Home
Enchiladas vs Entomatadas...
Thursday, 15 March 2012
When it comes to Mexican food in Ireland, there is always one massive bee in my bonnet: the twisted concept of an 'enchilada' which has been pushed by crappy commercial food companies that disguise themselves as Mexican Food experts. The yellow and red company who sells mass produced packets of enchilada kits in supermarkets across Ireland and the UK hasn't a clue of what an enchilada is, so I'm gonna set the record straight here. Basically, an enchilada involves a good quality corn tortilla which has been dipped into a nice warm bath of a cooked dried chili sauce (many versions of this sauce exist), then stuffed with a filling of cheese or meat and rolled. It is then topped again with some sauce, cheese and served with refried beans, lightly fried carrots & potatoes and salad. The word enchilada literally means 'covered in chili'.
An Entomatada (meaning covered in tomato), is a similar thing, however it is actually covered with tomato sauce that has been cooked with some fresh chili. So what people have been buying in those kits are definitely not enchiladas but some sort of entomatada with wheat wraps, which are awful and not Mexican at all.
So here's my homemade Entomatada recipe. I made mine with a cheese & onion filling, but you can also boil some chicken in water with a bay leaf and a full garlic clove, shred it when it is fully cooked and fill yours with chicken. Either way, they are quick to make, delicious and full of fresh wholesome ingredients. No sachets of dehydrated stuff, added flavours, colourings or preservatives: just pure lovely tomatoes and fresh chilies. Enjoy!!
Note: this sauce is very mild, if you like it hotter, add a bit more chili to it. If you're concerned about the heat, only use half the chili, make the sauce, taste it and add a bit more if you want.
Mexican Chilli Dogs
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Chilli Dogs have a very special place in my heart. They bring up childhood memories of birthday parties in the summer months, with a big colourful piñata full of sweets ready to be whacked open and cool pots of strawberry jelly with birthday cake. Chilli Dogs are a mix of Chilli con Carne and a Hot Dog. I've no idea how this dish came about, but it is quite popular in my home State of Nuevo Leon in Mexico and I assume it is so all along the Northern Mexican region. I love them, they're satisfying, quick to make and most of all, delicious. Hope you enjoy them too!
Mexican Gorditas...
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
I love Gorditas. They are a sort of maize masa-harina edible parcel that you can stuff with your favourite filling. They're also known as Itacates (from a Nahuatl term used to refer to food to take on a journey or into the fields). My mam has made them for years and it was one of my favourite supper dishes when I was a child. They're sold in food markets across Mexico and they are one of my top ten Mexican street foods. They are yummy, healthy and easy enough to prepare. They freeze well and are perfect to get rid of any leftovers. I made these stuffed with refried beans and my cascabel spiced turkey leftover recipe for New Years Eve, but you can fill them with potatoes & chorizo, beans and cheese, chorizo and cheese, or anything you can think of. It's the perfect dish to be creative.
The secret of these Gorditas is in having everything you need, where you need it, when you need it. After that, it's all in the clapping. I've seen ladies in the street markets making gorditas in three 'claps' (this will all make sense when you read the recipe), so I am going to give you a word of advise: be patient with yourself and expect to make a few mistakes the first time. Just keep in mind that practice makes perfect!
Dried Arbol Chili Salsa
Friday, 20 January 2012
As many of you know, I had an accident recently and damaged my left side arm, neck and shoulder, which explains why I had been so quiet lately. I did a lot of cooking and took tons of photos over Christmas and New Year, but after my fall down the stairs, typing was very, very sore... still is, so short post for a while.
Here's one of my VERY HOT and tasty home-made salsas. I made this to accompany the pozole I made for New Years Eve. It's quite hot, but if you like spicy, this baby is for you. It also works really well as part of a marinade for pork, I'll add a note at the end on this. Arbol Chilies (tree chilies) are also known as 'bird's beak chilies' or 'rat's tail chilies' and they are very similar to what you basically know as chili flakes, but they are whole. I don't recommend substituting the whole dried Arbol chilies for chili flakes as the smell while you toast them is going to really kill you, besides flavour won't be the same. This is one of those salsas that are very quick and easy to make, but it is not for the faint hearted as it is quite hot and since it's made of practically nothing but chilies, there's very little room to tame out the heat; if you use less chilies, you'll have less salsa!
Turkey Leftovers...
Friday, 30 December 2011
I don't know about you, but I seem to be completely incapable of EVER judging what size turkey to buy so that I don't have a massive amount of it left after our traditionally Irish Christmas dinner. This year was no exception, the 14 pound bird was indeed too much, so I was left with about 5 pounds of cooked turkey! Now there's only so much cold turkey you can eat and after two days, one may need to get quite inventive. Here's what I did with my leftovers of turkey today.
This recipe will make a lovely filling for tamales, or for your favourite wheat wrap nicely warmed. It tastes fantastic as a filling for gorditas, which is what I intent to do with mine or tacos. So don't dump the leftover turney after a couple of days, cook most of it like this instead and then freeze it in portions so you can use it when you need it.
The main ingredient for the sauce is a fabulously good Mexican dried chili called Cascabel, which literally means ‘rattle’; they are little, round, dried chilies slightly smaller than a golf ball. They are of a deep ruby colour and full of small loose seeds which, if shaken, make a funny rattling noise (and that's their name explained). They are of a slightly bitter flavour and quite mild in heat, but like most dried chilies, one must be careful handling them. Use gloves if this makes you feel more comfortable, otherwise make sure to wash your hands well once you’re finished. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!
