Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Chile Relleno and Sopes with Beef

I love Mexican food! In our home at least once a week, there is something Mexican served at the table for dinner.  Authentic Mexican food is delicious, satisfying and very healthy, not like Tex-Mex food or American versions of Mexican food that have a pound of cheddar cheese served on your rice, beans or inside of a burrito.  In my visits to Mexico, I rarely see cheddar cheese smothered on the food (except for in American tourist areas).  A couple of my favorite common cheeses used in Mexico is Queso Fresco or Cojita which are sparingly served over beans, meats or rice.  You can make queso fresco at home, as it is very easy to make.  I learned to make queso fresco years ago in Mexico and it truly is easy to make.  Here is a blog that shows you how to make your own queso fresco at home: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/cheese/make-queso-fresco-the-cheesemonger-099011

So, now that we have the cheese for chile, let's stuff them, fry the and eat them!  YUM! 

When choosing the chile for your recipe, you have a wide variety of choices:  Anaheim, Poblano, Habanero, Marconi, Hatch or even Jalapeno chiles.  You choose your favorite and I assure you they will turn out very tasty when made with queso fresco.  I do prefer queso fresco over cream cheese or cheddar cheese to stuff chile peppers.



Sadie's Easy Chile Relleno Recipe

Serves 6

6 Poblano or Hatch Chile (if in season), charred and peeled
1 pound of Queso Fresco, mashed with spoon

Batter:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
salt

Vegetable oil for frying

If you have a gas stove, you can char the chile pepper on the stove top by turning frequently, until all sides are charred.  If you do not have a gas stove, you can use the oven to roast the chile peppers.

Preheat oven to 450*F

1.  Place chiles on a sheet pan; roast in oven for 20 minutes; turning chile often, until all sides are done charring.  You can remove the skins while still warm; they peel off very easily.  I suggest that you do not run the chile under water to remove the skin as you will be washing away all the oils and sweetness of the chile down the drain. 

2.  While the chile is roasting, you can prepare the batter.  Combine flour, baking powder, milk, egg, salt; mix well.

3. Once the charring and peeling is complete, slice one side of the skin (top to bottom) of the chile (careful not to run the knife through both sides) and spoon out the seeds. 

4. Take the mashed queso fresco and stuff the chile (no measurements are given as the sizes of chile vary). You want to stuff them so that both flaps close together (do not over stuff).

5. If you own a deep fryer; heat your oil to 350*F.  If not, use a deep pan and add enough oil (about 1 inch in depth) and heat over medium high heat.

6.  Dip each stuffed chile in the batter and place in the hot oil to brown all sides.  Remove from oil and place on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the oil.

Serve warm with your favorite sauce or salsa.  

SOPES - What are Sopes?  They are a small version of corn tortilla (thicker) in the shape of a small frisbee or  a small soup bowl, to hold meats, beans, salads in the middle.  I had Sopes for the first time in a small Mexican Village named Santa Clara del Cobre in Michoacan, Mexico.  I forgot about these delicious little corn disks, until a friend in Mexico City mentioned them, and it brought back such delicious memories of the first bite I had of Sopes with Frijoles (beans).  I looked up several recipes on the Internet in Spanish, for an authentic recipe and found one from a Grandmother in Mexico.  I love this web site/blog and will be using it for several authentic recipes in the future.   If you speak and read Spanish, here is the link: http://www.lasrecetasdelaabuela.com/antojitos/sopes.htm

Sopes

SOPES
recipe altered by Sadie

Makes 24

2 cups Masa Harina Corn Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of hot water
more hot water as needed
Vegetable oil for frying

1.  Sift Masa Harina and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the middle. 

2.  Add hot water 1/4 cup at a time and start mixing until you have a perfect dough consistency: a little firm with some spring, not completely firm and not dry or sticky.

3.  Cover dough with a plastic cover and let sit for about 30 minutes.

4.  Heat a cast iron skillet (preferably) to medium high heat.

5.  Keeping the dough covered at all times with a damp cotton towel, take enough dough to form the size of a golf ball (2-3 ounces).

6.  If you own a tortilla wooden press, you can line the inside of the press with plastic or wax paper (I prefer wax paper), to keep the dough from sticking to the wood.   If you do not own a wooden press, you can roll out the dough to measure 1/4 inch thick and about 4 inches in diameter.  You can shape the dough with a large round cookie ring or by taking a large water glass with a big mouth (I used a cookie ring to cut the dough).

7.  On hot skillet, heat Sope on skillet until they turn brown on both sides (about one minute).  Remove from skillet.

8.  While still hot, shape the outside of the tortilla to create a lip on the outside of the tortilla.  I used the bottom of a small pyrex glass bowl (1 cup Pyrex bowl) to shape the tortilla into the Sope.  Press the glass in the middle of the tortilla and raise the sides to create a lip.  Set aside and let cool until all tortilla disks are complete.

9.  If you own a deep fryer; heat your oil to 350*F. If not, use a deep pan and add enough oil(about 1 inch in depth) and heat over medium high heat.

10.  Place sope in hot oil and cook until crispy and brown on both sides.  Place on a cookie sheet and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

11.  Sope can be filled with beans, meat, salad, seafood and served warm.

CHEF NOTES:  The Abuela recipe from Mexico has a recipe for chiles that are made into a sauce and each of the sopes after the first heating, is coated with the chile sauce and then fried.  This adds more spice to the sope (optional).

Chile Relleno with queso fresco and
Sopes with shredded beef, queso fresco and topped with Pico de Gallo



Buen Provecho

Monday, January 2, 2012

Mamey Sapote Shake

Starting out my day with a delicious shake made out of a very tasty tropical fruit named "Mamey Sapote."

Mamey Sapote's origin is West Indies, it is shaped like a large, pointed peach and covered with a russet-brown rind that's thick, rough and woody.  The flesh, which ranges in color from salmon-pink to golden-red, is firm and smooth with a sweet flavor reminiscent of apricots and almonds.  Definition taken from Sharon Tyler Herbst, author of Food Companion.

The information I have read on Mamey Sapote is that it has been a favorite fruit for generations in West Indies, Central America, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and introduced to Florida in the late 1880's.  The seed has a short life span, which discouraged farmers in the Americas in the early colonial times, as they did not want to risk purchasing the seeds and having the seeds arrive at their expiration time. 

There are several orchards in Florida that grow Mamey Sapote and you can order on line to have it delivered right to your door.  Contact Tropical Fruit Growers in Florida at http://www.tropicalfruitgrowers.com/  to find a farmer.   If you are lucky, you may find some Goya products in your neighborhood stores (not common here in Seattle), that carry frozen packets of Mamey Sapote.  http://www.goya.com/english/

Health benefits with Mamey Sapote and other fruits can be found in this web site http://www.healthaliciousness.com/fruits/mamey.php  

Well, since I am heading out to the Dominican Republic soon, I will have plenty of fresh Mamey Sapote; as harvest season begins in January.  Lucky ME!

Mamey Sapote Shake


Sadie's Mamey Sapote Morning Shake

Recipe:

Makes 2 servings

7 oz Mamey Sapote - fresh or frozen, I used Goya's frozen packet
16 oz Coconut Milk
1 tsp Flax seed powder (optional) *see notes
4-6 ice cubes or 1cup crushed ice

In a high speed blender, blend together until desired consistency.  I prefer adding crushed ice.

*Notes:  Adding fiber to your diet is essential.  I add 1-2 teaspoons of fiber in my daily diet.  I prefer Hi-Lignan Flax Seeds.  I purchase flax seeds that are produced locally in the Washington area, and I love all these products on this web site http://www.omeganutrition.com/