Tag: Mexican
Arrachera (Mexican Skirt Steak)
Serve the skirt steak on corn tortillas with cilantro, onion, jalapeños, and your favorite hot sauce.
Relleno Negro (Stewed Black Turkey)
Relleno Negro (Stewed Black Turkey)
I was just recently in Belize and my tour guide to the Mayan ruins was telling me about this dish called relleno. He was describing it to look like a pot of mud with shredded turkey in it. He said how flavorful it was and that I should try it out…so I needed to learn how to make it.Relleno negro originated from the Mexican Yucatán, but is also eaten in Belize and Guatemala. The paste is made out of charred arbol and ancho chilies, cloves, cumin, garlic, sour orange, oregano, and achiote. You can only find this paste in Latin markets if you’re not going to make it from scratch. I got mine in Belize for $1. Turkey gets simmered in this paste with giant egg yolk stuffed meatballs known as “the boot”. The turkey gets shredded and the meatballs sliced. The relleno negro is always served on top of tortillas. Not the prettiest looking dish but unbelievably flavorful.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small tomato diced
- 3 small sweet peppers sliced
- 2 quarts water
- 4 oz recado negro paste
- 2 bone in turkey thighs 3-4lbs total
- salt and pepper to taste
The Boot
- 1 lb ground beef or pork
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small tomato finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 3 hard boiled eggs yolks and whites separated
- 3 sprigs epazote leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a large pot. Sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes over medium high heat.
- Add in the tomatoes and peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the water. Dissolve the recado negr0 paste. Add in the turkey thighs. Cover and simmer for an hour.
- While the turkey is simmering, separate the yolks from the whites.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, chopped egg whites, the raw egg, onion, garlic, tomato, salt and pepper.
- Form into 3 meatballs; stuffing the yolks in the center.
- At the 1 hour mark, add the meatball’s into the pot with the turkey. Simmer for 1 more hour or until the turkey shreds off the bone.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Slice the meatballs and shred the turkey. Serve with tortillas.
Avocado Salsa
Avocado Salsa
This avocado salsa has a nice and refreshing taste with a slight bite of heat. Typically most salsas are cooked, but this one is raw. It pairs great with tacos al pastor, plus a variety of grilled meats. Since it is an avocado salsa, eat within 2 days.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 3 tomatillos
- 2 serrano peppers
- 6 sprigs cilantro
- 3 tbsp white onion
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place the tomatillos, onion, and serrano peppers in a food processor and pulse.
- Add in the avocado and cilantro and pulse until smooth.
Carnitas
Carnitas
I was asked a few weeks ago if I had a carnitas recipe. I go to my site and realize that I don’t; which is absolutely crazy because I make carnitas all the time. So now, at this very moment, is my carnitas recipe. It really isn’t mine. It is the traditional Mexican recipe, which is just pork, lard, water, and salt(garlic is optional). All you have to do is add all of the ingredients to a pot and braise for 45 minutes. Then you reduce all of the liquid out until the pork starts to fry in its own fat. Once the pork is slightly browned, it’s ready to eat. Carnitas are great in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tamales, tortas, omelettes, nachos, and just about anything else that you can think of.
Equipment
- cast iron pot
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork shoulder cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup lard
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp salt
- water
Instructions
- Add the pork, lard, garlic, and salt to a cast iron pot. Pour in enough water to cover the pork. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Uncover. Turn the heat up to high and reduce until all of the water has evaporated. There will only be pork and fat left.
- Turn the heat to medium and fry the pork in its own fat until browned; about 10-15 minutes.
