Caldo de Res

I want to dedicate this recipe to all of you, who like myself, don't have a mommy around to take care of you when you're sick. There is nothing that makes me feel better, like a bowl of my mom's hearty Caldo de Res (beef soup). We all know that when you're feeling under the weather, the go-to food is chicken soup, and I love me some chicken soup, but there is something about Caldo de Res that warms me up, fills my belly, and makes me feel like I can fight a swarm of ninjas (even if just for a minute). So, when my beautiful mom is not around, I peel myself out of bed and very pathetically crawl to the kitchen.

Caldo de Res starts with creating a flavorful beef broth, and then slowly adding vegetables and fresh herbs. While the recipe does take a few hours to make, it's not very complicated. It just requires patience and a bit of love (even if it is for yourself).

Caldo de Res

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 lbs beef shank, with bone

1 onion, cut into half

3 garlic cloves

1 1/2 cups of garbanzo beans (uncooked)

2 medium carrots, roughly chopped

1 small bunch of cilantro

1 small bunch of mint

2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 ears of corn, husked and cut into thirds

2 zucchinis, roughly chopped

1 medium cabbage, cored and cut into wedges

1/2 cup of rice (uncooked)

Salt and pepper

Directions

Fill a large soup pot about 1/2 way with water and boil. Once the water has boiled, add the meat, about 3 tbs of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, garlic, and garbanzos, continuously removing the foam that is brought to the top of the pot. Lower the heat to medium-low. Let cook for about 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Follow by adding carrots, potatoes, zucchini, corn, cabbage, mint, and onion. Cook for another hour and then add cilantro, and rice. At this point, you'll want to taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, add salt and pepper. Cook for another 30-45 minutes. If at any point the broth gets too thick, add water and adjust seasoning.

Ladle into soup bowls and serve with warm corn tortillas, salsa, and a wedge of lime.

The Thing about Tinga

Tinga is a dish I grew up eating at a potlucks and picnics. Now that I can cook it myself, I realize why it was such a common dish to bring, it's easy to make and delicious served warm, and maybe even more delicious served cold. Imagine a chicken salad that has been bathing in a broth of spices, tomatoes, onions, with just a hint of smokiness from chipotle peppers. That's Tinga. The other great thing about it, is that it's so versatile. You can eat it in taco, on a tostada, gorditas, sopes, or quesadillas (as pictured above). Tinga can also be made from shredded pork or beef, so feel free to make substitutions.


Tinga de Pollo
Serves 3-5


Ingredients

3 cups of cooked shredded chicken
1 tbs of vegetable oil
 2 large tomatoes, roughly diced
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced
1/2 tbs ground cumin
1/2 tbs dried Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken stock
1 canned chipotle pepper, roughly chopped
1-3 tbs of adobo sauce from the chipotles
Salt and pepper to taste

 Directions 

 Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and fall apart, about 5 minutes, stir occasionally. Add half of the chicken broth and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (except the adobo sauce), chicken, cumin, oregano, thyme, chipotle, salt and pepper , and remaining chicken stock. Stir well, making sure everything mixes together. Stir in the adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time. The more you add, the spicier it is. Taste and adjust any seasonings. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

You can serve warm or cold. Some great topping suggestions are your usual suspects, sliced avocados, queso fresco, salsa, sour cream, radishes, diced onions and cilantro.

Chilaquiles

Chill a what? It's pronounced chill-ah-key-less. Or you can always call them fancy nachos, like the gringo boyfriend does.

Chilaquiles are generally served for breakfast or brunch. However, they hold up on their own as a main dish for dinner. Or any time, really. Like most dishes in Mexico, chilaquiles can vary depending on the region. Some people will cook them in a sauce until the tortillas are very soft, on the other end of the spectrum, you'll have regions that prefer the tortillas to remain crisp. The recipe my mom taught me is kind of in the middle, slightly soft, while keeping a light crisp. You will also find that you'll have a variety of sauces to choose from. For this recipe, I use a red sauce, very similar to enchilada sauce.

Feel free to add chicken, beef, chorizo, egg, or your favorite toppings!


Chilaquiles
Serves 4



Ingredients

1 dz corn tortillas, cut into 6 triangles
1 cup of onions, thinly sliced
2 cups of red sauce (recipe to follow)
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
Corn oil
Salt


Fixin's

Queso fresco, crumbled
Crema Mexicana (creme fraiche)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, sliced


Directions

Heat 1-2 cups of oil (about an inch deep) over medium heat (350-375° F for you fancy people). Slowly add the tortillas in batches and fry until golden. Remove and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauteé until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the fried tortillas and gently stir so that you don't break them making sure that the onions are mixed in well. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt. Sauteé everything for about 2 minutes. Add the red sauce and gently fold into the tortillas until everything is coated. Sprinkle monterey jack cheese over tortillas, cover for two minutes or until cheese has melted.

Serve in a bowl or plate, sprinkle with queso fresco, top with avocado, cilantro, and drizzle with cream.


Red Sauce

Ingredients

3 cups of dried guajillo peppers (seeded and deveined)
1 large garlic clove
Hot water
1 chicken bullion cube
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp cumin
1 tbs oregano
Salt and pepper


Directions

Place peppers in a blender and fill with hot water. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes. Pour out about 2/3 of the water and save for later. Once peppers are tender, add the remaining ingredients. Cover and puree until you have a smooth mixture. Place a fine strainer over a large bowl and strain through. The sauce should not be too runny or too thick. If it’s too thick, add 1 table spoon at a time of that water you saved earlier until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the pepper mixture to pan, constantly stirring, until oil is well incorporated and sauce has darkened in color. Watch out for splatter! Add oregano (crumble with your fingers) and cumin. Continue stirring for about two minutes. Add heavy cream and simmer for five minutes. Lower heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Scarf it down like a champ! *plays Eye of the Tiger*

Gracias

Thanksgiving may be a US holiday, but Mexicans get to celebrate it too. We'll just call it even 'cause of the whole Cinco de Mayo thing.

Here's a recipe for those of you who want to add a little spice to your Thanksgiving. It's super quick and easy and everyone will love it.


Queso Fundido



Ingredients

1 package of Mexican chorizo*
2 cups of shredded Monterey jack cheese
½ cup of diced white onions
1 tbs of chopped cilantro for garnish
1 tbs of oil
Salt & pepper

*Do not use Spanish chorizo. Mexican chorizo is loose, and uncooked. You can purchase it in sausage casing or it comes loose by the pound.


Directions

Heat oil on a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until transparent. Remove from pan and set aside.

Remove oil from the pan and wipe clean with a paper towel. Place pan back on burner and add the chorizo (if it’s in casing, remove from casing). Cook chorizo for about 5-8 minutes or until it turns a deep color. Lower heat and drain any excess oil.

Sprinkle all the shredded cheese over the chorizo and cover the pan with a lid until the cheese completely melts.

Move the chorizo-cheese mixture onto a plate or if you can/want, you can serve it on the skillet. Just remember to be careful because it will be hot. Sprinkle with grilled onions and garnish with cilantro.

I like to serve this dish with chips, warm tortillas, toasted bread, or pitas.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!