Recipes

Creamy Mushroom Tacos

Creamy Mushroom Tacos

Tacos de Hongos
Taquerias (taco snack shops) abound all over Mexico, but these mushroom-filled tacos are more apt to be found in the central highlands of Mexico around Mexico City and Puebla, where a wild mushrooms grow in the mountains.
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Ingredients

Makes 8 to 10 tacos

  • 4 guajillo chiles cut open, seeded, veins removed, and toasted
  • 1 large tomato peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 small garlic clove chopped
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano Mexican variety preferred, crumbled
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream or half and half
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
  • About 1½ pounds cremini mushrooms halved and thinly sliced (4 cups)
  • 1 medium white onion finely chopped
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh epazote leaves or cilantro
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
  • ¾ cup crumbled or grated cotija cheese
  • 10 corn tortillas

Instructions

  • Prepare the chiles.
  • Soak them in a bowl of hot water about 20 minutes.
  • Drain and put the chiles in a blender jar.
  • Add the tomato, garlic, and oregano.
  • Blend to a thick smooth paste.
  • If too thick to grind, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
  • Heat ½ tablespoon of the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add the chile mixture and cook, stirring, until thick and pasty, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Stir in the cream and simmer, uncovered, until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes.
  • Add ¼ teaspoon of the salt, or to taste.
  • Cover and set the sauce aside.
  • Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add the mushrooms and onions.
  • Cook, stirring frequently, until the moisture has cooked away, and the mixture is nearly dry.
  • Stir in the epazote and reserved chile sauce.
  • Cook, stirring, 1 minute to heat through.
  • Transfer the mushrooms to a serving dish.
  • Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese.
  • Serve with soft warm tortillas.
  • Pass the remaining cheese at the table.
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Course; Taco’s
Cuisine; Mexican

Mushroom and Epazote Tacos

Mushroom and Epazote Tacos

Tacos de Hongos y Epazote
Wild mushrooms grow in the pine forests of the mountains surrounding Mexico City. During the rainy season from June to September the public markets sell a wide variety of mushrooms, and the market food stalls called fondas offer cazuelas (casseroles) of hot flavorful mushrooms to eat with fresh corn tortillas. Look for fresh or dried epazote in Mexican markets.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 4 corn tortillas
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium white onion finely chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove finely chopped
  • 1 pound brown cremini mushrooms cleaned and sliced
  • 1 jalapeño chile seeded, veins removed, and finely chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh epazote leaves or 1 tablespoon dried epazote
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste

Instructions

  • In a deep skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender and most of the juices have cooked away, about 8 minutes.
  • Heat the tortillas, 1 at a time, in a hot skillet, turning once or twice, until soft and warm, about 1 minute for each tortilla.
  • Cover with foil to prevent them from drying out.
  • To serve, spoon about 3 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture into each tortilla and fold in half.
  • Serve at once.
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Course; Taco’s
Cuisine; Mexican

Mexican Pork Sausage

Mexican Pork Sausage

Chorizo
Commercial chorizo is often very greasy. It's easy to make flavorful chorizo with less fat at home and freeze it in portions to be used as needed. This is the pork sausage preparation that I use in recipes calling for chorizo. No casings are required since the chorizo will be cooked in your recipe like any other ground meat.
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Ingredients

Makes 1 pound

Instructions

  • Put all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl.
  • Mix very well with clean hands.
  • Cover and refrigerate at least overnight before using, or refrigerate up to 4 days.
  • To store longer, freeze up to 3 months.
  • The chorizo is ready to use.
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Course; Pork
Cuisine; Mexican

Crisp Rolled Flautas with Chicken

Crisp Rolled Flautas with Chicken

Flautas de Pollo
Flautas are rolled corn tortillas with various fillings that are crisp fried and often garnished with shredded lettuce and other raw vegetables. Flautas and taquitos are similar, in that both are filled, rolled, and fried; however, sometimes flautas (meaning flutes) are made with two tortillas that are overlapped, filled, and then rolled into longer cylinders. This chicken filling is tomato based with a hint of heat.
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Ingredients

