Cuisine Diva

Roasted Corn with Green Chile Cheese Tamales

Platter of homemade tamales

For the past couple of weeks I've been blogging about my Mexican inspired cuisine journey. Here are the links to those posts.

Food & Culinary Equipment From Mex Grocer

Pozole; Pork and Hominy Stew

Quesadillas; Homemade Corn Turnovers

More Mexican Ingredients From Mex Grocer

Some of the ingredients used to make tamales

Tamale Time
I've been wanting to try making tamales, and yesterday I finally got around to making them. I made a small batch of vegetarian, roasted corn with green chile cheese tamales. They were a bit time consuming to make, but quite tasty. The nice thing about tamales, is that you can make a big batch of them, then keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days. They can even be stored in the freezer for a month or two.

Soaking corn husks in hot water

Roasted Corn Tamales with Green Chile Salsa

This is a multi-step recipe. You will need to prepare the corn husks, make the tamale dough, make the tamale filing, then assemble the tamales before placing them in the steamer and cooking them.

• Prepared corn husks
• 1 recipe tamale dough
• 1 recipe tamale filing
• Shredded cheese

This recipe makes approximately 1 dozen tamales. You will need to prepare approximately 2 dozen corn husks for this recipe, 1 dozen husks for the tamales, another 3-4 husks to tear into ribbons to tie the ends of the tamales together, and around 6-8 husks to line the bottom of the tamale steamer. To prepare the dried corn husks, soak them in a large bowl of hot water, until they are pliable. This can take up to 3 hours, so start this step in advance!

Stand mixer on left, masa harina blended with margarine and seasonings on right

Ingredients for the Tamale Dough

• 1 1/2 cups masa harina
• 6 tablespoons margarine - room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth

Tomatillos, left, and green chiles, right

Roasted corn with green chile filling

Directions for the Tamale Dough

I highly recommend using a stand mixer to make the tamale dough. You could use a regular electric mixer, but I think my hands would get tired holding onto it for so long. Kitchen gadgets are your friend!

• Place the softened margarine inside the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Whip the margarine until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the salt, baking powder, sugar and cumin.
• Add the masa harina and beat until it resembles fine crumbs.
• Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl as needed.
• Slowly add the vegetable broth and beat until the dough is light and fluffy.
• Cover the bowl of dough with a clean cloth, or piece of plastic wrap, and set aside while you make the filling.

Line the bottom of the tamale steamer with corn husks

Ingredients for the Tamale Filling

• 1 can corn - drained
• 4 canned tomatillos - diced
• 3 canned mild green chiles - diced
• 2 teaspoons toasted Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon achiote paste
• 1 tablespoon hot water

Directions for the Tamale Filling

1. Place the corn in a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. Cook until the corn begins to turn golden brown, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the tomatillos, green chiles, oregano and cumin.
4. Place the achiote paste in a small bowl, and stir in the hot water until a smooth liquid is formed.
5. Stir the achiote liquid into the pan, and cook the filling for another minute or two.
6. Turn the heat off, and set the filling aside until you are ready to fill the tamales.

Building the Tamales

I thought it would be easiest to take a lot of pictures of the tamales, as they are being put together, rather than typing out a long list of instructions.

Spread 2 tablespoons of tamale dough, on the smoothest side of a corn husk. You can either use a spatula, your hands or a tamale spreader for this step.

Place a heaping tablespoon of filling on top of the tamale dough.

Place a couple of teaspoons of shredded cheese on top of the filling. I used cheddar, but you can use Jack cheese, pepper Jack, Mexican blend, etc...

Fold the left side over the filling, then fold the right side over the filling.

Use two strips of corn husks to tie off the ends of the tamale.

The tamale ready to go in the tamale steamer.

Fill the steamer basket with a couple of inches of water, place the steamer insert on the bottom. Cover the insert with corn husks, then place the tamales on top. Place the lid on the pan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Let the tamales steam for approximately 1 hour. Check occasionally to see if you need to add additional water to the steamer pot.

Carefully remove the tamales from the steamer basket. They will be hot! Unwrap the tamales and eat ASAP. You can either eat the tamales as is, or add a bit of mild red chile sauce, or a bit of hot sauce if you prefer.

