Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups seeded, diced tomatoes
* 1/4 cup diced red onion
* 1 tablespoon diced jalapenos
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* Juice of 2 limes
* 2 tablespoons cilantro, plus extra for garnish
* Salt and pepper

Directions

In a bowl combine all ingredients.
(www.foodnetwork.com)

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe
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To cook the tomatillos, you can either roast them in the oven, or boil them. Roasting will deliver more flavor; boiling may be faster and use less energy. Either way works, though boiling is a more common way to cook the tomatillos.
Ingredients

* 1 1/2 lb tomatillos
* 1/2 cup chopped white onion
* 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
* 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
* Salt to taste

Method

1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

2a Roasting method Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

2b Boiling method Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillos with a slotted spoon.

2 Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.(simplyrecipes.com)

Mexican Tacos

Serves 2

Ingredients:

* 6 corn tortillas
* Olive oil
* 3 tbs Black pepper
* 1/3 cup lime juice
* 1 lime
* 1 tbs Salt
* 1/2 cup chopped Cilantro (coriander)
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 tbs Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
* Hot sauce of your taste
* 3/4 lb "Carne asada" beef, fajita beef strips, or any other thin cut of beef in strips

Pre-cooking:

* If necessary, cut the meat in small (byte size) strips
* Chop the onion and cilantro
* Cut the lime in small pieces
* Put the chopped onion and cilantro in a serving dish, along with the lime strips

Cooking:

* Set frying pan in mid-high heat
* Add 5 tbs olive oil to frying pan
* Add the meat
* Add the salt and black pepper, stirring
* Add the lime juice and Worcestershire sauce
* Stir the meat every minute for 5 minutes , allowing it to boil in its own juice as well as the oil and lime juice.
* Turn the heat to low and heat the tortillas

Serving and Eating tacos:

Serve the meat in a plate, next to hot tortillas. Each person takes a hot tortilla and adds meat to it, topping the meat with some chopped onion, cilantro, salsa and a few drops of lime juice

Chimichangas

Makes: 8

I N G R E D I E N T S
1/2 cup long grain rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried or fresh oregano
7 ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
8 8-10" flour tortillas

1/4 - 1/2 cup oil for frying

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the rice, boil 8 minutes then drain, rinse, and drain again.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, cloves and oregano and fry for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rice and tomatoes and simmer over low heat until all the tomato juice has been absorbed. Set mixture aside.

Place chicken breasts in a large saucepan and cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (cut to test). Once cooked remove chicken and place on a plate to cool.

Shred the chicken. I use my fingers but you can use two forks if you prefer. Add the chicken and the cheese to the rice mixture and combine.

Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and place over a bowl filled with boiling water. You can also wrap the tortillas in plastic wrap and heat them in the microwave for about 1 minute. This softens the tortillas so that they are pliable and fold easily.

Spoon 1/8 of the rice mixture onto the center of the tortilla. Fold in both sides. Fold the bottom up and the top down to form a "parcel". If your tortillas are very fresh you can moisten the edges and press to seal. If not, secure the edge with a toothpick.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Place burritos in the pan (do not crowd) and fry, turning once, until crisp and brown. Place on a plate with paper toweling to absorb excess oil. (GourmetSleuth.com)

Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients

* Olive oil
* 1/2 medium onion, chopped (about a half cup)
* 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted, if you can get it (or 1 -2 large fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, when in season)
* 1/2 6-ounce can diced green Anaheim chiles
* Chipotle chili powder, adobo sauce, or ground cumin to taste (optional)
* 4 corn tortillas
* Butter
* 4 fresh eggs
* 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions

1) Make the sauce first by softening the onions in a little olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Once translucent, add the tomatoes and the juice the tomatoes are packed in. Break up the tomatoes with your fingers as you put them in the pan. If you are using fresh tomatoes, chop them first, then add. Note that fresh tomatoes will take longer to cook as canned tomatoes are already cooked to begin with. Add chopped green chilies. Add additional chili to taste, either chipotle chili powder, adobo sauce, regular chili powder, or even ground cumin. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and let simmer while you do the rest of the cooking, stirring occasionally. Reduce to warm after it has been simmering for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste if needed.

2) Prepare the tortillas. Heat the oven to a warm 150°F, place serving plates in the oven to keep warm. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium high, coating the pan with the oil. One by one (or more if your pan is big enough) heat the tortillas in the pan, a minute or two on each side, until they are heated through, softened, and pockets of air bubble up inside of them. Then remove them and stack them on one of the warming plates in the oven to keep warm while you continue cooking the rest of the tortillas and the eggs.

3 Fry the eggs. Using the same skillet as was used for the tortillas, add a little butter to the pan, about two teaspoons for 4 eggs. Heat the pan on medium high heat. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes for runny yolks, more for firmer eggs.

To serve, spoon a little of the sauce onto a warmed plate. Top with a tortilla, then a fried egg. Top with more sauce, sprinkle with cilantro if desired.

Serve either one or two eggs/tortillas per plate, depending on how much you want to eat. I'm a 2-egg 2 tortilla person myself.

