Sunday Snacks - Chips and Dip

It seems like just yesterday I was writing about how authentic Mexican tostadas would be ideal fare for the Super Bowl. Nearly eight months later, the blog has accrued three followers (who are not friends or family members), and we're into the third week of our 2011 NFL season, ready to casually snack our way through Sundays.

Although you may not be ready for the authentic invasion of tostadas in your living room, nothing says football like chips and dip, and this little homemade effort is worth it for the resulting texture, flavor and freshness (plus, you know, the personal satisfaction). You can try all or part of this recipe, as well as build on to it. This particular recipe is our simple (no money) snacking chips and dip, but easily turn it into a meal with ground beef, beans or shredded chicken.

Ingredients

Chips
corn tortillas
salt, to taste
frying oil

Cheese sauce
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 cups Mexican cheese blend (see 8/1 post, Kirkland, Kraft, whatever)

Salsa
see recipe from 1/19 post or
use your favorite jar salsa

Directions

1 - Fill a large pan with at least 2 inches of oil. Heat the oil until very hot over high heat.

2 - Cut the tortillas into 6 triangles. Put a large handful of the tortillas into the hot oil. Cook for about 30 seconds, turn them and then cook for another 30 seconds or less (crisp, but not burnt).

3 - Remove the chips to a colander to drain the oil. Add a sprinkle of salt.

4 - Continue until there are no more tortillas.

5 - Turn the oven to 400*. Place a small empty oven safe bowl in it.

6 - Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pot over low heat. Add the flour and stir until the flour is cooked. Whisk in cold milk. Add salt and crushed red pepper. Simmer and stir until the mixture thickens.

6 - Remove from heat. Stir in the cheese until it's melted.

7 - Remove the bowl from the oven. Pour the cheese into the bowl to keep the cheese warm, and serve with the chips and salsa immediately. (The cheese will still harden quickly, but the bowl will slow that down, and in my experience, chips and cheese sauce never hang around for too long.)

Chiles en Nogada (Happy Independence Day!)

Today is September 15th, and although Independence Day is officially the 16th, the celebratory festivities start tonight with the Grito de Independencia (the Shout for Independence, where everyone "viva"s all of the revolutionary heroes, and then fireworks!) Unfortunately, I'm not expecting the spectacle I witnessed last year for my 1st Mexican Independence Day, but, of course, the 201st birthday of the nation cannot overshadow its bicentennial.

One thing that has not changed though is the food. Pozole is particularly popular on this day (every supermarket has pig heads for half off!), but pozole is popular for big celebrations throughout the year. Chiles en nogada, however, are Independence Day specific, and were created as an accompaniment to patriotic spirit by sharing the colors of the Mexican flag - green chile poblanos, white cream sauce and red pomegranate seeds (which are added just because they're red, not for flavor). Chiles en nogada means, more or less, "walnut-ized chiles" in Spanish, called such for both the walnuts in the cream sauce and in the relleno, which also includes shredded chicken, apples and pears.

There will be no accompanying recipe for this today because chiles en nogada are not generally nor prepared at home due to the walnuts, apples and pears (which are all relatively expensive down here) and the difficulty in finding pomegranate seeds. Instead, every restaurant in the DF area will have signs up all throughout the month of September boasting their chile en nogada specials. (And if I had had any money, I would have bought some.)

More Birthdays (and More Tres Leches)

Mexico has other birthday traditions besides mañanitas and piñatas and tres leches cake, though this one that I have to share today is much less pleasant. After the cake is brought out and the candles are blown out, the chants of "Mordida, mordida" begin. Then, the birthday celebrator, with the help of someone nearby, goes head first into the cake for the first bite, covering their mouthal and nasal regions in frosting. No one escapes this tradition, not even my Mexican source's 91 year old abuelita (she went on her own though; you can't push an old lady). The "Beso, beso" chant commonly follows this, and the birthday celebrator must kiss a loved one nearby, thus sharing the frosting facial. Ridiculous photos must follow before you can actually go wash your face. (And, don't worry, the birthday celebrator has to eat the piece of cake that they put their face in.)

