Ingredients:

• 1 Kilo Pork Loin
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin
• 2 Tablespoons Oregano
• 1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 Tablespoons Chili-Lime Powder, or Chili Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Chicken Bouillon Powder
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• Salt to Taste
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Large Onion
• 2 Habanero Chile Peppers, Minced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Cups Orange Juice
• Freshly Squeezed Juice of 1 Lime
• 2 Cups Milk
• 1/2 Cup Butter, or Lard
• 1/2-1 Cup Water

Directions:

Lay the pork loin fat-side down. Cut it through to the fat in about 1-2″ wide strips. Be careful not to cut all the way through the fat! The “strips” must still be attached by the fat.

Mix the cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, chili-lime powder, chicken bouillon, black pepper, salt in a small bowl. Coat the pork loin with spice mixture, including the fat side and down into all the cuts.

Put the pork loin fat-side down in a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Pour the vegetable oil into the pot around the pork loin. Cut the ends off the onion, peel off its skin, cut the onion in half. Then cut it into wedges. Arrange the onion wedges in the pot around the pork loin. Add the habanero peppers, garlic, and bay leaf to the pot.

Pour the orange juice into the pot surrounding the pork loin, being careful not to wash the spices off it. Add the lime juice and milk, again trying not to wash the spices off the pork loin. Cut the butter into smaller slices and add to the broth.

Add enough water to just cover the pork loin, about 1/2 to 1 cup.

Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for about 3 hours. Remove the pork loin from the pot. It should be falling apart at this point.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a large fork, press the meat apart into smaller bite-size pieces. This will be very easy to do as the meat should be very tender and easily fall apart.

Put the pulled pork (carnitas) into an oven dish and add the onions. Spoon some of the broth from the pot over the meat. Toss the meat to cover it thoroughly with the broth. Discard the remaining broth in the pot, or freeze it to serve as a base for another dish.

Bake the carnitas for about 15 minutes until the broth cooks off and the tips of the meat are a bit crispy. If there´s still broth in the dish, remove it from the oven, toss the meat in the juice again, put it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes or so, and then remove.

Enjoy the carnitas with warmed corn tortillas, beans, and pico de gallo.

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

Ingredients:

• 1 Large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, finely diced
• 2 Lbs. Boneless chicken breasts or chuck roast
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 Large onions, sliced into rings
• 3-4 Chipotle chiles (canned in adobo sauce), or to taste
• 2 Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 T. Chicken bouillon powder
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• Tostadas or large flour or corn tortillas
• Sour cream
• Iceberg lettuce, shredded
• Parmesan cheese
• Avocado salsa (optional)

Directions:

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add half of the large coarsely chopped onion and the two finely diced garlic cloves. If using chuck roast, add the meat and reduce heat to low. Simmer for several hours until tender. Remove the meat, allow it to cool, then shred. If using chicken, add the meat to the boiling water and reduce heat to low. Simmer until just cooked through. Remove the chicken, allow it to cool, then shred.

In a heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat, add oil and saute the sliced onions until softened but not brown.

In a blender, combine the chipotle chiles to taste, the adobo sauce from the can, the tomatoes, the remaining half of the chopped onion, the two garlic cloves, chicken bouillon powder, and salt. Puree until smooth.

Add the puree to the sauteed onions in the pot and simmer 5 minutes.

Add the shredded meat. Stir and cook until heated through, another 5 minutes or so.

If making tostadas, add some tinga mixture, and top with some lettuce, sour cream, and parmesan cheese.

If making quesadillas, add a flour or corn tortilla to a large pan set over medium heat. Flip when hot and add some tinga mixture to half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half. Flip after a minute or so. When hot, remove from pan and add sour cream, parmesan, and avocado salsa.

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

Ingredients:

• 1 Chicken, cut into pieces
• 1/2 Cup Flour
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• Salt to Taste
• 8 Bacon Strips
• 3-4 Tablespoons Corn Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Onion, Finely Chopped
• 1 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger, Minced
• 6 Cups Freshly Squeezed Orange Lime
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Clove
• 2 Tablespoons Chicken Bouillon Powder
• 1 1/2 Cups Canned Pineapple Chunks, with juice
• 2-3 White Potatoes, Cubed, optional

Directions:

Combine flour, pepper and salt. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour mixture. Shake off excess and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat, cook the bacon strips. Remove and cool. Cut the strips into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

If necessary, add oil to the pot. Add the chicken pieces, cooking until golden on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Saute the garlic, onion and ginger in the pot until tender.

Add the orange juice, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, clove, bouillon, pineapple chunks, and bacon pieces. While bringing the mixture to a boil, stir frequently and be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot.

Reduce heat to low and add browned chicken pieces and potatoes.

Cover and simmer about 30-40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

Pork Ribs by Amy Hernandez

Ingredients:

• 2 Lbs baby back ribs, 2-3 inch pieces
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1 Tsp oil
• 1 1/2 Lbs fresh tomatillos, outer husks removed and rinsed
• 2-3 Jalapeño chiles
• 1/2 Small onion
• 2 Large fresh guero chiles
• 2 Large garlic cloves minced
• 3/4 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves
• 1 Tsp salt or to taste
• 1 Cup of water

Directions:

Rinse the meat and pat dry. In a large skillet with a lid set over medium-high heat. Season meat with 1 tsp of salt and place in skillet to brown (this may need to be done in two small batches) Be careful not to burn the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet as these will give a great flavor to the salsa. Once done, remove meat from skillet and remove skillet from heat until salsa is ready.

