Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I know this isn't the best photo but, oh well, it's the best I have! I actually forgot to take pictures while making this dish and ran into the house to grab my camera just as everyone started eating to capture this one, LOL!
This is a favorite recipe of mine, because it is super easy to make and can be made a day in advance and tossed into the oven for dinner the next day. I was throwing a birthday party for my friend Susan which was mid-week so I chose an easy and delicious menu of Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Black Beans, Spanish Rice [except I substituted corn for the peas], and of course my home made Salsa and Guacamole! For dessert I made my famous Chocolate Cake Deluxe with a yummy Cream Cheese frosting instead of my traditional Chocolate Gnache. The nice thing about this menu was that I was able to make everything, except the rice, a day in advance so it literally took one hour to pull everything together!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

6 Chicken Breasts, skin on, bone in (or substitute 2 pre-cooked rotisserie chickens, skinned, meat removed from the bone and finely diced or shredded).
2 28-Ounce Cans Enchilada Sauce
24 Corn Tortillas, cut in half
1 Pound Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
8 Ounces Queso Fresco, shredded

First prepare the chicken: Pre-Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken breasts, skin side up, on large baking sheet and lightly coat with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake until just cooked through (or internal temperature reads 160 degrees farenheight), about 45 minutes. Let cool, remove skin and bones and chop or shred chicken into small pieces, set aside.
To assemble casserole: Coat the bottom of a very deep (3 inches or deeper) 9x13-inch baking dish with just enough enchilada sauce to coat. Next place 12 of the tortilla halves over the bottom of the dish to completely cover (they will overlap a bit). Coat the tortillas with a generous amount of enchilada sauce, 1/3 of the chicken 1/4 of the sharp cheddar and queso fresco cheeses. Now layer again with 12 tortilla halves, enchilada sauce, chicken, cheddar and queso fresco cheeses...repeat one more time finishing with a layer of tortillas on the very top with a thin layer of enchilada sauce (you may have a bit left over), and the remaining 1/4 cheddar and queso fresco cheese.
Bake casserole in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 45-60 minutes or until bubbling and cheese on top is lightly golden brown. Let rest for a few minutes to set up before serving. (serves 10)

Mexican Chicken Chili

I made this a while ago when I was not feeling well, as I wanted something warm and a bit spicy. I loved the complex flavors, the subtle spice, and the amazing flavor all the ingredients added! I used a recipe from Williams Sonoma for White Turkey Chili, but changed a lot of the recipe, so here it is. I wish I would have thought of adding some crispy corn stips...maybe next time!

Mexican Chicken Chili

1 Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1Large Yellow Onion, diced
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Pound Anaheim Chilies, roasted, peeled and diced
1 Jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
7 Cups Chicken Stock
3 Cans Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro, minced
Shredded Jack Cheese & Sour Cream for serving

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil and fry the chicken until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side, remove and place on a plate. Add the diced onion, cumin, and garlic and saute until soft and just turning golden. Next add the anaheim chilies, jalapeno, and chicken stock, and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Add the chicken to the pot and simmer until just tender, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from pan and cool slightly, shred chicken, discarding any bones, and add meat back to the pot. Next add the beans, oregano, and cilantro, and flavor with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low for about 30 more minutes so all flavors meld together.
Serve topped with jack cheese and sour cream.

Guacamole

I love guacamole and could just sit in front of a large bowl of it and eat myself like it's Thanksgiving. Luckily I don't make it that often, so I'm not that out of control! This is a very simple recipe and you need to make this with my favorite Salsa recipe which was just recently posted. I like my guacamole a little chunky, but feel free to process the avocados as much or as little as you like. You will also notice that I left the avocado seed in my guacamole...did you know this helps it from turning brown?

Guacamole

4 Ripe Avocados
Roma Tomato
Juice from 1/2 fresh Lime
1/4 Cup Salsa
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin

Cut avocados in half and remove the seed. Next cut avocado into cubes while still in the skin, then scoop into bowl with a large spoon. Using a fork smash the avocados to desired consistency. Cut tomato in half, remove stem and seeds, then cut into a fine dice, add to bowl. Add the lime juice, salsa, garlic salt, and cumin and mix thoroughly. Adjust seasoning with salt. Let sit for a few minutes before serving so flavors all meld together.

