Recipes for Mexican and Southwestern Cooking

Chilaquiles Recipes

Please note the different spellings of "Chilaquiles" below; as these are entirely the spelling of the recipe author. Chilaquiles is a casserole of tortillas in chile sauce and in lots of households, it is a breakfast or brunch dish, using eggs and cheese. This versatile dish is sometimes eaten as a cure for a "crudo", or hangover. The word "chilaquiles" comes from "chil-a-quilitl", meaning "herbs or greens in chili broth" - colloquially, "a broken-up old sombrero." This recipe was mainly devised to use up stale tortillas.

Chilequilles

Contributed by Kristina Romo-Wanous, (Daughter of Eric Romo)

• 24 corn tortillas
• 16-oz. enchilada sauce**
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 lb. meat (ground beef, pork or chicken
• ½ cup water
• Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Cut tortillas into cubes and fry until golden brown - set aside.

Brown meat, add enchilada sauce and salsa. Add water to the consistency you like. Let simmer 30-40 minutes. Put chips on plate. add cheese (to your preference) and pour sauce on top.

**I used Trader Joe's Enchilada Sauce - very tasty!!!!

Chiliquilles

Recipe submitted by Denise Hinojos; this was her Aunt Sophie Lemus' recipe (Sophie was Margaret Alvarez' sister-in-law)....

• 10-12 corn tortillas, cut in bite-size pieces
• ½ - 3/4 lb. beef chorizo
• 8 - 10 eggs
• 1 small can tomato sauce

Cook tortillas in oil until slightly crisp. Remove from pan. In pan, cook chorizo, when done, add eggs and cook until eggs are set. Return cooked tortillas to pan and mix thoroughly. Add tomato sauce and 1-2 cans water. Stir to coat evenly. When liquid is evaporated, add sliced American or shredded Jack cheese on top.

Auntie Sophie Lemus' (My grandma Maggie's sister-in-law)recipe.

Chiles En Nogada

Recipe courtesy of Chelsea Kenyon - About.com

A wonderful dish consisting of a green chile, white walnut sauce and red pomegranate- the colors of the Mexican flag. This dish is a Mexican Independence Day (16th of September) and Cinco de Mayo favorite.

• 6 large green chiles, for stuffing
• ¾ cup crema or sour cream
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ cup evaporated milk
• ½ cup finely chopped walnuts/li>
• 1 pomegranate, seeds separated
½ lb ground pork or beef
• 3 garlic cloves
• ¼ of an onion, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and seeded, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted almonds, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons raisins, softened in warm water
• 3 eggs

1. Roast the chiles and remove the skins and seeds.
2. Heat the oil or lard over medium heat in a large pan. Add in the beef or pork and brown until nearly done. Add in the garlic, onion, apple, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, pinch of salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with a mixer or a whisk. Fold in the egg yolks and a pinch of salt. Dip each stuffed chile in the egg mixture and fry until golden brown.
4. Stuff the chiles with equal portions of the stuffing. Blend or mix the crema, walnuts and sugar with the evaporated milk. Pour over the freshly cooked chiles and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Chiles Rellenos (Authentic)

This recipe is the one used by my mom, Grandma Stella Romo and my recipe as I've adapted it and listed measurements. These are delicious and make a great vegetarian meal. We usually serve 2 per person and accompany with the usual rice and beans. Enjoy!

For Rellenos:

• 6 - 12 large green chiles (Anaheim or New Mexico). - Make sure the chilies are straight and not curved - this makes it easier to toast and fill)!
• 3-6 large eggs (approx. 1 egg for 2 chiles) - separated
• ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 brick of Monterey Jack cheese (about ½ lb. for 12 chiles), cut into 2 inch long narrow chunks
• Pinch of salt

For Piquant Sauce:

• 1 can (15-16 oz.) diced tomatoes; or whole tomatoes - crushed
• 1 small onion, chopped; or sliced thin
• garlic (to your preference) minced fine
• Spices: Dried oregano, pinch of cumin, salt to taste

Prepare the chiles:

1. Toast the chiles on a griddle or "placa" until skin is charred & blackened on all sides.
2. Place the toasted chiles on a damp paper towel and place in plastic bag - seal up and allow to steam for about 20 minutes.
3. When chiles are steamed up, remove from plastic bag and peel skin of each chile being careful not to tear the flesh.
4. Insert a sharp small knife at the top of the chile near the stem and slice about an inch down the flesh to make an opening for the cheese. Carefully remove as many seeds as you can & discard
5. Insert cheese chunks carefully into center of each chile and line up on a plate. At this point, you may make ahead of time; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate before continuing to next step
6. Place about half of the flour on a plate and line up the cold chiles on the flour and sprinkle with remaining flour; this should be a light coating only, as it helps the batter stick to the chiles.
7. Set plate of chiles aside while preparing sauce and batter.

