comfort food

Dec

11

Tacos de Papa

Tacos  Posted by / 5 comments

Do you ever have those days when you just want comfort food?  Something rich, creamy, decadent and certainly not on any diet or healthy menu?

I do.  Sometimes comfort food to mes a grilled cheese sandwich with hot tomato soup and sometimes it is crispy fried hash browns sizzling on a plate.  Mashed potatoes fill the comfort food bill nicely as well.

Yesterday, I was in one of those moods.  I’d had a difficult day that started in the morning when I read my email.  I won’t get into it, but to say that it was upsetting.  The whole day was challenging in fact in an already challenging month.  So I wanted comfort food.  Something savory, crunchy and fattening.  Something that would warm me up, make me say “mmmm” and chase all the gloom away.  I wanted Mexican food. No grilled cheese or hash browns were going to make my day better, I needed to step it up a notch.  I saw the potatoes in their bowl and thought to myself, “mashed potatoes” but immediately discounted it.  Then I thought, “mmmm tacos de papa” which is basically mashed potatoes stuffed into a corn tortilla and deep fried.  Yeah baby!

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Nov

30

Spicy Lentil Soup

soup  Posted by / 1 comments

It’s been cold here in Los Angeles and I’ve been gravitating to soups and stews for their comforting warmth.  Today, I wanted lentils or lentejas as we call them.  I wanted something different though, not the Mexican style lentils I usually make.  I wanted soup, but something rich and rib sticking that would pair well with crusty, warm bread.

I set my lentils to boil with a clove of garlic and a quartered small onion.  While that boiled, I rummaged round the fridge to see what I had on hand.  The Ziplock bags of sliced Honeybaked ham almost danced into my hands.  Mmmmm.  I was already imagining that smokey, pork flavor mixed with the lentils.  I found tomatoes and some long green California chiles as well and pulled those out to dice them.  Once my lentils were cooked, I fired up a heavy skillet, coated it liberally with some bacon fat and fried up my chiles and tomatoes.  I also diced up one small Serrano pepper for some heat and fried that with the other chiles and tomatoes.  Once the chiles and tomatoes were well caramelized, I added the diced ham and fried that till nicely browned.  Then I scooped in the lentils and let them simmer into the mixture.  I let it simmer covered for about a half hour and the result was a spicy, thick and delicious soup.

Gina’s Spicy Lentil Soup

2 cups of dried lentils

2 cloves of garlic

water

one small onion, quartered

one tomato, diced

two California chiles, chopped

one Serrano chile, diced finely

one cup ham, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

 

In a heavy saucepan, bring the water to boil and add the lentils.  I usually add two cups of water for every cup of lentils.  Add the garlic cloves and the quartered onion.  Simmer, covered for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are soft.  You may have to add more water to prevent them from drying out. Lentils absorb an awful lot of water.

Chop your chiles, seed and de-vein them.  Diced the tomatoes and set aside.

In a heavy greased skillet (I used bacon fat but you can substitute olive oil or anything you want), fry the chiles and tomatoes until carmelized.  Add the chopped ham and fry till browned nicely.

Add the lentils to the chile and ham mixture and lower the heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer, covered another 20 minutes so that the flavors blend well.

Serve with warm, toasty bread.

 

 

Aug

30

Enfrijoladas, Chiles Toreados y un perro enchilado

family recipes / main dishes  Posted by / 0 comments

After all the intense summer heat of the past week, now that it’s finally cooler I have been craving Mexican comfort food. I wanted enfrijoladas, those rich, creamy bean and cheese bits of yummy that melt in your mouth. An enfriolada is something like an enchilada only a bean sauce is used instead of the red or green chile sauce. They can be made with either corn or flour tortillas, but I use flour because they make the dish extra soft and velvety. Enfrijoladas are not only great comfort food, they are very economical. Typically served with enfrijoladas are what we call Chiles Toreados which could mean either toasted chiles or bullfighter style chiles depending on who you’re talking to. Jorge Carbajosa over at Spanish Lesson has a good post on the word here. I use chiles jalapeños and thick slices of onion in mine.  Some people use Salsa Maggi for flavoring but I like Knorr Suissa.   The chiles are sliced into four pieces, toasted in oil along with the onions and then served over the enfrijoladas. My kids would kill me if I dared to take out the seeds since they like it hot and the whole point of toasting the chiles in such a manner is to make them hotter or mas bravos (like a bullfighter) but if you want them milder, go ahead and devein and seed them. The toasted chile flavor will still be fantastic and you’ll still get a bit of spice.

