¡Fiesta Time!

This November 23rd, why not honor Blessed Miguel on his feast day with a family fiesta in his honor? Attend Mass with the family and afterwards invite family and friends to partake of a good meal, Mexican style!

¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva Blessed Miguel!
¡Viva Mexico!

Here are some recipes for that great South-of-the-Border taste. Some are authentic in their Mexican heritage, others have been altered for an easy way to get the flavor for cooks who don’t really know much of the cuisine. Some are unabashedly Tex-Mex or Doña Anita’s original creations:

Snacks/Finger Foods/Appetizers/Salads:

In Spanish, the word “macho” implies strength and masculinity. Even strong, masculine boys need to learn to cook, and Macho Nachos are a favorite of the boys in my family who like them just as well when they make them instead of me!

Macho Nachos

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• Round or triangular tortilla chips.
• Can of refried beans
• Shredded cheese

Fry your meat in a skillet, breaking it into chunks as it fries. If there is much grease, drain it when cooked. Add the pepper, cumin and garlic powder. Stir the cornstarch into the cup of water and pour over the meat. Bring to a boil and cook until the cornstarch turns clear and thickens slightly. Turn off stove.

Cover a microwave safe plate (paper is fine) with tortilla chips. Spread refried beans, straight from the can, on each chip With a spoon top with some of your meat. Top with shredded cheese. Microwave for 1 minute.

Albóndigas de Camarón (Egg and Shrimp Cakes)

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. shrimp, boiled and chopped 
• 1/4 c. minced onion 
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• cooking oil

Beat eggs. Add onion, salt, pepper, and shrimp. Add flour and blend to make a batter. In deep skillet, heat cooking oil. Pour 1/4 c. batter for each cake into hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Drain on brown paper bag or paper towels. Yield: 1 dozen.

Guacamole

• 2 ripe avacados
• 1 tomato, diced fine
• 1 onion, diced fine
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. crushed black pepper
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt to taste
• shredded lettuce

Mash ripe avacados with a fork. Add tomato, onion, garlic powder, pepper, salt and lemon juice. Serve over shredded lettuce. Serves 4 - 8.

Pica de Gallo ("Beak of the Chicken")

• 1 onion, diced fine
• 1 tomato, diced fine
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced very fine
• tsp. fresh cilantro, cut fine
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate. Serve this as a side with sour cream. Eat it with any of the vegetables or main dishes.

Desserts:

Pan de Polvo

• 2 lbs. flour 
• 1 lb. shortening 
• 1/3 c. cinnamon & anise tea 
• 1/4 tsp. yeast
• 7 oz. sugar
• pinch of salt
• cinnamon and sugar to coat

Mix flour and salt together and set aside. Mix the shortening and the sugar. Add yeast to the tea and mix it into the shortening-sugar mix. Blend until the mix is smooth and creamy. Add the flour to make a soft dough. Separate the dough into small, soft dough balls, ready to individually roll out and cut into cookies with small-size cookie cutter. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Roll warm cookies in a mix of cinnamon and sugar.

— Consuela Martinez

Lace Cookies

• 1/2 c. powdered sugar 
• 1/2 c. flour 
• 1/4 c. blanched almonds, finely chopped
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar, add egg whites and flour. Mix well and add vanilla and almonds. Drop in rounds on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden. At the door of the oven, roll them quickly round a pencil to form little tubes. Place on a plate and dust with powdered sugar.

— Dr. Abe Goldfarb

Buñuelos Rapido
You can make a hurry-up version of traditional Buñuelos using a package of flour tortillas.

• 1 pkg. flour tortillas
• hot oil for frying
• paper bag
• 4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

Cut each tortilla into fourths. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and crisp. Place the cinnamon and sugar into a paper grocery bag. Drop in the hot fried tortilla pieces and shake to coat with the cinnamon sugar mix. 

Leche Flan (Caramel Custard)

• 1 c. brown sugar 
• 2 c. milk 
• 8 egg yolks 
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

Scald the milk. Beat eggs and sugar together and gradually beat in the milk. Add the lemon rind and nutmeg and mix thoroughly.
Dissolve the brown sugar in 1/4 c. water in a small saucepan over low heat, then boil the syrup briskly until it caramelizes. Do not let the caramel become too dark or it will be bitter. Pour the caramel into a shallow, well-buttered ovenproof dish or into several small custard cups.

