karina ann betlem free blog recipes

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RECIPES and COMPILATIONRECIPES and COMPILATION

BYBY

KARINA ANN BETLEMKARINA ANN BETLEM

From her blog:From her blog: kitchensofpanchovilla.blogspot.comkitchensofpanchovilla.blogspot.com


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All rights reserved. This material is copyrighted, but you are permitted by Karina Ann Betlem to printthis e-book for your personal use and/or share it with your friends, but not re-post on your blog orsocial media pages without prior written approval by the author, Karina Ann Betlem. No patentliability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although everyprecaution has been taken in the preparation of this e-book, the author assumes no responsibility forerrors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of theinformation contained herein.

Copyright 2013 Karina Ann Betlem

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This e-book was created so that you could more easily organize the recipes I have posted on the blogover the last year. Instead of having to hunt for them, they are right here at your fingertips. The blog

will continue with all new recipes so make sure to check back often. The recipes within these pages arenot from my bookFrom the Kitchens of Pancho Villa, but from other Mexican friends. They are'bonus' recipes for all my blogger followers! I wish to thank each of you for supporting my blog and ofcourse, for purchasing my book, which helps support the 17 cooks represented.

Moving to the tropics has changed one thing dramatically...our eating habits. We of course always havebreakfast, then about 2:00 we have dinner. This is different from the normal lunchtime at 12:00 welived with most of our lives. Our 2:00 meal is just that, a meal. Not just a sandwich or salad, but acomplete meal. At about 8:00pm we have a small meal. Many times I don't have anything exceptmaybe a bowl of ice cream. (Remember I make my own 3 times a week, see the Ice Cream recipes).Pete is always hungry so he manages to down whatever I serve him, THEN he finishes with a bowl ofice cream. He is quite trim too, which makes me jealous. I cook one recipe for the day. Both the 2:00and the 8:00 meals are the same food.

We have 'veranda time' each evening where we sit in our Mexican rocking chairs on our veranda with acouple glasses of wine and chat about our day. The dogs share this time too of course, but they don'tdrink wine! After this 'veranda time' we go downstairs and all I have to do is re-heat the food. I do nothave to spend any time preparing another meal. I love this! I wish I had thought to do this many yearsago, but I guess I am a slow learner.

If you are busy people, and who isn't these days, try this technique I just described a day or two eachweek and see how much time you free up to enjoy your family and friends.

This e-book is organized by main ingredient, then a miscellaneous section since those recipes are sovaried and don't fit into one of the main categories. The section on hosting a Taco Party has a varietyof recipes including meats and salsas. I have kept those recipes in the Taco Party section to assist youin planning and pulling it off without much ado. A Table of Contents is provided with a 'click' option totake you right to the recipe.

Please feel free to send your friends and family to my blog: http://kitchensofpanchovilla.blogspot.comfor more recipes and information on ingredients.

Make sure to email me if you have questions about any of these ingredients or recipes. I wantyour Mexican cooking experience to be a good one! [email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INGREDIENTS and EQUIPMENT..........................................................................................................7Avocados...............................................................................................................................................7Corn Husk Bowls:.................................................................................................................................7Pressure Cooker.....................................................................................................................................8

Stocking Your Dry Goods Pantry:.........................................................................................................9Using The Right Charcoal...................................................................................................................10

SALSA and SAUCE................................................................................................................................12Fresh Salsa...........................................................................................................................................12How To Roast A Tomato.....................................................................................................................13How To Make Green Salsa..................................................................................................................14

Green Chile Salsa...........................................................................................................................14Herb Salsa.......................................................................................................................................15Tomatillo Salsa...............................................................................................................................15

OTHER SALSAS:...................................................................................................................................16Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce................................................................................................................16Cooked Chile Morita Salsa .................................................................................................................17Fresh Fruit Salsa..................................................................................................................................17Roasted Tomato Salsa..........................................................................................................................18Salsa Mexicana....................................................................................................................................19

CHILES and CHILE RECIPES...............................................................................................................20How To Desensitize Your Mouth To Chiles ................................................................................20Chile Powder .. Why not make your own?....................................................................................21

FDA - Food Defect Action Levels .................................................................................................22

Basic Rajas..........................................................................................................................................23Chile Relleno Casserole......................................................................................................................24Jalapeo Poppers.................................................................................................................................25Poblano Rice........................................................................................................................................25Poblano Spaghetti................................................................................................................................26

BEEF and PORK.....................................................................................................................................27Black Beans With Crispy Pork And Poblano Salsa.............................................................................27Carne asada grilled beef...................................................................................................................29Chipotle Meatballs..............................................................................................................................29Green Burritos (Pork)..........................................................................................................................30

Mexican Burgers.................................................................................................................................31Mexican Goulash.................................................................................................................................32Papa Loca (CRAZY Potato)................................................................................................................33Pork Shank (Chamorro de Cerdo) ......................................................................................................33Tacos al pastor grilled, marinated pork............................................................................................34

CHICKEN................................................................................................................................................35

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Chicken And Rice, Mexican Style......................................................................................................35Chicken Breasts En Papillote..............................................................................................................36Chicken Chimichangas........................................................................................................................37Chicken In Green Chile Sauce............................................................................................................38Chicken In Pumpkin Seed Sauce.........................................................................................................39Chicken Spaghetti................................................................................................................................40

Chipotle Chicken Enchilada Casserole...............................................................................................41Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas..............................................................................................................42Dancing Chicken.................................................................................................................................43Drunk Chicken....................................................................................................................................44Fast Chicken Enchiladas.....................................................................................................................45Grilled Chicken Breast........................................................................................................................46Hunter's Chicken.................................................................................................................................47Maria's Chicken...................................................................................................................................47Mexican Potato & Chicken Salad.......................................................................................................48Norwegian Parsley Chicken................................................................................................................49Orange Chicken...................................................................................................................................50Torta Especial......................................................................................................................................51

SHRIMP and SEAFOOD.........................................................................................................................52Ceviche................................................................................................................................................52Jicama Slaw With Shrimp...................................................................................................................53Shrimp with Rice.................................................................................................................................54Shrimp And Hearts Of Palm Salad......................................................................................................55

TORTILLAS and RECIPES USING THEM...........................................................................................56Corn Tortillas Baked.........................................................................................................................56Corn Tortillas Fried..........................................................................................................................57Cheese Enchiladas With Green Sauce.................................................................................................58Chilaquiles In Chipotle Sauce.............................................................................................................59

Chipotle Sauce................................................................................................................................59Nachos.................................................................................................................................................60Nachos.................................................................................................................................................61On the Fly Tostadas.............................................................................................................................62

TACO PARTY..........................................................................................................................................62Meat choices........................................................................................................................................64

1. Carne asada grilled beef..........................................................................................................642. Tacos al pastor grilled, marinated pork...................................................................................643. Grilled chicken breast................................................................................................................65

Beans...................................................................................................................................................66Refried Beans ... THE RECIPE .....................................................................................................67

Red Rice aka Mexican Rice - page 50 From the Kitchens of Pancho Villa........................................68Salsas...................................................................................................................................................68

Salsa Mexicana...............................................................................................................................69Drinks..................................................................................................................................................70

The Best Margarita You Have Ever Had........................................................................................70

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Limeade for the non-alcohol drinkers including kids: ..................................................................71Finishing Touches................................................................................................................................72

DRINKS...................................................................................................................................................73Frozen Limes With Sangrita And Tequila...........................................................................................73Limeade for the non-alcohol drinkers including kids: ......................................................................74

Mexican Hot Chocolate.......................................................................................................................75Michelada............................................................................................................................................76Peruvian Water....................................................................................................................................76Rompope.............................................................................................................................................77The Best Margarita You Have Ever Had.............................................................................................78

