Licuados - Banana Breakfast Shakes

When I go into whatever Mexican City office I'm teaching class in every morning, I always see the same break room staples - a water cooler, a coffee pot, and a blender. A blender? Yes, of course, because one of the most beloved breakfasts (and most beloved drinks) here is the licuado - a cold, thick, fruity shake. A licaudo, called such because it is made in a licuadora (blender), is translated as milkshake, but this is misleading because there is no ice cream. On the other hand, it's also quite apt because it is literally shaken milk.

Forget about diet shakes for breakfast. Here, people blend ice, whole milk and fruit to make a homemade breakfast shake for kids and parents on-the-go. The most popular fruit is bananas, but any fruit can be blended in, and some people even include oats and eggs to give themselves a more complete breakfast.

I have discussed my dislike for fruit before, but the ways that some fruits are being prepared here are really making me change my mind.

Ingredients
500 g whole milk (2 1/2 cups)
3 bananas
2 Tbsp. sugar
4-5 ice cubes
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Directions

1 - Put milk, bananas, ice, sugar, and vanilla (if using) into a blender.

2 - Pulse on low speed 5-6 times. Then, blend on the highest speed for at least 30 seconds to let it get really frothy.

3 - Drink your licuado immediately (or else the frothiness from blending will become flat).

Flor de Calabaza (Squash Flower)

Or pumpkin flower? Or zucchini flower? The Spanish language does not really specify, and while I had always believed they were pumpkin flowers (because of the orange), my source (Rick Bayless's Authentic Mexican glossary) does indeed say that they are called squash flowers in English.

The flavor is similar to the vegetable from which it comes, and these flowers are found in a variety of Mexican dishes, though I have usually seen them in soups or, most commonly, quesadillas. I have never actually seen them in the United States, but flor de calabaza quesadillas are often the daily special at lots of Mexican restaurants in Queens (so you must be able to get them somewhere).

To use fresh flor de calabaza, there's a bit of prep work involved. You must first clean them of course. Then, remove the woody stems and the center from the flowers (my biology lessons and internet are failing me - stamens? pistils?). If you want to make them into the oh-so-beloved quesadillas, the flores get sliced and fried with onions, chile, tomato and garlic to become the filling.

Mexican culture and cuisine is overwhelmingly carnivorous, so when my uncle-in-law told me that the best thing he had ever eaten was a flor de calabaza quesadilla that he bought on the side of the road in some pueblo in Veracruz, well, that says a lot about the flavor of this little flower.

Milanesa Tortas

As a child, I always hated "Sandwich Night"; a few slices of cold cuts and some American cheese on a kaiser roll never really piqued my culinary interest. And while I have yielded on the cold cuts a bit in my culinary maturity (which would have happened a long time ago if my parents had involved roast beef and swiss cheese in the equation), the Mexican option of the "milanesa" sandwich has really changed my attitude towards sandwiches in general.

"Milanesa" is the term used to refer to a very thin piece of meat (any kind, beef, pork, chicken, etc..) that is breaded and fried (schnitzel, according to the dictionary). Milanesa beef or pork is most popular in the torta carts, and these are "torta cart" style of tortas (vs. "taqueria" style torta", which I will save for another day). That means more vegetable toppings, whole pieces of meat, and refried beans.

Ingredients
4 pork cutlets, pounded super thin and flat
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs (or Panko, if you like to be trendy)
salt and pepper
oil for frying
4 bolillos (or kaiser rolls, I guess)
butter
mayonnaise
1 cup refried beans
1/2 pound of quesillo (or any mild white melting cheese), sliced or shredded
1 tomato, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 can of chiles chipotles or jalapenos in vinegar

Directions

1 - Fry up your milanesas. Fill three shallow dishes with the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, respectively, all seasoned to taste. Heat a half an inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip the pork in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Cover completely. Fry the milanesas for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Set aside.

2 - Fold/cut milanesas into sandwich size/shape pieces. Return each milanesa stack to a dry skillet over low heat. Place the cheese on top and cover the pan with foil to melt the cheese. Turn the heat off after a minute or so, and let the cheese keep melting.

3 - The rest is pretty much al gusto, but a complete sandwich (in my home) would have the bolillo toasted with a bit of butter; a smear of refried beans on one half and a smear of mayo on the other; a row of sliced onions, the meat and cheese; topped with tomatoes, avocados, and the chiles of your choice (but not both).

4 - The best way to do "Torta Night" is to set it up buffet style and let everyone put as much or as little of each of the toppings as they like, and then truly enjoy their torta milanesa.

PS - These have nothing to do with Milan; I have no idea why they are called that.