Pour the custard over the caramel. Stand the dish in a larger baking tray and pour water into the outer container until it comes about halfway up the sides of the custard dish. Bake in preheated oven at low heat (275 degrees) for about an hour, or until the custard has set.

Cool the custard before turning it out of the mold, caramel side up. Lucky coins wrapped in aluminum foil can be pressed into the cold custard before unmolding. Yield: serves 4 to 6.

Galletas Huesos (Bone Cookies)

• 2/3 c. sugar
• 8 tbsp. margarine or butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 c. flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. almonds, chopped fine
• powdered sugar

Cream the sugar, butter and eggs together. Add the flour gradually, beating until smooth. Add the vanilla and nuts, blending well. Form teaspoons of dough into a bone or crescent shape, placing the cookies an inch apart on greased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Yields about 4 dozen.

Capirotada

This is a favorite food for South Texas Catholics during Lent. Served warm or cold it is good any time of the year. It is what I call a “sliding” recipe since you can alter many parts of it for variation. Good cooks are creative, and each cook has their own favorite way of altering this basic recipe. 

• 1 small loaf bread, day old and dried out a bit or toasted both sides
• 6 slices American cheese
• 1 c. raisins (pre-soak in amaretto or other liquor if you wish); used mixed dried fruit if you like instead of the raisins
• 1 cup. nuts – pecans, walnuts or those you like best
• 3 c. water
• 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tbsp. anise seeds (or several pieces of star anise)
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 or 3 thin slices of onion

Boil the water with the spices and onion slices to make a fragrant tea. Add the sugar and butter and stir until dissolved. Set aside. When cool, pour through a strainer to remove the spices and onion.

Butter (or grease) the bottom of a large glass bake dish. Place a layer of toast on the bottom of dish. Add a layer of cheese and then the nuts and raisins. Add another layer of toast and repeat with the cheese, nuts and raisins. Top with a layer of toast. Pour your spiced tea over the rest; it should be sloppy wet. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until top is nicely browned. 

Serve warm or cold as a light main dish or dessert. Combined with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream it’s outta this world!

Soups:

Taco Soup

• 2 lbs. ground meat 
• 1 onion — chopped fine 
• 1 pkg taco mix 
• 1 pkg Ranch style buttermilk dressing mix 
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 cans whole tomatoes, chopped into pieces, plus juice
• 1 can yellow hominy, drained
• 1 small can chopped green chilies
• 1 can plain pinto beans
• 1 can Ranch Style beans
• 2 c. water

Brown the meat and onion. Drain off excess grease. In a large pan, place meat mixture, garlic powder, taco mix and buttermilk dressing mix. Stir well. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes. Add more water if needed. Serve with cornbread for a complete meal. Yield: serves 10 to 12.

— Gracine Griffin

Gazpacho

• 1 46-oz. can tomato juice 
• 1 tsp. garlic salt 
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice concentrate 
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 tbsp. sugar 
• 2 tbsp. olive oil 
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper 
• 4 tsp. picante sauce
• 1 can tomatoes, cut, with juice
• 2 c. chopped celery
• 2 c. cucumber, grated
• 2 c. green pepper, chopped fine
• 2 c. grated carrots
• 1 large onion, chopped fine

Mix all ingredients and chill well before serving. Serve with garlic toast. Yield: serves 12 to 15.

— Carolyn Kares

Vegetables:

Moros y Cristianos

• 1 16-oz. pkg. black turtle beans* 
• 1 tsp. dried basil 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1/2 tsp. cumin 
• 1 medium onion, diced 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper
• 5 slices uncooked bacon chopped into small bits
• salt to taste
• white rice, cooked according to package directions

Soak beans overnight. Rinse, throwing out those that float. In a large pot, place the bacon bits. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bacon is partially cooked. Add beans* and enough water to cover about an inch. Add all spices except salt. (Add salt to beans only when cooking is completed; otherwise your beans will be tough.) Bring beans to a rapid boil, then put on low heat. Cook until beans are tender, usually 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Serve over rice. Yield: serves six to eight.

