Mole de Olla (Mole Cooked in a Pot)

I picked up some pork neck bones on spec at the Asian grocery store a while back. If nothing else, they're great for making sisig. I didn't feel up to making sisig right away, so I dropped them in the freezer and forgot about them for a few months. Then I ran across this mole recipe in a Mexican cookbook that TM had lent me. It sounded interesting and not too difficult to put together, so I figured I'd give it a try.

It calls for ancho and pasilla chiles. I was all out of both, but ordered a few from a local kitchen store. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get them in time, so I ended up substituting poblano and Anaheim chiles respectively. Ancho chiles are just dried poblanos, but while poblanos are normally sold green here, ancho chiles are dried when the pepper reaches its red-ripe stage. So, between the drying process and the extra ripening, they do taste fairly different, but I was hoping it would still be close enough. Pasilla chiles are the dried form of the chilaca chile. I've never seen fresh ones for sale here, nor could I find any of the other dried chiles that I'd normally consider reasonable substitutes: California or guajillo. So I just tossed in a few Anaheim peppers and hoped for the best.

Sadly, I couldn't find the epazote for this dish either. I was especially disappointed by that since it's meant to be one of the key flavours. I added some cilantro and ground fennel seeds to make up for it, but everywhere I looked people kept reiterating that nothing tastes quite like epazote and you can't really replicate it with any of the substitutes. So, if you can find epazote where you live, definitely use it!

Mole de Olla

Slightly adapted from the Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy

Ingredients

• 1.25kg pork neck bones (or "boiling beef" with bone)
• 2L water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 ancho chiles¹
• 4 pasilla chiles²
• 1 c. chopped tomatillos (tomates verdes)³
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/8 tsp. cumin seeds
• 3 Tbsp. oil⁴
• 450g zucchini, cut into sticks
• 100g green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 1 cob of corn⁵, cut into 6 pieces
• 250g chayote squash⁶, cored and cut into 5mm wedges
• 250g potatoes, cubed
• 3 sprigs epazote (Mexican tea)⁷

Directions

1. Have the butcher cut the meat and bones into serving pieces.
2. Place the meat and bones in a large pot and add the water and salt.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until tender (~50 minutes). If using beef, it may need an extra 20-30 minutes of cooking to become tender.
4. Meanwhile, heat a comal, tawa, or similar and toast the chilies well, turning frequently to avoid burning. (If using fresh chilies rather than dried see footnote 1 below.)
5. Allow the chilies to cool, then remove the seeds and veins. DO NOT SOAK.
6. Add the toasted chilies to the blender along with the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cumin seeds and blend until smooth.
7. Heat the oil over medium heat.
8. Add the sauce from the blender and fry for ~5 minutes. (Longer if using fresh chilies.)
9. Add the sauce to the meat.
10. When the meat is tender, add the zucchini, beans, corn, chayote, and potatoes and cook slowly, uncovered, until vegetables are cooked through (~30 minutes).
11. Add the epazote in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
12. Adjust seasoning as desired and serve with warm tortillas, lime, and fresh minced onion.

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¹ I used poblanos in place of the anchos in my rendition. I halved and seeded them, then cooked them under the broiler until the flesh was soft and the skin was blistered, then tossed them in a plastic bag to rest/steam for ~15 minutes, then peeled the skins off and added flesh to the blender. ^Back
2 As I didn't have pasillas either, I swapped in some Anaheim chiles. I gave them the same treatment as the poblanos above. ^Back
3 The recipe calls for "1 cup tomates verdes, drained". To me this implies that the author is expecting you to bo using some sort of canned or preserved tomatillos. I ended up just getting a pint of fresh tomatillos and using those. If you can't find either fresh or canned tomatillos, I think that a jar of salsa verde would make a reasonable substitute. It'll have some spices and other things added to it, but I think it would be fine in this application. ^Back
4 The recipe calls for peanut or safflower oil. I think any neutral oil would work. I also think that lard or bacon fat would work well if doing the pork neck bone version of this recipe. I didn't get this recipe written up right away, so I can't remember which fat I ended up going with, but I think I probably went the bacon fat route since we have a bunch of that that we've been trying to use up. ^Back
5 It's best if you can use the corn on the cob, but if you don't have any on hand, a cup of frozen corn will do in a pinch. ^Back
6 Kholrabi makes a decent substitute for chayote if you can't find the squash. ^Back
7 Everyone seems to agree that there really is no substitute for epazote. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any, so I added ~1/2 c. of chopped fresh cilantro and 1/2 tsp. ground fennel seeds at the end of cooking to try to make up for it. I'm sure it wasn't the same, but it still tasted good. ^Back

I've already written up a couple different recipes for chilaquiles. The chicken chilaquiles from Cook's Country were delicious, but then I started trying to reduce my meat intake, so I tried out a vegetarian recipe instead. It was okay but, I have to admit, not as good as the Cook's Country recipe. I've been enjoying the recipes from this Spoon Fork Bacon blog though, so I figured I'd give one of their recipes for chilaquiles a go.

