Salsa Aguacate (Avocado Salsa)

One of my very favourit salsa!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Large Avocados

• 3-4 Cloves garlic, peeled

• 1 onion chopped

• 3-4 Jalapeno Chile Peppers

• 3-4 Limes juiced

• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup Cilentro

• Water as necessary

*The number of peppers depends on how spicy you want it. I prefer about 4 chiles.
Remember, it’s a hot salsa with avocado, not guacamole!

Directions:

In a small pan, roast the Jalapeno peppers over medium-high heat. Turn them occasionally so all sides are a bit blackend. Remove from heat and pour water over the chiles to soak/soften a few minutes. You may choose to remove the skins, but I think the roasted skins add nice flavor. Remove seeds, and /or veins if you don’t want it too spicy otherwise, remove the stems and set the whole roasted chiles aside.

Cut the avocados in half and remove and save the pits. Scoop the avocado from its skins into a blender. Add the garlic, onion, roasted Jalapeno peppers, cilentro and lime juice. Blend until smooth. It should be pretty thick at this point. Add salt to taste and some water and blend again. It’s salsa, so it should be neither too thick not too runny. Keep adding a bit of water until you get the desired consistency for your taste.

Store in an airthight container with the avocado pits added at the end. This will help prevent the salsa from darkening in color or turning brownish.

You can top anything with this salsa – Carne Asada, Tacos, Tortas, Quesadillas or Tostadas. 

Tacos Machaca

Marinade Ingredients:

• 3 Garlic cloves, minced

• 3 chipotle chilli (in Adobo), finely chopped

• 2 Limes, freshly squeezed

• 1/4 Cup Worcestershire sauce

• 2 Tsp. Ground Cumin

• 1/2 Tsp. Salt

• 1/2 Tsp. Freshly ground Black Pepper

Machaca Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs Boneless beef chuck roast

• 1 Large onion, diced

• 4 Garlic cloves

• 1 Poblano chile pepper, finely chopped

• 1 T. Ground cumin

• 1 T. Oregano

• 2 Tsp. Dry mustard

• 1 Can Diced tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped

• 1/2 Cup Beef Broth

• 2 Chipotle chile peppers (in Adobo), finely chopped

• 2 Tsp. Adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles)

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Salt to taste

• Vegetable oil, about 1/4 cup

Marinade Directions:

Combine the ingredients for the marinade.

Cut the beef into 1/4 pound pieces and place in a Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the beef, making sure all sides are coated. Refrigerate overnight.

Before preparing, drain the meat and allow it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.

Machaca Directions:

Add vegetable oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, sear the pieces of meat on all sides, browning them in batches if necessary. Remove beef and set aside.

If necessary, add a little oil to the pot. Add onion, garlic, poblano chile, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard. Cook until the onions and poblano chile are tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, beef broth, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, pepper, and salt. Add the browned beef to the liquid and bring to boil. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula to remove the browned bits.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours, checking occasionally to see if you need to add any additional beef broth. The meat should be at the point where it will fall apart easily. Remove the meat and shred it.

Return the shredded beef to the liquid and simmer until the liquid is reduced and the meat is almost dry. Season with additional salt, pepper and/or adobo sauce as desired.

Serve the machaca taco style, or add some to scrambled eggs and serve with warm corn tortillas and salsa.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Large Avocados

• 1 Clove Garlic, peeled and minced

• 1/2 Cup Onion (preferably Red Onion) finely chopped

• 1/2 Cup Roma Tomato, seeds removed, finely chopped

• 1/2 Cup Cilantro, finely chopped

• 1 Habanero, Serrano or Jalapeño Chile Pepper, minced, optional (remove seeds to reduce spiciness)

• Juice of 1 Lime

• 1 Tablespoon Cumin

• Salt to Taste

Directions:

Cut the avocados in half. Remove the pits, but save them! Scoop the avocado halves from the skins, and then mash with a fork. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Add the avocado pits to the finished guacamole. This helps prevent it from turning brown. It’s best to cover and refrigerate for a good hour prior to serving to maximize the intensity of the flavors.

