Taco Perogies

This is a hit with the younger crowd. I made it with a group of middle school students and they loved it so much some were going home and making it for the family.

This is fusion cooking like no other, Ukranian and Mexican, in one easy to make casserole. Supper is on the table in less than an hour. And do make the taco seasoning mix. You will never buy the packaged stuff again.

Just add a crisp green salad and dinner is ready.

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Taco Perogy Casserole

Purchased or thick dough perogies work best in this recipe. Thin dough perogies may break apart.

1 35 oz. package of bacon flavoured perogies 1 kg

1 lb. lean ground beef 500 g

1 onion, finely diced

1 green or red pepper, chopped

2 tbsp. taco seasoning (recipe follows) 30 mL

1/2 c. beef stock 125 mL

1/2 c. sour cream 125 mL

2 – 3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 c. cheddar cheese, grated 250 mL

2 green onions, cut on the bias

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook perogies until warmed through. Drain and set aside.

While the perogies are cooking brown ground beef in a large pan that has been lightly oiled. After meat begins to brown add onions and peppers and cook until the beef is completely cooked. Stir in taco seasoning.  Add beef stock and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and tomatoes.

Assemble by lightly oiling a 9 inch x 9 inch (22 cm x 22 cm) baking dish. Put half of the perogies on the bottom and top with half of the beef mixture. Top with half of the grated cheese. Repeat with another layer of perogies, ground beef and grated cheese.

Broil until cheese melts. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Taco Seasoning

A well stocked spice cabinet does not require any seasoning mixes.

2 tbsp. chili powder 30 mL

1/2 tsp. garlic powder 2 mL

1/2 tsp. onion powder 2 mL

1/4 tsp. cayenne 1 mL

1/2 tsp. oregano 2 mL

1 tsp. paprika 5 mL

1 tbsp. ground cumin 15 mL

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp. flour 30 mL

Mix thoroughly and store in a container with a tight fitting lid.

Pork and Squash Chili

This is meal #3 from my pork butt roast. My second meal was a pureed roasted vegetable soup with thinly sliced pork on a bun with barbecue sauce.

Pork and squash are a good match. It has a TexMex feel about it with chilis and pepitas. The family will never think this is leftovers.

Guajillo and pasilla peppers are not hot. They are considered medium on the Scoville scale. Add a hot chili pepper such as a serrano, aleppo or habenero if you like spicy food.

Pork and Squash Chili

2 dried quajillo chilis
1 dried pastilla chili
1/4 c. pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 c. cubed cooked pork butt roast
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
grating of black pepper
1 clove garlic
2 c. hot water
1 onion, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F with cast iron skillet inside.

Toast pepitas in skillet in oven and set aside. Toast dried peppers, seeds and stem removed. Add toasted peppers, salt, cumin, garlic, 1/4 c. of the chopped onion to blender. Add hot water and let sit for 10 minutes. Puree.

Add vegetable oil to skillet. Add onions and squash and place in preheated oven for about 10 minutes to start cooking. Add cubed pork and pureed chili sauce. Return to oven until the squash is tender. Serve garnished with toasted pepitas.

Taco in a Bag with a Low Cal Twist

This month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is featuring food from the Fall Fair (or summer fair, since it is only the beginning of August!)

Val from More Than Burnt Toast is our host this month. She is serving a fabulous lobster roll. Be sure to check it out. I wanted to offer a lighter version of the so popular Taco in a Bag. For starters, I didn't use a bag of those oh-so-yummy flavoured taco chips. Make your own bag and use some baked chips and use fewer. Load up on the filling. This is so light using Greek style yogurt rather than sour cream and the avocado and lime kicks it up a notch, lightly sauteed chicken rather than the ground beef chili and a vinaigrette on an herbed lettuce. You can pile it on without guilt.

See what else is for dinner here...

Val at More Than Burnt Toast has Lobster Roll with Shaved Fennel Salad
Sandi at The Whistle Stop Cafe made Carmelized Banana Sundae
Jerry at Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants has Grilled Corn on the Cob with Jalapeno Butter
Susan at The Spice Garden lightened up Onion Rings

What a great line up for lazy days.

