salsa

Dec

29

Chicken Flautas with Two Kinds of Salsa

chicken / main dishes / salsa  Posted by / 0 comments

Antojida.

I love that word. An antojo is a craving.  Being antojida means you are seriously jonesing for something yummy.  Today, for no apparent reason I got one of those completely random antojos for some chicken flautas with guacamole, sour cream, Spanish rice, and some salsa.  I was working on something, so I kept pushing off the images floating in my head till finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore.  I put down the laptop, put on my shoes, put up my hair, grabbed my handbag and ran out the door.  Grocery list?  Pfft.  I knew exactly what I wanted.

  • Chicken
  • Tortillas
  • Chipotles en escabeche
  • chiles gueritos
  • tomatoes
  • avocados
  • fresh thyme
  • sour cream

I ran into the market (I do everything fast) and grabbed one of those little hand baskets.  I was in and out of the market in ten minutes and home in another five.  I did notice it was a gorgeous day in Southern California, but I didn’t linger to enjoy it.  I was on a flauta mission.  I couldn’t make up my mind which salsa I wanted more, so I made them both.

 

For the flautas:

Boil the chicken with sprigs of fresh thyme, two cloves of garlic, a quarter of an onion and some sea salt to taste.  Today, I used breast filets rather than a whole chicken because I was in a hurry.

Once the chicken is cooked, pull out the pieces and let cool.  Once cool, shred into strips.  Reserve the cooking liquid/broth.

Heat corn tortillas right over the flame or on a comal (griddle).  They won’t roll if they are cold.

Fill a heavy skillet half way with cooking oil and heat on medium.

Add some of the shredded chicken.  Not too much or your flautas will be unwieldy and too thick.  Think flute-like and elegant.  That’s what flauta means – flute.  Roll the tortilla up tight.  You can use toothpicks to hold them together.  I don’t. I use tongs and put them directly into the hot oil, one at a time.

Let the flautas brown completely on both sides until the tortilla is golden brown and crip.

Drain on a plate with paper towels to absorb the oil.

Serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and rice.

 

They look mild, but they are HOT!

For the salsa de chile guerito:

4 chile gueritos (yellow chiles)

2 cloves of garlic

4 Roma tomatoes

1/4 of an onion

salt to taste

cilantro

Boil the chiles, onion, garlic and tomatoes in a heavy sauce pan until very soft.  Keep in mind that yellow chiles are HOT.  They look mild, but don’t let that pale yellow color fool you.  If you don’t like heat, dial it back and use two chiles instead of the four I use.

Strain and cool, reserving the water.

Peel the tomatoes and chiles.

In a molcajete (blenders make it foamy and the texture is all wrong so if you don’t have a molcajete, try a potato ricer), crush the chiles, onions, tomatoes, and garlic until you have a smooth yet rather chunky mixtures.  Add in some of the water that the chiles cooked in until you get the consistency you want.

Add salt to taste (alternatively use Knorr Pollo) and cilantro leaves.

Salsa de chile guerito

 

For the salsa de chipotle con lima (Chipotle salsa with lime):

1 can of chipotles in escabeche

cilantro

chicken broth

salt to taste

two cooked chile gueritos

two cooked Roma tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic, minced

juice of fresh limes (about 1/8 cup)

Peel the cooked tomatoes and chiles and crush in a molcajete or using a potato ricer.  Pour into a bowl, adding the minced garlic.  In the molcajete, crush the canned chipotles until you have a thick paste.  Add that into the bowl with the tomatoes and chiles, using some chicken broth to thin it out a little.  Add salt to taste and some fresh cilantro (about a handful). Add the lime juice and stir to mix well.

Hot, smoky, tangy and oh so yum!

For the guacamole:

This is super simple guacamole.  The purist kind.  All you do is mash avocados and put them into a bowl.  You don’t want any other flavorings, not even salt.  The salsas you serve and the chicken itself will provide lots of flavor so leave the avocado pure.  That’s it!

