BBQ SEA BASS TACOS OR TOSTADOS WITH LIMES, CHILES, AND GUACAMOLE
GOAT CHEESE, PINE NUT, AND CORN FILLING
MUSHROOM ENCHILADAS WITH SALSA MEXICANA AND CREMA
RED AND GREEN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Tacos are flour or corn tortillas filled with enchanting layers of cold and hot ingredients, then formed into a loose cylinder and eaten using your hands. Messy, satisfying, and delicious, these creations are available on many street corners of San Miguel, often from vendors who operate only during the evening hours.
Tostados are flour or corn tortillas that are first given a brief frying in oil until crisp and then served open-faced. Tostados are flat tacos and use the same layering of ingredients as tacos. They are eaten with a knife and fork. To fry the tortillas, place 2 cups flavorless cooking oil in a 12-inch frying pan. Heat until the edge of a tortilla dipped into the oil begins to bubble. Fry the tortillas, one at a time, until golden and crisp, about 1 minute. Drain and pat dry with paper towels to remove any extra oil.
Here are the basic building blocks. It’s not necessary to utilize all six layers for every taco or tostado! For example, you might choose a taco using just a layer of guacamole, then baby arugula, then grilled fish. There are two recipes that follow as examples. Now you’re free to create new combinations.
First Layer: A little smear of Guacamole, Ancho Chile Jam, or Mexican Chile Sauce.
Second Layer: Shredded iceberg lettuce or any salad mix.
Third Layer: Meat or seafood sliced into thin pieces. This can be meat or seafood grilled or roasted. We especially like using meat or seafood placed on skewers and grilled.
Fourth Layer: Coleslaw for moisture and texture.
Fifth Layer: A couple of spoonfuls of salsa or your favorite hot sauce.
Sixth Layer: Optional drizzle of one of the Zigzag Sauces
MAKES 8 TACOS OR TOSTADOS
A soft chicken taco wrapped around a supermarket roast chicken, avocado slices, and a store-bought salsa makes a satisfying weeknight dinner. But the following recipe, with its sophisticated taste and texture mix, is great for informal dinner parties. We serve this as the only appetizer, and often it is the only Mexican-inspired dish on the menu. Or, it’s great as the main course, accompanied by a Caesar salad. An ambitious cook might grill jumbo shrimp or skirt steak alongside the chicken thighs, and add a few salsas from here, to create a greater variety of Mexican flavor options.
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons dry rub of choice here
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
Flavorless cooking oil (if making tostados)
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
Your choice of salsa here
½ cup crumbled queso fresco or crema
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill. Cut the chicken into 1 ½-inch-wide strips. Rub with the dry rub, and then with the olive oil. Grill the chicken for 3 minutes on each side. Let cool, then thinly slice the chicken.
Warm the tortillas as directed on here. Then transfer to a basket lined with a cloth towel, and wrap the tortillas to keep warm.
For tacos, all the elements can be served at the table with everyone building their own. Or (more work and not as much fun), they can be assembled in the kitchen, and the tacos placed on a serving platter or dinner plates.
If making tostados, heat ½ inch cooking oil in a deep frying pan to 375°F. The end of a tortilla strip should bubble when dipped into the oil. Fry the tortillas until crisp. Drain on paper towels, and then place flat on serving plates. Then add the layers on top of the tortillas: first guacamole, then lettuce, chicken, coleslaw, salsa, and cheese.
MAKES 8 TACOS OR TOSTADOS
Is there any other dish than fish tacos that captures the heart of Mexican cooking? Perfectly cooked fresh fish, the crisp coolness of shredded iceberg lettuce, the richness of ripe Hass avocado, and the sparkling fresh flavors of salsa, all wrapped in a warm charred tortilla, recalls lingering memories of Mexican taco stands along their beautiful beaches.
1½ pounds fresh sea bass, skinned (or any firm fish)
Dry Rub for Meat or Seafood
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
¼ cup Ancho Chile Jam
3 cups baby arugula or shredded iceberg lettuce
Chipotle Chile Zigzag Sauce
2 limes, cut into wedges
Flavorless cooking oil (if making tostados)
Prepare the Dry Rub, ancho chili jam, salsa, guacamole, and Zigzag Sauce.