SOUPS and VEGETABLES....................................................................................................................78Bell Pepper Rellenos...........................................................................................................................78Cilantro Soup.......................................................................................................................................80Lentil Stew..........................................................................................................................................80Mexican Green Bean Casserole..........................................................................................................81Nopales Salad......................................................................................................................................82Potato Soup..........................................................................................................................................83Red Cabbage........................................................................................................................................83Salad With Warm Dressing..................................................................................................................84Stuffed Tomatoes.................................................................................................................................86Vegetable Salad...................................................................................................................................86

SWEETS..................................................................................................................................................87How to Make Mexican Cajeta.............................................................................................................87Cajeta...................................................................................................................................................87Cajeta And Chocolate Drenched Dough-Nuts.....................................................................................88Candied Citrus Peel.............................................................................................................................89Caramel Corn......................................................................................................................................90I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream!!!!..................................................................91

My Favorite Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe..........................................................................................91Non-Cooked Vanilla Ice Cream......................................................................................................92Mango Ice Cream...........................................................................................................................93Pineapple Ice Cream.......................................................................................................................93

Microwaved Plantain...........................................................................................................................94Peach Salad..........................................................................................................................................94Pecan Brittle........................................................................................................................................95Rice Pudding.......................................................................................................................................96

VARIOUS DELICIOUS STUFF.............................................................................................................97Avocado Butter....................................................................................................................................97Bean Dip..............................................................................................................................................97Chunky Peanut Dip Or Spread............................................................................................................98Cream Cheese Dip...............................................................................................................................98Perfect Guacamole..............................................................................................................................99Pickled Onions..................................................................................................................................100

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How To Make Queso Fresco.............................................................................................................100Queso Fundido..................................................................................................................................101

INGREDIENTS and EQUIPMENTINGREDIENTS and EQUIPMENT

Avocados

Avocados are considered a 'perfect food'. Not only are they delightful to eat, but have so many healthbenefits that I am attaching a link to a website that tells you all about avocados and their healthbenefits. Yes, benefits.........so eat one each day. An avocado a day keeps the doctor away.http://www.healthonlinezine.info/health-benefits-of-avocados.html

This is a simple treat to spread on crackers, baguettes, chips or on a sandwich. I personally use this as aspread on a chicken sandwich or chicken tacos. It is good on apples or on a spoon. It will keep formaybe 2 days if you keep it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Lime juice is a preservative and helpskeep the avocado from turning brown, which is definitely not visually appealing. Brown avocado stilltastes the same but looks ugly. My advice is to make it and eat it on everything you can find. Thentomorrow, make some more! Yes, you found me out, I am an avocadoholic...... There is no known

cure!

An avocado is ripe when it just 'gives' a little to pressure when you squeeze it. It should have no softspots or bruises. Keep looking for some that do not have soft spots or feel mushy. An avocado willripen on the counter if you cannot find any that are already ripe. Do not put them in the refrigerator,they will not ripen.

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Corn Husk Bowls:

If you are like me, I am always looking for fun or

creative ways to serve salsas, nuts, olives, or spreads.These little bowls or 'boats' are easy to make, safe forfood and disposable! What better combination is therefor a serving dish?

The only thing you need to buy is a package of driedcorn husks. Find them in the Mexican food area ofyour grocery store. You can also use fresh corn husksin the summer. Admit it, you thought they were onlygood for tamales!!!

If you have never handled dried corn husks, spread the package contents on the counter. Throw awayany husks that are moldy. A little mold on the outside is ok*. Now, they will need to be cleaned beforeyou use them. In a large pan, bring a few quarts or liters of water to a boil. Place the husks in theboiling water and simmer them for 5 minutes. Dunk them in the boiling water with a wooden spoon soyou don't put holes in them. Allow them to sit for 10-15 minutes in the hot water. (*notice that anysmall amount of mold you had is gone)

Remove them from the hot water and allow to drain. Rinse each husk under running water whilerubbing gently with your hands to remove any dirt that might still be attached. Separate the thinnesthusk to make the ties, tearing off a long strip about the thickness of a shoestring, and keep them damp.

Take one of the clean, damp husks and gather the narrow end together. Wrap one of your ties 2 timesaround the gathered end and then tie the tie into a tight knot. Repeat with the wider end of the husk andtie. Place the newly formed 'bowl' on a counter or tray to dry. Repeat until you have enough bowls forthe occasion.

Allow the husks you did not use to dry thoroughly and store in a plastic bag.

Pressure Cooker

When cooking real Mexican food, one piece of equipment that is used extensively is the pressurecooker. While some of you already use a pressure cooker, there are others who fear 'explosions' andburns. My good friend Dianne owns 3 pressure cookers and all are still in the box. She buys the newestmodel of stove top or electric cooker and then because she is afraid, they just sit. Of course there arehorror stories that are connected to the use of one of these special devices, but those are for the mostpart, because of operator carelessness.

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Those tales of boiling hot food being propelled all over the ceiling, or worse all over the nearest personare probably true. However, it was not necessarily because of the pressure cooker itself, but becausesomeone left it unattended. These extremely useful kitchen tools can be used on a daily basis withoutany mishaps if you follow just a few short rules.

These rules are for a stove top pressure cooker. If you have an electric model, READ your instructionsfor operation and FOLLOW those directions. They are for your safety.

NEVER, NEVER leave the pressure cooker unattended while it is still cooking. Once you turnthe heat off, feel free to go about your business.

NEVER fill the pressure cooker over 2/3 full. That includes food and liquid. You need spacefor the pressure.

Check your seals before you use the cooker. Just a glance will tell you all your seals are inplace.

Make sure you have a sufficient amount of liquid when cooking your food. Some food takesvery little liquid when cooking while others take much more. There will be a small recipe booklet thatcomes with your pressure cooker. It will give you amounts of liquid for each type of food. YouMUST have liquid in the cooker or you will burn your food and/or build up too much pressure and itcan explode. Keep in mind that the longer food needs to cook, the more liquid you will need. Forinstance, if you cook carrots which only take about 3 minutes, you need only about 1 cup of liquid, butif you are cooking a tough piece of meat, you need at least 4 cups of liquid because it will be cookingfor 25-30 minutes.

Once the valve on top begins to make some noise and rocks back and forth (fritz is the sound it

makes) turn down the heat enough to keep the valve rocking slightly. This rocking and fritzing isreleasing some of the pressure because more will be forming inside. (The pressure needs somewhere togo.)

Ok, so your food is cooked........DO NOT open the lid!!!!! Did you read that? DO NO open thelid!!! If you are cooking anything other than meat, take the entire pan to the sink and run cold waterover the top. You will hear it begin to cool the pot and release the pressure inside. You will physicallysee the safety valve lower. Remove the valve that was rocking. If no pressure remains, open the lid.

If you have cooked meat, turn off the stove, move the unopened pressure cooker to a coolburner and allow the pressure to release on it's own. If you put the pan under cold water as you

did with the other food, the meat would get tough. If the meat is not tender enough for you,replace the lid and bring back the pressure for another 10 minutes. After you haveexperimented with different cuts and sizes of meat, you will be able to know exactly how longto cook it.

If you are cooking food that is very starchy, such as dried beans, only fill the pressure cookerone-half full. If you see that starch is being released through the valve, turn off the heat and allow the

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pressure to release on it's own. You will actually be cooking the beans during this time.

Well, I think we have covered all the safety precautions. A pressure cooker is not to be feared, butinstead respected. A gas range can be deadly if you don't follow safety precautions, but when youknow the rules, you are safe.

The newer models of pressure cookers have newer safeguards. I own a very old model my mothergave me 40 years ago. I have replaced all the seals a few times, but it keeps on giving me excellentresults.

I hope that you think about getting one. They save you tons of time and allow you to purchase moreinexpensive cuts of meat that you don't have to cook all day.

Stocking Your Dry Goods Pantry:

I know you are all wondering what you need to keep in your pantry to make all these wonderful dishes.Here is a list of dry goods to always have on hand. The fruits, veggies and meats you will have topurchase as you need them.

