Mexican Meal

We lived 90 miles from the Mexican border for a long time and the food around us was influenced by this proximity. Our favorite restaurant served food from Mexico city. Today I have put together a meal inspired by this restaurant - #25 Green Corn Tamale platter.

For about five years before we left Arizona, anytime we wanted to celebrate with a meal in a restaurant we went for this platter.

I recreated the platter with green corn tamales, enchiladas in verde sauce, refried black beans, Mexican rice and a simple salsa. All of these dishes go very well together and make a delicious and tasty meal. The day I cooked this meal everyone kept peeking into the kitchen asking if I was done. I made them wait until I got the pictures. Once I had pictures of the meal I started with individual pictures. I clicked the tamales last with 3-4 tamales and asked the family to start dinner. They waited impatiently asking how much longer I would take. Luckily all the pictures worked out. I had no time to check before the food was all gone.

No new ingredients in this meal but I hit a snag when I tried to make Mexican fudge for dessert. I cooked the dessert while I made the other dishes. The rest of the meal turned out great but the texture of the fudge was way off. It tasted alright but I knew I had to make it again. I took pictures of the meal with the bad batch with the promise to myself to make it again so I could post the recipe. I tried it again and this time the texture was fine but it was runny. It did not set. My family was willing to eat it as is but I could not take pictures of runny fudge. And so I tried to fix it by reheating it, adding a little sugar and chocolate chips. And finally I got it right.

I learnt my lesson and for all meals after this one I made the dessert before I did anything else.

As they say in Mexico, Buen Provecho!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Green Corn Tamales 
• Enchiladas in Verde Sauce 
• Refried Black Beans 
• Mexican Tomato Rice 
• Salsa 
• Verde Sauce 

An for dessert

• Mexican Fudge

Green Corn Tamales

Green Corn Tamales is one of our favorite dishes. We all enjoy a good tamale in my family. This is our go to dish at Mexican restaurants and if they cannot make a good tamale we never go to that restaurant again.

In Arizona we had a local festival where representatives from a lot of countries of the world put up booths in a downtown park to showcase their cuisine. The goal was to make available low priced food in small quantities allowing people to taste food from as many cuisines as possible. As soon as we finished our volunteer shift at the Indian booth we would made our way to the tamale stall. The family making the tamales specially made vegetarian tamales using only vegetarian ingredients. After the tamales we headed to other booths.

Corn is in season right now. Tamale is supposed to be made with a starchy corn and not the sweet variety found in the US. But since we do not have any other option I use the sweet corn and we all love that too.

You will need
3 ears of corn with husk
1 cup corn Masa (this is coarse corn flour specially made for tamales and tortilla)
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
1 tsp. baking powder
salt to taste

Pull the husk off the corn in multiple layers to keep it from tearing.

Save the husks wrapped in wet paper towel until needed. Using a sharp knife cut out the corn kernels and discard the center.

Chop the onion, mince the jalapeno and garlic. Run the corn kernels through the food processor until you have a coarse mixture.

Add masa, onion, jalapeno, garlic and baking powder and salt to taste. Combine to form a thick batter. Soak the saved corn husks in water so they are pliable.

Spread the husks flat on a work surface and fill with a small handful of the corn batter. If the husk is not broad enough use two or three husks side by side overlapping a little.

Fold the sides and the top. Ensure you leave a opening on one side. Repeat the process to prepare all the tamales. Steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes in a steamer. Check to see if done. If not give it another 15 minutes.

Serve hot with verde sauce.

Enjoy!

Salsa Verde

The first time I had this sauce was as a dip in a Mexican restaurant almost two decades ago. When we sat at the table they brought the usual bowl of chips with pico de gallo and a couple of bowls of salsa. The red one I recognized but the green one was a mystery. It tasted great and I was hooked. Since then I never have enchiladas or tamales without it. It is made with tomatillos and poblano pepper.

I have heard that a salsa by this name is available in little packets at one fast food chain. That is a prepackaged unrelated cousin. This is the real deal and it is really easy to make. Once you make it you will want to do it again.