Ancho Chicken Tacos with Avocado Cream

• 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips 
• 3/4 tsp. ancho chile powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt 
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• Cooking spray
• 1/8 tsp. grated lime rind
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice, divided 
• 1/4 c. thick yogurt
• 1/2 ripe peeled avocado, diced
• 2 c. thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
• 1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp. canola oil 
• 1/4 tsp. salt

1. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with chile powder, garlic salt, and cumin. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove chicken from pan.
2. Combine rind, 1 tablespoon juice, yogurt and  avocado in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.
3. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon juice, lettuce, onions, cilantro, oil, and salt, tossing to coat.
4. This will make about 6 servings. Add to bag in order -  tortilla chips, chicken mixture, about 1 tablespoon avocado mixture and 1/2 cup lettuce mixture.

Virtual Supper Club - Deceptively Easy Gourmet

Happy April Fool's Day! But today's beautiful food is no joke. It is my turn to host the party this month and look what everyone is bringing! And the good news is that you don't have to loosen that belt to enjoy good food.

We all lead busy lives but want to have nice food. It doesn't have to be all that difficult. Together we have selected a menu that is so easy but so nice! Enjoy.

Jerry - Jerrys Thoughts, Musings and Rants  Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus with Prosciutto
Susan Linquist –The Spice Garden    Ham, Corn and Cheese Souffle
Roz - La Bella Vita    Pork Saltimboca with Polenta

Sandi -Whistestop Café Chocolate Souffle with Creme Anglaise 
Val- More Than Burnt Toast     Carmelized Espresso Frappe

Ceviche de Camaron

This recipe takes me right back to my very first visit to Mexico. Serve with the traditional saltines and you will forget about this terrible cold weather.

You can leave the shrimp whole and serve it like a shrimp cocktail as an appetizer. I roughly chopped mine so I could serve it with crackers. 

    1/2 c. chopped onion

    6 c. water

    3/4 c. fresh lime juice, divided

    1 lb. medium shrimp

    1 c. chopped peeled cucumber

    1/2 c. ketchup

    1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro

    2 tbsp. Mexican hot sauce (such as Tamazula)

    1 tbsp. olive oil

    1/4 tsp. salt

Place chopped onion in a colander, and rinse with cold water. Drain.

Bring 6 cups water and 1/4 cup juice to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until done. Drain and rinse with cold water; peel shrimp. Coarsely chop if you wish to use this as a dip. Combine shrimp and 1/2 cup juice in a large bowl; cover and chill 1 hour. Stir in onion, cucumber, and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or chilled.

Casual Friday - Tacos, Tortas and Tamales

I won this cookbook a couple of months ago from Justin at JustCookNYC. Check out his blog. He reviews a lot of cookbooks.

These fish tacos were fantastic! I love the homemade tartar sauce that accompanied them. It was so good that I could eat it with a spoon but that would not be good, would it! I used wild Saskatchewan pickerel. This is a nice sweet mild white-fleshed fish that comes from the cold northern waters. Corn tortillas are now readily available in my small city. Yeah!

Tacos de Pescado   (Fish Tacos)    adapted from Tacos, Tortas and Tamales by Roberto Santibanez

1 large egg
1 c. panko bread crumbs
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1 lb. pickerel
canola oil for deep frying

Mix egg, salt, pepper and oregano in small bowl. Place panko in another small bowl. Cut the fish into smallish pieces and add to the egg mixture.

Using a heavy pot, add 3 inches of oil. Heat to 375F and use a thermometer to help maintain the correct temperature.

With tongs, remove fish one piece at a time and let excess egg mixture drain off and roll firmly in panko. Add 2 at a time to the hot oil and deep fry until golden brown on the outside. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Serve with 12 warm corn tortillas and top with shredded cabbage or romaine lettuce and Mexican tartar sauce and pico de gallo.

