Tacos de Lengua (tongue tacos)

Ernesto and I are still in San Diego with his parents and eating Mexican food every day. Sunday is "family day" and mi suegra always cooks something delicious. The whole family comes over and there is a food extravaganza. She asked for requests this past weekend and Ernesto said tongue tacos. How does that sound? Ok ok, maybe it doesn't sound good, but you can't deny that is looks good!

{tongue tacos topped with onion, cilantro and salsa}

This was my first time eating tongue Mexican style. My mom made it sometimes when I was growing up, but it was a Hungarian recipe. I didn't like it from what I can remember, but I think that was more because it was tongue and I was a child!

I was surprised at the simplicity of this recipe.

You will need one cow tongue (we cooked three, but I have adjusted this recipe for one)

Rub all over with salt and oregano and place in a dutch oven.

Through in 2 bay leaves and 3 cloves of garlic.

Add 1-2 cups water and turn on high heat for 5 minutes.

Turn down to low for 2 hours. Take out of pot. They will look like this.

Wait for meat to cool and cut into cubes. Reheat. (many people shred the meat while hot)

Place into warm corn tortillas, top with chopped onion, cilantro and a salsa of your choice.

Buen Provecho!

Sunday Morning Menudo

It was a long night. You hadn't intended on drinking so much. [A shot of tequila for everyone! yeah!] You sure as hell didn't expect to cross the border partying in TJ and roll in at 4am to your parents house.

But alas, it is 9am and there is a delicious smell wafting up the stairs into your bedroom. Summoning you to the kitchen.

You are not sure why or how cow's stomach lining makes it all better, but it does. The hangover is gone....and so the mystery of menudo lives on.

If you can overlook what it is you are eating, the flavor of this classic Mexican soup is going to blow you away.
Menudo (recipe from mi suegra)

Ingredients:

6-7 lbs tripe

2-3 cans hominy

1 head of garlic

18oz can of chile colorado (brand: Las Palmas)

2 tablespoons of dry tomato broth powder (or 1 cube)

salt and dry oregano

Rinse tripe and cut off excess fat. Chop into cubes. Put in dutch oven or large pot. Fill with water. Add salt and simmer covered for 2 hours. Add Chile Colorado, tomato broth and a pinch of oregano. Simmer one hour more.

Serve hot with chopped onion and cilantro and spicy chile sauce as garnishes.

To make spicy chile sauce:

toast a handful of dried chile de arbol peppers.

Add them to a blender with one clove of garlic and a 1/4 cup water. Serve on the side to add spice as needed.

Avocado y Tomatillo Salsa

We are constantly trying new salsas. Last month Ernesto made a recipe on a recommendation from his co-worker Victor. You may remember this picture.

We posted that tomatillo salsa recipe here. Only later did we find out that his recipe called for blending the ingredients (not cubing). Ha! We made a variation of Victor's [blended] salsa a couple weeks ago and 3 times since. It is a refreshing, healthy salsa. Great for tacos or eating with chips. You can adjust number of chiles to your tolerance. Avocado y Tomatillo Salsa

To a blender add:

3 avocados

3-4 serrano or jalapeno chiles

8 tomatillos cubed

1 clove garlic

handful cilantro

salt

Blend until creamy.

Habanero Salsita..Muy Picante

Habaneros are one of the hottest peppers around. According to the scollville chile heat chart, there is only one pepper that is hotter. With that being said, you need to take care when handling these bad boys, they can literally burn your skin.

We never cooked with habaneros too much, but lately we have started to appreciate its unique flavor. The palomitas (popcorn) that we make every other day come out perfectly spicy with habaneros. Sometimes we add one to a big batch of pico de gallo to give it an extra kick.

The other night we were flipping through The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking cookbook, which I can't even find online. The cover pic is to the right. I bought it for Ernesto years ago at TJMaxx.

This salsa is HOT! We dipped some chips, and although the flavor was superb, it was too spicy [even for Ernesto] to eat straight. The finely chopped spring onions add a wonderful crunch.

Try adding this to a beef stew, or on tacos.

Habanero Salsa

Ingredients:

5 dried roasted habanero chiles

4 dried chile de arbol peppers

3 spring onions, finely chopped

juice of 1 orange

grated zest and juice of one lime

small bunch of cilantro, chopped

salt to taste

*Soak the habanero and chile de arbols in hot water for about 10 minutes, until softened. *Drain, reserving the soaking water.

*Remove the stems from all chiles and chop roughly

*Put chiles in food processor and add some of the soaking liquid. Puree into a fine paste.

*Scrape mixture into a bowl.

*Stir in scallions, fruit juice, lime zest and cilantro. Mix thoroughly. Add salt to taste.

Estofado de Res (beef stew)

During the past couple months, it has been the coldest I can ever remember while living in Atlanta. The days of staying indoors in my pajamas all day were many. Going to the grocery store is about the only thing that took me outside. Nothing says cold winter days like a hot and spicy stew. We have tried several new ones lately (posts coming soon).

There is no shortage of delicious recipes in our favorite cookbook, Mexico: the Beautiful Cookbook. This hearty stew calls for green beans which is an ingredient I have never used in a Mexican dish. Its easy to make, delicious and comforting.

Estofado de Res (a dish from Oaxaca, in the coastal area near Guerrero)

A recipe from Mexico: the Beautiful Cookbook

Ingredients:

2lb boneless beef shank (shin)

12cups cold water

1/2 onion

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp salt

4 chiles guajillos, seed and membranes removed

2 large tomatoes, roasted and peeled

1/4 small onion

1 tbsp oil

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 small zucchini, cubed

8oz fresh green beans, trimmed

*Place the beef shank in a large pot or Dutch oven, cover with water and add 1/2 onion, 3 garlic cloves and the salt. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over medium heat for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender. Discard the onion and set aside.