I had a pot of frijoles de la olla all ready, so I set about making my enfrijoladas and showed my roommate David how it was done. The local market was out of panela cheese which is what I typically use, so I ended up using a mixture of Monterey Jack and Queso Fresco. The dish is nothing if not versatile.

We sat down to watch Iron Chef America and have our dinner with the dog doing his typical sad-eyed gaze at us. He knows better than to beg and always gets a treat so what he did next shocked us all. Ozzy leapt and snatched, literally snatched a jalapeno off of David’s plate, gulped it down and ran.

Chiles toreados

It happened so fast we were stunned. Really? Did he just eat a chile? Then he came back and his little tongue was just rapidly licking his lip and I felt so sorry for him, I grabbed some cold queso fresco and fed it to him hoping it would calm the burn. This is where it gets really wacky. The little monster ran away from me and David, who was now pouring him milk and attacked Phillip’s plate stealing three more chile slices in the process. We put away our dinner dishes, kept the jalapenos high and away from him but he was still whining and trying to jump up on countertops after them!

El perro enchilado

My dog is a schnauzer mix and who knows what the heck the other part of him is but we’re certain it’s something Mexican and crazy. We kept trying to feed him milk but Ozzy was almost high from the chili rush and I literally had to hold him down and pour it into him. He was going nuts. I Googled hoping it wasn’t toxic and there wouldn’t be a vet visit in our near future. I kept feeding him cheese till he seemed to calm down, then I put him in bed. He slept quietly all night and woke up just fine but he scared the heck out of us. From now on, Chiles Toreados will be renamed in this house – Perro Enchilados (hot dogs) in his honor. Still shaking our heads over this loco dog who was sniffing at jalapenos this morning but didn’t have a chance to get to them.

Enfrijoladas

1 dozen flour tortillas

Cooked Beans

Milk

Oil for frying

Queso Panela (or Monterey Jack)

One onion, diced

Queso fresco

This recipe doesn’t really call for measurements, but I’ll try and estimate it out. In a large skillet, add about 1 tablespoon of oil and heat. Add in about 4 cups of frijoles de la olla and about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk. Using a potato masher, mash the beans until smooth. Don’t use the masher until the beans are really hot or it won’t be so easy.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

Add to a blender once it’s cool enough and blend until perfectly smooth. Pour back into the skillet and re-heat.

Grate about a pound of cheese, either panela or Monterey Jack and dice the onion finely. Mix the grated cheese and onion together and put into a plate or bowl.

In another skillet heat up enough vegetable or canola oil to dip tortillas in. Using a set of tongs, quickly dip each flour tortilla (or corn if you prefer) into the oil, flipping over to get both sides. You don’t want them to fry to much. Literally about 30 seconds on each.

Once your tortillas are fried, using the tongs quickly dip them in the bean sauce. Try to do this quickly so your tortillas don’t fall apart. Corn tortillas hold up better, but flour ones are my favorite.

One tortilla at a time, place in baking dish, fill with the cheese mixture and roll. I use the tongs because they are usually too hot and delicate for me to adequately do with my hands.

Once all the tortillas are filled and rolled, spoon more bean mixture on top and pop into a hot 350 degree oven for about ten minutes. Just long enough for the cheese to fully melt.

To serve, sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco and top with chiles toreados. We usually have ours with Mexican rice or a salad but they are a filling and delicious meal all on their own.

Chiles Toreados

About 6-10 fresh jalapenos

Oil for frying

Tablespoon Knorr Suissa or Salsa Maggi

1 onion, halved and thickly sliced (optional)

Wash the jalapenos and cut off the ends. Slice down the middle and then again to get four long strips. In a cast iron or other heavy skillet, add just enough oil to coat the pan and heat on medium flame.

Once the oil is hot, add the chiles and onion slices. The oil will pop so be careful. Fry the chiles on both sides until just toasted, not letting them get too dark, then remove the chiles, lower the flame and continue to let the onions cook until well caramelized.

Throw the chiles back in and stir in the Knorr Suissa. Remove from heat and serve over the enfrijoladas.