I like this recipe. It's pretty quick and simple to throw together and the flavour is nice. I can see myself coming back to this one for an easy breakfast when I have tortilla chips on hand (which, admittedly, isn't often).

Easy Chilaquiles

Slightly adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

Ingredients

Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 c. crushed tomatoes
• 4 chipotles in adobo
• 1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• tortilla chips

Toppings

As many or as few as you like. I recommend eggs, cheese, and cilantro as the minimum set, but mix and match as you see fit.

• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 4 eggs
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 c. crumbled queso fresco or feta
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 avocado, chopped
• hot sauce

Directions

Sauce

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, chipotles, and stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, get the fried eggs going.
6. Once the eggs are done or nearly done, bring the sauce to a boil and stir in a few handfulls of tortilla chips.
7. Stir to coat the chips. Add more if needed. Each chip should be well-coated in sauce, but the mixture should not be soupy or have excess sauce.
8. If you like very crunchy chips, remove from heat immediately and add desired toppings. If you like softer chips, let the mixture cook for 2-3 minutes before continuing.

Toppings

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Crack eggs into pan, season to taste with salt and pepper, and fry to desired done-ness. 3-4 minutes should result in set whites with runny yolks. To ensure the film of white over the yolk cooks, you may cover the pan in order to allow the egg to steam slightly as it fries. For firm yolks, flip the eggs.
3. Once the chips have been added to the sauce and the desired level of crispiness/softness has been achieved, add the fried eggs and other toppings to the chilaquiles.
4. Serve immediately.

I assumed that making flour tortillas would be pretty much the same as making corn tortillas, just with different flour. It's not. I mean, cooking them is pretty much the same, but shaping them is quite different. For corn tortillas, you want to press them. You can't roll out the masa. Flour tortillas are the opposite; pressing them doesn't work, the dough needs to be rolled.

Flour Tortillas

From Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 2 c. hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 3 Tbsp. neutral oil
• ~3/4 c. warm water

Directions

1. Combine flour and salt.
2. Add oil and stir in enough water to form a soft dough.
3. Knead for 3-5 minutes.
4. Shape into a smooth ball, place in a covered bowl, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. Turn out the dough and knead it for another few strokes.
6. Divide into 8 equal portions.
7. Form each portion into a ball and then flatten it into a 7-8cm disc. Keep discs covered to keep them from drying out.
8. Preheat a cast iron (or other heavy-bottomed) skillet.
9. Working with one disc at a time, roll it out to a 20cm circle, turning frequently.
10. Cook for ~45 seconds per side. Do not use any oil in the skillet.
11. While the first tortilla is cooking, roll out the next one.
12. Once cooked, place the each tortilla in a tortilla warmer (or on a warmed, covered plate) to keep them warm and pliable.

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Variations

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

Ingredients

• 1 c. hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 Tbsp. neutral oil
• ~3/4 c. warm water

I made an Indian-inspired burrito bowl the other day and needed some guacamole to top it with. I was just going to order a container of ready-made guacamole, but just getting the avocado and making it myself was a lot cheaper and I was able to make only as much as I needed. Plus, it was fresh, garlic-y, and delicous!

Guacamole

Slightly adapted from Downshiftology

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/4-1/2 roma tomato, chopped
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 3-5 slices pickled jalapeño, minced
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions

1. Mash the avocado and stir in the other ingredients.
2. Adjust seasoning to taste.
3. Cover any leftovers tightly and store in the fridge.

This was fantastic! It takes a bit of time to cook but, as it's a slow cooker recipe, there's no attention or active effort needed after the initial assembly. It only takes about five minutes to toss everything in the pot and after that the biggest problem is being tormented by the delicious smells while it cooks.

The original recipe calls for beef chuck roast. I ended up using a brisket. It worked beautifully, although I did feel a bit guilty using a nice brisket for this. That said, I wasn't likely to be doing anything else with it any time soon and I figured it was better to use it for this than to have it sit in the freezer for another year and get freezer burned.

