Chilaquiles Reales

Chilaquiles, that staple of a quick Mexican breakfast have been popping up in all kinds of strange places using (horror of horrors) bagged tortilla chips as a base. In order to make this wonderful dish consider taking day old corn tortillas and tear them into bite size pieces and lightly toast them in a skillet. This can serve as the flavorful and more authentic base for a great dish.

Ingredients

1. One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained with 1/2 cup liquid reserved
2. 2 chipotles in adobo (in a can)
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4. 1 large sliced  onion
5. 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 
6. 6 tortillas torn into strips
7. 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
8. 1/4 cup  queso añejo shredded or Parmesan cheese
9. 1/3 cup sour cream
10. Cilantro as a garnish

1. In a blender, combine the tomatoes with their reserved 1/2 cup of liquid. Open can of  chipotles and remove two with their adobo (sauce); In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add two-thirds of the onion and cook over moderately high heat until browned. Add  tomato puree and simmer  until thickened.  Add chicken stock and boil until slightly thickened. Season with salt and remove from the heat.  Add the tortilla strips into the sauce. Add remaining onion, the shredded chicken and cheese. Use sour cream as a garnish along with the cilantro.

Blue Corn "Cornbread"

Blue Corn products are  showing up more and more on the shelves of local markets, mostly in the form of corn chips.  Blue Corn Meal is more widely available and can be used for pancakes, muffins or as below as a delicious cornbread. Consider the addition of one can of diced green chiles as an addition.

• 1 cup blue cornmeal (available at Whole Foods)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
•  2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup  sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
2. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. 
3. Stir the eggs and milk into the cornmeal mixture. Place the butter in the prepared baking dish, and melt in the preheated oven. Mix hot, melted butter into the cornmeal mixture. Transfer cornmeal mixture to the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake on center rack in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges of the cornbread pull away from the sides of the dish, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool before cutting.

Sopes: Delicious bundles of masa

Sopes


This recipe is shamelessly adapted from one of the world's great experts on Mexican Cooking,  Diana Kennedy From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients, Clarkson Potter.
Sopes, (pronounced like "so pays"  are "antojitos" or a small appetizer  served throughout Mexico before the main meal. In sopes the masa has the edge pinched up to form a slight ridge which is filled with a sauce and toppings of your choice.  The most simiple sope may be topped with good quality refried beans or perhaps with shredded meat, a homemade tomato sauce  and some crumbled cheese, chopped onion, and either shredded cabbage or lettuce. Kennedy's recipe below is meticulous and should make about 12 sopes.

12 sopes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups masa harina (dried Maseca flour)
1 cup warm water
Oil  for reheating
1/2 cup Frijoles Refritos (refried beans) recipe follows
1 1/2 cups Chorizo y Papa (Chorizo sausage with Potato), recipe follows
1/2 cup Salsa de Jitomate (Homemade Tomato sauce), recipe follows
1 cup finely shredded lettuce or cabbage
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1/3 cup finely grated anejo cheese (aged cheese like shaved Parmesan ) or the real thing if you can get it from a Mexican market.

Directions

Put the masa harina  in a bowl and add the warm water, reserving about 1/4 cup of water until you see how much the flour will absorb. Work well with your hands until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a cool spot for about 1 hour. After resting, divide into 12 equal parts. Roll each into a ball about 1 1/4 inches in diameter and cover with a damp cloth while you work. Warm an ungreased comal or preferably an iron skillet over medium heat.

Take 1 of the balls and press out gently in a lined tortilla press or by hand to a disk about 3 1/2 inches; it must be thicker than a tortilla, about 1/4-inch. Place carefully on the comal and cook over medium to low heat until the underside is opaque and speckled with brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the sope over and cook on the second side for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the comal and immediately (although you may burn your fingers a little) pinch up the dough around the outside of the disk of the sope and cook until the dough is firm and cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Continue making the rest of the sopes.

