Sweet Tamales: Tamales Dulces
Sweet tamales, wrapped in corn husks and piled on platters, are a traditional treat at children's birthday parties, baptisms and First Communions, as well as at the Christmas posadas.
On Candelar...
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Veracruz-Style Tamales with Chicken: Tamales Rojos Veracruzanos con Pollo
I first had these many years ago in the main plaza of the port of Veracruz. We'd stayed out so late listening to the wonderful local musicians that it was morning already and we were starving. The only...
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Yucatan Fish Panuchos: Panuchos de Pescado
Combining the classic Yucatecan ingredients of achiote seasoning, black beans and pickled red onions, true panuchos need to be made with fresh tortillas that will inflate when placed on the comal or gr...
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Basic Tamales
Ingredients:
2 bunches dried corn husks or a package of banana leaves cut into 24 rectangles, 8" x 12"
1 pound lard or vegetable shortening
2 1/4 pounds fresh masa or m...
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Tortilla Soup: Sopa Azteca
This is our most frequently requested soup recipe, quite often sought out by readers wanting to duplicate what they've just eaten in a Mexican restaurant. Although there are many variations, the follow...
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Chicken in Tabascan Pipian: Pollo en Chirmol
Chirmol is a thick sauce resembling the pipian rojo of central Mexico. It is served in Tabasco with fish, chicken and pork.
Ingredients for the chicken:
1 3 ½-4 pound chicken, cut into serv...
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Stewed pork with chipotle tostadas: Tinga Poblana
Tinga is a basically a stewed pork dish, cooked with a chipotle sauce and most commonly served on tostadas. A chipotle is a dried jalapeño with a wonderful, smokey flavor. The ...
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Anita's Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles is a good way to use up left over tortillas. Like all great, simple recipes, this one probably came about when something quick and filling was needed but only the most basic ingredients wer...
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Tacos Al Vapor
Ingredients:
3 whole chicken breasts
Water
3 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. oil
1 kilo (2.2 lbs) tomatoes - chopped
2 large onions - chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbs ...
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Flour Torillas
Makes 12 Tortillas
Ingredients:
2 cups white flour
1 teaspoon salt, flush
1/2-cup (one bar) butter or margarine
1/2-3/4 cup water*
*The amount of water needed varies with cooki...
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Flour Tortillas
Makes 12 Tortillas
Ingredients:
2 cups white flour
1 teaspoon salt, flush
1/2-cup (one bar) butter or margarine
1/2-3/4 cup water*
*The amount of w...
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Red Enchiladas with Chilacate: Enchiladas Rojas con Chilacate
Serves 10
Unlike the Americanized version, these Enchiladas are not baked, but served freshly made on the spot. In Mexico we buy special tortillas which are made thinner in order to absorb les...
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Chilaquiles
Ingredients:
1 kilo (2.2 lbs) corn tortillas
3 chilacate peppers
2 tomatoes
2 garlic cloves - whole, unpeeled
1/2 cup oil
2 large onions - chopped
1/2 kil...
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Chilaquiles With Red Sauce
Ingredients:
dried ancho or pasilla peppers
3 or4 cloves of garlic
1 large chicken
1 white onion
couple stalks of celery
1 carrot
15 soft corn t...
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Spinach and Cheese Tamales: Tamales de Espinaca con Queso
(Makes 30 medium sized tamales)
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. oil
1 kg. corn masa
1 bunch fresh spinach, finely chopped or 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach
400 grs. (4 1/2 sticks) butter or m...
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Michoacán-Style Tortilla Soup: Sopa Tarasca
This version of tortilla soup is similar to central Mexico's Sopa Azteca. We enjoyed its warm and robust flavor after a drive over the cool mountain pass called Mil Cumbres (A Thousand Summits) from Morelia to Zitácuaro. The wooden buildings that characterize the region are called trojes, which is also the local name for small food stalls.
read morePlaza-Style Chicken: Pollo Placero
From early evening until late at night, stands are set up in the plazas of Morelia, Pátzcuaro and other cities in Michoacan selling this popular supper. We watched women bring the different elements of this dish - chicken, vegetables and enchilada sauce - which had been pre-cooked at home, then heat them in hot oil or lard just before serving individual customers. The same thing is easy to do for guests, preparing the chicken, vegetables and enchilada sauce separately, ahead of time, and frying and assembling just before serving. Use individual oval platters if possible.
read moreEnchiladas in red chile sauce: Enchiladas dobladas
"Dobladas" means folded, and these can either be left unfilled and folded in half twice, to make triangular wedges for garnishing chicken and meat dishes, or filled and rolled. The sauce is my favorite...
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Enchiladas in tomatillo cream sauce: Enchiladas suizas
The tomatillo, called tomate verde, was first domesticated in Central Mexico and has been the basis of sauces here since pre-Hispanic times. The cream in the recipe did not exist in Mexico until the Eu...
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Zacatecas style enchiladas: Enchiladas zacatecanos
The word "zacatecano" used to describe a dish quite often indicates that it contains the combination of poblano chiles and cream.
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Shrimp and nopal tacos: Tacos de camaron y nopalitos
The chunky salsa recipe that goes with these tacos makes more than necessary for the tacos, and is a delicious dip for totopos (fried tortilla triangles). I get asked for the recipe every time I serve ...
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Enchiladas with buttermilk sauce: Enchiladas de jocoque
Enchiladas with cream sauces are popular in Querétaro, and these use the thick Mexican buttermilk called jocoque, introduced by Mexico's many Lebanese immigrants. A mixture of regular buttermilk (whic...
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Squash vine soup with corn dumplings: Sopa de guias con chochoyones
In Oaxaca, it is a rainy season staple and has been since before the Conquest. The only addition after the Spaniards arrived was the lard in the corn dough for the dumplings.
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