Chilaquiles y mas

We are so excited that it is margarita time again!  Not that we can’t enjoy them whenever we want, but since we are celebrating Cinco de Mayo it is a requirement, right?

This became our favorite margarita recipe after making it for last year’s Cinco de Mayo blog. We are including the recipe again; so you don’t have to waste any time searching the blog. 

Margarita

By Erika Kotite • January 23, 2013 • 9 Comments
Source: Food 52
Serves 2

4 ounces tequila
2 ounces Cointreau
2 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice (plus spent lime rind)
1/2 ounce agave syrup
Ice
Coarse sea salt
Additional lime wedges (for garnish)

Mix tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and agave syrup in a shaker or large measuring cup filled partway with ice and stir or shake until thoroughly chilled.

Spread salt on a plate. Rub rims of two rocks glasses with the spent lime. Turn glasses upside down in the salt. Fill glasses with ice and pour in the margarita liquid. Add lime wedge to each.

Salud!

To go with the first batch of margaritas we chose spicy garlic shrimp. 

Garlic Shrimp with Chiles de Arbol

Source: “bon appetit”, May 2014
Servings: 6 appetizers

1 lb small shrimp
½  c olive oil, divided
4 finely chopped garlic cloves, divided
2 crumbled dried chile de arbol (or ¼ t crushed red pepper flakes), divided
bunch of flat leaf parsley
salt to taste

(This is cooked in two batches.)

Peel and devein the shrimp. 

Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and 1 crumbled dried chile de arbol.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is barely golden, about 1 minute.  Season half of the shrimp with salt and cook until just cooked through, about 1 minute per side; transfer shrimp and oil to a bowl.

Repeat with the remaining shrimp, oil and chiles.  When the shrimp are cooked, return the first batch of shrimp and oil to the skillet, season with salt and toss in some chopped flat leaf parsley.
Serve with crusty bread.

Sue recently returned from a vacation in Oregon with this “Mexico, The Beautiful  Cookbook” in hand. It was published in 1991, and is a “coffee table” book with beautiful pictures and fascinating information not only about the food, but also the various regions of Mexico.  She is seriously considering not returning it to the rightful owner.

 

We chose the chilaquiles recipe because neither of us had cooked with tomatillos. The challenge, (isn’t there usually one?), was finding the epazote, which is a green leafy herb. It looks somewhat like baby dandelion leaves.

Ever adventurous, we decided to ignore the online descriptions, which included “gasoline like” taste and the alternate name “wormseed”. We found it in a local market, (Marketon), that caters to Hispanic shoppers. They had both fresh and dried epazote.  We tasted the fresh herb, and it indeed had a slight gasoline taste at first bite.  In this recipe, the epazote is cooked briefly in the sauce and then removed. So we decided to go for it.

Chilaquiles Verdes
 
Source: “Mexico, The Beautiful Cookbook”, Collins Publishers San Francisco, 1991
Serves: 6 main courses, 8 as first course

“ The Aztecs combined their leftover tortillas with chiles and herbs to create chilaquiles, which in their Nahuatl language means just that – “chiles and herbs in broth.”  Chilaquiles can be prepared ahead up to the point of adding the sauce to the fried tortilla pieces.

1 whole chicken breast, about 12 oz
5 cloves garlic
1 T plus 1 t salt
½ onion
7 sprigs parsley
6 chiles serranos (or to taste)
1 ½ lbs. tomates verdes (tomatillos), husks removed
¼ onion
½ c chopped cilantro
1 T oil
16 corn tortillas, preferably day-old
Oil for frying
1 small sprig epazote
1 c thick cream (crème fraiche)
½ c crumbled queso fresco or queso anejo (feta cheese)

Place the chicken in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover.  Add 2 cloves of the garlic, 1 T of the salt, ½ onion and the parsley.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.  Remove and shred the chicken, reserving 2 cups of the stock.

Place the chiles and remaining 3 cloves garlic in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the tomatillos, cook 5 more minutes and drain.  Transfer the chiles, garlic and tomatillos to a blender, add the remaining onion, then puree.  Add 1 t salt, the cilantro and 1 cup of the reserved stock, and process briefly.  Set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in a skillet, add the sauce and sauté for 5 minutes.  Correct the seasonings, lower the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.  If the mixture is too thick, dilute with more chicken stock.
Cut the tortillas in half and cut each half into 3 pieces.  Place ¼ inch oil in a large skillet.  When it is very hot, add one third of the tortilla pieces and fry, stirring constantly, until they are golden and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.  Transfer to a colander. Repeat until all the tortillas are fried. Drain and set aside.