Time to dig in!

Sep

19

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Appetizers  Posted by / 0 comments

Fried and stuffed squash blossoms

Squash blossom season comes and goes quickly in a delicate flutter of pale orange petals that flavor soups, quesadillas and budins.  It happens so fast that if it weren’t for the brilliant color, you’d probably not notice the season unless you were looking for it.

I get excited when I see those delicate orange flowers with the bright green stems.  My heart skips a beat and I literally skip to the flowers as soon as they appear in my local markets.  I make as many dishes as I can get through before the season ends but no matter what I make, the stuffed flowers always, always happen first.  They are my absolute favorite things to eat and that first return from a market with squash blossoms always means I’m going immediately to the kitchen to quickly stuff and fry them.

Sometimes I take the time to make a salsa to dip them in but that’s usually after that first day heady rush to make them.  I simply can’t wait or be bothered to make salsa.  I just want my stuffed flowers.  They are light, crispy, slightly salty and all kinds of delicious.  Can’t live without ‘em and once you try them, I don’t think you’ll be able to either.

Stuffed Squash Flowers

1 bunch – about a dozen squash flowers, stamens removed and stems trimmed
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of flour
1 tbsp. Knorr Suiza (optional)
Queso fresco
Olive oil for frying

Carefully wash the squash blossoms and gently pat dry.  Remove the stamens and trim the stems.  Set aside.
Cut the queso fresco into small cubes and set aside.
In a shallow bowl mix the flour with Knorr Suiza (or salt and pepper if you prefer) and set aside.
In another bowl beat an egg.
Heat oil in a skillet.

Assemble the flowers by carefully sliding in a piece of the queso and making sure the petals cover it.  Dredge in the flour mixture and lay them on a tray.
When the oil is hot enough (think about the temp for frying chicken), take one of the flour dredged flowers and dip it in the beaten egg and slide into the skillet.  Let brown on one side, about three minutes then turn over.  I use tongs to slide them in and turn them.  Remove from the pan when they are golden brown and put onto a plate lined with brown paper or paper towels to drain.

Serve immediately with either salsa, a little cream or just plain.  Delicious!

Jul

31

Papaloquelite

Aztec Herbs / Herbs  Posted by / 5 comments

Papaloquelite or Papalo – the word is ancient like many Mexican words.  Papalotl means butterfly and the word quelite means greens and is used for many edible greens and grasses including lamb’s quarters which I’ve written about before.  My grandmother, who knew just about everything about plants and herbs told me that the plant got its name because its scent attracted butterflies.  The word hearkens back to Azteca/Mexica times just like the avocado (aguacatl), tomato (tomatl), chile, chocolate (chocolatl), maiz and the venerable frijole.  These staples form a large part of the cultural patrimony of Latin America and for me, to Mexico in particular.  In the U.S., it is slowly making its way into the Mexican or Latina American markets where the clientele knows what to do with it. Years ago I had to go buy it in small little Mexican shops where the store owner grew it in his backyard or grow it myself.  In Mexico, it grows rampant all over, its heady scent perfuming the air.
I love it.  Just the sight of it in the vegetable aisle at Superior market the other day got my heart racing and I was like a little girl, hopping up and down in the aisle as excited as my granddaughter gets over a pink cupcake.  My roommate David was looking at me in the oddest manner, wondering why his crazy Mexican, overly demonstrative business partner was in ecstasy over a humble green bunch of weeds.  “It’s papalo” I shrieked, “we HAVE to get papalo for the sopes”.  Looking at his skeptical face, I broke off a small leaf and told him to bite into it.  Immediately his face changed from bewilderment to sheer foodie pleasure as I knew it would.  I knew then I had him hooked and happily tucked my papalo into its little plastic bag and then into the shopping cart almost skipping (okay I actually did skip) down the aisle.