My Tamale Future
This was my first attempt at making tamales. They came out better than I thought, but this is another recipe where it would be a big help to have another set of hands. I was going to make 3 varieties of tamales, but once I realized how much time that would take, I decided to only make 1 variety for my first attempt. In the future I would like to try a meat filled tamale and a dessert tamale. YUM!

Take care,
Cuisine Diva AKA Lynn Smythe

More Mexican Ingredients From Mex Grocer

On August 27, I blogged about placing a large order with Mex Grocer. I've been having fun using all the ingredients in a variety of Mexican and Latin American inspired recipes.

 

Above: individual serving of picadillo

Latin American Inspired Recipes
Here's links to my latest Mexican/Cuban recipes, which incorporate some of the ingredients I purchased from Mex Grocer.

Authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate; recipe for a hot chocolate drink.

Mexican Green Chile Cornbread Casserole; recipe for a lightly spicy corn side dish.

Picadillo Recipe; how-to make a classic Latin American meat sauce.

Pozole; pork and hominy stew

Quesadillas; homemade corn turnovers.

 

Above: Mexican green chile cornbread casserole

Last week I placed a second order with Mex Grocer, which arrived this afternoon.

Here's what I've received:

1. Can of mild, whole green chiles. Will use a few in the meat tamale filling and/or to make a green chile sauce to go along with the meat tamales. I'm thinking pork or turkey, but you never know.

2. Can of zucchini flowers - I plan on using them for either a zucchini flower soup, or as part of a corn turnover filling.

3. Bag of tortilla wheat flour, AKA harina para tortillas. I've made corn tortillas before, using masa harina, AKA corn flour, now I want to try making regular tortillas using wheat flour. The wheat flour contains shortening and baking powder, just add water to make into tortilla dough.

4. Another bag of masa harina. I've made homemade quesadilla's, AKA corn turnovers, twice since getting my first order from Mex Grocer. They are super delicious and fun to make. I still want to try making tamales, and will need quite a bit of masa for the tamale dough.

5. Another package of Mexican chocolate tablets. Great cinnamon laced chocolate. I've been using it to make Mexican hot chocolate and hot mocha - delicious!

6. Another couple of packages of corn husks. When I finally get around to making tamales, I'm going to be making a HUGE batch. I want to make three kinds: a dessert tamale, a meat tamale and a veggie tamale for my vegetarian daughter. YUM, I can't wait!

7. Mexican oregano. I have a huge Mexican oregano bush growing out front, but with all the cooking I've been doing lately, I've been using it faster than I can harvest/grow it. Not a bad idea to have some dried Mexican oregano on hand, just in case.

8. Bay leaves. I have an old container of musty looking bay leaves. Time to throw those out and replace them with some fresher ones.

9. Package of short cinnamon sticks, AKA canella. I have ground cinnamon, but there's nothing like grinding your own herbs and spices in a mortar and pestle right before you need them for a recipe.

10. Package of whole cloves. Again, I have ground cloves in the pantry, just not the same as grinding your own.

11. Package of whole cumin, AKA comino. Looks a little bit like caraway seeds. I'll use these both ground and in whole form.

12. Mild, red enchilada sauce. I'll probably use this as the sauce for either the meat tamales, or the veggie tamales when I make them.

13. Chipolte pepper paste. I received a can of whole chipolte peppers in adobo sauce in my last order with Mex Grocer. Since all the recipes I've been following have you finely mince/grind the chipoltes into a paste, I thought it might be more convenient to have a jar of the pre-made paste on hand. Chipoltes are smoked jalapeno peppers, totally different flavor profile than the fresh, green jalapenos.

14. Pickled prickly pear cactus, AKA nopalitos. The pickled cactus pads are packed in a glass jar with  water, onions, cilantro, serrano peppers, salt and vinegar. I'll use these to make a salad, or as part of a corn turnover filling.

I've actually seen prickly pear cactus in a few of my neighbors yards. I suppose I could knock on their door and ask for one. But in this neighborhood, they might shoot first and ask questions later. And I don't think I'd really like dealing with the spines on the fresh cactus pads. 