Salsa

I have been making this salsa recipe for years and it seems to be ever-evolving, as I like to experiment with different peppers, roasting, and variations, but this is my favorite salsa. It is inspired by my friend Silvia's salsa (which is a secret recipe) but I have tweaked it enough that I feel comfortable sharing this recipe with you all. I like to roast all my veggies so it adds a bit of smoky flavor to the dish, and what I've been doing recently is using more peppers, but removing all the seeds and ribs so it's not too spicy. I hope you enjoy this as much as my friends and I do!

Salsa

1/2 Sweet Onion, skin removed and cut into two thick slices
2 Roma Tomatoes, cut in half and seeded
2 Jalapeno Peppers, stemmed seeded and ribs removed
1 Serrano Pepper, stemmed seeded and ribs removed
1 Poblano Pepper, stemmed seeded and ribs removed
1 Large Clove Garlic
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
28 Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin

Turn broiler on high to pre-heat. Cover a large baking sheet with foil and place onion, tomaotes and all peppers skin side up on tray. Broil until peppers are blackened and onion and tomato are slightly charred. Place roasted veggies into the bowl of a food processor (or blender) and pulse until just chopped up. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well chopped. Add more salt if necessary, enjoy!

Mole Verde

This recipe is a lot of work, but well worth it. I love the rich flavor of the mole sauce and it is different than anything I have ever tasted. The main base of the mole sauce is pumpkin seeds, which is unusual, but they give a lot of flavor to the dish. You can find raw pumpkin seeds at your Whole Foods market or you can order them online. I think this would also be really yummy with pork, but it's traditionally served with chicken. For a side dish I made my Spanish Rice (except I added black beans instead of peas) and then of course I had to make salsa and guacamole to go along with it.
This recipe is from the book "Authentic Mexican" by Rick Bayless (a must have for those of you who like traditional Mexican food!)

Mole Verde

1 Cup Pumpkin Seeds, hulled and unroasted
13 Ounce Can Tomatillos, drained
3 Serrano Chilies, seeded
5 Large Romaine Lettuce Leaves
1/2 Medium Onion, roughly chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
3 Large Sprigs Fresh Cilantro
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
6 Black Peppercorns
3/4 Inch Cinnamon Stick
2 Cloves
1 1/2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts, bone in
1 Small Onion
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Start by cooking the chicken: Bring 6 cups water and the salt to a boil in a large saucepan with the diced onion. Add the chicken breasts, skim off any grayish foam that rises during the first minute of simmering, partially cover and simmer over medium heat for about 12 minutes, until the breasts are barely done. Let chicken cool in the broth. Remove, strain the broth, then spoon off all the fat that rises to the top.
Mole: Heat a medium skillet over medium-low for several minutes, then pour in the pumpkin seeds in a single layer. When the first one pops, stir them constantly for 4-5 minutes, until all have toasted and popped. Cool completely. In batches, pulverize the seeds in a spice grinder. sift through a medium-mesh sieve, then stir in 1 cup of the broth.
Drain canned tomatillos and place in the blender or food processor with the raw chiles. Tear the lettuce leaves into rough pieces and add to the tomatillows along with the onion,garlic and cilantro. Pulverize the spices in a mortar or spice grinder, add to the blender then process until smooth.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium. When hot, add the pumpkin seed broth mixture and stir constantly as it thickens and darkens, 4-5 minutes. Add the vegetable puree and stir a few minutes longer, until very thick.
Stir in 2 cup of the chicken broth, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes. Season with the salt and, if necessary, thin to a light consistency with a little broth.
Just before serving, add the chkicken to the simmering sauce. When heated through, remove the breasts to a warm serving platter, spoon the sauce over them and garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

Chicken Enchiladas

There is nothing better than a good chicken enchilada, at least I think so. I was wanting a quick Mexican dinner and decided to whip up a batch of chicken enchiladas. I did cheat a little bit, actually quite a bit, but who cares, right? I started off with a rotisserie chicken, so I wouldn't have to cook my own chicken and used store bought enchilada sauce instead of making my own. They turned out pretty darn good if you ask me! They literally took 20 minutes to assemble and a few minutes in the oven so it's a great week night meal.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 Rotisserie Chicken, skinned and shredded
1 28 Ounce Can Enchilada Sauce
1 13 Ounce Can Enchilada Sauce
12-14 Corn Tortillas
8 Ounce Package Cotija Cheese

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. To make the enchiladas, start by mixing the shredded chicken with the small can of enchilada sauce, set aside. Crumble the Cotija cheese and set aside and coat the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish with enchilada sauce.