Barbacoa

Slightly adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

• 1.5kg beef chuck roast cut into large (6-7cm) chunks
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 chipotles in adobo, minced
• 1 (120mL) can diced green chilies
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. lime juice (from 1-2 limes)
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 c. beef or vegetable stock

Directions

1. Pile everything into the slow cooker.
2. Stir to evenly mix and coat the meat.
3. Cook on low for 10-12 hours (or a bit longer if you prefer).
4. Shred meat and let it soak in the sauce/juices for 10-15 minutes.
5. Serve in tortillas or over rice with toppings of choice.

Normally this would be done with flank or flap steak. We didn't have any, but we did have some other steaks kicking around in the freezer, so I just used those instead. The marinade is absolutely delicious! I want to put it on everything.

Carne Asada

Slightly adapted from Damn Delicious

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. light soy sauce
• juice of 1 orange (~1/3 c.)
• juice of 1 lime (~1/4 c.)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 650g steak (preferably flank steak)

Directions

1. Combine cilantro, oil, soy sauce, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and pepper and mix well.
2. Scoop out 1/2 c. of marinade and set it aside.
3. Add steak to remaining marinade and marinate for at least four hours, turning occasionally.
4. Preheat grill and cook steak to desired done-ness. (I like medium for this.)
5. Slice thin and pour over reserved marinade.
6. Serve with sliced radishes, crumbled feta, sour cream, avocado, salsa, or other toppings of your choice. Or just have it with the marinade. It's delicious!

I needed something to go with our Bean and Cheese Sopaipillas and I had this recipe kicking around and zucchini just happened to be on sale...

I'm not normally a big fan of zucchini (unless it's in the form of zucchini bread), but this was really good! I mean, cheese and heavy cream will go a long way toward making most things good, but still... it was better than I was expecting. The Kidlet didn't care for it (I thought she'd like the corn at least), but everyone else liked it. Definitely worth keeping in mind when looking for a good vegetable side.

Calabacitas

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2017

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 poblano chile, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (~230g) zucchini, diced
• 1 (~230g) yellow summer squash¹, diced
• 3-4 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• ~1/2 c. crumbled feta²
• lime wedges (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion, poblano, bell pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until softened (~4 minutes).
3. Add zucchini and summer squash and cook until tender (~6 minutes).
4. Stir in corn and cream.
5. Pat into and even layer and cook, without stirring, until liquid has evaporated and vegetables have browned slightly (~7 minutes).
6. Sprinkle with feta (or Cotija).
7. Serve with lime wedges.

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¹ I couldn't find any yellow summer squash this time of year, so I just tossed in an extra zucchini instead. ^Back
2 Use Cotija cheese if you can find it. I don't think I've ever seen it for sale around here, so I generally just substitute feta instead. ^Back

The Kidlet saw some cartoon characters eating tamales on TV the other day and asked if we could make tamales sometime. I said "sure" but didn't really have high hopes for her actually liking them. Turns out I was wrong. She loved them! She ate FOUR tamales for dinner tonight. Four! That makes this by far the most successful dinner we've had in recent memory. She's already asking if we can make them again sometime. I think I may end up putting my other cooking plans on hold for a bit and just spend tomorrow making several batches of tamales to go in the freezer. (Stay tuned for more recipes!)

For this batch I decided to wing it on a bean and cheese filling. The Kidlet has been pro-beans and tomatoes lately, so I figured that would be a good jumping off point. Plus I already had those things on hand. I tried to keep the flavours fairly mild since she's still not really down with "spicy" or "strong flavours". Feel free to add more chilies and seasonings if you're cooking for more adventurous palates.

One unwrapped tamale and one still in its banana leaf wrapping.

Cheese and Bean Tamales

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 Tbsp. corn oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/16 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 c. cooked black beans
• ~600mL diced tomatoes
• 1 chipotle in adobo, minced
• 1/2 c. mushroom or vegetable stock
• 1 c. corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• 1 c. mozzarella grated cheese
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Dough

• 2 c. masa harina
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 c. corn oil
• 2 1/2 c. vegetable broth

Assembly and Serving

• corn husks or banana leaves
• Cheddar cheese (optional)
• salsa
• sour cream

Directions

Filling

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until softened.
3. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add coriander, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, and sugar and cook for another minute.
5. Add black beans, tomatoes, chipotle, stock, and corn and cook until slightly thickened.
6. Stir in cheese and mix well.
7. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Set aside.

Dough

1. Combine masa harina, sumin, and baking powder and mix well.
2. Use a hand or stand mixer to beat in oil.
3. Gradually beat in broth.
4. Increase speed to high and beat for 5-10 minutes.

