Mexican Chilaquiles - Recipe

MEXICAN CHILAQUILES

Ingredient:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 dried mutalo chillies (buy online), soaked in 250ml/9fl oz of boiling water
• pinch cinnamon
• 1 clove
• 1 slice of bread
• 4 cooked chicken breasts, shredded (or use Quorn to make it veggie)
• 300g bag salted tortilla chips
• 100g cheddar, grated
• soured cream, to serve

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a small pan on a low heat. Fry the seeds, garlic and onion for a few mins. Remove the stalks from the chillies, and add another 250ml of water to the soaking liquid. In a food processor or blender, blend the chillies and liquid with the onion mix, cinnamon, clove and the bread until smooth.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a mediumsize pan and warm the sauce, stirring non-stop until thick and glossy. Heat the grill while you layer up the tortilla chips and shredded chicken in an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce and scatter the cheese on. Grill until the cheese has melted and serve with soured cream.

New Mexican Pozole - Recipe

NEW MEXICAN POZOLE

Ingredient:

• 1 ½ pounds dried hominy (posole), available in Latino groceries, soaked overnight in cold water
• 3 ounces dried red New Mexico chiles(about 10 large chiles)
• 2 pounds fresh pork belly, cut in 2-inch cubes
• 2 pounds pork shoulder, not too lean, cut in 2-inch chunks Salt and pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled, halved and stuck with 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted until fragrant and coarsely ground
• 2 cups finely diced white onion, soaked in ice water, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Drain soaked hominy and put in large soup pot. Cover with water and bring to boil. Let simmer briskly for 1 hour.
2. While hominy is cooking, make red chile purée: Toast dried chiles lightly in cast-iron skillet or stovetop grill, just until fragrant. Wearing gloves, slit chiles lengthwise with paring knife. Remove and discard stems and seeds. Put chiles in saucepan and cover with 4 cups water. Simmer 30 minutes and let cool. In blender, purée chiles to a smooth paste using some cooking water as necessary. Purée should be of milkshake consistency.
3. Season pork belly and pork shoulder generously with salt and pepper. After posole has cooked 1 hour, add pork shoulder, pork belly, onion stuck with cloves, bay leaf, garlic and cumin. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, then return to a brisk simmer. While adding water occasionally and tasting broth for salt, simmer for about 2 1/2 hours more, until meat is tender and posole grains have softened and burst. Skim fat from surface of broth.
4. Stir in 1 cup chile purée and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning. (At this point, posole can be cooled completely and reheated later. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.)
5. To serve, ladle posole, meat and broth into wide bowls. Pass bowls of diced onion, lime wedges, cilantro and oregano, and let guests garnish to taste.

Mexican Tostadas - Recipe

MEXICAN TOSTADAS

Ingredients:

• 1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings
• juice 2 limes, plus wedges to serve
• pinch of caster sugar
• 170g can white crabmeat in brine, drained
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 1 really ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 2 corn tortillas
• handful mixed salad leaves

Instructions:

1. Put the onion in a bowl and cover with half the lime juice and a good pinch each of sugar and salt. Leave to soften while you get everything else ready.
2. Mix together the crabmeat, spring onions and half the chilli. Season with black pepper and set aside. Mash the avocado with the remaining lime juice, garlic and some seasoning. You can leave it quite chunky or mash it until smooth. Stir in the rest of the chilli.
3. Bend each tortilla in half and toast in a toaster for 1 min. Put on 2 plates and top with the salad leaves, then mashed avocado. Finish with the crabmeat and drained pickled onion. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Mexican Elote - Recipe

MEXICAN ELOTE

Ingredient:

• 4 corn cobs
• 100g butter, softened
• zest 1 lime
• 2 tsp chopped fresh chilli or 1 tsp chilli powder, mild or hot, depending how spicy you like it
• lime wedges, to serve

Instructions:

1. Soak corn in cold water for 15 mins. Heat a griddle pan or barbecue and, when hot, place the corn directly on the bars. Cook for 30-40 mins, turning regularly, until the corn is tender and charred in spots.
2. Meanwhile, mash the butter with the lime zest and chili. When the cobs are done, top each with a knob of flavoured butter and serve with lime wedges.

