Elote Con Crema

From Diana Kennedy's book "The Essential Cuisines of Mexico"

Elote con Crema (Corn with Cream, Chiles and Cheese)

Guest Author - Terri Perkins Fulton

Serves 6

1/4 cup butter

2/3 cup finely chopped white onion

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

5 poblano chiles, charred, peeled, stemmed and seeded

4 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

4 ounces chihuahua cheese (about 1 cup), cut into small cubes*

Mexican crema*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in an ovenproof skillet and cook the onion and garlic over low heat until translucent.

Cut the chiles into narrow strips, add them to the pan and cook them, covered, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and salt to the chile mixture. Cover tightly with a lid and put in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Add the cheese about 2 minutes before the baking time ends so it will melt. Stir in the crema to desired consistency and serve immediately, scooping into warm tortillas, for a light lunch or a great starter course.

Cebollas Encurtidas Para Panuchos

From Diana Kennedy's book "The Essential Cuisines of Mexico."

2 Medium white onions, finely sliced into rings, about 3 cups

4 cups boiling water

1/2 cup seville orange juice

1/2 cup of water

1 scant tablespoon dried mexican oregano

1 Habanero chile, finely sliced

salt to taste

Immerse the onion rings in a sauce pan of boiling water for a few seconds until slightly blanched. Drain well and put into a nonreactive bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, and set aside to season for at least 2 hours before using.

Salsa de Chile Guajillo

INGREDIENTS

6 GUAJILLO CHILES WIPED CLEAN, VEINS AND SEEDS REMOVED

6 OZ TOMATOES, BROILED

1 CLOVE GARLIC; ROUGHLY CHOPPED

SALT TO TASTE

1 C WATER

INSTRUCTIONS:

TOAST THE CHILES IN A SKILLET (OR ON A COMAL, PREFERABLY); DO NOT BURN THEM! WHEN DONE, ALLOW THEM TO COOL. OPEN THEM, REMOVE THE VEINS AND SEEDS. DISCARD THE VEINS. BROIL THE TOMATO. GRIND ALL (TOMATO, SKIN, GARLIC, TOASTED CHILE, SEEDS ) THE INGREDIENTS IN A BLENDER.

Salsa De Tomate Verde

Pozole Verde con Pollo (Chicken Pozole Verde)

Pozole Verde con Pollo (Chicken Pozole Verde)

This recipe is based on a recipe by Anya von Bremzen. You can use canned pozole but for best flavor buy prepared, dried pozole.

Servings: 6-8

I N G R E D I E N T S

7 cups reduced salt chicken stock

2 cups water

4 chicken breast halves with bone and skin

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed, sliced in half

1 small white onion, quartered

2 poblano chiles, seeded and cut into quarters

2 serano chiles, seeded and quartered

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and flattened

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

3 - 15oz cans hominy OR 1 1/2lbs prepared dried pozole**

To Use Dried Pozole

f you are using dried pozole then soak the pozole overnight then rinse. Place the pozole in a pot of water and add 1 teaspoon of salt and simmer for about 3 hours. Drain and use in place of the canned pozole.

Garnish

Finely shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, chopped onion, diced avocados, crema (or sour cream) lime wedges and tortilla chips.

I N S T R U C T I O N S

Place water, chicken stock, a couple garlic cloves minced, as well as 1/4 white onion in a large enameled cast iron casserole and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts skin side down, cover and simmer over low heat until cooked through but still tender about 25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and shred the meat; discard skin and bones. Skim fat from cooking liquid and reserve the liquid.

In a blender combine tomatillos, onion, poblano and jalapeno chiles, garlic, cilantro and Mexican oregano. Pulse until coarsely chopped scraping down the sides. With machine running add 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and puree until smooth. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large deep, heavy skillet. Add the tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce turns deep green; about 12 minutes.

Pour the sauce into the cooking liquid in the casserole. Add the hominy (pozole) and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the shredded chicken to the stew, season with salt and pepper and cooked just until heated through. Serve the pozole in deep bowls. Pass garnishes.

Salsa de Jitomate Yucateca

Diana's recipe from "The Essential Cuisines of Mexico"

3 md Tomatoes (1 pound), broiled

2 ts Peanut or safflower oil

1/4 md Onion, finely chopped

1 The mashed tomatoes

1/4 ts Salt

1 Whole chile habanero, lightly charred

Remove any very blackened pieces of the skin from the tomatoes and mash the tomato roughly. Heat the oil and cook the onion, without browning, until it is soft. Add the mashed tomatoes, salt, and chili. Cook the sauce for about 8 minutes over a medium flame until it has reduced and thickened.