Try not to have a crazy, jalapeno eating dog around.

Apr

29

Atoles

drinks / family recipes  Posted by / 5 comments

I just came from the train station at Beverly & Vermont where I bought some champurrado and a tamale.  The champurrado brought back memories of growing up in my grandmother’s warm kitchen, the sweet smell of cinnamon wafting through the house.  I loved when she made champurrado or other flavored atoles.  There was just something so comforting about the hot, sweet and thick drink.  It not only warmed my belly but filled me.  My grandfather would tell me stories about a little lady in his town in Mexico that would sell tamales out of her kitchen window with the matching atole.  Strawberry tamale and a strawberry atole.  Yummy.

Atole is a traditional drink made with masa, a type of corn flour.  The word comes from the Nahuatl word “atolli” and back in Aztec/Mexica times it was a staple made with water, maize and lime which helped soften the maize.  To find out more about the foods of the pre-conquest Mexica, click here.

Atole can also be made with pinole, a toasted corn flour.  The drink is often made for breakfast and on cold days when it makes it a comforting way to keep warm.  It’s Latino comfort food.  I grew up drinking mostly the chocolate kind or champurrado, but I also had strawberry, coconut, pineapple, guayaba, the white unsweetened atole that was made special with bunelos, and atol de nuez which was made with nuts.  In the part of L.A that I live in, there’s a huge Salvadorean, Guatamalean and Honduran population and their versions of atole have made their way onto my palate, repertoire and heart.  Atol de elote, atol de chuco, chilate and more found their way into my kitchen and recipe files.  Some of the recipes are my grandmother’s and others I’ve accumulated and adapted over the years from various people who’ve shown me their favorites.

There’s nothing better on a cold morning or coming home from work on a chilly night than a steaming cup of atole and I’m lucky enough to live in L.A where its readily available at the train station on my way home.  It’s easy to make, the ingredients are usually easy to find and for the gluten-free crowd, you can find gluten-free masa on a few websites.

Atol de Elote – Corn Atole

15 ears of corn
8 cups of water
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 stick of cinnamon
2 3/4 cups of sugar
3 tsps of salt

Cook 5 ears of corn in about 4 cups of water with teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar.  When they are cooked, cool them off then remove the kernels of corn from the ear and set aside in a small bowl.
Strip the other 10 ears of corn of their kernels and chop them up then add to the blender.  Liquefy them until they are very, very smooth.  Little by little add in the 4 cups of water.  Strain in a fine sieve using cheese cloth to line it so that the liquid is very smooth.
In a large pot add the strained corn liquid, 4 more cups of water, cinnamon stick, salt, sugar and heat on medium flame stirring constantly.  Keep stirring until it thickens.  Keep on heat for about ten minutes.  Once it’s thick, its done.
Serve in cups adding a little of the cooked kernels of corn on top and dusting it with powdered cinnamon.

Atol de Platano – Banana Atole
6 bananas
5 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup sugar

Wash the bananas well and put them (whole, peels and all) to boil in three of the five cups of water  for about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.
Once cooled, peel the bananas and put the pulp into a blender with the water it cooked in.  Add the other two cups of water and blend until smooth.

In a large pot, add the banana mixture, cinnamon stick and sugar and heat on the stove on low heat for 10-15 minutes.  If the mixture is too thin, heat a little longer so it thickens.  Serve hot.


Atole de Pina – Pineapple Atole

5 cups of masa harina
4 1/2 cups of water
1 ripe pineapple
12 cups of milk
1 pinch of baking soda
Sugar to taste

Mix the water and the masa, taking care that its mixed well and all the lumps are out.  Strain through a sieve to get the last of the lumps out and bring to a boil in a large stockpot then lower heat.  Stir frequently and let thicken.
Peel and cube the pineapple, then put it in a blender and blend until smooth.  Strain and add to the simmering masa mixture stirring till its mixed through.  Add the milk and baking soda and sugar to taste and simmer another 15-20 minutes, stirring often to keep from boiling over.

The atole should be served hot.


Atole de Guyaba – Guava Atole

1 can evaporated milk
5 cups of water
3 medium sized guyabas (guavas)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Dissolve the corn starch in a glass of cold water, stirring until all the lumps are gone and you have a smooth liquid.

