Mexican Cooking

When making Mexican food, remember, it is all about the flavors. Most Mexican food consists of beans, rice, meat or chicken, tortillas, salsas, onions, peppers, cilantro, tomatoes and cheeses. All of these can be put together to make tacos, enchiladas, burritos or grilled meat of some kind.

STRAWBERRY-MANGO SALSA

1 cup diced strawberries
½ cup diced mango
¼ cup diced yellow bell pepper
2 TBSP. fresh lime juice
1 TBSP. chopped cilantro
1 TBSP. olive oil
1 TBSP. red-wine vinegar
1 tsp. minced jalapeño chile
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve cold or at room temperature.


ANN'S FRESH SALSA

In blender or food processor blend the following:
2 Roma Tomatoes
½ bunch fresh Cilantro, washed well
½ cup chopped onions
¼ tsp. oregano
2 oz. of diced green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 TBSP. vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1 - 2 jalapenos (opt.)
½ bunch green onions, sliced
2 - 3 cloves of minced garlic

Add to the following and refrigerate for 30 minutes:
8 Roma Tomatoes, diced
½ bunch sliced green onions
½ cup onions
2 TBSP. diced green chiles

Salt to taste. Chill and serve.

AVOCADO SALSA (Cathy Gomez)

Blend in blender:
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic
Add:
1 bunch of cilantro
2 avocados
2 Serrano chilies
Salt
Juice from ½ of lime

Spoon on tacos or tostadas. Enjoy!


CRANBERRY SALSA (Ann-Marie Harrell)

12 oz. bag Fresh Cranberries*
2 ribs of celery
¼ cup chopped Cilantro
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup sugar
3 TBSP. lime juice
1 small onion
1 jalapeño pepper

In food processor chop cranberries and celery. Pour into bowl; add cilantro, salt, sugar and lime juice. Process onion and pepper in food processor. Fold into cranberry mixture. Cover and chill till ready to serve.
If you want a sweeter version, only add half of onion and pepper mixture, especially if your processor produces a “juicy” result!
*If you don’t have enough fresh cranberries, reconstitute some dried Craisins. It works!


CORN SALSA (Sheila King)

1 can Black-eyed Peas, drained
1 can Corn, drained
2 – 4 green onions, sliced
5 medium tomatoes, diced
2 Avocados, chopped
¼ - ½ cup chopped Cilantro

Combine ingredients and pour prepared package of “GOOD SEASONONGS” Italian Dressing Mix over salsa. Mix well, chill before serving.

CHILI RELLENO CASSEROLE (Alta Wilkins)

2 – 7 oz. cans Ortega Whole Green Chilies
1 can evaporated milk
4 TBSP. Flour
1 - 8 oz. pkg. Longhorn cheese, grated
1 - 8 oz. Pkg. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
6 eggs
1 – 8 oz. can Ortega Green Chile salsa

Beat eggs together, add milk and flour. Beat until well blended. In a 13x9 pan, layer with 1 can of chiles. Cover with ½ cheeses and ½ egg mixture. Repeat. Drizzle salsa over the last egg mixture and bake at 350* for 45 minutes, uncovered.


EL TORITO CEASAR SALAD (Ann-Marie Harrell)

DRESSING:

2 Anaheim Chilies, roasted, seeded and peeled
1/3 cup pepitas, roasted and salted
¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
12 oz. (1 ½ cups) Canola Oil
5 HEAPING TBSP. Cotija cheese, grated
2 small bunches of Cilantro

Blend together, except Cilantro, in blender for 10 seconds. Add washed Cilantro and pulse till chopped.
In separate, medium sized bowl, mix: 1 ½ c ups Mayonnaise and ¼ cup water

Fold in blended chili-cilantro mixture with mayo mixture. Stir ingredients together, but don’t beat it! Cover and Chill.

SALAD:

Romaine Lettuce, chopped or torn Pepitas, roasted and salted
Cotija cheese, grated Tortilla chips, crushed
Tomatoes and Avocados (opt.) Grilled Chicken strips (opt.)

Mix together and pour dressing on top. Enjoy!

