Tag: main course
Chicken Mole
Chicken Mole
Chicken mole is one of the most popular dishes to represent the Mexican gastronomy. If you’ve never had mole before; what stands out in the sauce is the use of Mexican chocolate. The chocolate is sugary and contains cinnamon. When combined with a pasilla pepper sauce, it creates a rich, sweet and savory sauce. It is truly a dish that has its own flavor that tastes unlike anything else.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken legs drumstick cut from thigh
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 rib celery
- 3 sprigs parsley
Mole Sauce
- 4 dried pasilla peppers
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 1 large tomato
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tablet Mexican chocolate 3 1/4 oz
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken, onion, and garlic in a large pot. Fill it with water until the chicken is submerged.
- Bring to a boil. Skim off all of the scum that floats to the top. Add in the celery and parsley. Simmer for 45 minutes over medium heat until the chicken is completely cooked through. Drain the chicken, saving a cup of the stock you just created. Set aside.
- Dry toast the pasilla peppers in a skillet for 5 minutes on all sides. Place in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes. Remove the seeds and drain the water.
- Dry toast the tomato, onion, and garlic for 5 minutes until charred on all sides.
- Place the pasilla peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and the chicken stock in a blender.
- Purée until smooth.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Pour the sauce through a fine strainer to remove the seeds into the saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add in the Mexican chocolate tab, salt, and pepper. Simmer until the tablet has completely dissolved.
- Place the chicken pieces back into the mole sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat; continuously basting the chicken with the sauce.
Tamale Casserole
Tamale Casserole
Love tamales but don’t have the time to make them? Then how about a tamale casserole? Instead of making individual tamales wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves, the tamale dough is pressed in a baking dish. Then tomatillo sauce and shredded pork or chicken is layered in the center, then topped with more masa dough. The casserole is then baked in the oven for an hour. Garnish the tamale casserole with cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro.
Equipment
- blender
- standing mixer
Ingredients
- 8 medium tomatillos
- 2 jalapeños
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- salt to taste
- 1 cup lard
- 3 1/2 cups masa harina
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 lb shredded pork or chicken
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Garnish
- mozzarella cheese
- Mexican sour cream
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Place the tomatillos, jalapeños, and garlic in a pot of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Drain the veggies from the water. Place in a blender along with the cilantro and salt. Purée until smooth. Set aside.
- Beat the lard with in a standing mixer. Slowly incorporate the masa flour and chicken stock. Beat until the dough is somewhat creamy.
- Grease the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Press down half of the tamale dough. Pour over half of the green sauce.
- Top the green sauce with the shredded pork. Season the pork with garlic and onion powder. Pour over the rest of the green sauce.
- Place the rest of the dough over the top.
- Place the tamale casserole in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Empalmes
Empalmes
Empalmes are a popular breakfast dish in Mexico. It consists of refried beans spread in between 2 crispy fried tortillas; topped with a sunny side up egg, piquin chili salsa, and chopped cilantro.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil
- 2 tortillas
- 1/4 cup refried beans with chorizo
- 1 large egg
- piquin chili salsa
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat up vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Fry both of the tortillas for 2-3 minutes a side until crispy. Drain grease on paper towel.
- Spread the beans on one side of a tortilla. Place the other tortilla on top.
- Add a little more oil to the skillet. Fry an egg sunny side up.