Boil the guyabas in 5 cups of water, the cinnamon stick and sugar until the guyabas are fully cooked.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Once cooled, remove the cinnamon stick and pour the mixture into a blender and liquify until smooth.  Strain and pour back into the pot and turn on the heat to low.

Slowly add in the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until it is all incorporated.  Continue stirring while the atole simmers and thickens.  Once the atole is thickened, slowly pour in the evaporated milk and simmer another 10-15 minutes before serving.

Atole de Galletas de Maria – Atole made from Maria Cookies

7 cups of milk
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 tsp. Almond extract
1 packet of Maria cookies (galletas Marias)
1 pinch of baking soda

In a food processor grind the cookies until they are powder and set aside.

In a large stockpot bring the milk to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer.  Add the baking soda, almond extract, powdered cookies and sugar.  Stir constantly until the atole thickens.

Serve hot.


Atol de Coco – Coconut Atole

5 cups of milk
2 cups of masa
1 cup shredded coconut
1 stick of cinnamon
1 cup of finely ground almonds
1 cup of sugar
Powdered cinnamon to taste

In a large stockpot, bring the milk, shredded coconut and cinnamon stick to a boil, then lower the flame and simmer.

Dissolve the 2 cups of masa with water (about 3 cups) till it is smooth with no lumps.  Slowly add the masa mixture into the simmering milk mixture.  Stir constantly until thickened then add the sugar.  Simmer another 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot with a little powdered cinnamon sprinkled on the top of each cupful.

Atol de Tamarindo – Tamarind Atole

1/2 cup of masa
5 cups of water
2 tamarind pods
1 cone of piloncillo
1 peppercorn
Pinch salt

Soak the tamarind pods in a bowl of warm water for about two hours before starting the atole.  Once they are well softened, you can knead them until all it is all pulpy and pick out the seeds and shells.  Blend the pulp in a blender until smooth.  Strain well and set aside.

Dissolve the masa in 2 cups of the water, making sure its smooth with no lumps.

Bring to boil the remaining water with the cone of piloncillo and peppercorn then lower the heat.  Stir in the masa mixture, the tamarind pulp and pinch of salt.  Keep stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.  Fish out the peppercorn and simmer for another 10-15 minutes before serving.

Atole de Arroz – Rice Atole

1 cup of long grain rice
1 can of condensed milk
10 cups of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 cup of sugar

Bring the rice to boil in 4 cups of water with the two cinnamon sticks, lower heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.

In a large stockpot add the condensed milk, the regular milk, sugar and vanilla.  Bring to a boil then lower the heat and let simmer.
Remove the cinnamon sticks from the rice and add the rice to the cooking milk.  Stir constantly and cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is almost dissolved.  Serve hot.  The rice will still have its shape but will be incredibly soft and melt in your mouth.


Atole Negro – Black Atole

2 cups of cacao shells
1 stick of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of anise
Piloncillo to taste
10 cups of water

In a frying pan toast the cacao shells until they are very dark.

In a food processor, grind the cinnamon, anise and cacao shells until they form a powder.

Bring the 10 cups of water to boil then lower the flame and add the powder.  Add the sugar and piloncillo and stir until thickened.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes stirring constantly.  Serve hot.


Atole de Cacahuate – Peanut Atole

5 cups of peanuts, shelled and cleaned
6 cups of water
2 cans condensed milk
2 cups of masa
2 discs of Mexican chocolate (like Abuelita)
3 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups of sugar

Bring the water to boil with the cinnamon sticks and milk.  Once it has brought to a boil, lower the flame and simmer adding the two discs of chocolate.  Stir.

In a blender pulverize the peanuts with about enough water to facilitate the blending.  Add the sugar and blend more, adding more water if it gets too sticky and hard to blend.

In a bowl mix the masa with water until it is smooth with no lumps.  Mix into the peanut mixture and blend more until it is well mixed.

Slowly pour the peanut/masa mix into the simmering chocolate mixture, stirring constantly.  Keep on the heat for about 15 minutes.

Serve hot.

Atole de Ciruela – Plum Atole

5 cups fresh plums
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 clove
2 cones of piloncillo
1 cup of masa
10 cups of water
Pinch salt

In a large saucepan add the plums, 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer, covered for a 1/2 hour.  Set aside and let cool.  Once cooled, break the plums apart with your hands, removing the seeds.  Blend the plums and water until smooth.