 

Above: making Mexican hot chocolate

Toast Your Herbs & Spices
Most of the Mexican recipes I've been following, call for dry toasting one or more of the ingredients. It's much easier to toast herbs and spices in their whole form. Use a dry frying pan, set over medium heat, and toast each ingredient until it just begins to turn fragrant. If the items are smoking, either your pan is too hot, or you've left them in the pan for too long. Remove the toasted ingredients from the pan, let cool, then grind to a powder in a coffee grinder or mortar & pestle.

You can also toast dry chile peppers using this method. Once the peppers have cooled, break them open and remove the seeds and membrane, unless you are looking to make a really hot and spicy dish. The peppers can then be torn into rough pieces and added to your recipe, or soaked in a liquid and then added to your recipe.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Quesadillas; Homemade Corn Turnovers

 

Two corn turnovers topped with mild, creamy green chile cheese sauce

Wow, I can't believe I actually made these all by myself yesterday. They aren't complicated, but are a bit time consuming. I could have used another set of hands, or a short order cook to help me out, but I did it all on my own. Besides making the turnovers with the pork filling, I also made a few with some leftover picadillo I made a few days ago.

 

Cooked, shredded pork

Prep Work
I made the filling and cheese sauce ahead of time. I actually thought I would wait until the next day to make the quesadillas, but decided to make them later that same day. I blew off my regular Wednesday night bike ride and run (BRICK workout) to stay home and make these delectable corn treats. It's a good thing they are so time consuming, otherwise I'd probably make them every week. And then I would weigh 1,000 pounds by the end of the year.

 

Jar of achiote paste, and small dish of achiote paste which has been blended with hot water

Mex Grocer
I got many of my ingredients from Mex Grocer including:

• Tortilla press
• Queso cotija
• Chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
• Achiote paste
• Masa harina

You should be able to find most of the ingredients at your grocery store or gourmet market.

 

Quesadilla filling: pork with spicy red chile sauce

Multiple Step Recipe
There are three items that need to get made, before you can begin putting the quesadillas together. The filling and sauce can be made in advance, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. To reheat the cheese sauce, I stirred in 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, and heated it up in the microwave for a few minutes. You could also reheat it in a small pan, placed over medium low heat, but that will take longer.

1. Filling - pork with spicy red chile sauce.
2. Sauce - mild green chile cheese sauce
3. Quesadilla dough

Pork with Spicy Red Chile Sauce
Queso cotija is a very salty, Mexican cheese which is a bit like feta. Use feta if you can't find queso cotija. Chipolte is a smoked jalapeno pepper, they can be found in most grocery stores, packed in small cans of a vinegar based sauce, AKA adobo sauce. Achiote paste is a combination of achiote seeds, vinegar, salt, garlic and spices. I bought achiote seeds before, they are hard as a rock, it's much easier to buy ready made paste.

I had some leftover pozole in the refrigerator. I strained out the pork, and shredded it with a fork. The pork was already well seasoned from when it was cooked in the pozole. You could use chopped, cooked chicken or cooked ground beef in place of the pork, if desired.

Ingredients for Pork with Red Chile Sauce

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded pork
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 chipolte in adobo sauce - minced
• 1 teaspoon achiote paste
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon Spanish sweet paprika
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso cotija

Directions for Pork with Red Chile Sauce

1. Place the shredded pork into a mixing bowl.
2. Stir in the garlic and chipolte.
3. In a small cup, blend the achiote paste with the hot water. Stir the mixture into the pork.
4. Stir in the cumin, coriander, paprika and cheese.

Shredded, drained zucchini

Green Chile Cheese Sauce
The pork filling is quite spicy. The mild green chile cheese sauce is a nice compliment to the spicy filling. I have a HUGE Mexican oregano bush growing near my front door, which I can harvest a few stems from whenever I need it. Regular oregano can be substituted for the Mexican oregano if necessary. 

To prepare the zucchini, first I peeled it, then I grated it. Then I wrapped it up in a clean, kitchen towel and squeezed the excess moisture out of it.

 

Mild, green chile cheese sauce

Ingredients for Green Chile Cheese Sauce

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated, drained zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2/3 cup mild, green chile sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup shredded cheese such as Monterey jack, cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
• 1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro leaves

Directions for the Green Chile Cheese Sauce

1. Add the oil to a large frying pan placed over medium heat.
2. Add the zucchini and green onions to the pan, and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the oregano, salt and nutmeg.
4. In a small cup or bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the green chile sauce. Whisk the mixture into the frying pan of zucchini/green onions.
5. Whisk in the shredded cheese. Continue whisking the sauce, until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick and creamy.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the cilantro.