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill. Place a layer of aluminum foil over the grill grate. Rub the sea bass with the rub then with olive oil. Grill the sea bass on the foil for 8 minutes with the grill covered. Check the fish. If it does not begin to flake, cover the grill and cook for 2 more minutes.
If making tacos, warm the tortillas as directed on here. Add a little smear of ancho chile jam. Add some arugula, fish, and a spoonful of the salsa. Add a little guacamole, and top with a drizzle of the zigzag sauce. Serve at once, accompanied by the lime wedges.
If making tostados, heat ½ inch cooking oil in a deep frying pan to 375°F. The end of a tortilla strip should bubble when dipped into the oil. Fry the tortillas until crisp. Drain on paper towels and then place flat on serving plates. Add all the layers as described above. Serve at once.
This is a time-consuming but grand-tasting recipe. For this reason, involve your cooking friends to help stuff and cook the rellenos. You’ll have more fun doing it together. If you are not serving the rellenos as the main course, then be sure that the other dishes require no last-minute cooking. You can make the filling and stuff the chiles 24 hours in advance of serving. The actual cooking of the stuffed chiles is a last-minute activity.
The Chiles: Poblano chiles are commonly used, but the long, slender Anaheim chiles are also good. Buy poblanos that are evenly shaped with no indentations. Char and skin the chiles as described on here. Be careful not to over-char! There should still be small amounts of the shiny green surface visible. After rubbing off the skin, make a slit lengthwise along each chile. Do not remove the seeds or wash the chiles. If you are going to shallow fry the chiles, it is very important that the chiles are bonedry inside or else there is the potential during frying of a terrible explosion of water and hot oil.
The Filling: A large poblano holds ½ to ¾ cup filling. An Anaheim or small poblano holds ½ cup or a bit less filling. Due to the short cooking time of the chiles, all seafood and meat must already be precooked. Since each of the filling recipes here makes 2 cups, if you want to serve the chiles rellenos as a main course, you will probably want to double the filling recipe.
Closing the Stuffed Chiles: It is unnecessary to close the chiles using toothpicks or kitchen string. The goat cheese acts as a binder and prevents the chile from opening during the cooking.
The Batter: Stuffed chiles that are deep-fried need to be encased in a protective batter. Bring the chiles to room temperature. Just before cooking, using an electric beater, beat 3 egg whites until stiff. Add ½ teaspoon salt. With the mixer on, beat in 3 egg yolks. The batter is a Diana Kennedy technique. Transfer the batter to a 9 by 9-inch pyrex baking dish.
The Frying Method: If you are cooking more than 4 chiles, use 2 frying pans. Place a 12-inch frying pan(s) over high heat. You can do this on the stove, or place the frying pan(s) over high heat on an outdoor gas grill. Pour 3 cups flavorless cooking oil into each pan. Wait until the oil gets hot enough so that the end of a wooden spoon dipped into the oil begins to bubble around the tip. Coat the chiles with white flour. Then, holding the chiles by the stem, twirl them in the batter until well coated. Holding one chile by the stem, place a clean fork under the tip of the chile, and coat the chile with batter. Then lay the battered chile in the hot oil (do not rush—be careful). Fry until golden on all sides and the chile becomes hot in the center, about 5 minutes total cooking time. Transfer to dinner plates, or if cooking two batches, temporarily place on a wire rack. When cooked, serve immediately.
Hugh Carpenter demonstrating the frying of Chiles Rellenos.
The Roasting Method: This method is for unbattered chiles. Bring the chiles to room temperature. Place the chiles on a wire rack and place in a preheated 350°F oven. Roast until thoroughly heated, about 20 minutes.
The Barbecue Method: This method is for unbattered chiles. Bring the chiles to room temperature. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill. You’ll need a double layer of aluminum foil, about 12 by 12 inches, with one side sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place the foil over direct heat with the oiled side up. Place the stuffed chiles on the foil. Cover the grill. Cook until the chiles are piping hot, about 15 minutes. To add more flavor, place 2 cups of hardwood chips directly on the fire before beginning to cook. When the chips begin to smoke, place the chiles on the foil and cover the grill.
Serving: Make 1 chile per person as a first course and 2 chiles per person as a main course. Make one of the salsas from here. Place the salsa on your dinner plates. Place the chiles on top of the salsa and serve at once.