This weekend, Jonatan (my authentic Mexican source) had his birthday and, sadly, had to make his own cakes to celebrate (I at least bought the ingredients, but he's the experienced pastelero). In the last Tres Leches blog, I had a fancy and non-traditional chocolate cake, which was delicious, but authentic tres leches cakes are much more delicious and simpler. After about 15 tres leches filled birthday celebrations in the past year (big Mexican family), even the most common peach filled tres leches has grown on me. However, my personal favorite is the less common (due to the price) but still authentic pecan (or simply nuez, or nut) tres leches cake. I can't wait for the next birthday!

Ingredients

8 eggs

240g sugar

40g butter, melted but room temperature

240g flour

1 can of Lechera (sweetened, condensed milk)

1 can of Nestle Media Crema

1 can of Carnation evaporated milk

(note: we make 2 6-inch round cakes because the milk mixture is enough for two, and I have no idea what you could do with leftover tres leches.)

1 liter whipping cream

200g sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large can of peaches in syrup

and

1 cup of pecans

Directions

1 - Preheat an oven to 350* F, and grease and flour 2 6-inch cake molds. Set aside.

2 - Mix the eggs and sugar in a stainless steel (or glass) bowl, and put the bowl over a bain marie (a shallow pan of water on low heat).

3 - Whisk constantly for 5 minutes, or until the mixture has tripled in volume. For the last minute, raise the flame to high heat.

4 - Remove from heat, and continue to whisk constantly until the mixture is room temperature, about 3 minutes.

5 - Gently fold the flour in to the egg mixture. Add the butter.

6 - Divide the mixture evenly into the 2 cake molds and put into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes.

7 - While the cake is baking, mix the three cans of leches together. Stir well, and refrigerate until needed. Also, slice the peaches and toast and chop the pecans in preparation.

8 - Whip together the cream, sugar and vanilla until you have stiff peaks. Refrigerate until needed.

9 - When the cakes are done, remove them immediately from the mold, and cut them each into three layers.

10 - With a pastry brush, saturate the bottom layers, each with about 1/6 of the milk mixture. Then, put a layer of the whipped cream. Add pecan slices to one cake, and peach slices to the other.

11 - Put the next layer of cake on top. Repeat Step 10.

12 - Put the last layer of cake on top. Add the remaining milk mixture with the pastry brush.

13 - Frost the cake all around with the remaining whipped cream.

14 - Decorate with the very traditional designs shown in the picture, or however you feel like.

15 - Let the cake set up for at least an hour in the refrigerator (as long as you can stand the wait), and enjoy!

Esquite and Elote

According to the Mayan creation story of the Popol Vuh, the gods first made man from mud and then from wood. After these two unsuccessful human prototypes and a flood to wipe them out, the gods decided on corn - and so began the slightly cannibalistic love affair that Meso-Americans have with corny cuisine.

Everyone knows of tortillas and chips; most are familiar with masa and its makings (like empanadas); but I don't feel that many people know how much fresh corn is featured in Mexican cuisine. Elote (on the cob) and esquite (just the kernels) rank among tacos and tortas in Mexico's favorite street foods. This, however, is not the Jersey sweet corn, smothered with squeezable "butter" at your Labor Day BBQ. Mexican corn is not sweet, and is traditionally served slathered with mayonnaise, rolled in grated cheese and sprinkled with chile powder. Once you get past the foreign flavor combination (and, I admit, it can take a while), this is quite tasty, both in a cup or on a stick.

Ingredients

4 ears of corn

4 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 cup queso añejo, cotija or fresco (or finely grated parmesan)

2 tsp. chile powder

Directions

1 - Prepare the corn on the cob however you like - boiled or grilled. (Grilled in the husk is the popular way here - if you have a grill and want to be authentic.)

2 - Slather each ear of corn with 1 tablespoon of mayo.

3 - Sprinkle 1/4 cup of finely grated cheese on the mayo (it will stick to the mayo).

4 - Sprinkle each cob with 1/2 teaspoon chile powder (or as much as you can take; it will also stick to the mayo).

5 - For esquite, fill a cup with cooked corn (fresh, can, frozen - your choice), top with the mayo, cheese and chile powder.

6 - Enjoy either way!

Enfrijoladas

I personally am not a huge fan of earthy flavors, like mushrooms and beans and the like, but after 8 months, I'm starting to feel like I can't describe my blog as a Mexican food blog if I don't start talking about frijoles.