The Latin name for papaloquelite is Porophyllum ruderale and it is also known as Bolivian coriander though it is not a member of the coriander family.  Some seed companies sell it, likening it to a combo between arugula, coriander and rue.  There’s a wiki for it under Bolivian Coriander here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivian_Coriander  There are a few other posts about it online, but there still isn’t a huge wealth of info on it.  I would love to hear your stories about it, any nutritional info, recipes etc. for a follow-up post on the herb.

Papalo has many uses.  The scent is not unlike cilantro but headier, more perfumey.  The leaves are wide and somewhat rippled, almost like watercress but without the crunch.  It’s hard to describe the taste – some people compare it to cilantro but there’s no comparison to me.  Papalo is its own.  While sometimes it takes the place of cilantro in dishes, its taste is unique.  It makes amazingly delicious salsas. I use it to top sopes instead of lettuce, I use it in salads,  The citrusey, almost arugula-like strength of it lends well to pork dishes in particular.  It makes a great lettuce substitute and I’ve used it in chopped up fresh on top of pastas.  I love mixing papalo with cilantro too.  One of my favorite meals is cilantro chicken served with white rice accompanied by a papalo and papaya salad.  It is AMAZING with papaya.  In Puebla, it is an important ingredient in the famous Cemita (a type of sandwich).  It also is a perfect companion for fishes dishes, especially ceviche.  David got hold of it last night and mixed it into some ice cream with lavender and basil and said it was great.  I’ll have to try that too.

Papalo or papaloquelite is an amazing herb, one I’m glad to see is becoming more available here.  My grandmother said it was good for me, but I have yet to find out the nutritional value of it.  Either way this is an herb worth investigating.  I

Mar

12

Verdolagas con carne de puerco y chile

family recipes / main dishes  Posted by / 0 comments

I am longing for sunshine and springtime which has got me thinking about verdolagas.  Verdolagas (purslane, pigweed, hogweed) are to me all about spring.  They grow wild on roadsides, all through Griffith Park and used to be, near the road where they put the Metro in Highland Park.  i know the hills in Lincoln Heights used to get covered with them in the Spring but I’m not sure now.  I’ve not been out looking for wild greens in a while.  In L.A. they are now more easily found in the markets like Superior that cater to a Mexican/Latino clientele.

When I was a kid, verdolagas grew rampant right on the grass at my grandparents house and in cracks on the sidewalk.  My job was to yank them up, but we didn’t throw away our weeds.  No que no, I brought them in in a little basket to my grandmother who carefully cleaned them and cooked them in a variety of ways.  I loved to much on the cleaned raw greens for the tangy flavor.

Chanfles has a pictorial on how to clean and cook verdolagas here, but the way Grandma Lupe used them in food was different.  There are tons of recipes for verdolagas and everyone has their favorite.  My personal favorite was verdolagas con carne de puerco y chile.
The pork is cubed, fried till it’s crispy then cooked in a sauce made of cooked verdolagas, caramelized tomatoes and onions, chopped serrano chiles and cilantro.  Served with rice, beans and tortillas its an amazing start to Spring.

Verdolagas con carne de puerco y chile

1 bunch of well cleaned verdolagas, ends trimmed then chopped into about 1-inch sections
1 pound boneless pork chops, cubed (get pork with the fat NOT trimmed off)
1 small onion, sliced into rings
1 clover of garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, diced
3-4 fresh serrano chiles, seeded, de-veined and sliced into thin strips
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cilantro, about 1/4 cup

Boil the verdolagas for about ten minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Fry the pork until very crispy and browned.  Scoop out and set aside.

In the frying pan, you fried the pork in add the onion and fry until caramelized.  Add the tomatoes, chiles and garlic and cook down until you have a soupy sauce.  Add salt and pepper to taste and chopped cilantro, then add the pork.

Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with rice, beans and warm tortillas.