Here is the list:Dried:

chiles guajillo, ancho, rbol, pasillaMexican oreganothymebay leaves

Canned:jalapeos en escabeche, sliced not wholechipotle chiles in adobotomatillo sauce (green sauce)evaporated milksweetened condensed milktomato sauce or pureerefried beansmedia crema (table cream) boxed or canned

Bottled:Maggi saucesoy saucesalsa (mild, medium or hot)olive oilpitted green olives

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Maria's CookiesLime gelatinChicken bouillon, powdered or cubesShrimp bouillon, cubes

The brands of these basics that I prefer are probably available in your area. If they are not, then pick

the ones 'Made in Mexico' for authenticity.Canned chiles or sauce:La Costea, HerdezRefried beans: La Sierra is wonderful plus no preservativesMedia crema: Nestl or LaLa

The other items can be the brands you usually purchase.

Using The Right CharcoalEven though summer is almost over in some parts, many of us will continue to use our BBQ's year-round. Here are a few things you probably already know:

The fuel you use has a dramatic effect on how your food tastes. BBQ purists always opt for lumpcharcoal rather than charcoal briquettes or even gas.

Lump charcoal is charred wood. Normally a hardwood rather than a soft pine type. All thegases, sugars and moisture has been 'charred' out of the wood and then it is allowed to cool naturallybefore being bagged for consumers, no additives.

The second choice would be gas. Although it does not produce a rich smoky flavor, it is usefulif you do not have access to lump charcoal or just for convenience sake. You can and should alwaysadd special wood chips if you really want that smoky BBQ flavor. Those can be purchased just aboutanywhere charcoal or briquettes are sold.

The least favorite is charcoal briquettes. Whether they are the quick lighting type (which has anaccelerant embedded in the briquette) or the standard type, they both have additives that will taint theflavor of your food. See how they are made:

EXCERPT FROM: http://www.madehow.com/

Charcoal briquettes are made of two primary ingredients (comprising about 90% of the finalproduct) and several minor ones. One of the primary ingredients, known as char, is basicallythe traditional charcoal, as described above. It is responsible for the briquette's ability to lighteasily and to produce the desired wood-smoke flavor. The most desirable raw material for thiscomponent is hardwoods such as beech, birch, hard maple, hickory, and oak. Somemanufacturers also use softwoods like pine, or other organic materials like fruit pits and nutshells.

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The other primary ingredient, used to produce a high-temperature, long-lasting fire, is coal.Various types of coal may be used, ranging from sub-bituminous lignite to anthracite.Minor ingredients include a binding agent (typically starch made from corn, milo, or wheat), anaccelerant (such as nitrate), and an ash-whitening agent (such as lime) to let the backyardbarbecuer know when the briquettes are ready to cook over.

Using a charcoal lighter fluid should not be used in any circumstance. The fuel, if any, you can useinstead is cheap vegetable cooking oil. The cheapest you can find. If you have a charcoal chimneystarter, use that, or simply roll up the paper, drench it with the vegetable oil and let it sit a few minutesto permeate the fibers, stack your charcoal on top, squirt some cooking oil on that, wait a coupleminutes and light with a match. When the charcoal is hot, spread it around and cook.

The only flavors you will get are smoky wood, in other words, natural flavors!

SALSA and SAUCESALSA and SAUCE

The secret to making good salsa..........well, the secret is... there is NO secret! And nothing to fear, theyare a snap to make and you can have some with just about every type of meal you make.

Many, but not all salsas begin with tomatoes. There are also green salsas and fruit salsas. Ok, back tothe tomatoes. Depending on which type of salsa you plan to make, roasted or fresh, the ripeness of thetomatoes vary. For example, a fresh salsa needs ripe tomatoes without much juice. If they feel likethey have an abundance of juice, soft and squishy feeling, don't buy them. Remember you buytomatoes by the weight and you will be draining off that juice. If you have tomatoes in your fridge thatdo feel like they have an abundance of juice, try making some roasted salsa.

For fresh salsa you will need all fresh (not canned, frozen, bottled or dried) ingredients. The standardfresh salsa, called many different names such as Salsa Cruda (raw salsa), Pico de Gallo (Americansseem to like that name), Salsa Mexicana and probably a few others I don't even know about, have manyof the same ingredients with perhaps a few variations depending on whose kitchen you are in. The oneingredient you will NOT be including is salt. Put it away somewhere out of sight so you are not

tempted to use it.

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Fresh Salsa

The ingredient list is this: tomatoes, white onion, chiles, cilantro, fresh lime. That's it, nothing secretabout that so far.

Quantities are a variable also.

Start with 6 ripe tomatoes. Cut them in half lengthwise, remove and discard the seeds and theirliquid. Now dice the tomatoes into about 1/4 dice and place them in a pretty bowl. I like to use aclear bowl because the finished salsa is very colorful.

About of a medium size white onion. Although white is the onion of choice here, if you likemilder onions, use what you like, purple, Walla Walla, Vidalia.

Chiles (chili is a Gringo spelling) are either jalapeo or serrano. The choice is yours to make.Jalapeos are larger and much milder than serranos but their seeds are bigger and more crunchy. I lovethe flavor of jalapeos but do not like chewing on the seeds. Serranos are smaller and hotter but their

seeds are small and soft. Decide on which chile you want to use. Remove the seeds or don't removethe seeds, remember seeds add heat. If you are not too sure about the amount of spicy heat you want,remove the seeds and white membrane then dice the chiles very tiny. You are using gloves to handlethose chiles, right? Start with one chile and add more to your liking. Remember you can always addmore but removing them is much more difficult.

Cilantro is one of the most fragrant and versatile herbs I can think of. If you are cilantrochallenged, then use flat leaf parsley or another fresh herb this IS your salsa! Use only the leaves androughly chop them. The amount you use can be from a couple of tablespoons to an entire bunch. I usethe entire bunch it is just the leaves and not the stems so it really isn't that much.

One fresh lime, juiced. Don't even think of using that bottled stuff. YUK! I know what thebottle says but it is like using a chemical cocktail on your wonderful fresh veggies.

Once you have everything chopped and put into the bowl, stir it around and give it a taste. Now is thetime to add more of this or that. The salsa will not need refrigeration unless you won't be eating it forseveral hours.

I have heard of some people adding garlic, but frankly I don't like eating raw garlic. If you have otheringredients you want to include, there are no barriers to your imagination. Go for it!

Remember that with any salsa you make, whether it be tomato or fruit, fresh or cooked, the recipes are

only a guideline, not a rule. As you put together a salsa, taste it often to judge for yourself what otheringredients you may want to include. Consider salsa a blank canvas and you are a freelance painter.If you experiment and not quite sure you will like the final result, only make a small amount.Personally, I do no think you could make a mistake but heck, that's me and I would eat dirt if it had agood salsa on top! I have given you a starting point if you have never made salsa before. Salsasshould be easy to make and always taste fresh. So please give it a try, I think you will be happy withyour results!

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One cast-in-stone rule of FRESH (not-cooked) salsas: NEVER add salt.

How To Roast A TomatoIf you have ever read a recipe that calls for 'roasting'a tomato, chile or garlic, but was not sure where tostart, this is for you.

Start with ripe tomatoes. When you roast tomatoesfor salsas, you will be blending them. The tomatoesneed to have some juice without being squishy. (youknow the ones) Hard tomatoes do not yield enoughjuice so you would have to add water, not very

flavorful.

Wash the tomatoes well and dry them. You do know tomatoes should not be refrigerated, right?

Heat a DRY** heavy pan or grill pan on medium heat. Cast iron works great, that is what I use, butany heavy type pan will work. When the pan is really hot (not hot enough to set the kitchen on fire -but hot enough to make dark brown marks on the tomatoes) set the tomatoes into the pan. They willbegin to smoke a little so start to turn them as they get that lovely dark brown color. Do not char themas you would a poblano, you will be eating the skin, so dark brown is as dark as you want. When youhave roasted all sides......ok, I know a tomato is round but mentally break it up into quarters as asquare...remove them to a bowl or plate. They are now ready to be used in your recipe.

