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Agenda 050511 – Cinco de Mayo
Getting Tipsy –
Comal Tortilla Press Anaheim Chile Poblano Chile
What is a Comal - A Comal is a large, round, flat, cast iron skillet used to blister chiles and make tortillas.
Making and Using Corn and Flour Tortillas - Bottom of tortilla Press is lined with plastic wrap. A ball of masa or a ball of flour tortilla dough is placed in center of press and flattened. Tortilla is then flipped onto very hot griddle or Comal and cooked.
About Chiles - There are reportedly over 60 varieties of chiles, Chile peppers or hot peppers, ranging from very mild to fiery hot. Chiles are a key ingredient in most Mexican food dishes. All chiles derive their heat from oils concentrated in their seeds and membranes. The heat of a Chile lasts six minutes before it dissipates.
Poblano Chiles/peppers are used in Chiles Rellenos. They are dark green and about the size of a narrow bell pepper, but tapered at one end. They can be mild or quite hot. They’re best fresh, but also available in cans. You can also use green chiles or Anaheim chiles.
Serrano Chiles are hot! They’re about an inch and a half long and bright green and used frequently in salsas. They’re best fresh, but also available in cans.
A tamale or tamal is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa (a starchy dough, usually corn-based), which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating. Tamales can be further filled with meats, cheese, vegetables, chilies or any preparation according to taste, and both the filling and the cooking liquid may be seasoned.
Tamales were one of the staples found by the Spanish Conquistadors when they first arrived in Mexico and were soon widely spread throughout their other colonies. Tamales are said to have been as ubiquitous and varied as the sandwich is today.
Tamales originated in Mesoamerica as early as 8000 to 5000 BCE. Aztec and Maya civilizations as well as the Olmeca and Tolteca before them used tamales as a portable food, often to support their armies but also for hunters and travelers. There have also been reports of tamal use in the Inca Empire long before the Spanish visited the new world.
Few countries have such an extensive variety of tamales as Mexico, where they're considered one of the most beloved traditional foods. Almost every region and state in the country has its own kind of tamal. It is said that there are between 500 and 1000 different types of tamales all around the country. Some experts estimate the annual consumption in hundreds of millions every year.
Appetizer – Spicy Potato Pancakes
Ingredients: 2 cups diced tomatoes 1/2 small onion, chopped 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped 1 cup water 1/4 cup canola oil 5 potato, peeled and grated salt and pepper to taste 1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste 1 small onion, minced 2 eggs 2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 cup canola oil
Directions: Place tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and water into the bowl of a blender; blend until smooth. Heat 1/4 cup canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Carefully stir in tomato puree, and cook for 15 minutes until thickened.
While the sauce is cooking, season the shredded potato to taste with salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Mix in onion, eggs, and jalapeno; sprinkle with flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Drop potato mixture into hot oil by the heaping tablespoon. Flatten slightly, and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels, and continue with remaining potato mixture. Serve the potato pancakes with sauce spooned overtop.
Soup – Mexican Chicken Bean Soup
Ingredients: 3 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans 1 cup whole kernel corn 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth 1 tablespoon ground cumin
Directions: Place cooked chicken, kidney beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, red and green bell peppers, chiles, broth and cumin in a large pot over medium heat. Simmer 45 minutes.
Put it on the Side - Mexican Street Corn
Ingredients: Vegetable oil for cooking grate 1/4 cup regular or light mayonnaise 3 tablespoons sour cream 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves 1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon) 3/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 4 teaspoons juice from 1 lime 1 ounce queso fresco, grated (about 1/2 cup) 4 teaspoons vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt 6 large ears corn, husks and silk removed
Directions: 1. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, about 100 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are fully ignited and partially covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Arrange all coals in even layer over half of grill, leaving other half empty. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat grate until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grate clean with grill brush. Dip wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate.
2. While grill is heating, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, black pepper, cayenne (if using), lime juice, and cheese in large bowl; set aside. In second large bowl, combine oil, salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; add corn and toss until coated evenly.
3. Grill corn over coals, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides, 7 to 12 minutes total. Remove from grill and place in bowl with mayonnaise mixture; toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately. Main Course – Huevos Rancheros
Ingredients: 3 medium jalapeño chiles, halved, seeds and ribs removed (see note above) 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes (about 8 medium), cored and halved 1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled 1 tablespoon tomato paste Table salt 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves Ground black pepper 1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 or 2 limes, plus additional lime cut into wedges for serving 4 corn tortillas 4 large eggs
Directions: 1. FOR THE SALSA: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Mince one jalapeño and set aside. In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, remaining jalapeños, onion, garlic, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, and cayenne; toss to mix thoroughly. Place vegetables cut side down on rimmed baking sheet.
Roast until tomatoes are tender and skins begin to shrivel and brown, 35 to 45 minutes; cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Increase oven heat to 450 degrees. Using tongs, transfer roasted onions, garlic, and jalapeños to bowl of food processor. Process until almost completely broken down, about 10 seconds, pausing halfway through to scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add tomatoes and process until salsa is slightly chunky, about 10 seconds more. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, reserved minced jalapeño, salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste.
2. FOR THE TORTILLAS: Brush both sides of each tortilla lightly with remaining tablespoon oil, sprinkle both sides with salt, and place on clean baking sheet. Bake until tops just begin to color, 5 to 7 minutes; flip tortillas and continue to bake until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. 3. FOR THE EGGS: Meanwhile, bring salsa to gentle simmer in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat and make four shallow wells in salsa with back of large spoon. Break 1 egg into cup, then carefully pour egg into well in salsa; repeat with remaining eggs. Season each egg with salt and pepper to taste, then cover skillet and place over medium-low heat. Cook until desired doneness: 4 to 5 minutes for runny yolks, 6 to 7 minutes for set yolks.
4. TO SERVE: Place tortillas on serving plates; gently scoop one egg onto each tortilla. Spoon salsa around each egg, covering tortillas, but leaving portion of eggs exposed. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Dessert – Flan
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
Directions: 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.
Lighten UP!!! Double Corn Spoon Bread Dietitian's tip: Spoon bread is made from cornmeal that is cooked on the stove top before folding in whipped eggs. It's then cooked again, in the oven, like a soufflé. In this light version, only the egg whites are used. Serves 8.
Ingredients: 2 cups plain soy milk (Soya milk)
Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a 3-quart soufflé dish with olive oil cooking spray.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the soy milk, stock, olive oil and honey. Heat until it is hot but not boiling. Reduce the heat to low so the mixture simmers. Add the cornmeal in a stream while whisking constantly. Cook & stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the corn kernels, shallot, thyme, baking powder and salt and stir to combine.
In a large, spotlessly clean bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently whisk 1/3 of the whites into the cornmeal mixture to lighten it. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the remaining egg whites into the batter, mixing just until incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared soufflé dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until puffed and lightly golden, about 35 minutes. Let stand in the dish for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot. Nutritional Analysis - (per serving)
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