Ingredients for the quesadilla dough

Quesadilla Dough
There are two ways to make the quesadilla dough, either using the traditional ingredients, or using the modern ingredients. I used the modern method. Masa harina is a dried corn flour, which is specifically processed for use in tortillas and tamales. Do not substitute corn meal!

 

Quesadilla dough

Traditional Quesadilla Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 7/8 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons pork lard

Modern Quesadilla Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1 7/8 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons margarine - melted

Quesadilla dough waiting to be pressed flat in the tortilla press

Directions for the Quesadilla Dough

1. Place the masa harina in a large mixing bowl.
2. Heat the chicken broth in the microwave, using a microwave safe container.
3. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and melted margarine into the masa harina using a large fork.
4. Form the dough into a ball, and knead a few times with your hands.
5. Set the dough aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Place filling in center of flatted quesadilla

Assembling the Corn Turnovers

• 1 recipe filling
• 1 recipe sauce
• 1 recipe quesadilla dough
• Tortilla press
• Gallon size plastic freezer bag - cut in half
• Comal or large frying pan
• Vegetable oil

Fold corn turnover in half, sealing edges

Directions for Making Corn Turnovers

1. Place one half of the plastic freezer bag on the bottom of the tortilla press.
2. Place a 1 1/2 to 2 inch ball of quesadilla dough on the middle of the tortilla press.
3. Place the other half of the plastic bag on top of the quesadilla dough ball.
4. Press the dough flat.
5. Open the tortilla press, remove the top plastic bag.
6. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the quesadilla.
7. Fold the bottom plastic bag in half, forming a turnover, or what I like to call, a giant Mexican ravioli.
8. Seal the edges of the turnover using your fingers, making sure not to rip/poke a hole in the dough.
9. Place 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large frying pan placed over medium to medium high heat.
10. Add 3-4 quesadillas to the pan and cook until lightly browned on both sides.
11. Place the cooked quesadillas onto a large serving platter.
12. Add additional oil to the pan if necessary, and continue making, filling, cooking the turnovers until all the filling and dough has been used.
13. Place 1-2 quesadillas on a small plate, and cover with the sauce.
14. EAT - EAT - EAT!!!!!

Pan fry homemade quesadillas

Vegetarian Quesadillas
My almost 14 year old daughter is a vegetarian. If I were to make the corn turnovers again, I would use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth, so I could make a few quesadillas that she could eat. For the filling I might try heating up some soy crumbles, mixing them with taco seasoning and adding a bit of shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend. I think she still eats cheese, but I'll have to check to make sure she hasn't gone to the extreme of becoming vegan.

 

Platter of homemade quesadillas, AKA corn turnovers

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Pozole; Pork and Hominy Stew

 

Bowl of pozole garnished with queso cotija, cilantro and lime juice

Pozole is a traditional Mexican dish, which features lots of pork, chile peppers and hominy. Hominy is corn that has been treated with the mineral lime, to remove the outer hull, AKA the pericap. It sounds a bit weird, but think of hominy being like tiny little dumplings. They add a bit of texture to this classic comfort food. Hominy is also called pozole.

I saw pozole soup featured on an episode of Dinner's, Drive-in's and Dive's and thought it looked pretty tasty. Now that I'm on a Mexican cooking streak, at least for this month, I thought I'd try making homemade pozole.

 

A plethora of Mexican ingredients from Mex Grocer

Pozole Soup or Stew
Depending on how much liquid is added to the recipe, the pozole can be a soup or stew. I was worried about all the chile peppers that were added to the recipe, so I added a bit more liquid to make mine like a soup. Any kind of pork can be used in this recipe; stew meat or pork shoulder or even thick cut pork chops. My husband had some thick cut pork chops in the refrigerator, which he donated for the pozole. As long as he was being fed, I don't think he really cared what the pork chops were being used for.

