Albondigas Rellenas de Huevo - Meatballs stuffed with hard-boiled egg

Hello everyone! Here I am with a new (not so new if you are a Mexican) Mexican recipe and this time it's "meatballs" who doesn't like meatballs? They are so versatile! They can be "simple" or "fancy" and you can use pretty much any meat to make them! (turkey, beef, veal, lamb, pork... ANYTHING). This recipe is not uncommon in Mexico and it makes GREAT meatballs that go perfect next to white (buttered, YUM!) rice. It might sound a little weird to you (if you have never had them before) but these meatballs are stuffed with hard-boiled egg... Trust me... you have to try them! So... here is the recipe:

Albondigas rellenas de huevo / Meatballs stuffed hard-boiled egg

Yields: 8 Meatballs (4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 chipotle pepper (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 white onion
6 roma tomatoes (or about 4 of the whole red tomatoes) - cut in quarters or big chunks -
3 hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters (you will probably only need 2 because we are making about 8 meatballs but cook 3 eggs just in case)
1/4 cup of white rice
1 cube of chicken bouillion
salt and pepper to taste (about 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. of black pepper... adjust to your taste)
about 1.5 tbsp. vegetable oil (or a little more if necessary)

Directions:
- In a middle sauce pan pour some water (fill it about half-way) and when the water starts boiling throw the 1/4 cup of white rice and let it boil for only 5 minutes, remove from the heat, drain the rice immediately and set aside (let it cool for about 5 minutes)

- Mix the ground beef with the rice, season with some salt and black pepper and mix it all well with your hands.
- With the meat start making "patties" (like hamburger patties) and wrapping the egg quarters with those patties (one quarter per each of the patties) Making sure the egg is completely wrapped by the mix of meat/rice. Do this with all the meat/rice mixture. You should have about 8 meatballs. Set aside.

- Put your tomatoes, garlic, chipotle pepper and about 1 cup of water in the blender. Blend it all until it makes a sauce (as smooth as possible)
- In an extended non-stick pan using medium-low heat add the oil and fry your 1/4 onion there (you can slice the onion if you want, it doesn't matter much but the onion will be removed) While the onion is frying and the oil is hot add your meatballs carefully so they don't open or fall apart, if you use medium or medium-high heat it might cause them to break so just be patient and seal your meatballs on all sides.

-Once they are browned on all sides (about 9-10 minutes) remove the oil and the oil excess. Add your sauce and chicken bouillion (you can add some salt at this point if necessary but wait until the sauce has been simmering for about 5 minutes to taste and adjust) once you add the sauce you can also add chopped potatoes if you want just to add something else, but I left it like that. Bring it all to a boil, cover, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 35 minutes and serve.

I hope you like this recipe! If you do please let me know! Comments are always a great encouragement to keep cooking/sharing.

Paloma.

"Flautas" - "Taquitos de Pollo"

Hi everybody! Here I am with another recipe to share with you! This is a very simple (and really really good!) recipe.

It's basically "chicken taquitos" but what matters is that not only it is simple to make but regardless (or because of) its simplicity it is just delicious!

I have already explained that tacos (in Mexico) do not have a "specific recipe" we call taco ANY FOOD that goes in a tortilla (flour or corn) -we just specify if it's flour or corn tortilla but they are still both tacos! we do not use HARD SHELLS in Mexico, those "pre-folded" kind of nacho shells are an American invention (not saying  is a bad invention) just not an Authentic one. So if you have tortillas in your refrigerator and even put just "onions" in it... that is already a "taco" just a "taco de cebolla" (onion taco) and I am not sure it would become very popular... but it complies with the requirements to be a taco... because it is food that goes in a tortilla... so... anyway... "Taquitos de Pollo" (also known as flautas) are VERY VERY popular in Mexico and as any other dish in Mexico there are many versions of it... so here is mine:

Makes 12 taquitos (this is usually enough for 2-3 people, one person eats 4 to 6 of these tacos)
Ingredients:
- 2 (or 3 if they are too small) cooked (boiled) and shredded chicken breasts (boil them in enough water to cover them, add salt to the water about 3 tsp. and 1/2 white onion) discard the onion and just use the meat.
- 12 corn tortillas (buy good ones, "La Banderita" is a good option, "Tia Rosa Corn Tortillas" are ok too, the best I've found are the "Fiesta" Tortillas made in their tortilleria but I don't know if there is one of those stores by you)
- 1/2 white onion
- 1/3 iceberg lettuce or 1 romaine heart of lettuce (thinly sliced)
- 1 whole red tomato (or 2 roma tomatoes)
- Crema Mexicana (Mexican Table Cream)
- Salt to taste
- Oil to fry (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:
- Warm up the tortillas (if using the microwave warm them up using paper towel in between each tortilla) and just for about 25 seconds. If using the stove just use a flat pan to warm them up (both sides) and until they are warm all the way through. This makes them easier to handle/bend/roll (even if they cool off a little while they are being filled)

- Fill them with some of the chicken and roll them tightly (place them all on a plate firmly arranged next to each other so they remain rolled)

- Warm up a non stick pan and add part of the oil (about 12 of it) until it is VERY HOT (also add a little bit of salt the oil), place the taquitos there (one by one, carefully with the seam down) once they fry on one side they will easily stay rolled because they harden. You can place as many taquitos as you want at a time, because the fact that they are close to each other helps them keep their shape but if you want to do two or three at a time is ok, just make sure they fry all the way around (turn them while they fry so they don't burn and cook evenly) They should be hard and crunchy... they should keep their shape if held from one side only. (use more of the oil if necessary, they should be fried in the oil all the way around) Look at the pics:

Place them on a plate lined with paper towel to get rid of any excess of the oil.