Garnish: If you want a more complex taste and a greater visual flair, drizzle on one of the Zigzag Sauces or some crema.
MAKES 2 CUPS
2 medium ears corn, kernels cut off
½ cup dried currants or dark raisins
6 ounces soft goat cheese
2 whole green onions, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted in a 325°F oven
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Proceed with stuffing and cooking the peppers according to your method of choice.
Seafood Variation: Make ½ recipe of the Goat Cheese Filling. Add ½ pound cooked medium shrimp or crabmeat or smoked salmon. Makes 2 cups. Proceed with stuffing and cooking the peppers.
Meat Variation: Make ½ recipe of the Goat Cheese Filling. Add ½ pound finely chopped or shredded cooked meat, such as Pulled Pork, smoked or grilled chicken, or cooked sausage. Makes 2 cups. Proceed with stuffing and cooking the peppers.
SERVES 6 TO 8 AS AN APPETIZER OR FIRST COURSE
This recipe substitutes zucchini blossoms for the chile peppers. Zucchini blossoms can be found at farmers’ markets during the summer.
12 zucchini blossoms
Your choice of filling here
2 large eggs, well beaten
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups flavorless cooking oil
Gently stuff each blossom with ¼ cup of the filling. Just before cooking, dip the stuffed blossoms into the beaten eggs, then coat with the flour.
Pour the oil into a 12- to 14-inch frying pan. Turn the heat to high. When the oil becomes hot enough that the tip of a wooden spoon placed in the oil bubbles (375°F), gently add half the stuffed blossoms. Cook until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes. Drain on a wire rack, and repeat with the remaining stuffed blossoms. Serve at once.
Three staple foods of traditional Mexican cooking are corn, beans, and squash.
The Real Academia Española defines the term enchilada as used in Mexico as a rolled corn tortilla stuffed with meat and covered with a tomato and chile sauce. Enchilada is the past participle of enchilar, meaning literally “to season (or decorate) with chile.”
Enchiladas are one of Mexico’s most famous national dishes. When ordered at restaurants, they are assembled at the last moment. This means heating corn tortillas, laying a filling in each tortilla, and either folding the tortillas in half or rolling the tortillas into a cylinder. After a brief cooking to heat the interior, the enchiladas are topped with a sauce and grated or crumbled cheese.
We prefer to do all the assembly in advance, and then bake them in the oven until piping hot. This is a process that requires the more durable commercially made tortilla. Fresh homemade tortillas are more fragile and can only be used if assembling the enchiladas at the last moment.
Portions: For a main course, count on 2 enchiladas per person.
The Wrap: Use corn tortillas. To soften, warm them over a gas burner or on a gas grill, heating them only enough to become pliable. Or warm them in the microwave. Or dip them into hot oil for about 10 seconds, until they become pliable. A nice flavor addition is sprinkling ½ teaspoon of ancho chile powder (or an American chile powder spice blend) into the hot oil just before adding the tortillas.
The Filling: Meat or seafood must be cooked first and works best cut into bite-size pieces. In this way, the enchiladas cook quickly and the texture of the tortillas is not compromised. Count on 4 ounces (or ½ cup chopped or sliced) cooked meat or seafood per enchilada. Choices include grilled chicken or pork, Pulled Pork, ground or link sausages cooked in advance, leftover meat from a pot roast or stew, cooked shrimp or crabmeat, or grilled fish such as salmon, sea bass, or black cod.
One of the local traditions in the Central Bajio area is carving patterns into mesquite hardwood, and using herbal dyes to color tortillas for weddings and country fiestas.
Vegetarian: If making vegetarian enchiladas, choose one or more of the following: caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, matchstick-cut carrots, sliced Japanese eggplant cut into strips and grilled until soft and charred, charred bell peppers, and grilled or blanched asparagus. Avoid using highmoisture vegetables such as cabbages, spinach, and bean sprouts. The moisture in these vegetables can cause the enchiladas to become watery.
Cheese Enchiladas: Add the following to any meat, seafood, or vegetarian enchiladas, or use only cheese as the filling: Chihuahua, Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, pecorino, Emmenthaler, Gruyère, Muenster, crumbled queso fresco, or soft goat cheese.