Assembly

1. If using corn husks, you'll need to soak them for at least half an hour first. My banana leaves just needed to be thawed out and trimmed to appropriate sizes and they were good to go.
2. Spread a thin, even layer of dough over ~1/2 the leaf/husk.
3. Place a couple Tbsp. of filling in a line down the middle of the dough¹. Add a little Cheddar cheese on top if you like.
4. Fold both sides of the leaf/husk in toward the centre, then fold the bottom up.
5. Tie with a string or narrow strip of husk/leaf.
6. Place open end up in steamer.
7. Repeat with remaining dough. (You will have a bunch of filling left over.)
8. If steaming on the stove-top: Cover and steam for 30-50 minutes. If steaming in an InstantPot/multicooker: set to high pressure for 20 minutes².
9. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

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Variations

Alternate Masa Recipe

Slightly adapted from Tastes Better From Scratch

Ingredients

• 2/3 c. vegetable shortening or coconut oil
• 375-450mL vegetable broth
• 2 c. masa harina
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground

Directions

1. Beat shortening with 2 Tbsp. broth until light and fluffy.
2. Combine masa harina, baking powder, and cumin and stir into shortening.
3. Gradually add broth and beat on high for several minutes.
4. Add more broth as needed to get desired consistency³.

This dough seemed to cook up about the same as the previous batch. It was much easier to work with though. It seemed to spread more smoothly and it was easier to get a relatively thin, even layer put down. That said, I'm not sure how much of that is down to the recipe and how much is down to the fact that I was using a different brand of masa harina.

Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Black Bean Filling

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. corn oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 c. cooked black beans
• ~600mL diced tomatoes
• 2-3 chipotles in adobo, minced
• 1/2 c. mushroom or vegetable stock
• 1 c. corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• 1 large sweet potato, cubed
• 250g baby spinach
• 1 c. mozzarella grated cheese
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Cook the sweet potato. (Boiling or microwave works well.)
2. Make the filling as above, but add sweet potato along with corn.
3. Toss spinach in on top, cover, and cook until wilted. Stir to combine.
4. Continue with recipe as above.

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¹ How much filling you need will depend on how big you make your tamales. I think I used ~2 Tbsp. of filling per tamal on average. ^Back
2 The instructions said 20 minutes "high pressure, natural release", but I forgot and did a quick release and they seemed fine. ^Back
3 The recipe author notes that the masa should have the consistency of peanut butter and be slightly sticky. The instructions also say that a small ball of dough dropped into a glass of water should float. If it sinks it needs more beating and/or broth. Mine didn't quite float, but it also didn't sink all the way to the bottom. It was sort of neutral. It probably could've done with more beating, but I was tired and in a hurry so I called it there. ^Back

I've been meaning to write this recipe up for over a year now. It is fairly labour intensive. It was also incredibly delicious. Definitely a keeper!

The author notes that they wanted to come up with a vegan chorizo "for omnivores", something that was as good as the meat-based version, something that nailed the flavour and gave textural variety just like the original. The texture is great. It cooks up beautifully. And, what's more, I think the flavour is better than any meat-based chorizo I've ever had. This isn't just an adequate vegan option, or even a tasty one. I actually prefer it over any other chorizo out there (including the meat-based ones)!

Vegan Chorizo

Slightly adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients

• 350g extra-firm tofu, frozen
• 1 fresh poblano pepper
• 1 c. dried Puy/French lentils, cooked and drained
• 1 dried Guajillo (or other relatively sweet) chile, stem and seeds removed
• 1-2 dried arbol (or other hot chile) chiles, stem and seeds removed
• 1 dried ancho (or other rich, fruity) chile, stem and seeds removed
• 2 Tbsp. raisins
• 1 whole chipotle in adobo + 2 Tbsp. sauce from can
• 2 c. water
• 200g plain tempeh
• 1/4 c. coconut oil (or vegetable shortening)
• 1 onion, diced
• coarse sea salt
• black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano (if you can find it)¹
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 3 whole cloves, toasted and ground
• 1 Tbsp. yellow or red miso paste
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1/4 c. red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Thaw and drain tofu. Cut into thick (~2cm) slices, wrap in a tea towel or similar and press out some of the moisture (you don't have to be super thorough about it). Set aside.
2. Adjust oven rack to 10cm below broiler and preheat broiler to high.
3. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and place poblano on top.
4. Broil, turning occasionally, until blackened on all sides.
5. Remove from oven and wrap foil around poblano to form a tight seal. Set foil-wrapped pepper aside.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 160°C (325°F).
7. Spread cooked lentils on baking sheet and bake until mostly dry and crunchy (20-30 minutes).
8. Microwave dried chiles for ~30 seconds to toast.
9. Combine dried chiles, chipotle, adobo sauce (from chile can), and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until simmering. Let stand for at least 2 minutes.
10. Pour chile mixture into blender and purée until smooth.
11. Use a food processor (or a knife) to blitz tempeh and tofu into small pieces about the texture of ground meat.
12. Unwrap and peel the poblano pepper. Discard skin, stem, and seeds. Mince the cooked flesh.
13. Melt oil/shortening in a large pot of medium-high heat.
14. Add onion and minced poblano. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened (~5 minutes).
15. Add garlic, oregano, Mexican oregano, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and cloves. Cook for another minute or so.
16. Add mixo paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and puréed chile mixture.
17. Add crumbled tofu and tempeh.
18. Add baked lentils. Mix well.
19. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
20. For a moister texture, add 2 Tbsp. water.
21. For a drier, well-browned texture, add 2 Tbsp. of oil and continue cooking until liquid has evaporated and crispy bits start forming (~15 minutes).
22. Use anywhere you'd use Mexican chorizo.
23. Keeps in fridge for up to a week or can be frozen for several months.

