The Great Montezuma; Photo by Steve Tesky
The Great Montezuma Hot Chocolate Drink
My friend Richard Sterling developed this recipe, which is his version of how the Spaniards transformed Montezuma’s favorite spicy beverage with the addition of alcohol. He commented: “¡Salud! Drink to the Old World and the New.” It’s perfect for the holiday season!
12 ounces prepared hot chocolate (not too sweet)
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 jiggers chile pepper vodka like Stolichnaya Pertsovka
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Cayenne powder and cinnamon sticks for garnish
Grated chocolate and a red chile for garnish (optional)
Combine the chocolate, honey, vanilla and vodka in a small pitcher. Pour into two long stemmed glasses or Irish coffee glasses. Float the cream on the tops of the two drinks. Dust with a pinch of Cayenne pepper and garnish with cinnamon sticks, or dust with grated chocolate and garnish with a red chile. Cut them lengthwise and fix them to the edges of the glasses.
Yield: 2 servings
Heat Scale: Mild
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Here’s one of my favorite breakfast dishes.
Carne Adovada Burrito. Photo by Sergio Salvador.
New Mexico Carne Adovada Burritos
This variation of an ancient recipe evolved from the need to preserve meat before refrigeration. The red chile acts as an antioxidant and prevents the meat from spoiling. Such technical details should not detract from the fact that this simple dish is incredibly tasty and once eaten, is never forgotten. Also use it as a stuffing for sopaipillas or as a filling for enchiladas. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.
1 1/2 cups crushed red New Mexican chiles, stems removed, seeds included
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups water
2 pounds pork, cut into strips
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 onions, chopped
6 flour tortillas
Combine the chile, garlic, and oregano in a sauce pan. Add the water and heat for 5 minutes to make a coarse chile sauce.
Place the pork in a glass pan and cover with the chile sauce. Marinate the pork for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator, turning it once or twice.
Add the potatoes and onions to the pork and chile and bake in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours or until the pork is very tender and starts to fall apart.
Place the adovada mixture in a flour tortillas, top with grated cheese, roll up, and eat as a burrito. Use it as a stuffing for sopaipillas or as a filling for enchiladas.
Yield: 6 servings
Heat Scale: Hot
Photo courtesy of Salvador Photo.
For great spicy recipes, click the image above!
A Chihuahua Turkey
I have posted an article on my Fiery Foods & BBQ SuperSite entitled “A Chile Lover’s ‘Mexican Thanksgiving’” with a rather elaborate recipe for Mole Poblano, here, and then I realized how much quicker and easier it is to use prepared ingredients from MexGrocer.com. Here is the simplified version.
Mole Poblano de Guajolote
(Quick Turkey in Chocolate Chile Sauce)
In an 1870s cookbook from Puebla there were recipes for 44 different moles but only one, Mole Poblano de Guajolote, or turkey in mole sauce, is sometmes called the “National Dish of Mexico.” This mole has descended from an Aztec chilemolli dish and although it’s called poblano, it doesn’t contain any poblano chiles. In this case poblano refers to the people of Puebla, birthplace of this dish. For an authentic taste, lard is used, but if that’s offensive to you, substitute vegetable oil. Also, Mexican chocolate can be used, but if you do, be sure to eliminate the cinnamon from the recipe.
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4 to 6 serving-size slices of raw turkey or chicken
- Lard or vegetable oil
- Prepared mole sauce
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1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, minced
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1 cup turkey or chicken broth
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Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Brown the turkey or chicken pieces in the lard or oil a heavy skillet for 10 minutes on each side. Remove the pieces and place in a baking dish and roast in the oven for 50 minutes if using turkey and 30 minutes for chicken. Remove from the oven and keep the meat warm.
In another skillet over medium heat, combine the prepared mole sauce with the chipotles and broth and heat until the sauce thickens to to your liking.
