Mexican stuffing for Christmas turkey: Relleno para totol de nochebuena Karen Hursh Graber

Nochebuena is Christmas Eve, and that is when Mexican families sit down to a feast that usually lasts for several hours. This recipe for Mexican stuffing for Christmas turkey is adapted from Alquímias... read more

meat side-dishes

Mexican beef chichilo by Pilar Cabrera: Chichilo de res por Pilar Cabrera Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican beef chichilo is probably the least known of Oaxaca's moles. It is one of the only instances where nearly burning the chile gives an intense, smoky taste to the finished product. Pilar Cabrera ... read more

vegetables meat main-dishes Oaxaca

Mexican yucca meat pie: Pastel de yuca Karen Hursh Graber

The filling in this Mexican yucca meat pie is a classic picadillo, but ground chicken or turkey could be used, or chopped vegetables such as squash could be added or used without meat for a vegetarian ... read more

meat main-dishes

Mashed plantains with pork rinds: Machuca de platano con chicharrones Karen Hursh Graber

This variation on traditional machuca uses crispy chicharrones (pork cracklings), which give a good texture to the dish and impart the taste of pork without having to use the traditional lard. A cousi... read more

fruit meat main-dishes Veracruz

Mexican plantain empanadas with picadillo: Empanadas de platano Karen Hursh Graber

This recipe is adapted from Alquímias y Atmósferas del Sabor, by Doña Carmen Titita Ramírez, proprietress of Mexico City's famed El Bajío restaurant. The plantains should be cooked a day in advanc... read more

fruit meat main-dishes Veracruz

Mexican Yucatan-style lentil stew: Potage de lentejas estilo yucateca Karen Hursh Graber

This hearty stew gets its flavor from pork and a medley of vegetables. The best choice for the pork stew meat is shoulder. In Mexico, ask the butcher for espaldilla. Substitute güero chile for the xca... read more

meat main-dishes beans-and-legumes Yucatán Peninsula

Mexican lentil soup with chorizo: Sopa de lentejas con chorizo Karen Hursh Graber

This was the first lentil soup I tasted in Mexico many years ago, and it seems to be the most popular version in the central region, where chorizo is used in everything from eggs to tacos. The addition... read more

meat soups beans-and-legumes

Mexican-style rabbit in red pipian with wild mushrooms: Pipian rojo con conejo y hongos silvestres Karen Hursh Graber

This colorful alabrije rabbit by Jacobo Angeles races across the Mexican mountain meadows. © Alvin Starkman, 2008 I taught this in a cooking class I gave last summer in Cuetzalan, Puebla, where I ... read more

meat main-dishes Puebla

Smoked pork chops with orange and Mexican maguey sauce: Chuletas ahumadas con salsa de naranja y miel de maguey Karen Hursh Graber

Pork and citrus are a good combination, and the miel de maguey adds a dimension of sweetness without overwhelming the bright flavor of the orange. Smoked pork chops are popular in Mexico, but unsmoked ... read more

meat main-dishes

Mexican beef brisket tacos: Tacos de carne deshebrada Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack and Veronica Gonzalez-Smith

Mexican tacos of shredded beef brisket.
© Jeanine Thurston, 2011

As a working mother, I love preparing dishes that keep on giving for a couple more meals. Every Tuesday is Taco Tuesday in my home and as a working of two very picky eaters, brisket tacos is one of our favorites. I love it because my slow cooker does all the work for me. read more

meat main-dishes tacos-and-enchiladas

Meat and vegetable stew: Mole de olla de res Karen Hursh Graber

Ancho, pasilla and guajillo chiles give this stew its deep color and rich flavor. If using the Mexican field corn most often sold in the mercados, cook the corn with the meat. If using sweet corn, cook... read more

