For Mexican food Lovers only! (page 3)

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Prudence has the right idea.

Xena..there is sumthin' really strange 'bout them thar people. Now, don't git me ta lyin' but they jest ain't right in da head, if'n ya know wat I mean.

Lisa

Told my wife about the sugar in the guacamole and, I swear, she grabbed her stomach, and I thought she was going to lose her dinner. For those of you who would enjoy some good mexican food, come on down to Texas, anywhere in Texas, and we will fix you up. Bug

talesin

oh, man, now I really gotta get me a Sugar Daddy so he can buy me a trip to the Lone Star State.

my poor belly .....

must ... have ... tex ... mex ... can't ... wait (doh)

t

Swan

Our population in Oregon is getting to be more and more Hispanic like California. As a result, our Mexican food is improving more and more all the time. We are starting to get some real hole-in-the-wall places with excellent food and flavors. We now even have some independent taco wagons that drive around the city. The trick is finding them because they move around a lot.

Joy & Jst2 -- How about next summer I bring my salsa to the NW Apostafest? Would you like that?

Tammy

jst2laws

Swan,

Joy & Jst2 -- How about next summer I bring my salsa to the NW Apostafest? Would you like that?

Yes! We hope to take an extended motorhome trip next year. If our 30,000 pound Holiday Rambler makes it there it will have at least one pound of salsa in the frig.

Jst2laws

Swan

Sounds good! We'll do it!

I must warn you that my salsa is not the hot, burn your mouth out, and fuse your tongue to the roof of your mouth kind that many salsa loving people expect. Mine has got a bit of heat to it, but it is mostly known for its blend of flavors of the various vegetables that go into it.

Tammy

Xandria

Chimichangas

Filling:
3-pound boneless shoulder chuck roast
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
1/4 cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup beef stock
2 small tomatoes, preferably Italian plum, chopped
1/2 cup chopped roasted mild green chiles, such as New Mexican, preferably fresh or frozen, seeded

4 thin 10- to 12-inch flour tortillas, warmed
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Grated Monterey Jack, asadero, or mild Cheddar cheese, or a combination
Sour cream, chopped tomato, and sliced scallions
Pico de Gallo (page 77) or other favorite salsa

Rub the roast with salt and pepper.

Warm 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings in a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides. Reduce the heat to low, scatter half of the onion and half of the garlic over and around the meat. Pour the beef stock over it. Cover and simmer for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until the roast is very tender. Let the meat sit in the cooking liquid until cool enough to handle. Drain the meat, reserving the cooking liquid. Shred the meat into bite-size pieces with your fingers or in several small batches in a food processor.

Warm the remaining 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute the remaining onion and garlic in the fat until the onion softens. Add the meat and saute until well-browned, about 10 minutes. Scrape the meat up from the bottom every few minutes, getting it crusty in some spots. Pour the reserved cooking liquid into the pan and add the tomatoes and chiles. Cook for about 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. The meat should remain moist but not juicy. Adjust the seasoning if you wish. (The meat can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to several days. Warm the meat before proceeding.

You'll need about 5 cups of the shredded meat mixture for the chimichangas. Spoon it evenly over the tortillas. Roll up each tortilla, tucking in the ends to make a secure fat tube that resembles an overgrown Chinese egg roll. Secure the rolls with toothpicks.

Shortly before you plan to eat the chimichangas, warm at least 4 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or other large heavy pan to 375 degrees F. Fry the chimichangas one or two at a time until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn the chimis to fry them evenly. Drain them and arrange on serving plates. Top with cheese, sour cream, tomato, scallions and salsa. Serve immediately.

You will need a few essential pieces of equipment, but nothing outside the ordinary. First and foremost is a good sharp knife for all the chopping. You can use a food processor, but only with great care not to over process as you will get watery results. You will need that all purpose machine, a blender. In times past, the molcajete, Mexico's mortar, was used and it remains a wonderful tool but only when you know how to use it and have more time than a blender takes. A useful item for making refried beans is a wooden bean masher, found at many supermarkets or at a public market. Lacking one, I have sometimes used the bottom end of an empty soda bottle and it works fine.

And, finally, a set of large clay pots, available for a small investment at almost any public market, makes a very attractive table setting. You should look for ones with an even glaze and that are not chipped, but you do not have to fear lead poisoning as you will not be cooking in them, although you certainly can if you want to. (Lead buildup comes from prolonged contact of acid foods with the lead in poorly glazed pots).

A good Mexican buffet almost always has Mexican-style rice, beans either whole or refried, at least three stews (guisados), strips of poblano chilies (rajas) in cream and cheese, cactus (nopal) salad, an assortment of salsas and guacamole, and plenty of hot tortillas to make tacos out of any combination of this. Dessert is arroz con leche, "flan," and perhaps a cake. Mexican beer is a good accompaniment to this spread. You might also want to include a non-alcoholic drink such as "agua de Jamaica."

Here are three easy and inexpensive guisados:

Picadillo (This dish is often made with a mixture of ground beef and ground pork, (cochinita pibil) this recipe has only ground beef.)

2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons apple vinegar
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 jalapeno chilies, seeded and minced
1 large potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
10 stuffed green olives, sliced
2 tablespoons peeled and slivered almonds
2 tablespoons raisins
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 can tomato puree

2 cups stock (beef or chicken)

Mix the meats together with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large skillet and add the onion, garlic and chilies. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the meat. Cook, stirring and breaking it up, until it starts to brown. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and it starts to dry out.

Killer Margaritas

Makes 4 generous drinks
1 cup tequila, preferably a young silver or reposado 100% agave tequila–look for widely distributed ones like El Tesoro, Cuervo Tradicional, and Herradura, or search out the distinctive small production tequilas like Chamucos or Suave Patria
1/2 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1/3 cup fresh lime juice, plus a little extra for moistening the rim of the glasses
A little sugar if necessary
About 1/3 cup coarse (Kosher) salt for crusting the rim of the glasses
About 3 cups medium ice cubes
In a small pitcher, combine the tequila, orange liqueur and lime. Taste and decide if you think the mixture needs to be a little sweeter or a little tangier (keep in mind that it will taste a little tangier once it’s been shaken). Add a bit more lime or a touch of sugar, if necessary.
Spread out the salt onto a small plate. Moisten the rim of four 6-ounce martini glasses with a little lime juice (if you have a cut lime, even an already-squeezed one, moisten the rims by running it around them). One by one, turn the glasses over and dip them lightly in the salt, creating a thin, even crust all around the rim.

Pour half of the margarita mixture into a cocktail shaker, add half of the ice cubes. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds (this is important to achieve the perfect strength–some of the ice needs to melt into the margarita–and the right degree of frostiness). Strain into the prepared glasses, then repeat with the remaining margarita mixture. Relax and enjoy

talesin

xandria

many thank yous!!!

I have an awesome Mexican cookbook but many of the ingredients are hard to get here. These recipes are 'do-able'.

tal

Cowboy

Jst, congratulations. It's kinda like finding treasure,huh?

((( Xena ))) Soy sauce??? You have my condolences.

Shutterbug said " Don't eat Tex-Mex outside of Texas, Oklahoma or New Mexico" I'd say amen to that...I've never tried Caifornia, but I have tried lots of other places. There are some good ones other places, I guess, but they're not easy to find.

BTW Bug, speaking of barbecue, how 'bout Cattle Call in Amarillo? I like it.

CB

Englishman

Wow, Steve,

You're an expert on Mexican food?

The time before last when you visited I actually cooked a chilli con carne, I hope that it wasn't too awful.

Englishman.

For Mexican food Lovers only!

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