Spoon a good amount of the chicken into the tortilla and top with a bit of the Cotija cheese, fold edges in to cover and place seam-side down into the baking dish.


Continue with the rest of the tortillas until pan is full. Now pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas to cover evenly. sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake until hot an bubbly, about 30 minutes or so. Serve immediately.

Spanish Rice

I don’t know why I call this “Spanish Rice” except for the fact that it has similar ingredients as my yummy Seafood Paella. I’m not sure if it is Spanish, Mexican, American, or Span-Mexi-Merican? What I do know is that it has a lot of flavor, its vegetarian, has a beautiful color combination, and I want to make it again very soon! I made this dish to serve along side of my Chicken Mole, as I thought just plain white rice might be a bit boring. The recipe is quite simple, it starts with an annatto infused oil, your basic sofrito, and then rice and chicken stock. It has enough flavor and heartiness to be its own meal, or you can use it as a side dish like I did.

Spanish Rice

1 Tablespoon Annatto Seeds (also called achiote seeds)
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Large Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced Fine
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 Cups Long Grain White Rice
4 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Cups Frozen Peas, thawed
¼ Cup Cilantro, minced (or parsley if you don’t like cilantro)

In a 4 quart sauce pan heat the annatto seed and oil over medium high heat until small bubbles start to form, turn off heat and let sit until the oil turns a bright red, saffron color. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove all annatto seeds and throw away. Next, add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook over medium heat until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and continue to cook until all the rice is coated in oil and has a “chalky” coating on it, just a few minutes. Add the chicken stalk and salt, and bring to a boil, stir and cook for a couple minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add thawed peas and cilantro and stir until well combined, serve immediately.

Chicken Mole

I love Mexican food, but don’t make it that often. My friend Andy, who makes the most amazing Mexican food recommended that I buy a cookbook by Rick Bayless. Well I did just that several months ago and have neglected to actually use the book. I finally pulled it off my bookshelf, blew off the dust and decided to try out the Mole recipe. I must say that I was really impressed by the amazing flavor, aroma, and complexity of this dish, it was superb! It was a complicated recipe with many steps, so if you are not an experienced cook, you may want to skip this recipe. If you are like me and enjoy hanging out in the kitchen all day, then you should definitely try this out. I changed a few things from the original recipe, and it turned out just perfect, and all my friends raved about how good it was. I might recommend cutting this recipe in half as I ended up with about 6 quarts of mole sauce. It does freeze well, so if you do make the whole recipe, just use half of it and keep the other half in the freezer for later.

Chicken Mole

5 Ounces Tomatillos (3-4), husked and rinsed
1 Ounce Sesame Seeds
½ Cup Lard
12 Dried Ancho Chiles (6 Ounces), stemmed and seeded
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled
2/3 Cups Pine Nuts
2/3 Cups Dried Apricots (4 Ounces), coarsely chopped
8 Cups Chicken Broth, 2 quart sized boxes
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon, freshly ground
¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
1/8 Teaspoon Cloves, freshly ground
¾ Ounce Mexican Chocolate, roughly chopped
1 Slice White Bread, toasted dark brown and broken into several pieces
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoon Salt
1 Whole Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Vegetable Oil, for frying