Mexican Tartar Sauce

1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. finely chopped dill pickles
2 T. finely chopped pickled jalapenos
2 T. finely chopped red onions
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mix all and chill. Will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.

Ponche Caliente Updated

I know I wrote about this hot Mexican Christmas punch back when I was in Tennessee. I was served this lovely warm punch by a woman who grew up with the tradition of enjoying it every Christmas.

I thought it would be nice to serve tonight, Christmas Eve, on a very cold prairie winter night. It is very warming.

The problem is that all the tropical fruits are not available in Canada and particularly in my small city on the prairies. So I adapt. We all enjoyed it and it was also nice spiked with a bit of rum.

Ponche Caliente
1/2 pineapple, cut into 1" pieces
1 green apple, diced
1 orange sliced and then each slice quartered
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
5 cups unrefined apple juice or cider
1 cup piloncillo
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 long cinnamon sticks, broken
4 whole cloves
4 whole allspice
8 cups water

Combine all in a pot and simmer for about an hour or until mellow. Serve in glasses with the fruits and a spoon so the fruits can also be eaten.

Huevos Rancheros

My cousin married a man from El Salvador and they always treat us to Huevos Ranchos for a special breakfast. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a larger group. Huevos Rancheros was invented as a way to use up leftover tortillas and salsa and was a Mexican rancher’s breakfast. Corn tortillas are usually used but may be more difficult to find. Flour tortillas work fine and since they are larger use one for two eggs.

Cousin Lorna’s Huevos Rancheros

Serves 6 people.

4 - 5 tomatoes pureed with 1/2 cup water in blender            

6 tbsp. white onion, finely chopped                                                

6 tbsp. green pepper, finely chopped                                    

4 tbsp. cilantro                                                                        

2 tbsp. cooking oil                                                            

pinch of garlic salt

4 drops Tabasco Sauce

2 tbsp. ketchup                                                           

Pace brand or your favourite purchased mild chunky salsa

1 avocado

6 eggs

6 corn or flour tortillas

Sauté white onions, green peppers, in pot with cooking oil, then add garlic salt; cilantro. Add blended tomatoes with water; cook over medium heat for approx 12 minutes and add Tabasco sauce and ketchup for more color and flavour. Add salsa to thicken; extend recipe as needed. Fry eggs sunny side up and put on corn tortillas that have been heated either in microwave or on the grill. Use 1 egg per tortilla and ladle sauce over the egg. Garnish with cilantro leaves and avocado wedges. This can also be served with refried beans topped with grated Monterey Jack cheese.

Sorry, I don't know why the recipe didn't show when I first published this post! You must have wondered why I only published a picture!

Braised Duck & Wild Mushroom Tamales

After several months of not participating I am back cooking with The Daring Cooks.  This month's challenge is tamales.  I have made them a few times before and love to have them as a treat.  Thank my lucky stars that I met a very supportive group on Chowhound a few years ago that said, "Yes you can!"

One young man of Mexican heritage passed on his mother's best tips for making a light and fluffy tamale.  It works!  These are not for the diet conscious so I have made mine tapas size.  We can enjoy them without over indulging.

Maranda of Jolts & Jollies was our January 2012 Daring Cooks hostess with the mostess! Maranda challenged us to make traditional Mexican Tamales as our first challenge of the year! 

Braised Duck & Wild Mushroom Tamales

Filling

1 cup of duck meat (breast, leg doesn't matter)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon anchilo chile powder
2 tablespoons dried mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
duck stock

Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil and add the dried mushrooms.  Let them sit in the hot water for 20 minutes.  Remove and reserve the soaking liquid.

Brown the onions in a little olive oil.  Add duck meat and continue to saute until meat is browned.  Add the rest of the ingredients including the soaking liquid from the mushrooms, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until fall apart tender.

