Recipes

Viva Mexico

By Dana Jacobi

Every year, after the last strike of the clock at 11 p.m. on September 15th, a bell rings out in every town in Mexico. The sound marks the anniversary of the night in 1810 when Mexico’s fight for independence from Spain began. Crowds gathered in every town, from Mexico City to the smallest village, to respond to the single peal of the bell by shouting “Viva Mexico, Viva la independencia.” The next day is a national holiday devoted to dancing, drinking, fireworks, and feasting.

To help celebrate this fiesta, cooks prepare foods that are among the treasures of Mexican cuisine. These dishes, too complicated to make on ordinary days, include pipians (mild sauces made with nuts and seeds), and moles (intensely flavored sauces from the region of Oaxaca, some of which famously include chocolate). If you think of Mexican food as burritos, tacos and quesadillas, try these recipes—you’ll discover that Mexican flavors can be as complex and exciting as more renowned European cuisines.

Making these dishes involves steps you may find unfamiliar, particularly roasting garlic and dried chiles in a dry frying pan and toasting pumpkin seeds until they pop. Each of them is easy, though, and contributes to the profound flavors in this more elaborate Mexican cooking.

Succulent Jicama, Melon, and Orange Salad and my smoky Refried Beans go with both dishes. Making them is so quick and simple that you can include them in any meal.
For dessert, I serve thick and spicy Mexican Hot Hot Chocolate.


Monday, September 11th
Fish with Pipian Verde Pumpkin Seed Sauce
Makes 4 servings

Pumpkins are native to Mexico. Their seeds make the pale green sauce for this dish creamy and rich. Usually served with chicken, its layered herbal flavors, slightly warmed with the heat of serrano chiles, are also excellent with snapper, cod, halibut or salmon. This recipe makes enough sauce to enjoy both ways.

1 1/4 cups raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 small white onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
8 ounces (5 to 6 medium) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
Leaves from 1 small sprig epazote or 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Salt

Four (6-ounce) pieces red snapper filet or codfish

1. In a heavy medium pot, preferably a Dutch oven, dry-toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat. After the first one pops, keep stirring until all the seeds have popped from flat to rounded, about 5 minutes. Do not let them darken past golden or the sauce will be brownish and taste bitter. Spread the seeds on a plate to cool, then place the cooled seeds in a blender.

2. Add the onion, garlic, tomatillos, chiles, epazote, cilantro, marjoram, and thyme to the blender. Pour in 1 cup of the broth and blend to a smooth puree.

3. In the pumpkin seed-toasting pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. When a drop of the purée sizzles in the oil, add the puree all at once, standing back to avoid being spattered. Simmer until the mixture darkens slightly and thickens considerably, about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining 2 cups broth, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, until the sauce has a medium consistency, stirring occasionally. Season it to taste with salt.

4. To make the sauce creamy, blend it again, starting with 1/2 cup and carefully adding the rest of the hot sauce 1/2 cup at a time. There will be 3 cups of sauce. (The sauce can be made a day ahead, cooled, and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. Reheat it, covered, in a saucepan over medium heat, if necessary adding broth to thin it.)

5. Preheat the oven to 450° F.

6. Heat the remaining oil in a medium skillet that can go into the oven. Add the fish, skin side up. When the fish is golden on the bottom, turn it and put the skillet in the oven. Bake until the fish is opaque in the center at the thickest point, 10 to 12 minutes.

7. To serve, place a piece of fish on each of four dinner plates. Ladle a wide band of sauce across the fish.

Adapted from Mexico One Plate At A Time, by Rick Bayless (Scribner, 2000)

Fast Fact: Pumpkin seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Quick Tip: Combine leftover pipian sauce with shredded cooked chicken, steamed diced zucchini, and cooked rice in a casserole; heat at 350°F for a one-dish meal.


Tuesday, September 12th
Jicama, Melon and Orange Salad With Cilantro
Makes 4 servings

I always order this salad at La Palapa, my favorite Mexican restaurant in New York City. Its clean flavors go perfectly with any main dish, from enchiladas and grilled fajitas to the most sophisticated duck with black mole sauce. Refreshing in the summer, this chunky salad is easy to make in the winter, too.

1 cup peeled jicama, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup cantaloupe, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce hearts
1/8 to 1 teaspoon of ground chile piquin
1 lime, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges

1. In a small bowl, combine the jicama, orange juice and salt. Cover and set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Just before serving, in a medium bowl, toss the chopped apple, melon, orange and cilantro to combine them. Add the jicama and toss well. Adjust the seasoning to taste with more salt and cilantro as desired.

3. Cover the center of four salad plates with the chopped lettuce, dividing it evenly. Mound one-fourth of the salad in the center of the plate. Sprinkle the salad with the chile powder. Garnish each salad with 2 lime wedges and serve.

Fast Fact: Rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C, cantaloupe is the most nutritious melon.
Quick Tip: Many supermarkets sell cantaloupe and jicama already cut up, which can help you prepare this salad in minutes.


Wednesday, September 13th
Refried Beans
Makes 4 servings

Good refried beans elevate a Mexican meal from tasty and filling to deeply satisfying. Canned versions tend to be either dry and grainy or too loose, while making them from scratch takes about 10 minutes. Starting with canned beans is fine. In fact, if using beans cooked from scratch, cook them until particularly soft or they will not mash nicely. I give these beans a smoky taste by using a small amount of bacon fat.