Pro tip: This chorizo is amazing mixed into scrambled eggs for breakfast! Especially if you add a little cheese. It's also great on nachos.

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¹ I'm pretty sure I just left out the Mexican oregano when I made this. I'm sure it'd be lovely if you can get it, but it was still amazingly tasty even without it. ^Back

Between being sick, trying to keep the Kidlet entertained, and doing BBP and first aid courses, I haven't had my mind on food too much lately. There're a bunch of good recipes that I should've written down but didn't quite get to. I might try to go back and fill a few of them in. The cupcakes I made for my birthday, in particular, seem worth posting. (Wish I'd thought to snap a few photos before we ate them all.) In the meantime, here's a recipe for chicken enchiladas!

Chicken Enchiladas

Based on a HelloFresh meal

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 2 Tbsp. Mexican seasoning¹
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 chipotle in adobo, minced (optional)²

Filling

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved horizontally, then sliced
• salt and pepper

Assembly

• 9 (8") tortillas
• 1 c. shredded Cheddar
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Sauce

1. Heat oil over medium heat and stir in flour. Stir until four is cooked, but roux is still white.
2. Add Mexican seasoning, chicken stock, and chipotle, if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until thickened.

Filling

1. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and peppers and cook until softened. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add remaining Tbsp. of oil to the pan.
4. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
5. Once chicken is cooked through, return onions and peppers to pan and add half the sauce.

Assembly

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Place a scant 2/3 c. filling onto a tortilla, roll it up, and place it seam side down in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
3. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
4. Pour remaining sauce over the rolled tortillas in the baking dish.
5. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
6. Broil for 3-4 minutes.
7. Serve with sour cream and cilantro.

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¹ The HelloFresh meal came with a little packet of "Mexican seasoning". I think taco or fajita seasoning would work pretty well as a stand-in. Or, if you have the spices on hand, feel free to roll your own. I'd recommend chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and maybe a little onion powder and/or oregano as the base. ^Back
2 There were no chipotles included in the HelloFresh kit. If you like your sauce mild, feel free to leave it out. If you like a little more heat and smokiness, toss in a chipotle or two along with a bit of the adobo sauce to kick it up a notch. ^Back

I took inspiration from a couple different sources on this one. I'm satisfied with how it came out. I left out the cayenne and jalapeño because I was trying to make it extra mild since the Kidlet has now randomly decided that she doesn't do spicy (after having no problem with spicy for several years before this). Next time I'd put them in though. Especially since the Kidlet didn't like it anyway.

Guacamole

Adapted from here and here

Ingredients

• 1 avocado, peeled and seeded
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder (optional)
• 2 tsp. roasted garlic paste
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 very small red onion, minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)

Directions

1. Toss avocado with lime juice. Once avocado has been well-coated, you may drain off and reserve the excess lime juice if you wish. Personally, I didn't bother.
2. Add cumin, salt, chili powder (if using), and garlic paste and mash avocado.
3. If you drained off the extra lime juice in the first step, add 1 Tbsp. back into the mixture at this point.
4. Stir in tomato, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño.

I have always been a soft taco person. Specifically, soft tacos made with flour tortillas. In my experience, hard tacos are awkward to assemble and shatter as soon as you bite into them. And, although I love corn chips and cornbread and all manner of other "corn-y" things, soft corn tortillas just never quite taste right to me. They seem like they should taste good, but I always find the flavour just slightly disappointing and off-putting. So, for years, whenever we've had tacos, it's always been with soft flour tortillas. Occasionally I'll pick up a few soft corn tortillas for TF to use since I know he likes them. But hard tacos? Never.

