powder in the boiling water until for about 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, rest for a few minutes, and serve.

Picado de Repollo

I made this Cabbage Relish from my favorite Gabilondo Mexican Family Cooking to accompany a lunch burrito, and also because I had a half cabbage languishing in my vegetable bin. It is the perfect foil for Mexican food, and is supposed to ripen and keep well in the refrigerator--but I think we'll eat it all before that happens.

Picado de Repollo

1/2 cabbage

2 fresh jalapenos

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper

Grate the cabbage, jalapenos, and garlic in food processor. Toss with the remaining ingredients.

Cinco de Mayo

We gave a nod to Cinco de Mayo yesterday. I made spinach enchiladas, beans, and salad. Of course I cook Mexican food two or three times a week, so the coincidence was not that startling.

I have eaten spinach enchiladas at a couple of restaurants, but never made them at home. Dad picked the rest of the spinach crop for this spring, so the time seemed right. The recipes I found on the web just didn't seem very authentic--in fact, I was suckered in to using nutmeg in my filling, and I should know better! Anyway, I made a filling of browned onions, spinach, and crumbled cotija cheese.

I tried a new method of preparing corn tortillas for enchiladas: brushing them with olive oil and microwaving them--okay, but traditional pan-frying feels more satisfying. Then I made a light cream sauce with a chicken broth base and some chopped canned jalapenos added. I rolled up the enchiladas with the spinach filling, poured the cream sauce over, and topped with some grated mixed cheese. I baked them in the outside oven for 10 or 15 minutes.

Salad consisted of fresh garden greens with lots of avocado slices.

Christmas Tamales

This year I used my regular pork filling recipe, though I see now I forgot to use onion. It's missing that flavor base, for sure.

For the dough, this year I rendered my own lard instead of buying the sketchy shelf-stable hydrogenated stuff. I just put some chopped up fatback in the crockpot for a day on low; that worked pretty well. The lard was a little softer and meltier than other lard I've encountered, but mild and delicious.

With the tamales we had homemade beans and a sort of ad hoc cole slaw made from brussels sprouts, lime juice, yogurt, olive oil, salt, pepper, and toasted cumin seeds. I made a batch of classic red chile sauce to spoon over the tamales.

Tostadas, Etc.

Susan turned me on to these--she said they were much better than laboriously baking or frying tortillas at home for tostadas--and she's right. They are uniformly crisp and just strong enough to support lots of toppings.

This casual tostada meal had beans, shredded pork, cheese, and the various toppings pictured here.

And these are tangerines from our tree. We got about three dozen this year. They are seedy and hard to peel, but very sweet and flavorful.

Impromptu Sonoran Enchiladas

There was a bit of leftover tamale sauce in the fridge, a mediocre, tomato-enhanced batch I made a few weeks ago to go over the last of the 2007 Christmas tamales from the freezer. I used the rest of it to make some Sonoran enchiladas. I added some of Lawson's carrot-habanero salsa (the orange stuff) for heat and brighter flavor.

Sonoran enchiladas are a good thing to know how to make: instead of making a whole bunch of corn tortillas, or dealing with the flabby bland excuses for corn tortillas available in Columbia grocery stores, you just make a few Sonoran corn cakes and you can have homemade enchiladas.

My recipe varies. Sometimes I make them partially out of grits, which I soak first to soften; sometimes they're all cornmeal or masa harina. Here's the basic recipe, adapted from James Peyton:

1 1/2 cups masa harina or cornmeal
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 egg
up to 1 cup water

I don't measure very carefully. These can get too wet easily, so be careful with the water.

Form into 4 cakes. Pan fry over medium-high heat until browned. Set on paper towels. Assemble enchiladas.

This particular batch was part northern New Mexico, part southern Arizona, and part Central America: I topped the Sonoran cakes with chopped white onion, leftover Anasazi beans, a fried egg (all Four Corners/New Mexico traditions) and some white cheddar. Equal parts gringo-style red chile/tomato sauce and Belizean carrot-habanero sauce made this quite the ethnic blend. It was also a pretty good finger in the eye of the idea that there's some monolithic thing called Mexican Food.

Asadero Cheese

I bought some Mexican asadero cheese a few days ago, and it's surprisingly like Velveeta, or Kraft Singles. It's advertised as a "melting" cheese, as in nachos. It's white, melty, and salty. I prefer the crumbly cotija. I used the asadero in quesdaillas for breakfast this morning, and included it in tonight's Mexican macaroni.

With the Mexican macaroni we had green beans and a salad of avocado, tomatoes, fresh jalapenos, and green onion.

Spinach Quesadillas

There is no easier, more comforting meal for me than a quesadilla.