CILANTRO AND GREEN CABBAGE SLAW (Bert Hunter)

DRESSING:
½ cup oil
1/3 cup lime juice
1 TBSP. vinegar
2 minced garlic cloves
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon pepper

SLAW:
1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
¼ cup minced cilantro
¼ cup sliced green onions
1 cucumber, peeled and diced for garnish

To make dressing, combine ingredients in a jar with tight lid. Shake well to mix.
For salad, in a large bowl mix the cabbage and cilantro and toss with the dressing; then mix in the green onions and cucumbers.
For additional punch to slaw, add cojita cheese, chile flakes, sliced red radishes and lime wedges.


SALPICON (Cathy Gomez)

2+ lbs. of beef (chuck roast or Flank for shredding)
3 potatoes
2 carrots
2 lettuce heads
2 TBSP. vinegar
2 TBSP. olive oil
1 lime (small green)
1 onion, sliced
Queso fresco or cotija cheese
1 tomato, sliced
2 avocados
Cook the meat then shred it.
Cut up the potatoes and carrots, cook them just until tender in water, then remove from water.
Cut lettuce.
In a glass bowl, mix all ingredients, reserve some tomato, onion and avocado to garnish. This is accompanied by "tostadas" (fried corn tortillas, or tortilla chips) and a "Chile de Arbol" salsa. (Chile de árbol, is a small thin red pepper, similar to the Japanese red pepper)


CHICKEN ENCHILADAS (Ann-Marie Harrell)

8 - 6" flour tortillas 1 cup sour cream
½ cup chopped, onion 2 cups chicken broth
4 cloves garlic 1- 4 oz. Can, green chilies
1 tsp. Coriander (opt.) 1 cup grated cheese
1/4 tsp. Pepper 1/4 tsp. Salt
2 cups chicken, cubed or shredded Topping:
(approx. 3 - 4 breasts) Olives
2 TBSP. Margarine Tomatoes
3 TBSP. Flour Green onions, sliced

Sauté onion, garlic, coriander, pepper and salt in margarine until tender. Stir in flour into sour cream; add to onion mixture. Stir in broth and green chiles at the same time. Cook and stir till thickened. Remove from heat and add ½ cup grated cheese. Stir in chicken. Grease 8x11 pan. Place about 1/4 cup filling in each tortilla and roll, placing seam down. Top with remaining sauce. Cover and bake at 350* for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle remaining cheese and toppings and bake for another 5 minutes, uncovered.


ANN’S GREEN CHILI CHICKEN ENCHILADA’S

2 – 2 ½ cups cooked, shredded chicken 14 – 18 corn tortillas
1 tsp. chili pepper, (to taste) 1 bunch green onions, sliced
¼ tsp. garlic and onion powder, (to taste) 3 cups grated cheese
½ tsp. ground cumin, (to taste) 1 large can sliced olives
28 oz. can Las Palmas Green Enchilada Sauce 2 Roma tomatoes, diced

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine chicken and seasonings. In hot, heated oil, dip tortilla on each side, quickly, then place on plate with paper towels to drain. Healthy choice: Wrap corn tortillas in a cloth and microwave for 1 – 2 minutes.

TO ASSEMBLE: Dip tortillas in Las Palmas Enchilada Sauce. Place tortilla in 9x13 pan to fill; place chicken across middle; sprinkle layer of cheese, about 1 – 2 TBSP.; add a few olive slices and green onions. Roll enchilada, seam side down. After filling, pour remaining sauce (save ¼ cup) over enchiladas evenly. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and add more if desired. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Take out and add remaining green onions, olives and tomatoes; put back in oven for 5 more minutes. Serve with Mexican rice and beans and sour cream. Enjoy!

MEXICAN RICE (Marianne Larsen)

1 cup rice3 TBSP. oil1 tsp. garlic salt½ tsp. cumin¼ cup onion, chopped2 cup chicken broth½ cup tomato sauceBrown the rice in hot oil in a saucepan (about 3 minutes). Add the seasonings and onion and cook a little longer. Add the chicken broth and tomato sauce and mix well. Bring to a boil and then put on LOW heat to keep the rice simmering. Cover with a lid and leave the rice to cook undisturbed for 20-25 minutes. If you stir while it is cooking, you could end up with mush. Once it is done cooking, you can fluff the rice while turning it out into a serving bowl.


MEXICAN RICE (Barbara Nevares)

1/4 cup cooking oil 2 cups rice
1 beef or chicken bouillon 1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 sliced green onion 4 cups water

Brown rice in oil. Pour water over rice. Pour tomato sauce over rice. Sprinkle green onions and bouillon over rice also. Salt to taste. DO NOT STIR. Let come to boil (3 - 4 minutes). Lower heat and cover; steam until cooked. Rice should be fluffy.