*Black turtle beans are smaller than their oriental cousins and have a tiny white mark on their seam. If you use the oriental black bean, expect a much longer cooking time.

Boracho Beans (Drunk Beans)

• 2 cans pinto beans (or substitute red beans)
• 1 bay leaf (or more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin (or more to taste)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 to 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 small bell pepper, diced
• 5 slices bacon (or substitute chopped ham pieces)
• 1 can beer
• 1/2 tsp. crushed black pepper
• salt to taste, but add just before serving if needed

Cut bacon into pieces and fry in bottom of pan. Add beer. Drain beans and add. Add rest of ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 - 20 minutes. Serves 6 to 8 if used as a side dish.

Frijoles Muerto (Dead Beans)

• 1 can black beans
• 1 cup ham scraps or smoked sausage pieces
• 3 bay leaves, fresh or dried
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin (or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup beer
• 3 tbsp. chopped onion
• 2 tbsp. chopped green pepper
• black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients except the cumin in a pan and bring to a boil. Immediately lower heat to simmer. Add the cumin and serve. No salt is added to this recipe because canned beans are generally salty; if you add salt, add it last because salt added to beans while cooking tends to make them tough. You may substitute pinto or red beans for the black beans if you prefer.

Yellow Rice

• 2 c. rice
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 beef or chicken bouillon cube, dissolved in 1 cup hot water
• 1 c. frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 tsp. group cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. Bijol seasoning or ground achiote or one packet of Sazon Goya (this is basically yellow coloring so if you can’t find it, add a couple of drops of yellow food color)
• water

Place oil and raw rice, cumin, garlic powder and bijol in bottom of large skillet. With heat on high, stir constantly to keep from burning until the rice begins to turn color – more white. Immediately add bouillon and enough more water to cover rice. Add vegetables. When mixture boils, cut heat to simmer and cover pan tightly. Cook fifteen minutes. Remove lid and fluff rice; test; if rice is not completely done and most of the water absorbed, simmer a few more minutes.

Salsas/Dips:

Best bet: purchase jars of Pace’s or other brand picante sauce. Green salsa, made from tomatillos, is wonderful; the type in a can or jar may be too spicy for many palates.

Fiesta Salsa

• 1 can diced tomatoes – (preferably yellow Romas)
• 1 medium onion – chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper – chopped
• 1 green bell pepper – chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 5 cloves of garlic – chopped fine
• 1/2 large jalapeno – chopped fine
• 1/2 tsp of salt

Place all the ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, set aside to cool, then pack in glass jars and refrigerate. Serve as a dip with tortillas chips or as a relish with your favorite Mexican dish.

Main Dishes:

Enchiladas, Tamales and Mole

Best bet: make friends with a Mexican cook. There are many great recipes for all three of these on the internet but the trick is in the preparation, not the recipe. The best way to learn to make these is to watch someone do it!

Baked Juevos con Nopales (Eggs With Cactus)

• 2 c. grated cheddar cheese 
• 1/2 lb. hot pork sausage, browned, crumbled, and drained
• 1 doz. eggs slightly beaten
• 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped very fine
• 1 small can cactus, drained

Generously butter a large glass baking dish. Cover bottom of dish with the cooked sausage. Sprinkle cheese over bottom of dish. Beat the eggs with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the sausage and cheese. Sprinkle the jalapeños over mix. Bake at 325 degrees until eggs are set and a knife inserted comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cut in squares to serve. May be served hot or cold. Yield: serves 6 as main dish or 10 to 12 as side dish or hot appetizer.

Tinga

• 1 lb. hamburger meat 
• 1 small onion, chopped fine 
• 1 tsp. garlic powder 
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 c. water

Brown meat in a medium skillet. Drain off excess grease. Add chopped onion and cook over medium heat until onion is clear. Dissolve cornstarch in water and pour over meat, stirring to thicken. Add spices. Serve hot over rice or in taco shells. Yield: 1 pound.