vegetables meat main-dishes soups

Sonora style beef stew: Guisado de res sonorense Karen Hursh Graber

Cooks in Sonora often cut the beef for this guisado into strips, so that it can be rolled into burritos once cooked. This way, the recipe yields a vegetable stew plus beef burritos. In Mexico, ground a... read more

vegetables meat main-dishes soups Sonora

Stewed beef shanks with vegetables: Guisado de chambarete Karen Hursh Graber

This is an easy and delicious one-pot meal that can be made ahead and reheated. For a less picante taste, remove the chipotle before blending the cooked ingredients. The weight given for the meat refle... read more

vegetables masa meat main-dishes soups

Mexican Spanish style beef and vegetable stew: Chambarete español Karen Hursh Graber

Although classified under "soups," this is really a stew, served as a main course. A reflection of the European heritage of Aguascalientes, it is similar to the Spanish caldo gallego, which is also m... read more

vegetables meat main-dishes soups Aguascalientes

Chorizo stuffed chayote: Chayote relleno con chorizo Karen Hursh Graber

The mild taste of chayote is a perfect foil for the robust, spicy flavor of chorizo. Be sure to use fresh Mexican chorizo, and not Spanish chorizo, which is usually cured. Ingredients 1 ½ poun... read more

vegetables meat main-dishes side-dishes

Roselle hibiscus marinated roast leg of lamb: Carnero en marinada de jamaica Karen Hursh Graber

This is a bright, beautiful spring dish. Roasted baby vegetables are a perfect accompaniment, along with a full bodied red wine. Ingredients 6 large cloves garlic, peeled ½ teaspoon black... read more

meat main-dishes

Enchiladas in red chile sauce: Enchiladas dobladas Karen Hursh Graber

"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... read more

cheese poultry masa meat main-dishes vegetarian salsas

Picadillo estilo Cristina ! Esperanza

A most delicious main course beef recipe for a classic Mexican meal.

Pork in Green Pipian: Puerco en Pipián Verde Karen Hursh Graber

After poultry, pork is the most popular meat to serve in pipián sauces, and goes particularly well with green pipián, where the fresh green chiles and herbs counterbalance the richness of pork. Ma... read more

meat main-dishes Mexico City , México D.F.

Beef short ribs with pumpkin: Costilla de res con calabaza Karen Hursh Graber

The combination of meat and squash is typically West African, combined here with tomatoes, an indigenous Mexican ingredient, and spices introduced by the Spaniards. read more

vegetables meat main-dishes Veracruz

Grilled Chihuahua style leg of lamb: Pierna de cordero a la parilla Karen Hursh Graber

This northern Mexican recipe, which typifies the outdoor cooking characteristic of the region, is adapted from Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana by Alicia Gironelli. One end of a leg of lamb is thicker th... read more

meat main-dishes North Chihuahua Sonora

Mexican Pot Roast: Cuete Mechado Karen Hursh Graber

Cuete, or boneless round roast, is a very lean cut and requires larding, which Mexican cooks do with pieces of bacon and sometimes with serrano ham as well. This version uses both. Leftovers are good c... read more

pork meat main-dishes

Short Ribs in Guajillo Chile Sauce: Agujas Cortas en Salsa de Guajillo Karen Hursh Graber

Short ribs are both tasty and economical, but many people shy away from them because of their long cooking time. Mexican cooks frequently use pressure cookers for tougher cuts of meat, usually with ten... read more

meat main-dishes salsas

Rich Beef Consomme: Jugo de Res Karen Hursh Graber

I first saw this being prepared many years ago at the home of my friend Isabel Hoyos Gomez, who made it for her ailing father. Here in Mexico, it is said to be a fortifying soup for the aging and infir... read more

meat soups

Cornish Meat Pies: Pasteles de Carne Karen Hursh Graber

Although undoubtedly made without chile in their native Cornwall, these tasty, filling meat pies have been mexicanized in translation, usually with the addition of serrano chiles, either canned in vina... read more

meat breads main-dishes Hidalgo