CILANTRO LIME RICE (Dana Adcock)

2 cups rice
4 cups chicken broth
½ tsp. salt
juice of one lime
¼ cup butter
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ tsp. ground cumin

Combine rice, broth and salt in large saucepan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil. Decrease heat to simmer and add lime juice, butter, cilantro and cumin. Stir, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

Serve pork, rice, fresh salsa and lettuce in warm tortillas


SHREDDED PORK (Dana Adcock)

3-4 lb. cheap pork roast (even bone-in is fine)
3-4 TBSP. Montreal Steak Seasoning
2-3 oranges
½ jalapeno
8 whole cloves
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 lime

Put pork in crock pot. Sprinkle with seasoning. Cut oranges in half and juice into crock pot, then put orange halves in crock pot, too.
Add jalapeno, chopped, cloves and garlic. Cook all day on low. Shred pork. Strain juices and put in skillet. Heat juices over med-high heat to reduce a bit. Squeeze in juice of 1/2 lime. Add shredded pork to juices and stir. Squeeze remaining lime juice, stir and serve.
Serve with Cilantro-Lime Rice. Enjoy!


TORTA de CALABAZA (Karen Hursh, Cookbook author)

This is a hearty side dish or a good light lunch or supper entrée. It is also great on a buffet table, since it can be successfully served at room temperature.

1 pound tender squash, cut into small pieces 1/8 inch thick
2 TBSP. butter
½ medium white or yellow onion, cut into thin crescents
2 poblano chiles, roasted, seeded and peeled, cut or torn into strips
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
6 corn tortillas, lightly fried in vegetable oil but remaining soft, drained
1 cup grated manchego, jack or Gouda cheese
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 8-inch square baking dish.
Cook the squash in boiling salted water until crisp-tender. Drain well and cool.
Melt the butter in a medium size skillet, sauté the onion until soft, and add the chiles and tomatoes. Cook until the juice from the tomatoes has evaporated, and stir in the drained squash and the cilantro.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, add the sour cream and mix well.
Place three tortillas on the bottom of the baking dish, arranging them to cover as much of the bottom of the dish as possible. Top with half the squash and cream mixture, then half the grated cheese. Repeat the layers with the remaining tortillas, squash mixture and cheese. Best the eggs very well and pour over all.
Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set for 15-20 minutes before serving. Serves 6 as a side dish; 4 as a vegetarian main course.

SPICY SHREDDED PORK (www.thepioneerwoman.com)

4 -7 pound Pork shoulder 1 tsp. ground cumin
1 onion 1 – 2 TBSP. salt
1 tsp. Chili Powder pepper
¼ cup brown sugar 1 - 2 TBSP. Olive Oil
3 - 4 garlic cloves 2 – 2 TBSP. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano Lime wedges

Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder.

To begin, just throw the dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and black pepper to taste, the white wine vinegar and brown sugar into a food processor or blender. Cut one onion into quarters and put it in the food processor with the spices. Blend mixture until totally combined and then pour it over the pork shoulder.

Now rub it into every nook and cranny of the meat, tucking it under folds and in crevices. Let no stone go unturned. Then place the pork into a roasting pan or Dutch oven and add two cups of water. Cover tightly and roast pork at 300 degrees for several hours, turning once every hour. When it is fork tender, crank up the heat, remove the lid, and roast it, skin side up, for another 15 – 20 minutes to get the skin crispy. When it’s done let it rest for 15 minutes before shredding.

Shred the pork shoulder (two forks work well). When it’s all shredded be sure to pour the juices all over the meat. Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, and tomatillo salsa…whatever makes your skirt fly up!

(Meat can be frozen to be used later)

CAFÉ RIO PORK SALAD

Pork Roast: Put roasts in crock pot and fill with water half way up the roasts. Cook for 10-12 hours on low. Drain water and shred. Mix all other ingredients and pour over roast. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Two 3 lb. pork roasts
1 - 12 oz. bottle taco sauce
½ TBSP. cumin
1 cup brown sugar
1 - 20 oz. Dr. Pepper

Rice: Heat water to boil. Add all ingredients and cook for 20 minutes.