Until now!

America's Test Kitchen has rocked my world yet again! The most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated delved into the origins of the hard taco and introduced "tacos dorados" (golden tacos). This is apparently what the crispy taco was meant to be before it got Americanized and boxed up into taco "kits" as a convenience food. And it's brilliant!

Rather than starting with a sleeve of pre-fried hard taco "shells", you do, in fact, start with soft corn tortillas. Tortillas that get gently warmed to make them extra soft and pliable, filled with flavourful spiced beef, and then fried to make them crispy and delicious.

Yes, that's right, you fry them after you fill them. Mind blown! Not only does this make them easier to fill, but the outside gets wonderfully crisp while the spine remains pliable enough to open (for adding toppings) and eat without the whole thing shattering and pouring meat and grease all over your hands! Tacos dorados aren't significantly more difficult or time-consuming to make than either hard or soft tacos and they're definitely both more delicious and less messy than either. I have found my taco happy place!

(Oh, and just in case you were wondering: the frying and crisping does seem to perk up the corn tortillas and do away with the disappointment I'd experienced with them in the past.)

Tacos Dorados

Slightly adapted from Cook's Illustrated July/August 2018

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 lb. lean ground beef¹
• 7 Tbsp. peanut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 4 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar + extra for topping
• 12-16 corn tortillas (6-8" diameter)
• shredded lettuce
• chopped tomato
• sour cream
• pickled jalapeños

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Combine water and baking soda in a large bowl. Add beef and mix well. Set aside.
3. Cook onion over medium heat in 1 Tbsp. of oil until softened.
4. Add chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and sea salt and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
6. Add beef, breaking up into small chunks and mixing with onion and spices.
7. Although the recipe didn't call for it, I also chose to add a splash of water at this stage. I think I put ~1/3 c. I find it helps with getting the meat evenly coated with spices and adds a bit of moisture and sauciness without making it "sloppy" or overly messy.
8. Using 2 tbsp. of the oil, brush tortillas to lightly coat with oil on both sides. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes.²
9. Once meat is cooked through, remove from pan and add 1/2 c. shredded cheese. Mix to combine.
10. Wipe out pan and add 1/4 c. oil.
11. Fill the tacos. Use ~2 Tbsp. of filling for 6" tortillas or 3-4 Tbsp. for 8" tortillas. Spread the filling over half the tortilla and then fold it over (it will be open on the sides, this is fine and expected).
12. Gently place your filled tacos into the pan with the hot oil (you'll have to work in batches). Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until both sides are dark golden-brown, but not charred or burnt.³
13. Remove fried, crispy tacos from pan. You may now dress them up as you see fit. Thanks to the flexible spine you should be able to open them up like a book to add sour cream, extra cheese, jalapeños, or whatever else your heart desires!
14. Once topped and garnished to your satisfaction, close it up and enjoy the perfectly crisp, non-shattering goodness of a golden taco!

---

¹ Recommended 90% lean. <sup>Back

2</sup> I think I'd try cutting this down to only 3 or 4 minutes next time. It might also be interesting to see if warming them in the microwave (either with or without oil) yields similar results. <sup>Back

3</sup> I had some trouble with the whole "not burnt" aspect. Don't worry! Even the burnt ones were delicious. The not-burnt ones were, however, slightly more delicious, so I do recommend not burning if at all possible. ;P ^Back

Beef in Adobo

We usually keep a few tins of chilis in adobo on hand, for a warm, smoky sauce that emphasizes the flavour rather than the heat of the chilis. This recipe, however, makes the adobo from scratch.

And it's amazing.

The original recipe calls for ancho and pasilla chilis, and flank steak; we had none of these, and replaced them with guajillo and california chilis and stewing beef, respectively. There is nothing to complain about the results, and the beef comes out deliciously tender.

As accompaniments and toppings, it suggests flour tortillas or rice and queso fresco or feta. We used brown rice, tortillas, and cheddar cheese.