Mar

11

Huevos con Chile

stories  Posted by / 0 comments

It’s morning and I’ve finally woken at a decent time, though I still can’t sleep at night for the silence.  I miss that L.A. lullaby of police sirens, music, traffic, voices, dogs barking and the Santa Anas ratting my window panes on a windy night.  I’m sitting on my bed still a little sleepy, wondering what to wear and thinking of those cold mornings in Atwater Village where the creaking of ancient hardwood floors would wake me and the smells of breakfast drifting from the kitchen would lure me out of my cocoon of blankets.

One of my favorite things my grandmother would cook was huevos con chile, scrambled eggs with salsa.  She’d wake up early, about 5am and throw open all the windows and doors to let the fresh air in.  She’d then go outside and water all her flowers and plants while my grandfather irrigated his garden.  From my bed, I would hear the water, feel the dewy morning chill and snuggle in to sleep a little more.  Safe, comforting sounds.  I’d wake again to the creaking of the floorboards, the rattling of pots and then the smells.

Sometimes I’d jump out of bed and run to help in the kitchen.  I’d see the comal going with tomatoes and chiles on it and know she was making salsa.  My grandfather would be there in the kitchen with his rolling pin dusted in flour, rolling out those massive flour tortillas he loved to make.  He worked powerfully and fast.  A quick three turns of the pin and he would have this huge tortilla that barely fit the comal.  I never failed to be amazed by how giant they were and he never tired of showing off for me.

My grandmother would put the molcajete in front of me and the peeled chiles, tomatoes and a few other things like roasted garlic cloves, translucent quarters of onion.  She’d start grinding the chile mixture while i stripped cilantro stems of their leaves and flowers.  She then would take about half of the freshly made salsa over to the stove where she’d scramble eggs and then pour in the salsa which sent off this luscious, spicy steam that made my mouth water.  Before I knew it, there’d be a plate in front of me with eggs colored red and green from the salsa, a scoop of beans with cheese, maybe fresh slices of avocado,  cantaloupe or papaya with lime and one of my Papa’s mega tortillas.

The first bite always tickled my tongue and put a smile on my face.  The eggs were always perfect, the tortillas fluffy and warm, and the best part was my grandmother finally sat down and I could jabber at her, my Aunt Jessie and my Papa while we ate.  What did we talk about?  Why food of course, recipes we wanted to try, how the chiles were growing in the garden and how many rows of cilantro there were.

What are your favorite memories of breakfasts?

Sep

17

Fiestas Patrias Dinner Downsized

family recipes / main dishes / salsa  Posted by / 1 comments

p9160037

Fiestas Patrias is a big deal for me.  I usually go all out and have a big party, invite tons of people, make mountains of red, white and green food, have papel picado and paper flowers decorating the house, my Aztec dancer group dances, the big Mexican flag is out, there’s music (sometimes mariachis) and we all go out the door at midnight and scream at the top of our lungs, “Viva Mexico!  Viva Zapata! Viva la Patria!”

Yeah, we’re those crazy, noisy, party-loving Mexicans down on your block.

Last year, I didn’t host the party.  I was ill and battling something for months that made me incredibly tired, a slacker blogger and have serious lack of stamina to stand in a kitchen for hours cooking.  This year, I had thought I could do it.  I’m feeling great actually so I was geared up to throw a huge one and make up for  last year.  Then I got the call from my daughter telling me she was HIV+.  I suppose this has no place on a cooking blog, but it’s my blog and my life so there you go.  Welcome to my world.  She’s my only daughter.  I’ve three sons and one daughter.  After finding out, I went to bed for a little over a month and barely left it.  Not like me at all.  I’m usually the optimist and the “let’s fix it” person.  Not this time.  This knocked me down hard and it took a long time getting back up.  I’m up.  I’m fighting because that’s me.  I’m learning all I can and I’m being strong for my girl.

As far as Fiestas Patrias goes, I decided not to do it at all.  Not in a party mood, although I did go to Olvera Street for a little while to get my fill of it on Sunday afternoon.  Check out my photos of the event there, si quieren. 

Read More»