Plate them (4-6 on a plate) and garnish them with the onions, lettuce and tomatoes) -in that order- add some of the table cream on top of them (and sprinkle with a pinch of salt if necessary for the garnish). These go AWESOME with sliced avocado and green salsa but I had none when I made them, so if you have a good avocado at hand go ahead and try it on these.

Provecho!

Paloma

Cochinita Pibil!

Hello everybody! As I promised... Today I am going to post the recipe to make the wonderfully flavorful, tasty almost heavenly "Cochinita Pibil" but first let me tell you a little bit about it:

"Cochinita Pibil" is probably the most famous dish from Yucatan, State in the Southeast of Mexico. This dish is originally cooked in a hole in the ground, people would basically make a kind of "Adobo" to season the meat (pork) then wrap it in Banana leaves and place it all in a hole previously dug for this purpose on hot stones (rocks that have been previously placed in fire). Pibil is a word in "MAYA" and it actually means "underground" This method of cooking is used in many Mexican recipes and it has pre-hispanic origins.

"Pasta de Achiote" is the main ingredient to "season" the "cochinita". There is a tree that is native of Central America and Mexico. It produces a fruit that kind of looks like a "big capsule" and when it ripens it opens and "reveals" its red seeds (annatto seeds) which are mixed with spices to make the "dark orange" paste which is used to season many extraordinary dishes. Interestingly this condiment wasn't just valued due to its flavor but it seems that "The Mayas" also used it as insect repellent and to color fabrics and some other items. It was also used as body and facial paint for some of their religious traditions and rituals. Annatto seeds are also known for their therapeutic, astringent, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and healing by the formation of scar tissue.

There are some traditional steps to follow to make cochinita pibil, things that basically make it authentic. For example, to make a real cochinita pibil you need banana leaves and orange juice plus some other spices, if you find a recipe that does not call for banana leaves, orange juice or achiote then it's definitely not a good recipe. 

So, I won't make you wait any longer and here is the recipe to make a wonderful (and very easy) Cochinita Pibil:

Serves 6-8 people or MANY tacos 

Ingredients:

• 2.5 pounds of pork meat (it can be butt, leg or picnic roast -the one you would use to make carnitas... that's the one I used)
• 3/4 of a bar of achiote paste (the bar should be about 4 oz. so you would use 3 of those 4) (You can find this in the hispanic or ethnic foods isle) -it might look like this (there are different brands though):

•  Black pepper (about 1 tsp.)
• Salt (to taste) I used about 2 tsp.
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup of water
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil (or PORK Lard if you can get it) - this is only needed if the cut of pork you use is not very fatty.
• 1 cube of chicken bouillion 
• The juice of 2 limes
• Juice of 1/2 an orange
• 3 Banana leaves (you can get this at any hispanic supermarket, there is at least one in your city, I am sure! and they sell these in the produce area)

For the Garnish:

• 2 red onions (thinly sliced)
• 4 cups of boiling water
• 2 tbsp. vinegar
• dried oregano flakes (2 tsp.)
• salt to taste

* You also need to have soft corn tortillas to go with it!

Directions:
1. Cut the meat in squares (about 2") 

2. Blend the rest of the ingredients (except for the garnish ones) until you have a pretty smooth "sauce" and use it to cover the meat, cover it all with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so all the flavor of the sauce really impregnates the meat.

3. Minutes before getting the meat out of the fridge, rinse the banana leaves in warm water, pat them dry and place them  in a cold oven and start it at 400 degrees, remove the leaves from the oven after about 5 minutes (or until you find that they are easier to handle and bend without tearing). - Turn down the temperature to 325F, that's the temperature you will use to bake your meat.

4. Use the leaves to line a baking dish where the meat would easily fit (without having too much space because you'll want to make a firm bundle with the meat in the banana leaves) I used an 8x8 baking dish.

5. Get the meat out of the fridge and place it along with the sauce in the middle of your baking dish previously lined with the banana leaves -don't worry if some of the sauce leaves the "bundle" through any crack the leaves might have, try to avoid it but don't worry if it happens- (Make sure you leave the banana leaves big enough to be outside of the edges of the dish because you will still use it all to cover your meat). "Close your bundle" by folding the edges of the banana leaves towards the meat (you can use an additional leaf of banana on top if needed to make sure it's all wrapped in banana leaves and then cover it tightly with aluminum foil.