Heat a very small amount of the lard or oil in a skillet and let the sopes heat through for about 1/2 minute on each side. Spread with the refried beans and other ingredients. Serve immediately.

Refried Beans: Frijoles Refritos:

About 1/3 cup oil or lard melted

1 TB finely chopped onion

3 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans in their broth

Heat the lard in a heavy 10-inch skillet, add the onion and fry over medium heat without browning, until translucent, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the beans and their broth and continue cooking over fairly high heat, mashing them down to a paste texture, about 10 minutes. Makes 3 cups

Chorizo and Potato Filling: Chorizo y Papa:

Approximately 1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil

1 Mexican chorizo, about 3 ounces (found in Mexican stores)

6 ounces  potatoes, diced and cooked al dente,  about  1  cup

1 chipotle en adobo, chopped. This means taking a can of Chipotle chiles which are widely available now in larger markets and removing one from the can with its adobo, or special sauce still clinging to it and chopping it. Reserve the other chiles in glass or non metal container for future use.

Sea salt
In a small skillet. Skin and crumble the chorizo into the pan, and cook over low heat until the fat has been rendered out. (I like to dab the top of the drained chorizo with a clean paper towel to try to thoroughly remove as much oil as possible. Then add the potatoes and chile, if using, and continue cooking over medium heat  about 8 minutes. Season with salt. Set aside to cool a little before using.

Yield: 1 cup

Salsa de Jitomate (Homemade Tomato Sauce):

2 garlic cloves

4 serrano chiles, asado (roasted)  and roughly chopped
Sea salt

1 pound tomatoes, which are roasted (see below)

About 1/3 cup finely chopped white onion

About 1/3 roughly chopped cilantro leaves

Crush garlic, chiles and salt into a paste. Gradually add the tomatoes (unpeeled), grinding well after each addition. The sauce should be textured and the skin will never all completely disappear.

Sprinkle the top with the onion and cilantro and serve.

Yield: 2 cups

Chiles Asado:

Place the whole chilies on an ungreased griddle over medium heat and turn them from time to time until the flesh is fairly soft; there will be brownish patches on the skin and the color will have faded somewhat. Then, if they are to be ground with other ingredients, chop roughly before blending. Note well: they are to be neither peeled nor seeded.

Tomatoes Asados:

Whole tomatoes are cooked on a ungreased comal or griddle until they are slightly charred and mushy to guarantee a specially delicious table or cooked sauce. Kennedy leaves the skins on which she says make for better flavor. (By the way, wait to make this when the real vine ripe tomatoes are in season.)  While the appearance of the sauce may not be as attractive, the flavor and texture are incomparable. This method of cooking tomatoes is particularly recommended for freezing and storing for the months when tomatoes are not at their best.  Or you want to broil them in a more practical way. Choose a shallow pan in which the tomatoes will just fit in 1 layer, not too large or the juice that is exuded will dry up.  Place the pan about 2 inches below a heated broiler and broil until the top halves of the tomatoes are soft and the skin is blistered and slightly browned. Turn the tomatoes over and repeat on the other side. The exuded juice will be sweet and syrupy so save it to blend with the tomatoes.

Atole: Mexican Comfort Food

Atole is a warm drink made from masa that is consumed all over Mexico. It is drunk throughout the year but is especially popular around Christmas time when it is traditionally served with tamales and always factors into celebrations during The Day of the Dead. The name comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word atolli. Although  sometimes it's made with cornstarch (Maizena) the the more traditional drink calls for the same masa that is used for tamales and tortillas. The version that flavors the mixture with chocolate is called Champurrado. Other versions use pureed fruit such as strawberries or chunks of fresh pineapple.