Add the turkey to the mole sauce and heat through. Arrange the turkey in the sauce on a serving platter, add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with the sesame seeds and serve.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Heat Scale: Mild to Medium
The folks at MexGrocer.com sent me 12 bags of snacks, mostly hot and spicy chips of all kinds. I gave these bags to various tasters, who evaluated them according to the same judging forms we use for the Scovie Awards Competition. The results are in and here are the winners with links to their pages on MexGrocer.com:
1. Sabritas Habanero Limón
Sabritas takes takes the finest potatoes and dips the in sunflower and/or corn oil to give it that crunchy taste, and then adds authentic chile habanero with salt and citric flavors to make it a spicy taste of Mexico. These are not your average potato chips. You will enjoy the taste of chili habanero Sabritas one after another. As the old saying goes, “I bet You can’t eat just one.” These are “Too Good to Eat Just One.”
2. Doritios -Toro Habanero
Doritos takes takes the finest tortilla chips to give them that crunchy taste, and then adds authentic chile habanero with cheddar cheese, spices and citric flavors to make it a spicy taste of Mexico. These are not your average tortilla chips. You will enjoy the taste of chili habanero one after another.
3. Churritos Chile and Lime
Barcel Churritos Chile and Lime Corn Snack Stix 4 oz (Pack of 3)
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A Day of the Dead Plate
This uniquely Mexican and Central American holiday features celebrations of family and friends to honor relatives and close friends who have died. The holiday occurs on November 1st and 2nd and is closely connected to the Catholic celebration All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2). The Day(s) of the Dead traditions include visiting grave sites and building private altars to honor the deceased that include sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. The altars additionally include photos and memorabilia of the deceased. The celebrations are not morose, but rather humorous as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.
Although Americans view the dancing skeletons and celebration of death as macabre or related to Halloween, they are not. El Día de Los Muertos is not frightening but rather reflective, and certainly not sad. The cavorting skeletons originated from imagery of the Mexican press artist Jose Guadalupe Posada, who died in 1913. Posada inspired muralist Diego Rivera and others with caricatures of wealthy people and politicians who were depicted as skeletons.
By José Guadalupe Posada: "Gran Calavera Eléctrica," c. 1900
Also on the altars are traditional liquors such as mescal, pulque, and atole, a corn drink. A glass of water is also essential because after the journey from the heavens to earth, the souls of the departed are thirsty and tired. They are also hungry, so the foods both offered and consumed by the celebrants are the favorite dishes of the departed, such as moles and tamales, foods that are made for special occasions because a lot of work is required to make them, showing devotion and respect for the dead ones.
For more information on the Day of the Dead, go here and here.
For Day of the Dead Recipes, go here and here.
For videos about the Day of the Dead, go here.
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Albuquerque-area resident and vegetarian cookbook author Nanette Blanchard used to write for me in the early days when I was the editor of Chile Pepper magazine. She has self-published a booklet of her favorite southwestern plant-based recipes. Fiesta Vegan: 30 Delicious Recipes from New Mexico contains her take on traditional recipes such as Posole, Calabacitas, Sangria, and Capirotada. Each of the recipes includes a color photo and a nutritional analysis. Fiesta Vegan also offers a list of online sources for specialty ingredients and recommendations for New Mexico stops for food-lovers. The 40 page booklet is available either in print or as a .PDF download. You can also find a Kindle version without photos, here. Information on all the booklet versions is on her web site, here. Nanette also maintains a food blog, Cooking in Color, here.
Avocado and Corn Tostadas with Spicy Chile Sauce
If you can’t find prepared tostada shells you can simply serve this recipe on top of your favorite brand of tortilla chips. The Spicy Chile Sauce is also a great accompaniment to your favorite scrambled tofu
recipe.
Serves 4
Spicy Chile Sauce:
2 (8 oz.) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
½ c. water
1 Tbsp. agave nectar
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
2 Tbsp. dried onion flakes
2 tsp. pequin chile flakes or any crushed hot red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. sea salt or to taste
To make Spicy Chile Sauce: Put all ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium/low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until thick and the flavors have all blended.
8 tostada shells
3 c. shredded Romaine lettuce
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 avocados, sliced
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
2 Tbsp. pickled jalapeño rings
¼ c. sliced black olives
Fresh lime slices for garnish
To assemble tostadas, place 2 tostadas per person on plate. Add ¼ of the Romaine and pinto beans.