Dzik

Great apetizer! Served cold and full of taste!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound flank steak or brisket, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch squares

1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon EACH dried marjoram and thyme

1 small red onion, diced (divided use)

Salt

4 large radishes, julienned or chopped into small pieces

1 to 2 fresh habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

1 small tomato, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

6 tablespoons sour orange or lime juice

6 leaves romaine lettuce

1 ripe avocado, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. The Meat: bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the squares of meat and skim off any grayish foam that rises to the top during the first few minutes of boiling. Add the garlic, bay leaves, herbs, a generous 1/2 teaspoon salt and half of the onion. Simmer over medium to medium-low heat for an hour or so, until the meat is tender. If there is time, let cool in the broth. Drain and discard all but the meat; then shred the meat into thin strands.

2. The dzik. Combine the cooked meat, the remaining half of the onion, the radishes, chile, tomato and cilantro, and toss with the sour orange or lime juice and generous 1 teaspoon salt. Line a platter with 4 of the romaine leaves; slice the remaining 2 to make a bed in the center. Scoop the Dzik into a mound over the sliced lettuce. Decorate with slices of avocado.

Salsa Pico de Gallo

You can't have tacos without this salsa. Simple and tasty!

Ingredients:

5-6 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 Small onion, chopped

1/2 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 Serrano or Jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced

1 Clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

Salt and peper to taste.

Preparation:

Simply combine all ingredients and mix well. let stand for at least 1 hour, or even overnight in the fridge. Remember, the longer the better. The flavors really get a chance to permeate throughout.

As an option, throw in some chopped avocado or jicama during preparation. And if you like it spicy like I do, use Habanero pepers (including seeds) instead of Serranos or Jalapeños!.

For sweet salsas, simply replace the tomatoes with fresh fruit. You can add a little freshly squeezed orange or pineapple juice as well. Pineapple salsa made with Habanero chili is one of my favorites.

Chicharron de Queso

Ma favourit appetizer!

Ingredient... CHEESE

Heat an 8- to 9-inch diameter nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Scatter one-half cup grated cheese in a circle, about 7 inches in diameter. As the cheese melts, spread it evenly across the pan so it cooks evenly, spreading the cheese further out to the edges of the pan as it melts. Rotate the pan as needed so the cheese cooks evenly. Once the cheese starts to crisp on the bottom and lightly color on the top, 6 to 7 minutes, blot dry and continue cooking until golden brown, another minute or two.

Using a plastic spatula, remove the cheese from the pan. Immediately form the cheese into a cone or drape it over a rolling pin, using a spatula and being careful, as the cheese is quite hot. It will cool very quickly, becoming crunchy and keeping whatever shape you form it into. Cool on paper towels and repeat until all of the cheese has been used. Serve the chicharrónes with the warm tortillas and a bowl of salsa.

Frijoles Charros (Cow Boys beans)

A real Maxican soup! Great heat and very tasty soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg Dried Pinto Beans

• 250 g Pork Belly, 2 Smoked Ham Hocks, or 2 Smoked Pork Chops

• 4 Cloves Garlic, Whole

• 1 Large Onion, Chopped

• 6 Serrano or Jalapeño Chile Peppers, finely sliced (”nacho” style)

• 3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped

• 1 Tomatillo, Chopped

• 2 Tablespoons Chicken Broth Bouillon (like “Knorr Suiza”)

• 6 Slices Bacon

• 1/2 Cup Chorizo, casing removed and crumbled*

• 250 g Ham, diced

• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

• Salt to Taste

• 1/2 Cup Cilantro, finely chopped

*Note: You can substitute hot Italian sausage for the Chorizo if you can’t get Chorizo in your area.

Directions:

Wash and soak beans in water overnight.

Drain beans, add fresh water, and bring to a boil in a large pot. Add the pork belly/smoked ham hocks/smoked pork chops and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer one hour. Remove the garlic and mash/mince it, returning it to the beans, if using pork belly or pork chops, remove and cut into smaller pieces and add back to the beans. Add onion, chile, pepper, tomatoes, tomatillo, and chicken bouillon and simmer another 1 1/2 to 2 hours until beans are tender. Check at regular intervals to make sure there’s enough water.

Fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the ham and cook a few more minutes.

Add the mixture to the beans when the beans are fully cooked. Add salt to taste. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water, and then add to the beans. Let simmer another 15 minutes to thicken a bit. When ready to serve, top with a little finely chopped cilantro.