Ingredients
Take 1/2 cup fresh masa (nixtamal from the Mexican store) or 1/2 cup masa harina such as Maseca. This should be mixed with  1/4 cup of hot water. Blend together and place in a large saucepan. Add  5 cups water or milk, your preference.
Add 3 - 4 tablespoons  shaved piloncillo, (Mexican brown sugar shaped in a cone and found in stores carrying other Mexican products)  If you do not have access to piloncillo your may substitute   1/4 cup brown sugar and add a generous   teaspoon  of  molasses.
Add  1 stick of cinnamon (canella) to the pan.
Scrape the seeds from one vanilla bean and add to the pot. If you cannot find a vanilla bean you may substitute a teaspoon of very good quality pure Vanilla.

Stir this mixture over medium heat until it begins to thicken.  Remove cinnamon stick and vanilla bean seeds if used.   At this point you could add pureed fruit such as strawberries or pineapple. Serve hot in mugs.

Chicken Tamales from Oaxaca with Red Mole in Banana Leaves

Using a  standard recipe for masa for tamales (see earlier posts), select squares of green banana leaves, widely available in most Latin Markets. ( Also Whole Foods)   Choose the best quality fresh chicken, place to boil with diced onion, and cook until done.  Reserve the broth and shred the chicken setting aside enough to make about 2 cups.

Chicken Filling:
2 cups shredded chicken (cooked with )
1/2 medium white onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp salt

 Red Mole Oaxacan Style

5 guajillo chilies
10 red ancho chilies
1 tablespoon sesame seed
2 slices good quality white bread, like cibatta
1 cinnamon stick
1 pinch oregano
1/2 cup darj chocolate, cut in pieces
4 Tbs Vegetable oil
10-15 almonds
10 raisins
2 garlic cloves
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 medium tomatoes
2 cups homemade chicken broth
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

 Take the dried guajillo chilies and dried red Ancho chilies, wash chiles, remove  stems and  slit open  removing all seeds. Toast chiles on both sides on a comal or frying pan over  medium high heat. After toasting, soak chiles in boiling water  for  ten minutes.  Meanwhile, fry about  almonds in 1 Tbs. of oil over  medium heat for 5 min. until  golden. Remove nuts and set  aside. Take raisins and sesame seeds and place them in the skillet. Toast until slightly brown in a small amount of oil. Set aside.  Take two slices of good quality white bread, tear into pieces and toast in skillet until golden.  Set aside. In a dry pan add chopped garlic, onion and tomato until toasted.  In a blender or food processor, add chiles and one half cup of water and blend for about one minute. When smooth, pour back into skillet with a small  tbsp of  oil and fry for about ten minutes over medium heat.  To this mixture add all the ingredients that have been set aside.  Add the tomatoes, onion and one whole cinnamon stick along with a generous pinch of  oregano. When thoroughly mixed add two cups of reserved chicken broth, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar and 1/4 cup of dark chocolate broken into pieces. Cook for fifteen minutes on low to medium heat. At the end, remove the cinnamon stick. Your Red Mole is ready!

Have the two cups of  shredded chicken, the prepared masa and the mole ready.

2. Place one  whole banana leaf on a plate. Spread  two  tablespoons of  prepared masa in the center of the leaf.  Add about  two generous tablespoons of a shredded chicken with two  tablespoons of red mole sauce. Fold  the leaf to cover the filling. Fold the top down and the bottom up to form a little green  package.  Use strips of banana leaf to tie the package.

3. Place in your steamer lined with banana leaves and stack on the rack.  Keep at a  low boil for one hour or until done.

Amazing Tamales from the Mountains of Mexico

Ruth Reichl,  the former editor of Gourmet Magazine has a wonderful cooking show on your local PBS station. A recent visit to a Tepoztlán Culinary institute, Cocinar Mexico revealed an amazing recipe for Tamales stuffed with squash blossoms and diced summer squash. You can review the short video of the program which shows how people have been milling ancient strains of corn for masa.
Here is her amazing recipe for:

ZUCCHINI AND SQUASH BLOSSOM TAMALES
GOURMET'S ADVENTURES WITH RUTH: SEASON ONE: COCINAR MEXICANO, TEPOZTLÁN, MEXICO
MAKES  30 TAMALES

30 dried corn husks, preferably with rounded base.
8 oz (1 cup) pork lard (see cooks' note)
3 cups dry tamale flour, such as Maseca or Maseca for Tamales
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water
2/3 cup corn oil
3/4 lb squash blossoms (in bunches on the stem as sold in Mexico 25 to 30 blossoms), or substitute 1 cup fresh corn kernels
3/4 lb zucchini, rinsed well and cut into 1/2-inch dice (3 cups)
Soak corn husks in cold water at least 30 minutes.