Prepare the sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat about 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil and saute onions and garlic until soft
2. Add tomatoes and spices and heat until begins to bubble
3. Turn heat to med-low and let simmer while you prepare batter and rellenos

Prepare the batter:

1. Beat egg whites until stiff.
2. Slowly fold in beaten egg yolks and a pinch of salt, and 2 Tablespoons flour

Cook the chiles:

1. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large skillet. Test the oil to be sure it is piping hot. Place a drop of batter in the oil and if it sizzles and floats to the top, the oil is ready
2. One at a time, dip the stuffed chiles into the batter and then slip into the hot oil. Cook on both sides until batter is a crisp, golden brown. Use a wide spatula to turn carefully turn the chiles to fry the other side.
3. When ready, place each chile to drain on paper towels. As you fry the chiles, you can keep them warm in a low oven while you fry them all.

When all chiles are fried, transfer to a nice platter and pour Piquant Sauce over all and serve immediately. Serve a small bowl of sauce on the side for extra!

Chorizo with Potatoes (Chorizo con Papas)

This was my dad, Felix's favorite way to eat chorizo. With potatoes or scrambled with egg! I have been using soy chorizo; it's delicious and has no additives nor meat products! This is a completely vegetarian dish!

• 1 package soy chorizo, casings removed
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 pound potatoes, diced into small pieces and boiled for 8 minutes. (I leave skins on!)
• Salt (for boiling potatoes) and to taste to final dish!
• Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat about 1 Tablespoon oil and then add the chorizo. Cook until it breaks up and becomes nice and crisp. If you are using soy chorizo, there will hardly be any fat. Add more oil, if needed. Add sliced onions and cook for about 10 minutes, until onions are soft. Drain potatoes and add to the skillet. Saute the mixture for about 15 minutes, until all blended.

Serve with beans and warmed soft flour tortillas. For breakfast, add your favorite eggs on the side. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Creamy Chicken Cheese Enchiladas

• Cream Cheese, softened
• Sour Cream
• 1 Onion, halved & then sliced thinly
• Heavy cream
• Green Enchilada Sauce*
• Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
• Pimiento strips or roasted red peppers, in small dice or slices
• Cooked Chicken pieces (Can use store-bought rotisserie chicken - discard skin and bones)
• Corn Tortillas
• Cilantro, Sour Cream, Green Onions and sliced black olives for Garnish

Mix together cream cheese, sour cream and a little bit of green enchilada sauce.

Saute onions in little bit of oil in skillet; when onions have softened, add cream cheese mixture and chicken and roasted red peppers. At this point, you can add spices of choice: oregano, a little bit of cumin. Cook until well mixed and cheese has softened completely.

Fry tortillas, as normal for enchiladas.

Filling: cream cheese & chicken mixture; Jack cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in casserole dish. Pour cream over and then green enchilada sauce. Cover with remaining Jack cheese and bake 25 minutes or so. Garnish with more sour cream, cilantro and chopped green onions & sliced olives, if desired.

I have sort of adapted the above recipe from what I remember from the Sunset recipe. It’s not exact; but this is usually how I make them. *Sometimes I make my own enchilada sauce from green New Mexico chile powder and combine it with Las Palmas green enchilada sauce. If no NM chile powder, use all Las Palmas!!!

Enchiladas

These notes are written by Norrine Valderrama; as told to her by her sister-in-law (Toni's cousin) Marsha (Valderrama) Brown. Marsha, our beloved cousin who passed away January 2007, passed on this recipe with love....

• Whole Chicken* or Ground Beef**
• 18 corn tortillas
• 3 cans chicken broth (14-oz. cans)
• 1 can Sliced Black Olives (3.8 oz)
• 2 lbs. Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• 2 chopped Onions (+ 1 quartered onion if using chicken*)
• 1-½ oz. Chili Powder (6 Tablespoons)
• 1 Tablespoon Flour
• Olive Oil
• 2-3 cans tomato sauce (8 oz.)

  * If using chicken; boil chicken with large onion (quartered). Remove from broth, let cool...remove skin and bones and shred chicken into bite size pieces; put in bowl and set aside.

  ** If using ground beef: fry with onions chopped.

  Chop onion; put in bowl and set aside.