 

Tamale Dough

4 c.                  instant corn masa mix

4 c.                  lukewarm water or broth

2 t.                  baking powder

1 t.                  salt

1 1/3 c.          lard or shortening

Combine Masa Mix, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Work in the water or broth using a stand mixer, if possible, or otherwise your fingers to make a soft, moist dough.  Beat this masa mixture until it is light and smooth and resembles a cake batter.  Let sit for 20 minutes.

In another bowl, beat lard or shortening until fluffy.  If you have a stand mixer, this is ideal.  Beat it until very light and fluffy and until it almost triples in volume.  This will ensure a light tamale.

Slowly add the whipped lard to the dough a little at a time and mix in gently until well combined.  Refrigerate until you are ready to use it.  At this point you can test the dough to see if it has been beaten enough.  Drop a small amount, about the size of a raspberry into a glass of cold water.  If it floats, you will have a light and fluffy tamale.

Grilled Chicken Breast with Peach Adobo Sauce

So many times I am stymied by ingredients that are just not available in my little town.  The latest is chipotles in adobo sauce.  It is almost a staple but is nowhere to be found in all my local grocery stores.  Then I remembered that Memoria had a post about making adobo sauce on her blog Mangio da Sola, Eating Alone.

I have some dried chipotles.  And I can easily buy more online.  I also have other dried chiles from my trip to Tennessee a few months ago.  I had everything on hand!  Even Mexican oregano.

So now I have two jars of chipotles in adobo sauce in my fridge.  This should keep me for awhile.  I can hardly wait to compare them with the canned that I usually buy.

And peaches are in season...

Grilled Chicken Breast with Peach Adobo Sauce

• 1 peach, chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles
• 2 teaspoons hazelnut oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 large peach, rinsed, fuzz wiped away and sliced in half
• 2 boneless chicken breast halves with skin

Coat grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Stir preserves, next 3 ingredients, 2 teaspoons oil, and chopped cilantro in medium bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/4 cup dressing to small bowl.

Brush peaches, then chicken with oil and dressing from small bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side. Grill peach until slightly charred, about 2 minutes per side.

Place 1 chicken breast on each plate. Garnish with peach half. Drizzle dressing from bowl over chicken and peaches. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Chipotle Pecan Tamales

I have been itching to make tamales.  I have the masa, the corn husks, the chipotles and the desire! 

I came across an interesting post for some nut butters that can be purchased.  One flavour combination appealed to me and that was a spicy chipotle pecan butter.  I am attempting to recreate this butter and using it in a Tex Mex style tamale.  I thought that sweet corn would complement the spicy and nutty flavour of the butter filling. 

Tamale Dough

4 cups masa mix
4 cups lukewarm water or stock (I used the soaking liquid from the chipotles and stock)
2 cups of fresh or frozen corn off the cob
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups lard

If using fresh corn on the cob, grill on a barbecue until tender.  With a sharp knife, cut all the kernels off the cob.  If using frozen corn kernels this step is not necessary.  Place the corn in a food processor and pulse two or three times to slightly break up the kernels.  Set aside.

Combine masa mix, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Work in the water or broth using a stand mixer, if possible, or otherwise your fingers to make a soft, moist dough.  Beat this masa mixture until it is light and smooth and resembles a cake batter.  Stir in the corn.  Let sit for 20 minutes.

In another bowl, beat lard or shortening until fluffy.  If you have a stand mixer, this is ideal.  Beat it until very light and fluffy and until it almost triples in volume.  This will ensure a light tamale.

Slowly add the whipped lard to the dough a little at a time and mix in gently until well combined.  Refrigerate until you are ready to use it.  At this point you can test the dough to see if it has been beaten enough.  Drop a small amount, about the size of a raspberry into a glass of cold water.  If it floats, you will have a light and fluffy tamale.

Spicy Chipotle Pecan Butter

1 cup pecans, toasted
2 dried chipotle peppers, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes.
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Puree the pecans until a butter is formed, about 3 minutes.  Chop the chipotles into small pieces and add to butter.  Continue to puree until they are very finely chopped.  Add salt to taste.