Makes 2-4 servings, depending on your appetite. (www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007130huevos_rancheros.php)

Tamales

Beef Tamales
Recipe adapted from Food911. Beef shoulder roasted is simmered with garlic, onions, ancho, pasilla, and New Mexico chiles.

Serving: 25 tamales

i n g r e d i e n t s
2 pounds beef shoulder roast
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 garlic bulb, cloves removed and peeled
4 ounces dried New Mexico chilies
2 ounces ancho chiles
2 ounces pasilla chiles
2 tablespoons cumin seed, toasted
1 tablespoons salt
2 bags dried corn husks, about 3 dozen
4 cups masa(dough) mix for tamales
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups reserved beef broth, warm
1 cup vegetable shortening


d i r e c t i o n s
Beef; Season the beef shoulder all over with salt and pepper then brown in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Once browned on all sides, add enough water to cover the roast along with the 1 sliced onion and about 6 cloves of garlic.

Cook until the meat is fork tender and comes apart with no resistance, about 2 hours. When done, remove the roast to a platter to cool, reserve the beef broth. Hand shred the meat and set aside.

Sauce; To prepare the sauce, remove the tops of the dried chilies and shake out most of the seeds. Place the chilies in a large stockpot and cover them with water. Add the cumin, remaining sliced onion and garlic. Boil for 20 minutes until the chiles are very soft. Transfer the chiles to a blender using tongs and add a ladle full of the chile water (it is best to do this in batches.) Puree the chiles until smooth. Pass the pureed chiles through a strainer to remove the remaining seeds and skins. Pour the chili sauce into a large bowl and add salt, stir to incorporate. Taste to check seasonings, add more if necessary. Add the shredded beef to the bowl of chili sauce, and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Husks; go through the husks and sort by size and remove any silks or debris. Soak the corn husks in your sink filled with warm water until soft, about 30 minutes. (You can also soak husks in large bowls of water if you are not doing a lot of tamales).

Masa; In a deep bowl, combine the masa, baking powder, and salt. Pour the broth into the masa a little at a time, working it in with your fingers. In a small bowl, beat the vegetable shortening until fluffy. Add it to the masa and beat until the dough has a spongy texture.

Drain Husks; Rinse, drain, and dry the corn husks. Set them out on a sheet pan covered by a damp towel along with the bowls of masa dough and beef in chili sauce.

Spread Masa; Start with the largest husks because they are easier to roll. Lay the husk flat on a plate or in your hand with the smooth side up and the narrow end facing you. Spread a thin, even layer of masa over the surface of the husk with a tablespoon dipped in water. The easiest method of spreading masa is with a masa spreader (see side panel for how this is used) Do not use too much, keep the masa thin.

Add about a tablespoon of the meat filling in the center of the masa. Fold the narrow end up to the center then fold both sides together to enclose the filling. The sticky masa will form a seal. Pinch the wide top closed.

Fold; the sides of the corn husk to center over the masa so that they overlap to make a long package. Fold the empty part of the husk under so that it rest against the side of the tamale with a seam.

Steam; Place the tamales in a steamer and cook tamales for 2 hours. Check every 20 minutes. Do not let the water boil away. The tamale is cooked when it separates easily from the corn husk.

Serve; Unfold the husk and spoon about a tablespoon of remaning beef filling on top.
(www.gourmetsleuth.com/beeftamales.htm)

Enchiladas

A note about the tortillas. The corn tortillas must be softened before they are rolled and baked in the casserole. Frying them gently in a little oil greatly enhances the flavor of the tortillas.
Ingredients

* Grapeseed oil (or another high smoke-point oil such as peanut or canola oil)
* 12 corn tortillas
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 clove of garlic, minced
* 1 cup of salsa (Mild prepared salsa or make your own using cooked or canned tomatoes, roasted green chiles, onions, cilantro, oil and vinegar. Do not use salsa made with fresh, uncooked tomatoes for this dish.)
* 3 Tbsp of tomato paste
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)
* Olive oil
* 1 lb of jack cheese, mild cheddar or longhorn or any mild yellow cheese, grated
* A handful of cilantro
* 1 cup of sour cream
* Half a head of iceberg lettuce

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 In a large fry pan at high heat add 3 Tbsp of grapeseed oil. Add a tortilla to the pan. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift up the tortilla with a spatula, add another tortilla underneath. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift again, both tortillas, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding a little more oil if needed. This way you can brown and soften the tortillas without using a lot of fat. You do this process to develop the flavor of the tortillas. As the tortillas brown a little, remove from the pan one by one to rest on a paper towel, which absorbs any excess fat.

2 Sauté up the chopped onion and garlic, then turn off the heat. Add 1 cup of salsa. Dissolve 3 Tbsp of tomato paste into 1 cup of water, add to pan. Add 1 cup of crushed fire roasted canned tomatoes. Taste. If the sauce tastes too vinegary, add a teaspoon of sugar.

3 Put some olive oil on the bottom of a large casserole pan. Take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese, then roll up the tortilla and place it in the casserole pan. Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled. Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the the casserole pan. Make sure all are covered with the sauce. If not, add a little water. Cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese. Put the casserole in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.(www.elise.com/recipes)