Not far to travel! (Week 47 - Mexico)

Last week Brazil, this week Mexico, that is how a random pick goes!

This was exciting food, I loved making the tortillas, and we had them not only with the Chimichangos, but also with fajitas too. Our son loved eating the food in his fingers and – to be honest – getting in a bit of a mess! The pork and pineapple was a twist on our classic gammon and pineapple. I scored a 10 for the Albondigas; which I must admit were pretty good. The eggs and tomato dish was lovely with a salad, although not enough for a main meal – good job we had Mexican bread and butter pudding for afters! I didn’t put in the cheese in (as I  have previously mentioned, I don’t eat it) but I did mas h up some banana that no one wanted to eat and chucked that it and it tasted a treat. I have been asked to re-do it with the cheese. 

Cooked with score (out of 100):

Flour Tortillas* Fahitas…………………………………………………………………83

Albondigas   (Spicy Meatballs with tomato sauce) *…………………….96

Pork with pineapple*……………………………………………………………………76

Chimichangos……………………………………………………………………………...82

Huevos Rancheros (Spicy Mexican eggs) Huevos Rancheros………..82

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)…………………………………………..86

Wanted to cook:

Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo (Breakfast)  

*Taken from the book: “The Illustrated Food and Cooking of the Caribbean, Central and South America” by Jenni Fleetwood and Marina Filippelli.

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/15327/capirotada-mexican-bread-pudding/
This recipe is the same one I used from a book of Mexican Recipes and may be served warm or cold.
Ingredients
1 (1 pound) loaf white bread
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup raisins
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
4 ounces Colby longhorn cheese
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
10 cinnamon sticks (I used ground cinnamon)
2 cups white sugar
2 cups water


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine water, cinnamon, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Set aside.
3. Toast bread and butter each slice on one side. Arrange toast in a single layer in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle bread with raisins, nuts, and pineapple. Slice cheese and place over this mixture. Repeat layers until all bread is used, making sure enough cheese is left over for the top. Pour the cinnamon syrup mixture over everything in baking dish.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for at least 15 minutes.
   
   

Flour Tortillas

Makes about 14
Ingredients:
225g / 8oz plain flour
5ml / 1 tsp salt
15ml / 1 tbsp lard or vegetable fat
120ml / 4 fl oz / ½ cup water

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Gradually rub in the fat, using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
2. Gradually add the water and mix into a soft dough. Knead lightly, form into a ball, cover with a cloth and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Carefully divide the dough into about 14 portions and form those portions into small balls. One by one, roll out each ball of dough on a lightly floured wooden board to a round measuring about 15cm / 6 in. Trim the rounds, if necessary.
4. Heat an ungreased griddle or frying pan over a moderate heat. Cook the tortillas for about 1 ½ - 2 minutes on each side. Turn over with a palette knife or metal spatula when the bottom begins to brown. Wrap in foil and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.
   NB: We had these with chicken and peppers, as fajitas.
   
   

Albondigas   (Spicy Meatballs with tomato sauce)

Serve 4
Ingredients
500g / 1 ¼ lb minced meat (beef and pork)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
50g 2oz fresh breadcrumbs
2.5ml / ½ tsp ground cumin
1 egg, beaten
50g / 2oz plain flour
60ml / 4tbsp olive oil
Salt
Cooked white rice to serve
Sauce:
30ml / 2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 red (bell) peppers, seeded and diced
2 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
15ml / ¼ pint canned chopped tomatoes
400ml / 14 fl oz light beef stock
Ground black pepper

Method:

1. Place all the meatball ingredients, except flour and oil, in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and shape the mixture into even sized balls. Wet your hands to prevent the mixture from sticking. Dust lightly with flour.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the meatballs in batches, for 6 -8 minutes, or until golden. When all the meatballs have been browned, wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper.
3. Pour the olive oil into the pan and cook the onion and peppers over a low heat for 10 minutes, until soft. Add the chillies and garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
4. Add the meatballs to the pan and spoon the sauce over them. Bring back to the boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with rice.
   