Beans are an important part of Mexican cuisine, but for the non-wealthy, they're downright vital. (Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, right?) When I lived in Martinez de la Torre, beans were always at the ready on the stove for a breakfast, lunch or dinner option, but they weren't the Goya cans so predominant and convenient stateside. Instead, every other morning, my suegra would fill a pot with water and at least 2 kgs of frijoles and cook them outside over a wood burning stove for several hours.

Now, down here, rice and beans are popular enough in authentic Mexican cuisine, but their inclusion with every meal at chains like On The Border and Chi-Chi's (which means boobies, by the way) is not quite reflective of my frijol experiences. The most common use of beans that I see is enfrijoladas, and, similar to the previous mentioned enchiladas and enmoladas, enfrijoladas, a true staple of Mexican cuisine, are lightly fried tortillas slathered with refried beans and possibly topped with some garnish or accompanied by an egg.

Ingredients
20 corn tortillas
1 can of pinto or black beans (or refried beans)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
oil for frying

Directions

1 - Open a can of beans, but do NOT drain them. Heat some oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the beans along with their bean juice. Fry the beans until soft, and then squish with the back of a wooden spoon or a masher. (Or, puree the can of beans in a blender beofore sauteing.) Add salt and pepper to taste, and set the hot beans aside.

2 - In another pan, heat some more oil over a low flame. Lightly fry the tortillas, about 30 seconds on each side.

3 - Immediately dip the tortillas in the warm beans, and remove to a plate. Fold it over on itself (like a quesadilla).

4 - Once all the tortillas are done and the plates are full, sprinkle the enfrijoladas with the cheese and raw onions.

5 - They are generally eaten with your fingers (which is fun, but not terribly dignified) and at any time of the day.

Mexican Cheese Blend

17% Cheddar, shredded

17% Monterrey Jack, shredded

33% Queso Asadero (grill cheese), shredded

33% Manchego, shredded

The most popular cheeses in Mexico are white and mild, slightly salty and predominantly used to extinguish the fire in your mouth from any number of spicy dishes. Queso fresco, queso asadero y queso de hebra (or queso oaxaqueño) are the most common cheeses in Mexico (at least in any place that I've been, which, granted has only been two places).

As delicious as those cheeses are (and I really do love them), sometimes my gringa palate wants something stronger. Many of the Mexican foods adopted into U.S. culture have been upgraded to bolder cheeses based on that desire. When I'm in the mood for American style enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos or nachos, I usually go to Costco for their Kirkland 4 Cheese Mexican Blend (which a highly recommend). But, thanks to Julio Regalado and his 3x2 cheese sale and some late night nacho cravings, I was able to develop this most delicious, super melty cheese blend, mixing mild Mexican and bold American cheese. It is wonderful on the aforementioned foods, as well as on burgers, chicken finger sandwiches, sopes and white rice (when money's a little tight).

White Pozole

Pozole might be the most popular national dish of Mexico. Unfortunately, I could never really get on board with the pozole thing - possibly because the first bowl served to me had a surprise chicken foot floating in it. (I suppose I should be grateful that it wasn't a floating pig's head, pozole's most common protein.) I avoided pozole for a long time, but this was my loss because it is quite good (as long as I continue to adapt my recipe to include boneless chicken meat).

Pozole, at its most basic, is a soup made with hominy (a white corn-like vegetable), that is super popular throughout all of Mexico, especially on September 16th, Mexico's Independence Day. The cooked pozole is relatively simple, but each person customizes their bowl with a variety of pozole specific garnishes.

Ingredients
300 g. hominy (maiz pozolero)
water
salt
500 g. shredded chicken
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
a bundle of thyme, parsley and leek

50 g. onion
10 g. garlic
200 g. roma tomato
50 g. chile de arbol (crushed red pepper)

shredded lettuce
minced radish
minced onion
lime wedges
oregano
sour cream
tortilla chips

Directions

1 - If using fresh hominy, cook the hominy, salt and water together in a pot over medium heat until the skin separates easily. Remove from heat and remove all of the hominy skins. (If you bought canned hominy, just drain it.)

2 - Add the chicken, onion, garlic and herb bundle to the leftover hominy water and boil, for 10 - 15 minutes.

3 - Add the hominy, and finish cooking together. Add salt to taste.

4 - For the salsa, fry the garlic, onion and chile de arbol in a small saute pan over low heat. Add the tomatoes and some water. Cook for 20 minutes, add to a blender, liquefy it, and add salt to taste.

5 - Serve the pozole hot with the salsa and a plate full of all the garnishes.