Makes 6 flautas

Instructions

  • Prepare chicken.
  • Then, in a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the onion, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Stir in the tomato, serrano chile, and chicken.
  • Set the pan aside off heat.
  • In a large skillet, heat about ¼ inch of oil until it shimmers.
  • Dip the tortillas in the hot oil about 3 seconds, 1 at a time, until soft and limp.
  • Drain on paper towels.
  • Lay 1 tortilla on a working surface and put about 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling across the lower third of the tortilla.
  • Roll tightly and secure with a toothpick.
  • Lay seam side down on a plate and repeat with all the tortillas.
  • Add extra oil to the skillet, if needed, and reheat until hot.
  • Fry the flautas 2 or 3 at a time, turning, until crisp and golden brown.
  • Drain on paper towels and remove the toothpicks.
  • Make a bed of the shredded lettuce on a plate and drizzle with the lime juice.
  • Lay the warm flautas on top.
  • Drizzle with sour cream.
  • Garnish with radish slices and serve at once.
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Course; Chicken / Tortilla
Cuisine; Mexican

Crisp Rolled Chicken Taquitos

Crisp Rolled Chicken Taquitos

Taquitos de Pollo
Taquitos de pollo are a favorite snack or light meal all over Mexico, made of crisply fried filled corn tortillas. For an ideal party appetizer, cut the taquitos in half and arrange on a colorful platter, with guacamole and sour cream served in separate bowls on the side. This chicken filling is a little creamy and mildly spiced.
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Ingredients

Makes 24 appetizers

Instructions

  • Place chicken breasts and broth in a medium saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, 12 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is white throughout, but still moist.
  • Set the chicken aside in the broth until cool enough to handle.
  • With your fingers, shred the chicken into thin strips and reserve in a bowl.
  • In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat and cook the onions and oregano, stirring, about 2 minutes or until onions are limp.
  • Put the onions in the bowl with the shredded chicken.
  • Mix in the cream cheese, salt, and pepper.
  • Reserve.
  • In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat and, using tongs, soften tortillas 1 at a time by dipping in hot oil about 2 seconds on each side or until very limp.
  • Drain tortillas between layers of paper towels.
  • Stack and keep covered with clean kitchen towel.
  • To fill, place 1 soft tortilla on a plate, spoon about 2 tablespoons chicken mixture in a line, across lower third of tortilla surface and roll up tightly.
  • Secure with toothpick and lay seam side down on another plate.
  • Repeat with remaining tortillas.
  • Cover with plastic wrap to keep from drying out.
  • At this point, taquitos can be held, covered and refrigerated, up to 6 hours before frying.
  • In a medium skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil on medium high, and fry the taquitos 2 at a time, seam side down, until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 minutes.
  • Drain on paper towels.
  • Repeat until all are cooked.
  • With a sharp knife, cut each taquito in half, arrange on a plate, and serve hot.
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Course; Chicken / Tortilla
Cuisine; Mexican

Tuna, Capers, and Jalapeños

Tuna, Capers, and Jalapeños

Tostaditas con Atún, Alcaparras y Jalapeños
A simple mixture with plenty of spicy flavor to spread on tortilla chips, makes an easy quick appetizer. Serve with crisp corn tortilla chips.
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Ingredients

Makes about 1½ cups

  • 1 9-ounce can white albacore tuna, packed in oil or water
  • 1 3-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 2 jarred pickled jalapeño chiles en escabeche, seeded and minced
  • 1 green onion including most of the green, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon drained capers chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice or unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 small tomato seeded and finely chopped
  • Salt to taste (optional)

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, mix very well all of the ingredients, except the tomato and salt.
  • Gently stir in the tomato.
  • Taste and add salt, if needed.
  • Transfer to a decorative serving bowl.
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Course; Fish
Cuisine; Mexican

Mushroom Appetizer Spread

Mushroom Appetizer Spread

Antojito de Hongos Picadas
Many varieties of wild mushrooms grow in the mountains of the states of Puebla and Tlaxcala. Mycological experts lead tours during the rainy season to search for the edible fungi found in the region. My friend, Jon Jarvis, of Mexican Mushroom Tours, contributed this appetizer recipe, using ingredients that are typical in the region's foods.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook the onion and garlic stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the mushrooms, chiles, and oregano.
  • Cook, stirring, until the mushroom juices are reduced and the mixture is nearly dry, 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Add the walnuts, salt, and pepper.
  • Taste for seasoning.
  • Transfer to a bowl.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve at room temperature with crisp tortilla chips or a thinly sliced baguette.
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Course; Appetizer
Cuisine; Mexican
Diets; Vegetarian