Adobo Ingredients

• 1½ oz dried ancho or guajilla chilis, stemmed and seeded
• 1 oz dried pasilla or california chilis, stemmed and seeded
• ¾ C salsa verde
• ¾ C chicken broth
• ½ C orange juice
• ⅓ C packed brown sugar
• ¼ C lime juice (~2 limes)
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

Beef Ingredients

• 3 lbs stewing beef
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• an entire garlic bulb, minced (no, that is not a typo)
• 1½ tbsp cumin, ground

Procedure

1. Adjust oven rack to middle-bottom and preheat to 350°F. Arrange anchos and pasillas on rimmed baking sheet and bake until fragrant, ~5 minutes.
2. Immediately transfer chilis to bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let stand until softened and pliable, ~5 minutes. Drain (or reserve! Halfway through making this, we realized that we should have saved the delicious chili-water water to make the chicken broth with. Sadly, the original recipe doesn't suggest this).
3. Combine chilis, salsa verde, chicken broth, orange and lime juices, sugar, oregano, salt, and pepper, and puree in blender until smooth, ~1 minute. Set aside (but taste the blender blades first).
4. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
5. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook beef until browned all over, ~10 minutes -- you may need to do two batches, there's a lot of beef. Remove beef using slotted spoon and buffer.
6. Add onion and ½ tsp salt to pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 3-5 minutes.
7. Add garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
8. Stir in adobo, beef, and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer.
9. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Bake for 90 minutes.
10. > put beef in face

Pan-Seared Chicken with Spicy Pinto Beans

Another Cook's Country 30-minute recipe card. As written it calls for two tins of pinto beans; we didn't have any, so we went with one tin of black beans and one of refried pinto beans. It was easy to put together and really tasty.

Ingredients

• 4 (6-8 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise and/or pounded flat
• ½ C sour cream
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 large tin black beans
• 1 tin refried pinto beans with jalapeno
• 1 C medium salsa
• ½ minced fresh cilantro

Procedure

1. Whisk together sour cream, lime juice, cayenne, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Remove to plate.
4. Add whole beans and cook until they begin to blister, ~2 minutes.
5. Stir in salsa, refried beans, ¼ tsp salt, and ¾ C water. Mash beans lightly with a potato masher and simmer until slightly thickened, ~4 minutes.
6. Stir in cilantro and sour cream and lime mixture and return chicken to skillet until heated through. Serve.

Huevos Rancheros

I had a general idea of how to make huevos rancheros and was just gonna roll with it, but decided to peek at a few recipes at the last minute and ended up mostly following Jamie Oliver's recipe with a few little substitutions and additions along the way.

Huevos Rancheros
Adapted from Jamie Oliver
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped
generous dash cayenne
salt
black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 (226g) jars mild salsa
1 package black beans (230g drained), rinsed
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
6 eggs
6 whole wheat tortillas
Cheddar cheese, grated

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, and bay leaves. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook until vegetables begin to brown.
2. Add salsa and beans. Cook until slightly thickened.
3. Stir in cilantro.
4. Make six wells in the tomato mixture. Break an egg into each well. Cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low.
5. When eggs reach desired done-ness, remove from heat.
6. Serve on warm tortillas with grated Cheddar.

If I'd been making this at home with access to my usual spices, I'd probably try replacing the cayenne with a bit of minced chipotle in adobo. I might also add a dried guajillo chile or two. I'd probably just use diced tomatoes instead of the salsa next time as well.

Chilaquiles

Did this a bit differently than the recipe called for due to lack of blender. The sauce was supposed to be smooth, but I actually really liked the chunky version. Might add a few more veggies and an extra chile next time.

Chilaquiles
Adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2015
5 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds discarded
1 (28 oz.) tin whole tomatoes, broken up
1 poblano chile, minced (seeds discarded)
1 jalapeño, minced (seeds discarded)
3 Tbsp. garlic paste
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
500g skinless, boneless chicken breast
10 corn tostadas, broken in quarters
100g feta cheese, crumbled
3 green onions, sliced
1 avocado, chopped

1. Toast the guajillo chiles until dark and fragrant. Cool and grind.
2. Combine tomatoes, guajillo, poblano, jalapeño, garlic, 1/4 c. cilantro, onion, and chicken broth in pot. Bring to a boil and add chicken. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done. (15-20 minutes)
3. Remove chicken and shred.
4. Increase heat and cook until sauce thickens. Return shredded chicken to pot and stir into sauce.
5. Stir in tostada pieces. Cover for a couple minutes until chips soften a bit.
6. Top with remaining cilantro, cheese, green onions, and avocado.
7. Serve with lime wedges and sour cream.

