Food Fiesta: Recipes from Mexico

Whether it’s for a Cinco de Mayo party, or something different for dinner, check out some of these Mexican recipes.

Chicken Enchiladas

The enchilada was invented in the Valley of Mexico in the 15th century (the lake has since dried out and is Mexico City today).

Time Needed: 1 hour

Serves: 8

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 1.5 lbs. of boneless chicken breast, diced into small 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 can (4 oz.) of diced green chiles
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 large flour tortillas
• 3 c. of Mexican-blend shredded cheese
• 1 can of red enchilada sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you decide to make your own sauce, you can prep it at this time.
2. In a large sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes.
3. Add diced chicken and green chiles to the pan and sauté  for 6 to 8 minutes. Stir occasionally until chicken has cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. You will now begin to assemble the enchiladas. Find a space to assemble the tortillas, sauce, beans, chicken mixture, and cheese.
5. Grab a tortilla and spread two tablespoons of sauce on it.
6. Add beans in a line down the middle of the tortilla.
7. Add a spoonful of chicken mixture.
8. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of cheese.
9. Roll up the tortilla and place it in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
10. Repeat steps 5 to 9 until the baking dish is full.
11. Cover the enchiladas with your red enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.
12. Bake the enchiladas uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Snapper Veracruz

This recipe comes from the state of Veracruz, a coastal region along the Gulf of Mexico in the center of the country. Snapper can be substituted with Grouper or other fish if desired.

Time Needed: 1 hour

Serves: 6

 

Ingredients:

• 6 snapper fillets, 4 to 5 oz. each
• 1 can (28 oz.) of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c. of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. of white onion, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 small bay leaves
• 2 tbsps. of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp. of dried Mexican oregano
• 1/4 c. of pitted green olives, chopped
• 2 tbsps. of raisins
• 2 tbsps. of dried capers
• 3 pickled jalapeño chiles, cut in half lengthwise

Instructions:

1. Drain tomatoes in a medium bowl and puree using a potato masher. Drain again and put the juices to the side in a small bowl.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add tomato puree and cook for one minute. Simmer until it thickens into a sauce.
3. Add bay leaves, parsley, oregano, and reserved tomato juice. Simmer until sauce thickens again and stir occasionally for about 8 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread 3 tablespoons of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a glass baking dish.
5. Arrange the fish on top of the tomato sauce. Use a spoon to add tomato sauce to the top.
6. Bake for 18 minutes. You should not be able to see through the fish.
7. Transfer to plate using a long spatula.
8. Add your pickled jalapeño halves and enjoy!

Squash Vine Soup with Corn Dumplings

This recipe comes from the state of Oaxaca, located in southern Mexico spanning from the Pacific Ocean to the Sierra Madre mountain range. Chepil leaves can be found in some farmers markets, but you can use baby spinach as a substitute. For the dumplings, corn masa can be found in the international section of most supermarkets.

Time Needed: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Serves: 8

 

Ingredients for the Soup:

• 4 quarts of water or chicken broth
• 3 to 4 ears of fresh corn, husked and sliced into 2 inch rounds
• 1 medium white onion, thickly sliced
• 1 head of garlic, chopped
• 6 c. of tender young leaves and vines of a zucchini plant, stripped and cut up
• 3 c. of chepil or baby spinach leaves
• 1 1/2 lbs. of long or round zucchini, cut into 1 inch thick pieces
• 2 1/2 c. of zucchini squash blossoms, washed, with sepals and pistils removed

Ingredients for the Dumplings:

• 1/2 pound of prepared corn masa
• 1 tbsp. of lard
• 1/2 tsp. of salt

Instructions:

1. Place the broth, corn, onion, and garlic in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer, and cover for 30 minutes
2. Add all leaves, vines, and zucchini parts; cook for another 30 minutes. Add salt to taste
3. To make the dumplings, mix the masa with the lard and salt. Cover with a towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
4. Roll your dough into 3/4-inch diameter balls. Use your index finger to indent each dough ball.
5. Add the dumplings into the soup until cooked through and tender.
6. Serve with lime wedges.

Pan De Tecate

This sweet bread comes from the city of Tecate in Baja, California and is available in many bakeries in the Northwestern portion of Mexico. This is a great sweet treat to make for your next gathering.

Time Needed: 2 hours

Serves: 2 Loaves

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of warm water (around 105 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 1/4 c. of wild sage honey
• 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 1/2 c. of cold-pressed sunflower oil
• 8 to 9 1/2 c. of whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of wheat bran flakes
• 2 1/3 tbsps. of poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1 egg white, beaten (for glaze)

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine water and honey. Sprinkle mixture over yeast and stir to dissolve. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
2. If preparing dough by hand, stir in oil. Knead thoroughly to ensure lightness.
3. In an electric mixer or a large bowl with whisk, combine yeast mix with oil, 8 1/2 cups of flour, bran, 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds, and salt to make your dough.  If the dough Is very sticky, add in an extra 1/4 cup of flour at a time.
4. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes or until dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. It should be flexible and smooth.
5. Shape your dough into a ball. Lightly brush a large bowl with vegetable oil.
6. Turn the dough to coat surface with vegetable oil. Cover with damp kitchen towel; let the dough rise about 1 hour until the volume doubles.
7. Brush two loaf pans with oil.
8. Punch down dough and divide in half. Knead until smooth. Make a 1/8” slash lengthwise on each loaf. Let it rise for about 45 minutes or until volume doubles.
9. Brush tops with beaten egg white; sprinkle with remaining seeds.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
11. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until loaves sound hollow and are golden brown on top. Remove from pans and cool completely before slicing and serving.

* Please consider food allergies when making these recipes.

Recipe Inspiration from:

gimmesomeoven.com

epicurious.com

mexconnect.com

rancholapuerta.com

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