6. Bake for about 3 hours in the preheated oven after this time you can get it out of the oven, uncover VERY CAREFULLY because it's all HOT AND STEAMING in there. You should be able to shred it EXTREMELY easily with a fork. If it's not SUPER tender and "almost shredding on its own" you can cover it again and put it back in the oven for an additional hour.

7. Once its ready you can uncover, finish shredding it and mix it with all the juices that are left.

To make the garnish:
This is VERY EASY and you can do it a few minutes before serving it all:

Have a pot of boiling water (the 4 cups) on your stove and throw in there the sliced RED onions, leave it in the water for about 15 seconds (while gently stirring) and drain. Dress the onions with the vinegar, oregano and salt.

You can enjoy this AMAZING dish in tacos (use soft corn tortillas) with the onions or with white rice (I had buttered rice) on the side.

You HAVE to try this! Trust me! It is really good! Hubby had quite an experience while eating it last night! It was great to hear all the ooooh's and aaaah's while he was eating! It is very rewarding when you make a dish your family enjoys so much!

Provecho!

Paloma.

Pollo con rajas poblanas / Chicken with poblano pepper slices

I guess there is not an accurate translation for the name of this Mexican dish, at least not one that sounds appealing... or is short enough... so anyway... this Chicken with poblano pepper slices is a VERY MEXICAN dish! You can have it on its own or in corn tortillas to makee tacos! I love this in tacos! They are great if you have a big party and you have many people coming over, just have your corn tortillas (or even flour) ready and warm so everyone gets a big spoonful in their own tortilla! They will love it!

Have I ever told you how wonderful poblano peppers are? I just love them!!! They have such a rich and at the same time mild flavor, there is heat in them, obviously, but there is also some sweetness to them that gives any dish a very unique and special taste! I love Poblano Peppers! And when they are roasted directly on the flames they are soooo good!  I think "Poblano Peppers" are my very favorite.

Since I do not have FIRE ON MY STOVE right now... I have to roast them in my electric oven, to do so I just line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place the previously washed (and pat dried) whole poblano peppers on top and bake them in a pre-heated oven at 450F.
 

 I check them after 6 minutes, turn them to the other side and leave them there for 6 more minutes and that's it! You have perfectly roasted poblano peppers. I found that even when I like my poblano peppers roasted directly on the fire of my stove top it has been pretty convenient to roast them in the oven, the flavor is definitely still there and the "peeling" part of it is much easier (plus the chilies roast more evenly).

How to peel and seed poblano peppers:

First of all I suggest you use latex gloves when dealing with any kind of pepper (unless it's just the nice and innocent green bell pepper), once you have roasted your poblano peppers you have to immediately put them inside a bag of plastic so they "sweat" and the peel becomes easier to remove, (besides their temperature won't be so hot once they have been in the bag for a little bit and that will make them easier to handle)

 ... If you are going to use your peppers to make "chiles rellenos" then you have to be very careful when you remove the seeds/veins, making sure you use a harp knife to open them on one side and then with your fingers remove all the seeds and as much as you can of the veins without tearing them anywhere else.

If you are going to slice your peppers (like we will be doing in our recipe below) you don't have to be so careful with them (still treat them nicely so the flesh is nice and not mushy and your slices are as "even" as possible) and you can remove the seeds/veins with your hands or a knife.

So... here is the recipe:

Pollo con Rajas Poblanas (Chicken with Poblano Pepper slices)

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
  
• 1/2  white onion (chopped)
  
• 1 clove of garlic (chopped)
• 2 cups of fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 chicken bouillion cube
• 1/4 cup (more or less) of milk (to adjust thickness of the sauce)
• 6 Roasted, Peeled and Seeded Poblano Peppers (Please follow the instructions on the post above to roast, peel and seed the peppers) - cut in slices. (each slice should be about 1/2")
• 2 Cooked and Shredded Chicken breasts
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions:

- Melt the butter in a pretty wide skillet, I use a non-stick one, you can use a cast iron too or even a paella pan.
- Sautee the onion until it's translucent. Add the garlic and sautee with the onion for approximately 15 seconds stirring constantly (make sure it does not burn)
- Add the corn and cook in med-low heat for about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (use less salt than you usually would because the chicken bouillion will add more salt to this dish)

- Add the cream cheese, cream and mix until it begins to form a creamy sauce (add milk to adjust thickness if necessary, just about 1/4 - 1/2 cup not more)

 - Bring to a boil and turn down the heat to low, add the chicken bouillion cube, stir so it blends with the cream. Add the poblano pepper slices and chicken. Toss it all in the pan making sure everything is covered by the cream. Cover and keep cooking for about 5 more minutes.

  
- Remove from the heat and top with the mozzarella cheese if desired.

You can have rice as a side for this dish and lettuce/tomato/pepino salad or you can have it as the perfect filling to make tacos with corn tortillas! I know it's a lot of work involved in this, but it's pretty simple to make once you get used to the whole roasting/peeling/seeding part... Besides, the flavor it's indescribable! Trust me! You have to try this!

Enjoy!!!!

Paloma.