   

Spicy Mexican eggs (huevos rancheros)

For the salsa
3 kale leaves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 small bird's eye chilli, finely chopped
1 courgette, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
150ml/5fl oz tomato passata
1 tbsp olive oil
knob of butter
8 free-range eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
handful fresh coriander leaves
2 soft flour or corn tortillas, warmed in the oven
hot chilli sauce


Method

1. To make the salsa, put the kale, onion, peppers, chilli, courgette, garlic and passata into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
2. Heat the oil in a medium lidded frying pan over a medium heat and add a quarter of the salsa. Stir to warm through, then make a hole in the middle of the salsa. Place the butter in the clear area in the middle of the pan, then break 2 eggs into this space.
3. Put the lid on the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. The dish is ready when the eggs are cooked into the salsa and the whites are firm. Slide the eggs and salsa onto a large plate and keep warm as you repeat this process three more times.
4. To serve, sprinkle each dish with coriander leaves and serve the warm tortillas and chilli sauce alongside.

Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo (Breakfast) 

Serves 4
Ingredients
15ml / 1 tbsp olive oil
150g / 5oz dried chorizo, cut into 1cm/ ½ in slices
2.5ml / ½ tsp paprika
8 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt
Country bread and green salad to serve 

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and pan-fry the chorizo slices for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown (The chorizo will brown very quickly, so do not leave it to cook unattended, or it may burn)
2. Add the paprika, stir for 30 seconds, and then pour in the beaten eggs. Season lightly with salt, break them up with a fork.
3. Remove the pan from the heat when the mixture is still quite moist; it will continue cooking off the heat. Serve with the bread and green salad.
   
   

Pork with pineapple

Serves 6
Ingredients
30ml / 2 tbsp corn oil
900g / 2 lb boneless pork shoulder or loin, cut into 5cm / 2in cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large red (bell) pepper, seeded and finely chopped
450g / 1 lb fresh pineapple chunks (can use canned, as long as it was in its own juice)
8 fresh mint leaves, chopped
250ml / 8 fl oz chicken stock
Salt and ground pepper
Fresh mint sprigs, to garnish
Boiled rice to serve

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the pork in batches until the cubes are lightly coloured. Transfer the meat to a plate. Sauté the onions, and pepper and then add the pork.
2. Add the stock, mint leaves and pineapple and cook until the meat is tender.
3. Serve with boiled rice, garnished with fresh mint.
    

Carnitas

A popular snack. The meat (pork) is cooked in lard with garlic and orange and served in burritos or tacos. Dried thyme is used as a dry rub to flavour the meat.

Chimichangos

These are tortilla’s with Picadillo in the middle and folded to look like square envelopes, then you dip them in beaten egg and fry them. Lovely.




A bit about the country....


Once a year the Mexicans remember those friends and family who have died on the “Day of the Dead”.  But it is probably more famous for its chillies, which make their food hot and spicy; they are also the world’s leading producers of silver. Chihuahuas, the world’s smallest dogs, are from Mexico too.  Mexico has a varied climate, with hot, dry deserts and snow-capped mountains. To the south are steamy jungles, which are home to jaguars, ocelots and boa constrictors. Music is very important, with the wandering Mariachi bands are world famous

CUISINE

Corn is the basis of the Mexican diet, as it has been for thousands of years. It can be found in almost every meal, usually in the form of the tortilla (flatbread). Corn can also be boiled to produce pozole , a hearty corn stew. Popular fruits and vegetables are tomatoes, tomatillos (green tomatoes), squash, sweet potato, avocado, mango, pineapple, papaya, and nopales (from the prickly pear cactus). Though beef is consumed, chicken and pork are more common. The variety of chilies includes the widely known jalapeño, as well as the poblano , serrano , and chipotle . Chilies give Mexican cooking a distinctive flavor, which is often enhanced with herbs, such as cilantro and thyme, and spices, including cumin, cinnamon, and cloves. Cheese and eggs round out the diet. Seafood is most common in coastal dishes.

Though Mexican cuisine is a blend of indigenous (Indian) and Spanish influences, most Mexicans continue to eat more native foods, such as corn, beans, and peppers. Such foods are cheap and widely available. Bread and pastries are sold, but the tortilla, homemade or bought daily at the local tortillería (tortilla stand), is the basis of the typical meal. Flour tortillas are also eaten, especially in northern Mexico, but the corn variety is most popular.

Read more: http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Mexico.html#ixzz3tMRz9opi