Top each with about 1/3 c. of the Spicy Chile Sauce and top with avocados, corn, jalapenos and black
olives. Garnish with fresh lime slices.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 1036 Calories; 30g Fat (37.7% calories from fat); 17g Protein; 95g Carbohydrate; 18g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 503mg Sodium.
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Steamed Clams with Chorizo
It’s hard to imagine the combination of spicy Mexican chorizo with clams, but this recipe really works! It takes just 15 minutes (or less) of preparation time and 15 minutes of cooking. Give it a try to surprise your guests.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground chorizo sausage
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 dozen Little Neck clams, scrubbed
1 cup dry white wine
1 orange, halved
1/4 cup toasted piñon nuts
1/4 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley
In a large, decorative casserole or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook until browned. Add the garlic and bay leaves, and saute until lightly brown. Add the clams and wine. Squeeze the orange juice into the pan then add the halves. The rind will add another dimension to the sauce. Cover and steam until the clams open, discard any that do not. Remove from heat, remove the orange halves, sprinkle with the piñon nuts and top with the parsley. Serve in the same dish.
Yield 8 servings
[Photo by Sergio Salvador]
For great spicy recipes, click the image above!
Last night the temperature dropped down to 33 degrees here in the South Valley of Albuquerque, so that tells me that green chile stew season has started. This is the beef stew or macaroni and cheese of New Mexico–a basic dish with as many variations as there are cooks, and I love it. Add a warmed flour tortilla and you have a complete meal.
Green Chile Stew
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds lean pork, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 to 8 green New Mexican chiles, roasted, peeled, seeds and stems removed, chopped (if using canned, be sure to add some serrano chiles to spice it up)
1 large potato, peeled and diced (optional)
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cups water
Sliced tomatoes for garnish
Heat the oil in a pot and brown the pork. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for a couple of minutes.
Combine all the ingredients in a kettle or crockpot (slow cooker)and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.
Yield: 6 servings
Heat Scale: Medium
For great spicy recipes, click the image above!
Here’s an excerpt from my new book with Dr. Paul Bosland, The Complete Chile Pepper Book:
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Buy the book here.
For great spicy recipes, click the image above!
Melanie’s Fine Foods is part of the MexGrocer team. The company was founded in 2002 by Melanie and Kent Yunk, two former dot-comers from Silicon Valley. They manufacture the award-winning Big Acres Gourmet Sauces and Spices & Rubs and distribute gourmet goodies for the kitchen and grill. Their mission is to provide mouth-watering, healthy, great tasting, crowd-pleasing gourmet products to consumers worldwide.
Their award-winning line of Big Acres® Gourmet Foods is all natural, preservative- and MSG-free and they focus on locally grown ingredients when possible as well as the use of recycled content in their packaging. Melanie personally inspects each ingredient in every batch to insure the quality of their products.
Melanie’s Fine Foods was one of the first companies in San Mateo County, California, to acquire certification as a green business in The Bay Area Green Business program. They use green technology in solid waste diversion, energy efficiency, water conservation and pollution prevention in their San Carlos, California office.
Melanie Yunk |
Milagro Mole Turkey Burgers
2 pounds ground all natural dark (or white) turkey
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 bottle Big Acres Milagro Mole
6 large whole-grain burger buns
Sliced onion for garnish
Lettuce for garnish
Prepare the grill for medium high direct heat. Lightly oil grate. (You can pan fry or broil these burgers too!)
In a large bowl, mix together the turkey, oatmeal, egg, salt and 1/2 bottle of Big Acres Milagro Mole. Mix well. Form into 6 large burgers and grill on a medium grill 5 to 7 minutes on each side until done (internal temperature of 165 degrees).
Spread a little mole on the buns, then place a burger on each bun and top with the sliced onion and lettuce. Serve immediately.
Yield: 6 servings
For great spicy recipes, click the image above!
I have posted an article on my Fiery Foods & BBQ SuperSite entitled “A Chile Lover’s ‘Mexican Thanksgiving’” with a rather elaborate recipe for Mole Poblano, 