Mexican Chicken Enchiladas - Recipe

MEXICAN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Ingredient:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 ancho chillies
• 2 plum tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp oil or lard
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic loves
• 3 tbsp blanched almonds, plus extra for serving
• 2 tsp raisins
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• small piece of dark chocolate
• 375g pack fresh tortillas

Instructions:

1. Put the chicken in the pan, then pour in 300ml cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce down to a simmer and cook for 20 mins, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from water (saving the liquid) and when it’s cool enough to handle, shred with your fingers or a fork.
2. Halve the chillies, pull out the seeds and discard. Place in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for 20 mins until softened, then discard the water, roughly chop the chillies then put into a blender.
3. Heat a frying pan and tip in the tomato. Cook for 5 mins, until the tomato skins start to blister and turn brown. Add to the blender. Heat the oil or lard in the same frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and almonds for 5 mins. Stir in the raisins, oregano, cumin and cinnamon, then cook 2 mins more until the onion is softened, the almonds are golden and the raisins have puffed up. Tip into the blender with 100ml of the chicken poaching liquid and give it a good whizz.
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan, stir in 350ml of the poaching liquid and chocolate and let it simmer for 20 mins. To serve, soften the tortillas in a microwave for 30 secs then pile the chicken on top, spoon over the sauce and roll up. Serve scattered with coriander leaves, limes and more chopped almonds.

Mexican Mole Sauce - Recipe

Mexican Mole Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, cut into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves
• 250g pack cherry tomatoes
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 x 335g packs corn tortillas
• 50g flaked almonds
• 50g raisins
• 2 tsp each ground coriander and cumin
• 1-2 tsp chipotle paste
• 25g plain chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a casserole dish. Brown the pork for about 10 mins until golden all over, stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min. Pour over the chicken stock, then add the strips of orange zest and juice, cinnamon and thyme. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, then cover and simmer for 1½ hrs.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat a non-stick frying pan and dry-fry the onions and whole garlic cloves for about 5 mins, turning often until softened and lightly charred all over. Tip into a blender. Add the tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 3 mins until starting to blister and char, then tip into the blender. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan. Fry 1 of the tortillas for 1 min on each side until golden. Tear into pieces and tip into the blender. Adding more oil if you need, fry the almonds for 3 mins until golden. Add to the blender. Finally add the raisins, coriander and cumin to the pan and cook for 1-2 mins until the raisins are plump. Add these to the blender along with the chipotle paste and finely chopped chocolate. Whizz together until a rough paste forms.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pan to a board, leave to cool a little, then use forks or your fingers to tear into shreds. Remove the cinnamon, orange zest and thyme sprigs from the pan and discard. Pour a little of the cooking liquid into the blender, then carefully whizz together with the mole sauce. Tip sauce into the pan with the rest of the pork cooking juices. Simmer on the hob for 10-15 mins, then return the shredded pork to the pan and cook for 20 mins more. Season to taste. Can be made up to this point up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge or frozen for up to 3 months.
4. Just before serving, microwave the tortillas for 1 min to warm them. Toss together all the salsa ingredients and season well. Set everything out on the table. To serve, spoon some of the pork mole onto a tortilla, top with some salsa, then roll up and eat.
5. Tamales were first developed for the Aztec, Mayan and Inca tribes who needed nourishing food on the go to take into battle. Pockets of corn dough are stuffed with either a sweet or savoury filling, wrapped in banana leaves or cornhusks and steamed. Fillings vary from meats and cheeses to fruits, vegetables, chillies and mole. Remember to discard the wrapping before eating!

Mexican Great Guacamole - Recipie

Mexican Great Guacamole 

Ingredients:

• small bunch coriander, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp jalapeño peppers from a jar, drained and finely chopped
• juice 2 limes, or to taste
• 4 avocados

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mix the coriander, garlic and jalapeños with the lime juice. Peel, stone and roughly mash the avocados with a potato masher, add them to the bowl with the other ingredients and some seasoning, and serve with the fajitas or with some tortilla chips to start.