Ever since I learned to make microwaved tortilla-and-cheeses as a kid (open-faced -- just grated cheddar on a white flour tortilla: I would nuke it until the oil separated from the cheese and I could pour and blot it off, then microwave it some more until the degreased cheese became hard and crunchy) this has been a standard meal.

Anyway, this dinner took 5 minutes to make.

The night before, I started a batch of beans in the crockpot, adding the seasonings the next morning before work. They were steamy and soft and delicious by dinnertime.

The quesadillas consisted of:

• whole wheat tortillas
• chopped fresh garden tomatoes, drained in colander
• fresh spinach, lots of it, since it cooks down so much
• slices of queso fresco. I don't grate the cheese, because I hate washing the cheese grater, so I just cut slices and they melt just fine.
• a sprinkling of grated Parmesan. I love cotija, too, but when I don't have it, feta or Parmesan works well.

I usually just heat up a pan on medium, put the tiniest bit of olive oil or butter in the pan, and toast the quesadilla on both sides. I'll put a lid on during the early part to help the cheese melt, but too much of that will make the tortillas too soft.

We ate the quesadillas and the beans with some fresh chiltepin and ordono chiles from the garden. Salsas are nice, but they take time, and this was supposed to be a fast dinner.

Other things I have put in quesadillas:

• scrambled eggs
• leftover pork, chicken, or beef
• chorizo
  
• leftover grilled fish
  
• sauteed shrimp
• black or pinto beans from a can or homemade
  
• any kine cheese
• leftover cooked collard greens
• arugula
• mixed lettuces
  
• avocado
  
• roasted green chiles or red bell peppers
• fresh chopped bell peppers
• a chopped chipotle, preferably mixed with beans or something to distribute the heat
  
• caramelized onions
  
• chives
• cilantro
• watercress
• lime zest
  
• Herdez salsa verde

What have I missed? Anything else I should try?

Cotija

Just a little note about how much we love the Mexican cheese cotija. It's kind of salty like Parmesan, but much fresher--crumbly and wonderful. A big wedge from the neighborhood Mexican grocery store costs $4.

This morning for breakfast we had quesadillas with fresh green chiles and cotija.

Pipián Verde

So I made a pipián, the pre-Columbian dish made from toasted squash seeds, tomatillos, chiles, cilantro, and a few other things ground up and stewed with poultry. James Peyton's recipe called for duck, preferably wild, but I used a chicken.

I didn't know quite what it would taste like -- I'd never eaten one before -- and couldn't quite imagine the flavor, so I didn't tweak the recipes much (Peyton + Gabilondo + internet). Next time I will. It was rich but not as full of chile flavor as I would have liked. And a whole chicken was too much food with all that thick nutty sauce. It was mostly like a dull mole (and indeed, Peyton says pipians are like ancestors of moles -- basically pre-roux sauces thickened by tortillas or nuts).

Toasting the pumpkin seeds was fun; they popped and danced and browned nicely. But even with a whole cup of cilantro and some green chiles, the sauce was a kind of an icky light brown. Next time I'll use a whole bunch of poblanos and tomatillos and fewer pumpkin seeds. A little white wine or vermouth would be good. Maybe more oregano. Lime juice instead of vinegar for brightness. And I think I'll cook the sauce for less time -- use breasts or smaller pieces and only cook the thing for 45 minutes or so once the chicken is browned. I don't think it was improved by the few hours of stewing.

Lawson's growing tomatillos this year, so it shouldn't be long before I try again.

Red Chile Plate

I did try to replicate Santos' Red Chile Plate this week. I used the Gabilondo recipe, modified of course, and it was delicious. Santos' version was a much brighter, lighter red--perhaps they didn't brown the meat after boiling it, and I don't think they made a brown roux for the chile sauce. Anyway, we loved it. I used a piece of top round and the dish was not at all fatty.

We ate it with spelt tortillas, which are quite acceptable. I made spelt bread yesterday, too, and it was like real bread! instead of the cake-like gluten-free bread we've tried.

Red Chile with Beef

3/4 pound top round steak

1/2 cup red chile powder

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup flour

Salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Boil the beef in water to cover (seasoned with salt, pepper, and a few cloves of garlic) for about an hour or until tender. Drain and reserve the broth. Cut the meat into small cubes.

Mix the red chile powder with about 1/2 cup hot water and set aside.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet and brown the beef cubes. Remove the meat to a plate.

Add the flour to the fat in the pan and stir until the roux is golden brown. Add the chile paste and continue to cook, then add about 1 cup or more of the reserved broth. Add salt and oregano and simmer about 10 minutes. Add the meat to the sauce, heat, and serve.

Rock Fish Veracruz

On my first attempt I thought I was taking a photo of this dish, but it turned out to be a little movie because I had set the camera dial to the wrong place. Since I kept moving the camera, it looked like the fish was dancing. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to embed my little movie in the blog. I'm sure it would become a hit on YouTube.

