Making Mexican at home

[Emily_R]

Seared zucchini with roasted tomato, chipotle, and chorizo (Tinga de calabacitas): Cubed zucchini, fried until just tender and set aside. Fry chorizo with sliced white onion, add chipotle-tomato salsa and Mexican oregano, and simmer until the flavors meld. Add the zucchini, warm through, and serve with crumbled queso fresco, warm corn tortillas, and a little Tapatio salsa for kick.

Yum -- this sounds seriously delicious. Can you give a sense of the proportions? Was it mostly zukes and a little chorizo for flavoring? Or a more even mix? And was it really saucy? Or was the sauce basically just coating the veggies? Looking forward to giving it a try...

[Pierogi]

Chiles rellenos with Rick Bayless' basic white rice from "Mexican Everyday". With a side salad that was totally so-so and totally not worthy of a pic.

It was my first time attempting rellenos, and I was very, very proud of myself.

[Darienne]

It was my first time attempting rellenos, and I was very, very proud of myself.

And so you should be!!

Mine looked as if the dog had already played with them.

[Jaymes]

Chiles rellenos with Rick Bayless' basic white rice from "Mexican Everyday". With a side salad that was totally so-so and totally not worthy of a pic.

It was my first time attempting rellenos, and I was very, very proud of myself.

Wow. Beautiful.

A difficult dish to get right. In my old age, I've given up and now just make a quicky Chiles Rellenos casserole when I want those flavors. You put me to shame!

[kalypso]

Chiles rellenos with Rick Bayless' basic white rice from "Mexican Everyday". With a side salad that was totally so-so and totally not worthy of a pic.

It was my first time attempting rellenos, and I was very, very proud of myself.

As well you should be. Those look great, like you've been making them for years!

[C. sapidus]

Seared zucchini with roasted tomato, chipotle, and chorizo (Tinga de calabacitas) . . .

Yum -- this sounds seriously delicious. Can you give a sense of the proportions? Was it mostly zukes and a little chorizo for flavoring? Or a more even mix? And was it really saucy? Or was the sauce basically just coating the veggies? Looking forward to giving it a try...

Emily_R, thanks! Yes, mostly zucchini with chorizo for flavor. The basic proportions were 4 medium zucchini (3/8” dice) to a half-cup of chorizo, with one white onion and a cup of chipotle-tomato sauce.

Leftovers made a lovely breakfast.

Pierogi, I have yet to try making chiles rellenos, so kudos to you. Care to offer any tips for a first-timer?

[Jaymes]

Having lived much of my life around Mexico and Mexicans (and in every US state that borders Mexico), I've been lucky enough to have Mexican moms as friends. Often, these busy, modern moms are juggling home, family, jobs, etc., and they make much easier and less-elaborate versions of these classic dishes to feed their hungry families quickly.

Here's a recipe I got years ago from one such neighbor. Although you do obviously need to use fresh squash (and onions), for the tomatoes, corn, and chiles, you can use either fresh ingredients or, if you're pressed for time on a busy weeknight, you can use canned. With canned ingredients, it's ready in a snap, and the final dish is still very, very good. I made this at least once a month when my children were small. It was one of the few vegetable dishes they'd eat, and even ask for more. Often, when my pilot husband wasn't home for dinner, the kids and I would have just this, ladled over baked potatoes.

Calabacitas (for the non-Spanish speakers, "calabasas" are squash; so in the Spanish manner of adding "itas" to something to indicate the diminutive, "calabacitas" are little squash - in this case, cubes).

2 lbs summer squash, cut into bite-sized pieces (you can use yellow, or zucchini, or patty-pan, or a mixture, or whatever)

1 T butter or vegetable oil

1/2 small white onion, diced

3 tomatoes, diced (canned, stewed are fine)

a couple of large, mild green chiles, blistered, peeled, seeds and veins removed (you can use a 4oz can of green chiles; I prefer the whole chiles, and I chop them myself)

8 oz-can yellow corn, drained (or fresh, cooked corn)

1 C cheese - grated (if you're somewhere were you can get Mexican cheese and you have a favorite that melts well, use that; if not, good-quality mild Cheddar works fine)

salt & pepper to taste

Note: You don't have to chop the vegetables too finely; in fact, I prefer a larger dice for this.

Boil diced squash until just barely tender. Do not overcook, as you're going to be cooking it a little more. Drain squash and set aside. Put the butter or oil into the pot and saute onions, tomatoes and chiles until onions are clear. Return squash to pot. Add corn and stir to combine. Try not to stir it too much. You don't want the squash to break down. Salt and pepper to taste (you're going to be adding cheese, which is salty, so don't oversalt at this point). Heat through. Add cheese. When cheese is melted, serve immediately.

ETA: This makes a hearty vegetarian main dish; also, you can make it with oil rather than butter, and leave out the cheese if you wish. (Although of course, it won't be as good.)

