Cilantro Lime Rice

1 tablespoon canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups long-grain rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Juice of 3 limes and zest of 2 limes (hold back juice of 1 lime for garnish)
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the rice and salt. Cook over a low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the rice doesn't burn. Add 2 cups of the broth and the juice and zest of 2 limes and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice is done. Add more liquid as needed. The rice shouldn't be sticky.

Just before serving, stir through the juice of 1 lime and lots of chopped cilantro.
-Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman Cooks

Tres Leches Cake

Nonstick cooking spray, for the cake pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the cake pan
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 cups heavy cream, divided
3 tablespoons orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and flour a 10-inch cake pan with 2-inch high sides and then line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.

Mix the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until frothy. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Beat in the yolks, 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the whole milk in 2 additions.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the cake slightly, about 10 minutes, then invert onto a platter with 1-inch high sides.

Pierce the top of the cake all over with a thick skewer. Mix the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, 1 cup heavy cream and orange liqueur in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture over the cake while warm. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours or overnight.

Combine the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream onto top of the cake and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon.

Fideo

FIDEO

1/2 cup olive oil or 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces fideo, vermicelli or angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces
3 - 4 dried or canned Morita or Chipotle chiles cut into
2 pounds Italian Roma tomatoes
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoon salt
6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and
8 slices, for garnish
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only, chopped, for garnish
DirectionsIn large saucepan or stockpot heat the oil or butter. Add pasta and saute until golden, stirring frequently and being careful not to burn. Stir in chiles and cook for 2 minutes longer. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, onion, water and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth. Add tomato puree and stock to browned pasta. Cook over medium-low heat until the noodles soften and the flavors meld, about 15 min.

In Action

Sweets!

Rice Pudding

7 c. water

1 cup long-grain white rice

1 cinnamon stick

1-12 oz can evaporated milk

1 14-oz can condensed milk

1 c. whole milk

¾ c. raisins

Ground cinnamon

Put the water, rice, and cinnamon stick in a medium-size heavy saucepan and set over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, uncovered, and cook until the rice is tender, about 18 min.  Strain out the liquid, discard the cinnamon, and reserve the rice.  Return rice to saucepan.  Stir the evap milk, condensed milk, and whole milk.  Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, until thick, about 20 min.  Add raisins and stir well.  Transfer pudding to a serving bowl.  Dust the top of the pudding with cinnamon and serve.



Flan

Flan is a traditional Mexican dessert and there are many versions. This Flan recipe is prized for it's simplicity. If you've never made flan before, now is the time to try this recipe.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

·       1 cup and 1/2 cup sugar

·       6 large eggs

·       1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

·       2 13 oz cans evaporated milk

·       1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You will need 6 ramekins or other specialty flan cook ware and a large baking pan to put them in.

Pour 1 cup sugar in warm pan over medium heat. Constantly stir sugar until is browns and becomes caramel. Quickly pour approximately 2-3 tablespoons of caramel in each ramekin, tilting it to swirl the caramel around the sides. Reheat caramel if it starts to harden.

In a mixer or with a whisk, blend the eggs together. Mix in the milks then slowly mix in the 1/2 cup of sugar, then the vanilla. Blend smooth after each ingredient is added.

Pour custard into caramel lined ramekins. Place ramekins in a large glass or ceramic baking dish and fill with about 1-2 inches of hot water. Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath and check with a knife just to the side of the center. If knife comes out clean, it's ready.

Remove and let cool. Let each ramekin cool in refrigerator for 1 hour. Invert each ramekin onto a small plate, the caramel sauce will flow over the custard.

Mexican Wedding Cookies 
from Pati's Mexican Table

2 cups all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup pecans, grounded or finely chopped

3/4 cup confectioners sugar, plus more to dust

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a food processor, blender, nut mill or knife, finely chop the pecans. Add the powdered sugar to the processor or blender (if that's what you used) and grind or chop. If done by hand, just mix together.

Mix the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Drop in the chunks of butter and the vegetable shortening in teaspoon amounts. Begin to mix with your hands, until the butter and vegetable shortening are mixed in with the flour and salt. The mixture will turn into a coarse dough, with chunks of butter and shortening mixed throughout.