In a large stockpot, bring to boil 10 cups of water with the cinnamon sticks, the clove and piloncillo.  Once it is boiling, add the plum mixture and stir.

Mix the masa with water until it is smooth with no lumps and slowly stir into the stockpot with the plum mixture.  Lower the flame and simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring constantly.


Atole de Naranja – Orange Atole

12 cups of milk
12 cups of water
7 cups of orange juice (fresh squeezed)
4 cups of masa
2 cups sugar
Sugar to taste

Wash and squeeze enough oranges to yield 7 cups of juice.  Strain out seeds.

In a large stockpot add the orange juice with 2 cups of sugar and heat till it comes to a boil.  Lower the flame and let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile dissolve the masa in the 12 cups water until it is smooth and with no lumps.  Strain and pour into the simmering orange juice.  Stir constantly until thickened, then add in the milk little by little still stirring constantly.  Let cook another 10-15 minutes before serving.

I like to garnish this with fresh orange blossoms when in season and a little orange zest.


Atol de Nuez – Walnut Atole

3 cups of milk
4 tablespoons of Maizena
1 cup of ground walnuts
2 cups of water
1/2 cup sugar

Bring the milk to the boil, then lower the flame and simmer.  Add the ground nuts and sugar and stir.

Dissolve the Maizena in water until it is smooth without any lumps and slowly pour into the simmering milk, stirring constantly and not allowing the mixture to lump up.  Keep simmering for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serve hot with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts on top.


Atol de Habas – Fava bean Atol

1 pound of toasted habas
3 sticks of cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
Sugar to taste
5 cups of water

Toast the habas on a griddle then soak them in a few cups of water for about 3-4 hours.  Once they are softened, put into a blender with the water they soaked in and blend until smooth.

In a large stockpot add 5 cups of water, the cinnamon sticks and pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer.  Add the habas mixture and keep stirring until it thickens.  If it is too thick add in more hot water and stir well.  Serve hot.

Atole de Pinole – Pinole Atole

10 cups of milk
5 cups of pinole
2 sticks of cinnamon
Sugar to taste

Heat the milk with the cinnamon sticks and just as it begins to boil add the pinole, stirring fast to avoid lumping.  Lower the flame and simmer, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.  Add sugar to taste and serve hot.

Atole de Piñón – Pine nut Atole

1 can of evaporated milk
8 cups of water
1 cup of pine nuts (pinones)
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of maizena

In a large stockpot bring 6 cups of the water to a boil.

In a blender pulverize the pinenuts with a cup of water until smooth.  Strain through a sieve.

Add the milk to the boiling water and lower heat.  Stir in the maizena swiftly so that no lumps form.  Add the pinenut mixture and stir.  Cook for another 10-15 minutes on simmer, stirring constantly.

Champurrado – Chocolate Atole

12 cups of milk
2 cups of masa
1 cup of sugar
1 stick of cinnamon
1 disc of Mexican chocolate

Bring to a boil the milk with cinnamon sticks, then lower heat and simmer stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t boil over.

Mix the masa with a cup of water until smooth and without lumps.  Strain and add slowly to the hot milk, stirring quickly to keep it from lumping up.  Add the chocolate and sugar stirring the mixture the whole while.  Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  Serve hot.


Atole de Nopal – Cactus Atole

12 cups of milk
2 cones of piloncillo
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of masa
1 1/2 cups of water
10 nopales (cactus paddles), cooked and washed

Bring the milk to a boil with the piloncillo, vanilla and cinnamon sticks.  Lower the heat and simmer stirring constantly.

Dissolve the masa in the water until smooth with no lumps.  Strain.

Add the masa mixture to the milk mixture and stir constantly until the mixture thickens.

Blend the cooked nopales in a blender with a little water until smooth.  Mix the nopale puree into the milk mixture and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Atole de Fresa - Strawberry Atole

1 pound of fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled
1 cup of masa
2 cups of water
Sugar to taste
1 stick of cinnamon

In a blender, blend the strawberries with a little water until smooth.

In a large pot boil the two cups of water with the cinnamon stick, lower heat and simmer.

Mix the masa with water until smooth then strain and add to the simmering water little by little, stirring constantly.  Add the strawberry mixture.  Simmer for another ten minutes, then remove from heat and let sit for another ten minutes.  Serve.