Mexican Pork Tamales - Recipie

Mexican Pork Tamales

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups of Corn Masa flour (Mexican is best)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon Chilli Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Paprika
• 1 pack Lard (or one cup Corn Oil) Lard is best
• 2 Tablespoons baking powder
• 6 cups of broth (see later stage of cooking)
• For filling
• 1.5 kilos shoulder pork (cut of skin and use for crackling)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon Cumin
• 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
• 1 tablespoon recado paste
• water to cover meat at least 20 cups
• For Mole
• 10 dried chipotle chillies (soaked till soft then diced) or 3 fresh Habanero's
• 3 medium onions
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried Oregano (Mexican if you can get it)
• tin chopped tomatoes
• To Finish.
• about 50 dried corn husks.

Instructions:

1. Cook the Pork. Remove the skin from the shoulder and chop into big chunks, pop in large saucepan and cover with at least 20 cups of water add seasoning's and bring to the boil, simmer for around 2 hours till meat can be shredded. When pork is ready remove from broth and leave to cool, DO NOT DISCARD THE BROTH.
2. Prepare the MASA. In a large mixing bowl add 6 cups of Masa Flour, cumin, salt, pepper,garlic powder, paprika and baking powder. Add 6 cups of retained broth and beat in well, dissolve the lard in a bowl in a microwave, when liquid beat in to the dough for about 10 mins to get some air into the mix, makes for a fluffier masa. Leave covered to cool. Put your husks in a mixing bowl and cover with hot water to soften (about 30 mins).
3. To make the Mole. fry onions till brown, add tomatoes, seasoning's and chillis add the remaining broth bring to the boil then turn down to simmer, add 1 cup of masa flour and stir until the mole thickens a bit. Leave to cool.
4. Prepare the filling. Shred the pork with your fingers or 2 forks and put into a mixing bowl. Add mole until you have a nice moist mixture (not to runny)
5. Make your Tamales. Take a husk place on a flat surface, take one tablespoon of masa dough and spread over husk to within 1 inch of the edges. Place one tablespoon of filling onto the centre of the masa, pick up husk and roll the masa over the filling roll into a tube flip up the pointed end to make a packet and tie with butchers string or a strip of husk. Place in your steamer and steam for 90 mins, till cooked.
6. Once cooked you can eat them or store in the freezer for later. I vacuum seal mine in pairs they will keep for 6 months (if you can keep your hands off them). Best eaten hot with a good slosh of salsa and a nice crisp salad. To reheat steam for about 10 mins or re heat in microwave for about 2 mins well covered until piping hot.

Slow Cooking Mexican Chicken Recipe

Slow Cooking Mexican Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup roasted red peppers packed in water, drained and chopped
• ¼ cup canned diced green chills
• 1 TB taco seasoning mix
• ½ TB garlic powder
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper, or more to taste
• 1 ½ lbs raw boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved

Instructions

1. In a crock pot, mix all ingredients except chicken. Add chicken and stir to coat.
2. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours (3 hours on high did the trick for me) or on low for 7-8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.
3. Transfer chicken to a large bowl and shred with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot and mix well.
4. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup). Per serving, 3 Points Plus.

Spicy Shrimp Nachos - Recipe

Spicy Shrimp Nachos

Ingredient:

• Corn tortilla chips
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• frozen corn
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Mexican blend shredded cheese
• 1/2 pound shrimp, fresh or frozen, defrosted, shelled, tailed
• Taco seasoning
• Garlic Powder
• Paprika
• Chili powder
• Black olives, chopped
• Green onions, chopped
• Red onion, diced
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 450. Place tortilla chips on an oven proof plate. Sprinkle with some cheese if you want. Rinse can of beans. Fill empty bean can with frozen corn, rinse under water and allow to thaw out a bit.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When heated, add onion and cook until soft and translucent. Season with as much garlic powder, taco seasoning, paprika and chili powder as desired. Add in corn and beans. Cook until everything is heated through. Removed from skillet and add to prepared tortilla chips. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Place in heated oven for 3-6 minutes until cheese is melted.
3. In the same skillet add prepared shrimp. Season with more garlic powder, taco seasoning, paprika and chili powder if desired. Cook 3-4 minutes each side until shrimp is cooked through. When cooked, remove from skillet and chop into small pieces.
4. Sprinkle shrimp and other toppings like olives, green onions over the tortilla chips. Top with sour cream, guava, salsa and your favorite hot sauce.
5. Serve and enjoy!