Yucatán Stuffed Cheese

Yucatán Stuffed Cheese

Queso Relleno de Yucatán
Manuel Arjona from Yucatán and now the chef of Maya, a Mexican restaurant in Sonoma, California contributed his recipe for this unusual cheese preparation that's very popular on the Yucatán peninsula. Imported cheese, especially whole rounds of Edam and Gouda, are less expensive there because of the free port status that exists in the state of Quintana Roo on the eastern part of the peninsula. Here, a hollowed round of Edam or Gouda is stuffed with a ground meat filling and melted cheese. This delectable filling is scooped out and eaten with tortillas or chips. It's a great party dish.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 1 2-pound round of Edam or Gouda cheese
  • ½ pound lean ground pork
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano Mexican variety preferred, crumbled
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 jalapeño chile seeded, veins removed, and minced
  • 2 hard-cooked large eggs peeled and chopped
  • 1½ tablespoons drained capers

Sauce

Instructions

  • Peel the outside wax off the cheese.
  • Cut a 1⁄2-inch thick slice off the top for a lid.
  • Hollow out the inside of the cheese to within ½ inch of the edge.
  • Chop the inside cheese, reserve ½ cup for the sauce and store the rest.
  • Set the cheese shell aside.
  • In a skillet, cook the pork, oregano, cayenne, and salt, stirring and breaking the pork into bits as it cooks until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Stir in the jalapeño, eggs, and capers.
  • Spoon the mixture inside the cheese round.
  • Replace the lid.
  • Rub oil on the outside.
  • Wrap the stuffed cheese in cheese cloth and with the opening at the top, put in the top of a steamer with water in the bottom.
  • Steam over medium heat 12–15 minutes, or until the cheese softens, but does not collapse (test gently with a fork).
  • Meanwhile, make the sauce.
  • In a saucepan, stir together the chicken broth, masa harina, tomatoes, raisins, cloves, salt, and pepper.
  • Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add ½ cup of the reserved cheese and stir until melted, but do not boil.
  • Remove from the heat.
  • To serve, remove the cloth from the cheese ball and place the cheese on a serving plate.
  • Remove the lid.
  • Pour the sauce over the cheese.
  • Some will run onto the plate.
  • Serve at once.
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Course; Cheese
Cuisine; Mexican

Olive and Tomato Dip

Olive and Tomato Dip

Salsa de Aceituna Verde y Jitomate
Dips and chips are easy and well liked by almost everyone. This is a California-Mexican innovation based on ingredients commonly used in the cooking of Veracruz. For the best flavor try to use good-quality bulk olives from a delicatessen or gourmet store.
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Ingredients

Makes about 1½ cups

Instructions

  • Put the olives in a processor and pulse until finely chopped.
  • Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
  • Taste before adding salt, since the olives and capers are both already salty.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve with crisp tortilla chips for dipping
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Course; Sauce
Cuisine; Mexican

Almond and Cheese Dip

Almond and Cheese Dip

Botana de Nuez y Queso
A delightful little book I purchased in Mexico, Recipes and Memories of Mexico, by Dorothy Weeks, describes travels she took with her husband in Mexico in the 1950s and the foods they ate. I liked this simple dip and added chopped pickled jalapeño chiles to give it some heat. Serve with corn tortilla chips.
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Equipment

  • skillet

Ingredients

Makes about 1 cup

  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • 3 ounce package cream cheese room temperature
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 to 2 jarred pickled jalapeño chiles en escabeche, seeded and minced
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • In a medium dry skillet, toast the almonds, over medium heat, stirring until aromatic and golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Take care not to burn the nuts or they will be bitter.
  • Cool the nuts completely; then put them in a food processor with the cheese, sour cream and jalapeños.
  • Blend well.
  • If the mixture is too thick, add more sour cream to reach a dipping consistency.
  • Taste and add salt, if needed.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl.
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Course; Appetizer / Cheese / Nuts
Cuisine; Mexican