Mexico: Food, Drinks & More!!

Pumpkin Seed Salsa Ingredients:

• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs Serrano chile pepper, finely chopped
• 1 Teaspoon  Habanero chile pepper, finely chopped
• 2 Teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 Cups raw green pumpkin seeds, hulled
• 1/2 Cup vegetable oil
• 2 Cups cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 Cups water
• Salt to taste

Tomato Salsa Ingredients:

• 2 Serrano chile peppers, finely chopped
• 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 Cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 Garlic clove, minced
• 3 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Flauta Ingredients:

• 16 Corn tortillas
• 1 Chayote squash, pitted and cut into wedges
• 2 Red bell peppers
• 1 Large onion
• 4 Small or 1 large zucchini
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil
• 3/4 Cup queso fresco (Ricotta cheese as a substitute)

Pumpkin Seed Salsa Directions:

Sauté garlic, serrano, habanero, cumin, and pumpkin seeds in the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until seeds start to pop, about 5 minutes.

Transfer 1/3 cup of the pumpkin seeds to a small bowl and set aside. Cool the remaining seeds and oil and combine with the cilantro, water, salt to taste in a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Tomato Salsa Directions:

Combine serrano, tomatoes, onion, garlic, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Flauta Directions:

Warm tortillas by wrapping them in foil and heating them in a 325-degree-Fahrenheit pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes. (They can also be heated in the microwave as a quick option.)

If grilling the chayote, bell pepper, onion and zucchini, cut them into large wedges. If sautéing the vegetables, cut them into large strips. In either case, cook them until tender with a bit of oil and season them with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Cut the grilled vegetables into strips once tender.

Spread 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seed salsa on each warm tortilla.

Add some of the vegetables, and roll it up.

Heat about 1/2 cup oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat until hot. Fry flautas seam side down, turning once, and cook until golden and heated through.

Transfer flautas to plates, topping them with pumpkin-seed salsa and a sprinkling of reserved seeds and cheese. Garnish with the tomato salsa.

Posted by Lindsay

Machaca Recipe (CC photo by Cook Sister!)

Marinade Ingredients:

• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T. chipotle chilli (in Adobo), finely chopped
• 2 Limes, freshly squeezed
• 1/4 Cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Freshly ground Black Pepper

Machaca Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs Boneless beef chuck roast
• 1 Large onion, diced
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 1 Poblano chile pepper, finely chopped
• 1 T. Ground cumin
• 1 T. Oregano
• 2 Tsp. Dry mustard
• 1 Can Diced tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/2 Cup Beef Broth
• 2 Chipotle chile peppers (in Adobo), finely chopped
• 2 Tsp. Adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil, about 1/4 cup

Marinade Directions:

Combine the ingredients for the marinade.

Cut the beef into 1/4 pound pieces and place in a Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the beef, making sure all sides are coated. Refrigerate overnight.

Before preparing, drain the meat and allow it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.

Machaca Directions:

Add vegetable oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, sear the pieces of meat on all sides, browning them in batches if necessary. Remove beef and set aside.

If necessary, add a little oil to the pot. Add onion, garlic, poblano chile, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard. Cook until the onions and poblano chile are tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, beef broth, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, pepper, and salt. Add the browned beef to the liquid and bring to boil. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula to remove the browned bits.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours, checking occasionally to see if you need to add any additional beef broth. The meat should be at the point where it will fall apart easily. Remove the meat and shred it.

Return the shredded beef to the liquid and simmer until the liquid is reduced and the meat is almost dry. Season with additional salt, pepper and/or adobo sauce as desired.

Serve the machaca taco style, or add some to scrambled eggs and serve with warm corn tortillas and salsa.

Posted by Lindsay

Ingredients:

• 12 Small prawns, peeled and de-veined (cocktail shrimp may also be used), optional
• 12 Jalapeño Chile Peppers
• 12-24 Bacon Strips (depending on size of Jalapeños)
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 3 T. Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Cup Bread Crumbs
• Vegetable Oil, For deep-frying

Directions:

If using prawns, cook them in boiling water until they turn pink, about 1-2 minutes. Remove them from water and set aside.

Place Jalapeños on a baking sheet under the broiler, turning occasionally until skins blisters and is lightly browned on all sides. Remove and place peppers in a sealed Ziploc bag.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic, and cilantro.

Beat eggs in a small bowl and set aside.

Place bread crumbs in another small bowl.

Remove Jalapeños from Ziploc bag and remove skins, Slice stem and cap off Jalapeños, removing seeds carefully.

Cook bacon strips in a large frying pan until just cooked through. Set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.

Stuff each pepper with cream cheese mixture and a cooked prawn.

Wrap each pepper with one to two strips of bacon.

Pour vegetable oil into a heavy saucepan and set over medium-high heat.

Roll peppers in the eggs, then coat with bread crumbs.

Deep-fry peppers in batches until golden brown on all sides, about 3-5 minutes. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Serve immediately. Enjoy them plain or with your favorite dipping sauce.

