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.