  Shred cheese and set aside.

  Heat skillet with about 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil and chili powder. When powder begins to change color, add flour....stirring constantly. After flour browns a little, add chicken broth and tomato sauce....simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring very frequently.

  Pour about ½-inch of Olive Oil in skillet and heat until very hot. Test oil by dipping edge of tortilla in and if it sizzles, oil is ready. Using tongs, place tortillas in oil and immediately flip over....remove and place in pan lined with paper towels to drain. Using tongs, place tortillas in chili sauce, flip once and place in pie plate. Then fill tortillas with meat, onion, cheese and black olives. Roll up and place seam side down in lightly oiled 9 x 13 casserole dish.

  Pour extra sauce and sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack Cheese....cover with foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

  Put about 4-6 tortillas through the oil, sauce and filling process at a time to avoid them sticking together.

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  Enchiladas - New Mexico Style

  Serves 4:

  • 1 Dozen Corn Tortillas
  • 4 Eggs
  • Chopped Onion and Grated Cheese (Cheddar or Monterey Jack)
  • Oil for frying
  • 2 Cups New Mexico chile sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Spices: ½ tsp. each: ground cumin, ground oregano; ¼ tsp. ground allspice

  To Prepare New Mexico chile sauce:

  1. Wash 3-4 whole New Mexico dried chile pods. Remove stems and seeds and hard ribs from chile pods. Toast on a griddle or comal until dark on all sides.
  2. Toast chile pods and place in a glass bowl and cover with boiling water.
  3. Let soak for about 20 minutes to one-half hour. Remove pods to blender or food processor, breaking them up a bit; reserving soaking water.
  4. Add the garlic cloves and process until smooth; adding a little of the soaking water.
  5. Run through a sieve or food mill so that any skin or seeds are left behind. If you do not have a food mill or sieve; you may puree the chile further in the blender until all skins are broken up. The sauce should be thick; add more soaking water if you wish, until you have a rich thick sauce.
  6. Discard all skin and seeds remaining. The resulting sauce after running through the sieve should be nice and thick. If you wish to skip this process of processing the dried chile pods, you may use New Mexico chile powder to make your sauce.*

  To Prepare Enchilada Sauce:

  Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a skillet and add 1 Tablespoon flour; mix well, stirring continuously until flour is browned and toasty. Add chile sauce a little at a time, incorporating into the flour mixture; making a nice thick, smooth gravy. Add spices and about 1 teaspoon salt; blend well and let cook for about 25 minutes. If you want to thin it out a bit, add some of the reserved chile water. Taste for seasoning.

  *If you use New Mexico chile powder, heat 1 Tablespoon oil in skillet and add 1 Tablespoon of flour; mix well, stirring continuously until flour is browned and toasty. Add 1/4 cup of New Mexico chile powder, spices and salt to flour mixture; incorporating well. At this point you will need to add liquid, whisking in to make your "gravy". You can use water or chicken broth. After sauce is blended well; let cook for about 20-25 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

  To assemble Enchiladas:

  Fry tortillas in hot oil until very soft and flexible. Place tortillas on a plate lined with paper towels; 4 at a time; placing a paper towel in between layers of 4 to soak up excess oil.

  Prepare working station so you can assemble individual serving plates one at a time; using 3 fried tortillas per serving. Have ready and heating up, a frying pan for the fried eggs (to be placed on top of each pile of 3.

  Assemble preparing station in this order:

  • Plate of fried tortillas.
  • Skillet with warmed Enchilada Sauce.
  • Chopped onions to taste (white, yellow, red or green)
  • Grated Cheese.
  1. Using your tongs, grab a tortilla and dip into Enchilada Sauce.
  2. Place on serving plate; sprinkle with onions and cheese.
  3. Repeat, using 3 tortillas for each plate.
  4. Fry an egg over easy and place on top of stack and garnish with more grated cheese. You can also garnish the top with chopped green onions and sliced olives, if desired.

  We usually make one serving plate at a time and if you are doing this single-handedly, serve each person at the table one at a time. If you're lucky enough to have someone frying the eggs for you, then it's a cinch.

  Serve with beans, Mexican Rice, Crema Mexicana (Mexican sour cream) and an ice-cold beer!

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  Enchiladas Suizas

  Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes

  Ingredients:

  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded chicken
  • 6 oz. chopped, roasted and skinned green chiles (fresh is best, but you can use canned in a pinch)
  • 3 cups fresh spinach
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup crema or sour cream
  • 4 oz. cotija, crumbled and an additional 2 oz reserved
  • 5 oz. evaporated milk
  • 15 oz green chile sauce
  • Warm oil to dip tortillas in

  Preparation:

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onions for about 1 minute.
  3. Add the spinach and cook it for about 5 minutes until leaves are wilted. Fold in the chicken and green chiles. Set aside.
  4. In a saucepan, heat creama, evaporated milk, 4 oz of cotija and half of the chile sauce over low heat until sauce is smooth.
  5. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish by coating the bottom with a thin layer of sauce. Dip a tortilla into the warm oil to soften it and place it into the pan.
  6. Place about ¼ cup filling down the center of the the tortilla and sprinkle with a tablespoon of Asadero or Queso Quesadilla cheese. Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down in dish. Repeat until all tortillas are used.
  7. Pour remaining cream sauce over the top, then top off by drizzling the remaining green chile sauce over the top and then sprinkle with the 2 oz of crumbled cotija.
  8. Bake dish for 15 minutes to melt the cheese.

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  Flour Tortillas

  This is Stella Romo's original recipe; which she practiced and learned on her own from Felix's family.

  For each 2 cups of flour, use 1¼ tsp. baking powder, 1¼ tsp. salt and approximately 2 tablespoons fat (oil or lard)

  Mix with lukewarm water (approx. ½ to ¾ cup) to consistency which will enable you to roll out tortillas.

  Cook tortillas on hot griddle,turning each side until bubbles form.

  Makes approximately 10-12.

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  Flour Tortillas Homemade

  Submitted by Denise Hinojos (Granddaughter of Margaret Alvarez)...recipe is from her Uncle Sam Gutierrez...

  • 3 C flour
  • 3 T Crisco
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 C warm water
  • 1 t salt

  Mix all ingredients to form dough. Knead until smooth. Let set for about 1 hr. Make 12 balls of dough, roll into tortillas. Cook on each side until done.

  MUNEOLOS: Roll dough into one large circle. Using butter knife, cut into sections. Deep fry until done.

  PAPILLAS: Sprinkle muneolos with sugar and cinnamon. Sam Gutierrez (Denise's mom’s - Marlene (Alvarez)Pacheco - brother)

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  Flour Tortillas New Mexico Style

  Recipe sent from the Kitchen of Stella (Garcia) Aguilar, Tularosa, New Mexico

  • 4 cups white flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons lard
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-½ cups warm water

  Combine all ingredients until stiff dough. Knead thoroughly on floured board.

  Cover and let sit for ½ hour. Form into balls and roll into 6" tortillas. Cook both sides on hot grill or griddle.

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  Homemade Chorizo

  Contributed by Denise (Alvarez) Hinojos - Recipe from her mother Marlene (Alvarez) Pacheco

  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1-½ lbs. ground pork
  • 2 Tablespoons salt
  • 2 Tablespoons cumin
  • 4 Tablespoons oregano
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, finely diced or crushed
  • ¾ cups chili powder
  • 1-½ to 2 Tablespoons chili flakes
  • ¾ cups vinegar

  Mix meat and spices together (with hands). Add vinegar and mix. Cook thoroughly. Makes approximately 3-½ pounds. OK to freeze.

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  Menudo

  This recipe also contributed by my Mom, Stella Romo. Menudo is usually made for New Year's and is supposed to be a good cure for the "crudo", or hangover!!!

  
  • Tripe (beef honeycomb tripe)
  • Pig's Feet
  • Hominy (2 to 3 large(15 oz.)cans)
  • Garlic, salt and pepper to taste

  Cut tripe into 1-inch pieces. Rinse well and plce in pot with salt and garlic to taste. Cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer until tender.

  Clean and rinse pig's feet. Put in a separate pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Simmer until tender.

  A little bit of oregano can be added to the tripe when you add the garlic. After both meats are tender, add pig's feet to the tripe; with a LITTLE bit of the broth. Add more water, if necessary, or broth to taste, to make a nice soup. Add hominy and chili powder (we mostly use Homemade New Mexico red chili sauce) to taste. Cook another 45 minutes to incorporate flavors.

  Some add chopped onions to meats with garlic, when cooking.Use 1 chopped onion for each pot

  Serve hot; ladled into soup bowls. Garnishes: Diced onions, oregano, lemon or lime slices, chopped cilantro.

  I do not measure; so maybe 5 lbs. tripe; 3 lbs. pig's feet to 2 or 3 large cans of hominy. Use your own judgement. 3 large cans of hominy will make a good quantity of soup!

  Good luck!

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