Add in the sugar and pecan mixture and work it all in. Crack the egg into the mixture thoroughly combine, using your hands. In less than a minute, the dough should be soft and malleable enough to be turned into a ball. Don't knead more than necessary, you just want it to come together into a homogeneous mass.

Butter a large cookie sheet. One by one, make small balls of dough with the palms of your hands. The dough ball should be between 1 and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place them on a baking sheet with about 1 inch in between the dough balls. Bake them for about 15 to 16 minutes, until they have a golden brown color.

Dust extra confectioners sugar over the top of the cookies and eat and serve.

Getting Started

Welcome, Cooks!

We are embarking on an Academic Exploration into the world of Mexican cuisine.  I'll be sharing family recipes with you, and together, we'll be tweaking them in the kitchen to maximize the flavor to our individual palates.

On our first day together, we'll be exploring the Mexican breakfast.  

Frijoles de la Olla
2 c. pinto beans
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups boiling water
garlic 
salt (to taste)

Wash your beans in colander, picking out any stones or gravel.  Set them in your crock pot, and add the garlic (sliced in half) and broth.  Cover with 4 c. boiling water, and close the lid.  Cook on High for the first hour, then reduce to Medium for 5-6 hours (depending on your slow cooker).  Add salt in the last 45 minutes of cooking.

Garnish with crema, lime, Cotija cheese, salsa, and tortillas.

Tortillas Hecho a Mano
2 c. Maseca
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
and 1 1/3 c. water

Mix for about 2 minutes until it forms soft dough.  Add sprinkles of water if it still feels dry - should have a Play-doh type texture.  Form a golf-ball size ball, and place on a piece of plastic (like a cut Ziploc bag) on  your tortilla press.  Cover with another piece of plastic and press.  Tortilla should be a soft, round pancake.  Warm on a hot comal.

Blender Salsa
Two 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Rotel
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (or more to taste!)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin, with seeds and membrane
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 whole lime, juiced
Directions
Combine the diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, salt, sugar and lime juice in a blender or food processor. (This is a very large batch. I recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.)

Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like. I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate the salsa for at least an hour before serving.

Recipe, Ree Drummond, The PIoneer Woman Cooks

Note:  I add roasted Serrano chile for more spice - totally optional.

Chorizo con Huevo
Mexican Chorizo
Onion
Eggs

Heat a frying pan with a bit of vegetable oil.  Taking the chorizo, squeeze it out of the casing, on to the hot pan.  Mash it up with a spoon, making small chunks.  Keep rotating and cooking, until meat is fully cooked.  If you like you may add chopped onion to the mix (optional).  When chorizo is cooked through, add eggs whisked with a bit of cream or half and half.  Scramble the contents together. 
Serve hot, with crema, salsa, cheese, tortilla, and papitas.

Papitas
Potatoes
Oil
Salt
Peel and chop potatoes into 1-1/2 inch cubes.  Place in pot of water.  Once water begins to boil, cook potatoes for approximately a minute, until they are soft when you run a knife through.  Drain immediately, and place into a pan of hot oil (about 1/4 inch).  Cook patiently, tossing and crisping the potatoes.  Once cooked, place on a paper towl to drain the grease.  Salt to taste.  Serve with eggs, chorizo, crema, salsa, beans, etc.

Chilaquiles
Corn tortillas
Oil 
Eggs
Red chili sauce (optional) - La Victoria brand 

Cut tortillas into strips or diamond shapes.  Place in a pan with approx. 1/4 inch of hot oil.  Cook until crisp, flipping with tongs.  Place on paper towel when done (drains the grease).  If you are using hot sauce, take the hot pan previously used for the fried tortillas.  Mix red sauce with the remaining oil.  Toss the fried tortilla in the red sauce, then set aside.  In another pan, scramble eggs, integrating the tortilla (with or without red sauce).  When all of the eggs are set, layer with your choice of beans, Cotija cheese, crema, salsa, and avocado. 

Did you enjoy today's meeting?  Any comments, observations about what you learned?  Questions?  Please comment!