4 c. water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 TBSP. cumin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 chopped green onions
1 TBSP. butter
6 sprigs cilantro, chopped
2 cups rice

Dressing: Blend well in food processor or blender until smooth.
1 cup mayo
1 cup cilantro (trim stems off)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch DIP
1/3 - ½ cup buttermilk
3 tomatillos (take off husk and quarter)

Order: Tortillas, pork, rice, beans, lettuce, dressing, tortilla strips.

ROLLED TACOS

Meat: Use any leftover roast beef, shredded. Or use a can of roast beef, drained, then add some instant potatoes to give it volume. Or cook slowly a chuck roast or rump roast, then cool and shred.

Dip your corn tortillas in hot oil for a few seconds to soften; then place on paper towels. While warm, spread a line of shredded meat at edge of tortilla then roll and secure with a toothpick. Fry in hot oil. Drain on paper towels and salt immediately. Enjoy them with salsa, bean dip or guacamole.

CHIMICHANGAS (Jane Wright - Matta's Restaurant, Mesa, AZ)

MEAT:
3 lbs. roast. You can use any shredded beef or leftover roast.
If using uncooked meat, prepare this way:
Cover with water; boil slowly over low heat for several hours, till tender. Season with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt. Save broth to be used with Chimi Sauce. Cool meat and shred with fingers.

SAUCE: For meat -in frying pan, melt 3/4 cup Lard or Crisco. Add ½ cup flour. It will brown a little. Then add:
3 diced white onions
2 chopped bunches of green onions
3 diced tomatoes
4 - 3 oz. cans diced green chiles
1 tsp. each: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion salt
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. cumin

Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Take ½ of mixture and add to meat. Season again with cumin, oregano, onion salt, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Put meat on large flour tortilla and roll. Hold with toothpick before frying. Heat oil and deep fry until golden brown, approx. 1 -2 minutes. Serve with Chimi Sauce, guacamole and sour cream.

For HEALTHY VERSION: Heat chimichangas in microwave, then spray with vegetable spray; place on cookie and bake in 400* oven until crispy. Turn chimis over as they become crispy.
(Chimichangas can be frozen, then thawed before cooking. Yield about 12 - 18 large Chimichangas)

CHIMI SAUCE:
Add to the rest of the onion mixture in a frying pan:
2-1/2 cups Beef broth
1 cup tomato puree or paste

Cook slowly and thicken with more flour in necessary. (To thicken, take part of hot mixture from pan and stir in flour to prevent lumps. If too thick, add more broth.) If needed, season to taste with salt, pepper and seasonings.
This mixture can be poured over hot chips and melted cheese to make nachos, or alone for dip.


CARNE ASADA (Rick - the Contractor’s Caterer)

Slice into thin layers Chuck Steak, Top Sirloin or any other meat. In box that has been lined with plastic, dip meat into a Beef Broth with Worchester Sauce, season with seasoning salt, cumin, orange slices and onions slices and layer sliced meat in box. Tie plastic bag shut and marinate overnight until ready to grill.

Grill and slice meat. Grill oranges, onions, green onions and peppers for tortillas.

CHILI CHIMIS (Shirley Calhoun)

5 - 6 lb. Roast. The cheapest cut (boneless chuck) works best.
Brown in 1 TBSP. Oil, then put in Crock Pot.
Pour on top of meat:
3 - 4 oz. cans of diced green chilies
1 whole onion, chopped
1 - 15 oz. can tomatoes, peeled, diced
about 1 cup of water
4 beef bouillon cubes

Cook all day in, can turn meat over, until meat falls apart. Take meat out and shred meat, throwing away fat. Put meat back in pot with juices.

Add to mixture for YOUR taste:
3 - 4 oz. cans of diced green chilies
1 - 2 more 14 oz. Cans of tomatoes, peeled, diced and drained
½ onion, sauted in butter (before adding)

If mixture is too wet, thicken juices with cornstarch. Use meat mixture to make burritos, rolled tacos or chimichangas or following casserole. Can freeze meat and thaw for later use.


CHILI CHIMI CASSEROLE (Shirley Calhoun)

Layer ingredients as follows, how much depends on how large you make your casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.

Las Palmas Green Chili Salsa
Chili Chimi Meat mixture
corn tortillas, softened in oil
grated Jack and Cheddar cheese
sour cream in globs