Chili Rellenos con Queso

Many people think of Lent as the time Catholics give up meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays but rather than settling for a Filet-o-Fish whip up something a little more interesting such as these Chili Rellenos. 

• 1 pkg Cacique Queso Poblano or Monterrey Jack - sliced into 1/2" thick slices
• 1/2 cup Cacique Crema Mexicana or Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup Oil - for frying
• 6 poblano chiles - roasted and peeled
• 1 can stewed tomatoes - (large)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 onion - chopped
• 3 eggs - separated
• 1 cup flour - for dredging
• 1 clove garlic - minced

Directions:
Make a small slit on side of chile and insert cheese slices. Beat egg whites, then add yolks and beat until fluffy. Holding by the stem, carefully pass each chile through flour and then dip completely in the egg batter. Fry in hot oil, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Chile Relleno Sauce: Sautee garlic and onions with one teaspoon oil until tender. Add oregano and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat. Let cool slightly then puree in blender. Return to skillet, add Crema Mexicana and heat through. Serve over chiles rellenos.
Recipes courtesy of Cacique USA.

Menudo

 The New Year is upon us and before you get to your list of annual promises of eating right and exercising have all of your friends and family over for a New Year's Day brunch. Whip up a batch of our Miraculous Menudo which is rumored to cure the most viscous hangover. And for the non-menudo eaters make up a couple of quiches and other goodies to satisfy everyone's tastes.

!Feliz Año Nuevo!

You will need:
A large saucepan
1 Calf's Foot (about 1 to 1 ½ pounds)
2 pounds Honeycomb Tripe
1 large Onion
3 cloves Garlic, peeled
6 Peppercorns
2 teaspoons Salt, or to taste
4 quarts of Water
A Comal or Griddle
3 large Chiles Anchos
A Spice Grinder
A large Chile Poblano, peeled or 2 canned, peeled green chiles
½ cup canned Hominy (1 pound), drained
Salt as necessary
1 scant teaspoon Oregano

Directions:
Have the butcher cut the calf's foot into four pieces. Cut the tripe into small squares. Put them into the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, or until the tripe and foot are just tender but not too soft. Meanwhile, toast the chilies well. Slit them open and remove the seeds and veins from the chile poblano, cut it into strips, and add to the meat while it is cooking. Remove the pieces of calf's foot from the pen, and when they are cool enough to handle, strip off the fleshy parts. Chop them roughly and return them to the pan.

Add hominy and continue cooking the menudo slowly, still uncovered, for another 2 hours.

Add salt as necessary. Sprinkle with oregano and serve.

This amount is sufficient for 7 or 8 people. It should be served in large, deep bowls with hot tortillas and small dishes of chopped chile serranos, finely chopped onion and wedges of lime for each person to help himself, along with Salsa de Tomate Verde Cruda to be eaten with tortillas.

Hot Rum Punch

This is the the traditional punch served during the Posadas with bunuelos or pan dulce. If you would like to make this punch but can’t find or don't like some of the ingredients (perhaps, prunes) use substitutes. For instance, tamarind pods are a primary flavor in this ponche. If you can’t find tamarind pods, substitute apple cider. It won’t be the same, but it'll still be good!

Ingredients:
2 gallons water
4 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
4-inch cinnamon stick
2 lbs. piloncillo (or brown sugar)
3 green apples, cut into eighths
1/2 cup raisins
10 prunes
10 tamarind pods, peeled (or apple cider)
6 preserved guavas
10 preserved manzanitas/tejocotes (wild apples or crab apples)
Rum or Brandy to taste (optional)
1 3-gallon pot
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
Place the above in crock pot and heat well. Serve with 1 jigger of rum added when serving. Can leave on all day. Can refrigerate leftovers for another day. This recipe for Hot Rum Punch serves/makes 3 quart

Vaga Enchilada

So I was going to give you a big, long complicated recipe for making enchiladas from scratch but who really wants to cook the day after Thanksgiving?

 
Sautee in large frying pan:
1 med onion chopped
½ med red/green pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon salt

Add and mix:
3 cups cooked turkey, shredded

Slice and dip:
Slice 12 (10 inch) corn tortillas into strips and lightly dip tortillas in 1/3 cup hot oil until soft and drain.

Mix together:
2 cups Mexican Crema or Sour Cream
2 cups shredded Manchego or Monterey Jack cheese

Layer in a casserole pan in alternating layers like lasagna:
2 Cans store-bought green Enchilada sauce
Cheese mixture
Turkey mixture

Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let set 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with Mexican crema or sour cream, sprinkle with Cotija cheese and slices of avocado.

Ice Mexican Coffee

 

Truthfully, I am not a big fan of coffee (unless of course it has Kahlua or chocolate in it) so I absolutely love this Iced Mexican Coffee.

3/4 cup Coffee Beans, ground
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
6 cup Water
1 cup Milk
1/3 cup Chocolate Syrup
2 tbls. light Brown Sugar
1 tsp. pure Vanilla Extract
Garnish: Whipped Cream and Ground Cinnamon

Place coffee and cinnamon in filter basket of coffee maker. Add water to coffee maker and brew as directed. In a saucepan, blend milk, chocolate syrup and sugar. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Combine milk mixture and brewed coffee. Stir in vanilla. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon. May be served hot or cold. For iced coffee pour mixture over glass filled with ice. Makes 6 cups.

Sangria de Naranja

Sangria is a red or white wine punch originating from Spain. There are many different versions but this is my absolute favorite! As with every recipe feel free to switch out juices or liquors to suit your taste but, watch out for this easy to drink recipe it'll sneak up on you!

 

Sangria Recipe:
1 medium size Orange
1/2 cup Sugar
2 cups Orange Juice
1 bottle Red Wine
1/2 cup Cointreau or Triple Sec
Ice

Mix all ingredients into a large pitcher and chill. Slice oranges and place in pitcher and/or use as garnish on glasses. Makes 6 cups.

Paella

 

You will need:

• 12 ounces Linguisa (Portuguese), firm Chorizo, or other cooked sausages
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Onion (8 oz.), peeled and chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (8 oz.), rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and diced (¼ in.)
• 2 tablespoons minced Garlic
• 2 cups Arborio or other short-grain White Rice
• 1 cup dry White Wine
• 1 quart fat-skimmed Chicken Broth
• ½ teaspoon Paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground dried Turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon Saffron threads, crumbled
• Salt and Pepper
• 8 ounces boned, skinned firm white-fleshed fish, such as Halibut
• 1 pound shelled, deveined Shrimp (26 to 30 per lb.), tails left on
• 8 ounces Mussels in shells
• ¼ cup slivered Green Onions (including green tops)
• Lemon wedges

Directions:
In a 15 inch paella pan or 12-inch frying pan (with at least 2¼-inch tall sides) over high heat, turn sausages occasionally until browned on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes total. With tongs, transfer to a board.

Reduce heat to medium-high and add olive oil to pan; when hot, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and stir often until onion is limp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in wine, chicken broth, paprika, turmeric, and saffron. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring once or twice, until rice is almost tender to bite, 15 to 18 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, rinse and drain fish and shrimp; cut fish into 1 inch pieces. Pull beards off mussels and scrub mussels; discard any gaping ones that don't close when you tap their shells. Cut sausages diagonally into ½ inch thick slices.

Gently stir fish, shrimp, and sausages into rice mixture; arrange mussels on top. Cover pan with foil or lid and cook until rice is tender to bite, fish and shrimp are opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), and mussel shells have popped open, 7 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle evenly with green onions. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve from pan, adding juice from lemon wedges and more salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe courtesy of Sunset Magazine.