This is a fish Veracruz recipe I've used for years, compiled from Sunset magazine and other sources. This time I replaced most of the tomatoes with fresh tomatillos, and it was spectacular. Dad bought the fresh rockfish at the 17th Street Market and fresh roasted green chiles at Food City.

Fish Veracruz

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Heat oil in large skillet and sauté onion and garlic until tender.

1 can diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes or tomatillos)
4 green chiles, chopped
10 stuffed green olives
1 tablespoon capers
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon salt

Add the next 10 ingredients and simmer for 5 or 10 minutes. Keep warm while preparing fish.

1 pound fish fillets (snapper, rockfish, grouper)
Flour, salt, pepper, olive oil

Cut fish in serving pieces. Dredge lightly in seasoned flour. Sauté in hot olive oil 3-4 minutes per side, or until just cooked through. Serve topped with sauce.

Pescado Borracho

I made this "drunken fish" dish with previously frozen orange roughy. I like the recipe as an alternative to the popular Veracruz style I often cook. This can be pretty fiery, so I don't make it with the most delicate or expensive fish.

Pescado Borracho

6 dried red chiles

Remove stems and seeds from chiles and soak in hot water to cover for one hour. Puree in blender until smooth, using some of the soaking liquid. (Or use ground red chile soaked in hot water to make a paste).

1 pound red snapper, cut in serving pieces
Flour, salt, and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Dust fish with flour, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet and brown fish lightly on both sides. Place fish in an ovenproof casserole and set aside.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley sprigs, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Add olive oil to same skillet and sauté onion and garlic. Add chile puree, parsley, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, for five minutes.

1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives
2 tablespoons capers
1 cup red wine

Add olives, capers, and wine and mix well. Pour over fish in casserole. Cover and bake at 400º for 20 minutes, or until fish is done.

I modified this recipe from The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking by Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz.

What Happened to this Turkey?

It's easy to be daunted by a recipe that begins: "Disjoint a 12-pound turkey and brown the pieces in lard." All you need to disjoint a turkey is a big old sharp knife and maybe some poultry shears, but let's be honest--the process is gross no matter how you slice it.

I made the browning easier by doing it in a 450 degree oven, then poured on some water and finished poaching the turkey by covering it with foil and continuing to bake at 300 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours. It's aromatic and delicious.

It's cooling now. Next I'll take the meat off the bones, then make broth with the carcass. Tomorrow this deconstructed turkey will become Turkey Mole for Christmas dinner.

Posole

As far as I can tell, the only essential ingredient in the wonderful Mexican stew posole (also spelled pozole) is hominy. After that it varies wildly. It is so flexible, nutritious, comforting, and delicious. It's also a great food for entertaining because you can make up a whole tray of pretty garnishes for guests to add according to their tastes. Some typical garnishes are crumbled Mexican or grated Monterey Jack cheese; sliced radishes or green onions; cilantro; pickled jalapeno slices; olives; lime slices; and cubes of avocado.

Pictured above are some freshly roasted Anaheim chiles. Dad peeled them.

Here is a traditional pork version of posole, as well as a vegetarian one.

Pork Posole

Olive oil
1 or 2 pounds boneless pork, cubed
2 onions, sliced
4 or more cloves of garlic

Heat the oil in a large pan and brown first the pork, then the onions and garlic. (Most Mexican recipes do not brown the pork--it is just boiled. But I prefer the added flavor that comes from browning. You can skip it if you want.) Cover the meat with water and simmer, covered, until very tender. I often do this step in the crockpot.

Add:
1 large can tomatoes, or 1 pound fresh tomatillos
2 large cans hominy, yellow or white, drained
Salt
1-2 teaspoons oregano
Fresh or canned green chiles to taste

Last night I used 8 large, fresh Anaheims, and it was pretty spicy.

Simmer everything together for about an hour. Serve in bowls with optional garnishes.


Vegetarian Posole with Roasted Vegetables

3 to 6 dried red chiles (or 1/4 cup or more pure chile powder)
2 cloves garlic

Soak chiles in 1 quart hot water for ½ hour, then drain, reserving soaking water. Puree chiles with garlic and ½ cup of the reserved water.

1 large onion
2 tablespoons olive oil

Saute onion in oil until very golden. Add chile puree and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

1 or 2 large cans hominy, drained
Vegetable broth (you can make this more or less soupy to taste)
1 can tomatoes
2 teaspoons oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Add these ingredients to puree and simmer about ½ hour.

1 large onion
1 green pepper
2 large carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil

Meanwhile, chop these vegetables, toss with olive oil, and roast at 450 degrees until charred and tasty, about ½ hour. Add them to the posole and simmer until everything is cooked and flavorful. Serve in bowls with optional garnishes.