Sauces: Replace any enchilada sauce with one of the following: Salsa Mexicana, Tomatillo Salsa, Mexican Chile Sauce, Ancho Chile Jam, Achiote Sauce, Mole Sauce, or Green Mole Sauce.
Garnish: Enhance the look, color, and texture of enchiladas by adding one or more chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, or mint), crumbled queso fresco, crema, diced roasted bell peppers, chopped toasted pecans, toasted pine nuts, toasted pepitas, or one of the Zigzag Sauces.
Side Dishes: Enchiladas are usually served with Refried Beans and Mexican Rice Pilaf. But why not think outside the box by choosing one of the following: an appetizer of Salmon and Scallop Ceviche, Chilled Avocado Soup, a side of Spicy Papaya Salad, and a dessert of Fallen Kahlúa Chocolate Cake.
SERVES 4
The Mexican sausage chorizo adds a wonderful richness to the mushroom filling. If you can’t find raw chorizo, substitute another raw link sausage meat. Don’t use the cured Spanish-style chorizo. The mushroom filling is delicious made with the more common cremini or button mushrooms, but it becomes a taste sensation if you substitute fresh porcini, enoki, and/or royal trumpet mushrooms.
8 ounces chorizo raw link sausage
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
8 ounces cremini mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil, if needed
3 whole green onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces Gruyère or mild cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
½ cup crema
½ cup queso fresco
Squeeze the sausage out of its casing. Place a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-low heat. When the pan becomes hot, add the sausage. Sauté the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces. When it loses its raw color, transfer the sausage meat to a cutting board, and chop it into small pieces.
Discard the shiitake mushroom stems and thinly slice all of the mushrooms. If there is no fat remaining in the sauté pan, add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Return the sauté pan to medium heat. When hot, add the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms lose all their moisture and become densely textured, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the green onions and add to the sauté pan along with the sausage, garlic, and salt. Transfer to a bowl. You should have 4 cups of the mushroom filling. Stir in half of the grated cheese.
Prepare the salsa. Warm the tortillas as described on here.
Spread 1 cup of the salsa across the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Place ½ cup of the mushroom mixture in the center of a tortilla, and either roll into a cylinder or fold in half. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas and place side by side in the baking dish. Spoon on the remaining salsa. The recipe can be made up to this point 6 hours in advance and kept refrigerated.
To cook, preheat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the enchiladas with the remaining grated cheese. Bake until the sauce begins to bubble, about 30 minutes. Drizzle on the crema and crumbled queso fresco. Serve at once.
SERVES 4
Here the chicken filling is coated in a red sauce. Before baking, a tomatillo salsa and a spicy red sauce are spooned on the enchiladas to give the enchiladas two radically different colors. To speed preparation time, use a whole roasted chicken from the supermarket deli.
1 cup Mexican Chile Sauce
1½ cups chopped vine-ripened tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, divided in half
Meat from 1 whole roasted chicken
3 ears white corn
6 ounces Chihuahua or medium-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup flavorless cooking oil
½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 cup chopped red onion
½ cup crema or sour cream
Place the Mexican chile sauce in a bowl. Then add the chopped tomato, salt, and half of the cilantro. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces or pull the meat into shreds. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs. In a bowl, place the chicken, corn, 1 cup of the Mexican chile-tomato sauce, and half of the cheese. Toss to evenly combine. Make the tomatillo salsa.
Place a 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat and add the flavorless cooking oil. When the oil makes the edge of a tortilla bubble when dipped into the oil, sprinkle the chile powder over the oil. Dip each corn tortilla into the oil for 5 to 10 seconds, then drain on paper towels. Pat the top of the tortillas with paper towels to remove any extra oil.
Spread ½ cup of the Mexican chile-tomato sauce across the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Place ⅛ of the chicken-corn mixture in a tortilla and either roll into a cylinder or fold the tortilla in half. Repeat with the remaining chicken mixture and tortillas, and place the tortillas side by side in the baking dish. The recipe can be made up to this point 6 hours in advance and kept refrigerated.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the tomatillo salsa over half of the enchiladas, coating them evenly. Spoon the remaining Mexican chile-tomato sauce over the rest of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Bake until the sauce begins to bubble, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and the red onion, and drizzle with the crema. Serve at once.