To roast chiles or garlic, you do the exact steps. You can roast the poblanos using the same method,but their skin should actually char. All other chiles should only reach the dark brown stage.

**DRY means no oil, no water, nada (nothing) to coat the pan.

How To Make Green Salsa

Green can come from any number of green herbs, green chiles or green tomatillos. To make it evenmore difficult, there are cooked versions and fresh versions. Whew...... way too many decisions! Hereare some common green salsas that my Mexican friends always make.

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Green Chile Salsa

This is pretty easy. You will need some chiles, either jalapeo or serrano. Start with 2 or 3 chiles forjust a small amount of salsa. Remove the stems and if you want to tame them, remove some or all ofthe seeds. Toss the chiles in a blender. Add in 1 thin slice of onion, 1 Tablespoon of cilantro leaves, of one lime juiced, a couple tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. Add the water a small amount at

a time so it doesn't get too watery. You can always add more if you need. The salsa should not bethick. Blend until very smooth and pour into a small bowl. This sauce is amazing on homemadetacos, burritos, refried beans, or as I do, on potato salad! You can substitute any of your favorite chilesin this recipe. Habaneros are great but if you are not used to the heat, you will feel like you just ate hotlava!

You can do the same salsa with different results just by tossing the chiles and garlic in boiling water for5 minutes. Drain and discard the water. Remove the stems and any seeds you don't want. Popeverything into the blender and blitz. A totally different flavored salsa!

Herb Salsa

Have you ever made pesto? Same idea different ingredients. You will need either 1 bunch of cilantroor flat leaf parsley. At least one (or more) jalapeo or serrano chiles, 1 small clove of garlic and bit ofwater (the amount will vary depending on how thin you want the salsa).

Whether you use cilantro or parsley, it does not matter. The flavor will be totally different, but they areboth wonderful. Cut and discard the tough stem ends from the cilantro or parsley, and place theremainder of the stems in with their leaves in a blender with the other ingredients. When adding the

water, start with cup and go from there if you need to thin it out. Remember this salsa should be asliquid as the cooked tomato salsa. Blitz until you have a liquid salsa. This salsa is good on eggs, pasta,baked potatoes, shrimp, fish, pork, chicken. I would not use it on beef because the flavor is too delicatefor beef.

I hope you try one or all of these salsas. Some ingredients may not be too familiar to you, but try them.Almost every produce department carries these items. They need to be fresh for your salsas to tastefresh. Mexican cooking is all about freshness and flavor. It DOES make a difference!

Tomatillo Salsa

This salsa is almost always cooked, at least the tomatillos are cooked.

I will assume that you know what in the heck tomatillos are. If not, then you need to Google them.Ok, so I Googled it for you... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatillo that will give you everything you

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wanted to know about tomatillos but were afraid to ask.

Ingredients you need: Start with 8 tomatillos. That doesn't make much salsa but it will give you theinformation you need to make more. 1/8 of a white onion, 1 small garlic clove, 1 or more jalapeo orserrano chiles, cup cilantro leaves, salt to taste.

So you bought these cute little green tomato looking things with a husk on them. What now? Removethe husk and throw it away. The tomatillo will be a little sticky after you do that, personally, I don't likethe feel of that so I wash them with soap and water. Rinse them really good to get the soap off.

Bring some water to a boil in a small saucepan. When it is boiling, carefully pop in the tomatillos,chiles and whole garlic clove. In a very short time (3-4 minutes) you will see the tomatillos turn from alovely green to a dull green. Remove them along with the garlic using a slotted spoon and place themin a blender. Leave the chiles in the water for about 2 minutes longer. Drain and discard the water.Remove the stems from the chiles and any seeds if you wish. Toss the chiles in the blender along withthe onion, cilantro and a pinch of salt, do not omit the salt.

Pour into a bowl and serve over meat, vegetables, eggs, the list goes on. Or, use it as a dipping saucefor chips. This sauce freezes well.

OTHER SALSAS:OTHER SALSAS:

Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce

This is a simple yet tasty, versatile sauce that can be made ahead and either refrigerated or frozen. Ilove the smell in my kitchen when I toast chiles and there is almost no mess, I love that part too! Usethis sauce when you cook rice: just put a couple of tablespoons in when you add the water. It isfabulous on pork or chicken - baked, grilled or roasted. Heat up some leftovers and make someenchiladas with this sauce. The options are limitless. Eggs? You bet!

Ancho chiles are mild with an earthy, smoky flavor while guajillos have more of a 'fruity' flavor andalmost no heat. Make a batch or two and keep some on hand for almost any meal you want to add aMexican flair.

A tip from my kitchen: I do make this sauce, several batches at a time and freeze. I use small quartsize freezer bags and put about 1 cup in each bag. Don't forget to label the bag because in the frozen

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state, most sauces look alike!

Makes About 5 Cups

9 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed

6 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed5 cups very hot water

4 garlic cloves, peeled1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano2 teaspoons salt

Heat a large 'dry' skillet (I use cast iron) over medium-high heat 2 minutes. With a slightly damp papertowel, wipe the outside of each chile they probably have some dust on them. Open each chile, shakeout the seeds (discard) and place the chiles flat in the skillet. Toast just until the chiles blister, pressingdown on the chiles with a spatula or tongs , then turn them over and repeat, about 30 seconds total.Place the 'toasted' chiles in a bowl, then add 5 cups very hot water. Soak the chiles until they havehydrated, about 10 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the chiles with soaking liquid and all remaining ingredients in blender untilsmooth. (Can be made 1 day ahead, store covered and refrigerated; can also be frozen for future use)

Cooked Chile Morita Salsa

The most under-used chile that I have ever seen is the chile morita. Any of you use it in your cookingor have tasted it? Even in Mexico they are not easily found. They look like a very small ancho chile,dark and wrinkled. When you smell them, it takes you to the great outdoors in front of a wood fire. Ikeep one in the car because the scent is so woodsy. They are a type of chipotle but you won't findthem in a can of adobo. Rather, they are only sold dried.

Grown in northern Mexico in the state of Chihuahua (like the dog) they are purple in color when ripe,not red. Use them as you would a dried ancho chile. They need to be re-hydrated and then blitzed inthe blender. When making a cooked or roasted salsa, only use one (or of one), they are very smokyand will over-power your salsa if you use too many.

1 chile morita5 roma tomatoes onion teaspoon salt1 clove garlic

Remove the stem and seeds from the chile. Toss it into some boiling water and allow to cook for 5

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minutes. Drain, discarding the water. Place the chile into the blender and puree.

In the same pan, bring more water to a boil. Pop in the whole tomatoes and garlic. Cook those for 3minutes. Drain, discarding the water. Place those and the remainder of the ingredients in the blenderwith the chile. Blitz on and off until you only have small chunks remaining.

Use this salsa on chips, chicken, tacos, eggs, beef, pork, fish or shrimp. It is very versatile and yes,very flavorful!

Fresh Fruit Salsa

Today I am thinking fresh fruit salsas. Yep, that's it. Summertime, a long weekend and fresh fruit salsato go on top of barbecued chicken, pork or salmon! Sounds good to me too.

The fruit you will want to buy or pick could be peaches, apricots, mangoes, nectarines, or plums. Anytype fruit with a juicy, tender interior. This is a FRESH salsa so no cooking required AND norefrigeration. You can, of course, if you want, heat it up just for something a little different, but thatwill be your choice.

Start with 2 large peaches (not canned but you may use unsweetened frozen if you must). Peel themand remove the seed. Dice the flesh into very small cubes. Make sure to catch all the juice drippingfrom them.

You will also need 1 very thin slice of purple onion diced very tiny, 1 tablespoon jalapeo or serranochiles very finely diced, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar, and 1 tablespoon

finely minced cilantro leaves. Toss them all together and let it sit in a bowl at room temperature.

