Sunday, October 18, 2009

Victoria's Enchiladas















Ingredients (best from authentic Mexican stores)
  • Beans
  • Tortillas
  • New Mexico Chiles
  • Tortillas
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Crisco

Directions

  • Soak the beans overnight, then cook with onions and salt and simmer for four hours
  • Take off tops of the chilies and take all seeds out (your hands will get hot -- don't touch your face!)
  • Wash chilies once (to get more seeds out, dirt off) and let soak in water until soft, around half an hour
  • Pour some Crisco in pan and turn on the heat to medium. Dip the tortillas in on each size for around 10 seconds (brown around the edges = too dry). Let the remaining oil drip back into the pan before layering the tortillas on paper towels to drain.
  • Prepare a lot of garlic cloves. Put 5 cloves and some chilies into a blender and liquefy. Use a strainer to get the remaining skins and seeds out (ideally, with the funky strainer that Victoria had).
  • Put strained chili juice into pan and heat it -- add salt and flour (for thickening) to taste.
  • Dip tortillas in juice in pan and layer them on a cookie sheet.
  • Put chopped onions and graded cheese on tortillas, repeat 3x (3-layer enchiladas), pour chili juice on top if too dry.
  • Put enchiladas in oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until ready.
  • Serve the beans on the side.

Monday, August 03, 2009

Friday, July 03, 2009

Chicken Vindaloo, from AMA's Family Health Cookbook















Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon cumin seed
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seed
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 6 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 6 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
  • 1 and 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
  • 1 large onion, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 1 and 1/2 cups defatted lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
  • 5 cups cooked basmati or brown rice
Directions
  1. Toss the cumin and coriander seeds and the chili powder in a small skillet set over medium heat until they darken a shade, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately scrape the mixture from the skillet and let it cool. Then grind it in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
  2. In a blender, puree the spices with the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, chipotle pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne [note: at this point, this mixture will smell/taste like spicy ass-fire-sauce]. Place the chicken in a shallow dish. Pour the puree over the chicken, coating it completely. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 6 hours.
  3. Remove the chicken from the marinade, scraping any excess marinade back into the dish. Reserve the marinade. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil and cook the chicken, potatoes, onion, and bell pepper over medium heat, stirring often, just until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, and any reserved marinade.
  4. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve the vindaloo spooned over the rice. Naan also helps.