The recipe does not state this, but I found the Habanero flavor to be a bit light, so I think I will half the pepper next time, rather than leave it whole.

Salsa de Chile Cascabel

FROM "THE CUISINES OF MEXICO" BY DIANA KENNEDY P. 303

INGREDIENTS

10 CHILES CASCABEL

2 MD TOMATOES (ABOUT 3/4

3 CLOVES GARLIC; PEELED

1/2 TS SALT

2/3 C WATER (OR MORE)

INSTRUCTIONS:

TOAST THE CHILES IN A SKILLET (OR ON A COMAL, PREFERABLY); DO NOT BURN THEM! WHEN DONE, ALLOW THEM TO COOL.

OPEN THEM, REMOVE THE VEINS AND SEEDS. DISCARD THE VEINS. TOAST THE SEEDS IN THE SKILLET.

BROIL THE TOMATO. GRIND ALL (TOMATO, SKIN, GARLIC, TOASTED CHILE, SEEDS ) THE INGREDIENTS IN A BLENDER.

THE SAUCE IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE SOME TEXTURE, AND HAVE A LOOSE CONSISTENCY, SO USE THE WATER RATHER THAN OVERBLEND.

Tacos De Papa

The Filling:

12 ounces cooked red potatoes, unpeeled and diced

1/2 cup diced white onion

4 ounces queso fresco crumbled, about 3/4 cup

To Serve:

Tortillas

vegetable oil for frying

Sour Cream (I omitted this, and went for the sliced avocado)

1 Cup Salsa Ranchero, warmed. Diana thought to omit the onion, which I spaced out

Shredded lettuce

Jalapeno chiles en Escabeche

Mix the potatoes with the rest of the filling ingredients.

Fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and secure with toothpicks

Heat the oil and fry the tacos till just crispy on the outside. Pat dry the tacos from the excess oil

Serve immediately with the lettuce and salsa, and chiles separately.

Salsa Ranchera

Before charring

After charring

4 large ripe tomatoes, broiled, peeled, chopped

4 serrano chile peppers, charred, seeded

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 cup diced onion

Salt

Place the tomatoes, chiles, and garlic in the jar of a blender. Pulse a few times to break up the biggest pieces.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat until thickened. This should take about 10 minutes.

Serve with Modelo, chilled.

Carnitas

Recipe to come later ...

Salsa De Tomate Verde

Recipe to come later.

Frijoles Puercos Estilo Jalisco

This one from Diana Kennedy was a winner, I'll post the recipe some other time. Essentially this was home made refried beans in bacon and chorizo fat with green olives and jalapeno es escabeche with queso rachero on top

1 Chorizo, about 3 ounces

6 strips of bacon

lard as necessary, probably not though

8 ounces pinto beans cooked as for frijoles de olla, which should yield 3.5 - 4 cups with the broth.

20 small pitted green olives

2 jalapeno chiles en escabeche

2 tablespoons grated queso ranchero

Skin and crumble the chorizo and bacon. Cook in a skillet over low heat, covered, until most of the fat has rendered out. Be careful not to burn. Remove and reserve the chorizo and bacon.

There should be about 1/3 cup of fat in the pan. Take out or make up to that amount with lard. Add the beans and broth and cook them over high heat mashing them as you would for frijoles refritos. If they start to dry out and stick to the pan, add a bit of lard.

When the beans have been mashed to a course texture, and are almost dry, ready to roll, add the bacon, and about 2/3 of the olives chiles and chorizo.

Roll the beans, then turn them onto a serving dish and top with the remaining olives, chiles, and chorizo.

Sprinkle with the cheese, and serve with tortilla chips, or whateva!

Tepache

This recipe for tepache is an adaptation of one in The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy

1 large ripe pineapple (about 4 lbs.), crown
and base removed, outside scrubbed and rinsed
2 whole cloves
2 whole allspice
1 4"-long piece canela (Mexican cinnamon) or
cinnamon stick
1 lb. piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar), crushed,
or 1 lb. dark brown sugar
1 1⁄2 cups light beer

1. Cut the pineapple (unpeeled) into 1 1⁄2" cubes. Put the cloves, allspice, and canela into a mortar and crush roughly with a pestle. Transfer the spices to a large 4- to 5-quart earthenware or glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add the pineapple cubes and 8 cups of water and stir to combine. Cover the jar with a lid and set in a location that receives plenty of sun (or in a warm spot) and let sit until mixture begins to ferment and become bubbly on top, about 3 days, depending on the temperature.