Here's how I'd change it up next time:

Better Chilaquiles
5 dried guajillo chiles
1 dried chipotle chile
2 (14 oz.) tins fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 jalapeño chile
1 poblano chile
3 Tbsp. garlic paste
1 onion
1/2 c. cilantro
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, bruised
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds, bruised
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. frozen corn
500g chicken
12 tostadas or equivalent tortilla chips
150g feta cheese
2 green onions
1 lime
guacamole
sour cream
radishes (optional)

Bean and Beef Burritos

We needed something quick and easy for dinner on a lazy Sunday afternoon and the latest Cook's Country was able to provide. I tried making it as written and it was okay... not great though. I made a few adjustments that TF agrees give it a bit more body and flavour. I think this recipe provides a solid base, but I'd probably tweak it even more if I made it again.

Beef and Bean Burritos
Adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2015
1 (15 oz.) tin black beans, divided
1 Tbsp. canola oil
2 onions, minced
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds, bruised
1/2 Tbsp. coriander, crushed
1 Tbsp. chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic paste
800g lean ground beef
1 (14 oz.) tin fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, minced
lettuce
cheddar cheese, grated
sour cream
tortillas

1. Drain and rinse the beans. Set half aside and mash the other half with 1/2 c. water.
2. Heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until slightly browned.
3. Add bay leaf, cumin seeds, and coriander and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add chiles (and their sauce) and garlic paste and cook for an additional minute.
5. Add beef, breaking up chunks, and cook until no longer pink. (~10 minutes.)
6. Add mashed beans and tomatoes. Cook until most of the liquid is gone.
7. Add whole beans, salt, and cilantro. Cook until warmed through.
8. Fill tortillas with beef-bean mixutre, top with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, sour cream, and any other toppings you desire. Wrap and enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

This was the "recipe makeover" for the April/May issue of Cook's Country this year. Most of the calories (and fat) seem to have been cut by replacing the cheese with a lower fat version. They also recommend using breast meat for the chicken which, while a bit drier and less flavourful, is also leaner.

I was dubious of the use of low-fat Cheddar -- low fat never seems to be as good as its full fat counterpart -- but this actually came out pretty darn tasty! I was hoping for something a bit more innovative than low-fat cheese for the big makeover, but the results are good, so I guess I can't really complain.

Chicken Enchiladas
Slightly modified from Cook's Country April/May 2015
2 onions, minced
1 tsp. corn oil
1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
1 tsp. adobo sauce
3 Tbsp. garlic paste
2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. chili powder
15 oz. tomato sauce
1 c. water
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
black pepper, to taste
8 oz. lactose-free skim milk cheese
1/2 c. minced fresh cilantro
12 corn tortillas or tostadas

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add half the onion and all of the sea salt. Cover and cook over medium-low for 5-8 minutes.
2. Add chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic paste, cumin seeds, and chili powder. Cook for 30-60 seconds.
3. Add tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer.
4. Add chicken. Return to simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, flip chicken breasts, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Remove pot from heat. Remove chicken from sauce.
6. Now is a good time to grate the cheese and chop the cilantro. Combine the cilantro with the remaining onion and half the grated cheese. Add 1/2 c. of the sauce from the pot. Add black pepper to taste.
7. Now that the chicken has had a few minutes to rest and cool, shred it using two forks and combine the shredded chicken with the cheese, cilantro, onion, and sauce.
8. Spread 1/2 c. sauce from the pot over the bottom of a lasagna pan (9x13 baking dish).
9. If (unlike me) you were able to find corn tortillas: Fill them with the chicken mixture, roll them up, and place them on top of the sauce in the pan.
If you're using corn tostadas instead: Place 6 tostadas in the pan, covering the sauce. Spread the chicken mixture over top of this. Then layer 6 more tostadas on top.
10. Pour any remaining sauce over top of your enchiladas.
11. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
12. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.
13. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Chili

There was still some delicious fajita filling (with bonus extra tomatoes and corn) after making our quesadillas, so I decided to turn it into chili!

Chicken Chili
Quesadilla filling
1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
Cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
sour cream (optional)

1. Combine everything in a pot and simmer for at least 20 minutes.
2. Garnish with grated cheese and/or sour cream as desired. Serve with a piece of crusty bread.

Chicken Quesadillas

So, it turns out that leftover fajita filling actually makes for pretty excellent quesadillas!

Chicken Quesadilla
Chicken Fajita filling
1 (14 oz.) tin diced tomatoes
1 c. frozen corn
1 Tbsp. dehydrated onion
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
cheddar cheese, grated
refried beans
soft tortillas
sour cream, optional

1. Add tomatoes, corn, onion, and cilantro to your fajita filling and heat until warmed through.
2. Spread a tortilla with refried beans and top with a layer of chicken mixture.
3. Cover with a layer of grated cheese and a second tortilla.
4. Toast (in toaster oven) or bake until filling is hot and cheese is melted.
5. Serve with sour cream.