To assemble the tamales:

Soak corn husks for 20 minutes and drain well.

Smear each corn husk with two or three tablespoons of the masa mixture.  Drop a teaspoon of the nut butter in the centre.  Roll the corn husk to encase the nut butter in masa and tie.

Repeat this until all of the masa mixture is used.

Steam the tamales for 45 minutes in a large pot.  Use a rack to keep the tamales out of the water so they are just steamed.

Posole

The only time I have eaten posole was when I was in New Mexico visiting the beautiful Acoma Pueblo.  It was served at the visitors' centre restaurant.  When I was in Tennessee, I found a little Mexican store.  They were selling the dried corn used to make this soup.  I had to buy it.  I also bought this rustic bowl at that same store.

The squeezed lime juice added at the time of eating is essential to bringing out the best flavours of the dish.  If you don't like the idea of using pig's trotters, then just use pork shoulder.  It would be just fine.  I used a chiffonade of spinach, since it is in my garden.  I like the addition of garnishes on top.

I bought this lovely piece of handmade pottery at the pueblo.  It is a seed pot.  The pot would be filled with seeds and then you could shake them into the furrow to plant them.  It fits in the palm of your hand.

Posole

• 1 bunch mint (1 ounce)
• 1 bunch cilantro (1 ounce)
• 4 pounds country-style pork ribs (not lean)
• 10 cups water
• 26 garlic cloves (about 1 1/2 heads), peeled, divided
• 1 (1/2-pound) white onion, quartered, plus 1/2 cup, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• 2 ounces dried guajillo or New Mexico chiles (6 to 9), wiped clean
• 1 1/2 ounces dried ancho chiles (2 to 4), wiped clean
• 1 whole clove
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 (15-ounce) cans hominy (also called pozole), rinsed and drained

• Accompaniments: diced avocado; crema; queso fresco; thinly sliced iceberg or romaine lettuce or cabbage; chopped white onion; sliced radishes; fried tortilla strips or chips; lime wedges; dried oregano; dried hot red-pepper flakes

Tie together mint and cilantro with kitchen string.

Bring pork and water to a boil in a large pot, skimming froth, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add tied herbs, 20 garlic cloves, quartered onion, oregano, peppercorns, and 2 teaspoons salt and gently simmer, uncovered, until pork is very tender, about 3 hours. Strain broth through a large sieve into a large heatproof bowl. Return broth to pot. Discard mint and cilantro.  Pick through the meat and onions and discard bones and coarsely shred pork into broth.  Also rub the onions and garlic between your fingers to make a puree and add back to broth. 

Meanwhile, slit chiles lengthwise, then stem and seed. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot, then toast chiles in batches, opened flat, turning and pressing with tongs, until more pliable and slightly changed in color, about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to a bowl and pour 2 1/2 cups boiling water over chiles. Soak, covered, until softened, about 30 minutes.

Purée chiles with 1 1/2 cups soaking liquid, chopped onion, remaining 6 garlic cloves, clove, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in cleaned blender until a smooth paste forms, about 2 minutes.

Heat oil in cast-iron skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then add chile paste (it will spatter) and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.

Add chile paste and hominy back to the broth and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt.  Slice suggested accompaniments and serve the stew with these.  Add them to your individual bowls of stew as desired.

Cooks' note: Posole can be made 3 days ahead. Chill, uncovered, to cool, then cover.

Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Tortillas

It is Daring Cooks time again.  It seems to come earlier every month!  May is the month of Cinco de Mayo, a regional holiday in Mexico.  In celebration, our hosts chose a Mexican theme.  I love Mexican food.  The dish chosen is rather high in calories so I am making a leaner version - chicken enchiladas.  It might be leaner in calories but not in flavour.  I am also making my own flour tortillas.  The recipe is below.

The tortillas were absolutely fantastic.  Not exactly round, but tasty!

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh. 