Any of the above mentioned fruits can be used for this salsa, you can even combine varieties.

Roasted Tomato Salsa

You are going to love making roasted salsa, it is the easiest of all the salsas to make. For equipmentyou will need a heavy dry pan, such as a cast iron pan, or grill pan and a blender. If you do not own ablender, use a food processor with the metal blade. Although your salsa will not be totally pureed, youwill get a lovely salsa with small chunks in it.

Ingredients you need: fresh tomatoes juicy ones, white onion, chiles jalapeos or serranos, garlic,salt.

Quantities of each depend on how much salsa you want, but again, start with 6 tomatoes, 1/8 of a whole

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medium onion, at least 1 chile (more if you like) and 2 cloves garlic. This is a roasted (cooked) salsaso you can add as much or little salt as you like after your salsa is all blended.

Heat the dry pan or grill pan to very hot, do NOT use oil. Put in the washed whole tomatoes, chiles andwhole garlic cloves. You will begin turning them as you see dark char marks appear. Keep turninguntil all the sides have char marks. They will not be totally black, only have dark marks on them.

Remove the tomatoes and garlic to the blender. No need to chop them.Cut the onion in 2 or 3 smaller pieces and put them in the blender with the tomatoes.

Remove the stems from the roasted chiles. If you like, remove and discard the seeds and whitemembrane. Pop the chiles into the blender. Blitz on high until smooth or you can use on/off pulses tokeep some small chunks. Add a little salt if you like and blitz again to mix. Pour this into a bowl anddrizzle it over tacos, steaks, chops, baked potatoes, hamburgers or use it as a dipping sauce for chips.

If you are having a taco party, make a big batch of this salsa and pour half of the original blend into abowl and add more chiles to the remainder and blitz again. You will have 2 separate salsas for yourguests, one mild, one hotter.

No need to refrigerate unless you won't be eating for several hours.

Do ahead: Since you are already heating up the pan and roasting veggies, do several batches and popthem into food bags and freeze them whole. Keep them in separate bags so the flavors don't overpowereach other. This will save time later when you may not have the time to roast the tomatoes and chilesbut want some salsa.

Salsa Mexicana

Ingredients

6 ripe roma tomatoes, seeds removed6 jalapeos or serranos (use your own discretion on the quantity) small white onion cup cilantro - measured before chopping

2 limes

Chop the tomatoes into a medium-sized dice. Remove the seeds as you go; they add no flavor, justmoisture.

Okay, go get your gloves on! Remove the stem end from the jalapeos, stand the chile on the flat end,and carefully slice down the chile between the flesh and the seeds. This is actually the easiest method to

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remove those pesky seeds. When you have finished this step, dice them into very tiny squares. If youare using serranos, you can de-seed them the same way or just dice them up with the seeds.

Chop the onion into a small dice. Chop the cilantro leaves roughly.

Combine all the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and as much of the chiles as you want. Then squeeze the

juice from the 2 limes over the salsa and gently stir to combine.Under no circumstances should you add salt! Salt draws out the water, and you will end up with yoursalsa swimming in a pool of watery tomato juice.

NOTE: Increase the recipe for the size party you are having. Double the tomatoes and cilantro. Onlyincrease the amount of onion by about and add lime juice to taste. It should taste a bit 'limey' but notoverpower the other flavors. Stir it well and give it a taste. You can always add more if needed.

CHILES and CHILE RECIPESCHILES and CHILE RECIPES

Discussion of the various chiles is found in the recipe sections. You will learn more about the chileswhen you actually use them.

How To Desensitize Your Mouth ToChiles

Ever wonder how people get used to the heat in chiles? Werethey just born with that talent? Have you seen a person just'pop' a raw jalapeo into their mouth and start chomping, and nosmoke comes out of their ears? Believe it or not, you too canget 'desensitized' to the heat. Once you can forget about theheat, you will be able to enjoy the flavor of each chile. It really

is easy, but you have to be a little bit daring. Sure you can!!!

I will tell you how I trained my own mouth, throat and other parts to not recognize the heat. I startedwith a wonderful burger, from a local burger joint that unfortunately closed years ago, and do you thinkI can remember their name, nooo. Sorry, I am reminiscing...

So, you get a great burger, then with each bite you also pop in a slice of pickled jalapeo. The fat in the

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meat and the sauce subdue the heat in the chile but not totally. Do this with every bite. Continue to dothis with other foods make sure they have some fat in them until you can pop 2 slices of chile witheach bite. Your mouth will get familiar with this food and in short order, voila, you can eat chileswithout breathing fire.

I chose to start with jalapeos because they are available just about everywhere and they are quite mild.

Work your way to other chiles once you master the jalapeo. Depending on how often you eat thechiles, you can be a professional chile eater in no time!

Ok, I neglected to tell you about 'the other parts'. Not sure how to say this delicately......well, I will justcome out and say it........you will probably get a burning butt the next morning! Let me also enlightenyou that if you have a constipation problem, it will be alleviated quickly. To get around the 'burningbutt syndrome (bbs), you can eat some ice cream before eating chiles or have a glass of milk (not fat-free). My daughter swears by the ice cream approach, but then I think she would eat dirt if it had icecream on it!

No matter what approach you take, give the chiles a try. They are healthy for your body as well asadding an additional flavor layer to your food.

Make sure to let us know how you are doing with the chiles or if you have a different method, pleaseshare it with us.

One of my favorite blog followers posted this to help us decide how to 'tame' the heat when we over-do: Did an in house pepper test. Yeah, my guys are always trying to prove things to one another. haha.That being said, bread, milk, cheese, chips, chocolate, etc, have been tried to tame the heat. What wediscovered is a few big spoons of yogurt works really well, and really fast! :) FYI from our kitchen toyours.

Note from Karina: I tried this after receiving this comment and yes, it does work well!!!!

Chile Powder .. Why not make your own?

Making your own chile powder probably seems a bit silly since you can buy a cute little jar of it at thegrocery store, already done for you. The fact that it is expensive AND you have no idea how long agoit was made, might make you give it another thought. Here is another idea to ponder gross as it maybe what else has been ground up in that powder that you can't see. The listing below is from the

FDA - TheFood Defect Action Levels . Capsicum is chile. Reading these potential 'additions' to yourground chile powder might may you think twice about those cute little jars of ground chiles!

Homemade chile powder is probably one of the easiest spice mixes you will ever make. I keep a fewdifferent ground chiles in my cabinet to use for any type of dish I want to make. You have two optionsto begin with; do you want just ground chile powder (nothing added) or do you want a chile powderthat has other ingredients such as garlic and cumin. The premade powders you buy usually are a

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combination of ingredients, but I prefer my chile powder to be just that, ground chiles. I want to addmy own herbs and garlic myself, depending on what I am making. For instance, I may not want cuminor oregano in the dish I am preparing, so I just add the basic powder I want and add the otheringredients individually.

To begin with, each chile you use, if it is not being boiled in water to hydrate, MUST be wiped off with

a damp cloth prior to using. When dried chiles are packaged, they have a light layer of dust on them,plus other unwanted things like bug poopie. So, just wet a paper towel and wipe it all over really well.

Ok, now on to the chile powder(s). I will tell you what other ingredients you can add to the powder tomake it more like what you are used to. OR just stop at the ground chile stage and put that in anairtight container...perhaps one of those empty cute little spice jars. You can mix the different chiles toget even more complex flavors too. I will leave that up to you and your imagination.

Ingredients

10 ancho chiles (one of my favorites), stem removed, slit open and seeds removed, then wiped with awet towel

2 Tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted2 Tablespoons garlic powder2 teaspoons ground Mexican oregano

Heat a heavy pan or grill pan to high heat. Lay one chile at a time on the hot surface. You will seewisps of smoke and a bit of color change, turn it over and toast the other side. This only takes about30-45 seconds so keep watch. Remove it to a blender and repeat with the other chiles.