Posted by Lindsay

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Peeled & Deveined Medium Shrimp
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 Habanero Chile Pepper, quartered
• 3 Cloves Garlic, halved
• 2 Teaspoons Lemon Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 3 Tablespoons Red Onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 Cup Celery, sliced
• 1 Cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 Cup Cilantro, Chopped
• 4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 Avocados, chopped
• 1 Chipotle chile (canned in adobo sauce), finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Adobo Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Lime Juice, freshly aqueezed
• Salt to Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Combine the bay leaf, habanero chile, 3 halved cloves of garlic, lemon pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt in boiling water. Add the shrimp and cook until they just turn pink. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Don’t remove the shrimp from the water since they ‘ll absorb the seasoning in the water as they cool. Chill in the refrigerator about half an hour. The longer the shrimp in the water, the spicier they’ll get.

Combine the remaining ingredients, stirring in the drained shrimp at the end. Serve with  crackers or bread, telera or baguette).

Posted by Lindsay

Caldo de Res (Beef Soup) by Computopia Flickr

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Kg Beef Shank with bones, meat cut off the bones into stew-size pieces
• Salt to Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
• 1 Onion coarsely chopped
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Large Tomato, chopped, or 1- 14.5 oz Can diced tomatos
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin
• 3 Cups Beef stock
• 4 Cup Water
• 3 Potatoes, coarsely chopped
• 3 Carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 Cup Green Beans, halved
• 2 Chayote, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 Ears Corn, shucked and cut into thirds, or about 1 cup canned corn
• 1 Cup Cilantro, Chopped
• 2 Zucchinis, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 Head Cabbage, Chopped
• 3 Limes, quartered
• 4 Radishes, quartered
• 1-2 Habanero, Jalapeño, or Serrano Chile Peppers, minced, optional

Directions:

Set a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, meat, bones, and salt and pepper to taste.

When the meat is browned, add the onion, garlic, tomato, and cumin and cook about 5 minutes until tender.

Add the beef stock and enough water to cover the meat and bones by about 2 inches. Reduce heat to low, Cover, and simmer about 1 hour, or  until meat is tender.

Add any remaining water, the potatoes, carrots, green beans, chayote, corn, and about 1/4 cup cilantro. Simmer until vegetables are tender.

Add the zucchini and cabbage and simmer another 10 minutes or until tender.

Serve soup hot, garnishing with freshly squeezed lime juice, radishes, and peppers to taste.

Posted by Lindsay

Makes about 16 meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:

• 4 Hard-boiled Eggs
• 1 lb. Lean ground beef
• 2 Egss, beaten
• 1/2 Medium white onion, finely chopped
• 1 Garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin, or to taste
• 1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 Tablespoon crushed dried parsley or finely chopped fresh parsley
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 Cup flour
• 1/4 Cup bread crumbs
• Olive oil, for frying

Sauce Ingredients:

• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 Medium white onion, quartered
• 1 Garlic clove
• 2 Habanero chile peppers
• 350g Tomato puree
• 1 Cup chicken broth or buillon
• 8 Mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon crushed dried parsley or finely chopped fresh parsley
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Meatball Directions:

Hard-boil the 4 egss ahead of time and cool. Peel off shells and cut eggs in half.  Mixing by hand, combine the ground beef, 2 beaten eggs, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, cumin, cayenne, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste

Mix the flour and 1/4 cup bread crumbs together and set aside.

Completely cover each half of a hard-boiled egg with some of the meatball mixture, making 8 large meatballs. there should be enough meatball mixture remaining to make 8 regular medium-sized meatballs.

Roll each meatball in the flour and bread crumb mixture until thoroughly covered.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in two batches until cooked through and browned. Remove the meatballs from the skillet.

Sauce Directions:

In a blender, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles, and tomato puree and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce into a medium heavy-bottomed pot set over medium high heat.

Add the chicken broth/buillon and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Add the mushrooms, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until mushrooms are tender.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes.

Serve hot with red rice, beans, and warm corn tortillas.

Posted by Lindsay

Mango HabaneroSauce Ingredients:

• 5 Cebu Mangoes (these yellow mangoes from the phillipines are the best!)
• 1-2 Habanero chile peppers, or to taste (depending on how spicy you want it)
• A 2-inch piece of ginger, minced
• 1/2 Cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Mango Habanero Sauce Directions:

Roast the habanero(s) over a flame or in a skillet set over medium heat until the skin blisters and blackens a bit and the chile softens. Remove from heat.

The best way to cut up a mango is to cut it vertically in almost the middle of the mango, just passing the blade of the knife by the large, flat pit. Do the same on the other side of the mango. Then gently slice the mango halves like you would an avocado, being careful not tu cut all the way through the skin. Use a spoon to scoop out the fruit into a blender. Peel the remaining piece of mango containing the pit and cut off as much fruit from the pit as you can and place the fruit in the blender. Repeat with the remaining mangoes.