 

Pozole AKA hominy

Interesting Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for the pozole should be available at local grocery stores. You may have to hunt around a bit, my local stores all have an ethnic food section, where they lump together all the Asian and Latin American ingredients. You can also purchase the ingredients from an online retailer such as Mex Grocer. I got the hominy, chile peppers, chipolte and queso cotija from Mex Grocer.

Pork cubed and waiting to be added to pozole

Ingredients for Pozole

• 29 ounce can hominy
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 pounds pork - cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes 
• 1 medium onion - diced
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes - any kind of chunky tomato sauce can be used too
• 4-6 cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon toasted Mexican oregano
• 2 toasted bay leaves
• 2 toasted, dried chile peppers - I used one chile negro and one chile pasilla in my pozole
• 1-2 chipolte peppers in adobo sauce - chopped fine

Chile pasilla, on the left, and chile negro on the right

Directions for Pozole

1. Drain the water from the can of hominy, and place the hominy in a medium sauce pan.
2. Fill the sauce pan with fresh water and bring to a boil.
3. Turn the heat down to low, and let the hominy simmer for 30-45 minutes.
4. Add the oil to a large stock pot, or dutch oven placed over medium heat.
5. Add the pork, and cook until lightly browned on all sides.
6. Remove the cooked pork to a bowl.
7. Add the onions to the pan, and let cook in the pork fat/vegetable oil mixture until they begin to turn translucent.
8. Stir the garlic into the onions and cook for another minute.
9. Add the pork back into the pan.
10. Stir in the cumin and allspice.
11. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth.
12. Lightly dry toast the Mexican oregano and bay leaves in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the toasted herbs to the pozole.
13. Lightly dry toast the dried chile peppers in a frying pan over medium heat. Remove the toasted peppers to a plate, and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the seeds and inner membrane. Roughly tear the toasted chile peppers into small pieces, and stir into the pozole.
14. Stir the chopped chipolte into the pozole.
15. Bring the pozole to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1/2 hour.
16. Strain the hominy, once it has finished simmering, and stir it into the pozole.
17. Let the pozole simmer for another 1/2 hour.
18. Remove the bay leaves, and serve the pozole with the garnishes of your choice.

Chipolte peppers in adobo sauce

Pozole Embellishments
Pozole should be served with a tray full of ingredients, so that each person can add the garnishes of their choice to their individual serving. My favorite combination is a bit of crumbled queso cotija, chopped cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

 

Pork browning, hominy simmering, herbs toasting

• Crumbled queso cotija - a semi-hard, salty Mexican cheese, which is a bit like feta.
• Shredded cabbage
• Chopped onions
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Lime wedges
• Sliced radishes
• Chili powder and/or hot sauce - only if you like REALLY spicy pozole. I thought the pozole had a little bit more heat than I'm used to, but I am trying to get a bit more adventurous.

Lime wedges, fresh cilantro leaves, queso cotija

 

Pot full of pozole, simmering on the stove

Have you made pozole before? I'd like to hear about your method for making this classic Mexican dish.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Food & Culinary Equipment from Mex Grocer

Right now I'm on a Tex-Mex cooking kick. I have a copy of Daniel Hoyer's book Culinary Mexico; Authentic Recipes and Traditions (Gibbs Smith, 2005). When I first read through this book, for a review I wrote on Suite101, I was a bit mystified regarding some of the ingredients used. I did a search on chile peppers, and found a link to the Mex Grocer website.

I decided I wanted to try some of the recipes in the Culinary Mexico cookbook, so I placed an order with Mex Grocer.

Here's what I ordered:

Achiote paste - when using achiote seeds in recipes, many of them have you soak the seeds in vinegar or water, then grinding the softened seeds into a paste. I want to see if the achiote paste is as good as the from scratch method.

Achiote seeds - I've actually used achiote seeds in the past. Used for flavoring and coloring in many recipes. In case I don't like the pre-made achiote paste, I decided to also order some achiote seeds so I can make my own paste. I've also heated achiote seeds in a bit of vegetable oil to make a smokey, brick red cooking oil. The seeds are strained out and discarded, leaving a wonderful flavored oil which can then be used to stir fry meats and vegetables.