If you are using the other ingredients, after you have toasted all your chiles, pour the cumin seeds intothe pan and toast them. Only a few seconds, until you can smell their fragrance, 10-15 seconds. Putthe cumin seeds, garlic powder and oregano in the blender. Whiz on high until you have a powder. Donot open the lid immediately, you will breathe in the powder and it will not be pleasant. Pour thepowder into an airtight container and store in the cabinet with your other spices.

Other chiles to use are guajillo (very very mild), pasilla, rbol (very spicy) and any other chile that isavailable in your grocery store. Handle them all the same.

Please remember use gloves!!!! You will thank me for it.

FDA -Food Defect Action Levels

CAPSICUM:

Pods Insect filth and/or Average of more than 3% of pods by weight

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mold are insect-infested and/or moldy

Mammalianexcreta

Average of more than 1mg mammalian excretaper pound

DEFECT SOURCE:Insect infested - preharvest and/or post harvest insect infestation. Mold - pre-harvest and/or post harvest infection, Mammalian excreta - post harvest and/or processing animalcontaminationSIGNIFICANCE:Aesthetic, Potential health hazard - mold may contain mycotoxin producing fungi

Ground Capsicum(excluding paprika)

Mold(AOAC 945.94)

Average mold count is more than 20%

Insect filth(AOAC 978.22)

Average of more than 50 insect fragments per25 grams

Rodent filth

(AOAC 978.22)

Average of more than 6 rodent hairs per 25

gramsDEFECT SOURCE:Mold - pre-harvest and/or post harvest mold infection. Insect fragments - pre-harvest and/or post harvest and/or processing insect infestation. Rodent hair - pre-harvest and/or postharvest and/or processing contamination with animal hair or excretaSIGNIFICANCE:Aesthetic, Mold may contain mycotoxin producing fungi

Basic Rajas

Rajas mean simply 'slices'. But, here in Mazatln they almost always refer to poblano chile slices. Ifanyone here read my blog in the past and remembers how to char and peel poblanos, raise yourhand...... sorry, I couldn't see that. We will start at the beginning, with the chiles.

Ingredients:

6 poblano chiles these are fresh, green and large3 tablespoons olive oil1 large white onion (no substitutes)2 cloves garlic, minced

teaspoon crushed Mexican oregano1 teaspoon salt cup sour cream1 pair of disposable rubber gloves (NOT optional)

For the chiles: either place them (whole) on an open burner on your stove-top or on a hot hot dry pansuch as a cast iron pan a grill pan works great too. I prefer to char my chiles outdoors on the side

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burner of my BBQ. If you do it indoors, either turn on your stove fan or open all the windows.

When they get char marks very dark ones turn them over and repeat on all sides. Some poblanosare 3 sided while others are 2 sided. When they are well charred, place them in a large bowl and coverit with a lid. Let the chiles steam for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the onions into inch (6.35 mm) slices. Heat the olive oil in a very large pan andadd the sliced onions. Cook them slowly while stirring occasionally, you do NOT want them to brown.About half way through, add the garlic, oregano and salt. Continue cooking slowly while you peel thechiles.

To peel the chiles: Put your gloves on! Under slowly running tap water, slide the charred skin off thechiles and rinse them. Cut off the stem end and remove the seeds. Drain each chile while you clean theremainder of them. Slice each chile crosswise into inch (6.35 mm) slices and toss into the pan withthe onions. The chiles have already cooked during the steaming process so you only need to reheatthem with the onions. Stir in the sour cream and heat. Serve alone with fresh corn tortillas (make tacosout of them) or over rice or as a side dish with chicken, fish, pork, beef, eggs, enchiladas.....you get theidea!

This is a basic rajas recipe. There are other ingredients you can add such as corn or mushrooms.Experiment on your own. These are amazing for breakfast on a cold morning with fresh tacos, theyactually heat you up from the inside out!

Chile Relleno Casserole

The casserole (caserola) today is an easy almost relleno dish. Instead of stuffing the chiles, we layerthem, then bake instead of bread and fry. By now you should be proficient at charring and peelingpoblano chiles. You have been practicing, right? If you have been slacking off, I will give you a shortlesson below. This casserole is very tasty and a good dish for company. They will think you spent allday in the kitchen.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350F (175C)

6 whole poblano chiles1 lb (500 grams) jack cheese, shredded1 lb (500 grams) cheddar cheese, shredded4 eggs, beaten1 can evaporated milk

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OK, for those of you who have not been paying attention......we need to char the poblanos all around. Iprefer to use the side burner on my BBQ outside to keep the pungent chile smoke outside. If you donot have a side burner, then you will char them in the house. Turn on your stove ventilation. Use alarge heavy pan, such as cast iron pan or a grill pan. Heat it to very hot. Place the poblanos on the hotsurface and wait while they start to char. You want them to get black marks. Turn them so that allsides get blackened. Immediately place the chiles in a large bowl and cover it. I use a dinner plate as a

lid. Let them sit for 10 minutes to steam. After the waiting time, slip the charred skin off under slowlyrunning water. Cut the stem end off and remove the seeds and membrane.

You DID remember to use gloves when handling those chiles...... if not, rub some fresh lime on yourhands and do nottouch eyes, nose or other vital areas for several hours!

Slit the peeled poblanos in half lengthwise so you have 2 long pieces from each chile. This will makelayering much easier.

Butter an 8 x 8 (20 cm x 20 cm) square pan. Layer half of the chiles in the bottom of the dish. Coverthem with all of the jack cheese. Layer the other half of the chiles on top of the jack cheese. Coverthat layer with all of the cheddar cheese.

Beat together the eggs and milk, then pour over the chile and cheese mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutesbefore cutting into squares.

This dish cries out for fresh tortillas.....

Jalapeo Poppers

This is not really a Mexican recipe, but I make them occasionally for Mexican friends and they lovethem. They are easy to make and addictive to eat. Start with fresh jalapeo chiles...OR those chilesthat look like yellow jalapeos. They are much milder but still very fresh tasting. The amount ofcheese filling and batter depend on how many chiles you have.

Put your gloves on! Remove the stem end from each chile. Using a narrow knife, remove all the seedsand membrane from inside the chile without cutting the chile down the side. Just put the knife insidethe chile and turn it in a circle around the edges. Shake the innards out and discard them.

Preheat your oven to 375F / 190C.

Other ingredients you will need:

cream cheese or feta I like the herb flavored feta1 cup flour

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1 cup beer

Mix the flour and beer in a bowl. Stuff the cheese into the center of each chile, making sure it ispacked well. Use your fingers for this. Dredge the chiles into the beer batter until they are thoroughlycoated. Place them in a greased baking dish or greased cookie sheet if you have lots of chiles. Bakefor 30 minutes. Allow them to cool for a few minutes before biting into them....they will be like hot

lava if not allowed to cool a bit.As a side note, you do not need to make these only for guests. Treat yourselves by making recipes likethis one, because............life is short........enjoy!

Poblano Rice

Have you ever gotten bored with plain old rice? It is a great side dish, but it really does get boring now

and then. Today's recipe is for rice cooked with poblano chiles, which not only gives it wonderfulflavor but a lovely green color. It is not spicy, so everyone can enjoy this rice. Use it as a side dish ormound poblano chicken or fajitas on top of it. By the way, you can do the same with pasta!

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cup water or chicken broth2 poblano chiles, stems and seeds removed (do not char)5 garlic cloves

teaspoon salt if using unsalted broth or water12 sprigs cilantro, including stems

1 cup rice1 Tablespoon olive oil, regular or extra virgin1 small white onion, finely diced

Put the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Cover the pot and allow to simmer for10 minutes. Pour the contents of the saucepan into a blender along with the cilantro and liquefy untilno particles remain. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the rice and onion. Stir while sauting until the rice looks chalky.Slowly add the blender ingredients to the rice, stir to combine and quickly cover the pot. Cook oververy low heat for 12-15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. If the rice is notquite done, add cup more broth or water and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork andserve!