*On an iron skillet, toast the chiles, then soak in hot water to cover for 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a blender. Add the tomatoes, 1 garlic clove and 1/4 onion and puree.

*Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the tomato and puree and boil for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the beef stock, bring to a boil and add the meat, potatoes and zucchini. Cook for 3 minutes, adding more broth if the stew seems too thick. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes. Correct the seasonings, add the beans, stir and cook, covered, over low heat for 10 more minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

HEUVOS BENEDICTOS (eggs benedict)

I am grateful for the amount of free time E and I have right now. No jobs, no obligations, just time. Time to be creative and time to cook. I know all good things come to an end (so they say) but I am going to enjoy this while it lasts. We aren't rushing off to work in the mornings or worrying about what time we should go to bed at night. We can take the time to make a more elaborate breakfast. We even have time to be inspired by cooks on TV.

This is recipe #2 that we have tried from the new Food Network show, Mexican Made Easy. (recipe #1 is here) I have read the comments on this show since it premiered 3 weeks ago. Most have been positive. Marcela has a fun personality, she's animated and she is Mexican. A couple people had concerns that this show would not be true Mexican food, but American food with a Mexican twist. We want Mexican! On the first show, Chef Marcela whipped up an authentic this chilaquiles dish. We copied it that day and loved her recipe.

The other dish she shared on her first show was "huevos benedictos" or eggs benedict. Now, this dish, although just as delicious as the chilaquiles, is questionable as a Mexican dish. Adding chipotles to the hollandaise sauce does not Mexican make. With that being said, this was a very satisfying and tasty breakfast. Muy rico!

Ingredients

Hollandaise:

2 sticks unsalted butter

3 egg yolks*

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotles in adobo sauce **

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt

Poached Eggs:

1 teaspoon vinegar

8 very fresh large eggs

2 large croissants, sliced in 1/2

4 slices prosciutto

Directions for the hollandaise: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter until bubbling hot. In a blender, add the egg yolks, black pepper, to taste, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Cover the blender and blend on high speed for several seconds. Either remove center cap of the blender lid or carefully remove the lid itself with blender still running. Pour the hot butter in a thin, steady stream into whirling egg mixture. Add the chipotle and pulse to combine. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. (If your sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out with a couple tablespoons of boiling hot water.)

For the eggs: In a heavy saucepan combine about 2 quarts of water and the vinegar and bring to a simmer. Break 1 egg into a small bowl or cup and slide the egg into a ladle. Lower the ladle into the water, and hold it there, for 1 minute before removing the ladle and leaving the egg to cook for 2 minutes more. Poach at a low simmer until the whites are firm and the yolks are still runny. Repeat with each remaining egg. Transfer the eggs, with a slotted spoon, to paper towels until ready to serve.

To assemble: Arrange a croissant half, cut side up, on each of 4 plates. Put 1 piece of prosciutto on each half, then 2 poached eggs and top with hollandaise. Serve immediately.

CHILAQUILES WITH ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

If my TV is on, that means one of two things is playing: HGTV or Food Network. Last Saturday morning E and I were lounging and drinking coffee when a new show came on FN. Our ears perked because we heard "real Mexican food". I had seen the promo for this new show before and Saturday was the premier dia. Chef Marcela Valladolid is from Tijuana, just like E. Her show Mexican Made Easy is on Saturday mornings at 930am. She made three recipes, and within a couple days we made 2 of them. I was happy to see Chilaquiles on her menu Chilaquiles (pronounced chee-la-key-les) are a traditional Mexican food. There are many variations, but typically tortillas are cut in quarters, fried and then red or green salsa is poured over top and softens the crisp tortillas. Usually this dish is served for breakfast or brunch and uses leftover tortillas and salsa. We made this 2 times in one week. Once with red salsa and once with green. Serve with beans. Both are muy rico!

{chilaquiles with red salsa}

{chilaquiles with green salsa}

Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)

1 pound fresh tomatillos

3 fresh serrano chiles

3 garlic cloves

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

Olive oil, as needed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup chicken broth or more as needed

Preheat the broiler or oven to 550 degrees. Remove husks from the tomatillos and rinse under warm water to remove the stickiness. Put the chiles, garlic, onion and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Season with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Put on a rack about 1 or 2 inches from the heat, and cook, turning the vegetables once, until softened and slightly charred, about 5 to 7 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and pull off the tops of the chiles. Add all the broiled ingredients to a blender along with the fresh cilantro and puree. Pour in 1/4 cup of chicken broth and blend to combine. Add more broth, if needed, for desired consistency.

Chilaquiles
1/3 cup vegetable oil

10 corn tortillas, cut into eighths, preferably stale (spread out to dry overnight)

3 cups roasted Tomatillo

Salsa Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco

2 thin slices onion, separated into rings

1/2 cup Mexican crema, creme fraiche or sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Pour about 1/3 cup vegetable oil into a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tortillas, working in 2 or 3 batches, and cook until lightly browned and nearly crisp. Drain the tortillas on paper towels and discard the remaining oil. Wipe the pan with a paper towel. In the same pan, add the tomatillo salsa and bring to simmer over low heat. Add the tortillas and cook until soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide the mixture among 4 individual casserole dishes. Top with the cheese crumbles and onion rings. Drizzle with Mexican crema, sprinkle with some chopped fresh cilantro and serve immediately.