Chicken Enchiladas with Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce

Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce
9 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into pieces
6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into pieces
5 cups very hot water
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
2 tsp fine sea salt

Heat heavy large skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes.  Add all chile pieces; cook just until chiles blister, pressing with metal spatula and turning occasionally, about 30 seconds.
Transfer chiles to a bowl; add 5 cups very hot water.  Soak chiles until very tender, pushing occasionally to submerge, about 30 minutes. 
Working in 3 batches, puree chiles with soaking liquid and all remaining ingredients in blender until smooth.  Season sauce with more salt if desired.  (Can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.) 

Enchiladas
6 cups water
6 chicken thighs with skin and bone (I used one whole fryer)
1 small white onion, quartered
6 garlic cloves, halved
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup crumbled queso fresco (can substitute with feta)
3 pickled jalapeno chiles, halved


Bring first 5 ingredients to boil in large pot.  Reduce heat; simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Cool chicken in broth 30 minutes, then transfer chicken to bowl and cool completely (reserve broth for another use).

Shred the chicken with two forks.  Add enough Ancho-Guajillo chile sauce to taste.

Wrap flour tortillas in aluminium foil and warm in the oven.

Remove tortillas from foil one at a time.  Hold one in the palm of your hand and put about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture in it and roll up.  Place in a greased ovenproof dish, seam side down.  Continue until you have made the number of enchiladas that you need.

Pour some of the Ancho-Guajillo sauce over the rolled enchiladas.  Top with grated cheddar or Monterey Jack (or both) cheese.  Bake until bubbling and cheese is melted.  This will take about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top with sliced pickled jalapenos and crumbled queso fresco. 

Serve with rice and black beans, oven roasted squash and corn.

Tortillas de Harina/Flour Tortillas

Translated recipe from Blanca Diaz

(Watch the detailed video of her making the tortillas.)

I found this recipe for tortillas on Memoria's blog Mangio da Sola.  Since she is from Texas and is the reigning queen of Tex-Mex, I didn't think I could do better.

Cooks Notes:The tortillas should be soft and bubbly. I think the key to a good tortilla is to mix/stir the dry ingredients (even though she stated not to do so), and break in the shortening. Next start the mixer and then add the hot water as it mixes. The dough should be wet but not too wet (I usually use all of the water in the recipe). Don't forget to let the dough sit for 30 minutes before rolling the dough. You should be able to roll it in a ball easily. I also add an extra 1/2 tsp of baking powder to ensure rise. Also, don't let it heat up too long the first time you put it on the comal or skillet. The first exposure to heat is the most important part, I think. Flip it over as soon as you see a few bubbles.

Make ahead: Roll out all the dough balls and place between wax paper. Then place the wax papered tortillas in a freezer bag for later use. When ready to make them, just take them out and heat them on the comal or skillet.

3 ½ cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
7/8 cup (or a little less than 1 cup) of lard or shortening, cut into small pieces
¾ to 1 cup of very hot water (almost boiling)

1. Place the flour in a bowl.

2. Add the salt, baking powder, and fat without stirring.

3. Little by little, pour the very hot water over the ingredients and mix them with your hands (or dough attachment in your stand mixer), measuring the quantity of water until you reach the desired texture. It should be moist and soft, but not sticky.

4. Knead/Mix the dough for approximately 5 minutes, and form a ball.

5. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel, and allow it to rest inside of the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Form small balls weighing approximately 40 grams each (if you don't have a scale, the balls should be more or less the size of a ping-pong or golf ball). Cover the little balls again with the towel as you roll each one out.

7. Place one of the balls on top of a clean surface, and press down on it lightly with your fingers.

8. Roll out the little ball until you form an oval. Lift up the oval and turn it to the right 45 degrees, and roll it out again. Turn it 45 degrees again to the right until you create a circle of the desired size.

9. Place the tortilla on a hot comal, griddle pan, or cast-iron skillet until it forms small bubbles on the uncooked side of the tortilla. Turn over the tortilla, and wait until it inflates a bit. Turn it again and with a spatula, press on it until the air inside goes out and stops inflating (I didn't do this last part because it stops puffing up once you remove it from the heat).