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Poblano Spaghetti

Today I want to tempt you with another recipe fromFrom the Kitchens of Pancho Villa... If you didn'tknow this dish came from a Mexican cookbook, you would not recognize it as Mexican. If you wish,

you can cut down a bit on the fat by using Neufchatel instead of regular cream cheese. The sauce goestogether in less time than it takes to cook the pasta, so here's another quickie for you!

Poblano Spaghetti

Espaguetis a la Poblana

2 servings

This spaghetti is about as easy as it gets. Using the canned poblano soup eliminates the steps ofcharring, peeling, rinsing, and chopping the poblanos. I usually dont eat canned soup, but I love this

stuff. The soup should be available on the soup aisle or the Mexican food aisle. Dont be discouraged ifyou cannot find it. To make your own for this sauce, roast 1 poblano; then peel and remove stem, seedsand veins. Blend with 8 ounces of cream and some salt. It isnt quite the same, but it is still quite good.

Ingredients

250 grams (8 ounces) spaghetti1 can cream of poblano soup (Campbells) cup milk50 grams (3 Tablespoons) butter, melted190 grams (7 ounces) cream cheese

50 grams (3 Tablespoons) Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook the spaghetti in an abundant amount of salted water until it is almosttender. Drain.

In a saucepan, blend the cream of poblano soup, milk, melted butter, and cream cheese. Bring almost toa boil, reduce the heat to low; then add the cooked spaghetti and heat thoroughly for 5 minutes. (Thisextra 5 minutes will finish cooking the pasta.) Add salt to taste.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Serve with roasted chicken.

BEEF and PORKBEEF and PORK

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Black Beans With Crispy Pork And Poblano Salsa

This recipe has a few steps that may look time-consuming, but the beans, salsa and crema can be done

1-2 days ahead and refrigerated. Left-overs are even better the next day, so don't scrimp on thequantity. We use tortillas as a side, but picture this with warm corn bread! Ok, I have talked myselfinto it, I am going to make this again and THIS TIME with corn bread!

10 Servings

For the beans:2 Tablespoons olive oil2 large onions, diced12 garlic cloves, minced7 Tablespoons dried chili powder, guajillo or ancho**

1 Tablespoons ground cumin3 quarts (3.3 liters) water3 cups dried black beans, sorted and well rinsed2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano1 teaspoons finely grated orange peel1 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobosalt to taste

For the salsa:6 fresh poblano chiles, charred1 cup white onion, finely chopped

1 7-ounce can green tomatillo salsasalt and pepper to taste

For the crema:2 cups sour cream2 teaspoons canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

For the pork:2 Tablespoons olive oil3 pounds (1.5 kilos) boneless pork leg, cut into -inch cubessalt and pepper to taste

cup chicken broth1 cups fresh cilantro, minced4 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, toastedchihuahua or manchego cheese, shredded

For the beans:Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions

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are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir often to keep the garlic from burning. Add the remainder of thebean ingredients except the chipotle chiles. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with the lid slightly ajar. Simmer until the black beans are tender, about 2 hours. NOTE: ifyour beans have been hanging around for a long time, your cooking time will need to be increased.Start with adding 30 minutes at a time until they are tender. Add the chipotle chiles and season to tastewith salt.

Continue to simmer until the black beans are creamy, then mash coarsely with a potato masher to yourdesired consistency, adding more water by cupfuls if it is too thick, stirring frequently, about 30minutes longer.

For the salsa:Char the poblano chiles over gas flame or in a heavy pan until blackened on all sides. Place them in alarge bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for about 10-15 minutes. Put your gloves on at thistime! Peel, seed and chop the chiles. Place them in a medium bowl and add the onion and tomatillosalsa. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the crema:Stir sour cream and minced chipotle chiles together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

For the pork:Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper. Working in batches,add the pork to hot skillet and cook until browned, about 7 minutes per batch. (Don't crowd the pan orthe pork will not get brown, it will get gray and look disgusting.) Transfer the cooked pork to amedium bowl while you cook the remainder of the pork. Then, return all the pork and any juices to theskillet. Add the chicken broth, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until pork is tender, stirringoccasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer to another medium bowl.

Meanwhile, rewarm the beans. Stir the cilantro and cumin seeds into the salsa.

Divide the beans among bowls. Top with pork, salsa, chipotle crema, and cheese.

**Make your own chile powder see the Chile section above.

Carne asada grilled beef

Thin sliced beef for the grill. Sometimes called skirt steak outside of Mexico. Any type of steak can beused, just slice it thin or chop it after grilling.

Carne asada Dry seasonings: there are several dry steak seasonings on the market that are wonderfuland perfectly acceptable to use. The ingredients to look for are essentially what you like as there are noset rules to seasoning carne asada. If you want to make your own, the seasonings should include salt(non-iodized), ground black pepper, ground cumin, chile powder, ground Mexican oregano and garlic

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powder. If you have garlic salt, then just omit the regular salt. Lightly sprinkle the seasonings on bothsides of the beef and rub in. Grill until the meat is done the way you like it, then remove from the grilland let it rest for 5 minutes. Chop the meat into small pieces and place in a bowl to keep warm.

Chipotle Meatballs

I think by now that you all know my favorite chile is the chipotle. They are nothing more than asmoked ripe jalapeo. The canned variety that we (you, me and Mexican cooks) use, is Chipotle enAdobo Chipotle in Adobo Sauce. Adobo is a tomato sauce normally cooked with some onions butnot much else. Then the dried chipotles are re-hydrated in this adobo sauce and used in all our favoriterecipes. Make no mistake however, chipotles are VERY spicy, what we call 'enchiloso'. When you usethese little chiles, start small. For instance, if a recipe calls for 1 whole chipotle, this is a mediumamount. Not sure if you want the total effect, use 1/2 of one. Then the next time, if you wish to havemore flavor and heat, double that amount back to the 1 whole chipotle. You can always add more butyou cannot take it out.

Remember that Mexican food is about flavor not anesthetizing your taste buds.

Traditionally these are served over white rice. I personally prefer brown rice which is just now cominginto vogue here. Make sure also to have plenty of tortillas, either corn or flour, to sop up the broth.

Serves 6 to 8

3 pounds (1.3 kilos) plum tomatoes, quartered1 medium-size white onion, quartered2 large garlic cloves1 whole canned chipotle chile teaspoon ground cloves

2 tablespoons vegetable oilsalt and pepper to taste

1 pound (500 grams) ground beef1 pound (500 grams) ground pork cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 large egg1 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano1 teaspoons salt teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooked white or brown rice.

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Puree first 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth, work in batches if you need. Heat the oil in a large,deep pot over medium-high heat. Add the tomato mixture. Cover and boil for 10 minutes to blend theflavors and thicken slightly, stirring occasionally. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Thissauce can be made the same day in the morning and used in the afternoon, but it will lose freshness ifprepared farther ahead than that.

Combine ground beef, pork, breadcrumbs, egg, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add cupcooled tomato sauce and stir until the meat mixture is well mixed. Using your hands, form the meatinto balls the size of a walnut. Place the formed meatballs on a plate while you form the remainder.

Bring the sauce to simmer over medium heat. Add all the meatballs, one at a time so they do not breakup, to the sauce. Cover and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Spoonthe rice into large shallow bowls. Ladle the meatballs and sauce over the rice and serve.

Green Burritos (Pork)Burritos can be just about anything wrapped in a flour tortilla and eaten at any meal. For example,scramble up some eggs, toss them into a heated flour tortilla, slather some hot sauce or left over moleon the eggs, roll up and enjoy along with your morning cup of coffee. They can be just about any kindof boneless meat, chunks, slices or ground, add some sauce, even beans or rice. Often you will see fruitburritos with some media crema drizzled over the filling. You can eat them plain or with salsa on topand a tiny bit (no smothering-remember this is REAL Mexican food) of cheese.

Take some of your favorite Mexican ingredients and experiment by putting them together in a tortilla.You will find that you almostcan't make a mistake...

