Making Mexican at home

[kalypso]

I'll add the Enchiladas Placeras I made recently from Marilyn Tausend's new cookbook La Cocina Mexicana

Easier than I thought they'd be and very tasty. Sauce is Ancho/guajillo based and the tortillas are dipped in sauce and then fried; recipe called for cotija or jack, I had quesillo on hand and used that instead. Messy but good. The potato and carrots were cooked in water to which a little pineapple vinegar had been added until barely done and then fried. They were outstanding.

Typically the chicken on the plate would have been either a leg quarter or breast that had been parcooked and then fried. I had a mutant chicken breast that weighed in at 16 oz so I poached that, sliced it and then fried the slices. That part was okay, but it would have been way better with just the whole chicken quarter fried.

The dish was much lighter and less dense than I thought it would be. Left overs for dinner tonight...YUM

[patrickamory]

kalypso that looks to die for.

[C. sapidus]

kalypso that looks to die for.

Agreed! What do you think of the cookbook?

[kalypso]

kalypso that looks to die for.

Agreed! What do you think of the cookbook?

I like the cookbook alot, in part because it's got recipes for things that are either overlooked or not featured at all.

And in the interest of full disclosure, I was a recipe tester for the cookbook. Enchiladas Placeras was not one of the recipes I tested, so it was a new recipe to me.

[kalypso]

I've been on an enchilada tear the past couple of week. I also made these...Enchiladas Verdes de Aguacaliente from Diana Kennedy's Tortilla Book

[C. sapidus]

I've been on an enchilada tear the past couple of week. I also made these...Enchiladas Verdes de Aguacaliente from Diana Kennedy's Tortilla Book

Kalypso – I looked up the recipe and that sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

Requeson revuelto a la Mexicana (ricotta scrambled like Mexican eggs) – An old favorite from Diana Kennedy’s The Art of Mexican Cooking. I usually double the Serrano chiles, and this time I also added a chipotle in adobo.

On corn tortillas with queso fresco

[C. sapidus]

Mrs. C’s ham stock featured prominently in tonight’s meal.

Corn soup with chicken and chile Poblano (Crema de elote con pollo y Poblano): Corn, milk, corn starch, and fried onion and garlic, pureed and strained, and then simmered with ham stock, cubed chicken breast, and roasted chile Poblano. Cilantro garnish. I adore corn and chile Poblano, and the ham stock came through nicely.

Mexican red rice (arroz rojo): Shortcut version with enchilada salsa, ham stock, corn, and peas.

[rotuts]

rice w enchilada sauce is a new one to me and a great idea!

[menuinprogress]

Oxtail Mole de Olla with Taquitos:

Intended for last night, but the oxtails needed more braising than we had time for.

Fast forward to tonight, with an extra few hours of cooking and all was well. The taquitos (cheese, onion cilantro) made for a nice, crunchy edible utensil.

[C. sapidus]

MIP - Wow, that looks fantastic! What recipe did you use?

[menuinprogress]

MIP - Wow, that looks fantastic! What recipe did you use?

Thanks! I don't really follow a particular recipe. The base is blended pasilla and dried costeña chiles. I added diced onion at the beginning and Mexican zucchini and potato toward the end. Seasoning was simply salt and Mexican oregano.

[Lior]

I was pretty happy bout my eldest daughter's idea of making lots of tortillas quickly using my pancake maker! Worked really well!

[pistolabella]

For some things, I never know when to start a new thread or revive an ancient one that has lots of good input. In this case, my subject is mole, and I found several old posts about mole, and then this post which features plenty of mole as well but seems to enjoy better success and discussion when revived, so here I am   .

 

East TN is being told we can expect another last 'bout of winter weather this weekend, so I want to cook something delicious and complicated and cozy. I have had mole and homemade tortillas on my list for ages, so this seems like a good time. I've enjoyed a lot of good mole varieties over the years but never made one (of any type) myself. I've settled on the mole rojo a la Rick Bayless (I've seen it pop up in various places around here), with a little inspiration from a Oaxacan culture blog as well. 

https://www.thepauperedchef.com/article/my-first-mole-rich-red-mole-with-chicken

http://oaxacaculture.com/2012/03/recipe-making-authentic-mole-rojo-in-teotitlan-del-valle/

 

As the second link references Mexican chocolate with almonds, I'm quite excited because I have a disc of Taza mexican almond chocolate I've been hoarding for no real reason until now. I'm really looking forward to this and will post pics / let you know how it turns out! any tips based on the two recipes I linked? I am going to continue reading over all the great old mole posts i'm finding on eGullet.

