Tortilla Chips with Guacamole and Salsa Cruda
Enchiladas served with refried beans and Spanish Rice
Flan and Margaritas
serves 6

Tortilla Chips
corn tortillas
salt
vegetable oil for frying

Heat the oil in a large skillet or a wok for frying.
Cut the tortillas into pie wedges.
Fry the tortillas in hot oil until crisp.
Remove and drain on paper towels.
Salt to taste and serve with guacamole and salsa.

Salsa Cruda
4 tomatoes, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 ounce can diced green chilies
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all the ingredients, refrigerate until ready to use.

Guacamole
2 large ripe avocados
juice of 1 lemon or lime
2-3 tablespoons salsa
dash of hot sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Cut the avocado lengthwise down to the seed and pull the two halves apart.
Remove the seed.
Scoop out the avocado meat.
Mash with lemon juice.
Add remaining ingredients, use right away.

Enchiladas
12 corn or flour tortillas
1 large can red or green enchilada sauce
1-1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese ot to taste
chopped cilantro to taste
sliced black olives
sour cream

Heat enchilada sauce.
Dip a tortillas into sauce, coat both sides.
Place in a casserole dish.
Spread on some chicken, cheese, and a little cilantro.
Roll up tortilla.
Continue this method with remaining tortillas, lie them next to one another.
Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the olives.
If desired, cover and refrigerate until needed.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Serve with sour cream.

Spanish Rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup long-grain rice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1-1/2 cup water
3 sprigs cilantro

Heat oil.
Sauté rice and garlic in the oil until slightly browned.
Add tomato sauce, water, and cilantro.
Bring to a boil and cover.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat.

Flan
sugar syrup
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup boiling water

flan
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
6 egg yolks
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease a shallow 2 quart pan, chill.
Melt sugar in a pot over medium heat. The sugar will caramelize to a rich golden brown, 30-40 minutes.
Do not stir the sugar as it melts but occasionally shake the pot.
Slowly add the boiling water, stirring briskly to dissolve the caramelized sugar. Simmer, uncovered 8-10 minutes until the consistency of syrup.
Pour into the chilled pan.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, and sugar.
Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Beat the egg yolks and eggs until frothy.
Add about a cup of the hot cream to the eggs to temper the eggs.
Stir the egg-cream mixture into back into the pan with the rest of the cream.
Stir constantly, 1 minute.
Remove from the heat, cool slightly.
Stir in the orange extract and vanilla.
Pour into the pan.
Set the mold in a shallow baking pan and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the flan pan.
Bake uncovered 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven.
Remove the flan from the water bath and cool 1 hour.
Refrigerate until firm, 4-5 hours.
To invert the flan, dip the mold quickly in hot water, then turn out on a dessert plate, the caramel syrup should drip over the flan.

Margaritas
lime wedges
kosher salt, placed in a shallow dish
ice, crushed
2 ounces tequila
1 ounce triple sec
juice of 1 lime

Run a wedge of lime around the rim of a glass.
Dip into salt.
Fill the glass with ice.
Add tequila, triple sec, lime juice.
Stir.

Brazed Pork Shoulder - Puebla

Serves 3 to 4

The Meat

 

1 sprig each fresh rosemary, thyme, Mexican oregano, sage and epazote

2 bay leaves

2 Anaheim or Pablano chilies

1 jalapeño

10 to 12 cloves of garlic

2 large yellow onions, cut into thick slices

 

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons chili seasoning

1 tablespoon dry powdered mustard

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

 

1 3 to 4 pound pork shoulder

 

red wine vinegar

beef or chicken stock, broth or bouillon

            Lay the herbs, bay leaves, chilies and garlic on the bottom of a large oven proof dish.  Cover this with the slices of onion.  Mix the sugar, salt, seasoning, mustard, cayenne and pepper together and rub over all surfaces of the pork shoulder.  Set the meat on top of the onions.  Pour in equal amounts of the vinegar and stock until it reaches about ¼ of the way up the side of the piece of meat.  Cover with a tight fitting lid and put into a 325° oven.  Leave until the meat is extremely tender, about 3 to 3 ½ hours.  Check occasionally to see if more liquid is needed and turn the meat over once or twice during the cooking.  When the meat is almost done, add the following vegetables, or your vegetables of choice.  Cover again, turn heat to 350° and continue to cook until the vegetables reach your desired degree of doneness.  This is an excellent, hardy and comforting dish. 

The Vegetables

 

6 to 8 new potatoes, peeled

2 to 3 Anaheim or Pablano chilies, seeded

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thick julienne

10 to 12 small boiling onions, peeled

3 to 4 small zucchini, cut into chunks

2 ears of corn, cut into 2 inch chunks

 

Above recipe from about.com

CHICKEN AND THREE-BEAN BURRITOS

serves 6

12 large flour tortillas
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
Fresh lime juice
Chili powder
Ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil

Three-Bean Salad (see recipe)
2 avocados, peeled, sliced, rinsed under cold water, drained
1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
Grated cheddar cheese
Sour cream or plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stack tortillas on large piece of foil. Wrap foil around tortillas, covering completely. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with lime juice, chili powder, cumin and salt. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Cut crosswise into strips. Transfer to bowl. Transfer tortillas to cloth-lined basket.

Arrange tortillas, chicken, salad and condiments on table. Allow family members to assemble their own burritos.

Three-Bean Salad

serves 6

1 15-ounce can yellow hominy, rinsed, drained
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
1 cup drained canned kidney beans, rinsed
1 cup drained pinto beans, rinsed
4 large tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped red onion
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)