Add the habanero(s), ginger, and lime juice to the blender. Combine the ingredients until smooth.

Pour into a medium saucepan, cover, and set over medium-low heat. Allow to simmer, but be carefull because mango spatters! Keep the sauce warm while you prepare the coconut prawns.

Note: This is enough sauce to serve with 24 coconut prawns. If I’m just making 12 prawns, I like to make the same amount of sauce and use the remaining sauce to marinate and roast a pork tenderloin another day.

Coconut Prawn Ingredients:

• 12 Prawns
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
• 3 Teaspoon milk
• 1 Cup flour
• 100 grams shredded coconut
• Vegetable or olive oil for frying

Coconut Prawn Directions:

Shell, de-vein, and butterfly prawns, leaving tail intact.

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Beat eggs and milk together in a bowl and set aside. Place coconut in another bowl.

Holding each prawn by the tail, dip it in the flour mixture and shake off any excess.

Next, dip it in the egg mixture. Finally, press it into the coconut, coating thoroughly.

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil so it’s sufficiently deep to fry the prawns. When the oil is hot, add half the prawns. Fry until golden on both sides, between 1-3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them. Transfer them to a paper-towel lined plate and repeat the process with the remaining prawns.

Serve hot with mango lime habanero sauce.

Posted by Lindsay

Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

• 5 Roma tomatoes or 3 Medium tomatoes
• 1 Small onion, halved and wedged
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 Habanero, manzano or serrano chile, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Tomato Sauce Directions:

Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chile in a blender until smooth. Add the chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper, and blend a few more seconds. Pour, and blend a few more seconds. Pour sauce into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat about 10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm while preparing the chiles.

Chiles Rellenos Ingredients:

• 4 Poblano chile peppers
• 200 grams Panela Cheese (or any soft white cheese, like Mozarella)
• Toothpicks or string
• 4 Eggs
• Salt
• 1 Cup flour
• Vegetable oil

Chiles Rellenos Directions:

To remove the skin from the chile, roast it over a burner flame or in a skillet. Roast until the skin bubbles and turns black over the entire chile. Place the chile in a plastic bag and wrap tightly. Repeat the procedure with remaining chiles. After 20-30 minutes, remove each chile and scrape softly with a butter knife to facilitate removing the skin. Rinse chiles to remove any bits of skin as necessary.

Vertically slice each chile near the top by the steem. Cut just above the seeds inside the chile and gently pull the seeds to remove them as well as the veins. This will make the chiles less spicy. Fill chiles with thick strips of cheese, but don’t overstuff them, you should be able to seal the chiles easy with a couple of toothpicks per chile or with string.

Separate the egg white from the eggs yolks. Beat whites until stiff peaks form. Add a couple pinches of salt and continue beating another minute. Add two eggs yolks and beat until combined. Add the remaining two yolks and beat well.

Heat about 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat until hot.

Thoroughly coat a stuffed chile with flour, shaking off any excess. Holding the chile from the stem, dip it in the egg coating until completely covered, letting any excess drain off.

Place the chile in the hot oil. Repeat steps with another chile. Using a spoon, drizzle some of the hot oil from the pan over the top of each chile to set the egg coating.

After a few minutes when the egg coating turns golden brown underneath, gently flip the chiles to cook the coating on another side. Repeat until the egg coating is golden brown on all sides. Remove the chiles from the skillet and drain on a pepper on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat the entire process with the remaining two chiles.

Serve hot with the tomato sauce. Add rice and beans to complete the meal.

Posted by Lindsay

Ingredients:

• 2 Egss
• 1 Clove Garlic Minced
• Salt to Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste
• Cayenne Pepper to Taste
• 1 1/2 lbs. Pounded chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 Cups bread crumbs
• 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• Vegetable oil

Directions:

Beat the egss and add the garlic. Add the salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Cut the pounded chicken breasts into halves or thirds and coat thoroughly with the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or even overnight.

Add the parmesancheese to the bread crumbs. Add salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste  and mix well. Spread the mixture on a plate. take a piece of chicken , removing excess egg, and thoroughly coat it with the bread crumbs.

Heat about 4 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the coated chicken in the hot oil. Coat another chicken piece with bread crumbs and add it to the pan. Once golden on the one side, after about 4-5 minutes, flip the chicken over and cook another 4 minutes or until done. Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat procedure with the remaining chicken, adding more oil to the skillet as necessary.

Serve the chicken milanesa hot with salsa and rice, beans, elote con rajas, or any number of side dishes.

Posted by Lindsay

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Green onions, finely chopped
• 3 Potatoes, chopped
• 4-5 Longaniza sausages, casings removed
• Sour cream, optional
• Cotija cheese, optional

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add garlic and the white part of the green onions and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the potatoes. Cover and cook until tender.

Crumble the longaniza and add to the potatoes. Add the green part of the onion. Cook until tender done, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with warm tortillas and salsa. Add sour cream and a little grated cotija cheese if desired.

Posted by Lindsay