Hominy - corn kernels that have the outer hull removed. Not something I want to try making myself, as the kernels have to be soaked in either lime-water (calcium hydroxide) or lye-water (sodium hydroxide). I have 2 cans on order. I saw Guy Fieri, on Diners Drive-in and Dives, reviewing a restaurant featuring pozole. Pozole is a type of Mexican soup, which contains pork meat, chiles, onion, garlic, lots of spices and hominy AKA pozole.

Green chili sauce - I might try making my own sometime, but since I'm testing so many other Mexican recipes, I thought I'd buy a can of pre-made sauce.

Tomato/chicken bouillon - seems like an interesting ingredient. I might use it when making pozole.

 

Piloncillo - small, hard blocks of palm sugar. AKA panela or panocha. Used to flavor hot chocolate, coffee and desserts. Like a smokey version of brown sugar. The blocks must either be grated, or dissolved in water before using.

Dulce de leche - caramel sauce. You could make your own caramel sauce from evaporated milk, but I wanted to try the pre-made variety first. No reason to buy this other than it looks delicious. Just give me a spoon, and a bit of vanilla ice cream, and I'll be good to go!

100% pure Mexican vanilla extract - I use a ton of vanilla while baking.

Mexican sweet chocolate - 6 tablets. I'll use this to make mole sauce, if I'm brave enough to attempt that recipe. Or I can mix it with a bit of the piloncillo and milk to make Mexican hot chocolate. I also might try making champurrado sometime. Champurrado is Mexican hot chocolate thickened with masa and flavored with piloncillo and anise seeds.

Peppers in adobo sauce - for mole and lots of other recipes.

Queso cotija - described as either a bit like Parmesan cheese or feta cheese. A hard cheese, which is very salty and made from cow's milk.

Creamed corn - I want to make Mexican cornbread, you know, that creamy variety that gets baked in a pan, unlike firmer corn muffins. I could buy creamed corn at the grocery store, but I'm trying to use mostly authentic Mexican ingredients while on my Mexican cuisine binge.

Can of whole tomatillos - they look a bit like miniature, green tomatoes. I used to grow tomatillos in my garden, but I haven't had a garden in a couple of years. Not sure what I'll use them for, maybe a green chile sauce, or as part of a tamale stuffing. Hmmm, didn't I buy green chili sauce so I didn't have to make my own - whatever!

Wood spatula - like I need another kitchen utensil. This looks like a small paddle, pretty cool looking. I'm a sucker for interesting looking kitchen gear.

Molinillo - hollow wooden stirrer. For making authentic Mexican hot chocolate. Sort of like a whisk, used to make hot chocolate frothy. You place the molinillo at the bottom of the container that is being used to make the hot chocolate, then you rotate the molinillo between the palms of your hands until the hot chocolate turns frothy/foamy.

Chili - I've ordered both ground California molido chili and whole, dried chile negro. Lots of recipes, including mole and pozole, call for chile.

Tortilla press - cast iron press for making homemade tortillas.

Tortilla warmer - yes, one of those cheesy looking tortilla holders you get in restaurants anytime you order fajitas. But if I'm going to go to the trouble of making tortillas from scratch, I might as well get a warmer.

Tamale Lover's Kit - I freaking love tamales. If I'm going to be testing authentic Mexican recipes, then HELL yes, I'm going whole hog and learning how to make my own tamales. I also saw a Diner's Drive-ins and Dives episode where the featured diner made their own tamales. Not as complicated as I thought, time consuming yes, but not difficult. The tamale kit contains: corn husks, masa mix, tamale masa spreader and a 12 quart aluminum tamale steamer. BRING IT!   

Molcajete y Tejolote
I didn't buy a molcajete y tejolote - a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle. I have TONS of mortar and pestle sets, another hobby/passion of mine. A couple of years ago I purchased a large Thai granite mortar/pestle set, which is very similar to the Mexican variety. The Thai version is polished rather smooth on the inside, compared to the rougher surface of the molcajete. Used to grind chile peppers, herbs, spices and to make salsas and guacamole.

That's a molacajete y tejolote which is pictured on the cover of the Culinary Mexico cookbook, which is shown at the beginning of this blog post.