Edited February 8, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[Pierogi]

Thanks all, for the props on the chile rellenos. I was actually stunned they turned out so pretty.

Bruce, I think this a time for Julia Child's motto about being fearless in the kitchen. Especially when you turn them, because the batter looks like it's going to slide off the top, but if you use 2 large, wide, spatulas, and sort of sandwich the chile between the two, it worked. Also, handle the chiles gently after you char them, when you're skinning and seeding them, so they only have the one slit. Some of the recipes I referenced said to flour the outside and dip the chiles in the batter, and some said to lay a pool of batter in the fat, then top with the chile, let it set a bit, then cover the top with additional batter. Let that set a bit, then flip. That's what I did, it sounded easier, and seemed to me you'd get more batter on the chile. It worked well, so that's the technique I'll stay with.

[Darienne]

Calabacitas (for the non-Spanish speakers, "calabasas" are squash; so in the Spanish manner of adding "itas" to something to indicate the diminutive, "calabacitas" are little squash - in this case, cubes).

Thanks Jaymes. I think I'll try this one soon.

[janeer]

What chiles Janeer?

pasillas

[kalypso]

Thanks all, for the props on the chile rellenos. I was actually stunned they turned out so pretty.

Bruce, I think this a time for Julia Child's motto about being fearless in the kitchen. Especially when you turn them, because the batter looks like it's going to slide off the top, but if you use 2 large, wide, spatulas, and sort of sandwich the chile between the two, it worked. Also, handle the chiles gently after you char them, when you're skinning and seeding them, so they only have the one slit. Some of the recipes I referenced said to flour the outside and dip the chiles in the batter, and some said to lay a pool of batter in the fat, then top with the chile, let it set a bit, then cover the top with additional batter. Let that set a bit, then flip. That's what I did, it sounded easier, and seemed to me you'd get more batter on the chile. It worked well, so that's the technique I'll stay with.

Cooking a chile relleno with a capeado is truly an art and you're right, handling gently is a real key. I've done the "sandwich" method where you put some of the capeado battering into the hot oil and let it set, then add the chile and the top layer. It's easy and effective. A method that I learned from some cooks in Mexico also works and is easier than it sounds. Dip the chile into the capeado and set into a deep skillet with at least a 1/4" of hot oil. Once the bottom of the batter sets up a little, slightly tilt the skillet and begin basting the top of the batter by spooning hot fat over it. This will set the top of the batter so that it won't slide when you go to turn it. It takes a little practice, but not much and by about the 2nd or 3rd chile it gets a lot easier.

[Pierogi]

Cooking a chile relleno with a capeado is truly an art and you're right, handling gently is a real key. I've done the "sandwich" method where you put some of the capeado battering into the hot oil and let it set, then add the chile and the top layer. It's easy and effective. A method that I learned from some cooks in Mexico also works and is easier than it sounds. Dip the chile into the capeado and set into a deep skillet with at least a 1/4" of hot oil. Once the bottom of the batter sets up a little, slightly tilt the skillet and begin basting the top of the batter by spooning hot fat over it. This will set the top of the batter so that it won't slide when you go to turn it. It takes a little practice, but not much and by about the 2nd or 3rd chile it gets a lot easier.

A couple of the recipes I refered to also mentioned that technique, and I did "baste" the edges a bit after turning, since the overhang batter hadn't gotten quite brown. But I found that the batter was stiff enough (I beat the egg whites separately and folded them into yolks and flour), that after about 2-3 minutes in the pan after I spooned it over the top of the chile, it was set enough on the top to flip without the basting. I used quite thin, flexible plastic spatulas, and I think that helped preserve the top coating, too. I didn't have near that much fat, either. Maybe just shy of 1/8-inch. As I said, the technique worked for me, so that's what I'm going to stick with. YMMV....

[C. sapidus]

Pierogi, thanks for the chiles rellenos tips!

kalypso, basting with hot oil sounds like a great idea – similar to frying whole fish in a wok.

No chiles rellenos for us last night . . .

Tinga de pollo y papas: Simmer chicken thighs in tomato-chipotle salsa, cool, and then remove meat from the bone and shred. In a separate pan, brown sliced white onion with coarsely-shredded potatoes, and then stir in the sauce, shredded chicken, and Mexican oregano. Serve on warm corn tortillas with crumbled queso fresco, cubed avocado, and Tapatio salsa.

Sides included fried plantains and the last of the pineapple.

[Darienne]

Made a mixed North American / Mexican dinner last night. Pulled beef on a bun (Jewish guest, but not Kosher exactly) with Rajas con crema (my first) and a recipe called Southwest Potatoes (from one of those endless Tex/Mex cookbooks of little repute) with Mark Bittman's Mexican Tofu Pudding for dessert.

Two notes:

- the Southwest potatoes are very 'Mexican' and just about the best potato recipe I have ever tasted.

- Bittman's tofu recipe is great, BUT if you ever make it, DON'T use the amount of cinnamon prescribed in the written recipe. Experienced cooks will know it's too much. I wrote Bittman and received a reply from one of his staff that the testing kitchen liked the huge amount of cinnamon. I adore cinnamon, but too much is still too much. Of course, I was probably using the fake cinnamon, cassia, and maybe Bittman was using real cinnamon which I guess I haven't seen here for many a year.

No photos. Our guest would have thought I was crazy.

ps. I used homemade crema from heavy cream. Very nice. Slowly it all starts to come together. Also put Jaymes' salsa in the potatoes.

Edited February 12, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[Jaymes]

Darienne -

I have yet to meet one single Mexican cook that doesn't have a jar/can of this stuff in his/her pantry:

Knorr Caldo de Pollo

Sure, it's always best to have flavorful, homemade chicken broth in your fridge or freezer, but, for most of us, it's not always practical. This Knorr chicken bouillon powder seems to be especially flavored for Mexican/Latino palates.

In my opinion, it makes a huge difference.

And for every Mexican recipe I've got that says, "add chicken broth," I reach for my trusty green and yellow jar.

[Darienne]

Darienne -

I have yet to meet one single Mexican cook that doesn't have a jar/can of this stuff in his/her pantry:

Knorr Caldo de Pollo

Thanks for the tip, Jaymes. Alas, we cannot get such a thing in our local city. ElsieD has a Mexican market near her and I shall ask her to look for this product. Or I'll get it next trip to the USA.

For an unusual reason, I often have homemade chicken broth ...nothing virtuous on my part. One of our rescue Rotties came 7 years ago with digestive problems. Thus his diet, when problems hit, is a very old 'diarrhea' diet consisting of boiled white and sweet potatoes and some boiled chicken. Thus chicken broth in our freezer.

[heidih]

Darienne -

I have yet to meet one single Mexican cook that doesn't have a jar/can of this stuff in his/her pantry:

Knorr Caldo de Pollo

Thanks for the tip, Jaymes. Alas, we cannot get such a thing in our local city. ElsieD has a Mexican market near her and I shall ask her to look for this product. Or I'll get it next trip to the USA.

For an unusual reason, I often have homemade chicken broth ...nothing virtuous on my part. One of our rescue Rotties came 7 years ago with digestive problems. Thus his diet, when problems hit, is a very old 'diarrhea' diet consisting of boiled white and sweet potatoes and some boiled chicken. Thus chicken broth in our freezer.

The product Jaymes references is more (in my opinion) a version of MSG. I use it and I have seen all the Mexican cooks in the little lovely restaurants use it. I think of it more as a salt sub.

[nakji]

I have a Chinese version of the same jar. I also like the Maggi version. I don't know if it's flavoured the same, but I used it in the mole I made from Diana Kennedy recently. I felt vaguely guilty I wasn't using real chicken stock, but now I know I'm being authentic!

[Jaymes]

I have a Chinese version of the same jar. I also like the Maggi version. I don't know if it's flavoured the same, but I used it in the mole I made from Diana Kennedy recently. I felt vaguely guilty I wasn't using real chicken stock, but now I know I'm being authentic!

Well, if you think about it, it's hard for anyone to keep around unlimited supplies of chicken stock, especially in poorer countries where their access to dependable refrigeration can be severely limited, and even non-existent. While attending Spanish immersion classes in Mexico, I stayed with a family in Morelia, Michoacan, for about six weeks. Their cook, Chula (who also gave cooking classes to visiting students), had a big can of the stuff in a low cabinet in the kitchen. It was enormous - easily comparable in size to a gallon jug of milk, and maybe even larger. I remember being quite startled at its girth the first time I saw it. A spoonful of it went into practically everything. She was a little woman - a Purepecha Indian woman - and I'd think she would have had a hard time lifting it when it was brand new and full to the brim. But it was so handy down there on a lower shelf. She'd just open the cabinet door, pop off the lid, and scoop out some granules. She had a pretty convenient system going.

I first heard of it quite a number of years back when I got a recipe from a Mexican friend for the "quicky chilaquiles" that she made for her large and busy family for breakfast most mornings. When simmering the tomatillos in water, she said to add a "cuchara de caldo de pollo." I didn't know about this powdered stuff, and that basically translates to "one spoonful of chicken broth." That didn't sound right. It took some further investigation and inquiry before I figured out that she had just used shorthand to describe an ingredient with which I was unfamiliar, but that every other Mexican cook knew about.

Now, I use it all the time, too, in many things. Like Heidih, I use it as a substitute for salt. My good ol' American turkey giblet gravy gets a nice boost every Thanksgiving, for example. As does the cornbread dressing. And the green beans. And the roasted potatoes.

Just last night, made up a big batch of green chile stew. Instead of salt, in went the "caldo."

I'm never without it.

Edited February 19, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[Jaymes]

And as long as we're talking about pre-mixed Mexican seasoning staples, here's another one:

Tajín

Pronounced "ta-HEEN," this is on the table in many Mexican homes, right beside the salt and pepper. And if not there, undoubtedly in the pantry spice cabinet. And if it isn't Tajín, it's another brand of essentially the same stuff (there are many), or if there isn't a commercial blend, the Mexican cooks in the family are blending their own.

But someway, somehow, they have a mixture of dried chile powder and salt, with or without lime (or limón) (personally, I much prefer with).

This is sprinkled on all manner of fruits and vegetables. Once you've had a mango or pineapple, for example, with a dusting of Tajín, it's hard to do without it. It's the go-to seasoning for appetizers of jicama, or sliced oranges, or cucumbers. And don't even think of trying to serve corn on the cob without it. Bartenders give a quick shake of it to Bloody Marys, and use it (sometimes with sugar) to rim glasses for a variety of exotic cocktails.

Basically anything that can use a little extra zip of chile, lime and salt benefits from this.

Edited February 19, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[andiesenji]

These are the two seasoning that are readily available and are also seen on tables in local Hispanic restaurants.

A small Honduran restaurant offers a mango and green coconut salad and suggests the use of the Chile Con Limon but offers both. The Pico De Gallo is hotter.

You can order direct from Via Nueva

Jaymes is so sharp and knows so much about these.

I make fresh pico de gallo and all the local Mexican markets offer it in several "grades" mild, medium, hot and very hot, in the deli/prepared foods section.

If I'm in a lazy mood I buy a large container of the mild and small containers of each of the hotter ones so folks can blend them to get the degree of heat they want.

If I start from scratch, I make a bowl of mild and chop hotter peppers so my guests can add the heat they want.

I like the Pico de Gallo seasoning on cottage cheese - for breakfast.

I sprinkle it on jicama "sticks" for snacks.

Edited February 19, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[Jaymes]

These are the two seasoning that are readily available and are also seen on tables in local Hispanic restaurants.

A small Honduran restaurant offers a mango and green coconut salad and suggests the use of the Chile Con Limon but offers both. The Pico De Gallo is hotter.

Yes, Andie. While discussing this chile powder blend, I should have mentioned the "Pico de Gallo" connection.

It's confusing to most norteamericanos, because they immediately think of the ubiquitous fresh salsa of tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc.

In much of Mexico, that's more commonly called "salsa fresca." And Pico de Gallo (beak or "peck" of the rooster) refers to a mixture also of fresh (or sometimes pickled) vegetable chunks, such as jicama, onions, mango or other fruit slices, etc. It can be used as a relish, but it's more often set out in a shallow dish for an appetizer. You then sprinkle on some Tajin or another similar chile seasoning such as the ones Andie has pictured (Boy, that gal is quick with a camera, ain't she?), and maybe a squeeze of lime juice. It's served with toothpicks for guests to help themselves, which they do by spearing favorite morsels. Watching everyone gather round and poke through the dish, spearing things they like, it's immediately clear why this is named after roosters in the barnyard pecking at the ground. Diana Kennedy has just such a recipe on page 250 of "Essential Cuisines of Mexico." It calls for chopped peaches, white onions, and peron chiles, seasoned with epazote, fresh lime juice, and salt to taste.

And just like Andie says, the seasoning can be labeled "Pico de Gallo."

Edited February 19, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[rancho_gordo]

Playing devil's advocate, I never use the caldo powder unless desperate. Or Maggi. And I always have chicken stock on hand. I poach a chicken every week, in the previous week's broth, and any extra gets frozen. It's such an essential ingredient in the way I cook that I just make sure I'm never without it.

On the other hand, I have eaten a lot of food from the clever hands of Jaymes and every dish has been memorable!

[Jaymes]

Playing devil's advocate, I never use the caldo powder unless desperate. Or Maggi. And I always have chicken stock on hand. I poach a chicken every week, in the previous week's broth, and any extra gets frozen. It's such an essential ingredient in the way I cook that I just make sure I'm never without it.

On the other hand, I have eaten a lot of food from the clever hands of Jaymes and every dish has been memorable!

And of course, my sweet Ranchito, no one would ever argue that that's not the best.

Because of course, it is.

[Darienne]

Mexican cookbooks: I have Bayless' Mexican Kitchen, Kennedy's The Art of Mexican Cooking, Ortiz' The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking (1967), Fany Gerson, My Sweet Mexico and a bunch of non-descript books from my 'non-cooking' days.

I would like to buy one more Mexican cookbook. There are so many out there, and I am still a novice cook. Suggestions please.