2 strips preservative-free bacon
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained, or 2 cups soft-cooked
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, then set it aside for another use. Add the beans to the pan and mix to coat them with the bacon fat. Sprinkle on the cumin. Using a fork, mash the beans for 1 to 2 minutes, until they are creamy. Season them to taste with salt and pepper.

Fast Fact: The fiber in beans helps lower blood cholesterol.
Quick Tip: For maximum flavor, drain the canned beans but do not rinse them.


Thursday, September 14th
Enchiladas with Red Mole
Makes 4 servings

Oaxacan cooking features some of the most sophisticated flavors of Mexico. This region is particularly known for its moles, complex and bold sauces that can take hours to make. The recipe for the red mole for these enchiladas, one of the simplest, comes from perhaps the best book about Oaxacan food, The Food and Life of Oaxaca, by Zarela Martinez, chef-owner of Zarela’s, a restaurant in New York City.

1 recipe Red Mole (see below)

1 cup cooked red potato, peeled and cut in 1/4–inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion, divided
1 cup peeled plantain, cut in 1/4–inch cubes
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 teaspoons drained capers
1 1/2 tablespoons raisins
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
Eight 6-inch corn tortillas
1 cup (8 ounces) queso fresco, crumbled

1. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic and half the onion until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the plantain and tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the tomatoes start to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes, chicken, capers, and raisins. Cook until the filling is heated through, 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set the filling aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375° F.

3. Combine the remaining chopped onion with the vinegar, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan, heat the Red Mole until it is hot but not boiling. Cover and set aside.

5. Two at a time, place tortillas between paper towels and microwave for 40 seconds. When they are pliable, one at a time dip the tortillas in the warm mole, then lift it from the pan, and place it on a plate, leaving some mole clinging to the tortilla. Arrange 1/4 cup of the filling across the center of the tortilla, and roll it into a cylinder. Place the filled tortillas in an 8-inch square baking dish. Repeat, using all the tortillas and filling. Pour the remaining Mole over the rolled tortillas. Top them with the cheese.

6. Bake the enchiladas for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are heated through. Sprinkle on the onion-vinegar mixture. Serve immediately.

Red Mole

4 ancho chiles, tops and seeds removed
4 large unpeeled garlic cloves
1 large ripe tomato
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1/ 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (see Quick Tip)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Salt

1. Rinse the chiles and shake off excess water. Dry them in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, pressing the peppers with a spatula and turning them until the faintest wisp of smoke appears. Tear the toasted chiles in pieces and cover them with boiling water in a small bowl. Set aside until soft, 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in the dry pan, roast the garlic, pressing and turning the cloves until they are lightly charred and slightly softened, 8 to10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and set aside.

3. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the tomato and onion and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables and save 1/2 cup of the water. Peel and coarsely chop the tomato and onion. Place them and the reserved water in a blender. Add the roasted garlic and whirl to a smooth puree. Strain the puree, pushing it through a medium sieve into a bowl.

4. Drain the chiles, add them to the blender, pour in the broth, and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the container as needed. Strain the chile mixture into the same bowl as the tomato mixture.

5. Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry the cinnamon, pepper, cloves, oregano and thyme, stirring constantly, until they darken slightly in color, 1 minute. Add the tomato and chile mixture and the bay leaf. When the mixture boils, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in the breadcrumbs and cook 2 minutes, until the mole has the texture of marinara sauce. If necessary, add a little water. Add the sugar and season to taste with salt. There will be 2 1/2 cups of sauce. Remove the bay leaf. (If not using immediately, cool the mole and store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 1 day, or freeze it.)

Adapted from The Food and Life of Oaxaca, by Zarela Martinez (Macmillan, 1997)

Fast Fact: Plantains are even more nutritious than bananas.
Quick Tip: For fresh breadcrumbs, whirl about 2 cups of French bread or a Kaiser roll torn in 1-inch pieces in a food processor.


Friday, September 15th
Mexican Hot Hot Chocolate
Serves 4

Mexican chocolate is a unique combination of dark chocolate, sugar, and cinnamon. It makes an amazing hot drink, especially if you whip the hot chocolate in the blender until foamy. (This is the equivalent of beating with a wooden molinello, as Mexicans do, to make the drink frothy.) Since Mexican chocolate can be hard to find, this is my way of making this rich-as-dessert drink from scratch. It includes a kick of hot chile and a touch of vanilla, preferably Mexican, which can be ordered at www.nielsenmassey.com  and www.bakerscatalogue.com.
 
2 cups regular or reduced fat (2%) milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 ounces dark (60 to 64%) chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch ground pequin chile powder or cayenne pepper

1. Combine the milk, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the milk is almost boiling, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chocolate, cocoa, and cinnamon, whisking to blend. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove the pan from the heat. Mix in the vanilla and hot pepper. At this point, if not being served immediately, the chocolate may be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

2. If serving immediately, froth the hot chocolate using an immersion blender, or pour it into a traditional blender and carefully whip the hot liquid on high speed until it is frothy. Pour the hot chocolate into mugs and serve. 

Fast Fact: Vanilla is originally native to Mexico.
Quick Tip: Soymilk works well in this recipe. Use regular, not reduced fat or fat-free soymilk.