Comal
Comal are cast iron skillets, either round or oblong in shape, which are used to cook tortilla. My order was already getting pretty large, I thought the shipping charges on a cast iron skillet would be a bit high, so I didn't order a comal. I can use a large frying pan to make my tortilla, but I know I'm going to want to purchase a comal someday. Comal's can also go right in the oven since they are cast iron. If you've ever ordered fajitas, you've probably seem a comal, that hot, heavy, sizzling pan that is brought straight to your table.

What is your favorite Mexican/Latin American cooking utensil, ingredient or recipe? I'd love to hear about it.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Turkey Taco Salad with Blue Corn Chips

 

Turkey taco salad with blue corn chips

I have a problem with high cholesterol, despite all the exercising I do. A few years ago, I decided to stop eating red meat. While I do cave-in and have a beef burger a few times a year, I no longer purchase red meat products for the house. My daughter has recently turned vegetarian, so she doesn't miss not having red meat at the house. But my husband and son are true carnivores, so I had to figure out a way to keep the cavemen happy.

 

Ground white meat turkey

Ground Turkey VS Ground Beef
I discovered that ground white meat turkey can be used in a variety of dishes that I used to use ground beef in. And most people don't notice the difference until I tell them they are eating ground turkey. I've made lasagna, hamburgers, meatballs, meatloaf and more using ground turkey in place of ground beef.

I occasionally use ground dark meat turkey, which is moister than ground white meat turkey, due to its higher fat content. But that's kind of defeating the whole lower-fat eating program I'm trying to follow, so I try to stick to using white meat turkey.

 

Store bought taco seasoning mix

Spiced Taco Meat
I started making my own taco seasoning mix a few years ago. Prepackaged taco seasoning can be found in the ethnic food section of most grocery stores. Commercially made taco seasonings contain a bit too much salt for my taste, so making your own taco spice blend lets you reduce, or completely eliminate the salt.

 

Ingredients for homemade taco seasoning mixture

Here's a quick recipe for creating spiced, ground turkey meat, that can be used in tacos, enchiladas, taco salads and other Tex-Mex style dishes. Use ground chile pepper, such as ancho or chipolte, not chili powder spice mix in this recipe. Chili powder spice mix is usually a mixture of ground chile, garlic powder, cumin, salt and oregano.Ground chili pepper is 100% ground chili pepper.

Taco Spice Seasoning Mix

• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon salt, if desired
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground chile pepper
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, or Mexican oregano

Cook meat until no longer pink in center

Using Taco Spice Mix

1. Add 1 pound of ground meat to a large frying pan, placed over medium heat.
2. Cook the meat until no longer pink in the center.
3. Sprinkle 1 recipe of taco spice mix over the cooked meat.
4. Pour in 2/3 cup water and still until well blended.
5. Cook over medium high heat, until most of the water has been evaporated.
6. Use the spiced taco meat as desired.

Taco spice mix added to cooked ground meat

Turkey Taco Salad with Blue Corn Chips

1. Add 1 cup shredded lettuce to the bottom of a medium bowl.
2. Add 1/2 cup of turkey taco meat on top of the lettuce.
3. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons grated cheese, such as cheddar or Monterey Jack.
4. Add additional toppings as desired, such as sliced black olives, diced onion, chopped tomato, sour cream or hot sauce.
5. Serve with your favorite type of corn chip. I have a preference for blue corn chips.

Seasoned turkey taco meat, ready to eat

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Tex-Mex Style Recipes

Culinary Mexico cookbook by Daniel Hoyer

From time-to-time I enjoy making Mexican style meals. Here are links to a few of my own favorite Tex-Mex style recipes.

Black Bean and Corn Turkey Chili - tasty variation of a classic chili recipe.

Bowl of black bean and corn turkey chili

Guacamole - classic avocado dip flavored with garlic, cilantro and lime.

Bowl of guacamole

How-to Make Ceviche - traditional seafood salad dish seasoned with lime juice and cilantro.

Quick and Easy Savory Corn Muffins - traditional corn bread enhanced with whole corn, onion and cheese.

Quick Bread Recipes - includes a recipe for Chili Cheese Cornbread.

Mexican Food Recipes - features recipes for a creamy avocado dip, black bean dip and white bean dip.

White bean dip

If you enjoy authentic Mexican cooking, check out my review of Daniel Hoyer's cookbook, Culinary Mexico, which features authentic Mexican recipes and traditions.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva