Recipes

Corn and Zucchini Salad with Pork Rinds

Corn and Zucchini Salad with Pork Rinds

Ensalada de Elote y Calabacitas con Chicharrónes
Fresh summer corn with zucchini and crunchy bits of chicharrón makes a delightful salad that goes well with chicken enchiladas.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Instructions

  • In a large pot of boiling water, cook the corn until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Using tongs, remove the corn from the water, and reserve the water.
  • Rinse the corn under cold running water and cut the kernels off the cobs, discarding the cobs.
  • Put the corn kernels in a large bowl.
  • In the same boiling water, blanch the diced zucchini for about 20 seconds.
  • Drain and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking.
  • Shake off excess water, then add zucchini to the bowl with the corn.
  • Add the remaining ingredients, except the chicharrón.
  • Toss to coat with the dressing.
  • Add the chicharrón and toss again.
  • Adjust seasoning.
  • Serve at once.
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Course; Pork / Salad
Cuisine; Mexican

Spinach Salad with Pork Rinds

Spinach Salad with Pork Rinds

Ensalada de Espinaca con Chicharrónes
I discovered this dish at the home of Roldolfo Morales, a well-known Mexican painter. He opened his restored historic mansion in Ocotlan, for a culinary trip I led to nearby Oaxaca City. We had a wonderful lunch, prepared by the resident cook. Everything was presented on beautiful Mexican pottery, including this salad, which everyone really liked. Chicharrón, a very popular snack and topping in Mexico, can be purchased in many supermarkets or Mexican markets in this country.
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Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

  • 8 cups spinach leaves rinsed and spun dry
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
  • 4 large ripe tomatoes sliced crosswise
  • 2 large avocados Hass variety preferred, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup crumbled chicharrón fried pork rinds

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, toss the spinach with the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
  • Make a bed of spinach on a large platter.
  • Arrange the tomatoes in overlapping rows on the spinach.
  • Scatter the avocado cubes on top.
  • Drizzle with lime juice, and sprinkle with cilantro.
  • Scatter the chicharrón bits over all.
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Course; Pork / Salad
Cuisine; Mexican

Green Salad with Bacon and Potatoes

Green Salad with Bacon and Potatoes

Ensalada Verde con Tocino y Papas Here’s a terrific modern salad from Mexico City made with popular everyday ingredients. A food processor slicing blade can be used to slice the potatoes really thin.
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Equipment

  • medium dry skillet

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • ⅓ cup pine nuts
  • 6 bacon slices cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 small white potatoes sliced very thin (about 1/16 inch)
  • 6 cups chopped lettuce such as romaine or iceberg
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 medium tomato finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon crumbled cotija or mild feta cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

Instructions

  • In a medium dry skillet, toast the pine nuts, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
  • Reserve on a plate.
  • In the same skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp and brown on both sides.
  • Drain on paper towels, break into small pieces, and reserve.
  • Remove all but about 2 teaspoons of the fat from the skillet.
  • Place the potato slices in a single layer in the same hot skillet and cook, turning 3 to 4 times, until tender and lightly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Reserve on a plate.
  • Put the lettuce, cilantro, and tomato in a large bowl.
  • Add the olive oil, vinegar, cheese, and salt.
  • Toss well to coat the lettuce.
  • Divide the salad equally among 4 salad plates.
  • Arrange the potato slices in a single overlapping line across the center of each salad.
  • Scatter the bacon pieces on each side of the potatoes.
  • Sprinkle the pine nuts on top.
  • Serve at once.
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Course; Bacon / Salad
Cuisine; Mexican

Watercress and Bacon Salad

Watercress and Bacon Salad

Ensalada de Berros y Tocino
All kinds of wild greens are gathered by cooks in Mexico, including watercress. As a child, I gathered watercress with my grandmother from the banks of a small spring-fed stream on my grandparents' farm in southern Idaho, so I was taken by this salad that appeared in a Mexican cooking magazine. I usually arrange the salad on a platter for self-service.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Instructions

  • Trim the large stems off the watercress.
  • Tear the romaine leaves into bite-size pieces.
  • Dry the greens in a lettuce spinner, and put them into a bowl.
  • Cover and refrigerate.
  • In a medium skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon until brown and crisp.
  • Drain on paper towels, break into small pieces, and reserve.
  • Add the tomato to the bowl of greens.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, salt and oil.
  • Add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat.
  • Mound the salad on a serving platter.
  • Sprinkle the top with the cheese and the bacon.
  • Serve.
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Course; Bacon / Salad
Cuisine; Mexican

Roast Beef Salad

Roast Beef Salad

Ensalada de Carne de Res
Mexicans buy cold thinly sliced roast beef at full-service delicatessens just as we do in the United States. Roast beef salad is found on some upscale restaurant menus or fancy buffets in Mexico's major cities. The salad makes an excellent light meal served with good crusty bread.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 1 pound thinly sliced cold roast beef
  • Basic Vinaigrette
  • 5 cups shredded lettuce
  • 1 medium cucumber peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 1 large ripe avocado Hass variety preferred, peeled and diced
  • ½ medium red onion very thinly sliced
  • 2 medium tomatoes cut into thin wedges
  • Cilantro sprigs

Instructions

  • Cut the roast beef slices crosswise into pieces about 2 inches wide.
  • Roll into cylinders and reserve.
  • Prepare the vinaigrette.
  • Then, in a large bowl mix the lettuce, cucumber, avocado, and onion.
  • Add enough vinaigrette to moisten the salad.
  • Toss to mix.
  • Mound the salad evenly among 4 serving plates.
  • Arrange the rolled beef equally on top of each salad.
  • Place tomato wedges around the outside edge of each plate.
  • Garnish with cilantro.
  • Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve cold
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Course; Beef / Salad
Cuisine; Mexican