First set out all prepare and set out all ingredients.
Spread the tomatillos on a baking sheet and roast them 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted and blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip over and roast on the other side for 4-5 mintes more, until slightly blackened and soft. Set out two large bowls, scrape the tomatillos, juice and all, into one of them.
In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Scrape them in with the tomatillos.
Measure the lard into a large dutch oven (7-9 quarts) and set over medium heat. Tear the chiles into flat pieces, and when the lard is hot fry the chiles, three or four pieces at a time, flipping them continually with tongs, nuntil their interior side has changed to a lighter red color, about 20-30 seconds, don’t fry so they smoke or the mole will be bitter. As the’re done, remove them to the empty bowl, driaining as much fat as possible back into the pot, continue until all chiles are fried. Cover with hot tap water and place a small plate on them to keep them submerged. Let stand for 30 minutes.
With the pot still over medium heat, fry the garlic, stirring regularly, until browned and soft, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place into the bowl with the tomatillos. Add the pine nuts to the pot and stir until they’re lightly toasted, 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and add to the tomatillo bowl. Add the apricots as well.
Use tongs to transfer the rehydrated chiles to a blender. Add 2 ½ cups water. Blend the chiles to a smooth puree, adding a little extra water if necessary to keep the mixture moving through the blades, place puree back into the bowl
Without washing the blender jar, scrape the tomatillo mixture into it. Add 1 cup of the broth along with the cinnamon, pepper, cloves, chocolate, and bread. Blend to a smooth puree, place back into the tomatillo bowl.
Check the fat in the pot; If there’s more than a light coating over the bottom, pour off the excess; if the pt’s pretty dry, film the bottom with a little more lard. Set over medium-high heat. When quite hot, scrape in the chile puree and stir nearly constantly until the mixture has darkened considerably and thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the remaining chicken stock to the pot and stir to combine. Partially cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Check the consistency: the mole should be thick enough to coat a spoon, but not too thickly. If it’s too thin, simmer it over medium-high heat until a little thicker.
Taste and season with salt and sugar, it should be a delicate balance of salty, sweet and spicy. Add more salt or sugar to taste.
To prepare the chicken: In a skillet large enough to hold all pieces of chicken, heat enough lard to cover the bottom of the pan over medium-high. Fry chicken, turning occasionally until nicely browned. Reduce heat to low and cover chicken with ½ of the mole sauce, turn to coat. Cover with a lid and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 2 hours. Sauce will continue to thicken and turn a very dark deep red color. Serve chicken with the mole sauce, garnish with a little fresh cilantro.

Carne de Puerco con Chile

This dish was the star of our meal, as pork should always be! I love nothing better than really good, tender juicy pork carnitas, and this was the real thing. I usually don’t do well frying meat in lard, but I do have to admit this was really amazing! You can stop at that point if you want, but you can also infuse the meat with a lot of flavor after it’s cooked by braising it in sofrito, as this recipe shows. This recipe is really spicy, if you like a more mild dish, just reduce the amount of peppers, or remove the seeds.

Carne de Puerco con Chile

4 Pounds Pork Loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Tablespoons Salt
¼ Cup Beef Stock
2 Cloves Garlic
¼ Onion
4 Jalapeno Peppers, charred and stems removed
2 Roma Tomatoes, halved
1 Cup Water
1 Pound Lard (For Frying)

Place the pork loin in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt, stir to coat and let sit for a couple of hours.
To make the sofrito, combine all remaining ingredients in a blender and puree.
Heat the lard in a very large wide deep pan and fry the meat over medium heat until very tender and just barely starting to brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the meat and drain on paper towels. Next pour lard from pan and wipe out, place meat back in, add sofrito and cook for one hour over low heat. Serve with tortillas and beans.

Frijoles de Loya (Pinto Beans)

I have never laughed over a dish more than this one. My friend Silvia that was telling me how to make the beans, so I was following her direction until it came to the cooking part. If you know me you know that I love to stir stuff while cooking, it just makes me feel better. I’ve even gotten in trouble at friends houses when I just automatically go over to the stove when they are cooking and give the dish a little stir. So Silvia had me put the beans on the heat and told me not to stir the beans, well this just killed me and two hours later, I was still not allowed to stir the dish! Finally she gave in and told me to give it a stir, so I was laughing and stirred the beans counter-clockwise, for bad luck and just to bug her. I think every time I make this dish I’m just going to laugh out loud!

Frijoles de Loya

1 Pound Pinto Beans
½ Onion, skin removed
2 Cloves Garlic, peeled
3 Cups Beef Stock
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Strips Bacon, fried and cut into small pieces (optional)
Water

Go through beans very thoroughly to ensure there are not any little pebbles in them, and wash thoroughly. Place beans, onion, garlic, salt, bacon, and beef stock into a large heavy stock pot (about 6 quarts, the beans really expand a ton). Add enough water to the pot to cover the beans by a couple inches. Place on stove and bring to a boil, turn heat down to a simmer and let cook until tender, about 3 hours. As beans are cooking just add more water to ensure they are covered. When beans are nice and tender strain and serve.