You will need
1 poblano pepper
6-7 tomatillos
1 clove garlic
1 serrano pepper

In a pan roast the poblano pepper until the skin is charred. You could also do it directly on the gas stove or you could you your grill. The desired result is a charred skin. When done wrap the pepper in aluminium foil and let it sit for a few minutes.

Cook the tomatillos, clove of garlic and the serrano pepper in 2 cups of water. If you like a little heat in the sauce use two serrano peppers.

When the tomatillos are completely cooked turn off the heat.

Take the poblano pepper out of the foil and scrape the charred skin off. Cut it open and remove all the seeds.

Chop it up and put it in a blender along with the cooked tomatillos, garlic and serrano pepper. You may want to remove the seeds of the serrano pepper to cut down the heat. Blend with a little of the water that was used to cook the tomatillos. Season with salt and paprika as needed.

Salsa verde is ready. Eat it with chips or pour it over your enchiladas and tamales.

Tomato Salsa

This is a very quick and easy spicy tomato salsa that can be used as a dip or as part of a meal to add zing to a bite if needed.

Boil 2 tomato and a Serrano pepper together. Mash or puree with a one clove garlic and 2 tbsp. onion. Add salt to taste.

Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans)

Refried beans are a simple side dish that complete a meal. They are made with either pinto beans or black beans. We don't like pinto beans so I never buy them. On the other hand black beans are so flavorful.

This dish can be made very rich with a lot of fat or oil. I like to keep it dry with only a little oil. You can choose to double the oil if you like.

You will need
1 cup dry black beans or 1 can of black beans
3 tbsp. onion, chopped
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
salt to taste

Soak the black beans overnight in water and pressure cook the next day for 10 minutes. When the cooker depressurizes remove the beans and let them cool. Skip this step if using canned beans. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions. Saute until they are tender and turn color. Add the black beans with the cooking liquid and let it cook for a few minutes.

Mash it down to a near pulp. Cook until thick enough to flip.

Turn off heat.

Serve with a side of Mexican rice.

Mexican Fudge

Fudge is usually a favorite of chocolate lovers. That is true in my house too. What I really like about fudge is that one piece is usually enough to satisfy that chocolate craving. So a small batch lasts for days of gooey goodness.

Mexican fudge has a little secret ingredient - red chili pepper. The pepper gives the fudge a little kick and really brings out the flavor of chocolate. I wanted to make the fudge using the 70% cacao bar we get at Whole Foods but in the end I used Nestle Toll House semi sweet mini chocolate chips.

My Dad was visiting when I made this fudge and as someone who has always enjoyed good chocolate he enjoyed it a lot too.

You will need
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I used Eagle brand)
3 cups chocolate chips (I used Nestle Tool house semi sweet mini chips)
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp Mexican red chili pepper powder

Prepare a pan by covering it with parchment paper. I used a loaf pan as I wanted square thick pieces.

In a double boiler melt the chocolate chips on medium heat. Add the condensed milk, cinnamon powder and red chili pepper and mix well. If you like a bigger kick add more pepper. Continue to stir for about a minute and you will feel the mixture thickening.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Ensure the fudge is spread out evenly and smooth out the top. Let it cool down. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Take out the fudge from the pan using the parchment paper as a handle.

Cut it into 1 inch squares. Let them dry out on the parchment paper.

The fudge is done.

Enjoy!

What do you do if it does not set? Don't panic. Put the mixture back on the double boiler and melt it. Add a handful of chocolate chips and another tablespoon of sugar. Mix it well and transfer to the prepared pan to set.

Mexican Tomato Rice

Mexican tomato rice is fluffy long grain rice flavored with spices and tomato. This is a simple version where tomatoes are pureed and added to the rice water along with garlic and some spices. The resultant rice is colorful and full of flavor. Usually rice and beans are part of a Mexican meal.

You will need
1 cup long grain rice (I used brown basmati rice)
1 medium tomato
2 tbsp. onion
1 jalapeno
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
a few springs cilantro
salt to taste

Wash and rinse the rice and keep aside. Since I used brown rice I first soaked the rice for half an hour. Puree the tomato and onion. Mince the jalapeno and garlic. Heat oil in a pan. Add the jalapeno and garlic. When fragrant add the rice. Roast the rice until it turns color.