Yucatán Fruit Salad

Yucatán Fruit Salad

Xek
Marilyn Tausend's Culinary Adventures to Mexico have been great fun and a valuable part of my continued travels and study. Marilyn seeks out wonderful culinary spots to visit and she arranges for excellent instructors to teach in every location. This cooling salad was presented to our group by Perla Ehrenberg, one of the instructors, who was living in a village near Merida in Yucatán where the year-round tropical climate produces an abundance of fruits. The amount of each fruit can be flexible. Also try adding some mango, if you like.
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Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

  • 2 tangerines peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 oranges peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 grapefruit peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
  • ½ medium jicama peeled and cut into bite-size squares
  • ¼ cup packed chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon Bitter Orange Juice Substitute or 2 teaspoons orange juice and 2 teaspoons grapefruit juice
  • 1 chile piquin crumbled, or ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Instructions

  • Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve cold.
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Course; Fruit / Salad
Cuisine; Mexican

Hearts of Palm Salad with Oranges and Radishes

Hearts of Palm Salad with Oranges and Radishes

Ensalada de Palmitos, Naranjas, y Rábanos
Fresh hearts of palm, grown in Mexico and other countries, are seldom available for home cooks in the United States, but they occasionally appear on upscale restaurant menus here. I order them every chance I get. Canned hearts of palm are easier to find and are a suitable replacement. The canned ones should be rinsed well and then soaked in warm water for a few minutes to wash away any "tinny" taste. Palm hearts are creamy white and tender with a mild taste. In this salad, juicy sweet oranges and crisp radishes team up with the hearts of palm with great results.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 1 can hearts of palm drained and thoroughly rinsed, (141⁄2-ounce)
  • 4 cups finely shredded romaine lettuce
  • 2 medium navel oranges peeled, pith removed, and sliced into half rounds
  • 10 to 12 radishes washed, trimmed, and sliced into rounds
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

  • Soak the drained hearts of palm in a medium bowl of warm water to cover for about 10 minutes.
  • Drain well.
  • Cut the spears into rounds about 3⁄4-inch thick.
  • Set aside.
  • Divide the lettuce among 4 serving plates.
  • Arrange the hearts of palm, oranges, and radishes on the lettuce.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, orange juice, salt and pepper.
  • Drizzle the dressing equally over the salads.
  • Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
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Course; Salad
Cuisine; Mexican

Hearts of Palm, Avocado, and Orange Salad

Hearts of Palm, Avocado, and Orange Salad

Ensalada de Palmitos, Aguacate, y Naranja
In the center of small palm trees, there are white edible layers called palmitos (hearts of palm) that are eaten in salads, soups, and other dishes. Although fresh heart of palm is found in Mexico and in Florida where it also grows, canned is more available for the home cook in the United States. Be sure to rinse them well, and then soak them in warm water for a few minutes to remove any "tinny" taste. Hearts of palm with creamy avocado and juicy oranges make a stylish modern salad.
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Equipment

  • medium bowl

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 1 141⁄2-ounce can hearts of palm, drained and thoroughly rinsed
  • 4 cups torn lettuce of choice
  • 1 large orange peeled with all white pith removed
  • 1 ripe avocado Hass variety preferred, pitted and peeled
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste

Instructions

  • Soak the drained hearts of palm in a medium bowl of warm water to cover for about 10 minutes.
  • Drain well.
  • Cut the spears into rounds about 3⁄4-inch thick.
  • Set aside.
  • Put the lettuce in a large salad bowl.
  • Add the palm to the salad.
  • Cut the orange into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl along with any juices.
  • Cut the avocado into 1-inch pieces and add to the bowl.
  • Add the mayonnaise, vinegar, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
  • Toss the salad gently to combine the ingredients.
  • Serve.
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Course; Fruit / Salad
Cuisine; Mexican

Papaya Salad

Papaya Salad

Ensalada de Papaya
Mexican papayas have juicy flesh that is deep pink to red inside, and these large wonderful fruits, shaped somewhat like a flat football with yellowish skin, frequently show up in many United States markets. Try them as part of a fruit salad.
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Equipment

  • Large bowl

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Instructions

  • In a large bowl gently mix the ingredients together.
  • Divide the salad among 4 glass serving bowls.
  • Garnish each bowl with a sprig of mint.
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Course; Fruit / Salad
Cuisine; Mexican

Mango and Poblano Salad with Toasted Pecans

Mango and Poblano Salad with Toasted Pecans

Ensalada de Mango y Chile Poblano con Nuez
Traditional ingredients joined in a new combination make this a colorful and refreshing salad. Pecans are native to North America and grow in temperate climates of northern and central Mexico as well as the United States.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • ¼ cup pecans coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups salad greens washed spun dry, and torn into pieces
  • ¼ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 large ripe but firm, mango, peeled and cut into thin strips
  • 2 poblano chiles roasted and cut into thin strips

Instructions

  • Put the pecans in a single layer in a small skillet and toast over medium-low heat, stirring until lightly browned and fragant, 7 to 10 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, salt, and olive oil.
  • Set aside.
  • In a large bowl toss the lettuce, cilantro, mango, and poblanos with just enough dress- ing to coat.
  • Divide the salad among 4 serving plates.
  • Scatter the nuts equally over each serving.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve cold.
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Course; Fruit / Nuts / Salad
Cuisine; Mexican