This recipe makes enough for 6 servings. Make sure to get the larger tortillas but not the giant ones.They normally come in 3 sizes, get the middle size.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb (500 grams) cooked pork such as loin or roast, boneless (no ham)2 cans tomatillo sauce (small cans about 8 oz each)1 poblano chile, charred and peeled (see the chile section), then diced

6 large flour tortillas (you may have enough filling for more)6 Tablespoons onion, finely diced12 Tablespoons shredded Chihuahua cheese (Jack is OK)

Heat the first 3 ingredients together until they are hot.

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Meanwhile, heat the flour tortillas over a stove burner for 20 seconds each side. Place them in either atortilla warmer or clean kitchen towel to keep them warm.

On each tortilla, place some of the filling in a line down the middle. Then 1 Tablespoon onion and 2Tablespoons cheese. Wrap the ends over the filling, then roll the sides up forming a long fat tube.

Serve one per person, unless you have more filling left over. Traditionally, these are also served withrefried beans and rice.

Mexican Burgers

There is an easy trick to revving up these burgers ... chopped jalapeos. Only a few burger recipes areactually a step ahead of the crowd and this one is running ahead of the pack! Clearly there areingredient variations that you can choose from, but the chiles are the 'kicker'. Grill them outside or

cook them on a grill pan inside, they will be wonderful either way!

Makes 4 large burgers

Ingredients:

1-1/3 lb / 605 grams ground meat remember you need a little fat in there to hold them together notthat 95% lean stuff

1-2 fresh jalapeo chiles teaspoon salt

teaspoon ground pepper garlic clove, crushed then minced2 tablespoons finely minced onion cup tomato puree or sauce cup dried bread crumbs1 egg

Remove and discard the stem and seeds from the jalapeos. Chop the chiles finely.

Put all the ingredients in a bowl with the ground meat and knead until well combined. Form the meatinto 4 large patties and grill to your desired doneness.

Serve on over-sized fresh buns with sliced canned jalapeos, sliced tomato, avocado,onion..............your choice.

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Mexican Goulash

We couldn't think up a good name for this recipe so I just made one up. Lorina (whose recipe this is)thought it sounded OK, although she had never heard the word before.

An easy one pot dish that is ready in a flash. You do not even have to char the poblano chile. The

poblano adds no spicy heat, although you can spice it up to your liking if you wish. This is another oneof those comfort foods for a cool autumn day.

Servings 4

Ingredients:

1 pound (500 grams) ground beef1 Tablespoon olive oil1 medium onion, chopped1 clove garlic, minced

1 poblano chile, stem and seeds removed, then chopped2 cups diced tomatoes1-1/2 cup water cup uncooked rice cup chile sauce (bottled or canned)1 teaspoon salt teaspoon ground black pepper teaspoon Worcestershire sauce3 Tablespoons shredded Chihuahua cheese

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, onion, garlic and poblano chile in the olive oil. When the

onions are translucent, stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer, covered, until the rice is cooked, 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese over top and serve.

Papa Loca (CRAZY Potato)

We went to the movies yesterday with friends and afterward we walked to a sidewalk restaurant servingdifferent types of carne asada grilled meat. I had a Papa Loca which means crazy potato. Thatmeans nothing to you, right? It is a large baked potato flattened out on a plate, then topped withchopped grilled meat, butter, cheese and a wee bit of sour cream. Then served with condiments suchas pureed avocado, fresh salsa, roasted tomato salsa and tomatillo salsa. I loved it and got the recipe toshare with you.

This makes a wonderfully easy meal if you are eating alone or feeding a crowd.

Scrub the potatoes, poke about a dozen times with the tines of a fork and wrap them in aluminum foil.

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Bake yes, in the oven is still the best way one large potato per person until fork tender, about 1 to1 hours at 350. Remove from the oven, open the foil making a foil plate. Slice the potato in half andsmoosh it to make it relatively flat. Dot with a little butter.

You can do this next part with any type of steak you have. You can use marinated steak, steak withsteak seasoning rub, or just salt and pepper. Either on your outside grill or indoor grill-pan, cook the

steak to your desired doneness, then chop into small pieces. Sprinkle on top of the buttered potato, so itis totally covered in a layer of beef about inch thick.

Now, sprinkle the top of the meat with some shredded Chihuahua cheese. If it does not meltimmediately, place into the hot oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove after the cheese has melted and drizzle alittle sour cream on top and serve.

Always serve with bowls of a few different salsas.

Pork Shank (Chamorro de Cerdo)

I know you are going to love this recipe. The first time I had it was on a ladies trip to Tonala, a townoutside Guadalajara. The town is filled with artisans and craftspeople and 2 days a week they have ahuge (covering several blocks) sidewalk sale. If you love this type of event, plan to go.

I had never eaten pork shank before and I was surprised at how meaty it is and how rich tasting.

Ingredients

6 servings

6 pork shanks1 small box achiote paste (look on the Mexican food aisle)Salt and pepper to taste1 white onion, chopped1-1/2 cups orange juice (1/4 cup for each shank)3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped2 garlic cloves, minced

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

Rinse each shank and pat dry. Place each one individually on a large piece of aluminum foil. (enoughto wrap each one securely and form a moisture proof packet).

Mix the achiote paste with the orange juice. Divide the juice among the 6 packets. Evenly sprinkle theremaining ingredients over the shanks. Seal the foil well so that you have no leaks.

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Place the packets on a rimmed cookie sheet, keeping space between them for heat to circulate.Bake for 45-60 minutes. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve each shank by slitting openthe top of the foil but leaving the shank inside. Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable or salad.

Tacos al pastor grilled, marinated pork

My favorite!!! Again, this is thin pork. You marinate it and then grill it, chop it and serve with grilledpineapple in the taco.

Tacos al pastorpage 117From the Kitchens of Pancho Villa

Ingredients2 kilos (4.4 pounds) boneless pork leg, sliced very thin (less than 6 mm / 14 inch)6 ancho chiles

12 head garlic, peeled3 teaspoons salt1 large can sliced pineapple (1.7 pounds/820 grams)13 large onionoil (small amount for searing the meat)warm corn tortillas (lots of them)

In a small pan of boiling water, add the ancho chiles. When they are soft, about 510 minutes, removethem from the water. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the stems, seeds, and veins. Placethe cleaned chiles in a blender jar with the garlic, 3 teaspoons salt, onion, juice from the cannedpineapple, and enough water to cover the chiles. Blend until very smooth. Pour into a wide pan or dish.

In a hot skillet or grill pan, drizzle 1 tablespoon oil. Heat until it is very hot. Dip the meat slices into theancho sauce, then carefully place them in the hot pan. Since the meat is very thin, it will cook in about34 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness you have). When the meat is done, remove it to aplate. Scrape the scraps from the pan after each piece of meat is cooked and discard so you dont haveany burned sauce on the next piece. Add more oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, and repeat thecooking process with as much of the meat as you wish to cook.

Dip the pineapple slices into the sauce, and sear them on both sides.

Chop the meat into bite-sized pieces and put on a large plate. Chop the pineapple into chunks, and

place alongside the meat on the plate. Each person can make his or her own tacos from this servingplate.

Spoon the meat and pineapple into warm tortillas

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CHICKENCHICKEN

Chicken And Rice, Mexican StyleThis recipe is one of those that you can prepare once and eat for 2 meals. This is the same type ofcomfort food made NOB (north of the border), just has a bit more kick to it and a couple of differentflavors. I seem to make it often because it is so easy and stretches the number of servings.

Makes 4 large servings, or if you need more, keep tossing in more ingredients......

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil2 Tablespoons unsalted butter1 cup chopped celery, make sure to use some leaves they add great flavor onion, minced3 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in cubes1 chipotle chile, from a can with adobo sauce, minced1/3 cup evaporated milk1 cup cooked rice (I use brown rice) teaspoon dried thyme

1 Tablespoon powdered chicken bouillon