Add the tomato puree and stock. Add salt to taste.

Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook covered until done. Turn off the heat. Let it sit in its steam for a couple of minutes.

The rice is done.

Mexican Enchiladas in Verde Sauce

Over a month ago I had promised my daughter I would make enchiladas. But something kept coming up and I could not keep my promise. This week I finally decided to make enchiladas on three consecutive days from three different countries.

Enchiladas are usually made of corn tortillas with a protein/vegetable mixture topped with cheese and a sauce. This basic concept is served in very different ways in the three countries I chose. The first is from south of the border, Mexico. The other two are from Honduras and Guatemala. I will post those recipes over the next two days.

When we lived in Arizona, our favorite restaurant was a Mexican place that specialized in food from Mexico city. Most other restaurants served Sonoran Mexican food that we were not really fond of. Sonora for those who do not know is the Mexican state adjoining Arizona. The enchiladas I made today are very similar to those from our favorite restaurant. My daughter simply adores them.

These enchiladas are not smothered in cheese. What makes them so flavorful is the verde sauce made from tomatillos and roasted poblano pepper. The sauce goes very well with the Cotijo cheese, black beans and corn tortillas. If you can find it use Mexican Cotijo or Chihuahua cheese. If not then cheddar will do. This recipe calls for a lot of little steps but the end result justifies everything.

You will need
3/4 cup dry black beans or 1 can black beans
1 small onion
a handful cilantro
2 cloves garlic, divided
1 poblano pepper
6-7 tomatillos
1 serrano pepper
1 cup Queso Cotijo, grated
12 corn tortillas (I got mine at Whole foods, refrigerated section)
vegetable oil to fry the tortillas

Soak the black beans overnight and pressure cook them until tender. Skip this step if using canned beans. Dice the onion, cilantro and 1 clove of garlic.

In a pan heat the cooked black beans, onion, garlic and cilantro with half a cup of water.

Cook on medium heat until all the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Ensure the mixture is dry. Turn off heat, cover and keep aside.

Meanwhile in a pan roast the poblano pepper until the skin is charred. When done wrap the pepper in aluminum foil and let it sit for a few minutes.

Cook the tomatillos, remaining clove of garlic and the serrano pepper in 2 cups of water. If you like a little heat in the sauce use two serrano peppers.

When the tomatillos are completely cooked turn off the heat.

Take the poblano pepper out of the foil and scrape the charred skin off. Cut it open and remove all the seeds.

Chop it up and put it in a blender along with the cooked tomatillos, garlic and serrano pepper. You may want to remove the seeds of the serrano pepper to cut down the heat. Blend with a little of the water that was used to cook the tomatillos. Season with salt and paprika as needed. The verde sauce is ready.

Grate the cheese. Divide the bean mixture into 12 portions. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a casserole dish and line it with a third of the verde sauce.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a pan. I used olive oil but made sure the heat was low enough to keep it from getting too hot or smoking. Put one tortilla in the pan and let it sizzle for about 15 seconds. Turn it over and repeat for the other side. Remove from the oil and drain. Do not fry for more than 15 seconds, you do not want crisp tortillas. Repeat for another 5 tortilla. Turn off the heat. Work quickly to prevent the tortilla from drying out.

On a work surface place one tortilla. Fill it with one of the 12 portions of the bean mixture and a little grated cheese.

Roll it up tightly and place in the prepared casserole dish. Repeat for the remaining 5 fried tortillas.

Pour half of the remaining verde sauce over the top of the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.

Fry the remaining 6 tortilla, stuff with beans and cheese, roll and place in the casserole dish to form a second layer. Pour the remaining verde sauce over the top and sprinkle the remaining cheese. Do not cover the enchiladas completely with cheese, use just enough to flavor the dish.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and cheese is just melted. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Serve hot on its own or with Mexican rice.

Enjoy!