Sopa de Fideo

My friend Silvia that lives in Bend came up to visit a couple weeks ago and prepared the most amazing Mexican Food! It was so much fun to learn some new recipes and not have to do all the cooking like usual. We had 8 people over for dinner and everyone left very fat and happy.
The menu included: Sopa de Fideo (Soup with Noodles), Carne de Puerco con Chile (Pork with Chile), Frijoles de Loya (Pinto Beans), two kinds of Salsa, Guacamole, and my home made Flour Tortillas. I will be posting all the other recipes very soon as well, except for the salsa, as it’s a “secret” recipe. I may share my version of her salsa though, as I wouldn’t want to keep everyone completely in the dark!
Thank you for sharing your recipes Silvia, and I sure wish you would let me share your Secret Salsa Recipe!

Sopa de Fideo

1 Bag Fideo Fino (Vermicelli) 6 ounces
¼ Yellow Onion
1 Clove Garlic
8 Ounces Tomato Sauce
3 Cups Water
1 Cup Beef Broth
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Lard (or Crisco)

In a large frying pan, heat the lard over medium high heat and fry the Fideo until golden brown, turning constantly as to not burn the noodles, remove and drain on a paper towel. In a large saucepan, combine the noodles and all other ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until reduced and thick and noodles are very tender. Remove the onion quarter and season to taste with more salt if needed.

Pork Carnitas

I’m sorry if I’ve bored you with the last few postings, I know that salsa’s and chips aren’t too exciting, even to the novice cook. I was actually just trying to get those out of the way to post this yummy recipe. I love pork carnitas and this is the easiest recipe ever. True pork carnitas is pork fried in fat the entire time and I just couldn’t get into that as it really grosses me out a bit thinking about cooking meat in fat for a couple hours.
A friend from work made this and recommended it to me because it was such a good recipes, and I had seen versions of this before but never tried it out, but will put it in my top 10 favorite Mexican recipes for future use. Oh, can I also tell you how amazing the house smells while this cooks? Definitely need a little snack to tie you over until the meat is done!

Pork Carnitas

4 Pounds Country Boneless Country Ribs, or Butt Roast
6 Cloves Garlic, peeled
1 Orange, zested and juiced
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Quart Chicken Stock
¼ Cup Brandy

Trim large pieces of fat from the ribs, and reserve. In a large heavy dutch oven or 12 inch deep skillet add the pork, fat, garlic, orange zest and juice, ground cumin, salt and enough chicken stock to just cover the meat. Cover pot with lid and bring to a low simmer, cover and cook until meat is very tender, about 2 hours.
Uncover, turn heat up to medium and boil until liquid is reduced by half, add the brandy and continue cooking stirring often, until liquid evaporates and the meat starts to get browned and crispy, about 15 minutes.
Let cool slightly remove any large pieces of fat, and shred with a fork, should be very easy to shred at this time, and serve on tortillas with salsa. I served mine with a pico de gallo and the Avocado & Tomatillo Salsa.

Flour Tortillas

Growing up I always loved going to my aunt Sheila’s house because she made delicious homemade flour tortillas. They were soft, flavorful, and fresh off the stove, much better than you could buy in the grocery store. She didn’t use a recipe, so I was never able to re-create her masterpiece. Luckily my cousin December has come up with a recipe, so I can finally make fresh tortillas too.

Flour Tortillas

3 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Cup, plus 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Shortening
1 1/8 Cups Warm Water

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour baking powder and salt. With a fork cut in the shortening until well incorporated. Add the water and continue to mix with a fork until the dough comes together, lightly knead the dough incorporating enough flour to form a soft, barely sticky dough. You will have extra flour, so don’t overwork the dough and make it tough. Divide the dough into 2 inch rounds, cover with a towel and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
Lightly flour a board and roll out the tortillas to about 1/8 inch thick. Cook tortillas in a heavy skillet over medium high heat until lightly browned on each side, about 1 minute. Keep wrapped in a towel while cooking other tortillas to keep warm.
Makes about 8-10 tortillas.


I used a seasoned hamburger and my yummy tomato cucumber salsa to make tacos. I can’t really call this a recipe, but here is how I make the meat. Fry one pound of hamburger until browned, drain fat. Add one 15 ounce can tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, and salt & pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens and serve.