Place now the tomatillos, onions, jalapeños, and guero chiles on a dry pan or comal at medium high heat. Roast thoroughly, turning occasionally. Place garlic, cilantro and salt into blender bowl and then add in additional items (except for the guero chiles) as they finish roasting. Chiles and onion will be soft when they are ready, and the tomatillos will turn from bright green to a more yellow hue. Peel guero chiles and set them aside until the final step.

Blend the salsa well. Return the skillet to a medium high heat and pour in the salsa. Stir gently to release the brown bits on the bottom. Add browned ribs and 1 cup of water to salsa and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook covered until ribs are tender, about 40 minutes. Check occasionally to see if more water is needed.

When the meat is tender, add the guero chiles and check for salt. Be very careful not to make final check for salt until the meat is tender and the salsa is at the consistency you desire. Otherwise the end result can be too salty if additional reduction of salsa occurs. Serve with beans or rice with warm corn tortillas. Serves 4-6.

Recipe 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.

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

]]> http://mexicofoodandmore.com/meat/beef/machaca-recipe.html/feed 0 http://mexicofoodandmore.com/meat/beef/caldo-de-res-beef-soup.html http://mexicofoodandmore.com/meat/beef/caldo-de-res-beef-soup.html#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:17:42 +0000 admin http://mexicofoodandmore.com/?p=937

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.

Recipe 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.

Recipe 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.

Recipe 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.

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

Cochinita Pibil (CC photo by ecollins93 courtesy of Flickr)

Cochinita pibil, a slow-roasted pork dish, originates in the southern Mexico, specifically the Yucatan Peninsula, comprising the states of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo. Traditional Yucatan food as we know it today arises from the fusion of early European influences with native Mayan food and preparation techniques. For example, cochinita pibil resulted from the succulent combination of Spanish pork with pre-Hispanic Spices and cooking methods.

Traditionally, this dish involves marinating cochinita, which is literally baby pig (pork shoulder, loin, or Boston butt roast can be used instead), in the juice of Seville or bitter oranges, coloring it with achiote (annatto seed), wrapping it in a banana leaf, and then slowly roasting it over hot stones underground. Such preparation is thus well-summarized by the descriptive Mayan name “cochinita pibil” which basically means “baby pig roasted under the ground”. The tender, flavorful pork results both from marinating it for at least 8 hours in highly acidic juice and slowly cooking it for hours. Since bitter oranges aren’t always available, you can combine lemon or lime juice with orange juice to achieve the same results. The achiote gives cochinita pibil it’s characteristic color and is best if added in paste form, which is made from grinding the achiote (or annatto) seeds along with other spices.

A firey, pickled onion-habanero salsa is the vital condiment that must be served with cochinita pibil, whether enjoyed in tacos or tortas (sandwiches).

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• 1 1/2 Cups Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
• 90 grams Achiote Condimentado Paste
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• Salt to Taste
• Pepper to Taste
• 2-3 Tablespoons Chicken Bouillon Powder, optional
• 3 lbs. Pork Shoulder or Loin

Wrap Ingredients:

• 2-4 Large Banana Leaves
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil or Melted Lard

Salsa Ingredients:

• 6 Habanero Chiles
• 2 Cups Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• Salt to Taste

Marinade Directions:

Dilute the achiote paste in the lime and orange juice. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as chicken bouillon if desired. Cut the pork into stew-sized pieces. Marinate the pork in the achiote-juice mixture in a covered dish in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Marinating is essential to succes, so this step cannot be skipped.

Salsa Directions:

Toast the habanero chiles in a skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool. Finely chop the chiles, and add the onion, lime and orange juice. Add salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving with the cochinita pibil.

Wrap and Roasting Directions:

Pre heat oven to 325 degress Farenheit.

To prepare the banana leaves, hold them over a gas burner or put them in a skillet over medium heat. Heat them until they can change color a bit and soften. This prevents them from tearing when you wrap the pork in them. Be careful not to overtoast them or they’ll become brittle.

In a rectangular pan, lay a banana leaf lenghtwise and another along its width. Place the marinated pork, pouring all the marinade on top of it, on the leaves and pour the vegetable oil or melted lard over the pork. Fold the banana leaves over the pork and flip the wrapped pork seam-side down in the pan. Make sure the leaves are moist so they won’t burn. Cover with foil. (Some people just choose to cover the pork with foil without the banana leaves because they think they are just for show. However, the leaves do add their own unique, subtle flavor to the pork, so don’t skip this step either).

Bake for 2 hours. Remove from oven and carefully remove foil. The pork should be very tender and fall apart easily when pulled with a fork. If not, return to the oven and cook until tender. Shred pork with 2 forks when done.

Serve the cochinita pibil with warm corn tortillas and eat taco style. If prefered, serve it sandwich-style on warm bread. In either case, don’t forget the pickled onion-habanero salsa!

Posted by Lindsay