[Darienne]

Good to read your post, pistolabella.  It's been so long since the Mexican section has been active.  Good luck with the mole. 

[kayb]

Following anxiously as well. I made mole -- once. It was good, not just excellent, but good, but I failed to wear gloves to handle the chiles and my hands burned for HOURS....

 

Where in E. TN are you? I have friends in the Johnson City area who are battening down the hatches for the weekend.

 

[pistolabella]

Wellll I hate to be such a tease with the mole making, but last night my husband came down with a horrible stomach flu so there will be no such Mexican cooking project this week. We'll be postponing til next weekend so that he can enjoy as well, and I'll update then. This weekend's project is now to make some good soups for him to have while on the mend. KayB - we're in the Knoxville area. Never know what to *really* expect with the snow forecasts here, but I have a feeling we'll actually see something this time.

[gulfporter]

I'm at our new home in Mexico....new to us, anyway.  It's an older home and we've been having updates made since we bought it, April 25.  We moved in here June 1, after the worst was over.  

 

Still most everyday there are workman and NOISE!!  Today they are finishing some petate doors and the generator for the staple gun is bone and brain shaking.  

 

I did get a combo gas and charcoal grill, so I can make lunch outside.  My go to lunch is grilled green chorizo which I then stuff into a flour tortilla with goat cheese, and grill these quick quesadillas and serve with mango salsa (mangoes are super ripe and they are squished on every sidewalk of our town this time of year).  We are lucky to have many great eateries for dinner we can walk to for dinner.  

 

Here are before and after photos of my new MXN kitchen. 

[Smithy]

Cheerful and bold colors, and glorious tilework - very pretty!

[blue_dolphin]

What a beautiful kitchen, @gulfporter - I hope all the meals you prepare there will be as flavorful as the kitchen is colorful! 

I'd love to see photos your outdoor cooking area when you have time.   Thanks for sharing!

[cakewalk]

Very beautiful, especially those tiles. Also love the boldness of your colors. But mostly I keep thinking -- look at all that counter space!!

[Okanagancook]

On 2011-08-21 at 10:51 PM, EatNopales said:

Tortitas de Huatli con Hongos a la Diabla

(Amaranth Cakes with Mushrooms & Chipotle-Butter mole)

Incidentally, I used Rancho Gordo amaranth grains... it was fantastic. First you cook the grain until its a porridge that tastes like buttered popcorn with hints of grilled corn husk. Then you blend with eggs & masa harina to make a pancake batter & fry over hot oil... absolutely delicous.

Incidentally... I had the crepe pan running at the same time and also made them on the comal as an experiment... it took a will to get the correct size & cooking time down but huatli is delicious as a pancake as well... then I had a revelation... when the Spaniards like Bernardino de Sahugan & Bernal Diaz del Castillo were describing "Amaranth Tortillas", "Sour, Very Sour Tortillas", "Stinking Tortillas"... I have a hunch they were describing something like Injera made with Amaranth & corn masa... part of the revelation is due to the discovery that even though the amaranth grains are fully cooked into a porridge they have some kind of yeast that survives and you start getting the beginnings of sour dough within hours... it is absolutely remarkable. Further the Spanish definion of a tortilla.. includes any pancake thinner than a casserole.

The flavor of the Amaranth pan cakes / crepes is very different than the fried cakes... will have them for lunch tomorrow.

I should note... Chipotle was not the right flavor at all for this dish... Poblanos, Mushrooms & Huitlacoche are a sacred trilogy in Mexican cooking... I should have gone with something "green" tasting to combine with the nutty, buttery amaranth.

Incidentally, I was catching up on my cable recordings today... I have 3 or 4 cooking / food series from Once Mexico (public tv by the Polytechnic University system) and 22 and they concidentally all had Amaranth on their shows.

Chef Paulino Cruz of El Nuevo Rincon de los Sabores did Crab, Caper, Olive & Tomato stuffed Squash Blossoms that were battered with flour, egg & raw Amaranth

The Spanish guy who does the Sabores de Mexico show did Canutillos (Canolis) made with Amaranth batter, stuffed with Nopal-Pineapple pudding

I forget the name of the show but the chef befind Casa Oaxaca in Oaxaca City did some kind of chocolate ganache dessert lasagna (red cactus pear sauce) with alternating layers of puff pastry & puffed amaranth

It is obvious the establishment in Mexico is moving aggressively to reclaim this ingredient that had been outlawed by the Spanish (due to its association with the Aztec war god Huitzilopotchli) and almost lost to history

Bringing this recipe forward.