Nachos

I love the simplicity of nachos, but don't eat them very often because they are so not good for you. I think what I really love are the condiments. I always serve my nachos with an extra large helping of salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. I made a really good roasted tomato and poblano chili salsa and used that as part of the base for my guacamole. I also used left-over’s from my Cochinita Pibil (pulled pork) from the night before, so it came together quite nicely. The only thing I was missing was a big slushy margarita! I would love to share my salsa recipe, but it is a secret family recipe from my friend Silvia, that I was blessed with and I promised not to give it out!

Nachos

All I did was layer pork, onion, tomato, black beans, and cheese in layers with chips and bake at 400 degrees until the cheese was melted.

Cochinita Pibil

I fell in love with this recipe at a Christmas Eve Party-my friend Andy made this recipe and it was love at first bite!
I was in Sunriver over Memorial Day weekend and made this for all of my friends staying with me at the condo. This recipe makes a ton, so invite lots of people over. There were five of us we had at least half of it left over. I love the tanginess of this recipe and it also has a really nice depth of flavor, with an intense citrus undertone from the lemons. I used the rest of the meat for pulled pork nachos which were equally delicious.

Cochinita Pibil

5 Tablespoons Annatto Seeds
2 Tablespoons Cumin Seeds
1 Tablespoon Whole Peppercorns
8 Allspice Berries
½ Teaspoon Whole Cloves
3 Jalapeno Peppers
½ Cup Orange Juice
½ Cup White Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Salt
8 Cloves Garlic, chopped
Juice 5 Lemons

5 Pounds Pork Butt

Heat all of the spices in a frying pan until fragrant. Place into a mortar and pestle and grind into a fine powder (or you can use an electric coffee grinder.)
Remove the seeds from the jalapeno peppers and chop coarsely.
Process the orange juice, vinegar, jalapenos salt, garlic and the spice powder in a blender until liquefied. Add the lemon juice and tequila and puree until incorporated.
Cut the pork into 2 inch chunks. Leave the fat on the meat, to keep the pork moist. Place in a large self sealing plastic bag with the marinade. Seal the bag and turn to evenly coat the meat. Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Add the meat to a large dutch oven lined with parchment and fold parchment over the top of the meat to completely cover. Cover the top of the dutch oven with foil and then place on the lid, to seal in the steam. Roast for 4 hours. Open packet carefully; the meat should shred easily with a fork if done.
Serve over rice or shred and serve on tortillas to make tacos.

Fresh Veggie Salsa

It makes me sad that my vegetable garden is finally done producing and I have just a few tomatoes and zucchini left to eat. This is a really yummy veggie salsa my friend Greg made and I think I might have to make another batch today.

Fresh Veggie Salsa

2 Red Heirloom Tomatoes, diced
1 Yellow Tomato, diced
2 Shallots, chopped
1 Medium Cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
Handful Fresh Herbs-Greg used Flat Leaf Parsley, Basil, and Tarragon.
Coarse Salt and Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. This is good served with chips, on toasted baguette, or even as a side salad.

Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

1 ½ Pounds Tilapia, or other white fish
1 White Onion, skin removed and quartered
3 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Bunch Cilantro, cleaned and stems removed
4 Limes, juiced
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Olive Oil
12 Corn Tortillas
8 Ounces Cheese (I like to use Cojita, or a shredded Mexican Blend)
Sour Cream
Lime Wedges
Mango Salsa*

Clean fish and remove all bones, place in large bowl.
In bowl of food processor, add onion, peppers, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, and salt. Process until thick puree forms. Pour over fish and let marinate at room temperature 2 hours.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large sauté pan, add half the tilapia and cook until browned 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown, move to platter. Repeat with remaining fish, adding more olive oil as necessary. Lightly separate fish into small pieces.
Heat tortillas in oven, or fry in oil, until warm and flexible.
Spread teaspoon sour cream on tortilla, add fish, cheese, mango salsa, and squeeze juice of lime wedge over the top.

*Mango Salsa recipe is on its own blog page.

Mango Salsa

This dish was inspired by my friend Francisca. She made a mango salsa to go with her husband's pork carnita’s and I loved it so much I had to make my own version. Thanks Francisca for the inspiration!

Mango Salsa

2 Mangos, finely diced
½ Red Onion, finely diced
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 Handful Cilantro, chopped
1 Lime, juiced
½ Teaspoon Salt

Mix all ingredients in small bowl, let sit for an hour or so for flavors to mingle.