Beat pork lard in a standing mixer with whip attachment until very fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
Meanwhile knead together tamale flour, salt, and water in a large bowl until it forms a dough.
Add half of dough to pork lard and mix to combine. Add oil and remaining dough to bowl and beat on medium-high speed until it has the texture of a fluffy frosting and a tablespoonful floats in a glass of water, 10 to 15 minutes. (If you are using a hand held mixer double the beating times.) Season with salt to taste (mixture should taste slightly salty as salt will leach out during steaming).
If using zucchini flowers, break or cut off stems and side barbs around base of flower and coarsely chop blossoms.
Mix zucchini into tamale batter with your hands or a spatula, then gently stir in zucchini flowers (if using corn, add along with zucchini).
Drain corn husks.
Fill a corn husk with a heaping serving spoon of batter (about 1/3 cup) and enclose in husk, doubling pointed end over bottom half.  Repeat with remaining husks and fit, standing up with rounded ends up, into the deep steamer basket of a pasta pot. Bring water to a boil, then insert steamer basket and cover with additional corn husks, a plastic shopping bag, then a damp cloth and the lid. Steam tamales, adding more boiling water if necessary, until the tamale comes away from the husk when opened, 45 to 50 minutes.

Masa for Tamales

In the best of all possible worlds you are living somewhere that fresh masa is produced such the Southwest, California or perhaps Chicago or Brooklyn where the process of turning corn into Nixtamal, the wet masa that is used for tamales or tortillas takes place on a daily basis.  However, if you are not so fortunate then you will need to rely on the newest Masa for Tamales called Maseca para hacer Tamales, a product widely available in Latino markets across the country. This new version of the traditional Masa Harina (also called "masa seca") is made from  corn that is dried and treated with lime in a process called nixtimalization. This is what gives the masa its unique flavor.This new product creates a superior tamal.

Masa for Tamales

Ingredients: 
2  cups masa harina
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup corn oil
1 cup warm, lightly salted chicken broth

At least two hours before starting the tamales open one 8 ounce package dried corn husks (also available in Latino grocery stores) and put in a large bowl covered with warm water. Allow to soak until pliable.
    
Put dry  masa harina, salt, and  baking powder in large mixing bowl.  Beat in beat in oil and then add warm chicken broth until well incorporated. Let this mixture rest for about half and hour.  When the corn husks are soft and the masa is ready, take a large husk and spread about two TBS of the prepared masa over the husk creating a thin layer.  Spread the dough out over the corn husks to  about a 1/4  inch thickness. At this point you can fill the tamal with your choice of fillings. (more about this in subsequent posts). Our family favorite is "Rajas con Queso" using several strips of roasted, poblano chiles and a about a two inch piece of white Oaxaca cheese. If you cannot find Oaxaca cheese you may substitute a mild cheese such as Monterrey Jack and use a TBS. of  chopped green chiles that are widely available in the Mexican section of most supermarkets. However, searching out a source of Oaxaca cheese will yield a superior tamal. Fold the sides of the corn husk over one on the other and fold at the bottom using a strip of the corn husk to tie it. In essence you are making a little package that will be steamed ulitmately unveiled as a yummy tamal. There is a great video from Sylvia's Kitchen on UTube with wonderful visual instructions on the construction process- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u8UwR8bYYM

Line a large steamer with corn husks around the sides and bottom. Place the tamales around the sides as if you were standing them on their heads. You should be able to get between 18-24 tamales in the steamer. and steam for one hour. Test for doneness.. they should be quite firm and delicious!

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