10. Store the tortillas in tortilla holder, covered container, or wrapped in a towel. You could also keep it warm in a low-temperature oven. These tortillas can be reheated the next day; store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Yields 18-20 tortillas; this recipe can be halved easily.

Mexican Christmas Hot Punch (Ponche Caliente)

See my updated recipe Ponche Caliente Updated 

I was invited to dinner last night and was hoping for some nice Mexican food because my hostess was born in Mexico and is a fabulous cook.  Alas, southern cornbread with chunky beef and vegetable homemade soup and a nice green salad were on the menu.  It was beautiful but I was hoping for Mexican.  Then we were offered hot punch.  It is a traditional Mexican hot punch and I was thrilled.

The recipe, loosely, is chopped fruit.  You should use pineapple for sure and can add a mixture of apples, oranges, raisin, prunes or anything that may strike your fancy.  Sweeten with sugar cane, add water and cinnamon stick.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

The other 'must add' is chopped walnuts.  The walnuts make this unique and memorable.  It was lovely.  I found this recipe somewhere online and it is very similar to what we had but has no walnuts.  Add walnuts!

Mexican Christmas Hot Punch (Ponche)

When Christmas time rolls around, in the biggest pot you can get your hands on—like the one grandma used to seal her canning jars in, boil the following items:

½ kilo of peeled sugar cane, cut into 3 inch lengths then split lengthwise into string-cheeze sized sticks.
½ kilo cored, and very coarsely sliced apple.
½ kilo quartered guavas
½ kilo tejocote (tey-ho-co-tey)
½ kilo tamarindo (ta-ma-reen-do) (This is a seed pod with a sour flavor that is common in Mexico.)
1/4 kilo prunes or raisins
1/8 kilo cinnamon sticks broken into large pieces
½ kilo piloncillo (pee-lone-see-yo) (This is a delicious form of brown sugar traditional in Mexico.)

Sugar to taste (If you can’t get piloncillo, I recommend that you use 100% brown sugar for your punch)

Boil until all of the fruit is very soft.

Serve hot with brandy or tequila on the side for those who like a little nip.

Makes 5 gallons of punch

Note: a kilo is 2.2 pounds. If you want to make this recipe in the US, multiply everything by two. The amounts are approximations and you can feel free to change the proportions in any way you would like.

Don’t worry if you can’t get the Mexican ingredients; it’ll still taste delicious!

Leave the skins on all of the fruit, it makes for better flavor and texture. Serve the punch with chunks of fruit. Part of the punch experience is getting at the fruit once you’ve enjoyed the liquid.

My Month of Salads - Taco Salad

OMG!  This is so good!  It isn't totally fat free but at least you know what you are eating and it isn't nearly as high-cal as it would be if you ate out.  The dressing is so good.

Taco salad is nothing new but I don't have kids.  I don't eat taco salad!  But I found this great kit for making taco bowls at the grocer.  I have never actually looked for them so perhaps they are in all of the stores.  But I thought they were kinda neat.

Layered Taco Salad                         Serves 6

For dressing

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
  

For beef

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 to 2 fresh serrano chiles (including seeds), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb ground chuck
• 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  

For salad

• 1 (1/2-lb) firm-ripe California avocado
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced (8 cups)
• 1 large tomato (1/2 lb), chopped
• 1/4 lb coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 (15- to 19-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (6-oz) can sliced pitted California black olives, drained
• taco shell bowls

Make dressing:
Whisk together lime juice, cilantro, sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.
Cook beef:
Cook onion, garlic, chiles to taste, chili powder, and cumin in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is well softened, about 6 minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up lumps, until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, then spoon off any excess fat from skillet.
Add tomato sauce, salt, and pepper to beef and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Assemble salad:
Peel and pit avocado, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Spread lettuce over bottom taco bowl. Spoon beef mixture evenly over lettuce and continue making layers with tomatoes, cheese, beans, avocado, and olives. Drizzle dressing over salad.