2. Put the piloncillo and 1 1⁄2 cups water into a small pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved, 4–5 minutes. Remove from heat, let the sugar syrup cool slightly, and then add with the beer to the fermenting pineapple mixture. Stir well, cover, and leave in a warm place for 2–3 days longer, until it smells strongly fermented and appears bubbly throughout. Strain the mixture through a few layers of cheesecloth lining a fine-mesh sieve into a clean jar; discard the solids. Serve the tepache chilled or poured over ice. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

Chiles De La Sierra

One Day Ahead

6 Medium Ancho chiles, wiped clean

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small white onion, thinly sliced

1/2 Cup vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 Cup water

2 Ounces queso anejo, romano, or sardo cheese, finely grated (about 2/3 cup)

1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican Oregano

To Serve

1 Small Onion, thinly sliced

6 Romaine lettuce leaves

1 Medium Tomato, sliced

A day ahead, heat an ungreased skillet or comal over medium heat and let the chiles heat through, turning them over from time to time, until they have softened and become flexible. Flatten each chile out as much as possible, then make a slit down one side and halfway around the top, to which the stem is attached. Remove the seeds and veins.

Pescado En Cilantro

Taken from Diana Kennedy's book "The Essential Cuisines of Mexico."

A 3- 3.5 Pound Red Snapper

1 Scant teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper

1.5 Cups thinly sliced white onions

1/3 Cup fresh lime juice

1/3 Cup Olive oil

3 Jalapeno chilies en escabeche

3 Tablespoons juice from the Chile can

2 Cups roughly chopped cilantro

Have the fish cleaned, leaving the head and tail on. Prick the fish all over with a coarse-tined fork, rub in the salt and and pepper. Place the fish onto a baking dish with half the onions underneath and the rest on top. Pour the lime juice over it and set it aside for about 1 hour, turning it over once during that time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cover the dish and bake the fish for about 15 minutes on each side.

Add the rest of the ingredients and continue cooking the fish, covered, until it is just cooked, basting it from time to time with the juices in the dish - about 20 minutes.

Note: This dish is also delicious cold, if there is any left over.

Chuletas De Puerco Adobados

Chuletas De Puerco Adobados (Pork Chops seasoned with Adobo Paste)

Here you can see the Ancho Chiles rehydrating, after toasting them for a couple minutes.

Hard to pass up a shot of the salt, thyme, cumin, garlic and what would be Seville orange juice.  The Molcajte I purchased in Mexico and brought back on the plane along with two others.  Beautiful pieces, very heavy, but they work quite well, and were worth buying the real deal, as opposed to the ones in the states.

The final product, very good, and I will make it again, except I think I will tone down the sauce.  The recipe called for 6 services of pork chops, and I kept the same measurements for the Adobo paste, so that flavor was a bit strong, with only two chops.  

Pico De Gallo Con Duraznos

Here is Diana's Pico De gallo con Duraznos recipe (Peach Pico De Gallo).  Turned out quite well, and has a nice kick to it from the Serrano Peppers.

Here is the final product, unaltered from above, but served with Arroz Blanco or White Rice.

Salsa De Muchos Chiles

Here is another salsa recipe from Diana Kennedy that I tried, Sauce of Many Chiles.

Couple mistakes, questions, I have regarding the recipe and what I found to work. For instance, the recipe in "The Essential Cuisines of Mexico"states that the chiles should crumble easily. I did not find this to be the case. The Arbols crumbled just fine, but as explained by a friend, this is just because they are so thin to begin with. Everything else I had to tear apart myself, and after blending just so much as to leave some rustic consistency, I found the larger pieces chewy. Not cool. So I blended everything again, to turn it into a sauce rather than a salsa. I did not add the cilantro either, at the end as I just ran out of time.

Very tasty, very smokey, and quite complex in flavor.

As seen here in order, we have the cascabel, morita, arbol, chipotle, and guajillo chiles.

Notice, how most of the chiles were still left in rather large pieces after trying to crumble. Chiles burn quite easily, and very quickly so I think you are better off under toasting rather than over toasting and burning.
You can see the salsa, after blending the first time, and while there is still some consistency, but with large chewy pieces of chiles. I decided to puree, and blend it all together after this.

The final product, pureed, and without cilantro. Very good still. Will make this one again, for sure.

Ingredients
2 chiles cascabel
2 chiles moritas
2 chiles de arbol
1 chile chipotle
1 chile guajillo
2 large tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro leaves
Directions
Heat a comal or cast iron skillet over a medium high heat. Toast the chiles, turning them constantly so they don=t burn, 30 to 60 seconds. Let them cool and remove their stems. Crumble them with their seeds and veins.
Toast the tomatoes and garlic until slightly charred. Let them cool. In a blender combine the chiles, garlic, tomatoes, salt, and water and blend until you have a rough sauce. Pieces of the chiles should be visible. Transfer salsa to a bowl and stir in the cilantro.