Carne Guisada

• 3-4 lbs. round steak
• 10 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp cooking sherry
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1/4 cup finely diced bell pepper
• 2 tbsp freshly crushed garlic
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin (comino molido)
• 4-5 oz tomato sauce
• 8 oz diced tomatoes and chili peppers
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Remove excess fat and gristle from round steak, then cut steak into small bite-size pieces.

In heavy skillet, heat 5 tbsp of cooking oil. Add meat and braise until meat is slightly browned. Stir in the cooking sherry, cover, and let simmer for one hour. Meat should make its own liquid to prevent burning. If it does not, add water to barely cover the meat.

In a separate skillet, heat the remaining cooking oil (5 tbsp), add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Simmer until soft, then stir in with the meat.

— Lydia Ewer

Calabasa con Pollo

• 3 ea Chicken breast halves with skin and rib bones
• 6 ea Yellow Squash (calabasa preferred)
• 4 ea Zucchini Squash
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 ea Large garlic clove
• 1 lb. Corn
• 1 lb. Baby carrots
• 1 tsp Cumino
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper

Heat olive oil in large pot. Season with garlic clove. Brown chicken breasts in olive oil.Add squash, corn, and carrots. Add cumino, salt, and carrots.Reduce heat, cover, and slow-cook until squash is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add water, but only if necessary.

— Lydia Ewer

Breads:

Flour and corn tortillas – purchase fresh in packages at the store.

Plato de San Martín Caballero

• 1 lb. ground meat 
• 1 c. yellow cornmeal 
• 1/2 c. bacon drippings 
• 2 eggs, well beaten 
• 1 can cream-style yellow corn 
• 1 c. milk 
• 1 onion
• 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 jalapeño peppers, chopped fine
• 1 small jar pimiento peppers
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. soda

Sauté meat until browned and crumbly. Drain off excess grease. Mix corn meal, milk, eggs, creamed corn, bacon drippings, salt, and soda.

Grease large iron skillet. Heat. Sprinkle two tbsp. cornmeal butter in skillet and let it brown slightly, stirring constantly. Pour half the batter in the skillet. Sprinkle cheese evenly over batter. Sprinkle meat over cheese. Next sprinkle the onion and finally the peppers. Pour remaining batter on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Yield: serves 4 to 6.

Cocol

• 4 c. flour
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1 c. anise tea
• 1/4 c. plus 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 c. butter, margarine, or shortening
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• poppy seeds (optional)

Prepare the anise tea by boiling 1 c. water and 3 tsp. anise seeds. Boil for a few minutes and strain out the seeds. (You can leave the seeds in if you like.)

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. When tea mixture is lukewarm, add to the flour/yeast. Add eggs. Beat well. Stir in remaining flour and knead to make a stiff dough. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about ten minutes. Shape dough into a ball. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface of dough. Cover and let rise for one hour.

Punch down. Divide dough into 10 or 15 pieces and shape each into a small ball. On lightly floured surface, roll or pat each piece into a circle about three inches in diameter. Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle poppy seed on top of each cocol. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes.

Beverages:

Aguas Frescas

This is the Mexican equivalent of Kool Aid. Literally, it means “fresh water.” Klass brand makes packets of the mix available in the Mexican food section of your grocery in some places. Otherwise, to make tamarindo agua fresca:

• 2 or 3 fresh tamarind beans, outer hull removed
• 1 cup sugar
• water

In a pan of water (about 1 quart), boil the gooey beans. Add sugar and boil to dissolve. Cool. Serve over ice.

Mexican Cocoa

This is wonderful on a hot winter night...

Make it easy: purchase a bar of Mexican chocolate in the Mexican food section of your grocery store and make according to directions, or:

Make a paste of 2 tbsp. Baker’s cocoa and about 6 tbsp. sugar mixed with a little water. Break 2 cinnamon sticks into a pan with a quart of milk and bring to a boil. Boil for approximately 1 minute.. Reduce heat to simmer. Add the chocolate paste, stirring well. Beat with a mixer or chocolate beater until frothy (optional). Serve hot.