Before serving, heat the sauce and add the epazote. Add the tortillas and stir carefully so as not to break them. Add the shredded chicken and top with cream and cheese. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese melts.

 

Verde sauce in blender

Homemade tortilla chips

Shredded chicken in sauce

Chilaquiles

The salad recipe is also from the above cookbook.  They had us at avocado. We hear that there are people who don’t like avocado. Really!?

Ensalada Mixta con Aderezo de Aguacate
Source: “Mexico, The Beautiful Cookbook”, Collins Publishers San Francisco, 1991
Serves: 6

1 large head of Romaine, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 ½ large avocados, cut into thick slices
2 large, firm, ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
3 green onions, sliced (optional)

Dressing
2 T mayonnaise
6 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
¼ c chopped onion
1 T lime juice
½ t dried thyme
½ t salt
¼ t freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf
½ avocado, peeled and pitted
½ c water
1 c corn oil

To make the dressing, puree the mayonnaise, garlic, onion, lime juice, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, avocado and water in a blender.  With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream until the mixture forms an emulsion, about 2 minutes.   Chill.
Arrange the lettuce on a platter and top with the avocados and tomatoes.  Cover with the dressing, garnish with the green onions and serve immediately.

Somehow we knew we would want something cool and soothing for dessert. The mango lime sorbet was the answer.

 

 

Mango Lime Sorbet

Source: marthastewart.com
Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Makes: about 3 pints

2 pounds ripe or overripe mangoes (preferable Champagne)
1 t finely grated lime zest, for sprinkling
½ to 1 t lime juice
pinch of coarse salt
lime wedges for garnish

Peel mangoes and cut flesh away from pits; discard pits.  Cut mango flesh into 1 inch chunks and spread in a single layer on a plastic-wrap-lined baking sheet.  Freeze mangoes, uncovered, until hard, at least 8 hours; once hard, mangoes can be transferred to plastic freezer bags and kept frozen up to 2 months.

Remove mangoes from freezer and let soften slightly at room temperature, about 15 minutes.  Place mangoes and salt in a food processor; puree until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.  Pulse in juice to taste.  Serve immediately, scooped into bowls and sprinkled with lime zest and garnished with lime wedges.

**Alternate preparation:
Freeze mangoes until hard.  Put through a “Yonannas” machine.  Stir in lime juice and salt to taste.  Scoop into bowls and serve.

 

Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

The shrimp recipe called for small shrimp, and for once we followed the recipe. Next time, we will use larger shrimp, and use Maldon salt to finish the dish. The salt really brings out the shrimp flavor. The chile de arbol is immediately noticeable but mellows as you eat the shrimp. If you don’t want the heat, this may not be the dish for you, because we think the chile flavor is essential.  Sue says “you could take the seeds out”. Meg says “too much trouble”.

 

You know how we are always telling you that a dish isn’t spicy, well listen up, because guess what, the Chilaquiles ARE spicy. The recipe called for 6 serrano chiles and did not specify removing the seeds; so we didn’t. Next time we think we would use 3 chiles with their seeds. The depth of flavor in the sauce is wonderful, but we both agreed that it was just a little too hot.  Our other critique is that we would serve the tortilla chips separately. We suppose that would make this not true chilaquiles but we loved the crunchy tortilla chips.

 

The cooked epazote added another dimension to the sauce. We were a little surprised after tasting it raw, but would definitely cook with it again. 

 

The salad was a nice counter point to the heat of the chilaquiles. The dressing makes about two cups, and you will want to make the full recipe. It is absolutely delicioso.

 

We are now fans of fresh bay leaves. They are aromatic and so much more intense then the dried ones. They made the dressing extra special.

Fresh bay leaves

Meg used her “Yonannas” machine to make the mango lime sorbet.  She froze chunks of mango earlier this year when they were in season and has been waiting somewhat impatiently for the opportunity to make this sorbet. Basically this sorbet is straight mango and a touch of lime juice. No added sugar. Totally refreshing and creamy.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!